Game 12: Arkansas Travelers (John Hellweg) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Miguel De Los Santos)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (8-3 First Place in the Texas League South)... Arkansas Travelers (3-8 4 games back in the Texas League North)
Streak: W4
Last 10: 7-3
Homestand: 4-1
2012 Series Record: 3-0-0  
2012 Record against Arkansas: 4-1
All-Time Record against Arkansas: 91-46
Record on April 17 since 2003: 5-4
Starting Pitchers: Miguel De Los Santos (0-2 5.79 ERA) vs. John Hellweg (0-1 2.70 ERA)

'Riders Hold On, Take First Two in Series: Frisco jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the 4th inning and held on to win 2-1, despite a 9th inning rally by Arkansas. The 'Riders have won four in a row and are now two games up on the Midland Rockhounds in the Texas League South. Frisco has also won four series in a row and are going for their first sweep this season.

Grimm Dominant: It's not supposed to be this easy, but Justin Grimm is making the jump to AA look seamless. On Monday night, Justin Grimm allowed 2 baserunners, one hit and one walk, over 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Grimm struck out 5 in the game and 8 groundouts to 4 flyouts as well. Justin was sitting 91-93 throughout the game with his fastball and touched 94 on occasion. He flashed a very sharp curveball in the start as well as a good changeup. At one point in the start Grimm had retired 16 batters in a row.

McGuiness Goes Deep: Chris McGuiness gave Frisco a 2-0 lead in the 4th inning when he hit a solo homerun into the 'Riders Pool Zone. It was his first homerun as a Frisco RoughRider. McGuiness finished 1 for 3 at the plate with a walk as well.

Beltre Turnaround: No it's not a typo, Engel Beltre did draw a career best three walks in the game yesterday. For a player that came into the season with a lot of question marks, Engel Beltre has much better at the plate and on the field this year than he did last year. It's still early, but so far Beltre has looked better. Beltre also stole two bases in the game to bring his season total to four steals. Last season, it took Beltre until July 7th to get his 4th steal of the season.

Boscan the Reliever: Wilfredo Boscan pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief on Monday. Over his last two appearances he has thrown 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief with 5 strikeouts. On the season he has given up 6 hits and 1 walk in 8 1/3 innings with 9 strikeouts.

Former 'Riders on the Mound

LHP John Danks (Chicago White Sox) vs. Baltimore Orioles
RHP Neil Ramirez (Round Rock Express) vs. Omaha Storm Chasers
RHP Guillermo Moscoso (Colorado Springs Sky Sox) vs. Tuscon Padres


Minor League Baseball Titanium Sombrero Count: 1 (Denny Almonte, Jackson Generals)

Minor League Baseball Platinum Sombrero Count: 2

Minor League Baseball Golden Sombrero Count: 53

Minor League Baseball Sombrero Count: 460

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from St. Charles, MO!

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)

Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109

Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter

Game 11: Arkansas Travelers (A.J. Schugel) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Justin Grimm)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (7-3 First Place in the Texas League South)... Arkansas Travelers (3-7 4 games back in the Texas League North)
Streak: W3
Last 10: 7-3
Homestand: 3-1
2012 Series Record: 3-0-0  
2012 Record against Arkansas: 3-1
All-Time Record against Arkansas: 90-46
Record on April 16 since 2003: 3-5
Starting Pitchers: Justin Grimm (2-0 0.77 ERA) vs. A.J. Schugel (0-1 3.60 ERA) 

'Riders Win 3rd Straight: For most of Sunday Frisco trailed the Arkansas Travelers, but in baseball there is never a time limit. When the 'Riders rallied for 3 runs in the 8th inning, they took the lead and finished off their third straight win and gave Traveler's reliever Daniel Tillman his 3rd loss of the season. 

Murphy's Start: Tim Murphy struggled a bit on Sunday as he gave up 6 hits and a walk over 4 innings. The southpaw, who missed 2011 with Tommy John Surgery, struck out 2 batters and gave up 3 runs in the 4 innings, including a homerun to Traveler's leadoff hitter Matt Long. Murphy faced trouble in three of his four innings, but was able to limit some of the damage.

Profar Heating Up: After struggling to 2 for his first 26, the Ranger's top prospect, Jurickson Profar, has had back to back multi hit games. Profar had 3 hits on Saturday and followed that up with a 2 for 4 showing with another homerun from the left handed side on Sunday.Profar is now batting .206 on the season. It may not seem high, but just a couple of games ago the 19 year old was batting .077. His OPS is also up to .778 for the season.


Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!: Guilder Rodriguez put together another nice game in a 'Riders uniform. For a player that has been with Frisco for four seasons now, it's nothing new. Guilder went 2 for 2 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt. One of his two hits was a bases loaded infield single off the pitcher in the 8th inning, which ended up scoring the go ahead and game winning run. Rodriguez played first base in the game for the 'Riders. In his four years with Frisco, the only two non-pitcher positions that Guilder has not played are third base and catcher.

