It may sound contradictory, but Shannon Wilkerson actually preferred to NOT make the Double-A Portland team out of spring training this year.

Of course, like any Red Sox prospect, the 23-year old outfielder would like to be in Portland, Pawtucket, or beyond, but he also is smart enough to realize that within current circumstances, returning to Salem as an every day contributor could be the best option for his long-term success.

In 2010, he played 73 games with Greenville in 2010, hitting .245 with no home runs. He arrived in Salem with the anticipated role of being a fourth or fifth outfielder, but earned his way onto the field in 102 games, belting ten homers and hitting .251.

Despite being an eighth round pick in 2009 out of Division-II Augusta State, Wilkerson appeared to be a solid organizational player, poised to perhaps ascend to Portland in a part-time role in 2012. Instead, he is finally getting a chance to be a daily regular, and the results have been phenomenal.

“It’s something I wanted to do this year,” Wilkerson said. “I’m glad to be back playing ever day. I think the solid experience I’m getting this year at the plate has really helped me as far as my development along the way, [rather] than going to Portland and hoping to play two or three days a week. Here, to be guaranteed, as of right now, 20-to-25 ABs a week, I think that’s helping with my development.”

Entering Thursday night, Wilkerson has played in 32 of Salem’s 36 contests, batting .325 with eight doubles, two triples, one homer, and 12 RBI. He’s also a perfect 14-for-14 stealing bases, having become the premier thief on the Carolina League’s top stealing club.

As a team, Salem has stolen 65 bags in 80 attempts this year, a remarkable success rate for a team running so frequently. The other seven Carolina League clubs have stolen an average of just over 29 bases so far this season. Interestingly, a friendly competition between Wilkerson and fellow outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. has helped lead to more aggressive baserunning.

“We have a little competition, I guess, because we’re both stealing quite a few bags right now and known a little because of our speed in this game,” explains Wilkerson. ”If he gets on first and I’m in the third base dugout, we’ll look across the field and he’ll see me throw my hands up if four or five pitches have gone by…That carries over to the next time you’re on the base paths. You’re like, I know Jackie’s in the dugout thinking ‘Is he ever gonna go?’ So then you take off. It’s competition. We just push each other. He’s a great guy, a great teammate. We just like to push each other out there to try to make the best player out of both of us.”

While Bradley has been arguably the top player in the Carolina League having reached based in 29 straight games and 33 of his 34 on the year, it was Wilkerson who received a great honor this past week when he was inducted into the Gwinnett County (GA) Dugout Club Hall of Fame. On Monday night, his parents, Scott and Kim, went to receive a plaque commemmorating Wilkserson’s high school and collegiate career in Georgia.

Click here to hear Wilkerson’s thoughts on becoming a Hall of Famer. Sure, it ain’t Cooperstown, but every baseball immortal required development.

*****

Matt Barnes will be on the mound for the Salem Sox tonight in Carolina. He enters the day with 62 strikeouts and five walks in 38.2 innings through seven professional starts. Decent, right?

First pitch is set for 7:15, and the broadcast will commence at 7:03 on NewsTalk 960 AM and FM 107.3 WFIR. Of course, the game will also stream intergallactically on www.salemsox.com.

As usual, your daily numeral nuggets are below.

Talk to you soon,

Evan

*****

May 17, 2012 7:15 PM  Salem Red Sox (21-15) vs Carolina Mudcats (20-18) Game #37

Five County Stadium             Zebulon, NC                Road Game #21

Probable Starters: RHP Matt Barnes (1-0, 1.50) vs RHP Michael Goodnight (1-2, 4.75)

Just the Way They Like It: Although the Salem Sox would have preferred a 5-zip shutout win on Wednesday night, Carolina’s four-run rally in the ninth that made it a 5-4 final simply improved the Red Sox’ overall success in nailbiters. Through 36 games, Salem has gone 12-4 in games decided by two runs or less, including five straight wins in these tight ballgames. The Sox have gone 19-0 when leading after eight innings so far in 2012.

Stealing Not Necessary: After stealing at least one bag in 17 straight games, the Red Sox prevailed despite not swiping a single steal on Wednesday night. Jackie Bradley, Jr. was caught in his quest to take second in the first inning, Salem’s only thievery attempt on the night. It was just the sixth time in 36 games that the Red Sox did not record a steal, and just Salem’s second win in those six contests. The Sox still lead the Carolina League with 65 thefts, 17 more than the second most in the circuit. Right fielder Shannon Wilkerson is tops with 14 bags in 14 tries, a 100% success rate on the basepaths. A year ago, Wilkerson recorded 13 steals (in 16 tries) over 102 games for Salem.

Striking Success: Even though he hasn’t pitched since last Friday night in Myrtle Beach, Matt Barnes still leads all of pro ball with 62 strikeouts as he takes the mound tonight, looking to bookend the road trip with strong outings. Barnes struck out a dozen Dash in his first Salem start on May 5 before punching out eight Pelicans last Friday. In both outings he surrendered one earned run in six innings. Including five starts with Greenville to begin the year, Barnes is 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA, 62 strikeouts and five walks in 38.2 innings pitched. The first round pick, drafted 19th overall from UConn last year, has one more punchout that Felix Hernandez and two more than Mobile’s Trevor Bauer.

Cleaning Up: After struggling to a .262 average in April, Brandon Jacobs had raked at a .356 clip in May. Only Jackie Bradley .413 average in May is superior to Jacobs’ on the Sox. With three more hits and two RBI last night, Jacobs now has ten multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games on the season. Like many Red Sox, he has feasted on lefties, batting .400 (12-for-30) against southpaws on the year.

Immediate Production: While there are a multitude of impressive features to Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s 29-game reaching base streak, perhaps the most amazing is this: He has extended the streak in the first inning in 12 of his last 13 games. With a double and a triple to open the front and back end of Tuesday’s twin-bill and another double to kick off the action on Wednesday, Bradley  has now gone 9-for-10 with three walks in his last 13 trips to begin a ballgame. In this span, he has four singles, two doubles, a triple, and two homers, and eight runs scored. Perhaps even remarkably, his .433 first inning batting average for the season pales in comparison to his .545 average (6-for-11) in second-inning opportunities! In the life of his 29-game on-base streak, Bradley has hit .417 (45-of-108) with an OBP of .514. He has 17 extra-base hits, 22 walks, 22 RBI, and 33 runs scored during the streak.

