Savannah Sand Gnats Season Pass

[Sandgnat]

Last night the Savannah Sand Gnats kicked off their 2007 season with their annual season ticket holder Meet and Greet Picnic at Grayson Stadium. The event starts with an open practice and concludes with a picnic where the players and coaches mingle with the fans. Living down here for 4 years now and owning a house within walking distance of the stadium, I have attended more then my fair share of Sand Gnat games. The organization has always done a good job of making the whole event entertaining with various promotions and giveaways. It’s typically a nice weekday evening out of the house, or a good happy hour on a Friday night. However, being a Low A affiliate of the Washington Nationals makes for less then interesting baseball at times and I can say that I was never really into the game or the players themselves (with some notable exceptions like seeing Kazmir pitch against the Gnats, watching Ryan Zimmerman’s brief stint with the club and watching a decent power hitter Larry Broadway kill Low A pitching) and I passed on going to the games more then I attended.

This year, the Gnats have a new set of players, a new major league affiliate in our Mets, and will play at a newly renovated Grayson stadium. Right from the start there seems to be more of a buzz surrounding the team. There were easily twice as many people at the picnic this year then there were last year and most fans were wearing Mets apparel. The first thing I noticed while watching BP and manager Tim Teufel hitting fungo to the infielders was the obvious improvement in the level of talent over last year. As opposed to last years National’s farm hands, the fielding was crisper and the overall level of play, even at a practice, just seemed faster.

Tuesday, the New York Mets officially announced the Sand Gnats official 25-man opening day roster. This is the roster as it was handed out to us yesterday at the event:

Name			Pos	DOB		Age	Height	Weight	Bats	Throws	Acquired
McCraw, Sean		C	3/11/1986	21	5' 11"	190 lbs	L	R	8th round 2005
Pena, Francisco		C	10/12/1989	17	6' 2"	229 lbs	R	R	NDFA 2006

								
Name			Pos	DOB		Age	Height	Weight	Bats	Throws	Acquired
Wabick, D.J.		1B	5/30/1984	22	6' 4"	209 lbs	L	R	25th round 2005
Pellot, Hector		2B	2/8/1987	20	5' 11"	186 lbs	R	R	4th round 2005
Ventura, Leivi		3B	7/19/1983	23	6' 3"	203 lbs	R	R	NDFA 2003
Lagares, Juan		IF	3/17/1989	18	6' 0"	175 lbs	R	R	NDFA 2006
Rivera, Luis		IF	1/25/1984	23	6' 1"	187 lbs	R	R	Free agent 2006
Veloz, Gregory		IF	6/3/1988	18	6' 0"	175 lbs	S	R	NDFA 2006
Thole, Josh		IF/C	10/28/1986	20	6' 2"	210 lbs	L	R	13th round 2005

								
Name			Pos	DOB		Age	Height	Weight	Bats	Throws	Acquired
Cruz, Elvis		OF	11/23/1983	23	6' 3"	212 lbs	R	R	Free agent 2005
Maldonado, Brahiam	OF	9/18/1985	21	6' 0"	205 lbs	R	R	10th round 2004
Sanchez, Jonathan	OF	9/3/1985	21	6' 1"	205 lbs	L	L	NDFA 2004
Stegall, Daniel		OF	9/24/1987	19	6' 3"	182 lbs	L	R	7th round 2006

								
Name			Pos	DOB		Age	Height	Weight	Bats	Throws	Acquired
Durkin, Matt		P	2/22/1983	24	6'5"	232	R	R	2nd round 2004
Frederick, Emary	P	1/7/1984	23	6' 0"	180 lbs	R	R	NDFA 2006
Koons, David		P	3/13/1984	23	6' 1"	173 lbs	R	R	27th round 2005
Mizell, Jeremy		P	6/18/1983	23	6' 1"	177 lbs	R	R	NDFA 2006
Mullens, Greg		P	1/30/1985	22	6' 6"	245 lbs	R	R	NDFA 2005
Neguilis, Jacobo	P	4/25/1984	23	6'4"	199	R	R	NDFA 2003
Polanco, Julio		P	11/29/1986	20	5' 11"	184 lbs	L	L	NDFA 2004
Portillo, Nelson	P	9/8/1985	21	5' 11"	215 lbs	R	R	NDFA 2003
Privett, Todd		P	4/22/1986	21	6' 4"	185 lbs	L	L	14th round 2006
Reyes, Jorge		P	5/15/1984	22	6' 4"	168 lbs	R	R	NDFA 2003
Stinson, Josh		P	3/14/1988	19	6' 4"	205 lbs	R	R	37th round 2006
Stoner, Tobi		P	12/3/1984	22	6' 4"	197 lbs	S	R	16th round 2006
Stronach, Tim		P	12/20/1985	21	6' 5"	185 lbs	R	R	22nd round 2006

Clearly this is a young team, even for Low A standards. There are five players under the age of 20 and eight players under the age of 21. Heading the list of youngsters is 17-year-old Francisco Pena, who will be one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League this season at age 17. Pena is ranked as the 12th best prospect in the Mets organization by Baseball America. Four more Sand Gnats, right-handed pitchers Josh Stinson and Tobi Stoner (#22), left-handed pitcher Todd Privett (#24) and outfielder Dan Stegall (#29) are ranked by Baseball America as among the top 30 in the organization.
The Gnats open their season at home on Thursday, April 5 with a 7:05 p.m. game against the Asheville Tourists. I will be attending a lot more games this year since they are now with the Mets and I hope to keep this thread ongoing throughout the season with game notes, player observations, etc. to keep you guys up to date on what is going on at the bottom of the Mets organization. I have some pics from last nights event, although not a lot of good ones thanks to the overcast skies, and I will post them along with pics from the opener some time next week when I get back from Jersey and opening day at Shea.

