High Heels On The Field

UConn Huskies Captain Billy Ferriter Puts Words To Action

When Billy Ferriter was just a boy, he was known for the same things he's becoming known for now.

"He's always been the way he is," said Ferriter's one-time Nashua High School South baseball coach Bill Neverrett. "He was always a really good athlete. But he really kept to himself. He was good in school and very respectful. But he was a quiet leader."

Not much changed after Ferriter left high school to attend the University of Connecticut, playing for the Huskies. But what he lacked in communication, he more than made up for on the field. It is, surely, what has led to him being a second-year captain (the senior was again named captain for 2013). Still, he is making strides in that area.

"I'm learning to be a more vocal leader. I've always tried to lead by example, but being vocal is important. It's tough, because I've always been a quiet guy," Ferriter said.

Coach Neverrett fondly remembers having both Billy and his brother, Chris, as their physical education teacher, and knowing Billy since he was a seventh grader, he witnessed firsthand exactly what made him special.

"I always thought he was a Division 1 player. We did it differently with him, he didn't do a lot of the showcases that kids do today. He's always had good speed and an above average arm in the outfield," Neverrett said.

As a student, Coach Neverrett said Ferriter also excelled. He consistently made the honor roll at Nashua, and earned the Male Scholar Athlete Award as a senior. The three-sport athlete lettered in football and basketball. As a freshman, he helped the baseball team go all the way to a New Hampshire State Championship.

Football has loomed large in Ferriter's life. He admits he thought that was where his future might lead, as far as professional aspirations went.

"I wanted to go to college to play football. I actually walked on freshman year, but got hurt. And I went back to baseball."

The injury was to his neck and doctors recommended he discontinue playing football.

Ferriter stood at a crossroads. There was baseball. And he was a gifted athlete. He moved forward and was welcomed, to his relief.

"Coach [Jim] Penders took me back, which was awesome," Ferriter said.

He has been a powerful Huskies force.

He redshirted in 2009 (and again this year as a 5th year senior), then in 2010, he stole 33 bases in 39 tries. He'd finish the season hitting .363 with 81 hits, 57 runs scored, and 30 runs batted in. He also played in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, hitting .373 and worked 21 walks, capping it off with the league MVP award. He also stole seventeen bases, and, if you're noticing a pattern, you're right. His speed is widely considered his strongest asset.

"There'd be times in centerfield, where a ball would be hit and we'd think 'oh crap', but then there's Billy. He'd just run any ball down," Neverett said.

Ferriter knows that's where much of his value lies, and he's aware that it's something that's always given him an edge.

"Playing high school football, speed was a big part of that. I'm not a big power guy, so I use it to help me in the outfield and when I get on base."

To come from football and become a full-on baseball player was a learning experience in energy. Finding the way to channel his aggressive energy properly into baseball was a change from football.

"A lot is the same. But there's differences. Football is about getting all jacked up. With baseball, you have to calm yourself down more."

Neverrett, however, never had a doubt what Ferriter was destined for.

"I used to have arguments with his football coach. I'd tell him he's going to be a baseball player. He was built for it."

Neverrett let him pitch as well, but said Ferriter, "Didn't really like it. I don't think it was right for his temperament."

In 2011, Ferriter experienced some growing pains. He spent the early months slumping, hitting well below average, and scuffling his way through. He was benched. But he understood. He learned that his focus needed an adjustment.

"I think I stopped focusing on the numbers so much. I was taken out, but then I got my chance again. I did everything I could to help my team win. My first couple years, it was all about the draft. But now it's all about winning."

He played in 63 games, getting 56 hits and knocking in 24 runs. From there it was on to a kind of baseball rite of passage: the so-you-think-you're-tough? competitive sacred ground of the Cape Cod Baseball League. There he did more of the same. His fire kept burning. He batted .272 for the Falmouth Commodores, and got a good lesson in what the highly-respected wood-bat league is all about.

"Every night, five to six days a week, you're facing top college hitters. It opens your eyes a lot."

He returned to the CCBL for a second time, after a stellar 2012 season as the Huskies captain. Hitting .319 through 56 games, with 76 base hits, 43 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases, on his way to being selected as a NEIBA All-Star.

Action is speaking loud and clear. Scouts are seeing exactly what Neverrett saw that made him know for sure, that kid is a baseball player.

"He was very coachable. But he was so instinctual. He was just always a good athlete."