Trust. Confidence. Conviction.

For a pitcher, those three things are at the centerpiece of any successful pitch, inning, or outing. If you believe in your stuff, and more importantly, yourself, suddenly recording outs becomes much more simple.

For Pete Ruiz, these three ideals have been unwavering aspects of his success so far in 2012. After an up and down season as a starter (6-5, 5.31) with Salem a year ago, his move to the bullpen has yielded phenomenal results (4-1, 1.62) through eight appearances. Most recently, he dealt three perfect innings to earn the victory in Salem’s 5-3, 14-inning extravaganza in Myrtle Beach on Friday night.

The transition to the pen has been as good as he could have hoped for, and he believes that the reliever role is where he belongs and where he can truly excel.

“It’s different,” said Ruiz. “It’s less think and more do. Mentally, you need to be ready to go every day, because who knows what’s gonna happen and if you’re gonna be called upon. I think the thought process is a lot simpler….The fact that I come to the park: I might pitch today, I might not pitch today, I prepare the same exact way every time, and I think that’s why my results are a little bit more consistent.” 

It is always exciting when a major league rehabber arrives at a minor league venue, but their impact is often short-lived. They get in and get out, generally not staying long enough to truly leave an everlasting impression. But when Rich Hill spent a week with the Salem Sox in April, numerous players gained a great appreciation for Hill’s approach to all aspects of his job. No one was influenced more than Ruiz.

“I’ve kind of pieced together a lot of things that I’ve learned from a lot of different people,” he said. “Rich Hill being here was one of the biggest impacts on my career. Just the way he went about his business and the way he prepared impressed me so much. I took a notice to that and just started picking his brain, asking him how he did things, why he did things, what he was thinking when he did things. And that really helped my mindset a lot.”

One of the biggest messages that Hill gave Ruiz was this: “You’re not as far away as you think you are.”

A 10th round pick in 2008, the 24-year-old Ruiz took Hill’s advice to heart, realizing how quickly players can elevate from the Advanced-A level to the major leagues. As for the three reasons why Ruiz looks capable of rising, he has absolutely embraced another one of Hill’s ideologies.

“As long as I throw each pitch with trust, confidence, and conviction, no matter the result, I did all I can do,” says Ruiz, explaining Hill’s advice. “You hear that a lot, but to hear it from him and to see his success and hear it from a big leaguer like that, it really hit home with me. That was one of the biggest influences I’ve ever had in my career.”

In Spring Training, Ruiz became a YouTube phenom with his incredibly accurate impersonations of ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian. Click here to hear Pete talk about that experience of sharing his inner Kurkjian with the world, meeting the real guy in Fort Myers, and hearing from long lost friends and acquaintances who saw his impressions on YouTube.

At the end of the interview, Ruiz graces us with his latest Kurkjian analysis, giving folks the goods on minor league baseball’s strikeout leader, Matt Barnes.

*****

Salem and Carolina meet in game three of the four-game tilt at Five County Stadium at 7:15 tonight. Hope you can join me on NewsTalk 960 AM and FM 107.3 WFIR or www.salemsox.com at 7:03 for an extended pregame conversation prior to first pitch.

As usual, you can find some game note hors d’oeuvres below.

Feel free to drop me an e-mail at elepler@salemsox.com!

Go Celts,

Evan

*****

May 16, 2012 7:15 PM  Salem Red Sox (20-15) vs Carolina Mudcats (20-17) Game #36

Five County Stadium             Zebulon, NC                Road Game #20

Probable Starters: RHP Ryan Pressly (2-1, 7.13) vs RHP Will Roberts (1-1, 4.50)

You Win Some, You Lose Some: For a couple hours on Tuesday night, the Salem Sox were on the cusp of first place, trailing the Winston-Salem Dash by just a half-game in the Southern Division. But the Sox dropped their nightcap while the Dash prevailed in their second game, widening the gap back to a game and a half, the same margin that existed at the beginning of the evening. Salem has only spent four days in first place thus far, none since April 18.

One Down, Three to Go: With 35 games in the books, the Salem Sox are exactly halfway through the first half and a quarter of the way through the 140 game regular season schedule. If the Sox were to sustain their current pace, it would make for a 40-30 half and an 80-60 regular season. Since the Red Sox affiliation began in 2009, the most games that the Sox have won in a half was 42, going 42-28 in the first half of 2010. Salem’s 73-65 overall record that year also was the most victories that Salem has collected in a season since 2009.

First-Inning Freak: While there are a multitude of impressive features to Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s 28-game reaching base streak, perhaps the most amazing is this: He has extended the streak in the first inning in 11 of his last 12 games. With a double and a triple to open the front and back end of yesterday’s twin-bill, respectively,  Bradley  has now gone 9-for-10 with two walks in his last 12 at-bats to begin a ballgame. In this span, he has four singles, two doubles, a triple, and two homers, and eight runs scored. Perhaps even remarkably, his .414 first inning batting average for the season pales in comparison to his .545 average (6-for-11) in second-inning opportunities! In the life of his 28-game on-base streak, Bradley has hit .423 (44-of-104) with an OBP of .519. He has 16 extra-base hits, 21 walks, 22 RBI, and 33 runs scored during the streak.

Streaks Snapped: Both Sean Coyle and Travis Shaw delivered extra base hits in the first inning of Tuesday’s opener before going hitless in the nightcap, halting their respective hitting streaks. Coyle’s team –best fifth home run increased his streak to eight games, while Shaw’s double that immediately followed the homer brought his to ten, the longest for any Salem player this year. Coyle went 0-for-3 in the second game, while Shaw finished 0-for-2 with a walk. Shaw owns 46 hits for the season, tied with teammate Jackie Bradley for the second most in the league behind Winston’s Brady Shoemaker.

