Trades (UPDATED)

There were a couple of trades yesterday. They involved non-Timber Rattlers Midwest Leaguers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers traded with Kansas City to pick up Scott Posednik. The Dodgers sent Great Lakes Loons pitcher Elisaul Pimentel and Lucas May.

Pimentel was 9-3 for the Loons this season. Odd. I don't see a release about this trade on the loons website yet. From the link above:

Pimentel, 22, is 9-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 17 games, including 16 starts, at Class A Great Lakes. He was the Midwest League pitcher of the month in June after going 4-0 with an 0.39 ERA. The Royals assigned him to Class A Burlington.

The Midwest League has a Pitcher of the Month Award? Really? Plus, it's nice of the Royals to make a trade to help the Bees down the stretch.

Cleveland and Detroit made a trade, too. Jhonny Peralta joins the Tigers. All they had to give up was Giovanni Soto of the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Soto, 19, started 16 games with low Class A West Michigan this season, posting a 6-6 record and 2.61 ERA. He had 76 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings. He was drafted in 2009 in the 21st round.

I did not see anything about him heading to Lake County. But, that will be interesting, too.

UPDATE: That's because I wasn't looking in the right place.

Giovanni Soto won't soon forget what happened to him Wednesday at Classic Park.

At 4:30 p.m., Soto arrived at the ballpark as a member of the West Michigan Whitecaps. A little more than one month ago, the 19-year-old left-handed pitcher had represented the Whitecaps in the Midwest League All-Star game.

West Michigan was in town to play the opener of a scheduled three-game series against the Captains.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Soto was called into the office of West Michigan manager Joe DePastino.

DePastino told Soto the Whitecaps' parent team, the Detroit Tigers, had just traded him to Cleveland for third baseman Jhonny Peralta and cash.

"I've never seen anything like this," DePastino said of Soto getting traded but not having to leave the premises to join his new team.

In a matter of minutes, Soto was bidding farewell to his former teammates and making the short journey down the hallway that leads to the Lake County clubhouse.

Video at the link.

Get to know Community Field

Matt Nelson of KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids has a video piece up on Community Field, the site of the current series for the Timber Rattlers. Check it out below. And also check out this page for his flickr account of the day in Burlington.

The open:

Community Field in Burlington, Iowa, is the home of the Burlington Bees, the Kansas City Royals affiliate in the Midwest League. It is the ballpark in the smallest community in the country with full season, affiliated, minor league baseball. That is something to be proud of for fans in Burlington. It's not easy to keep a team going these days in a city as small as Burlington (population: 26,839 in the 2000 census).

Matt was at Time Warner Cable Field in April and it looks like his piece on us will debut at his website on July 7.

15 games

That's how long the Florida Winter Baseball League lasted.

Jim Gabella, the manager of the Burlington Bees, has reaction:

Instead of boarding their white vans for a one-day delayed series in Miami, Space Coast Surge players on Wednesday morning went their separate ways from their home base at the Cocoa Expo because the Florida Winter Baseball League is no more. Fifteen games into its inaugural 60-game season, the league suspended operations on Tuesday and on Wednesday — lacking paychecks they could trust or further word from league President Mickey Filippucci — the four teams scattered like so much dust on the basepaths.

After three inconclusive conversations with Filipucci and unsuccessfully trying to cash his first paycheck, Surge field manager Jim Gabella spent the day ensuring his players they could cash their checks and find their way home.

“They should never be allowed to do anything with the game of baseball again because they tarnished its beautiful reputation,” Gabella said referring to league officials.

Emphasis added.

There is a comment from the league. They posted it at their website, but the article has it -- in its entirety -- in a sidebar. A taste:

“The Florida Winter Baseball League (FWBL) is suspending play for the remainder of the 2009 – 2010 season,” the note said. “Although the inaugural season was shortened, the FWBL will continue on with its mission to provide the only US-based winter baseball alternative for professional baseball players.

“Being a first-year league, the organization was built from a simple idea into reality, and though we are ending the inaugural season prematurely, we now see the commitment and organization needed by our staff in order to be successful long term. We acknowledge that start-up growing pains are real and sometimes overwhelming, but that has only strengthened our resolve. We will be recapitalizing the Company to better accommodate the financial requirements to operate the league more effectively in the future.

