Stockton Ports at San Jose Giants, April 9-12
Published on April 8, 2009 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
THE SAN JOSE GIANTS...open the 2009 regular season Thursday evening when they host the Stockton Ports at Municipal Stadium. San Jose begins the campaign with seven consecutive home games against Stockton and the Bakersfield Blaze.
Media Coverage... The San Jose Giants and Comcast have joined forces to bring fans 14 live television broadcasts during the 2009 season. The games can be viewed live on Comcast Hometown Network Channel 104 throughout most Northern California regions and anytime through Comcast On Demand Channel 1. The broadcast schedule includes Thursday's season-opener against Stockton as well as 10 other home games and three road games. A full TV schedule is available online at www.sjgiants.com. Additionally, all 140 games this season can be heard live on www.sjgiants.com.
Prospect Bonanza... According to Baseball America, the top five prospects in the San Francisco farm system and six out of the top seven (#1 Madison Bumgarner, #2 Buster Posey, #3 Angel Villalona, #4 Tim Alderson, #5 Nick Noonan, #7 Conor Gillaspie) are on San Jose's opening day roster.
Andy Skeels... The San Jose Giants welcome a new manager this season as Andy Skeels begins his first year at the helm. Skeels spent last season managing the Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A) to the South Atlantic League championship and the best record (88-50) among full-season teams in all of Minor League Baseball. Previously, Skeels served two seasons (2006-07) as Augusta's hitting instructor while his other coaching experience includes four years in the Montreal Expos organization and one season each in the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers minor league systems. Skeels was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1987 and spent 12 years as a minor league catcher in the Padres, Dodgers and New York Yankees organizations, including stints in the California League with the Riverside Red Wave (1988-89), Salinas Spurs (1992) and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (1993).
The Posey File... Catcher Buster Posey returns to San Jose to open the 2009 season after spending last year's playoffs with the Giants. Posey won every major college Player of the Year award last year at Florida State University before he was selected fifth overall in the 2008 draft. The backstop has only 15 games of professional experience (including five post-season games with San Jose last September), but shined in the Hawaii Winter League (.338 AVG) after the conclusion of the minor league season and then hit .300 with two home runs in 30 at-bats during major league spring training camp.
Alderson Earns Opening Night Start... Tim Alderson is scheduled to make the opening night start on the mound for the San Jose Giants on Thursday. The 20-year old right-hander was a California League In-Season and Post-Season All-Star selection last year when he compiled a 13-4 record and a 2.79 ERA as the youngest player on the Giants squad. Alderson led the league in ERA and was also tied for third in victories and fourth in strikeouts. The Phoenix, Arizona native shared San Jose's Pitcher of the Year award with Kevin Pucetas as he showed remarkable consistency throughout the season allowing three runs or fewer in 22 out of his 26 starts and had 13 starts in which he surrendered one or no runs.
Returning Players... Eight players on San Jose's roster have previously called Municipal Stadium home. Returning from the 2008 San Jose Giants, in addition to Posey and Alderson, are pitchers Clayton Tanner, Daniel Turpen, Wilmin Rodriguez and Craig Whitaker and outfielder Darren Ford. Pitcher Adam Cowart is also back in the California League after having played in San Jose during the 2007 playoffs. Tanner will again pitch in the starting rotation after logging a 10-8 record and the sixth-lowest ERA in the California League (3.69) last season. Turpen and Rodriguez, a pair of relief pitchers, split 2008 between San Jose and Augusta while Whitaker, a former first round pick, will again work out of the bullpen. Ford begins his second season in the San Francisco organization after he was acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Brewers last July. The center fielder has stolen over 60 bases in each of his first three full professional seasons. Cowart excelled for the Giants during the 2007 post-season winning the decisive fifth game of the Championship Series on the mound before spending all of last year with Double-A Connecticut (8-7, 3.76 ERA).
Projected Starting Lineup (2008 stats in parenthesis)...
C - Buster Posey (ARL-Giants: .385, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB)
1B - Angel Villalona (Augusta: .263, 17 HR, 64 RBI, 1 SB)
2B - Nick Noonan (Augusta: .279, 9 HR, 68 RBI, 29 SB)
3B - Conor Gillaspie (Salem-Keizer: 268, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB)
SS - Brandon Crawford (ARL-Giants: .429, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB)
LF - Thomas Neal (Augusta: .276, 15 HR, 81 RBI, 3 SB)
CF - Darren Ford (San Jose: .219, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 14 SB)
RF - Roger Kieschnick (N/A)
DH - Michael Ambort (Salem-Keizer: .328, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 1 SB)
2008 Review... The Giants posted the top overall record in the California League last year when they finished with an 85-55 mark. San Jose won both the first half and second half Northern Division titles for the first time since 2001. The Giants led the California League in ERA for the fourth straight season while they were tied for second in batting average and first in fielding percentage. San Jose earned a bye through the first round of the playoffs before falling to Stockton, three-games-to-two, in the Northern Division Series.
Stockton Ports... The Ports, an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, open their 2009 regular season Thursday evening against the Giants. Stockton won the California League title last year after defeating the Lancaster JetHawks three-games-to-one in the Championship Series. 11 players from last season's championship squad have returned to Stockton. Aaron Nieckula is in his first season as manager of the Ports after serving three years at the helm for Kane County (Low-A) and compiling a 214-202 record. Outfielder Matt Spencer is expected to play a leading role offensively after batting .333 with eight homers and 27 RBI's with the Ports last year. Oakland native Tyson Ross is slated to make the opening night start on the mound. Ross was a second round draft pick of the A's in 2008 out of California-Berkeley.
California League Stories from April 8, 2009
- Storm and K-Frog Announce Partnership for 2009 - Lake Elsinore Storm
- Stockton Ports at San Jose Giants, April 9-12 - San Jose Giants
- Scherzer to Start Opening Day for Rawhide - Visalia Rawhide
- Order Your Opening Day Tickets Now on the Modesto Nuts New Website - Modesto Nuts
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