The Other Infielder: Overshadowed by Jurickson Profar, speedy infielder Leury Garcia went 3 for 4 on Sunday. The switch handed hitting second baseman had two infield singles and a line drive single to centerfield. It was Garcia's second multi hit game this season for the 'Riders.

Don't Test Him: In case some of the players in the Texas League weren't in the Carolina League last season, they should be learning quickly to not test Ryan Strausborger. After having 11 outfield assists for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans last season, Strausborger already has 6 for Frisco, including 4 when he has played left field. On Sunday, Strausborger had two of those six and Jared Prince added another one for good measure. In total, the 'Riders had three outfield assists, including two at home plate. That was the difference between a 'Rider victory and a 'Rider loss.

Should We Expect Differently?: Johan Yan pitched the final inning on Sunday for his fourth save of the season. The total tied him with seven other pitchers for the most in minor league baseball. Of those seven, only one other pitcher has a better WHIP this season (Pat Lehman's 0.40 to Yan's 0.53). Opponents are batting .105 against Yan so far this season. In 24 appearances for Frisco dating back to last season, Yan is 0-0 with 6 saves. He has given up only 20 hits in 32 1/3 innings with 22 strikeouts to 10 walks. In case you weren't wondering, Frisco has all of the confidence in the world in him.


Former 'Riders on the Mound

LHP Robbie Erlin (San Antonio Missions) @ NW Arkansas Naturals
RHP Jesse Chavez (Las Vegas 51s) @ Colorado Springs Sky Sox
LHP Martin Perez (Round Rock Express) vs. Iowa Cubs
RHP Tanner Roark (Syracuse Chiefs) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox
RHP Jared Hyatt (Lehigh Valley IronPigs) @ Buffalo Bisons


Minor League Baseball Titanium Sombrero Count: 1 (Denny Almonte, Jackson Generals)

Minor League Baseball Platinum Sombrero Count: 1

Minor League Baseball Golden Sombrero Count: 49

Minor League Baseball Sombrero Count: 415

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Tomball, TX!

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)

Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109

Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter

Game 8: Springfield Cardinals (Trevor Rosenthal) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Barret Loux)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (4-3 Tied for First Place in the Texas League South)... Springfield Cardinals (4-3 Tied for First Place in the Texas League North)
Streak: L1
Last 10: 4-3
Homestand: 0-1
2012 Series Record: 2-0-0  
2012 Record against Springfield: 2-2
All-Time Record against Springfield: 48-43
Record on April 13 since 2003: 1-6
Starting Pitchers: Barret Loux (1-0 0.00 ERA) vs. Trevor Rosenthal (0-1 2.25 ERA)

'Riders Fall to Springfield: Frisco gave up runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings and fell to the Springfield Cardinals 5-1 on their home opener. Frisco had some chances, but two double plays hit into killed any potential rally late in the game.

De Los Santos start: Problems with inconsistency have plagued Miguel De Los Santos through his time with Frisco. At times he can seem dominant and at other times it seems like he can't find the strikezone at all. Thursday was one of the latter, while his start before was more of the former. De Los Santos threw 58.3% of his pitches for strikes and got a swing and miss (when the batter swung) rate of 18.2%. In his start before, he had thrown 67.5% of his pitches for strikes and got a swing and miss rate of 44.1%. It was his second time pitching against Springfield and they swung at pitches 5% less of the time than they had in their start before. Overall, his final line was: 4 1/3 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs (all earned), 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

The Speed Demon: Leury Garcia went 2 for 3 at the plate in his Dr. Pepper Ballpark regular season debut and hit a triple and scored the lone run as well for Frisco. Garcia has two triples now in the first seven games giving him a projected total of 40 triples. It's highly unlikely that he will keep that pace up, but it does show one thing... Garcia can fly. The infielder is batting .250 on the year so far and isn't likely to continue his .458 slugging percentage, but he is an interesting player to watch.

Top Prospecgt Struggles Continue: It's far too early to get worried, but Jurickson Profar is struggling at the plate on the early goings. Profar went 0 for 3 with a walk and a sombrero (3 strikeouts) at the plate on Thursday. He has been a slow starter before and AA was a jump for him, so it's not surprising to see him struggling on the early goings. Profar has swung at 40.7% of the pitches thrown at him so far, which is the lowest on the team of the players with 20 or more PA. Guilder Rodriguez, who has 17 plate appearances, is the only one lower than Profar on the roster regardless of plate appearances. Profar also has only swung and missed at 9.8% of the pitches. Only Chris McGuiness and Jared Prince have a lower percentage of the regular starters.

