Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

Every year a new batch of minor leaguers comes through the Florida State League. It always takes about 2 weeks worth of games to learn all the new Tampa Yankees players by their numbers, body types, positions etc. Learning pitchers also takes extra time because there are always so many of them and even after following the minor leaguers all spring and the season before, there are always a few that take some time to recognize.
What takes even longer is learning the players and pitchers on opposing teams. I buy the Baseball America Prospect handbook and study it before the season starts which gives me kind of a cheat sheet for who other teams might value. The handbook also gives a clue as to where some players might end up so I'll know who I might get a chance to see over the long season. I figure the longer I follow the teams in the FSL, the easier it will be to know who is who in other organizations.
First and foremost, I am a Yankee fan but I am also a big baseball fan, I love following the players on other teams and wish them all success whether they are in the Yankees organization or any other organization. Some of them just stick with you because of a unique name, how they do in a series or a dominant pitching performance. Some are prospects and immediately become someone that I pay attention to.
The point of this post is to focus on the players that had some sort of impact on me for some random reason. I'll break it down by team to keep myself organized. These are players that I would love if they could stay in the FSL but whom I like enough that I don't ever want to see them again unless it's on mlb.tv.

 I'll stick with the FSL North since these are the teams I saw the most.

Clearwater Threshers(Phillies)


Trevor May - I can't tell you how many times I saw May pitch against the Tampa Yankees but I will never forget the game he pitched at the end of the first half when he struck out 14 TY batters in 7+ innings. It was definitely a painful game to sit through because it seemed we could never get anything going because he was just so dominant.
Troy Hanzawa - The only thing about Hanzawa that I will remember is how little he is. 5'9  short stop. According to Baseball Reference, he only batted .223 in 2011.
Brian Gump - This last name, I mean...run Forest run...need I say more?
Jared Cosart and Jonathan Singleton - These two got traded to the Astros for Hunter Pence and though I didnt get to see Cosart pitch, Singleton is a 1st basemen that I saw many times in 2011 and was truly happy to see that he got traded away because he is good. He batted .284 before the trade and then .333 after the trade. In four minor league seasons, his OBP sits at .393. I can't see him not making the Astros unless he gets injured.
Jiwan James - He is a quick outfielder with skinny legs. Thats about all I can say about him.

Dunedin Blue Jays(Toronto Blue Jays)


Honestly, the only Blue Jay that I really cheered for was AJ Jimenez. I like catchers and he fits the bill. He also scored that really cool triple/1 base error in the FSL All-Star game and slid under the tag. He batted .303 for the Blue Jays in 2011.

Lakeland Flying Tigers(Detroit Tigers)

I went to more Lakeland away games than any other away games this season so I feel like I connected with more of these guys than on any other team besides the Yankees.

Tony Plagman - Plagman was the DH for the Tigers in 2011 and by the end of the season, we didn't even need to look at the scoreboard to know that Tony was up to bat. We called him Tony the Tiger which definitely fit him because he played for the Tigers. Plagman batted .257 with 18 home runs and a team high 97 RBI.
Brent Wyatt - I knew I liked Wyatt the second I heard his walk up music. The theme song for The Boondock Saints. Youtube it and you'll figure it out. I downloaded it to my phone and would play it for him when he came to bat at TY home games.
Jordan Lennerton - Lennerton played first base for the Tigers and the only thing that stood out to me was the way the announcer said his name at home games. It truly is the little things.

Brevard County Manatees(Milwaukee Brewers)

Scooter Gennett - You can't go wrong with a name like Scooter. I found myself, along with other boosters, cheering for scooter as if he were on our team. I heard that they came out with a Scooter vs. the snowman bobblehead for the team he played for in 2010 and I would love to get my hands on one of them. He batted .300 played 2nd base for the Manatees.

Daytona Cubs(Chicago Cubs)

The Daytona Cubs won the FSL Championships in 2011. I am hoping to make it to Daytona to see them something in 2012.
Matt Cerda - Cerda made a really great play in the FSL All-Star game, flying to his left to snag a ball and firing to first for the out that had the potential to cause some serious problems for the North had the ball made it past him.
Justin Bour- Bour won the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game and he was always a threat to do something dangerous in the regular season as well. He batted .277 with 23 home runs.
Michael Brenly obviously caught our attention as the son of big league manager Bob Brenly.

Happy New Year

I am going to start picking my blog back up starting in the next couple days. Or tonight if I get bored. Pitchers and Catchers report on Feb 15ish and ill be going to their first workout day as well as the first workout day for all the players on Feb 25. Expect a lot of pictures. Spring training starts a week or so later and knowing me(and knowing a certain minor leaguer got an invite to the big league spring training) I will probably go to a game or 3 in March so expect pictures from that too. Then Minor League Spring Training starts in Mid March and I have to go to as many of those as I can. I am going to start getting really busy and thank the good Lord that I have graduated college so I will not have to worry about papers and classes and projects(oh my!) so I should make it to whatever practice or game I want.

The minor league season starts up on April 5th in Lakeland and the quest for another FSL Championship begins. I wonder who our team will have making up it's 25 roster spots, who will represent our opposition and how many major leaguers will rehab in the FSL? It is all pretty exciting and I cannot wait for it to start.

My posts will consist of my favorite games, moments and pictures from this past season so I hope that you visit frequently and let me know what you think.

                                     Hopefully there aren't too many of these this coming season.