York Revolution: April 2009 Archives

If fans want the latest take on the York Revolution, they don't need to go to the ballpark anymore. The Revolution front office first posted news of the arrival of shortstop Danny Sandoval on Twitter.

It's the first big news about the Revolution to be posted on the "free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time." (Whew, they could have shortened that definition a bit.)

York general manager Matt O'Brien and Revs head of baseball operations Adam Gladstone will work together to post new info on the team this season. Fans may follow the latest developments at http://twitter.com/RevsGM.

Former major league shortstop Danny Sandoval is expected to arrive in York Wednesday, and he will join the Revolution -- at the earliest -- Friday for the home opener against the Lancaster Barnstormers.

The Revolution have a maximum 27 players on their roster, so barring an injury or a player leaving to sign with another club York will be forced to make a roster move before activating Sandoval.

"We have to evaluate him," Revolution Director of Baseball Operations Adam Gladstone said. "Once we evaluate him and see if he's ready to play we have to determine when we will activate him."

The Revs have 13 pitchers, seven infielders (not counting Sandoval), five outfielders and two catchers on their active roster.

York left-hander Daryl Harang told WSBA 910-AM broadcaster Darrell Henry during the pregame show that he talked to his older brother Aaron Harang after the two notched victories on Thursday.

Harang (pictured above with York pitching coach Tippy Martinez) worked out of a bases-loaded jam to earn the win in the Revs' season opener, while Aaron earned a victory for the Cincinnati Reds. Harang said it was only the second time in their careers that the two brothers have earned victories on the same day.

A former reliever in the Blue Jays system, Harang is in his first year in the Atlantic League. After the first week of the season, York manager Chris Hoiles expects Harang to become his No. 5 starter.

Author Todd Gallagher responded to several questions about the Revolution's experiment with Dave Flood (pictured above) this spring. He admits the experiment turned into more of a publicity stunt than he wanted. And he explained how the experiment failed to generate the amount of data he needed.

The following is from an e-mail I received this morning. It's my first e-mail of the day to reference Enrico Pallazzo, but oddly enough not the first Pallazzo reference I've heard this week.

Weird, huh?

The York Revolution finally have a winner from Day 1.

After suffering through slow starts during the franchise's first two seasons, York recorded the first season-opening victory in franchise history and accomplished the feat in record fashion Thursday. The Revs scored an 8-4 victory against the Bridgeport Bluefish to open another 140-game season.

York posted a season-opening record 16 hits, topping the club's previous high of 11 recorded in the franchise-opener at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., on May 4, 2007.

Shortstop Brandon Pinckney made an impression in his first game in the league. A former Indians prospect who roomed with Revs outfielder Matt Esquivel in Arizona before the two learned about their releases minutes apart, Pinckney recorded three hits in the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

The Revolution will start the season with 26 players on the active roster.

Non-roster invites Keoni DeRenne (INF), Brian Holliday (LHP) and Colin Roberson (OF/1B) will start the season on the active roster. Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Josh Sharpless (RHP) has left the team because of a death in the family, and he will start the season on the inactive list along with visa player Danny Sandoval (INF) -- who has not yet arrived in the U.S. Kevin Kotch will remain with the team as a bullpen catcher until he moves to the Frontier League in May.

Check out the story here. Photos and video by Daily Record photographer Bil Bowden.

Right-handed pitcher Jimmy Barrett did not make the club. Pinch-hitting specialist Dave Flood (pictured above) has also left the team. He is expected to fly back to Florida Thursday. He finished the spring going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and one walk. He also disagreed with a number of the strike calls this spring, arguing that only one of the three called strikes in Tuesday's scrimmage hit his strike zone.

The Revs lost their final scrimmage of spring, dropping a 9-4 game to Lancaster. On the Lancaster side, Red Lion pitcher Jason Enoch did not make the final cut and did not appear in Tuesday's scrimmage.

Aaron Herr (pictured above in camp with Cleveland in 2008) homered, doubled and drove in three runs in Lancaster's 9-7 victory against York at Clipper Magazine Stadium Sunday.

The good news: York is scoring runs.

More good news: York isn't piling up wins in spring training. Normally this might be a reason for concern. But the last two years York dominated in spring and then started the regular season in a funk. It was almost as if the team became overly confident at the start of the season.

Schedule change
The York-Somerset scrimmage scheduled for today has been rained out. The Revolution may hold a practice this afternoon, depending on the weather.

The York Revolution dispelled the notion that a team of amateurs could match the pros. The Revs defeated the Central and Susquehanna League All-Stars 18-1 at Sovereign Bank Stadium Saturday. An announced crowd of 5,026 watched the game.