A First for Olt: Mike Olt had one hit on Thursday, but it was a first for him in full season ball. In the 6th inning, Olt hit a wind aided flyball that ended up landing at the wall. By the time the ball was in, Olt was standing at third base and had driven in Leury Garcia for the only run of the game. Olt's triple was his first in full season pro ball. He hit one for the Spokane Indians (short season-A ball) in 2009.

Boasting Boscan: Wilfredo Boscan had one of his best outings in a while and arguably his best with the RoughRiders. Boscan gave up 2 hits and struck out 4 over 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Boscan did not issue a walk either. Through two outings this season, Boscan has thrown 68.3% of his pitches for strikes, achieved a 31.4% swing and miss rate, and has thrown first pitch strikes to 62.5% of the batters that he has faced. His 3.417 pitches per plate appearance are the best in Frisco's bullpen.

How Do You Keep Kolten Off Base?: Springfield Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong has gotten off to an impressively hot start. The 2011 first round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals has gotten on base at least twice in 6 of Springfield's first seven games this season, including all six that he actually started in. Wong, a Hawaii native, is batting .440 with a .517 OBP for the season. He has 4 extra base hits and 4 walks so far.

Former 'Riders on the Mound

RHP Tommy Hunter (Baltimore Orioles) @ Toronto Blue Jays
LHP Matt Harrison (Texas Rangers) @ Minnesota Twins

Minor League Baseball Platinum Sombrero Count: 1

Minor League Baseball Golden Sombrero Count: 38

Minor League Baseball Sombrero Count: 323

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Lee's Summit, MO!

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)

Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109

Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter

Game 7: Springfield Cardinals (John Gast) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Miguel De Los Santos)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (4-2 First Place in the Texas League South)... Springfield Cardinals (3-3 1 game back in the Texas League North)
Streak: W1
Last 10: 4-2
Homestand: 0-0
2012 Series Record: 2-0-0  
2012 Record against Springfield: 2-1
All-Time Record against Springfield: 48-42
Record on April 12 since 2003: 4-5
Starting Pitchers: Miguel De Los Santos (0-1 3.60 ERA) vs. John Gast (1-0 1.29 ERA)

'Riders Cruise to Second Straight Series Win: Yesterday was an off day for Frisco, but the day before that the Frisco RoughRiders took their second straight road series win by scoring 4 runs in the 5th, a run in the 8th, and 3 more in the 9th. Frisco got dominant pitching once again and defeated the Arkansas Travelers 8-1.

Grimm Tough Once Again: He did not strikeout ten batters in the game this time, but Justin Grimm held the Travelers to just 4 hits, 2 walks, and a run over 6 1/3 innings and recorded 2 strikeouts. He moved to 2-0 on the season through 2 starts for Frisco and has allowed less than a baserunner an inning thus far for the 'Riders.

Beltre's Explosion: Through the first three games of the season, it looked as if Engel Beltre was going to be the same Engel Beltre from 2011. He was 2 for 12 with a couple of singles and five strikeouts. Over the last three games since then, however, Beltre has gone 5 for 12 with 3 home runs, a triple, and has 13 total bases. He also has seen 64 pitches over that span as well. Over his last four games, Beltre has seen a total of 91 pitches in 19 plate appearances. Last year over 482 plate appearances with the RoughRiders, Beltre averaged 3.25 pitches per plate appearance, totaling 1,565 total pitches seen.

Wednesday's game was part of this explosion as Beltre went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in the game, including 4 on a grand slam. The RBI were one short of tying Frisco's single game record of 7, which was last achieved by Tommy Mendonca, last year on July 22nd.

Keeping it in the Ballpark: Through six games this year, Frisco's starting pitchers have not given up a home run to a player. In 31 1/3 innings, Frisco starters have given up 24 hits, 6 earned runs, 10 walks, and struck out 27 batters. In fact, in the Ranger's minor league system, the Round Rock Express are the only team to have had a starting pitcher give up a home run. The four full season teams have combined for just 3 homeruns given up by the starting pitchers. The reason for why this could be is the tendency for starting pitchers in the system to keep the ball on the ground. The full season starters have combined for nearly a 2:1 groundout to flyout ratio with 122 groundouts to 63 flyouts.

Opening Day: Frisco comes home tonight for the first time in 2012 and looks to even up their Opening Day record. Coming into tonight, Frisco is 4-5 on Opening Day. Last season the 'Riders defeated Springfield 6-2 on Opening Day. The starting pitcher for Frisco was Wilfredo Boscan, who is now in the bullpen for the team this season.

De Los Santos Gets the Ball: This year's Opening Day starter will be Miguel De Los Santos. The southpaw will make his 3rd start in Frisco for his career. Last year he made 6 starts for the club, but only two came at Dr. Pepper Ballpark. He was 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in those two starts. In his first start for Frisco this season, De Los Santos took the loss, but was effective for 5 innings. He gave up 4 hits, 2 runs, and struck out 8 batters.

