Meet Your 2016 Biscuits - Pitchers Edition

The Pitching staff is well built, though Brady Williams says it will take a few weeks to shake out the roles in the bullpen and stretch the starters out to full strength. I had a chance to talk with the Manager and Pitching Coach about the teams pitchers, there was alot to cover!


Jacob Faria
@JDFaria36

"Is Jacob Faria a double-A Pitcher? Absolutely not." Thats how pitching coach RC Lichtenstein replied when I mentioned I was surprised to see Jacob back in Montgomery.

 "He really has nothing to prove at this level" RC continued and it is obvious he is right. Faria led all of the minors with 17 wins last year and has probably already got big league stuff. However the Rays just have so much great pitching that we are the fortunate recipients of Faria's talented arm to open the season.

Biscuit fans liked what they saw from Faria last summer, big strikeout numbers, dominant starts and pitches with great movement.

This year Jacob has a more mature look and its not just the beard he now sports. He displays a more developed and athletic build, this guy has been doing his homework in the offseason. His delivery is still smooth and low-effort, which combined with his more muscular build should result in more stamina.

Lichtenstein agreed that the biggest part of Jacobs development last summer came in the playoffs. With three runs in and men on base, Faria was showing signs of struggling for the first time all year. So the Biscuits pitching coach went to the mound. The message he delivered to Jacob was "I don't know what you are going to do, but the time to figure it out is now." Faria did not allow another run to score.

For the Biscuits, Jacob Faria will take the ball every fifth day and be the stopper in the rotation - the guy who stops losing streaks. His time in Montgomery is probably limited, he is admittedly better than this level. Till then, the Biscuits look to make hay while the sun shines.

Taylor Guerrieri
@TaylorG1201

Taylor came up from Port Charlotte last year in July, got whacked by the Smokies in his first start and then responded with seven straight starts allowing one earned run or less every time out. To say that the former first round pick has gotten his career back on track is a dramatic understatement.

For the Biscuits last year, Guerrieri had a stellar 0.90 ERA in four starts on the road.

At the end of last year, Taylor talked about his pitch counts being lifted. At the start of the season, all pitchers are held back a little as they build arm strength.

However with Guerrieri there is a little more to it - being a 40 man roster guy for the Rays means he could get a late season call if he stays healthy and is throwing well. So we will see Taylor save a few bullets for the end of the rodeo, just in case.

That means a few short outings with the Biscuits for Guerrieri, but he still brings his great fastball-curve-change combo.


Chih-wei Hu
@asd821104

Robin is his adopted name, what he uses on twitter, though his coaches call him Chih-wei. The Taiwan native was part of the Rays deal with the Twins last summer, where he was a top-20 prospect. The Tampa Rays depth pushes him down the list, but he is still a great young pitcher with six different pitches.

Fastball, changeup, curveball, sinker, cutter and palmball - a fine arsenal of pitches. 22 year old Hu could not have found a better spot to hone his craft, Biscuits pitching coach RC Lichtenstein tossed a palmball during his playing days and has a great store of knowledge on the somewhat rare pitch.

"When he gets on top of it, it spins backwards. The seams come in spinning the reverse of his fastball, and it dives down out of the strike zone. When he loses the feel for it, it starts to hang or move side to side and can leak over the plate. Thats what we are working on right now with with him" says the pitching coach.

Plenty of strikeouts and very few walks are the hallmarks of Hu's pitching. The stats imply he limits baserunners and keeps the ball in the yard, likely a groundball machine when his palmball is sinking well.



Brett Marshall

Manager Brady Williams is high on Marshall, who brings major league experience to the Biscuits young pitching staff. Still just 26, Brett pitched with the Yankees for a few games in 2013 when he was a highly touted prospect. He has also been in independent ball, so he knows both ups and downs. Now he has a chance to show his stuff with the Biscuits and has a strong competitive desire to stay affiliated.

Marshall was a sixth round choice in 2008 by the Yanks, he has also been in the Reds and Rockies organizations. Last summer he split time between Colorado's double-A New Brockton Rock Cats and a pair of indie teams, Sugarland and Evansville. His numbers were good, though in a small sample size of just ten starts.

