NY Times Profiles New NL Franchise

Saturday's edition of the New York Times included an enlightening profile on the city of Zion, Ill. and the hope that the town's new baseball team - slated to begin play in the Northern League - will help the town pull out of a rough economic patch. One of the team's principle owners, Kevin Costner, has already given the club plenty of cache and from the sound of the story, the people of Zion are ecstatic about baseball coming to their town.

Some of the most interesting bits of the piece, though, surrounded the town's history. There's interesting stuff on Zion's not-so-distant past, so enjoy a nice read this morning while you try and shake off the snow (!) that covered our field last night.

Major League Hopes Pinned on the Minors [NY Times]

Costner Bringing New Team to Northern League [(Rail)Cats Meow]

Season Underway at U. S. Steel Yard

Yes, the Steel Yard hosted a baseball game today, the first of the spring played in downtown Gary. And even while the hosts from IU-Northwest were swept in a doubleheader by Olivet Nazarene, the sun-splashed ballpark was the most visible reminder yet that the 2009 RailCats season is just around the corner.

Only six weeks from Monday, the RailCats will open the gates for the first time in the regular season when the Joliet JackHammers come to town at 7 p.m. The RailCats have already signed eight of their 10 opening day starters from last season to contracts, and with a few more signings expected in the coming weeks, it won't be long before RailCats fans have a good idea about what this year's team will look like.

One thing's for sure, with the Major League season kicking off Monday and the slate of 33 games at the Steel Yard underway this spring, baseball is here. And we at the (Rail)Cats Meow couldn't be happier.

Willie Glen Swims With Fish in Florida

The greatest pitcher in Gary SouthShore RailCats history is one step closer to being a Florida Marlin.

Two years after leaving the ‘Cats, Willie Glen tossed on a Marlins jersey for the first time to take the mound against the Baltimore Orioles in a Major League Spring Training game Wednesday and produced predictable results. Glen pitched the first four innings, allowing just one run and striking out four, and out-dueled Orioles Opening Day starter Jeremy Guthrie to earn the win in a 13-2 game. Glen gave up a leadoff double to Ryan Freel in the first inning – Freel later came in to score – but fired zeros from that point on against a lineup that included most of the Orioles projected starters, like Nick Markakis, Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff.

Glen – who had been pitching with the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA) this spring – got the call to the major league game when Ricky Nolasco was given a day off. The 31-year-old Glen is not on the Marlins 40-man roster, but his performance since joining the organization has opened some eyes. Glen was one of the best pitchers in the Southern League (AA) last season, going 9-4 with a 2.01 ERA in 24 appearances (17 starts) and allowing only 59 hits in 94.0 innings (the league hit .180 off Glen).

Glen is expected to start the season with New Orleans where he’ll be at the ready should the major league club have a role to fill. The Marlins have a stacked minor league system but are very young, even at the big league level. Nolasco, at 26, is the most veteran of the Marlins starters, and 32-year-old reliever Scott Proctor is far and away the elder statesman of the bullpen.

Glen was a successful professional before coming to the RailCats in 2005, pitching previously at Double-A and Triple-A, but he credits his former Manager Greg Tagert for his accelerated development in the Northern League. A career reliever, Glen embraced his starting role in Gary and became a dominant pitcher. After two outstanding seasons Glen put together arguably the best year a Northern League pitcher has ever had in 2007, going 12-1 with a 3.03 ERA, striking out a league-record 162 batters in 139.2 innings and holding opponents to a .214 average. Glen’s 2007 postseason was even better – a 4-0 mark that included a storybook 140-pitch, three-hit, 10-strikeout, complete game win over Calgary in the decisive fifth game of the Northern League Championship Series.

Glen is trying to become the third RailCats player to reach the major leagues, joining Tim Byrdak and Nathan Haynes. Byrdak, a 2003 RailCat, will begin his second season with the Houston Astros next week coming off an impressive 2008 in which he struck out 47 in 55.1 innings and boasted a 3.90 ERA out of the bullpen. Byrdak has been back in the major leagues each season since 2005 after spending three years (1998-2000) with the Kansas City Royals before an injury. Haynes played for the RailCats in 2006, Los Angeles Angels in 2007 and Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. Haynes is in minor league camp with the Texas Rangers this spring.

Elsewhere in Marlins camp, former RailCats Andy Haines and Anthony Iapoce have been assigned their coaching duties for the upcoming season. Haines – the RailCats Hitting Coach in 2005 & 2006 – will manage the Jamestown Jammers (A) in the New York-Penn League after working as a hitting coach in Marlins system in 2008. The Most Valuable Player of the 2005 Northern League Championship Series, Iapoce retired to become a coach after that season and will work with the Marlins Florida State League affiliate in Jupiter this summer as a hitting coach.

Tanner Townsend, the 2008 Northern League Most Valuable Player, endured a dose of bad news earlier this week when he was shelved with a back injury. A timetable for Townsend’s return to minor league camp is unknown. Earlier this year, Townsend was the top playoff hitter in the prestigious Puerto Rican Winter League.

LINKS
Offense Leads Way in Marlins' Rout
Marlins-Orioles Box Score
Andy Haines Update
Tanner Townsend Sold to Marlins

Tony Cogan Back for Another Run

If you had asked me in September what the chances were that Tony Cogan would be in a RailCats uniform in 2009, I would have told you to remember the moments he'd already had in Gary because there probably wouldn't be any more coming. After all, Cogan was 31 at the end of last season (he's celebrated another birthday since), he's already reached the baseball pinnacle (a 39-game stint with the Kansas City Royals in 2001) and he'd proven himself all he could in independent baseball, first as a closer in 2007 and then as a starter last year.

Today, Cogan signed his contract for the 2009 season to come back to Gary for at least one more run at a league championship and another crack at a major league organization. Make no mistake about it, the RailCats are thrilled, thrilled, that Cogan is back for another season (there are no in-house candidates to fill a veteran void in the rotation if Jeremy Plexico does not return), but count me as one who will be pleasantly surprised when Cogan takes the hill for the first time this summer.

Cogan is the first major addition to the RailCats pitching staff this year and should be counted on again to anchor Greg Tagert's four-man starting rotation. The RailCats have filled in the bullpen nicely in recent weeks but the rotation candidates consisted only of unproven right-handers Zach Groh and Garret Holleran.

With the offense returning almost completely intact - only Tanner Townsend and Steve Haake are unsigned from a year ago (and Haake could re-sign soon) - and the bullpen shaping up, the RailCats are a starter or two away from having another title-worthy team to make a run. Cogan's signing - unexpected or not - is certainly a giant leap in that direction.

Read about Cogan's signing here.

The RailCats Meet the NCAA Tournament

The annual passage from winter to spring - the NCAA Tournament - is underway now, and for us here at The (Rail)Cats Meow that means we've got one more chance to talk about something other than baseball.

The lives of baseball players - lots of time together on buses, in hotels and in the locker room - mean there's plenty of time for playful competition, and almost nothing gets the juices flowing like when college alma mater's are in action. The College World Series and early-season football get everyone fired up, so with that in mind The (Rail)Cats Meow presents a look at the RailCats (only those signed for 2009) rooting interests in March Madness.

The results, well, let's say just about everyone is ready for baseball:

PITCHERS
Aaron Cook (University of Tampa) - The Division II Spartans have now had 10 straight winning seasons, but a 16-12 record kept Tampa out of the NCAAs this year.

Zach Groh (Binghamton) - Here's a man who's dancing. The Bearcats made the field of 65 for the first time in program history by winning the America East. A first round date with Duke, however, ended Binghamton's NCAA run early.

Brian Halford (Louisville) - The man with the highest postseason expectations is Halford, whose Cardinals are the number one overall seed in the tournament. Louisville's terrible first half was a little scary, but Halford's alma mater is still sitting prettier than any of the other RailCats.

Garret Holleran (Wright State) - The good news? Two teams from the mid-major Horizon League made the NCAAs. The bad news? Wright State wasn't one of them, despite a 20-win season.

CATCHERS

Anthony Esquer (Cal Poly Ponoma) - Forget Halford and the Cardinals, Esquer's Broncos are going to the Elite Eight after upsetting West Region top-seed BYU-Hawaii Thursday.

Brett Wallace (West Chester) - Another Division II grad, Wallace's Rams did not make the NCAA Tournament but were on the right side of .500, finishing 18-10.

INFIELDERS
Paul Bartolucci (Nevada) - The Wolfpack have a proud basketball tradition, but the only postseason for Nevada this year was something called the CBI where they lost to UTEP.

