Shark Tales: Year Two

CLEARWATER -- When Bright House Field first opened its doors in 2004, it had been 15 years since the city of Clearwater had hosted the league's best in the Florida State League All-Star Game.

That wait would soon be over, as Clearwater was quickly awarded the opportunity to hold the FSL All-Star Game in 2005. On June 18, Bright House Field welcomed in a mass of 5,547 fans for the midseason showcase.

The West division - loaded with ten members of the would-be division champion Lakeland Tigers - defeated the East 6-4. Future Major Leaguers abounded, including Chris Dickerson, who earned the game's "Star of Stars Award," as well as Justin Verlander, Nick Blackburn, Carlos Marmol, Reggie Abercrombie, Carlos Villanueva, Sean Marshall, and Brent Clevlen, winner of the pre-game Home Run Derby.

As the All-Sar rosters would suggest, 2005 was a year of exceptional talent across the Florida State League. The Threshers would struggle as a result, finishing 41-95.

With Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt electing to exit the managerial realm after one season, Greg Legg stepped in to govern the Clearwater squad in its second year as the "Threshers." Legg has been a player or coach in the Philadelphia system since he was drafted in 1982.

The 2005 season began with a 3-2 loss at Dunedin, and the Threshers would drop each of their first three games before a 13-10 win at home over the Blue Jays on April 10.

Clearwater won just 17 games in the first half, and finished sixth in the FSL West. The Threshers suffered a pair of eight-game losing streaks throughout the course of the year - and went just 9-20 during the final month - but managed to wrap up a rough 2005 with a 10-4 win over Lakeland on August 31.

The Tigers (who had yet to adopt the present nickname "Flying Tigers") claimed the crown for the Western division in both halves. They knocked off Dunedin in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Palm Beach in the FSL Championship series.

Despite the struggles for the Threshers in year two, six players from that squad did go on to play in the Major Leagues. Two of those six - Scott Mathieson and Zack Segovia - spent a significant amount of time in Clearwater in 2005.

Mathieson had a 4.14 ERA in 23 starts for Clearwater, racking up 188 strikeouts in 121.2 innings while issuing just 34 walks. He was rated by Baseball America as the sixth-best prospect in the Phillies system entering 2005. The righty would go on to make eight starts for the Phillies in 2006, and spent brief stints in Philadelphia in 2010 and 2011.

Segovia made a team-high 27 starts with a 5.54 ERA for the Threshers in 2005. He would start one game for the Phils in 2007, and made eight appearances for Washington in 2009.

Cole Hamels, then the Phillies third-ranked prospect, spent most of the year on the disabled list with multiple injuries. When healthy, he allowed just four earned runs in his three starts, striking out 18 in his 16 innings.

Three other future big leaguers - outfielder Jorge Padilla, RHP Yoel Hernandez, and RHP Kyle Kendrick - made at least one appearance for the Threshers. Kendrick, a current member of the Phillies' starting rotation, allowed just an unearned run in four innings as a 20-year old in his Threshers debut.

Though he never reached the Majors, outfielder Jake Blalock proved an offensive highlight for Clearwater. His 140 hits and 60 walks in 2005 each tie him for fourth all-time in a Threshers season.

Blalock had been ranked by Baseball America as Philadelphia's seventh-best prospect entering that year, coming off a 2004 season in which he led the South Atlantic League with 40 doubles while with Lakewood.

It was second baseman Tim Moss who would be the lone Threshers representative at the All-Star game in Clearwater. Moss hit 17 home runs that year, which is tied for the Threshers all-time single-season high, while his 28 stolen bases tie him for fifth.

Across the Florida State League, 2005 was a year which saw Denard Span hit .339 in 49 games as a 21-year old for the Fort Myers Miracle. Another future big leaguer, Andy LaRoche, finished right behind him at a .333 clip playing for the Vero Beach Dodgers. Teammate Matt Kemp spent a full season as a 20-year old in Vero Beach, hitting .306 and finishing second in the FSL with 27 home runs.

On the mound, a young righty named Justin Verlander paced the league with a 1.67 ERA in 13 starts for Lakeland, previewing his future big league dominance by mowing down 104 batters in just 86 innings.

Not surprisingly, Lakeland swept a trio of FSL post-season awards. Brent Clevlen received Player of the Year honors, while Jordan Tata was named Pitcher of the Year and Mike Rojas Manager of the Year.

2005 was also the year that Bright House Field welcomed in rock and country legends Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, featuring both in a concert on May 29. Even without those legendary names, Clearwater had no problem enticing the masses. The Threshers led the league in total attendance, drawing 130,446 fans to Bright House.

Though 2005 was a tough one on the field, the following season would be one for the record books, thanks to a near-perfect promotional debut.

We'll take an in-depth look at year three of Clearwater Threshers baseball, due out February 10.