April was tough on Jordan Guth. The BlueClaws Opening Day starter went 1-4 with an ERA of 5.24 and a 14-12 K-BB ratio. Moved to the bullpen in May, the results have been outstanding. Guth, the relief pitcher, has allowed just two earned runs in 14.1 innings with a 16-5 K-BB ratio.

He threw three scoreless innings last night in a 3-1 BlueClaws win over Delmarva.

“In a shorter outing, you don’t have to save it for later. That’s really helped me a lot. And my velocity has gone up,” he said. “Using everything I have over a short period of time.”

Guth is grew up in Minnesota and is a Minnesota sports fan all the way around but moved to Onalaska, Wisconsin in high school, which is on the Minnesota border on the western part of the state.

He was a 9th round pick last year by the Phillies out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “You know about where you’re going to go but it’s not real until it happens. The Phillies called me in the 8th round and said they were going to take me in the 9th round, and it all worked out in the end.”

Click here to listen to the full interview.

The BlueClaws will play a double-header today in Asheville after the double-header scheduled for yesterday was rained out.

RHP Shane Watson and RHP Kevin Brady will throw for the BlueClaws. You can listen to the two games on the Shore Sports Network – 1160/1310 WOBM-AM or online here beginning at 11 am.

Meanwhile, we talked to BlueClaws catcher Chace Numata about the start of the season, learning to be a catcher (he converted from the infield shortly after being drafted in 2010, calling pitches, switch-hitting, and much more.

Listen here or in the player below.

It’s been a good week in Australia. Adam Scott won the Masters. Famed thoroughbred Black Caviar won his 25th straight race. And BlueClaws RHP Josh Warner won his first game of the season.

Warner gave up a run in six innings on Monday night to earn his first win on Monday in Hagerstown. The 20 year old hails from Sufers Paradise, Australia and pitched for Williamsport last year.

Some snippets -

• On his start Monday – “It was a good win. The boys are coming together good. I didn’t feel my best but I battled with what I had and got out of it.”
• How are you better than last year? – “Definitely mentally I’ve matured a lot on the mound, learning how to control my emotions and get out of big situations when I need to. Maturity is a big thing.”
• Pitching in the Australian Winter League – “You don’t get to play in front of family and friends here but you do there. It might not be 8,000 people but it’s 1 or 2 and it’s awesome.”
• Surfers Paradise – “The beaches there are phenomenal. I live going out to the beaches, but I’m not a surfer. I haven’t got the coordination to stay up.”
• Adam Scott – “Huge. All over Facebook. It was pretty awesome to see…I was following on my phone as we went. We got to see the 18th hole and I was following the playoff on my phone.”

There’s a lot more in there. Click here to listen or use the player below.

BlueClaws 1B Art Charles got to experience something in February that most players, especially most players at this level, never get to experience. He was traded.

We sat down with Charles before Monday’s game in Hagerstown to talk about that experience for the slugger, who hit his first home run of the year on Thursday and added a three-run double on Sunday afternoon.

Some quick sound bytes:

• On Sunday’s offensive outburst – “We haven’t had that one big inning so to get baserunners and capitalize, that was big for us as a team, to feel what that feels like in a sense.”
• Thursday’s home run – “Once I get that first one, I feel more comfortable. I’ve had other home runs in the past but to get that one this year for a new team, it really felt good.”
• Getting traded – “It was two days before I was heading to Blue Jays camp. It was shocking. The whole transition and the process was one of those things – ‘Hey, that’s part of the business.’ It was interesting to experience that part of the game. It was shocking at first, but the Phillies are a good organization and I’m happy to be a part of their system.”

Listen to the full interview by clicking here or in the portal below.

Mitch Walding is 11-32 to start the 2013 season and before Saturday’s game in Greensboro, we sat down with the 20 year old Californian for an interview.

Walding was drafted as a shortstop but moved to third base in the instructional league in 2011. He played third base along side Roman Quinn last year and is doing the same again this year.

At the plate, Walding, who committed to Oregon before signing with the Phillies, has hit safely in eight of the first nine BlueClaws games, and already has three multi-hit games.