[metirish]

Enjoy the opener Snadgnat,don't forget to get your magnet,the stadium has a rich history with some of the all time greats having played there.

http://sandgnats.com/stadium/history/

[Benjamin Grimm]

The Mets have four of their farm clubs opening their seasons tomorrow: New Orleans, Binghamton, Savannah, and St. Lucie.

The remaining three teams: Gulf Coast, Kingsport, and Brooklyn open their seasons on June 19.

Great idea for a thread. (And 3 Schaefer points to you for not calling it "All-Purpose Savannah Sand Gnats thread")

We need to sign up some correspondents in Binghamton, New Orleans, and all the other Mets affiliate cities. (Brooklyn would probably be the easiest position to fill.)

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Sounds like a fun summer.

I'd like to hear wtf's up with Matt Durkin. The Mets had a great drafting position in 2004, getting Humber in the 1st round (3rd overall) and taking Durkin early in the 2nd round (44th overall). And he also was a college guy, so curious why he's still messing around with the 20 year-olds and whether there's any hope he turns out to be a real prospect.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Two 19-year-olds, two 18-year-olds, and one 17-year-old playing full-season Sally ball is amazing. They pushed a couple of guys that hard last year. Some responded; others, like Pelliot, didn't. This will be his second Sally season, but he's still kinda young for the league.

[Theoldmole]

Is Sean related to Tom?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Is Jeremy related to Vinegar Bend?

[Sandgnat]

In regards to Durkin, he appears on the printed roster they gave us last night, but he is not on the roster on the Gnats web site. I shot an email to the Sand Gnats Assistant GM and his reply was:

"As for Matt Durkin, he is on our roster. He only appeared in
10 games last year, most of them were in rookie ball. I'm guessing it may
have been for health reasons and now they are just moving him along slowly.
I'm sure if he puts up some good outings early in the season, they will move
him up to the next level fairly quickly.

Sorry I don't have a more specific answer but since this is the first year
we've been a Mets affiliate we are still collecting a lot of the background
information concerning the players that are on our roster. "


I'll see what I can find out at the game tomorrow.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wow, it's nice how responsive that Assistant GM is.

[Sandgnat]

Los Gnats????

http://savannahnow.com/node/255984

A Latin influence
Local | Sports
Jim Thomas | April 5, 2007 |

Most major league baseball clubs build their minor league system through the draft. But since Dominican Republic native Omar Minaya took over as general manager in 2004 the New York Mets have aggressively pursued the Latin America market.

Of the 25 players on the Savannah Sand Gnats roster this season, a combined 13 are from the Dominican (nine), Puerto Rico (three) and Venezuela (one). All of those were signed as undrafted free agents.

But Savannah manager Tim Teufel said that's not an indication of the talent level as the Sand Gnats open the 2007 season tonight at home against the Asheville (N.C.) Tourists in their first year as the Mets' low Class A affiliate.

The Mets have a baseball academy in the Dominican, which operates all year and has produced major leaguers such as All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes.

"We don't have a lot of high draft picks,'' Teufel admitted, "but what you're forgetting is these kids came out of the academy. They were high picks in the Dominican, but they signed as free agents. They didn't go through the draft. There's a lot of young talent out on this field. There are some prospects out there that will possibly open up some eyes down the road for the big league club.''

Overall, of the 849 players on major league rosters at the start of the season, 177 were from Latin American - 20.8 percent - according to a report by the commissioner's office. The Dominican Republic had the most with 98, followed by Venezuela with 51 and Puerto Rico with 18.

Teufel, who played 11 years in the major leagues (1983-1993), was impressed by his players' work ethic in spring training. But he said it remains to be seen how good the Sand Gnats will be this season with a young squad.

Five players on the roster are under 20 years of age. Three are from the Dominican Republic - Francisco Pena, 17, at catcher; Juan Lagares, 18, at shortstop and Gregory Veloz, 18, at second base. Teufel said all three will be in the starting lineup.

"That's unheard of at this level,'' he said. "This is usually a 20, 21-year-old league. Now we're throwing out guys who will be three years younger than most of the players they'll be playing against. They should be playing high school ball right now and they're playing pro ball at the third level of our organization.''

The son of former major league All-Star and current Yankees first base coach Tony Pena, Pena received $750,000 to turn pro last summer, the seventh-largest bonus handed out to international players. Lagares, who turned 18 on March 17, made his pro debut in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League, batting .255 with 18 extra-base hits and 12 steals in 57 games.

