Best Biscuit of the Decade

During the first decade, 2004-2009, there was little room for any discussion, particularly since it was lacking in pro ball the first four years.

Back then, Evan Longoria was easily the best hitter, leading the club to its first two pennants and then driving the Rays to their first postseason and becoming the face of the organization.

David Price was the best pitcher we saw, in 2008 going from single-A to double-A to triple-A to MLB to the World Series in a single season and making it look easy.

Designated Slugger Gabby Martinez was the franchise player, etching his name in the Biscuit record books with over 450 games played for Montgomery.

Those answers are easy. But since opening day of 2010, the answer is much less clear. 
Who was the best Biscuit during the 2010-2019 era?

To find out, I took a different approach than I usually use for the blog. Normally offering my own opinions and observations, this time I canvassed other people for their opinions and observations to determine the general consensus for who was the "Best Biscuit". People who knew the subject well and are considered experts in their fields.

Asked for further criteria, I simply offered "Who helped Montgomery most between 2010 and 2019" and when asked for deeper clarification I followed with "Who did best for Montgomery?" It is purely subjective as a study, of course, but I thought it would help shed light on a subject of darkness.

Let the debate begin...

OZZIE TIMMONS

Timmons was the Biscuits hitting coach for the first part of the decade and knows all about the players Montgomery has sent to Durham and Tampa and beyond since his departure. I found Oz relaxing beside the pool at his winter home in the tropics, recuperating after a long season of big-league pushups in Tampa.

Ozzie took his time and pondered the concept, "That's a good question," he said and I could hear him mentally rustling through the names of players who had worn the Montgomery garb. Pretty soon he had his choice, announcing a singular candidate that he felt "will surprise you".

BEST BISCUIT: OMAR LUNA
Luna hit .315 to lead the league in 2012 and became the first Biscuit to win a batting title and the first Montgomery player to do so in more than sixty years.

Omar Luna

RC LICHTENSTEIN

As pitching coach for Montgomery the last twenty-five seasons, give or take, RC has a deep knowledge of what's what in Biscuitville. It was for that reason that I reached out to him for his insight, catching up with him during the holidays at his spacious ranch.

"Beside me, you mean?" He began with a laugh, before quickly spinning a half dozen names of potential Best-Skitz candidates. It was no surprise that pitchers were high on his ballot, with mentions for Blake Snell and Brendan McKay. A few minutes of discussion narrow his list to Jake Bauers, Willy Adames and pitcher Blake Snell.

Between Bauers and Adames, RC said "They were both really good and both young so it is hard to choose." When pressed, Lichtenstein eventually lands on a top choice based in part on playing at a premium position and being still with the Rays.


BEST BISCUIT: WILLY ADAMES

BRETT SULLIVAN

A Biscuit stalwart the past three seasons, Brett Sullivan was kind enough to take time out of his holiday celebration to discuss Best Biscuits.

Brett easily brought up some worthy candidates and was extremely hesitant to narrow his list to just one. He was open in discussing the game and its players, being as good at interviews as he is at baseball. Of course he is on the list, having three years of Montgomery service at catcher, left field and on the mound, so I had to include the caveat "other than yourself...".

Brett mentioned that he didn't see some of the guys others had on their top list. Having arrived in Montgomery in 2017, Sullivan stuck with players that he had seen as Biscuits himself. As such, Sully was high on Grant Kay, who set the team doubles record in 2017 with 36 two baggers and was the first name that he brought up.

First baseman Joe McCarthy was on Sully's quick list of Biscuit greats. MoJoe McCarthy hit .280, drove in 56 runs and played very well afield, splitting time between first base and left field.

Sullivan lobbied for reliever Ian Gibaut, also from the 2017 Biscuits. Gibaut was lights out for Montgomery that summer, finishing twenty-one games, saving ten and posting a 2.22era. Sully also included another reliever, Tyler Zombro, as among the most dominant pitchers he had seen in a Biscuits uni. On his own performance with Montgomery "I don't think I did bad either".

However there was one guy that Sullivan felt was just too good not to top the list, Nate Lowe was the best Biscuit he had seen, even though Lowe was just a short time with the club.

BEST BISCUIT: NATE LOWE

JORDAN HARRISON

Relief pitcher Jordan Harrison appeared in over a hundred games for Montgomery and like Sullivan, offers a deep understanding of the team and its players. Jordan spent four seasons with Montgomery between 2015-2018, making playoff appearances each year, posting excellent numbers and also requiring the caveat "other than yourself" in discussing this list. 

When I found him over the holidays, the sidearming lefty was fresh off his second annual tour of the Dominican winter league and offered his thoughts on Best Biscuit.