Let me know how that 2010 season works out.

It's not all bad for Gabella. He is heading back to Burlington for 2010.

The Kansas City Royals have announced the minor league coaching staffs for the 2010 season. Jim Gabella will return for his sixth season as Bees manager.

Gabella led the Bees to the Midwest League Championship Series in '09. The playoff appearance was the second in a row for the Bees, and the first time the franchise has been in the playoffs two years in a row in 30 years. After a 29-41 first half record, the Gabella-led Bees went 35-34 in the second half and captured the Western Division Wild Card.

BB is coming to the BB WB

Buckner to Speak at Winter Banquet

The 7th Annual Burlington Bees/Friends of Community Field Winter Banquet will be held on Friday, January 15th in the PZAZZ! Convention & Events Center. This year's event will feature former baseball great Bill Buckner as the keynote speaker. The event will also include an exciting line of autographed memorabilia and collectible items that can be purchased through auctions or won through a raffle.

I'm not going to mention that thing for which he his best known, because there was so much more to his career than that one game at Shea Stadium in 1986. Like:

Mainly an outfielder and first-basemen, Buckner played for five teams in his 22-year career: the Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, and Royals. He was known as one of the more consistent contact hitters in the major leagues. In 2,517 games, Buckner accumulated 2,715 hits and only 453 strikeouts. He ended his career with 174 home runs, 1,208 RBI, and a .289 batting average.

Wow...

From The Hawkeye.

Jim and Cody Gabella have been bonded by baseball since Cody's birth. The Gabella family has lived, slept, breathed baseball as Jim moved from being drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1976 and playing minor league baseball, to becoming a scout, a coach and a manager with various organizations.

Tuesday night, Jim and Cody had their "Field of Dreams" moment.

In an exhibition contest between Jim's Midwest League Burlington Bees and Southeastern Community College, Cody had an opportunity to play for his dad, a dad who until the family moved to Burlington during Jim's first stint as the Bees' manager, had very little opportunity to see his son play baseball.

Cody stepped to the plate as Jim stood in the third-base coaches box, clapping his hands in encouragement like he does with any other player. After flying out in his first at-bat, Cody singled his second time up.

Nice story? Right? A happy ending? Wrong!

Somehow, the Iowa High School Athletic Association found out. And now Gabella will have to sit out this season because he violated an eligibility rule.

Read the whole thing.

Bees get their rings

Ever wondered how a minor league team gets their championship rings? Wonder no more!

With the entire Minor League camp seated on folding chairs near the Art Stewart Tower in the middle of the complex, [Burlington] Bees manager Brian Rupp and general manager Chuck Brockett also spoke about the accomplishment.

Each player and staff member was presented his ring by Royals general manager Dayton Moore. In the crowd were Royals Hall of Famers Willie Wilson, John Mayberry and Dennis Leonard, who are guest instructors for the Minor Leaguers.

"Our organization is very proud of what this team did in 2008 and see it as a springboard to many championships in Kansas City," Picollo said.

That's great. But, this is the best part.

With that, the Minor Leaguers dispersed and went onto the adjacent fields. After all, it was 9 a.m. and time to go to work.

Life in the minor leagues.

He closes in Burlington, too

Lee Smith as at the Bees Winter Banquet in Burlington last night.

Smith praised the small town supporting professional baseball Friday night during the Sixth Annual Bees Winter Banquet at Pzazz Convention and Event Center.

"To see this turnout is just really awesome to see that in baseball," Smith said, commenting on the not-so-warm weather he found in Burlington. "The way things are going in baseball now, it's so tough to see how you can keep coming back and coming back, all the negative stuff in baseball right now. I just want to give you guys a hand for sticking by these young men."

There is some news in this article, too.

Smith deftly avoided naming his favorite team for which he played.

During his talk, Smith stood at a podium situated between his Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals' jerseys, which were the featured items in the live auction.

"I'm glad to be right here in the middle," Smith said. "I know when it comes to the question and answer, what's your favorite team? I'm going to tell you right now, I'm in the middle. Before that question gets out, I just want to say it was real good to play for both those teams."