Still On Top: With rainouts on Sunday and Monday pushing the rotation back a day, first-round phenom Matt Barnes is scheduled to retake the mound on Thursday evening against Carolina. Despite the fact that he has not pitched since last Friday, he still enters tonight’s action with more strikeouts than any other pitcher in American professional baseball. Barnes has punched out 62 while only walking five in 38.2 innings pitched over seven starts. At the major league level, the top five strikeout masters (Sabathia, Hernandez, Strasburg, Verlander, and Greinke) have all made eight starts and possess between 59 and 53 Ks. In the minors, Mobile’s Trevor Bauer is second to Barnes with 60 strikeouts, also coming in eight starts.

Greetings from Zebulon, the newest Carolina League city that sounds a little bit like a planet that Captain Jean-Luc Picard would direct the Starship Enterprise toward. Unfortunately, every single time I’ve been to Zebulon, it has rained. With that said, this is admittedly a very small sample size of about 24 hours.

There is absolutely no way to deny Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s overwhelmingly tremendous start as a result of a small sample size. That is not to say he is gonna be a career high-300′s hitter with a nearly .500 OBP. But with 31 games, 113 at-bats, and 150 plate appearances under his belt, I think it is safe to say he has proven he can be an elite player at the Carolina League level.

Some bullet points from Bradley’s scintillating start:

• In 150 plate appearances, Bradley has reached base 76 times, an OBP of .507. He also leads the lead with five sac flies, a productive at-bat that actually hurts the OBP.
• He has reached base in 30 of his 31 games, with the lone 0-fer coming on April 11 against Lynchburg. He has reached in 26 straight since.
• He began the season 2-for-16 (.125) with 0 extra base hits. Since, he is 42-for-97 (.433) with 14 extra-base hits.
• He has recorded a hit in every home game thus far, batting .453 (24-for-53) in 15 contests at LewisGale Field. His OBP at home is .543. With that said, he’s only hitting .333 on the road. What a slouch!
• With the bases empty, he’s batting .366. With runners aboard, he’s hitting .429. What does this mean? Not sure…But I imagine opposing pitcher’s have not been eager to face him regardless of the situation.

Impressed yet? Well, digest this: His offense has not been the most impressive part of his game. Don’t be bamboozled by his four errors. He is an EXCELLENT defensive center-fielder, as this highlight tried its best to suggest.

Earlier this year, a major league scout told me that he thinks the best outfielders usually have high error totals, particularly players with plus arms. Throws from the warning track can be impacted by so many factors, and usually the outfielder will be credited with an error even though it may not be his fault. Like a perfect one-hop throw that grazes off an infielder’s glove, a toss that hits a runner or perhaps a chuck that skips awkwardly off the mound. An outfielder should not be judged by his error column. Instincts, range, speed, arm, confidence are much more re;evannt characteristics that manifest themselves daily. Trust me when I tell ya, watching him every day, Bradley is an ELITE defender. (All Gamecock fans are nodding proudly right now.)

The most common question I hear these days (aside from ‘When is Barnes pitching?”) is “When will Bradley be promoted?” The short answer is I have no idea. The longer answer: Well, there are a bunch of outfielders in the upper levels of the organization that deserve playing time and Bradley is still relatively young (he just turned 22) and he has been playing pro ball for less than two months. With that said, it is hard to view his remarkable prediction and say that he has much more to prove at the Advanced-A level.

Rebecca Barnett/Roanoke Times

My guess is that he’ll be in Salem through the end of May and perhaps move up to Portland in early June. That could be way off; I really don’t know. Every situation is handled differently. All I know is that I will enjoy watching him play every day until he is promoted, at which time I’ll envy Mike Antonellis, who will learn to appreciate the little things Bradley does (fouling off two-strike pitches, being a great situational hitter, his flawless and instinctive first steps in the outfield) as much I have.

He’s slated to bat leadoff and play center for the Salem Sox tonight, and seemingly the only thing that can halt his sensational play is Mother Nature. Well, it’s raining as I finish typing this at 5 PM, and the forecast is ominous. Nonetheless, if Salem takes the field, it’s a good bet that Jackie will be impressive. I have no reason to believe otherwise.

More numeral nuggets are below… Broadcast begins at 7:03… First pitch at 7:15 (theoretically, if it stops raining)…

Go Celts,

Evan

*****

May 14, 2012 7:15 PM Salem Red Sox (19-14) vs Carolina Mudcats (19-16) Game #34

Five County Stadium             Zebulon, NC                Road Game #18

Probable Starters: RHP Miguel Celestino (2-1, 3.10) vs RHP Will Roberts (1-1, 4.50)

Pursuing Perfection: While baseball is a game of adversity and failure, the Sox enter the upcoming series with Mudcats hoping to perpetuate its most successful performance of the season. Through 33 games, the Sox have beaten every team in the league and lost to every team at least once, with the lone exception of Carolina. Salem swept the League’s newest member at LewisGale Field at the end of April, prevailing in three straight by a combined score of 18-7. While going 20-0 against a foe is nearly impossible over the course of a long season, the Sox hope that a 4-0 start is a realistic possibility tonight.

Perfection Pursued: Playing back in the state to which he helped bring two national titles, Jackie Bradley, Jr. enjoyed a career night on Saturday. Salem’s prodigious center fielder finished five-for-five before leaving for a defensive replacement in the bottom of the seventh inning. The five-hit performance was Salem’s first of the season and just the third across the Carolina League. Lynchburg’s Evan Gattis and Winston-Salem’s Dan Black each had five hits in six at-bats against Potomac earlier this year.

Simply the Best: After reaching base in eight of his 12 plate appearances in the series against the Pelicans, Bradley’s on-base percentage remains at the zenith of all professional ballplayers. His five-hit Saturday brought the OBP to .507, 33 points higher than Charlotte’s Dan Johnson, who’s second in the minors. Bradley resides 18 points higher than New York Mets third baseman David Wright, who currently leads the big leagues. Joey Votto’s .466 OBP is second in the big leagues, 41 points below Bradley, who has reached base safely in 26 consecutive games, during which he has hit .433 and reached base at a .528 clip with 42 hits and 20 walks. He leads the Carolina Leauge in batting average, runs scored, and walks.

