THE ULTIMATE FAN GUIDE TO CACTUS LEAGUE BASEBALL
ARIZONA T R AV E L
MA G AZ I NE
Spring 2018
Schedules | Tickets Teams | Stadiums | Maps DINING | GOLF | SHOPPING | ADVENTURE | ATTRACTIONS www.ArizonaKEY.com
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MIM—PHOENIX’S MVP Rated Phoenix’s #1 Attraction
“This museum has something for everyone and every age. It is one of the most interesting places I have ever visited!” —MIM Guest, Facebook Visit the world’s only global musical instrument museum and explore music and cultures from every country in the world, get a close-up look at instruments played by influential artists, and have fun making some music of your own! With more than 6,600 musical instruments and objects on display, MIM provides a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors of all ages. Plan your visit at MIM.org.
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CONTENTS on the cover
PHOTO COLLAGE BY JOHN ANTONOFF
Corey Kluber (upper left) won the American Cy Young award for best pitcher in the league; Cody Bellinger (upper right) won the National League Rookie Of The Year award; and Shohei Ohtani (center) is the first two way talent (hitter & pitcher) to come along legitimately since Babe Ruth. ALBERT PUJOLS RIDES BACK TO THE CLUBHOUSE WITH FORMER LAA ERIC AYBAR AFTER A SPRING TRAINING WORKOUT.
FEATURE:
by Charlie Vascellaro
LA could be the New Center of the Cactus League Universe
team previews
stadium information 25, 39 Salt River Fields, at Talking Stick 27 Sloan Park, Mesa 29, 55 Camelback Ranch, Glendale 33 Goodyear Ball Park 41, 71 Surprise Stadium 43 Tempe Diablo Stadium 57 Maryvale Baseball Park 59 Hohokam Stadium, Mesa 65, 69 Peoria Sports Complex 67 Scottsdale Stadium
things to do
36 38 40 42 54 56 58 64 66 68 70
24 Arizona Diamondbacks 26 Chicago Cubs 28 Chicago White Sox 32 Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians Colorado Rockies Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers
game schedule 20 Top 10 Phoenix 22 Top 10 Glendale / West Valley 76 Top 10 Sedona 4
44-45 Game Schedule 46-47 Map of all stadiums 48 Stadium-Stadium Mileage Chart Arizona KEYMagazine
VISIT OUR ATTRACTIONS + 20 SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS
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CONTENTS Sedona, Prescott and North Central AZ
Williams, Flagstaff and Northern AZ
74
Grand Canyon
Tucson and Southern AZ
60 Scottsdale, Phoenix and Central AZ
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editor’spage
SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL
On behalf of everyone at Arizona KEY Travel Magazine, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Arizona, the Grand Canyon state. Spring Training offers baseball fans a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the 15 teams that call Arizona their home base for Spring Training. The venues are state of the art, but intimate. The long and arduous road to the “fall classic” all begins here in spring, with the seasoned athletes and fresh faces of the new season ready to play ball. We are thrilled to have Charlie Vascellaro, hall of fame sports writer, bringing you in-depth previews of your favorite teams and John Antonoff providing brilliant photographs of up-and-coming stars. We’ll help you navigate the games and stadiums with valuable insight and great suggestions for things to do before and after the games. A fan favorite each year is our “Top Prospects” section -- be sure to bring it with you and get those valuable autographs now. Arizona KEY Travel Magazine’s Ultimate Fan Guide to Cactus League Baseball has been the go-to-guide for spring training fans for the last 16 years. The first issue of KEY in the Valley of the Sun debuted in 1969. For almost 50 years, Arizona KEY Travel Magazine has been a valuable guide for Arizona visitors. For even more pertinent and timely information on the best things to do and places to see in Arizona, visit our website (arizonaKEY.com) or check us out on Facebook (Facebook/KeytoArizona) -- we livestream every week with travel tips, ideas and giveaways! Special thanks to our advertisers, and to Arizona’s finest concierge and other travel professionals who use our publication as a resource for their guests. Lastly, thank you to all of the Spring Training fans, young and old, who carry this little magazine around to all the ballparks. Dog-eared and well used is how we like ‘em, so carry on... See you at the ballpark! ~ Serena Webbe, Editor
connect with KEY We’re social! Connect with us on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and more!
ARIZONA KEY KEY ARIZONA MAGAZINE MAGAZINE Publisher & Account Management Jeff Webbe Editor / Distribution Serena Webbe
Search Arizona KEY Magazine on your favorite social network.
Senior Media Consultant Elliot Elrod
VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.ArizonaKEY.com
Writer / Photographer Charlie Vascellaro
This magazine is authorized by and the trademark KEY and KEY design are licensed by KEY Magazines Inc. Copyright 2018 by Arizona KEY Magazine, a dba of G2H Media and Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this magazine or website may be reproduced without the written consent of Arizona KEY Magazine. Arizona KEY Magazine makes every effort to maintain the accuracy of the information provided in the magazines and website, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes and omissions. Arizona KEY Magazine is affiliated with a growing national network of independently owned visitor guides. Visit KEYmagazine.com for more information.
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ON THE COVER:
LAbecomestheCENTER
oftheCACTUSleague
UNIVERSE
BY CHARLIE VASCELLARO PHOTOS BY JOHN ANTONOFF
The Dodgers 10th anniversary in Glendale and the Angels signing of Shohei Ohtani put Los Angeles as the Center of the Cactus League Universe
W
hen the Chicago Cubs returned to their snazzy Sloan Park digs last spring as reigning World Series winners it marked the 14th time that a team conducting spring training in Arizona’s Cactus League has returned as champions since the league’s official beginning in 1947. The Cubs’ wildly dramatic victory over the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series also marked the sixth time that both Series combatants have emerged from the Cactus League. Last year the Cubs enjoyed their fourth spring season of sold out home games since the opening of Sloan Park in 2014 while the Indians and their co-tenant Cincinnati Reds set a singleseason attendance record (174,369) in the team’s ninth year at the Goodyear Ballpark. WORKERS PUTTING FINISHING TOUCHES ON CUBS CHAMPIONSHIP SIGNAGE.
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Arizona KEYMagazine
CAMELBACK RANCH ADDS SHADE
This year promises to be a record-setting season for the reigning National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the team’s 10th year at the Camelback Ranch facility it shares with the Chicago White Sox in Glendale. Almost as dramatic as the franchise’s historic move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958 the Dodgers departure from the team’s long-standing Dodgertown spring training complex in Vero Beach, Florida to Arizona came as quite a surprise to the baseball community. The Dodgers had conducted spring training at Vero Beach for longer than the team had played in Brooklyn or Los Angeles. The Dodgers move coincided with the Cleveland Indians return to the Cactus League at the also brand new Goodyear Ballpark where the arrival of their co-tenant Cincinnati Reds in 2010 brought the Cactus League even with Florida’s Grapefruit circuit at 15 teams-a-piece. The Goodyear Ballpark is also celebrating its 10th anniversary this season as part of the Cactus League’s continual westward expansion. At first the huge Camelback Ranch facility seemed almost daunting. It was far and away the largest of the Cactus League ballparks at the time and situated in a relatively unfamiliar and undeveloped West Valley locale. It took a while for the ballpark to feel like it belonged to both teams and their fans.
YASIEL PUIG SIGNING FOR FANS CLAYTON KERSHAW SIGNING FOR THE FANS ArizonaKEY.com
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FEATURE STORY continued from page 11
MLB LEGEND SANDY KOUFAX
TRUE BLUE DODGER FAN
But after a full decade at Camelback Ranch the ballpark has evolved and developed a unique character encompassing elements of both the Dodgers’ Los Angeles regular season home and its Phoenix’s southwest surroundings. Reflective of the Dodgers diverse hometown fan base, Mexican accents and flavors are in abundance at Camelback Ranch in everything from the street taco concession stands along the outfield concourse, to the Modelo Chelada beer flavored with tomato juice, lime and salt, to the Latin music playing over the P.A. system and the Los Doyers jerseys, caps and team gear. Together with the yellow colored lower-level seating bowl it all makes Camelback Ranch feel as familiar as Dodger Stadium. 12
LAKE CHIC IN BETWE AGO WHIT EN THE L E SO X PR A DODGE R ACTI CE F S AND IELD Down S
the right field line the Four Peaks patio bar features a rotating variety of the Tempe brewery’s craft beers under shaded awnings and makes a great place to take a preseventh-inning-stretch break. Among the most aesthetically pleasing elements of the sprawling 141-acre facility is a man-made lake at the center of the complex surrounded by the Dodgers and White Sox practice fields and minor league development facilities on its east and west sides. Arizona KEYMagazine
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FEATURE STORY continued from page 12
A pair of tree-lined promenades leading from the practice fields to the centerfield entrance of the main ballpark are lined with large poster-sized placards containing photographs of the team’s AllStars at each position and their coinciding all-star years as well as large concrete baseballs containing facsimile autographs of the individual players. Minor league practice sessions and inter-squad games take place most of the time that the Cactus League exhibition games are taking place and ticketed fans are allowed to venture back and forth from the main ballpark to the practice fields during games.
Renovations to the ballpark this year include the addition of two new 100’ shade structures along the first base concourse providing comfortable cover to six sections of seats along the right field foul line, and a new 30’ x 50’ Daktronics videoboard located behind the right-center field berm. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of both the Dodgers and White Sox at Camelback Ranch a new commemorative logo featuring the team’s respective blue and black colors and incorporating their existing L.A. and Sox logo lettering wrapped in a “10 Seasons” banner will be featured prominently around the ballpark and included on both team’s spring training merchandise.
DODGER MANAGER DAVE ROBERTS TAKES SELFIE WITH A FAN
THE DODGERS ALL-STAR PROMENADE AT CAMELBACK RANCH 14
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FEATURE STORY continued from page 14
While the Dodgers tremendous 2017 NL pennant wining-season (see the team’s preview page 54) and All-Star studded lineup is sure to fuel attendance at Camelback Ranch, the team’s crosstown, cross-league rival Los Angeles Angels pulled the season’s biggest off-season move signing Japanese free-agent pitcher/postion player and DH Shohei Ohtani,23, to a six-year contract. The most celebrated two-way player this side of Babe Ruth, living up to advance hype will be a tall order for Ohtani but his presence will certainly fuel interest in the team vying for its share of the Los Angeles market. A three-time All-Star in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League, Ohtani was throwing the ball at 99 MPH while he was still in high school and made his professional debut at 18 with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013 appearing in games as a pitcher and right fielder during his rookie season. He was the first player in league history to start as both a pitcher and position player in the same season. In the 2014 Mazda All-Star Game Ohtani threw a 101 MPH fastball
setting a new record for the fastest pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher. He also pitched for a Japanese All-Star team against Major League players in a post-season exhibition series in November striking out Yasiel Puig, Justin Morneau and Evan Longoria in the first inning of his start, giving up two runs in seven innings with seven strikeouts. In 2015 Ohtani compiled a 15-5 record with a Pacific League-leading 2.24 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 160 innings. He was named the league MVP in 2016 knocking 22 home runs with 65 RBI and a .322 batting average in 104 games while posting a 10-4 record with a 1.86 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 140 innings spanning 21 starts as a pitcher and was named the league’s MVP for the Japan Series champion Nippon-Ham Figthers. He was named to the Nippon Pacific League’s Best Nine (All-Star team) as the best pitcher and best DH.
