Stats and Stuff

Several Clearwater Threshers players dot the statistical leaderboards throughout Minor League Baseball.
(Through games played on 5/30/07)

Greg Golson is tied for sixth in hits (62) and tied for ninth in stolen bases (16) on the Class A Advanced Leaderboard. Class A Advanced includes players from the FSL along with the California League and Carolina League. He is also fifth in the FSL in runs scored (36).

Jeremy Slayden is fourth on the Class A Advanced Leaderboard in walks (38), which is good enough for tied for fifth ranking in all of Minor League Baseball. He is second in the FSL in RBI (37), and fifth in the FSL in on-base percentage (.419).

Lou Marson has the third best caught stealing percentage (.417) in the FSL.

Brett Harker's 10 saves puts him at a tie for seventh on the Class A Advanced Leaderboard.

Patrick Overholt's 63.0 innings pitched puts him at fourth highest in the FSL.

Random Stat
Clearwater is 26-0 when leading after eight innings.

Threshers notch 30th win

This is the quickest that the Clearwater Threshers have reached 30 wins in their short history at Bright House Networks Field.

2006 - June 13
2005 - July 30
2004 - on or around July 9

Recent Transactions

Time to recap some of our recent transactions:

May 19
Daniel Brauer placed on the disabled list

May 20
Jason Wylie activated from the disabled list

May 28
Ron Hill promoted from Lakewood
Nic Jackson signed as a minor league free agent
Eude Brito promoted to Ottawa

Some background on our new players:

Ron Hill - 'Bear' is a 6'3" 225lb relief pitcher from Hawaii. He played his college ball for the University of North Carolina at Wilmington before being selected by the Phillies in the 17th round of the 2005 draft. He should look familiar to Threshers fans, as he did pitch in nine games for us last season during late July and throughout August. While with Lakewood this year he had a 2.63 ERA with 10 saves in 17 appearances. He struck out 22 batters in just 24 innings.

Nic Jackson - Jackson is a 27-year old outfielder who started his career in the Chicago Cub organization as a third round pick in the 2000 draft. He struggled through numerous injuries throughout his career and the Cubs declared him a Minor League free agent in the fall of 2006. He played this season with the Binghamton Mets (AA) before being released. He's at his best late in the game this year, batting .368 in the eighth, ninth, and/or extra innings.

Former Thresher Zagurski called up to the Show!

Wanted to give thanks again to readers Steve and SF Fan in FL for their comments about Michael Zagurski in the post about Slayden below. Also thanks to Who's on First? for their comment from Phuture Phillies. In case you missed their comments, they mentioned that Zagurksi has gone from the Threshers to the Majors in just two weeks.

Zagurski's contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies from Reading on Friday, May 25 after Brett Myers was put on the 15-day disabled list. He made his Major League debut that night at Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves. He needed only 10 pitches to get three outs. He took the mound in another relief appearance the next day where he did give up his first hit to a Major Leauge batter. However, after Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson singled up the middle, he settled down and it took him just eight total pitches to get four outs. Despite his success on the mound so far, he is still looking for his first Major League strikeout.

Zac Stott named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week

Zac Stott was just named the Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week for May 21-27. He joins Daniel Brauer and Patrick Overholt as current Threshers who have been honored with that award this season.

Check the Official Site later for a full release.

Phuture Phillies profiles Jeremy Slayden

Phuture Phillies recently profiled Threshers slugger Jeremy Slayden.

You can check out their whole post here.

Operating Hours Change for Memorial Day

The Administrative Offices, as well as the Ticket Office and Diamond Outfitters Store will close for the Memorial Day holiday starting at Noon on Friday, May 25.

They will re-open on Tuesday, May 29 at 10:00am.

A look back at last year's results at St. Lucie

Last season, Threshers and Mets met up at St. Lucie in the second half of the FSL season for a four-game series. The teams split the series with Clearwater taking the first two games, and St. Lucie bouncing back to win the last two games.

The Threshers had 25 hits in the first two games, but were held to just six hits over the last two games. In the two wins, Threshers OF/DH Branden Florence had seven hits in his nine at-bats. He also had three RBIs in the Game 2 win. Patrick Overholt and Derek Griffith both picked up wins, and Brian Reed picked up a save in the Game 1 win.

Branden Florence is now with Reading (AA), but he's currently injured. Before the injury he was batting .350. He has been out since mid-to-late April and is expected to return in late May or early June.

