BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff Justin Blaine is one of only four players returning from last year’s BlueClaws team, which won the organization’s first SALtitle. The 2007 Lakewood BlueClaws are not the same team that won the organization’s first South Atlantic League championship last season.
In fact, only four players remain from last year’s roster – pitchers Justin Blaine and Ben Pfinsgraff, infielder C.J. Henry and outfielder Julian Williams.
Even the manager is new: Steve Roadcap replaces Dave Huppert, who has moved on to manage the Philadelphia Phillies High A team in Clearwater. Roadcap, whose own playing career ended at the Class AAA level, has plenty of managerial experience, including stints with the Chicago Cubs organization (1987-98), the Seattle Mariners player development staff (1999-2004), and most recently as the manager of the Batavia Muckdogs (the Phillies’ short-season Class A team in the New York-Penn League) last year, where his squad went 35-38.
That record would likely have been even better had the Phillies not moved up some of his talented pitchers to the BlueClaws for their run at the SAL championship.
And Roadcap has brought many of the players from his Muckdog team to Lakewood this season – making it a seamless transition for the new BlueClaws manager.
Thus far, Roadcap has nothing but positive things to say about his new job.
“It’s unbelievable. You can’t beat the atmosphere here,” he said. “Other GMs told me that I was going to one of the top three of four organizations in baseball and I’ve seen nothing to disprove that.”
As for his team, Roadcap is excited about the BlueClaws’ potential. However, much like last year, when the squad overcame an abysmal start and eventually matured into a championship team, Roadcap expects this year’s team to hit some bumps in the road along the way.
As if on cue, Lakewood dropped an 11-7 decision on opening night to the Greensboro Grasshoppers, as Greensboro scored nine runs in the first inning moments after the BlueClaws raised the championship banner in a pregame ceremony. Trailing 11-1 entering the home eighth, Lakewood scored six runs, including two on bases-loaded walks, and a two-run single by Henry, but the rally fell short.
On Friday night, however, Edgar Garcia led the Lakewood nine to a comfortable 9-1 win over Greensboro, as the hurler went seven and allowed only one run on four hits without a walk to pick up the first win of the year for Lakewood.
On Saturday, Greensboro captured the series with a 3-1 win, as Matt Hyle (1-0) tossed five shutout innings for the win in his season debut.
Lakewood was back in action on Monday as they traveled to West Virginia to take on the West Virginia Power (a Milwaukee Brewers team) in a four-game series that will be concluded tonight.
“I’m going home to play an away game,” Roadcap, an Elkview, W.Va., native said.
Julian Williams drove in two runs to lead the BlueClaws to a 5-3 win over West Virginia in the first game of an eight-game road-trip. Ben Pfinsgraff (1-0) picked up the win in relief of starter Jarrod Freeman. Matt Reed also added two hits and an RBI in the gate-to-wire victory.
Tomorrow, the BlueClaws will be in Hickory, N.C., to face the Hickory Crawdads (Pittsburgh Pirates) in the first of another four-game set.
While, as he predicted, it’s been a bit of an inconsistent start for his squad, Roadcap hopes his pitching continues to perform as it did in the last two games against Greensboro. Last year’s title run was fueled by dominant pitching, and Roadcap believes this year’s team could be just as good, eventually.
“I’m not sure they can measure up to last year’s guys right off the bat,” he said. “We’ve got five starters and none of them are over the age of 20.
“They’re young, so they’re going to have some ups and downs,” he added. “There are going to be times when people are wondering what we’re doing with them out there.”
The staff is led by 6-2, 175-pound right-hander Carlos Monasterios, who came to the Phillies organization as part of the Bobby Abreu trade with the New York Yankees last year. Through 24 appearances in his minor league career, Monasterios had accumulated a 1.89 ERA with just 51 hits allowed in 90.2 innings of work entering the season.
“He’s got a good young arm, and he throws very hard,” Roadcap said of his ace.
In the BlueClaws’ opener on Thursday, he struggled a bit, but Roadcap is confident he’ll only get better.
Garcia is the team’s No. 2 starter at this point. The 6-2, 190-pound righty was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2004, and has pitched to a 3.25 ERA in 22 appearances (122 innings) this far in his career. Garcia pitched for Roadcap at Batavia last year, where he was 3-5 with a 2.98 ERA.