Brett had 120 strikeouts two seasons in a row, 2012-2013 in double and triple-A for the Yankees.

For the Biscuits Marshall brings veteran presence and life experience as well as a good old fashioned Texas fastball-changeup combo.



Buddy Borden
@Budreaux_The5th

The 23-year old Las Vegas righty was outstanding for the StoneCrabs last summer, leading them to the FSL title. He posted 95 punchouts in 127 innnings, including a seven inning no-hitter last May.

Borden, taken in the 7th round of the 2013 draft by the Pirates, was part of the Sean Rodriguez trade. He was attending UNLV when he was chosen, then spent two years in the Pirates system before being traded.

Borden features a very good fastball, nice curve, good movement and great stuff. He issues walks as a product of the movement of his pitches, something he will have to cut down on against Southern League teams.

In three pro seasons, Borden has issued just one intentional walk.
Buddy has yet to master videogames.

For the Biscuits Budreaux will have every chance to prove he can adjust to double-A hitters and develop his secondary pitches into strikeout weapons.


Chris Kirsch
@ChrisKirsch9

Kirsch-mas in Montgomery again, as the lefty starter returns to the Biscuits rotation. The 24 year old from Chester, PA had a nice campaign last summer, making 23 starts at two levels including helping the Skitz get to the postseason.


Chris was drafted three times, first by the Pirates in the 13th round of the 2010 draft. After turning that down to attend college, he was chosen in 2011 by the Cardinals in the 21st round. Finally the Rays convinced him to sign after taking him in the 14th round of 2012's amateur draft.

Kirsch has good twitter game with interesting observations...

Chris made 11 starts after his promotion to the Biscuits and got roughed up a bit but pitched better than his 5.69 ERA would imply. In those 11 starts, he went five innings or more in all but two.

Last year Kirsch held righty hitters to a .245 batting average and now looks to take the ball every fifth day for Brady Williams.


Jeff Ames

25 year old Jeff Ames is a long way from his Vancouver, Washington home but is enjoying Montgomery's home cookin just fine.

Jeff Ames, the only guy I didn't get a photo of

A first round pick in 2011, Jeff had also been drafted twice before. First he was claimed in 2009 in the 42nd round out of high school by Philadelphia. He turned it down to go to college and was chosen again in 2010 by the Rockies in the 30th round. Ames finally signed after the Rays made him a first round selection and he has enjoyed success at every level.

Ames was chosen out of Lower Columbia College, the the same school as Bud Black was drafted from.

Jeff's gory blister was a hot topic on the blog last August as it threatened to keep him out of the playoffs, but a bigger story was the miniscule 0.73 ERA he posted while in the Biscuits bullpen. He was simply good all the way around, exceptional against right handers and just a little better facing lefthanded hitters, striking out just about one man each inning.

For the Biscuits this season, Ames will be a valuable left handed option out of the bullpen. He can fill a situational role or be utilized as a set-up man. 


Steve Ascher
@StevenAscher

I followed Ascher on twitter last fall and he probably thinks I am stalking him, but I am just determined to learn more about the lefty. His bio on MiLB.com wasn't giving fans much to go on....

So I had to do some digging and I am still not completely sure he isn't part of some witness protection program. Or possibly an independent film director, if you believe Google.

From the detailed MiLB graphic we see he is 22 years old, from New York state and was taken in the 17th round of 2014.

Steve is a lefty in his third pro season. Not really a strikeout guy, Ascher did put up a bunch of quality innings for the StoneCrabs last year. He managed to top 75 innings pitched in 35 games, carried a nice ERA of 2.50 and held lefties to a .192 batting average.

In an interview last summer, Ascher listed his pitches as two-seam fastball, split fingered changeup, curveball and a recently-added cut fastball.

Skitz manager Brady Williams is excited about having to chose between lefthanders Ascher, Kolarek and Ames, last season Harrison was sent packing early and the team went months without any lefties in the bullpen. Multiple lefthanded relievers in the same bullpen is a luxury rarely seen in the minor leagues.

