Casino Connection Nevada

The Boys are Back.

Another season of baseball starts in Las Vegas

by Greg Jones

The arrival of warmer weather is great news for baseball fans. It signifies the start of a new season, the first day of more than five months of almost non-stop action. Even those who proclaim to have soured on the game with the off-field distractions can’t help themselves once they hear the umpire say those two magic words: Play ball!

While the baseball season in Las Vegas is a little different than the rest of the country—the biggest concerns seem to be run totals and pitcher lines—those so inclined still have the option to escape the smoke-filled sports books and head to Cashman Field to see a game in person.

The Las Vegas 51s start their 26th season April 3, and the early indications are that this ballclub could be extremely talented. As the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers—a team that has dramatically improved its farm system in recent years—the 51s have access to some exceptional ballplayers.

It is too early to say for sure what the lineup for this year will look like—heck, it can be difficult to say on Monday what the lineup will look like on Wednesday—but there are some exciting prospects in the Dodgers farm system who are likely to spend some time in a 51s uniform this coming year.

Manager Lorenzo Bundy, returning for his second season, anchors the coaching staff. There will be some changes, however, with hitting coach Mike Easler moving up to the Dodgers to replace Don Mattingly. John Moses, who comes to Las Vegas from the Seattle Mariners organization, will replace Easler. The 51s will also have a new pitching coach in Jim Slayton, a former major league pitcher who also comes from Seattle.

“We’re extremely excited to have quality veteran coaches, not just with the major league playing experience, but also a wealth of coaching experience,” said De Jon Watson, assistant general manager of player development for the Dodgers. “This group will be able to enhance the players’ skill set from level to level and we can’t wait to see our solid young talent base matched with the coaches assembled here.”

Major League Talent

At the Triple-A level, player development is the name of the game. While people often equate that as being of a lesser-quality than the big leagues—and at some positions and at some times it can be—it also means that the Las Vegas community has access to the stars of tomorrow as they are putting in their time and learning the intricacies of the game.

“Winning is important, but the main concept at this level is player development,” said Jim Gemma, media relations director for the 51s. “The fans get to see some great prospects, and since 2001 we’ve gotten really good and have an unbelievable farm system. You could go another 10 years without seeing the kind of talent we have at this level right now.”

There are two real standouts in the Dodger organization who could start the season in Las Vegas: James McDonald, a 6-foot-5-inch pitcher, and Chin-Lung Hu, a shortstop who played for the 51s last year. McDonald was named the Dodgers minor league pitcher of the year and Hu was named the club’s minor league player of the year in 2007.

Hu appeared in 45 games for the 51s last year and put together some numbers that impressed the higher-ups in the organization. A .318 batting average and 28 RBIs earned him a spot on the Dodgers expanded September roster. Hu is competing with Rafael Furcal for the starting shortstop position in L.A., and depending on Furcal’s health, Hu may or may not make it to Las Vegas at the start of the season.

McDonald started slow in 2007, but after moving up from the Single-A Inland Empire to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns, he posted a 7-2 record with a 1.71 ERA. In 10 starts, he posted 64 strikeouts while holding hitters to a .218 on-base average. With a 95 mph fastball, deceptive changeup and a pair of breaking balls, McDonald could anchor the rotation for the 51s this year.

“I hope he’s coming,” said Gemma. “Hopefully he’s here as soon as April 3.”

Another player who could return for 2007 is the big first baseman Matt Lindsey. Currently battling at Dodgers training camp, he’s got tough competition ahead of him in Jeff Kent and James Loney.

Keeping a team together at the Triple-A level isn’t easy, and requires good fortune as much as anything else. A couple of injuries in the big leagues leads to a lack of consistency down the line, and can result in painful losing streaks and slumps. With the expectations high for position players, Gemma said it might come down to keeping the starting pitching rotation in order.

“If we can keep the same rotation going for two or three months, we should be really good,” Gemma said. “The offense and defense should be good with Lindsey at first and Hu at shortstop.”

A Strong Draw

The Las Vegas 51s have enjoyed steady attendance numbers, averaging 5,000 fans for each home game. Last year, a total of 370,000 people came through the turnstiles at Cashman Field.

While it is sometimes more difficult to market the team with the rotating lineup, Gemma said he is proud of what the ballclub has been able to accomplish in terms of attendance figures.

“There is so much going on in Las Vegas on any given weekend, but we manage bring in the fans,” he said. “We targets families and the locals, and have been successful in doing so. The weekday games are a little slow, but the weekends are our time.”

To help draw fans to weekday games, the club has a number of different promotions (see “Drawing Them In” on page 49). One of the most popular promotions for the younger demographic is $1 beer night on Thursdays. This is a staple of minor league promotions—and one the major leagues can’t replicate—but the 51s have found other ways to get people in outside of discounted concessions.

Giveaways are some of the most popular promotions, and nothing is hotter in baseball giveaways right now than bobble-heads. Gemma said the Las Vegas area is a strong Dodger market, and piggybacking on giveaways that are going on in Los Angeles helps bring people out to the ballpark. On those nights, like the April 26 Dodgers blanket giveaway, the first 2,500 fans to enter Cashman Field get the same blanket that fans in L.A. get at Dodger Stadium.

Of course, the big draw remains the product on the field. While the lineup depends on how best the Dodgers can avoid injuries, the fact remains that the competition in the Pacific League Southern Division is as good as it gets in the Triple-A system. The winner of the Pacific Coast League has come from the same division as the 51s in four out of the last five years. When the team is playing Fresno, Tucson or Sacramento, some of the best Triple-A prospects in the country will take to the dusty diamond in the upcoming season in Las Vegas.