Reid Nichols with Jim Powell -- Latest: Anderson, Money

[Mass Haas]

Three-part interview with Reid Nichols during the Brewer pre-games this week:

As you'd expect, educated questions from Jim Powell -- listen in and comment in this thread. I guess for me Reid's comments on Charlie Fermaint were the most insightful, and yes, they're positive (overcoming a rough background, five tools...)

 

Part One (AAA team, AA position players):

 

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Part Two (AA pitchers, high-A team):

 

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We'll link to Part Three after it airs Friday night.

[plowjockey]

Suprised to hear that Dillard projects as merely a set up man. I guess when he was named minor league pitcher of the system last year, I thought that he had potential as a starter. He sounded a bit disappointed that Eveland and ZackJack have a ways to go in their development.

[colbyjack]

Dillard has been mentioned as a set-up guy by Nichols before (probably last year at this time).

 

Just a few big points for me...

 

Nichols mentioned that Hammond could be a #2 behind Gallardo in the not-so-distant future. That's pretty high praise. Nichols also praised Hammond's overall work ethic.

 

He mentioned that Parra will always be a guy that will need to battle injury problems & stay in tune with his conditioning.

 

The organization wants Alcides Escobar to shrink his strike zone and focus more on drawing walks.

 

Jones is back to about 95% and has been commanding his pitches pretty well. He probably will be pitching somewhere in Mexico this winter.

[DHonks]

also Colby, interesting to hear that Parra will always pitch with some stiffness and soreness. So when all of us wonder why guys don't "just get the surgery out of the way", this tells us something. There's a huge reason guys would rather try rehabbing than have arm surgery

[Mass Haas]

Reid Nichols Interview, Part Three:

OF's Lorenzo Cain and Darren Ford, RHP Robert Hinton, and LHP Joe Thatcher will be the club's four representatives in the brand new Hawaii Fall League, which is described as the Arizona Fall League for advanced-A ball. Where do I sign up for that duty?

 

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[Minigoon]

Here is a story with a little more info on the Hawaii Fall League.

 

www.oursportscentral.com/...id=3337265

 

Hawaii Winter Baseball Announces Its Return For the 2006 Season

06/29/06 - Hawaii Winter Baseball (HWB)

HONOLULU-Hawaii Winter Baseball officials announced Hawaii's professional baseball winter league will return for the 2006 season--after an eight year absence.

 

HWB Chairman and CEO Duane Kurisu opened the June 28th press conference on a respectful note by dedicating the event at the Willows Restaurant to one of the local sportswriters' own-Ferd Borch-who died Sunday.

 

Kurisu then began by telling a story from the initial 1993 HWB season. "I remember seeing an undersized Japanese kid consistently hitting bombs over the warehouse beyond the right field fence. This was the first time America saw Ichiro (Suzuki), and it was the winter before he won his first batting championship in Japan." Suzuki went on to become Major League Baseball's American League Rookie of the Year and also won the American League MVP honors that same year, 2001. Now, some 136 HWB players have gone on to "the Bigs" giving many players in the Major League a strong connection with Hawaii.

 

Speaking on behalf of Governor Linda Lingle, State Director of Finance Georgina Kawamura told of the league's home-stay program. "Back in the early days of the league we kept Mark Kotsay in our home." Even after he made it to the majors, Kawamura said, he sent us an invitation to his wedding, and invitations to his kids' birthdays. "We've remained close all these years."

 

Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann, who has been involved in securing use of Hans L'Orange Field in Waipahu for the league, pledged his continued strong support for the league.

 

League president Hervy Kurisu announced that HWB's executive committee was led by Roy Krasik, the senior director of operations from the office of the commissioner of Major League Baseball, and other members of the committee include Dayton Moore, general manager of the Kansas City Royals, William Geivett, vice president and assistant general manager of the Colorado Rockies, Ben Cherington, vice president of player personnel for the Boston Red Sox, and Bobby Evans, director of player personnel for the San Francisco Giants.

 

Joining Krasik and Geivett on HWB's Advisory Board are: Acey Kohrogi, director of Asian operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers and executive advisor to the president of the Orix Buffalos of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, Steve Munatones, president HWB Japan, Paul Yonamine of the Hitachi Corporation, and Derek Kurisu, vice president of KTA Superstores.

 

The four teams in the league include two from the past and two that are new, said Clyde Nekoba, HWB vice president and director of operations. Joining the Honolulu Sharks and West Oahu CaneFires will be the new North Shore Honu and the Waikiki Beach Boys. The level of professional play is at the Single A and Double AA level for U.S. players. The professional baseball leagues in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China will provide players chosen by their respective baseball organizations.

 

The teams will play a 40-game schedule, said Nekoba, starting October 1 at Hans L'Orange Field and October 2 at Les Murakami Stadium. A championship game will be played November 21.

 

"HWB is about catching the dream that is baseball and the convergence of cultures," said Rob Farrow, general manager of HWB West. "Throughout the season we will be hosting a series of promotions that highlight our different cultures and represent all things that are Hawaii."

 

Nekoba announced that Wayne Miyao will serve as general manager of HWB East.

 

The presenting sponsor for the league will be IamHawaii.com. Kyle Tanouye, representing the sponsor, announced that the comprehensive website featuring all that's special about Hawaii will launch October 1.

 

Andy Scott, who coordinates game telecasts for the league, announced that K5--The Home Team will broadcast one HWB game per week each Wednesday, starting October 11. The game will be delay-broadcast at 10:30 p.m.

 

A new feature of the league this year will be HWB games telecast in the U.S. via both terrestrial and cable television networks on the East Coast, and in Hawaii, reaching an estimated 35 million television homes. HWB game telecasts are also scheduled to appear in selected television networks in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China, reaching an additional estimated 40 million television homes throughout North Asia.

 

The league also announced the launch, June 28, of a comprehensive website which can be found online at www.hawaiiwinterbaseball.com. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the league office at (80http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/glasses.gif 973-7247.

[clancyphile]

Gee... his performance as a starter seems to indicate otherwise. I think Reid is selling Dillard very short.

[And That]

The Hawaii Winter Baseball League has posted its Manager/Coach assignments for the upcoming season, and WV Power hitting coach Mike Lum, who guided the Power batters to a banner year will serve as the North Shore Honu (it's a sea turtle) bench coach/hitting coach. I can only assume Mssrs. Cain, Ford, Hinton and Thatcher will be part of the Honu squad, and good for them, getting to go to Hawaii in October. I'd also have to imagine Lum is up for a promotion to at least Brevard next year, so he's coaching for-serious in Hawaii.

[Mass Haas]

Always a nice interview by Jim when there's an unexpected call-up (Barnwell, Winkelsas, etc.) -- this one with Drew Anderson:

 

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Edit: Corrected link...

[molitor fan]

I think Mike Lum was the first player from Hawaii to ever make the big leagues....

[Mass Haas]

Jim Powell's Pre-Game with Don Money:

 

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