King of the K: Matt Barnes received a no-decision on Friday night, but the first-round phenom racked up eight more strikeouts in six innings, bringing his season total to 62, the most in all of professional baseball. In the major leagues, Felix Hernandez has 58, CC Sabathia has 53, while Yu Darvish and Stephen Strasburg each have 51. In the minors, Mobile’s Trevor Bauer is second to Barnes with 60. In seven professional starts, Barnes is 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA, striking out 62 and walking five in 38.2 innings pitched.

Rising Above: With 16 hits on Saturday, the Salem Sox are hitting .307 in five games against Myrtle Beach and .288 on the season. That full-season clip is #1 in the Carolina League, four points better than Lynchburg. The Red Sox have a remarkable 329 hits in 33 games, nearly ten per tilt, the best average in the league. Although Salem is sixth in the circuit in homers, the Red Sox lead the league in doubles and share the lead in triples.

Streaking Shaw: With a first-inning RBI single on Saturday, Travis Shaw extended his hit streak to nine games, joining Jackie Bradley and Xander Bogaerts with nine-gamers this season. Shaw is batting .417 (15-for-36) over the past nine games.

Happy Mother’s Day from the Salem Red Sox!

While perhaps not as ideal as spending a full day with Mom, the Salem Sox will try to honor her by sweeping the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s Salem’s Sunday nine: Shannon Wilkerson RF, Matty Johnson CF, Travis Shaw 1B, Brandon Jacobs LF, Xander Bogaerts SS, Christian Vazquez DH, Michael Almanzar 3B, Adalberto Ibarra C, James Kang 2B — Miguel Celestino on the mound

First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 here in Myrtle, and your daily digest of game notes are below.

I love you, Mom!

Evan

*****

May 13, 2012 3:05 PM Salem Red Sox (19-14) vs Myrtle Beach Pelicans (17-17) Game #34

TicketReturn.com Field                          Myrtle Beach, SC                    Road Game #18

Probable Starters: RHP Miguel Celestino (2-1, 3.10) vs RHP Kyle Hendricks (0-4, 2.80)

Beach Sweep?: With a 5-3 win in 14 innings on Friday and a 9-4 triumph on Saturday, the Salem Sox are seeking a sweep on Sunday in Myrtle Beach. If the Sox can pull it off, it would be the second sweep of the year, the first since a three-gamer over Carolina at LewisGale Field two weeks ago. Salem is also trying to win three straight road games for the first time all season. After beginning April 2-5, the Sox have gone 17-9 since, rising to within a game of the first place Winston-Salem Dash in the Carolina League Southern Division.

Palmetto Pride: Playing back in the state to which he helped bring two national titles, Jackie Bradley, Jr. enjoyed a career night on Saturday. Salem’s prodigious center fielder finished five-for-five before leaving for a defensive replacement in the bottom of the seventh inning. The five-hit performance was Salem’s first of the season and just the third across the Carolina League. Lynchburg’s Evan Gattis and Winston-Salem’s Dan Black each had five hits in six at-bats against Potomac earlier this year. Bradley’s five-hit night raised his average from .361 to .389, bringing him to the top of the league.

Jackie’s Journey: Having reached base in eight of his 12 plate appearances in the series against the Pelicans, Bradley’s on-base percentage remains at the zenith of all professional ballplayers. His five-hit Saturday brought the OBP to .507, 17 points higher than Charlotte’s Dan Johnson, who’s second in the minors. Bradley resides 18 points higher than New York Mets third baseman David Wright, who currently leads the big leagues. Josh Hamilton’s .457 OBP is second in the big leagues, 50 points below Bradley. He has reached base safely in 26 consecutive games, during which he has hit .429 and reached base at a .523 clip with 42 hits and 20 walks. He leads the Carolina Leauge in batting average, runs scored, and walks. third in batting average and slugging percentage.

King of the K: Matt Barnes received a no-decision on Friday night, but the first-round phenom racked up eight more strikeouts in six innings, bringing his season total to 62, the most in all of professional baseball. In the major leagues, Felix Hernandez has 58, CC Sabathia has 53, while Yu Darvish and Stephen Strasburg each have 51. In the minors, Mobile’s Trevor Bauer is second to Barnes with 60. In seven professional starts, Barnes is 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA, striking out 62 and walking five in 38.2 innings pitched.

Rising Above: With 16 hits on Saturday, the Salem Sox are hitting .307 in five games against Myrtle Beach and .288 on the season. That full-season clip is #1 in the Carolina League, five points better than Lynchburg. The Red Sox have a remarkable 329 hits in 33 games, nearly ten per tilt, far and away the most in the league. Although Salem is sixth in the circuit in homers, the Red Sox lead the league in doubles and share the lead in triples.

Streaking Shaw: With a first-inning RBI single on Saturday, Travis Shaw extended his hit streak to nine games, joining Jackie Bradley and Xander Bogaerts with nine-gamers this season. Shaw is batting .417 (15-for-36) over the past nine games.

One of the great things about baseball is that you never know when you’ll see something kooky.

On Friday night, after waking up before 6 AM to travel that morning, the Salem Sox survived a 4 hour and 28 minute odyssey to defeat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5-3 in 14 innings. Matt Barnes was very good, but not perfect. Salem’s pen, on the other hand, was nearly flawless, prohibiting the Pelicans from the basepaths in the five extra innings. An unreal adrenaline effort.

Behold more statistical details from last night’s tilt below. I’m off to spend a couple hours at the beach before game two of the series commences at 7:05.

Hope you like alliteration as much as I do,

Evan

*****

May 12, 2012 7:05 PM Salem Red Sox (18-14) vs Myrtle Beach Pelicans (17-16) Game #33

TicketReturn.com Field                          Myrtle Beach, SC                    Road Game #17

Probable Starters: LHP Drake Britton (1-4, 8.51) vs RHP Nicholas Tepesch (1-2, 3.62)

Bullpen Brilliance: In a game started by minor league baseball’s strikeout leader, the Red Sox bullpen stole the headlines, dealing eight innings without an earned run allowed to allow Salem to garner a 5-3 victory in 14 innings on Friday night. None of Myrtle Beach’s final 21 batters reached base with a hit or a walk, and Mike Olmsted and Pete Ruiz tag-teamed to retire the final 16 Pelicans they faced after Teodero Martinez reached on Travis Shaw’s error with two outs in the ninth.