Daily Record/Sunday News reporter Jeff Dewees wrote: "Any lingering misconceptions about the legitimacy of the brand of baseball being played at the Vault should finally be put to rest." Read his game story here.

The one bright spot for the home-grown talent had to be right-hander Shawn Hedrick.

Under Armour, the Baltimore-based apparel company, will be the official uniform provider for the York Revolution this season. The Revolution will be the first professional baseball team to wear UA uniforms. The decision to leave Rawlings means the Revolution will have a new look in 2009 -- and the biggest change will be the elimination of the red alternate jerseys and the new York script which is similar to the "York Peppermint Patty" logo.

The story about the new uniforms can be found in Saturday's edition of the Daily Record or at this link.

The biggest question about this new partnership will be the possible expansion of UA into professional baseball uniforms. More specifically, will it supply all eight Atlantic League teams in the near future?

I think that day is coming.

I'm joined by fellow Daily Record sports reporter Steve Navaroli this week in our first installment of the Inside Pitch Podcast.

We hope to be joined by some players in the coming weeks, just to get their thoughts on the season.

This week Steve and I discuss a couple York players who might surprise Revs fans this season. And we also try to highlight some of the players we think will earn another shot with major league organizations.

The first phase of the experiment was an utter disaster.

Pinch-hitting specialist Dave Flood (pictured above in a Courier News photo) struck out. Kip Bouknight caught Flood looking -- he's always looking -- on a 2-2 pitch in the fifth inning.

The rest of York's roster also had trouble getting on base. Somerset won 6-1, behind home runs by Josh Pressley and Noah Hall. York's only run came via a solo homer by third baseman/catcher Jeff Eure. Matt Padgett went 2-for-2.

York pitchers Corey Thurman, Mike Smith and Travis Phelps had scoreless outings.

Short history lesson: A spring loss could be good news. York looked like league champions the last two springs, going undefeated in 2007. But the last two years the Revs played terrible once the regular season began. So maybe this is actually a good sign. (Then again, did anyone expect a great performance from York when it has barely been able to take the field this spring?) Check out Ryan Dunleavy's recap of the game, and Atlantic League Baseball for Bouknight's reaction.

How 'bout that decision to go forward with spring training in York in April? That one's working out grand. Eh?

Ah, nothing like going into the first spring scrimmage without a real practice. Some Revolution pitchers actually attempted to take fielding practice on a YMCA basketball court today. Now that was creative. Nothing prepares professional baseball players for the regular season quite like fielding a grounder on a hardwood floor. Picture it now, Jason Kershner fields a worm-burner in the season opener. Game on the line, needs an out. He turns to first ... and shoots a jumper. Now you know why.

OK, enough negativity. Let's just agree on one thing. Spring training in York is great for the fans and newspaper reporters. It's lousy for baseball. Ryan Goleski (pictured above) and the rest of the Revs practiced inside all day Wednesday.

The Revs team bus leaves for Somerset at 8 a.m. Thursday. Check out some links from a rainy second day of spring ... .

Rainy. Cold. Windy.

It didn't feel like spring. Well, maybe spring in Pennsylvania. But it didn't feel like baseball weather for most of the pros in town, attempting to make the starting lineup for the Revolution. The Revolution took the field at Sovereign Bank Stadium with some players wearing knit winter caps.

Here is one Steve Navaroli story from the Daily Record, and here is a notebook -- detailing the Phillies signing of right-hander Steve Green. Green returns to the franchise where he spent 2008. The Revolution still have nine pitchers signed with major league experience.

For those interested in the Revolution's "experiment" here is the Daily Record story on Dave Flood's first day in the batting cage. The 3-foot-2 radio personality did not swing the bat, and actually watched a couple strikes go through the zone. This might not work after all, considering both Corey Thurman and Dave Gassner located pitches in -- what Flood estimates -- a 6-inch strike zone.

Being able to return to York, made getting released by Cleveland easier for outfielder Matt Esquivel.

The slugging outfielder signed with the Indians, was cut after spring training, but didn't stay unemployed for long.

After hitting .294 with 13 home runs and 77 runs batted in for York last season, Esquivel knew he had a place to play and Revs director of baseball operations Adam Gladstone was glad to get him back in the fold.

The York Revolution completed their preseason roster, announcing seven player signings Monday - less than 24 hours before the team starts spring training at Sovereign Bank Stadium. The team increased its number of major league pitchers to 10 (jeesh, thanks for the catch Adam ... I lost the ability to count before camp even started) signing former Orioles reliever Rick Bauer.

