Final Cuts Announced

The Traverse City Beach Bums are now down to 24 players.  Below is a short synopsis of each position.

Outfield

The Beach Bums' outfield will consist of Mike Goetz, Mike Epping, Brad Roblin and Jake Whitesides.  Whitesides will also see time at DH and 1B.  Goetz, Epping, and Roblin all impressed during spring training both defensively and offensively.  All four outfielders are speed threats on the bases and Beach Bums' fans can expect a lot of excitement out of this group.

Infield

The Beach Bums infield includes 3B Matt Imwalle, SS Brad Miller, 2B Steve Young, and 1B Kyle Maunus.  The Beach Bums' have kept two utility infielders, Jeff Brown and slick fielding Damon Lessler.  After a difficult year defensively in 2006, Imwalle impressed the coaching staff at 3rd base this spring, only making one error during two weeks worth of intrasquads.  SS Brad Miller will pick up where Justin Holmes led off as one of the best shortstops in the league while late addition Kyle Maunus has been outstanding at 1st base and at the plate during spring training. 

Catching

The Beach Bums' will have veteran Patrick Perry along with former Oakland Athletics' farmhand John Brummett behind the plate.  Perry was the only catcher selected to the post-season All-Star Team in the CanAm League last season, which is widely considered to be a class double-A caliber independent league.  Althought this is Perry's 5th year of professional baseball, he is only an LS-1 by Frontier League standards.

Starting Pitching

The 1-2-3 combination of Bryan Rembisz, Ryan Gehring, and David Nathanson return for the Beach Bums along with newcomers to the rotation JT King and Brett Bostelman.  King, a former Brewers prospect, has looked great on the mound this spring while Bostelman, who was in the Beach Bums' bullpen last season, dropped 15 pounds in the off-season and will make the move into the 5th spot in the rotation in 2008.

Bullpen

The Beach Bums' return Matt Dillard, Jeff Williams, Nick Pepper, and Jared Locke from last year's squad along with newcomers Zac Cole, Ted Gjeldum, and Peter McEneaney.  Of the seven relievers, only Dillard and the submarining Pepper don't have the ability to hit 90 mph.  We have a great group of power arms in the bullpen this year, which should take a lot of pressure off the starting staff.  

Opening Day Roster Nearly Set

With a few days left until opening day at Wuerfel Park, we have cut the squad down to 27 players.  All three of the remaining cuts will be positions players including two catchers.  As of right now the pitching staff will include starters Bryan Rembisz, Ryan Gehring, David Nathanson, JT King, and Brett Bostelman.  The bullpen will consist of righties Matt Dillard, Zac Cole, Jeff Williams, and Nick Pepper with lefties Jared Locke and Ted Gjeldum.  The Beach Bums' first round draft pick in the Frontier League Tryout Camp, Peter McEneaney, has also made the squad and will start the season in the bullpen.

The exact order of the rotation has not been announced yet, but I'm assuming we will be able to make that public soon.  A list of position players who have made the cut should be available tomorrow or the next day.

Ledbetter, Dickerson Retire

Two members of the 2007 Traverse City Beach Bums retired suddenly yesterday. 1B/C Curtis Ledbetter, who was expected to be the every day 1st basemen for the Beach Bums in 2008, and outfielder RC Dicerkson both called to announce their intentions to pursue opportunities outside of professional baseball. Ledbetter has accepted a position as the University of Nebraska's Director of Baseball Operations. Both players will be missed for their attitude and ability on and off the field.

The impact of the announcement will have Matt Imwalle come into camp as the every day 1st basemen for the Beach Bums, although outfielder Jake Whitesides could also see some time there.

Beach Bums Deal for Pitchers

The Traverse City Beach Bums have acquired RHP Shannon Wirth and reacquired RHP David Nathanson from the Joliet Jackhammers of the Frontier League for a player to be named later. Both pitchers are expected to open the season in the Beach Bums' starting rotation.