Darren Byrd, a 6-5, 175-pound righty, is the third starter, and is another hurler who was with Roadcap in Batavia last year, but only for four games. Byrd was the Phillies’ 18th-round pick in the June 2005 draft, and has pitched to a 2.81 ERA in 96 innings of work thus far.
The fourth starter is Freeman, a 6-2, 190-pound righty who was the Phillies’ 11th-round pick in the June 2006 draft. He made his pro debut last year with the Gulf Coast Phillies, where he led the team in innings pitched and strikeouts.
And then there’s Kyle Drabek, who enters the season with the spotlight on him after being named the Philles’ No. 2 prospect by Baseball America.
Drabek, the Phillies’ first-round pick (18th overall) in the June 2006 draft, is the son of former Major Leaguer Doug Drabek, and is one of the top pitching prospects in the SAL. He pitched 23.1 innings for the Phillies’ Gulf Coast League team last year, giving up 33 hits while going 1-3.
While the numbers are not what he would have liked, he has displayed the type of stuff the Phillies were hoping for when they drafted him. With a fastball that reaches the mid-90s, a complementary change-up that’s improving, and a trademark curve ball (“I’m pretty confident that I can throw my curve ball for a strike when I need to,” he said), Drabek hopes to make an immediate impact with the BlueClaws.
“I’m just ready to pitch,” he said. “My nerves will probably be there when I start my first game [this week against the West Virginia Power in Charleston].”
He saw his first action in the win over Greensboro on Friday, as he followed Garcia and struck out the side in his only inning of work.
Thus far, the hard-throwing right-hander from Woodlands, Texas, has been pleasantly surprised with his BlueClaws experience.
“It’s a different world,” he said. “You watch all those minor league baseball movies, and this is the same thing. … It’s a lot more than I expected.”
As far as his expectations are concerned, Drabek said he’s excited to pitch in front of the BlueClaws’ fans, who have established a reputation throughout the SAL.
“That’s what I’m looking forward to,” he said. “I just want to do well. I don’t want to come here and start losing. I want to win and stay healthy.”
And what does Dad think about Drabek playing for the Phillies organization, and not the Pittsburgh Pirates?
“He’s really excited for me,” Kyle Drabek said. “He didn’t care where I went. He told me about the fans in Philly, that they don’t like to lose, and I’m the same way.”
The rest of the pitching staff has some familiar faces, starting with Pfinsgraff, who started with Batavia last year and joined Lakewood in August where he pitched to a 1-2 record and a 2.28 ERA. Though not starting, the 6-0, 179-pound righty should see plenty of time on the hill this season for the BlueClaws.
“[Pfinsgraff] pitched for me last year and did a great job,” Roadcap said. “It didn’t work out this year as a starter, but we’ll find a role for him in relief. He’ll probably get some starts in double-headers down the road.”
Justin Blaine, who at 6-4, 188 pounds is the only left-hander on the staff, appeared in 18 games for the BlueClaws last year and
was 2-2 with a 3.83 ERA. Blaine, who was taken in the sixth round of the 2005 draft, figures to see plenty of action out of the bullpen as the lone southpaw, though Roadcap is not quite certain of his exact role just yet.
“I still need to learn a little bit about him,” the manager said.
The rest of the staff includes Andrew Cruise, Ronald Hill, Alexander Concepcion, Michael Dubee and Garet Hill. Dubee, Hill, Cruse and Concepcion all pitched for Roadcap in Batavia last year.
“The four starters for me last year are in the bullpen here,” Roadcap said.
His familiarity with his pitchers can only help as he decides on their roles in the bullpen over the first few weeks of the season.
C.J. Henry is the top returning everyday player for the BlueClaws. Henry, who also came to the Phillies in the Abreu trade last year, hit .253 in 91 games for Lakewood last year, and hit safely in 16 of 25 games. After struggling a bit with his fielding at shortstop for the BlueClaws (13 errors in 25 games), Henry has been moved to third base, in part because of the arrival of Jason Donald, a highly regarded University of Arizona graduate who was selected in the third round of the 2006 draft.
