Batavia Muckdogs Announce Broadcast Agreement with WBTA 1490 AM

Today, the Batavia Muckdogs announced on Twitter that their home games this season will be broadcast on WBTA 1490 AM. Road games will be broadcast online and on the Tunein app. Andy Helwig has been named "Voice of the Muckdogs" this season. Helwig is a Canisius College graduate and will be interning this summer with the Muckdogs.

The Muckdogs open the New York-Penn League season on June 15 against the Auburn Doubledays at Falcon Park in Auburn. Their home opener at Dwyer Field is on June 18 against the West Virginia Black Bears. Ticket information for Muckdogs home games is available at this link.

Photo Credits: MiLB.com; WBTA AM 1490; Twitter

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

My trip to Fenway Park

You might be asking, what does my trip to Fenway Park have to do with New York-Penn League? Answer: There were 24 former NYPL players on the rosters of Boston and Oakland when I visited Fenway on May 16. More on that later.

Since my wife and I were in Michigan visiting family, we flew from Detroit to Boston on May 15. We stayed at the historic Hotel Buckminster on Kenmore Square, just 673 steps from Fenway Park. History buffs will remember that the Black Sox scandal was hatched in room 615 of the Buckminster in 1919. Read Dan Shaughnessy's story from the July 16, 2016, Boston Globe here.

Photo from TripAdvisor.com

We had a nice view of the iconic Citgo sign from the our room (see photo below).

There are several tour options at Fenway Park, including a daily tour and a second tour on gamedays. We went on both of them. The daily tour includes a visit to the pressbox, the 502' Perch and the top of the Green Monster. The gameday tour takes you out on the field before batting practice and a seat on top of the Green Monster during batting practice. I recommend that you take in both tours, but if you only have time for one, go on the daily tour, since you see more of the stadium. A complete schedule of tours is available here.

View from room at Hotel Buckminster

It was a cool evening, 51 degrees at game-time. The Red Sox defeated the Athletics 6-4, before 34,947 fans in 3 hours and 8 minutes. Chris Sale got the win over Trevor Cahill and there were five home runs (Oakland: Semien, Joyce, Olson; Boston: Martinez, Bogaerts). See box score here.

Now back to the game and its ties to the NYPL. Here is a list of former NYPL players who were in uniform at Fenway on May 16.

Boston Red Sox

Brian Johnson, pitcher, #61, Lowell Spinners 2012
Joe Kelly, pitcher, #56, Batavia Muckdogs 2009
Rick Porcello, pitcher #22, Lowell Spinners 2015 (rehab)
Bobby Poyner, pitcher #66, Lowell Spinners 2015 (optioned to Pawtucket Red Sox on 5/24)
Eduardo Rodriguez, pitcher #57, Aberdeen IronBirds 2011
Sandy Leon, catcher #3, Vermont Lake Monsters 2009
Christian Vazquez, catcher #7, Lowell Spinners 2009
Brock Holt, shortstop #12, State College Spikes 2009
Eduardo Nunez, second base #36, Staten Island 2005
Andrew Benintendi, outfielder #16, Lowell Spinners 2015
Mookie Betts, outfielder #50, Lowell Spinners 2011
Jackie Bradley, Jr., outfielder #19, Lowell Spinners 2011
J.D. Martinez, outfielder #28, Tri-City ValleyCats 2009
Hanley Ramirez, first base #13, Lowell Spinners 2002 (since designated for assignment on May 25)

Oakland Athletics

Ryan Dull, pitcher #66, Vermont Lake Monsters 2012
Daniel Gossett, pitcher #48, Vermont Lake Monsters 2014
Daniel Mengden, pitcher #33, Tri-City ValleyCats 2014
Yusmeiro Petit, pitcher #36, Brooklyn Cyclones 2002
Lou Trivino, pitcher #62, Vermont Lake Monsters 2013
Bruce Maxwell, catcher #13, Vermont Lake Monsters 2012
Jed Lowrie, second base #8, Lowell Spinners 2005, 2009 (rehab), 2010 (rehab)
Matt Olson, first base #28, Vermont Lake Monsters 2012
Mark Canha, outfielder #20, Jamestown Jammers 2010
Matt Joyce, outfielder #23, Oneonta Tigers 2005

This was one our best roadtrips. Boston is a great place to visit. In fact, I think I could live there.

