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The Phillies supplemental first round pick in 2006, who played with Lakewood in 2007 and was traded to the A’s in 2008, was claimed by the Cubs yesterday on waivers.
He hit .295-9-79 with Lakewood that season and was traded a year later in the deal that brought Joe Blanton to the Phillies.
Here is an old Q&A we did with Cardenas 38 months ago and here is a valuable interview he did with the Sacramento radio broadcaster, Johnny Doskow.
We’ll have some stuff here and there in the coming weeks on some of your favorite former BlueClaws as spring training nears and continues. Pitchers and catchers are set to report in less than two weeks and we’ve stumbled across some Freddy Galvis news and notes that are worth sharing here.
Last Year: Galvis split the season between Reading (where he played in 2010) and Lehigh Valley, hitting .273 in 104 games with the R-Phils and .298 in 33 games with the IronPigs, easily his best offensive seasons. In fact, it’s the only time he hit above .238 in any stop except for an 8-29 rehab stint with the GCL Phillies in 2009.
Baseball America: He was ranked 6th in the system, his highest ranking, and they note what everyone has always said - he is a defensive wizard.
In the Media: Todd Zolecki of MLB.com noted the following in a recent mailbag about Galvis.
Well, the good news for the Phillies is they don’t have to do anything with Galvis other than play him at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Galvis had a nice season last year, hitting a combined .278 with Double-A Reading and Lehigh Valley. But that’s also the first season he hit better than .240.
Galvis is far from a finished product, so more seasoning in the Minors should serve him well. And because Philadelphia traded Wilson Valdez to Cincinnati, Galvis could get an extended look in the big leagues this season should something happen to Rollins.
Trade Influence: The Phillies traded utility IF Wilson Valdez to the Reds the day of the Winter Tour stop in Lakewood and Ruben Amaro said the following:
“We’re keeping our minds and eyes and ears open,” Amaro said. “Freddy, we view him as a guy who will start off in Triple A and if we have any injury issues or things that will happen during the course of the year, we feel very comfortable that Freddy can come in and do a good job as a backup or a stopgap at this stage of his career.”
Sandberg Says: Sandberg will manage the 22 year old in Lehigh Valley this year.
“Freddy made a great stride last year. He turned out to be the best regular player we had on the whole field. He’s a very heads up player, he’s right there with the manager, thinking the game of baseball,” Sandberg said. “He does all the little things. That’s drag bunting, checking the defense, taking what the defense gives you, gap to gap hitting. He really stepped in and like I said, was probably our best regular player the last month of the season and into the playoffs. I think he’ll really get a serious look from the major league club.”
That’s number one. We’ll have more of these roundups as we go forward.
Michael Taylor, a BlueClaw in 2008, interned at sports-talk KNBR in San Francisco this offseason. He spends his afternoons walking around a five or six block radius from the station trying to get comments from fans on the streets.
“Thousands and thousands of no’s,” he joked. “I have more of an appreciation for this side of the media because of this.”
He said working in the sports media was always something that he thought about.
“I decided to find out if there was a chance to get in on the ground floor. They had a new segment called ‘What’s Bugging You’ and they gave it to me. It grew from there.”
Watch the full video here on MLB.com.
(Thanks to former BlueClaws broadcaster and current Charleston RiverDogs broadcaster Sean Houston for the find)
MLB.com put out their annual top 100 prospect listing (link here) and there are seven former BlueClaws on the list, all from the last three years, and six of those players helped the BlueClaws win at least one South Atlantic League title.
Below, find bios and notes on these players:
25. Travis d’Arnaud, Catcher, Blue Jays - MLB Says - The Blue Jays got d’Arnaud in the Roy Halladay deal and he has steadily improved into one of the better all-around catching prospects. Agile and fairly athletic, he also has an above-average arm, giving him all he needs to be a fine defensive catcher, especially as he learns more of the nuances of the craft. He has excellent makeup and leadership skills. His excellent bat speed should continue to allow him to hit for average and power, which really started happening in 2011. If things continue to progress, he could give J.P. Arencibia a run for his money in Toronto soon.
