Monthly Archives: July 2015

Independent Ball

Where Are They Now? Player Updates

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Recently, a follower of this site sent me an email asking if I could provide an update about how some of the players I had previously covered are doing.

As the halfway mark of the season has approached, here are the updates of 18 players that I have covered on Indy Ball Island. (Clicking their names will take you to their original articles.)

John Holdzkom – In my very first blog post, I remarked that John Holdzkom’s story was the reason I wanted to start this website. John is currently on the DL for the second time this year. He has spent the entire season with the Pirates Triple A team, the Indianapolis Indians. After getting off to a rough start, he is 2-0 on the season with a 3.38 ERA and 27 Ks in 21.1 IP.

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(Mark Dickhaus)

Matt Sergey – Another personal post I made early on was covering Matt Sergey’s perfect game for the Washington Wild Things. Matt is back with the Wild Things for the 2015 season. In 9 starts, he is 3-3 with a 2.33 ERA. He has already passed his career-high professionally for innings pitched (54) and has 59 Ks.

Chris Peacock – After being signed in the offseason by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Peacock was released and then returned to the American Association, this time with the St. Paul Saints. He has a 1.59 ERA with a 1-0 record in 11 games.

Three of the players that I covered from the Pecos League TV show are playing this season :

Tony Smith – Tony was traded right before the season started from the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League to the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the American Association.  He is 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA in 16 games (2 of which were starts).  He has 33 K in 37 IP.

Sam DiMatteo – Sam is playing with the Old Orchard Beach Surge of the newly formed North Country Baseball League.  He is batting .344 in 23 games (102 plate appearances).  He also has 2 HR, 16 RBI and 9 stolen bases.

Jacob Fabry – Jacob is once again teammates with Sam and has been playing on the Surge as well. He is batting . 296 in 26 games (129 plate appearances).  He has contributed 12 RBI and stolen 8 bases so far this season.

sam and jacob

(Sam DiMatteo. Sam took a ball off his ankle.. he’ll be okay!)

Tim Henry – Another one of the Pecos League stories, Tim is back with the Alpine Cowboys in the Pecos League for the 2015 season. In 42 games (118 AB), he has a .246 average with 2 HR and 21 RBI.

Omar Artsen – Omar was signed by the Miami Marlins out of the Pecos League last year; However he was eventually released by the Marlins organization.  He then went to the American Association and played 2 games with the Winnipeg Goldeyes going 1-7 at the plate.  After being released from the Goldeyes, he played for the Garden State Grays in the Can-Am league for only 3 games with 1 H in 8 AB.

Brandon Cunniff – After earning his second chance at affiliated ball with the Braves, Brandon never looked back. This year, Brandon started the season in the bullpen for the Atlanta Braves. He set an Atlanta rookie record when he didn’t allowed a hit in four relief appearances (four innings) to start his major league career. Brandon has a 2-2 record, 4.23 ERA and 30 K in 30 games with the big league club. At one point in the season, he was sent to AAA Gwinnett where he has a 1-0 record in 3 games. He has since returned to the big league club but is currently on the major league 15 day DL for a groin strain.

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(emspeedtraining.com)

Javy Marticorena – Javy achieved his dream of landing on Indy Ball Island when he signed a contract to play in the Mt Rainier League.  Sadly, the MRPBL folded after just a few weeks, and Javy is back home working hard for another opportunity.

Nick Renault – Nick, like Javy, was caught up in the MRPBL drama, but he still made the most of his few weeks being back in his hometown in Oregon and enjoyed his short stay. He is now back home in Hawaii.

CJ Beatty – CJ used his never give up attitude to bounce back after being released from the White Sox organization at the beginning of the season.  He came back to the Washington Wild Things in the Frontier League and is batting .262 in 42 games with 2 HR and 21 RBI.  CJ will have to use his positive attitude once more to get through another tough situation as he now finds himself on the DL with a quad injury.

CJ

(CJ Beatty)

Al Yevoli – Al was picked up by the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2015 Frontier League season, but was released during spring training.  Instead of returning to the Wild Things, Al landed a spot with the Wichita Wingnuts in the American Association.  He has a 3-0 record with a 3.67 ERA and 26 K in 26 games (27 IP).

Stewart Ijames – Stewart started the season with the High A Visalia Rawhide for the Arizona Diamondbacks. After batting .267 with 15 HR and 37 RBI in 60 games, he was promoted to the Double A Mobile BayBears. In 14 games (31 AB), he is batting .323 with 1 HR (his first hit in AA) and 7 RBI.

Matt Fields – After being released from the KC Royals organization, Matt was signed by the Diamondbacks and was sent to Double A Mobile BayBears. In 3 games (11AB) so far, he is batting .364 with 1 HR.

