I spoke with McGuire late last week before a game against the Binghamton Mets. We talked about the origins of his unusual name, if he benefits from facing the same team multiple times, and the positives and negatives of being an active Twitter user.

First think I have to ask you about is your name. I know it’s your middle name, but it’s a little bit unusual, so I was just wondering where the name Deck came from?

It’s actually my mom’s maiden name, so it’s a family name. She called me Deck ever since I was a little kid. It’s cool now, it’s a cool name now. Growing up, not so much.

It’s a little different than being Bill McGuire or Will McGuire?

Yeah, you can turn Deck into a lot of not-nice things when you’re the middle school age. It’s a cool name now, I’ve accepted it, I love it, and it’s who I am.

Getting to your performance this year, you’ve had great, good, and bad outings, in terms of numbers. For you, what distinguishes a good outing from a not-so-good outing? Is it the numbers, is it how you feel?

Really and truly, it really boils down to two things: one is development – I mean, do you get a little bit better every time out – and the other thing is just giving your team a chance to win. I think my job’s really to go eat some innings, keep the game as close as I can, and kinda let the guys do their thing on offense and just give us a chance to win.

With the development thing, just keep working on stuff. Sometimes that’s tough, as a competitor, right off the bat you think to yourself, “Gosh, I just wanna win,” but you gotta realize you’re here for a reason. You’re here to get better. You’re here to WORK to get to the big leagues, so sometimes you’re gonna have to maybe sacrifice what you would LIKE to do, in a sense, to really actually work on what you NEED to do to get a little bit better.

This season you’ve pitched games opposite Zack Wheeler, you’ve pitched games opposite Trevor May. Going against top guys like that, does that help you raise your game at all to a different level?

Yes and no, I guess you could say. It’s obviously cool to get to pitch against some of the best guys in minor league baseball, but I think on the other side of things, if you let outside factors determine how you pitch you might be in for some trouble. And there’s also [the fact that] you get to know some of these guys on the other team, I guess Trevor especially, being in Clearwater and us being in Dunedin all year last year. There’s a little bit more of a friendly rivalry to that. But when it comes to just anybody? No, I think you just go out and like I said before, try to get a little bit better every start and just keep your team in the game.

I asked Drew Hutchison that same thing earlier [in the year] and he was like, “I don’t even know who’s throwing that night.” Do you notice – “Oh hey, I’m pitching against Trevor May tonight?” – or is it something that doesn’t even cross your mind?

Not usually till you watch him step on the mound. Usually you just go about your business before the game and then when you see him step on the mound you kinda give it a shrug like, “Oh wow, hey, that guy’s pretty good.” But yeah, I gotta agree with Hutch. It’s just one of those things, you know you’re gonna run into him sometime throughout the season and you just try to go out and do what you have to do to keep your team in the game.

I read in Baseball America you throw a fastball, slider, change, and a curve. Can you tell me a little about how and when each of those developed?

Gosh, I guess I was just always kind of a fastball-curveball guy. I was that guy in Little League that threw the pitch nobody was supposed to, and just knock on wood it never led to any serious injury or anything. Slider was kinda something, gosh I don’t even know, just watching too much baseball on TV, I guess, thought that was something that looked cool to throw. Kinda throughout high school it started developing, and then once I got to college it really clicked and that became my second pitch after my fastball. And the changeup was in college. I mean, those guys are good, and they have metal bats, so the more often you can miss those bats the better off you’ll be. So my freshman year in college was the first time I ever consistently started throwing a changeup.

They still don’t click all the time. It’s one of those things where, that’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m in the minor leagues. Every bullpen’s important, every day throwing’s important just to try and refine those to be as consistent as you can possibly be. Something I struggle with every day.

Is there anything new you’re working on or are you pretty content with the repertoire you have right now?

I think the four pitches is plenty. I think it’s now more refining each pitch. Like I said, being more consistent, locating each pitch, using it in the right spot and learning how to pitch with those four pitches.

When you let it go, how soon do you know if it’s a good one or a bad one?

Sometimes before it ever leaves your hand. It’s just kind of one of those things. We throw every day for seven, eight months. The more you feel it, the more comfortable you feel with it, and there’s gonna be days where you’re so sure of your stuff you know before it ever leaves your hand whether it’s gonna be the pitch you want it to be or not, just based on the timing of your body, and there’s some days where you think it’s gonna be great and it’s nowhere near where you want it to be. So it’s just one of those things where you kind of adapt, pitch to pitch. Some of the best guys are good because they can adapt pitch to pitch, at-bat to at-bat. And then sometimes it’s just grip it and rip it.

It’s interesting you mention adapting because I wanted to ask about how it benefits you to face a single team multiple times, like Binghamton, Trenton you’ve faced a couple times. How does that benefit your ability to adapt as you face them multiple times?

Well, luckily for me I’ve had two really bad starts against both those teams to start the year, so there was really nowhere to go but up. But all kidding aside, it’s good and bad because as much as I can adapt to them they can adapt to me. So it’s kinda where baseball becomes such a great sport, because it’s just a chess match. Every single pitch is a chess match, and I obviously have the advantage. If I execute I have a way better chance of getting them out than they do of hitting off of me. It’s just one of those things. It’s nice to be comfortable facing a team. It’s nice to know who you’re going up against and you’re not going in blind, but at the same time you gotta remember how you pitched a guy one night and how you’re gonna tackle him again and again.

Making the adjustments that you make against a team like that, does that help you recognize those adjustments faster when you face a team you may not pitch against so often?

Yeah, I think it’s kinda the comfort aspect of everything. You see a guy that steps in the box and maybe you own that guy and he’s not seeing you very well, he’s never seen you very well, yeah there’s definitely a comfort factor. At the same time, there might be a guy on the other team that has your number, and it is nice to know, “Okay, here’s what I did last time, here’s what he didn’t hit.” So I think there’s always gonna be a little bit of a comfort factor facing a guy. We play 142 games, you’re run into everybody a couple times, so there’s definitely a little bit of a comfort factor when it comes to that stuff.