Press box from field level

Welcome to Fenway Park!

Teammates

Teammates Plaque

Lego Big Papi

At the 502' Perch

Top of the Green Monster during batting practice

Pre-game party time

Pre-game view from the Press Box

Game time!

Photo Credits: NY-Penn League News and Trip Advisor
 
NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

Austin Meadows off to fast start with Pittsburgh Pirates

Photo from MiLB.com

Former New York-Penn League prospect Austin Meadows is off to a fast start after being recalled on May 18, by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the AAA Indianapolis Indians. In six games with the Pirates, Meadows is batting .440/.440/.880 and a 1.320 OPS.

Meadows was selected by the Pirates in the first round of the 2013 draft out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia ($3,029,600 signing bonus). He played briefly for the Jamestown Jammers in 2013 and completed rehab assignments with the West Virginia Black Bears in 2016 and 2017.

Here are his game by game stats since being recalled by the Pirates.

DATE	OPP	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
05/18/2018	SD	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	.500
05/19/2018	SD	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.286
05/20/2018	SD	4	1	3	1	2	0	0	0	.455
05/22/2018	@CIN	4	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	.400
05/23/2018	@CIN	6	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	.381
05/24/2018	@CIN	4	1	3	1	2	0	0	0	.440
TOTALS		25	4	11	3	5	0	1	1	.440

Photo Credits: MiLB.com
 
NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

Upcoming Draft will impact on New York-Penn League Rosters

Opening Day in the New York-Penn League (NYPL) is June 15, so it is time to get ready for the Amateur Draft. This year's draft will be held on June 4-6 in Secaucus, New Jersey.  Day one of the draft will be covered on the MLB Network and all three days will be streamed at MLB.com.

NYPL rosters will be filled in with players selected during the draft, along with returning players and players moving up in the system from rookie leagues.

Here is the draft order for Major League teams with affiliates in the NYPL.

  1. Detroit Tigers (Connecticut Tigers)
  3. Philadelphia Phillies (Williamsport Crosscutters)
  6. New York Mets (Brooklyn Cyclones)
  9. Oakland Athletics (Vermont Lake Monsters)
10. Pittsburgh Pirates (West Virginia Black Bears)
11. Baltimore Orioles (Aberdeen IronBirds)
13. Miami Marlins (Batavia Muckdogs)
16. Tampa Bay Rays (Hudson Valley Renegades)
19. St. Louis Cardinals (State College Spikes)
23. New York Yankees (Staten Island Yankees)
26. Boston Red Sox (Lowell Spinners)
27. Washingston Nationals (Auburn Doubledays)
28. Houston Astros (Tri-City ValleyCats)
29. Cleveland Indians (Mahoning Valley Scrappers)

Compensation Picks
31. Tampa Bay Rays (Hudson Valley Renegades)
32. Tampa Bay Rays (Hudson Valley Renegades)
35. Cleveland Indians (Mahoning Valley Scrappers)

See complete draft order here.

Based on projected draft selections listed in the Baseball America Draft Preview Issue (on sale through June 15) mock draft, here are some names we might see playing in NYPL this summer.

Casey Mize, Auburn University
Alec Bohm, Wichita State
Jonathan India, University of Florida
Shane McClanahan, University of South Florida
Jeremy Eierman, Missouri State University
Steele Walker, University of Oklahoma

See you at the ballpark.

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

New York-Penn League All-Star is on August 14 in State College

Note: This article was originally posted back in March. With opening day in the New York-Penn League approaching on June 15, I thought it might be timely to post it again. I checked the ticket information at the State College Spikes website, and it looks like good seats are still available.

The 2018 New York-Penn League All-Star game will be played at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Tuesday, August 14. Medlar Field is the home of the State College Spikes and is located on the campus of Penn State University next to Beaver Stadium.

All-Star game tickets are priced from $10 for outfield bleacher seats to $16 for "Diamond Club" seat. Field box seats are $14. You can purchase tickets on line, by telephone, or in person at the ballpark ticket office from 9am to 5pm during the week. Link

We attended a game at Medlar Field last summer. It is a beautiful venue and a road trip to State College is recommended, even if you can't make it to the All-Star game.

