One of the newest members of the Goldeyes, centre fielder Aharon Eggleston is just starting to heat up, on the field and off.
“It is hot here,” Eggleston said via Skype from Sincelejo, Colombia, where his the Monteria Lions were playing Kevin West’s Sincelejo Toros in a huge series with first place on the line. “It’s just so hot, you hardly want to go out during the day, but I guess it’s better than minus 40.”
Indeed.
However, Eggleston, who was acquired by the Goldeyes from Kansas City on November 25 in exchange for pitcher Andrew Cruse, doesn’t seem to mind the Colombian heat quite as much as the condition of the playing fields.
“The fields here are brutal,” he said. “It’s like playing in the middle of an unpaved road. If you’re an infielder, you have to go down and block the ball like a catcher. I’ve been trying to get some extra DH assignments so I don’t have to run on some of these fields.”
The playing conditions in Colombia are just one of many reasons why Eggleston is excited to be on his way to Winnipeg for the 2010 Northern League season. The NL’s post-season all-star centre fielder, who hit .318 with the T-Bones in 2009 and became the first player in league history to lead the league in hits for two consecutive years, is all fired up about coming to Winnipeg to hit out of the No. 2 hole.
Now that lead-off man and starting shortstop Wes Long has re-signed, Goldeyes manager Rick Forney was hoping Eggleston would be comfortable hitting out of the second spot in the order. After all, the 28-year-old from Las Vegas was a solid lead-off man in KC last year.
Eggleston wanted Forney to know there was no cause for concern.
“I’m hitting out of the No. 2 hole here in Colombia,” Eggleston said. “I’m a very patient hitter and I have no problem taking pitches. I’ll give Wes plenty of opportunity to steal a base. And besides, on those days when I don’t feel that good at the plate, I’ll always be able to bunt Wes over.
“I’m kind of excited about our potential line-up and I think Rick will have lots of options. I mean, right now Rick can go Wes, me, Juan (Diaz) and then Vince (Harrison). Then we’ve got Cory Patton, Dee Brown and Josh Asanovich.
“But the best thing about Winnipeg are the fans. We had great fans in Kansas City. The T-Bones draw real well, too. But Winnipeg has a team that should get people excited. I thought the Goldeyes had the best team in the league last year, but I think this team could be really great.”
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
December 15: Brown Kicking Back And Enjoying The Florida Weather
Dee Brown is thrilled to be back with the Goldeyes. He’s also thrilled that he’s spending the winter, not in Winnipeg, but home in Florida not far from downtown Orlando.
“My off-season is going great,” Brown said. “I’m just relaxing, enjoying the Florida weather. It’s just great down here. I can’t think of a better place to be.”
Brown, 27, hit .322 with 12 home runs and 53 runs batted in last season. He was also one of nine Goldeyes to represent the club at the 2009 Northern League All-Star Game. On top of that, he’s a solid fielder and one of the best all-around players in the league.
But while he’s signed a contract to play here in Winnipeg next season, he decided against playing winter ball this year.
“I thought about playing Winter ball someplace, but I just didn’t want to play last summer and next summer in Winnipeg and then all winter in the Caribbean or Latin America,” said the criminal justice graduate from the University of Central Florida. “I didn’t want to be away from my son. Javier is just two and I didn’t want to miss this off-season with him down here.
“So I’m just working out, hanging with my son and fiancée and enjoying the weather. I’ll get up to Winnipeg in late April but right now, I’m just having a great off-season.”
“My off-season is going great,” Brown said. “I’m just relaxing, enjoying the Florida weather. It’s just great down here. I can’t think of a better place to be.”
Brown, 27, hit .322 with 12 home runs and 53 runs batted in last season. He was also one of nine Goldeyes to represent the club at the 2009 Northern League All-Star Game. On top of that, he’s a solid fielder and one of the best all-around players in the league.
But while he’s signed a contract to play here in Winnipeg next season, he decided against playing winter ball this year.
“I thought about playing Winter ball someplace, but I just didn’t want to play last summer and next summer in Winnipeg and then all winter in the Caribbean or Latin America,” said the criminal justice graduate from the University of Central Florida. “I didn’t want to be away from my son. Javier is just two and I didn’t want to miss this off-season with him down here.
“So I’m just working out, hanging with my son and fiancée and enjoying the weather. I’ll get up to Winnipeg in late April but right now, I’m just having a great off-season.”
