#BridgeportBluefish

[mitchbeck]

HARTFORD WOLF PACK AND SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS PREVIEW

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack went thru the paces Tuesday in preparation for Game 1 with the Springfield Thunderbirds at the Mass Mutual Center on Wednesday and Game 2 on Friday at the XL Center. Dylan Garand is being handed the baton to handle the goaltending, and the Pack forwards must work on solving the Thunderbirds goalie Joel Hofer. The Thunderbirds (38-26-3-5) were 9-2-0-1 in the season series and had points in nine of the twelve games. The Pack defense also needs to find a way to neutralize forwards Will Bitten, the top scorer in the season series. Bitten has eight goals and 15 points after playing in all 12 games. Martin Frk led the team in the season's scoring with 30 goals and 64 points. He, too, did well against the Pack in the regular season. The Pack must also contend with containing defenseman Mike Perunovich. On the Wolf Pack side, they will need to get offense and score on Hofer, who was 7-1-1 with three shutouts against the Wolf Pack. He holds a .955 save percentage, and Hofer had three of the four shutouts the team endured this season. The Wolf Pack were scoreless over 120 minutes in the last two meetings. Will Cullye led the Wolf Pack in the head-to-head matchup. He had nine points in twelve games (six goals and three assists) in the season series and fifth best among all AHL rookies. The Wolf Pack (35-26-4-7), with 81 points, enter the playoffs in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Cullye and Lauri Pajuniemi had hat tricks against the T-Birds, the first the franchise has had in a year and a half. The Wolf Pack's road mark this year at 17-13-4-2 was the best since 2015-16, when they last made the playoffs with 21 road wins. The Pack lost leading scorer Jonny Brodzinski (21 goals and 48 points) to recall by the Rangers to be among their Black Aces for the playoffs. NOTES: The Wolf Pack did some roster housecleaning and made depth transactions with Jacksonville. In separate transactions, goalie Parker Gaghen, who came in as an emergency backup twice, will be available along with Talyn Boyko for backup duty behind Garand. The defense added Cooper Zech for depth. He was acquired at the trade deadline from the Chicago Wolves as part of the multi-layered Patrick Kane deal. Easton Brodzinski was returned to the Icemen. The Rangers won Game 1 of their series against the New Jersey Devils, 5-1. One-time CT Whale Chris Kreider scored twice. THE ISLANDERS WILL STAY IN BRIDGEPORT The Bridgeport City Council agreed to $28 million in arena upgrades at the Total Mortgage Arena in exchange for a new ten-year lease to replace the expired 20-year lease from last year at the original $20M figure. The late Roy Boe initially negotiated the lease in 2000 when he brought the Beast of New Haven from Carolina thirty days after they were suspended and briefly mothballed. His bid of 20 years at $20M beat out the Beast by a wide margin (11 years at $1.1 M). After making the initial payment, however, Boe never made another payment. The lease was then negotiated with Center Plate Management, the food and beverage company of the arena that initially ran the building for the first ten years starting in 2000. However, Center Plate elected not to renew its management deal when it expired or made a bid on a new contract. The new deal concludes four years of contentious negotiations between the city, who owns the building, and the Islanders. The city cited legal costs over $6000K, matching the figure the city claimed the Islanders owed in back rent. In addition, the Islanders said that promised building renovations were never performed as per the original lease and never occurred under Boe or the aegis of Charles Wang either. Boe and Charles Wang both had ownership of the AHL team at different times. Unfortunately, both men are now deceased. The Islanders (nee Sound Tigers) also cited the new amphitheater across from the parking lot from the arena on the stadium site of the Bridgeport Bluefish, a former Atlantic League baseball team, and they felt it violated the non-compete clause in the original lease. Boe turned over ownership after failing to pay the Islanders their required affiliation fee. They nearly had the franchise suspended by the now-retired AHL President, CEO, and AHL HOF member, Dave Andrews. The late Bill Torrey, a former NY Islanders part-owner, General Counsel, and NHL heavyweight in his day, persuaded Boe to relinquish his operating control of the franchise. In addition to defaulting on paying their affiliation fee, Boe and his son Todd didn't pay many local vendors and employees during their brief ownership. The XL Center is run by OVG (Oak View Group), which also runs the Total Mortgage Arena. They are waiting for bids on the long overdue renovations at the XL Center to come back in. OVG hopes the bids come in close to the $107.2M estimates they received last month from SCI Architects and Dimeo Construction. In addition, they are handling the stalled, unfinished construction of the sports betting area at the XL Center. Does OVG operate the arena in Bridgeport under a management fee or on profit/loss? It is unknown. Spectra, at the time, inspected the books; a source revealed at the time, 'they ran from the building' and never put in a bid. Unfortunately, the contents of the contract are not a matter of public record, so there's no way to know what is in the details. When Wang came in after 2010 to run the building, he created a company to do it after the management deal with Center Plate expired. The company Wang created was run by the owner of The Rinks at Shelton, Howard Saffan. He was summarily dismissed several years later after his billing to the Islanders for their practice ice time in Shelton was less than honorable. He owns and operates the amphitheater with long-time concert promoter Jim Koplik. The number of NCAA college pro signees is 226 from Divisions I and II. Hockey East leads the six collegiate conferences with 36 signees for the second straight year. The rest are NCHC-36, CCHA-31, Big Ten-28, ECACHL-23, AHA -20, NCAA Division I Independent,t-13, and Division III-28. Ten head to Europe; departing early are 37. The transfers for both grad and in-school are even at 35. Canadian college is just one so far. University of Dubuque (Iowa) is going NCAA D3 in both men's and women's hockey in the NCHA conference as they will get a shipment of players from Finlandia University (Hancock, MI) from the school that is closing entirely at the end of the school year. The team will share the Dubuque Ice Arena in the city with the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints. One coach has stepped down, and another one has signed an extension. After 30 years, Colgate Red Raiders (ECACHL) coach Don Vaughn has stepped down. A national search for a new bench boss has already begun. After a strong year, Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks (NCAA Independent) Erik Largen was given a new five-year deal, as the school just missed out on an NCAA regional berth. However, they collected 20 wins for the first time in nearly two decades. Cheshire native and former Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack, Robert "Bert" Malloy, and his fellow Australian teammates dropped the first two games at the IIHF Division II Group A tournament. They suffered an 8-1 loss to host Spain in game two. Malloy had two shots and was a plus-one in the loss. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

