The early verdicts
12.00
Two weeks of baseball are in the books in the Carolina
League, and we’re already seeing a separation of powers. The Southern Division itself is a microcosm
of the haves and the have-nots in the circuit in 2010. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, the last
seven games on the Myrtle Beach schedule against the two Southern Division
teams in the former category have put them currently into the latter.
The Salem Red Sox and Winston-Salem Dash are playing out
of their collective minds. Winston-Salem
has exploded since a middle-of-the-road start at 2-3 to win nine straight. Along with the Sox, the pair, each with 11-3
records, has broken away in the Southern like a pair of sprinters separating
themselves from the peloton in the Tour de France. Right now, the two clubs languishing below
.500 are 4-10 Pelicans and the 5-9 the Kinston Indians, this weekend’s road
opponent. The charge to bring the
division-leading two back to the pack may need to come sooner rather than
later.
In the Northern Division, the early standings appear to
be the converse of the Southern. Contrary
to last year, in which three teams finished the season with overall records
above .500, three teams enter the season’s third weekend below that mark. Only the 9-5 Frederick Keys, who took two of
three from Myrtle Beach last week in Maryland, are above water. The Wilmington Blue Rocks, who opened their
2010 by dropping three of four to the Pelicans at BB&T Coastal Field are
second in the division at 6-8 followed by the 5-9 Lynchburg Hillcats and
Potomac Nationals. Myrtle Beach has won
one game since that season-opening series.
It hasn’t been all bad news for the Pelicans,
though. Let’s start with the bats. The heart of the Myrtle Beach order can be a
scary one. Between outfielders Adam
Milligan and Gerry Rodriguez, the team possesses a 3-4 combination that can
drive in lots of runs. That fact comes
with the obvious caveat, however, that guys need to be on base in front of
them. Enter Cole Miles. The Pelicans’ speedster at the top of the card
was out of the lineup for 12 games and experienced a weeklong stay on the
disabled list after taking an Eric Basurto fastball to the right knee in the
second game of the season. Miles, as my
broadcast partner Anthony Masterson put it in last night’s postgame show in
ESPN Radio The Team, is “the straw that stirs the drink” for the Pelicans. Reggie Jackson he may not be, but the lineup
is tightly packaged together when Miles is at its forefront.
When Cole was out, the Pelicans used three different
leadoff men. Yoel Campusano, who
profiles as a prototypical number two hitter in the order, took the bulk of
that work and went 6-32 (.188) with two doubles, a home run, four runs scored,
four batted in, six strikeouts and eight walks in ten games in which he took
the top spot. Admirable enough, but with
Miles back, Campusano now reverts to his number two spot where he can do
everything move the swift outfielder over to smack home runs. Milligan and Rodriguez, who have gone 3-4 for
the majority of the season (13 of 14 games), form a formidable duo, already
with eight home runs combined.
Cole returned to the top spot in the Pelicans lineup last
night and proceeded to reach base three times in five trips to the plate
without a base hit. An 0-for-2 night
officially saw the Utah native find his way aboard with two walks and a
hit-by-pitch. That’s what Miles
does. He becomes a baserunner–a headache
of one at that–and baserunners are what the Pelicans need.
Yes, Myrtle Beach has struggled to nine losses in ten
games since that season-opening three-game winning streak. However, Miles’s return puts Rocket Wheeler’s
lineup back in its most properly structured state. Hopefully it will translate to some more
numbers in the “W” column in Myrtle Beach.
And then we came to the beginning
Ah, Opening Day. Hours from now, the gates will open, the fans will stream in, the beers will flow (it’s the first Thirsty Thursday of the season, don’t-cha know), and the 2010 Myrtle Beach Pelicans season will be underway.
As I write this to you, it is 5:32 AM, and I have been at beautiful BB&T Coastal Field for an hour and a half. This morning, the good folks from WMBF News sent out reporter Paula Caruso to do some live hits from the ballpark with GM Scott Brown, manager Rocket Wheeler, and Senior Director of Sports Turf Management and Ballpark Operations Chris “Butter” Ball. There’s something oddly rewarding about driving into work before the sun’s up. Although as someone who used to work mornings, I certainly don’t miss doing it everyday. That being said, though, it’s very fitting for the first day of the year. The night of our offseason has passed, and we–all of us from the Pelicans staff to the Carolina League to fans of the game everywhere–are ready for baseball.
Tonight, the Wilmington Blue Rocks arrive at BB&T Coastal Field as they have for six of the last seven Opening Days. Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, cross-division Carolina League opponents, are quite familiar with this dance. The two clubs have opened their last eight seasons against each other with the Blue Rocks holding a 6-2 advantage in those meetings dating back to a 6-3 win over the Birds on April 5, 2002 in Wilmington. The Rocks arrive tonight with some recognizable faces and a new look. In late January, Wilmington rolled out new uniforms and logos. Gone are the literal “blue rocks” from the club’s logo, and in their place is the smiling-but-snarling face of team mascot Rocky Bluewinkle. Gone, too, is the royal blue from the club’s color scheme. The Rocks now have powder blue as their primary hue with some navy mixed in, as well. Fear not, uniform nerds like myself, the club still has some rockin’ stirrups. In fact, they’re striped now and therefore more awesome this year than in years past. Personally, though, I’m most excited for their alternate “Mr. Celery” logo.
(Google it.)