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
December 2: Between Golf Games, Baldwin Signs On With Fish
Goldeyes southpaw Zach Baldwin says that if it wasn’t for our winters, he’d consider mov to Winnipeg full time.
“I just love it up there,” said Baldwin, who signed with the Goldeyes today for another season. “The golf is great and it’s a terrific place to play. Honest, it’s one of my favourite places in the world. If it wasn’t for the winters, I’d move there.”
Of course, the winters are a problem. Especially when your first love is baseball and your second love is golf. This winter, while he teaches pitching at the Tri-State Baseball Academy in Huntington, West Virginia), Baldwin has spent much of his time playing golf with his close friend, mini-tour professional Drew Whitten. For those who don’t know, Baldwin plays regularly at the 27-hole Quarry Oaks Golf Course outside Winnipeg and shoots from 68-74 depending on the course combination, the weather and the accuracy of his driver.
“We’ve been having fun playing at Sleepy Hollow Country Club,” said Baldwin, who lives in the bedroom community of Barboursville. “It’s about a 7,000-yard golf course and we go at it pretty hard every day. Drew, a guy I’d played with and against in the big golf tournaments throughout high school, had moved to Atlanta to play and prepare for a couple of mini-tours and he made 30 cuts in the last year. But he ran into some financial and sponsorship problems, so he came back home to work with his dad and just plays around here. We’ve been playing a lot.”
Along with his off-season golf, Baldwin offers pitching lessons. He says when he gets a good, young high school star that wants to take it to the next level, that’s when he has the most fun.
“When you get a teenager who already has some idea how to pitch well and you help him get to the next level, it’s pretty satisfying and a lot of fun,” said Baldwin, who has about a dozen kids in his stable now, but usually gets 25-30 by February. “I teach them how to throw everything and the kitchen sink. You know me. They’ll learn a lot of pitches.”
Baldwin went 4-0 in 29 relief appearances with a 2.65 ERA last season. After going 5-7 with a 4.70 ERA in 2008, he went 4-4 with a 3.71 ERA last year. He has a career record of 7-2 with two saves and a 3.08 ERA in 49 games out of the bullpen.
He’s so excited about coming back, he expects to be in Winnipeg by mid-April.
“I’d go back right now if the weather was good enough to play golf,” he said with a laugh. “It’s nice to be back home with family and friends, but I love Winnipeg.”
“I just love it up there,” said Baldwin, who signed with the Goldeyes today for another season. “The golf is great and it’s a terrific place to play. Honest, it’s one of my favourite places in the world. If it wasn’t for the winters, I’d move there.”
Of course, the winters are a problem. Especially when your first love is baseball and your second love is golf. This winter, while he teaches pitching at the Tri-State Baseball Academy in Huntington, West Virginia), Baldwin has spent much of his time playing golf with his close friend, mini-tour professional Drew Whitten. For those who don’t know, Baldwin plays regularly at the 27-hole Quarry Oaks Golf Course outside Winnipeg and shoots from 68-74 depending on the course combination, the weather and the accuracy of his driver.
“We’ve been having fun playing at Sleepy Hollow Country Club,” said Baldwin, who lives in the bedroom community of Barboursville. “It’s about a 7,000-yard golf course and we go at it pretty hard every day. Drew, a guy I’d played with and against in the big golf tournaments throughout high school, had moved to Atlanta to play and prepare for a couple of mini-tours and he made 30 cuts in the last year. But he ran into some financial and sponsorship problems, so he came back home to work with his dad and just plays around here. We’ve been playing a lot.”
Along with his off-season golf, Baldwin offers pitching lessons. He says when he gets a good, young high school star that wants to take it to the next level, that’s when he has the most fun.
“When you get a teenager who already has some idea how to pitch well and you help him get to the next level, it’s pretty satisfying and a lot of fun,” said Baldwin, who has about a dozen kids in his stable now, but usually gets 25-30 by February. “I teach them how to throw everything and the kitchen sink. You know me. They’ll learn a lot of pitches.”
Baldwin went 4-0 in 29 relief appearances with a 2.65 ERA last season. After going 5-7 with a 4.70 ERA in 2008, he went 4-4 with a 3.71 ERA last year. He has a career record of 7-2 with two saves and a 3.08 ERA in 49 games out of the bullpen.
He’s so excited about coming back, he expects to be in Winnipeg by mid-April.
“I’d go back right now if the weather was good enough to play golf,” he said with a laugh. “It’s nice to be back home with family and friends, but I love Winnipeg.”
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