COREY KLUBER (left), SHOHEI OHTANI (center), CODY BELLINGER (right)
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FEATURE STORY continued from page 16 SHOHEI OHTANI DURING SPRING TRAINING 2016
Ohtani was limited to only 65 games in 2017 missing most of the season with an injury to his right ankle that occurred during the 2016 Japan Series but still managed to hit .332 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 65 games while compiling a 3-2 record with a 3.20 ERA and 29 strikeouts in five starts spanning 25 innings. Ohtani appeared in Arizona with Nippon-Ham Fighters at Peoria Stadium where the team conducted part of its spring training exhibition season in February 2016. Ohtani enters the major leagues with rookie status and although he will be used primarily as a pitcher he is considered a top prospect as a hitter as well. The Angels play their home spring training games at Tempe Diablo Stadium, the smallest and oldest ballpark in the Cactus League which should be packed to the rafters for games in which Ohtani is pitching this season. AZ THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS HOST THE TEXAS RANGERS DURING AN EVENING SPRING TRAINING GAME AT CAMELBACK RANCH IN GLENDALE, AZ. SPRING TRAINING 2017
MIKE TROUT RECEI VES HIGH FIVES AFTER SCORING A RUN DURING A SPRIN G TRAINING GAME AT DIABLO STADIUM IN TEMPE, AZ.
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WHEN YOU CAN DO THINGS YOUR WAY
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Phoenix, Scottsdale & Central AZ 1. MIM – Explore an amazing collection of instruments from every country in the world and from the likes of Elvis, John Lennon, and many more at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Guests wear wireless headsets to hear the sounds of the instruments as they approach different displays. 480-478-6000. 2. HOT AIR EXPEDITIONS – Embark on an unforgettable journey as you soar over the gorgeous Sonoran desert in a Hot Air Balloon! Daily balloon flights available with Hot Air Expeditions 480-502-6999. 3. RUSTY SPUR SALOON – Enjoy great live country and western music daily in a historic building in Old Town Scottsdale that used to be a bank! Walk through the swingin’ doors at the Rusty Spur Saloon for a good time with great music, 480-425-7787. 4. HALL OF FLAME MUSEUM – America’s largest firefighting museum. Six indoor air conditioned galleries display over 35,000 square feet of exhibits which 20
8. SCOTTSDALE’S MUSEUM OF THE WEST – This must-see attraction features regularly changing exhibits of Western art, Old West artifacts and historic Native American objects on loan from some of the world’s foremost collectors and institutions, 480-686-9539.
tell the story of firefighting in America and Great Britain. 602-275-3473. 5. TALKING STICK RESORT – a luxurious Four-Diamond Scottsdale Resort where fun is limited only by your imagination. Enjoy Vegas-style entertainment, panoramic views at Orange Sky Restaurant, 36-holes of championship golf, relaxing spa treatments and fabulous live entertainment. 480-850-7777. 6. SHOP TIL YOU DROP – Discover the finest in Native American Art and Jewelry at Gilbert Ortega Gallery - 480990-1808. Looking for unique southwest gift items? Visit Bischoff’s Shades of the West 480-945-3289. 7. STELLAR ADVENTURES – Get ready to explore the unique Sonoran Desert with ATV & UTV adventures, Hummers, 4x4 Jeeps, Shooting, plus Stargazing with Night Vision! Land & Lake 1/2 Day Excursion now available. Your adventure begins where the pavement ends! 602-402-0584.
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Arizona KEYMagazine
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Glendale / West Valley 1. DESERT DIAMOND WEST VALLEY CASINO – Desert Diamond Casino combines 35,000 square feet of unrivaled gaming excitement with the electric, action-packed atmosphere of Glendale’s entertainment district. With over 1,000 of Arizona’s hottest games to choose from, you’re guaranteed to feel a rush! DDCAZ.com/west-valley 2. WILDLIFE WORLD ZOO, AQUARIUM & SAFARI PARK – Arizona’s largest collection of exotic animals! Take in the breathtaking aquarium with 85 exhibits and the all new 15-acre Safari Park. See ad page 75 for special offer. 623-935-9453. 3. WESTGATE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT – Offering a vibrant outdoor setting with unique water features, Westgate Entertainment District delivers an interactive shopping, dining and entertainment experience. Conveniently located in Glendale, just East of the Loop 101 on Glendale Avenue. 623-385-7502.
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4. WIGWAM RESORT – Beloved by generations, this Arizona landmark and Historic Hotel couples historic charm with a truly modern sense of adventure. Enjoy legendary golf, superb spa, distinctive cuisine, 623-935-3811. 5. BLAST OFF WITH SOME FAMILY FUN – Children, and grown-ups, alike, can enjoy simulated space missions, interact with real NASA astronauts and learn all about the wonders of the cosmos at the Challenger Space Center. 480-488-1906. 6. STROLL IN THE GARDENS – 1,000 cactus, trees and shrubs await you desert style, where you’ll enjoy a self-guided tour at Xeriscape Botanical Garden. Don’t forget to stop by the library to check out a listening wand, so you may learn the names of the foliage. 623-930-3596. 7. FOR THE “CHOC-OHOLIC” IN ALL OF US – The Cerreta Candy Company has been making candy by hand for over 40 years. Enjoy a guided tour at 10 a.m. and
1 p.m. Monday thru Friday and a non-guided video tour anytime. 623-930-9000. 8. BOOTS AND BIKES – The 19,840 acres of Estrella Mountain desert and mountains became the first regional park in the Maricopa County Park System in 1954, and once you hike or bike in it, you’ll understand why. 623-932-3811. 9. PACK A ROMANTIC PICNIC LUNCH – The crown jewel of Glendale’s park system, Sahuaro Ranch Park offers users both a recreational and historic experience. This park is unique with it’s historic ranch buildings and wonderful flora. 623-930-4200. 10. LAKE PLEASANT REGIONAL PARK – One of the most scenic water recreation areas in the “Valley of the Sun”, the park offers many activities, such as camping, boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, picnicking, and wildlife viewing. Turn off your mobile phone and unleash some family fun! 602-372-7460. AZ
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11:05 a.m.
1:15 p.m.
2:00 p.m.
Give us a call at 877-800-2601 or check out VisitGlendale.com to learn more about all the action happening on and off the field! 23
877.800.2601 | VisitGlendale.com | #VisitGlendaleAZ
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MGR. TOREY LOVULLO #17 2017 RECORD, 93-69 2ND PLACE, NL WEST
team previews
arizona
diamondbacks
What a difference a year can make. Last year the Arizona Diamondbacks were reeling from what looked like an expensive and ill-advised free-agent signing and a really bad trade, tail-spinning out of contention and looking like one of the worst teams in the National League coming off a 93-loss season. In a complete turnaround the Diamondbacks went from 69-93 in 2016 to 93-69 in 2017 fueled by the performance of veteran hurler Zack Greinke, in the second year of his six-year $206 million contract, the D-Backs pitching staff was the second best in baseball behind their division rival Los Angeles Dodgers. After a sub-par 2016 season, by his own lofty standards, Greinke returned to the form that spurred the D-backs to sign him, going 17-7 with a 3.20 ERA and 215 strikeouts in 202 innings, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young award voting. Southpaw Robbie Ray had a breakout season and was also integral to the team’s success. Ray, 26, who was acquired three years ago in the trade that sent Didi Gregorius to the Yankees, posted a 15-5 record last year with a nifty 2.89 ERA in 162 innings pitched spanning 18 starts and was signed to a one-year $3.95 million contract in January. Lefty Patrick Corbin equaled his career-high with 14 wins in 189 innings and made all 32 of his starts solidifying the number three spot in Arizona’s starting rotation. Taijuan Walker, 25, has been considered a top pitching prospect for the past few years and was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners for Jean Segura last November and posted a 9-9 record with a career best 3.49 ERA but missed about a month of starts with blisters on his throwing hand. Walker also signed a one-year deal for $4.8 million. Perennial MVP candidate Pual Goldschmidt turned in his usual performance knocking 36 home runs with 120 RBI and a .966 OPS, “Goldy” was named to his fifth consecutive All-Star team, finished third in MVP voting and won his third Gold Glove at first base. Third baseman Jake Lamb, 26, connected for 30 home runs with 105 RBI and was among a group of players signed by Arizona to avoid arbitration inking a $4.27 million one year contract. While Arizona had a well balanced attack that kept the team in the hunt all season long, the real difference maker was the addition of slugging outfielder J.D. Martinez, acquired in a trade from Detroit on July 19. At the time of the trade Arizona was 14 games over .500 at 54-40 in second place in the NL West, 10.5 games behind the Dodgers and holding the second wild card spot. Martinez hit 29 home runs with 65 RBI in 62 games and a .302 batting average for Arizona and the D-backs went 39-23 the rest of the way, maintaining their pace with the Dodgers and moving past the Rockies for the first Wild Card spot. At the time of this writing Martinez remained an unsigned freeagent and the 2018 Diamondbacks would definitely be a different team without him. Prospect to watch: Left-handed pitcher Jon DuPlantier was a combined 12-3 with 1.39 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 136 innings at Kane County (A) and Visalia (A+).
