We spoke with BlueClaws manager Dusty Wathan last week for a multi-part end-of-year wrap up piece which will debut soon. Here are some highlights:

• When he realized he had a team that could win: It was probably not until after the first month, about 30 games in, and we were still in the mix. That’s when the guys came together too.
• The team’s league-best road record: Sometimes in lower levels it’s easier to play on the road. A lot of guys are counting on other guys to get them to the ballpark and it’s harder to get into a routine.
• The bullpen in the first half: It was huge because the starting pitching didn’t have their pitch counts as high as they would be. It we could get five or six from the starter, we would lock it up. To have four guys back there it was amazing. Every night we had two guys available.
• First, not second: A lot of people forget who was here in the first half. Tyler Cloyd, Jon Velasquez, Jason Knapp…It’s tough in a league where the halves are split because you tend to forget who got you to the playoffs. Velasquez and Cloyd especially got a lot of Ws. Knapp pitched well but we couldn’t get him any runs.
• Jesus Sanchez: [Delmarva manager] Orlando Gomez said he couldn’t believe how far Sanchez had come since that first weekend [when he lasted 2/3 of an inning on Easter]. Nobody could believe he was catching last year.
• Travis d’Arnaud’s second half: When a catcher struggles at the plate, sometimes they take it on the field, but he never did that in the entire first half. And he was outstanding in the second half.
• Anthony Gose: His personality definately helps. He doesn’t let things worry him. He’s never in a bad mood or worried about yesterday. You don’t know if he went 0-4 or 4-4 yesterday, or even after the game. He’s a team leader and guys listen to him. To do that at 18, that’s pretty special.
• What Dusty learned this year: The biggest thing was getting a feel about the players. Players are talented and they have ability to have success at the minor league level. You can lead them in the right direction, but you can’t hit, you can’t pitch. You prepare as well as you can, and hopefully they can go out there and do it. This group did that easily. Also, use your coaches, and we had great coaches.
• Korey Noles, winner in the clincher: He pitched last year, but didn’t make a team out of spring training, but stayed in extended at his age, started in GCL, went to Williamsport, and it paid off for him.
• Top of the lineup: If Harold Garcia were on a different team, you would hear a lot more about Harold Garcia…Without Gose, he’s right there on the front page of everything.
• Heading into the playoffs: I thought we had as good an opportunity as everyone else. When I saw game one in Kannapolis, I felt we had a pretty good chance. With all those close games we had throughout the season, playing in a playoff atmosphere in the first half, our players thought they could win it. When they believe they can do something, especially Gose, d’Arnaud and Garcia, watch out because they’re going to do it.

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 5:02 pm and is filed under 2009 BlueClaws, Q&As. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.