Smith did give a slight indication of his preference during the auction. While the bidding was going on, someone called out, "Which jersey are you going to wear in the Hall of Fame?"

Smith discreetly pointed to the Cubs jersey.

The live auction raised $4,650 for Friends of Community Field.

I thought this was set

But apparently not. The Kansas City Royals have adjusted their managerial staffs in the low minors. When the music stopped, Jim Gabella is heading back to the Burlington Bees.

Brian Rupp, who was ticketed to once again manage Class A Burlington (IA), will now skipper Class A Advanced Wilmington next season. Rupp, who will be in his sixth season managing in the Royals organization, led Burlington to the Midwest League title in 2008.

Former Wilmington manager Darryl Kennedy will now run the Royals extended program in Surprise, Ariz., before managing at Idaho Falls (R) beginning in June. Kennedy, now in his third season with the Royals, skippered the Blue Rocks to the Carolina League playoffs last season.

Jim Gabella, who served for four seasons as the manager at Burlington (IA) before spending 2008 with Idaho Falls, will reunite with his hometown Bees as the manager of Burlington in 2009.

On his lineup card, Gabella puts WP next to his starting pitcher. The WP stands for Winning Pitcher.

Bees have a closer

for their Winter Banquet. He's pretty good, too.

The 6th Annual Burlington Bees/Friends of Community Field Winter Banquet will be held on Friday, January 16th in the PZAZZ! Convention & Events Center. This year's event will feature former pitching great Lee Smith as the keynote speaker. The event will also include an exciting line of autographed memorabilia and collectible items that can be purchased through auctions or won through a raffle.

There is one play I've always wanted to ask Lee Smith about. It was a game in 1984. The Cubs were hosting the Montreal Expos and clinging to a one run lead in the top of the ninth at Wrigley Field.

Pete Rose was at the plate with one out and the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Rose lined a ball back at Smith and it deflected into the air off the Cub closer. The ball was caught and the runner at first was doubled off to end the game.

Right after the final out, Harry Caray said something along the lines of: The Good Lord must want the Cubs to win.

Looking back at Retrosheet.org, the game was on August 2. But, the ending they have is a bit different from my recollection. Whom to trust? Me or a website that has results, game logs, and box scores for just about every game back to 1871.

Regarding this one, I'm betting on me for a change. If your in Burlington for their Winter Banquet, ask Mr. Smith.

Back to Burlington

Brian Rupp will be managing the Bees in 2009.

After leading the Class-A Burlington Bees to the Midwest League Championship, Brian Rupp returns for his second season in Iowa and sixth in the Royals system. Jerry Nyman moves from Idaho Falls to Burlington to work on the staff as the pitching coach. Pookie Wilson returns to the Royals organization as the hitting coach for Burlington. Wilson previously worked as a hitting coach in the KC system from 2002-2004.

What happened to ex-Brewer Doug Henry? He was the pitching coach for the Bees last season?

Doug Henry, after working in 2008 as the Pitching Coach for the Midwest League Champion Burlington (IA) Bees, will serve as the Minor League Roving Pitching Coach in 2009.

There's your answer.

We aren't the only ones

The Midwest League Champion Burlington Bees can't wait for 2009 either. Here is Jared's take:

Three things really stand out to me when looking at the schedule. Number one, the season starts nearly a week later than last year. Opening Day will be April 9th compared to April 3rd. Secondly, the Bees will have only nine home games in the month of April. We had 16 home games in April this past season. Hopefully for you fans, this means less 40 degree games. The third thing I noticed is the balance in weekend games. In 2008, we went through a five-week stretch without any Friday or Saturday home games. With the new schedule, we will be able to spread out the different promotional nights like Jimmy Buffett Night and Cubs-Cards Night.

Sounds like a plan to me.

This looks like fun...

This is after the Bees were declared the champions of the MWL. That is supposed to be centerfield at The Cove in South Bend.

The picture is from the BeesBlog.

Look who stopped by Community Field

A Special Guest at Community Field

Former Royals 3rd Basemen Joe Randa is making a short stop in Burlington through Thursday to work with some of the infielders.

Nice framing of the second picture to get that Royals sign in there.

Catching up with...

the Burlington Bees

July 5: LumberKings hit Bees with unlucky 13

Fewer bees buzzing in Iowa Ooops. That is an AP story about Bees, the honey kind.

