Predicting the 2025 Biscuits, Who Killed Hoke?

 

On January 1st we remember a solemn event, our annual predict the team post always coincides with the date of the death of Montgomery Rebels owner Hoke Vandigriff in 1955. After integrating the Montgomery baseball team, Hoke's death spelled the end of integrated baseball in Montgomery until 1962.

It has long struck me that the death of Vandigriff was very "convenient" for those who opposed segregation and so I went about researching the event and its background in order to put my own mind to rest. What I found was more questions and few answers, leading my mild suspicion to increase considerably. In May of this year, I took to the stage at the Alabama Dept of Archives & History and presented my findings. I submit them here for you now, on this, the anniversary of the tragic event.

 

PREDICTING THE BISCUITS 2025

Its possible the Biscuits are being quietly peddled for sale. While I have heard nothing definite, the signs are subtle but there. Lets hope it works out for the best, we are speeding towards that deadline of stadium rental and player development contract time. Both the Rays and City of Montgomery will need to sign up to keep the Biscuits in Montgomery. And of course, we need the team to want to be a part of it.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE - THIS IS THE YEAR

So of course there will be nets in 2025, and I expect it wont be long afterwards that we see the clear bag policy and metal detectors at the entrances.

If you think otherwise, peep the requirements for our "sister" team, the Richmond Flying Squirrels. It appears that in our league Montgomery, Biloxi and Birmingham are among the few yet to adopt this bag policy and/or metal detectors, which other teams state is mandated by MLB. My scorebook is bigger than that!

But at least that will take care of the overcrowding, at least as far as I am concerned. That's where a lot of fans, likely including myself, will drop out for good. For Montgomery, supporting the team only goes so far when the team repeatedly fails to support the fans.

Okay, on to the scrying....

This Biscuits team will have plenty of new faces, but likely returns a solid core around heavy hitting Issac and Tre Morgan. I expect Kevin Boles to come back as manager, but the Rays could do anything with the coaching staff and all bets are off concerning pitching coach and hitting coach.

C Ricardo Genoves

C Tatem Levins

C Kamren James

1B Tre Morgan

1B X. Issac 

2B Cooper Kinney

SS Brayden Taylor

3B Willy Vasquez

OF M. Auer

OF Etzell

OF Brock Jones 

OF Noah Myers

OF Colton Ledbetter

UT Jalen Battles

UT Ryan Spikes

SP Curet

SP Davitt

SP T. Martin

SP  Roel Garcia

SP Chandler Murphy

SP Owen Wild

RP Erbe 

RP Vernon

RP Alex Cook

RP TJ Fondtain

RP Drew Sommers

RP Jake Christianson

RP Jackson Lancaster

RP JJ Goss

RP Dahle

RP Johnny Cuevas

 

New Year New Post - Back In Bizness!

 

Its been a long time since our last blog. New year means new post and while we aren't always happy to see the old year end its nice to have a fresh start. This year I hope to spend some time covering the Biscuits and maybe expand into a new area - we have been invited to check out Alabama State University's baseball club.

 

So it looks like the blog is back in bizness, tho with less info for plagiarists to rifle. HMU if you are interested in learning more about Montgomery baseball and its long history, I am available for speaking engagements and consultation. 

In an almost-related note, I am open to adding co-writers and creators who would be interested in helping maintain a steady flow of content on all levels of the game in our area. I am available on twitter at DrMiraculous, feel free to reach out!

WHATS UP BISCUITS?

Time for some honesty here. 

It's been difficult for local fans to support the Biscuits team for many, many reasons, among them the constantly shifting MLB affiliations among minor league teams. Now that affiliations are ten year deals, fans have a little longer to figure out what big league club opposing teams are tied to. However now its on the minor league owners to kowtow to Rob Manfred & Co. demands to update ballparks, often in impossible situations. Which is to be expected when you make covert pacts with corporate pirates who lurk behind the curtain of anti-trust exemptions and non-disclosure agreements.

