So far, Trenton Thunder manager Tony Franklin is batting 1.000 when it comes to bringing championships to Waterfront Park.
He’s hoping to lead his club to back-to-back-to-back championships, which would make the Thunder the first Eastern League team to win three straight since the Harrisburg Senators actually won four consecutive titles from 1996-99.
In a lengthy session with the media, Franklin addressed a wide variety of topics…
“I think we’re going to be a competitive group. I like our pitching, I think we’re going to be fine again in that area. But let’s face it, over the past couple of years we’ve probably pitched better than any minor league team in baseball. That’s something that you never think would happen. But I think we have those types of people in the organization and it’s the same again this year. I think the starters are going to be very competitive. We’ll see about our bullpen, but I think we have guys down there who are going to get the job done. I like our group, and I think we have a chance. The next stop is to go out and play and prove it.”
“Cervelli gives us a big edge behind home plate. He’s a game changer. The guy can catch and throw as well as anybody I’ve seen, and I think he’ll run the staff well. And that’s saying a mouthful simply because we had P.J. for the last couple of years and he won two championships and did a tremendous job. I think Cervelli can do the same thing.”
“You never know how you’re going to hit. It’s a young group of players. I believe that defense and pitching is the cornerstone of winning championships and playing good baseball. I feel we do have some guys in the lineup who are going to be able to hit. We’ve got Malec back, we’ve got Curtis, we’ve got Edwar and we’ve got Vechionacci, who started out like a ball of fire last year, and we’ve got Reegie back, who had a pretty good offensive year. Fortenberry’s new and Nunez is new. So I think we’ve got some guys who are familiar with the league and put some pretty decent numbers up and I think we’ll handle our own. We’ll be competitive, we’ll be right there.”
“Number one, (Reegie) is familiar with the league. He had a pretty good season himself, so he knows exactly what it takes to do it again. Number two, I think that having that experience at the Major League level and having a chance to be around these guys, Major League players, it can only help him. You get a firsthand look at how they go about their business and how they prepare themselves and how they play the game. That’s invaluable experience and information that you gain, and hopefully you bring that. He should bring that with him to this level. With his ability to play the game the way it is now, it can’t do anything but be good for him.”
“It’s not easy (to tell the two guys they’re getting cut), and it’s not easy to explain that to them. But it’s my job to do it, and hopefully they will understand why. I think explaining to them why is more important than anything else. You can accept your assignment if you understand why it’s being made. Moves aren’t always popular, but they’re necessary.”
“I think we’ve got a pretty good staff. Eric Hacker finished the year as probably our best starter, and I expect the same. I think Eric learned a lot…the first game he pitched for us last year, it took about four hours. We couldn’t get him going. By the season’s end, he was rolling. His tempo picked up, his pitches were sharper, he was able to exploit hitter’s weaknesses a lot better. I’ve got to give Scott Aldred a lot of credit for that. Eric is returning and I think he’ll be fine.”
“George is returning and he’s throwing well right now. Zach McAllister comes with some fine credentials. Nova was Rule 5’d, and he’s back with us. Garcia was a little injured, and we’re waiting on him. But we’ve got Pope, who we think is going to pitch well. I think we’ve got enough.”
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com
Mike Ashmore's Thunder Thoughts 