Arrivals: RHP Yoshihisa Hirano, LHP Yuhie Nakaushiro 24 Departures: OF Gregor Blacno, C Chris Ianetta
40-man roster # Pitchers 50 Anthony Banda 33 Jake Barrett 31 Brad Boxberger 61 Silvino Bracho 25 Archie Bradley 40 Andrew Chafin 46 Patrick Corbin 48 Randall Delgado 52 Zack Godley 21 Zack Greinke 66 Yoshihisa Hirano 55 Matt Koch 30 T.J. McFarland 63 Jared Miller 26 Shelby Miller 38 Robbie Ray 54 Jimmie Sherfy 34 Braden Shipley 56 Albert Suarez 99 Taijuan Walker
B/T Ht Wt DOB L/L 6’2” 190 8/10/93 R/R 6’2” 240 7/22/91 R/R 6’2” 205 5/27/88 R/R 5’10” 190 7/17/92 R/R 6’4” 225 8/10/92 R/L 6’2” 225 6/17/90 L/L 6’3” 210 7/19/89 R/R 6’4” 220 2/9/90 R/R 6’3” 240 4/21/90 R/R 6’2” 200 10/21/83 R/R 6’1” 185 3/8/84 L/R 6’3” 215 11/2/90 L/L 6’3” 220 6/8/89 L/L 6’7” 240 8/21/93 R/R 6’3” 225 10/10/90 L/L 6’2” 195 10/1/91 R/R 6’0” 175 12/27/91 R/R 6’1” 190 2/22/92 R/R 6’3” 235 10/8/89 R/R 6’4” 235 8/13/92
# 10 2 36
Catchers Chris Herrmann Jeff Mathis John Ryan Murphy
B/T L/R R/R R/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’0” 200 11/24/87 6’0” 205 3/31/83 5’11” 205 5/13/91
# 13 3 27 44 22 74 4 16 76 15 53
Infield Nick Ahmed Daniel Descalso Brandon Drury Paul Goldschmidt Jake Lamb Domingo Leyba Ketel Marte Chris Owings Jack Reinheimer Ildemaro Vargas Christian Walker
B/T R/R L/R R/R R/R L/R S/R S/R R/R R/R S/R R/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’2” 195 3/15/90 5’10” 190 10/19/86 6’2” 210 8/21/92 6’3” 225 9/10/87 6’3” 215 10/9/90 5’11” 160 9/11/95 6’1” 165 10/12/93 5’10” 185 8/12/91 6’1” 185 7/19/92 6’0” 170 7/16/91 6’0” 220 3/28/91
# 19 14 41 6 11 24
Outfield Socrates Brito Rey Fuentes Jeremy Hazelbaker David Peralta A.J. Pollock Yasmany Tomas
B/T L/L L/L L/R L/L R/R R/R
Ht 6’2” 6’0” 6’3” 6’1” 6’1” 6’2”
Wt DOB 205 9/6/92 160 2/12/91 190 8/14/87 210 8/14/87 195 12/5/87 250 11/14/90
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DIRECTIONS: From Loop 101 N: Exit Indian Bend Road, go west about .6 miles. Turn right at N Pima Rd. Ballpark on right. From Loop 101 S: Exit Via De Ventura, go west about .8 miles. Turn left at Pima Rd. Ballpark on left.
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STADIUM ADDRESS: 7555 N. Pima Road • Scottsdale, AZ 85258 • 480-270-5000
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MGR. JOE MADDEN #70 2017 RECORD, 103-58 5TH PLACE, NL WEST
team previews
chicago cubs
After waiting 108 years for the Chicago Cubs to win a World Series it almost seemed surprising to not see the Cubs back in the Fall Classic last year. The Cubs entered the season looking like the odds on favorite to at least return to the Series if not repeat as champions like the team did back in 1907 and 1908. Perhaps suffering from a World Series hangover and the complacency that oftentimes accompanies success, the Cubs sputtered from the start hovering around .500 through the first two months of the season and even dipped below the mark as late as July 9 with a 43-45 record at the All-Star break, 5.5 games behind the surprising Milwaukee Brewers. Manager Joe Madden rallied his troops and the Cubs rattled off a sixgame winning streak right after the break, and eight of nine brought the team even with the Brew Crew in first place. On July 25 the Cubs moved into first place for good fending off a spirited charge by Milwaukee and finishing six games in front at 92-70. The Cubs defeated the Nats three games to two in a tightly contested NLDS but were summarily disposed of by the L.A. Dodgers in four games to win in the NLCS. Most of the Cubs starting pitching rotation returned from the championship club but none of them fared quite as well as they did in 2016. Veteran southpaw John Lester was the Cubs most effective starter going 13-8 with a 4.33 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 180 innings. Lester is in the fourth year of his six-year $155 million contract with a mutual $25 million option for 2021. Resident ace Jake Arrieta was 14-10 with a 3.53 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 150 innings spanning 30 starts and remained an unsigned free-agent at the time of this writing. Kyle Hendricks was rolling right along right long through the season’s first two months but missed most of June and July with an inflamed tendon on his throwing right hand, finishing at 7-5 with a 3.03 ERA in 24 starts. The Cubs avoided arbitration signing Hendricks to a one-year $4.1 million contract. In his fifth full season as the team’s starting first baseman and seventh big league campaign overall, Anthony Rizzo led the Cubs offensive juggernaut posting an identical 32 home runs and 109 RBI as the previous season. Rizzo has two years remaining on his seven-year $41 million contract with the club holding two $14.5 million options for 2020 and 2021. Third baseman Kris Bryant signed a one-year $1 million contract prior to the start of the 2017 season. The 2015 Rookie of the Year and 2016 NL MVP hit 29 home runs with 73 RBI and a .946 OPS and was signed to another one-year contract at $10 million this year to avoid arbitration. The Cubs will most likely negotiate a long-term deal with Bryant sometime this year. With most of the pieces still in place the Cubs should still win the NL Central division and compete for the NL flag. Prospect to watch: 22 year-old right handed pitcher Adbert Alzolay was a combined 7-4 with a 2.99 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 114 innings at A+ Myrtle Beach and AA Tennessee.
Arrivals: LHP Drew Smyly, RHP Brandon Morrow Departures: RHP John Lackey, RHP Wade Davis
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40-man roster
# Pitchers B/T Ht 68 Dario Alvarez L/L 6’1” 73 Adbert Alzolay R/R 6’0” 33 Eddie Butler R/R 6’2” 21 Tyler Chatwood R/R 6’0” 41 Steve Cishek R/R 6’6” 71 Oscar De La Cruz R/R 6’4” 32 Brian Duensing L/L 6’0” 6 Carl Edwards Jr. R/R 6’3” 59 Luke Farrell L/R 6’6” 52 Justin Grimm R/R 6’3” 28 Kyle Hendricks R/R 6’3” 34 Jon Lester L/L 6’4” 36 Dillon Maples R/R 6’2” 60 Cory Mazzoni R/R 6’1” 24 Alec Mills R/R 6’4” 38 Mike Montgomery L/L 6’5” 15 Brandon Morrow R/R 6’3” 62 Jose Quintana R/L 6’1” 77 Randy Rosario L/L 6’1” 11 Drew Smyly L/L 6’3” 46 Pedro Strop R/R 6’1” 39 Jen-Ho Tseng L/R 6’1” 74 Duane Underwood Jr. R/R 6’2” 37 Justin Wilson L/L 6’2” 29 Rob Zastryzny R/L 6’3”
Wt DOB 170 1/17/89 179 3/1/95 180 3/13/91 185 12/16/89 215 6/18/86 200 3/4/95 200 2/22/83 170 9/3/91 210 6/7/91 210 8/16/88 190 12/7/89 240 1/7/84 225 5/9/92 210 10/19/89 190 11/30/91 215 7/1/89 205 7/26/84 220 1/24/89 200 5/18/94 190 6/13/89 220 6/13/85 195 10/3/94 210 7/20/94 205 8/18/87 205 3/26/92
# Catchers 7 Victor Caratini 40 Willson Contreras
B/T Ht Wt DOB S/R 6’1” 215 8/17/93 R/R 6’1” 210 5/13/92
# 9 76 17 2 44 27 18
Infield Javier Baez David Bote Kris Bryant Tommy La Stella Anthony Rizzo Addison Russell Ben Zobrist
B/T R/R R/R R/R L/R L/L R/R S/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’0” 190 12/1/92 5’11” 185 4/7/93 6’5” 230 1/4/92 5’11” 180 1/31/89 6’3” 240 8/8/89 6’0” 200 1/23/94 6’3” 210 5/26/81
# 5 8 22 12 20
Outfield Albert Almora Jr. Ian Happ Jason Heyward Kyle Schwarber Mark Zagunis
B/T R/R S/R L/L L/R R/R
Ht 6’2” 6’0” 6’5” 6’0” 6’0”
Wt DOB 190 4/16/94 205 8/12/94 240 8/9/89 235 3/5/93 205 2/5/93
Arizona KEYMagazine
Sloan Park - Mesa
Chicago Cubs STADIUM ADDRESS: 2330 W. Rio Salado Pky, Mesa, AZ 85201 • 480-668-0500
Infield Box Seat
$48-78
Infield Reserved Seats
$40-73
TICKETS: 1-800-THE-CUBS
Outfield Reserved Seats
$34-63
Bullpen Reserved Seats
$28-56
DIRECTIONS: From the 202: Exit 10 (Dobson Road) Take exit 10 left as it becomes Dobson Road Entrance to parking lots is 0.4 miles on the right-hand side
Budweiser Rooftop
$22-44
General Admission Lawn
$14-35
* Dynamic ticket pricing will vary by game.
DESERT BELLE
ADULTS $23 | KIDS $15 (3-12 yrs. old) | INFANTS $5 12:30PM & 2:45PM TOURS EVERY DAY IN FEBRUARY MARCH & APRIL
5:00PM SUNSET TOUR EVERY DAY IN MARCH
* Not go With ad only od . Limit 4 with any oth e per ad ult tick r offer. et only .
CODE
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team previews
chicago white sox
While the Chicago White Sox have finished in fourth place in each of the last four seasons slugging first baseman Jose Abreu has posted amazingly consistent numbers in his first four seasons with the club; averaging 31 home runs, 102.5 RBI and a .301 batting average and 153.5 games played. The 2014 Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Sox Abreu is just the third player to drive in 100 or more runs in each if his first four seasons (joining Joe DiMaggio and Albert Pujols) and led the AL with 343 total bases in 2017. The White Sox avoided going to arbitration with Abreu for the second straight season signing him to a 1-year $13 million contract. In his fourth season with the club, rightfielder Avisail Garcia reached career-highs with 18 home runs, 80 RBI and a .333 batting average in 136 games. At the time of this writing Garcia was unsigned but eligible for arbitration. Outside of Abreu and Garcia the Sox didn’t muster much offense the team’s 706 runs scored were the fourth fewest in the AL. Designated hitter Matt Davidson hit 26 home runs with 68 RBI and a .220 batting average striking out 165 times in 418 at-bats. Third baseman Todd Frazier hit 15 home runs with 44 RBI and a .202 batting average in 81 games before being traded to the NY Yankees for a handful of minor leaguers. Likewise, outfielder Melky Cabrera was hitting .295 with 13 home runs and 56 RBI when he was dealt to Kansas City at the trade deadline for a pair of minor league arms. Highly touted second baseman prospect Yoan Moncada was called up after the All-Star break and knocked eight home runs in 54 games. White Sox pitching surrendered 820 runs, fourth highest in the AL and no Sox starter reached wins in double figures. Miguel Gonzalez and Derek Holland shared the team-lead with seven wins; Gonzalez compiled a 4.31 ERA in 22 starts, was released as a free-agent in November and re-signed with the team in January, Holland racked up a 6.20 ERA in 26 starts, was released by the Sox in September and is still looking for work. In his first full season since being acquired by the Sox from San Diego, “Big Game James” Shields has yet to display the form that earned his moniker going 5-7 with a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts and missed two months with a right lateral strain. Shields is signed through 2018 and is due $21 million on his contract with $11.1 million being paid by San Diego with a $16 million team option for 2019 or a $2 million buyout. Closer David Robertson was 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 13 saves before being dealt with Frazier to the Yankees. Relievers Joakim Soria and Luis Avilan were acquired in a threeteam, five player deal with the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers to shore up the bullpen corps. Prospect to watch: The top-ranked right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, Michael Kopech struck out 172 batters in 134 combined innings at AA Birmingham and AAA Charlotte. Kopech blazed through the Arizona Fall League in 2016 going 3-0 with 2.01 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 22 innings.