Jeff Beachum & Eric McNamee (Middle Tennessee State) - The RailCats have a pipeline through Murfreesboro, but it might be a good thing the 'Cats don't play basketball. The Blue Raiders lost early in the Sun Belt Tournament.

Isaac Omura (Hawaii) - Another pretty proud WAC basketball school (see Nevada), the former Rainbows (now Warriors) were just 13-17.

Jay Pecci (Stanford) - The Cardinal have a new head coach (!), they are going back to the postseason (!) and they won their first tournament game (!). The tournament? The dreaded CBI Invitational (ouch).

Mike Rohde (Illinois) - Ugh. The Illini sure looked like a dangerous team, but without their point guard a pretty lackluster loss to 12-seed Western Kentucky ended the season for Rohde's alma mater.

OUTFIELDERS

Rob Marconi (Northern Illinois) - Oh boy, an 11-seed in the MAC Tournament is not a good place to be, and the Huskies endured a 20-loss season.

Is Jeff Beachum the Missing Piece?

Welcome to Northwest Indiana Jeff Beachum, you might have some pretty big shoes to fill.

Acquired by the RailCats back in January, Beachum may be the man to watch in the first half of the 'Cats season, becuase the 25-year-old rookie will be given an opportunity in camp to win the vacant job at third base. Forget the pressure of filling the only open slot on an infield stacked with quality veterans, Beachum could also be asked to replace none other than 2008 Northern League Player of the Year Tanner Townsend.

Beachum's professional statistics don't look impressive - he's been limited to just 156 at bats in two seasons - but his college pedigree is as good as anyone. He's the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leader in hits, and the Middle Tennessee State program he came from has produced several professionals, including 'Cats second baseman Eric McNamee. In fact, McNamee and Beachum were teammates for two years at MTSU, a fact that should no doubt help Beachum ease into the RailCats clubhouse.

Of course, to say Beachum should fill Townsend's shoes is completely unfair, and is not what the RailCats would like him to do. Townsend's defensive ability will never be duplicated and the offensive slack must be picked up by any number of returning players like McNamee, Jay Pecci, Mike Rohde, Rob Marconi and others who will sign in the coming weeks. All Beachum hopes to do is play a competent third base and remain the patient contact hitter he's always been (in an All-Region 2006 season at MTSU, he struck out only 14 times in 248 at bats).

What the RailCats hope Beachum can be is another inexperienced yet productive position player. Talented enough to play in the Northern League -the Winnipeg Goldeyes held Beachum's rights before the start of last season until he was traded to Washington - if Beachum wins the third base job (veterans Paul Bartolucci and Isaac Omura could also be in the running) his rookie status would make him a tremendous asset as an everyday player. While all Northern League teams are required to have four rookie players, the vast majority are either relief pitchers, back-of-the-rotation starting pitchers or backups; maybe a starting catcher at best.

Teams with productive rookies are usually teams playing into the post-season, including the 2008 RailCats who had rookie-status position players Rohde and Brett Wallace both take part in the All-Star Game. By getting rookies who produce under Greg Tagert, the RailCats have been able to spend higher value and higher paying (LS-4, LS-5 and veteran) roster spots on players like all-league closer Koichi Misawa in positions typically reserved for younger, less experienced players. And with the roster slot and money Townsend left open upon heading to the Florida Marlins camp not filled by Beachum, the RailCats are free to spend more to re-sign and add other new pieces to the mix.

So welcome again to Gary, Jeff Beachum. You won't have to be Tanner Townsend - or even Mike Rohde - but if you show me Beachum at third base in August, I'll show you the RailCats playing into September.

Risinger, Australia Continue to Impress

Former RailCat Ben Risinger and the Australian national team gave a major scare to heavily favored Cuba Tuesday night at the World Baseball Classic in Mexico City before falling 5-4. Risinger had another RBI (his fourth of the tournament), and the Aussies led 4-2 after six innings but their bullpen failed to hold the lead.

The Australians will rematch with Mexico Wednesday at 9 p.m. Central on the MLB Network. Risinger hit a three-run home run Sunday when the Aussies blasted Mexico in a stunning 17-7 win. If the Australians can reprise that effort tonight, they will advance to the second round of the tournament, three years after being quickly eliminated in the inaugural event.

To follow all the action at the WBC, check out www.mlb.com/worldbaseballclassic.

And to hold you over until tonight, here's a smiling Risinger celebrating his home run Sunday: