I’ll try to provide a series of recaps (hopefully have them all published by the end of next week when I find time) taking a look back at parts of the the 2012 York Revolution roster, both reviewing the season and giving my thoughts on the future at that position. We’ll start off with the outfield.

At the start: York’s opening day outfield consisted of Scott Grimes, James Shanks, Michael Hernandez and Stephen Douglas. Two of those players would no longer be with the team by the of the season.

York traded Douglas on May 23 to Laredo (American Association) in exchange for a player to be named later. Revs’ skipper Andy Etchebarren didn’t like what he saw out of Douglas defensively and he wasn’t putting up stellar numbers, either. Douglas batted just .221 with two homers, six RBIs, six runs scored and one stolen base in 21 games for York.

That left the Revs with three outfielders. But at the time, Grimes was dealing with bone chips in his right wrist. Just days earlier York brought in ex-major league outfielder Bobby Kielty that same week. Kielty wouldn’t stick around long, though, playing in just 19 games before ultimately deciding to retire, ending a 13-year pro career. He hit just .221 with three homers and eight RBIs for the Revs.

Roster moves: Just a day after shipping away Douglas, York signed speedy outfielder Brandon Haveman just hours after Lancaster released him. Haveman ended up being the spark plug that the Revs were looking for. Filling in for an injured Grimes in center field, Haveman took over duties as the lead-off as well and proved to be a big mid-season pick-up for the Revs. He finished the year batting .290 with six homers, 48 RBIs, 68 runs and 21 stolen bases in 106 games.

York later added outfielder Jeff Fiorentino in mid-July at a time when a couple outfielders were dealing with injuries. Like Haveman, the former big leaguer proved to be another big mid-season addition for the Revs. He went on to hit .311 with four homers, 27 RBIs, 49 runs scored and four stolen bases in 66 games.

Shanks: Shanks entered the season batting a combined .320 with York in 2010 and 2011. But he looked every the bit of his 33 years of age this season, often missing time with lower body injuries. His production also dropped off dramatically. The Revs cut ties with Shanks in early August after he hit just .249 in 77 games. Shanks soon found work in Southern Maryland, but not much changed there, as he held a .225 average in 25 games with the Blue Crabs.

Future: By the end of the 2012 season, York’s outfield consisted of Brandon Haveman in left, Scott Grimes in center and Jeff Fiorentino in right. Michael Hernandez mainly served as the designated hitter the final month or so.

The Revs’ outfielder could be very different come 2013. Grimes said Saturday night he’s not sure about his future as a ball player. That makes sense for the seven-year pro veteran. Grimes has been struggling the last two seasons to get back to the level he was at as the 2010 Atlantic League co-MVP. He batted .312 with 17 homers, 59 RBIs, 138 runs scored and 28 stolen bases that year as the Revs’ lead-off man. In 2011 he got off to a rough start but had a nice second half to finish the year with a .268 average to go along with 15 homers, 42 RBIs, 97 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. Grimes lost his lead-off spot in 2012, in part because of his struggles at the plate and also because Haveman excelled at the spot when filling in for an injured Grimes. When Grimes returned, Etch’ put him at the No. 9 spot in the lineup, basically serving as York’s “extra” lead-off man. Grimes finished the season batting .246 with 13 homers, 52 RBIs, 62 runs scored and 19 stolen bases. I would say it would be a smart move for York to cut ties with Grimes despite him being a fan favorite and a big part of the ball club since 2010. But Grimes is just too good defensively in center field. Only if York can find someone as adequate to play center (which is asking a lot) should the Revs think about that move.

Revs’ baseball operations manager Andrew Ball said Fiorentino would be a good candidate to be invited to spring training by a big league club in 2013. Should that be the case, and Fiorentino is successful in earning a spot, York would lose a solid outfielder and No. 2/No. 7 hitter in the lineup.

Though there are things he needs to work on, Haveman should definitely be brought back. in 2013. At 26 years old and just four seasons removed from playing college ball at Purdue, the speedster is definitely young enough to attract the interest of big league scouts (again, you have to remember the Atlantic League’s ultimate purpose is to get guys to the big leagues. Haveman still has to become more patient at the plate. There were too many times this season where he would swing at the first or second pitch of the at-bat. Etch’ repeatedly told me Haveman needs to take advantage of his best tool, which is his speed. That means Haveman needs to get on base more often. And he can do that by drawing walks. But that doesn’t happen when he goes down on just a few pitches. He could also improve his glove in the outfield, but that could come with time at Sovereign Bank Stadium, where the left-field wall can be tricky to deal with at times.