“We made the transition in the instructional league,” the manager said. “He’s accepted it, and I think he’s better suited over there.”
While Henry will need some time to adjust to his new position, Roadcap is confident that he will hit from the start.
As for Donald, he arrives as part of a heralded middle infield duo, alongside second baseman Adrian Cardenas. While Donald hit .313 (45-for-144, 19 RBIs and 22 runs) against right-handed pitching en route to becoming a midseason All-Star in the New York-Penn League last year, Cardenas, the Phillies’ supplemental pick between the first and second rounds of the 2006 draft, tore up the GCL last season, hitting .318 (49-for-154) with 21 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. His smooth left-handed swing allowed him to lead the GCL Phillies in RBIs, total bases (68), hits, triples (four), walks (17), slugging percentage (.442) and on-base percentage (.384).
“What a joy to have these two guys,” Roadcap said. “Their work habits are off the boards, and they both have great ability. Jason played for me last year in about 67 games, and had a pretty good fielding percentage.”
And the manager is confident that Cardenas, who played shortstop last year, will become a fine second baseman before long.
“It’s a transition for him also,” the manager said. “He’s learning. He needs to work on his positioning, and he needs improvement in turning the double play. But he can hit, that’s his strength. If he can play some defense, he can be a heck of a player. And Donald will be a big boost for him.”
Another newcomer to watch is right fielder Ken Milner, an imposing figure at 6-5, 245 pounds, who played well for Roadcap at Batavia last season, hitting .261 (63-for-241) with 19 extra-base hits.
“I saw him all last year and I thought he was the best outfielder in the New York-Penn League,” Roadcap said.
Milner, the 14th pick in the 2006 draft out of the University of Kansas, also knocked in 39 runs last year, leading the team in RBIs, hits and triples, while also drawing 20 walks.
Bradley Key, who was acquired in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds last year, has been getting the starts at first base, while the other infielders on the roster are P.J. Antoniato, the Phillies’ 15th-round pick in 2005 who hit .300 in 120 at-bats for Batavia last year; and Doug Morales, who was signed by the Phillies as a amateur free agent in 2003. Thus far, Morales has hit .285 (146-for-513) in his minor league career, including four hits in seven at-bats for the BlueClaws last year.
The outfield is led by Williams, who hit .251 (87-for-347) for the BlueClaws last year, stole 22 bases and recorded 22 doubles and 23 RBIs. Williams, who was signed by the Phillies as a nondrafted free agent in 2004, was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals but did not sign. He was a key member of the Lakewood offense last season, as he reached base in 34 of the team’s final 37 games.
In the BlueClaws’ win on Saturday, Williams reached base four times, extending his streak to 52 straight home games reaching base.
Quintin Berry is another speedster who will be patrolling the Lakewood outfield this year, after hitting .219 (46-for-210) for Batavia last year, with 19 stolen bases. Berry was the Phillies’ fifth-round draft pick in June 2006, and led the Muckdogs in runs, walks and stolen bases last year.
Jay Miller, the Phillies’ 17th-round pick in 2006, is the fourth outfielder, and comes to Lakewood after putting up some solid numbers in Batavia last year – .258 average (58-for-225), 34 runs, 11 doubles and 27 RBIs.
The BlueClaws’ stable of catchers is led by James “Tuffy” Gosewisch and Joel Naughton. Gosewisch, who was the Phillies’ 11th-round pick in 2005, was 2-for-4 with Lakewood’s first home run of the season in the win Friday over Greensboro, after hitting .252 (77-for-305) with 14 doubles and 39 RBIs in Clearwater last year.
Naughton, who played for Roadcap in Batavia last year, batting .206 (28-for-136) and hitting safely in 19 of 23 games, was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2003.
Reed is listed as the third catcher. Reed, who was signed as a nondrafted free agent last June, hit .216 (16-for-74) while playing 22 games at first base for the Gulf Coast League Phillies.
BlueClaws fans got a taste of success last season, and it left them wanting more. And now that the organization has shown it’s serious about winning (by keeping several players, especially pitchers, in Lakewood during the stretch run last season despite the feeling that they were ready to go to the next level), the BlueClaws are giving them every reason to fill the ballpark once again