I wanna ask you also about your catchers. Second year in a row you’ve worked with A.J. Jimenez, and from what I’ve read he has a great defensive reputation, great reputation as a handler of pitchers. From your point of view, from the pitcher’s point of view, what is it that makes him so good at dealing with you or helping you through a game?

Every catcher I’ve run into that’s been really good, it’s kinda been an innate skill. It’s something that I feel like you either have it or you don’t. I’ve been blessed throughout my college and professional career to have guys like Himmy that just gets it. He gets you. There was obviously an adjustment period at the beginning of last year, never having really worked with each other before, but it clicked really fast. It seems like we’re always on the same page, and if we’re not on the first page it always seems to be that second page. I don’t know if I can put it into specifics, he just has it. Same thing goes for Jero, Brian Jeroloman. Both those guys are very cerebral catchers and I kinda pride myself on being a little bit of a cerebral pitcher, and they both just do a great job of reading my mind.

Would you say that a guy last year, Travis d’Arnaud, does he fit into sort of that same category?

Absolutely. I came up here last year, made three starts, and really couldn’t have been more comfortable. Travis did a great job. Obviously he’s known for offense as much as defense. There’s just that comfort level with every guy we have in this organization. I haven’t run into a bad one. They just all seem to know what you’re thinking, know what you want to do, really do a good job of helping you attack the hitter in the way you want to go about it.

The last thing I wanted to ask you about was, you’re a guy who’s pretty active on Twitter, with social media. From a guy who uses it, what are some of the positives and negatives of something like that?

I just really like interacting with the fans. I think it’s a great opportunity to give people the insight to what we go through on a day-to-day basis. It’s not all glitz and glam all the time. There’s some long bus rides and you play in some pretty tough conditions here and there, but it’s fun. It’s fun to kind of allow everybody to realize we’re all just normal guys. We get an opportunity to play a game that we love and that’s a blessing, but we’re all just normal guys having fun. We have fun with each other. As you know we joke, we laugh on Twitter, we laugh on the bus. It’s just a good time.

I think the negatives could be there’s sometimes, knock on wood I haven’t had one yet, but you say something you probably shouldn’t have, speak out about a topic or a situation where it’s just not in your best interest to talk about it. So I think it’s one of those things, there’s give and take, you know what I mean? It’s just fun, and it’s kinda becoming part of the game now. You get to talk to guys on other teams, joke, laugh, whatever, and just enjoy what we’re going through.

Thanks to Deck McGuire for his time and to New Hampshire’s Tom Gauthier and Chris Shuker for coordinating this interview.

Mike suggested I bring those old posts over to Bus Leagues. I liked the idea, so for the next few months, we’ll re-run a couple each week in addition to our regular content. For the most part, they will be unedited and un-updated, although I’ll make a few minor changes (removing mentions of YouTube videos, for example) from time to time as needed.

Mark Langston – Voters in 2005 obviously forgot the pitcher that Langston was early in his career, when he struck out 200+ batters in five out of his first six seasons for the Seattle Mariners before being traded to Montreal for Randy Johnson. He also won 179 games in sixteen major league seasons (including seven seasons with fifteen or more wins), was an All-Star four times and took home seven Gold Gloves.

Otis Nixon – The player my mother still affectionately refers to as “The Druggie” probably deserves his Bizarro fate after the way he ended the 1992 World Series: with the tying run on third in the bottom of the eleventh inning of Game Six, he threw up the baseball equivalent of a white flag, rolling a casual little bunt that pitcher Mike Timlin fielded easily for the final out. Sure, Nixon was one of the fastest humans alive, and it might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but it wasn’t.

Top stories

Youkilis reaches twice in rehab appearance: One of the more interesting decisions made this week was how Boston would handle third base. Youkilis is a proven veteran returning from injury, and prospect Will Middlebrooks, called up to replace Youkilis, has been a force. Boston announced that when Youkilis is ready, Middlebrooks will return to Pawtucket. Wednesday, Youkilis played in his first game since April 28th for Pawtucket, and he doubled and walked in three plate appearances as their DH. He’s been out with a back injury, and the Red Sox believe he will be back soon.

Jurrjens roughed up: Making his 4th start since being sent down by the Braves to work out of some struggles, Jair Jurrjens may have started some more. In a blowout loss at the hands of Buffalo, Jurrjens allowed 11 runs, 10 earned in just 4.2 innings. He’s always been a pitcher that relies on his defense, but that many hits probably isn’t just a matter of BABIP, especially when he allowed four extra base hits, two of which were home runs. In his prior three starts, Jurrjens only allowed five runs in 22 innings. His ERA now sits over 5.00, and he’s probably not any closer to returning to Atlanta.

Myers, Odorizzi bumped up to AAA: Two of Kansas City’s best prospects are one step closer to becoming Royals. On the PCL’s off day, Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi were promoted to Omaha and will be ready to join the team for Thursday’s game. Both Myers and Odorizzi spent time in AA last season, the whole year in Myers’ case. In recent games, Myers has been playing third base and center field in an attempt to increase his value. His performance at the plate bared almost no similarities to last season’s when he was slowed by injuries. Odorizzi has made 19 total starts in AA and has also improved compared to last year. He struck out 47 in 38 innings with a WHIP below 1.00.

Thompson gets another chance: Eight years ago, the Royals plucked a speedy outfielder from the Pirates in the rule 5 draft, Rich Thompson. Over the course of three weeks, he played six games, scored a run, stole a base and had one at bat where he grounded into a double play. He was returned to Pittsburgh and the minor leagues after that and hasn’t gotten back until now. The Rays traded outfielder Kyle Hudson to the Phillies for Thompson who was immediately added to the ML roster to replace the injured Brandon Guyer. Thompson is among the active minor league leaders in runs, triples, steals and stolen base percentage. Hopefully his stay is longer this time.