Look for Montgomery to make various required changes that put MLB first and push fans farther from the game while hyping them as improvements. Updates around the park like new umpires rooms and expanded locker room areas for expanded staff are probably neeeded. But they also mean less room for patron amenities and increased separation from the game and players, added at the expense of city coffers and local owners who will be forced to increase fees and prices across the ballpark to compensate. 

When the net goes up, YOU pay for it!

That being said, the current ownership in Montgomery is uniquely suited to handle adversity, be it competing sporting events, challenging marketing environs or even MLB mandated construction. 

Maybe they don't knock it out of the park every time but the Biscuits usually get the job done at a level local fans appreciate and the front office has earned back some respect as the team tries to repair its local image after the previous owners burned many bridges before selling.

 
Biscuit fans will have to wait to see what the team chooses to work with, around, and against as we move forward.

 

LEFTOVERS

Biscuits hurler Josh Roberson: in four seasons has pitched for eleven different teams!

Andrew Gross is one of three blue gloves on the team. I asked how he came to choose his game leather and he told me a great story about umpire finding dirt on his glove and confiscating it on suspicion of using a foreign substance. That left Andrew, a 39th round pick, without a glove to use! 

Andrew reached to to his agent who in turn contacted a smaller company who offered a twice-a-year deal to keep the sidearm hurler supplied in game gear. That company, JL Gloves, makes pro gloves for players at many levels in a family-run business. I had a chance to ask their representative about Andrew Gross' standout blue glove and how visible it is. "Not everyone makes as bold a statement as Andrew, but we are happy to accommodate his choice and it looks great!" That it does, my friends, that it does!

The Biscuits have been using a new system for tracking game data. 

PREDICTING THE SKITZ 2023 EDITION

These just don't get any easier, do they? With Durham skipper and our "Biscuit of the Decade" for the teens Brady Williams getting promoted to Tampa's base coach box, will Morgan Ensberg take over filling out the Bulls lineup card? If not, will he keep his apartment in Montgomery this summer? So many questions, so until we have answers... let us have predictions!

 

MGR Wuarner Rincones

Pitching Coach Jim Paduch

 

1B Dillon Paulson

2B Ronny Simon

3B Tanner Murray

SS Alika Williams

C Logan Driscoll

RF Diego Infante

CF Mason Auer

LF Hariberto Hernandez

Tyler Frank UT

Eric Ostberg C

Kyle Manzardo 1B

Matt Dyer C/UT

Abiezel Ramirez UT

PITCHERS

John Doxakis

Mason Montgomery

Patrick Wickander

Anthony Molina

Nathan Wiles 

Logan Workman

Ben Brecht

Joe LaSorsa

Zack Trageton

Andrew Gross

Graeme "Yukon Cornelius" Stinson

Franklin Dacosta 

Kyle Whitten

Cameron Leonard

 

Your 2021 Montgomery Biscuits - Quick Reference Guide

 

 

Hey, we get to watch baseball again. 

A new year and plenty new to go with it! Including a thrilling new update to my blog-editing tools since the last post, so there is really something for everyone to adjust to. 

Its been a tough offseason - a slight understatement. 

I'm not gonna pull any punches here. As a baseball fan it is really tough to keep coming back to watch the game being killed from above. MLB's take over of the minors, forcing change where none was wanted (even if it was needed) should not go unnoticed. Rule changes have been divisive as Manfred's remedy is worse than the illness it purports to cure. Red flags abound.

 

The local scene hasn't seen much joy in Mudville lately either. During the long wait between being eliminated from the playoffs in 2019 until the first pitch of 2021, the Biscuits fans saw their team heralded as "one for the ages" and then slip away in a lost year.

Baseball's top prospect now skips double-A and a second top guy from the 2020 "Super Team" was dealt - to the Red Sox of all places. Expanded rosters above mean the further watering of talent across the league.

At the park fans will be distanced from each other and from players, wise but the result is also a furthering in the gap between the public and the game, now in a physical sense. 

On the history front, there wont be playoffs for a second consecutive season, severing the string to the past completely in minor league towns everywhere.

On a daily basis, wont be seeing extra inning dramas unfold without being forced and there certainly wont be strategic use of relievers. We won't see the Ted Williams shift. We wont see an All Star Game. It adds up to a whole pile of what we don't get and maybe never will again. 