As the 2013 season gets closer, Ferriter hasn't lost one bit of his steely focus. Draft-day is out of his control, giving every game his best effort is all that matters. When asked what he's learned the most in his years at UConn, he said this:

"Play every play. Because you don't know what's going to happen."

His quiet nature speaks nothing to the intensity and passion Neverrett recalls.

"He's always had that strong fire burning in him."

You can follow Billy on Twitter @BillyFerriter

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Cody Buckel Pitches His Way To The Top Of Deep Rangers System

Trade talks?

Come on.

You don't ask a player about trade talk in the off-season. (ahem)

Or you do and get a reaction of slight confusion, followed by silence, and a very solid, simple answer.

"The off-season is the time to get away from baseball. And I have no control over that. I don't spend time thinking about that."

Fair enough. And good answer.

Because Buckel need not be concerned with anything but continuing to build on the success he had in 2012.

He began the season with the Mobile Baybears, pitching to a 1.31 ERA in 75 innings, finishing the season with the Frisco Roughriders, going 5-5 with a 3.78 ERA in 69 innings.

Despite how many things he did right, there was some down time. So he got to work.

"I did get out of sync at one point and looked at video to fix some mechanical flaws."

Double-A hitters are more selective, he said, much more knowledgeable. He made the league-jump from Class-A Carolina to Double-A Texas, starting 13 games for Mobile, then 10 for Frisco. His ERA jumped in early July, but his last few starts were an improvement. He gave up just two runs in his last four starts, and didn't allow a walk in his final three starts.

Part of his development has been developing a cutter that wasn't working into a more effective slider. He was throwing both, but there were differences, and he began to pay attention.

"At Frisco I sort of lost my feel for the cutter. So I just stuck with the slider in the last few starts."

2011 was about being thrown into a big challenge. He pitched a month of relief, before being put in the rotation. That may seem like a heavy workload, but Buckel ,20, insists he was prepared.

"It wasn't too difficult. I grew up playing year 'round in [Simi Valley] California since I was twelve. I was used to getting up and going to a ballpark everyday, and putting my body to work."

Drafted by the Rangers in 2010 out of Royal High School, in the 2nd round, he pitched five innings in the Arizona Fall League for his professional debut. He allowed one walk and struck out nine batters. He entered 2011 with the Hickory Crawdads in the Class-A South Atlantic League, spending his entire first full-pro season there.

The right-hander's 2.61 ERA was impressive enough to earn him the start at the next level, and a quick climb even higher. With a fastball that can hit 96, he tends to favor a fastball-curveball combination to get guys out.

He's aiming to put on a little more weight in the off-season and in preparation for 2013, he's watching more video of himself.

"I need to get ahead of hitters more and use my changeup [more effectively]. I'm making some slight tweaks mechanically."

He's already entering 2013 on a good note. Baseball America ranked him 9th on their Top 10 Rangers Prospects list. A few notches up from previous years.

You can follow Cody @CheatCode07

Trust A Big Key For Mariners Blake Hauser In First Pro-Ball Season

It is your first year of professional baseball and you're doing everything you can to succeed.

You want the big club to be happy with your results. You want to move to the next level. In the meantime, you're just focusing on that day's game, that moment, that pitch. These are the moments that you waited for as a boy, watching major league games, and hoping.

All that seems incredible and must be.

But playing in the Cape Cod League, somehow, still manages to inspire the most awe-struck emotions.

"That was the best baseball experience I've ever had in my life," said Mariners pitching prospect Blake Hauser. "We won the championship. And I got to play against some first rounders."

With the Harwich Mariners, he marked the first time he'd closed baseball games, in what is considered the best wood bat league in the country. How's that for an introduction to the bullpen?

Drafted by the Mariners in the 13th round out of Virginia Commonwealth University (where he notched 10 saves), Hauser, 20, was assigned to the Northwest League, playing short-season ball for the Everett AquaSox.

In in 24 innings of work, mostly as the closer, the righty went 3-1 with a 3.75 ERA.

"I wasn't sure what to expect. Mentally it was the toughest because I was away from home for the first time."

Hauser's family home is just a few miles away from where he went to college, giving him a sense of comfort. He was born in Midlothian Virginia (population aprox. 38,795), and the closeness to home helped, as he worked toward getting noticed come draft time. He'd already been there, in 2007, when the Indians drafted him in high school, but he declined to sign, opting to attend VCU. Now was the time and he was pitching brilliantly to again earn that notice.

He made 30 appearances in relief, posted a 3.03 ERA, and received All-Colonial Athletic Association honors.

