Sinky McSwingerton/The No-Seamer, Seitzer Pitches

Autograph day is always a nice time to catch our fave players for a question or two and this past week was no exception. I had a topic in mind and wanted to get the opinions of our pros.

FLASHBACK....
When I was a kid my dad showed me all the pitching grips that he had learned from guys like HOF pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm. While watching the Giants-Padres game I heard the broadcasters use a term I hadn't heard since those early pitching lessons with dad - the "No Seam Fastball".

lefty Johnny VanDerMeer shows his 4-seam grip

The No Seamer is a grip like that of the two-seam or four-seam fastball grip, with the index and middle fingers curled together across the plane of the ball. However, instead of the usual grip position either along or across the balls seams, the No Seam fastball grip is located in the center of the horseshoe shape of the seams. No contact is made between the fingers and the string seams, just fingers on leather.

Its a very subtle nuance, but does influence the motion of the thrown ball, causing it to sink and move away from right handed hitters.

Andrew Cashner was tossing it effectively for the Padres and relying on it more than just an occasional show-me pitch for a different look. He was getting enough swings and misses that the Giants announcers talked about the pitch. Jered Weaver also throws a no-seamer, Orel Hershiser says Scott Shields taught it to Weaver sometime before 2013, as a way to get sink or movement for a swinging strike.

So I asked our guys - "Do you throw it, does anyone in our organization throw it, and if not, why not?"

Parker Markel

My first victim was relief pitcher Parker Markel.
I am not sure he really believed me when I started talking about it but I was able to convince him it was a real pitch.
"That sounds like an old-time-y thing" was his first reaction.
He said he didn't know of anyone who threw a no-seam fastball in our organization, or maybe anyone anywhere.
I mentioned Cashner and the movement he was getting with it, causing swings and misses.
Markel replied "Then I may start throwing it!"

Colton "Wild Thing" Reavis

Next up was Colton Reavis, who had a surprise for me. Seeing a couple relievers at a table singing baseballs and pictures, I brought up the No-Seamer. At first it was kind of a laugh for them, until I talked about the grip and Reavis says "Oh, you mean Sinky McSwingerton! Thats how I throw my fastball!"

As we talked, he described his two seam fastball grip and said it was how he had always thrown it. "Most guys just throw a straight two-seamer, and I use that grip but I move it deeper into the horseshoe".

So there ya go, Colton Reavis throws the No-Seam Fastball, aka Sinky McSwingerton.

BILOXI GAMES ARE ON

or

Shucks, No 20-Game Homestand

The Biloxi Orphans may soon have a home to go to, as their box office starts selling tix wednesday. That would give them time to host the Biscuits, who have booked a hotel in Biloxi and haven't even had discussions about contingencies. They expect it to happen.

I had a nice conversation with the GM, and should have a post about the convo in an upcoming blog. One of my fave aspects of the Biscuits is that the staff are always available to talk baseball, and Scott Trible is no exception. He works hard to keep the fans happy and always has an honest answer. Lots of teams don't get to see their owners or upper front office people, we are indeed fortunate to have down-to-earth folks at all levels.

Kes Carter was released by the Rays in spite of being on base in every game he appeared in this season. Bummer about the team photo, thats two years in a row someone has been cut after the pic was taken but before it was handed out. A curse brewing perhaps?

With moves being made to shore up the bullpen, we have to wonder if Brady has been on the phone to the parent club asking for help.

Dropping the series to Bham proves this years Skitz are no strangers to bad homestands and fall into line with past teams that are better on the road than at Riverwalk. Nobody has a good answer as to why. Hitting coach Ozzie Timmons said last year that there was no reason for it, basically just a fluke. However seeing that it happens year after year, there must be something to it. Teams just aren't better on the road than at home!

On the subject of stats here is a link to a list that is of interest to statheads and those with deep Biscuits math interest. The always-useful Baseball America people put this out there last year, a look at all 120 full season baseball facilities stats concerning park factor. Its great for comparison to other ballparks and leagues to our own home stadium in Runs, Home Runs and BABIP.