1929 Southern League (defunct) Championship Banner

MiLB's advertising slogan for 2021 - "But hey, we get to watch baseball again, right?"

Like we should somehow thank them for allowing us to pay to watch? Not an excuse I'm buying and it really doesn't sound like a fabulous business model.

To be fair, its not the Biscuits fault. Not at all. They, like every affiliated minor league team, were given an offer they couldn't refuse. Or even talk about. Nothing sketchy at all about that. But hey, we get to watch baseball again, right?

Well, sort of. We start the season on the road. 

 

YOUR 2021 BISCUITS

Since we begin the year on the road and there is no Meet the Biscuits event, many fans are left wondering who the players are. For those fans, and indeed for myself as well, this quick reference guide may serve handy over the first week of the season.

Catchers 

Rene Pinto - studly batterymate returns to montgomery 

Chris Betts - this prospecty backstop skips high-A, lefty batting catcher hit 19 hr *last year* 

 

Infield 

Jim Haley

Xavier Edwards - speedy middle infielder, switch hitter was part of the pham/cronenworth trade w/padres

Jim Haley - versatile corner infielder/outfielder returns to Montgomery 

Kaleo Johnson - had amazing college season at MSU Billings, the city where Gary Redus set pro batting mark

Miles Mastrobuonni -  switch hitting Miles returns to Montgomery, maybe not for long

Jake Palomaki - Georgia native, versatile switch hitting infielder w/high level HBP skills!

Dillon Paulson - first baseman from Cali gets a taste of southern living, part of Alvarado trade, bats left

Ford Proctor - spent 2020 with Perth Heat (Australian) and indie Eastern Tigres (but he was still rays property) 

Seaver Whalen - corner infielder with pop played at Loyola 

 

Outfield 

Moises Gomez - slugging Venezuelan has worked his way up from 16yr old in Summer League 

 Michael Smith - lefthanded speedy centerfielder from Texas 

Cal Stevenson - speedy lefthanded centerfielder was part of the deal that sent Austin Pruitt to Astros, been drafted & traded twice! 

Garrett Whitley - first round choice 2013, played for Perth (Aus) in 2017, has power/speed skills 

 

Pitchers 

Shane Baz - Texas righty was first round 2015 choice by pirates, part of Archer trade 

Jordan Brink - waiver claim joins fourth org and has yet to pitch above low-A, two yrs of indie ball. Why is he here? one word: Analytics!... more later. 

Faustino Carrera - lefthander offers excellent strikeout stuff 

Jack Labosky - California righty had a nice career at Duke U., brings good control and strikeout ability 

Easton McGee - Kentucky native skips high-A, starting pitcher with good numbers learning to limit the long ball 

Tobias Myers - Florida righty part of the Beckham trade w/Orioles, starting pitcher who keeps the ball in the yard 

Joel Pegero - Dominican righty pitched with Perth (Aus)2017, versatile innings eater 

Ivan Pelaez - former Faulkner lefty pitcher returns to Montgomery for second season

Michael Plassmeyer - played in SEC with Mizzou, southpaw starting pitcher had excellent season with StoneCrabs *last year* 

Tommy Romero

Tommy Romero - big righthander returns to Montgomery 

Simon Rosenblum-Larson - righty pitched three seasons with Harvard, reliever with stonecrabs, from wisconsin but i have info that hes a cubs fan 

Caleb Sampen - starting pitcher was dealt from LA for Jamie Schultz, offers good control and swing and miss stuff, son of MLB veteran Bill Sampen 

Brian Shaffer - dashing reliever returns to Montgomery for another season

Alex Valverde - Miami native righty reliever with great K stuff, working on limiting the long ball

Nathan Witt - righthander was acquired in deal w/Dodgers, skips high-A, 

 

 

SCORING AT HOME 

If you are that type, the Dr correctly predicted 11 of the 14 players named on our January roster predictions list. Not bad! 

Obviously there is little to go on at this point but there will be much to learn as the spring turns to summer. Like how to work with this new blog editing tool... grr!