2012 Lexington Legends Update: Moving On

NOV 3rd, 2013-Baseball is a beautiful game. It's a play in nine innings on green diamonds and dirt fields, a traveling show making appearances worldwide. There's simply nothing quite like it.

But it's not all peanuts and Cracker Jack. There are parts of the game at the professional level which are hard to accept; the worst of these necessary evils is the premature end of a player's career.

Every year, dozens of players are handed their walking papers. Sometimes, they're players who have been in the game for years and never made it to the top; often, they've been pros for little more than one or two seasons. For many reasons, reasons which are moot from the player's point of view, they are sent home with the pieces of their broken dreams crammed into their equipment bags. Veteran or rookie, none are immune to the dreaded Unconditional Release.

Now that the 2013 season has drawn to a close (congratulations to the Red Sox; they certainly earned it), some of the boys who graced our field here at The Bank have suffered this very fate. The needs of the organization, and so on and so forth. Hardly matters when you're the one who's been told that your services are no longer needed. Some of this will be old news for you folks, but I like to catch up with the guys when I am able. (Note: some of these players were released before the 2013 season began.)


Batters:

Jay Austin, CF
2013 Stats: none

Drafted in 2008 by the Astros in the 2nd round, Austin was a speedy outfielder who stole 54 bases in 2010 with the Lancaster JetHawks. However, he bounced between Class A Lexington and High-A Lancaster from 2011-12 and never truly seemed to progress with the bat. While he may still catch on with another team, his chances are now limited at best. He's a 23 year-old OF with no time above High-A; he'd have a long road ahead of him, if he came back now.

James Howick, SS
2013 Stats: none

A 21st round pick in 2011, Howick had a great deal of trouble adjusting to pro pitching. At times he seemed out-matched in the field, as well. One thing I noted about him, however, is that he could do the little things very well; hitting the runner over or laying down a bunt was well within his ability. I still feel like he could have progressed into a reliable utility infielder, but without his being able to produce offensively he won't get that chance with the Astros.


Zach Johnson, 1B
2013 Stats: 62 games, 232 PA, 12 R, 16 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 27 RBI, .271/.339/.440

Now here's one that I don't understand. Johnson was a bonafide run producer (38 2B, 15 HR, 108 RBI with the 2012 Legends), and he drew a lot of walks without sacrificing ABs or becoming too passive with the bat. He handled first base adeptly and I figured he'd at least project as an above-average DH in the Majors. With Houston now in the AL, he could have been a useful bat to have in such an anemic lineup. Just can't figure that one out. (Timothy De Block and the fine, fine crew at The Crawfish Boxes have info on this move on their August 9th podcast.)

Jordan Kreke, 2B
2013 Stats: none
(Obtained via trade with Atlanta prior to the 2012 season)

A 13th round pick by the Braves in 2009, Kreke appeared to be on his way to developing into a useful and steady glove off the bench. As often happens with middle infield specialists, the glove was willing but the bat was weak (apologies, Jordan). I felt like he could have been utilized a bit more than he was, but while his 49 PA in Class AAA Oklahoma City were promising (.273 BA, .347 OBP), he was a victim of the number crunch; younger players coming up, and no real place for him on the ML roster. I would like to have seen what he could have done with even half a season at Triple-A.


Pitchers:

Tanner Bushue, RHP
2013 Stats (Low-A Tri-City ValleyCats): 3-4, 5.14 ERA, 13 G, 7 GS, 49 IP, 40 HA, 28 ER, 7 HRA, 13 BB, 40 K, 5 HBP

What The Heck, Bobby? reported on Bushue's voluntary retirement a few days ago. I know that he had struggled with injuries as far back as 2011 (strained hip, if I remember correctly), and it seems that he never was truly healthy after that. His overall numbers and peripherals weren't all that bad (7.3 HA/9, 2.4 BB/9, 7.3 K/9), but what concerned me about him was his slight build. Bushue has a smallish frame, especially for his height, but I think he'd be a great asset in the 'pen. He's still only 22, and if he chose to come back (assuming he is healthy, again) I think most any team would be lucky to have him in their system. Bushue had one of the best curves I've ever seen come through Lexington, and he could change speeds well.


