June 7^th, 2012 8:27 PM
Jacksonville, Florida

Florida Scorching Hot
Ever since a mediocre April, the Featherheads have been on a tear.  The team is 26-8 since the start of May and has shaved Charleston‘s lead down to 2.5 games.  Florida recently took two out three from the Statesmen to help close the gap.  One of the wins included handing Víctor Matos his second loss of the season – both losses have been to Florida.

Florida’s surge can be attributed to its hot hitting and success of the backend of the rotation.  In May, the Featherheads collectively had a batting line of .300/.398/.499.  The team was lead by the likes of Luis Torres and Kwang-chih Zhu.  Torres is hitting .395 with 5 smackaroos in his last 12 games and was awarded the Player of the Week Award last week (.579 average, 2 HR and 6 RBI).  Zhu was awarded the IL’s May Batter of the Month Award – he hit .416, clubbed 8 homers and collected 26 RBI in the month.

Both Dustin Moyer and Franklin Browne are quietly enjoying great seasons after recovering from a horrendous April.  Moyer was 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in May.  Meanwhile, Browne was 2-2 with a 2.40 ERA.  No one would expect either pitcher to have a better season ERA and WHIP than Cedric Mosley – but that’s actually the case thus far this season.

Player Spotlights
A large part of Florida’s success can be attributed to Kevin McNeill‘s improved play this season.  McNeill worked extra hard this offseason to step up his play.  He was disappointed in his 2011 performance, especially considering how great his 2010 was.  As a result, McNeill dedicated himself in the offseason and vowed to become the best second baseman in the league.  Apparently, there was a chip on McNeill’s shoulder when second baseman Rafael Suárez took the world by storm last season.  It appears that McNeill will battle it out with another Dixie second baseman for the honor being IL’s starting second baseman in this year’s Fall Classic.  Both players have eerily similar numbers.

McNeill’s double play partner, Ben McGinnity, is experiencing a breakout season.  The speedy “Jackrabbit” currently leads the league in doubles (25) and triples (6).  You can thank a Dixie general manager for discovering McGinnity.  It’s not who you are thinking of.  No, it is not Kevin Lewis who deserves the credit, but rather Matt Higgins of San Antonio.

Here’s a true and funny story for ya.  Prior to the trade of McGinnity to Florida, Lewis actually left a message to Higgins to ask the well-respected Calzones GM his thoughts on McGinnity the player.  Lewis was somewhat skeptical on Jackrabbit and needed an additional perspective from another general manager, which ironically happened to be McGinnity’s then-General Manager.  Based on Higgins’s high praise, Lewis took the plunge and placed his faith in McGinnity as the team’s new shortstop.  So Higgins deserves all the credit in the world for drafting McGinnity in the tenth round of the 2009 amateur draft, and for having the foresight that McGinnity would blossom in a winning environment.

Rookie Michael Smallbridge continues to have a phenomenal season in the ‘pen.  The former Rice Pudding closer has been a workhorse for arguably the IL’s top bullpen.  The team’s 3.27 team bullpen ERA is the best in the IL.  A large part of the bullpen’s success has been Smallbridge’s ability to stifle any momentum from the opposition.  Perhaps the most impressive stat is that Smallbridge is dominating lefty hitters.  The diminutive right-hander is allowing lefties to hit only .105 off of him.  Smallbridge has credited his success to his extensive work in the Winter League and the presence of veterans like Dave Phelps and Carlos Ávila.

Arguably the team’s best pitcher has been former Edo Battousai Keitaro Kodo.  On the season, Kodo is 7-1 with a 2.86 ERA.  Aside from being one of the better pitchers in the league, his teammates have credited Kodo as being a solid influence in the clubhouse.  Kodo has mixed in well with his fellow countrymen, but more importantly, Kodo has proven to be a solid leader for the entire team regardless of country or background.  Showing some humor, Kodo opened up the season by growing some facial hair to tell his teammates that he is an American now.  The facial hair gag was warmly received and helped keep the ballclub loose to start the season.

Pablo Durango Visit
Scouting Director Pablo Durango was nice enough to drop by with a visit despite it being a busy week for him.  I asked him about Florida’s farm system, especially regarding the players that most impressed him.  Durango’s eyes gleamed as he spoke about a pair of Mexicali outfielders.  Durango sees both Javier Cruz and António Árias as prospects to keep an eye on.

According to Durango’s scouting team, Cruz is starting to show signs of maturing and “understanding it”.  Despite standing only 5’8″, Cruz has shown increased bat speed this season, and scouts predict some major league power with Cruz’s bat in the future.  Florida scouts have also upgraded Cruz’s hitting upside overall.

Similarly, Árias is enjoying a nice season in Mexicali.  Scouts like what they see in Árias this season and believes he has potential to become a starting outfielder in the big leagues.  The scouts credit Árias for improving his pitch selection at the plate.  His improved discipline has helped Árias to become a better contact hitter this season.

I asked Durango about Austrian player Helmuth Profanter.  Profanter remains a mystery to Durango and his scouts.  He continues to impress each stop of the way despite lukewarm scouting reports within the organization.  A speedy outfielder with a plus glove, Profanter has surprised scouts with his bat.  Profanter earned All-Star honors last year at Class-A and looks like a leading candidate to be on the AA All-Star squad this season.  Despite his strong play, Durango and company still view Profanter as a flawed player.  Perhaps it is the naysayers that keep Profanter motivated…

Roberto Holguín Gets the Call
For the second time this season, Roberto Holguín has received the call to join the big league ballclub.  All-Star Dan Jamison suffered an oblique strain earlier this week.  He is scheduled to miss another three weeks.  This is unfortunate news to Jamison and the Featherheads.  Jamison was having his best season yet and was on pace to steal 90 bases prior to the injury.  Jamison’s development over the years has molded the speedster into one of the most dynamic players in the league.  His stellar speed allows Jamison to impact the game both on the base paths and in the outfield.  His .360 on base percentage this year proves that he is turning himself into a legit leadoff hitter for the team.

With Jamison on the shelf, Florida will turn to Roberto Holguín.  Holguín has already impressed Florida this season in his earlier stint with the team.  On the year, Holguín is hitting above .370 at both stops.  It is expected that Holguín will bat lower in the lineup rather than replace Jamison in the leadoff position; Ben McGinnity will fill that role.