Tagged: Mesa Solar Sox

Rising Stars

Hey guys, I’m back from my little hiatus. I’m sorry I left you guys hanging but between playing games and and trying to equally divide my spare time between my girlfriend, family, and agents, things got a little hectic and my blogging kind of took a back seat to all those people. Unfortunately, they have all left me alone and although I will miss them dearly until I get to go home, I’m back to blogging. 

So anyways, the past couple weeks for the Mesa Solar Sox have been, for lack of a better phrase, hit or miss. We either absolutely crush a team, or we get absolutely crushed. I can’t remember the last time I played in a close game or in a game that scored less then 10 total runs. Not only does this inconsistent play keep us guessing which team is going to show up, its also the unfortunate recipe for lonnnng, boring baseball. Having a team lead by 10-12 runs in the 5th inning not only makes for a 3-4 hour game, but also sucks the life out of the atmosphere and just isn’t the ideal baseball game scenario. So hopefully every team starts figuring out how to keeps game close and exciting. 
On a lighter note, I was selected to participate in the AFL Rising Stars game, which is really exciting because not only is it an honor to play in this game, it is going to be televised on MLB network. The only thing I want to do is go deep in a nationally televised game with all my friends and family watching back home. That would be unreal. Haha, so hopefully I’ll see a bunch of you guys out there and complete my task. 
Until next time…

Big Bats, Big Arms.

Tony Sanchez here for my first attempt at a blog. Obviously, I have zero blogging experience but I’m excited to have the chance to share my Arizona Fall League experiences with the hand full of readers I may get. I will be playing for the Mesa Solar Sox along with my teammates from the Pirates Justin Wilson, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, Brian Leach, Aaron Pribanic and Andrew Lambo. All of us are really pumped to be here and showcase our skills against some of the best players in the minors. 

Its been almost four months since I’ve played in a game with any meaning and let me tell you, four months feels like four years. Taking a 95 mph heater to the jaw is not very pleasing and having to spoon feed myself blended Chef Boyardee isn’t something I’d wish on my worst enemy. Funny story though, the pitcher from the Mets who is guilty for throwing that fastball happens to be on my AFL team, so I thought that was quite the coincidence. Needless to say, he feels awful and was very apologetic once he realized I was the guy whose face he destroyed. But everything happens for a reason and if he doesn’t hit me with that pitch, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. So that’s one way to look at it. 
My first looks at our team were this week as we practiced for the few days we’ve been here before games start. We definitely have a bunch of talent on our team and I’m sure every other team does as well. Our staff is full of guys with power fastballs and wipe out sliders, not any arms on this team throwing anything less then low 90’s, which is always impressive. What’s going to make my job easier behind the plate is that all these pitchers have a lot of confidence in their stuff and they’re not going to be afraid to throw any pitch in any situation, with conviction. 
The hitters have been just as impressive. Taking batting practice with these guys reminds me of my time at big league camp earlier this year. A lot of guys driving the ball into the gaps and sending pearls over the fence with ease. We have a lot of big bats with some big time juice and some quick hands. Its going to be fun watching some of these guys hit throughout the fall league. 
Our first game is tomorrow and I’m really excited to get back there and step back into the box with a chance to drive some runs in. If anyone happens to be at the game, I’ll be the hitter with the sweet jaw protector attached to my helmet, looking like I’m in little league. Don’t be afraid to wish me luck, cause I’m going to need it. Hopefully the next time I post I’ll have a couple home-runs in the stats column to talk about. 
Until next time…