Wichita Eagle: Wichita Wingnuts

Wingnuts waiting for lower part of order to heat up

Jeffrey Lutz — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:56 CDT

Equating success — or lack thereof — between the Wingnuts’ offense and their overall play so far this season has been easy. When first four hitters in the batting order produce, the Wingnuts often win. When they don’t, Wichita usually loses.

The bottom of the order, mostly stocked with unproven players, has yet to make a collective difference for the Wingnuts. The top four hitters can sometimes mask the ineffectiveness of the rest, and Wichita’s superior pitching is also helping offset some of those problems.

Though little can be determined from results after seven games, Wingnuts manager Kevin Hooper notices occasionally poor approaches at the plate from the younger players that occupy the bottom of the lineup. Hooper is confident, that the lineup can find balance and depth that will make the Wingnuts dangerous 1-through-9.

Wingnuts fall to Gary 2-1

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:11 CDT

A play that Wingnuts manager Kevin Hooper said later was a “botched call” brought in Gary-SouthShore’s only runs in a 2-1 victory over Wichita in an American Association game Tuesday afternoon in Gary, Ind.

With two outs in the fourth inning, Gary’s Drew Martinez hit a fly ball to left field. Colt Loehrs slid and attempted a diving catch, but the umpire ruled it a trap and two runs scored.

Hooper argued the call and was ejected.

Gary drops Wingnuts in opener

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:16 CDT

The Wichita Wingnuts los tto the Gary SouthShore RailCats 5-1 in their series opener on Monday in Gary, Ind.

Wichita startintg pitcher Kristhiam Linares too the loss in his debut, allowing two runs and six hits in five innings. Linares walked three and struck out five.

Alain Quijano earned the win for Gary with six shutout innings. Quijano allowed five hits, zero walks, and struck out three.

Wingnuts win rain-shortened game

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:36 CDT

The Wichita Wingnuts defeated the Kansas City T-Bones 3-2 in a rain-shortened game on Sunday in Kansas City, Kan.

The game was called after six innings due to heavy thunderstorms sweeping through the area.

The Wingnuts took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning on Derek Perren’s RBI single that scored Cole Armstrong, who reached on a ground-rule double.

Wingnuts rally to beat T-Bones

Sun, 19 May 2013 07:22 CDT

The Wichita Wingnuts rallied from an early, 3-0 deficit for a 4-3 win over the Kansas City T-Bones on Saturday night in Kansas City, Kan.

After trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning, Wingnuts’ pitchers combined for eight shutout innings.

Wichita’s C.J. Ziegler made the score 3-1 with a solo home run in the top of the second — Ziegler’s third homer in three games to start the season, which is one shy of the team record.

Hinson finds comfort in return to Wingnuts

Jeffrey Lutz — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:27 CDT

Ryan Hinson made an offer to Wingnuts manager Kevin Hooper to return to the team before Hinson knew for sure that he was ready to fulfill it.

When a couple other options for Hinson fell through, he asked Hooper last week if the Wingnuts still had a spot for him. Hooper said they did, which was only step one in bringing Hinson back for a third year in Wichita.

Step two was Hinson making the decision, which he ultimately did. The left-handed Hinson made his 2013 debut Saturday night after winning a combined 20 games in his first two seasons with the Wingnuts.

Wingnuts fall to T-Bones 5-4

Jeffrey Lutz — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:37 CDT

The veteran Wingnuts’ turn through the batting order was complete, and their younger players were going to decide Friday’s game against the Kansas City T-Bones.

The winning run stayed on first base as rookies Colt Loehrs and David Amberson made the final two outs to give Kansas City a 5-4 win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The rookies missed their first chance to deliver their first difference-making hits, but as Wingnuts manager Kevin Hooper sees it, that only makes them more likely to come through next time.

That’s why Hooper wasn’t concerned about the game coming down to the Wingnuts’ two most inexperienced players, even though veterans had a hand in all of the Wichita’s runs. C.J. Ziegler got the Wingnuts to within a run by leading off the bottom of the ninth with a home run.

Wingnuts shut out T-Bones in opener

Jeffrey Lutz — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:36 CDT

Even though Jon Link was nearly flawless through the first four innings of his start for the Wingnuts on Thursday, it was no indicator of how he would pitch as the game continued.