Even more promising, Miguel showed better ability to throw strikes as he threw first pitch strikes to 76% of the batters he faced and threw 68% of his pitches for strikes.

Former 'Riders on the Mound Today

LHP Derek Holland (Texas Rangers) vs. Seattle Mariners
RHP Neil Ramirez (Round Rock Express) @ Omaha Storm Chasers
RHP Eric Hurley (Salt Lake Bees) @ Reno Aces


Minor League Baseball Platinum Sombrero Count: 1

Minor League Baseball Golden Sombrero Count: 34

Minor League Baseball Sombrero Count: 275

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Fair Grove, MO!

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)

Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109

Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter

- By Michael Damman

Game 5: Frisco RoughRiders (Tim Murphy) @ Arkansas Travelers (Greg Smith)

Time: 7:10 PM CT
Location: Dickey-Stephens Park (Little Rock, AR)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (3-1 First Place in the Texas League South)... Arkansas Travelers (1-3 2 games back in the Texas League North)
Streak: W1
Last 10: 3-1
Road Trip: 3-1
2012 Series Record: 0-0-0  
2012 Record against Arkansas: 1-0
All-Time Record against Springfield: 88-45
Record on April 9 since 2003: 2-6
Starting Pitchers: Tim Murphy (0-0 0.00 ERA) vs. Greg Smith (0-0 0.00 ERA)

Riders Win in Extra Innings: Frisco won their second consecutive series opener on Sunday evening as they overcame a blown lead late in the game to win 3-2 in 11 innings. Frisco took a 2-0 lead into the 7th inning, but the Arkansas Travelers tied the game with 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning. Frisco scored a run in the 11th inning and Johan Yan closed the door in the bottom of the 11th for the 3-2 win.

Brigham Goes Six Strong: For the third time in four starts, Frisco got at least 5 scoreless innings out of their starting pitcher. Jake Brigham had his first start with at least 6 shutout innings since May 17th of last season. Brigham got ahead of 12 batters out of the 21 that he faced and gave up just 5 base runners in the game. However, Brigham induced one double play and struck out four batters to help get out of the trouble that he did face. He was also able to get eight groundball outs in the start.

Profar Gets First AA Hit: Top prospect Jurickson Profar hasn't had an easy time in the Texas League so far, but he was able to have a break through on Easter Sunday. Profar went 1 for 4 with a walk and a solo home run. The home run was his first AA hit and broke an 0 for 13 slump to open the season. 

A Hot Start for Hawpe: Former Colorado Rockie's star Brad Hawpe is currently on Frisco's roster and over the last two games, the former MLB All-Star has hit like a former MLB All-Star should be hitting in AA. After going 3 for 4 with a double, homerun, and 2 RBI game against the Springfield Cardinals on Saturday, Hawpe added another double in four at bats against the Travelers. His last time in the Texas League was 2003, which happened to be the first year that Tulsa was a Colorado Rockie's affiliate. The year before that, Tulsa was a Texas Ranger's affiliate before Texas moved their AA team to Frisco.

Working the Count: Engel Beltre averaged just 3.25 pitches per plate appearance last season. In the first two games this season, Beltre saw just 23 pitches in his 7 plate appearances. In the two games since, Beltre has seen 55 pitches in 10 plate appearances. The "asterisk" in this is that Beltre also has gone back to the dugout in 5 of the 10 plate appearances with a strikeout. He did take his first walk of the season on Sunday, however, and added a triple to lead off the second inning.

Felix Steals Second!: For some players stealing four bases in a game is a special feat and for other players just stealing a single base in a game is a special feat. For Jose Felix, he would fit in the latter. On Sunday, though, Felix stole his first base of the 2012 season and only his second since joining Frisco in 2010. In other words, he just doubled his AA career stolen base total in one game. Felix also finished the game 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. It was the 23 year old catcher's ninth career multi-RBI game as a Frisco RoughRider.

Pimentel Gets the "W": Carlos Pimentel pitched two innings of solid relief and earned his first win of 2012 as a reliever. In the two innings, Pimentel struck out four batters, gave up a hit, and walked two batters. So far in two appearances, he has struck out seven batters, walked four, and given up two hits over 3 1/3 innings pitched. Pimentel has faced eight right handed batters so far, and six of those eight have struck out. The other two that did not strike out, reached base via a walk. The former starter, however, still struggles against left handed batters, who batted .273 with a .368 OBP% and .418 SLG% against him last season.

Another Ya(w)n Performance: Dating back to last season, Johan Yan has given up an earned run in just 1 out of his 21 appearances. He earned his second save of the season in as many opportunities and appearances with a three up and three down 11th inning. The 23 year old reliever has held right handed hitters to just a .151 (8 for 51) batting average against him as a RoughRider.