With Lakewood - He hit .255 - 13 - 71 in 2009, helping the BlueClaws to the Sally League title, before being included in the Roy Halladay trade that December. This year, with AA New Hampshire, he was the Eastern League MVP and won another championship with OF Anthony Gose.
44. Jonathan Singleton, First Baseman, Astros - MLB Says - Singleton has a special bat from the left side of the plate. He should hit for plenty of average, and the power started to come in 2011, with much more on the way. He has a good game plan at the plate with excellent discipline. The Phillies moved him to left field to avoid the Ryan Howard roadblock but put him back at first after a while, where he is much more comfortable defensively. The trade to Houston in the Hunter Pence deal erases that issue.
With Lakewood - He hit .290 - 14 - 77 after joining the BlueClaws from extended spring training on May 13th of 2010. He homered in his first at bat, hit two on the day the BlueClaws clinched the first-half title, and hit cleanup on Lakewood’s second straight championship team. He was traded to Houston in the Hunter Pence trade in July of 2011.
54. Trevor May, Starting Pitcher, Phillies - MLB Says - May is starting to develop into a more complete pitcher and not just a thrower. The fastball is up to 95 mph and it has plenty of sink. May has no trouble maintaining velocity deep into his starts. He complements his fastball with an above-average curve and a changeup that shows glimpses of being above-average as well. While he still walks a good number of hitters, he lowered his walk rate considerably and showed better overall command.
With Lakewood - He went 4-1, 2.56 in 2009 and returned on July 4th, 2010 to go 7-3, 2.91 down the stretch and was the workhorse starter on two different BlueClaws championship teams. This year, he was third in the minors with 208 strikeouts while pitching for Clearwater.
57. Anthony Gose, Outfielder, Blue Jays - MLB Says - Gose is an exciting player to watch thanks to his considerable tools. The best one, of course, is his plus plus speed, which he uses to be a major basestealing threat and to be an outstanding defensive center fielder. He also has one of the best outfield arms in the Minors as a former high-school pitcher who could dial it up into the mid-90s. He did draw more walks in 2011 and started turning his raw power into production, but his strikeout rate is still too high, especially if he’s going to be a top-of-the-order catalyst.
With Lakewood - He set the franchise stolen base record with 76 in 2009, stole 45 in the Florida State League in 2010 and 70 more this year with New Hampshire. Gose hit over .400 in the 2009 Sally League postseason at Lakewood’s leadoff hitter and catalyst. He was traded to Houston in the 2010 Roy Oswalt trade and was immediately flipped to the Blue Jays where he was re-united with Travis d’Arnaud.
61. Jarred Cosart, Starting Pitcher, Astros - MLB Says - Cosart shook off the injury bug that hampered him in 2009 and 2010 to have a fully healthy 2011 season, albeit one interrupted by the trade. He has electric stuff, with a plus fastball that touches the upper 90s. His curve, while inconsistent at times, can be nasty, and he’ll even show glimpses of an excellent changeup. He’s lean and projectable.
With Lakewood - Went 7-3, 3.79 in the first half of 2010 with Lakewood before getting hurt, though he did help the BlueClaws to a first-half title. The hard-thrower was traded to the Astros in the Hunter Pence trade at the deadline in 2011.
78. Jesse Biddle, Starting Pitcher, Phillies - MLB Says - A strong and durable southpaw, Biddle has the makings of three above-average to plus pitches in his arsenal. He’s shown the ability to run his fastball in the low 90s. He has a changeup that could be plus when all is said and done, and although his curve is inconsistent, it’s tighter and has a harder break than when he was in high school. He needs to improve his command, not rare for such a young arm, but he did lower his walk rate in the second half of 2011.
