It has to be enough to keep Mike Steele up at night staring into the lush Mount Nittany.  We can only imagine how his mind races.  How in the world will all of the seemingly endless stream of talented young arms sent to him be able to get enough action to fully develop?  How can we possibly get the pitchers we have enough innings?  In less than a week two of the biggest arms in the 2010 draft will likely be signed.  Are they going to be headed my way next year too?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are sending talented arm after talented arm to State College, Pennsylvania.  The Spikes play their home games in the shadow of two of my favorite things, Beaver Stadium and Mount Nittany.    It’s hard to imagin

via Pirates Have Pitching Help On The Horizon | Rum Bunter | A Pittsburgh Pirates Blog.

June 17, 2010 8:32am EDT

The State College Spikes begin their fifth season Friday at Williamsport. Here’s our annual answers to minor questions:

via Answers to minor questions – Columns: Guy Cipriano | Centre Daily Times – State College, PA | Penn State, Nittany Lions, weather, news, jobs, homes, apartments, real estate.

Former State College Spikes starter Tony Watson is 2-0 with a 2.27 ERA in the Altoona bullpen this spring as the Curve own the third-best record in affiliated baseball at 41-22.\

ALTOONA — It’s mid-June and a team with one of the best winning percentages in affiliated baseball seems oblivious to the approaching grind.

A group of pitchers gathers in the bullpen, watching intently as pitching coach Tom Filer and a Pittsburgh Pirates roving coordinator work with left-hander Justin Wilson. The rest of the staff roams the outfield, shagging fly balls and chatting minimally during batting practice.

via Winning attitude beginning to show in Pirates’ system: Centre Daily Times.

]]> http://www.deerphobia.com/2010/06/16/cdt-winning-attitude-beginning-to-show-in-pirates-system/feed/ 0 http://www.deerphobia.com/2010/06/10/where-are-they-now/ http://www.deerphobia.com/2010/06/10/where-are-they-now/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:32:40 +0000 UncleLar http://www.deerphobia.com/?p=2977 A quick recap of where last year’s Spikes are currently assigned:

PITCHERS
Marc Baca West Virginia Power
Maurice Bankston – West Virginia Power
Victor Black – West Virginia Power
Tyler Cox – Bradenton Marauders
Erickson, Jason – West Virginia Power
Teddy Fallon – State College Spikes
Michael Felix – Bradenton Marauders
Zachary Foster – West Virginia Power
Brandon Holden – West Virginia Power
Phillip Irwin – West Virginia Power
Alan Knotts – West Virginia Power
Kyle McPherson – West Virginia Power
Quinton Miller – West Virginia Power
Diego Moreno – Altoona Curve
Nelson Pereira – State College Spikes
Mike Williams – West Virginia Power
Albert Fagan – Gulf Coast League Pirates

Ricardo Paulino – State College Spikes
# CATCHERS
Miguel Mendez – State College Spikes
Craig Parry – State College Spikes
# INFIELDERS
Justin Byler – State College Spikes
Matt Payne – State College Spikes
Carlos Silva – State College Spikes
Ty Summerlin – State College Spikes
Andy Vasquez – State College Spikes
Pedron, Freicer ***
Brett Willemburg – Released by Pirates in Nov 2009
# OUTFIELDERS
Butch Biela – State College Spikes
Edward Garcia – State College Spikes
Jose Hernandez – West Virginia Power
Pat Irvine – West Virginia Power
Kyle Morgan – West Virginia Power
David Rubinstein – West Virginia Power
Kyle Saukko – State College Spikes
5 Rosero, Ciro ***

*** – apparently no longer in baseball

Note some of the players currently assigned to the Spikes are probably no longer with the organization but that won’t be clear until the team arrives next week.

By Matthew Stucko / Special to MLB.com

After the Pittsburgh Pirates made him the No. 4 overall pick in the June 2009 First-Year Player Draft, catcher Tony Sanchez quickly launched into a stellar professional debut.

The 21-year-old was promoted to Class A Advanced Lynchburg last Saturday to help the Hillcats’ playoff run. It was his third stop in a rapid climb up the organizational ladder that began in June.

via Minor League Baseball: News: Article.

