Journal: Mr. Doolittle goes to Myrtle Beach

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Greetings, sports fans. Sean Doolittle coming to you from sunny Stockton, Calif., on the heels of an extra-inning victory over the Modesto Nuts. A lot has happened since we last spoke, so let's not waste any time!

Our team has somewhat of a new look as we return to action following the All-Star break, but that has not stopped us from winning three of five games to push our record to 6-5 in the second half. Gone to Double-A are starting pitchers Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson (if you spend any time on MiLB.com you should be quite familiar with these two by this point in the season) and second baseman Michael Affronti. Moving players around comes with the territory of playing in the Minor Leagues, and this team has shown no signs of slowing down since their departures (sorry guys, but it looks like we might be OK after all).

It appears the four-day All-Star break was just long enough to re-energize the team for a second-half push. Our hitters have thrived since pitching coach Garvin Alston has started throwing batting practice again, and hitting coach Timmy Garland seems to get so excited when we have success that he makes up at least one new word a day.

I spent my break on the "Right Coast" as I was lucky enough to be selected to play in the California-Carolina League All-Star game in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The experience was definitely worth the trip all the way across the country. Not only was I fortunate enough to spend time with my family who made the trip down the East Coast from New Jersey, but I was also able to see some of the top players in High-A together in one place.

Despite dropping the contest by a score of 3-1, it was a treat to play with some of the Cal League's best, and I was very impressed by what the Carolina League had to offer as well. (I won't start name-dropping because to be honest, I don't feel like having to pick all of them up.) From the gala at Hard Rock Park the night prior to the game to the last pitch of the game, it was a first-class event and I was very honored just to be a part of it.

As we reach for the mail box to answer some of your questions, I'd like to take a second to wish you all a very happy and safe Fourth of July. You know the drill: wait 30 minutes to jump in the pool after that barbecue, no running by the pool, be sure to put out the fire from that grill you'll have going, be careful lighting those roman candles or bottle rockets or the firecrackers of your choice, and enjoy the fireworks as we celebrate the birthday of the greatest, most powerful nation in the world.

Hector from San Fran writes:
Playing first base was so much fun when I was playing in high school and college, but for some reason it has been viewed as the "just stick anyone out there" position. Do you enjoy all the nuances of playing first base? What's your favorite part of the position?

I enjoy everything about playing first base. I take a lot of pride in my defense and work very hard at it. I guess my favorite part about playing the position would be digging all those throws out of the dirt. I work hard at it so that our infielders know that if they do make a bad throw, I'll pick them up and save them the error. Defense is something that can show up to the yard every day regardless of how you're swinging the bat at a given time. It is especially important when you are on the receiving end of every throw in the infield, so I definitely enjoy every inning I'm out there on defense.

Mark from Tennessee is wondering:
What is the biggest transition (mentally, physically, etc.) that you've had to make from college baseball (aluminum bat) to the Minors (wood bat)?

This is a popular question that I get a lot. By far the biggest transition from college to the Minors is the length of the season. A college season is 56 games long, while a Minor League regular season spans 140 games. I'm not good with numbers, but that's a lot more games! Then factor in that you're playing every single day rather than three or four times a week as seen at the college level. You have to find routines and stick to them so that your body will make it through the long season.

The difference between aluminum and wood bats is another major adjustment you make in the Minor Leagues. Obviously metal bats have more pop than wood, so players must shorten their swings to compensate for the smaller sweet spots. For further reading, I suggest this article about our shortstop, Josh Horton (funny story -- he told me not to say anything about him in this journal entry and he's sitting right beside me playing Tiger Woods on PlayStation 3 and he has no idea I just threw him under the bus).

Thanks again for reading!