Road Trip, Part 4 - Williamsport, Pennsylvania

We took our time getting around Sunday morning and departed Auburn, New York after a big breakfast (actually Senaca Falls). Heading southbound towards Williamsport, Pennsylvania, we stopped again in Corning, New York (see Road Trip, part 3). We toured the Corning Museum of Glass; lots of interesting historical information about the glass industry. A stop here is recommended if you are ever traveling in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. This area of New York has several wineries which are also worth checking out.

We arrived at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field shortly after 4:00pm, picked up our tickets at Will Call and entered one of my favorite baseball venues. I had not been to the old ball field since 1988 when the Double A Eastern League Williamport Bills played here.

As you are probably aware, Bowman Field has gone through a major facelift. Thanks to a major financial contribution from Major League Baseball (MLB), the entire playing surface was replaced including new irrigation and drainage systems. Additionally, MLB is constructing new bullpens behind the outfield fence.

Because of MLB's financial commitment, the city of Williamsport was able to expedite other upgrades including new seating and dugouts. Much of those renovations were paid for with a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) Grant.

All the stadium upgrades are in preparation for August 20th, when the St. Louis Cardinals will play a regular season against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Williamsport. The game will be a nationally televised on ESPN's Sunday night game, aka: "MLB Little League Classic". During this same timeframe, the Little League Baseball World Series will be taking place in South Williamsport.

Sunday was a perfect day weather wise for baseball and it was Military Appreciation Day at Historic Bowman Field. The Crosscutters' pitching staff totally dominated the West Virginia Black Bears, striking out 16 in a 4-1 victory before 2,154 fans. Good seats are always available at Bowman Field. The Crosscutters average 1,836 fans per game (capacity 2,366). We sat in the box seats in the third row, right behind home plate. Bowman Field has a variety of reasonably priced food options (the Newberry Sub is recommended) and the beer prices may be the best in professional baseball (I had a 32 oz Genessee). Williamsport, Pennsylvania is a "highly recommended" destination for a baseball road trip.

We are on our way home this morning and are looking forward to the rest of the New York-Penn League season. After 39 games, the division leaders are the Staten Island Yankees, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, and Vermont Lake Monsters. The West Virginia Black Bears are 1.5 games up in the Wild Card race.

See you at the ballpark.....

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.  

Road Trip, part 3 - Auburn, New York

Saturday was a beautiful day to drive from Altoona, Pennsylvania to Auburn, New York, as my wife and I continued our baseball road trip to see the Auburn Doubledays and West Virginia Black Bears in New York-Penn League action at Falcon Park.

Along the way we stopped in Corning, New York and visited the Rockwell Museum (art, but not Norman). The Rockwell Museum contains an important collection of Western American painting and sculpture assembled by local Corning business owners, Robert F. and Hertha Rockwell.

Corning is the headquarters of Corning Incorporated, formerly Corning Glass Works, a manufacturer of glass and ceramic products. The Corning Museum of Glass is also located here and houses one of the world's most comprehensive
collections of glass objects. The museum houses the Rakow Library, one of the world's major glass research centers.

We plan on stopping at the Museum of Glass today on our way to Williamport to see the Crosscutters play the West Virginia Black Bears at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field this evening.

Now back to Auburn, New York. We couldn't locate a room in Auburn, so we stayed in Seneca Falls, about 17 miles from Falcon Park. See a review of the ballpark at Malcolm MacMillan's Ballpark Guide. We got to the ticket window early and we able to get box seats in the second row. Weather wise, it was a perfect night for baseball. They have the ordinary food options and the beer is reasonably priced (I recommend the brownies). The Doubledays defeated the Black Bears 3-1. Pitching highlighted the game before a loyal Doubledays crowd of 1,003. I highly recommend a road trip to Auburn to see the Doubledays. Ticket information is available at their website.

Next up: Road Trip, part 4 - BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.  

New York-Penn League Standings and Attendance Figures thru July 29, 2017

New York-Penn League Current Standings thru July 29, 2017

McNamara Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Staten Island Yankees (NYY)	25	13	.658	-
	Aberdeen IronBirds (BAL)	21	17	.553	4.0
	Hudson Valley Renegades (TB)	17	21	.447	8.0
	Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM)	12	26	.316	13.0

Pinckney Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	West Virginia Black Bears (PIT)	23	14	.622	-
	Mahoning Valley Scrappers (CLE)	23	15	.605	0.5
	Williamsport Crosscutters (PHI)	20	16	.556	2.5
	State College Spikes (STL)	20	17	.541	3.0
	Auburn Doubledays (WSH)	15	23	.395	8.5
	Batavia Muckdogs (MIA)	13	24	.351	10.0

Stedler Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Vermont Lake Monsters (OAK)	21	17	.553	-
	Connecticut Tigers (DET)	18	17	.514	1.5
	Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU)	17	20	.459	3.5
	Lowell Spinners (BOS)	16	21	.432	4.5

