The Wandering Disciple

Fort Myers, Florida: The Florida Complex League began their 2023 season this week throughout Florida. The FCL is a rookie level league in the Minor League Baseball system and is typically the bottom level of affiliated baseball in the United States and is played in the spring training homes of the major league clubs in Florida.  On Thursday afternoon, the FCL Red Sox hosted the FCL Rays at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers. After a brief delay due to a quick shower that passed through, the teams got things started in their third game of the season.  The Red Sox jumped out to an early lead on an RBI single by Johnfrank Salazar in the first inning that scored Marvin Alcantara to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.  They extended their lead in the second inning by pushing across a pair of runs. Angel Pierre drove home Karim Aybui with an RBI triple to right. Then it was Alcantara picking up an RBI with a single to score Pierre to make it 3-0.  The Red Sox added two more in the b...

Orioles minor leaguer Brayan Hernandez slides safely into home during a Saturday morning Florida Complex League game. During the offseason, minor league baseball restructured resulting in the loss of a few levels of the minor league ladder to streamline the path to the majors. One of the changes was the in the Rookie level in which the Gulf Coast League was renamed the Florida Complex League and a few teams like the Orioles are fielding two teams in the FCL to help train their younger players that may have been assigned to one of the abandoned leagues like the short-season affiliates. (Photo: August 28, 2021)

Twins minor league third baseman Wander Valdez throws to first to record an out during a Florida Complex League game. The 21 year old Dominican, Valdez is in his fourth season of professional baseball after being signed by the Minnesota Twin as an international free agent in 2016. (Photo: August 13, 2021)

Red Sox coach Bianca Smith relays signals from the first base coaches box during a Florida Complex League game on Friday afternoon. Hired by the Red Sox as a minor league coach in January, Smith is breaking barriers by becoming the first professional African American female baseball coach. She is will be working with position players during the Florida Complex League, a rookie league that plays their home games at JetBlue Park. (Photo: August 13, 2021)

Thanks to a horrible decision by Major League Baseball to destroy the culture of Minor League Baseball, small towns across the country saw professional baseball in their communities disappear almost overnight.  At the direction of MLB, over forty teams were eliminated from the minors.  This restructure hit home as the Charlotte Stone Crabs were one of the teams effected by the restructuring.  A Tampa Bay Rays affiliate since 2009, the four time division champion and 2015 league champion will no longer be affiliated with Tampa Bay as the Rays moved their Advanced-A affiliate to Charleston for the 2021 season.  (Photo: September 9, 2015)

Tampa Bay Rays minor league pitcher Chris Carden looks in for the signs during a 2017 Gulf Coast League game.  The communication between catcher and pitcher is one of the most critical links in the game.  From behind the plate, the catcher gives signs to the pitcher of what pitch to throw and moves the infielders into position to hopefully set-up the play and record an out.  (Photo: July 21, 2017)

Orioles minor leaguer Bryndan Arredondo gets hit by a pitch during an afternoon Gulf Coast League game in 2017. There is a saying in youth baseball "Hit or be hit", well at this level of professional baseball I wouldn't want to be hit by a fastball or any pitch for that matter. The Gulf Coast League is an entry level league in professional baseball with teams consisting of newly drafted players and international signees playing their first season in the states. The batter here Arredondo was the Orioles 23rd round draft pick in the 2017 draft, playing in just his second professional game. (Photo: June 29, 2017)

So many dreams are made or broken in Minor League Baseball. Hundreds of players each year sign a professional contract to start their journey to the majors. The hometown fields are where you can see the stars of tomorrow learn the ins and outs of professional baseball. Here is Chicago Cubs infielder David Bote as he was playing for the Tennessee Smokies in 2017. Bote was drafted by the Cubs in 2012, spent six years in the minors before making his major league debut in 2018. (Photo: June 14, 2017)

Braves minor leaguer Randy Ventura rounds second and digs from third during a South Atlantic League game in 2017. Signed as an international free agent by the Atlanta Braves in 2015, Ventura has spent five seasons in the minor league system, split between the Braves and the Cincinnati Reds organizations. Prior to the COVID-19 hiatus Ventura was with the Daytona Tortugas, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Reds in the Florida State League. (Photo: June 12, 2017)

Debuting with a new team after being promoted is always a big deal. But its made even better when you have a big day at the plate and help lift your club to victory. That’s exactly what Niko Hulsizer did during his Stone Crabs debut, going 3 for 4 in his first Florida State League game. (Photo: August 18, 2019)

