Dirtbags Baseball - Long Beach State 49ers

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Thursday, March 31, 2005

Here's The Tipsters Round Up On Dirtbags In Pro Ball

Bobby Crosby Interview And Injury:

Here's a great interview of former Dirtbag (and Oakland A's Rookie of the Year) Bobby Crosby by Larry Krueger on KNBR Sports Radio in the Bay Area (scroll down and click the Bobby Crosby link). Running time is 6:33. Part of the interview is about playing at Long Beach State, who Bobby give a lot of credit to. Hat tip to Hank from the 49ers Sports Message Board for e-mailing the link.

Unfortunately, Bobby has been injured. From MLB.com:

Not more than a few hours after manager Ken Macha expressed his pleasure with the health of his club as it prepared to break camp in Arizona, shortstop Bobby Crosby was hit on the left wrist by a pitch in the team's Cactus League game Wednesday against Milwaukee.

Crosby, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, was removed from the game shortly after reaching first base and left the clubhouse wearing a soft cast. X-rays of the wrist will be taken Thursday in the Bay Area.

"I can move my finger and wrist, so that's a good sign," Crosby said. "I'm just hoping it's not broken."...

Asked how long Crosby might be out if he does have a broken bone, athletic trainer Larry Davis was vague.

"It depends what's broken," he said. "We'll address that issue if it happens."

Said A's ace Barry Zito: "We're all concerned. He's a key player for us."...

Hat tip to reader Rhonda for e-mailing this link.

Jeremy Reed Has Strong Spring:

This from Peter Gammons at ESPN.com:

Jeremy Reed has had a solid spring and is set to be the Mariners' center fielder. Count on the 23-year-old to be a leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year award. If Reed, who had a 66/58 walk/strikeout ratio in Triple-A and Seattle last season, goes on to win the award, it would mean that Long Beach State roommates won it in consecutive years, as Reed's roomie Bobby Crosby was the AL's top rookie in 2004.

Now, wouldn't that be something! The nod goes to reader Scott for his e-mail with this one.

Baseball America Writes Up Chad Bentz and Brad Davis:

Each year Baseball America publishes it's Prospect Handbook, writing up scouting reports on the 900 prospects, in it's opinion. In this piece, they give scouting reports on players who just missed the cut for inclusion in the book. Among them are former Dirtbags Chad Bentz and Brad Davis. Here's the report on Chad:

Chad Bentz, lhp, Marlins

Born: May 5, 1980. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 210. Bats: R. Throws: L. School: Long Beach State University. Career Transactions: Selected by Expos in seventh round of 2001 draft; signed June 10, 2001 . . . Released by Nationals, Dec. 15, 2004 . . . Signed by Marlins, Dec. 18, 2005. Signed by: Robby Corsaro (Expos).

Like Jim Abbott, Bentz didn't let being born without a complete right hand stop him from reaching the major leagues. He didn't pitch well for the Expos last year, in part because he wasn't used regularly. After returning to the minors, he was shut down in August with a nerve problem in his right foot that required surgery. The newly transplanted Nationals released him in mid-December, but the Marlins quickly snapped him up and reunited him with roving minor league pitching coordinator Wayne Rosenthal, one of Bentz' first coaches as a pro. He relies heavily upon his 91-93 mph fastball and his curveball can be an out pitch, though he struggled with it in the majors. He's a very aggressive pitcher with a tough demeanor, but he needs to tighten his breaking ball and work on his slider. That should make him more effective against lefthanders, who batted .411 against him in his first taste of the majors. His lack of command also gets him in trouble at times. Farmed out in mid-March, Bentz will open 2005 at Triple-A Albuquerque. His ceiling is as a lefthanded specialist.

And on Brad Davis:

Brad Davis, c, Marlins

Born: Dec. 29, 1982. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 185. Bats: R. Throws: R. School: Long Beach State University. Career Transactions: Selected by Marlins in fifth round of 2004 draft; signed July 9, 2004. Signed by: Robby Corsaro.

Just 42 games into his pro career, Davis already has made an impression as an intense on-field presence with obvious leadership qualities. He has strong hands and good receiving and throwing skills, but he needs to add 10-15 pounds of muscle to do more damage with the bat. He's very athletic and runs better than the typical catcher. He projects to have slightly above-average power, and if that comes he could be an everyday catcher in the majors. Marlins area scout Robby Corsaro and West Coast supervisor Scott Goldby liked Davis early on stayed on him through draft day. He signed for $165,000 after going three rounds after Florida took fellow Long Beach State product Jason Vargas. Davis reminds some of a young Dan Wilson in the way he can handle a staff, and he showed that ability in college with the way he caught Vargas and celebrated staff ace Jered Weaver. In 2003, Davis spent most of his time at first base and right field for the 49ers in deference to Todd Jennings, who became a Giants second-round pick that June. But there's no question Davis' future lies behind the plate.

Hat tip to reader Kurt for sending this along.

posted on 3/31/2005 by Jeff Agnew