Walding on:

• His start: “I fell on time with everything and fluid with everything. Everything feels pretty good.”
• Driving balls the other way: “I don’t really pull a whole lot of balls but I usually see the ball deep into the zone. I can recognize if it’s a fastball or breaking pitch right away but seeing it deep in the zone is the reason why I hit a lot to the opposite field and with two strikes.”
• Going to Oregon: “I was real close to going. It got down to the last hour…They (Phillies) left my house to go talk about it for about 20 minutes and came back, hit the number, and that was it.”
• He spoke very highly of his experience as a high school quarterback: “It’s a whole different feeling. You can’t explain it unless you’re out there. It’s such a great game. You work all week for one big moment.”
• Guys he liked to watch: “Derek Jeter. I always played shorstop and I wore the #2 for every team. When I started getting older, I became a huge Troy Tulowtiski fan.”

There’s a lot more in the interview, which lasts just under eight minutes. Listen by clicking here or in the portal below.

Roman Quinn was certainly one of the most talked about players on the BlueClaws when the rosters were released and he hasn’t disappointed. Quinn has hit safely in all seven games thus far and is 10-30 to start the season with an inside-the-park home run hit on Tuesday night.

Before Thursday’s game in Greensboro, we sat down with Quinn for an interview.

He hits on a number of topics:

• On the ITP HR – “I was thinking 3, but when I hit second base, I saw Mickey further down the line and that means I have to go further down the line two, and he waved me in.”
• Bunting – “I just got real comfortable bunting from the left side and I put in a lot of work this off-season. It’s definitely a big part of my game.”
• His first full year as a switch-hitter – “I’m way more comfortable. I think the more reps I got, the better I got at it. I’m getting there.”
• Reaction when he found out he’d be switch-hitting and moving to shortstop – “I was up for the challenge. I’m always up for a challenge like that but I knew it would be very hard work right from the start. Hopefully it will pay off.”

He also touches on some of his favorite players to watch growing up (Ken Griffey and Derek Jeter) and his other favorite sport (basketball).

You can listen to the interview by clicking here or using the player below.

RHP Jordan Guth, an Onalaska, Wisconsin native who played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will get the Opening Day start for the BlueClaws tomorrow night against Kannapolis.

“It’s an honor…I am excited and ready to go in a real game and I am looking forward to it,” said Guth.

Over the course of his recent baseball career, the 6’5” righty has transitioned from the rotation to the bullpen, and now he returns to the rotation for Mickey Morandini’s club and is looking forward to continuing his career as a starter on Thursday.

“Hopefully I go deep into the game…as a starter you always want to go deep into the games…Hopefully I can get out there throw strikes and get ahead of guys,”

In 11 games, 7 starts, with the Williamsport Crosscutters, Guth compiled a 2-2 record with a 5.82 ERA in his first full season and, once again got comfortable with the rotation and knowing that every five days he was going to get the ball every five days.

“I actually liked it a lot better, the routine was more set and you knew when you were going to start.”

He, along with many BlueClaws players, wrapped up his first spring training and talked about the experience of being around some of the big leaguers, like Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee.

“It was actually cool a lot of the big league guys would all come down and work on things in our games. We got to watch them pitch…learned a lot, pitch sequences and stuff like that, it was great.”

Click here to listen to an interview of Guth from BlueClaws broadcaster Dan Acheson.

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Here is the BlueClaws starting rotation:

Thursday – RHP Jordan Guth
Friday – RHP Josh Warner
Saturday – RHP Shane Watson
Sunday – RHP Kevin Brady
Monday – LHP Yoel Mecias

We’ve looked at rosters. We’ve posted player bios. It’s finally time for baseball. Opening Day is tomorrow night, and to get you ready, we have our first Gold Coast Cadillac Manager’s Report with Mickey Morandini of 2013.

Gold Coast Cadillac is the #1 Cadillac dealer on the East Coast. Visit them on Route 35 in Oakhurst or at GoldCoastCadillac.com.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here or in the player below.