For the Biscuits, look for Ascher to be summoned often to face left handed hitters late in games.

Adam Kolarek

Kolarek comes to the Biscuits a little older than some of the other pitchers, but brings great stuff to the hill. I am pretty sure Pitching Coach RC Lichtenstein told me he had developed a low three-quarters sidearm delivery that should be fun to watch.

Drafted in 2010 by the Mets in the 11th round, Adam was taken ahead of Joc Pederson. Kolarek attended the University of Maryland where he enjoyed three seasons of play.

 Adam was taken from the Orioles by the Rays in the minor league rounds of the Rule 5 draft this past December. Baltimore had signed the local pitcher, but he hadn't even thrown the first pitch for his hometown team before the Rays claimed him.

The Baltimore native has good strikeout numbers in his pro career and usually limits the base hits.

Kolarek is a rocker, citing Metallica as a favorite in an interview from 2011.

With the Biscuits, Adam Kolarek offers Brady Williams a valuable lefthanded relief option capable of striking out a batter or getting a ground ball when needed.

Parker Markel
@ParkerMarkel

We saw Parker often last summer as he worked in over 40 games, posting a nice 3.43 ERA for the Biscuits. Parker was the vulture of the Skitz pen, grabbing five victories while pitching out of the bullpen.

The tall 25 year old righty was born in Cali but schooled in Arizona. Parker was first drafted by the Tigers in 2009 and refused to sign, taken again by the Rays in 2010 he went quickly up the ladder. Markel arrived in Montgomery in 2014 when he tossed in 16 games.

Numbers wise, Markel's stats don't jump off the page but he provides quality innings and doesn't walk hitters - just 26 walks in 42 games last season. Parker likes pitching at Riverwalk, his ERA at home is over a full run lower.

Parker has a clutch stat, his ERA when behind in the count is a fabulous 1.15, not many pitchers can bear down when they fall behind that way.

Look for Parker Markel to pitch often, Brady Williams says he could get into save situations just as easily as he could handle middle relief.

Jared Mortensen

The Jared Mortensen we will see this season is much different than the Jared Mortensen we knew last year.

Grinning Morty, back row on the left

When a guy makes the AllStar team, wins a gold medal and has a season of 9w-5L with a cool 3.68 ERA, you usually don't see him trying to re-invent himself. But thats just what Jared Mortensen has done, and it could propel him to the big leagues.


What is the big change?
Jared Mortensen is now a knuckleball pitcher.
He throws it "about 50-60% of the time" according to the Biscuits pitching coach. Getting him to trust the knuckler and rely on it as his best pitch is the lesson for the Canadian-turned Texan.

The Rays have a "Knuckleball Camp" to teach pitchers the goofy ball, Mortensen showed up about a month after that camp began and impressed everyone with his natural knuckler. Coach Lichtenstein said it was Mortensens "Wow!" pitch and now Jared has a path to the bigs with it. All he has to do is develop it and learn how to use his other very good stuff to set up his great knuckleball. A "hard" knuckle, Jared throws it in the upper 70s, making it more like a Dickey knuckleball and less like a Niekro.

Throw away the stats and splits for Mortys previous campaigns, the New Mortensen will be a completely different pitcher.

For the Biscuits, look for Mortensen to toss his knuckleball often. He may have hiccups but watching a pitcher toss a knuckler is a rare delight for fans.

Brad Schreiber

25 year old Brad Schrieber will be the Biscuits closer, for the most part. With 30 saves last year combined between two levels, the righty brings a heavy fastball in the low-90s, a biting slider and a bulldog mentality to the bump.

Brads Riverwalk ERA is a run and a half lower than his road numbers, right handed hitters bat a paltry .185 off of him making him a great option late in games.

Brad was drafted twice, but eschewed signing to play with Purdue University. He signed with the Rays as an undrafted free agent, working his way up from Low-A by getting hitters to ground out when they do make contact.