The Dominant Duo: Olmsted and Ruiz have been two of the sturdy backbones of Salem’s superb bullpen thus far in 2012. Olmsted has refused to allow an earned run in 10 of his 11 appearances, permitting just six hits and three walks in 13 innings. He has struck out 18, his ERA is 1.38, and he has saved six games in six opportunities. Meanwhile, Ruiz is tied for the league lead with four wins and has compiled a 1.62 ERA throughout eight outings, five of which have spanned multiple innings.

Punchout Prowess: Matt Barnes received a no-decision on Friday night, but the first-round phenom racked up eight more strikeouts in six innings, bringing his season total to 62, the most in all of professional baseball. In the major leagues, Felix Hernandez has 58, CC Sabathia has 53, while Yu Darvish and Stephen Strasburg each have 51. In the minors, Mobile’s Trevor Bauer is second to Barnes with 60. In seven professional starts, Barnes is 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA, striking out 62 and walking five in 38.2 innings pitched.

Jackie’s Journey: He only reached base three times in seven plate appearances (one hit and two walks) in Friday’s 14-inning fiesta, but his on-base percentage remained at the zenith of all professional ballplayers. Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s OBP dropped from .493 to .490, but he still resides seven points higher than Charlotte’s Dan Johnson and 10 points higher than New York Mets third baseman David Wright, who currently leads the big leagues. Bradley has reached base safely in 25 consecutive games, during which he has hit .402 and reached base at a .508 clip with 37 hits and 20 walks. He leads the Carolina Leauge in runs scored and walks, while he resides third in batting average and slugging percentage.

Shaw is Sure: Nobody reached base more often in Friday’s 14-inning fiasco than Travis Shaw, who doubled and walked three times in Salem’s marathon triumph. The RBI double in the top of the seventh drove in Salem’s first run and extended Shaw’s hitting streak to eight games. During his streak, Shaw is batting .438 (14-for-32) with six extra-base hits and nine RBI. With a hit in Saturday’s action, he would match the streaks of Jackie Bradley and Xander Bogaerts, who both sustained nine-game hitting journeys earlier this year.

Everyone’s Errors: Five different Salem Sox made miscues on Friday night, the highest single-game error total on the season. Prior to Friday, the Sox had not made more than three errors in a ballgame. Both teams scored two unearned runs in the series opener.

Carl Beane was the Voice of Fenway Park.

Usually, when I write that someone is the “voice” of a particular team or cause, I’ll use quotes. But no quotes are needed for Carl. He was Fenway and Fenway was him.

(David Chin/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)

Since 2003, he served as the booming public address baritone at America’s most beloved ballpark, and to say he did his “job” well would be like saying Pedro pitched well during his tenure in Boston. Yes, I’ll use quotes for “job” since I always got the sense that Carl loved his “work” to the point that it was a privilege and an honor, never tough labor for a native-New Englander who loved the Red Sox dearly.

Carl passed away yesterday, reportedly suffering a heart attack amidst a single-car crash in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. He was 59, far too young and far too energized to go so soon.

I only had a few interactions with Carl, but admired him and his “work” from afar. He was a master of speaking, something that sounds simple enough, but is much more a craft than many realize. And he cared about doing things the right way.

How do I know this? Well, when the Salem Red Sox traveled up to Boston in July of 2010 for the “Futures at Fenway” doubleheader, I was honored to receive a phone call from Carl on the morning of the twin-bill. He wanted to go over the names of each of our players, even the seemingly simple ones, to ensure that all pronunciations were perfect. We chatted for a few minutes about the Salem squad, I did my best to help him out, and he thanked me profusely for my time.

As a young broadcaster, talking to Carl finally made the day feel real. He was Fenway, and here I was, on my way to call a game at Fenway, with all the trappings of the Monster, the press box, and of course, the voice that went hand-in-hand with it all.

I met him at the park and put a face with the voice. He thanked me again. When I saw him at spring training in Fort Myers the next March, he remembered me and we had another enjoyable conversation. At the exhibition game between the Sox and Jays at City of Palms Park, Carl introduced former Boston Pitching Coach and new Toronto Manager as “John Farnell.” Everybody chuckled.

I’ve read numerous tributes to Carl over the past 24 hours, too many to list, from authors much more talented and connected to him than I ever was. It is nice to know that he touched so many people and he will be remembered fondly forever. He’ll be missed, and Fenway will be a different place without him.

*****

Salem goes for the sweep of Potomac tonight before hitting the road for the next week. Your daily digest of game notes are below, and the broadcast will commence just after 7 PM on NewsTalk 960 WFIR and www.salemsox.com.

Go Celts,

Evan

*****

May 10, 2012 7:05 PM Potomac Nationals (12-17) vs Salem Red Sox (17-13) Game #31

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #16

Probable Starters: RHP Matt Swynenberg (2-1, 3.77) vs RHP Ryan Pressly (2-0, 7.06)

Home Cookin’: Salem enters Thursday night action seeking a series sweep of the P-Nats at LewisGale Field, and the Sox are also looking to stretch their home winning streak to eight games. Salem in undefeated in its last seven at home, a stretch in which the Sox have outscored their foes 42-11. Thus far in 2012, the Sox are a Carolina League-best 11-4 at home. The Sox have hit 54 points better at home than on the road (.314 vs .260) and the team’s ERA is 3.30 at LewisGale Field compared to 5.39 on the road. Center fielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. is batting .479 (23-for-48) at home with 13 RBI in 14 games.

