High Heels On The Field

The College Twitter Twenty

They are nowhere near the big leagues. But they have the energy, fire, ambition, and talent that they hope gets them there, and share that very unique college baseball energy on Twitter.

This wasn’t about number of followers, because many of them are very unfamiliar (although that did factor in with one player). Being entertaining, forthcoming and just showing their own qualities was what stood out.** (this will also run on Going Nine Baseball tomorrow). Similar to the MiLB Twitter Twenty, there are 30 Honorable Mentions. That has run on Baseball Digest/Going Nine for two years. This is the inaugural college try!

Seeing college players at this early stage of their journey is really just fun, at times emotional, but always interesting. That translates to the Twitterverse. And here you are....

1.Brian Pruett, Shortstop, Coastal Carolina, @Brian_Pruett - The follower count alone is impressive. A perfect example of how a player can build his own following before he’s even made it to pro ball. But the main reason he tops this list, is that he updates almost daily. His interactions with followers are warm, fun and often inspirational, and he consistently shares something interesting or humorous. A social media champ.

2.Austin Weekley, Pitcher, Charleston Southern, @AustinWeekley18 - Here's one guy that likes to interact. He's a regular around the Twitter world (with 10,979 tweets at last count) and doesn't waste many words. He informs his readers what he's up to and keeps it friendly and lighthearted.

3.Casey Mulholland, State College of Florida @CaseyMulholland - His bio includes the explanation for his nickname: 'Because of Casey Stengel'. With that kind of background info, you'd expect passion for baseball (and life. And Twitter) and that's what you get.

4. Logan Colby Suggs, Pitcher, University of Arkansas, @papasuggs34 - His unique and energetic personality shines through.

5. Justin D'Amato, Pitcher, St. John Fisher, @JustinDamato3- A high octane guy and it shows through his consistent Tweeting.

6. Trey Wimmer, First Baseman/Catcher, Liberty Baseball, @twim10 – His kindness and faith are a big part of what he has to say. He tweets about Tebow a bit (#FreeTebow). All in good fun.

7.George Schaefer, Pitcher, Charleston Southern University, @Schaef22 - Fun and spirited. Uses the increasingly infamous lingo shared by minor leaguers, a number of them associated with UConn. #FeedTheWolf? You'll have to figure it out by following.

8. Ricky Ross, Catcher, St. John Fisher, @ParkerRoss7 - “The nice thing is that right after Christmas, comes baseball season, which leads to summer.” What more do you need to read? There's also that he's a daily Tweeting kind of guy, but keeps it to the point and happily socializes with followers.

9. Mark Appel, Pitcher, Stanford University, @MAppel26 – One of the most talked about college players last year for what he didn't do (sign with Pirates), instead of what he did do (committed to finishing at Stanford). His deep faith and super positive attitude makes him one of the most likeable guys on this list.

10. Brian Ward, Pitcher, University of Connecticut, @brianward45 - Smart and super funny.

11. Carson Plyler, Infielder, Catawba Valley Community College, @cplyler7- Enjoys tweeting about his love for football and golf. Keeps it simple and fun.

12. Darin Gillies, Pitcher, Arizona State, @Gillies15 – The Sun Devils pitcher is open and warm in what he shares. Tweets enthusiastically about his passion for fishing, and hunting, so if you're sensitive to that, be aware! (PHOTOS)

13. Will Charkowsky, Catcher, Mitchell College, @Chark_27- Being “Motivated” is the name of the game, and that comes through in the things he shares. He's been through a lot, and his attitude toward life is clear.

14. Jeremy Finchum, Pitcher, Capital University, @II_22FINCH22_II – So, if you can find him.... (sweet, funny and talks freely with followers about interests)

15. Johnny C. Coy, Outfielder/Infielder, Wichita State University, @JcoyShox25 – Keeps it light and chats with followers regularly. He likes UFC, so if that's your thing, give him a look.

16. Matt Boyd, Pitcher, Oregon State, @mattboyd31 – Bio includes #IamSecond. Says so much about him and the person that tweets enthusiastically on a daily basis.

17. Mason Hershey, Catcher, ETSU- @I_AM_HERSH34 – Jokes around a lot with followers. And his tweets about this Christmas were favorites.

18. Ryan Trauger, Pitcher, St. John Fisher, @ryantrauger9 – Usually keeps it short and simple. And honest.

19. Christian Helsel, Infielder, Ole Miss, @C_Hels34 - Is vocal about his passions. Connects with followers in a down to earth way.