New York-Penn League: Attendance Figure thru July 29, 2017

 

Team	Yesterday	Total	Openings	Average
Aberdeen IronBirds	4,789	70,403	17	4,141
Auburn Doubledays	1,003	20,751	19	1,092
Batavia Muckdogs	776	15,977	17	940
Brooklyn Cyclones	0	98,890	18	5,494
Connecticut Tigers	1,703	37,527	16	2,345
Hudson Valley Renegades	0	73,044	19	3,844
Lowell Spinners	5,030	71,751	18	3,986
Mahoning Valley Scrappers	5,009	61,893	18	3,439
State College Spikes	0	56,098	18	3,117
Staten Island Yankees	0	38,112	18	2,117
Tri-City ValleyCats	4,668	73,436	18	4,080
Vermont Lake Monsters	0	44,941	19	2,365
West Virginia Black Bears	0	40,449	19	2,129
Williamsport Crosscutters	0	34,575	19	1,820

 
Source: New York-Penn League website

Logo from MiLB.com

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.

New York-Penn League Standings thru July 28

McNamara Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Staten Island Yankees (NYY)	24	13	.649	-
	Aberdeen IronBirds (BAL)	20	16	.556	3.5
	Hudson Valley Renegades (TB)	16	20	.444	7.5
	Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM)	12	25	.324	12.0

Pinckney Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	West Virginia Black Bears (PIT)	23	13	.639	-
	Mahoning Valley Scrappers (CLE)	23	14	.622	0.5
	State College Spikes (STL)	20	16	.556	3.0
	Williamsport Crosscutters (PHI)	19	16	.543	3.5
	Auburn Doubledays (WSH)	14	23	.378	9.5
	Batavia Muckdogs (MIA)	12	24	.333	11.0

Stedler Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Vermont Lake Monsters (OAK)	20	17	.541	-
	Connecticut Tigers (DET)	18	16	.529	0.5
	Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU)	17	19	.472	2.5
	Lowell Spinners (BOS)	15	21	.417	4.5

Source: New York-Penn League website

Logo from MiLB.com

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.

Road Trip part 2 - Friday Rainout in Altoona

On the way to Auburn, New York to catch a New York-Penn League game Saturday between the Doubledays and the West Virginia Black Bears, we stopped in Altoona to see an Eastern League game between the Curve and the Trenton Thunder.

Unfortunately, the game was rained out. Peoples Natural Gas Field is a beautiful venue, even when it is raining. Great experience despite the weather.

It was "Mystery Bobblehead Giveaway Night". I got a Jordy Mercer bobblehead, my wife got a Steven Olesky (Pittsburgh Penguins) bobblehead.

Tonight's game will be made up as part of doubleheader on Saturday, August 12, against Trenton, so we will make a return trip then.

We head to Auburn, New York tomorrow to catch a 7:05 game between the West Virginia Black Bears and Auburn Doubledays at Falcon Park. As I write this post, the Black Bears and Doubledays are tied 2-2 in the 12th inning.

The Black Bears (23-12) have won six games in a row and are in first place in the Pinckney Division. The Doubledays are 13-23 and trail the Black Bears by 10.5 games. 

Up next: Part 3 from Auburn, New York.

Sunday we will be in Williamsport to see the Crosscutters and Black Bears play at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.

It looks like we are going to have good weather for the rest of this road trip. Stay tuned.

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.  

New York-Penn League Standings thru July 27

McNamara Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Staten Island Yankees (NYY)	24	12	.667	-
	Aberdeen IronBirds (BAL)	20	16	.556	4.0
	Hudson Valley Renegades (TB)	16	20	.444	8.0
	Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM)	12	24	.333	12.0

Pinckney Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	West Virginia Black Bears (PIT)	23	12	.657	-
	Mahoning Valley Scrappers (CLE)	22	14	.611	1.5
	State College Spikes (STL)	20	15	.571	3.0
	Williamsport Crosscutters (PHI)	19	15	.559	3.5
	Auburn Doubledays (WSH)	13	23	.361	10.5
	Batavia Muckdogs (MIA)	11	24	.314	12.0

Stedler Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Vermont Lake Monsters (OAK)	20	16	.556	-
	Connecticut Tigers (DET)	17	16	.515	1.5
	Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU)	16	19	.457	3.5
	Lowell Spinners (BOS)	14	21	.400	5.5

Source: New York-Penn League website

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.   

Road Trip!

Peoples Natural Gas Field, Altoona, PA

It's going to be a road trip weekend. Headed to Altoona on Friday to see the Curve (53-48) play the Trenton Thunder (69-33) in AA Eastern League action. Former West Virginia Black Bears' J.T. Brubaker is scheduled to pitch for the Curve. Former Black Bears' Kevin Kramer and Logan Hill are both on the disabled list for the Curve. There are several former NYPL players on the Thunder roster. Rain is in the forecast for Friday night in Altoona.

