Agreste Headlines List of Newcomers

Well-so far, so good as far as me keeping the blog updated!  Things are getting busy around the office, but everything is coming together.  Single game tickets have been on sale for a couple of weeks and our pocket schedules just came in today.  Not much else to report, just ready for the season to start up!

Most recently I previewed the Grizzlies returning position players.  Time now to take a look at some of the newcomers.  I'm only going to list the guys that I have some info on and can talk about with intelligence.

The first newcomer I want to touch on is not new to Grizzlies fans.  First baseman/Outfielder Joe Agreste (pictured right) played with the Grizzlies in 2009 and returns for a second go-around in 2011.  I'm excited for Joe to come back, because not only is he a great player, he's a phenomenal person.  He's truly a joy to be around and watch play.  Joe batted .303 as a true rookie in 2009 for Gateway.  He also smacked five homers and drove in 33 runs.  After the season he was named one of the Top 20 Independent Prospects by Baseball America.  Agreste was subsequently signed by the San Diego Padres and spent 2010 playing for three different team in the Pads system.  Hampered by an injury, Agreste struggled to get in a groove, bringing him back to Gateway for '11.  If you're wanting to see Joe play this season, I suggest coming to an early season game, because I wouldn't be surprised if he gets off to a hot start and gets signed by a MLB team to find his way back to affiliated ball fairly early.

A couple of other names that have caught my eye:  Lyndon Estill, David Phillips and Michael Stephens. 

Estill is a 6-3, 215-pound experienced outfielder.  He is a former 8th round selection of the White Sox in the 2007 draft.  In his early years of Pro ball, Estill was regarded as a potential five-tool player.  According to scouts, he had all the goods; speed, power and an outstanding arm are his best attributes.  He has since suffered some injuries and is looking for 2011 to be his big comeback year.  From doing research on him and hearing some things about him from manager Phil Warren, I'm a big fan already.

Phillips is a former Ole Miss Runnin' Rebel.  He is another in a long line of former SEC ballplayers to suit up for the Grizzlies.  Mike Breyman (Kentucky), Alex Kubal (Alabama) and Chris McClendon (Kentucky) are just a couple names that ring a bell immediately (they are all former Grizzlies).  Phillips had a nice college career and played seven games with the Washington Wild Things last year.  The upside on Phillips is pretty high, IMO..we'll see come May.

Stephens-the final guy I will touch on today-has been outstanding everywhere he has gone.  He had a monster career at The Ohio State University.  The 6-1, 210-pound Stephens batted .360 with a team-best ten home runs for the Buckeyes in 2010.  A former JUCO All-American and All-Big 10 performer, Stephens will battle for an outfield spot with Gateway in 2011. 

That will wrap it up for today.  Coming up next in the blog, I'll get you up to date on the returning Grizzlies pitchers.  One of the top starting pitchers in the league, Mark Brackman, headlines that list.  More to come.  Stay tuned Grizzlies fans.  Thanks for stopping by!

Grizzlies Return Solid Core Of Position Players

The question I get most often  while working in the Grizzlies front office is "how is the team looking for the coming season?"  Well, that can be hard to answer.  After all, I'm not the manager or a coach, and all I do is call what's happening on the field.  With that said, I still do a lot of research and try my best to gauge what's in place.  Injuries and other things that can't be controlled always play a big part in how much success a team will have-I understand that-the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals are a great example of that with the injuries already to Wainwright and Punto, among others. 

The 2011 Grizzlies will have high expectations because of the talent returning from a very good lineup a season ago.  If you're a Grizzlies fan, you certainly will recognize the names coming back.  Lisk, Peters, Ecker, Heil, Miraldi, Hernandez, Patton.  Those are names that were called often a season ago because of their production on the diamond.  Grizzlies manager Phil Warren has done a great job of getting these guys back and they will be the foundation as the Grizzlies try to build a Championship caliber team. 

