Last season, the Travelers got by on their experience, riding several minor league veterans to a first-half division championship and a spot in the Texas League playoffs, where they swept the Naturals in three games.
This season, with those veterans having moved on and some of the younger pitching prospects deemed ready for Double-A, they've taken on a new look. That being said, they still have experience at the top as Manager Bobby Magallanes and Pitching Coach Ken Patterson both remain in place, and, like the Naturals, the Travs were joined this season by a new Hitting Coach (Travs' new Hitting Coach is Francisco Matos).
The peak of this fountain of youth that has found the Travelers is rooted in their pitching. Coming into this series, the Travelers have the Texas League's best earned run average at 3.49, over a quarter of a run better than the second-ranked Tulsa Drillers' staff. Three-fifths of their starting rotation occupies three of the top four spots on the Texas League's ERA leaderboard including spectacular lefty Trevor Reckling (1.90 ERA), who has already beaten the Naturals twice, Trevor Bell (2.23), who was just promoted to AAA, and Tommy Mendoza (3.12). In fact, the Travelers are so deep in pitching that they are using Bobby Mosebach, a key starter from last year's playoff team, in the bullpen as a co-closer with David Herndon, who ranks fifth in the loop with eight saves.
Injuries to infielder Ryan Mount and outfielder Peter Bourjos, as well as the promotion of mainstay Ben Johnson to Triple-A Salt Lake has netted the Travs a few new veteran players; INF Jay Caligiuri (signed from independent ball), OF Val Majewski (played last season in Corpus Christi), and OF Brandon Florence (veteran player originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles).
But the young players that the Travs have are quite talented, as the Travs roster includes no fewer than five of the Angels' top ten prospects according to Baseball America, and seven of the Angels' top 30 prospects. Those prospects to watch are RHP Jordan Walden (#1), OF Peter Bourjos (#2), LHP Trevor Reckling (#3, starts the first game of the series), C Hank Conger (#6), 1B Mark Trumbo (#7), RHP David Herndon (#27), and SS Hainley Statia (#28). The Travs also can boast the organization's best hitter for average (Conger), the best power hitter (Trumbo), the fastest baserunner (Bourjos), the best fastball (Walden), best control (Herndon), and best defensive outfielder (also Bourjos). Bourjos was recently activated off the disabled list and the Travs are happy to have him back.
The returning players from last year's roster who were mainstays include the first baseman Mark Trumbo as well as SS Hainley Statia, veteran OF Coby Smith, and Nate Sutton, a second baseman turned everyday utility man. Naturals fans who attended the playoff game against the Travelers in September should also fondly remember Hank Conger, who had joined the Travs only for the postseason after his 2008 club, Class-A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga, lost a one-game play-in to the Inland Empire 66ers and failed to make the California League Playoffs. Conger drove in four runs in the September 6th game at Arvest Ballpark, which were among 13 runs he drove in during the playoffs. He got off to a slow start as he focused on his catching skills (he caught just ten games last season because he was rehabbing injuries for much of the season) but has been swinging it well lately, batting .333 in the month of June thus far.
Just like last year, the Naturals and Travelers are expected to play close games that are dominated by pitching. The Travs, as mentioned, certainly bring that to the table with their #1 ranked pitching staff. For their part the Naturals staff has a 4.67 ERA and is currently seventh in the loop. The Travs struggle at the offensive end, however, and their .258 average trails the league, and 281 runs is also last in the loop. The Naturals are ranked third with a .275 average and have scored 355 runs, which is fourth in the Texas League. Only San Antonio has hit fewer homers than have the Travs (32), but one thing the Travs are good at offensively is avoiding the strikeout, as their 404 strikeouts are the lowest total in the loop. Their pitching staff also has allowed by far the fewest homers (32).
Northwest Arkansas won the regular season series last year, 18-12, including an 11-5 mark at Arvest Ballpark. For that, the Diamond Cup resided in Springdale all off-season. This season the Naturals are 10-6 against the Travs, including a 4-2 mark at Dickey Stephens Park in North Little Rock and a five-game sweep here at Arvest Ballpark the last time these two teams met earlier in June.
PITCHING MATCHUPS: Friday's pitching matchup pits right-hander Matt Kniginyzky against right-hander Jordan Walden for the Travs. Saturday will see right-hander Dan Cortes for the Naturals opposite left-hander Trevor Reckling for North Little Rock. Sunday sees right-hander Anthony Lerew face lefty Barret Browning for the Travs, and the series wraps Monday with right-hander Blake Johnson for the Naturals against Travelers' right-hander Tommy Mendoza.
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Texas League Stories from June 26, 2009
• Naturals Come Back but Fall Short in Extras - Northwest Arkansas Naturals• Cards Clinch Title - Springfield Cardinals
• Cards Beat Drillers, Take Title - Tulsa Drillers
• Travs Beat Naturals On Majewski Magic - Arkansas Travelers
• Corpus Christi Hooks RoughRiders, 10-2 - Frisco RoughRiders
• Series Preview: Travs back in town again - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
• Short but action-packed homestand vs. Travs - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
• Cards Clip Travs With Three Homers Thursday - Arkansas Travelers
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