Former Riders on the Mound
 
LHP C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) @ Minnesota Twins
RHP Luis Mendoza (Kansas City Royals) @ Oakland Athletics
RHP Doug Mathis (Pawtucket Red Sox) vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs
LHP Robbie Erlin (San Antonio Missions) vs. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
RHP Omar Poveda (Jacksonville Suns) vs. Huntsville Stars
LHP Michael Ballard (Harrisburg Senators) @ New Britain Rock Cats

Minor League Baseball Golden Sombrero Count: 24


Minor League Baseball Sombrero Count: 136




Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record: 1-3


Round Rock (AAA) gave up 4 runs in the final two innings to lose 6-5 to the Iowa Cubs on the road. Former Tulsa Driller Greg Reynolds started for Round Rock and gave up 6 hits and 2 runs over 6 innings with 3 strikeouts. He did not walk a batter either. Michael Kirkman gave up 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning of relief, while Derek Hankins took the loss after giving up a run in an inning of relief as well. Yangervis Solarte powered the Express with a 2 for 5 game including 2 doubles, 3 RBI, and a run scored. Julio Borbon also went 2 for 5 and added a double, RBI, and a run scored. Leonys Martin reached base twice with a 1 for 4 game including a walk. Mike Bianucci added a 1 for 3 day with his 6th RBI on the early parts of the season. 


Myrtle Beach (A+) committed 3 errors for the game and gave up 3 runs in the 5th inning to lose 3-2 to the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Nick Tepesch started for Myrtle Beach and took the loss despite giving up 4 hits and 3 unearned runs over 4 2/3 innings. Tepesch also struck 3 batters out in the game. Zach Osborne, Wilmer Font, and Jimmy Keyes combined for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Yefry Castillo led the Pelicans with a 2 for 3 game at the plate including 2 doubles and a RBI. Vincent DiFazio also went 1 for 3 with a double in the game and walked in his fourth plate appearance. Jared Hoying and Edwin Garcia each chipped in a hit of their own in 4 at bats. Jake Skole walked 3 times at the plate and scored one of the two runs in the game.


Hickory (A) got outlasted in an offensive shootout as they lost 12-11 to the Kannapolis Intimidators. Both teams combined for 31 hits in the game, including ten extra base hits. Hickory's Zach Cone was the only starter for either team without a hit. Santo Perez made the start for Hickory and gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 5 runs over 3 innings. Chris Hanna gave up 7 hits and 3 runs over 3 2/3 innings. Jose Mavare took the loss after giving up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs (3 earned) over 2 innings of relief. Hanser Alberto led the Crawdads with 3 hits in the game in 5 at bats, including a double, RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Drew Robinson went 2 for 4 with a triple, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored, and a walk. Jorge Alfaro also scored 3 runs as he also went 2 for 4 with a walk and a RBI at the plate. Kevin Torres added 2 hits, a RBI, and a walk in the game as well.  Leading off for the game, Chris Grayson went 2 for 5 with a triple, 2 RBI, a walk, and a run scored. Rougned Odor, Jeremy Williams, and Kellin Deglan each had a hit of their own.


Minor League Performance of the Day

To have a hitless outing at any level in the minor leagues that is more than an inning or two is impressive. To do that in the California League for 6 innings is down right phenomenal. On Sunday, San Jose Giants starting pitcher and Houston, TX native Justin Schumer took the ball and did not give the ball up until after he had pitched nearly six perfect innings against the Modesto Nuts. Schumer faced one over the minimum for those six innings, thanks to a hit batter in the second inning, and left the game for the bullpen to preserve a 5-0 lead at the time. Ultimately, San Jose won 8-0 in the game and Schumer got his first victory of 2012. Schumer struck out 3 batters in the game as well. The 23 year old right handed pitcher was signed by the San Francisco Giants as a non-drafted free agent in July 2010. Last season, he went 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 26 appearances (14 starts) between class low-A Augusta and Double-A Richmond.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Pasadena, MD!

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)

Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109

Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter

- By Michael Damman

Game 2: Frisco RoughRiders (Miguel De Los Santos) @ Springfield Cardinals (John Gast)

Time: 7:08 PM CT
Location: Hammons Field (Springfield, MO)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (1-0 Tied for First Place in the Texas League South)... Springfield Cardinals (0-1 1 game back in the Texas League North)
Streak: W1
Last 10: 1-0
Road Trip: 1-0
2012 Series Record: 0-0-0  
2012 Record against Springfield: 1-0
All-Time Record against Springfield: 47-41
Record on April 6 since 2003: 2-0
Starting Pitchers: Miguel De Los Santos (0-0 0.00 ERA) vs. John Gast (0-0 0.00 ERA)

Frisco Spoils Opening Night in Springfield: Frisco won their season opening game for a third straight season and for the seventh time in the last eight years. Pitching dominated the game as Frisco needed just one run for the 1-0 victory. The 'Riders scored a run on a Jose Felix sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning.