Arrivals: RHP Joakim Soria, LHP Luis Avilan Departures: RHP Michael Pelfrey, C Geovany Soto 28
40-man roster # Pitchers — Luis Avilan 70 Aaron Bummer — Ian Clarkin 68 Dylan Covey 43 Danny Farquhar 71 Jace Fry 51 Carson Fulmer 27 Lucas Giolito — Miguel Gonzalez 63 Gregory Infante 65 Nate Jones 40 Reynaldo Lopez 37 Juan Minaya 55 Carlos Rodon — Jose Ruiz 33 James Shields — Joakim Soria — Thyago Vieira
B/T Ht L/L 6’2” L/L 6’3” L/L 6’2” R/R 6’2” R/R 5’9” L/L 6’1” R/R 6’0” R/R 6’6” R/R 6’1” R/R 6’2” R/R 6’5” R/R 6’0” R/R 6’4” L/L 6’3” R/R 6’1” R/R 6’3” R/R 6’3” R/R 6’2”
Wt DOB 225 7/19/89 200 9/21/93 215 2/14/95 195 8/14/91 185 2/17/87 190 7/9/93 195 12/13/93 255 7/14/94 170 5/27/84 215 7/10/87 220 1/28/86 185 1/4/94 210 9/18/90 235 12/10/92 190 10/21/94 215 12/20/81 200 5/18/84 210 7/1/93
# — 38 36
Catchers Welington Castillo Omar Narvaez Kevan Smith
B/T R/R L/R R/R
Ht Wt 5’10” 220 5’11” 215 6’4” 230
DOB 4/24/87 2/10/92 6/28/88
# 79 7 — 10 — 20 5
Infield Jose Abreu Tim Anderson Casey Gillaspie Yoan Moncada Jose Rondon Tyler Saladino Yolmer Sanchez
B/T R/R R/R S/L S/R R/R R/R S/R
Ht Wt 6’3” 255 6’1” 185 6’4” 240 6’2” 205 6’1” 195 6’0” 200 5’11” 185
DOB 1/29/87 6/23/93 1/25/93 5/27/95 3/3/94 7/20/89 6/29/92
# — — — 30 41 26 28 61 — — 22
Outfield Micker Adolfo Luis A. Basabe Ryan Cordell Nicky Delmonico Adam Engel Avisail Garcia Leury Garcia Willy Garcia Eloy Jimenez Daniel Palka Charlie Tilson
B/T R/R S/R R/R L/R R/R R/R S/R R/R R/R L/L L/L
Ht Wt 6’3” 200 6’0” 160 6’4” 195 6’2” 230 6’2” 210 6’4” 240 5’8” 170 6’2” 215 6’4” 205 6’2” 220 5’11” 195
DOB 9/11/96 8/26/96 3/31/92 7/12/92 12/9/91 6/12/91 3/18/91 9/4/92 11/27/96 10/28/91 12/2/92
# Designated Hitters B/T Ht Wt DOB Magazine KEY 24 MattArizona Davidson R/R 6’3” 230 3/26/91
Camelback Ranch - Glendale
Chicago White Sox & LA Dodgers STADIUM ADDRESS: 10710 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85037 • 623-302-5000
Home Plate Box
$40-46
TICKETS: 1-800-905-3315 or 623-302-5000 Dynamic ticket pricing will vary by game.
Dugout Box
$35-41
Legends Deck
$29-64
Infield Box
$25-31
Baseline Field Box
$24-30
Baseline Reserved
$13-19
Lawn Seating
$10-16
DIRECTIONS: From I-10: Exit AZ 101 North Take Exit 5 - Camelback Road, West to Stadium
CAMELBACK RANCH, GLENDALE
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team previews
cincinnati reds
After 3 consecutive last place finishes you can officially refer to them as the lowly Cincinnati Reds. With an identical record of 68-94 in each of the past two seasons it’s hard to tell which one was worse but last year’s performance was truly dismal. The 869 runs allowed by the Reds pitching staff was the highest in the National League. No member of the Reds starting pitching rotation reached wins in double figures and middle-reliever Michael Lorenzen led the team with eight wins in 70 appearances. Veteran southpaw Scott Feldman was the only Reds starter to achieve a .500 record going 7-7 with a 4.77 ERA in 21 starts and was released as a free-agent at the end of the season. Forty-year-old Bronson Arroyo returned to the Reds after a one-year hiatus in Arizona and went 3-6 with a whopping 7.35 ERA in 14 starts before a right shoulder strain brought an early end to his season in June and announced his retirement from the game in September. In his 11th season with the Reds -- Homer Bailey, 31, was 6-9 with a 6.43 ERA in 91 innings spanning 18 starts after going 2-3 with a 6.65 ERA in six starts in 2016. With a 66-63 career record and 4.42 ERA, Bailey is in the fifth year of a six-year $105 million contract that calls for $21 million this year and $23 million next year with a $25 million club option or $5 million buyout for 2020. Journeyman minor leaguer Tim Adleman led the Reds staff with 30 starts going 5-11 with a 5.52 ERA in 122 innings pitched and was released at season’s end. Rookie left-hander Sal Romano, 23, was 5-8 with a 4.45 ERA in 91 innings spanning 16 starts. Rookie right-hander Luis Castillo, 23, was a hard luck 3-7 with 98 strikeouts in 89 innings over 15 starts and finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting. Hard-throwing closer Rasiel Iglesias, 28, was 3-3 with a 2.49 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 76 innings and certainly would have fared better with a winning team given more opportunities to close out games. In the fifth year of a seven-year $27 million contract Iglesias is signed through 2020 at $5 million per year. Joey Votto remains the biggest cog in the Reds machine hitting 36 home runs with 100 RBI. Votto played in all 162 games and led the league with 134 walks, a .454 on-base-percentage and a 1.032 OPS (onbase + slugging percentage), he was named to his fifth All-Star team and finished second in MVP voting. Left fielder Adam Duvall knocked 31 home runs with 99 RBI and a .249 batting average in 157 games. Centerfielder Billy Hamilton finished second in the league with 59 stolen bases, one behind Miami’s Dee Gordon and second in triples with 11, three behind Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon. Second baseman Scooter Gennett reached career-highs with 27 home runs, 97 RBI and a .295 batting average. The Reds will have to address the team’s pitching issues to return to contention in a tough NL Central. Prospect to watch: Third baseman Nick Senzel hit a combined 14 home runs with 65 RBI and a .321 batting average in 119 games at A+Daytona and AA Pensacola.
Arrivals: 3B Drew Nick Senzel, 2B Shed Long 32 Departures: RHP Bronson Arroyo, RHP Scott Feldman
40-man roster # Pitchers 34 Homer Bailey 40 Austin Brice 58 Luis Castillo 54 Rookie Davis 28 Anthony DeSclafani 29 Brandon Finnegan 50 Amir Garrett 63 Ariel Hernandez 48 Jared Hughes 26 Raisel Iglesias 74 Jose Lopez 21 Michael Lorenzen 30 Tyler Mahle 36 Keury Mella 53 Wandy Peralta 25 Cody Reed 73 Jesus Reyes 47 Sal Romano 41 Kevin Shackelford 62 Jackson Stephens 55 Robert Stephenson 49 Zack Weiss
B/T Ht Wt DOB R/R 6’4” 223 5/3/86 R/R 6’4” 235 6/19/92 R/R 6’2” 190 12/12/92 R/R 6’5” 255 4/29/93 R/R 6’1” 195 4/18/90 L/L 5’11” 212 4/14/93 R/L 6’5” 228 5/3/92 R/R 6’4” 230 3/2/92 R/R 6’7” 240 7/4/85 R/R 6’2” 188 1/4/90 R/R 6’1” 205 9/1/93 R/R 6’3” 217 1/4/92 R/R 6’3” 210 9/29/94 R/R 6’2” 200 8/2/93 L/L 6’0” 220 7/27/91 L/L 6’5” 228 4/15/93 R/R 6’2” 180 2/21/93 L/R 6’5” 270 10/12/93 R/R 6’5” 210 4/7/89 R/R 6’2” 220 5/11/94 R/R 6’3” 215 2/24/93 R/R 6’3” 210 6/16/92
# 16 39 32
Catchers Tucker Barnhart Devin Mesoraco Stuart Turner
B/T S/R R/R R/R
Ht Wt 5’11” 192 6’1” 229 6’2” 220
DOB 1/7/91 6/19/88 12/27/91
# 66 3 15 75 9 7 19
Infield Alex Blandino Scooter Gennett Dilson Herrera Shed Long Jose Peraza Eugenio Suarez Joey Votto
B/T R/R L/R R/R S/R R/R R/R L/R
Ht Wt 6’0” 190 5’10” 185 5’10” 210 5’8” 184 6’0” 196 5’11” 213 6’2” 220
DOB 11/6/92 5/1/90 3/3/94 8/22/95 4/30/94 7/18/91 9/10/83
# 84 23 27 6 43 85 33
Outfield Aristides Aquino Adam Duvall Phillip Ervin Billy Hamilton Scott Schebler Jose Siri Jesse Winker
B/T R/R R/R R/R S/R L/R R/R L/L
Ht Wt 6’4” 220 6’1” 215 5’10” 207 6’0” 160 6’0” 228 6’2” 175 6’3” 215
DOB 4/22/94 9/4/88 7/15/92 9/9/90 10/6/90 7/22/95 8/17/93
Arizona KEYMagazine
Goodyear Ballpark
Cleveland Indians & Cincinnati Reds
Premium Field Box
$31
STADIUM ADDRESS: 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear, AZ 85338 • 623-882-3120
Club
$31
Infield Box
$27
TICKETS: 1-800-745-3000 or 623-882-3130
Outfield Box
$22
Outfield Reserved
$14
Berm
$8
Terrace
$19
DIRECTIONS: From I-10: Exit 126 (Estrella Parkway) South on Estrella Parkway (2 miles) to stadium
* Day of game purchase is an additional $2 per ticket.