On the field in the new threads, the Rocks will run out two names Kansas City Royals fans will be eagerly watching. Top prospect Mike Montgomery gets the start on the mound against the Pelicans boasting an 8-5 record and 2.06 career ERA through two minor league seasons. Opponents have batted just .204 against the 20-year-old lefty in his career. With a mid-90s fastball and two types of curveballs, Montgomery is, according to Baseball America, “close to a complete package.” Not bad for 20.
Joining Montgomery on the field for Wilmington will be Royals big league third baseman Alex Gordon. On his way back to the major league club from a rough 2009 marked by injuries and inconsistency, Gordon fractured his thumb in a spring training game against the Texas Rangers on March 6. People forget how good Alex Gordon can be. I watched him firsthand when we were students at the University of Nebraska, and he can be that guy. Gordon won the 2005 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best collegiate player in America, beating out current big leaguers Ryan Braun and Luke Hochevar among others. Since Gordon, the award has gone to Tim Lincecum (2006), David Price (2007), Buster Posey (2008), and Stephen Strasburg (2009). Pretty decent company, to say the least. Gordon will rehab with the Rocks and is eligible to return to the big league roster on April 10
But enough about the Blue Rocks. Pelicans fans are coming to see a new brand of ball this year at BB&T Coastal Field. Manager Rocket Wheeler and his staff are back with a renewed emphasis on being aggressive on the basepaths and in the field. This year’s Pelicans squad may not feature a name with the hype of Jason Heyward last year, but it does not come without its share of stars.
Let’s start with tonight’s starter Randall Delgado. A lanky right-hander, Delgado can rev his fastball to 96 miles per hour and can overpower hitters with that as well as his breaking pitches. A career 3.55 ERA paints a more accurate picture of Delgado than his 9-20 career record. Through three professional seasons, the Panamanian has struck out 272 batters against just 91 walks.
At the plate, outfielder Adam Milligan could probably be most aptly described as “country strong.” The 21-year-old from Jackson, Tennessee is listed at 6’3”, 230, and that doesn’t begin to portray his imposing physical stature. In his first year of pro ball last season, Milligan raked to the tune of a .344 batting average and an OPS of .985 to accompany 13 home runs and 49 RBI at three different levels (Rookie Danville, Class A Rome, Myrtle Beach). He’ll be in the three hole tonight playing left field.
We’ll get a look at the rest of the Pelicans as the days and weeks get moving. For now, let’s get to the start of the year. It’s one of 140 to come. We’ll see you there.
Oh, and if you’re at the ballpark tonight and see Pelicans reliever Juan Abreu, wish him a happy birthday. Today is his 25th.
Listen to the Pelicans live on ESPN Radio The Team in the Myrtle Beach area or by clicking the “Listen Live” link on the homepage of the all-new MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.
Who is the [bird] they call Half-Turn Paulie?
Greetings, Pelicans baseball enthusiast!
You have stumbled upon the newest feature of the Pelicans experience. With that, we welcome you. My name is Tyler Maun, and I’m the Pelicans Director of Broadcasting, Media Relations, and Zombie Prevention Studies. (One of those three departments is made up. I’ll give you a hint: it’s broadcasting.) Along with my trusty deputy Anthony Masterson, we’ll be your tour guides through the world of fun, entertainment, and all-around awesomeness that is Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball. I suppose your first question, after stumbling upon this web log, or “blog” as the kids call it these days, may be, “Who in the heck is ‘Half-Turn Paulie?’” Let us enlighten you.
Allow me to introduce you to Half-Turn Paulie (“HTP” to his friends and the British tabloids). Over the offseason, some members of the Pelicans front office (read: me) decided that the familiar bird sitting atop the bat in our club’s primary logo needed a name. After all, Splash has a name. Rally Shark has a name. Deuce has a name. Manager Rocket Wheeler has two names (his real one is Ralph). So doesn’t this fine gentlebird above deserve his own calling card?
The logical answer may be no. The correct answer is yes. Absolutely, he does.
The American White Pelican was incorporated into the Myrtle Beach Pelicans’ logo and uniform change prior to the 2007 season. The Birds’ primary logo encompasses the franchise’s namesake identities including the pelican, the iconic South Carolina crescent moon, and the Atlantic Ocean which laps the Myrtle Beach shores just over a mile from BB&T Coastal Field.
Many front office conversations over the years have debated the qualities of the logo’s subject, and it appears that one consensus has been reached: Half-Turn Paulie is not to be messed with. He’s not outright angry like so many other logos in the sports world these days (even that apple in the Fort Wayne TinCaps logo has an attitude), but he certainly isn’t inviting your challenge. He looks, it was determined, like the surly man in front of you at the movie theater who turns around (half-turns, some might say…see what I did there?) to give you a look of, “I disapprove of the road you’re currently traveling down, and I suggest you stop.” That, blog reader, is not a person whose ire you want to provoke. There’s the nickname.
As for the real name, “Paulie Pelican” is alliterative, catchy, and reminiscent of the types of easily-applied nicknames given to old-timey mobsters. Did HTP run moonshine during Prohibition? We will never know for sure.
But yes, he did.
Anyway, consider this an opening microcosm of what this season will bring here at Half-Turn Paulie’s Perch. A little confusion, some very bad attempts at humor, a lot of parenthetical phrases, and a little information all mixed into one delicious Myrtle Beach Pelicans stew. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Stew does not contain actual pelicans.) We’ll cover everything within reason from the Carolina League to 2010 Pelicans players to baseball ruminations to the geopolitical ramifications of the sliding soybean price on agricultural futures. Maybe not the last one. Welcome to the blog. Hope you like it.
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