FanNation - The Republic of Sport

I had the occasion on Saturday afternoon to attend my fifth Arizona Fall League game of the season ??? Peoria versus Surprise. With most games starting at 12:35pm local time and some things tend to get in the way and prevent me from attending more. Things like a job and kids. Luckily, the Surprise Rafters, who use the Kansas City Royals/Texas Rangers facility as their home base, are located just a mile and a half from my house, and are home six of the eight Saturdays on the schedule. My six-year-old daughter loves to go to the games (???baseball on TV sucks, Dad???). She makes her own signs and even has a favorite player already (Texas Rangers first baseman Justin Smoak). Today, she had some errands to run with her mom, so I could attend and actually watch the game, instead of her. Friday night, I went to the AFL???s website to see who the probable pitchers were. I was pretty juiced to find that none other than Philip Hughes was scheduled to toe the rubber for the visiting ???Javs???. Arriving early as usual, but without the normal concession or potty stops before getting to our seats, I stopped by the visitors??? bullpen to watch Hughes??? pre-game warm-up. Man, does he have good stuff! It is unexplainable for me to understand why his record is what it is. His ???pen was as impressive a session as any I???ve seen all year, and I???ve seen some good ones. His two-seamer moves as much as any I???ve seen. From 20 feet behind and elevated up from the stands, the movement was clearly noticeable. His slider was tight and sharp, and he snapped off a few major league curveballs, although he didn???t command it as well as the fastball and slider. Then, the game started. But before I talk about that, there was another event which went on simultaneously to the game, and was at least as entertaining. That would be the appearance of Yankees special advisor, Reginald Martinez Jackson, otherwise known as Reggie, or, to Yankee fans everywhere, Mr. October. First off, Jackson isn???t that big, maybe 6???1???, tops. Second, he???s in great shape for a 62-year-old; I certainly wouldn???t want him pissed at me. Third, the legend is real. I???ve been around him a few times before, in the late seventies, when I worked for the Eastern League and the Yankees caravan came up to their Double-A location in West Haven, CT. Today, however, was the first opportunity to speak with him ???a conversation which went like this; Chuck: ???Excuse me, Reggie, could I ask you to sign my Media Guide, please???? Reggie: ???No, the game???s about to start, and if I stand up, everyone will come down here.??? Chuck: ???I understand, thanks??? Reggie: Waves his hand, without turning around, like swatting a fly. It took me two innings to stop shaking. He did spend some time signing during the game, mostly for kids, and watching him control the crowd around him was amazing. A little kid stuck a ball over the fence, Reggie stood up, and out of the corner of his eye saw two other kids, in A DIFFERENT SECTION, stand up. Without batting an eye, he sat right back down. Another time, a couple kids came down, and a couple more right behind them, Reggie stuck up his right hand, like giving a traffic signal, and the kids dropped right where they were standing. I bet their parents never saw them do that before. He told one middle aged guy, with a bat still in its plastic sleeve, that he wouldn???t sign it because ???you???re too old.??? This other kid, probably not more than six or seven, came by, for about the fourth time. Reggie said, ???I???ve signed 200 autographs today and there???s only 100 people in the park.??? Between the bottom of the second and the top of the third, Jackson opened the gate and went onto the field, and jogged into the visitors??? dugout. I thought he was going over to talk to Hughes, or Austin Jackson, or another Yankees prospect. Instead, he came bounding back out of the dugout carrying two bags of sunflower seeds. He did this twice more, on one occasion stopping to talk with Tampa catcher Matt Spring, who was in the on deck circle waiting for the Rafters pitcher to finish his warm-ups before leading off the inning. He finally got tired of all the leeches hanging around down, and after the bottom of the eighth inning, he left. OK, back to the game. Hughes ended up pitching two and a third innings, throwing five and two thirds worth of pitches (72), with just 40 being strikes. I wrote in my game notes, ???hits target on fastball, not so much on breaking stuff.??? I think he just needs a different mind-set. His ball moves so much he probably just needs to adjust his target. Instead of throwing where he wants the ball to start, he should throw to where he wants it to end up. This is how Greg Maddux pitches, even though he never threw as hard as Hughes does, Maddux was at least average with his fastball when he was younger, (90-ish), yet learned early on how to manage his stuff. Hughes has a far better