Falcon Park, Auburn, NY

Saturday, we head to Auburn, New York to see the Doubledays (13-22) take on West Virginia (22-12) in New York-Penn League action. On Sunday, it's onto Williamsport to catch the Crosscutters (19-14) playing the Black Bears. Looking forward to seeing the new and improved BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. I have not been there since attending a Williamsport Bills (Eastern League) game in 1988.

BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field

Photo Credits: MiLB.com; Charlie's Big Ballpark Page; ExplorePAHistory.com

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.   

New York-Penn League Standings thru July 21 games

McNamara Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Staten Island Yankees (NYY)	21	10	.677	-
	Aberdeen IronBirds (BAL)	17	13	.567	3.5
	Hudson Valley Renegades (TB)	13	17	.433	7.5
	Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM)	11	20	.355	10.0

Pinckney Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Mahoning Valley Scrappers (CLE)	19	12	.613	-
	West Virginia Black Bears (PIT)	19	12	.613	-
	Williamsport Crosscutters (PHI)	17	12	.586	1.0
	State College Spikes (STL)	17	14	.548	2.0
	Batavia Muckdogs (MIA)	11	19	.367	7.5
	Auburn Doubledays (WSH)	11	20	.355	8.0

Stedler Division

	CLUB	W	L	PCT▼	GB
	Vermont Lake Monsters (OAK)	18	13	.581	-
	Connecticut Tigers (DET)	14	14	.500	2.5
	Lowell Spinners (BOS)	12	18	.400	5.5
	Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU)	12	18	.400	5.5

Source: New York-Penn League website Photo (Logo) Credits: MiLB.com The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.

Players who have rehabbed with the West Virginia Black Bears

With Brandon Waddell, Connor Joe, and Hector Garcia being assigned to the West Virginia Black Bears for rehab in the last couple of days, I count 11 players in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization who have been placed at Granville for rehab assignments since the Black Bears moved to West Virginia in 2015.

Here’s a comprehensive list with their stats while with the Black Bears and where they are now.

Tyler Glasnow

June 19-26, 2016 - Pitcher Tyler Glasnow (from Indianapolis Indians)

W 0, L 1, 3.38 ERA,  2 games, 2 starts, 5.1 innings pitched, 3 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 BB, 6 SO, .150 batting average against, 0.94 WHIP

Currently assigned to the Indianapolis Indians (AAA). Started 2017 with the Pirates and was optioned to Indianapolis on June 10.

John Holdzkom

July 23-28, 2015 - Pitcher John Holdzkom (from Indianapolis Indians)

W 0, L 0, 0.00 ERA, 2 games, 0 starts, 2 innings pitched, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 0 BB, 3 SO, .000 batting average against, 0.00 WHIP

Holdzkom was released by the Pirates on April 11, 2016 and is currently a free agent.

Dovydas Neverauskas

June 19-27, 2015 Pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas (from West Virginia Power)

W 1, L 0, 3.86 ERA, 1 game, 2.1 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned runs, 3 BB, 2 SO, .364 batting average against, 3.00 WHIP

Currently assigned to the Indianapolis Indians (AAA). Had two brief assignments with the Pirates this season.

Steve Brault

June 19-25, 2016 Pitcher Steven Brault (from Indianapolis Indians)

W 0, L 0, 0.00 ERA, 1 game, 1 start, 4 innings pitched, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 0 BB, 5 SO, .077 batting average against, 0.25 WHIP

Brault was recalled by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Indianapolis Indians (AAA) today, July 22, 2017.

Austin Meadows

July 29 - August 6, 2016 Outfielder Austin Meadows (from Indianapolis Indians)

5 games, 15 at bats, 0 runs, 3 hits, 2 doubles, 0 triples, 0 HR, 5 total bases, 2 BB, 1 SO, .200/.294/.333, .627 OPS, 1 error

Meadows is assigned to Indianapolis Indians (AAA).

Mitch Keller

June 19-29, 2017 Pitcher Mitch Keller (from Bradenton Marauders)

W 0, L 0, 0.00 ERA, 2 games, 2 games started, 4 innings pitched, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 1 BB, 7 SO, .143 batting average against, 0.75 WHIP

Keller is assigned to Bradenton Marauders.

Michael Suchy

June 19-21, 2017 Outfielder Michael Suchy (from Altoona Curve)

2 games, 5 at bats, 0 runs, 1 hits, 0 doubles, 0 triples, 0 HR, 1 total bases, 3 BB, 3 SO, .200/.500/.200, .700 OPS, 1 error

Suchy plays for the Eastern League Altoona Curve.