Patrick Overholt is still with the Threshers. His 3.46 ERA and 40 strikeouts puts him near the top of the Threshers starting rotation.

Derek Griffith was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA coming out of the bullpen for the Threshers earlier this season before being released. Last I heard he was trying out for several teams.

I don't have any information as to what Brian Reed is doing this year.

Road Trip!

The Threshers are currently on their longest road trip of the year. Their first stop is Tradition Field in St. Lucie. The Mets won Game 1 of the series yesterday by a score of 5-3 which brings their record to 17-26. The Threshers and Mets continue the series through Wednesday. The Threshers will then head for Jupiter for a four-game series against the Hammerheads.

Is anyone planning on taking the trip to the East Coast to watch any of these ballgames?

Recent transactions

Time to recap some of our recent transactions

May 13
Michael Zagurski promoted to Reading

May 16
Eude Brito added from Ottawa's disabled list
Nate Johnson added from Reading

Some background on our new players:

Eude Brito - Played in 11 games for the Philadelphia Phillies over the last couple of years. He has only pitched in four games coming out of the bullpen for Ottawa so far this season. He pitched for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic last year. Brito has never suited up for the Clearwater Threshers, but he did play for the old Clearwater team in 2002 and 2003.

Nate Johnson - He had an 8-3 record with a 2.57 ERA in 45 games as a Thresher in 2006. He has appeared in 11 games this season for Reading. He has struck out 10 batters in only 13.1 innings of work for the R-Phils in 2007. His wife Shannon, who worked in our Diamond Outfitters store during his assignment in Clearwater, gave birth to the couple's first child during the off-season.

Huge series starts tonight

The top two teams in the FSL West are set to meet for a three-game series that starts tonight at 7:00pm at Bright House Networks Field. The Sarasota Reds currently lead the Threshers in the standings by one game.

The Threshers and Reds have met up six times already this season, with the Reds leading the series four games to two.

Threshers starters Patrick Overholt and Carlos Carrasco picked up both of the wins. Former closer Michael Zagurski picked up both saves.

Mike Spidale is probably the happiest Threshers' batter to see Sarasota pitching. In his five games against the Reds this season, he's batting .350.

Keep your eye on Jay Bruce of the Reds. He's batting .455 with 4 home runs in six games against Threshers pitching. Threshers batters have struggled against Johnny Cueto and Carlos Fisher. Between the two, they've struck out 19 Threshers. More importantly, the Threshers haven't scored a run against either Cueto or Fisher. There is good news though, Fisher was promoted to Chattanooga (AA) a week or so ago, and he pitched yesterday, so the chances of him taking the mound this weekend at Bright House Networks Field are very slim.

If the pattern holds, look for the Threshers to win tonight

The Threshers and Ft. Myers Miracle have met eight times so far this season going into tonight's ballgame at Hammond Stadium.

The Threshers won the first series at Ft. Myers 2-1. Clearwater swept the home series 3-0 . With last night's 10-inning loss in the books, these teams stand at a 1-1 tie on this trip. So, if the pattern holds, look for the Threshers to head home with a victory.

What is your prediction for tonight's game? I'm going with a 4-3 Threshers victory.

Gate Opening Time Change: Friday, May 18

The Gates will open at a special time on Friday, May 18. They are now set to open at 5:30pm.

Cole Hamels Bobblehead Update

The new date for the Cole Hamels Bobblehead Giveaway is Thursday, July 19.

Stats and Stuff

Just took a peek at the Overall Minor League Leaders as of this morning and we've got an appearance by a Clearwater Thresher on the list. Jeremy Slayden is tied for third with 27 walks and 15th in on-base percentage (.455). Slayden's .336 batting average puts him at fifth in the FSL, while his 30 RBIs have him tied for first.

The Threshers have the best record (23-13) of the Phillies affiliates. Reading, Ottawa, and Lakewood are all at or near .500.

The Threshers are 20-0 when leading after eight innings, but are 0-10 when trailing after eight innings.

The hazy days of summer

Just wanted to put out a quick note and let folks know that at this time, we are still planning on playing the ballgame as scheduled tonight. I'll update this post if things change.

Updated at 1:10pm: The sun is peeking out through the haze.

Updated at 6:00pm: The game has been postponed, please check the Official Site for more information.

A look at a current Thresher: Michael Zagurski

Michael Zagurski has been coming out of the bullpen for the Threshers since the start of the season. He's picked up fives saves in his first 11 appearances. Zagurski has only struggled once this season, giving up his only two runs of the year in a road game at Tampa in the middle of April. His current ERA is 1.17 over 15.1 innings pitched.