"Our organizational philosophy has changed a little bit,'' said Teufel, who is in his fourth year with the Mets. "If you have talent that stands out among the crowd, they're going to push you.''

Teufel said Pena is still learning how to play the game, "but he hits very well - he gets the barrel (of the bat) on the ball. He challenges pitchers to pitch inside. Catching-wise, he's getting better at blocking the plate. He calls a decent game. He's a big kid. He comes from good stock. It's just a matter of him getting repetitions.''

Pena, rated the Mets' No. 12 prospect by Baseball America, played in the Instructional League last winter in the Dominican Republic. The 6-foot-2, 229-pounder was impressive enough to earn join the Mets in spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Pena, whose brother Tony is in the Kansas City organization, said he spent about a month with the major league club.

"They sent me over there to get a little more experience,'' he said. "It helped me a lot, seeing all those players like (Paul) Lo Duca, (Carlos) Beltran, (David) Wright and Reyes. You want to be like them, you have to work hard.''

Aside from the Latin America players, the rest of the Sand Gnats' roster is made up of players who played last year at rookie-level St. Lucie (Fla.) and Kingsport (Tenn.), short-season Brooklyn (N.Y.) and low Class A Hagerstown (Md.).

Nine played with Hagerstown, which finished 58-82 (.414) in the South Atlantic League, 14th out of 16 teams. The Sand Gnats were 56-83 (.403), 1 1/2 games behind, as a Washington Nationals affiliate.

Only three players on the roster were drafted in the first 10 rounds the last two years - second baseman Hector Pellot (fourth round, 2005), outfielder Dan Stegall (seventh round, 2006) and catcher Sean McCraw (eighth round, 2005). But the Sand Gnats have five of the Mets' top-30 prospects. The others are pitchers Josh Stinson (No. 17), Tobi Stoner (No. 22), Todd Privett (No. 24) and Stegall (No. 29), along with Pena.

Stinson, Stoner and Privett all had ERAs under 3.00 last year. Stoner was 6-2 with a 2.15 ERA in 14 appearances for Brooklyn, finishing fourth in the New York-Penn League in ERA.

Stegall, who hit .214 in 40 games for St. Lucie, was rated the best athlete in the Mets' draft last year. The 6-3, 182-pounder signed a letter of intent to play quarterback at Miami, but instead opted to sign with the Mets for $145,000.

Among the position players, outfielder D.J. Wambick posted the best numbers at the plate. The former College of Charleston standout was fourth in the Appalachian League in batting with a .327 average in 45 games for Kingsport.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sand Gnats lineup:

2B Hector Pellot

DH Gregory Veloz

SS Juan Lagares

C Francisco Pena

CF Dan Stegall

RF Jonathan Sanchez

3B Leivi Ventura

1B Josh Thole

LF Brahiam Maldonado

Starting rotation:

Tobi Stoner

Josh Stinson

Tim Stronach

Jorge Reyes

Julio Polanco

IF YOU GO

What: Savannah Sand Gnats vs. Asheville (N.C.) Tourists

When: 7:05 p.m. today

Where: Grayson Stadium

Tickets: $6 general admission, $7.50 reserved seats, $9 box seats

Promotion: Thirsty Thursday, 2-for-1 beer and soda, $1 pizza slices

[Sandgnat]

http://savannahnow.com/node/255980

Buzz of excitement at Grayson Stadium
Local | Sports
Jim Thomas | April 5, 2007

Mets' affiliation, new scoreboard expected to boost attendance for Sand Gnats

There's a buzz around the Savannah Sand Gnats these days.

And it's not just because of those annoying insects that fly around Grayson Stadium.

The New York Mets have replaced the Washington Nationals as the Sand Gnats' major league affiliate, while a new $600,000 scoreboard has been installed for the 2007 season.

Sand Gnats general manager Brad Dodson said season ticket sales have gone from 264 last year to 300 this year. That may not seem like much, but that represents almost a 14 percent increase.

"I think there's a lot more excitement about the Mets because they were the National League's best team last year,'' Dodson said. "Plus, this area is synonymous with people who were transplanted from the North because of the weather. I think there are lot of people who grew up watching the Mets who are thrilled to have the Mets affiliate here.''

The new scoreboard, which includes a 300-square foot videoboard, will also give fans amenities they haven't had in the past with the old manual scoreboard.

"We can show highlights of the game, we can show commercials, we can do fun, interactive stuff with the fans, we can do graphics,'' Dodson said. "I think people are going to be interested in coming out and seeing (the scoreboard) because it's something new and different that Savannah hasn't had before.''

In addition, there is a new sound system that should eliminate any dead spots where fans can't hear the public-address announcer or when there are on-field promotions, Dodson said..

With all the stadium renovations, plus what they feel will be a better brand of baseball, the Sand Gnats are confident they can reach their goal of 100,000 in attendance after drawing 84,651 in 2006.

"Last year we said our goal was 100,000,'' Dodson said, "but we were going from (72,435). That's a steep increase. I think we'll definitely get to 100,000 this year with good weather.''