[roxy2middle]

Bluefish game #takemeouttotheballgame #bridgeportct #bridgeportbluefish #harboryard #doseblueeyesdoe #paleskingameisstrong #paleskingoddess

[mindofmodernman]

The Final Day of Independent Baseball's Bridgeport Bluefish

Steve shares his feelings on the last day of the #BridgeportBluefish of the Atlantic League Independent League.

With Major League Baseball’s playoffs now in full swing, a lot of the MLB teams have gone home for the season. In the Independent Baseball Atlantic League, the Bridgeport Bluefish have gone home for good. Sunday, September 17, 2017. Somerset Patriots versus the Bridgeport Bluefish. The final game of the 2017 season. Not much being played for this afternoon. Somerset already clinched a playoff…

[bridgeportbluefish]

Ramblings At The Start Of A New Bluefish Season

Tonight the Bridgeport Bluefish will begin their 19th season as one of only two of the Atlantic League’s remaining inaugural teams--the other being the Somerset Patriots. Ironically, that’s about the only thing these two teams have in common. The Patriots have basked in the glory of  6 league championships, 10 division championships, and attendance numbers that only the most loyal of fan bases can keep churning out. On the other hand, the ‘Fish have one lone championship so far back in their history most present day fans have no recollection of it. And, although increasing every year, attendance is where you’d expect it to be for a team that hasn’t finished over .500 since 2011.

Alas, the great thing about baseball, especially independent baseball, is that you get to start over every year. So it will be for the Bridgeport Bluefish. Tonight’s first game vs the Sugar Land Skeeter, new Manager Luis Rodriguez will lead a mostly new ball club with the expectation of nothing less than a championship. Bridgeport will be low on returning players, but high on talented players with a variety of backgrounds and profiles. 

We won’t see the likes of Atlantic League Player of the Year Welington Dotel or the bullpen dynamic duo Patrick Mincey and Eric Draxton, but hearing new names like Josh Vitters, Endy Chavez, David Carpenter, and Jonathan Albaladejo might keep a fan from longing for what were sparks in a very dark 2015. 

