Baseball in Mesa is pretty much like living the movie Groundhog Day. Every day pretty much mimics the next and the routine is the exact same literally every day. We wake up and go get lunch at noon, come back to our Best Western hotel room and wait until anywhere between 145 and 3 to catch a van to the field. We practice at the field and then then for a home game we have some time off until the game starts or we get on the bus or vans for an away game.
This routine, however, saw a little hiccup lately as we had the opportunity to play with Brad Snyder, an outfielder on rehab from Triple-A (and Ball State). Oh yeah, Geovany Soto played a game with us too. For those who don't know, Geovany Soto was the 2008 National League Rookie of the Year after hitting .285 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI. I wrote in the last blog that Soto was down rehabbing an injury and how it was pretty cool to be around and interact with him, but playing with him, and Snyder, was almost surreal. The lineup card for that game read as follows:
3. Soto, G
4. Snyder
5. Petraitis
Seeing the lineup, I started making jokes with some of the guys about how they would have to give Soto and Snyder something to hit because they didn't want to face me with guys on base. Everyone got a good laugh and I was excited to continue to watch Snyder (he played a few games with us) and to watch Soto at the plate. We ended up winning the game, as we probably should have, and it was in large part thanks to the guys hitting third and fourth in the lineup.
After the game, we get a meal provided by the Cubs, but Geo got some food for after the game for the team. The whole experience of playing with a big-leaguer was fun and exciting and all of the young guys and new draftees had some fun.
We are now into the final push here with games in Mesa as we have about 20 games left in the season and now the Groundhog Day experiences resumes.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Back to Mesa
So for those of you who do not know yet, I was sent down from Boise back to the team in Mesa in order to figure a couple of things out with my swing. I was struggling to make all of the adjustments that the coaching staff wanted me to make and I was almost overwhelmed at times. Anyone who has been in baseball for a reasonable amount of time will tell you that one thing you cannot do in baseball is think, you have to react, and I was struggling to do this with all of the changes being made to my swing. I'm not going to lie, I was extremely disappointed to suffer a setback, although it may be exactly what I needed.
Life in Arizona is unique to say the least. The temperature is routinely 110-115 and instead of thunderstorms and rain we get lightning and dust storms. That said, I was excited to have a fresh start and to have an opportunity to prove myself once again. Things have been going great on the baseball end as I have been hit my first two professional homeruns and, as of today, have my batting average up over .300. The schedule is a little different down here and is not quite as taxing as we play four days in a row and then have a day off every fifth day.
One of the coolest aspects of being in Mesa is that the facility we use is also where all of the guys in the organization who are rehabbing injuries come for treatment. For about the past week, Cubs catcher Geovany Soto has been here and so has the newly acquired B.J. Ryan. It's pretty awesome to be amongst some guys who have made it to the major leagues and who I have read about and watched on SportsCenter.
The season in Mesa goes until August 28th and hopefully sometime between now and then I can continue to play well and hopefully get another chance at a higher level, but for now I have learned to just worry about what is in my control.
Life in Arizona is unique to say the least. The temperature is routinely 110-115 and instead of thunderstorms and rain we get lightning and dust storms. That said, I was excited to have a fresh start and to have an opportunity to prove myself once again. Things have been going great on the baseball end as I have been hit my first two professional homeruns and, as of today, have my batting average up over .300. The schedule is a little different down here and is not quite as taxing as we play four days in a row and then have a day off every fifth day.
One of the coolest aspects of being in Mesa is that the facility we use is also where all of the guys in the organization who are rehabbing injuries come for treatment. For about the past week, Cubs catcher Geovany Soto has been here and so has the newly acquired B.J. Ryan. It's pretty awesome to be amongst some guys who have made it to the major leagues and who I have read about and watched on SportsCenter.
The season in Mesa goes until August 28th and hopefully sometime between now and then I can continue to play well and hopefully get another chance at a higher level, but for now I have learned to just worry about what is in my control.
Dance Off USF vs Uconn 2009 Big East Baseball Tournament
Saturday, July 11, 2009
July 4th and a Little Canada
I haven't posted much of anything lately because a lot has been going on. My parents came out for our recent homestand versus Eugene and I had a great time with them. I have had a great experience so far in Boise, but I was also a little homesick and it was a lot of fun having the parents out so that they could have a better idea of what the town and the games are like. I also was hoping that the parents would bring some good luck with them from Ohio because I still could not figure everything out on the hitting end. I ended up playing in four of the five games while they were in the stands and the team won three of the games.