The Sand Gnats are also counting on their daily promotions to help boost attendance. Every day of the week has its own promotion with Saturdays giveaway days in which the first 1,000 people through the gate receive a free item.

Mondays are Motown Monday featuring music from the 1960s, along with $2 admission, $2 hot dogs, $2 hamburgers and $2 beer. Other daily promotions are 2-for-1 beer Tuesdays; Working Women Wednesdays, where women get in for a $1 with a name badge or business card; Thirsty Thursday, with half-price beer and sodas and $1 pizza slices; fireworks on Friday and Family Fun Day on Sunday, where kids can run the bases after the game and get players' autographs.

There will be 14 fireworks shows, 11 scheduled for Friday. The others are tonight's home opener against Asheville (N.C.), July 3 and Sept. 2, the next-to-last game of the season.

"Fireworks have become a big deal for us,'' Dodson said. "Friday nights were our biggest nights last year'' with an average attendance of 1,772 per game. Thirsty Thursdays were second at 1,764.

One oddity is that the Sand Gnats play at home on almost every holiday this season - Easter on April 8, Mother's Day on May 13, Father's Day on June 13, the Fourth of July and Labor Day on Sept. 3. All of those games have 2:05 p.m. starting times.

Dodson said the ballclub is playing during the day on the Fourth of July instead of at night to avoid competing with the downtown fireworks show.

"We're trying to get people who may be looking for something to do during the day, maybe catch them on the way to or from the beach,'' he said. "We're going to try to turn it into a picnic.''

Aside from the holidays, Dodson said one of the bigger events will be Military Appreciation Night on May 19. Tickets will be handed out to all the area military bases. Also, anybody with a military ID can get a ticket, hot dog, coke and potato chips for $5. Photo baseballs with a picture of Grayson Stadium on the ball will be given away to the first 1,000 fans, military or non-military.

Chatham County firemen (June 2) and policemen (June 26) will also have their own night. Gnate the Gnate will dress up in their respective uniforms and will be featured on bobblehead dolls, which will be given out to the first 1,000 fans.


Sand Gnats Information

Stadium: Grayson Stadium (1941)

Office Address: 1401 E. Victory Drive, Savannah, GA 31404

Telephone: (912) 351-9150

Web site: sandgnats.com


Ticket Prices

Individual Tickets

General Admission: $6

Reserved: $7.50

Box Seats: $9.50


Season Tickets

General Admission: $225

Reserved: $375

Box Seats: $490


Standard Game Times

Monday-Saturday: 7:05 p.m.

Sunday: 2:05 p.m.


2006 SAL Attendance

Team|Dates|Att.|Avg.

Lakewood (N.J.) BlueClaws|67|448,310|6,691

Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers|67|427,890|6,386

Lexington (Ky.) Legends|68|376,702|5,540

Lake County (Ohio) Captains|67|346,519|5,172

Greenville (S.C.) Drive|69|330,078|4,784

Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs|67|267,908|3,999

West Virginia Power|64|239,721|3,746

Rome Braves|68|232,259|3,416|

Delmarva (Md.) Shorebirds|64|217,980|3,406

Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads|66|173,137|2,623

Asheville (N.C.) Tourists|65|167,745|2,581

Augusta GreenJackets|63|155,910|2,475

Hagerstown (Md.) Suns|66|149,188|2,260

Kannapolis (N.C.) Intimidators|64|111,045|1,735

Savannah Sand Gnats|65|84,642|1,302

Columbus Catfish|64|66,516|1,039


2006 Sand Gnats Attendance

Day|Dates|Att.|Avg.

Monday|10|10,228|1,022

Tuesday|8|10,113|1,264

Wednesday|7|6,000|857

Thursday|9|15,879|1,764

Friday|11|19,492|1,772

Saturday|10|13,190|1,319

Sunday|11|9,749|886

Total|66|84|651|1,282

[Sandgnat]

Today's opening day starter:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f242/metsfan1190/TobiStoner.jpg


Tobi Stoner SP S R 6-2 185 12-3-84 Davis & Elkins College



http://www.times-news.com/localsports/local_story_038095547.html?keyword=topstory]


Stoner ready for next step

Former Southern High star eager to get to spring training

Mike Mathews
Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND - Tobi Stoner is living his childhood dream. And he knows it.

From little league through high school, college and summer ball, being a professional baseball player was always on his mind.

And then in a flash last spring he went from Davis & Elkins College in rural West Virginia to New York City, pitching for the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Talk about culture shock.

"It was a good experience, being out there on my own ... surviving,'' Stoner said with a chuckle during a telephone interview. "It's different."

But there was nothing different about Stoner's performance.

Drafted in the 16th round by the New York Mets, Stoner earned a promotion to the Class A Savannah, Ga., Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League after a productive season with Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League last summer.

At Brooklyn, Stoner, a right-hander and starting pitcher, finished third in the Class A league in innings pitched, was fourth in earned run average and sixth in wins.