Dayan Diaz, RHP
2013 Stats (AZL Cubs, Daytona Cubs, Tennessee Smokies): 3.00 ERA, 13 G, 5 GF, 21 IP, 16 HA, 7 ER, 9 BB, 29 K)

Diaz had an explosive fastball and a hard-breaking slurve, and lit up the radar gun at The Bank on a regular basis. A mid-to-high 90's heater will make you stand up and take notice. He pitched with the Cubs organization in 2013 but struggled with injuries for much of the season. If he could get his health back on track, he'd certainly be worth a second look. At 24 now, however, the numbers game is not working in his favor.


Nathan Pettus, RHP
2013 Stats: none

Another player with whom Father Time caught up, Pettus had his struggles with the 2012 Legends. While his overall numbers weren't great, I felt like he was a valuable middle reliever and occasional short man. His 37 walks in 63 innings tended to come back and bite him, but he was most certainly a fighter on the mound.

Scott Zuloaga, LHP
2013 Stats: none

Zuloaga is on the voluntarily retired list, having dealt with injuries throughout 2012. A lefty sidearmer, he pitched in only 5 games with Lexington. Personally, I'd love to have a port-side submarine slinger in my 'pen. He's only 23, so he could potentially sign on with another organization (assuming he's healthy). Again, the numbers game is against him.


This was just a tiny bit about the 2012 Legends who are no longer in the game. Some of it may come across as a little too frank for some folks, and I can understand that. I'm as big a fan of the game of baseball as anyone you're likely to meet, but sometimes the game can be cruel. There's no real way to sugarcoat a player's release or retirement. Every player who turns pro is aware of this fact, and for many of them there is a deep-seated fear that they harbor: the fear that their career will be cut far shorter than they ever imagined. That, unfortunately, is the nature of professional baseball. Some players are advanced, others are released, and sometimes there's no obvious reason for either transaction.

Whatever happens for these former pros, we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. If I could offer them any advice (if they were desperate enough to ask me), I would remind them that they are all far more than just baseball players; they all have their whole lives ahead of them, and I hope that they find success and happiness in whatever the future brings.

New Year, New Players, New Organization...Same Goals

Skirting Line Between Making Friends and Keeping Distance Not Always Easy


MAR 20th, 2013-Pro ball in Lexington will be back in full swing, very soon.

Before you know it, The Bank will be buzzing once more. Gates will open, ticket offices will be bustling with activity, concession stands will be serving up dogs and beers, and the ushers will take their positions. Fans will start filing in, greeting friends from seasons past and meeting new friends for seasons to come.

Here in Lexington, Kansas City's newest Class A representative in the South Atlantic League, there will be something noticeably absent from the year before:

Our boys.

Now that we're a part of the Royals' organization, the kids we knew from Houston's farm system won't be around anymore. There are new players to meet, new personalities, new lives of which we will be a small part. These players will be dealing with the same pressures on the field and off as the baby 'Stros, and thankfully our Booster Club and host parents will be there to help them along. We have a pretty good system  for that sort of thing, and some of our locals go to great lengths to make sure the guys have whatever they need while they're fighting to make their way beyond The Sally and up the ladder.

In 2012, I was exposed to some new experiences that I hadn't fully considered in my 24 years as a baseball fan. Perhaps the most memorable, sadly, was the most educational: the demotion.

If you speak to a player long enough, and they loosen up and tell you a bit more about themselves beyond batting averages and ERAs, you come to feel a personal connection with that player. Over time, you might even become friends. At that point, you are bound to that player just as you would be to any other friends you may have, and this means you're going to be thrilled when they do well. It also means you're going to be sad when they don't.

And when they get demoted, or even worse, cut, you're going to feel like someone punched you in the gut.