A First-Inning Phenom: Over the past week, Jackie Bradley, Jr. has been the epitome of a leadoff batter. Heading into tonight’s action, he has reached base successfully in the first  frame in seven consecutive games. In this span, Bradley has used three singles, two walks, and two leadoff bombs to perpetuate his league-leading 23-game on-base streak right off the bat. Amazingly, his first-inning on-base percentage for the season (.467) is considerably lower than his overall OBP of .504, which is the best in the minors and better than any on-base maven in the majors. In the life of his 23-game reaching base streak that began on April 12, Bradley is batting .427 (35-for-82) with 13 extra-base hits, 18 walks, and 19 RBI. His on-base percentage during the streak is .527.

The #2 Man: While Bradley is been the top of the order stalwart, Sean Coyle has batted second in 28 of Salem’s 30 games, and he has  discovered his power streak recently. With bombs in consecutive games against Potomac, Coyle now has four dingers on the year, leading Salem in long balls. The 20-year-old second-baseman has hits in four straight games and nine of his last ten, a stretch in which he is batting .308 (12-for-39). For the season, Coyle is tied for second on the team with 19 runs scored.

Grand Slam? Check!: Travis Shaw has been a middle-of-the-order master for Salem so far in 2012, but up until Wednesday, his impressive offensive resume had lacked a home run. He hammered a second-inning grand slam off Nationals’ lefty Robbie Ray to blast his first Carolina League bomb and his first career grand slam. In 28 games, Shaw has collected 42 hits, most in the league. He also shares the league-lead with three triples and is second behind Potomac’s Michael Taylor with 11 doubles. After a four-game slump that saw Shaw go 1-for-12, the infielder has registered hits in each of his last six games, a span in which he’s batting .480 (12-for-25) with five extra-base hits and eight RBI. Incredibly, the lefthanded hitter is batting .484 (15-for-31) for the season against southpaws.

Anything But Average: With Wednesday’s barrage of offense, the Salem Sox enter Thursday with the league’s best collective batting average. Salem is batting .287, 32 points better than the league average clip of .255. The Sox lead the circuit with 76 doubles and share the lead with nine triples, trailing only Winston-Salem in runs scored. With 56 stolen bases in 65 attempts, the Red Sox have more thefts than anyone while also being caught fewer times than any other squad in the league.

There’s nothing like a 7AM tarp pull to set the tone for an 11 AM quasi-doubleheader!

Over 1,000 kids should be here at LewisGale Field, and they might be a little confused when the home team bats first and begins with a 6-0 lead. Salem scored six in the last of the first last night, but action was suspended when the precipitation intensified halfway through the fourth. That leaves us with the final five and a half frames of Tuesday’s contest, along with Wednesday’s scheduled game, set for seven innings.

If we are fortunate enough to eschew the bottom of the ninth and seventh, respectively, there will still be 11 and a half innings of hardball and a Salem Sox sweep for everyone’s collective enjoyment.

As you sip your coffee and butter your bagel, check out last night’s phenomenal first inning that included back-to-back homers from Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Sean Coyle, with the latter being a rare inside-the-parker! Your radio highlights:

http://soundcloud.com/salem-sox-2012/highlight-montage-six-run

In case you are wondering, Sean Coyle needs two more inside-the-park round trippers to match Louisville’s Tom McCreery, who is the only player in the history of major league baseball to record three inside-the-parkers in one game. You’ll be excused if you don’t remember that. It occurred on July 12, 1897. That was nearly 115 years ago!

Less than 26 years ago, Twins second-baseman Greg Gagne recorded two inside-the-park homers on October 4, 1986 at the Metrodome. It was the penultimate day of the regular season, and that ballgame included many notable participants. Bert Blyleven started for Minnesota and Kirby Puckett  patrolled center for the Twins. Current Rangers skipper Ron Washington led off for Minny that day, while current Marlins manager and professional lightning-rod Ozzie Guillen played short for the White Sox. Carlton Fisk served as Chicago’s DH. That’s three Hall-of-Famers and two pennant-winning managers, all of whom lost headlines to Gagne that evening. No player has matched Gagne’s feat since.

Sean Coyle will lead off in the bottom of the fourth for the Salem Sox. Here’s hoping he can belt another ball into a gap and just keep running.

*****

Thanks for reading the blog! I’d love to hear from you at elepler@salemsox.com.

Good afternoon from my comfortable couch inside the spacious  radio booth at LewisGale Field!

Following a stretch of 27 straight days with a scheduled game, the Salem Sox enjoyed a rare respite on Monday. But the grind resumes tonight with the opener of a three-game set against Potomac, commencing a six-week span that should be even more grueling than the first month.

Remember when TNT’s tagline for the NBA playoffs was “40 Games in 40 Nights?” Well, Ernie, Chuck, and Kenny have nothing on the Salem Sox. Starting tonight, Salem will play 42 contests in 41 days to complete the first half. That includes one day off (May 21) and two scheduled doubleheaders (June 8 and 9) resulting from rainouts in April. Basically, if minor league baseball were a game of Oregon Trail, we wouldn’t make it to Fort Hood at this pace. Minor League Baseball actually is more like Oregon Trail than many realize, right up to the belief that tarping the field is just as frustrating as caulking your wagon to ford the river, whatever that means.

Why do they even give you the option of fording a five-foot deep river in your wagon? Would I drove my Corolla across a pond? As tough as the wallet might be punctured, you gotta take the Ferry to avoid the ultimate disaster.

Poor Emma, Jill, and Sam. Goodness, Oregon Trail is depressing.

Thankfully, we expect Salem’s journey to be a good bit smoother than a treacherous trek from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette Valley. Our pace may be grueling, but our rations our steady. In terms of ammunition, we have 27 bullets each night, unless we go to extra innings. Either way, let’s make ‘em count.

Time to hunt,

Evan

P.S. Your daily dose of numeral nuggets are below.

