Posts Tagged ‘Tony Mansolino’

The Dominican Republic has been a longtime hotbed for Major League Baseball talent. The Cleveland Indians are aware of the trend and their short-season affiliate, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers currently have eight players on their roster who call the Dominican Republic home.  One of these young men, Charlie Valerio, is really enjoying the chance and getting by just fine with everything, except, well, interviews.

While trying to interview Valerio, we came across that frequently crossed path of language difficulty.  Hunter Jones did his best to serve as interpreter (below) and I thought the interview went well, all things considered.  The ending impression you should take away about Valerio is that he is a very happy-go-lucky and free-spirited person who wants to get better and is willing to work hard to get there.

Paneech:  Which Dominican players do you admire that are currently playing in the majors?

Valerio: Carlos Santana.  I like the way he plays the game when he is hitting and catching.  He is very aggressive and I like the way he plays the game.  I think that Manny Ramirez was the best hitter to come from the Dominican Republic.

Paneech:  You have many choices of places to eat here.  What is your favorite place and do you have those choices in the Dominican Republic?

Valerio:  No, there are no restaurants there, I ate a lot of my mother’s home-cooked meals.  She made a lot of good dishes with rice, chicken, and beans.  I like Chipotle and have eaten there a couple of times.  I get the bowl with the chicken, rice, guacamole, cheese, and beans.

Paneech:  Are the fields you played on at home as nice as this field?

Valerio:  It is really the same, the field is nice, the big difference is that we didn’t have all the seating and bleachers that we have here.

Paneech:  You are married.  How difficult is it for you to be married and away from your wife?

Valerio:  It is very difficult.  I have a daughter too that I love with all of my heart.  I try to communicate with them every day.  I miss them both all of the time, she will be coming here in a month.

Paneech:  How far can you see yourself going with this whole baseball life?

Valerio:  I am working very hard to play in the Major Leagues someday.  I am enjoying the fans and I sign autographs all of the time.  I am getting used to these new people I am meeting on this team.  I am friends with people now like Hunter [Jones].

Paneech:   When the game is over at night, what do you like to go home and do?

Valerio:  I don’t play video games (laughs).  I watch Sportscenter every night.  I will also text and talk with my wife and talk with my mother.

Paneech:  What do you like to drink?

Valerio:  I like Red Gatorade!

Paneech:  What could you hope for for yourself and your new teammates this season?

Valerio:  I would be happy if my friends make it.  When my teammates are having a bad day, it hurts my heart.  Even if I have three hits, it hurts me if one of them have a bad day and do not get a hit.  We all want to do well and want to win, but most of us want each other to do well too.

Paneech:  Which current Scrapper that you did not know have you gotten close with?

Valerio:  Hunter Jones has become a good friend.  I have gotten closer with him faster than all of the American players.  All of the Spanish-speaking players sort of hang together because we can communicate better.  It isn’t because we don’t get along, but we are kind of grouping to understand each other, where maybe we can’t always understand a player who does not speak the same language.

Paneech:  Talk about your coaches.

Valerio:  Coach Ted Kubiak is very good, a good manager.  Coach Mansolino is a very good hitting coach and I am enjoying working with them.  Coach Hibbard is a joker, very funny man,  and keeps things fun when we need that sometimes.

Valerio says the speed of the game is much faster here, but he is doing all he can to adapt.  He is always smiling, win or lose, but more when the Scrappers are winning.  The free agent signed in 2011 and is really enjoying the experience of a new culture, a big opportunity to fulfill his childhood dreams, and a lifestyle he had never known.  It is hard not to root for Charlie Valerio.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are having a problem that hitting coach Tony Mansolino informally addressed during a between innings chat with me in the home dugout.

“We need to start hitting”, said Mansolino.

Two-and-a-half hours later, and two hits later, the Scrappers assistant coach had a validated concern, the Scrappers are simply not hitting.

In the second inning, Williamsport took a 1-0 lead.  Larry Greene singled up the middle and advanced to third base on a force at first.  Greene would later cross the plate when Mitch Walding also singled to center.