In putting the 2016 team together, GM Jamie Toole and manager Luis Rodriguez had to balance talent and age. Last season, the Bluefish lost too many talented young players too early in the season. The teams’ winning momentum at the start of the season soon dwindled after losing players to affiliated ball and Mexico. The biggest difference from last season is a shift to older, more experienced players. More importantly, they have relevant experience--time at the triple-A and major league level. Expect a slicker set of position players and a more durable pitching staff. Another priority for Toole was to boast a strong defense. Although he didn’t quite fulfill his wish of having an entire infield of “Luis’”, he’s put together a team any fan will be happy to pay to see. 

For fans here in the tri-state area, you’ll want to get to the ballpark to see Endy Chavez. Now 38, Chavez is known for his spectacular, home run robbing, inning ending double play in Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship for the New York Mets. What will matter to Fish fans is if he can still move those legs and flash the leather. He’ll have to be the everyday centerfielder with guys like Carlos Sosa (34), Dan Johnson (36), and Luis An. Rodriguez (35) around, that DH spot might be a bit crowded. Former Houston minor leaguer Ruben Sosa Jr and Detroit top ten prospect Wilkin Ramirez can be expected to start in left and right field respectively. Respectable offense can be expected from all three.

The infield might be a bit more unstable depending on the everyday roles and durability of a few older players--Luis An. Rodriguez, Dan Johnson, Carlos Sosa, and Luis Hernandez. Rodriguez is a work horse and has proven reliable in the past as a Bridgeport Bluefish and as a winter league player. He was last season’s second baseman, no reason why he wouldn’t be this year’s as well. Dan Johnson should be the DH, since no one at his age should be playing the field let alone doing it while he’s trying to become a knuckleball pitcher. That leaves 34 year old Carlos Sosa, who’s stats show no playing time in the last 4 seasons, to cover first. If we’re talking about improving from last year, well, Barnum’s own beloved Tom Thumb could play the position and be an improvement over last year’s Andres Rodriguez. 

As the Atlantic League spring training season is practically nonexistent, I suspect the infield will still need some time to settle in offensively as well as defensively. GM Jamie Toole is most excited about third baseman Josh Vitters; no doubt Toole’s enthusiasm is rooted in his connection to Chicago. The former Cubs prospect was expected to play left field for them, but defensive limitations and offense impatience curtailed his progress with the Cubs and was later released by Colorado. Vitters didn’t play in 2015, but his triple-A stats are encouraging (.264/ .321/ .438).

None of it is settled yet, players will shift, leave, be traded or release, new players will arrive. It all starts with Game 1 and won’t settle until a champion is crowned. This Opening Day I’ll be watching on ESPN3 and (maybe) bridgeportbluefish.com. Since the start of the Atlantic League I’ve been excited for Opening Day; no amount of losses will keep me from enjoying a new season of hope and cheering for MY Bridgeport Bluefish!

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One more thing: Please consider donating to this Go Fund Me account my wife set up for one of her clients, a young lady from Bridgeport, CT, with cerebral palsy. Tiffany Johnson is trying to get to summer camp. She’s been to this camp for the past 19 yrs and it has really been a highlight in her life as it accommodates for all her needs and is a place where she doesn’t feel so different. This year the trip is in jeopardy as the state is no longer funding her stay. Click for more info and to give, any bit helps and PLEASE share with your friends and family, thanks!

https://www.gofundme.com/tiffanyjohnson

[brianhrdss]

Opening day is only a week away! 

[bridgeportbluefish]

Bluefish At A Glance

The Bridgeport Bluefish are tied for 2nd place with the Somerset Patriots; both are 21-19 and just one game behind the first place Long Island Ducks.

While Bridgeport continues a 7 game series against the Sugar Land Skeeters through Sunday, the Patriots will be facing the York Revolution (22-17) and the Ducks will be playing the last place Camden Riversharks (17-23). To say this will be a pivotal weekend for all three teams would be an understatement.

Sabatella/Burroughs Post-Trade Watch

OF Bryan Sabatella for the ‘Fish: .279/.360/.302, 8 for 19 in current series vs Sugar Land

INF Sean Burroughs for the Ducks: .370/.412/.457, 10 RBI, 5 R

Offense

OF Welington Dotel’s on-base streak ended on August 16 at 14 games.

Guess who’s hitting .300 since the start of the York series on August 13th? 1B/DH ANDRES RODRIGUEZ (9 for 30)!! How cute. 

