2007 Biscuits

Going into the final homestand of the 2024 season the Montgomery Biscuits are poised to accomplish what has eluded the clubs that preceded them for what seems like endless summers. When the Biscuits earned their second consecutive pennant in 2007 the team and its ballpark were fresh and new. The Montgomery effort has now outlasted all but a handful of other organizations in the league back in 2004 and will soon tend the oldest yard in the circuit.

As critical as I have been in the past, even this season, about how the Rays leave Montgomery shorthanded, this year they have streamed a full roster into Double-A for the second half. Most of the incoming troops are high quality and bring multiple tools as well as positional ability. The first half Biscuits were a slugging powerhouse terrorizing the Southern League, now the team is rebuilt into a speed machine for a second half run at the league flag.

The Montgomery pitching staff is deep, the Biscuits bullpen reliable and for the most part the players on the roster are young and hungry to prove their worth to the big club. The starting nine is reliable afield and consistent at the plate. Speed is the prime Montgomery weapon but there are big bats in the middle capable of providing the big hits. For this Biscuits team, all the ingredients are right. This team has the tools to make a deep postseason run and challenge the Montgomery Jinx.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Chattanooga Lookouts draw the final spot on the Biscuits dance card for 2024's regular season. When the schedule came out last summer fans looked at this last series wondering if the Lookouts would have another chance to ruin the Biscuits playoffs hopes, but it will not be a factor. With a 21w-35L record in the second half the Noogas are in the cellar and have a chance for a 90 loss season, should Montgomery earn a sweep in the last series.

This Lookouts team focuses on speed and is powered by third baseman Nick Northcutt's Ruthian home run power, albeit with a Dave Kingman-esque average.

The Lookouts team ERA of 4.50 is by far the highest in the league, Montgomery checks in at 3.25 which is good for second best in the loop. Chattanooga's team batting average is a lowly .212 on the season, by comparison Montgomery bats .254 and leads the league as the only club with a batting success rate over 25%.

Shortstop Edwin Arroyo is the Reds #3 prospect, pitcher Chase Petty is ranked #8 by MLB pipeline. Lookouts outfielder Bubba Thompson is a Mobile native and spent time in the majors as recently as this season.

BISCUIT BOSSES

As the season winds down its time to give props to the guys who are still pulling the rope and making it happen for Montgomery.

CARSON WILLIAMS

Day in and day out all summer long Carson has been excellent with the glove and consistently productive at the plate. Easily the team MVP this season, in spite of playing alongside prospects ranked higher by "experts", fans have loved watching Carson hone his craft on the dirt at Riverwalk.

CHANDLER SIMPSON

Speed and more speed is Chandlers calling card. They say you can't steal first base but Simpson comes close to it, forcing routine groundballs to be rushed by infielders and creating general havoc on the basepaths while setting the Biscuits franchise record in stolen bases.

XAVIER ISSAC

Slugging first baseman Issac gets around the bag well as a fielder and makes heavy contact with the bat, providing skipper Boles with a solid first baseman.

TANNER MURRAY

Playing in the shadow of Carson Williams and others, Murray has quietly put together an excellent season for his baseball card numbers and shown the ability to make big plays. Tanner has a steady glove and strong arm and handles multiple positions well, but seems most comfortable at second base.

DOM KEEGAN

Not one to steal the spotlight, Keegan has provided steady production and reliable work behind the plate for Montgomery. Sneaky good? Keegan is second on the Biscuits in wRC, weighted runs created, behind only Carson Williams in that stat.

MASON AUER

Mason got off to a horrid start and never seemed to find his stroke, yet manages to provide elite defense in the outfield. After hitting double-digit homers for the Biscuits last year, Auer has just three longballs this summer and his average is well below his career mark. Yet he grinds on and deserves kudos for his fine play.

DRU BAKER

Another stealth weapon in the Biscuits lineup, Baker has been a reliable go-getter in the field, chasing down fly balls with deft aptitude. With his sparkling .299 batting average and forty stolen bases on the year, in most other seasons Baker would be an easy candidate for MVP.

NEW GUYS!

Tre' Morgan, Matt Etzel and Brayden Taylor are the newest reinforcements to don Montgomery togs. Morgan looks solid around first base, Etzel a reliable defender in the outfield and Taylor able to spell Murray at second when needed.

ON THE BUMP

It can be tough to keep up with the Biscuits pitchers, as the rotating door at the clubhouse often swings in a new face every week. Facial recognition becomes an important skill when rosters change frequently!

