Everything you need to know about Toledo
Louisville Bats baseball is finally here.
The Bats open the 2014 season today up north in the Buckeye State when they face off against a familiar foe in the Toledo Mud Hens. Last season, the Mud Ducks were in Louisville for opening night and Tony Cingrani’s stellar outing led to a 4–3 Bats victory.
This season on The Bats Signal, we will bring you previews of upcoming road series that feature the opponent, their ballpark and their city. It’s great to know the players on the diamond opposite the Bats, and we’ll be sure to dive in to that end. With that said, you never know when you’ll need to know the fun facts, which we’ll try to include as well.
So, without further ado, here’s the first “Everything you need to know” of the season, featuring the Toledo Mud Hens and Toledo, Ohio.
The Veterans
Toledo has a host of familiar faces that fans in the International League may recognize. The first is Mike Hessman, who was a Louisville Bat in 2013. The Bats will certainly miss his power (25 home runs last season) and veteran leadership in the clubhouse, but Hessman returns to Toledo after spending five seasons there earlier in his career. We can’t speak for Toledo, but he seems to be their version of Louisville’s Corky Miller.
Jordan Lennerton returns to the Hens for a second season after being a Futures Game selection and an IL mid-season All-Star in 2013. He hit .278 with 17 homers for Toledo last season, sporting an on-base percentage of .382.
On the mound, Major League veteran reliever Nate Robertson joins the Mud Hens’ bullpen. He hasn’t seen big league action since 2010 when he pitched for the Florida Marlins. Last season, he went 4–4 with a 3.04 ERA with Triple-A Round Rock in the Texas Rangers organization.
The Prospects
LHP Robbie Ray headlines the list of prospects that will play for Toledo this season. Listed as the №2 prospect in the Detroit organization, Ray came over to the Tigers in the deal that sent Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals in December. He was 5–2 with a 3.72 ERA with Double-A Harrisburg last season, and 2014 will be the first Triple-A season of his career.
Likely to be behind the plate to handle the catching duties will be catcher James McCann, the №9 prospect on the Tigers’ list. Like many catchers, his better-than-average defense is what makes him a top prospect, but he hasn’t been bad at the plate either. McCann hit .277 with Double-A Erie last season, and scouts say that his bat could be close to average by the time he’s ready to make the jump to the Major Leagues.
Second baseman Hernan Perez comes in at №10 in the Detroit organization, but already made his Major League debut in 2012 as a 21-year-old. Last season, he appeared in 34 games for the Tigers and hit for a .197 average. In the minors, however, he hit a combined .301 in 103 games with Erie and Toledo and stole 28 bases.
The Ballpark
Name: Fifth Third Field
Opened: 2002
Capacity: 8,943
Dimensions: LF — 320' CF — 412' RF — 315'
Ballpark fact: The “Fifth Third Field Fanatic Freeze Sundae” was named ‘Best Concession Item’ by MiLB.com in 2013
The City
Toledo is the origin of multiple large glass companies in the United States like Owens Corning and Libbey Glass. It’s no surprise, then, that the city’s nickname is the Glass City. The University of Toledo Rockets football team even plays in the Glass Bowl. The city is also home to Tony Packo’s Cafe, a restaurant that was made famous by Toledo native Jamie Farr on the hit television show M*A*S*H. Other notable natives of Toledo are actress Katie Holmes and platinum-selling R&B artist Lyfe Jennings.
First pitch in Toledo is scheduled for 4 p.m. as LHP Jeff Francis takes the mound for the Bats against Mud Hens LHP Kyle Lobstein. You can find full game information by clicking on the “game notes” tab at the top of the blog. We’ll be back with information on the Bats’ next road stop, Columbus, Ohio, on Monday.