FanGraphs painted this less than flattering picture of Mosko’s minor league experience to date:

Daniel Moskos | LHP | Pittsburgh
The Scottsdale squad does not feature many truly interesting pitching names, although Moskos does stand out as a former No. 1 draft pick of the Pirates. The left-hander has had a disappointing pro career to this point, although you may enjoy the 3.84 ERA in double-A… but the ground-ball rate of 54.3% is more impressive. Moskos has been too hittable but with a better defense behind him, he should have a little better luck. The strikeout rate in the past three years has plummeted, which is troubling (9.24 to 6.36 to 4.20 K/9).

UNIVERSITY PARK — Arguably the players the St. Louis Cardinals sent here in 2006 are the most important in State College’s brief tenure as a minor-league city.

The ‘06 Spikes, after all, received a rare opportunity to introduce professional baseball to a new and inquisitive market.

The introduction process continues this summer as players from that inaugural team creep toward becoming big-league regulars.

Four ‘06 Spikes — pitchers Jason Motte, Luke Gregerson and P.J. Walters, and infielder Brendan Ryan — have appeared in major-league games this season. Ryan’s spot in Spikes’ lore was short because he spent three weeks here on a Double-A rehabilitation assignment. Ryan is hitting .293 in 66 games as a shortstop for the Cardinals this season.

via First Spikes climb Cardinals’ ladder | Penn State News | Sports – Centre Daily Times.

ALTOONA — A 15-minute stretch this past week demonstrated why the 2009 version of Miles Durham looks nothing like the player who once played for the State College Spikes.

It started in the bottom of the fifth with Durham one-hopping a two-strike pitch off the left-field wall for a three-run double. Durham didn’t stay on the bases long, scoring from second when a center fielder slid after catching a fly ball.

Once his team finished hitting, Durham donned a first baseman’s mitt and made a diving, hit-saving play in the top of the sixth.

But the biggest surprise last Thursday, might have been Durham’s presence in the Double- A game. Durham was playing for the Altoona Curve against the Erie Seawolves at Blair County Ballpark.

Even the most educated Spikes fans retain foggy memories of Durham. Fewer expected to see him climb the ranks into a Curve uniform.

via It’s no bull: Ex-Spike Durham turns Curve | Penn State News | Sports – Centre Daily Times.

2007 Spike players outfielder Miles Durham and pitcher Dustin Molleken have been promoted from Lynchburg to AA Altoona. 2008 Spike Chase D’Arnaud jumped from Low-A West Virginia to Lynchburg.

• David Carpenter – High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Steve Gonzalez – short season A Batvia Muckdogs
• Scott Thomas – Williamsport Cross Cutters (picked up by Phillies after the Cardinals released him)
  

Infielders:

• Mark Hamilton – AA Springfield Cardinals
• Allen Craig – AA Springfield Cardinals
• Jose Salazar – Acereros del Norte in the AAA Mexican League
• William Sandoval – out of baseball
• Jared Schweitzer – out of baseball
• A.J Van Slyke – moved from AA Springfield to High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Donovan Solano – High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Brendan Ryan – a Spikes rehab player who is back in the majors with the Cardinals

Outfielders:

• Luke Gossett – High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Jim Rapoport – High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Yonathan Sivira – out of baseball
• Nathan Southard – High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Matt Wilkerson – out of baseball

Pitchers:

• Gary Daley Jr – 4 games for High A Palm Beach before going on injured reserve for the season
• Eddie Degerman – High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Brad Furnish – High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Marco Gonzalez – AA Springfield Cardinals
• Luke Gregerson – AA Springfield Cardinals
• Tyler Herron – AA Springfield Cardinals
• Ryan Hodinka – out of baseball
• Ashley Hooks – out of baseball
• Matt Lane – out of baseball
• Lance Marcum – out of baseball
• Jason Motte – AAA Memphis Redbirds – also on St Louis Cardinals 40 man roster
• Kyle Mura – High A Palm Beach Cardinals
• Tyler Norrick – out of baseball
• Adam Ottovino – AA Springfield Cardinals
• Michael Repole – out of baseball
• Kyle Sadlowski – AA Springfield Cardinals
• Matthew Sauceda – out of baseball
• Donnie Smith – out of baseball
• PJ Walthers – AAA Memphis Redbirds