He is holding opponents to a .102 batting average. Of the 56 batters he has faced this year, 29 were struck out. Only five have gotten a hit against him.

Here is a closer look at a few of his outings:

4/11 Home vs. Tampa - Struck out five of seven batters faced.

4/13 Home vs. Lakeland - Struck out three of four batters faced.

4/17 Away vs. Tampa - Struck out both batters faced and picked up a save.

4/21 Home vs. Sarasota - Struck out only batter faced and picked up a save.

4/26 Road vs. Lakeland - Struck out five of eight batters faced.

4/30 Home vs. Ft. Myers - Struck out four of six batters faced.

5/9 Home vs. Vero Beach - Struck out all three batters he faced and picked up a save.

Zagurski, age 24, is a 6'0" 225lb left-hander out of Omaha, Nebraska. He was drafted out of the University of Kansas by the Phillies in the 12th round of the 2005 draft. He spent the rest of the 2005 season with Batavia. He struck out 75 out of the 231 batters he faced last season while with Lakewood.

Recent transactions

Time to recap some of our recent transactions

May 4
Kevin Howard sent to Lakewood
Michael Garciaparra added from Extended Spring Training

May 5
Allen Davis promoted to Reading

May 6
Victor Hall released
Carlos Pena added from Extended Spring Training

May 7
Michael Garciaparra added from Extended Spring Training
Pete Shier added from Reading

Some information about our new players:

Carlos Pena is a right-hander who has been both a starter and a reliever during his time in the Phillies minor league system. He played last season with the GCL Phillies, where he came out of the bullpen 15 times. He was 1-2 with a 2.96 ERA and picked up two saves.

Pete Shier started the season with the Threshers, but only played in two games at shortstop before being promoted to Reading. He played second base, shortstop, and third base in his 6 games with the R-Phillies.

The Feeding Frenzy Returns!

Feeding Frenzy Monday returns tonight!

All tickets are just $10 and include an All-You-Can-Eat Menu from 6:00-9:00pm.Remember, if you are a season ticket holder, you are included in the Frenzy at no extra charge! Remember to stop by a wristband table or the Customer service/Advance ticket window to pick up your wristband.
The unused season ticket exchange program is not available on Mondays due the Frenzy.

Tonight's menu includes items like hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, peanuts, chips, popcorn and ice cream sandwiches. Westshore Pizza will be back again, and LaSpada's is joining in on the fun. Tonight's special guest restaurants are Buffalo Wild Wings and Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Spread the word and enjoy Feeding Frenzy Monday all summer long.

Threshers start eight game homestand tonight!

This will be your only chance of the year to catch the Brevard County Manatees (May 5 - 8) and Vero Beach Devil Rays (May 9 - 12) at Bright House Networks Field.

The series against the Manatees starts tonight at 6:30pm. Come celebrate Cinco de Mayo and enjoy post-game Fireworks!

Threshers sweep Phillies Monthly Awards

Greg Golson and Patrick Overholt have been honored with the Phillies Player and Pitcher of the Month awards for April.

The Official Site should have a story up shortly.

Following a Former Thresher: Andy Baldwin

Remember Andy Baldwin? He was selected in the fifth round of the 2004 draft by the Phillies. He started 20 games for the Threshers last season after leaving the bullpen. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners as part of the deal that brought Jamie Moyer to the Phillies. Baldwin finished off the 2006 season with Inland Empire of the California League.

Baldwin began this season with the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, which is the Mariners' Double-A affiliate in the Southern League. He has struggled so far in the win-loss column (0-2), but so has the rest of the team (10-15, last place). He is leading the team in innings pitched (29.1). In one of his losses he gave up only one run in five innings of work.

News and Notes

• This is the first time that Clearwater Threshers pitchers have combined for two straight shutouts. (vs. Ft. Myers Miracle 1-0 and 5-0)

• In games that Dan Brauer picks up the win, the average game time is two hours and twenty-nine minutes.

• Greg Golson and Jeremy Slayden have appeared in all 24 games so far this year.

• Matt Thayer leads the team in on-base percentage (.423).

• Patrick Overholt's ERA of 1.80 leads all Threshers starting pitchers.

The new ads are up on YouTube

Plan B just posted the new commercials on YouTube.

Check 'em out and tell us what you think:

Every Seat Must Go!

Protecting Your Kids

Reward Your Employees!