*****

May 8, 2012 7:05 PM Potomac Nationals (12-15) vs Salem Red Sox (15-13) Game #29

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #14

Probable Starters: RHP Adam Olbrychowski (1-3, 5.53) vs RHP Miguel Celestino (2-1, 3.60

Back at the LG: After seven road games and a day off, the Salem Sox return to the Roanoke Valley for a brief, three-game series against Potomac before they hit the road again for seven more. While the Sox finished 3-4 on the most recent road swing, Salem enters Tuesday night having won five straight games at home, in which the Sox have outscored their foes 26-9. Salem has gone 9-4 in 13 home games thus far in 2012, hitting .298 as a club at LewisGale Field. The Sox have scored 70 runs in 13 home games (5.4 runs/game) compared to 71 in 15 road games (4.7 runs/game). Perhaps more importantly, Salem’s team ERA is 3.54 at home versus 5.39 on the road.

Shaking Off the Rust: For the first time all season, Jackie Bradley, Jr. has gone back-to-back days without reaching base. Bradley did not reach first on Sunday or Monday, but there is a simple reason why: He did not play either day. Bradley was given Sunday off as Brandon Jacobs played center and Shannon Wilkerson hit leadoff. It was just the second game of the year that Bradley sat out, but combined with Monday’s off-day, the Carolina League’s premier leadoff man has been off the diamond since Saturday, when he reached base four times to extend his consecutive games on base streak to 21. With an on-base percentage of .488, Bradley leads all of minor league baseball and he is tied with Matt Kemp of the LA Dodgers, who leads MLB. In the life of Bradley’s 21-game streak, he is batting .416 with a .510 OBP.

Power Drought: Winston-Salem’s BB&T Ballpark has typically been a home run launching pad since its inaugural 2010 season. But over the weekend, the Salem Sox could not deliver a single dinger, the second series of the season that saw the Sox go homerless. In seven series in Winston-Salem since the start of 2010, this past weekend was just the second time that Salem went homerless at BB&T Ballpark.  The Sox also went without a homer in a three-game set from June 27-June 29 2010, when Salem scored 23 runs but did not go deep.

Travis the Hitman: With two more knocks on Sunday, Travis Shaw increased his batting average to .365, third-best in the league behind only Jackie Bradley (.366) and Evan Gattis (.385). Considering Gattis has been promoted to Double-A Mississippi in the Braves organization, Shaw is neck-and-neck with his teammate for the top clip in the circuit. In 26 games, he has pounded 38 hits, tied for the most in the league with Winston’s Dan Black. Ten of Shaw’s hits have been doubles, second in the league to Potomac’s Michael Taylor.  In addition, he also owns three triples, good for a four-way tie for first in the league in three-baggers. After enduring a 1-for-12 skid over four games, Shaw has collected eight hits in his last 17 at-bats over the past four tilts.

Making Us Proud: Last Wednesday, Will Middlebrooks became the fourth member of Salem’s 2010 squad to make the Big Leagues. In the past two days, he’s launched three homers and driven in nine runs for Boston, including a grand slam over the Monster at Fenway on Sunday. Since 2009, 11 former Salem Sox have made the Show.

Salem and Winston are set to tangle in the rubber game of the weekend series at BB&T Ballpark, and all pitchers are likely fighting for the honor of being the second best in the series. The top honor will belong to Matt Barnes, who dazzled in his Carolina League debut on Saturday night.

Salem Pitching Coach Kevin Walker said that Barnes averaged 95 with his fastball, touching 98 several times over the course of his six-inning, 92-pitch, 70-strike performance. Although it was Barnes’ sixth professional start, it was the first time that Red Sox Director of Player Development Ben Crockett was present. Crockett journeys from affiliate to affiliate and is the primary decision maker on when players are promoted. Folks calling for Barnes to ascend to Boston today are a tad premature, and there will undoubtedly be a few hiccups along the road, i.e. he’s not going to dominate every single start. But with more performances like last night, Sox fans will continue to hear glowing reports about their prized first-round prospect out of UConn.

Enjoy today’s spur of the moment Monopoly-themed notes…

First pitch at 2PM! Talk to you soon,

Evan

*****

May 6, 2012 2:00 PM Salem Red Sox (15-12) vs Winston-Salem Dash (17-11) Game #28

BB&T Ballpark                       Winston-Salem, NC                    Road Game #15

Probable Starters: LHP Drake Britton (1-3, 10.71) vs RHP Matt Heidenreich (2-1, 5.22)

First Prize in a Beauty Contest: For the majority of his 92-pitch masterpiece, Matt Barnes made the league’s best offensive lineup look like boys on Saturday night. Three of the five baserunners he allowed reached in the sixth inning, and when he pitched with multiple runners on base for the first time, he struck out Winston’s three and four hitters to escape the situation. In six professional starts, Barnes possesses a 0.55 ERA (2 ER/32.2 IP) with 54 strikeouts and five walks. His 12 strikeouts on Saturday were a career high and a season-best for any Salem individual. Previously, Keith Couch’s eight Ks were Salem’s best.

Advance to Go; Collect 200:  Jackie Bradley, Jr. is not related to the famous game-maker Milton, and his remarkable consecutive games on base streak has hardly ever been left up to the roll of the dice. In five straight games and in six of his last seven, Bradley has extended his streak by reaching in the first inning. He has scored a run in the first inning in three of Salem’s last five games. Overall, Bradley possesses a 21-game reaching base streak, the longest active and best overall streak in the Carolina League this year. In his last 21 games, Bradley is batting .416 (32-for-77) with 11 extra-base hits, 17 RBI, 16 walks, and an OBP of .510.  He leads the league in runs scored, walks, stolen bases, and on-base percentage.

Error In Your Favor: The Dash entered the series with the league’s shakiest defense, and numerous miscues have boosted the Sox’s chances over the past two days. Winston-Salem made three errors on Saturday, leading to two unearned runs in Salem’s 6-4 win. Two of the three errors occurred on one single play, when Brandon Jacobs took off to steal second base. Mike Blanke’s throw soared into center field, and with Jacobs taking off for third, center-fielder Trayce Thompson let the ball go right past him in center, allowing Jacobs to score on a stolen base and two errors.

Houses and Hotels: After a week on the road, the Red Sox will wrap up their seven-game trip on Sunday. Salem shall return to the Roanoke Valley and enjoy their first scheduled off-day since April 9 on Monday before commencing a three-game homestand against Potomac on Tuesday. The series with the Nationals includes an 11 AM early start on Wednesday, with 7:05 first pitches slated for Tuesday and Thursday. Salem will hit the road again on Friday for a seven-game swing through Myrtle Beach and Carolina. The Sox are currently in the midst of a stretch of 14 of 17 on the road. With a win today, the Sox can finish their current road trip 4-3.