He went 6-2 with a 2.15 ERA and worked 83 2/3 innings, allowed only 66 hits, walked just 17 and struck out 62. Opposing hitters managed just a .219 batting average against the 2002 Southern Garrett High School graduate.

Looking back, Stoner admitted he may have had sold himself a little short when he arrived in Brooklyn, which finished 41-33 and four games behind division winner and eventual league champ Staten Island.

"I knew going in it would be competitive, but I kind of thought it would be a little more competitive for me, personally,'' he said. "I'm not putting down the league. Maybe I under-estimated by ability a bit.

"When I started doing my thing and playing my game, it seemed like it was a lot easier for me to do well and be successful than I thought it might be."

The big difference he noticed in the players wasn't talent. It was consistency.

"Everybody could play. Being consistent was the big thing at that level. Some guys would have great games one night, and the next night, terrible. When players become more consistent, that's when there's going to be more competition."

Stoner made his first professional start at Ripken Stadium against the Aberdeen Ironbirds in front of family, friends and former coaches. He got a no-decision that night, one of six on the season. His first win came at home against Hudson Valley. He allowed two runs, struck out five and did not walk a batter in six innings against Hudson Valley.

"I was glad I got my first win in front of the home crowd,'' said Stoner, who estimated the Cyclones averaged 7,000 fans per game.

"I expected it to be fun and exciting, but didn't expect it to be as intense as it was,'' he continued. "I didn't expect the crowds would be so big and as rowdy as they were.

"If you did well,'' he said of the Brooklyn fans, "they were behind you. If you were not doing well, they were rowdy and rough. They let you know about it. They're hard core. I would not like to be a visiting player at Brooklyn."

With a fast ball, curve, slider and change-up, Stoner has an array of of pitches, and good command of all four. John Sickels, who writes "The Baseball Prospect Book," rated Stoner No. 16 on the Mets prospect list, describing him as "a control artist who dominated the New York-Penn League."

Certainly, Stoner isn't the same pitcher he was in high school. He says he's not even the same pitcher he was in college.

"Up to and through college, I was a pretty hard thrower for the league I was in,'' he said. "Now, in this league, all these guys have seen that kind of speed their whole careers. I learned to pitch with more common sense, with my head. Now I pitch with more strategy, and pitch a lot more smarter.

"I want to make my entire all-around game better,'' Stoner said in looking forward to his second professional season. "I want to increase my speed and be more precise with my pitches. I want to be more consistent with my pitches, in how they move and the action they have."

Stoner played for Jim Bosley at Southern, and the Rams went 43-3 in Stoner's two years as a starter. They were 22-2 and region and WMIL champs in his junior year and 21-1 and Area and WMIL champs in his senior season.

Stoner was 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 20 innings as a junior, and 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings as a senior.

A first-team All-Area second baseman, Stoner batted .337 with 8 doubles and 27 RBIs as a senior. He had batted .388 with 6 doubles and 18 RBIs as a junior.

After two successful season at Garrett College under coaches Ed Wildesen and Lee Bradley, Stoner finished his college career at Davis & Elkins.

He batted .465 with 8 homers and 29 RBIs last year, and his .465 mark was ninth best in the nation in NCAA Division II.

Going from an everyday player to a starting pitcher means Stoner does a lot more watching from the bench than he's been used to.

"I feel I'm a pitcher, first. It's different, but you get used to it,'' he said of pitching every fourth or fifth day. "But I enjoy the time off, too, because it gives my arm a rest and I can be at close to 100 percent all the time.

"I really miss hitting, but I'll be hitting again in spring training, and I'll get to hit in Class AA."

Stoner was the quarterback of the Southern football team his senior year. But baseball was always his first love.

"Definitely, my dad was the one who got the ball rolling. We spent hours and hours at the baseball field when I was growing up, working on every aspect of the game,'' he said. "In every aspect of the game, he worked with me and always wanted me to be the best at it."

Stoner, the first Davis & Elkins player drafted since 1983, will report to Port St. Lucie, Fla., for spring training on March 2

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Gnats loss last night keeps the organizaiton from being fundefeated so far in 2007.

New York Mets: 3-0
New Orleans Zephyrs 1-0
Binghamton Mets 0-0
St. Lucie Mets 1-0
Savannah Sandgnats 0-1
Kingsport Mets 0-0

[Sandgnat]

Over 4,000 fans packed Grayson Stadium last night for the home opener. By far the most people I have ever seen at a Sand Gnats game, by thousands.

Too bad the home team didn't hold up their end of the bargin, dropping a sloppy contest to the Asheville Tourists, 7-4.

The good:

The buzz - The place was packed and rockin'. Biggest crowd at the stadium since 2000.

Leivi Ventura - He got a hold of one with nobody on in the third to give the Gnats a 2-0 lead. Hit the ball over the bleachers in left and out of the stadium.

The field - The playing field is in great shape this year, far different from previous years. The grass looked great. The new scoreboard with video screen and new sound system adds a lot to the total experience.

The bad:

Game Day Ops - Clearly the organization is not equipped to handle this size crowd. Most people probably didn't even see Ventura go yard because they were still in line trying to get in. There is only one gate to enter the stadium with two ticket holders. Lines at the concession stands were averaging one hour wait times.

