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With Football in the Rear-View Baseball Takes Center Stage

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When Russell Wilson threw an interception at the goal line on Sunday night, all was right with the world again.

I had no rooting interest in this year’s Super Bowl, except for the fact that once it was over, it meant that all of the focus can shift to baseball once again.

Even though the Monday after the Super Bowl is dedicated to non-stop media coverage, the NFL season is over and we are just weeks from the reporting dates for Major League teams.

As a Phillies fan, I am not as excited this spring as in years’ past, but am still thrilled for baseball across all levels to begin.

Being a die-hard baseball fan, I follow and watch as many games as possible at the collegiate, Minor League and Major League levels.

The SEC television schedule is loaded this year, the inaugural year for baseball on the network. There will be hundreds of games televised on the SEC Network and the ESPN family of networks beginning with FSU at Georgia on February 21 at 4:30pm.

The entire SEC Tournament will be aired on television for the first time this year.

All of these games are in addition to the hundreds of college baseball games that will be aired throughout the spring from teams outside of the SEC, the regional playoffs and the College World Series.

Each year, Major League teams add more coverage to their Spring Training schedules, whether on TV, radio or digital stream. This makes the anticipation leading up to the regular season stronger than ever before.

As we prepare for Spring Training, we will be rolling out some new content over the next couple of weeks.

You will see division previews for the regular season, projected starting rotations and projected starting lineups for all 30 Major League teams, discussions on each team’s top prospects and predictions for the 2015 playoffs and World Series.

Baseball has always been the best way to get lost in excitement for a couple of hours per day, to feel like a child again and to enjoy the company of family and friends.

Here’s hoping that you enjoy the upcoming season and have the chance to bond with family and friends throughout the season.

With the San Francisco Giants winning three of the last five World Series, the rest of the league has taken notice and will look to end their reign in 2015. One thing the Giants have not done during their impressive run is win back-to-back World Series titles.

Will 2015 be the year that they finally repeat? We will find out soon enough.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Top Prospects in Spring Camps: Part V

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Philadelphia Phillies Tommy Joseph. Credit: Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Philadelphia Phillies Tommy Joseph. Credit: Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Day three of the MLB regular season is upon us and we are bringing you the fifth installment chronicling the top prospects who spent time in big league spring camps this year.

As with every baseball season, the excitement begins on day one and does not end until the final out of the World Series. This is exactly what happened on Opening Night on Sunday and Opening Day on Monday.

In today’s post, we take a look at the top prospects from the camps of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the San Diego Padres, the San Francisco Giants and the Seattle Mariners.

Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia saw its reign of five-straight NL East titles come to an end in 2012 when the Nationals secured the crown. The Phillies have an impressive crop of top prospects waiting in the wings and some could break into the lineup in 2013 if injuries rear their ugly head or they fall out of contention early.

The top prospects who spent time in camp with the Phillies this spring include right handed pitcher Ethan Martin, catcher Tommy Joseph, right handed pitcher Jonathan Pettibone, left handed pitcher Adam Morgan, catcher Sebastian Valle, third baseman Cody Asche, right handed pitcher Phillippe Aumont, right handed pitcher Justin De Fratus and outfielder Darin Ruf.

Aumont is the only player who made the Opening Day roster, but a handful of them already have Major League experience. De Fratus and Ruf both have spent time in Philadelphia over the past couple of seasons. Ruf could break into the lineup in the middle of the season if he continues to hit at Triple-A and figures out how to play left field. De Fratus could be the first reliever called up should an injury or ineffectiveness strike the Phillies bullpen.

Martin was acquired in the Shane Victorino trade with the Dodgers and Joseph was acquired in the Hunter Pence trade with the Giants. Morgan seems to be the starter with the best shot of reaching the majors this season in the event of an injury.

 

 

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh was in line to finally return to the playoffs, but wound up struggling over the final couple months of the season, preventing them from snapping their consecutive losing season streak. They have had 20 consecutive losing seasons after collapsing in 2012.

