There are certain players in baseball, whether at the major league level or the minor league level. that you just want to succeed because on the field they play hard and off of the field they are great guys who you just can’t help but root for. So here are a few guys I want to give a shout out to and give everyone some info on how these guys are doing now and hopefully I can keep up to date on these guys and maybe add a few other players to the list.
Ryan Honeycutt (Giants Farm System) – Volcanoes fans will remember Ryan from the 2011 season as the right fielder who had a cannon for an arm. Well this year he is the catcher with a cannon for an arm. The Giants organization moved Ryan to catcher this season and he has been working on the transition in the Arizona league. In his last 10 games he has 13 hits, batting .317, with 2 doubles, 1 home run and 11 RBI’s. Only in one of those ten games did he not record a hit but he still reached base safely in that game.
Josh Parr (Diamondbacks Farm System) – Few guys will take the time to not just sign autographs for fans but also engage them in a real conversation. Josh is one of those guys and his class really showed when he not only stopped to talk with me each of the days the Yakima Bears were playing the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes but he also remembered my name and would come to me to shake hands and ask how I was doing. Josh is tied for the lead in home runs in the Northwest League, and even though he will tell you its a fluke, I think it is a result of hard work and a talented ball player. (Check in to the blog on Thursday for an interview with Josh).
Adam McConnell (Diamondbacks Farm System)- Although he hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time this year with the Yakima Bears he still is there to support his teammates and he will be the first to tell you that even though he loves the game of baseball, there are more important things in life to worry about. (Check the blog next week for an interview with Adam).
Joe Panik (Giants Organization) – As I’ve mentioned in previous posts (link below) Joe is a great ball player with great potential but that is only the tip of the iceberg with Joe. He is humble and yet still driven to be the best. He was a first round pick and quickly got the attention of baseball fans across the nation but yet he still found joy in stopping and signing autographs and talking with fans. Even fans who are a little to old to be considered kids anymore. Although Joe has struggled a little bit this year he still has the talent and potential to be a solid major league player.
Does winning the Northwest league MVP mean great things to come?