After getting a clarification of terms on "Best Biscuit", 'Harry said "Pitcher wise I’d have to say Snell when he had that 40 scoreless streak or Honeywell. Both were equally fun to watch. Hitters wise I gotta go with Nate Lowe in 2018. He was unreal."

After a few moments of consideration, Harrison reluctantly narrowed his list when pressed to name just one.

BEST BISCUIT: BRENT HONEYWELL

KYLE BIRD

From 2016 to 2018 Kyle Bird appeared in over a hundred Biscuits games, this summer he made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers. With over 140 innings pitched for Montgomery's playoff contenders, Bird is another with the "other than yourself", as Kyle is easily the most effective reliever of the last decade. In three seasons of regular work in the Biscuit bullpen he was stellar, allowing just eight homers in 101 games! 

Since it wasn't a Jacksonville Jaguars gameday, I was able to track Kyle down between offseason workouts and get his thoughts on Best Biscuit.

The tall lefty, true to form, minced no words and simply replied "Probably Willy"

BEST BISCUIT: WILLY ADAMES

BISCUITS FAN ROBOT1980

One of many anonymous sources whose identity is not known even to myself, Robot1980 is a long standing viewer of Montgomery baseball and may or may not be sitting near you during the game. I sent a message through the grapevine and got a reply in standard code.

"My knee jerk reaction is Blake Snell but I might wanna ponder on it. Can I have a little bit of time before I hit the final answer button?"

I haven't heard back yet.
update: I heard back, he stuck with Snell

BEST BISCUIT: BLAKE SNELL

 

BISCUITS FAN MIKE H

For many years Mike H. was a friendly face behind the counter at the local comic & sport card shop. His position there gave him a unique insight into what players Montgomery fans liked and sought memorabilia for. Also a Biscuits fan, Mike has family ties to area baseball that goes way back and I caught him while he was en route to his remote estate.

With little hesitation and even less justification provided or needed, Mike H. chose Blake Snell.

BEST BISCUIT: BLAKE SNELL

BISCUITS SUPERFAN RICHARD

With well over a thousand games attended, simply no one has seen more Biscuits than this guy. Richards encyclopedic knowledge and vast archive of Biscuits information surpasses any other source, even the franchise own. I placed a call to his underground bunker and conducted a phone interview.

After quickly compiling a list of the top three performers in each season 2010-2019, it was as tough for this expert as any other to finalize a Best Biscuit of the Decade. "We have really been blessed the past five years" he observed, adding "but the first five seasons of the decade we were pretty bad!"

Richard analytically whittled away at the choices, good choices like Victor Mateo and Cameron Seitzer, both spent multiple seasons here. Mateo, of course, authored the first No-Hitter in front of home fans. The popular Cam Seitzer entrenched himself in the franchise record books while playing all over the diamond as a Biscuit.

Sluggers like Bauers, Adames, pitchers like Fleming, Rosenberg, Chieh-Wei Hu were all on Richards list. Falling away late were players with short stints like Nate Lowe and pitchers Snell and McKay, though they performed with elite skills. But in the end, Richard felt there was just one player that was deserving of being Best Biscuit of the Decade. "He was amazing to watch, you knew right away he was a star."

BEST BISCUIT: KEVIN KIERMAIER

THE DR'S CHOICE

What we confirm with the interviews is exactly what we knew before we started: There are so many great options. Even those who know the most about Biscuits are hard pressed to find an obvious standout.

Its not for lack of choice opportunities, in ten years the club has made the postseason six times and sent a large number of its ranks to the major leagues. Montgomery has been loaded with talent the last ten seasons.

Short term, Nate Lowe and Blake Snell were otherworldly, but is that enough to be considered the best in an entire ten year span?

Before revealing BEST BISCUIT, lets take a quick look at ten notable memories at Riverwalk over the last ten years. Not in order of greatness, but by number association!

10 - Ten seasons of enjoying baseball at home, the first full decade of baseball in Montgomery since 1970-1979.

9 - Nine innings of no-hit baseball pitched by Victor Mateo, the first time Montgomery fans had seen a Biscuits no no at home.

Victor Mateo throws the final pitch of his 2013 No Hitter

8 -The uniform number worn by Biscuits catchers Mike Marjama, Justin O'Conner and Brett Sullivan. Strong catching was a hallmark for Montgomery in the decade, a rarity in the modern game.

7 - The scoring number for left field, where Biscuit fans have cheered many of their team leaders - Johnny Field, Brett Sullivan, Joe McCarthy, Tyler Goeddel, Todd Glaesmann and more.

6 - Six times the Biscuits made their way into the postseason during the decade, absolutely amazing!