Last season Schreiber finished 46 games and saved 30 of them. His fine efforts were rewarded with a trip to the Fall League where he finished seven more and added two more saves to the pile.

For the Biscuits, Brad Schreiber should close games out when the team has a slim lead.



Ryne Stanek 
@rstanek_55

 Stanek spent time in the rotation last year before moving to the bullpen. A first round choice in 2013 by Tampa, Stanek is what I call "prospecty" for his high draft level, competitive mindset and pitch arsenal.

Stanek can start or relieve, and while he has been challenged at double-A the problem wasn't that guys were hitting him hard. In 61 innings last year he allowed just 52 hits and had 41 strikeouts in 16 games.

Ryne was a Razorback at the University of Arkansas, was drafted in the 3rd round of 2010 but didn't sign until the Rays chose him 29th overall in 2013.

Stanek missed time at the start of 2014 due to labrum surgery. In May of last year he was promoted to Montgomery and made eight starts. 

Ryne Stanek notched just one save last year, but this year he could be in line for more as Brady Williams mixes and matches his bullpen.

Meet Your 2016 Biscuits - Batters Edition

The first workouts were held at Riverwalk on Tuesday, followed by the Meet the Team event.

Today we learned the roster and can offer up some info on the players we can expect to see this season. This team looks good, on paper they are loaded with prospects and guys who are more than just roster filler. Even the bench is a cut above, in part due to the infamous "LogJam" of talent backing up at Durham.

In January I predicted the opening day roster. I got 16 of the 25 guys on the roster, and one who has started on the DL. Not bad!




CATCHING
Justin O'Conner landed on the DL with a sore back, he has stayed in Port Charlotte for extended spring and treatment.

A terrible first half of the season last summer kept his full season numbers down and likely kept him from moving up. Turning 24 years old on March 31st, the former 1st round pick has lost a little of his prospect status but remains a talented catcher with an elite throwing arm.

For the Biscuits, once he arrives, a healthy O'Conner should catch often and pose a serious threat to would-be opposing basestealers.



Jake DePew
 @JDePew33 on twitter

DePew, known sometimes as BamBam, will be handling most of the games behind the plate, as well as throwing out opposing baserunners at an excellent clip.

Biscuits fans know what to expect of this Jake, smart fingers calling pitches and occasional pop with the stick. DePew had two triples last year, three homers and nine doubles to post a career high .620 OPS.

Granite City, Illinois is where Jake hails from, the 24 year old is a veteran presence behind the plate - BamBam enters his third season in a Skitz uni.


Mike Marjama
@MMarjama on twitter

 The Rays went after Marjama, dealing cash/ptbnl to the ChiSox for the converted third baseman turned catching-firstbaseman from Roseville California.

Transferring from Sacramento City College where he was an AllStar to a bigger school, Marjama the Dirtbag with Long Beach State got noticed and was taken in the 23rd draft round by Chicago.

Marjama will turn 27 this summer and has been tagged as organizational catching depth, but his versatility makes him more than just the 25th man on the roster. The Rays catching depth has driven Mike from behind the plate except as a backup, basically unconverting him from catcher. Now he is mostly a first base guy.

A solid batting average of .279 in his pro career is robust for a backup catcher, last summer he spent a majority of his time at first base. He also tossed two good innings of relief in a blowout game, walking just one while giving up no hits.
Marjama overcame an eating disorder in his teens before making baseball his main focus. After addressing his eating habits and self-image concepts he moved ahead in life, putting the issues behind him for good. A nice writeup from a few years back covers his situation well and serves as a positive example.

For the Biscuits Marjama will show a good batting eye and drive in runs, hitting more doubles than homers. He should play a good defensive first base and back up at catcher occasionally.

Armando Araiza 

The 22 year old backstop, Armando had a nice year at Port Charlotte last summer, and seemed a likely promotion. Araiza shared time catching for the StoneCrabs and swatted a few homers and drove in some runs. More importantly, the Mexican native caught 36 of 80 attempted basestealers.