After the final game against Eugene, we left around 12:30 with a long trip ahead to Vancouver, Canada. And when I say long, I mean looooooooooooong. We had movies playing throughout the trip and most guys slept and the trip was actually pretty non-eventful until we got to the border. We got to the boarder into Canada at 11:00 in the morning and, as you could imagine, it started to get interesting. We ended up sitting on the bus for about two hours before we were allowed to cross into Canada as there was more than a little confusion with getting over 30 people from four different countries all on the same page. We had to fill out some paperwork before we were allowed to cross and of course the paperwork was in English on one side and French on the other. Needless to say, half of the team speaks Korean or Spanish and exactly zero speak French. All in all, the trip ended up taking almost 15 hours and we couldn't have been happier to have an off-day in Vancouver.
On the day off, a few of the guys ended up taking a cab to downtown Vancouver to see the city. I didn't realize how big the city of Vancouver actually was until we were walking the streets and there really weren't that many people downtown, especially considering the population is 3 million. For some unknown reason I didn't think about the the fact that even if you use American money, you get Canadian in return. This also led to me tipping our waitress at dinner anywhere between 50 cents and six dollars because I ended up just leaving the coins that I got back.
We just played our first game in Vancouver tonight and we played well but ended up losing again tonight. We have been playing better baseball and the wins are sure to follow.
Boise Hawks #37,
JP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the final game against Eugene, we left around 12:30 with a long trip ahead to Vancouver, Canada. And when I say long, I mean looooooooooooong. We had movies playing throughout the trip and most guys slept and the trip was actually pretty non-eventful until we got to the border. We got to the boarder into Canada at 11:00 in the morning and, as you could imagine, it started to get interesting. We ended up sitting on the bus for about two hours before we were allowed to cross into Canada as there was more than a little confusion with getting over 30 people from four different countries all on the same page. We had to fill out some paperwork before we were allowed to cross and of course the paperwork was in English on one side and French on the other. Needless to say, half of the team speaks Korean or Spanish and exactly zero speak French. All in all, the trip ended up taking almost 15 hours and we couldn't have been happier to have an off-day in Vancouver.
On the day off, a few of the guys ended up taking a cab to downtown Vancouver to see the city. I didn't realize how big the city of Vancouver actually was until we were walking the streets and there really weren't that many people downtown, especially considering the population is 3 million. For some unknown reason I didn't think about the the fact that even if you use American money, you get Canadian in return. This also led to me tipping our waitress at dinner anywhere between 50 cents and six dollars because I ended up just leaving the coins that I got back.
We just played our first game in Vancouver tonight and we played well but ended up losing again tonight. We have been playing better baseball and the wins are sure to follow.
Boise Hawks #37,
JP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Game of Adjustments
Although it has just been a few days since my last post, a lot has happened. We left Salem-Keizer with a 1-7 record to come home for three games with the Yakima Bears (the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate). We were also met with the arrival of our new manager, Casey Kopitzke, who joined the team after our first eight games after a tragedy within his family. Casey has been great so far, encouraging the guys and giving some stability to the team with his presence.
We had a very good series against Yakima as a team, and I have also started to play better. Our first game I was the DH and recorded my first ever RBI on a sacrifice fly and it also turned out to be the game-winning RBI as we ended up winning 3-2. The next night I played third base and had a decent game, drawing two walks (we won on a walk-off hit by Greg Rohan in the bottom of the 10th inning!) and tonight I had my first multi-hit game going 2-4 with a single and a double. We also won two of the three games and now are 3-8.
Baseball is always referred to as a game of adjustments and this is especially true with each level closer to the big leagues. I never anticipated the adjustment from college to pro-ball would be easy and knew that I had a lot to learn, but it would be an understatement to say that I have been humbled by having only one hit in my first seventeen at-bats. I have been used to having success at the college level and never expected to hit as well as I did at Miami, but the main adjustment has come as a hitter. Gone are the days when most pitchers throw 86-88 mph fastballs as guys now routinely throw 91-93 and higher. Pitchers throw both inside and outside more consistently (as opposed to mostly outside in college) and also have better off-speed pitches as well. The adjustment takes time for everyone, but the quicker you can adjust the better.
Imagine any habit that you have had for days, months, or even years. You may always answer the phone the same way or have the same breakfast everyday or whatever it may be, but these habits become second nature. We never really think about how we answer the phone, and I never thought too much about whether there was a better way to field a ground ball or swing a bat. When I arrived in Boise, I began to work with our interim manager Frankie Font and our hitting coach Ricardo Medina to change my approach both offensively and defensively. The changes we made (and are still working on) will definitely benefit in the long-run, but the trick is to also have some success now as well. I have been making changes in my swing that will help me hit for more power and "hit like a 6'3" guy as Medina always tells me. Medina is never afraid to tell me if I'm "hitting like Valdez" (our lightning-fast centerfielder who basically tries to just put the ball in play and beat the ball to first)!
I'm starting to really like the guys on the team and have started learning a little Korean courtesy of Jae-Hoon Ha and Spanish from some of the Latin players (Bellakaye, means home run and there is a 0% chance I spelled it right). We are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning at 7 A.M. for the bus to Tri-City.
Boise Hawks #37,
JP
------------------------------------------------
I'm trying not to steal too much from Bill Simmons and Mark "the Shark" Titus but I'm also going to attempt to add a YouTube video at the end of every post. I'll try to keep them baseball related and hopefully they are entertaining...
We had a very good series against Yakima as a team, and I have also started to play better. Our first game I was the DH and recorded my first ever RBI on a sacrifice fly and it also turned out to be the game-winning RBI as we ended up winning 3-2. The next night I played third base and had a decent game, drawing two walks (we won on a walk-off hit by Greg Rohan in the bottom of the 10th inning!) and tonight I had my first multi-hit game going 2-4 with a single and a double. We also won two of the three games and now are 3-8.
Baseball is always referred to as a game of adjustments and this is especially true with each level closer to the big leagues. I never anticipated the adjustment from college to pro-ball would be easy and knew that I had a lot to learn, but it would be an understatement to say that I have been humbled by having only one hit in my first seventeen at-bats. I have been used to having success at the college level and never expected to hit as well as I did at Miami, but the main adjustment has come as a hitter. Gone are the days when most pitchers throw 86-88 mph fastballs as guys now routinely throw 91-93 and higher. Pitchers throw both inside and outside more consistently (as opposed to mostly outside in college) and also have better off-speed pitches as well. The adjustment takes time for everyone, but the quicker you can adjust the better.
Imagine any habit that you have had for days, months, or even years. You may always answer the phone the same way or have the same breakfast everyday or whatever it may be, but these habits become second nature. We never really think about how we answer the phone, and I never thought too much about whether there was a better way to field a ground ball or swing a bat. When I arrived in Boise, I began to work with our interim manager Frankie Font and our hitting coach Ricardo Medina to change my approach both offensively and defensively. The changes we made (and are still working on) will definitely benefit in the long-run, but the trick is to also have some success now as well. I have been making changes in my swing that will help me hit for more power and "hit like a 6'3" guy as Medina always tells me. Medina is never afraid to tell me if I'm "hitting like Valdez" (our lightning-fast centerfielder who basically tries to just put the ball in play and beat the ball to first)!
I'm starting to really like the guys on the team and have started learning a little Korean courtesy of Jae-Hoon Ha and Spanish from some of the Latin players (Bellakaye, means home run and there is a 0% chance I spelled it right). We are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning at 7 A.M. for the bus to Tri-City.
Boise Hawks #37,
JP
------------------------------------------------
I'm trying not to steal too much from Bill Simmons and Mark "the Shark" Titus but I'm also going to attempt to add a YouTube video at the end of every post. I'll try to keep them baseball related and hopefully they are entertaining...
Josh Womack does a few other bat tricks before a Long Beach Armada game
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Life in the Northwest
The idea for this blog came from both Uncle Dan and Ellen as a way to keep family and friends in touch with everything that is going on in my life in the minor leagues, mainly because the two and three hour time differences make it difficult to do so. I will try to update the blog as often as I can, mainly when something new or interesting happens so everyone can stay up-to-date on my exciting summer in Idaho!
So to start I want to give just a quick summary of the past two or so weeks and the whirlwind that I have been in since the draft. I left Monday the 15th for Mesa, Arizona for a physical and hopefully to leave shortly on a plane to Boise for Class A ball. However, it took almost two full days for me to get cleared medically (although I was one of the first guys to get cleared) so I missed the first trip to Boise so that I could get my feet wet in Rookie ball in Mesa. After a couple days of practice where I played really well, my manager in Mesa (everyone called him PP) pulled me aside during practice that Friday to tell me that I was being called up to Boise in time for the first game.