5 - Five walks - plus one - Joey Rickard took five free passes in one game, then he walked again! He didn't swing the bat even once but reached base every time at the plate without a single strike called. Unbelievable!

4 - The number of stolen bases by Cameron Seitzer while as a Biscuit, he led the decade racking up a whopping 364 game appearances with Montgomery.

Seitzer steals second, Motter steals home on double steal in 2014

3 - Three outs on one play, the Biscuits turned their first triple play in 2019, starting with third baseman Kevin Padlo and going around the horn.

2 - Two new mascots were introduced, for those who weren't already lured by Monty or Big Mo. Miss Gravy the pig and the oft-misspelled Mr. Biscuit have been added to the Biscuit lexicon, with mixed results. Another two-fer was getting two former Biscuits, skipper Montoyo and rehabber Baldelli, announced as MLB managers on the same day!

1 - One huge appearance in 2014 by the Tampa Rays, the parent club, bringing a big league spring training game to a packed house in Montgomery for the first time in forty years.

THE SHORT LIST
My list of choices

10 - Pitching Coach RC Lichtenstein and his star relievers - Ramsey '14, Gorgen '10, Yates '12, Riefenhauser '13, Zombro '19, Sanders '19, Harrison '18, Gibaut '17
All these relievers had dominant seasons with eye-popping numbers deserving recognition. Since his arrival, pitching coach RC Lichtenstein has reformed the bullpen completely, turning what was previously a recurring dumpster fire into a fine crew of firemen. Yes, a few were here before RC but all have impeccable stat lines.

9 - TIE Blake Snell & Brendan McKay
Absolutely dominant, had either of these pitchers stayed in Montgomery a full season they would be at the top of the list.

8 Justin Williams
J-Dubs smile and easy nature made him a fan fave and his .301BA/14HR/72RBI with stellar outfield play made the Biscuits a contender in 2017.

7 Jaime Schultz
Setting the franchise strikeout mark with 168 punchouts with a 3.67 ERA in 2015 puts Schultz on the All-Time list, not just for the decade.

6 - TIE Cameron Seitzer & Henry Wrigley
 Two popular first baseman that spent multiple productive seasons in Montgomery share a spot on the list, between them they appeared in nearly six hundred games between 2010 and 2015. Wrigley's 217 total bases in 2011 was tops for the decade.

5 Jake Bauers
With 14 homers and 78 rbi's in 2016, Bauers was a run producer and one of just a handful of Biscuits with 200+ total bases in a season over the decade.

4 Kevin Kiermaier
Simply the best defensive centerfielder in Biscuits history, KK hit .307 and swiped 14 bags in 97 games for Montgomery in 2013. By the end of that season he had made his big league debut and soon began a gold glove collection.

3 Willy Adames
Easily the best shortstop in Biscuits history, Adames was steady at the plate (.274ba/11hr/13sb) and a wizard on defense. That, along with his cheerful attitude and easygoing nature helped him become one of the most popular players of the decade.

2 Nick Solak
With his outstanding season in 2018 tallying 19hr, 21sb, 76rbi and 215 total bases, Solak was the best of a long string of fine middle infielders that appeared for Montgomery in the decade of the teens.

1 Brett Sullivan
The unspoken captain of the club, Sully gets the top spot on my list. Not only is he among the leaders of the decade in HR's, RBI's and games played, Catcher Sullivan trails the decade stolen base leaders (Fox/H.J. Lee) by just a single bag. 

What puts him at the top over the others? He is the guy putting down fingers to call pitches that send three consecutive Biscuits teams to the playoffs. He played multiple positions, even pitching mopup to help the team when asked. He wore foul balls and dove against the outfield walls, when he wasn't in the lineup he was on the rail watching every pitch. He was consistently the most reliable player at the most important position during the teams most dominant stretch of the decade.

BEST BISCUIT

Day in and day out, no one who wore the Biscuits uniform made more difference to the success of the team over the past ten seasons. One single person turned the club around, putting the work in on every level and I suspect there isn't a single person on the list that would argue this choice of Best Biscuit as defined by such informal parameters.

Manager Brady Williams.

He changed the culture in Montgomery upon arrival, bringing a winning environment to a city that had gained a reputation as a loser. He filled out the lineups, worked around not having enough players, dealt with everything that managers deal with, fighting to make Montgomery a better team than it had been before in pretty much every way.

Here is my reasoning, in image form...

Just a few of the gems from the Brady Williams file, let me know if you need more convincing!

The man really wanted to win with Montgomery. And win he did.

 Congratulations, Brady Williams, without a single at bat or inning pitched, you are the Dr. Miraculous Best Biscuit of the Decade!

Thats my list, who ya got?