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6/15 UPDATE: BOISE OPENING DAY ROSTER HAS BEEN RELEASED (see COMMENT #11 below)
Arismendy Alcantara singled, doubled, and tripled, stole a base, drove-in three runs, and scored two more, Richard Jones and Wes Darvill had three hits a piece, and Alvaro Ramirez clubbed a two-run HR, but it wasn’t enough, as Kyung-Min Na had three hits, stole two bases, and scored twice, and Xavier Batista had three RBI, leading the upstart AZL Cubs (Mesa Cubs) to a 9-7 victory over the Boise Hawks at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa this morning. The game was a pre-planned eleven-inning contest.
This was the final tune-up for the Hawks, who will fly from Phoenix to Boise tomorrow morning. Their first game will be Friday night at Yakima.
Some of the innings in today's game were terminated with less than three outs ("Roll It!") because the pitcher reached his maximum pitch limit for that inning, while other innings were extended beyond three outs ("Stay Out There!") to allow a pitcher to throw more pitches.
After the game, Boise Manager Jody Davis called Kyung-Min Na over to the Hawks post-game huddle from the Mesa Cubs bench ("Kyung-Min Na, come on down!"), as the speedy 18-year old Korean apparently won the Hawks' “4th outfielder” job (at least temporarily) with his outstanding play in today’s game. (Cody Shields would have been the 4th OF at Boise, but he will be left behind at Fitch Park after suffering a broken hand in an intrasquad game the last week of Extended Spring Training).
Infielder Brandon May was on the Boise bench today, but did not play due to a lingering sore left leg. I don't know if May will be traveling with the Hawks to Boise tomorrow, or if he will be remaining at Fitch Park for a few days to rehab the injury.
Also, 1B-3B Bobby Wagner will apparently be remaining at Fitch Park a while longer while he continues his conversion to catcher. He played with the AZL Cubs (Mesa) squad today, and he did not participate in the Hawks post-game meeting.
Here is today’s box score:
BOISE HAWKS
LINEUP:
1. Alvaro Ramirez, CF: 1-5 (5-3, F-7, 6-3, HR, F-7, 2 RBI, R)
2. George Matheus, 3B: 1-5 (6-3, 6-3, 2B, F-7, K, R)
3. Jesus Morelli, RF: 1-5 (5-3, L-3, 1B+E7, 6-3, 4-3, R)
4. Richard Jones, 1B: 3-5 (1B, 1B, P-7, K, 1B, R)
5. Arismendy Alcantara, SS: 3-5 (6-4 FC, 3B, 1B, 2B, 5-4 FC, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB)
6. Runey Davis, LF: 2-5 (1B, K, 2B, K, F-8, 2 RBI)
7. Chris Huseby, DH #1: 0-4 (6-4-3 GIDP, 5-3, 5-3, F-8, BB)
8. Jose Guevara, C: 1-5 (1B, F-7, K, F-8, FC+E6)
9. Wes Darvill, 2B: 3-5 (3-6 FC, 1B, 1B, F-8, 1B, R, SB)
10a. SLOT WAS SKIPPED FIRST THREE TIMES THROUGH ORDER
10b. Jeff Vigurs, DH #2: 0-2 (F-7, 4-3)
PITCHERS:
1. Chris Huseby: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2/0 GO/FO
2. Juan Yasser Serrano: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 6/6 GO/FO
3. Austin Kirk: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 1 BALK, 7/4 GO/FO
4. Corey Martin: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, 1 BALK, 2/1 GO/FO
5. Carlos Rojas: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, 3/1 GO/FO
ERRORS: 1
George Matheus E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base – eventually scored unearned run)
CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Jose Guevara: 0-3 CS
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AZL CUBS (MESA CUBS)
LINEUP:
1. Pin-Chieh Chen, 2B: 1-7 (1B, 4-3, 4-3, 1-3, F-8, F-9, 4-3)
2. Kyung-Min Na, CF-LF: 3-7 (1B, 2B, 4-3, 1B, F-8, 6-3, 4-1, 2 R, 2 SB)
3. Albert Hernandez, 1B: 2-6 (5-3, 1B, 6-3, K, 1B, E-5, RBI, 2 R)
4. Xavier Batista, RF: 2-6 (K, 2B, F-8, 6-3, 4-3, 1B, 3 RBI)
5. Sergio Burruel, C-DH: 0-5 (4-3, F-9, L-7, K, BB, 6-3, R)
6. Bobby Wagner, 3B: 2-6 (P-6, F-8, K, K, 2B, 2B, 2 R)
7a. Rafael Disla, SS: 1-5 (1-3, K, L-3, 3B, K, R)
7b. SLOT WAS SKIPPED FINAL TIME THROUGH ORDER
8a. Blair Springfield, LF, 2-6 (HR, K, 1B, 1-3, 5-3, F-9, RBI, R, SB)
8b. Melvin Camarena, CF: PLAYED DEFENSE ONLY - DID NOT BAT
9. Carlos Romero, DH-C: 0-6 (4-3, F-7, 4-3, 5-3, P-4, 6-3, 2 RBI)
PITCHERS:
1. Jose Rosario: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, 1 GIDP, 1 BALK, 8/2 GO/FO