Bauer appeared in four games for the Cleveland Indians last season. The 31-year-old California native played for the Orioles from 2001-05, but has bounced around since his release from Baltimore -- pitching for five organizations in three seasons.

Former Revolution outfielder Matt Esquivel and relief pitcher Travis Phelps have also returned to York after spending March in minor league camp with major league organizations.

Esquivel and Phelps were among the final players released at the end of camp. During the winter, the Indians signed Esquivel, the Tigers signed Phelps to free agent minor league deals.

York also received official contracts from catcher Josh Johnson, infielder George Sandel, infielder Brandon Pinckney and catcher Kevin Kotch.

Todd Gallagher (pictured above while conducting a playground challenge for ESPN) is the reason Dave Flood, also known as "Dave the Dwarf," will suit up for the York Revolution Tuesday.

He wants to respond to some of the questions readers and fans have regarding the experiment of bringing Flood to camp at Sovereign Bank Stadium. The York Daily Record is trying to set up a forum later this week, perhaps a live chat, where Gallagher can answer some questions and concerns from Revolution fans. While Gallagher knows some fans may be hesitant to accept the arrival of Flood because of his background as a radio personality, Gallagher points out that Flood isn't driving this experiment. Gallagher's extensive research is the reason for the experiment.

Gallagher sent me an e-mail detailing his research.

Dave Flood -- a Florida radio personality known as "Dave the Dwarf" who stands 3 feet, 2 inches -- will join the York Revolution Tuesday as a non-roster invitee to spring training.

Unlike the publicity stunt when maverick St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck hired Eddie Gaedel -- and his 1 1/2-inch strike zone -- to pinch-hit for one at-bat in 1951, Revolution officials insist the move is a legitimate baseball experiment.

Author Todd Gallagher believes a little person can be a valuable player for professional baseball teams. Even major league pitchers have their limits, and Gallagher believes it would be nearly impossible for them to strike out a little person. He contacted Revolution owner Peter Kirk with the hopes of allowing Flood to bat for the Revs.

Daryl Harang could understand if he had a terrible season. Organizations release players all the time in spring training, they can always use that one terrible season as a reason for dropping the ax.

But Harang never had that one terrible season.

He had the misfortune of pitching a so-so season in Double-A, his first in the Eastern League last season. He went 4-6 with a career-high 5.10 ERA. But he also led the league in appearances. Not great, but far from terrible. He played in the Arizona Fall League last year, but his time was limited.

He arrived at spring training with the Jays, not expecting to be going home in March.

The York Revolution signed their eighth pitcher with major league experience Thursday, agreeing to terms with right-hander Steve Green.

Green (pictured above) appeared for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic this spring. He has spent parts of eight seasons in Triple-A, including all of last season with the Phillies top-level affiliate -- the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. He appeared in one major league game, lasting six innings in an April start in 2001 for the Angels. It was one of only 11 games he appeared in that season, and he missed all of 2002 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Revolution also signed utility player Jeff Eure, left-handed reliever Daryl Harang and right-handed reliever Bob Zimmermann.

Eure (pronounced YOUR) is an interesting signing in that he has somewhat local ties.

The entire left side of the infield is a nightmare for Atlantic League teams to fill. If a team finds an up-and-coming prospect in spring to play third, he's gone by June -- picked up by a major league organization. Find a veteran shortstop, and he could leave before July.

But the Revolution feel they have found the answer at third base. Former Brewers prospect Jeff Eure is expected to see the majority of his time at third.

Revolution Director of Baseball Operations Adam Gladstone has contacted former Revolution players Matt Esquivel and Travis Phelps (pictured above left) about returning to York this season.

After helping York clinch the first playoff berth in franchise history Esquivel and Phelps earned minor league contracts with major league organizations during the offseason. The Indians released Esquivel; the Tigers released Phelps. Both moves came during the final days of spring training.

Gladstone is "in talks" with both players or their representatives. Esquivel batted .294 last season, his highest batting average during a seven-year professional career. Although his power numbers dipped (13 homers), he became a more balanced hitter. He went from an all-or-nothing slugger at the start of the season to a line drive hitter (35 doubles) at the end of the year. And even though his strikeout numbers remained the same from a year before (97 Ks), he appeared in almost 30 more games for York than he did in 2007.

Phelps, 31, helped solidify York's bullpen last season. He went 3-3 with a 3.82 ERA, and opponents batted just .194 against him.