20. Clayton Vaughn, Infielder, North Central Texas College, @C_Vaughn- Hard not to like a guy that tweets openly romantic thoughts to his fiance. An emotive person that has something to say almost daily.

And don't forget these guys!

30 Honorable Mentions:

Michael Montville, Outfielder, University of Maryland- @MikeyMo5
Joshua Frendendall, Pitcher, University of Washington- @Jfrendendall
Ty Moore, Outfielder, UCLA- @Ty29Moore
Grayson Greiner, Catcher, South Carolina- @ggreiner21
Chad Sobotka, Pitcher, USC- @Chad_Sobotka
Billy Ferriter, Outfielder, UConn- @BillyFerriter
Colby Holmes, Pitcher, University of South Carolina- @CHolmes44
Hayden Barnett, Pitcher, University of Arkansas- @haybarcheezy
Kent Blackstone, Shortstop, NMSU- @TheBiggerStone6
Jack Mayfield, Infielder, Oklahoma University- @jackmayfield8
Dave Behler, Pitcher, Arcadia University- @DaveBehler
Chris Harvey, Catcher, Vanderbilit- @CHarv44
John McLeod, Pitcher,Wake Forrest University- @JohnMcLeod17
Aaron Judge, Outfielder, Fresno State- @TheJudge44
Jake Stinnett, Pitcher/Third Baseman, University of Maryland- @jstinnett7
Wales Toney, Pitcher, Clemson University- @Walsey10
Sean Anthony Manaea, Pitcher, Indiana State University- @MISTLETOEMANAEA
Jake Kalish, LHP/Outfielder,George Mason University - @jkalish18
DJ Peterson, Third Baseman, University of New Mexico- @godj33
Mike Sisco, Pitcher, University of Arkansas- @Mike_Sisco22
Trevor Williams, Pitcher, ASU- @T_WilliamsASU43
Bryan Verbitsky, Pitcher, Hofstra University- @yaboybits
Johnny Beck, Outfielder, SJFC- @bagsbags14
Conor J. Keniry, Infielder/Outfielder, Wake Forrest University - @CKeniry14
Nick Martin, Pitcher, Iowa State University- @saintnicholas37
Brody Greer, Infielder, USC- @BG19_
Brady Kirkpatrick, Pitcher, University of Maryland- @bkirky3
Joel Seddon, Pitcher, University of South Carolina- @JSedd6
Eric Jagielo, Infielder, University of Notre Dame - @E_Jagielo
Philip Ervin, Centerfielder, Samford University - @Mr_MagicErvin

*Commits weren’t eligible.

Road To The New York Penn League Playoffs: Tri-City Valley Cats Preston Tucker

Brooklyn, New York - The Tri-City Valley Cats, Stedler Division champs in the New York Penn League, have been the most impressive team in the league for the better part of the season. Outfielder Preston Tucker has been a solid contributor to their success, particularly in the last few weeks.

He's hitting .352 with 43 hits, 7 home runs, and 33 RBI in 31 games. He has hit safely in his last ten games, with 13 hits over that period.

Here's what he had to say about playing rival Brooklyn Cyclones and making adjustments all season:

Physically it is exhausting everyday. This is definitely an adjustment I had to make. Getting my rest and eating right comes into it. Mentally, I know I have to be ready to go. And in MCU [home park of the Cyclones], you definitely have to hit ground balls. The wind really blows out here.

I've been hitting third for a couple of weeks. In college I was second, third, or fourth [in the lineup]. I'm definitely comfortable there. The more at-bats I got the more comfortable I was hitting higher in the order.

I think it's going to help our team, playing them this much at the end of the year. We've gotten to see a lot of their pitching. So I don't think we're going to be surprised by anything.

When you're playing well they kind of leave you alone. I was struggling earlier in the year. Now I'm slowing things down. Whether it was my hands going back too far or maybe my [front] foot getting down too late. When you start piecing all the small things together you start swinging the bat better.

Mets 2012 Draft Pick Tyler Vanderheiden Learning The Daily Grind

Brooklyn, New York - So far for Mets pitching prospect Tyler Vanderheiden, the minor league experience has been a lot of zeros. 

A 0.00 ERA and zero time to worry about obstacles he might face. 

"Surprisingly what's helping me the most is struggling my freshman and sophomore years," said the twenty-two year old before a game. "Those were probably the worst two years of my life. I never thought about quitting. I grew up with the mindset that if you're going to start something, you finish it. Those struggles those two years helped me tackle pretty much anything."