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(Matt Fields)

Sean Conroy – After making news as baseball’s first openly gay active player, Sean is still doing well with the Sonoma Stompers of the Pacific Association. He has a 2-1 record with a 0.69 ERA including 24 K in 26 IP in 10 games (2 starts).

Aussie in America updates

Luke Wilkins – Luke is currently 4-2 with a 2.80 ERA starting in 10 games for the Washington Wild Things. He has struck out 35 in 61 IP. His 61 innings pitched are the most on the Wild Things team.

2015-05-21 22.44.41

Ben Lodge – In 37 games (130 AB) with the Frontier Greys, Ben is batting .208 with 8 RBI.

Stay tuned and subscribe for more updates as the season progresses!

Independent Ball

Aussie in America (Part Four) Q & A with Ben Lodge

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(2013-14 Adelaide Bite Ben Lodge card front – © 2014 Adam East)

For the fourth installment of Aussie in America, I decided to put Frontier Grey’s outfielder, Ben Lodge, on the hot seat with a Q&A similar to the one with Luke Wilkins.

1. What are the biggest differences you have noticed between professional baseball here in America and in Australia (rules, schedule, competition level etc.)?

The leagues are very similar apart from the age of the players. The ABL does not have age or rookie/experienced limitations so on our team last year we had a 19 year old and a 37 year old. It’s cool to play with guys who have been around professional for up to 20 years. I would have to say that the ABL is a slightly better competition as you are playing against current AA and AAA players and some ex big leaguers. That’s not to say that players in the Frontier League would not be able to compete in the league. They definitely could.

2. Was there any big adjustment you had to make when transitioning to professional baseball in America?

I think the schedule is more demanding, especially being on the travel team. In the ABL we fly everywhere, so travel time is limited.

3. Personally, do you find it hard to play in the ABL where you have a mixture of guys who are playing full time and others who are only there for some of the season for “winter ball”?

Not really. Players buy into the Australian culture pretty quickly and learn how to play hard baseball. Those who do not buy into the culture are sent home pretty quickly no matter how good they are.

4. How do you view the fan support in America compared to that in Australia?

Obviously the fan support in America is far stronger with it being a major sport. Some Frontier League games pull some great crowds which makes it fun to play. That being said, I was impressed to play infront of almost 10,000 people in the ABL championship game in my hometown Adelaide last summer. Baseball is still a minority sport, but it is growing rapidly.

5. How has the popularity of baseball changed in Australia over the years that you have been playing?

It is growing steadily with larger amounts of people playing and more sponsors for the ABL. I think the best thing for baseball in Australia has been the introduction of Little League. Youth numbers are increasing so much, that hopefully the trend will increase each year.

6. What is it like to be considered a “rookie” here even though you have played professionally in the ABL for many years and have already won Rookie of the Year honors in Australia?

I don’t really take any of the titles to heart. At the end of the day everybody is trying to play hard and win, so if you are a rookie or experienced it does not matter.

7. When you were a rookie with the Bite, was it difficult being the only player without college or pro experience outside of Australia?

It was great for me actually. I was able to pick the brains of my team mates which lead to a quick development of my game to get me up to speed.

8. What was it like representing Team Australia during MLB Opening Week in Sydney?

It was one of the greatest weeks of my life. I was treated like a big leaguer and got to play infront of 20,000 Aussies going crazy in a historic Australian stadium. The highlight was beating the Diamondbacks and getting to be in centrefield for the final out. All of my family was there and 10 of my best mates flew up from Adelaide. It was unreal.

9. Did you feel as if you had to come to America to get a fair shot to further your career professionally?

I don’t really consider baseball as my career. I just play and enjoy the challenge. Coming over to play a season in America was something I always wanted to experience. If it enhances me as a player then that is a bonus. My real career is in Education. I’m a High School teacher in Health, Physical Education and English. I actually worked right up until I came over here.

10. If you could integrate one part of Australian culture into every day American culture, what would it be?

I enjoy the fact that the two countries are quite similar yet so different. The only thing I would like to see change in American culture is the food. Some of the food here is ridiculous, but I definitely have tried some of it. We are lucky that our host mum Aimee makes us beautiful and healthy home cooked meals every day.

11. What is the oddest thing you have ever seen on a baseball field while playing?  

I have played in Taiwan, and that place was crazy. The fans sing chants the whole game and clap these big sticks. It feels like you are at a big European soccer game. It was awesome.

12. Finally… the most important question that was asked…. have you ever hung out with a kangaroo?

Yes, I have hung out with Kangaroos. You can play with them in Wildlife parks, but they are very timid out in the wild. You see them all the time driving out of the cities and along the coast on the golf courses.