Nathanson pitched for the Beach Bums in 2007 and was sent to Joliet this off-season in the deal that brought OF Jake Whitesides and SS Tim Hutting to the Beach Bums. Hutting was later traded for INF/DH Matt Imwalle.

Last year for the Beach Bums, Nathanson went 5-2 with a league 6th best 2.95 ERA in 76.1 innings. Over that stretch, Nathanson gave up just 70 hits, 3 home runs, and 11 walks while striking out 42 and holding opponents to a .244 average.

The unknown face for Beach Bums' fans is RHP Shannon Wirth, a 6'0" 215-pound native of Troutdale, Oregon. Wirth helped win the 2006 national title for Lewis & Clark State College, a NAIA powerhouse program, and was drafted in the 32nd round by the Texas Rangers. He pitched 38 innings amongst three different levels in the Rangers organization in 2006, reaching as high as class high-A. In 2007, Wirth pitched for now Joliet manager Wally Backman in South Georgia of the South Coast League. Wirth helped win a title with South Georgia in 2007, going 9-5 with a league 5th best 3.44 ERA in a league 2nd best 107.1 innings. He walked 33, struck out 71, and held opponents to a .265 average.

Beach Bums Ink Goetz

The Traverse City Beach Bums have signed outfielder Mike Goetz to a 2008 contract.

The 5'11" 190-pound native of Greenfield, Wisconsin, comes to Traverse City with an impressive resume. He was an All-American in both Junior College and at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, where he led the nation with a .493 batting average his senior season while finishing in the top 40 in the county in four other offensive categories.

Goetz was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006 and spent the rest of the summer tearing up the Arizona League. He led the league with 31 stolen bases while hitting .289 with a .393 on-base percentage. In 2007, he was promoted to the class short season-A Helena Brewers where he was managed by former Beach Bums' manager Jeff Isom. For Helena, Goetz hit .318 with 28 runs, 27 RBI, .462 slugging percentage, and .417 on-base percentage in just 132 at-bats. For his performance, Goetz was rewarded with a brief late-season call-up to the class double-A Huntsville Stars.

3B Smith signs with Bums

The Beach Bums will announce today the signing of infielder Kenny Smith to a 2008 contract.

Smith was a NCAA DI Second-Team All-American in 2007 for Western Carolina after hitting .390 with 24 doubles, 4 triples, 20 home runs, 84 RBI, 14 SB, 30 BB, and just 28 K. Following the season he was drafted in the 20th round by the Texas Rangers and assigned to the Spokane Indians of the Northwest League. In Spokane, Smith hit .240 in 121 at-bats with 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 16 runs, 12 RBI, 3 stolen bases, and a .319 OBP. Smith's performance earned him a late season call-up to the Clinton Lumberjacks of the Midwest League.

A versatile defender, Smith played all infield positions during his college career, but will probably be used mostly at 3rd base for the Beach Bums. Last year in the Rangers organization, Smith played all 36 games at 3rd base, committing just 4 errors.

Bums sign Shortstop, RHP

We received two more contracts back today on players that didn't make the today's press release - shortstop Brad Miller and RHP Zac Cole.

Miller was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Cowley County Community College and spent the past two seasons in their organization. Last year he hit .231 with 6 doubles, 2 home runs, and 4 stolen bases in just 117 at-bats at class low-A West Virginia Power. Jeff Isom, who is now the manager of Power, likened Miller's ability to Justin Holmes.

Cole is a hard throwing right-hander that pitched in rookie ball for the Orioles last year, but was recommended to us by a connection in the Diamondbacks system. Reports show Cole throwing consistently in the 91-94 mph range. For the Orioles, Cole threw 12.1 innings with 11 walks, 11 strikeouts, 2 saves, and a 5.86 ERA. Cole is candidate for either starting or relieving. There is also a chance we will turn him into our closer.

Beach Bums Sign Three

The Beach Bums have announced the signing of three players - LHP Ted Gjeldum, C John Brummett, and UTL Damon Lessler.

