Catching Up With RailCats Manager Greg Tagert
Published on February 2, 2006 under Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
On May 18th, the Gary SouthShore RailCats Professional Baseball Club will begin defense of its Northern League title. RailCats manager Greg Tagert spoke with broadcaster Tom Nichols about the upcoming season and the RailCats off-season changes so far:
TN: The big off-season trade so far for the RailCats sent centerfielder Fehlandt Lentini to Winnipeg for three good, quality pitchers, Ivan Hernandez, Seth Johnson, and P.J. Connelly. Tell us the thinking going into that deal.
GT: We have had some pitchers from 2005 that are leaning toward retirement. We thought we had a chance to replenish the pitching staff in almost one deal. It seemed like a good fit for both clubs. Winnipeg was looking for a guy that was a premium type player. For us, this deal was too good to pass up. We had a lot of interest from other clubs for Fae's services, and for us, we were not going to deal unless we thought it would make our club better. With that being said, the need for a center fielder is still a predominant need right now.
TN: Which pitchers are leaning toward retirement?
GT: Greg Bruso, Derek Lopez, Jamie Bennett, and Randy Vanderplow. Those guys can always have a change of heart but after speaking to the four of them, they probably all shared the same feeling. We want every player to enjoy the special memory of our championship last September, and for those guys, that is the way they want to keep. They want to end their careers on that. Nothing is official and there are a couple of others that have also expressed some uncertainty, but it looks like we will be without those four guys.
TN: You signed veteran outfielder Scott Krause, who has had some big years at the Triple-A level. How does he factor in?
GT: Scott is going to bring to us probably the one thing that I am most concerned about losing from last year's club and that is veteran leadership. We had a great group of young men last year, competitors, guys that contributed in every facet, but with Anthony Iapoce and Curt Lee and Jamie Bennett, that is great leadership from some guys that it looks like are not going to be back. And we felt like not only do we need to replace our talent level, but we needed that veteran influence. Scott will provide that. He is motivated to play and is very confident and he is going to be an integral part of our ballclub. I have talked to him several times over the winter and he is excited and that is really the most important thing for me.
TN: With a year of experience gained last year, which young player might be poised for a breakthrough year?
GT: The first guy that comes to mind is Steve Haake. Steve is a guy I have had for three seasons and I have always said, this kid is on the verge of a breakout year. Last year, his first year in the Northern League, competing against a higher level of competition, he put a lot of pressure on himself, it was a little tougher at times to go through the slumps. But one thing about Steve, I know he is committed right now to making himself the best player he can be and he doesn't want to be just a good, solid player, Steve's goal is to be the best player in the Northern League. I think he's one guy that could have a special year. I look at some of the other guys like Tanner Townsend, who played in the league for the first time. Tanner is a better player than his stats indicate. Guys like Alex Taylor and Eric McNamee are going to be big contributors this year along with Jay Pecci.
TN: You traded for two pitchers from the Frontier League, Ryan Burnau and Kris Regas. What are your expectations for those two?
GT: It is easier for me if we go after somebody I am familiar with. They have impressed me in the past. Regas made his pro debut against me in 2002 and I spent the whole winter trying to trade for him. He was coming out of the University of Jacksonville and pitched against us in late August and was absolutely impressive. He has had kind of an up and down career since then but he put up some great numbers the second half of the season last year and we are excited to have him. Ryan had just an exceptional year last year in the Frontier League. We think these are two guys that can fit right into our bullpen. Having a bullpen strong is a key to the ballclub, a priority.
More Info: The 2005 Northern League Champion Gary SouthShore RailCats are a Professional Minor League Baseball Team serving Northwest Indiana and Chicago's south suburbs. For the last two years, they have been chosen "Best Local Spectator Sport" by Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly. Their 96 game schedule includes 48 home games at beautiful U. S. Steel Yard, an award-winning 6,000 seat state-of-the-art facility located next to the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) with easy access to I-65.
Northern League Stories from February 2, 2006
- Flyers name Bobby Bell hitting coach - Schaumburg Flyers
- Hammers Add Former Gator Ace to Staff - Joliet JackHammers
- RailCats Sell Connelly's Contract to Angels - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Catching Up With RailCats Manager Greg Tagert - Gary SouthShore Railcats
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