With Lakewood - Biddle had a 1.97 ERA after the all-star break and went 7-8, 2.98 on the year, his first full season after being drafted the previous June. He was also named the South Atlantic League All-Star Left-Handed Pitcher at the conclusion of the season.
80. Brody Colvin, Starting Pitcher, Phillies - MLB Says - Despite the rough 2011 season, Colvin still has pure stuff, and a projectable pitcher’s body, that would be the envy of many a pitching prospect. His fastball is plus at times, up into the mid-90s with good sink that generates ground balls. Both his curve and his changeup have the chance to be very good secondary pitches, and he’s shown a better feel for the offspeed pitch in the past then many his age. His command suffered in 2011, something that will have to improve for him to move forward.
With Lakewood - He was 6-8 with the BlueClaws in 2010 but had an ERA of just 3.38 and was the only Lakewood starter to make every turn that year. His ERA after May 15th was below 2.50.
MLB.com and MiLB.com have two features posted from the last week on a pair of 2009 BlueClaws teammates, now re-united with the BlueJays - C Travis d’Arnaud and OF Anthony Gose.
First, d’Arnaud. Here is a Q&A done with MiLB.com.
MiLB.com: Fast forward to December 2009, and you were included in the trade between the Phillies and Blue Jays for Roy Halladay. What went through your head when you found out about the deal?
d’Arnaud: I was shocked, because I was actually on the golf course with a few of my buddies, and I was getting texts from my friends hearing I’d been traded on ESPN. I didn’t know anything about it. Then I got a call from my agent saying I’d been traded for Roy Halladay. I was excited, shocked and honored. I can’t believe I was even considered in a trade for an outstanding pitcher like Halladay — one of the best pitchers, if not the best, in the game today.
Gose, meanwhile, was featured in this video interview:
Jesse Biddle checks in at #9 on this list from MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo.
9. Jesse Biddle, Phillies: Getting to pitch in your own backyard can be a blessing and a curse. Sure, you’re close to home, but the pressure of playing for your hometown team can be detrimental. Biddle, the Philly-area kid who was taken by his team in the first round in 2010, handled it with aplomb. Strong and durable, Biddle shook off a rough first month to pitch extremely well in full-season ball for the remainder of the year, finishing among the leaders in ERA and strikeouts. As with many young pitchers, there’s still work to be done with his command, but he has the chance to have three above-average to plus pitches when all is said and done. He’ll pitch all of the upcoming season at age 20 while making the move up to the Florida State League.
Biddle will be a guest at the Winter Tour stop in Lakewood on Wednesday of next week (January 25th). Details here.
Good luck to Steve Schrenk, who BlueClaws fans know was the pitching coach here in 2005-06, and 2010-11. Schrenk is now managing the Canberra Calvary in the Australian Baseball League.
After missing the playoffs in his first year (the 2010-11 season), they are in the mix to the end this year. With five games left, the Calvary are 18-22, in a three-way tie for third place, one game out of second, and one game ahead of sixth place. The top four teams will qualify for the post-season.
Perth, at 30-10, have an 11 game lead and have already clinched first place. They’re led by former BlueClaw and Australian native Tim Kennelly, who is 3rd in the league hitting .369 and tops in the league with 36 RBIs.
Canberra, who has won six of their last 10 games, will have Mike McGuire, the 2010 Lakewood closer who made a few appearances for the BlueClaws in 2011, pitch one of the last five games. McGuire is 4-4 and 4th in the league with a 2.92 ERA.
Melbourne has Brad Harman, an infielder on the 2006 BlueClaws team that Schrenk was a coach for. He’s batting .283 with a league leading 11 home runs.
Here is a pretty good rundown from the Canberra site. Go Calvary!
Today is Friday the 13th, and we’d like to wish everyone a Happy Friday the 13th. This day has always been good to the BlueClaws, as the team is 7-2 all-time on Friday the 13th.