Mahoning Valley tied the game in their half of the second.  Joseph Wendle walked with one out and advanced to third on a Hunter Jones single.  Crosscutters starter Delvin Perez balked allowing Wendle a jog home.

Crosscutters Manager Andy Tracy was ejected in the middle of the second inning.  Tracy argued that his player got back to third before the Scrappers Joe Sever caught a line drive and dove to the third base bag.  The umpire made the out call for the inning ending double play and Tracy hit the field running.  A few minutes later, to the pleasure of the Eastwood Field crowd, Tracy walked toward the showers.

Scrapper starter Robbie Aviles did well to get himself out of a couple of jams and left the game after throwing five complete innings.  Aviles threw 57 pitches (30 strikes), gave up one earned run on five hits, walked one and did not record a strikeout.

Williamsport greeted new Scrapper hurler, Josh Martin with quick problems.  Christopher Serritella, the first Crosscutter batter of the inning, hit a home run to right  to give his team a lead of 2-1.  Martin recovered well and struck out the last six batters he faced  to keep Williamsport within reach.

Through eight innings, the Scrappers were held to just two hits.  Williamsport was doing a good job mixing locations and speeds to Scrapper hitters.  The results were a lot of fly outs and routine groundouts.

Nicholas Hanson earned the win for Williamsport.  Zach Cooper pitched the ninth to earn the save.

 

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers coaches will tell you that development is the key to being a successful Low-A short season franchise in the New York-Penn League. The players, who have played to win for several years, feel as though if they are winning, they are developing in some way.  Both schools of thought are correct.  2011 saw some pretty good talent blow through Eastwood Field.  The only favorites to return each season are the coaches because this is a make or break level.  The players are question marks.  Many will find their way to Lake County, some will go back to Arizona, and some will be working 9-5 jobs back home.

The postseason was a goal that will not be reached this season.  If management had to play these games to win, the Scrappers would be in the playoffs, and that is not criticism, it is a statement that they are doing their jobs the right way.  When guys get sent to Mahoning Valley games for rehab assignments, or the #1 Draft Pick, Francisco Lindor, signs with a week left, David Wallace has to shuffle his cards at the last minute.  Developmental or not, it throws a wrench into the chemistry.  Staten Island had many second year players, they are in the playoffs.

Why am I spewing all of this out?  Because the Scrappers were in it until the end and that says a lot about the values of Wallace and his staff.  There are no second year players on the current roster, not one.  These guys were still learning each others names into June and showed the promise that the Indians front office would have hoped for.  Greg Hibbard and Tony Mansolino are a part of a great staff with Wallace leading the way.  It didn’t matter if the Scrappers won by ten or lost by six, Wallace always gave a cordial and precise interview after the game, with a smile on his face.

On Wednesday, Mahoning Valley played their next to last home game of the regular season against Williamsport and fell 6-2.  Hector Rondon (above) was brought in to make a start.  Rondon had Tommy John surgery and was making his first start of the year.  Last season, the rightie threw a no-hitter at Akron and was on the fast-track before falling prey to injury. He threw one inning before giving way to Will Roberts.

The Scrappers tied the game in the bottom of the second on a Cody Elliott single that plated Alex Lavisky.

Williamsport opened the offense with a pair of runs in the the fourth to take a 3-1 lead with RBI’s from Cody Asche and Brock Stassi. Todd Hankins pulled the Scrappers to a one-run deficit with a blast to left in the bottom of the fourth.

The Crosscutters chased Roberts in the top of the sixth with a couple more runs to take a 5-2 lead.  Roberts was tagged with the loss after his 59 pitch effort.  Ethan Stewart picked up the win for Williamsport.

So as the curtain drops on another successful season in Niles, recognition must be given to people who have gone over and above.  Jordan Taylor and his staff worked hard around the year to make these game nights special for those in attendance.  The vendors, Grant Tunkel, the grounds crew, and the suite crews all worked very hard.  The Scrapper Backers are an unselfish group of people who make things happen.  Their tireless efforts go by unrecognized far too often.

Players to watch from this class are Tony Wolters, Todd Hankins, Jake Lowery and Will Roberts.  Jordan Smith can be fantastic but he didn’t hit a home run all season (yet) and he is too big not too.  Bryson Myles also showed flashes of brilliance when healthy but either needs to be a leadoff hitter, where he can work on his bunt, or swing away and continue to develop as a hitter.

The players who have to be disappointed with the 2011 season are Jerrud Sabourin, Alex Lavisky, and KC Serna.  Lavisky came in hyped up and probably would be at Lake County if he put up some consistent numbers.  Sabourin is a terrific defensive first baseman who could not catch a break with the stick all year.  He can turn the corner if he sticks with it.  Serna was Wallace’s biggest surprise through the All-Star Break but has played sparingly since.  I believe that Serna has a good future in baseball, but just got frazzled in August and was a non-factor.

Cleveland Indians fans, meet Tony Wolters.  He is a shortstop who is doing it with, both, the glove and the bat for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.  Wolters missed time last season due to injury after being selected by the Indians in the third round of the 2010 Draft.  So far in 2011, he has not disappointed.  Hustle and dedication are two intangibles that cannot be taught.  Wolters runs out every ball, no matter how routine of a play it looks like.  He is a quiet guy with a big smile who signs plenty of autographs for the fans after home games.  Learn the name, he is Cleveland’s shortstop of the future.

Paneech: Growing up in California, were you a Padres, Dodgers, Giants, or Angels fan?

Wolters: I was a Padre fan.  We use to constantly go to the games when they used to play at Qualcom Park.  My dad would always get tickets in the outfield right on the edge, those were his favorites.  The first player I was always watching was Tony Gwynn.  I try to pattern myself after him from a hitting standpoint.  My dad always tells me a 180-foot hit will get you there, keep doing those.  So Gwynn was my idol.  I was amazed with Khalil Greene at shortstop because he made some special plays and I tried to mock him and even went as far as wearing my pants the way he did, and I grew my hair out because he had long hair.  I liked Mark Loretta a lot too while he was there.  Once they moved to Petco, we started going there too.  I actually got to play at Petco for the Afflac game, it was an awesome and great experience for me.

Paneech: When you are here in Niles, Ohio, there is about a six foot radius around the mall with some nice restaurants but no beach, no Disney, no mountains.  There isn’t really as much to do, does that free your mind to think baseball?

Wolters: I love the game of baseball and feel truly lucky to play every day.  If I strike out, I get mad, but then I think myself down that I am so, so lucky to be doing what I am doing on a day-to-day basis.  Baseball was my first sport, I also played hockey, and very little, but some soccer.  Hockey was my first sport and then I fell in love with baseball.  It came easy, but as I progress it gets harder.  I have to get in the right mindset everyday and find my swing.  I love the challenge and feel like over the next few years, I want to develop into the best possible player that I can become.

Paneech: Coach Wallace and others before him say that this is a developmental league and the wins are nice but winning and losing are outweighed by progress of individual players.  What are your feelings on winning versus going 0-5 in a win?

Wolters: All of the players on this team want to win.  A lot of it is development, as far as learning how to be a winner at this level.  When we lose, nobody should have a smile on their face and be goofing around.  We want to win.  We want to get to the playoffs and win the whole thing.  We see it as getting better everyday, and secondly, winning as a team.

Paneech: You are in the 2011 Bowman Baseball Card Set.  How do you get into that process and are there other contracts for you?

Wolters: It all goes through my agent, and I really don’t know all of the aspects of it.  Every year you have a card that comes out at some level.  At extended Spring training, I took about five hours to autograph the cards of myself as part of the agreement.  (** Bowman Baseball inserted autographs into packs randomly in 2011.  There are 500 Wolters Autos, plus 150 Blue, and 50 Gold randomly inserted in the whole print run**).  The other contracts, I can’t really talk about right now.

Paneech: Last year you were injured and missed a lot of time.  What was going through your mind when you were drafted by the Indians?