North Port, Florida:  Friday night lights, Minor League Baseball style, swept over the West Villages at the Atlanta Braves opened their spring training home for some Gulf Coast League baseball.  A large crowd, uncharacteristic for a GCL game, filed into the newly built stadium for an evening of baseball action. The home team Braves jumped out to big lead in the second inning.  They collected four runs in the frame by the way of six hits to take a lead.  Joel Reyes drove in a run, Wiston Cerrato collected two, and Madson Berne plated another to give the Braves a 4-0 lead. The Brave picked up two more runs in thee bottom of the seventh by the way of a two run homer by Michael Harris, his first professional home run to make it 6-0. Braves pitching kept the Rays off the board until the eighth inning when the Rays scored a run on an RBI single by Johan Lopez for their first run of the night.  They got two more in the ninth by pushing across two runs on an er...

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs opened the week with a three game set against the Clearwater Threshers. The Stone Crabs fueled by a strong pitching effort and a powerful offensive attack blanked the visiting little Phillies 7-0 on Tuesday night at Charlotte Sports Complex. The Stone Crabs broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning. Taylor Walls singled followed by walk issued to Rays rehabbing catcher Mike Zunino. A double by Thomas Milone scored Walls for the first run of the game. Then a two run single by Moises Gomez scored Zunino and Milone to give the Stone Crabs a 3-0 lead. The Stone Crabs added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Zunino and Ronaldo Hernandez singled followed by Jim Haley reaching after being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Carl Chester then drove home a run the hard way, getting struck by a pitch to score Zunino to increase the lead to 4-0.  Charlotte added a pair more in the sixth. Walls doubl...

Who says pitchers can't get air. Stone Crabs reliever Simon Rosenblum-Larson leaps for a ball during warm-ups between innings. (Photo: May 26, 2019)

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs watched their late lead dissolve in the top of the ninth as they fell to the Palm Beach Cardinals 7-4 on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park. The Stone Crabs jumped out to an early lead by scoring in the first inning. Moises Gomez doubled to center, scoring Ronaldo Hernandez and giving the Stone Crabs a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals tied the game an inning on a solo home run by Luken Baker, his fourth of the season. Palm Beach grabbed he lead an inning later on a bases loaded free pass to Julio Rodriguez to score Justin Toerner and give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.  The Stone Crabs tied the game in the fifth. Thomas Milone delivered a soft single to left, scoring Jake Palomaki to tie the game. They then took the lead back in the seventh by pushing across a pair of runs in the frame. First came on an RBI single by Jim Haley and then a sac fly by Milone put the Stone Crabs out in front 4-2. But the Cardinals bounced bac...

Watch it fly and say good-bye.  Garret Whitley touches them all after crushing a home run in Tuesday's game against Fort Myers.  Whitley is a Top-30 prospect for the Tampa Bay Rays and First Round Draft Pick from 2015.  (Photo: May 7, 2019)

Dunedin Blue Jays hitter Norberto Obeso loosens up before at at-bat during a Florida State League game against the St Lucie Mets. Dunedin is the Advanced-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and marks roughly the midway point on the path to the pros. (Photo: May 4, 2019)

Charlotte Stone Crabs outfielder Moises Gomez tracks a fly ball under a sunny Floridian sky.  The Stone Crabs are the Advanced-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Florida State League.  Advanced-A is roughly the midway point in the path to the majors which begins at rookie ball and leads all the way through Triple-A and then the pros.  (Photo: April 14, 2019)

Charlotte Stone Crabs Carl Chester slides safely into third. Chester went from first to third on a pick-off attempt that sailed into the outfield, providing some excitement during a tie ball game. While he would be stranded just 90 feet from home, the Stone Crabs still managed to win the game in extra innings. (Photo: April 7, 2019)

Rays minor league outfielder Beau Brundage makes the catch of a fly ball during a minor league spring training game.   These spring training games are good opportunity for players to work on fundamentals and impress the coaching staffs before camp breaks in a couple weeks.   (Photo: March 15, 2019)

The Boys of Summer are back on the field as minor league spring training games kicked off this week.   The minor leaguers will spend the next couple weeks playing scrimmage games to prepare for their regular season.   Unlike the major leaguers who get all the attention, the minor league players grind it out every day in the shadows of the stadiums as they chase their dreams of playing in the majors.   (Photo: March 13, 2019)