CAMERON SEITZER - RELIEF PITCHER

Not sure how many fans noticed, but 1b/DH Cameron Seitzer appeared in relief for the Biscuits on Monday.

The third year Montgomery bats lefty but throws right handed, he came on with two out in the 8th inning and threw one pitch to end the inning. The Skitz were down 4-0 and failed to score the needed five runs to secure Cameron his first victory, though he did log the Game Finished. In his career Seitzer has now appeared at 1b,3b, Shortstop, Left Field and Pitcher.

He has 135 RBI in just over two seasons, reminding me I need to compile a career RBI leaders list that includes both Rebels and Biscuits!

Biscuits vs World, Stats/Standings & Crabs + History!

So I'm watching this Montgomery baseball team and wondering - whats happening here? This is more than just a place to get $1 hot dogs on tuesday, we are seeing some nice play on the field, both at the plate and with the glove.

And the trend continued in the first game vs Birmingham, a sweet welcome to the rival Brummies in the form of strikeout artist Jaimie Schultz. The Skitz have been scoring more runs a week than we have seen in an entire month of games in years past. Its a pleasant change!

NORTH DIVISION
It may soon be time to take the Skitz for real, yet there is no easy guessing who the opponent to beat is - every team in the division has a nearly identical record. With less than three games separating first team from the worst, it will be Biscuits vs World to win the first half. Punching the playoff ticket early would be a first, its well known the Skitz have never won the first half.

IN THE SOUTH
The newly-minted Biloxi team has played its way into the top spot, a mere one game above perennial contender Mobile.

Its a two horse race early for the Southern Division, as the third place Braves are five games behind and treading water to stay afloat. Jacksonvile is six games off the pace and Pensacola has seen the wheels come off and is now almost ten games back.

WHATS COOKIN IN PORT CHARLOTTE

We should be keeping an eye on the StoneCrabs, who send us players at what seems a much slower pace than the rate we ship them to Durham and there are a couple candidates for future promotion.

Don't expect a power bat to arrive midsummer, as Charlotte guys don't crush. Of their teams eight home runs, half have been hit by a 19yr old. You gotta be 21 to be a Biscuit.

Joey Rickard - he was here last year before being injured, hes now in Port Charlotte hitting .254 in 23 games. Not tearing it up, but he could return soon enough. He may find it tough to grab any playing time as a Biscuit, but if one of our outfielders should struggle or be injured, he is the man to look for.

Juniel Querocuto - ss/3b has been hitting .289 at PortC, likely to be a Biscuit at some point in the next 12 months. Many fans want to see Adames in Montgomery, but likely we will roster Juniel before the teenage prospect Willy Adames arrives.

Maxx Tissenbaum - Catcher could step in once O'Conner proves he is ready to move up. Maxx played Australian League with Coyle, Fields and other Rays prospects this past year for Brisbane Bandits. Currently he is working on that .200 batting average, but it will come.


WHAT NUMBERS SAY

Austin Pruitt gets alot of ground balls, the most on the Montgomery staff at 55%

Boog Powell and Tyler Goeddel lead the Skitz in BABIP at .377, meaning they could be living lucky right now.

Daniel Robertson has 19 RBI, tied for the league lead.
Johnny Field has 18 RBI, tied for third in the league.

Recently-promoted Leonardo Reginatto led the team in Contact with a whopping 93.9% Contact Percent, likely the reason he is now in triple-A.

Shortstop Daniel Robertson leads the team in foul balls with 109 fouls in 108 plate appearances. That is essentially one foul per trip to the plate! By comparison, Boog Powell has 68 fouls in 92 PA.

Montgomery is second in the league in total attendance, firmly entrenched at 64K. In per-game average, the Biscuits are fourth, drawing just over 4 thousand a night on average.

MAY 8 1906 
Pitcher Harry Sallee of Bham 2 hits Montgomery but loses due to his own wildness.

SABR has his bio which describes his funky lefthanded motion...

Harry "Slim" Sallee

"Sallee had a rare and unique delivery known as the "cross-fire." Placing his right foot to the third base side of the rubber, while keeping his left foot on the rubber at the extreme first base side, Sallee cranked his arms straight up behind his head, leaning far back as he threw his right leg skyward to a set position.