3B Wilson Batista has been an offensive leader since joining the ‘Fish in July with a .307 batting average and hitting .333 in the month of August. Batista had spent time in the Mexican League and with the Atlantic Leagues Barnstormers coming to Bridgeport. 

Pitching

Reliever-turned-starter Rob Carson has only given up one earned run in his last 4 starts. In those 26.1 innings, he struck out 34 batters.

Reliever Scott Shuman has given up only one earned run in his 17 appearances since signing with the Fish on June 30th (15.2 IP, 19 K).

Current Series Bluefish vs Skeeters, 1-3

Bluefish ace Rob Carson pitched 8 phenomenal innings for the win in Game 1.

Games 2 & 3 were riddled with Bridgeport errors; 6 errors led to 7 unearned runs for the Skeeters across the two games. The Bluefish stranded 17 runners on base in the process.

Game 4 marked starting pitcher Cory Riordan’s Bluefish return and was possibly his worst start. He gave up 6 earned runs by the 5th inning. Riordan was pulled out of the 5th inning after giving up back to back homeruns without having gotten the first out.

Tonight should be newbie starting pitcher David Anderson’s second start for Bridgeport.  Anderson’s debut was promising (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 BB). That start was on August 15th against the York Revolution, a better offensive team than Sugar Land. Sugar Land’s Matt Wright (6-7, 4.41 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) is due to start. The Bluefish have faced Wright twice; in early June they were shut down by Wright, in mid-July the Fish owned him. Looks like tonight can go either way.

Watch tonight’s game live on ESPN3, coverage starts at 7:45 pm.

[love-and-sports-blog]

Bridgeport Bluefish

Tonight they are facing the Long Island Ducks and this game if we win can move us in first place. Pretty big game , cannot wait to be on the field shooting

[bridgeportbluefish]

Thoughts On the Burroughs/Sabatella Trade

The Bluefish are currently in an intense battle for first place with the Somerset Patriots. This may or may not have brought on a head scratcher of a trade recently. On August 10th, this early morning tweet from Bridgeport Bluefish GM Jamie Toole popped up:

Big news coming later this morning regarding @BPTBluefish roster! Can't SabaTELLya yet but stay tuned. #GeauxBluefish

 As expected, even from my vacation in Plymouth, MA, I was on it. Before the announcement, Bryan Sabatella was the only name I came up with, but a quick glance at his profile left me wondering why the acquisition called for a pre-announcement. To start with, it was an intraleague trade, those usually aren’t anything to get worked up about. What made it even more of a head scratcher was that he was on the Long Island Ducks. The DUCKS--Bridgeport’s “cross-sound rival”, the team that needs Somerset to keep Bridgeport out of first place so they can ride the wild card to the post season, and of course, the team that holds first place in Frank Boulton’s heart. Bridgeport, historically, has been his ugly step child ever since his ownership group took the team over in October 2008. For all those reasons, 

By about 9:30 am, the details were announced. The Bridgeport Bluefish traded 3B Sean Burroughs for OF Bryan Sabatella. Social media chatter about the trade was immediate and plentiful. A few people asked what I thought about it, so here goes.

At a glance, the Bluefish were losing one of their best hitters this year (.321/.389/.389) and last (.344/.401/.430). They were gaining a rightfielder with decent production (.277/.338/.338). What I was really hoping to see when I checked out Sabatella’s stats was a homerun hitter, now THAT would have warranted some excitement, THAT’S what could help the wavering starters. No such luck. 

Fans that follow the teams a little more intensely, however, know that Sean Burroughs probably has about 20 more healthy games left in him this season. He performs when he’s on the field, but any given day, he’ll go down and not be able to contribute to the team for the next 5 games. It was the same story last year when he only played in a hair over 50% of the games. This season Burroughs is on pace for the same number of games. At this point in his career, Burroughs should have been a full time DH in an attempt to get more games out of him. 

On the other hand, with Sabatella the Bluefish FINALLY have 4 (legitimate) outfielders and a healthier body than the one they lost. Ultimately, I have no real complaint about the trade. Its just hard to let go of the icky feeling that Long Island gave a guy to Bridgeport that can potentially help keep themselves out of the postseason. Is Frank Boulton sacrificing his Ducks to let Bridgeport bring a championship back to HarborYard? Or, since the Ducks already have the best offense in the division, maybe the trade is trivial for them. Maybe they’re just clearing the way for the return of OF Lew Ford. 