Link has spent almost all of his career as a relief pitcher, reaching the major leagues for nine games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009, so he isn’t accustomed to pitching more than an inning or two at a time.

While it was clear he was laboring after the fourth, Link’s final three innings appear just as impressive on paper. He pitched seven scoreless and the Wingnuts won their season-opener 8-0 over the Kansas City T-Bones at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Veteran Wingnuts pitchers making a fresh start

Jeffrey Lutz — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:29 CDT

Chris Smith’s welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment happened when he gave up a grand slam in 2008 to the second batter he ever faced. Once that was behind him, it became somewhat of a calming influence.

Jon Link is approaching his time with the Wingnuts similarly — something to get out of the way before he can be a productive pitcher in the upper levels of affiliated baseball again.

The calming influence will be a transition to starting that could make Smith and Link, both former major-league relievers, more marketable to MLB organizations. They’ll occupy the two spots in the rotation for the Wingnuts, and Link will make his 10th career start Thursday night as Wichita opens the season against Kansas City T-Bones at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Wingnuts’ Kahaulelio can’t resist baseball’s allure

Jeffrey Lutz — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:13 CDT

Jake Kahaulelio had to be talked into returning to baseball this season. Now the Wingnuts second baseman can’t imagine ever being talked out of it.

Kahaulelio briefly retired during the offseason, sending the Wingnuts scrambling for a player who probably had little chance of matching Kahaulelio’s production and importance. Once personal issues that forced Kahaulelio from the game were resolved, he thought about coming back.

It took a conversation with former Wingnuts infielder Patrick Brooks to turn those thoughts into actions. Kahaulelio took Brooks’ words to heart and opted to return to Wichita, where he won the American Association batting title by hitting .372 and formed an exciting double-play combination with Ryan Khoury.

Breaking down the Wingnuts

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:40 CDT

Pitcher

The Wingnuts of manager Kevin Hooper’s five-year era have been built on starting pitching, and this season appears no different. Anchoring the rotation are right-handers Chris Smith and Jon Link, who both pitched briefly in the major leagues. Another ex-MLB pitcher, Mike Burns, will serve as the bullpen coach and could be activated at some point. Ryan Hinson returns after winning 20 games over the last two seasons, and right-hander Junior Guerra is back in Wichita after spending last season in the Mexican League. In 2011, Guerra went 9-3 for the Wingnuts. Rounding out the rotation will probably be former WSU left-hander Anthony Capra, who had an inconsistent Wingnuts debut in 2012. The bullpen is once again led by Josh Dew, entering his third season as closer. Nick Walters gives Wichita a dominant left-handed specialist or eighth-inning setup reliever, while newcomers Lincoln Holdzkom, Tyler White, Daniel Bennett and Kristhiam Linares will open the season in the bullpen.

Catcher

Wingnuts’ outfield young, but fast

Jeffrey Lutz — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:40 CDT

The start of the Wingnuts’ season on Thursday will be a relief for manager Kevin Hooper and his seemingly endless efforts to put together the team’s outfield.

Wichita’s plans have often gone awry during the offseason, as the Wingnuts had designs on an outfield filled with players who had previous success in the American Association and/or in affiliated baseball.

Injury and untimely and unforeseen defections have hampered those efforts, and the Wingnuts are left with an outfield made up of no players with affiliated baseball experience beyond rookie league and who are largely unproven.

Wingnuts roster

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:39 CDT

	Pitchers
No.	Name	B/T	Ht.	Wt.
21	Daniel Bennett	R/R	6-4	220
22	Anthony Capra	L/L	6-1	215
18	Josh Dew	R/R	6-4	230
19	Junior Guerra	R/R	6-0	230
44	Ryan Hinson	L/L	6-3	220
45	Lincoln Holdzkom	R/R	6-6	245
17	Kristhiam Linares	L/L	6-0	218
23	Jon Link	R/R	6-1	210
26	Chris Smith	R/R	6-0	197
7	Nick Walters	L/L	6-2	180
15	Tyler White	R/R	6-3	205
	Catchers
37	Cole Armstrong	L/R	6-3	230
4	Stephen Yoo	S/R	5-10	185
	Infielders
11	Jake Kahaulelio	R/R	5-10	185
2	Ryan Khoury	R/R	5-11	180
13	Abel Nieves	R/R	6-0	205
33	C.J. Ziegler	R/R	6-5	240
	Outfielders
30	David Amberson	R/R	6-3	210
24	Colt Loehrs	R/R	6-2	215
16	Jared McDonald	L/R	6-1	195
5	Derek Perren	L/L	5-9	190
25	John Rodriguez	L/L	6-0	220