It honestly caught me off-guard. I was there when a few of the guys heard the news. RHP Tanner Bushue hadn't heard it yet, but he knew it was coming. He was coming off a shaky outing the same day the host families and Booster Club had their (monthly?) potluck gathering, when the boosters and hosts got to share a meal with their players. Tanner was sitting adjacent to me. I didn't know him very well, admittedly.

Still, it's a strange feeling to be on the outside looking in when one of these kids gets sent down; you're not a part of what's happening, and yet you are. From my perspective, Tanner had an expression on his face that is hard to describe. In short, he was crushed. There was no mistaking it. Here he was, surrounded by teammates and host families, all happily chatting away, and Tanner was somehow separate and alone from all of it. He just sat silently, staring at the empty space on the table in front of him, completely still. I wanted to say something to him, try to cheer him up, but you can't say anything to a player who's been sent down. Nothing that would help, anyway. All you can do is be there, if they want to talk about it. Some of them actually want to talk about it; others, like Tanner, not so much.

I know I'm not the only one who's ever felt that personal connection with a player; I was part of the Booster Club and a host for several players, last year, and I was on the periphery of their social circles. I interacted with some more than others, and for that experience I consider myself fortunate to have known them. I wasn't exactly best friends with any of them, and rightly so. After all, none of them knew who I was before they came to Lexington, and some players have a sense of apprehension from the moment they become professionals. Also, as it should be.

Thing is, every pro athlete knows that their career could end anytime. A torn labrum, serious knee injury, an unexplained "dead arm", and that's all she wrote. A life-long dream can be ended by the whims of the parent club, without explanation. One day, you're making your way up the ladder; the next, you're sifting through the classified ads. No promotional Day for you at the ballpark, no standing O on the way off the field...in fact, it could be that no one even knows you're gone except for your close friends or family. Not even so much as a "thank you". Just a pink slip and a clubbie waiting to take the athletic tape with your name written on it in Sharpie off the top of what used to be your locker.

There are a LOT of people out there who are looking to take every possible advantage of pro athletes. They see opportunities to gain a player's trust, to work their way into that player's inner circle of trust, and some even become personal representative for the players they seek to exploit. At that stage, the player stands to lose a great deal of money. I have also, unfortunately, seen this happen to a player who IS a friend of mine, and it makes me very mindful of what I say and do regarding the players.

On that subject, many of these guys aren't exactly living out their champagne wishes and caviar dreams, if you know what I mean. For the vast majority of them, the only caviar they ever see might be on a re-run of The Real Housewives of Orange County. These kids are living on far less than minimum wage, struggling to make ends meet while sharing tiny apartments with two or three other guys, even sending a big chunk (if not ALL) of their tiny paychecks back home to help support their families. They truly do make a ton of sacrifices just to have a shot at making The Show, and to have some con man try to screw them out of what little they have is absolutely inexcusable.

OK, I've ranted on that enough. More on that in my next post, courtesy of Arizona Diamondbacks pitching prospect Seth Simmons. Seth has been kind enough to expound on a few pro baller subjects for me, and I'll be posting some of that conversation here at TGOG.

Anyhew, this year we'll be starting the process all over again, with new players, new personalities and a new organization. Different players, but the same goal. Also, the same problems, same struggles, same needs. We need to be ready to help them in any way we can. Thankfully there are some good people here, and I'm grateful that the folks at Lexington are well-prepared to help them.

Transactions: Legends' Hallock, Bushue, King Sent To Extended ST

MAY 1st, 2012-Sometimes, when the baseball season is underway, when the big club has had a few sit-down, come-to-Jesus meetings with players or staff, the result of those meetings is invariably unpleasant.

Because I love this game, like so many of you out there, I try my best to get to know the players I follow. Not as professional athletes, but as individuals, as human beings. When you get to know players on a personal level, you often develop friendships with them.

And when the big club gets down to making the hard decisions, some of your friends end up being demoted or traded or, even worse, released. Then it becomes very personal, because at that point we're talking about having to watch helplessly as your friends' lives are disrupted dramatically. Being sent down means that you might possibly get to see them again. If they're released, you may never see them again.