The fielding - The Gnats did themselves in with 3 errors with the worst coming in the 7th when Jonathon Sanchez dropped a fly ball to right that led to 4 unearned runs. The Gnats were holding on to a 3-2 lead at the time. Bret Berglund's 2-run home run off of Gnats reliever Nelson Portillo (a righty side-armer) with two outs in the inning put the nail in the coffin for the home team. Savannah was hampered by several passed balls/wild pitches.

Young Mr. Pena - Asheville ran at will against Pena behind the plate with 5 stolen bases (5 for 5). Add in a passed ball and it was a tough start for the 17 year old. He did go 2-5 at the plate, but didn't look real good there either. He is a big boy though and I was most surprised at his speed. He isn't a burner by any means, but for a player of his size he can get down the basepaths and will not be a station-to-station type base runner.

Tobi Stoner - His line reads 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, and 5 K's, but he issued 4 walks and was constantly behind in the count. We didn't really get to see his full compliment of pitches as he had to pitch from behind most of the time.

And then in the top of the 4th with Asheville at the plate, the stadium lights went out. The game was delayed for 15 minutes before they came back on.

All in all, I would say this will be a typical game for the Gnats this year. They are so young that mental mistakes and errors are going to pile up. The 3 game series continues tonight with Josh Stinson, a 37th-round pick in 2006 on the mound. The 6-foot-4 Stinson posted a combined 1-3 record and 1.79 ERA last year for St. Lucie and Hagerstown.

[Sandgnat]

After opening day in Savannah, I headed up to Jersey for the holiday and opening day at Shea so I don't have anything personal to add at this time. The Gnats are on a long road trip now anyway. However, here is a link to a great update on the team with all the stats you could ever want on the players too. http://sandgnats.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2//Game%20Notes/2007%20Notes/4-10-07%20at%20AUG.pdf

[Sandgnat]

It is not always easy to get quality information on Gnats road games, but here is the latest and not-so-greatest:

After play was suspended in the bottom of the first inning Wednesday night due to rain with Josh Stinson only facing one batter, the Augusta GreenJackets swept a doubleheader, 8-2 and 6-0, from Savannah on Thursday night at Lake Olmstead Stadium. Augusta is now 8-0 after sweeping the series, outscoring the Gnats 29-4.

Stinson was credited with the loss in the first game, although Matt Durkin started Thursday and gave up six runs in four innings. Third basemen Leivi Ventura (.370) went 2-4, scoring both runs. Francisco Pena (.400) was also 2-4, but again had some trouble behind the plate allowing 3 steals (two being 3rd base) along with a throwing error.

Matt Durkin's line was 4 inn, 9 hits, 6 runs, 5 ER, 2 walks and no K's.

Starting pitcher Tim Stronach took the loss in game 2. He gave up two runs in the first inning, which was more then enough as Augusta's starter Benjamin Snyder held the Gnats to no runs while scattering 5 hits over 5 innings and struck out 9 to go to 2-0 on the season. Stronach struggled for the second straight start, allowing 6 hits and 5 runs in only 3 2/3 innings, although 2 of the runs were unearned. The lone star for the Gnats in the game was 1B/OF David Wabick who went 2-4 and is now batting .474.

The Sand Gnats begin a four-game series at Kannapolis (N.C.) today and then return home Tuesday for a four-game set against Greensboro (N.C.).

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I understand what a crapshoot prospects are, specially pitchers, but in a non-Corey Ragsdale way, I wonder what the Mets were thinking when selecting Durkin.

[Sandgnat]

STANDINGS
 
SAL Northern   	W L PCT GB 
 Greensboro  	5 2 .714 - 
 Hickory  	5 3 .625 0.5 
 Lexington  	5 3 .625 0.5 
 West Virginia  4 3 .571 1.0 
 Lakewood  	3 4 .429 2.0 
 Delmarva  	3 5 .375 2.5 
 Hagerstown  	3 5 .375 2.5 
 Lake County  	2 5 .286 3.0 

SAL Southern   	W L PCT GB 
 Augusta  	8 0 1.000 - 
 Charleston  	6 2 .750 2.0 
 Asheville  	5 3 .625 3.0 
 Kannapolis  	5 3 .625 3.0 
 Columbus  	4 4 .500 4.0 
 Greenville  	2 6 .250 6.0 
 Rome  		1 7 .125 7.0 
 Savannah  	1 7 .125 7.0 

[Guest Edgy DC]

Damn. Get it in gear.

[Sandgnat]

Savannah snapped its 5-game losing streak yesterday by sweeping a double header at Kannapolis. The Gnats won the first game 6-3 and the second game 3-2.

The first game was the completion of Sunday's game, which was suspended in the fourth inning because of rain. Josh Stinson picked up the win for Savannah, giving up one run on five hits in four innings. Third baseman Leivi Ventura continues to produce with the bat, going 2-4.

