Riggleman, Bats ready for 2014 season
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Yes, despite the frigid weather, baseball is just around the corner, and second-year manager of the Louisville Bats Jim Riggleman addressed the media in the Jack Daniel's Longue at Louisville Slugger Field on Monday afternoon.
The Louisville skipper spent a short time discussing the 2013 season, but was more interested in looking forward to what the future holds, and the 61-year-old certainly isn't taking anything for granted.
"This is a premiere place in the country to play minor league baseball and to get ready for the next step to get to the big leagues." Riggleman said in his opening statement. "I feel very fortunate to be here and, as I said, I enjoyed my experience here last year a great deal. This is a great place to get these players ready to go to the next level, and ultimately that's what it's all about."
Riggleman led the Bats to a 69-74 record in 2013 and previously served as the manager of the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos in 2012. He was promoted to replace the departed Dave Bell as the manager of the Triple-A Louisville Bats prior to last season.
The team struggled to a 51-93 record under Bell in 2012 and their 18-game improvement from season to season undoubtedly shows some promise for what may be to come. With more than 30 years of coaching experience, including portions of 19 seasons in the big leagues, Riggleman understands where winning originates.
"The players are ultimately going to determine how many games you're going to win and so forth," he said. "The year before I was here, they just didn't have a group of players that were going to be able to get it done. Last year, we had more talent, especially with pitching, and we just played solid baseball. We played fundamentally sound baseball."
Easier said than done.
Coaching in a minor league system often presents the challenge of heading into each season with a different repertoire of players as they are often called up to the major leagues or become valuable trade options that may satisfy the needs of the big league ball club.
Nonetheless, the 2014 roster will include a number of players who have been there before, perhaps none more valuable than veteran catcher Corky Miller, who is entering his 10th season with the Bats, a franchise record.
"We're very fortunate to have Corky," Riggleman said. "The major league pitching staff and the major league coaching staff is comfortable with him, and that's huge - to have somebody that if something were to happen to your major league catcher that you could call on Corky and he's going to be composed.
"When he's (in Louisville) you feel the same way. You know the (signals) he's putting down are going to help you get through the game. He's a good player. He's a good guy to have on the ball club. He's a good guy to have in the clubhouse and I know Corky wants to keep playing, and I'm sure he could keep playing as long as he wants, but I know he has a great future in the game as a coach or a manager."
Miller will be expected to put those coaching traits to work this spring and play a major role in the development of 23-year-old catcher Tucker Barnhart, much like he did with Devin Mesoraco in 2011.
The 37-year-old veteran is also expected to lead a pitching staff that, according to Riggleman, projects to be the strength of the club again this year. A blend of newcomers in Chien-Ming Wang, Jeff Francis and David Holmberg look to join members of last year's staff in Nick Christiani, Daniel Corcino, Jose Diaz, Curtis Partch and others to provide depth for the Bats, and potentially the Reds, on the rubber.
Additionally, a core group of infielders in Neftali Soto, Henry Rodriguez and Kristopher Negron will likely be joined by a duo of outfielders in Ryan LaMarre and Jason Bourgeois, both of whom will play a role filling in for Billy Hamilton, the likely Opening Day leadoff hitter and center fielder on Cincinnati's roster.
Nonetheless, pitching and defense can only take the club so far and Riggleman acknowledged on Monday that the team will need to improve from the plate in order to get to where they want to be - a playoff-contending team. However, despite their struggles as a team last season - hitting an International League-worst .244 - Riggleman has faith the improvement will come, particularly behind the tutelage of young hitting coach Tony Jaramillo.
"He's outstanding," Riggleman said. "I love what he does, and if there's going to be some hitting talent there, then he'll get it out of (the players)."
The team will open the 2014 season with an exhibition game against the Reds at Louisville Slugger Field on March 29 at 4 p.m. It will mark the first time since 2005 the big league ball club has traveled to Louisville and will certainly cause some early season baseball buzz around the Derby City.
"That's a great day. It really is," Riggleman said. "The players get excited about it. They know that everybody in the organization is watching. The general manager is watching. His assistants and his staff are watching them compete against the major league talent. It's great for our fans, number one, to get to see the major league club up close here. A lot of (Reds) players love Louisville and they'll be thrilled to get back in here. A lot of our team will get to show their talents against the major league club and sometimes you make a lasting impression. I know our players will be looking at it as an opportunity to impress."