Appy preview: Bristol breaks new ground

There's a different level of excitement around Bristol's team in the Appalachian League. That's because the team is now called the Bristol Pirates as a new relationship unfolds with the season beginning this week.

After nearly two decades as a Chicago White Sox affiliate, Bristol has new company.

"We're still operated by Bristol Baseball Inc. -- nothing has changed there," general manager Mahlon Luttrell said. "Anytime you have change, there's always an air of excitement."

Bristol expects to have a cast of more experienced players than in recent seasons. As a Pirates farm club, the team no longer is at the bottom of the organizational ladder because Pittsburgh fields a Gulf Coast League team.

"We'll be bringing in players with prior experience, whereas the last few years we had primarily players from [that year's] Draft," Luttrell said. "[Chicago] used us as the first rung. … Hopefully, we'll see that [reflected] in the win-loss column.

"Nothing against the Sox. They were with us 19 years. We had the pleasure of getting to know many players up in the big leagues now and their staff."

Bristol has fielded a team in the Appalachian League continuously since 1969, and this marks its third different affiliation during that span after the Tigers (1969-94) and the White Sox (1995-2013). Bristol's only winning season since taking home the 2002 league title came with a 34-30 record in 2008.

Luttrell said the Pirates organization is going in an upward direction, and he expects some of those positive vibes to be felt with his team.

"One thing the Pirates have done that's new to us is install cameras for live feeds that can be beamed to Pittsburgh," Luttrell said. "We've never had that. We welcome that kind of change, because that shows they're moving with technology."

Bristol, which will be managed by Edgar Varela, opens with three road games against the Princeton Rays before the home opener June 23 vs. the Burlington Royals.

Royals grow younger: The Burlington Royals will depend on teenagers in large part this season as there's a marked turn toward youth with the team.

Teenagers hold nearly half of the spots on the initial 38-player roster.

This comes about in large part because the parent Kansas City Royals are no longer fielding a team in the Arizona Rookie League, so they now have two short-season teams instead of three.

"It's going to have a huge effect on this club," third-year Burlington manager Tommy Shields said. "Because of that, the young kids who sign right out of the Draft, they're coming to us instead of going to Arizona. … Every kid that you would have a question on -- is he going to Arizona or is he coming to Burlington? -- he's here now. There's no getting around that."

That means young prospects, such as Italian shortstop Marten Gasparini and supplemental first-rounder Chase Vallot, a catcher, will play for Burlington. They're both 17 years old. That almost makes 18-year-old Foster Griffin, a pitcher taken in the first round out of the First Academy (Fla.) High School, seem old.

Six of the eight infielders have yet to reach 19 years old. The influx of youth is bound to be a theme for the Royals.

"Even more patience will be required," Shields said.

Other roster spots are taken by fourth-round selection D.J. Burt, who's expected to play as a second baseman after being drafted from nearby Fuquay-Varina (North Carolina) High School; fifth-rounder Corey Ray, a pitcher out of Texas A&M; and sixth-rounder Logan Moon, an outfielder from Missouri Southern.

Burlington's roster has three returnees from its 2013 club.

The count continues: For Elizabethton Twins manager Ray Smith, he'll be adding to his record-setting career. This season marks his 21st overall as manager of the team, looking to build on the franchise's 10 league championships.

Smith has managed the Twins to seven league championships (and he has been on the coaching staff for another title).

He's the all-time winningest manager in league history with an 827-518 record.

Rest for the weary: Lee Landers, the Appalachian League president, said the league received approval from farm directors for a scheduled day off after the regular season before the playoff semifinal series.

Landers said some team officials were troubled by preparing for the quick turnaround, particularly if playoff participants weren't known until the last day of the regular season.

"There was sentiment that there would be a better chance to promote the draw," Landers said. "It could work out well."

This is a one-year trial for the day off, which will be Aug. 30. If there's a special tiebreaker game to determine a playoff participant, it will be held that day and the team that advances won't have an off day, Landers said.

Meanwhile, another change is that up to 35 players can be included on a daily lineup card, instead of a maximum of 30 players for the Rookie league as in the past. Landers said this gives more options for player availability on a game-by-game basis, though he conceded that it could be "a scorer's nightmare" if nearly all those players were to participate in one game.

Landers again said he plans to attend games in all 10 league venues across the first 10 days of the season, weather permitting.

Last things last: Here's a look at some significant lasts around the Appalachian League.

Last season's champion: Pulaski over Greeneville in two-game sweep
Last season's attendance leader: Greeneville Astros, 45,261
Last back-to-back champion: Johnson City Cardinals, 2010-11
Last team with 45 regular-season wins: Danville Braves, 47-21, and Elizabethton Twins, 45-23, in 2009
Last 10-win pitcher: Matthew Crim, Danville, with 10 in 2009
Last 100-strikeout pitcher: Daniel Osterbrook, Elizabethton, with 104 in 2008
Last .400 season: Rene Aqueron, Bluefield, at .405 in 2005
Last 20-homer season: Eddie Rosario, Elizabethton, with 21 in 2011, and Miguel Sano, Elizabethton, with 20 in 2011
Last 100-hit season: Jason Pridie, Princeton, 105 in 2002
Last 60-steal season: Rafael Furcal, Danville, 60 in 1998