Jeff Simpson (623) 229-6263
jeff@jeffsimpsonrealestate.com
Kate Simpson (480) 799-5183
kate@teamsimpsonrealestate.com
INTEGRITY = LONGEVITY Kate & Jeff Simpson
Your Arizona Relocation Specialists www.TeamSimpsonRealEstate.com
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At Via de Ventura & the 101
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team previews
cleveland indians
For all practical purposes it appeared the Cleveland Indians were going to defend the team’s 2016 American League pennant and return to the World Series rattling off a modern major league record 22-game winning streak from August 24 to September 14. But something happened on the way as Cleveland made an early exit from the postseason being eliminated by the surprising New York Yankees three games to two in the American League Division Series. Still, Cleveland appears poised and in position to make another deep post-season run. The 564 runs allowed by Cleveland pitching was far and away the least in the American League and nearly 100 runs less than the next best Yankees at 660. During the first 21 games of the Indians remarkable streak, Cleveland had only trailed their opponents in four of 190 total innings. Cleveland’s 102 – 60 record was the best in the American League and seven game improvement over the 2016 AL pennant winning club. Pitchers Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco tied for the team lead with 18 victories and Kluber captured the AL CY Young Award going 18-4 with a 2.25 ERA and 265 strikeouts in 203 innings pitched. Carrasco went 18-6 with a 3.29 ERA in 32 starts and 226 strikeouts in 200 innings pitched. Trevor Bauer went 17-9, Mike Clevinger was 12-6 with a 3.11 ERA and Josh Tomlin went 10-9. Kluber is signed through 2021, Carrasco is signed through 2020 and all five should be returing this year. Set-up man Andrew Miller (95 Ks in 62 innings pitched with a 1.44 ERA) and closer Cody Allen (92 Ks in 67 innings with a 2.94 ERA and 30 saves) were both lights out in relief and will resume their respective roles. Third baseman Jose Ramirez, 25, and shortstop Francisco Lindor, 24, form the heart and soul of the Indians lineup and vied for the AL MVP Award. Ramirez hit .318 with 56 doubles, six triples, 29 home runs and 83 RBI finishing third in MVP voting and was named to his first All-Star team. Lindor, who’s still playing for the major league minimum, knocked 33 home runs with 89 RBI and a .273 average, was named to his second straight All-Star team and finished fifth in MVP voting. One of the best bargains in the game, Ramirez has four years remaining on his five-year $26 million contract with the team holding $11 and $13 million options for 2022 and 2023. Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion was signed as a free agent prior to the season and led the team with 38 home runs and 107 RBI. In the second year of a three-year $60 million contract with the club holding a $20 million option for 2020. With a total of 348 home runs in 13 seasons Encarnacion looks like a good candidate for the 500 home run club within next three to four years. The most significant departure for the team would be that of first baseman Carlos Santana who signed a three-year $60 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies after eight seasons in Cleveland. Outfielders Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall could form a serviceable platoon at first base. Prospect to watch: Cleveland’s top prospect catcher/third baseman Francsico Mejia hit 14 home runs with 52 RBI with a .297 average in 92 games at AA Akron and raked Arizona Fall League pitching to a .365 clip.
Arrivals: OF Melvin Upton Jr., RHP Alexi Ogando Departures: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Austin Jackson 36
40-man roster # Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB 37 Cody Allen R/R 6’1” 210 11/20/88 56 Cody Anderson R/R 6’4” 240 9/14/90 47 Trevor Bauer R/R 6’1” 190 1/17/91 59 Carlos Carrasco R/R 6’3” 212 3/21/87 52 Mike Clevinger R/R 6’4” 210 12/21/90 44 Nick Goody R/R 5’11” 195 7/6/91 28 Corey Kluber R/R 6’4” 215 4/10/86 34 Zach McAllister R/R 6’6” 240 12/8/87 54 Ryan Merritt L/L 6’0” 180 2/21/92 — Julian Merryweather R/R 6’4” 200 10/14/91 24 Andrew Miller L/L 6’7” 205 5/21/85 62 Shawn Morimando L/L 6’0” 200 11/20/92 49 Tyler Olson R/L 6’3” 195 10/2/89 61 Dan Otero R/R 6’3” 205 2/19/85 50 Adam Plutko R/R 6’3” 200 10/3/91 31 Danny Salazar R/R 6’0” 195 1/11/90 43 Josh Tomlin R/R 6’1” 190 10/19/84 # 7 — 45 55
Catchers Yan Gomes Eric Haase Francisco Mejia Roberto Perez
B/T R/R R/R S/R R/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’2” 215 7/19/87 5’10” 180 12/18/92 5’10” 180 10/27/95 5’11” 220 12/23/88
# 17 — — 36 9 22 12 11 — — 39
Infield Yonder Alonso Willi Castro Yu-Cheng Chang Yandy Diaz Erik Gonzalez Jason Kipnis Francisco Lindor Jose Ramirez Rob Refsnyder Eric Stamets Giovanny Urshela
B/T L/R S/R R/R R/R R/R L/R S/R S/R R/R R/R R/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’1” 230 4/8/87 6’1” 165 4/24/97 6’1” 175 8/18/95 6’2” 185 8/8/91 6’3” 195 8/31/91 5’11” 195 4/3/87 5’11” 190 11/14/93 5’9” 165 9/17/92 6’0” 200 3/26/91 6’0” 190 9/25/91 6’0” 215 10/11/91
# 53 35 23 8 6 30 4
Outfield Greg Allen Abraham Almonte Michael Brantley Lonnie Chisenhall Brandon Guyer Tyler Naquin Bradley Zimmer
B/T S/R S/R L/L L/R R/R L/R L/R
Ht 6’0” 5’9” 6’2” 6’2” 6’2” 6’2” 6’5”
Wt DOB 175 3/15/93 210 6/27/89 200 5/15/87 190 10/4/88 200 1/28/86 195 4/24/91 220 11/27/92
# Designated Hitters B/T Ht Wt DOB Magazine Arizona 10 Edwin Encarnacion KEY R/R 6’1” 230 1/7/83
Goodyear Ballpark STADIUM ADDRESS: 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear, AZ 85338 623-882-3120 TICKETS: 1-800-745-3000 or 623-882-3130 DIRECTIONS: From I-10: Exit 126 (Estrella Parkway) South on Estrella Parkway (2 miles) to stadium
Cleveland Indians & Cincinnati Reds
Stadium Map & Pricing pg. 33
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MGR. BUD BLACK 2017 RECORD 87-75 12-GAME REVERSAL 3RD PLACE, NL WEST
team previews
colorado rockies
Behind first year manager Bud Black, the revived Colorado Rockies burst from the gate and served notice that the team would be a force to be reckoned with for the duration of the 2017 season. After occupying first place for most of the first three months of the season, the Rockies reached their apex at 47-26 on June 20 before slipping into second behind the surging L.A. Dodgers eventually finishing in third place, 17 games behind L.A. The Rockies lost a dramatic 11-8 slugfest to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card game but appear poised to make another post season run. Seven-year veteran outfielder Charlie Blackmon enjoyed a breakout season for the ages recording careerhighs with 37 home runs, 104 RBI 1.000 OPS and led the National League in: hits (213), batting average (.331), triples (14), runs scored (137) total bases (387) and plate appearances (725) finishing fifth in league MVP voting, (the vote here says he should have finished higher). Blackmon finished right behind teammate Nolan Arenado and the pair basically split the MVP vote. Arenado captured his fifth straight Gold Glove Award, was named to his third straight All-Star team and led the NL with 43 doubles, knocking 37 home runs and 130 RBI with a .309 batting average and a .959 OPS. Both Blackmon and Arenado are in the final year of their contracts with Colorado. Well-traveled first baseman Mark Reynolds knocked 30 home runs with 97 RBI in the second of his two-year $4.1 million contract with Colorado and departed as a free agent at the conclusion of the season. Reynolds has played for seven teams in his 11 big league seasons compiling 281 home runs with 1,806 strikeouts. The Rockies explosive and elevated offense once again led the National League with 824 runs scored but an impressive young pitching staff is what kept the team in the race. Opening Day starter Jon Gray, 25, missed more than two months of the season with a broken foot injury sustained while attempting to make a high-leaping defensive play off the pitcher’s mound on April 13 but came back strong finishing the season at 10-4 with a 3.67 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 110 innings spanning 20 starts. Twenty-two-year-old rookie Antonio Senzatela went 10-4 in his first 17 starts before being relegated to the bullpen finishing at 10-5 with a 4.68 ERA in 134 innings. Another 22-year-old rookie, German Marquez posted an 11-7 mark with a 4.39 ERA and 147 strikeouts in 162 innings finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. Closer Greg Holland was signed to a one-year $6 million contract prior to the 2017 season and led the National League with 41 saves but has since departed as a free-agent replaced by former Kansas City Royals teammate Wade Davis who was signed to a three-year $52 million contract with a mutual $15 million option for 2021. Prospect to watch: Corner infielder 1B/3B Rayan McMahon, 23, hit a combined .355 at AA Hartford and AAA Albuquerque with 20 home runs and 88 RBI.