AUSTIN VERNON - the Biscuits closer has been reliable more often than not, offering a nice swinging strike rate and high strikeouts per inning. Plus he has a great flow going.

KEYSHAWN ASKEW - Montgomery's affable lefty setup man brings funky delivery and high velocity. His 52% groundball rate is elite.

EVAN RIEFERT - If the team needs a strikeout, Riefert is probably the man to go to in the Biscuits bullpen. Evan simply throws it past them.

SEAN HUNLEY - Delivers. He can start but might be more dominant out of the bullpen. Hunley keeps runners off the basepaths and provides solid innings in close games. The guy is a bulldog.

ADAM LEVERETT - a reliable starter for Montgomery, Lev has been one of the more consistent faces in the rotation, providing valuable innings as he takes his weekly turn on the bump.

NEW HURLERS

A passel of fresh arms arrived last month to fortify the staff and the Biscuits will rely on them to provide efficient innings over the next two or three series.

JONNY CUEVAS - In High-A Cuevas was working in the back end of the bullpen, closing games. With Montgomery, Cuevas will likely take the ball in middle inning situations and need to quickly show he can keep runners off the bags.

YONIEL CURET - perhaps the most intriguing of the new Gump-chuckers, Curet steps into the Biscuits rotation after dominating High-A. Curet generates lots of swings an misses and has a history of efficient pitching, which the Biscuits will rely on for a deep postseason run.

NATE DAHLE - The Brigham-Young product looked good in a small sample with the Biscuits so far, missing bats and offering high-strikeout stuff.

DUNCAN DAVITT - eight starts into his Biscuits career and Davitt has been dealing, holding hitters to a .212 average and punching out more than one an inning. Looking for a groundball? Davitt is probably your man.

HAYDEN ERBE - After a tough stretch with the Biscuits over the past six weeks or so, Erbe has a lofty ERA and is likely relegated to mop-up work in spite of his ability to rack up strikeouts.

PAUL GERVASE - at six-foot-ten Gervase is the easiest Biscuit to pick out of a crowd, Paul has put in eleven games with Montgomery and been overwhelming in the strikeout category, punching out a whopping 23 men in 13 innings. However his ERA of 4.61 tells us he can be hit.

SEAN HARNEY - Lefty Sean Harney joins the Biscuits as his third club of the year, looking for a league to challenge him. Harney pitched with Montgomery late last season but spent most of this year in Bowling Green, with solid results.

JACK HARTMAN - Hartman is another Montgomery moundsman who earns a lot of strikeouts on swings and misses. Hartman's career numbers indicate he can be hittable, but his '24 campaign has seen improvements in keeping runners off the bases.

TREVOR MARTIN - In nine starts Martin logged an ERA over 6.10 and may have earned a seat in the bullpen for the postseason.

THIS WEEK IN MONTGOMERY BASEBALL HISTORY

Cupid Childs

SEPTEMBER 4th 1948

Southeastern League, Frank "Cupid" Childs of the Montgomery Rebels pitched a 7-0 playoff no-hitter against the Anniston Rams.

SEPTEMBER 6th 1908

Montgomery wins in 14 innings vs New Orleans 4-1

SEPTEMBER 8th 1908

Montgomery gets ten hits and scores 11 to beat Little Rock

Elmer Bliss

SEPTEMBER 9th 1905

Montgomery Pitcher Lee throws a 2-hit shutout vs Little Rock

SEPTEMBER 9th 1908

Montgomery outfielder Elmer Bliss is has five hits in five at-bats in a game against Mobile, as Montgomery racks up 15 hits.

SEPTEMBER 10th 1906

Montgomery pitcher Breitenstein allows just one run on three hits vs Little Rock but loses as Little Rock starting pitcher Keith shuts out Montgomery on just two hits.

SEPTEMBER 11th 1908

Montgomery's pennant hopes are dashed as they lose both games of a double header vs Mobile, 10-1 and 4-0. On the same day, Nashville allows just one hit and one run to Little Rock and they post an incredible 20 runs on 30 hits against Little Rock pitchers Eyler and Wood. Nashville deployed only two pitchers. The day before Nashville had no-hit Little Rock and posted ten hits. Nashville will face New Orleans in the playoffs. (A no-hitter followed by a one hitter and LilRock pops forty hits in two games? No, nothing fishy at all!)