Wingnuts schedule

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:39 CDT

May

16-17—Kansas City; 18-19—at Kansas City; 20-22—at Gary; 23-25—New Jersey; 27-29—Amarillo; 31—at Sioux Falls.

June

Wingnuts banking on their infield defense

TAYLOR ELDRIDGE — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:59 CDT

The art of turning a double play begins and ends with the chemistry between the two middle infielders, the second basemen and the shortstop.

They have to understand each other’s movements, be able to read the other’s body language and almost have a sixth sense for what’s coming next.

And it doesn’t hurt if they’re best friends, like the Wingnuts’ duo of Ryan Khoury and Jake Kahaulelio.

Wingnuts make major overhauls to 2013 roster

Jeffrey Lutz — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:19 CDT

The long-term planning of several of last year’s Wingnuts players didn’t help manager Kevin Hooper’s efforts toward putting together a roster over the course of a few months.

Six players retired from Wichita’s roster during the American Association championship series, which the Wingnuts lost to Winnipeg. Hooper was looking for replacements for more spots than usual.

Players retired for varied reasons, most with an eye on a productive life after baseball, and it put Hooper’s recruiting skills to the test. He’s happy with the 28 players the Wingnuts began spring training with last weekend, which include a trio former major-league pitchers.

Wingnuts coach Brian Rose dies of melanoma

Jeffrey Lutz — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:23 CST

Josh Robertson planned to video chat with Brian Rose Thursday morning as Mr. Rose lay in a Texas hospital fighting melanoma.

The call to Robertson, the Wingnuts general manager, came later than their scheduled 7 a.m. appointment, and Mr. Rose wasn’t on the other end. Instead, it was Mr. Rose’s wife, Lupe, informing Robertson that Mr. Rose had died overnight.

Mr. Rose, the Wingnuts’ bench coach during the last three seasons, was 34. He is survived by Lupe, to whom he was married last April.

2013 Wichita Wingnuts schedule

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 07:32 CST

2013 Schedule

May

16-17—Kansas City; 18-19—at Kansas City; 20-22—at Gary; 23-25—New Jersey; 27-29—Amarillo; 31—at Sioux Falls.

Hooper wants more of same cohesion in 2013 Wingnuts

Jeffrey Lutz — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 18:19 CDT

After a 2011 season that ended with a Wingnuts trip to the postseason but included clubhouse tension that kept the team from reaching its potential, manager Kevin Hooper spent a tireless offseason building a roster he was sure wouldn’t have similar issues.

Hooper’s work was on display all season as, almost to a man. The Wingnuts trumpeted chemistry as not only a reason for success but the element that got them through a prolonged losing stretch.

The 2012 Wingnuts, who lost in the American Association championship series to Winnipeg last week, have set a new standard for Hooper in roster construction. Getting the best players will always be important, but finding the best players who also advance the cause of off-the-field harmony is just as crucial.

Winnipeg sweeps past Wingnuts in American Association championship series

Jeffrey Lutz — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 10:54 CDT

The extra mile or two an hour on the fastball, the hustle plays that temporarily ignited a desperate crowd, and the collective will of the Wingnuts to save their season were no match for a Winnipeg team that dominated the postseason.

The Wingnuts were swept out of the American Association championship series, falling 8-3 on Friday night at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. It was Wichita’s first trip past the first round of the playoffs, but the first postseason series win in franchise history didn’t produce a second.

Winnipeg swept through both rounds of the playoffs, first against Fargo-Moorhead, which owned the best regular-season record, then against the Wingnuts, who were arguably the league’s best team before three players left for the Mexican League and after they returned.