Ultimately, the deal is done. We won’t know who was on the plus side of the trade until the rest of the season plays out. There will be plenty more roster changes to come. Bridgeport has its own outfielder that might return at the end of the Mexican League season as well. Long Island is so far ahead in the Wild Card standings that their fate is really left up to the Bridgeport Bluefish and the Somerset Patriots. The Bluefish are in charge of their own fate and that’s how it should be. The postseason will only come with a grand improvement in their starting pitching. After that, actually winning a championship will require a slugger and plenty of heart. 

[bridgeportbluefish]

My choice for last night's player of the game: Starter Robert Carson. Original photo by Frozen Moments Photography https://instagram.com/p/6IGxlYSbPo/

[bridgeportbluefish]

The ‘Fish Are Back And In It To Win It

Back in June, I wrote about Bridgeport’s lack of a big bat--a slugger if you will. By mid-June they were well into their rapid plummet to last place, where they finished the first half. Luckily, all is not lost, the roster continues to evolve. Fast forward passed the All Star break to the present and, somehow, they’ve turned things around enough to be tied for first place for the second half reboot.

In the wake of losing starter Mike Antonini and 2B Luis Rodriguez, the organization made several moves in hopes of building a stronger team, knowing the first half was gone and a team that was once the biggest loser can turn around and head to the postseason. 

Now 24 games into the second half and Bridgeport is tied for first with the Somerset Patriots.  Core players like Welington Dotel, John Alonso, Eric Draxton, and Pat Mincey have found a way to mesh with newer guys like Bryant Nelson, Eric Niesen, Steven Ames, and Kameron Loe. Add to that the return of Sean Burroughs from the DL and Ricky VanAsselberg just may have found the right combination to bring back champion caliber play to the Park City. 

Since the All Star break, they’ve won 4 out of the 7 series played, including sweeps of both the Camden Riversharks and the Long Island Ducks. Today they leave Long Island having split the series against them 2-2. 

Here’s a quick run down on who’s helping the cause:

Offense

RF Welington Dotel leads the league in BA (.325).

1B/DH John Alonso and Dotel are the team’s RBI (46 and 42 respectively) and runs scored leaders.

CF/SS Josh Prince had a 16 game on-base streak until August 1st when he went 0-for-5 against the Ducks.

2B Bryant Nelson has improved his average to .324 for the year since joining the Fish in July; he had a .286 average with the Barnstormers before that. He batted .357 in Bridgeport’s last two series. 

Pitching

DJ Mitchell continues to lead the team’s rotation in ERA (2.82), wins (5), and strikeouts (76).

Reliever Pat Mincey has solidified his role as the team’s closer after accumulating 11 saves in the month of July.

Reliever Eric Draxton continues to be one of the best in the league with  a 2.15 ERA in 37.2 innings.

You’ll need a magnifying glass to find reliever Eric Niesen’s ERA, now a tiny 0.77 in 23.1 IP with 12 SO per 9 innings.

Up Next: The Fish are back home Aug 5th through the 8th vs the Lancaster Barnstormers. Wednesday (Aug 5th) will feature the Bobby Valentine Bobblehead Giveaway, so make sure you get your tickets soon and get there early. The giveaways have been going pretty quick.

[bridgeportbluefish]

‘Fish In Need Of Boom-Stick, Stat

Tonight the Bridgeport Bluefish return home after a long road trip in which they went 2-5. Unfortunately, immediately before that they were swept at home by the Somerset Patriots. They really haven’t caught a break since the departures of Nick Van Stratten and Ildemaro Vargas.

The Bluefish haven’t been a slugging team, but at least when Van Stratten was around the fans felt like the combination of Van Stratten, Sean Burroughs, and Welington Dotel could string together enough hits, walks, and stolen bases to get the runs when needed. Without him, the only consistent hitters are Dotel and Burroughs, with John Alonso trailing a little further behind (.236 AVG, .285 OBP, .376 SLG). 

With Van Stratten gone, the Bluefish need a boom-stick more than ever. The clean up spot in the lineup--no matter who gets put in there--seems to be an automatic out most of the time. If there’s one thing the Fish need to do, its to find a slugging DH or outfielder. 