The BlueClaws will actually play two Friday the 13th games this year, one in April against Hagerstown and anothyer in July against Hickory, both at FirstEnergy Park.
Here’s the BlueClaws history on Friday the 13th:
April 13th, July 13th, both at 7:05. See you then.
Boo.
Former BlueClaws are ranked 1-2 in three different organizations among the recent Baseball America prospect lists released over the last few weeks.
We talked about the Phillies top ten prospects list awhile back with former BlueClaws in the one-through-four slots (Trevor May, Jesse Biddle, Sebastian Valle, and Jonathan Pettibone). May and Pettibone were in the BlueClaws 2010 championship rotation with Valle their catcher. Biddle, of course, was here this year. You can read more about those guys at the link.
The other two organizations where the BlueClaws go 1-2 are recent Phillies trading partners Houston and Toronto.
Houston (click here)
1. 1B Jonathan Singleton: Sent to Houston in the Hunter Pence trade in July, Singleton hit .290-14-77 with the BlueClaws in 2010, including a mammoth home run in his first at bat with the team, May 13th in Greenville. After the trade, Singleton was sent to Hi-A Lancaster (he was with Clearwater) and hit .333 with 4 HRs in 129 at bats. Baseball America says he is the best first base prospect in the minors.
2. RHP Jarred Cosart: Also in the Hunter Pence trade in July, Cosart went 7-3, 3.79 with Lakewood in 2010, pitching in the first half before an injury cost him the second half of the season. Cosart, unlike Singleton, was bumped straight up to Double-A Corpus Christi after the trade. He went 1-2, 4.79 in seven starts (though he did allow one earned run or less in five of those seven starts) and will likely go back there to open the 2012 campaign.
Toronto (click here)
1. C Travis d’Arnaud: He was traded to the Jays in the Roy Halladay in December of 2009. This year, he anchored the championship Eastern League Jays affiliate in New Hampshire, hitting .311-21-78 and was the league MVP. He hit 13 home runs and drove in 71 runs with the championship BlueClaws in 2009 under Dusty Wathan. d’Arnaud, who saw his brother Chase make his big league debut this year with Pittsburgh, is expected to go to Triple-A Las Vegas and could make his big league debut later in the season.
2. CF Anthony Gose: Gose has led his league in steals each of the last three years (including a franchise record 76 with the BlueClaws in 2009). This year, he was d’Arnaud’s teammate on the championship New Hampshire club. Gose stole 70 bases this year and hit 16 home runs, after hitting nine in his first three pro seasons. He’ll join d’Arnaud in Las Vegas this summer. He was actually sent to Houston in the Roy Oswalt deal in 2010 but was immediately flipped to Toronto for Brett Wallace. Toronto reportedly wanted him in the Halladay deal but the Phillies held onto him.
And that’s how you 1-2 in 3 organizations.
A few former BlueClaws (OF Michael Taylor and IF Adrian Cardenas) could appear on the Athletics top-ten list, which will be released on January 25th, though that list will not include the prospects the A’s have received this offseason in trading away Gio Gonzalez (Nationals), Andrew Bailey (Red Sox) and Trevor Cahill (Diamondbacks).
Today is Juan Richardson’s birthday.
Who’s that, you ask?
Richardson, who turns 33 today, was the third baseman on the first-ever BlueClaws team. That 2001 team was managed by Greg Legg, current BlueClaws hitting coach.
Richardson had played in this league (South Atlantic League) in 2000 but with Piedmont (now Kannapolis) before the Phillies moved their affiliation from down in North Carolina to up here at the Jersey Shore.
That first season, Richardson hit 22 home runs, the BlueClaws single-season and franchise records, and drove in 83 runs. The 22 home runs stood alone until this year, when Jim Murphy hit 22 of his own to tie the single-season mark and, combined with the 14 he hit in 2009, Murphy passed Richardson’s all-time home run total.