Visalia only scores 13 in win: The morning after scoring 26 runs, Visalia kept up their scorching pace and won a 13-7 decision at High Desert. The Mavericks held them scoreless in the first inning, but the Rawhide picked up three in the 2nd that included a Bobby Borchering home run, but the big blow came in the 4th when the rehabbing Chris Young socked a grand slam to extend Visalia’s lead to 8-1. They would score in the next four innings. Despite seven walks in five innings, Andrew Chafin managed to pick a win even though he allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits. In the three game Visalia sweep, the Rawhide outscored High Desert 53-22.

Stockton back in win column: The long national nightmare is over. Stockton has snapped their 16 game losing streak with a 5-4 come from behind win against Bakersfield. It’s their first win since April 28th, coincidentally the last time Rome won before they snapped their extended losing streak two nights ago. The Ports scored one run in each of the final three innings, and the decisive tally came in the 9th when A.J. Kirby-Jones knocked in Chad Oberacker. During the streak, their run differential was -59, and they actually lost six one run games, so a call here or a bounce there could’ve completely broken up this streak.

.	Top Hitters	Aff.	H/AB	R	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB
.	Name
.	Braeden Schlehuber	LYN	2/3	1	1	1	3	0	0	0
.	Carlos Alonso	CLE	3/3	2	2	0	4	0	0	0
.	Delino DeShields Jr.	LEX	2/4	3	1	0	2	1	0	5
.	Eric Duncan	NWA	2/4	1	1	1	4	0	1	0
.	Estarlin De Los Santos	NB	2/3	1	2	1	3	0	0	0
.	Ezequiel Carrera	COL	2/4	1	1	1	4	0	0	0
.	Gary Sanchez	CHR	2/5	2	2	1	6	0	1	0
.	Jeremy Williams	HIC	2/5	1	1	1	3	0	1	0
.	Jorge Bonifacio	KC	3/4	2	1	1	2	0	0	0
.	Justin Greene	CHA	3/5	2	3	1	2	0	0	0
.	Keon Broxton	VIS	2/4	2	1	1	2	1	0	1
.	Matt Smith	GBO	4/6	2	1	1	4	0	1	0
.	Matt Tuiasosopo	BUF	3/5	2	2	1	4	0	0	0
.	Miguel Abreu	REA	3/4	3	3	1	3	0	0	0
.	Rafael Fernandez	STL	2/3	1	2	1	4	0	1	0
.	Ryan Rieger	GBO	3/5	3	2	1	3	1	0	0
.	Ryan Schimpf	DUN	3/4	2	2	1	2	0	1	0
.	Steven Souza	HAG	3/5	1	1	1	4	0	0	0
.	Zachary Johnson	LEX	3/5	2	2	1	4	1	0	0

.	Top Pitchers	Aff.	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Name
.	Andrew Moye	WIS	6	3	1	1	0	6
.	Ariel Pena	ARK	6	3	1	1	2	8
.	Collin McHugh	BIN	7	6	0	0	1	6
.	D.J. Mitchell	ES	7	4	1	0	2	6
.	Daniel Cabrera	IND	6	5	1	1	1	5
.	Jacob Brigham	FRI	6	6	1	1	1	8
.	Jared Wesson	ERI	7	3	0	0	1	7
.	Kyle Hald	QC	6	3	0	0	1	5
.	Matt Loosen	DTA	5.2	1	1	1	2	6
.	Rob Rasmussen	JUP	7	6	1	1	1	7
.	Roberto Gomez	BG	6	3	1	0	3	6
.	Ryan Dennick	NWA	5	3	0	0	0	4
.	Ryan Pressly	SAL	7	4	0	0	0	8
.	Scott Elarton	LEH	6	3	0	0	1	5
.	Seth Maness	PB	6	7	1	1	1	5
.	Shawn Morimando	LC	5	4	1	1	1	6
.	Wilmer Font	MB	5	3	1	1	0	5

On tap today

MiLB.TV schedule

Daisuke Matsuzaka makes rehab appearance

Deck McGuire hopes to turn season around

Zack Wheeler returns

Bauer takes on Hultzen

Jorge De La Rosa gets another chance in Tulsa
If you know of a player performance or article that should be shared, please let me know on Twitter at @5runrally!

Chris Fee: You’re team is off to a strong start this season (20-13 at the time, winners of 4 straight), what do you credit the early success to?

Ken Griffey: Team effort. We’ve been getting real good pitching, and timely hitting and everyone is playing real well, and that’s mostly what it’s all about. Team effort, the team is doing what they are supposed to do. Pitching has really been strong though.

CF: I know that Tony Cingrani currently has an ERA below 1.00 (0.68 through 7 starts so far this season), how do you explain doing something like that, is he just dialed in?

KG: You just have to watch him pitch, you watch him pitch you’ll see why he has a below one ERA. He’s been outstanding this year; all of his pitches are being used very well, going in and out of the zone. He’s throwing the right pitches at the right time, and so yeah he’s deserving of an ERA below 1.00

CF: You’ve played under some very successful managers during your playing career, Sparky Anderson, Billy Martin just to name a couple. Do you feel that some of your managing styles are influenced by them? If so which ones?

KG: No, not really. I’m my own man, I do what I feel is right for my own club. Sparky never yelled or hollered or anything in that nature. Billy was a very different type of manager but they used their own style. I’m just going by how I would want to be treated as a person and a player. I try to treat the kids the same way, they get treated equally and make sure that they get the right work in for them.

CF: You’ve seen a lot of talent between your coaching days and you’re playing days. Who would you say the most talented player you’ve played with was and who was the most talented player you coached thus far?

KG: That I’ve played with? I’d have to say my son Junior. Being a little biased *laughs*, I played with him. Right now I’d have to say Billy Hamilton, at this point. There’s another kid that’s pretty good, his name is Donald Lutz. (.302, 10 HR 31 RBI 5 SB)

CF: What is it that stands out to you about those guys that makes them “special players”.

KG: Well, with Billy his speed. He plays the game well enough that he has a lot of fun playing. He just uses his game as a game, he doesn’t try to do too much throughout. He doesn’t think of it as pressure wise trying to get the big lead, he’s playing every day game by game. Then with Donald, he really hasn’t played much organized ball, but he really turned it around last year.