Araiza hit .260 in the second half of 2015.

He may serve as a bullpen catcher, last year we had a catcher appear in one single game but he was with the team pretty much all season to warm pitchers in the bullpen. More likely he will get into some games, sharing time with DePew or be sent back to the StoneCrabs once O'Conner returns.



SS Willy Adames
@willya02

The Dominican native is listed as one of the top 100 prospects in baseball. Just 20 years old, Adames topped 100 hits for the second year in a row last season. He also had his second straight season of 120+ strikeouts.

 The right hander batted third in the StoneCrabs lineup, its likely he will return there for Montgomery. A doubles hitter who can reach the wall but not clear it, Adames should have a chance to drive in plenty of runs.

His defense has been improving, errant throws can be an issue but he has great range and a strong arm. Willy was an important part of the David Price trade, his development is important to the organization, so his progress in Montgomery will be closely watched by the Tampa front office.

For the Biscuits, Adames should start at shortstop and hit in the middle of the lineup nearly every day. 


2b Tommy Coyle

Back for a second helping of Biscuits, fan favorite Tommy Coyle returns to cover the keystone sack.

Of his 81 hits last season, 24 went for extra bases. Coyle drove in 38 runs last summer and took a pile of walks. Good speed and defense is the hallmark of Tommy Coyle's game - he swiped 20 bases last year in 107 games.

For the Biscuits Coyle will get plenty of starts at second base, sharing time but playing often. A great choice for late inning defensive replacement or as a pinch runner, Coyle gets into a lot of games even when he doesn't start.



Casey Gillaspie
@BigCaseDawg16

Casey was a first round pick in 2014 out of Wichita State and has moved quickly up the ladder. Playing at three levels in one season is rare, but BigCaseDawg did just that last summer.

Overall Casey hit 17 homers, 47 RBI's and batted in the .250s at Rookie Ball, Low-A and finally High-A Port Charlotte. Most of his appearances were in Low-A Bowling Green, he only got 13 games with the Stone Crabs.

The 23-year old switch hitter got nearly 100 at bats in the Arizona Fall League, meaning he got time with four different teams in 2015.

Gillaspie's father Mark played in the Southern league in the Memphis Chicks outfield back in 1988. Caseys brother plays a little ball too, Connor has played over 100 MLB games for the Giants/Angels/WhiteSox.

With the Biscuits Gillaspie will play first base and occasional DH, batting lower in the order early in the season.


Jake Hager
@JakeHager1

Injury derailed Jake Hager, 2015 was a lost season for the talented infielder. As a first round pick in 2011, Jake was zipping through the levels for the Rays. At just age 21, Hager was the Biscuits shortstop in 2014 batting .271 with 47 RBI's.

Hager on right

Now he is healthy, still just 23 years old, and on track to prove he belongs in the Rays plans. Hager is athletic and has great instincts. He hits lefties well, batted a strong .293 with Runners in Scoring Position for the Biscuits in '14 and has over 100 hits in each of his full seasons of play.

But where will Jake Hager play? I asked this question directly to Biscuits manager Brady Williams. "Where won't he play?" was the reply I got. We can look forward to seeing Hager on the field often, deployed as a super-utility man at multiple positions, particularly on the infield.

Jake has never played a pro game at any position other than Shortstop.

Look for Hager all over the field and the batting order as Brady Williams mixes and matches him into situational moves and daily lineup juggling. 
 

Juniel Querecuto
 @juniel_33

The Biscuits fans enjoyed watching Q last summer, as he made circus catches, miracle throws and motored around the bags for an inside the park home run.

Since then Juniel has gotten noticed by more than just us - Querecuto's walk off hit in the Serie Caribe woke many up to his clutch hitting. But for Juniel, its just a family tradition. His father, Juan, played more than a dozen years for the Cardenales de Lara and Juniel said in a recent interview "I was born and raised in a baseball house".

JuneQ is just 22 years old, but already a five year veteran of the Rays organization. His .209 batting average for Montgomery last year is about fifty points below his career mark. He hit in the .290s for Bowling Green and Port Charlotte, his average in Durham was .300 so its a safe bet he will improve on last years Biscuits average.