Of the four outfielders on York’s 2012 playoff roster, Hernandez is the only one I wouldn’t mind seeing go. He reminds me a lot of James Shanks last year. He put up good numbers despite being hobbled with knick-knack injuries throughout the season. Who knows how he’ll be at age 29 next year with those legs being a year older. And Ball said Hernandez might be playing winter ball during the off-season. One would think after being banged up for the last five months or so he’d just rest his body and get ready for 2013. Sure, he batted .303 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs and 55 runs scored. But he’s not the fastest outfielder in the world. So, if the Revs can find a replacement who can hit for average and is a little bit faster and younger (obviously easier said than done) then it would make sense to part ways with Hernandez.

 

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If you haven’t already done so, you’re likely going to want to read the previous blog entries listed below. It was a busy Wednesday for the York Revolution.

To summarize:

- Mid-way through its game against Southern Maryland on Wednesday, the Revs announced that skipper Andy Etchebarren has been suspended and fined for his actions stemming from Friday’s ejection during a game against Long Island.

-The team also announced the signing of former Baltimore Orioles’ starting pitcher Chris Waters and the retirement of outfielder Bobby Kielty.

-Oh, yeah, the Revs won, 10-0, in the series finale against the Blue Crabs behind a stellar effort from starting pitcher Shawn Hill. The right-hander has now tossed 27.2 consecutive scoreless innings in his five starts for York, setting the new club record (he passed Corey Thurman’s previous record of 24 innings set over four starts back in June 2008).

-Also, team president Eric Menzer gave a tour of Sovereign Bank Stadium to representatives from the Hagerstown (Md.) Suns. But Hagerstown isn’t interested in the Atlantic League. Rather, they’re probably looking for ideas on how to renovate their own Municipal Stadium. The city is in jeopardy of possibly losing its Washington Nationals’ affiliate Class A Hagerstown Suns ballclub. Hagerstown City is still trying to figure out the issue of funding renovations to Municipal Stadium. The city owns Municipal Stadium, which it leases to the Suns. Suns’ owners have threatened leaving if renovations are not made.

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After a 13-year pro career, and just 19 games with the York Revolution this season, outfielder Bobby Kielty has decided to retired. Revs’ manager Andy Etchebarren confirmed the news following Wednesday night’s game against Southern Maryland.

“He called me this morning and told me he was packing,” Etchebarren said. “With his age, he wanted to get signed (by a big league club). That’s the only reason he’s here.”

Kielty wasn’t at Wednesday’s game, but Etchebarren said this might have been something the 35-year-old veteran has been thinking about for some time.

The 35-year-old came to the Revs in late May to give it one last go-around to see if he could get back to the big leagues. He first saw action on May 24. At the time, Kielty had said this would likely be his last go-around to try to make it back to the majors. If things didn’t work out this season, Kielty had said he’d likely retire.

“He wasn’t putting up good numbers,” Etchebarren said. “He wasn’t going to get signed (by a big league club) hitting .240 or .250.”

Kielty played in 599 career major league games or Minnesota, Toronto, Oakland and Boston between 2001 and 2007. In the majors, he accumulated 53 home runs and 253 RBIs, with a .254 average. His last at-bat in the majors came in 2007, when he hit a home run for the Boston Red Sox in the deciding Game 4 of the World Series. It would be surgery to his right knee in 2009 that derailed his pro career, causing him to miss most of the 2009 season and the entire 2010 season.

He returned to the game in 2011, spending most of the season with the San Diego Padres’ Class AAA Tucson club, where he batted .289 with seven homers and 28 RBIs in 62 games. Kielty first played for York on May 24, and would hit just .221 with three homers and eight RBIs in 19 games.

With Kielty’s departure, it leaves York with four outfielders (Brandon Haveman, Scott Grimes, Michael Hernandez and James Shanks). Etchebarren said he’s looking around to possibly bring in a fifth outfielder.