Kyle Hallock pitching in his first Class A game; photo by
Clinton Riddle

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time with standing by while my friends are tossed about emotionally, while their dreams are deferred or crushed altogether, and I fumble for the right words to say when I know there's nothing I can say that will help.

Tanner Bushue comes in from the 'pen; photo by
Clinton Riddle

I'm sure that this might sound a little dramatic to some of you, but I have a passion for baseball that defies explanation. I know I'm not alone in my love for baseball, and I think I might be sharing an opinion that is held by many baseball fans. Sure, these players become professionals with the understanding that someday their careers could come to an abrupt end. They know this, it's a dismal thought that lingers in the back of their minds. Knowing it could happen (and for many of them it will) doesn't make it any easier to accept. Not for them, and not for us fans. 

Today, on a travel day for the Lexington Legends, we found out that LHP Kyle Hallock, RHP Tanner Bushue and RF Emilio King were sent down to extended Spring Training by the "big club". Just a side note: somehow, referring to the major league team as the "big club" makes them sound like something used to bludgeon players into submission. Or is it just me?

Emilio King takes a powerful cut; photo
by Clinton Riddle

Anyway, Kyle was one of the players that Heather was hosting. We both took it kind of hard, but I'm not about to compare our sadness with what Kyle, Tanner and Emilio were feeling. That would just be insulting. And I'm not naive enough to ignore the cold, hard fact that baseball at this level is a business, and as such there are sometimes tough decisions to be made that will alter the course of organizational employees' lives, from time to time. In fact, players are traded, sent down and released every day during the season. It's just a fact of life when you're a pro baller.

I know all of this, and I accept it. Again, that doesn't make it any easier. These things happen. I get it. All this rambling is leading to a point, trust me.

This is something I promised myself I wouldn't say, since the stark details of this whole transaction business are even colder and more impersonal than most fans would ever know. In fairness to the players involved and in the interest of remaining (somewhat) professional and polite in expressing my feelings about today, let me just say that things were handled rather poorly. It's my feeling that the way these players were treated in the process of removing them from the Lexington roster was somewhat impersonal and inconsiderate.

Telling a player that he's being sent down/traded/released can be a rather delicate conversation. Some players take it better than others. Some are more sensitive, others not so much. They are all human beings, and as such deserve at the very least a modicum of courtesy and respect, regardless of what the big club wants to do with them. For example, leaving a player with no itinerary when they're 1000 miles away from their new assignment is unacceptable. Just an example, you know. That's all.

We got to see and talk to Emilio before he left to pack. Kyle and Tanner spent their time in the clubhouse. My feeling is that they really weren't interested in visiting with us. I probably wouldn't want to be mixing with the crowd after getting news like that, either. I feel for them. I really do.

We know we're probably going to see all three of these guys again, and maybe very soon. It doesn't always happen that way. In the bus leagues, you never know when a player is going to be suddenly and inexplicably out of a job. Because of this and many other reasons, I never go to a game without my camera. That's one huge difference between the Majors and minor league baseball: if you make it to The Show, there's always going to be a fan somewhere that remembers you. In the minors, thousands of players pass in and out of organizations, teams and leagues and may be completely forgotten, altogether. It's a sad, cold fact. Just like most decisions made in professional baseball.

And while that may never change, one thing remains the same: there are several thousand young men chasing after a dream that may never come true. Still, they keep on running, and because they sacrifice so much to make their dream a reality, because they give so much back to the fans and spend half of every year far away from friends, family and home in unfamiliar towns, I believe they deserve our respect and support.
If they can't get that from the very organization of which they are a part, there's something seriously wrong.

Simple, common courtesy. Doesn't seem like a lot to ask. Or maybe it's just me?

Transactions: More Houston Assignments

MAR 28th, 2012-Yet more assignments to announce.

Houston RHPs Mike Foltynewicz and Tanner Bushue, C Roberto Pena, and LHP Luis Cruz will be reporting to Class A Lexington. Good to see some of the old guys back, but hoping that they will make it up the ladder, soon.