 He would then step or plant the right leg at a 45-degree angle between first base and home plate, finishing his follow-through on the extreme first base side of the pitching mound, delivering the ball at one of many possible arm angles. Batters constantly complained that it looked as if Sallee's ball was arriving from first base."

Sallee is still among franchise leaders with StLouis, was a 20 game winner and pitched in two world series for Cincinnati, including two World Series starts against the 1919 Chicago "Black" Sox.

MAY 8 1920 

SP Moss

"Jacksonville Stars Lose to Montgomery - Grey Sox Win Before Large Crowd; Moss is in Fine Form - In one of the prettiest games played in the city this season the Montgomery Grey Sox team defeated the Jacksonville Stars by the score of 4 to 2, Saturday afternoon before a large crowd.

Both Moss and O'Neal pitched good ball, the latter after the third inning had the Grey Sox batters at his mercy. Moss allowed only six scattered hits and was given almost perfect support by his team mates. Williams was the batting star for the game, his long double with two on bases clinched the contest for the Grey Sox. After the third inning, it was three up and three down for both teams, players on both clubs making several beautiful plays.
The two teams will clash again today, the games starting at 3 o'clock."

April turns to May

The Biscuits slipped away quietly last Wednesday after dropping three in a row to the league doormat Generals, happy to get out of town and start a new set of games.

While the bullpen struggles may have cost the Skitz a half dozen games and dropped them to third place, it doesn't diminish the strong start the team is off to. The ingredients are quality even if they stayed in the oven a little too long and got burned in the Jax series.

This Blog Is Not Ad-Free

MAY IS TEST TIME
Unless we suffer history, a repeat of last years terrible month of May could mean the Biscuits fall flat before AllStar Break. Yet history also says the Skitz have a better road record in recent seasons, and Montgomery plays 19 road games and just ten at home this month.

Already the Skitz are making amends by taking the series in Pearl against the MBraves, outscoring the opposition 28-9 in the three victories thru Sundays game. An early Monday game will round out the set and the team has an off day before opening the next homestand.

RIVALRY RENEWED
Five games vs rival Birmingham starts Wednesday. Its going to be a recurring theme, all the Skitz opponents during the month of May are North Division rivals. It will be an important few weeks for the Biscuits, who sit at an even .500 and face a make-or-break month.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

These two teams match up very closely on paper, look for a tough fought series between these teams, one of the oldest rivalries in the Southern League.

Look for the SlagCity Sox baserunners to test Capitol City catchers, Barons Tim Anderson leads the loop in stolen bases. MLB lists Anderson as the #2 prospect in the Sox organization.

Do not look for MJ

Look for Biscuit pitchers to pitch carefully to Jacob May, the Brummie outfielder is hitting a scorching .337 and is second in the SL in steals. He's the grandson of former big leaguer, Lee May.

Look for Francelis Montas to light up the radar gun, if it says 102 it might not be in error. Montas embodies the old saying "He can throw a grape through a battleship, but he can't always hit the battleship."

HISTORY NOTES

MAY 4 1958 
Max Burleson assigned to Rebels, will play 3b.
Former Florence State tailback signed with Detroit Tigers. Article mentions the trouble Montgomery has with attendance, only attracting about 300 patrons per game. 
The article goes on to say that other teams in the Al-Fl league have the same trouble and cites 1955 Census figures of White/Negro population and states that while the Ala-Fla league maintains segregation it eliminates any chance of drawing black fans.

Burleson would bat .227 in 55 games for Montgomery under skipper Schoolboy Rowe. The Alabama-Florida League would hang on until the early 1960s before folding the tent for good on segregated D-League ball.

Biscuits En Fuego

The Skitz are off to their usual fast start, fresh biscuits are always best and the team is hot from the oven. They may cool off, but its good to be hanging around the .500 mark. The weather has played along nicely and the schedule has now given fans a chance to see their home nine face division doormat Jackson Generals.