Their top prospects who spent time in spring camp include right handed pitcher Gerrit Cole, right handed pitcher Jameson Taillon, right handed pitcher Kyle McPherson, left handed pitcher Justin Wilson, right handed pitcher Bryan Morris, catcher Tony Sanchez and right handed pitcher Victor Black.

From this list, Wilson is the only top prospect to make the Opening Day roster. Wilson made his debut for the Pirates in 2012, pitching in eight games, spanning 4.2 innings, and recorded a 1.93 ERA. He pitched on Opening Day this season, going 1.1 innings. He allowed no hits or walks and recorded two strikeouts.

Cole could crack the Pirates rotation at some point this season if injuries strike or if the Pirates find themselves out of contention en route to a 21st consecutive losing season. Others who could join him in Pittsburgh include Sanchez and possibly McPherson.

 

 

San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres Jedd Gyorko. Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports.

San Diego Padres Jedd Gyorko. Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports.

San Diego is still trying to build a team that can contend in the NL West as the Giants have won two of the last three World Series titles and the Dodgers have markedly improved over the past two years.

Padres fans should be excited at what the future holds, especially when you look at the team’s top 20 prospects heading into the 2013 season. San Diego’s top prospects that saw time in spring camp this year include infielder Jedd Gyorko, outfielder Rymer Liriano, right handed pitcher Casey Kelly, catcher Austin Hedges, right handed pitcher Adys Portillo, right handed pitcher Joe Wieland, left handed pitcher Robbie Erlin, right handed pitcher Donn Roach, right handed pitcher John Barbato, right handed pitcher Brad Boxberger and right handed pitcher Kevin Quackenbush.

The majority of these players were already on the team’s 40-man roster, which means that they are automatically invited to Major League Spring Training. The only player who made the Opening Day roster was Gyorko.

Kelly and Wieland are both on the 60-day disabled list. If Wieland pitches this season, he could help the Padres pitching staff at some point, even if it is in September when rosters expand. Kelly will miss the season due to Tommy John surgery. Wieland is also recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he had in 2012.

 

 

San Francisco Giants

The Giants are fresh off their second World Series title in the last three years and are still considered underdogs in the NL West because of the additions the Dodgers made in the off-season and at the trade deadline last year.

Giants fans have become accustomed to being the underdog these past couple of seasons and seem to enjoy it when October arrives.

Top prospects who spent time in Giants camp this spring include outfielder Gary Brown, infielder Joe Panik, right handed pitcher Heath Hembree, outfielder Francisco Peguero, right handed pitcher Chris Heston, left handed pitcher Eric Surkamp, left handed pitcher Edwin Escobar, left handed pitcher Michael Kickham, shortstop Ehire Adrianza, catcher Andrew Susac, first baseman Ricky Oropesa and outfielder Juan Perez.

Not one of these prospects made the Opening Day roster for the Giants in 2013, but some of them could break into the lineup as early as this season. Those players include Brown, Panik, Hembree and Surkamp.

Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners Taijuan Walker. Credit: Associated Press.

Seattle Mariners Taijuan Walker. Credit: Associated Press.

Seattle fans received good news this off-season when King Felix signed an extension that will keep him with the Mariners for at least another seven years. He started his sixth Opening Day for the M’s on Monday, a 2-0 win over the Oakland Athletics.

The group of top prospects who saw time in big league camp this past spring include right handed pitcher Taijuan Walker, left handed pitcher Danny Hultzen, catcher Mike Zunino, short stop Nick Franklin, left handed pitcher James Paxton, right handed pitcher Stephen Pryor, right handed pitcher Carter Capps, short stop Brad Miller, right handed pitcher Brandon Maurer, third baseman Stefan Romero, outfielder Julio Morban, infielder/outfielder Vinnie Catricala and third baseman Francisco Martinez.

The players from this list who made the Opening Day roster include Pryor, Capps, and Maurer. All three are pitchers, with Maurer earning the fourth spot in the rotation. Pryor and Capps are pitching out of the bullpen for the Mariners.

The sixth and final installment of this series will feature the top prospects who spent time in big league camps with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Texas Rangers, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals.