In my life I have attended many more major league games than minor league ones, but 2010 will be a chance for me to experience the minors like never before. I will be working in media relations for the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League. The Mud Hens are the Triple-A affiliate of the Tigers and play at Fifth Third Field, just an hour from Detroit, which means that Tigers on rehab assignments will likely make cameo appearances throughout the season.
Those who have worn the Mud Hen uniform include Hall of Famers Kirby Puckett (the team was affiliated with the Twins from 1978 through 1986) and manager Casey Stengel, as well as longtime Tigers Travis Fryman and Kirk Gibson, and active players Curtis Granderson of the Yankees and Carlos Peña of the Red Sox. Scott Sizemore, who will replace Placido Polanco as Detroit’s 2nd baseman this season, spent the better part of 2009 in Toledo.
Toledo, Ohio is a place I had never been until recently, but I am very happy to become a part of the Mud Hens staff and thrilled to work a full season in professional baseball.
Two more notable retirements
The 2009-2010 offseason has already seen the end of the brilliant careers of Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas, but two other players with solid resumes announced their retirements this past week.
Nomar Garciaparra played for the Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, and Athletics, collected 1,747 hits, 229 home runs, 95 stolen bases, and a batting line of .313/.361/.521, and made six-time All-Star teams. He was unanimously selected as the 1997 American League Rookie of the Year, and won back-to-back batting titles with very impressive averages – .357 and .372 – in 1999 and 2000. In those years, Garciaparra also set career OPS highs at 1.022 (second to Manny Ramirez in the AL) and 1.033. In seven postseason series, he hit .321 with seven home runs. Nomar guaranteed himself a spot in the record books on May 10, 1999, when he became the 11th player in major league history to hit two grand slams in a single game.
Brian Giles played for the Indians, Pirates, and Padres, accumulated 1,897 hits, 287 home runs, 109 stolen bases, and a line of .291/.400/.502. The two-time All-Star’s best years came in Pittsburgh, where he clubbed 165 homers in just under five full seasons. In 2002, Giles amassed career highs with a .450 on-base-percentage and a .622 slugging percentage. In one of the stranger baseball occurrences of the decade, on May 14, 2006, Giles drew five walks in a nine-inning game.
Though neither Garciaparra nor Giles will make the Hall of Fame, both will be remembered for their very productive careers.
Three things to look forward to this season
1) The opening of Target Field, the first outdoor park since 1981 that the Minnesota Twins will call home. Thankfully, it will be used exclusively for baseball. The real grass will be a welcome change for Joe Mauer’s knees, and a nice attraction for free agents who had been weary of the Metrodome’s artificial turf.
2) The debuts of promising young pitchers Stephen Strasburg (21) and Aroldis Chapman (22), who enter the season as the top NL Rookie of the Year candidates, despite the fact they could both start the season in the minors. Strasburg played for Tony Gwynn at San Diego State before the Nationals chose him with the first overall pick in the 2009 draft and signed him to a record contract worth $15.1 million. His college resume includes a 23-strikeout game, a no-hitter, and a 1.32 Earned Run Average in his final (junior) season. Chapman, a southpaw, defected from Cuba just before signing a huge $30.25 million, six-year deal with the Reds. He played on the Cuban team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
3) Tim Lincecum’s pursuit of a third straight Cy Young Award. The young Giants pitcher has amazed the baseball world by winning 40 of his first 57 decisions, surrendering less than half a home run per nine innings of work, and leading the league in strikeouts in 2008 and 2009 on his way to being named the NL’s top pitcher each of the last two seasons.
It should be one hell of a ride.
Keywords: Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox, Brian Giles, Carlos Peña, Casey Stengel, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Cuba, Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers, Fifth Third Field, Frank Thomas, Hall of Fame, International League, Joe Mauer, Kirby Puckett, Kirk Gibson, Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, Metrodome, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Nomar Garciaparra, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Placido Polanco, Randy Johnson, San Diego Padres, San Diego State University, Scott Sizemore, Stephen Strasburg, Target Field, Tim Lincecum, Toledo Mud Hens, Tom Glavine, Tony Gwynn, Travis Fryman, Washington Nationals, World Baseball Classic