July 7: Missed chances cost Bees in loss to Clinton

July 8: Bees crush LumberKings

How does the weather affect

Greetings, Rattler fans. Carl, the Rain Hating Camel here. When I am not obsessing about precipitation forcing cancellations of Timber Rattler games, I surf the web in search of stories about rain and baseball. Well, I found this one in The Burlington Hawkeye has this story about the Bees, the weather, and Honor Roll Day at Community Field.

Thursday was going to be one of those packed-house days. It was Honor Roll Day, and once again, the grandstands would be crammed with school kids.

"They took the rain out of the forecast," Brockett said, smiling. "It's supposed to be a nice day."

***

The rain started falling at about 11 a.m. Thursday. The National Weather Service radar showed a mass of rain to the west, a dark-green blob with specks of yellow, moving toward Burlington.

Brockett and his staff knew what was coming. But the kids had started to arrive.

"We figured, let's get them in, get them lunch, and then see what happens," Brockett said.

Some of the kids were underneath the canopy behind home plate, and out of the rain. The rest of them weren't under cover, and had to sit in the light rain.

That was the problem. It was a light rain, not enough to keep the game from being played, but enough to make things miserable.

There is a happy ending to this story, but it is after this explanation for why sometimes games are played in less than ideal conditions.

Minor league baseball is about player development, which means if a game can be played, it's going to be played.

But it also comes with a financial cost to the franchises. Nights of inclement weather mean no one is buying tickets, no one is buying a hot dog and a beer.

That's why days like Thursday are important to small-market teams like Burlington. Fans in the seats means someone is buying food and drinks. Someone is spending money.

Brockett and his staff kept an eye on the weather radar as the game started. There was a big yellow blob of a storm coming toward Burlington.

Then something happened. The blob broke in half. One half went north of the city, one half went south.

It quit raining at Community Field right around the time the first pitch was thrown at 11:34 a.m.

In closing, Udo delenda est!

Other teams' rosters

Some of the other Midwest League rosters have been trickling in:

Like Burlington:

The roster is highlighted by shortstop Mike Moustakas, who was taken second overall by the Royals in the 2007 amateur entry draft. The roster also includes three players who spent time with the Bees during the 2007 season.

Entire roster of the Bees.

Like Cedar Rapids:

The 2008 Cedar Rapids Kernels have broken Spring Training camp and are on their way to Cedar Rapids! The 25-player roster includes two of the LA Angels Top 10 Prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, in RHP Jordan Walden (#3) and C Anel De Los Santos (#10).

The roster includes three members of the 2007 MWL playoff team as C Cody Collet, RHP Sammy Leon, and OF Tyler Johnson return to Cedar Rapids.

Entire roster of the Kernels.

Like Dayton:

Shortstop Todd Frazier and third baseman Brandon Waring headline the roster. Frazier, selected in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Cincinnati Reds, was chosen as the top prospect in the Pioneer League with Billings last summer after signing with the Reds. He hit 22 home runs last spring at Rutgers University to rank fourth in the country.

Waring hit 27 home runs at Wofford College to rank second among all NCAA Division I players. After signing with the Reds, he hit another 20 homers at Billings to lead the Pioneer League and all short-season professional leagues.

Entire roster of the Dragons.

Like Fort Wayne:

Seven players who appeared with Fort Wayne last season will open the year with the Wizards and 16 players who were drafted by the Padres organization last summer will be a part of the club.

The outfield is led by Luis Durango, who won the Arizona League batting title in 2006 and the Northwest League batting title last season. Durango was also named the 2007 Topps Northwest League Player of the Year, hitting .367 with a league-best 110 hits and eight triples.

Also leading the outfield will be Brad Chalk, a second round pick from Clemson. He split the 2007 season between Peoria and Eugene, hitting a combined .276 in 34 games.

Entire roster of the Wizards.

Like Great Lakes:

Pitchers Steven Johnson, Thomas Melgarejo, Miguel Ramirez, Miguel Sanfler and Kyle Smit; catcher Kenley Jansen; infielders Brian Mathews and Preston Mattingly; and outfielder Scott Van Slyke all played for the Loons during the 2007 inaugural season.

