Five questions at the Louisville Bats - 棒球

只翻王建民那一段

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Five questions at the Louisville Bats open 2014 season

Michael Grant, [email protected] 3:19 a.m. EDT April 4, 2014

The 2014 baseball season will open up for the Louisville Bats on Friday
without a marquee prospect.

There is no Billy Hamilton, Aroldis Chapman or Devin Mesoraco to build a
marketing campaign around. But this will be interesting team with some
intriguing storylines.

The Bats are looking to snap a string of two straight losing seasons — three
in a row without a playoff appearance. This is a mostly veteran squad that
includes several players with big-league experience.

Here's a look at five key questions for the Triple-A franchise.

‧ Who replaces Billy Hamilton?

As of right now, Ryan LaMarre. The 25-year-old will play center field and
lead off for the Bats. LaMarre was taken in the second-round of the 2010
draft by the Reds out of the University of Michigan.

The Triple-A rookie was a September call-up to Louisville playing three games
here. LaMarre spent the previous two seasons in Double-A Pensacola and last
year hit .246 with 10 home runs and stole 22 bases. While not as fast as
Hamilton (who is?), he once stole 52 bases in a minor-league season and has
27 career home runs. Hamilton has 13.

"Billy is special," LaMarre said. "He's probably the fastest guy in baseball.
I think I might have a little more thump, but as a leadoff guy, you try and
set the tone for the game."

Cincinnati added him to their 40-man roster in November.

‧ Did Corky Miller come close to retiring?

Miller, 38, said he seriously considered moving on to the next stage of his
baseball career: as a coach and possibly a manager down the road. The married
father of two boys said he had offers from other organizations. But he wanted
to stay close to his Chicago home.

"It wasn't an easy decision," Miller said. "My family talked about it. The
fun I had with the guys in Cincinnati and the guys here played a part. If I
was going to play again, it was going to be here in Louisville."

Miller is essentially a third/ fourth catcher in organization. Last season,
Miller played 17 games with the Reds and 44 with Louisville.

Bats manager Jim Riggleman described the veteran as valuable.

"I use Corky in a lot of different ways — to get messages across to
players," he said. "He's like another coach. He's still a good player. His
impact on our pitchers is tremendous."

This will be Miller's franchise-record 10th season in the organization. He is
22 games shy of breaking Bill Lyons record for games played (544). He is
fifth in hits (404), second in RBIs (231), second in doubles (96), fourth in
home runs (50) and in extra base hits (146).

‧ What does the starting rotation look like?

Jeff Francis will start the season-opener at Toledo on Friday. The
left-hander is a longtime veteran who has pitched in the big-leagues and was
with the Bats in 2012.

The rest of the rotation will be Tim Crabbe, Chien-Ming Wang, David Holmberg,
and Josh Smith. Wang is the most familiar name. The 2006 American League Cy
Young runner up with the New York Yankees is trying to rebuild his career.
Last season, the sinkerballer split time between the Yankees system and the
Blue Jays organization.

剩下來的輪值名單會有Tim Crabbe、Chien-Ming Wang、David Holmberg，以及
Josh Smith。王建民這個名子最為熟悉。這位2006年美國大聯盟準賽揚獎得主、
時為洋基隊員，正嘗試著重建他的職業生涯。上一季，這位伸卡球投手在洋基體系
以及藍鳥體系待過，

"The days of that 94 mph sinker (are gone)," Riggleman said of the
34-year-old. "Now it's more 88 to 90 sinker but the key is sink. If the ball
is sinking for him he's going to be successful in this league, getting ground
balls."

Riggleman說這位34歲的投手：「他的94mile伸卡球時代已不復見」。
「現在伸卡球球速約在88至90mile之間遊走，但如果他能在大聯盟，以伸卡球取得
出局數，仍可成功存活於大聯盟。

Another pitcher to watch is Holmberg, who was acquired from the Arizona
Diamondbacks in the three-team trade involving catcher Ryan Hanigan. The
22-year-old left-hander was rated as the Diamondbacks' sixth-best prospect.

"It's nice have a young guy in the rotation," Riggleman said. "He's succeeded
at each level he's been at. This will be a new level for him but he did get
one big-league start last year. We anticipate he's going to handle it and
help the big club at some point."

‧ How much weight did Jose Diaz lose?

Jose "Jumbo" Diaz is a relatively svelte 278 pounds after the relief pitcher
dropped 70 from his 6-foot-4 frame. After last season he said he visited a
doctor who helped him change his diet. No more rice and bean or fried
chicken. He's now a schedule of eating smaller, healthier meals (fruit,
salad, soup).

When Diaz showed up to spring training everyone was shocked by his
transformation.

|" 'Where is Jumbo?' they said," the 30-year-old said. " 'Now, you're a
Slimbo.' "

Diaz has been a minor-league curiosity — and not just because of his weight.
Despite owning a career 2.79 ERA he is still waiting for his major-league
debut. Last year, he had a 1.66 ERA and led the team in saves (13). The
right-hander hopes that his new commitment to physical fitness will give him
more stamina and a better shot at the majors.

By the way, Diaz is keeping his moniker.

"I've had 13 years with that nickname," he said. "I don't mind."

‧ When will Robert Stephenson get here?

Stephenson is the top overall prospect in the Reds system. The 2011
first-round draft pick will begin in Pensacola. Last year, in four games at
Pensacola he went 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA. Cincinnati isn't likely to rush the
21-year-old.

But it's possible that Stephenson could make his Louisville debut in the late
summer.

Contact Michael Grant at (502) 582-4069, and on Twitter @MichaelGrant_CJ.

UP NEXT

Bats at Toledo

Friday, 4 p.m.

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