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A part of me doesn’t believe I’m writing this, but the Revs will return home Monday after an eight-game road trip feeling red hot. Before York began the trip, their record was 3-10 on the road. Yet, the Revs have turned things around to go 6-2 on its recent road trip. And more and more, the additions of outfielders Bobby Kielty and Brandon Haveman seem to be looking better and better for the Revs.

Since the duo of Kielty and Haveman was inserted into the lineup, the Revs have won nine of their last 12 games. Filling in for the injured Scott Grimes (wrist), Haveman is batting .370 with a homer, five RBIs, 10 runs scored and three stolen bases for York. He’s also hitting .405 on a current nine-game hitting streak (through Monday).  He has hit safely in 11 of his 12 games with York while posting six multi-hit games.It’s an improvement from the .182 average he had in 10 games with the Lancaster Barnstormers before coming to York. Kielty is batting just .244 but does have three homers and eight RBIs – he’s averaging a homer once every four games, which would equate to 35 homers in a 140-game schedule.

That isn’t to say the rest of the Revs’ offense hasn’t done anything. Rather, maybe the bats of Haveman and Kielty have had a trickle-down effect on York’s offense. Third baseman Ramon Castro and outfielder James Shanks, for example, are both going through turnarounds at the plate after starting the season slow. Castro is now on a club season-best 14-game hitting streak and has bumped his average up to .295. Shanks was hitting .213 before May 24, but is now on an eight-game hitting streak and has improved his average to .240.

In the six victories on York’s road trip, they outscored opponents 49-7.

Pitching: The Revs’ pitching has been just as stellar as of late. That was highlighted when right-hander Corey Thurman pitched a complete game for the first time in his 17-year pro career in a 13-1 victory over Long Island on Sunday (York is now 7-1 in his eight starts for the season). The Revs set a season-high with 13 runs scored and tied a season-best with 15 hits in the win.

With Thurman’s performance on Sunday, Revs’ starters have combined for a 1.00 ERA in the last four games. Right-hander Shawn Hill (6.1 IP, 0 ER on June 2) and left-handers Jesus Sanchez (5.2 IP, 1 ER on June 1) and Chris Cody (6 IP, 1 ER on May 31) are all coming off really solid starts.

Standings: York (17-19) has yet to reach the .500 mark this season, but it looks like that’ll happen sooner rather than later if things keep going the Revs’ way. York is sitting in second place in the Atlantic League Freedom Division, at 3.5 games behind first-place Lancaster (21-16). Somerset (16-21) is sitting in tie for last place with Sugar Land (16-21). The Patriots’ 4-1 win over Camden on Sunday snapped on eight-game losing streak. With a 6-1 loss to Southern Maryland on Monday, the Skeeters have lost six of their last seven games.

Camden preview: Revs’ no. 2 starter Ryan Feierabend will look to get back on track and keep the trend going on Tuesday when the Camden Riversharks come to York for the first of a three-game series. Tuesday’s game kicks off a nine-game homestand for the Revs, who also play 15 of their next 19 games at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

Feierabend is coming off his worst start of the season, having surrendered 11 runs (five earned) on 11 hits in 2.1 innings on May 30 in a 15-9 loss at Bridgeport. Prior to that, Feierabend had give up just five combined runs in his previous four starts (29.2 IP), accumulating a 1.52 ERA over that stretch. He was also coming off a complete-game, one-run performance entering the May 30 start.

Feierabend (3-2, 3.24 ERA) will oppose Camden righty Kevin Reese (1-1, 3.45) in Tuesday’s opener vs. Camden at 6:30 p.m. at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

Camden (18-19) enters the series having won five of its last six games, and six of its last nine games. The Riversharks are around the middle of the league in runs scored (180, fourth), RBIs (167, fourth) and batting average (.264, fifth). They have 12 triples to this point (second in the league), 79 doubles (third), 334 hits (sixth) and 24 homers (seventh). The .300 batting average of third baseman Brian Burgamy is 13th among all Atlantic League players. Burgamy is tied with York’s Michael Hernandez for fifth in the league in RBIs (26). Outfielder Drew Macis leads the club in homers (five).

York enters the series at the bottom of the league in hits (317), doubles (51) and triples (five,) batting average (.260). Though it should be noted that five other teams are batting below .270 to this point.