Not a Grimm Beginning: If opening night was any sign of things to come for Frisco starter Justin Grimm, then Frisco fans are in for quite a ride. Justin Grimm was about as dominant as you can be, striking out ten batters and allowing just three base runners over 5 1/3 shutout innings. Grimm also had the rare four strikeout inning in the 2nd inning when Adam Melker reached base on a passed ball by Jose Felix. Grimm gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and got 3 groundballs to 3 flyballs. He made 74 pitches and 51 of those went for strikes. He got ahead in the count to 11 of the 19 batters he faced and was able to get an impressive 16 swinging strikes. His 10 strikeouts were tied with Austin Wood (Cedar Rapids) and Nicholas Struck  (Tennessee) for the most in minor league baseball on opening night.

Inning By Inning Count

1: 8 Pitches- 6 Strikes- 3 Called- 2 Swinging- 2 Balls- 2 BPIP- 1 Swinging K- 1 Hit
2: 20 Pitches- 15 Strikes- 5 Called- 6 Swinging- 4 Fouls- 5 Balls- 3 Swinging K- 1 Looking K
3: 14 Pitches- 11 Strikes- 3 Called- 4 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 3 Balls- 1 BPIP- 1 Swinging K- 1 Looking K
4: 10 Pitches- 6 Strikes- 2 Swinging- 2 Fouls- 4 Balls- 2 BPIP- 1 Swinging K
5: 14 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 2 Called- 2 Swinging- 2 Fouls- 5 Balls- 3 BPIP- 1 Swinging K- 1 Hit
6: 8 Pitches- 4 Strikes- 1 Called- 1 Swinging- 2 Fouls- 4 Balls- 1 Looking K- 1 BB

Strausborger's Solid Debut: Among the more interesting new players on Frisco's roster is 24 year old outfielder Ryan Strausborger, who hit .270 with 31 steals and a .763 OPS for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans last year. In his Double-A debut on Thursday night for Frisco, Strausborger did a little bit of everything. He led the 'Riders with 2 hits in 4 at bats at the plate. Strausborger also added a steal in the 3rd inning and threw out Jose Garcia at second trying to stretch a single into a double. He had 11 outfield assists in 2011 and added his first in 2012 in the first game.

Strikeouts Galore: In the pitching dominated game, strikeouts seemed easy to come by, especially early on. Of the first thirteen batters to come to the plate in the game between the two teams, ten of them finished their at bat with a strikeout. Both starting pitchers had five through the first two innings. Every batter in the Springfield Cardinal's starting lineup had at least one strikeout and even Greg Garcia joined in the action with a strikeout on a pinch hit at bat. Frisco had three players, Leury Garcia, Mike Olt, and Chris McGuiness, who struck out two times in the game. Overall, there were 25 strikeouts between the two teams combined. Frisco pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts in the game.

Scoreless Relief: It wasn't always pretty, but Frisco's relievers got the job done for the final 3 2/3 innings they had to pitch. Carlos Pimentel, Joe Ortiz, and Johan Yan gave up 2 hits and 2 walks over the 3 2/3 innings, and struck out 6 batters as well. They did not allow a run though and preserved the victory. Johan Yan earned his first save of the season with a 1 1/3 inning appearance.

Could Speed Resurface?: In the ten years that Frisco has existed, the 'Riders have ranked in the top 3 in the Texas League in stolen bases just one time. That year came in 2008 when Frisco had 185 steals for the season. Of the 185 steals, 54 of them came from current Rangers starting shortstop Elvis Andrus. Five other players had double digit stolen base totals, including Julio Borbon and Craig Gentry. This season, Frisco has three players in Jurickson Profar, Leury Garcia, and Ryan Strausborger that had offer the ability to steal some bases. Profar had 23 for Hickory last season, while Leury Garcia and Ryan Strausborger had 30 and 31 steals for Myrtle Beach last season.


