tiger337
04-30-2007, 12:01 AM
My father and I just got back from Lakeland today after watching them play 3 games versus Clearwater. They did not play well at all but I did see some positives and had a great time meeting people. Huey and TeamMom are both awesome. The environment at Joker Marchant is like a community and those two are a big part of it. They seemed to know everyone at the park and were warm and friendly to all. Plus, they are a wealth of information about the players and the Lakeland organization.
I also got to talk with Yoda through much of game 2 . He was actually the one that inspired me to visit Lakeland during the regular season rather than Spring training. He made it sound like a lot of fun and it turned out that he was right. Yoda is pretty much like I thought he would be which isn't too bad. :happy: I enjoyed meeting deadshot too.
The best part was probably meeting people but I enjoyed the games even though the Flying Tigers were completely outplayed. I was really disappointed when Maybin missed the first two games with a back problem. Luckily, I did get to see him in one game. I probably can't add anything more based on that one game that hasn't been said already. He's very fast, has patience and hits the ball hard. He also looked really bad on as couple of swings but he's an exciting work in process.
I also got to see Andrew Miller but it was not his night. His stuff was obvious as always but he had a rough game. Some of it was poor fielding support but his control was not good and they hit several balls hard. He didn't look like he was ready for a promotion yet.
One player who was a pleasant surprise was Wilken Ramirez. I've heard some scouts rave about him but his stats had been pretty bad in the past. He's a big strong guy with surprising speed. He may still lack patience but he was making good hard contact all 3 nights. He also stole two bases in one inning and looked comfortable in the outfield. I'm no scout but I came away understanding why the scouts like him. His stats are better this year. Hopefully, he continues to develop.
Burke Badenhop gave up a 3 run homerun in the first inning but settled down after that. He's not a hard thrower but I was impressed with his control.
I know Ovandy Suero is not a highly regarded prospect but his speed was amazing. He is one of the fastest players I've seen in a while. He beat out two infield hits and had a hustle double. He also looked decent in center field in place of Maybin.
I also got to talk with Yoda through much of game 2 . He was actually the one that inspired me to visit Lakeland during the regular season rather than Spring training. He made it sound like a lot of fun and it turned out that he was right. Yoda is pretty much like I thought he would be which isn't too bad. :happy: I enjoyed meeting deadshot too.
The best part was probably meeting people but I enjoyed the games even though the Flying Tigers were completely outplayed. I was really disappointed when Maybin missed the first two games with a back problem. Luckily, I did get to see him in one game. I probably can't add anything more based on that one game that hasn't been said already. He's very fast, has patience and hits the ball hard. He also looked really bad on as couple of swings but he's an exciting work in process.
I also got to see Andrew Miller but it was not his night. His stuff was obvious as always but he had a rough game. Some of it was poor fielding support but his control was not good and they hit several balls hard. He didn't look like he was ready for a promotion yet.
One player who was a pleasant surprise was Wilken Ramirez. I've heard some scouts rave about him but his stats had been pretty bad in the past. He's a big strong guy with surprising speed. He may still lack patience but he was making good hard contact all 3 nights. He also stole two bases in one inning and looked comfortable in the outfield. I'm no scout but I came away understanding why the scouts like him. His stats are better this year. Hopefully, he continues to develop.
Burke Badenhop gave up a 3 run homerun in the first inning but settled down after that. He's not a hard thrower but I was impressed with his control.
I know Ovandy Suero is not a highly regarded prospect but his speed was amazing. He is one of the fastest players I've seen in a while. He beat out two infield hits and had a hustle double. He also looked decent in center field in place of Maybin.