See you in State College.

Photo Credits: NY-Penn League News

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or the State College Spikes

Former New York-Penn League All-Star released by Winnipeg Goldeyes

2015 Photo (MiLB)

Former West Virginia Black Bears outfielder Ty Moore (2015-16), was released by the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association of Independent Baseball on May 13, 2018. Link

He had signed with the Goldeyes on April 3 after being released by the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 28. Link

Moore was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 12th round of the 2015 draft out of UCLA. He played for the Black Bears in 2015, when they won the New York-Penn League Championship in their first year in Granville after relocating from Jamestown, New York. Moore also played for the Black Bears during the 2016 season, after a brief assignment with the West Virginia Power and split the 2017 season between the Power and the Bradenton Marauders. He was named to All-Star teams in both 2015 (New York-Penn League) and 2017 (South Atlantic League).

YEAR	TEAM	LG		G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	SB		AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	WV	NYP		64	242	34	67	83	9	2	1	33	25	0	40	6		.277	.361	.343	.704
2016	WV	SAL		22	77	8	15	20	5	0	0	6	6	0	11	0		.195	.256	.260	.516
2016	WV	NYP		58	205	32	59	69	5	1	1	17	13	0	18	9		.288	.368	.337	.705
2016 [-]	2 teams	-		80	282	40	74	89	10	1	1	23	19	0	29	9		.262	.338	.316	.653
2017	WV	SAL		61	229	27	61	82	15	0	2	32	26	1	48	4		.266	.350	.358	.708
2017	BRD	FSL		52	190	20	55	80	10	0	5	26	17	1	26	6		.289	.357	.421	.778
2017 [-]	2 teams	-		113	419	47	116	162	25	0	7	58	43	2	74	10		.277	.353	.387	.740
Minors Career [+]	3 teams			257	943	121	257	334	44	3	9	114	87	2	143	25		.273	.351	.354	.705

Source: MiLB.com

Photo Credits: MiLB.com
 
NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

Following former Vermont Lake Monsters pitcher Brian Howard

2017 Photo

Former Vermont Lake Monsters pitcher Brian Howard is 4-2 in seven starts with the Stockton Ports in the California League this season.

Howard was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the eighth round of the 2017 draft and received a $40,000 signing bonus. He appeared in 11 games for the Lake Monsters during the 2017 season. See his complete minor league stats below.

Photo & Stats Credits: MiLB.com NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

YEAR	TEAM	LG	LEVEL	W	L	ERA	G	GS		SHO	SV		IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB		SO	AVG	WHIP
2017	VER	NYP	A(Short)	2	1	1.15	11	6		0	1		31.1	22	5	4	0	0	1		29	.200	0.73
2018	STK	CAL	A(Adv)	4	2	3.08	7	7		0	0		38.0	30	13	13	5	1	9		41	.214	1.03
Minors Career [+]	2 teams		Minors	6	3	2.21	18	13		0	1		69.1	52	18	17	5	1	10		70	.208	0.89

Former Lowell Spinners' Jantzen Witte batting .487 in last ten games

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Former Lowell Spinners third baseman Jantzen Witte is batting .487 in his last ten games (see stats below from MiLB.com). He was placed on the 7 day disabled list by the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox on April 23, and after being activated on May 1, was reassigned to the AA Eastern League Portland Sea Dogs on May 12.

Witte played in 20 games for the Spinners in 2013. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the 24th round of the 2013 draft out of Texas Christian.

DATE	OPP	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
05/08/2018	@LHV	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.171
05/10/2018	@SYR	2	0	1	0	2	2	0	0	.186
05/11/2018	@SYR	3	3	2	0	0	2	0	0	.217
05/13/2018	BNG	4	0	2	0	1	1	1	0	.500
05/14/2018	@REA	5	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	.444
05/15/2018	@REA	3	1	3	1	3	0	0	0	.583
05/15/2018	REA	4	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	.500
05/16/2018	@REA	4	3	3	1	1	1	0	0	.550
05/17/2018	@ALT	6	1	3	0	3	0	2	0	.538
05/18/2018	@ALT	5	1	2	0	2	0	2	0	.516
TOTALS		39	9	19	2	13	6	7	0	.487

Photo Credits: The Trading Card Database

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

News from Batavia, New York: Muckdogs 2018 Promotions Announced

The Batavia Muckdogs made several announcements regarding the 2018 season via Twitter today. Here is a summary. I will provide updates regarding the Muckdogs as information becomes available. Help keep minor league baseball in Batavia - support the Muckdogs.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @NYPennNews for regular updates about the New York-Penn League.