Gift Ngoepe

July 4-7, 2017 Shortstop Gift Ngoepe (from Indianapolis Indians)

2 games, 7 at bats, 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 doubles, 0 triples, 1 HR, 5 total bases, 0 BB 2 SO, .286/.375/.714, 1.089 OPS, 1 error

Ngoepe is back at Indianapolis with the Indians. He appeared earlier this season with Pirates (April 26 until June 1) as the first player from the continent of Africa (South Africa) to play in the majors.

Brandon Waddell

July 19, 2017 Pitcher Brandon Waddell (from Altoona Curve)

W 0, L 0, 2.25 ERA, 1 game, 1 game started, 4 innings pitched, 4 hits, 1 runs, 1 earned runs, 4 BB, 4 SO, .267 batting average against, 1.25 WHIP

Waddell is still on a rehab assignment with the Black Bears.

Connor Joe

July 20, 2017 First Baseman Connor Joe (from Altoona Curve)

1 game, 4 at bats, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 doubles, 0 triples, 0 HR, 1 total bases, 0 BB, 2 SO, .250/.250/.250, .500 OPS

Connor Joe’s rehab assignment with the Black Bears continues as of July 22.

Hector Garcia

July 22, 2017 Pitcher Hector Garcia (from West Virginia Power)

Photo Credits: MiLB.com

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League. 

Released Pirates Prospect Daniel Arribas playing in Independent League with Rockland Boulders

Former West Virginia Black Bears' Daniel Arribas is currently playing for the Canadian-American League Rockland Boulders. In five games with the Boulders, he is hitting .400 with 1 home run and 4 RBIs.

Arribas was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization on June 28, and signed with  Rockland on July 7, 2017.

West Virginia Black Bears fans will remember Arribas from the inaugural 2015 season, after the team’s relocation to Granville from Jamestown, New York. He was named to the New York-Penn League All Star Game that year and batted .284/.357/.379 in 60 games with the league champion Black Bears.

Arribas was signed as an international free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 27, 2011. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons with the Dominican Summer League Pirates and was promoted to the Gulf Coast League Pirates for the 2013 season.

In 2014, Arribas played for the Bristol Pirates and was named to the Appalachian League post-season All Star team. He was named to the South Atlantic League All Star game in 2016 while playing for the West Virginia Power.

He was batting .168/.302/.215 in 33 games with the Bradenton Marauders at the time of his release from the Pirates organization.

Photo Credits: YouTube

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.

Friday Night's Bright Spots in the New York-Penn League

Staten Island won their seventh straight with a 4-3 win over the Brooklyn Cyclones. The Yankees are 5 games up in the McNamara Division with a 14-2 record.

Raiwinson Lameda, Lowell Spinners: 2 hits (1 double), 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs in the Spinners 11-7 win over the Connecticut Tigers before before 3,086 fans at LeLacheur Park. Lameda signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent in May, 2012 out of Venezuela. Played in the Dominican Summer League in 2013-14 and the Gulf Coast League during the 2015-16 seasons.

Daniel Castano, State College Spikes: 8 innings pitched (90 pitches, 60 strikes), 0 earned runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts. On the season, Castano is 4-0, 1.24 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 3 walks, 0.90 WHIP in 29 innings pitched. Castano was selected by the Cardinals in the 19th round of 2016 draft out of Baylor and played at Johnson City (Appalachian League) in 2016.

Raiwinson Lameda

Daniel Castano

Jhonny Santos, Batavia Muckdogs: 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored in the Muckdogs 7-4 victory over the West Virginia Black Bears. He is .338/.386/.477 in 16 games this season. A native of Panama, Santos was signed by the Miami Marlins in 2013. In his second season in Batavia, Santos began the 2016 season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers (South Atlantic League) and was assigned to the Muckdogs on April 2, 2016.

Jhonny Santos

Jack Meggs

Jack Meggs, Vermont Lake Monsters: 3 hits, 1 RBI in Vermont’s 1-0, 15 inning (4 hours 6 minutes) win over the Hudson Valley Renegades. Meggs slash line this season is .389/.421/.611 in nine games. The Chico, California native was selected in the 10th round of the 2017 draft by the Oakland A’s out of the University of Washington.

Aaron Nieckula, Vermont LakeMonsters: picked up his 700th career victory as a minor league manager.

Adam Haseley, Williamsport Crosscutters: 3 hits (1 home run), 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored in the Crosscutters 7-3 win over Mahoning Valley before 1,685 fans at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. Haseley was the Phillies 1st round pick in the 2017 draft out of the University of Virginia ($5.1 million bonus). He was initially assigned to the Gulf Coast Phillies and was promoted to Williamsport after three games. He has a slash line of .467/.556/.633 (1.189 OPS) in 8 games for the Crosscutters.

Photo Credits: MiLB.com

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.