ARRIVALS: RHP Wade Davis, RHP Bryan Shaw DEPARTURES: OF Carlos Gonzalez, 1B Mark Reynolds
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40-man roster # Pitchers 62 Yency Almonte 44 Tyler Anderson 35 Chad Bettis — Wade Davis 47 Jairo Diaz 38 Mike Dunn 54 Carlos Estevez 31 Kyle Freeland — Rayan Gonzalez 55 Jon Gray 34 Jeff Hoffman — Sam Howard — Zach Jemiola 48 German Marquez — Jake McGee 45 Scott Oberg 0 Adam Ottavino 60 Zac Rosscup 52 Chris Rusin 49 Antonio Senzatela — Bryan Shaw — Jesus Tinoco
B/T Ht S/R 6’3” L/L 6’4” R/R 6’1” R/R 6’5” R/R 6’0” L/L 6’0” R/R 6’4” L/L 6’3” R/R 6’3” R/R 6’4” R/R 6’5” R/L 6’3” L/R 6’3” R/R 6’1” L/L 6’3” R/R 6’2” S/R 6’5” R/L 6’2” L/L 6’2” R/R 6’1” S/R 6’1” R/R 6’4”
Wt DOB 205 6/4/94 210 12/30/89 200 4/26/89 225 9/7/85 200 5/27/91 215 5/23/85 210 12/28/92 170 5/14/93 175 10/18/90 235 11/5/91 225 1/8/93 170 3/5/93 200 4/6/94 185 2/22/95 230 8/6/86 205 3/13/90 220 11/22/85 220 6/9/88 195 10/22/86 180 1/21/95 220 11/8/87 190 4/30/95
# — 23 — 14
Catchers Chris Iannetta Tom Murphy Chris Rabago Tony Wolters
B/T R/R R/R R/R L/R
Ht Wt 6’0” 230 6’1” 220 5’11” 185 5’10” 200
DOB 4/8/83 4/3/91 4/22/93 6/9/92
# 28 9 24 — 27 4
Infield Nolan Arenado DJ LeMahieu Ryan McMahon Jordan Patterson Trevor Story Pat Valaika
B/T R/R R/R L/R L/L R/R R/R
Ht Wt 6’2” 205 6’4” 215 6’2” 185 6’4” 215 6’1” 210 5’11” 200
DOB 4/16/91 7/13/88 12/14/94 2/12/92 11/15/92 9/9/92
# 19 — — — 20 8 7 3
Outfield Charlie Blackmon Noel Cuevas David Dahl Yonathan Daza Ian Desmond Gerardo Parra Raimel Tapia Mike Tauchman
B/T L/L R/R L/R R/R R/R L/L L/L L/L
Ht Wt 6’3” 210 6’2” 210 6’2” 195 6’2” 190 6’3” 215 5’11” 210 6’2” 160 6’2” 200
DOB 7/1/86 10/2/91 4/1/94 2/28/94 9/20/85 5/6/87 2/4/94 12/3/90
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Salt River Fields - Talking Stick
Arizona Diamondbacks & Colorado Rockies Infield Box
$38 | $42*
Dugout Reserve
$35 | $40*
TICKETS: 888-490-0383 or 480-362-WINS (9467)
Infield Reserve
$30 | $36*
View Reserve
$27 | $33*
DIRECTIONS: From Loop 101 N: Exit Indian Bend Road, go west about .6 miles. Turn right at N Pima Rd. Ballpark on right. From Loop 101 S: Exit Via De Ventura, go west about .8 miles. Turn left at Pima Rd. Ballpark on left.
Baseline Reserve
$25 | $32*
Lawn
$13 | $20*
STADIUM ADDRESS: 7555 N. Pima Road • Scottsdale, AZ 85258 • 480-270-5000
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* Peak Game Pricing
39
team previews
kansas city royals
Break up the Royals. With one out in the 5th inning of the Kansas City Royals final game of the 2017 season at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City, manager Ned Yost removed four of his starting players from the game including; shortstop Alcides Escobar, third baseman Mike Moustakas, first baseman Eric Hosmer and centerfielder Lorenzo Cain -- all four of whom were pending free agents. The group gathered behind the pitcher’s mound, embraced each other and tipped their caps to the team’s hometown fans. It is the nature of the business of the game that sometimes teams come apart all at once. And with one fell swoop all four players were granted free agency on November 3rd 2017. Escobar, Moustakas, Cain, and Hosmer all saw their careers blossom in Kansas City and formed the nucleus of the Royals 2015 World Series championship team. It’s been mostly downhill for the Royals since then finishing in third place each of the last two seasons with nearly identical mediocre records of 81-81 in 2016 and 80-82 in 2017. Escobar and Cain were both acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade for Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt in 2010 and developed into stand out players with the Royals. Moustakas and Hosmer were back-to-back first round draft picks by the Royals in 2007 and 2008 and were fan favorites, both making their big league debuts with the team in 2011 and spending their first seven big league seasons with the club. At the time of this writing none of the group had re-signed with Kansas City. Also departing as free agents from the team are outfielder Melky Cabrera and left-handed pitcher Jason Vargas who posted the staff’s best record going 18-11 with a 4.16 ERA in 32 starts. The 2017 season began on a tragic note for the Kansas City Royals as the team’s promising young 25-year-old pitcher Yordano Ventura died as the result of a car accident in his native Dominican Republic on January 22, 2017 and the Royals never seemed to recover from his loss both physically in the form of losing the pitching staff’s number one starter and emotionally as beloved teammate. Despite solid seasons from Hosmer (25 HRs, 94 RBI .318 avg.) and Moustakas (38 HRs, 85 RBI, .272 avg.) the Royals 702 runs scored was the third fewest in the American League. Cain hit an even .300 with 15 home runs and 46 RBI and Escobar, known more for his defense than his bat, hit .250 with six home runs and 54 RBI playing in all 162 games on the schedule for the third time in the past four years. While the Royals are obviously in a re-building mode, a few holdovers include catcher and team captain Salvador Perez, 27, and five-time Gold Glove Award winning outfielder Alex Gordon -- who has spent all 11 of his big league seasons with the Royals and is signed through 2019. Aside from Vargas no Royals starting pitcher won in double figures and none G.M Dayton Moore said none are guaranteed a spot in the rotation during this transitional period for the team. Prospect to watch: Middle infielder Nicky Lopez SS/2B hit a combined .279 with 18 doubles and 21 stolen bases at single-A Wilmington and AA Northwest Arkansas in 2017 earning an appointment to the AZ Fall League where he hit .383 -- 5 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs in 20 games.
ARRIVALS: SS Eric Mejia, RHP Wily Peralta DEPARTURES: Four free agents including; Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer 40
40-man roster # Pitchers 50 Miguel Almonte — Scott Barlow 49 Ryan Buchter 41 Danny Duffy 33 Brian Flynn 62 Sam Gaviglio 39 Jason Hammel 40 Kelvin Herrera — Tim Hill 65 Jakob Junis 55 Nate Karns — Brad Keller 31 Ian Kennedy 59 Andres Machado 32 Brandon Maurer 61 Kevin McCarthy — Trevor Oaks — Wily Peralta 69 Eric Skoglund — Burch Smith — Eric Stout 45 Kyle Zimmer
B/T Ht Wt DOB R/R 6’2” 210 4/4/93 R/R 6’3” 215 12/18/92 L/L 6’4” 258 2/13/87 L/L 6’3” 205 12/21/88 L/L 6’7” 250 4/19/90 R/R 6’2” 195 5/22/90 R/R 6’6” 225 9/2/82 R/R 5’10” 200 12/31/89 L/L 6’2” 200 2/10/90 R/R 6’2” 225 9/16/92 R/R 6’3” 225 11/25/87 R/R 6’5” 230 7/27/95 R/R 6’0” 200 12/19/84 R/R 6’0” 175 4/22/93 R/R 6’5” 230 7/3/90 R/R 6’3” 200 2/22/92 R/R 6’3” 220 3/26/93 R/R 6’1” 255 5/8/89 L/L 6’7” 200 10/26/92 R/R 6’4” 215 4/12/90 L/L 6’3” 185 3/27/93 R/R 6’3” 225 9/13/91
# 9 36 13 —
Catchers Drew Butera Cam Gallagher Salvador Perez Meibrys Viloria
B/T R/R R/R R/R L/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’1” 200 8/9/83 6’3” 230 12/6/92 6’3” 240 5/10/90 5’11” 175 2/15/97
# 19 17 67 15 27 46
Infield Cheslor Cuthbert Hunter Dozier Samir Duenez Whit Merrifield Raul Mondesi Ramon Torres
B/T R/R R/R L/R R/R S/R S/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’1” 190 11/16/92 6’4” 220 8/22/91 6’1” 195 6/11/96 6’0” 195 1/24/89 6’1” 185 7/27/95 5’11” 170 1/22/93
# 38 14 4 16 12 11
Outfield Jorge Bonifacio Billy Burns Alex Gordon Paulo Orlando Jorge Soler Bubba Starling
B/T Ht R/R 6’1” S/R 5’9” L/R 6’1” R/R 6’2” R/R 6’4” R/R 6’4”
Wt DOB 195 6/4/93 170 8/30/89 220 2/10/84 210 11/1/85 215 2/25/92 210 8/3/92
# Designated Hitters B/T Ht Wt DOB 37 Brandon Moss KEY L/R 6’1” 210 9/16/83 Magazine Arizona
Surprise Stadium
Kansas City Royals & Texas Rangers STADIUM ADDRESS: 15850 N. Bullard Ave., Surprise, AZ 85374 • 623-222-2222 TICKETS: 888-755-2583 or 623-222-2222 DIRECTIONS: West on I-10 to Loop 101. North on Loop 101 to Grand Ave. West on Grand Ave. to Bell Rd. West on Bell Rd. to Bullard Ave. South on Bullard Ave. or... Loop 101 to Bell Rd.- West on Loop 101 to Bell Rd West on Bell Rd to Bullard Ave. South on Bullard Ave
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Lawn
$8 | $12*
Plaza (sections 121-124)
$19 | $24*
Infield (sections 113-120)
$25 | $30*
Upper Dugout (sections 201-206)
$26 | $31*
Lower Dugout (sections 107-112)
$29 | $34*
Lower Premium (sections 101-106)
$30 | $35*
*Price for Premium Games
41
team previews
los angeles
Whether he materializes into the second coming of Babe Ruth or Martin Dihigo, the signing of sought-after Japanese two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has already made a dramatic impact on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vying for visibility with their cross-town, cross-league rival, the reigning NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Angels signed the 6’3” right-handed pitcher and left-handed batter, to a $2.315 million signing bonus and a major League minimum $545,000 per-year contract (for six years) after paying a $20 million posting fee to Ohtani’s former team the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. Ohtani, posted one of the most remarkable seasons in professional baseball history for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2016, compiling a 10-4 record with a 1.86 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 140 innings pitched spanning 21 starts as a pitcher while also hitting 22 home runs with 67 RBI and a .322 batting average in 323 at-bats as a designated hitter. He was named to the Nippon Pacific League’s Best Nine (All-Star team) as the best pitcher and best DH in the Pacific League and threw the fastest pitch in NPB history on September 13, 2016 registering 164 km/102 mph on the radar gun. He was named the 2016 Pacific League MVP garnering 253 of 254 first-place votes (Who was the lone dissenter?!!!). Suffering from an injury to his right ankle sustained in Nippon’s 2016 Japan Series victory, Ohtani missed nearly half of the 2017 season but managed to hit .332 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 65 games at D.H. while going 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA in five games as a starter. Because of stipulations in Major League Baseball’s collectivebargaining agreement, incoming international players under the age of 25 can only be signed for the major league minimum salary and a newly ratified CBA also limited the amount of Ohtani’s signing bonus. Still, Ohtani looked at the calculated risks involved and decided to get a jump on his major league career with the team of his choice. Prior to the start of the spring training season the Angels and manager Mike Scioscia had made no official statement about how Ohtani’s services would be employed but he was most-likely brought in as a pitcher first and a designated hitter/position player second. The Angels plodded through a relatively uneventful 2017 season, scoring one more run (710) than surrendered (709) while posting an appropriately middling 80-82 record finishing five-games back of an AL Wild Card spot. Already a seven-year veteran, 24-year-old perennial All-Star Mike Trout suffered through his first injury-riddled campaign missing six weeks of the season after having surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb sustained on a headfirst slide while stealing second base on May 28th. Trout still led the team with 33 home runs and 1.071 OPS in 114 games. Aging veteran slugger Albert Pujols, 37 appears to be in steady decline hitting a career low .241 with a .286 on-base percentage and is due $114 million for the next four years. Shoring up a lackluster offense the Angels acquired 12-year veteran second baseman Ian Kinsler in a trade from the Texas Rangers and signed 2017 NL All-Star shortstop Zack Cozart as a free agent. Prospect to watch: All eyes of the baseball universe will be upon 23-year-old pitcher/hitter Shohei Ohtani the most heralded Japanese professional free-agent to enter the Major League market since Ichiro Suzuki.