CF: Speaking of Billy Hamilton, is he the real deal? Is that speed going to progress at each level, I know right now in High A ball he’s stealing bases with ease. Are there things you see that he’s going to continue to have to work on?

KG: Well, there’s always things he’s probably going to want to work on. But the only thing that you really can’t teach in this game is speed. That’s one thing that well above everyone else is how fast he is and how quick he is. That will stand out, he will steal his bases and do those things, and other things will come along with it. He’s learning, he’s playing shortstop here and a lot of stuff he does, he works at it every day. He doesn’t slack off, he takes the ground balls and fly balls or whatever he has to do in order to get better.

CF: You spent 6 years during your playing career in the minor leagues, starting in the Gulf Coast League and working your way up to the American Association with Indianapolis, and now you’re coaching in the Cal league. How have the minors changed, or how are they different, since you were a player and now as a manager?

KG: You play the game the same way, the only difference between when I played compared to now is the fact that there are so many brand new stadiums. We played in a lot of older stadiums. I played in old Busch Stadium in Indianapolis; they’ve had a new stadium for like the past 10 years. I played in a stadium in AA that’s no longer exists I don’t think. The different stadiums, the new facilities, that’s major differences is the new facilities. I played in Sioux Falls, which was a high school field, it is just a little different in terms of that.

CF: Do you feel that is why the fan base has expanded?

KG: No, a lot of times I look at things, I know in my minor league system there was only one team that was owned by a different owner, and the Reds owned all the rest of the teams. Now just about all of the teams are owned by individuals, buying minor league teams. It makes a big difference when you’re talking about a fan base, now you’re looking at marketing to the fan base, trying to get people to come to the Ball Park and things of that nature. When I was coming through, there wasn’t any marketing. All they had was the minor leagues, we played in front of nobody in Bradenton and barely played in front of anybody in Sioux Falls. In double A we were up in the Eastern League in Canada, we drew a pretty good crowd, and we were winning too at that time, and Indianapolis was the same way. Indianapolis was probably the only team that had different owners. The Reds didn’t own that club, but they owned all the rest of them.

CF: Can you tell me a little bit about the day you were drafted? What was the feeling when you found out the Reds had drafted you, and can you compare it to when Junior was drafted by Seattle and then Craig was drafted by the Mariners in 91? How does it compare as a player and then seeing your sons drafted?

KG: Well the difference was I didn’t even expect to get drafted. All the teams that I had worked out with, the Pirates, from my freshman year to my senior year playing baseball, you know, I didn’t expect to get drafted by anyone because the Pirates said that I couldn’t hit. I was on my way to play football, I would have probably ended up playing football, going to college and playing football. So that was the difference, I didn’t even expect to get drafted. Then when I did get drafted I had promised one of the scouts from the Reds, a guy named Elmer Gray, that if I did get drafted, which I didn’t expect to, that I would sign, and I kept my promise. I was the last person drafted too though, I was drafted in the 29^th round.

When Junior was drafted, he expected to get drafted. He knew he was going to get drafted by somebody, he knew he was going to go either one or two in the nation. So that’s the difference between me and him, he knew he was going to get drafted by somebody and I didn’t really know if I was going to get drafted…. I thought I was going to play football.

CF: Did you have scholarships offers from colleges for football?

KG: Yeah, I mean I had a few. University of Texas, University of West Virginia, Marshall University, and the team that I was supposed to go to was Marshall. I would have went down in the plane crash with Marshall football team.

CF: It’s amazing, being drafted by the Reds literally saved your life.

KG: Exactly

CF: Speaking of Junior, do you feel that he’s going to continue to follow in your footsteps, first going to the Reds?

KG: Well Junior right now is a special assistant with the Mariners. So he goes around with the Mariners team and helps with the younger kids, he talks to them and he’ll go take batting practice with them sometimes. He’s just being around them and talking to them about what they need to do and how to get to the big leagues.

CF: Do you feel like he’ll be a manager at some point?

KG: (Pauses) I don’t think so, he has too much to do with his kids. He’s got a daughter who’s probably going to be highly sought after in college basketball, she’s a basketball player. His son Trey is going to the University of Arizona as a football player, and then you have the younger one who is probably the star of all of them. He’s been more of a father than you can imagine, he’s there with them all the time. He’ll probably enjoy doing that more than being a manager or a coach or anything. I don’t think he wants to do that.

CF: What was it like to step foot on the field with your son, it’s something that speaks to the longevity of your career? What was it like to have one of your son is right next to you going to work?

KG: It was a little different, I didn’t expect him to be up as quick as he got there, and I didn’t expect to be playing 19 years either.  That’s the difference right there, and then when I had the chance to come out on the field and play with him for that month in Seattle, it was a situation where I didn’t think he was that good until I watched him play day in and day out. I had a real taste of what people were talking about, because in front of me he didn’t get any hits, so I didn’t see that part of it.

CF: What is it like having won 3 World Series championships? Was there one that stood out more than another? Do you talk to the guys that you manage and kind of tell them “Hey, this is what you play the game for.”

KG: No, I mean the biggest thing was winning the first one that was the biggest one, in 1975. It was my first full year in the big leagues, I ended up hitting .305. That was the major one, the first one is always the sweetest. You remember that more than any other one, plus it was considered maybe the greatest World Series ever played against Boston. So that’s another feather in the cap, people thought that was one of the better World Series ever played in the history of the game. The next year was a repeat, and we kind of expected to win the next year, we knew we were that good and we played that way. We were more of a business like team, but we had fun playing, and I think that’s what the difference was. The third one I really didn’t get a chance to play because at that time, I played until the end of August with the Reds in ’90, watching Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, Paul O’Neil, seeing how those kids developed that year gave me a real pleasure to watch them play, because they played just as well as we did in 75 and 76. That opportunity to get a ring, was a big opportunity and I enjoyed every minute of it, they were all special in their different ways, and like I said the third one was a little different because I was more of a Player/Coach, there in Cincinnati.

Special thanks to Bakersfield Media Director Dan Besbris for setting up the interview as well as providing the featured photo.