In the last 10 games, the clean up spot in the order has produced a .162 batting average and I’m willing to bet that’s not too far off from the stat for the entire season. For most of the season, that’s been Andres Rodriguez’s fault, but more recently Ricky VanAsselberg finally decided to give some other guys the opportunity to bring in some runs (Chris Garcia-released, Alonso, and Jobduan Morales). Unfortunately, Rodriguez may have just stunk up the spot because it seems that no matter who Ricky puts there, they don’t hit. 

At least in the last 10 games, a real clean up hitter might have made a key difference for many of those games (except for the 8-1 loss to the Patriots); they never lost by more than 3 runs and most of the time by only 1 run. The pitching staff has done a decent job at keeping the games within reach, but the offense has not executed after creating opportunities.

Scott Maine is due to take the mound for the Fish tonight. Unfortunately, Maine is the worst of the starters right now (6.05 ERA, 1.88 WHIP), but maybe that just means he’s due for a decent outing. On the bright side, first 500 guests get a free Jurassic T....and, well, can you really ask for anything more?

[bridgeportbluefish]

Bluefish Update

As the Bluefish kick off the series against the Lancaster Barnstormers, now is as good a time as any to update the fans on how the team is doing. The team has hit a rough patch, as they have slid down to third place in the division (16-14), while first place Somerset has done nothing but win. The Somerset Patriots have started to pull away from the pack leaving the Ducks 4 games behind first and Bridgeport 5 games behind. 

Although centerfielder Nick Van Stratten and thirdbaseman Sean Burroughs continue to put on nightly hitting clinics, catcher Ryan Babineau’s offense has come to a halt. Ten games ago he was hitting over .340, now Babineau hovers around .280 (3 for his last 21 AB). After some frustrating at bats against Somerset (2 for 16), rightfielder Welington Dotel is back on track and still tied for 5th in the league in runs batted in and slugging percentage. As long as Nick Van Stratten is not lost to affiliated ball or Mexico in the near future the core lineup is enough to stay in contention, even without Ildemaro Vargas (recently signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks organization). Before I move on to the pitching--yes, the worst hitter on the team is still in the clean up spot. No one can explain it, everyone is questioning it. I’ll leave that there. I’m practicing positive thinking this season. 

The pitching staff is treading water, always able to keep the team in the game just not in the most masterful fashion--usually with plenty of walks and runners on base. Even starters Parker Frazier and DJ Mitchell, both with ERA’s under 2.20, have had rough outings or could not give the team more than the standard 5 innings. More recently, defensive errors haven’t helped--6 errors across the recent 4 game Sugarland series. Also, the bullpen has not held leads like they were doing earlier in the season. The bullpen management has been a puzzle--Matt Iannazzo hasn’t pitched since May 20th, Pat Mincey was only used twice in the span of a week, and saving Tim Gustafson for save situations hasn’t been too effective. Seems like I’m seeing Perdomo pitch a bit more often than I would like when Mincey, Draxton or even Iannazzo would be more appropriate. I can only speculate, without real media coverage, the fans don’t know the whole story concerning rest or injury.

Bottom Line: The Bluefish have a fairly solid team that can get them back into contention with the amount of games left this first half. If you haven’t gotten to the ballpark yet, you definitely should. Just seeing Nick Van Stratten, Sean Burroughs, and Welington Dotel in action is worth the trip. You can always count on the pitching staff to keep you on the edge of your seat, often teetering between a 3 run lead and a disastrous 4 run inning. Lastly, don’t ask me why Andres Rodriguez is still in the cleanup spot, I don’t have an answer. 

See you at the ballpark!

[bridgeportbluefish]

Bluefish Release Reliever David Fischer

Fans can expect another pitcher to be added to the roster soon. In 3 appearances (4 IP), Fischer had given up 5 walks. Bluefish front office commented lack of command was a factor in the decision.

[bridgeportbluefish]

Bluefish Update

Here’s a quick rundown on how some individual’s are doing after winning only one of the three series played so far (4-5). Surely, today’s 20-0 win over the Riversharks gave everyone a little boost. 

Offensive Notes

The biggest surprise for me, but surely not for the manager, has been the offensive burst from outfielder Welington Dotel. Dotel started the season 3-for-21; despite the slump, manager Ricky VanAsselberg kept him, not only in the lineup, but in the heart of it. Early on, Dotel looked overmatched at the plate--impatient, anxious, and flailing at the ball. He struck out 7 times in his first 13 at-bats. VanAsselberg’s loyalty to him soon paid off as he’s now 8-for-12 in his last 3 games. Dotel had 6 RBI in today’s harpooning of the Riversharks. He now leads the team in RBI, AVG, SLG, and OPS among players with 30+ AB.