Querecuto's inside the park home run last season was one of the most exciting plays of the year at Riverwalk Stadium. It was his first career home run and helped energize the team going into the playoff hunt.

Could he do it again?
Thats the question I asked Biscuits Manager Brady Williams. "Absolutely," Brady replied "I think he gets another one this year. He'll do it".

For the Biscuits, JuneQ will play both middle infield positions as well as third base and offer spectacular defense.



2b Kean Wong
@Keanwong4

Say Aloha to the Biscuits new second sacker, a fourth round pick in 2013 out of Hawaii. He bats left and throws right, has a strong infield arm and good speed. His brother is a big leaguer, but Kean is moving through the organization quickly.

Last summer Wong improved his batting eye, drawing a bunch more walks, stealing 15 bases and helping lead the StoneCrabs to the FSL pennant with a championship-clinching walk-off base on balls.

With Montgomery Wong will see tough pitching and could be challenged at the plate. However once on the bases he should enjoy turning the tables with his baserunning speed. Solid defense at second base is expected, good instincts and accurate throws should be the Kean Wong forte.

Wiki says Kean learned baseball from his father. With two pros in the family, dad should open an academy!

For the Biscuits Wong should start at second base and play often. He could start lower in the batting order early in the season, but is probably best suited to hitting second in the lineup.



1B/OF Jake Bauers
@JakeBauers11

A midseason addition to the Biscuits last summer, the Huntington Beach guy returns to Montgomery. Bauers had a nice Arizona Fall League, hitting a couple homers in 18 games.

The lefty was part of the Wil Myers deal, he popped about half his 11 homers last year after his promotion from Port Charlotte. Jake is the first Biscuit born after the 1994 MLB strike.

Bauers played first base for Montgomery last year, now he will likely see most of his action in right field. He should hit fifth or sixth in the batting order, last year he had a .295 average in the sixth spot.


OF Johnny Field Jr.
@JohnnyField1

Somewhat overshadowed by the ranked prospects and hyped players on the roster, Montgomery's AllStar outfielder and MVP candidate Johnny Field returns to the Biscuits. Field was an instant favorite for his highlight reel catches and long fly balls, he was leading the playoff push when a hit-by-pitch resulted in a broken wrist to end his season.

Field brings great range, good glove and strong arm to any position in the outfield. A 5th round draft pick in 2013, Johnny had 14 homers and 18 steals in just 116 games last summer. Batting .293 in the first half, Field was slowed in the second half before the injury that cost him playoff appearances.

Field played more games in right field (40) than at any other position in 2015.

For the Biscuits, Johnny Field Jr will probably bat high in the order and play often in the outfield in left field, right field and centerfield.


LF Granden Goetzman

After a season and a half at Charlotte, GG had a nice spring training with the Rays and comes to Montgomery to work in left field. The Rays second round choice in 2011, taken out of high school in Palmetto, Florida. This will be Goetzman's sixth season in the Rays organization.

GG had a career year during the offseason between 2014-15, mashing nine homers in just 44 games for Brisbane in the Australian Baseball League, passing the eight he had just hit for Bowling Green-Port Charlotte in the regular season.

Granden worked through a few injuries after being drafted, as well as the loss of his father, crediting new Biscuits hitting coach Dan Dement for helping him past the obstacles.

Last year, GG started strong with a .256 average in the first half. A doubles hitter, he grew up as a Jason Werth fan.

For the Biscuits Granden Goetzman should play left field often, batting fifth or sixth in the batting order.

CF  Braxton Lee

Montgomery with a Rebel named Lee?

Batting left and throwing right, Braxton Lee is a 12th round pick out of the University of Mississippi. Chosen by the Rays in 2014, the Picayune native brings good wheels and outfield range as his strengths.

The speedy centerfielder will turn 23 years old later this summer. He brings a .283 batting average as a pro, compiled over the last two seasons. Lee has yet to hit a pro homerun, but his good speed could lead to a few extra base hits.