Wolters: I was at breakfast and missed school that day.  I wasn’t expecting a call or anything and was kind of sad.  My dad looks at his phone and says ‘hey, you just got drafted by the Cleveland Indians’.  I was like ‘really?’  Right after that, I got a call from the scout.  I was really not expecting the Indians to pick me.  Ironically, I played for a team called the Indians when I was in Little League, and my father just happened to be wearing his old Indians shirt.  The Cleveland Indians were like the only team in the majors that I didn’t talk to much before the draft.  It was kind of a boring Summer.  I did go play for Team USA in 2010.  When I first got to Arizona, I was so excited, and I am loving it right now.

Paneech: What is it like playing for Coach Wallace and Coach Mansolino?

Wolters: It is awesome.  They both know so much about baseball.  I have learned so much physically, as well as, mentally.  I am working hard on my mental side and they are guiding me through it.  CoachWallace always comes to me and drops pointers of things that I need to work on.  Coach Manso has done good things for my hitting.  We butt heads sometimes, but that is how you learn.  They haven’t coached much, but I feel like they have.

Paneech: Sometimes when you bat, you lay the bat across the box (above), is it alignment or superstition?

Wolters: I am measuring how far I am from the plate.  If I don’t see where I step in, I do it.  I am very superstitious.  If I have a bad game, I can’t wear the same sliders, and I have to wear different socks, different things on my wrists, or rearrange the order of what is on my wrists.  I have to go out earlier to change the rhythm.  I do everything different until the right combination of things work, and if they work, I stick with them.  If they don’t then I change things some more.

Paneech: So if you go five-for-five tonight, what time do I have to come back and interview you tomorrow?

Wolters: (laughs) You are totally obligated to do that.

** Wolters went 5-6, and was 5-5 until his last at-bat the day of this game.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal of The Day: Dinner.

Favorite Thing To Drink: Always Water.

Favorite TV Show: ESPN Sportscenter.

Favorite College Football Team: USC.

Favorite Baseball Team Still The Padres? I can’t say that (laughs).

Musical Preference: Starting to like Country.

Song on Your ipod That People Would Be Surprised By: Baby by Justin Bieber.

Best Friend On The Team: Jake Lowery.

Favorite Candy: Sour Patch Kids.

Fast Food Order: Chipotle, Chicken Burrito with rice, no beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and medium salsa.

Favorite Cartoon Character: Tasmanian Devil.

** Top Photo Courtesy of Jesse Piecuch.

Just an hour into their game against the Auburn Doubledays, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers had to be scratching their heads and wondering who poisoned their food before the game.  After three innings, the scoreboard pretty much told the story (above).  The Scrappers played better after the first three disastrous innings but never got enough traction to get back into the game, ultimately losing, 10-1.

Auburn finished the game with ten hits and the Scrappers with seven errors.  Tony Wolters had three of the errors and could not make the plays he has made all year at short.  The fans sarcastically cheered in the seventh inning when Wolters made a routine play.  Not to worry Indians and Scrappers fans, he is the real deal, he just had one of those nights.

Starter Danny Jimenez struggled with his control at times and when he was able to throw strikes, the Doubledays either found holes or were given gift base runners.  Jimenez is a good pitcher and will have better starts.  Not to worry Indians and Scrappers fans, he is the real deal, he just had one of those nights.

A heckler sitting right in front of the press box made the comment that if he wanted to see this style of baseball he would go home and watch little league.  Haha… I think he was on the Muppet Show in the balcony twenty years ago and someone gave him a free ticket to the Scrappers game.  The moral of the paragraph is that one night and one loss will not cripple this team.  They will play harder tomorrow.  Not to worry Indians and Scrappers fans, they are the real deal,they just had one of those nights.

David Wallace is too good of a manager and his support staff of Greg Hibbard and Tony Mansolino have been around long enough to convince a bunch of young guys that they are way better than they played.  Wallace has preached to these guys all year not to look back and to develop not regress.  He has the composure of someone who has been managing for decades, yet he is a rookie.  Not to worry Indians and Scrappers fans, they are the real deal,they just had one of those nights.

Wallace (above), talked about his team’s uncharacteristic performance.  “They want to put this one behind themselves and forget about it pretty quick.  It really was one of those nights. We got off to a bad start and it just snowballed on us.  One thing I didn’t like was that if we are going to make mistakes, I want them to be aggressive mistakes.  I think some of the mistakes we saw tonight were passive and that is what bothers me. There wasn’t much positive to take from this one.  I think they were embarrassed out there tonight and they don’t need me to tell them about it.”

On the bright side, Scrappers pitchers recorded 12 strikeouts. RP Nate Striz had four strikeouts in relief, and Grant Sides struck out the side in the ninth.

These two teams meet again tomorrow night at Eastwood Field.  Expect a much different result.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers offense had been pretty potent all season.  State College came into Wednesday’s contest in the basement of the NYPL Pinckney Division, nine games behind the Scrappers.  The Scrappers entered the game in a three-way tie for first. The Scrappers fought and clawed their way back from a two-run ninth inning deficit to tie the game, but a Carlos Mesa home run gave State College a hard fought 5-4 victory in ten innings.

The Spikes recorded the first run of the game in the first inning.  Chris Lashmet hit an RBI single knocking in Walter Gourley.  The Spikes made it 3-0 in the fourth when Scrapper starter Danny Jimenez uncorked a wild pitch allowing Carlos Mesa to score.  Jimenez went 5 1/3 innings for the Scrappers.

Alex Lavisky (below) got the Scrappers on the board with a solo home run in the fifth.  For Lavisky it was his third home run and he seems to be swinging the bat much better in the last couple of weeks.

State College looked like a different team than they had their first four games this season at Eastwood Field (0-4).  Their pitching kept Scrapper hitters off-balance for most of the game and they played well as a team.  The Scrappers did not do well with situational hitting and just couldn’t seem to get into the rhythm that they have performed at most of this season until the ninth inning.

Todd Hankins hit a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning.  Hankins crushed the Mike Jefferson offering over the visitor bullpen fence clearing the back wall, which is about fifteen feet high.  The Hankins dinger made it a two-run game and hope was still alive.

The Scrappers threatened in the eighth inning when John Barr had a one-out single.  State College went to the bullpen and brought in Emmanuel De Leon to face the potential tying runs, Lavisky and Hankins who both homered earlier in the game.  Lavisky flew out to left, just getting under one.  Hankins grounded out to second, end of the threat.

In the ninth inning, Tony Wolters (above) knocked in Jerrud Sabourin, who walked on four pitches to start the ninth.  Jake Lowery hit a mammoth sac fly to deep center to bring home Cody Elliott and tie the game.  In the top of the tenth, Carlos Mesa blasted one over the left field wall to put State College back in front, 5-4.

In the bottom of the tenth, Lavisky started the inning with a single and was bunted to second by Hankins.  The Spikes brought in reliever Vince Payne to face Sabourin.  The Scrapper first baseman lined out to short.  Aaron Siliga stepped in with two outs but flew out to center.

Will Krasne took the loss for the Scrappers.  These two teams will travel to State College and play three more times over the next three days.

Being at most home Mahoning Valley Scrappers games is enjoyable for the most part.  I have been blessed to meet some very good people and have a great time reporting what I am watching on the field.  I had an experience this past Tuesday however, that I will not forget anytime soon.  It involved filling in for Craig Antush, the official scorekeeper at the lions share of Scrapper home games.

It all started when Heather Sahli, who works for the Scrappers personnel department, asked me if I would be able to keep the book on Monday.  Former GM, Dave Smith, was asked but did not reply.  Having kept the book as a coach for years while I coached Pony League Baseball, I figured the numbers have not changed and it would not be a problem.  About three days later, I got a thank you-but never mind- e-mail because Smith did call back saying he would be able to do the duty.

The next day, I get an e-mail saying that YSU Sports Information Director, Trevor Parks, who was supposed to do the book on Sunday and Tuesday, was unable to show due to a family matter.  At this point, I was asked to fill in on those two days.  I obliged, how hard could it be?

Mr. Antush left a detailed set of directions in the press box.  The first interesting thing I had to do was give a weather report to Minor League Baseball via telephone an hour and a half before the game.  When I called, I introduced myself to a guy named Jeff who seemed less than thrilled to be working on a Sunday.  I introduced myself and gave him the starting lineups for both teams.  He then asked me how the weather was.  I told him it was “nice outside today”.  Mistake #1 – The man wanted to know how hard the wind was blowing and from which direction.  After that he needed a temperature and a general forecast.  OK, once I was done being Don Guthrie, I had an hour and a half to kill before the first pitch.

Once Sunday’s game started, I realized that I was charting pitches, counting balls and strikes, and doing the official book.  Every half inning a call was to be made to “Jeff” to give him the results for each batter that inning.  I also had to watch for substitutions and pitching changes.  After seven total runs were scored by both teams in the first inning, I knew I was in for it.

With that being said, the rest of Sunday’s game went smooth.  I waited for the box score in the pressroom, as my instructions said to do.  Looking at my directions sheet, it clearly said to leave four copies in the pressbox for media, and to bring three copies to the visiting clubhouse, then three to the Scrappers clubhouse.  No problems, no objections, no mistakes – mission accomplished, and I was 50% through it.

Tuesday was the third game of a series with State College.  The Scrappers rolled the first two games and State College was struggling, sitting in last place of the divisional standings.  I settled in early, played Al Roker again, and geared up for the first pitch.  Then the fun started.

In the first inning of the Sunday game, Alex Lavisky was up with runners on first and second, one out.  Lavisky hit a towering pop-up about 20 feet behind the first baseman.  The second baseman was sliding over, the right fielder was charging, the first baseman was retreating, and the sun was bright.  The second baseman came close to catching the pop, but dropped it.  Mistake #2 – I ruled it a base hit. This drew criticism from nearly everyone in the press box, I just felt he was battling too many things to make a catch, so I ruled it a hit.

In the very next inning, Todd Hankins was batting.  He hit a lazy bloop of a one hopper to the second baseman.  The fielder chose to back up and play the ball on a more natural arc off of its hop.  He booted the ball.  Mistake #3 – E4.  Nobody groveled over this one until after the game.  The rest of the game was a scorekeepers nightmare complete with about six more errors, a rundown, balls hitting the backstop, and substitutions galore.

When the game ended, I called Jeff, who still sounded like he got woken up when the phone rang.  I gave him the attendance, time of game, and other useful things he needed.  I got the box scores from Grant Tunkel and headed toward the clubhouse.  When I entered the State College locker room, the coaches were tucked in a corner.  I politely said, “Excuse me, here are the box scores, I will wait if you want to look them over”.  (Keep in mind, they just got swept.)  One of the coaches was eating a piece of chicken with his shirt off.  Another was hammering away at a laptop on a chair, and a third was staring at the lights or something on the ceiling the whole time I was in there.  The intense laptop user asked me how I could have awarded a base hit to Lavisky.  I pleaded my case about the sun, the other fielders, the non-routine elements of the play. He scowled. Mistake #4 – Never debate a coach on a ruling.

After I was told I was wrong by the State College Staff, I entered the Mahoning Valley locker room to discuss the objection with David Wallace, Greg Hibbard, and Tony Mansolino.  They agreed, it was an error, not a hit.  I immediately called to awaken Jeff again to tell him of my error, being an error, and not a hit.  He scowled.

Once that was done and I thought I could go home, Coach Wallace said, we want to question a call you made on Hankins’ grounder to second.  We feel he was fast enough to beat that out, even if it was fielded cleanly.  Fair enough.  So I had to go back into the State College locker room.  Coach Laptop was still mad at my first visit when I got in there.  I told them what the problem was, they debated for a moment then agreed that I could score that a hit instead of an error.  I got the joy of calling Jeff at Castle Grayskull yet again.  Mistake #5 – Call all objections in at once.  Jeff scowled again.

I would do it again in a pinch, but the nightmare I had behind the mall that night took about eight hours off of my life.  Back to doing what I can handle.  Welcome back, Craig!

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have undergone a few changes from last season to this season.  One of the big personnel moves was bringing in David Wallace to be the new manager, replacing Travis Fryman.  Wallace has been, for the most part, in the Cleveland Indians organization his whole career at some capacity but this is his first stint as a frontman.  So far, the new skipper has put up very good signs that he is plenty capable of not only managing his team, but also making personnel decisions, dealing with the media, and keeping positive.  After the first two Scrapper home losses, Wallace was still smiling and optimistic.  The Indians have made a very good choice with Wallace, but many of the fans do not know much about him, so this interview was conducted to better understand Wallace and what makes him tick.

Paneech: I was reading through your biography page and saw that your title last year was “Assistant to The Staff“.  What exactly did you do?

Wallace: That is just a glorified name for a bullpen catcher.  Being the bullpen catcher was a good transitional role for me to go from playing into coaching and to get some valuable experience that I was not able to get as a player.  I was there to do whatever they needed me to do, and during the games, I was in the bullpen warming guys up.

Paneech: Were you assigned to help catchers or relief pitchers, or was it a combination of both?

Wallace: A little bit of both. Before the games, I would alternate turns in the cage throwing batting practice and then during the games, I would catch in the bullpen.  I was there and able to watch Sandy Alomar [Indians First Base Coach] and Manny [Acta] and all of his guys work with the players.  I would ask questions like “Why was this decision made?”, and would learn from what they did.

Paneech: Was it your decision to bring in Greg Hibbard as a pitching coach and Tony Mansolino as a hitting coach or are those guys assigned to you?

Wallace: They are assigned, the front office in Cleveland puts together all of the coaching staffs in the minors.  I had Greg as a pitching coach when I was a player in two different seasons.  We already had a good working relationship together.  Tony, I met a while back in Nashville at Vanderbilt.  We never played together there, but had met each other through mutual friends.  Our families have been in town, and the three of us will sit there after games and start talking about different things we saw.  Before you know it an hour or two has passed and our families are still waiting for us.

Paneech: Have you talked to Travis Fryman about the Scrappers and what maybe worked or didn’t work for him while he was here?

Wallace: Oh yeah.  Travis has been huge for me. I have had multiple conversations with him from Spring training and on the phone.  He has been a huge help as I tried to get ready for a very hectic first week.  We are signing guys, moving guys to Lake County, moving guys to Arizona, and trying to work the guys we have here.  I was familiar with the area because I played here for the Scrappers in 2002, but the area has changed a lot since then, and he has been a tremendous advisor in that regard too.  He is a guy I will continue to lean on and ask questions, not only about baseball, but also about life, because he is a great life coach as well.

Paneech: Why and how did your playing career end?

Wallace: In 2008, I was in Triple A with the Nationals, Cleveland had traded me there.  I was backing up their catcher and there was actually a better opportunity for me to get some playing time in the Washington farm system, which at that time, was in Columbus.  The Indians traded me there, kind of as a favor, so I could get more playing time.  I didn’t get called up there and felt in my heart that it was time to move on.  I think I could have hung around, and maybe in a year, the planets might have all aligned, and I would have gotten called up for a cup of coffee.  At that point it would have been tough to put together a solid career as a player.  I talked with Ross Atkins [Cleveland Indians Developer of Player Personnel] about this opportunity and to go into the coaching and player development part of this.  I miss playing, but I don’t regret my decision.

Paneech: Is this a big change from your hometown of Jacksonville?

Wallace: I don’t feel like it is really that big of a change for me.  I played long enough that I know what to expect.  I have spent more time in Ohio at Cleveland, here, Lake County, Columbus, and Akron, than I have in the five years I have been in Jacksonville.  It’s a bigger adjustment for players coming from the West Coast.

Paneech: Past coaches have had things that they could not tolerate.  For example, Tim Laker couldn’t tolerate the media, Travis Fryman couldn’t tolerate showboating and one-upmanship. What is it that you will not tolerate?

Wallace: (laughs)  I would say lack of respect.  Whether it is a lack of respect for the game, which has given us all so much, or lack of respect for teammates and staff, or anyone that you come across.  No one person is better than the others and that includes me, and I tell the players that.  That would be the one thing, a lack of respect,  that I will not put up with.

One Word Answers:

Favorite Meal of The Day: Breakfast.

Favorite Non-Sports Show On TV: This is embarrassing, but Glee.

Best Baseball Movie Ever Made: Bull Durham.

Biggest Phobia: Frogs.

Favorite Vacation Destination: Home, but I would like to go back to New Zealand.

Junk Food: Junior Mints.

Worst Habit: Not making the bed.

Favorite Musician: George Strait.  I love country music.

Animal At The Zoo You Most Resemble: Hopefully, a lion.

Prediction For The Season: I stay away from predicting wins.  I will, however, predict that we go out and play hard every night.

There is one predictable group of people you can never expect to see return to Eastwood Field from year-to-year, the players.  Some Mahoning Valley Scrappers get promoted during the season, some are reassigned for better or for worse, and some are no longer in the Major League Baseball system anymore.  Because the Scrappers are a short-season, Low-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, they usually get the majority of the Tribes draft picks from less than two weeks ago.  You can have a favorite player, but usually only for a year, then you have to wait to find out who your new favorite Scrapper will be next season.

There are three returning Scrappers from last season on the 2011 roster.  Kevin Fontanez (waiving in yellow shirt, top photo) was only 19 last season and got some valuable experience at second base.  Moises Montero battled injuries and played through probably more pain than he should have last season.  Kirk Wetmore, a 2009, 11th round draft pick, was in the starting rotation for awhile last season but struggled down the stretch.  All three of these players are promotable but have been kept as Scrappers to continue to develop.

“I worked out hard in the offseason and feel like I can really have a good year”, commented Montero.  “Last season, I was pretty banged up and toughed it out, but I was not one-hundred percent for most of the season.”

Then the unexpected new faces started popping up everywhere.  Travis Fryman accepted a promotion to be a roving instructor for the Indians.  This opened the door for new head coach, David Wallace (above), a former Scrapper himself.  I admired the way Fryman played in his day, but I really took a liking to his personality and managing style over the past two seasons.  Wallace has very big shoes to fill.

Wallace brings Greg Hibbard on as a pitching coach and Tony Mansolino to be his new hitting coach.  Hibbard pitched in the majors for six seasons, mostly with the Chicago White Sox.  Gone is pitching coach Ken Rowe, a legend in the press box for his 45 second walks to the mound, the 8 seconds of dialogue he would give the pitcher, and the fifty-five second return flight back to the dugout.

Jordan Taylor also has big shoes to fill as the new general manager.  Taylor, who learned plenty under the guidance of former GM Dave Smith, is capable of doing great work with his staff.  He has already been very accessible, as Smith was, to any requests or questions anyone has posed.

If you catch the games on the radio, you will not hear last years voice of the Scrappers, Dave Lubich, anymore.  His internship is over making way for newcomer Grant Tunkel.  Tunkel had some good experience with the Jamestown Jammers last season and should be an entertaining play-by-play announcer for the Scrappers.

One constant thing that has not changed in 13 years is the Scrappers Backers Club.  With colorful personalities like Larry Snyder and Gail Drushel (below, with microphone) leading the way, the Scrappers Backers do so many good things behind the scenes.  It might be the hardest working fund-raising bunch in sports.

Wednesday evening the Scrappers Backers gave scholarships to Hayley Goist of Columbiana, Richard Selep of Southington Chalker, Taylor Ward and Aaron Oblisk from Sebring.  They also held a picnic for all season ticket holders, Scrappers Backers members, and the 2011 roster of coaches and players.  There was a silent auction, an autograph session, and an introduction of all team members and coaches.  The neat part was watching the players interact, most of them only seeing each other for a few minutes to that point.

The Scrappers kick off the 2011 season at home Friday night against Jamestown, which happens to be fireworks night as well.  Should be a packed house for the opener!  Call the box office for ticket availability at 330-505-0000.