Top stories

Matsui hitless in debut: Despite a solid second half with Oakland, 2011 was by far the worst season in Hideki Matsui‘s career, and that was reflected in free agency when he was unable to land a contract during the offseason. In May, the Rays signed him to a minor league contract with no guarantees that he would be called up. After a week or so in extended spring training, Matsui was called up to Durham Tuesday where he went 0/4 with a strikeout as the Bulls’ DH. Japanese fans and media were out in full force and likely will be wherever he goes. It’s unclear where he fits in with the Rays if he is called up with a deep outfield and left-handed power bats already occupying first base and DH.

Profar’s streak hits 25: It didn’t take long, but Paul Hoilman‘s hitting streak is no longer the longest in pro baseball this year. Rangers top prospect Jurickson Profar extended his to 25 games this afternoon with a 3/5 effort. This also extended his on base streak to 33 games. After an ugly start to the season, the 19 year old is putting it all together with a .841 OPS. The kind of maturity to handle a slow start and a double jump to AA is very rare, and Profar has it in spades.

Ranaudo not particularly sharp in 2012 debut: Injuries have dogged Boston’s Anthony Ranaudo in recent seasons, going back to his draft year of 2010 when an elbow injury cost him a month of his junior season and a lot of slots in the draft. Boston still took a chance and paid him a large bonus with the 39th pick, but so far they haven’t gotten the return on investment they hoped for. A groin injury kept Ranaudo out of action for the first month and a half, but he made his debut Tuesday at Reading. He allowed four runs in four innings on four hits and three walks, only striking out two. He served up two home run balls, and only 44 of his 75 pitches were strikes. However, Portland scored five runs of support in the second inning and tacked on a few more to earn an 8-5 win.

Rendon doesn’t expect to return: In his second professional game, Anthony Rendon suffered a broken ankle running the bases. At the time, Washington said they expected him to come back at the end of the season. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Rendon indicated he does not expect that he’ll play again this year. He doesn’t want to run the risk of aggravating the injury for just one month of baseball. He’s had a number of serious injuries in his career, but since none of them appear to be related, he’s not worried. It’s still far from ideal to suffer serious injury after serious injury, and he’s going to have to start playing full, healthy seasons.

Concepcion earns first professional win: This blog has detailed Gerardo Concepcion‘s struggles more than one time. He allowed 19 runs over his first three starts that only totaled 6.2 innings. In his next start, he only allowed two runs in four innings, but he also walked five. On Tuesday, he earned his first career win in his first career quality start. He threw six scoreless innings against Burlington, striking out three, walking three and allowing three hits. It’s going to take a lot of starts to lower his ERA to a reasonable number, but if he can build on this one, he’ll be well on his way.

Rome hangs on to win first game in May: They’ve been no hit, shut out four times, own a -107 run differential and are the only team in the minors to not have double digit wins, but Rome’s 14 game losing streak is finally over. David Filak, making his third start since Rome’s last win, fired six innings of two-run ball in their 5-3 win at Augusta. Their three-run 5th inning provided enough offense and extended their lead at the time to 4-0. After three singles to open the inning and a groundout to score one, Jakob Dalfonso delivered a two-run double to extend the lead. The tying run came to the plate in the 9th, but Ryne Harper induced a game ending double play.

.	Top Hitters	Aff.	H/AB	R	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB
.	Name
.	Ben Thomas	AUG	4/4	2	2	2	3	0	0	0
.	Billy Hamilton	BAK	2/4	2	2	0	3	0	0	0
.	Chris Owings	VIS	4/6	5	2	1	2	1	0	0
.	Corban Joseph	TRE	3/5	1	2	1	3	0	0	0
.	Corey Brown	SYR	2/4	2	1	1	2	1	2	1
.	Jack Marder	HD	3/6	3	2	1	3	0	1	0
.	James Adduci	TEN	3/3	2	2	0	3	1	0	0
.	James Jones	HD	3/5	2	1	1	3	0	0	0
.	Jared Goedert	AKR	4/4	3	3	2	3	0	0	0
.	Jonathan Griffin	VIS	5/7	4	3	2	5	0	0	0
.	Josh Kroeger	PAW	3/5	2	3	1	3	0	1	0
.	Justin Trapp	KC	2/5	1	2	1	4	0	1	0
.	Marcus Knecht	DUN	2/4	2	2	2	2	1	0	0
.	Matt Skole	HAG	4/4	4	3	2	5	1	0	0
.	Michael Freeman	VIS	7/8	3	0	0	4	0	0	0
.	Mike Hessman	OKC	2/3	2	2	2	5	1	0	0
.	Nate Freiman	SA	2/3	2	1	1	2	1	0	0
.	Steve Souza	HAG	3/5	2	3	1	3	0	1	0
.	Telvin Nash	LAN	3/4	1	1	1	3	0	1	0
.	Xavier Paul	SYR	2/4	1	1	1	3	0	0	0

.	Top Pitchers	Aff.	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Name
.	Casey Lawrence	DUN	8	4	1	1	1	8
.	Cody Anderson	LC	6	2	0	0	1	5
.	David Hale	MIS	6	2	0	0	2	4
.	Eric Hurley	SL	7	2	1	1	2	4
.	Gerardo Concepcion	PEO	6	3	0	0	3	3
.	Gus Schlosser	LYN	7	3	0	0	1	3
.	Jacob Brown	STO	5	3	1	1	0	8
.	Jon Bachanov	WS	6	2	0	0	1	9
.	Jose Quintana	BIR	7	2	0	0	2	8
.	Kyle Lobstein	MON	6	3	1	1	3	6
.	Luis Cruz	LEX	6.1	5	0	0	3	9
.	Max Russell	IE	9	4	1	0	2	5
.	Miguel Pena	GRE	6	2	1	1	3	8
.	Pat Doyle	BAK	6	1	0	0	0	4
.	Ross Seaton	CC	6	7	0	0	1	2
.	Shaeffer Hall	TRE	6.2	5	0	0	0	4
.	Shelby Miller	MEM	6	3	0	0	2	5
.	T.J. McFarland	AKR	7	3	0	0	0	6
.	Tim Shibuya	BEL	9	3	0	0	0	9
.	Tyler Cloyd	LEH	6	3	0	0	1	4

On tap today

MiLB.TV schedule

Pacific Coast League takes a breather

Wojciechowski and Colvin meet in battle of disappointing starters

High Desert tests Andrew Chafin

If you know of a player performance or article that should be shared, please let me know at @5runrally!

