Late Night Ramblings + Video

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Everyone knows Jace Peterson is an athlete. How much of one you might wonder? Watch the video and rest assured this kid is one hell of an athlete

Yeah that was barehanded, and sliding, all after running at full speed

It’s funny how teams seemed to have been organized by body type. Eugene has alot of athletic looking guys. Everett has a bunch of tall and lean players. Yakima has a whole crop of short players. I can’t be the only one to notice this can I?

Any sort of change up has these hitters off balance.

Everybody can hit the fastball middle in.

The umpires in the NWL are still learning too.

Best walk up song for Eugene= Lee Orr
Somebody please tell me what it is exactly so I can download it

Worst walk up song for Eugene= Donavan Tate. “I’m a monsta, I do monsta’ stuff, 29’s on the Escalade call it a monsta’ truck” musical genius at its finest no doubt.

Top Tools in the North West League; Position Players

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In this  feature I will rundown the players with the top tools that I have seen to this date. For full disclosure I am yet to see Tri City or Spokane.The tools I will go over are as followed for position players.

The Hit Tool

Power

Fielding

Running

Arm strength

And here we go Continue reading →

The Return of Donavan Tate, The Purchase of a Radar Gun, and My Ramblings

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So it has been decided by the powers that be there should be some kind of game summary or something just to encapsulate the little things that won’t show up in a box score, scouting report, but are noteworthy none the less. Also we have the latest addition to the site; readings from a radar gun. Last but not least we have the return of Donavan Tate after his suspension. Continue reading →

2 New Scouting Reports

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Click the names for some awesome insight.

Mykal Stokes

Kyle Gaedele

Sorry for the delay everybody. The death of Shannon Stone tore me up and summer classes have ramped up. Now that I have adjusted my schedule I will be back to putting out reports at a clip better than two or three a week.

Congrats to Cory Spangenberg  as he was promoted to the Low A Fort Wayne team. I feel this will not be the last time congratulations is in order for Cory in regards to him advancing through the Padres system.

Final thought- Distance should count for something in the HR derby. Am I right or what?

The Love of the Game and the Life of a Father. RIP Shannon Stone

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This site is supposed to be about analyzing the baseball skills of young men as they take their first steps towards their dreams of making it to the major leagues but given the events of last night at the Rangers game I feel a detour is in order. I grew up a Rangers fan and lay claim to the biggest Rangers fan in the state of Oregon but that is neither here nor there. Before I go any further let me offer my condolences to the Stone family and especially his wife and young son Connor.

The game of baseball teeters on the knife’s edge of grace and skill versus violence and force. Watch a third baseman snag a scorched line drive. A hardened ball of thread, yarn, rubber, cork, and leather is speeding right at him. He unflinchingly reaches out with a gloved hand, catches the ball and repeats an act that has been seen a million times over.  Encompassed in all of this is an overriding sense of passion that percolates from the fans in the upper deck to the players on the field. The scary part of the baseball experience is when the violence and force spills over from the field to the stands.

Without fail my dad cringes when a scorched line drive heads towards the seats of any game. As the fans scuttle for the priceless artifact that is a foul ball he will often remark that he is surprised nobody has been killed by one of those hits yet. In a way I am as well. This is the most basic example of how passion of baseball can be mutually shared by the players and fans while the violence and force is best left to those for the professionals. I never thought I would see the day when that shared passion for the game ended up costing a man his life.

Shannon Stone and his young son Connor were at there first ever Ranger’s game. Both were decked out Rangers garb. After paying for overpriced parking, maybe grabbing some overpriced food, and settling into their overpriced seats it all became worth it. Maybe it even seemed like a bargain to the duo. A father could finally personally introduce his son to the game of baseball which I can only imagine is a priceless moment. They were in a modern day cathedral in the front row with an obstructed view to watch the greatest game ever conceived.

One routine throw later and nothing will ever be routine again. Following one of those line drives that makes my dad flinch went and bounced off an empty seat, Josh Hamilton grabbed it and tossed it into the left field seats. Shannon Stone reached for it and in trying to secure the perfect souvenir for his son fell over the 3 foot high railing and into a 14 foot chasm between the seats and the wall. He landed headfirst onto a concrete floor. The entire seating section gasped at what had just occurred. As paramedics rushed to the scene Stone’s only concern remained with his son. He told paramedics to make sure Connor was attended too as he was now alone and scared in a way I wouldn’t wish on anybody. He was rushed to the local hospital but it was too late. Shannon Stone; firefighter, Rangers fan, and loving father, dead at 39.

The events of last night blindsided me in the worst way possible. I’ve been to about 75 games with my father and he has attended countless games of mine. Baseball has bonded us in a way that is fit for a movie. From “Rangers watching position”, returning broken hit-away after broken hit-away, driving me to all my youth games, being the only Rangers fans at away games, waiting for our hosted college summer league player to come back from night games, going to the hall of fame twice, giving up college spring break twice to go to spring training, flying me home for the world series, and most importantly being there for me when I finally gave up the game I loved while offering unwavering support. All those memories are unique to me and my father but everybody has their own set of special baseball memories with their family. I cannot imagine a life without baseball or my dad and now young Connor Stone never know his father and will likely albeit justifiably turn away from the game.

Take a moment. Appreciate the game, hug your loved ones, and think about making a donation to the Stone family.

Shannon Stone Memorial Fund