Toronto, meet Lansing. Lansing, this is Toronto.
Now that we’ve been properly introduced, what can we expect from the city of Lansing, Michigan? Well, if recent history is any indication, then the answer would be: nothing but a first class single-A affiliate. Lansing is best known for its role in the Michigan auto industry, primarily producing General Motors’ now defunct Oldsmobile line. Sadly, GM will close its Lansing plant this May. The town history served as the inspiration behind the Lugnut name and the ballpark still bears the Oldsmobile label.
Oldsmobile park itself is a big upgrade over the outdated and broken down facilities at Charleston, Toronto’s former low-A affiliate. I attended a game in Lansing several years ago and while I have trouble recalling specifics about the park itself, I will never forget the atmosphere. The place was surprisingly full for a mid-week game and the entire crowd was engrossed in the game. During every important play the crowd stomped and cheered with enthusiasm that the Jays’ own Cheer Club would be proud of. In 1996, the franchise’s first season in Lansing, the team set a new attendance record by becoming the first Class-A club to draw over half a million fans in a season. Now entering their tenth season, the Lugnuts don’t have the novelty value they once did but the franchise still drew over 400,000 last year. Again this represents a big improvement for the players, up from the 125,000 that showed up in Charleston last year.
So what can Lansing expect from Toronto? Well, let’s just start by saying that expectations are high. The Lugnuts first nine seasons have seen 7 playoff berths and 2 league championships. Dozens of future major leaguers have passed through Oldsmobile park including Carlos Zambrano, Jeremy Affeldt, Hee Seop Choi and Los Dos Carlos (Remember that pair? That’s a whole other story by itself). Former Blue Jays rule 5 picks Corey Thurman and Jason Dubois and reliever Dan Reichert have also seen time in the Lugnuts lineup. Last year, Lansing fans saw top-prospect Brian Dopirak break the team’s home run and RBI records.
If there is a minor league system that can live up to standards like that, it just might be the Blue Jays. A new draft strategy tied with an organizational emphasis on winning at every level has caused resurgence within the Jays minor league system. There may not be the same star quality that’s found in some organizations at the moment but the Blue Jays depth is about as good as it gets. 4 of 6 Blue Jays minor league teams made the playoffs last year including the Charleston Alley Cats and the Auburn Doubledays. Players from those two rosters figure to compose most of the new Lugnuts lineup.
Minor league rosters haven’t been set yet, so it’s hard to say how this team will stack up, but here’s a rough look at how things should look.
2005 Position players:
Curtis Thigpen, a second round pick in the 2004 draft, figures to get the majority of playing time behind the plate. He was a bit of a surprise on draft day to some Bauxites but by the end of the season he had impressed virtually everyone with his power bat and a solid arm behind the plate. If the Jays feel Thigpen is too advanced for this level they may fast-track him to Dunedin and hold back Robinson Diaz.
Two of the best “names” from last year’s draft should fill out the power slots. Toronto’s 8th and 9th picks, Rhame “Chip” Cannon and Joey Metropoulos “Prime” should split the DH/1B roles. Cannon is a little more polished but the younger Metropoulos has as much power potential as anyone in the system.
A few more college players should round out the infield. Ryan Klosterman, Brian Hall and Vinny Esposito are all polished players that will need to move fast to hit the majors but are more than capable of being impact players in the Midwest League this year.
The outfield should feature Yuber Rodriguez, a young Venezuelan with all the tools, and the powerful Cory Patton who slipped to the 6th round in the draft and signed late due to a stress fracture in his foot. Jarad Mangioni, Eric Neilsen, and Aaron Mathews could also see time in the ‘Nuts outfield.
2005 Pitching staff:
Pitching is definitely the strength of the system, and the backlog should keep some solid arms in Lansing this year. Michael MacDonald, Casey Janssen, Chris Leonard, Juan Perez and Kurt Isenberg look like top candidates for the rotation. It’s not a young bunch. But it’s a talented bunch with a chance to depress the hitting stats in the Midwest League this year.
Eric Rico, Randy Dicken, Kyle Yates, Casey McKenzie and Brad Mumma should also help keep the team’s average age up and the ERA’s down.
Player Age Draft Level IP BB K HR % KBF ERA
Brad Mumma 24 32nd-03 A 49.3 15 47 2 21.8 3.83
Casey Janssen 23 4th-04 Low A 51.7 10 45 2 21.4 3.48
Casey McKenzie 22 27th-04 Low A 69.0 20 62 4 20.5 3.78
Chris Leonard 24 8th-02 Low A 60.7 22 62 5 23.0 4.45
Erik Rico 25 22nd-02 A 25.7 8 14 1 13.3 1.75
Low A 28.3 4 22 2 19.6 1.27
Juan Perez 23 AmFA-00 Low A 58.7 10 40 2 16.3 2.76
Kurt Isenberg 23 4th-03 High A 61.0 20 40 6 14.5 5.61
Low A 51.0 15 34 5 15.7 3.88
Kyle Yates 22 13th-04 Low A 9.3 5 11 0 26.6 6.75
Mike MacDonald 23 15th-04 A 32.7 9 23 2 17.1 1.93
Low A 46.3 6 30 2 17.2 1.55
Randy Dicken 22 7th-04 Low A 16.7 13 20 0 24.2 4.86
Age is 2005 baseball age, Draft indicates round and year drafted (or year signed as an amateur freee agent), Level and stats are for the 2004 season. - Thanks to Jonny German for compiling the stats 2005 Outlook:
The Midwest League is traditionally filled with more college players than the Sally league, so the Jays shouldn’t be afraid to keep some of their college players back this year. The Alley Cats made the playoffs after a hot first half and Lansing fans should expect no less from this team.
So Bauxites, there are only two words to sum it up: Go Nuts!