One of the things that makes Minor League Baseball so appealing and unique are the team names. Names that usually represent something and give Minor League Baseball its local feel and attachment. For the Minor League Baseball team logo designers of Brandiose, images play just as important of a role. They are the visual representation of not just the team, but the city, town, and community as well.

We emailed the design team of Brandiose, Jason Klein and Casey White, and asked them a bunch of questions including the importance of logos, how they come up with the great ideas they have had, and whether or not they’ve gotten some free swag.

Bus Leagues Baseball: So how did you guys get into doing Minor League Logos?

Jason: The two of us grew up in San Diego, and have been best friends since kindergarten. As kids, we loved telling stories and bringing creative ideas to life.

Once in college, we started designing high school logos out of our dorm rooms. We then sent letters to 150 Minor League Baseball teams, and only one got back to us: the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. They told us, “If we like it, we’ll buy it.” That summer we set out with the same goal we have today: Doing whatever it takes to make teams famous.

BLB: Why Minor League logos?

Jason: Minor League Baseball is the story of America. Hardworking people who are looking to relax, and bring their kids out for family, fun, entertainment. It fits with our DNA and we love working in this world.

BLB: What are your artistic roots?

Jason: Casey studied Painting at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and I studied Advertising and Graphic design at the University of Alabama.

BLB: What are some of the things you consider when designing a logo for a team?

Jason: Each club likes to believe they’re all the same : Family Fun Entertainment, but we found this isn’t the case. Each club has a unique story, a unique community, and their own special type of fans. We focus on this Brand Story. By communicating the story, the brand will better resonate with fans – which translates to higher loyalty and retail sales.

BLB: Do you feel you have more creative freedom with Minor League teams as compared to Major League teams or other businesses?

Jason: Major League Baseball brands have to reach a larger audience than Minor League Baseball clubs. As a result, MLB logos depict less of a narrative than Minor League logos. There’s a little bit of storytelling  in there, but not as story heavy as Minor League looks. The Minor Leagues are certainly influencing the Major League clubs in their fan experience. You see the Major League clubs adopting a lot of the showmanship that the Minor Leagues have displayed for years: the crazy promotions, the intimate ballparks, the activities for the kids, etc.

BLB: How important is it to have the freedom to design as compared to having someone tell you exactly what they want?

Jason: Because our process is a true collaboration, ideas come from us, from owners, operators and interns. We love brining all these ideas together because we believe no idea is a bad idea!

BLB: How does process work from start to finish? Do teams seek you out or do you pitch proposals to them? Do you get a second chance if your first idea isn’t what they are looking for?

Jason: We begin by visiting the team in their home town, meeting with fans, eating a local restaurants – becoming honorary citizens. We want a firsthand account of local traditions, icons, stories, and the community’s personality. We tour the city, absorb the city’s color palate, meet with mayors, visit local history museums – anything we can to immerse ourselves in the community’s heart and soul. Then we collaborate with the club on fresh ways to tell the community’s story through the ballpark experience. People love being told stories – and they love their hometowns. So clubs seek us out help achieve these goals and we always present several ideas!

BLB: Which logo is your personal favorite and why?

Jason: They’re all great, because they all tell unique stories. Whether it’s the Lakeland Flying Tigers paying homage to the WWII aces that trained in Lakeland, or the steel that forged America in the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs identity. They’re all captivating brands. We find ourselves mutually agreeing with clubs on the concepts that best tell the story, so there’s not a whole lot of discussion about rejected logos we liked. It’s really focused on which tells the best story and why.

BLB: Do you get any free swag from the teams after you design their new look?

Jason: Every so often a real treat of a swag piece does show up at the studio. We just received a Bottled Water design that we dreamed up for the Mobile BayBears – it’s the taste of champions!

BLB: What team or entity would you most like to work for? What logo would you most like to do?

Jason: I’m not sure I’ve ever really thought of this. We wake up every day and simply love the challenges that arrive at the studio, so I’d have to say we kinda love the mystery of not knowing what project is coming next!

BLB: Is there a different sense of satisfaction when you see fans wearing logos you designed as compared to the players and teams wearing the logos?

Jason: We love seeing fans wearing the look, because it means success for our friends at the clubs, Our goal is to make their brands famous, so the more we see the logos in the community, the better job we’re doing.

BLB: Have any teams ever recognized you at a game as a token of appreciation?

Jason: Ha ha, not yet! However, we were honored that the Mobile BayBears have a permanent page that shares our collaboration together here.

BLB: I noticed you guys enjoy having contests on your site. How important is it to reach out to fans and other artists? Do they ever inspire new ideas?

Jason: Collaboration of any kind is really important to us. We were always daydreaming and doodling and dreamed of designing our own logos. So to have the opportunity to bring that dream to life for other artists is a great feeling!

BLB: What would a Bus Leagues Baseball logo look like?

Jason: Great question! I think you’d have to start with a poll of you readers and have them tell you what they think of your brand and personality to start!

In other words, I watched the movie *61 … again.

Directed by Billy Crystal, produced by HBO and released in 2001, *61 revisits the first serious attempt at breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. It was the summer of 1961. Ironically, New York Yankees’ Roger Maris (played Barry Pepper) and Mickey Mantle (played Thomas Jane) are on pace to do it. The storyline could not be playing out better. In theory, the torch was about to be passed from one heroic Yankee to another. However, there was one problem.

America only had room in its heart for one hero.

Babe Ruth was a God…a God who (in this reviewer’s humble opinion) played in the age of Segregated Baseball and therefore should be looked at appropriately. That’s a review for another day.   Nevertheless, he was about to be dethroned.