overall repertoire than does the more publicized Joba Chamberlain, and being that he???s nine months younger, I feel he has a much higher ceiling and will have a longer and better career. Two other Yankee pitchers made appearances, leading me to believe the appearance of Reggie Jackson was more intentional, rather than coincidental. Kevin Whelan relieved Hughes and pitched an inning and two thirds, walking two, striking out two and allowing no runs. Whelan is a short, stocky right-hander (6???0???, 200), with an exaggerated arm **** as he brings his arm forward in the delivery, reminiscent of Rick Sutcliffe and Terry Mulholland. Whelan throws dead overhand, with a 90-91 fastball and sharp, downward moving breaking stuff. Whelan???s biggest problem so far in his career has been the walk, and this year was no exception, as he allowed 29 freebies in 38 innings. He posted an overall 4.49 ERA between Class A Tampa and Double-A Trenton, despite allowing just 27 hits and holding opposing hitters to a .179 BA. Humberto Sanchez was the third Yankee to appear. He was, quite frankly, awful. At 6???7???, 270, I expected Sanchez to be a hard thrower, but he hit 92 twice in his 23 pitch outing with an average fastball around 89. Sanchez allowed two hits, two walks and two runs in his third of an inning, increasing his AFL ERA to 15.38. I understand Sanchez missed the entire 2007 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and I understand also he didn???t pitch much this year either, with just 17 appearances (including two with the Yankees). But it???s clear to me this kid isn???t a prospect, and has a dim future as a major league pitcher. Two Yankees were in the Peoria starting lineup, second baseman Kevin Russo and centerfielder Austin Jackson. Russo had a pretty good season for Double-A Trenton, hitting .307 in 71 games. The game total is half of the Eastern League schedule, leading me to believe Russo had been injured for most of the year. The guy I wanted to see, obviously, was Jackson. With the Yankees having an opening at the major league level for a center fielder, I was, to say the least, just a bit more than curious to see if his ability matches his reputation. It does. Jackson isn???t an overly big kid, listed at 6???1???, 185, but he looks bigger than he is. He reminds me a bit of former Mets prospect (and AFL alumnus) and current Washington Nationals centerfielder Lastings Milledge. Milledge was a bit more advanced defensively when he was here, but Jackson looks like he???ll be a better hitter. He has lightning quick hands and is equally quick whether the ball is elevated in the strike zone or down. Jackson was on base four times today, with three hits and a HBP, and scored three runs. His first run was as impressive as a run can be. In the first inning, Cincinnati???s Drew Stubbs singled to left and stole second. Stubbs went to third when Russo grounded out, and then Jackson was hit by a pitch. With one out, Tampa???s Ryne Hughes doubled to left center, Jackson, not running on the pitch, scored standing up. Very impressive. Some other notes I made during the game; On Tampa outfielder Desmond Jennings: (The kid who will move BJ Upton to right field in a couple of years). ???Quick bat upstairs, recognizes breaking pitches early, good sign for a youngster.??? On Tampa catcher Matt Spring: ???Blocks the ball and moves as well as any catcher I???ve seen, unfortunately, he can???t hit or throw, future is as a backup at best.??? On Seattle???s 18 year old third baseman Carlos Truinfel: ???Holy crap, somebody check his birth certificate.??? On Cincinnati???s Drew Stubbs: ???There???s got to be some screwed up philosophy in the Red???s system; it seems all their guys would rather take a called third strike than swing at a pitch they don???t like.??? I???ll talk more about the league and some other players, most notably my hometown Surprise Rafters after the season ends, but I want to mention a kid I???ve really grown to like. Andrew Lambo was the Dodger???s fourth round pick in the 2007 draft out Newbury Park High School in California. Lambo, who turned 20 on August 11th, is a 6???3???, 190 pound lefty swinging and hitting outfielder. He spent most of the season in A ball, hitting .288 in 123 games, before a .389/3/12, eight game performance at Double-A Jacksonville. He???s played both right and left field, and moves really well, gets good jumps and has the arm for right. He struck out 119 times in 508 at bats, not a bad number for a 19-year-old in his first full professional season. A final anecdote before I let you all go. The bullpen benches in Arizona parks are all covered, as expected, because of the sun. Not so much the heat (it was 81 today, not bad), but the sun is always out. There are no clouds in the Valley of the Sun. As I was watching Hughes warm up, the PA system was playing some soft rock music, and a Neil Diamond song came on. I heard someone on the bench ask, ???Is that Elvis???? No kidding.