I flew to Boise and had no knowledge of who would be waiting for me once I arrived, although I eventually met my host-parents, the Fenns. The Fenns are awesome! It's terrible being away from everyone and being behind in time too, but my host-parents have made the transition as easy as it could be and have even given me a car to drive for the summer!
My host-parents took me straight from the airport to the field where I met some of the guys, got a locker and equipment and attempted to play some catch-up with everything that the guys who had been there for a few days had already learned. I was hopeful to play that first night, however there was some mix-up with my contract and I was told that I would not be cleared to play until Monday, the 22nd. So I sat and watched the first two games, which we lost, and showed up to the field Monday ready to play. I was in the lineup hitting fifth and playing first base (first time for everything I guess!), only to get scratched from the lineup shortly thereafter because my contract still had not cleard. The new deadline was Wednesday the 24th, which would be in Salem, Oregon.
After our third home game in a row to start the season, we left for Salem after our game was over at roughly 11:15 at night with an eight hour trip ahead of us. After about 3 hours of sleep and listening to almost every song on my iPod, we finally arrived in Salem at 6:15 A.M. on Tuesday. We lost again that night but I could hardly sleep because I was supposed to be cleared to play my first game as a professional baseball player the following day!
I arrived at the park on Wednesday and was hitting in the first (of three) hitting groups which meant that I would be starting that night (the first two groups are made up of the starters for that nights game). I eventually saw the lineup and I was hitting fifth and playing third base. The game didn't exactly go my way as my first at-bat was a strikeout and so was my last, although I hit two balls hard in between. The next night I hit third in the lineup and was the DH for the game and ended up getting my first hit as a professional baseball player!!! I wish it would have been a more memorable moment, a towering homerun or a double off of the wall, but it ended up being a broken-bat single into left-center field. I ended up with just the one hit and struggled a little tonight as well, going 0-4 again.
Things will turn around soon at the plate and I will continue to keep everyone informed as long as you are interested in reading!
Boise Hawks #37,
JP
So to start I want to give just a quick summary of the past two or so weeks and the whirlwind that I have been in since the draft. I left Monday the 15th for Mesa, Arizona for a physical and hopefully to leave shortly on a plane to Boise for Class A ball. However, it took almost two full days for me to get cleared medically (although I was one of the first guys to get cleared) so I missed the first trip to Boise so that I could get my feet wet in Rookie ball in Mesa. After a couple days of practice where I played really well, my manager in Mesa (everyone called him PP) pulled me aside during practice that Friday to tell me that I was being called up to Boise in time for the first game.
I flew to Boise and had no knowledge of who would be waiting for me once I arrived, although I eventually met my host-parents, the Fenns. The Fenns are awesome! It's terrible being away from everyone and being behind in time too, but my host-parents have made the transition as easy as it could be and have even given me a car to drive for the summer!
My host-parents took me straight from the airport to the field where I met some of the guys, got a locker and equipment and attempted to play some catch-up with everything that the guys who had been there for a few days had already learned. I was hopeful to play that first night, however there was some mix-up with my contract and I was told that I would not be cleared to play until Monday, the 22nd. So I sat and watched the first two games, which we lost, and showed up to the field Monday ready to play. I was in the lineup hitting fifth and playing first base (first time for everything I guess!), only to get scratched from the lineup shortly thereafter because my contract still had not cleard. The new deadline was Wednesday the 24th, which would be in Salem, Oregon.
After our third home game in a row to start the season, we left for Salem after our game was over at roughly 11:15 at night with an eight hour trip ahead of us. After about 3 hours of sleep and listening to almost every song on my iPod, we finally arrived in Salem at 6:15 A.M. on Tuesday. We lost again that night but I could hardly sleep because I was supposed to be cleared to play my first game as a professional baseball player the following day!
I arrived at the park on Wednesday and was hitting in the first (of three) hitting groups which meant that I would be starting that night (the first two groups are made up of the starters for that nights game). I eventually saw the lineup and I was hitting fifth and playing third base. The game didn't exactly go my way as my first at-bat was a strikeout and so was my last, although I hit two balls hard in between. The next night I hit third in the lineup and was the DH for the game and ended up getting my first hit as a professional baseball player!!! I wish it would have been a more memorable moment, a towering homerun or a double off of the wall, but it ended up being a broken-bat single into left-center field. I ended up with just the one hit and struggled a little tonight as well, going 0-4 again.
Things will turn around soon at the plate and I will continue to keep everyone informed as long as you are interested in reading!
Boise Hawks #37,
JP
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