Developing relievers is a tricky business. Many starters just wind up there, and many go kicking and screaming. Not Hauser.

"I kept asking them to let be a closer (in college). I was a starter up until my junior year. Being a closer is what I wanted."

He said he's open to other roles in the pen, but so far, he's proven to be effective in closing games out. He issued just 13 walks and struck out 26, his outings varying between 1-2 innings. Hauser minimized damage when he made a mistake and put a guy on, but he credits his teammates for a lot of that.

"Knowing I had such good defense behind me was huge. I knew they had my back and that I could trust in them. Plus, my catchers were so good. I knew if they put something down, I could have faith in them. Trusting them was huge."

Catchers Marcus Littlewood, Christian Carmichael and Tyler Marlette were behind the plate, with an infield that included shortstop Ketel Marte and first baseman Taylor Ard.

Hauser was at the back end of a bullpen that notched a league best 26 saves, and an overall pitching staff that surrendered the second least amount of home runs (49), trailing Salem-Kaizer by just six.

He also gives credit to pitching coach Rich Dorman. As good as the season went, Hauser knows he needs to sharpen some areas of his game. Fastball command is on the list, so he can pitch inside to guys more effectively. There's also the walks.

"I'd like to eliminate them. Keep them from getting a free pass."

The process of his first professional season was the usual learning experience, though with few bumps. And Hauser thinks something might have been helpful entering the season.

Cape Cod League.

"That helped me get prepared. If you have success there, you get a little confidence. I think it gave me an edge."

You can follow Blake at @JBHauser

R.A. Dickey Trade For Prospects Brings Questions For Jays And Mets

Nothing about the trade that sends Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey to Toronto is easy.

The deal takes young talent from the Blue Jays, but adds this year's Cy Young Award and 20-game-winner. The talent was some of the Jays best, the Jays add a veteran arm. The talent is unproven. The Cy Young winner that led the National League in strikeouts with 230, is 38.

Add to that list, the combative back-and-forth between the Mets camp (plus some media members) and Dickey, and you had no easy goodbye. Or maybe that bitterness made the goodbye all the easier.

The bottom line is, the trade everyone waited and debated on for the past few days amid heated rumors, is final. Prospects Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, Wuilmer Becerra, and veteran catcher John Buck.

D'Arnaud, 23, was ranked as the Jays top prospect. Both at the plate and behind it, there's always been some questions. And he's usually answered them with improvements to both. There is that nagging injury issue. An everyday catcher's time can be short in the majors, and his back problems and a knee injury (not to mention one to his thumb) have raised concerns. But reports have consistently highlighted, not only his skill, but his ability to learn quickly and turn things around.

RHP Noah Syndergaard has been impressive in his own right. The twenty-year-old is far from making an impact in the big leagues in this part of the trade. He's still a few years away, but the 2010 38th rounder had a solid first full professional season. He posted a 2.60 ERA in 27 games and struck out 122 batters in 19 starts for Class-A Lansing.

The Jays get that guy that won that award. That guy whose name is linked securely to perfecting the art of knuckleballing, and what he accomplished after turning a last-ditch-effort and minor league contract into success. But he's also linked to raising awareness of sexual abuse. In revealing that truth in his autobiography, hopefully he's encouraged others to come forward. Children look up to athletes now more than ever. His presence in that fight is meaningful.

But baseball is a business, and regardless of success on the mound and being a champion for abused children, the Mets had to make what they believed was a sound decision. Dickey wanted an extension on his contract that the Mets refused.

The Jays made an offer that rid the Mets of their problem/Cy Young Winner, and bulked up their minor league system a little more. Those prospects, d'Arnaud in particular, add a shot of solid promise to the future.

Both teams fans are being asked to believe in a lot.

Jays fans must believe that R.A. Dickey will continue the success he had last year.

Mets fans are being asked to come down from the mountaintop and hang out patiently in the peaks. That's not to be mistaken for overall success. No, the Mets haven't had much of that in a long time. But with Dickey they had a vitally important piece of their starting rotation. A valuable player that they could actually say had proven plenty. Who are these prospects in exchange for THAT guy? Odds are, Mets fans are also asking why the Mets would run Dickey out of town. Reports on the Mets front office negative feelings toward Dickey can only be categorized as conjecture. That doesn't mean reports of their feelings aren't true. They are simply unclear.

Mets fans don't want to invest time believing in two maybes when they had something much better: a definite. At least, he was to that point. Whether Dickey can sustain that success or close to it, is also unknown. Jays fans have taken to social media to voice their own worry and distrust.

In that respect, the Blue Jays and Mets are in the same boat.

Q & A With Nationals Erik Komatsu

After baseball careers are over, players have to think about a new lot in life. Nationals outfielder Erik Komatsu already has a jump-start. Or at least he has a hobby that excited him enough to possibly turn into a career post-professional playing.

For now, his addiction to beats and making them is a side project (see his website link at the bottom), and succeeding in the major leagues is the first priority.

The 25-year-old was first drafted in 2007 by the New York Yankees (but didn't sign), then again by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 out of California State University Fullerton. The native Californian moved through the levels at a good pace, achieving a career-best year in 2010 with the High-A Brevard County Manatees. In 130 games he hit .323 with 63 RBI. After starting 2011 in Double-A Southern League, he was traded to the Nationals, and finished the season with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators. He hit .234 in 31 games. The Cardinals picked him up in the Rule 5 Draft (pay attention) and he went on to make his MLB debut against his former team, the Brewers. He singled in his first at-bat.

He was Designated For Assignment in May, then claimed off waivers by the Twins (pay attention), where he played in fifteen games and hit .237 with an RBI and worked four walks. He was DFA'ed in May. And returned to the Nationals, where he was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.

The twisted minor-to-major league tale continues and Komatsu just wants to have a solid season. And maybe put his feet down.

Q. I covered you in the Eastern League and was curious how quickly you were able to pick up the pace . What did you learn there and overall in the minors?

A. When I got traded over there was a bit of an adjustment period. I had a whole new organization, staff, and most importantly new teammates. I ended up sleeping on an air mattress in my teammates living room. The minor leagues is basically about developing the skills you already possessed and it's about putting those skills into play. It's completely different from college, it's a job, it's a business. And without the luxury of resources you have in 'The Show' it's much more difficult.

Q. You've bounced around a bit after being Rule 5ed. Has that been stressful? Were you happy to be returned to the Nationals?

A. Last year was crazy! A lot of new changes. It was hard to get comfortable just because of limited time in each place. I am now just looking for a team to call home.

Q. You've gotten in some major league games, but had limited at-bats. Were you able to get a lot out of that regardless of limited playing time?

A. I was very blessed to have a couple months with the 2011 WS champs. Just watching how they went about their business was incredible. I learned a lot of things from great current/former players. I was especially impressed with how well Mark McGwire was able to relate to every type of hitter and not just guys like him, he is super intelligent and knows hitting! I hit with him in the off-season. Great guy.

Q. About the music career. What gave you the idea to start digitally producing?

A. Producing music was something I kind of just started doing last off-season. I've always had a passion for music and always thought it would a good challenge, so I tried it. At first I was just pressing keys on a piano and now I am damn near Mozart. Just kidding. I am still getting better and better and starting to sell my instrumentals online.

Q. Favorite artists that you maybe consider influences?

A. As far as producers there are a ton! I listen to their beats for reference and to get some inspiration, learn, and put my own creative ideas into what I want to make. Some of my favorite right now would be: Dr. Dre, Cardiak Flatline, Vybe Beatz, Superstar O, David Guetta, Glitch Mob, Johnny Juliano, & Dj Khaled.

Q. What music do you listen to pre-game? Any of your own stuff?

A. My ipod contains about 3,000 songs of straight fire! Ha I usually have a clubhouse mix with hip hop, old school rap, electronic/dance, dubstep. Every once in a while I'll throw in one of my songs/beats. I actually walked up to my own song in St. Louis called "Livin This Life" (www.KomoBeatz.com) it was pretty sweet in a stadium with 45k people.

Q. When all is said and done in baseball, do you see yourself taking this further into a career?

A. I definitely would try it out, I have been in contact with a bunch of artists & producers in LA so it could happen...but right now, baseball and getting back to the big leagues is my main focus.

Q. Finally, what are your off-season goals and your goal looking ahead to 2013?

A. My off-season goal is to be healthy for the season. I had been playing with a broken bone in the ball of my foot since the end of 2010. I finally had that taken care of in July. So now, I am just excited to go into spring 100% healthy and show the Nationals what I can really do with no restrictions and ultimately get back to the big leagues with them or with my 27th team.

You can follow Erik on Twitter at @KomoBeatz.

Purchase his music here- www.KomoBeatz.com

www.Youtube.com/KomoBeatz