While all of the returners will play a huge rule, it's obvious that the hot name on the list of returnees is Charlie Lisk (pictured right).  The reigning Frontier League MVP returns for his fifth season with the Grizzlies and 11th total in Professional Baseball.  His #'s in a Grizz uniform are staggering-especially his 2010 MVP season- .303 21 HR 88 RBIs.  Lisk is now the all-time home run leader in league history after hitting his 87th FL home run in an Aug. 26th game in Florence, KY (passing former major leaguer Morgan Burkhart).  He carries the most feared bat in the league IMO..few would argue.  He's a leader, a mentor, and a heck of a ball player.  By the way if you never saw this story about Lisk, check it out. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/illinois/article_65784ae4-9385-581b-9011-aaa3f127ab34.html.

The core around Lisk is exciting.  Jason Patton batted over .300 a season ago and was a mainstay in right field.  Brandon Peters had an injury-shortened '10 campaign, but played winter ball in Australia, and from all reports I heard, he was tearing the cover off the ball.  BP's career #'s @ Gateway, covering three seasons-148g .296 23 HR 95 RBIs.  Landon Hernandez will get more time behind the plate in '11 and is a guy to watch closely.  He will grow right before everyones eyes.  Big, powerful catcher w/ nice tools.  Donnie Ecker played in Australia with Peters during the winter.  He also had a good winter and should be a big part of the offense come May.  Ecker showed some pop in his 26 games with Gateway in 2011, hitting a career high four homers.   Matt Miraldi will play a bigger role with the Grizzlies this season, most would assume.  He's an athletic youngster with good family genes-father played seven seasons in the NFL and mother played college volleyball at UCLA.  He's coming off his first off-season as a professional and should come to camp ready to roll.  And finally, Tyler Heil is back after a fine rookie season.  He's a nice guy to have on the left side of the infield, whether it be at short or third.  He's solid in the field and also enjoyed a great '10 at the plate-.283 33 RBIs and 15 stolen bases-those are numbers just about any rookie would be satisfied with. 

So those are the position players that are returning to Gateway.  I could've got more in depth, but then I'd be using all of my material for the broadcasts!  Don't want to do that before the season starts up!  Next up, I'll write about some of the newcomers.  I'm only going to write about the newcomers with pro experience.  With the exception of one guy-someone who played for Gateway in 2009-all the information I have about the newcomers with pro experience is from the interet doing research and Grizzlies manager Phil Warren.

Stay tuned, more to come on the 2011 Gateway Grizzlies.  Ahh, this is going to be a fun year..Go Grizzlies!

Getting things started...

Hey folks-  Once again, thanks for visiting my blog.  If you plan on being a frequent visitor, I hope I don't disappoint.  Most of what I blog on will be regarding the Gateway Grizzlies, BUT I will also explore some other topics in the wide world of sports.. I'm a sports fanatic and that's what I love to talk and write about, so I will try to stick to sports.

I vow to update the blog as much as possible.  I doubt I will update every day, but I hope to as much as possible.  I know how these things can get (Joe Pott warned me!)-you start it up and post a lot early and then abandon it-that's not my plan here.  I've created this blog with the plan to update as often as possible and most of all keep the loyal Gateway fans up to date on their beloved Grizzlies.  Here's my plan early on-tonight I'm giving everyone a simple introduction as I try to learn the ins and outs of the blogger.  Tomorrow I will write up my thoughts on how the offseason has been going.  Since I'm full-time in the Grizz office, I get to see everything going on first hand, and I also get to see manager Phil Warren often.  The Grizzlies have signed some guys already, and there is a nice batch of returnees as well for 2011.  You will get some of my thoughts on those guys tomorrow.  There should be a lot to talk about leading up to opening day, so I will update often.

I can't even begin to express how excited I am to be the Radio Broadcaster for the Gateway Grizzlies.  When I was hired back in October to replace the longtime Voice of the Grizzlies, Joe Pott (my mentor and one of the finest play-by-play guys I've had the pleasure of listening to), I was ready for May 20, 2011 to get here ASAP.  October 15, 2010 was the best day of my life as I was hired to be the lead broadcaster for the team I grew up watching.  I was also getting the chance to succeed the guy that taught me just about everything I know about baseball play-by-play.  I have a good feeling that May 20th is going to be pretty special as well.  Only 55 days until I get to say "Grizzlies baseball is back on the air" and introduce myself as the new "Voice of the Grizzlies."  Stay patient Grizzlies fans, opening night is quickly approaching.