Below, we have a few snippets -

• On the team – “We’re real young again. A lot of talent on this team. Some speed. We feel real good about our infield, but we’re real young. But that’s ok. That’s part of the development, and we’re looking forward to seeing how these kids come in here and react.”
• On Roman Quinn – “He played real well this spring. He’s coming along really well. He just started to hit left-handed last year. He had a position change last year too. He’s getting better every day. He’s an inning-changer. He’s a pitch changer. It’s unbelievable how fast he is.”
• On Art Charles – “He’ll probably be our 4/5 type hitter. He’s a big, strong left-handed power hitter. He does a real nice job around first base and when he hits the ball, he hits it hard.”
• On Opening Day – “It’s exciting. I’m proud of all these guys. They worked really hard and earned the right to be here, that’s for sure. We’re a family now. We’re together for six months. We’re all going to be pulling for each other and playing the best baseball we can. It’s an exciting time. I’m really looking forward to Thursday night.”

There’s a lot more in there. We encourage you to listen to the full interview.

One of our favorite ClawCasts to pop up here every year is our groundskeeping review/preview. We sit down with BlueClaws Director of Grounds Mike Morvay who looks back on the off-season, tells us how he gets the field ready, and more.

Some quick hitters -

• He notes that they added about 25 tons of dirt to the infield and a few tons of stone to the warning tracks this year.
• This winter has been much colder than last year’s winter, which was one of the warmest on record, and among the warmest since this stadium opened.
• What do groundskeepers who work in New England and other colder areas think this time? “They hope it’s not going to snow!”

You can listen to the interview by clicking here or in the player below.

We mentioned yesterday that the same mother-daughter combo, Beverly and Amanda from Brick and Point Pleasant, have been first on line for BlueClaws individual game tickets at FanFest each of the last two years.

Make it three.

They noted that while they certainly had the day marked on the calendar, they did feel called out after we mentioned their streak yesterday on the BlueClaws Twitter and Facebook pages.

Congrats Beverly and Amanda. This is a streak that will certainly not be easy to match!

We did a quick interview with them, and you can listen below.

FanFest runs from 11 am – 4 pm and we hope to see you at the ballpark.

A few weeks ago, it was announced that BlueClaws GM Geoff Brown would be leaving the BlueClaws after 13 years and 12 seasons. The first employee hired by the BlueClaws in November of 1999, Brown has been here for three championships, five million fans, and countless memories.

Today is his last day with the BlueClaws, and he’ll start his new position with Rutgers University Athletics on Monday.

Before he left, we did want to bring him onto the podcast for an interview.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here or by listening below.

A couple of quick snippets, but we hope you listen to the whole thing:
- “I’ve got an 11 year old an an 8-year old. They’re going to want to come to 6-8-10 games, so we’ll be back. But certainly walking out of the office for the last time on Friday is going to be a little bit weird.”

- “It really sunk in when the Rutgers athletic department sent out a press release. All of a sudden it became real at that point. But the last couple of days when I started packing up, it struck again.”

- “I don’t think anyone expected us to draw 400,000 people a year, maybe 300,000. We knew how many people from the Shore were going to see the Thunder and they would stay put to see a game in Lakewood, but we didn’t think 400,000 a year was going to happen. To be those strong numbers 12 years in has been fantastic.”

- “The fans have been fantastic and they continue to be. The amount of people that have emailed me over the last few weeks has made me feel really good.”

- “The fact that I got to dump beer and champagne on other people’s heads…not a lot of professions get to do that – and I got to do that three times.”

Also – there is evidently a time capsule.

Enjoy!

More from last night’s Phillies Winter Tour stop in Lakewood…We sat down with Phillies Director of Player Development Joe Jordan for an interview.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here or by listening below.

Or, take a look at some article snippets…

How spring training and his off-season are different now that he has a year in the system (Jordan came to the Phillies from the Orioles following the 2011 season)…I talk about it all the time. It’s going to be a lot different and more enjoyable. I don’t have 170 players or a complete staff to get to know. I want to go down and concentrate on the job and the players. It’s going to make all the difference in the world for me. I can give my staff more of what they need and not trying to learn everyone’s name.

On Jesse Biddle - No one had a better year, developmentally, than him. At the end of the year he’s throwing four pitches at Hi-A as a young pitcher. His command was good and no one had a better year. But when you get to know him and see him work, there are reasons why he’s successful. He has as much pride as anyone. It’s very important for him to one day pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies, we all know that. As far as this year is concerned, he’s scheduled to go to Reading and I’m excited to see how he handles the challenge.

