Everything you need to know about Rochester
The Bats are halfway home (literally and figuratively) as they continue on their tour of the Empire State. Their next stop will be in Rochester, where they will start their third consecutive series against a team from the state of New York. The Red Wings are the top affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, who have a loaded pool of prospects that we’ll get to later. Before things get started on the field in Rochester, the Bats have their first of eight off days (including the three-day All Star break) today. While the team deserves a breather, we’ll forge ahead and get the rundown of what to expect from Rochester.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Red Wings and their city, starting with the probable pitching matchups for the week/weekend:
Thurs. 5/1: RHP Josh Smith (4–0, 2.45) vs. RHP Trevor May (1–1, 4.91) 7:05 p.m.
Fri. 5/2: RHP Tim Crabbe (1–2, 3.91) vs. LHP Scott Diamond (1–3, 10.35) 7:05 p.m.
Sat. 5/3: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (2–3, 4.67) vs. LHP Logan Darnell (0–0, 1.69) 1:05 p.m.
Sun. 5/4: RHP Chad Reineke (0–1, 5.82) vs. RHP Alex Meyer (0–0, 3.48) 1:05 p.m.
The Veterans
Rochester’s prospects may be the most exciting part of the club, but that doesn’t mean they don’t boast a veteran presence to note. Pitcher Yohan Pino is one that Louisville fans should know well from his time with the Bats last season. He pitched well in 2013, carrying a 3.26 ERA over 31 appearances, 16 of which were starts. His strikeout/walk ratio was even more impressive, as he struck out 107 and only walked 30. So far this season, Pino is following up with another strong effort. He’s 4–0 with a 1.17 ERA over six appearances, two of which have been starts.
Eduardo Nunez may ring a bell to those who happen to catch Yankee highlights every now and again, as the 26-year-old infielder has played portions of the last four seasons in the Bronx. Now he’s in the Twins organization, though he’s only played one game with Minnesota this season, and carries a .268 all-time average in 755 Major League at-bats. So far in Rochester, Nunez is hitting .259 in eight games with the Red Wings.
The final Rochester veteran to note is outfielder Chris Parmelee, who is a homegrown player in the Minnesota organization. Parmelee was the Twins’ first round draft choice in 2006, and debuted with the big league team in 2011. He’s played three seasons (186 games total) with the Twins and holds a .246 career average with 17 homers and 57 RBIs in the Major Leagues. Parmelee, still only 26 years old, is anxious to get back to the big stage, and seems to be on his way. He’s batting .326 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 24 games with the Red Wings this season.
The Prospects
We mentioned that the Twins’ system is loaded with potential Major League stars. To be exact, they have four top-100 prospects in their organization, two of which are top ten. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano steal the show as offensive players, but pitcher Alex Meyer (#45) is top-100 too, and he is a Red Wing this season.
Meyer may be of more local interest to baseball fans in Louisville, as he is a native of Greensburg, Indiana and a product of the University of Kentucky. Originally drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2011, the starter stands at a towering 6'9" and has been off to an excellent start for Rochester this season. He’s 1–0 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts, and has struck out 35 batters in 26.2 innings of work.
Fellow right-hander and starter Trevor May might not get the critical acclaim of Meyer, but he’s still listed as the number 12 prospect in a crowded bunch for the Twins by MLB.com. He’s delivered mixed results this season so far with a 1–1 record and a 4.91 ERA, but showed why he’s still a valuable asset when he 0ne-hit the Syracuse Chiefs in six scoreless innings on April 20.
Rounding out our prospect watch for the Wings is infielder Danny Santana, who is the Twins’ ninth-best prospect according to Baseball America. Santana is off to a modest start this season with a .268 average and four stolen bases, but it should be noted that this is his first year playing at the Triple-A level. Last season with Double-A New Britain, he hit an impressive .297 and stole 30 bases, both career highs.
The Ballpark
Name: Frontier Field
Opened: 1997
Capacity: 10,840
Dimensions: LF — 335 CF — 402 RF — 322
Ballpark fact: The stadium officially opened on July 11, 1996 with a concert by The Beach Boys.
Best Promotion while Bats are in town: The Fan Four Pack — Thursday — four Reserved tickets, four Zweigle’s hot dogs, four 12-oz sodas featuring Coca-Cola products, and a Yearbook with Scorecard for $32 ($36 day of game). Not a bad deal.
The City
The Bats just got done playing in New York’s second-most populous city in Buffalo, and this weekend they’ll be in the state’s third-most populous when they play in Rochester. Nicknamed the Flour (it was the largest flour-producing city in the world in 1838) and Flower (hosts the annual Lilac Festival) City, Rochester’s city motto is “Made for living”. It seems like a nice place to live, too, as it was named the third-best place to raise a family by Forbes Magazine in 2010. Rochester has also been given the title of “The World’s Image Center”, as it is home to Kodak, Bausch and Lomb and Xerox. It’s also home to the University of Rochester, which houses the Eastman School of Music, one of the finest music schools in the world.
Rochester’s Red Wings are by far the oldest professional sports organization in the city (they began play in 1899), but the city has many other pro teams to offer. The Rochester Americans (AHL) are the top affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, and Rochester is home to men’s and women’s pro soccer in the Rhinos (USL Pro) and Western New York Flash (NWSL). Finally, Rochester boasts Oak Hill Country Club, which has hosted the Ryder Cup, U.S. Open and PGA Championship.
Notable people from Rochester include famous golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, PGA legend Walter Hagen, NHL star Ryan Callahan, U.S. Women’s National team member Abby Wambach, Kodak founder George Eastman, late actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman and sports broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy.
The Bats will be back home next Monday to take on the Norfolk Tides and the Pawtucket Red Sox during an eight-game homestand. Their next road trip will take them to Norfolk, Virginia and Durham, North Carolina to take on a pair of IL south foes in the Tides and the Bulls. We’ll be back on the blog’s trip around the league on Tuesday, May 13 when Louisville hits the road again.
Until then, we’ll see you at Louisville Slugger Field.
* All stats are accurate heading into play on April 29. All prospect rankings are according to MLB.com. Prospect rankings according to Baseball America unless noted otherwise.