In a 2014 interview, Lee said he admired OF's Ken Griffey and Ichiro, as well as Jim Edmonds for his diving catches.

For the Biscuits, look for Braxton Lee to play centerfield often. Lee has great numbers when hitting ninth in the batting order.



Tomorrow we will take a look at the pitchers!

New Skitz Popping Up

Biscuits are turning up, freshly baked and nearly ready to serve up for the 2016 season.

Rosters have not yet been announced at blog-time, but we are getting some ideas of who we will see at the Meet the Team event. Tweeting their arrival-departures-destinations are guys like Jake Bauers, Jacob Faria, Jake Hager.

Guys not named Jake also are on the way, like pitchers Steve Ascher, Chris Kirsch and Robin Hu.

EX-SKITZ FIND HOMES
Former Biscuits can be seen headed to their new teams, or in some cases returning to their teams - Todd Glaesmann was reassigned to Mobile, Cole Figueroa made the cut with the Pirates, Goeddel and Rickard stuck with their MLB teams after being Rule 5'ed. Figueroa's teammate in the steel city is John Jaso, former Biscuit catcher turned first baseman.


Lots more to come soon!

The Calm Before the Storm

Soon we will know the rosters, meet the team and listen to the first road games of the year on the radio - nobody makes the trip to Jackson Tennessee.

Till then we have just a few items for perusal...



Kevin Kiermaier is the subject of this years beer cup!

photo by Casey Ivy, good scouting!

SCHEDULE NOTE
Biscuits fans may be surprised to learn that the team will not play on Memorial Day - its an off day. This is the first time in the Biscuit era that Montgomery has not played either at home or on the road for the holiday.

PERK TRIMMED FOR SOME
You now have to be a full-season season ticketholder to get a free ticket to Biscuits road games. 35 game season ticketholders are left out of the deal this year.

TEXAS CHANGES COULD AFFECT LEAGUE
The Southern League is not the only league with teams shuffling - the double-A San Antonio Missions are expected to announce they will be stepping up to triple-A soon.

That is going to leave a gap in the Texas League, as it isn't a good idea to have odd numbered teams. Perhaps we will see a big reorganization in MiLB now that multiple cities have had growth spurts.

Just a few notable events around this week for Montgomery baseball fans. Okay, more than a few!

MARCH 31 1904
Boston NL plays an exhibition game at MGM

MARCH 31 1910
Montgomery has first of two exhibition games vs Cleveland Indians

MARCH 31 1942

Montgomery vs Yankees in exhibition game, Yankees win 14-4

APRIL 1st 1904
The Boston Red Sox play an exhibition game vs Montgomery, defeating Montgomery 2-1

APRIL 1st 1910
Montgomery plays the second of two exhibition games vs Cleveland Indians

April 1st 1942
Ben Goltsman confirms Paul Armstrong refused assignment to Dallas, will return to play in MGM. Armstrong led the team in batting last year.

April 1st 1955 Braves vs Dodgers at Montgomery

APRIL 1st 1977
The Rebels are sold by Paul Fyffe to a Paintsville Ky radio station owner. The Rebels have won four of the last five SL pennants.

April 2nd 1939
Cardinals beat Montgomery 11-5 in exhibition game at MGM, HOF'er Johnny Mize homers


APRIL 2nd 1941
Cinci shuts out Boston Red Sox in MGM exhibition game


APRIL 2nd 1948
Dodgers defeat hometown Rebels 10-2. Al Gianfroddo homers as Ralph Branca allows 8 hits to the Rebels.
 Montgomery Pitchers Wendell Davis and Joe Demoran allow 14 hits. Both teams commit a pair of errors, the Dodgers starting nine go the distance with no substitutions in the exhibition game.


APRIL 2nd 1954
RedSox beat Phillies 8-0 in MGM exhibition game, Parnell over Simmons

APRIL 2 1955
Pirates vs Orioles at Montgomery - exhibition baseball in the spring was a common occurrence through most of the 20th century.