Do you agree that the jump from Hi-A to AA, which Biddle will make this year, is the biggest in Minor League Baseball? I do agree with that. The strike zone is smaller and the hitters are more patient. For me it’s definitely the first real separator they run into.

On Jonathan Pettibone (2010 BlueClaw) and the strides he made in 2012 – Last winter at this time, he was the player that was as accurately described to me by the staff as anyone. He was a pitcher. He doesn’t throw the ball 95 mph but he was going to throw it where he wanted to and use his change-up. He was exactly as they said. I love his consistency, and that’s going to allow him to be a good major league pitcher. His year was phenomenal. When he went to AAA he didn’t miss a step.

There’s a lot more below the fold, including on some potential 2013 BlueClaws.

(more…)

Last weekend we recorded two season wrap-up podcasts with BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini and pitching coach Les Lancaster, talking about some of the players and performances we saw with the BlueClaws in 2012.

These are the final Gold Coast Cadillac Manager’s Reports of 2012. Gold Coast Cadillac is the #1 Cadillac dealer in the country. Visit them on Route 35 in Oakhurst or online by clicking here.

First, some snippets from the interviews.

Morandini

On Maikel Franco – “Shorter to the ball. Starting to use all fields a bit more. He realizes he doesn’t have to swing for a home run every time and he’s done a great job laying off the curveball in the dirt to put himself in more hitters counts.”

On Kelly Dugan – “Once Duffy left, he didn’t lose anything…I think the thing that he’s gotten better at is hitting left-handed pitching, which is something he had to work on. If he can continue to hit lefties he’s going to be a force offensively. He hits the ball the other way as good as anybody and drives it that way, and once he gets better at recognizing off-speed stuff, he’s going to be a force offensively.”

What are you looking for, outside the numbers, do you look for – “How they’ve progressed. We told them at the All-Star Break, that it doesn’t matter what you did in April. It’s what you do in July and August that’s going to determine what you’re going to do this year. A lot of guys have been very consistent. How they’ve improved, is there anything else they need to learn in this league or are they ready for that next challenge?”

That’s just two snippets, but here are comments on Aaron Altherr, Tim Carver, Josh Ludy, Willie Carmona, Kyrell Hudson, and much more.

Les Lancaster

Noted that many of the bullpen guys from the start of the season have been moved up (including Ryan Duke, Mike Nesseth, Colton Murray, Kenny Giles)

Most important thing a player learns over a 140-game season – “They definitely have to stay strong through starts and relief appearances, the weight program, conditioning program. But they have to make adjustments on their own without having someone come out and tell them, and they’ve done that, within one or two pitches, plus trust their fastball and pitch inside.”

On Colin Kleven – “Believing in himself more and pitching more inside. We taught him a new slider grip during spring training and it’s been a big out pitch for him against righties and lefties. We finally found a change-up grip he’s had success with and he’s a better pitcher for it.”

On Ethan Stwart – “Pitching inside. He still shies away a little bit but he’s getting better. He’s always had a plus-curveball and the change-up is coming along a bit too.”

On Hoby Milner – “When he first got here, most of the time in college he was a reliever so it took a little bit to get the starting routine down, and he stopped trying to strike out everyone and make the perfect pitch, he just took off.”

On Kenny Giles – “I had him last year for the first time. The velocity and arm speed were there. He was wild, just rearing back and throwing, wherever it went it went. We slowed his delivery down, and smoothed it a bit and he can still get it with good angle without losing velocity. Middle part of the way, once he went back into the reliever role, we changed his grip on his slider and the slider became 86-89 and nobody could sit on.”

Again, there are comments in the interview on several more players than what we just covered here.

Listen to the interviews in the player or clicking here (Morandini, Lancaster).

Mickey Morandini:

Les Lancaster:

Zach Cooper was a 15th round pick this year from Central Michigan and after opening his career with Williamsport, joined the BlueClaws three weeks ago. So far, in 10 innings, he has allowed just one earned run.

Cooper sat down for an intervi

ew prior to the BlueClaws game on Saturday in West Virginia.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here or by listening below.

He talks about his transition to the pros, and the development of his new change-up that started in college this year and has helped him greatly so far this season.