Former 'Riders on the Mound:
RHP Tanner Roark (Syracuse Chiefs) vs. Rochester Red Wings
LHP Martin Perez (Round Rock Express) @ Iowa Cubs
RHP Guillermo Moscoso (Colorado Springs Sky Sox) @ Reno Aces
RHP Jesse Chavez (Las Vegas 51s) vs. Sacramento River Cats

Minor League Baseball Golden Sombrero Count: 8

Minor League Baseball Sombrero Count: 21


Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record: 1-1

Round Rock (AAA) lost 5-3 to the Iowa Cubs on the road. Former 'Rider Mark Hamburger made the start for Round Rock. Hamburger struggled early, but settled down and finished with a final line of: 5 IP 8 H 3 R 1 BB 1 K. Derek Hankins took the loss after giving up 2 runs in 2 innings of relief. He gave up 2 hits, walked 2, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, and recorded a strikeout. Ben Snyder pitched a perfect inning of relief as well with 2 strikeouts. The Express managed just three hits in the game as well. Last year's homerun leader for Frisco, Mike Bianucci, homered in his first AAA at bat. It was his only hit of the game, but gave Round Rock a 2-0 lead at the time. Last year for Frisco, Bianucci also homered in his first AA at bat. Julio Borbon also homered in the sixth inning to tie the game at the time. Leonys Martin and Joey Butler each went 0 for 3 with a walk in their first game of 2012.

Myrtle Beach (A+) did not have a game. Their home opener is today at 6:05 PM CT.

Hickory (A) had their game rained out. They will have a doubleheader on Saturday.


Minor League Performance of the Day

On most days Justin Grimm's performance would have been a legitimate contender, but on Thursday there was one performance that stood out above all others. Lehigh Valley IronPigs starting pitcher Tyler Cloyd pitched 6 perfect innings in the IronPigs' 3-0 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in Lehigh Valley's home opener. The 24 year old starter struck out 8 batters in the 6 innings pitched and induced 7 groundballs to 3 flyball outs. Cloyd, an 18th round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 draft, went 9-4 with a 2.77 ERA in 2011 and is off to a flying start in 2012. It's been his command that has separated the righty from many other pitchers. Last season, he walked just 1.4 batters per 9 innings with a strikeout rate of 8.5 batters per 9. Over 5 minor league seasons and 471 2/3 innings, Cloyd has a walk rate of 2.0 batters per 9 innings. He will certainly be an interesting pitcher to keep an eye on, if Thursday is anywhere near a sign of things to come.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from New Haven, CT!

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)

Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109

Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter

- By Michael Damman

Game 1: Frisco RoughRiders (Justin Grimm) @ Springfield Cardinals (Scott Gorgen)

Time: 7:08 PM CT
Location: Hammons Field (Springfield, MO)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (0-0 Tied for First Place in the Texas League South)... Springfield Cardinals (0-0 Tied for First Place in the Texas League North)
Streak: N/A
Last 10: 0-0
Road Trip: 0-0
2012 Series Record: 0-0-0  
2012 Record against Springfield: 0-0
All-Time Record against Springfield: 46-41
Record on April 5 since 2003: 2-0
Starting Pitchers: Justin Grimm (0-0 0.00 ERA) vs. Scott Gorgen (0-0 0.00 ERA)


New Season, New Faces: Opening Day in any professional sport is always fun. I think in baseball it's more fun than any sport though because there are so many games and anything can happen in the course of a 162 game season. Injuries can hurt playoff hopes and breakout performers can make what looked like a bleak year look stellar. And in baseball nothing is over until game 162 is over, as the baseball world found out last season.

In Minor League Baseball, opening day is a chance to see many new names on a roster and a chance to see players of the past crack major league club's 25 man rosters. For the 2012 Frisco RoughRiders, there is that opportunity this season. Half of Frisco's roster is made up of players that haven't been in Frisco before. There will be many names to get to know and many others that aren't even here right now, that will be in Frisco by the end of the season. Meanwhile, Rangers fans have also seen the rise of Robbie Ross. Ross ended last season with Frisco as a starter and will begin 2012 with the Texas Rangers as a reliever. In 6 starts for Frisco, Ross went 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA. He was the 'Riders best starter down the stretch and took over where Robbie Erlin left off when Erlin was traded at the deadline.

Teenage Phenoms: The first series of 2012 will be a matchup of teenage phenoms. The biggest name for "prospect lovers" in Frisco this season is 19 year old shortstop Jurickson Profar. He was rated the 7th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America and was as low as 4th by Kevin Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus) among the big name third party scouting sources. By starting in Frisco, the Rangers had Profar bypass high-A Myrtle Beach, which plays in a pitchers park and league. Profar spent the 2011 season in Hickory where he hit .286 with a .390 on base percentage and .493 slugging percentage en route to a Futures Game appearance and the South Atlantic League MVP honor. Profar walked more times (65) than he struck out (63). He is also considered a very good defensive shortstop and is considered to have incredible instincts.

The other teenage phenom that will be on display in this series the Springfield Cardinal's 19 year old outfielder Oscar Taveras. Like Profar, Taveras will be skipping the high-A Palm Beach Cardinals, who also play in a pitchers league. Taveras spent 2011 with the Quad City River Bandits where he batted an incredible .386 with a .444 on base percentage and a .584 slugging percentage. Taveras was rated the 74th best prospect by Baseball America and was rated as low as 23 by Kevin Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus) among the big name third party scouting sources. Oscar's best tool is obviously his hit tool, which grades out as elite. He has garnered some questions about his interesting hit set up, but the results have been so outstanding, that it's hard to argue.