Richardson played five years of Double-A ball, two with Reading, two in the Cardinals system and one (2008) in the Royals system. He has spent the last three years in independent leagues, this year with Wichita in the American Association where he hit .360 with 12 home runs in 98 games.
Richardson will always hold a place in BlueClaws history, and his 22 home runs are still the most ever hit by a BlueClaw in a single season (now tied with Murphy).
Happy Birthday to Juan Richardson.
Austin Hyatt and BJ Rosenberg, both members of the 2009 BlueClaws, will head to spring training this year as non-roster invitees.
Both spent this year with AA Reading, where Hyatt went 12-6, 3.85 as a starter and Rosenberg went 5-7, 4.28 split between the bullpen and the starting rotation.
They were never formally teammates with Lakewood, as Rosenberg, who was drafted in the 13th round in 2008 from Louisville, was promoted (straight to Reading) in early August. He did not allow an earned run after Memorial Day (28.2 consecutive innings). He was also a non-roster invitee last year.
Hyatt, who was drafted that year from Alabama in the 15th round, joined Lakewood for the final five regular season games (he appeared in just one) and the playoffs. That post-season, he appeared in four games (four of the five BlueClaws wins) and threw six shutout innings.
Todd Zolecki of Phillies.com has the rest of the 15 non-roster invitees announced in November:
Right-handers Dave Bush, Scott Elarton and Brian Sanches; left-handers David Purcey, Pat Misch and Raul Valdes; catchers Steven Lerud and Tuffy Gosewisch; infielders Pete Orr, Kevin Frandsen and Hector Luna; and outfielders Scott Podsednik and Luis Montanez.
Gosewisch, of course, is another former BlueClaw, who was here in 2007. He hit .247 with 13 HRs and 66 RBIs this year with Reading.
Best of luck to those players.
By the way, Opening Day in Lakewood is just 98 days away and assuming a Valentine’s Day report date, you’re looking at just 40 days until pitchers and catchers (I say this as we got our first snow dusting here at the Shore this morning).
An annual tradition…as you sit down to watch the college football games this bowl season, here is a list of former BlueClaws and their connections to the various schools.
(Note - if a bowl game is not listed, we can’t find a connection - if you want to email any updates, please do: ggiombarrese @ blueclaws dot com).
Enjoy!
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MAACO Las Vegas Bowl (12/22) - Arizona State vs Boise State…Tuffy Gosewisch (2007) is a Sun Devil, the lone rooting interest we have in this game.
(UPDATE - Sean Houston, the voice of the Charleston RiverDogs and member of our broadcast and blogging team in 2011, calls in to remind us that all-time BlueClaw Travis Mattair, who is celebrating a birthday today, went to Boise State in 2010 walking on the basketball team, so he should certainly be added in here).
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (12/24) - Nevada vs Southern Miss…Ryan Frith (2005-06) went to Southern Miss. No Wolfpack alums.
AdvoCare V100 Independence (12/26) - Missouri vs North Carolina…2010 BlueClaw Jarred Cosart committed to Missouri out of high school but signed with the Phillies and 2009 BlueClaw Jason Knapp committed to North Carolina before signing with the Phillies.
Belk Bowl (12/27) - Louisville vs NC State…2009 BlueClaw BJ Rosenberg is a proud Louisville Cardinal.
Military Bowl (12/28) - Toledo vs Air Force…2008 BlueClaw Karl Bolt went to Air Force.
Holiday Bowl (12/28) - California vs Texas…2011 BlueClaws C Cameron Rupp was a three-year Texas Longhorn.
Champs Sports Bowl (12/29) - Florida State vs Notre Dame…Two Seminoles - Aaron Cheesman (2006) and Robby Read (2003)…The only Fighting Irish alum is 2010 BlueClaw Jeremy Barnes - though Brad Lidge, who rehabbed here this year, also went there.