Gjeldum is a 6'4" 200-pound hard throwing left-hander who played in 2007 in rookie ball in the Royals system. He finished his first professional season with a 4-1 record, 3.86 ERA, 34.2 IP, 17 BB, 37 K, and a .237 OAV. He tops out at 91-92 mph and we think him and Jared Locke could be the two best bullpen lefties in the Frontier League.

Brummett is a 6'1" 205-pound Iowa native who played the past two seasons in the Oakland Athletics organization. He was signed out of Pittsburg State in 2006 after being named a 1st Team All-American with some gaudy stats - .434 AVG, 9 2B, 13 HR, and 53 RBI in just 46 games. He didn't get many at-bats in the Athletics' system, so he is still considered a rookie by Frontier League standards.

Lessler is a 5'6" 155-pound switch-hitting utility player from Castro Valley, California. He played the 2007 season with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association, where he was teammate with current Beach Bums' infielder Matt Imwalle. He was a role player in Sioux Falls, seeing action in 38 games between 2nd base, shortstop, 3rd base, and designated hitter. His finals stats for 2007 included a .211 AVG, 3 HR, 15 R, and 16 RBI in just 114 at-bats. He has also been working on playing the outfield this off-season.

We still have contracts out on two infielders, an outfielder, and two pitchers. Those announcements should be coming by the end of the week - their contracts should be arriving any day now.

Transactions Preview

We haven't had much to announce in the past few weeks as we searched the country to fill in the missing pieces to our 2008 squad, but Beach Bums fans can expect several player announcements in the upcoming two weeks. We have found a couple missing pieces to our pitching staff as well as a few infielders and one more outfielder and catcher to bring into spring training. All together, we have very pleased at this point with what we have on paper and we are excited these guys to Traverse City and get the ball rolling.

Fans can expect anywhere from 7-9 more player announcements in the upcoming week. However, we have had several players back out on us this year as their contracts were pending, so I can't say anything more than that at this point until we have their contracts signed and returned.

High School Baseball at Wuerfel Park

In case you are as hungry for the baseball season as we are here in Traverse City, you can stop by the park on the following dates to catch some high school baseball action. Admission for doubleheaders will be $2 and tournaments will be $5 for an all-day pass. Here is the current schedule:

April 15th - Manton vs. Boyne Falls - doubleheader at 4 p.m.

April 19th - Fan Fest featuring the Frankfort Invitational starting at 9:30 a.m.

Admission to the tournament will be free of charge as one of the Beach Bums' Fan Fest promotions. Traverse Bay Marine will have a boat show in the parking lot, Beach Bums' players, coaches, and mascots will sign autographs, several prizes will be raffled off, and concession will be half price throughout the day. The tournament includes teams from Frankfort, Elk Rapids, Bellaire, and Mason County Eastern.

April 26th - Traverse City St. Francis Invitational - times TBD

Tournament teams include TC St. Francis, Cadillac, Rudyard, and Lake Leelanau St. Mary's. The Rudyard and Lake Leelanau St. Mary game will be a rematch of the 2007 MHSAA State Quarterfinals where Rudyard topped St. Mary by a score of 7-2. The Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association has Rudyard ranked #3 in the state and St. Mary #9 in the 2008 pre-season polls.

May 15th - Elk Rapids vs. Mancelona - doubleheader at 4 p.m.

May 17th - Glen Lake Invitational - times TBD

Tournament teams will include Glen Lake, Pine River, Clare, and Rogers City.

Locke Returning to TC

In a surprising move, Jared Locke was released by the Phillies just a couple days short of the end of spring training. I spoke with Locke this afternoon and he will be returning to Traverse City this summer. Locke had a 3.42 ERA in 21 appearances out of the bullpen in 2007, throwing 23.2 innings with 17 walks and 25 strikeouts. He held opponents to a .218 average.

It is exciting to have Jared back in our bullpen, but unfortunate that the Phillies didn't give him more of an opportunity. He is still just 23 years old and I suspect he will get another opportunity to come into spring training with a different team next season.