Single game ticket sales begin on Monday, May 21.

Sunday is "Family Fun" Day.

Wednesday is "Won" Buck Weiner Day.

 Thursday is "Mystery Thursday".

Friday is "Buck a Beer" night.

 Saturday is "Themed Fireworks Shows" night

Opening day in the New York-Penn League is June 15, with a full slate of games scheduled. Ticket information for a game near you is available at this link.

See you at the ballpark.

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

Happy belated birthday to the New York-Penn League

Rochester Chronicle and Democrat

Here's wishing the New York- Penn League a belated happy 79th birthday!

May 10, 1939, was opening day for a new minor league. Originally known as the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York or PONY League, the circuit consisted of six teams located in Batavia, Jamestown, Niagara Falls and Olean, New York; Bradford, Pennsylvania; and Hamilton, Ontario. When the Hamilton Red Wings folded after the 1956, the league name was changed to the current New York-Penn League (NYP League).

A lot changed over the years  and neither name (PONY or NYP League) fits today's geographic footprint. Only Batavia, New York still has an entry in the league (and they are endangered - more on that soon). In addition to Batavia, teams located in New York include Auburn, Hudson Valley (Wappingers Falls), Tri-City (Troy), Brooklyn, and Staten Island. There are also teams located in Pennsylvania (Williamsport and State College), Maryland (Aberdeen), Massachusetts (Lowell), Vermont (Burlington), Ohio (Niles), Connecticut (Norwich) and West Virginia (Granville).

This year's Opening Day is June 15. Get ticket information to a game near you at this link.

See you at the ballpark.

Newspaper Credits: Rochester Chronicle and Democrat and Newpapers.com

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

Former Lowell Spinners Prospect off to a fast start with Portland Sea Dogs

2014 MiLB.com Photo

Former Lowell Spinners outfielder, Cole Sturgeon is off to a fast start this season with the Portland Sea Dogs in the Double AA Eastern League. In 30 games, he is batting .358/.418/.575, with six home runs and 17 RBI.

Sturgeon was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 10th round of the 2014 draft out of the University of Louisville. He played in seven games with the Spinners during the 2014 season.

The Lowell Spinners open the 2018 season on June 15, on the road vs the Connecticut Tigers. Their home opener is on June 18, against the Staten Island Yankees. Get ticket information at this link.

Photo Credits: MiLB.com

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams

Is the Honeymoon over in Granville?

This article was originally published at Black Bears Tracker on April 30, 2018.

Monongalia County Ballpark

Is the honeymoon over in Granville? I hope not. The West Virginia Black Bears are arguably the best entertainment value in the Morgantown area. But attendance has declined at Monongalia County Ballpark each year since the Black Bears relocated from Jamestown, New York in 2015.

Attendance at New York-Penn League (NYPL) games has been declining for the past several years, so what's happening in Granville is not a surprise. The numbers tell the story. Total attendance at New York-Penn League games have declined from 1,890,053 in 2002 to 1,403,575 in 2017 (source: numbertamer.com). Here's what has happened in Granville since the Black Bears arrived:

Year      Total Attendance     Number of home games     Average per game
2015           83,796                               37                               2,265
2016           78,774                               36                               2,188
2017           75,064                               37                               2,029
(Source: NYPL website)

Hopefully, attendance improves during the 2018 season. The Black Bears home opener is set for June 21 at Monongalia County Ballpark. Get ticket information at this link. 

On March 23, the Black Bears announced their 2018 promotion schedule. Not much new from previous seasons, but I recommend you mark your calendars for the West Virginia Moonshiners series on July 17,18 & 19, and the Kevin Newman Bobblehead Night on July 26.

See you at the ballpark.

Photo Credits: NY-Penn League News

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or the West Virginia Black Bears