AUBURN - No Killer P's this year.
Instead, small ball and pitching are the strengths of the 2006 Auburn Doubledays.
“These guys can run,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “We've got good speed, good defense and good pitching. More importantly, we've got a better bullpen. It looks like there's some guys that can fire blanks and throw up some zeroes on the scoreboard.”
Pitchers
All eyes are on Brandon Magee, the Blue Jays' fourth-round draft pick out of Bradley University. The lanky, 6-foot-5 righty will make his debut June 30 against Jamestown and will only be available to pitch every fifth day.
“The big factor is keeping my body in shape,” Magee said. “I've got to use this opportunity to stay strong. I don't want to necessarilly change anything. I don't think anything needs fixing. I had a good feel at college and I expect that to continue during the season.”
Casey McKenzie returns to Auburn after arm surgery benched him for 2005. In 2004, McKenzie went 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA for the Doubledays.
Starter Randy Dicken (4-2, 3.60) returns for his third stint in Auburn while relievers Josh Sowers (4-0, 4.86), Edward Rodriguez (3-1, 3.49) and Gabriel Alfaro (2-4, 6.23) return to the Doubledays bullpen.
Several pitchers made the jump from Rookie League Pulaski including Wilfreddy Aguirre (1-4, 5.51), Shane Benson (6-3, 5.52), Scott Byrnes (2-2, 5.85), Hector Delgadillo (5-3, 3.55) and Ben Harrison (3-1, 3.82). Javier Nieves will also be in the Doubledays bullpen after making a switch from catcher to pitcher in the offseason.
There are several draft picks on this year's staff as well.
Lefty Daniel O'Brien, an eighth-round selection, finished 6-3 with a 2.68 ERA at Western Michigan and 15th-rounder Seth Overbey had a 5-2 record with a 3.49 ERA at Maryland.
Brian Bull (7-4, 3.01) is a non-drafted free agent out of Minnesota, Ronald Lowe (8-3, 3.53) is a 21st-rounder out of Saint Leo College and John Tritz (8-0, 4.46) is a 32nd-rounder from the University of Texas San Antonio.
Infield and catcher
After a bout with thyroid cancer, Brian Hall returns to second base for the Doubledays. In 2004, Hall batted .294 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs as the cleanup hitter.
Manny Sena is the only returning infielder from last year's club. The shortstop hit .209, scored 30 runs and had nine stolen bases.
Chris Looze makes the jump from Pulaski where he hit three homers and drove in seven runs in just 25 games.
Kelly Sweppenhiser plays third and hit .350 with 13 doubles at VMI. He is a 44th-round draft pick.
Jonathan Diaz, a 12th-rounder, hit .255 with 31 RBIs at North Carolina State and Luke Hopkins, a fifth-rounder from New Mexico St., hit .403 with 16 homers, 65 RBIs and 53 walks.
Al Quintana, Matthew Liuzza and Matthew Lane will vie for time at catcher. Quintana hit .282 at Pulaski last season. Liuzza, a 19th-rounder, hit .317 at LSU while Lane, an 11th-round pick, batted .268 with 43 RBIs at Washington.
Outfielders
Auburn's entire outfield is filled with players straight out of college. Jonathan Baksh is a seventh-rounder from Florida Tech where he hit .469 with 100 hits, nine homers and 67 RBIs.
Ben Zeskind was drafted in the 37th round out of Richmond where he hit .379 with 40 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.
Shawn Scobee, a 14th-rounder, hit .371 with 22 homers at Nevada and Adam Calderone, a 23rd-rounder, hit .361 with 12 doubles at Florida Southern.
Zach Kalter is the only outfielder with professional experience. Kalter hit .268 with seven triples at Pulaski in 2005.
“These guys can run,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “We've got good speed, good defense and good pitching. More importantly, we've got a better bullpen. It looks like there's some guys that can fire blanks and throw up some zeroes on the scoreboard.”
Pitchers
All eyes are on Brandon Magee, the Blue Jays' fourth-round draft pick out of Bradley University. The lanky, 6-foot-5 righty will make his debut June 30 against Jamestown and will only be available to pitch every fifth day.
“The big factor is keeping my body in shape,” Magee said. “I've got to use this opportunity to stay strong. I don't want to necessarilly change anything. I don't think anything needs fixing. I had a good feel at college and I expect that to continue during the season.”
Casey McKenzie returns to Auburn after arm surgery benched him for 2005. In 2004, McKenzie went 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA for the Doubledays.
Starter Randy Dicken (4-2, 3.60) returns for his third stint in Auburn while relievers Josh Sowers (4-0, 4.86), Edward Rodriguez (3-1, 3.49) and Gabriel Alfaro (2-4, 6.23) return to the Doubledays bullpen.
Several pitchers made the jump from Rookie League Pulaski including Wilfreddy Aguirre (1-4, 5.51), Shane Benson (6-3, 5.52), Scott Byrnes (2-2, 5.85), Hector Delgadillo (5-3, 3.55) and Ben Harrison (3-1, 3.82). Javier Nieves will also be in the Doubledays bullpen after making a switch from catcher to pitcher in the offseason.
There are several draft picks on this year's staff as well.
Lefty Daniel O'Brien, an eighth-round selection, finished 6-3 with a 2.68 ERA at Western Michigan and 15th-rounder Seth Overbey had a 5-2 record with a 3.49 ERA at Maryland.
Brian Bull (7-4, 3.01) is a non-drafted free agent out of Minnesota, Ronald Lowe (8-3, 3.53) is a 21st-rounder out of Saint Leo College and John Tritz (8-0, 4.46) is a 32nd-rounder from the University of Texas San Antonio.
Infield and catcher
After a bout with thyroid cancer, Brian Hall returns to second base for the Doubledays. In 2004, Hall batted .294 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs as the cleanup hitter.
Manny Sena is the only returning infielder from last year's club. The shortstop hit .209, scored 30 runs and had nine stolen bases.
Chris Looze makes the jump from Pulaski where he hit three homers and drove in seven runs in just 25 games.
Kelly Sweppenhiser plays third and hit .350 with 13 doubles at VMI. He is a 44th-round draft pick.
Jonathan Diaz, a 12th-rounder, hit .255 with 31 RBIs at North Carolina State and Luke Hopkins, a fifth-rounder from New Mexico St., hit .403 with 16 homers, 65 RBIs and 53 walks.
Al Quintana, Matthew Liuzza and Matthew Lane will vie for time at catcher. Quintana hit .282 at Pulaski last season. Liuzza, a 19th-rounder, hit .317 at LSU while Lane, an 11th-round pick, batted .268 with 43 RBIs at Washington.
Outfielders
Auburn's entire outfield is filled with players straight out of college. Jonathan Baksh is a seventh-rounder from Florida Tech where he hit .469 with 100 hits, nine homers and 67 RBIs.
Ben Zeskind was drafted in the 37th round out of Richmond where he hit .379 with 40 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.
Shawn Scobee, a 14th-rounder, hit .371 with 22 homers at Nevada and Adam Calderone, a 23rd-rounder, hit .361 with 12 doubles at Florida Southern.
Zach Kalter is the only outfielder with professional experience. Kalter hit .268 with seven triples at Pulaski in 2005.
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