Arrivals: 2B Ian Kinsler Espinosa, SS Zack Cozart
42 Departures: RHP Ricky Nolasco, 3B Yunel Escobar
angels 40-man roster # Pitchers 48 Jose Alvarez — Luke Bard — Jaime Barria 32 Cam Bedrosian 62 Parker Bridwell — Jesus Castillo — Dayan Diaz 28 Andrew Heaney — Jake Jewell — Jim Johnson 23 Alex Meyer 39 Keynan Middleton 60 Eduardo Paredes 53 Blake Parker — Felix Pena 66 JC Ramirez 65 Noe Ramirez 43 Garrett Richards 38 Troy Scribner 52 Matt Shoemaker 45 Tyler Skaggs 35 Nick Tropeano 46 Blake Wood
B/T Ht Wt DOB L/L 5’11” 190 5/6/89 R/R 6’3” 202 11/13/90 R/R 6’1” 210 7/18/96 R/R 6’0” 230 10/2/91 R/R 6’4” 185 8/2/91 R/R 6’2” 165 8/27/95 R/R 5’10” 195 2/10/89 L/L 6’2” 195 6/5/91 R/R 6’3” 200 5/16/93 R/R 6’6” 250 6/27/83 R/R 6’9” 225 1/3/90 R/R 6’2” 185 9/12/93 R/R 6’1” 170 3/6/95 R/R 6’3” 225 6/19/85 R/R 6’2” 185 2/25/90 R/R 6’4” 250 8/16/88 R/R 6’3” 205 12/22/89 R/R 6’3” 210 5/27/88 R/R 6’3” 190 7/2/91 R/R 6’2” 225 9/27/86 L/L 6’4” 215 7/13/91 R/R 6’4” 200 8/27/90 R/R 6’5” 233 8/8/85
# Catchers 13 Juan Graterol 12 Martin Maldonado 58 Carlos Perez — Rene Rivera
B/T Ht Wt DOB R/R 6’1” 205 2/14/89 R/R 6’0” 230 8/16/86 R/R 6’0” 210 10/27/90 R/R 5’10” 215 7/31/83
# 22 — 24 49 — 19 2 18
Infield Kaleb Cowart Zack Cozart C.J. Cron Nolan Fontana Ian Kinsler Jefry Marte Andrelton Simmons Luis Valbuena
B/T S/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R L/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’3” 225 6/2/92 6’0” 204 8/12/85 6’4” 235 1/5/90 5’11” 195 6/6/91 6’0” 200 6/22/82 6’1” 220 6/21/91 6’2” 200 9/4/89 5’10” 215 11/30/85
# 56 — 27 8
Outfield Kole Calhoun Michael Hermosillo Mike Trout Justin Upton
B/T L/L R/R R/R R/R
Ht Wt DOB 5’10” 205 10/14/87 5’11” 190 1/17/95 6’2” 235 8/7/91 6’2” 205 8/25/87
# Designated Hitters B/T Ht Wt DOB Magazine Arizona KEY 5 Albert Pujols R/R 6’3” 240 1/16/80
Tempe Diablo Stadium
Los Angeles Angels
Homeplate MVP
$50-80
STADIUM ADDRESS: 2200 W. Alameda Drive, Tempe, AZ 85282 • 480-350-5205
Field MVP
$40-60
Field Box
$25-40
TICKETS: 800-745-3000
Grandstand
$20-38
Lawn
$15-25
DIRECTIONS: From 1-10 (coming from either direction): Take Broadway Street exit, head west to 48th St.; Turn left; Stadium is 1/2 mile on the left. Enter by turning left on Alameda.
Upper Pavilion (all inclusive)
$53*
* Dynamic ticket pricing will vary by game.
TEMPE DIABLO STADIUM
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LONDONGOLD.COM ARROWHEAD
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MGR. DAVE ROBERTS #30 2017 RECORD, 104-58 1ST PLACE, NL WEST
team previews
los angeles
dodgers
While the Los Angeles Dodgers would have much preferred a different fate than their heart-breaking loss to the American League’s upstart Houston Astros in a dramatic back-and-forth seven-game World Series, the 2017 season will also be recalled for the team’s myriad milestone accomplishments: - The Dodgers 104 wins were the most since the team’s move to Los Angeles in 1958 and 2 shy of breaking the franchise record of 105 set by the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers. - Los Angeles’s fifth consecutive NL West division title represents the franchise longest run of first place finishes. - The team’s 43-7 record from June 9 to August 6 is the best record by a major league team over a 50-game stretch since the 1912 New York Giants. - 2017 National League Rookie of the Year gives the Dodgers a major league record 18 recipients of the award. - Bellinger’s 39 home runs in 2017 were also a National League rookie record. - The Dodgers team total of 221 home runs set a team record. - The team’s 321 doubles were also a new franchise high. - The Dodgers 3,765,856 attendance figure was tops in the major leagues and third highest in franchise history. - The Dodgers $241 million 2017 Opening Day payroll was also the biggest in the major leagues for the fourth consecutive year-in-arow and third highest in franchise history. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw led the National League with 18 wins and a 2.31 ERA in 27 starts despite missing five weeks of the season with a recurring lower back injury. He still managed to strike out 202 batters in 175 innings and finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting to Washington’s Max Scherzer (16-6 with a 2.51 ERA) who had two less wins, two more losses, and a higher ERA. Southpaw Alex Wood was also outstanding, recording a careerhigh 16 wins against 3 losses and a 2.31 ERA, leading the NL with an .842 winning percentage. Lights-out closer Kenley Jansen led the NL with 41 saves going 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 68 innings finishing fifth in Cy Young Award voting. Bellinger made his big league debut on April 25 and knocked in 97 runs in 132 games -- a .267 batting average with a .933 OPS. Third baseman Justin Turner led all Dodgers hitters with a .322 batting average and had a tremendous post season, hitting .462 with five RBI in Los Angeles’s three-game sweep of Arizona in the NLDS. Turner was named MVP of the NLCS knocking 2 home runs with 7 RBI in the Dodgers’ five-game series victory over the Chicago Cubs. With just about the entire 2017 roster remaining intact the Dodgers should be the odds on favorites to win a sixth straight NL west division title. Prospect to watch: Hailing from Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Outfielder Alex Verdugo played for team Mexico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and hit .314 with 6 HRs and 62 RBI in 117 games at AAA Oklahoma City before making his big league debut with the Dodgers in December.
ARRIVALS: OF Matt Kemp, LHP Scott Alexander 54 DEPARTURES: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Yu Darvish
40-man roster # Pitchers — Scott Alexander 52 Pedro Baez — Dylan Baker 64 Walker Buehler 54 Tony Cingrani 46 Josh Fields 62 Wilmer Font 63 Yimi Garcia 44 Rich Hill 74 Kenley Jansen 22 Clayton Kershaw — Tom Koehler 36 Adam Liberatore 18 Kenta Maeda — Henry Owens 58 Edward Paredes 99 Hyun-Jin Ryu — Dennis Santana 48 Brock Stewart 68 Ross Stripling 7 Julio Urias 57 Alex Wood
B/T Ht L/L 6’2” R/R 6’0” R/R 6’2” R/R 6’2” L/L 6’4” R/R 6’0” R/R 6’4” R/R 6’1” L/L 6’5” S/R 6’5” L/L 6’4” R/R 6’3” L/L 6’3” R/R 6’1” L/L 6’6” L/L 6’0” R/L 6’3” R/R 6’2” L/R 6’3” R/R 6’3” L/L 6’0” R/L 6’4”
Wt DOB 190 7/10/89 230 3/11/88 205 4/6/92 175 7/28/94 214 7/5/89 195 8/19/85 265 5/24/90 220 8/18/90 220 3/11/80 275 9/30/87 228 3/19/88 235 6/29/86 243 5/12/87 175 4/11/88 220 7/21/92 180 9/30/86 250 3/25/87 160 4/12/96 210 10/3/91 210 11/23/89 215 8/12/96 215 1/12/91
# 15 65 9
Catchers Austin Barnes Kyle Farmer Yasmani Grandal
B/T R/R R/R S/R
Ht Wt 5’10” 190 6’0” 214 6’1” 235
DOB 12/28/89 8/17/90 11/8/88
# 35 11 70 5 25 10
Infield Cody Bellinger Logan Forsythe Tim Locastro Corey Seager Rob Segedin Justin Turner
B/T L/L R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R
Ht Wt 6’4” 210 6’1” 205 6’1” 200 6’4” 220 6’2” 220 5’11” 205
DOB 7/13/95 1/14/87 7/14/92 4/27/94 11/10/88 11/23/84
# 14 — 31 66 3 47 60 61
Outfield Enrique Hernandez Matt Kemp Joc Pederson Yasiel Puig Chris Taylor Trayce Thompson Andrew Toles Alex Verdugo
B/T R/R R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R L/R L/L
Ht Wt 5’11” 200 6’4” 210 6’1” 220 6’2” 240 6’1” 195 6’3” 217 5’9” 192 6’0” 205
DOB 8/24/91 9/23/84 4/21/92 12/7/90 8/29/90 3/15/91 5/24/92 5/15/96
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Camelback Ranch - Glendale
Chicago White Sox & LA Dodgers STADIUM ADDRESS: 10710 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85037 • 623-302-5000
Home Plate Box
$40-46
TICKETS: 1-800-905-3315 or 623-302-5000 Dynamic ticket pricing will vary by game.
