2011 Roster

We are starting to see signings come in for 2011. What is great for year 2 is that we can really look at our roster position by position, know the ballpark we play in, and be systematic as to our approach to improve the team, rather than just sign someone for the sake of signing them. While we are releasing names or schools yet, I think Sweets fans will be happy with the improvements that we will be making. Pitching is certainly a priority...really looking at guys that can throw strikes, eat innings, and be bulldogs on the mound - I like a little mean streak in a pitcher.


Offensively, I know the fans like a home-run hitter, but personally I could care less, especially in Borleske. Give me a guy who can consistently hit a double to the gap, run the bases hard but smart, and refuse to strike out, and I'll sign him all day long. Too many strikeouts and base-running mistakes in 2010. Again, not a criticism, just recognizing areas of improvement.

Stay tuned as we begin in mid-October to start announcing signings.

Sweets Players Recognized by League Coaches

Everyone loves all-stars. At the MLB level, it allows the fans to participate in a way not available at other levels, and for players it is a level of recognition that says "you're elite". And the fans are pretty right on most of the time.

In the WCL, all-stars are selected by the coaches, which I think is a great way to do it. For a three-month season and not a ton of shared media, it would be pretty difficult for fans to accurately pick the all-stars, and with players that are long on potential but short on experience, the trained eyes of a manager or coaching staff can recognize all-star talent that stats from a 3-game series might not be able to.

Kevin Kuntz was not flashy, but effective. Photo: S. Parsons, WW Sweets

Kevin Kuntz - a guy who developed into our starting SS this season - was a player who quietly did all the right things. He took pitches, he put extra work in, he got on base and was a phenomenal bunter...all things that help a team win but don't necessarily get reflected in a stat line (although he was a league leader in OBP and walks). He was recognized by coaches - being named to the WCL honorable mention squad - who noticed the little things that a fan might miss but that accumulated over the course of a season and allowed our club to be competitive - within a 1/2 game of the playoffs with 10 games to go in the season (although we fell just short).

I am excited with what our players did this first year and the chance to build on the foundation of success that they established.

Some Sweets Headlines

The Sweets have had a run of headlines recently that have brought some great national attention to the club. Two that stand out are the following:

1. This piece was a feature on ESPN.com - written by senior baseball writer Jim Caple. Believe it or not, we did not solicit this piece. Kudos to our staff for their job in presenting our product.

2. This news release highlighted that the team cracked the top 25 in overall attendance among summer league teams - finishing at #23. Thanks to Ballpark Business for compiling the data. Here is the story that ran in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

3. A little love from Codball.com as we are talked about on NPR. Take a listen here.

We are hard at work speaking with players and finding the right fit for the 2011 season. We were league leaders in every facet of the business operations side of the WCL and look to work hard to make sure the play on the field is the best in the league as well. What schools would you like to see represented in Walla Walla?

Tough Road Trip

We need to get home.

In my professional career, I have never been part of a franchise that has lost 7 in a row. Well, there is a first time for everything! The silver lining - we are learning that we have a great group of guys who battle, it's early on in the season (so we can recover)...and at least it was while the team was on the road.

July is upon us - what will 18 home games in the month bring us?

Off the ground

Terrible blogging, I know. But the good news is that we are officially off the ground as far as the season goes - and it was a fun and exciting opener, despite the fact that we didn't play all that well. The energy was phenomenal and we are working to improve the little things - both on and off the field.

Here are some videos that local media shot of the opener:

Union - Bulletin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlcLAkbjhM
Tourism Walla Walla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YzLgQZsZzQ&feature=related

Back to getting all the bills together and paid and back to work on Tuesday at Borleske...see you there!

Host Families

Still could use a few more host families. The basics:

1. A bed
2. A Shower
3. The ability to help a player get to the ballpark
4. A love of baseball and free tickets

The commitment is for the summer, but with players gone for half the summer (on the road), it equates to about 30 days. Questions? Call us at 509.522.BALL (2255) or email us here. Check out this page for more detailed info on host families.

39 days to go!

League Meetings - Kelso (Cowlitz Co.)

Well, in Longview-Kelso today and tomorrow for the WCL semi-annual meetings. It is always a fun part of this kind of thing - getting together with other league leaders and to learn from each other. You learn what is and isn't working in each market - one goal I have for this weekend is to see what can be done to better brand the league as a whole. Individually, clubs in our league do a great job in their individual markets, but a growth area for the league is building a brand identity that doesn't take away from what each team is doing, but strengthens individual efforts because Bend vs. Kitsap means something to fans in Walla Walla - like Texas vs. Los Angeles means something to fans of the Seattle Mariners. It will help recruit better talent to the playing field as well.

What are your ideas for building brand recognition of the league outside of individual markets?