Release Season

In case you've been wondering why there hasn't been a post on the blog in a while, we've been busy recruiting players that have been released out of spring training. There is about one more week in MLB spring training and approximately 30-40 players per day have been getting released. The process includes checking references, getting scouting reports, and convincing players that your league, team, and ballpark are the best to help them continue their professional career. It is a hectic process, but I have a good feeling about at least 4-5 prospects that I have contacted including a couple starting pitchers, a closer, a shortstop, and maybe even some local Northern Michigan talent.

Keep checking the blog of the next couple of weeks as it will take us a while to get contracts out, signed, and returned even after we receive verbal commitments.

Beach Bums Ink ex-Brewers Prospect JT King

The Traverse City Beach Bums have announced the signing of right-handed pitcher J.T. King to a 2008 contract.  King is 6'2" 210-pounds and a native of Grove, Oklahoma, and attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College  He was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2006 MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Junior College and spent the past two seasons pitching in their organization.

In 2007, King pitched with the West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League (as a side note, former Beach Bums Field Manager Jeff Isom will be the new manager of the West Virginia Power in 2008).  For the Power, King had an 8-2 record and 4.67 ERA in 31 appearances, including 2 starts, going 61.2 innings with 26 walks and 34 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .282 average.  In King's two starts he had a 3.24 ERA in 8.1 innings while holding opponents to a .191 average.

King's success at the low-A level should translate very well at the Frontier League level.  LHP Zac Cline, who was an All-Star for Slippery Rock in 2007 with a 10-6 record and 3.10 ERA, had a 5.08 ERA in the South Atlantic League in 2006.

We believe King has All-Star potential as a starting pitcher in our league, and since he was drafted as a sophomore out of Junior College, he is only 23 years old and with some success, stands a good chance of drawing some notice from other MLB organizations.

Stolen Base Specialist Iacono Signs with Beach Bums

The Traverse City Beach Bums added more speed on top of a team that has already gotten a lot faster in the off-season with the signing of outfielder Charles Iacono.  Iacono is a 5'8" 170-pound native of Hamilton, New Jersey, who played the past two seasons at the rookie ball level for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Iacono had a terrific year for the Arizona League Brewers in 2007, drawing 45 walks in only 204 plate appearances for an on-base percentage of .413 despite a .225 batting average - his totals for walks was 2nd best in the league while his on-base percentage was the 5th best mark.  He also took full advantage of the times he got on base, swiping 30 bases and scoring 38 runs in only 47 games.  In two years as a professional baseball, Iacono has stolen 46 bases, drawn 60 walks, and scored 55 runs in just 82 games.  

The signing of Iacono gives us great outfield depth heading into training camp and a lot of options once the season starts.

Beach Bums in the Record Books

Some interesting notes I got while browsing the league records through Tim Perry's Un-official Frontier League History page, which can be found here.

Traverse City Beach Bums' Veteran second basemen, Steve Young, enters the 2008 season tied for 10th all-time in career HBP with 33.   The record is held by John Tavares with 54 career HBP.  Young had 22 HBP in 2006, the 6th highest single-season total in league history, and 11 HBP in an injury shortened 2007.

Beach Bums' Veteran outfielder Jake Whitesides only spent one season in the Frontier League back in 2002 with the Mid-Missouri Mavericks, but his 11 triples he hit that season is still tied for second most in a single-season and he enters 2008 ranked 16th in career triples.  With a similar year to what he had in Mid-Missouri in 2002, Whitesides would move into 2nd all-time behind current Washington Wild Thing, Chris Sidick, who has 28, and will continue to add to that this year as well.

Retired Beach Bums' first basemen Brad Vericker had 70 walks in 2007, which was the 6th highest single-season total in Frontier League history.

Retired Beach Bums' starting pitcher Tony Casoli finished his baseball career with his name all over the Frontier League all-time records including 4th in innings pitched (446.1), 19th in strikeouts (295), 4th in complete games (12), and 5th in wins (27).  The 13 wins he accumulated en route to winning Pitcher of the Year in 2006 is tied for 3rd most in a single-season in Frontier League history.