The Generals came in for the weekend with simply the worst record in the league. Montgomery took advantage of the situation by winning the first two games and now seek to capture another series victory. 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

With three games left in the series vs Jackson, fans should look for more of what the Biscuits do - starting pitching and late inning baserunners. Scoring after the 7th inning is a good habit to have and the Skitz stay in the game to the last hitter.

Look for the Generals to break out at some point, though with any luck it will be after wednesday's day game finale! The Gens are armed with prospects such as 3b D.J.Peterson and 1b Jordy Lara as well as former LSU standout "Neon" Leon Landry. Managed by Lance Painter, the Generals have a tough task to turn around a terrible start.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...
Thursday the Biscuits begin a road series in Mississippi against the Braves, a series which will open a new month and close the book on April.


When the Biscuits next series begins, look for "The Clock" to be a factor for umps and players as we learn what issues arise from timing a game that probably shouldn't be timed.

APRIL 26 1906

Ike Durrett

Montgomery manager Ike Durrett, in a game at Birmingham, assaults umpire Buckley. This would be a factor two days later, when Durrett is refused permission to sit in the dugout during the game and results in a forfeit when manager Durrett refuses to leave.

APRIL 28 1906
Montgomery forfeits to the Barons after manager Ike Durrett is refused permission to sit in the dugout by an umpire he attacked two days before. Durrett will be fined $300 by President Kavanaugh and eventually released by Montgomery.

Biscuits vs BayCity Bears, What to Look For, History Lesson!

Hey who was that getting a start for the Biscuits yesterday? Why it was Drew Smyly, rehabbing major leaguer!

Smyly joins the ranks of those who have appeared in Biscuits uniforms but not seen in Montgomery. For whatever reasons, the Rays seem more likely to send a big league talent to any facility other than Riverwalk. The Rays hope Smyly will be back in the Tampa rotation by Friday's tilt vs Toronto.

Catcher Justin O'Conner

In his Biscuits debut, Drew Smyly tossed one hit ball with his 70 pitches, Hagens relieved and got the win. Jhan Marinez notched his second save. The scoring largely came on Justin O'Conner's third homer of the young season. 


BISCUIT ACTION
The Skitz on the road in Jacksonville turned out a series victory with wins in nearly every possible combination. One game was a 12 run slug fest, one low scoring contest almost got away and one saw a pitcher from the bigs leading us in a shutout.



AND NOW....

Back by request, the forecast for the upcoming series. We don't often get requests but when it happens I try to accommodate, and this one was due to return - so enjoy!

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

The Mobile BayBears make their first visit to Montgomery laden with prospects and lofty expectations. Touted pitchers Blair, Shipley and Sherfy will be a challenge for the hot Skitz hitters.

Look for tough pitching from the Mobile Shippers hurlers. Bats like Drury and Haniger provide the Bay-city pop. Alex Glenn leads the league in runs batted in.

Ex-Skit G-man

Familiar faces are found on this team as well, former Biscuits Mark Thomas and Todd "Rain Turtle" Glaesmann return to Riverwalk for the first time in 2015.



PEN WOES
Look for the Biscuits bullpen to be under scrutiny - the late innings have been a weakness even in games Montgomery wins. Biscuit closer Marinez picked up his first save on Friday but didn't exactly slam the door, giving up three hits and a run while getting a four out save. Relievers Markel and Lollis both took losses on the roadtrip, though Markel is one of just two Skitz bullpen tossers to possess a sub-6 ERA.

Montgomery hit an anemic .170 with runners in scoring position over the last five games (8 for 47).

Johnny Field had the only sacrifice on the trip to Jacksonville.

Richie Shaffer is tied for league lead in strikeouts.

Tyler Goeddel leads Rays minor leaguers in OPS (1.009) and is in the top 5 in BABIP (.471)

Zack Cooper's FIP is the highest in the Rays organization at 19.70, not a good thing.



History Lesson!