Alamo Bowl (12/29) - Washington vs Baylor…2009-10 BlueClaw Trevor May committed to Washington before signing with the Phillies and 2003 BlueClaw Andre Marshall played there…Baylor alums are Anthony Hensley (2001) and Josh Scott (2002).
New Era Pinstripe Bowl (12/30) - Rutgers vs Iowa State…No players but good luck to the alma mater of BlueClaws AGM Brandon Marano.
Insight Bowl (12/30) - Iowa vs Oklahoma…Nathan Johnson (2005) is a Hawkeye, and legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas went here too…Two Sooners - Will Savage (2006) and Ryan Duke (2011).
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (12/31) - Texas A&M vs Northwestern…JA Happ (2005) and Dan Brauer (2006) went to Northwestern and Ryan Wardinsky (2003) went to Texas A&M.
Hyundai Sun Bowl (12/31) - Georgia Tech vs Utah…Jeremy Slayden (2006) is a Yellow Jacket. 2007 BlueClaw Jarrod Freeman committed to Utah before signing with the Phillies.
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (12/31) - Illinois vs UCLA…UCLA is the alma mater of 2008 BlueClaw Tyson Brummett and 2011 BlueClaw Garett Claypool (and Chase Utley).
Chick-Fil-A Bowl (12/31) - Virginia vs Auburn…Two Auburn alums: Javon Moran (2004) and Sean Gamble (2006). Michael Schwimer, a 2008 Phillies draftee, went to Virginia and skipped Lakewood.
TicketCity Bowl (1/2) - Houston vs Penn State…Rod Perry (2003) is the lone PSU alum.
Capital One Bowl (1/2) - Nebraska vs South Carolina…The BlueClaws have a pipeline to these schools. First, Nebraska: Luke Wertz (2009-10) and Trevor Bullock (2001) played here. Jacob Diekman (2008-10) committed here as did Tyler Cloyd (2009), though both signed with the Phillies. Cody Asche, drafted this year, went to Nebraska and he could be in Lakewood in 2012, as could 2010 draftee Matt Nesseth. Michael Floyd (2002), Andrew Cruse (2007), Mike Cisco (2008) and Aaron Rawl (2006-06) all went to South Carolina.
Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl (1/2) - Ohio State vs Florida…No Buckeyes or Gators, though 2007 BlueClaw Adrian Cardenas committed to Florida before signing with the Phillies, as did 2010 BlueClaw Jiwan James. 2011 draftee Matt Campbell, who played for Williamsport, went to Florida and he could be here in 2012.
Rose Bowl (1/2) - Wisconsin vs Oregon…Chad Sidowsky (2001) went to Wisconsin. No Oregon alums though Jesse Biddle (2011) committed here before signing with the Phillies.
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (1/2) - Stanford vs Oklahoma State…Big one here as Michael Taylor (2008) went to Stanford and three went to OSU: John Urick (2006), Michael Dabbs (2010), and Jason Jaramillo (2005).
Discover Orange Bowl (1/4) - West Virginia vs Clemson…Zac Cline (2004) went to WVU and Herm Demmink (2007) went to Clemson.
AT&T Cotton Bowl (1/6) - Kansas State vs Arkansas…Two Razorbacks: Chris Rhoads (2007) and Matt Riethmayer (2001).
BBVA Compass Bowl (1/7) - SMU vs Pittsburgh…Nick Evangelista (2004) went to Pittsburgh and Phillies broadcaster Scott Franzke went to SMU.
GoDaddy.com Bowl (1/8) - Arkansas State vs Northern Illinois…2007 BlueClaw Matt German went to NIU.
BCS Championship Game (1/9) - LSU vs Alabama…Austin Hyatt (2010) is a Crimson Tide alum. 2011 Williamsport LHP Adam Morgan went to Bama and he could be with the BlueClaws this year.
Two 2011 BlueClaws, RHP Lendy Castillo and IF Travis Mattair were selected in today’s Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings. Castillo was taken in the Major League portion by the Cubs and Mattair in the Triple-A phase by the Reds. Here is the full list of drafted players from MLB.com.