Meet Mickey Mantle, America’s Golden Boy. A writer could not create a more appropriate heir apparent. He is the prototypical hero. Meet Roger Maris, a dark, brooding Midwestern boy – not a real Yankee.   By default, he became the villain.

The sports writers crucify him, pitting Maris against Mantle. They invent a rivalry that in reality did not exist. Wherever Maris goes, he’s booed (even by Yankees fans). When Mantle falls off the pace due to injury, the commissioner announces that Ruth’s record would stand unless it’s broken within 154 games. Any record set after 154 games of the new 162-game schedule would have an asterisk, thus minimizing any accomplishment Maris would potentially make.

The film follows Mantle and Maris on as well as off the field including their friendship, the stress on Maris and his frustration with the negative attention. Maris wrestles with following his dreams or just giving up and going home for the sake of his sanity.  What should be the greatest moment in his life ultimately is a nightmare.

*61 is a true “Made-For-TV” movie. (Enjoy watching the balls from batting practice fall through the third deck, added in post-production.) Nonetheless, *61 is at its core a well-written, well-acted piece. Don’t get me wrong; Crystal is a Yankees fan from back in the day. The film gets a bit schmaltzy and nostalgic at times. If you can get passed the Barbara Walters lighting and sweeping music at odd times, you’ve got yourself a movie that is tragic, almost Shakespearean, in tone.

Growing up in the steroidal era of the game, it’s hard to imagine someone being made the villain for simply wanting to go to work and do what he actually does best.   *61 makes you root for the good guys of the world, like Maris or Rivera.  It also makes the absurdity of hot dogs, like Roger Clemens, look that much more absurd.

If your team has the night off, you can’t get any out-of-market games on the television and you still have baseball on the brain, check out *61. Anthony Michael Hall gives a pretty charming turn as Whitey Ford. You will also be amazed that Thomas Jane can actually carry a film. (Seriously, are you going to argue that Deep Blue Sea was better?)

Top stories

MiLB recognizes Player of the Week recipients: Every Monday, MiLB acknowledges each league’s Player of the Week. This week includes George Springer, who made the cut thanks to a four home run day in a Lancaster doubleheader. Kevin Pillar took home the honor in the Midwest League with the help of the first six hit game of the season. Other winners include Steve Pearce (IL) Josh Bell (PCL), Darin Ruf (EL), Matt Davidson (SL), Cody Decker (TL), Brady Shoemaker (Car), Lance Ray (FSL), and Angelo Gumbs (SAL).

MiLB recognizes Pitcher of the Week recipients: Every Monday, MiLB acknowledges each league’s Pitcher of the Week. This week includes Chris Dwyer for his role in the second no-hitter in Northwest Arkansas’ history. Matt Buschmann threw 6.2 scoreless innings for Montgomery against Jacksonville over the weekend, and his 12 strikeouts were one away from doubling his season total. Other winners include Chris Archer (IL), Chris Rusin (PCL), Julio Rodriguez (EL), Chad Rogers (Cal), Cody Martin (Car), Eric Jokisch (FSL), Andrew Moye (MWL), and Miguel Pena (SAL).

Myers changes positions, socks a couple dingers: Wil Myers has made it look easy all season at the plate, and that continued Monday with two more home runs to give him 13 on the year. On Sunday, he made his first start at third base since high school and started there again Monday before moving to center field. His bat easily profiles in right field where he’s been playing most of the last year, but he would have even more value at either of those positions. He probably can’t stick in center long term, but there’s no harm in seeing if he can handle 3B.

Bundy lasts five innings, reportedly still has right arm intact: Baltimore made the bold decision to stretch Dylan Bundy out to five innings Monday night, and he did not spontaneously combust, nor did he tear his UCL or rotator cuff. In the first inning, he allowed a leadoff single to Gauntlett Eldemire, and he eventually came around to score on a passed ball which means another unearned run. He allowed two hits and struck out three, which was actually tied for a season low. Lakewood pulled away to a 4-1 win after tagging reliever David Baker for three runs in two innings.

Lansing turns triple play: It seems like Lansing is getting a lot of firsts in this minor league season, and it’s time to add another to the list. With Dayton down 4-0 to Lansing in the 6th inning, the leadoff batter reached on an error followed by a walk with no outs. For some reason, Ryan Wright attempts to bunt and pops it up foul. Catcher Carlos Perez caught it, fired down to second, and Jonathon Berti made the turn to first to complete the triple play. This is almost hard to believe without video evidence. Why were the runners so far off the bases?

Billy Rowell suspended: According to Baseball America, Orioles farmhand Billy Rowell received a 50 game suspension for his second positive test for a drug of abuse. This comes as a surprise to no one. Rowell was in his first season as a relief prospect for the Orioles after flaming out as a third baseman. He was a former top 10 pick, and the only top 10 pick from the 2006 draft who has not reached the majors. Hindsight is 20/20, but Tim Lincecum was chosen one pick after Rowell.

.	Top Hitters	Aff.	H/AB	R	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB
.	Name
.	Aaron Senne	GBO	4/4	1	2	0	4	0	0	0
.	Cody Rogers	PC	2/4	0	1	0	6	0	0	0
.	Delta Cleary Jr.	ASH	3/5	3	2	1	3	0	0	0
.	Derek Dietrich	PC	3/5	3	3	1	3	0	0	0
.	Donald Lutz	BAK	5/5	4	2	1	3	0	0	1
.	Edward Salcedo	LYN	3/4	2	1	1	2	0	0	0
.	Francisco Lindor	LC	2/4	1	1	1	5	0	0	0
.	Jared Clark	MOD	2/2	1	2	1	3	2	0	0
.	Jimmy Paredes	OKC	2/4	2	1	1	2	0	0	1
.	John Hicks	HD	3/5	2	3	1	3	0	0	0
.	Julio Morban	HD	2/4	1	2	1	5	0	0	0
.	Junior Lake	TEN	2/2	4	2	1	1	3	0	1
.	Logan Watkins	TEN	2/3	4	2	1	4	2	0	0
.	Michael Antonio	KC	3/4	2	2	1	4	0	1	0
.	Steven Proscia	JAC	2/3	2	2	2	2	0	0	0
.	Wil Myers	NWA	2/5	2	2	2	3	0	2	0

