Farkes making strides behind the plate

 Zak Farkes, Photo Credit: Jim Davis/Boston Globe

When fans saw local product Zak Farkes make his professional debut with the Spinners in 2005, he was an infielder. When he returned in 2006, he spent the bulk of his time at third base. However, since leaving Lowell, the Harvard-educated, Boston-born Farkes has moved behind the plate and faired quite well. After a solid season split between Lancaster and Greenville, Farkes is following the tutelage of Red Sox captain Jason Varitek and Doug Mirabelli in learning his new position. Farkes details all that and more in this Boston Globe article.

Masterson, Lowrie to keep Spring Training journals

Two of Lowell’s favorite Red Sox prospects are attending their first Major League Spring Training. Justin Masterson (2006) and Jed Lowrie (2005) are giving fans a first hand perspective of what it is like to participate in Spring Training with the defending World Champions.

Two of the Red Sox top prospects, Masterson and Lowrie were both mentioned frequently in trade discussions for Johan Santana. With Santana in Queens, Justin and Jed will keep the Spinner faithful updated from Fort Myers.

Click here to read more and keep track with their progress all spring!

A Day in the Life…

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a (Canala)gator for a day?

Boston Herald writer Darren Garnick found out, and now you can read his entire entry online by clicking here.

Youkilis becomes first Spinners Gold Glove

Kevin Youkilis was named the Gold Glove winner for American League first basemen yesterday, making him the first former Spinner to be awarded the honor.

Youkilis did not allow an error in 135 regular season games as a first baseman for the Red Sox this season, becoming the second ever first baseman to record a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in a season.

Congratulations, Kevin! Read about his award here: http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/11/07/its_a_first_youkilis_has_that_golden_touch/

Former Spinners skipper and Sox first base coach Luis Alicea also received some credit for the Red Sox improved infield defense in 2007:

(Youkilis) was part of an excellent defensive infield, one helped by the work of coach Luis Alicea, who gets very little credit. Alicea helped Youkilis make the conversion to first, helped Dustin Pedroia in his first season as a major league second baseman (working with the rookie almost daily), and got Julio Lugo to reduce his errors and completely change his mechanics. The work of Mike Lowell speaks for itself.

Fenway Park the new dog house

If you saw the Spinners’ own Dogman on TV during Fox’s ALCS Game 7 pregame show, you know the D-O-Double-G was in Fenway Park to take in all of the action.

If you missed him on TV, click here for more proof, courtesy of Boston.com.

Dogman and the rest of the Spinners crew wish the Red Sox the best in the World Series!

Former Spinners win a Host of California League Awards

Bubba Bell Named California League MVP &

Chad Epperson Named Manager of the Year

Bell, Zach Daeges, and Aaron Bates named league post-season All-Stars

                                                                              

(LANCASTER, CA) –  The California League announced its 2007 post-season All-Stars and Awards today and the JetHawks captured three of the four biggest honors.  OF Bubba Bell was named the league Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, while skipper Chad Epperson earned the honor of Manager of the Year.  Bell joined fellow outfielder Zach Daeges and first baseman Aaron Bates on the post-season All Star team.  The voting is done by league managers, general managers, and broadcasters, as well as selected members of local media.

 

Bell’s spectacular rise helped spark the JetHawks to the first half championship.  The 24-year old Texan is well on his way towards winning the league batting title, having posted a .370 average before moving up to AA Portland.  Bell was a candidate for the Triple Crown at the time of his promotion as he also was among the league leaders with 22 home runs and 83 RBI.  Bell won every award he qualified for this season as a post-season All-Star, MVP, and Rookie of the Year, to go along with his mid-season All-Star nomination and All-Star game MVP award.  A fan favorite, Bell is the second player in the history of the JetHawks organization to win each of the post-season honors.  In the 2000 campaign, Juan Silvestre was named the league MVP while Willie Bloomquist won the award for Rookie of the Year.

 

In his first season at the helm of the JetHawks, Chad Epperson has led the club to the best overall record in the league.  The JetHawks won the first half championship after finishing eight games above .500, and now have a magic number of just six to add the second half title as well.  Epperson joins 2000 manager Mark Parent and 2002 skipper Bill Plummer as JetHawks Manager of the Year award winners.

 

Bates and Daeges were also instrumental in the JetHawks success in 2007.  Bates remains second in the league with a .332 batting average, despite an August promotion to Portland.  At the time he went up, Bates led the league in home runs with 24 and had 88 RBI.  Bates was also the leading defensive first baseman in the league with just seven errors.  Daeges broke the JetHawks franchise records for doubles in a season when he notched his 46^th of the year.  He leads all of Minor League Baseball in that category and is within striking distance of the league record of 55.  The Nebraska native is fourth in the league in hitting at .326 and has added 18 home runs with a team-high 94 RBI.

Check Out the Flyover!

If you missed the pre-game festivities for Johnny Pesky night on Thursday, August 23, check out the following link.

Not only was the Red Sox Legend in the house, but the Air National Guard was here and gave us a fantastic flyover after their Air Guard band performed the National Anthem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncQztuW5qB0

Spinners Lead AL-affiliated All-Stars to victory

A trio of Lowell Spinners made their mark on the New York-Penn League All-Star game on Tuesday night at Hudson Valley’s infamous Dutchess Stadium.  Catcher Ty Weeden was the first Spinner into the game, taking over the catching duties in the 4th.  Weeden, one of the league’s strongest defensive catchers, caught 3 innings, during which the AL Affiliates gave up just one run. 

Felix Ventura, the Spinners’ excellent closer, came in for the eighth inning and pitched a scoreless frame.  Ventura struck out Brooklyn OF Brandon Kawal, a .306 hitter, then retired Carlos Piste before Colin DeLome singled and stole second.  Ventura ended the inning by retiring State College’s Austin McClune.

Yamaico Navarro, who came in as a defensive replacement in the sixth, lead off the bottom of the eighth with a lined single to left against Brooklyn ace reliever William Morgan, who sports a 1.04 ERA.  After Ron Bourquin flew out, Jason Dominguez replaced Morgan and Navarrro promptly got himself into scoring position with a stolen base, then Aberdeen LF Joseph Nowicki singled Navarro over the third.  Oneonta star Casper Wells finished the job with a sac fly to drive in Navarro and tie the game.  With the game tied the AL affiliates cracked 3 more base hits to take the lead.  Oneonta closer Noah Krol wrapped things up for the save and Ventura earned the win.

 The Spinners All-Star contingent was without two members, Mike Jones and Ryan Kalish.  Jones sported the best average among NYPL 1B at .340 when he was promoted to Greenville on August 9.  Kalish was the hottest player in the NYPL when he went down on July 16 with a wrist injury.  He was hitting .368 with 18 steals and had reached base in 16 of his last 19 plate appearances.

Spinners Batboy Enjoys Fenway, Job

Check out this Boston NOW story about Spinners batboy Dan Hinckley.

Spinners’ Southern Connection

The Spinners are not the first professional baseball team to be called the Spinners.  From 1939 to 1941, Greenville’s South Atlantic League team were known as the Spinners.   As many of you know Greenville (now the Greenville Drive) is the Red Sox SAL affiliate, and the team many of today’s Spinners play for when they are promoted from Lowell. 

However, that is not the only Spinners team from the south.  From 1946 to 1950 the Sanford Spinners played in the Tobacco State League, a class D league with teams from across North Carolina. Class D teams were equivalent to today’s class A teams, such as the New York-Penn League teams you see every night at LeLacheur Park.