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August 2, 2018 · 9:34 pm

Josh Ockimey promoted after Portland sweep

Josh Ockimey runs to cover first.

Josh Ockimey was promoted to AAA Pawtucket today

(Portland MA) I didn’t plan for it, but I was at Hadlock Field and witnessed Portland’s Josh Ockimey’s last game with the Sea Dogs.

Josh was promoted to AAA Pawtucket after Portland took two from the Erie SeaWolves on this hot Thursday afternoon.

The power-hitting 1B finished his time in Maine with a homer, double and three RBI.

Erie is the Double A farm team of Detroit. Six of their top eighteen prospects are at Erie. I missed seeing the top two (Alex Faedo #4) and Beau Burrows (#5) because they’re starters. Beau pitched the second game today but by then I was on my porch about an hour away.

Campers in the crowd

It was hot. Today was campers’ day and many camps were represented, each with their own brightly colored shirts. I wondered how many bad sunburns happened after hours in the rays. The concessions stands were very busy.

The four Tigers prospects that I did see came to them when they traded Justin Verlander to Houston, JD Martinez to Arizona, and Alex Avila to the Cubs.

Both 3B Isaac Paredes (#11) and 2B Sergio Alcantara (#18) made errors in Game One today.

I also saw CF Daz Cameron (#8) get picked off first. Catcher Jake Rogers (#10) had several balls go through him.

Trouble at 3B for Isaac Paredea

Frankly, there wasn’t much to pin your hopes on if you were a Detroit fan wondering about the team’s future.

It was the last-place Portland team that had the excellent pitching (Matt Kent) and hitting on this warm afternoon in the 9-1 first-game win.

I started the game shooting from the Erie dugout. I was hoping to eventually switch to the Portland side, but one of their players (How dare he!) was in a chair that he had set up in the photographer’s area. I considered shooting from the stands, but it was way too hot.

I switched to a small lens to get some Erie dugout shots and Josh Ockimey chose that time to hit his home run. Tough later editing action shots with tiny players in them!

Will Castro and Sergio Alcantara

One shot that I have gotten the last two times I’ve been at Hadlock is of the Portland player signing in the Concourse. Give me someone stationary and cooperative and I can usually get a good picture of them. It was relief pitcher Jordan Weems this time.

I did make connections with broadcaster Mike Antonellis before the game. He is in charge of setting up interviews. I would like to do an interview with a Sea Dogs player before the season ends in a month. I would probably have to be at Hadlock three hours early. We’ll see.

I came to Hadlock on Brighton and St. John’s. Couldn’t resist the GPS way (via Deering) on the way back. Bad idea! Too many lights and traffic. I’m thinking that I could use River Road to get straight onto Brighton.

I violated my nutritarian diet with the meal provided but not by much. The turkey wrap was tasty.

The Sea Dogs blasted four homers in the first game. Josh Ockimey, Michael Chavis, Chad De La Guerra, and Luke Tendler all went deep.

Isaac Paredes after a tough inning in the field

Two Erie dugout scenes of note. In one, the manager (?) had a player translate what he wanted to say to another player. Knowing Spanish would be absolute gold for anyone connected to teams at any level. I have heard Spanish in every A ball and AA ball dugout that I’ve been in. The other dugout scene involved 3B Isaac Paredes. The 19-year-old had two errors in the first three innings! He had his head down in the dugout afterwards for the entire half inning. No one on staff to talk to him?

Boston’s #1 prospect Michael Chavis had his first multi-hit game since he finished his 80-game suspension. His batting average is close to .200 and I can assure you that he doesn’t get cheated on his swings. Bo Bichette (New Hampshire Fisher Cats) has the same approach to batting.

I wonder if Michael will be part of the next group that moves up? Homer-hitting Bobby Dalbec could move up from A ball to join the Sea Dogs. I would have to get a look at him.

In hardly surprising news; Slugger lost. This time it was comical. Slugger tried to psych his female opponent out by getting into a ridiculous starting stance. The young lady was unimpressed. The flip-flop-wearing speedster had him in trouble at second and reached home with the big guy nowhere in sight. The idea of trying to intimidate an opponent with a weird stance needs to be closeted.

Thanks again to Chris Cameron for arranging the visit. Everyone who goes to Portland games seems to have a good time at an affordable price. And you get to see future Red Sox players such as Josh Ockimey.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Isaac Paredes

Jake Rogers

Matt Kent

Sergio Alcantara leads off first

Michael Chavis – How much longer in Portland?

Daz Cameron

Jeremy Rivera on base

Isaac Paredes

Josh Ockimey homered

Sergio Alcantara to the left

Michael Chavis takes a full cut

Michael Chavis nears third

Josh Ockimey

Luke Tendler after homer

Daz Cameron

Mitch Keller (#2 Pirates prospect) and Michael Chavis (#3 Boston prospect) in action at Portland

Pittsburgh Pirates #2 prospect Mitch Keller

Michael Chavis (Boston Red Sox #3 prospect)

I love going to Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine for a Sea Dogs game.

Why? The atmosphere is so unpretentious. There are no airs put on. The players hustle and their recognition by the fans is minimal. Top draft pick? Who cares? Let’s see some baseball played.

Today’s noon game had perfect summer weather to boot.

A big attraction at Portland is the concession stands. The smell of pizza and French fries is overwhelming. And there I am on a nutritarian diet in which such things are totally avoided!

While others fail to take note of top draft picks, I don’t. I can trace that “noticing” back to a game I covered in New Britain (CT) in 2012.

I somehow became aware that Gerrit Cole (#1 draft pick the year before) would be at the Twins former AA site representing the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Altoona team.

Shortstop Cole Tucker was the Pirates #1 pick in 2014

So I went to New Britain with a specific goal of getting a good Gerrit Cole picture. I managed that and also added shots of Brock Holt (leading Eastern League in hitting) and Aaron Hicks (New Britain outfielder).

Therefore, with that background, my latest visit to Hadlock included prospect chasing. Getting Rafael Devers earlier this summer convinced me that chances may end quickly.

Portland currently has 2014 first-rounder Michael Chavis on their roster while visiting Altoona has 2014 first-rounder Cole Tucker on theirs. Portland also has Josh Ockimey (5^th round) and Mitch Keller (2^nd round) from the same year.

Pitcher Mitch Keller was the important one. He is now the Pirates #2 prospect. He started in Bradenton this season moved to Altoona on August 4^th. He is a pitcher on the rise.

Michael Chavis is a 22-year-old third baseman for Portland. He’s rated 3^rd in the Red Sox prospect list. Where Michael fits into the Boston team of the future is a bit of a mystery.

Cole Tucker is ranked fifth by the Pirates and is a shortstop.

Josh Ockimey is Boston’s #10 prospect.

I had my first look at Boston’s Josh Ockimey. The tall first baseman has not been in AA very long. He’s rated the 10^th Red Sox prospect.

I have now seen Michael Chavis twice. His ability put in quality at-bats reminds me of Rafael Devers. Neither player seems to be over-matched by pitching and both can hit the ball hard. I did not have the same vibes last summer with Yoan Moncada. Way too many swings-and-misses and that still seems to be the case for Yoan.

Another player who has impressed me during my recent Hadlock visits is outfielder Danny Mars. Again, trying to imagine an outfield future in Boston with the young B’s strongly entrenched is a stretch but you never know. Danny plays the position well and is hitting over .300 in his full season in Portland. I figure him for Pawtucket in 2018.

The star of the game I saw Thursday was Portland pitcher Trey Ball. Trey was a RS first-rounder in 2013. He looked exactly like he deserved to be that high pick with a 9-strikeout, 7-inning performance in Portland’s 2-0 win. It was likely the lefty’s best effort of the year.

The Big Event for me is always Slugger’s race against the very young. I continue to believe that a win is in his future and I want to be there when it happens.

As today’s race unfolded I couldn’t help but think that Slugger’s life-long losing streak was about to end. The big guy blazed around second leading by five yards. Around first he went on the final stretch still in good shape. But suddenly the big fellah ran out of gas. Too fast a start, I suspect. He just wilted near the first-base box and hit the ground. Meanwhile, the opponent, who was so young he had to be guided by a staff member, kept a race-long even pace and won easily. What’s the problem? It was a bit warm but it is obvious that Slugger is spending too much time walking the aisles of Hadlock greeting fans. His legs were shot by the time the race took place. An earlier race start would improve Slugger’s chances. Maybe my hero is being set up to lose every time? That would be outrageous.