Another Day In The Sunshine
Today was my day off from keeping the airways safe, and the Sacramento Rivercats had an 11:35 game. That's an unbeatable combination in my book. I love having my days off on weekdays...pretty much anywhere I want to go will be less crowded than it would be on a weekend, and the Rivercats have decided to play a few more weekday games this year.
Unfortunately, today was a school promotion, and the park was full of kids. Don't get me wrong, kids are great. They aren't as great when they are tearing around the park. Ah well, I had a seat in the second row at field level, so they were behind me most of the day.
The Iowa Cubs, who for some reason are part of the Pacific Coast League, were todays' opposition. This is a pretty bad club as far as prospects go, but two good ones were in today's lineup, and both were very impressive. Felix Pie played right field and was the leadoff hitter. It's easy to see why scouts love him; he really looks like a ballplayer. He hit like one today, going 5-6 and scoring three runs. He's had strike zone issues in the past but didn't really show them today. He worked the count full a couple of times and I don't remember seeing him swing at any terrible pitches. Frankly, it's hard to find much to criticize in a guy who goes 5-6.
As good as Pie was, Jae-Kuk Ryo was just as impressive on the mound. If you have an image of Korean players as small or slight, get that out of your mind. Ryo is 6'3" and 220 pounds and looks it; a nice Tom Seaver-like body type. He looked like he had a very good two-seam fastball going today, as the Rivercats were beating the ball into the ground most of the day (13 ground ball outs). He allowed only three hits and a walk in eight innings, striking out five. In six of his eight innings he retired the side in order.
I was also looking forward to another look at the two best prospects on the Rivercats roster, Daric Barton and Jeremy Brown. I was disappointed, although my disappointment is probably going to be less than that of Barton, the Rivercats, and the Oakland A's.
After Pie singled to lead off the game and moved to second on a wild pitch, Tony Womack (yes, really, that Tony Womack) laid down a good bunt. Scott McClain fielded it, but his hurried throw was into the runner, and Barton reached into Womack for it. The two collided and both went down, but while Womack was able to continue, Barton left the game after writhing on the ground kicking his feet in pain. I was sitting only about 40 feet behind the play with a direct line of vision, and it looked really bad. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's a broken wrist.
Brown had the day off, so I didn't see him, either. This is probably the weakest roster that the Rivercats have had since they've been here. Their pitchers in today's game threw about 1137 pitches, some of them for strikes. No one in the lineup looked like anyone who could contribute to a good major league team in anything more than a marginal role.
The game itself was interesting until the last three innings, when the Cubs jumped on three relievers and scored five runs over that span, winning 7-3. They had 16 hits, which is about four games worth for the parent club right now. Here is the game log, if you want to look for yourself.
I hope that Sacramento never gets "blessed" with a major league franchise. With the Rivercats here, there will always be good baseball at decent prices with a park full of good seats. For $13 I was in the second row from the field in Section 103. Can you even get a bleacher ticket for $13 at a major league park now?
My goal this year is to see more live baseball. Right now I think I'll be back at Raley Field on June 6.
Unfortunately, today was a school promotion, and the park was full of kids. Don't get me wrong, kids are great. They aren't as great when they are tearing around the park. Ah well, I had a seat in the second row at field level, so they were behind me most of the day.
The Iowa Cubs, who for some reason are part of the Pacific Coast League, were todays' opposition. This is a pretty bad club as far as prospects go, but two good ones were in today's lineup, and both were very impressive. Felix Pie played right field and was the leadoff hitter. It's easy to see why scouts love him; he really looks like a ballplayer. He hit like one today, going 5-6 and scoring three runs. He's had strike zone issues in the past but didn't really show them today. He worked the count full a couple of times and I don't remember seeing him swing at any terrible pitches. Frankly, it's hard to find much to criticize in a guy who goes 5-6.
As good as Pie was, Jae-Kuk Ryo was just as impressive on the mound. If you have an image of Korean players as small or slight, get that out of your mind. Ryo is 6'3" and 220 pounds and looks it; a nice Tom Seaver-like body type. He looked like he had a very good two-seam fastball going today, as the Rivercats were beating the ball into the ground most of the day (13 ground ball outs). He allowed only three hits and a walk in eight innings, striking out five. In six of his eight innings he retired the side in order.
I was also looking forward to another look at the two best prospects on the Rivercats roster, Daric Barton and Jeremy Brown. I was disappointed, although my disappointment is probably going to be less than that of Barton, the Rivercats, and the Oakland A's.
After Pie singled to lead off the game and moved to second on a wild pitch, Tony Womack (yes, really, that Tony Womack) laid down a good bunt. Scott McClain fielded it, but his hurried throw was into the runner, and Barton reached into Womack for it. The two collided and both went down, but while Womack was able to continue, Barton left the game after writhing on the ground kicking his feet in pain. I was sitting only about 40 feet behind the play with a direct line of vision, and it looked really bad. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's a broken wrist.
Brown had the day off, so I didn't see him, either. This is probably the weakest roster that the Rivercats have had since they've been here. Their pitchers in today's game threw about 1137 pitches, some of them for strikes. No one in the lineup looked like anyone who could contribute to a good major league team in anything more than a marginal role.
The game itself was interesting until the last three innings, when the Cubs jumped on three relievers and scored five runs over that span, winning 7-3. They had 16 hits, which is about four games worth for the parent club right now. Here is the game log, if you want to look for yourself.
I hope that Sacramento never gets "blessed" with a major league franchise. With the Rivercats here, there will always be good baseball at decent prices with a park full of good seats. For $13 I was in the second row from the field in Section 103. Can you even get a bleacher ticket for $13 at a major league park now?
My goal this year is to see more live baseball. Right now I think I'll be back at Raley Field on June 6.
posted by Jim at
8:49 PM
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