Sean McCraw, playing catcher in the first game instead of Pena, went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, including a two-run home run in the seventh

In the second game, Savannah struck early when with two outs in the top of the first, Leivi Ventura doubled to center and was brought in on a single by D. J. Wabick. Pitcher Greg Mullens allowed one run on five hits in five innings for the win. Ventura was 2-4 again in the second game, with a run scored and an RBI. He is now hitting .381 on the season.

The Gnats come home for a 4-game series against the Greenville Drive starting tonight. The big story for the series is Boston Red Sox starter Jon Lester will take the mound for a rehab start against the Gnats Friday night.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Kannapolis. What a great name for a town.

Home of the Earnhardt family. I beleievthe team there is known as the Intimidators, which is a stupid name but references Dale Sr.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Gnat, feel free to list any transactions --- promotions, demotions, disabilitites --- you get wind of.

[Sandgnat]

Date       Player         	Action 				Details 
04/12/2007 Reyes, Jorge  	Placed on Disabled List 	right shoulder  
04/12/2007 Mizell, Jeremy  	Transferred 		        from Brooklyn to Savannah  
04/08/2007 Mizell, Jeremy  	Transferred                     from Savannah to Brooklyn  
04/08/2007 Portilllo, Nelson  	Transferred                     from Brooklyn to Savannah  
04/06/2007 Portilllo, Nelson  	Transferred                     from Savannah to Brooklyn  
04/06/2007 Koons, David  	Transferred                     from Brooklyn to Savannah  
04/05/2007 Koons, David  	Transferred                     from Savannah to Brooklyn  
04/05/2007 Jacobo Neguilis  	Placed on Disabled List         right elbow

[Guest Edgy DC]

Wow. Keep up the good work. What's your source?

[Sandgnat]

Thanks man.

Sources vary.

minorleaguebaseball.com
sandgnats.com
Savannah Morning News
emails back and forth with someone in the front office

[Guest Edgy DC]

Funny to see Koons, Portillo, and Mizell transferred to "Brooklyn" and then back the next day. I guess Brooklyn technically has a roster on paper even though they're months away from opening day.

[Sandgnat]

Sand Gnats must have taken advantage of the same promo tonight as I did.

Just back from the game quick drunk recap: Gnats lose; commit ten errors. More to follow.

[Guest Edgy DC]

TEBEN ERRBORS?!

[Sandgnat]

...That promotion being 2-1 beer night, which they now have 3 nights a week at the stadium in various forms: "half price", "buy one, get one" and "2 for 1".

Well, they were charged for 10 errors at the game, but they must have revised two of them because the box score is saying 8. It was seriously like watching the Bad News Bears. Several infield popups dropped, Keystone Kops style. Tim Tuefel told the paper that this was a game that you just put in the books...then throw the book away. Of the 12 runs allowed, only 2 were earned. 3B Leivi Ventura was 1-5 with a 2-run triple that actually cut the lead to 3 in the 8th, but The Drive posted 5 more runs in the top of the 9th. Final score was 12-5.

Greenville looks like they have a decent prospect in pitcher Dustin Richardson. Hard throwing lefty.

There actually was some good news to come out of this debacle in pitcher Tobi Stoner. Stoner looked good on the hill. He only went 4 1/3 and was pulled after he gave up a single in the 5th, but that single was preceeded by 3 consecutive errors. He scattered 5 hits and gave up 5 runs, but none of the runs was earned. Unlike he previous outing, he had good command of his pitches and probably would have pitched a heck of a game if it wasn't for all of the fielding issues.

Ventura is definitely one to watch in this organization. He looks like a professional baseball hitter. He is probably only above-average in the field and is going to have to constantly watch his weight (he just has one of those bodies that if he drives past a McDonald's, he gains 5 lbs)throughout his career if he is going to make it, but he looks legitimate.

[Sandgnat]

http://savannahnow.com/node/267454

Durkin saves win for Sand Gnats
Sports
MIKE BROWN | Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 12:30 am |

Sand Gnats 5, Drive 4


The order of the day was extra infield practice, and it paid off handsomely for the Savannah Sand Gnats as they rallied for a 5-4 win Wednesday night over Greenville (S.C.).

It also didn't hurt that reliever Matt Durkin continued the fine work of the Sand Gnats' bullpen by going four hitless innings in relief of starter Tim Stronach, who got his first win after two losses.

Durkin, who had struck out only one batter in seven innings previously, had seven against the Drive, including four in a row in the seventh and eighth innings, while walking two.

"Durkin did a great job," Sand Gnats manager Tim Tuefel said. "The only thing I was worried about was his pitch count.

"He showed me in the eighth inning he can take it to another level," added Tuefel of Durkin, who had 68 pitches. "He changed gears in the eighth ... he showed me something there."

The Gnats were coming off an eight-error performance in a 12-5 loss to Greenville on Tuesday night. Teufel said afterwards it was the kind of game you put in the book and then threw the book in the trash.

That's what the Sand Gnats did on Working Women's Night, which drew 778 to Grayson Stadium. It didn't hurt that they also got 10 hits to offset a two-home run performance by the Drive's Jason Place, the second a controversial one that led to the ejection of Teufel.