Go Directly to Jail!: Salem has stolen so frequently in 26 games that it is surprising that cops have not tried to lock up the Sox. The Red Sox swiped three more bags successfully on Saturday night to bring their season total to 51. The Sox have stolen at least one base in 22 of their 27 games. The other seven teams in the league have an average of less than 22 steals for the season, with three teams owning fewer than 20. Perhaps most impressive is that Salem has only been caught nine times, the fewest in the entire circuit.

The Carolina League is not anyone’s final destination. But for years and years, this level has provided young players with a place to continue their development en route to the ultimate goal. Everyone has a different route and many journeys unfortunately end before reaching the premier destination. Some players bring great hype and excitement with them, a byproduct of sensational past performance or jawdropping skills and projectability. Often, it is a combination of both.

Tonight, Matt Barnes arrives and looks to make a splash in his first Advanced-A start. It is another step on the road to the Show for the 21-year-old righthander from Bethel, Connecticut, who became a millionaire after the Red Sox selected him with the 19th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He made his first five professional starts for Manager (and former Salem Hitting Coach) Carlos Febles  in Greenville, blowing away competition to the point that the player development staff basically had no choice but to elevate him to the next level. In five starts, Barnes tossed a marathon (26.2 innings), allowing just 12 hits and one run, with 42 strikeouts and four walks. Silly stuff.

Sometimes numbers can lie, but numerous scouts have confirmed that Barnes, who will turn 22 on June 17, is the real deal. It would be unreasonable to expect Barnes to have the same time of invincible performance that he put together in Greenville. In the Carolina League, he’ll face more advanced hitters, most of whom will have a few years of professional seasoning under their belts.  A year ago, we witnessed Anthony Ranaudo suffer through his share of struggles while pitching with Salem, finishing the season with a 5-5 record and 4.33 ERA over 16 starts. But as one scout said yesterday, “Barnes is much further along than Ranaudo. He’ll be able to dominate much more often.”

Prognostication and speculation are only fun up to a point. Eventually, you want to see what will actually happen. Barnes takes the mound for the Salem Sox at 7 PM tonight. He’ll be tested immediately by the Winston-Salem offense that leads the league in runs and homers. A brilliant performance won’t clinch his spot in Cooperstown, just like a tough debut won’t be dehabilitating. But Barnes’ journey toward the Show continues in the Carolina League this evening, and it’s time to sit back and enjoy the ride.

You can hear the play-by-play from BB&T Ballpark beginning at 7 PM on NewsTalk 960 WFIR and streaming online at www.salemsox.com. As an appetizer, your daily game note nuggets can be perused below.

Thanks for reading,

Evan

*****

May 5, 2012 7:00 PM Salem Red Sox (14-12) vs Winston-Salem Dash (17-10) Game #27

BB&T Ballpark                       Winston-Salem, NC                    Road Game #14

Probable Starters: RHP Matt Barnes (0-0, –) vs RHP Ryan Buch (2-1, 4.76)

A Funny Game: Salem won two games with a combined four runs on nine hits on Wednesday and Thursday, but eight hits and 12 runs were not enough in Friday’s opener in Winston-Salem. The Sox shot out to a 4-0 lead and were up after one inning for the tenth time this season, but Salem has gone just 6-4 when leading after one frame. The Dash pounded 15 hits against Salem’s pitchers, the most that Sox hurlers have allowed in a single game this year. Winston also clubbed two home runs, giving the Dash 29 bombs on the season, most in the league.

Cinco en Greenville: Following an absolutely dominant five-start stint with the Low-A Greenville Drive, Matt Barnes ascends to the Carolina League to make his Salem Sox debut on Saturday. The 19th overall pick in the 2011 draft out of UConn, Barnes struck out 42 and walked four in 26.2 innings pitched for the Drive over five outings, permitting just 12 hits and one run. In actuality, Barnes never allowed a run when he was on the mound, but reliever Tyler Cervenka allowed an inherited runner to score in the sixth inning of last Sunday’s game at Lakewood. If not for the inherited runner crossing to inflate his ERA to 0.34, Barnes would have concluded a flawless run through the South Atlantic League.

Travis’ Triumphs: After a brief four-game skid that saw him go just 1-for-12 offensively, Travis Shaw has rebounded with five hits in eight at-bats over the past two nights, boosting his average back to .368, third best in the league’s official batting leaders. If you removed Lynchburg’s Evan Gattis, who was recently promoted to Double-A after hitting .385 in 21 games for the Hillcats, Shaw is second behind only teammate Jackie Bradley, Jr.. Shaw is batting .313 against righties and a remarkable .500 (14-for-28) against lefties. In 13 games away from LewisGale Field, Shaw’s hitting .420 (21-for-50).

Friendly One-Upsmanship: The only player with more impressive numbers than Shaw come from his good buddy, Jackie Bradley, Jr. . The center-fielder reached base three more times in four plate appearances on Friday, lifting his on-base-percentage to .475, tops in the Carolina League. Among active players, Bradley also leads the league in batting average (.370) and shares the lead in runs scored, walks, and stolen bases. Bradley launched his first two home runs of the season this past week in Wilmington, blasting solo shots on Tuesday and Thursday at Frawley Stadium. Currently, Bradley has reached base in 20 consecutive games, a stretch in which he has hit .421 with an OBP of .495. He has reached safely to lead off the first inning in four straight and five of his last six games.

Southern Supremacy: After nearly a month of baseball, the Carolina League’s geographical divisions have yielded an interesting dichotomy. Every Southern Division squad enters Saturday’s action with an above .500 record, while only Lynchburg resides above the .500 mark in the North. Combined, the four Southern Division teams are 60-47, while the Northern Division clubs are an aggregate 45-58. Over the course of the 140-game season, Salem plays every team 20 times, 10 at home and 10 away, regardless of divisional alignment.