The righty was selected out of Stamford University in the 19th round, and was assigned to the Class-A (short season) Brooklyn Cyclones. He's pitched 7 innings over 7 games, giving up just 6 hits and 2 walks in relief. He's also collected four saves. 

Here's the rest of what he said earlier this week:

Professional debut: On an experience level it is big, but also the league itself is a lot of college players and then the really good high school players. So in that sense I'm playing against a couple of guys that I played with in college. [less intimidating] just because I know that I'm probably one of the older guys in the league. Mentally the experience I've had against them helps more than you can imagine.

Learning most: I'm trying to not make the same mistake twice. When I got out there I learn something different everyday. If I don't go out there and learn something, then I'm not getting the best I can out of each outing.

Hardest of all: Playing everyday. In college you pick up a baseball everyday, but in high school I didn't pick up baseballs everyday. The transition from high school to college is playing everyday. And then coming here and playing everyday and the practices being two three hours before game time.

Draft Day: It is [nerve-racking] just because you know if your name isn't called, you're in the real world and you know baseball is pretty much over unless you want to take a different path. That's the path some people are given. Some people aren't drafted and they still make it to the majors. I knew that if I didn't get drafted that I was going to try and play somewhere else, or maybe try to get picked up in free agency. I'm happy I was drafted and didn't have to go that route. I got a call the second day and thought maybe I was going to get selected higher than expected. I had a number in my head where I wanted to get drafted, anything past that I was going to start really worrying. And then it was just a relief.

Draft Attitude: I knew I wasn't the best guy out there, but I didn't think I was the worst guy. But my junior and senior year went better than expected, so that definitely helped. The person I talk to more is [pitching coordinator] Ron Romanick, not taking anything away from Val [pitching coach Mark Valdes], Ron just works with more sidearmers. Val is in on the gameplan, he knows when I'm doing something wrong, he can come up to me and help me. But one on one, like for today Ron's here and Valdes is not, so we got together and really worked on some mechanical stuff and some secondary pitching stuff. He's helped a lot of sidearmers and submarine pitchers. He knows a lot about it.

Looking Ahead, Juuust a bit: I just want to have a confident secondary pitch. Fastball command is a must. You have to have it. The biggest thing is they have to know you can throw a fastball, but you have to be able to show something else or they're going to sit on the fastball. And it's not going to be pretty.

Coverage of the Cyclones will continue all season for Gotham Baseball Magazine

How Twitter Changed Minor League Baseball

In the dusty bus leagues there's games with countless empty seats, kids paying more attention to the between-inning entertainment, and players whose names no one is sure of. And they will never know a lot of them.

The social media powerhouse that is Twitter has dramatically changed that.

Mid-level and low-level prospects might have struggled in years past to get noticed, lucky enough to get attention if they were part of a major league trade. In that case, their name suddenly had meaning by relationship to a far more important player. But while top prospects have become richer and more famous before they've played a lick of big league baseball, those less valuable guys have upped their status as well. Perhaps they didn't get the same bonus as the top guy in their organization, but his name, through Twitter, is often just as recognizable. Fans are now invested in the kid playing for the Class-A team and when he might be promoted. Prospects are already famous due in large part to Twitter.

The exclusive arena of fame has had it's gates blown open. Celebrities and sports figures have embraced a more open access to their lives, thoughts, and careers. The sense that we are us and they are them is no longer the same. There's tremendous value in that, but also a downside. The access gives fans the illusion that they're talking to friends. It's given writers, particularly start-ups, a relaxed attitude toward the players they cover. Twitter blurs the lines of the profession.

But for minor league players and teams, there's a broader base to reach and that's good for baseball.

Minor League Baseball saw an increase in attendance a few years back, but while it hasn't suffered as much as feared, it's still taken a hit. For all the promotional tie-ins and fireworks nights, people aren't always that interested in seeing a team they aren't emotionally invested in. If a team is near that is affiliated with their favorite major league team, it's surely more attractive. But that's not always the case. Minor league teams are often located in areas nowhere near the big club.

Enter Twitter.

The connection that Twitter gives fans to players they can't always watch (MILB.TV has certainly helped in that department) is of huge value to minor league affiliates and their parent clubs. This isn't a business piece, no predictions on a numbers increase, but it's possible it will have a far reach. Fans talking casually with a prospect are going to tune in for his major league debut. How much could a minor league team's popularity increase if fans know all the guys on the roster and are socializing with them?