Both Camden and York are averaging 4.9 runs a game. As far as pitching goes, York’s 4.67 team ERA is fifth in the league, ahead of Camden’s 5.06 ERA (seventh).

Majewski gets call-up: The Texas Rangers called up outfielder Val Majewski from Class AA Frisco to Class AAA Round Rock last week. It’s somewhat surprising considering the veteran was hitting just .250 with five RBIs and a homer in 21 games at Frisco. However, in five games (through Monday) so far with Round Rock he is 6-for-16 at the plate (.375) with five RBIs.

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He’s made his mark on the game. And he’s done it in a few different places. Most notably, Bobby Kielty made an impression during his four years with the Oakland Athletics, where his popular hairstyles made him a fan favorite.

His last at-bat in the majors came in 2007, when he hit a home run for the Boston Red Sox in the deciding Game 4 of the World Series.

Surely, a nice mark for his final plate appearance in a big league game. Right?

“On one note it’d be great and on another it was a bummer in the sense that it was my last at-bat,” Kielty said Tuesday following his first batting practice as a member of the York Revolution.

“You feel like you have a lot left in the tank. I kind of would rather go out knowing I can’t play anymore. That’s how I feel,” he said.

Now 35-years-old, Kielty understands his time in baseball might soon be coming to an end. But he still feels like he can play at a high level. He might be doing so right now if not for a few injuries since 2007.

The outfielder admits they may have played a role in him now being with York, where he’ll be competing in an independent league for the first time in his nine-year pro career.

Though he likely won’t see game action until later in the week, the switch-hitting Kielty should be a much-needed shot in the arm for the Revs’ offense.York is at or near the bottom of the Atlantic League in many offensive categories.

Kielty has played in 599 career major league games or Minnesota, Toronto, Oakland and Boston between 2001 and 2007. In the majors, he has accumulated 53 home runs and 253 RBIs, with a .254 average.

Injuries: Kielty underwent surgery to his left meniscus in 2007 and his left wrist in 2008. He still saw limited action both seasons. It would be surgery to his right knee in 2009 that derailed his pro career. He needed it after injuring his knee during a play early in the 2009 season with the New York Mets’ Class AAA Buffalo team. Kielty would miss the rest of the 2009 season and the entire 2010 season. He returned to the game in 2011, spending most of the season with the San Diego Padres’ Class AAA Tucson club, where batted .289 with seven homers and 28 RBIs in 62 games.

“I feel pretty good. Last year I probably wasn’t one hundred percent. This year I feel better than last year. Time has definitely helped me out,” Kielty said.

‘Ronnie Mac’: Kielty already has made a good impression on Revs’ skipper Andy Etchebarren, having previously played for him 11 years ago in theDominican Republic.

He might gain popularity with Revolution fans with his crazy hairstyles, just like he did with the Oakland Athletics’ fans from 2004 to 2007.

A’s fans nicknamed Kielty ‘Ronnie Mac’ thanks to a wild hairstyle similar to Ronald McDonald’s, the primary mascot for fast-food chain McDonald’s.

“I remember I cut it and they were (mad) about it and were chanting at me ‘Ronnie Mac we want your ‘fro back,’” Kielty said.

Kielty’s hair is short right now, but he plans on growing out it out.

His main plan, though, will be showing big league clubs he’s healthy enough and good enough to deserve another opportunity.

“It’s certainly not about the money,” he said. “I love the game. I love playing. I feel like I can still play. So, you’re here because you want to try to get another shot.”

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His team had just come off a 5-1 loss to the Sugar Land Skeeters. Andy Etchebarren had just watched his team collect five hits, a night after the York Revolution used nine hits to beat the first-place Lancaster Barnstormers, 6-3. Yet, the Revs returned to their inconsistent play again Monday. The last two days sort of sum up what York has been like the last couple weeks. A sweep of the Somerset Patriots, getting swept by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, then taking two of three from Lancaster. York (8-15) now sits 5 1/2 games back of first-place Lancaster (14-10) in the Atlantic League Freedom Division.

Despite York’s hitting woes on Monday night, Etchebarren appeared confident in his ball club. And a lot of that may have to do with the flurry of moves York made on Monday (and the possible moves that could be looming in the near future). Maybe the Revs skipper feels that help is on the way.