The six players on the Loons’ roster ranked in Baseball America’s Top 30 prospect list in the Dodgers’ organization are: third baseman Pedro Baez (10), pitcher Bryan Morris (12), outfielder Andrew Lambo (14), pitcher Justin Miller (22), second baseman Mattingly (28) and pitcher Geison Aguasviva (30).

Entire roster of the Loooooooooons (as a PDF).

Bees in the news

The Burlington Hawkeye is getting baseball fans in southeastern Iowa ready for the season. First, meet the new guy behind the microphone at Community Field. How do you get a job as a radio broadcaster? Well, this is not the normal way, but it worked.

The stars must be aligned for Matt Pauley, and hopefully he'll see some budding stars this summer.

The Burlington Bees in mid-February named Pauley as their director of broadcasting and media relations to succeed Randy Wehofer. The Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals only had to look a few blocks down Mount Pleasant Street from Community Field to find Pauley.

"We didn't open it up nationwide," said Chuck Brockett, Bees general manager. He had talked with officials of other Midwest League teams also in need of broadcasters, and they had gotten 150 to 200 resumes.

"I'm glad we didn't have to go into that," Brockett said. "We just sent out a news release that Randy was leaving, and we still got 15 to 20 resumes. We knew Matt Pauley was in town broadcasting the (Southeastern Community College) BlackHawks" basketball games on KDMG (Country 103 FM). "We knew he'd had a couple similar assignments with broadcasting and media relations" in baseball. "He dropped off a demo tape, and I was very impressed."

What does the newcomer have for experience?

"Everything fell into place," Pauley said. He'll begin his duties with the Bees in mid- to late-March.

His first assignment with a professional baseball team was as the No. 2 broadcaster for the Evansville (Ind.) Otters in the independent Frontier League in 2006. He was a volunteer broadcaster and picked up a few bucks here and there, but mostly lived off his savings.

"I left a good-paying job to broadcast for free," he said.

Last season, he joined the (Albany) South Georgia Peanuts in the South Coast League.

"It was a brand-new league and a brand-new team," he said. "Nobody else in the office had any baseball experience." With one season in Evansville, Pauley was the most experienced.

He also experienced "all the horror stories you might have heard about minor league baseball," he said. The grounds crew was fired, and he then spent his mornings working on the grounds.

Pauley's not anticipating any horror stories with the Bees. Professional baseball has been in Burlington since 1889.

Not anticipating horror stories? Well, he hasn't met me yet.

Story #2 from the Hawkeye is this one the relationship between the Bees and their parent club in Kansas City. If you want a quick sketch of the behind the scenes business of minor league baseball...

The Kansas City Royals plant their prospects in Burlington and other affiliates in the springtime of their professional baseball careers. The Bees organization nurtures them.

"They send the players to us, and that's when our job begins," said Chuck Brockett, general manager of the Bees. "We find them housing and acclimate them to the community. We have host families."

During a "Meet the Bees Night," Brockett and staff "try to match the players with the families."

"We take care of travel and meals" for the players when they're on the road, Brockett said. That includes when a player is suddenly reassigned to another team. "It's tougher to keep it hush-hush now" when a player is moved, Brockett said. Cell phones enable players to hear the buzz from others in the Royals organization.

"We want them to keep their minds on the game" and not personnel moves. "They have a job to do. Last year, there wasn't as much movement."

On overnight road trips, the Bees pay for the bus and the first 17 rooms in a hotel. If more than 17 rooms are needed, the Royals pay for the rest.

"We pay for 25 percent of the balls, bats and uniforms," Brockett said. When a player is reassigned, the Royals reimburse the Bees for the travel expense.

Bus expenses total $45,000 a season, "and the hotels are probably about the same amount," Brockett said.

It sounds like the Bees will have a top pick in their midst this season.

One of the 2008 Bees will be 19-year-old Mike Moustakas of Chatsworth, Calif.

A shortstop, Moustakas was the Royals' first-round draft choice and the second pick overall in June's amateur draft. Moustakas holds the California state high-school record for career home runs. He has 52.

Some watchers expect Moustakas, who signed up for a $4 million bonus, to make the major leagues, or "The Show," within a couple years.

Go over and read the whole thing.