Minor league teams benefit. By getting a following on Twitter, they increase fan connection and possibly their attendance. It's a wonder major league teams aren't embracing social media more. With baseball fans pouring out their passions for baseball on Twitter, they want to know everything all the time. And they want to feel appreciated enough to attend a game that's gonna cost them. The minor leagues give the baseball fan a chance to be part of their team without shelling out too much cash. Twitter gives them a closer relationship with that team and the players whose names they know as well as the big guys.

Young players must be cautious. There's a risk in that wall coming down. But major league teams are paying attention to that. Warnings have been handed out and there has been stories of players needing to be told to hold back a bit. Teams must protect their players. Journalists must not forget they aren't fans and be careful about their level of interaction.

But the bus leagues, still dusty, are looking a lot brighter with the emergence of a social tool that gives them a chance to shine.

Stanford Pitcher Mark Appel Talks Success And Being A Possible First Rounder

Stanford righty Mark Appel, expected to be a first round selection in the 2012 MLB Draft, took some time to talk about this season. He's 1-2 with a 3.43 ERA. Previously selected in 2009 by the Detroit Tigers, Appel discussed not signing with the Tigers, as well as pitches he's been working on.

Call Of College

It was not too difficult of a decision, especially since they did not offer any money in the end. They drafted some guys who were being advised by Scott Boras in some early rounds and they knew they would be spending a lot of money. I guess if they didn't sign them, they might have had some money leftover to offer, but it still would have been tough to say no to a Stanford education and the Stanford experience, it is a pretty unique and special opportunity, and I am very pleased with the decision.

Big Memories

I was born in Houston, Texas and lived there until I was 12 years old, so my favorite team is the Houston Astros (although we have had some tough years of late). But my favorite memory as both a player and a fan comes from when I was living and playing in California. I was invited to attend the Houston Astros pre-draft workout. My whole family and a few of my childhood friends got to come out and watch me pitch a few innings in Minute Maid Park. I also got to meet one of my all-time favorite Astros, Craig Biggio. As both a fan and a player, it was a dream come true and really a great experience.

The Right Mix In 2010

I feel that everything is just coming together this season. I had never been a starter before in my career until this summer, which was a huge step into getting to where I want to be. I am definitely a long ways away and still have tons of work to do, but seeing some results from the work and effort I have put in is rewarding. The efficiency in my innings is what is most noticeable to me, and that is mainly because of the changeup and mixing up speeds. Coach Filter does a good job of calling the pitches and Zach Jones, our catcher has a lot of experience behind the plate, so it is great learning all I can from those guys just about different situations and the right pitches to make.

The Repertoire

The offspeed stuff is coming along just fine. The slider has been one of my better pitches throughout high school and college and right now I'm working on location and setting hitters up with the fastball to punch them out with the slider. My changeup has improved greatly from last year. I threw it a lot this summer in the NECBL, and I now feel comfortable throwing it in any count. Having three pitches has allowed me to be efficient to let me go deep into games and keep the hitters off balance.

Taking The Ball

My preference is definitely to be a starter, but realistically, I am willing to take whatever role to help the team win games. I feel that I have showed the coaches that I can help the team best by starting, but it comes down to their decision. Both starting and relieving are a lot of fun in their own ways. Starting is great because you know when you are going to pitch and get to go out there and pitch 6, 7, 8 innings. But relieving is fun too because you have to be ready at all times, and when you go in (especially as the closer), it is a high intensity moment with adrenaline flowing.

Call Of The Field

I chose baseball [over basketball] because I love the game and I knew that I had a better opportunity to get into college and earn a degree with baseball and potentially be able to play at the professional level. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love both sports and sometimes wish I could be out on the hardwood, but I know that God has a plan for me here at Stanford, playing basebal

Make It Count, Make It Fun

Ever since playing little league baseball back in Houston, Texas, I have been blessed with great coaches that have helped shape me into the competitor I am. One of the most important things I have learned over the years that helps me out greatly is that you never know when your last game is going to be. Going out there and taking nothing for granted really makes the game fun and worth all the time and effort that I put into i

About That First Round Talk...

The first reaction I have is that God is good. Without the talents and opportunities he has blessed me with, I would not be where I am today, I know that for certain. It is an honor to be mentioned in the discussion, but I try not to think about it too much. So many things can change from now until the draft, so I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'm just going out there, taking it day by day, enjoying every moment of it, and I will let the results take care of themselves.