York made three moves on Monday, signing ex-major league outfielder Bobby Kielty and relief pitcher Andy Wells while trading away utility infielder Joe Spiers to the Lincoln Saltdogs, of the independent American Association, for a player to be named later.

Though Kielty is 35 and has yet to play this season, he could be an upgrade to the current crop of York Revolution outfielders. (Etchebarren said Monday night that Kielty will be in uniform for Tuesday’s home game against Sugar Land but will not play).

Kielty has played in 599 career major league games for Minnesota, Toronto, Oakland and Boston between 2001 and 2007. In the majors, Kielty has accumulated 53 home runs and 253 RBIs, with a .254 average. His last at-bat in the majors was a homer in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series that gave Boston a 4-1 lead. The Red Sox ended up winning the deciding Game 4 by a final score of 4-3.

Primarily a corner outfielder during his career, Kielty does have major and minor league starts in center field and at first base as well. What that means for the current crop of Revolution outfielders remains to be seen. But it’s clear York has made the move to upgrade its offense, which sits last in the Atlantic League in several categories.

Kielty gives York five outfielders, joining centerfielder and lead-off man Scott Grimes, corner outfielders Michael Hernandez and James Shanks and outfielder Stephen Douglas.

Douglas and Grimes have given York little to no production at the top of the lineup thus far. Grimes returned to action over the weekend after missing nine games because of bone chips in his right wrist that were caused when he was hit by a pitch in a game against Long Island on May 8. Grimes is batting .222 (4-for-18 through Monday) since his return. And he was seen during Monday’s game shaking his wrist. So, who knows how healthy he is? For the year, Grimes is batting just .161.During Grimes’s absence, Douglas served as York’s lead-off man, but hit just .129 (4-for-31). For the season, he’s batting .207.

Michael Hernandez has been one of York’s best hitters. Despite his .261 average, Hernandez’s seven home runs is tied for first in the Atlantic League and his 19 RBIs is third among all players.

With all the moves made Monday, York now has 25 players on the active roster (12 position players and 13 pitchers). Atlantic League clubs can carry as many as 27 players until the end of the month, at which point rosters have to be paired down to 25. So, York could very well keep its current group of active players. Still, it’s likely we’ll see an outfielder be moved (either off the active roster or away from the team) at some point in the near future considering York doesn’t need five outfielders.

WELLS: Wells, 24, is mainly being brought on board to give York some pitching depth over the next couple weeks. York will play seven games this week and eight next week (there’s a double-header scheduled at Long Island on June 2) And with reliever Ricardo Gomez and Shaun Garceau still recovering from injuries and reliever Ian Thomas recently being picked up by the Atlanta Braves, the Revs are in need of some bodies in the ‘pen. Wells had a 6.88 ERA in five collegiate seasons split between Siena College and Wagner College. He’s split time between four independent ball clubs in his first two pro seasons, accumulating an 8.68 ERA.

Hill scratched from start: There’s only been a handful of times where York Revolution starting pitchers have gone past the fifth inning in a game so far this season. And the best pitcher, by far, has been left-hander Ryan Feierabend (2-1, 2.67 ERA). It’s likely just a matter of time before a big league club comes calling for Feierabend’s services, which won’t help York one bit.

Then on Monday, Etchebarren said right-hander Shawn Hill is being scratched from his Tuesday start because of soreness in the left part of his back. The right-hander went four scoreless innings against Southern Maryland on May 17 in his first start for York. But there should be reason to be concerned about Hill, who has undergone a number of surgeries and missed plenty of playing time since 2004. Etchebarren hopes Hill will miss just one start.

Left-hander Yunior Novoa will start in place of Hill on Tuesday against Sugar Land. That doesn’t help York’s bullpen, which combined to toss 5.2 innings on Monday night. Novoa has started three times for York this year, but only made it past the fifth inning once. The ‘pen will likely be called upon again to do some heavy lifting on Tuesday unless Novoa has several short-inning outings.

So, while the Revs are busy figuring out how to improve the offense, they might soon be turning their attention to the pitching given the number of innings the relievers have thrown to this point and the possibility of Feierabend being picked up in the near future. The good news is that, if a move needs to be made, Etchebarren and his counterparts have already proven they’re not fine with just sitting still.

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