Place, a first-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox last year after an outstanding high school career in Easley, S.C., got his first homer in the second with one out and a runner on when he hit a tremendous shot to left that cleared the bleachers and the fence.

The Gnats answered with a run in their half of the inning when Josh Thole scored from third on a wild pitch. It was 2-1, Drive, when Place came to the plate with one away in the fourth.

He hammered a Stronach pitch down the left-field line. The ball cleared the wall, but home-plate umpire Mike Brundage called it foul. This brought a mild protest from Greenville manager Gabe Kapler, who asked Brundage to seek assistance from field umpire Matt Arcovio, who was on the first-base side of the infield.

After a short discussion, Brundage stuck a finger in the air and began waving it, the signal for a home run. That brought Tuefel out for an argument, one which he lost.

However, the Gnats manager was on the field one pitch later when Brian Steinocher hit Reid Engel in the leg. That led Brundage to issue a warning to both benches and Tuefel wound up being tossed.

The Gnats showed their mettle, though, when they came back to score two in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Thole, who was 3-for-3, drove in two runs, one in the fourth and another in the fifth.

Having thrown 77 pitches, Stronach was lifted after five innings.

Durkin's start was inauspicious as he walked the first batter, but the 6-foot-5, 232-pound right-hander settled down quickly.

Greenville 
Player 		AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG 
Negron 2B 	 2 1 0  0  0  0  0  3  2 .146 
Diaz SS 	 4 0 1  0  0  0  0  0  2 .239 
Anderson 1B 	 4 0 1  0  0  0  1  0  2 .340 
Still C 	 4 0 1  1  0  0  0  0  0 .255 
Vasquez 1- PR 	 0 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  0 .250 
Farkes C 	 0 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  0 .304 
Egan DH 	 1 1 0  0  0  0  0  2  0 .147 
Arambarris 3B 	 4 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  2 .234 
Place CF 	 4 2 2  0  0  2  3  0  1 .188 
Engel RF 	 3 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  0 .214 
Fernandez LF 	 4 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  2 .229 


BATTING
2B: Still (3, Stronach).
HR: Place 2 (2, 2nd inning off Stronach, 1 on, 1 out; 4th inning off Stronach, 0 on, 1 out).
TB: Diaz; Anderson; Still 2; Place 8.
RBI: Place 3 (6), Anderson (8).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Still; Egan 2; Engel; Place.
GIDP: Still.
Team LOB: 6.

BASERUNNING
SB: Negron (2, 2nd base off Stronach/McCraw).
CS: Engel (1, 2nd base by Stronach/McCraw).

FIELDING
E: Fernandez-Oliva (1, fielding), Negron (1, throw).
DP: (Negron-Anderson).


1-Ran for Still in the 8th. 

Savannah 
Player 		AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG 
Stegall CF 	 5 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  2 .204 
Veloz 2B 	 5 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  2 .163 
Ventura 3B 	 4 2 2  0  0  0  1  0  1 .373 
Wabick LF 	 4 1 3  0  0  0  0  0  0 .378 
Thole 1B 	 3 1 3  0  0  0  2  1  0 .346 
McCraw C 	 2 0 1  0  0  0  0  2  0 .375 
Lagares SS  	 4 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  2 .178 
Sanchez RF 	 4 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  1 .100 
Pellot DH 	 3 1 1  0  0  0  0  1  1 .186 



BATTING
TB: Ventura 2; Wabick 3; Thole 3; McCraw; Pellot.
RBI: Thole 2 (2), Ventura (9).
2-out RBI: Ventura; Thole.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Sanchez 2; McCraw; Stegall; Lagares 2; Veloz.
GIDP: Lagares.
Team LOB: 9.

BASERUNNING
SB: Pellot 2 (5, 2nd base off Large/Farkes, 2nd base off Steinocher/Still).

FIELDING
E: Stronach (1, pickoff), Lagares (8, throw).
Outfield assists: Stegall (Negron at 2nd base).
DP: 2 (Stegall-Lagares-Veloz, Ventura-Veloz-Thole).



Greenville 
Player 			IP  H  R ER BB SO HR ERA 
Steinocher (L, 1-2)    7.0  10 5 5   3 6  0 6.19 
Large                  1.0  0  0 0   1 3  0 4.32 


 

Savannah 
Player 			IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA 
Stronach (W, 1-2)      5.0 5 4 3   3 4  2 7.71 
Durkin (S, 1) 	       4.0 0 0 0   2 7  0 4.76 


WP: Steinocher 2, Stronach, Durkin 2.
HBP: Egan (by Stronach), Engel (by Stronach).
Ground outs-fly outs: Steinocher 13-3, Large 0-0, Stronach 6-4, Durkin 3-2.
Batters faced: Steinocher 34, Large 4, Stronach 22, Durkin 15.
EjectionsSavannah Sand Gnats Manager Tim Teufel ejected by HP umpire Michael Brundage. (4th).
Umpires: HP: Michael Brundage. 1B: Matt Arcovio. 2B: . 3B: .
Weather: 67 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 1 mph, None.
T: 2:38.
Att: 778.