APRIL 20 1893 

McGinnity

 Future HOF Pitcher Joe McGinnity is signed to play for the Montgomery Colts by skipper John McCloskey and gets off the train just in time to make his first start. McGinnity beats Nashville 10-4, the future Iron Man holding Ted Sullivan's Nashville Tigers to just five hits literally arriving at the train station just before the game.
 Ted Sullivan will manage Montgomery in 1899, our only Irish-born manager!




APRIL 20 1908 
The Nashville Vols and Montgomery Senators battle for 15 innings without a run before darkness ends the contest.



APRIL 20 1920 

Negro Southern League is Formed 

- Montgomery Team Will Play Exhibition Game With Crack Indianapolis Club -

The local negro baseball team known as the Grey Sox will open the Negro Sourthern League season in Montgomery on Friday, April 30, May 1 and 2 with the Birmingham Giants. The league is composed of eight clubs, Knoxville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery, Pensacola, New Orleans, and Jacksonville. The opening dates are Birmingham at Montgomery, New Orleans at Pensacola, Knoxville at Nashville, Jacksonville at Atlanta.

President Staples of the local club has gathered together one of the strongest aggregations of ball tossers in the South, having returned from a scouting trip Wednesday with three new pitchers. He assures the public of clean baseball and is out for the first pennant of the new league. No games will be played in any town when a Southern League team is playing.

ABC's star O.Charleston

On Tuesday, April 20, the Grey Sox will entertain the strong A.B.C. club of Indianapolis, Indiana, the strongest negro club in the country. The game will give the local fans an opportunity of seeing just what kind of club the Grey Sox will be. The game will be played in Southside park on South Holt street, just one half block from the car line. The new park has a special grand stand for white patrons.

First Week Review & How to Get Free Biscuits

With rainstorms fast approaching and the day game finale in question, the Biscuits have given fans a look at what they offer even if the last contest of the series should fall to mother nature. We welcomed the team to town last week with the happy return of the Meet the Team event, which gave us a chance to get a first look at the players and put faces to the names on the roster.

"Shaffer and O'Conner say if we ask Sherry Myers she will give us all the free biscuits we can eat"

Four games, one win and lots of strikeouts on both sides of the ball. There is some speed at the top of the lineup, some power in the middle and good defense in the field. Starting pitching has been strong, the bullpen has yet to decide if it is very good or very bad.

"Dude, I can't believe they fell for that!"

THE CLOCK
For the first time, an official clock adorned the stadium walls. One was behind home plate and a second located near the left-field pole. Its there, no doubt, but until the start of May clock rules won't be included as a part of the game action.

My opinion of the clock? I think its useless - we will probably not see many opportunities for the clock to come into play. Even rarer will we actually see an umpire issue a punitive ball or strike. Rarer still will be a game in which the outcome is determined by such a call by an on-field arbiter.

And that day we will be on every sports highlight show when the manager of the affected team expresses his opinion to the offending official!

WHAT WE LEARNED
A very well-placed-yet-unnammed source in the Skitz front office informed me that we have almost zero chance of getting Lou Whitaker to come to Montgomery for the AllStar Game. While it is the league that reaches out to those who have been inducted into the SL Hall of Fame, we should not have high hopes on getting much response from the former greats who are used to commanding tall dollars for appearances.

FLIP SIDE - WE HAVE BEEN HEARD!

On the good news side, I was given the heads up on one special guest - D.J.Kitty! The fave feline of Rays fans everywhere, there is a very good chance we will see the Tampa hepcat at the Southern League ASG this June.

DJ Kitty and Astro

While not exactly mainstream, DJ Kitty is a blog fave and always popular at The Trop! This is a real win for the blog, we tried to convince the Rays to put the cat out for the Rays visit last spring. Even though we didn't get kitty then, it must have been enough to be noticed and we look forward to welcoming the fuzzy friend to Riverwalk.




 ASSORTED IMAGES
Yes, I know, I was gruff and didn't have pics edited for the last blog. I'm sorry, and to make up for it here are some more of the photos I have from the first week of the Biscuits season.

Big Mo sneaking up on Hector

Catchers during practice

Timmons introduces outfielders to "Death Valley"

Their prospect, Byron Buxton

Our prospect, Daniel Robertson