.	Top Pitchers	Aff.	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Name
.	Adys Portillo	FW	6	4	0	0	2	3
.	Alex Cobb	DUR	5	3	0	0	3	8
.	Archie Bradley	SB	5	1	0	0	1	6
.	Austin Kirk	DTA	7	6	1	1	2	5
.	Chris Martin	POR	5	4	1	0	0	6
.	Colin Kleven	LWD	7	4	1	0	3	7
.	Grayson Garvin	PC	5	4	1	1	2	6
.	Jonathan Cornelius	QC	6	5	0	0	1	7
.	Jorge Reyes	TUC	7	5	1	1	2	5
.	Justin French	BAK	5	2	0	0	2	5
.	Michael Fiers	NAS	7	3	0	0	2	5
.	Rafael Montero	SAV	5.2	4	1	0	1	5
.	Rick VandenHurk	IND	5	5	0	0	0	4
.	Sean Gilmartin	MIS	6	5	0	0	2	4
.	Shane Dyer	MON	7	1	1	1	1	5
.	Steve Johnson	NOR	8	3	1	0	1	8
.	Wade LeBlanc	NOR	8	4	2	2	1	12

On tap today

MiLB.TV schedule

Shelby Miller tries to get on track

Barret Loux looks to go 8-0

James Taillon hopes to continue breakout season

Gerardo Concepcion takes the hill

If you know of a player performance or article that should be shared, please let me know on Twitter at @5runrally!

Wheeler and I spoke after last Thursday’s win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, his first in three starts against the Baby Blue Jays. We talked about a recent finger problem that lead to a missed start, his impressions on the California League, and how his approach to pitching has had to change as he’s moved up the minor league ladder.

First of all, feel good to finally get a win against these guys? You’ve pitched well against them a couple times.

Yeah, of course. These guys are good hitters. They try to jump on my fastball early so you have to get over your secondary pitches for strikes and I did a pretty good job of that today.

I read an interview this winter with MiLB.com that that was something you wanted to work on, developing your secondary pitches. I know we’re a little bit early in the season, but do you feel like that’s something that’s been going well for you?

Yeah, definitely. My slider I can throw for strikes and that’s been helping me out a lot because once you start getting up a little bit in Double-A, you can’t just throw your fastball by everybody anymore. So you’ve gotta be able to throw your secondary pitches for strikes, and like you said, I’ve been working on it this off-season and it’s helped me out a lot.

You missed one start with the bad finger, right? How is that feeling right now?

Felt great. I threw my bullpen the other day, like two, three days ago, and it felt good so they let me come out here and pitch and it felt great.

Was that something I read you dealt with before, a couple years ago?

Yeah. It happened my first year in Low-A. There’s like a growth underneath the nail, and they took the growth out so the nail was having a hard time reattaching to the skin bed.

Is that the same thing that happened this time?

Yeah.

Is that just something you’re gonna have to deal with from time to time? Just get used to it?

Yeah, pretty much.

How does that affect when you’re pitching? Does it cause pain? You just can’t grip the ball?

It’s kinda hard to explain. The nail, like I said, was detaching from the skin bed, part of the nail, so where it is still attached at the back, that gets sore, and it stay sore for two days just like your arm would. Then it starts healing up till the next start. So it’s not a big deal. I can pitch through it. I’ve done it plenty of times.

Last year you were in the California League before you got traded. It’s known as a tough league for pitchers. What were your impressions of pitching there, in that league?

California League’s definitely a little different. The fields are a little bit shorter, I think, and the wind always blows out into the outfield. There’s no places where the wind blows in, so when you’re out there on the mound you’re always looking back at the flags and like I said, they’re always blowing. So you just try to work your corners and stay down and try to get a lot of ground balls. That’s all you really CAN do out there.

Was it nice to go from there to the Florida State League after you got traded?

When I got traded and I found out where the Mets High-A team was I was pretty pumped about being in Florida.

You were traded straight up for Carlos Beltran. Was that a big deal for you, to be traded for somebody as accomplished as he is?

Yeah, feels great. But this is baseball, really, to me. Stuff’s gonna happen. You just gotta keep on performing.

A couple years ago in the Prospect Handbook for Baseball America, they said that during your first season you learned that, “You can’t strike everyone out.” Was there sort of an “A-ha!” moment where you realized you could change the way you approach hitters and still get guys out?

In high school, you could literally throw the fastball by everybody, and you really didn’t have to develop a changeup. I got away with a, scout say decent, curveball. It got me through it. But once you get up to this level that curveball would’ve been getting hit around for sure. So you get up there and you see people throwing as hard as you do, and people are hitting it, you gotta learn actually how to pitch. And I thought I went into it knowing how to pitch, which I did a little bit, but you’ve still gotta go out there and perform.

Mike suggested I bring those old posts over to Bus Leagues. I liked the idea, so for the next few months, we’ll re-run a couple each week in addition to our regular content. For the most part, they will be unedited and un-updated, although I’ll make a few minor changes (removing mentions of YouTube videos, for example) from time to time as needed.

Danny Darwin – Here’s something I did not know Danny Darwin: his brother, Jeff, was a relief pitcher for the Mariners and White Sox for three seasons in the mid-1990s. Somehow, my wife and Baseball Reference knew this, but I somehow missed it. The elder Darwin (Danny is nearly fourteen years older than Jeff) had a lifetime record of 171-182 in 21 major league seasons, but had a perfectly respectable 3.84 ERA (including a National League-leading 2.21 mark in 1990). His best season was with the Red Sox in 1993, when he countered Roger Clemens’ worst season to that point with fifteen wins and a 3.26 ERA.

Bob Tewksbury – I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Tewksbury since looking at his baseball card as a child and learning he was originally from New Hampshire. He is still active in the area, working as a television analyst for the Red Sox and doing charitable work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of New Hampshire. As a player, he enjoyed his best success in his early thirties, winning 33 games for the Cardinals and finishing third to Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine in the 1992 Cy Young Award voting.