Top Infield Prospects: Jurickson Profar and Oscar Taveras are not the only top prospects that will be on display in this series. The Frisco RoughRiders have likely the unanimous best left side of the infield in minor league baseball to begin 2012. Playing third base for Frisco to begin the year will be 23 year old Mike Olt, who was rated by Baseball America as the 43rd best prospect in baseball. He was pacing a big year in Myrtle Beach last season before he broke his left collar bone in a collision at home plate in early June. Olt did return to the Pelicans later in the season and used a big Arizona Fall League appearance and a good Spring Training to lead into what could be a big 2012 season for the slugger. Olt holds the homerun record for the University of Connecticut and his 14 homeruns in 240 at bats for Myrtle Beach last year is quite impressive for a league that is generally not conducive for power hitting. Between Olt and Profar, Frisco's pitchers will have very good defense on the left side of the infield.

The Springfield Cardinals infield will include the St. Louis Cardinals' 2011 first round draft choice in second baseman Kolten Wong. Wong, like Profar and Taveras, will skip high-A and jump to the AA level. Wong, 21 years old, hit .335 in 222 plate appearances for the Quad City River Bandits last season after signing. He produced 22 extra base hits and walked 21 times to 24 strikeouts. Wong is not a big guy at 5 foot 9 and 190 pounds, but he has good speed and good discipline at the plate. His contact ability is probably his best asset though.

A Talented League: I already have mentioned 4 of the top prospects in the league, but those are just the tip of the iceberg in what looks to be one of the Texas League's finest seasons in quite some time. Of Baseball America's top 100 prospects in baseball entering 2012, 14 of them will begin the season in the Texas League. Every team in the league will have a position player that ranks in the top 100 prospects in the game. The pitching, while not quite as elite at the top, has plenty of depth and is likely to see it's share of elite prospects later on in the season. The elite talent is what separates the league, but it is the depth that could ultimately make this year a special year. The top prospect team that I have put together for the beginning of the year is:

C- Audry Perez, Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
1B- Jonathan Singleton, Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros)
2B- Jean Segura, Arkansas Travelers (Los Angeles Angels)
3B- Nolan Arenado, Tulsa Drillers (Colorado Rockies)
SS- Jurickson Profar, Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers)
LF- Wil Myers, NW Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals)
CF- Michael Choice, Midland Rockhounds (Oakland Athletics)
RF- Oscar Taveras, Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
DH- Mike Olt, Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers)

RHP- Jarred Cosart, Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros)
RHP- Jake Odorizzi, NW Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals)
RHP- Sonny Gray, Midland Rockhounds (Oakland Athletics)
RHP- Chad Bettis, Tulsa Drillers (Colorado Rockies)
RHP- John Hellweg, Arkansas Travelers (Los Angeles Angels)

Other Notables:
3B Jedd Gyorko, San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres)
2B Kolten Wong, Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
OF Jaff Decker, San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres)
RHP Trevor Rosenthal, Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
LHP Noel Arguelles, NW Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals)
LHP Edwar Cabrera, Tulsa Drillers (Colorado Rockies)
RHP Barret Loux, Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers)

More Honors: Baseball America recently put out their list of the top 10 minor league baseball teams on Opening Day. The Frisco RoughRiders came in at #3 on the list. Names that were mentioned were Profar, Olt, Leury Garcia, Justin Grimm, Barret Loux, and Miguel De Los Santos. Also on the top 10 list were the Corpus Christi Hooks (8th) and Tulsa Drillers (10th). While the Southern League had the top 2 teams on the list, the Texas League led with three teams on the top ten. For more on the list, you can see it here: http://bit.ly/I1FGXS

Hart of Frisco: Once a Frisco RoughRider in 2005, Jason Hart is back with the 'Riders, but this time as a hitting coach. Hart played for Frisco in 2005 as a first baseman and led the team in homeruns (21) and RBI (77). In 1,160 plate appearances over two seasons in the Texas League with the Midland Rockhounds and RoughRiders, he compiled 72 doubles, 51 homeruns, and 198 RBI.

Another Debut: Players aren't the only ones making their AA debuts today. Frisco's new radio broadcaster, Alex Vispoli, will be making his AA radio debut today. Alex spent the last two seasons with the Carolina League's Winston-Salem Dash, the high-A team for the Chicago White Sox. He replaces Aaron Goldsmith, who is now a radio broadcaster for the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Boston Red Sox AAA affiliate. Frisco will really enjoy Alex, just as they really enjoyed Aaron.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Bristol, VA!

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)

Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109

Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter

Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540

And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman