Clearwater Threshers News

Piranha

Jeff Crupper — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:26:05 +0000

Once upon a time the dog played in a rock band….

requires quicktime to be installed if you do not already have it on your computer…

Scrimmage Tonight

Jeff Crupper — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:36:11 +0000

The Threshers will play the GCL Phillies in a pre-season scrimmage. It’s free to get in, but if it is like years past there will be no concessions, but for those of us die hard fans it’s the first chance to get a look at the 2011 squad. See you there.

BEANS IN THE MOVIES

Jeff Crupper — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:01:46 +0000

Cody Overbeck Interview

Jeff Crupper — Sat, 15 May 2010 04:07:53 +0000

Phuture Phillies recently got a chance to sit down with the Threshers slugging third baseman Cody Overbeck to talk with him about baseball and life. Overbeck was drafted in the ninth round of the 2008 draft out of Ole Miss after his Junior season and finished the summer of that year in Williamsport where he hit .272 and set a team record for RBIs in a season. In 2009 Cody skipped over Lakewood going to high-A Clearwater where he had an off season hitting just .230, but at Clearwater again for a second season in 2010 he has gotten off to a red hot start. We wanted to know what he thought about his season so far, how he got here today, and where he hoped to be at the end of the year.

PP: Growing up in Tennessee what was you favorite baseball team?
CO: I was originally born in southern Illinois a little more than an hour from St. Louis so everyone I knew were Cardinals fans.

PP: Who were some of your favorite players as a kid?
CO: I really liked Ozzie Smith and then later became a fan of Mark McGuire.

PP: What was it like to be drafted by the Phillies when you were taken in 2008?
CO: I didn’t think too much about being picked by any particular team going into the draft, I was just happy to get the chance to keep playing baseball and see what I could do.

PP: In 2008 you played your first season at Williamsport where you set a team record for RBIs. You had played a full college season, then all summer with the Phillies. What was that first season like?
CO: It was tough. I had a long year and then I played in the FIL (Florida Instructional League) after the season, so I didn’t get done playing baseball until the middle of October.

PP: In 2009 you skipped Lakewood and came straight to Clearwater. You played in 96 games and hit .230 with the team having a record of 67-69. How did you feel at the end of the season about how the year had gone for you?
CO: I didn’t feel good about it, I had a bad year. I don’t want to make excuses for why I did so poorly, but I had a nagging groin injury most of the year and no one here could really figure out what was going on.

PP: What did you do during the offseason last year to come back so strong this year then?
CO: I went to see my college trainer at Ole Miss during the offseason, and he knew right away what my injury was because he had seen it in another player just the year before. I had an athletic pubalgia which is kind of like a hernia. I had surgery for that back in December and I felt a lot better both physically and mentally coming into this season.

PP: What goals did you set for yourself for the 2010 season?
CO: My goal this year and every year is just to come out and do the best I can. Everyone thinks about making the all-star team or getting to double A, but those are things that I have no control over. All I can do is come out and play baseball and stay focused. If I do my best then hopefully those other things will follow, but I don’t let myself be obsessed by what does or doesn’t happen.

PP: Dusty Wathan took the Blueclaws to a League Championship last year, and many of your teammates this year were on that Lakewood squad. Is one of the team’s goals this season to repeat that in Clearwater?
CO: I don’t really think that is a stated goal, but of course we want to win. It makes it a lot more fun coming to the ballpark every day.

PP: Would it be more fulfilling for you to end the season with Clearwater and win a league championship or to move up to Reading before the season is over?
CO: I would like to get to Reading and see what I can do, but again that is out of my control. I really enjoy being around this group of guys. We have a fun team this year, so if I could stay here and win a championship with these guys or just to have a good year with this group of guys would be a lot of fun.

PP: I know playing in Florida in the summers has got to be tough. What is it like for you as a player?
CO: It’s tough, but you kind of just get used to it. The day games are the worst, and we seem to have a lot more of those this year than we had last year. The crowds are smaller, so you kind of get used to just going out and playing, but on nights when we get a good crowd it definitely makes it more fun to have the crowd behind you, especially when you’re playing in a close game.

As of the time I got to sit down and talk with Cody he leads the Florida State League and AVG., Doubles, HR, Total Bases, SLG., OPS and the team is solidly in first place with a record of 23-12 on the season. Cody is just one of many bright spots on a very talented Clearwater squad this season, and a super down to earth kid. We wish him and the rest of the team continued success.

2010 Player of the Game Awards

Jeff Crupper — Tue, 04 May 2010 02:51:26 +0000

CLICK HERE to view the 2010 Threshers Nation Player of the Game Awards. I promised myself going into the season I wouldn’t piss off any of the players this year, but some times I just can’t help myself.

Let’s just keep those losses and the associated POOPYs to a minimum so I don’t have to make any more players mad than is absolutely necessary.

A FUNNY Video about Phillies Minor Leagues

Jeff Crupper — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:42:05 +0000

Ballpark Song

Jeff Crupper — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:06:54 +0000

So they’ve been playing this song every game at the ballpark and I’ve got it stuck in my head. So here you go…now it’s stuck in yours.

Threshers Win Big in 2010 Opener!

Jeff Crupper — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:25:30 +0000

Fidel Hernadez got off to a strong start with 4 RBIs in the game, while Brian Gump and Troy Hanzawa each had 2 RBIs. Matt Rizzotti picked up the Threshers’ first HR of the year going 3-4 on the night, and Austin Hyatt held the Jays hitless going into the 7th until giving up a 2-run HR.

If you haven’t already signed up for the Threshers Nation Twitter feed go do it now to get live updates as the games happen all season. CLICK HERE for tonight’s boxscore.

The Threshers twitter feed will be my main outpost this year so go sign up now!

2010 Clearwater Threshers Roster

Jeff Crupper — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:16:34 +0000

CLICK HERE to view the roster for the 2010 Clearwater Threshers. I still have a lot of improvements to make on the look and feel of the page, but at least you get to see the players who will be in Clearwater for the 2010 campaign.

2010 Phillies Minor League Workout Groups

Jeff Crupper — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:38:46 +0000

Keep in mind that these groups, especially this first list, are very fluid. Where players are listed now is not likely to be where the player will end up playing the 2010 season for a bunch of these guys.

CLICK HERE to view the 2010 Phillies minor league workout groups. Theoretically Group 1 would be Lehigh Valley, Group 2 would be Reading, Group 3 would be Clearwater, and Group 4 would be Lakewood.

There will eventually be a Group 5 added to the list with Extended Spring Training and Williamsport guys on it as people on this list slide down the rungs over the course of Spring Training. Usually this list is updated each Mondays or Tuesday so I’ll try to post the new list each week as they become available.