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| Mike Montgomery signing autographs at Family Fest |
Families sat in the seats watching players work out and take batting practice. They enjoyed the free pop and popcorn offered by the Storm Chasers. And they lined up for autographs with players such as Everett Teaford, Mike Mongtomery, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer.
After the team finished their workout, they hopped on a plane bound for Albuquerque, where they will open the season tonight. Before they left, manager Mike Jirschele, pitcher Mike Montgomery, third baseman Mike Moustakas and first baseman Eric Hosmer met with the media.
Jirschele was quick to offer praise about his young ball club, but he tempered it.
“This is the strongest club I’ve had and probably the youngest club I’ve had and [there’s] a lot, a lot of talent out there, but again, they’ve got to go out and get their work in and do the job and put the numbers up again this year,” Jirschele said.
Many of the players on his team played for Double-A NW Arkansas last season when they won the Texas League championship. And some of them played together when Single-A Burlington won a championship as well.
The wind blew hard on the field at Werner Park as Jirschele spoke, and that stiff wind is making some people believe the ballpark will be hitter friendly.
“Some of the top pitchers we have – their ERA might jump a little bit at times here because of the wind blowing out,” Jirschele said. “It looks like this might be an offensive park. But I think the key thing is, the pitchers need to pitch the way they are capable of pitching.”
And of course, if the wind is blowing out, it could also work in Omaha’s favor.
“We’re never going to be out of games with the power we have on our club,” Jirschele said. “We’re going to have opportunities to come from behind from not just small deficits, but I think we’ll be able to put up a lot of runs at times.”
The Storm Chasers finished one game out of the playoffs in 2010. With players coming up from NW Arkansas to take the spots of players who moved on, they seem hungry to excel at the Triple-A level.
“Really, everyone in this clubhouse has one goal – and that’s just to win a championship,” said first baseman Eric Hosmer, who was one of those players who played in NW Arkansas last season. “It’s really fun going into a clubhouse every day with players who have the same goals as you.”
So, how will the team handle the high expectations fans have for them?
“Well, it’s easy for us, because it’s not just one guy,” Hosmer said. “It’s the whole team that we’re talking about. It really makes it a lot easier when a guy just has to worry about a certain role. I think that’s what everyone on this team is really good at – is understanding their role and playing up to the role, helping the team. Everyone really does put their full effort into their role and it’s worked for us two of the three years. We want to come out here in Omaha and get a good start and put a good show on for these fans.”
Hosmer says Moustakas has helped him fit in on the team.
“Moose has been a huge help to me,” Hosmer said. “When I first signed – not knowing anybody coming in, he really took me under his wing, introduced me to the guys. All the guys look up to him like a leader, like he is. It was easy going from high school to minor league baseball not knowing anybody, meeting a guy like him, just making everything real comfortable for you.
“It’s like that with all these guys. These last two or three years that everyone’s been playing with each other, we’ve really grown together. It’s almost like this is your family now. You’ve spent eight months out of the year with these guys and everyone couldn’t be more comfortable with each other and we’re excited.”
Starting pitcher Mike Montgomery spoke about the same bond between the players.
“It’s humbling to know there’s a whole lot of hoopla around the minor leagues right now, but really, for me, and for a lot of these guys, it’s no different than it was a couple of years ago when nobody really knew about us in the minors. We were just going about our business the same way and that approach helps because you don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Montgomery tossed four hitless innings in the Futures Game in Kansas City on Sunday and he is scheduled to start the season for Omaha tonight in Albuquerque. He spoke about his experience on the mound in Kauffman Stadium.
“The fans were great,” Montgomery said. “I just wanted to go out there and show I could pitch on this mound and get a little confidence. Seeing guys like [John] Lamb and all those other guys facing our team – it makes it more fun to watch. Whatever happens results-wise, you’re not even worried about that. You’re just worried about having fun.”
Montgomery is at the top of the starting rotation as Omaha starts the season, but he says he’s not feeling more pressure as a result because he sees all five starters as the same.
“It’s a cool thing,” Montgomery said, “but at the same time, it’s just a matter of going out there and doing it – whether you’re a first or fifth starter.”
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The scheduled starters have been announced for the Albuquerque series (Omaha pitchers are listed first):
April 7: LHP Mike Montgomery vs. LHP Dana Eveland
April 8: RHP Jeff Suppan vs. RHP Carlos Monasterios
April 9: LHP Danny Duffy vs. LHP Randy Keisler
April 10: RHP Vin Mazzaro vs. LHP Alberto Bastardo
Since Suppan is a new addition to the staff, and since Mazzaro is temporarily in Omaha until the Royals need a fifth starter in Kansas City, Omaha may piggyback starters (use two starters) for a few games.
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If you’d like to see more photos from Family Fest, they have been uploaded to the Omaha Baseball 360 Facebook page. Make sure you "like" the website while you are there.
