FIL Roster

Following up on Anonymous's comment request to post the FIL Roster. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get it to format correctly to show on the blog, however I did get it to work somewhat here. Hope that helps!

Say Goodbye To Brad Dudash

The Threshers say goodbye to 'Administrative Assistant' Brad Dudash. Friday, September 30th will be his last 'full-time' day at the ballpark. He has decided to pursue a great opportunity with Global Spectrum which will send him down to the Harborview Center in downtown Clearwater.


Brad has been with the organization since the move over to Bright House Networks Field having started as a Ticket Office Representative and working his way in to all the different facets of the organization. PA Announcer Don Guckian affectionately calls him 'The Ultimate Utility Player'. You still may see Brad around the ballpark next summer, as he's hoping to be able to return in a part-time capacity as his new schedule allows.

Brad's brother Cletus (pictured, above) has commented that he will still visit the ballpark, and he is especially excited for 2007's edition of Country Night at Bright House Networks Field.

The Clearwater Threshers staff greatly appreciates Brad's hard work throughout the last 3 years and wish him much luck in his future, especially on his swing (pictured, below).

MiLB Promotional Seminar

The Minor League Baseball Promotional Seminar is going on right now in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Clearwater Threshers have sent a couple of folks from the front office staff to the meetings in order to share ideas with some of the best minds in Minor League Baseball. You will likely end up seeing some of these ideas implemented throughout the ballpark during the 2007 season, and who knows, perhaps you'll see some of our own ideas used throughout Minor League Baseball in 2007 and beyond.

Affiliate Shakeup - Say Goodbye to Batavia and

Hello to Williamsport.

The Phillies announced today a two-year working agreement with the Williamsport Crosscutters in the short-season Class A NY-Penn League. The Phillies had been affiliated with Batavia for nearly 20 years prior to this change.

Steve Noworyta, Director, Minor Leagues comments:

"Relocating our short-season team to Williamsport continues our plan of getting as many of our minor league teams as close as possible to Philadelphia. With AAA moving to the Lehigh Valley in 2008, the lone exception will be Clearwater. The great facilities in Clearwater will continue to be home for the Threshers and the Gulf Coast Rookie League team."

For those who may not be aware, the AAA Phillies affiliate for the 2007 season will be the Ottawa Lynx located in Ontario, Canada. Scranton is now an affiliate of the New York Yankees.

Boo Bash 2006 is Coming!

From our latest flyer:

It is that time of year again! Boo Bash is scheduled for Tuesday, October 31 at beautiful Bright House Networks Field. This event, from 5:00 5:30-8:30 pm is co-sponsored by the Clearwater Threshers and the City of Clearwater Parks & Rec Department. Boo Bash is a safe Halloween community event with expected attendance of over 3,500 people in 2006. Boo Bash features several interactive areas for kids including inflatable games, hay rides and a “Haunted House” that will surely scare you.

Get your company involved in this great event by leaving a comment with your contact information (please include email address) or by contacting your Threshers Account Manager.

Baseball America's 2006 Minor League All-Stars

Baseball America recently released a list of their 2006 Minor League All-Stars.

No current or former Threshers were on the list, but a couple of potential future Threshers did make it. Matt Maloney and Carlos Carrasco appear on the Low A list. Both of them pitched for Lakewood this past summer.

If you'd like to see the whole list, check out this link on Baseball America's web site.

Home Game Times Are Changing in 2007

The Clearwater Threshers are changing home game times for the 2007 season and our loyal blog readers are among the first to find out.

Our new basic home game time schedule is:

Monday - Friday 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 6:30 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m.
Doubleheaders 5:00 p.m.

Keep in mind that those are our new standard times. I expect a handful of our weekday games will be moved from 7pm to around lunch time for events like Camp Day. This information will be released at a later date, probably around the same time as when the 2007 schedule is released.

*Game times are subject to change

(Q) Who plays in the FIL?

(A) 36 players currently in the Phillies organization make up the 2006 Philies FIL Roster. Most of the players were members of the GCL Phillies during this past summer and there is also a mix of players from Batavia and Lakewood on the roster. Mike Costanzo (third baseman) and Greg Golson (outfielder) are the only two members of the team that played in Clearwater this past season.

FIL will be a good opportunity to check out some of the future stars of the Clearwater Threshers. Some of the more notable names on the roster, other than Costanzo and Golson, are Carlos Carrasco (pitcher), Kyle Drabek (pitcher), and Welinson Baez (third baseman).

FIL Home games are played at Bright House Networks Field and admission is free.

FIL games start on Saturday (9/23)

The Florida Instructional League (FIL) starts playing ballgames on Saturday, September 23rd when the Phillies travel to take on the Pirates.

The Phillies are scheduled to have home games at Bright House Networks Field on:

Monday 9/25
Wednesday 9/27
Thursday 9/28
Saturday 9/30 (10AM)
Tuesday 10/3
Thursday 10/5
Friday 10/6
Tuesday 10/10
Thursday 10/12
Friday 10/13
Tuesday 10/17 (10AM)

All games start at 1pm unless otherwise noted. Admission is free.

The Photo Gallery is up

Check out the Official Site to see our brand new Photo Gallery. Just click on the Photo Gallery button on the left-hand side menu. Just had my first look at it and I think it looks pretty nice. What do you think?

Former Thresher Mathieson back in the Bigs

The Phillies have just released their latest roster and transaction update and pitcher Scott Mathieson has been promoted back up to Philly from Scranton.

Updated 9/5/06 at 11:42am - Mathieson has been placed on the 15-day DL (right elbow sprain). This transaction was dated 9/3/06.