SPS 2/28/10: Loek Van Mil – RHP

I’m leading the SPS off with the one prospect I MUST see play at some point this season. Why? Well because Mr. Van Mil is a 7’1” pitcher! Sure, he has other qualities that make him worth checking out, but seeing a dude that tall coming off a mound, throwing gas, has got to be other-worldly. It’s like watching someone with the height of Shaq pitch to batters. Of course Shaq has a hundred pounds on Loek, but I’m betting Loek has the better slider.

Van Mil made a name for himself during the 2007 Baseball World Cup when he pitched the Netherlands national team. He was also selected to the 2008 Summer Olympics squad for the Netherlands, but a torn ligament in his pitching arm kept him from participating.

His heater is clocked in the mid-90s and he has hit 99 mph on the gun at times. Loek also has a more-than-capable slider and a decent change-up to mix things up. He is a “potential impact reliever” according to Baseball America, which lists him as the 29th best prospect in the Twins system.

Loek started last season with High-A Fort Myers before he made the move up to AA New Britain. He made 8 appearances with the Rock Cats, earning a 1-1 record with 1 save and a 2.45 ERA. It looks as if Loek should be back with the Rock Cats to start the season, barring any set-backs with prior injuries.

Based on his potential, his name and of course his height, I am officially declaring the “Loek Look” here at Beyond Fenway. I intend to follow the big man closely this season and the “Loek Look” will provide us with all available updates and stats for Van Mil. According to the “experts”, he is not the best prospect in the land, but he is the “most intruiging player to see in person” for Beyond Fenway.

Sunday Prospects Series

Today we are kicking off our Sunday Prospects Series (SPS) where we will showcase players that will likely be on a New England ball club at some point this season. We’ll try and pump out a few of these profiles each week so that you can get a better idea of the great talent that you can get out and see this season. Today we will focus on the following up-and-comer:

Loek Van Mil – P (Minnesota Twins/New Britain)

Rock(Cats) Fest…

Can’t wait for the season to start? Can’t make it down to Spring Training? Yearning for a chance to actually get out to a ball park and get that baseball “feeling” in your cold bones?

If you answered YES to these questions then mark your calendar for Saturday, March 6th and head on down to New Britain Stadium for the 11th annual Rock Cats’ FanFest. Gates open at 10am and the event rolls on until 2pm. Complimentary coffee and breakfast in the morning is a nice start, then as the day rolls on they will serve hot dogs, peanuts and crackerjacks to all attendees. Just listing those foods has my mouth watering for the ball park!

The day will also be filled with events for the whole family. They have a kid-friendly zone set up which will include a moon bounce, face painting, arts and crafts and of course all of the wacky Rock Cats mascots. Also, all visitors to the park will get a “back stage” tour of the park, including a visit to the press box, a luxury suite, the clubhouse and even the Rock Cats dugout.

The event also signifies the opening of the box office for the upcoming season. Fans will be able to purchase individual game tickets and group tickets starting on Saturday. The event is free of charge to all who attend and the Rock Cats are asking for donations towards two separate charitable causes – The Fairy Godmother’s Initiative and CREC, Capital Region Education Center.

And how about this for a kicker (as if you actually need one at this point); if you bring a donation of beauty supplies or baseball equipment (or both) to help these causes out, the Rock Cats are going to repay your generosity on the spot with two FREE tickets to Opening Night on April 8th. I told you earlier to mark your calendar!

For more information on what is sure to be a fun day for all, click here.

Did you know that…

…the New Hampshire Fisher Cats were originally named the Primaries?

When it was announced back in 2003 that the city of Manchester, New Hampshire was getting a minor league baseball team, it was also announced that they would indeed be called the Primaries. Of course the name was based on the notoriety of the New Hampshire primary which kicks off the Presidential election every four years. They even had two logos ready to go. The above logo was the main logo of the team, featuring the symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties. The alternate logo featured an Uncle Sam back-dropped by the state of New Hampshire, calling his shot. Unfortunately some fans thought this name to be too “political” and a week later it was announced that a “Name the Team” contest would take place. New Hampshire Fisher Cats won the contest with 24.5% of the votes, just nipping out Manchester Millers which got 24.1%. The name Primaries was also a choice on the ballot, but only received 9.7% of the votes. However there is some good news for the Primaries, as each year the Fisher Cats pay homage to their original moniker with a promo “turn back the clock” day. Just an FYI that their online store sells Primaries hats with the normal Fisher Cat “NH” on the front and the Uncle Sam logo on the side, in the original red, white and blue color scheme.

A change in direction…

The Eastern League, of which we have three teams we will be following, has shaken things up a bit with regards how their divisions are shaped. What were formerly the Northern and Southern divisions are now the Eastern and Western divisions. “After a thorough review by the league in which a number of options were taken into consideration, we have come to the conclusion that this divisional alignment will be the best option for the league moving forward,” said Eastern League President Joseph McEacharn.

The realignment doesn’t change much except for the Reading Phillies moving from the Southern division to the Eastern while the Richmond Flying Squirrels move to the Western division after leaving Connecticut behind. As far as we are concerned, New Hampshire, New Britain and Portland all stay in the same division (Eastern).

Also the playoff format will not be affected by these changes. So the top two teams in each division will play a best-of-five game series with the winners of each divisional series playing each other in the best-of-five Eastern League Championship. So go West(ern)…and East(ern) young men, and we’ll catch you somewhere in the middle.

Within Fenway…

Although the aim of Beyond Fenway is to highlight the minor league baseball that happens in the region outside of the walls of Fenway Park, I am happy to pass along word of the fifth annual Futures at Fenway. This event features a day of Minor League Baseball played at the old ball yard.

The Red Sox have announced that on July 10th, Fenway Park will host two of their Single-A teams when the Salem Red Sox and Lowell Spinners play a double header. Lowell will play the Jamestown Jammers starting at 12:05pm and Salem will follow up that game when they take on the Potomac Nationals.

Tickets start at $5 for the bleachers and range up to $30 for tickets in great spots like the Monster seats and the EMC Club. So this is a great chance to catch not one, but two games featuring future Sox for a cheap price. Try finding a halfway decent seat for a regular Sox game at $30 in June, good luck. This is a great take for everyone and is perfect for any fan who can’t make it out to the other parks around New England or those of us that can’t afford the outrageous prices a regular day at Fenway would require. Tickets are now on sale through RedSox.com.

Did you know that…

…McCoy Stadium and the Pawtucket Red Sox hosted the longest game in professional baseball history? On April 18, 1981, the PawSox started a game against the Rochester Red Wings which would eventually end in the 33rd inning some two months later. The game was suspended at 4:07am in the 32nd inning with both teams tied at 2. They resumed the game on June 23rd and it only took 18 minutes to come to a conclusion with Pawtucket plating a run in the bottom of the 33rd for the 3-2 victory. During the April 18th marathon, only 19 fans remained in the ball park when the game was eventually suspended. Those fans received lifetime passes to McCoy Stadium. The game is also notable for featuring two future Hall of Famers in Wade Boggs (Pawtucket) and Cal Ripken Jr. (Rochester). Both men combined for 6 hits in 25 at-bats.