Castillo joined the BlueClaws in June and went 4-2, 2.54. He struck out 46 hitters in 46 innings pitched. He pitched across three levels (Dominican Summer League, Gulf Coast League, and NY-Penn League) in 2010 after three years as an infielder. He hit just .239 in those three seasons so the Phillies tried him as a pitcher and it certainly worked out. He’s considered somewhat raw (expected considering he has only thrown 111 professional innings) but throws in the low to mid 90s with excellent movement. Now he’ll have a chance to make a big league roster out of spring training.
Mattair was a 2nd round pick of the Phillies in 2007 and was with the BlueClaws in 2008 and 2009. After taking a year off to pursue college basketball, he returned to baseball this year, which he split between Lakewood and Clearwater. This year with Lakewood he hit .266 with 2 HRs and 18 RBIs. You may remember that it was nearly 3 HRs and 21 RBIs but his apparent walk-off grand slam on July 4th was changed to a single. Mattair played 288 games in a BlueClaws uniform, more than anyone else (the second highest total is 205 by Carlos Rodriguez). His 256 hits are 72 more than Greg Golson.
Steve Roadcap, who managed Mattair here in 2008, is now a scout for the Reds, which could be the connection to the Cincinnati organization.
What It Means
In Castillo’s case, he will now have an opportunity to make the Cubs Major League roster out of spring training. If he does, and is with them the entire year, the Cubs carry his rights into 2013. If not, he must be offered back to the Phillies, who would probably take him back.
In Mattair’s case, he will now go to the Reds where he will have a great shot to make at least their Double-A roster out of camp. Travis is as good a guy as you will ever meet and we wish him nothing but the absolute best.
Good luck to both guys!
We had a chance to catch up with 2010-11 BlueClaws RHP Colby Shreve earlier this week for a new interview in which he talks about his time in Lakewood, his time in the Arizona Fall League this year, his plans for the offseason, and much more.
Shreve, a 6th round pick in 2008, missed that year and 2009 after having elbow surgery, but joined the BlueClaws in April of 2010. He stayed the duration of that year and settled into a relief role with the BlueClaws in 2011 before an August promotion to Clearwater.
On Arizona Fall League: It was good. It was a bit humbling, as you have the best minor league hitters down there but it was a good experience to know what it takes to play at the AA or AAA level. I met a lot of new guys from different organizations and see how the Red Sox or Angels or Nationals run their organizations.
What was the biggest thing you took out of your experience there? For whatever reason, when I got down there, maybe it was subconsciously, I started walking a lot of guys. A lot more than I usually did. During the year my K/BB ratio was pretty good but it fell off down there. Throwing strikes is #1 on the to-do list. Half of my earned runs reached base on walks. It was a hard lesson on what not to do. You fall behind those guys, at 2-0, 2-1, they’re going to mash it somewhere.
What was the call-up to Clearwater from Lakewood like? It went real good. I got up there, and the hitters were a little more disciplined and if you throw it over the plate it will get hit harder but it wasn’t as big a jump as I thought it would be. Towards the end, I gave up a few earned runs but I felt good about how I pitched down there.
What do you plan on doing throwing-wise in the off-season? I think they want us to throw about five or six bullpen sessions. It’s worked very well for me in the past. I’ll start tossing at the end of the month. They have a really good off-season program for us. We’ll progress in the bullpens and go down 5 or 6 in.
Do you have any goals as you head into the 2012 season? I never want to go in expecting to go somewhere. We have a ton of really talented guys and a lot are right on the edge. Where you end up when the season starts depends on how you go into spring training and how you play there.
Favorite experience with Lakewood? Definitely winning the title last year, that was a lot of fun. We had a great team too, a lot of great guys.
Shreve also mentioned his AFL teammate, Bryce Harper. Both are from the Las Vegas area and worked out with the same physical therapist in the last offseason.