Another sweet surprise has been the shortstop Ildemaro Vargas. As one of the smallest and youngest players (23 years old), Vargas came with limited experience beyond Single A ball and numbers that most definitely brought some doubt. I expected to see a flashy glove and not much more from the Venezuelan. The fact that he was the last batter in the lineup didn’t help for expectations either. Now that the season is getting going, it seems like Vargas is always on base and making things happen. He’s batting .314 with a .385 OBP. Vargas leads the team in stolen bases (4 SB) and is tied for most runs scored with lead off man Nick Van Stratten (8 R). 

Offensively, the biggest worry was 1B/DH Andres Rodriguez. To start the season, he went 0-for-14 before getting his first hit as a Bluefish.  Same as with Dotel, VanAsselberg is counting on big offense from Rodriguez; he’s been in the 4, 5, or 6 spots in the lineup since the start of the season. Rodriguez’ bat is finally warming up--he went 5-for-12 in the recent series against Camden, including a home run and a double. With only 1 RBI, we have yet to see if he can bring guys home consistently. 

Bottom Line: The Bluefish lead the league with a .722 team OPS.

Pitching Notes

Bluefish pitching has been fairly stable, except for Cory Riordan who was scratched from his start Saturday. The starters have gone respectably deep in the games for so early in the season and relievers have been able to limit walks and runs.  The average length for Bluefish starters is a little over 5 innings. The bigger worry early on was definitely in the offense. Starters DJ Mitchell and Parker Frazier are in the league’s top 10 pitchers in ERA, while starter Scott Maine is third in the entire league with 14 K’s (9.2 innings). 

Reliever Patrick Mincey is standing out as a top reliever for the team early on. In 4 innings pitched he has yet to give up a run. He can be a little wild (4 BB), but that seems to be a problem with most of the pitching staff--too many walks (39 in 9 games). Mincey will need to gain better control to consistently shut down the opponent. The bullpen’s strikeout machine has been Eric Draxton (9.6 K/9). 

Bottom Line: The Bluefish have the third best team ERA in the league (3.07) while giving up the second most walks in the league. 

Coming up: The Bluefish will be back home on Tuesday to start a 3 game series against the Long Island Ducks (7:05 pm games).

[bridgeportbluefish]

Photo Set, Bluefish Week 1

It’s about a week into Atlantic League baseball and the Bluefish find themselves under .500 with a 3-4 record. In a season of 140 games, the fans definitely shouldn’t be panicking. Relax and enjoy the the positives until the boys find their groove. Here’s a little of what you’ve missed if you didn’t make it out to The Ballpark at HarborYard during Bridgeport’s first homestand. 

This stud is Ryan Babineau, Bridgeport’s new catcher. Babineau comes for his first year in the Park City from three years in the American Association; last year being his best offensively (.292/.373./385) in 84 games played. He has been doing most of the catching and on Tuesday went 4-for-4. Babineau is 7-for-14 on the season.

Babineau also may or may not lead the team in yoga sessions. Here’s the evidence.

You make the call. In that top photo and the photo below is starter Mike Antonini. Antonini is a lefty that has spent about three seasons in Triple-A (’09, ‘10, ‘12), a few in the Venezuelan and Puerto Rican Winter Leagues, and even a bit with the Atlantic League’s Camden Riversharks. Last year, he pitched in the Canadian-American Association. What matters to us fans is that he carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning this past Thursday against his former team. (2015: 2 GS, 11.1 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.27 WHIP)

Hopefully, by now you’ve had a chance to enjoy the new Two Roads Beer Garden that sits along the bullpen in right field. If you haven’t, you really should. It has quickly been a highlight of the park and may very well be throughout the league by the end of the season. Just ask the team’s relievers.

They get to see crazy stuff like this happening all the time:

So yeah, we’re only 3-4, but there’s still plenty of season left. I’ll hold off on the analyses, I’m too busy just enjoying the fact that baseball is back in Bridgeport and you should too. Your hometown team will be back for a series against the Long Island Ducks starting Tuesday, May 5th. Be there for Cinco de Mayo Festivities in the Beer Garden and to grab the first of the Bluefish Collector’s Pins, 7:05 pm game time.