2. Jadel Mendez: 2.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R (5 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 3/2 GO/FO
3. Alvido Jimenez: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2/5 GO/FO
4. Tzu-An Wang: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 2/1 GO/FO
ERRORS: 2
1. Blair Springfield E-7 (throwing error at 3rd base on single allowed batter to advance from 1st to 2nd base)
2. Rafael Disla E-6 (dropped throw at 2nd base on force attempt allowed runner to reach 2nd base safely – did not score)
CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Sergio Burruel: 0-2 CS, 1 PB
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ATTENDANCE: 7
WEATHER: Hot and sunny, with temperatures in the 90’s
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The Boise Hawks are the Cubs "Short-Season A" affiliate in the Northwest League. Besides the Cubs affiliate in Boise, ID, the other seven clubs in the league are the Tri-City Dust Devils (Rockies) in Pasco, WA, the Yakima Bears (Diamondbacks) in Yakima, WA, the Spokane Indians (Rangers) in Spokane, WA, the Eugene Emeralds (Padres) in Eugene, OR, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants) in Keizer, OR, the Everett Aqua Sox (Mariners) in Everett, WA, and the Vancouver Canadians (A's) in Vancouver, BC. All eight of the clubs have their minor league base in Arizona, so the players know the rival players pretty well from having played a lot of them in AZL, Spring Training, Extended Spring Training, and/or Instructional League games.
Per MLB Rule 51, a "Short Season A" club may have a maximum of four players on its roster age 23 or older, and a maximum of three players on its roster with three years or more of minor league service time coming into the season. (Seasons spent playing in DSL, VSL, Mexican League, or MLB international academies don't count toward minor league service time limit, the age limit does not apply to first-year players who sign after June 5th, and there is a one-year service time exemption for position players who are being converted to pitcher).
Generally speaking, players assigned to Boise would include college players selected in the recent Rule 4 Draft (First-Year Player Draft), and Latin, Pacific Rim, and U. S. high school and JC players who have "graduated" from Fitch Park (EXST Cubs & AZL Cubs).
Players assigned to Boise stay with "host families," which are local Boise residents who house and feed the young Cubbies (Hawks) during their stay in Boise. In return, the families receive complimentary season-tickets to the Hawks home games.
It's not unusual for players and host families to stay in touch for many years after the player has left and moved on to other things. Occasionally a player who stayed with a host family one year and another player who stayed with the same host family in a different season meet each other in later years and discover their "family connection."
The Boise gig is a lot different than Minor League Camp, Extended Spring Training, AZ Instructional League, or playing for the AZL Cubs in Mesa at Fitch Park. The players assigned to Fitch Park stay in the same motel (two players per room) with a curfew and no alcohol allowed in the rooms. Shuttle vans (maxi-vans) transport the players from the motel to Fitch Park and back, and road trips consist of maybe a 20-minute ride to another minor league complex in the maxi-vans.
But in Boise, the players are mostly on their own. They have to find their own way to the ballpark, and the Cubs rely on the host families to help keep the player on the "straight & narrow." (The Cubs probably wouldn't want a couple of meth freaks to be a host family). And Boise road trips consist of all night bus rides through the back roads and high deserts of Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, with pre-made peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and/or Dominos Pizza (usually the only "restaurant" open late in most of the Northwest League towns) the in-bus meal.
The Boise club has a 35-man Reserve List (which is like a major league club's 40-man roster) and a 30-man Active List (which would be like a MLB club's 25-man roster).
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