Dugout Box
$35-41
Legends Deck
$29-64
Infield Box
$25-31
Baseline Field Box
$24-30
Baseline Reserved
$13-19
Lawn Seating
$10-16
DIRECTIONS: From I-10: Exit AZ 101 North Take Exit 5 - Camelback Road, West to Stadium
CAMELBACK RANCH
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55
team previews
milwaukee brewers
Flying relatively under the radar the Milwaukee Brewers snuck up on the National League central and almost wrested the NL Central division from the reigning World Series champion Chicago Cubs. Credit 32-year-old GM David Stearns with not only assembling a competitive squad at the big league level but also developing a farm system that had the Brewers ranked in the top five in the majors by MLBpipline.com. Stearns took over as GM towards the end of the 2015 season and engineered trades for outfielder Keon Broxton, third baseman Travis Shaw, second baseman Jonathan Villar, catcher Manny Pina and pitcher Chase Anderson all of whom were part of the Brewers regular starting lineup. Milwaukee’s $63 million Opening Day payroll was the lowest in the major leagues. Broxton was acquired along with minor league pitching prospect Trey Supak (keep an eye on him) in a trade with Pittsburgh for first baseman Jason Rogers and contributed 20 home runs with stolen bases in 143 games while also sparkling defensively in center field. Shaw came over in a trade with the Boston Red Sox along with three minor leaguers for pitching prospect Tyler Thornburg (who missed the entire season with a shoulder injury) and made Stearns look like a genius hitting 31 home runs with 101 RBI and a .273 batting average in 144 games. Switch-hitting Villar was acquired in a trade with Houston prior to the 2016 season and led the NL with 61 stolen bases in 2016. His production was down in 2017 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI in 120 games but remains signed with the Brewers through the 2018 season. Pina was acquired from Detroit in a trade for closer Francisco Rodriguez and hit 9 home runs with 43 RBI and a .279 batting average in 102 games behind the plate. Right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson was brought over from Arizona in a trade for second baseman Jean Segura prior to the 2016 season and though Segura did go on to lead the NL in hits, Anderson stepped right into the Brewers starting rotation going 12-4 last year with a 2.74 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 144 innings. Stearns was also behind the free-agent signing of slugging first baseman Eric Thames to a three-year $15 million contract after assigning scouts to watch him in play in Korea. Thames had an immediate impact and was one of MLB’s big stories last year launching 11 long balls in the season’s first month and finishing with 31 home runs in 138 games. Rightfielder Domingo Santana enjoyed a breakout season knocking 30 home runs with 85 RBI and a .278 batting average. Acquired from the Houston Astros along with top pitching prospect Josh Hader in a multi-player deal for Carlos Gomez prior to the 2016 season, Santana is still signed with the Brewers at the major league minimum through the 2018 season. Zach Davies, 24, was 17-9 with a 3.90 in 191 innings spanning 33 starts and is still signed at the major league minimum through 2018. At 6’6’’ and 250 lbs. right-hander Jimmy Nelson casts an intimidating presence and reached a career-high 12 wins in his third full season with the team: 3.49 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 175 innings. It should come as no surprise if the Brewers are once again in the thick of the pennant race this year. Prospect to watch: Outfielder Corey Ray stole 24 bases at A+ Carolina with 7 home runs and 48 RBI in 112 games and earned an assignment to Brewers’ Salt River Rafters affiliate of the Arizona Fall League.
Arrivals: RHP Jhoulys Chacin, 1B Ji-Man Choi Departures: RHP Matt Garza, RHP Jared Hughes 56
40-man roster # Pitchers 57 Chase Anderson 50 Jacob Barnes — Jhoulys Chacin 27 Zach Davies — Marcos Diplan 51 Oliver Drake — Yovani Gallardo 41 Junior Guerra 71 Josh Hader — Adrian Houser 32 Jeremy Jeffress 46 Corey Knebel — Boone Logan — Jorge Lopez 52 Jimmy Nelson — Freddy Peralta 35 Brent Suter 58 Wei-Chung Wang — Tyler Webb 56 Aaron Wilkerson 45 Taylor Williams 53 Brandon Woodruff
B/T Ht Wt DOB R/R 6’1” 200 11/30/87 R/R 6’2” 220 4/14/90 R/R 6’3” 215 1/7/88 R/R 6’0” 155 2/7/93 R/R 6’0” 160 9/18/96 R/R 6’4” 215 1/13/87 R/R 6’2” 205 2/27/86 R/R 6’0” 205 1/16/85 L/L 6’3” 185 4/7/94 R/R 6’4” 235 2/2/93 R/R 6’0” 205 9/21/87 R/R 6’4” 220 11/26/91 R/L 6’5” 215 8/13/84 R/R 6’3” 195 2/10/93 R/R 6’6” 250 6/5/89 R/R 5’11” 175 6/4/96 L/L 6’5” 195 8/29/89 L/L 6’2” 185 4/25/92 R/L 6’5” 230 7/20/90 R/R 6’3” 190 5/24/89 S/R 5’11” 195 7/21/91 L/R 6’4” 215 2/10/93
# 47 — 9 13 12
Catchers Jett Bandy Jacob Nottingham Manny Pina Andrew Susac Stephen Vogt
B/T R/R R/R R/R R/R L/R
Ht 6’4” 6’2” 6’0” 6’1” 6’0”
Wt 235 230 215 215 225
DOB 3/26/90 4/3/95 6/5/87 3/22/90 11/1/84
# 24 3 — 21 18 7 5
Infield Jesus Aguilar Orlando Arcia Mauricio Dubon Travis Shaw Eric Sogard Eric Thames Jonathan Villar
B/T R/R R/R R/R L/R L/R L/R S/R
Ht 6’3” 6’0” 6’0” 6’4” 5’9” 6’0” 6’1”
Wt 250 165 160 230 180 210 215
DOB 6/30/90 8/4/94 7/19/94 4/16/90 5/22/86 11/10/86 5/2/91
# 8 — 23 14 33 16
Outfield Ryan Braun Lewis Brinson Keon Broxton Hernan Perez Brett Phillips Domingo Santana
B/T R/R R/R R/R R/R L/R R/R
Ht 6’2” 6’3” 6’3” 6’1” 6’0” 6’5”
Wt 205 195 195 215 185 220
DOB 11/17/83 5/8/94 5/7/90 3/26/91 5/30/94 8/5/92
Arizona KEYMagazine
Maryvale Baseball Park
Milwaukee Brewers STADIUM ADDRESS: 3600 N. 51st Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85031 • 623-245-5500 TICKETS: 1-800-933-7890 DIRECTIONS: From I-10: Exit 51st Ave. North approximately 2 miles. Park located just South of Indian School on the west side of 51st Ave.
ArizonaKEY.com
Diamond Box
$27
Field Box
$24
Infield Reserved
$18
Outfield Reserved
$14
Lawn
$8
57
MGR. BOB MELVIN, #6 2017 RECORD: 75-87 5TH PLACE AL WEST
team previews
oakland athletics
Although the Oakland A’s have finished in last place in the AL West for the past three consecutive seasons the team will look for its bright spots where it can find them; the A’s 75-87 record in 2017 was a six game improvement from the previous season and the team’s prospect laden roster includes home grown youngsters, first baseman Matt Olsen and third baseman Matt Chapman. Olsen, 23, made his big league debut in September of 2016 and advanced to the A’s starting lineup last June mashing 24 home runs with 45 RBI and a 1.003 OPS in just 59 games in 189 at-bats finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. Chapman, 24, made his big league debut in June and immediately took over as the A’s starting third baseman knocking 14 home runs with 40 RBI in 84 games. With all or parts of a first season under their belts, the swinging young A’s should field an offensively charged team. Utility infielder Chad Pindor, 25, knocked 15 home runs with 15 doubles and 42 RBI in 87 games. Outfielder Stephen Piscotty, 26, hit 25 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016 was acquired by the A’s in a trade for a pair of minor leaguers and is projected to be the team’s starting right fielder. Shortstop Marcus Semien, 27, missed nearly half of the season with a fractured right wrist finishing with 10 home runs, 40 RBI at a .249 clip and should be the team’s starting shortstop and leadoff hitter on Opening Day. Ten-year veteran outfielder Matt Joyce was signed as a free-agent at the conclusion of the 2016 season and clubbed 25 home runs with 68 RBI in 141 games and is signed through the 2018 season. Minor league outfielder Dustin Fowler, 23, was acquired from the New York Yankees in a trade for pitcher Sonny Gray. Fowler made his big league debut appearing in one game for the Yankees against the White Sox in Chicago as defensive replacement and has not yet taken his first official at-bat. A projected power hitter, he hit .293 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 70 games at AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre in 2017. Gone is former staff ace Gray, after compiling a respectable 44-36 record with a 3.44 ERA over five seasons in Oakland. Once again the A’s starting rotation will be comprised of promising if not unproven prospects. Lefty Sean Manea, 25, led the A’s staff posting a 12-10 with a 4.37 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 158 innings pitched. Righty Kendall Graveman, 26, compiled a 6-4 record with a 4.19 ERA in 19 starts spanning 109 innings and the pair will most likely occupy the number one and two spots in the rotation. Right-hander Paul Blackburn was impressive in his first 10 major league games going 3-1 with a 3.22 ERA in 59 innings but missed the last six weeks of the season with a bruised throwing hand. Jharel Cotton, 25, (9-10, 5.58) and Daniel Mengden, 25, (3-2, 3.14 in seven starts) should vie for the fourth and fifth spots. Prospect to watch: Third baseman Sheldon Neuse, acquired mid-season by the A’s from the Washington Nationals, in the deal that sent Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to the Nats, clubbed seven home runs with 22 RBI and a .386 batting average in 22 games at high-A Stockton and was among the Arizona Fall League leaders with five home runs and 23 RBI with a .314 average for the Mesa Solar Sox.
Arrivals: RHP Emilio Pagan, RHP Yusmeiro Petit 58 Departures: 1B Ryon Healy, OF Jacob Brugman
40-man roster # Pitchers 50 Raul Alcantara 40 Chris Bassitt 58 Paul Blackburn 46 Santiago Casilla 45 Jharel Cotton 35 Daniel Coulombe 66 Ryan Dull 52 Heath Fillmyer 48 Daniel Gossett 49 Kendall Graveman 32 Jesse Hahn 44 Chris Hatcher 31 Liam Hendriks 55 Sean Manaea 33 Daniel Mengden 47 Frankie Montas 15 Emilio Pagan 36 Yusmeiro Petit 39 Blake Treinen 60 Andrew Triggs 62 Lou Trivino
B/T Ht Wt DOB R/R 6’4” 220 12/4/92 R/R 6’5” 220 2/22/89 R/R 6’1” 195 12/4/93 R/R 6’0” 210 7/25/80 R/R 5’11” 195 1/19/92 L/L 5’10” 190 10/26/89 R/R 5’9” 175 10/2/89 R/R 6’1” 180 5/16/94 R/R 6’2” 185 11/13/92 R/R 6’2” 200 12/21/90 R/R 6’4” 215 7/30/89 R/R 6’1” 200 1/12/85 R/R 6’0” 200 2/10/89 R/L 6’5” 245 2/1/92 R/R 6’2” 190 2/19/93 R/R 6’2” 255 3/21/93 L/R 6’3” 210 5/7/91 R/R 6’1” 255 11/22/84 R/R 6’5” 225 6/30/88 R/R 6’4” 220 3/16/89 R/R 6’5” 225 10/1/91
# 12 13 19
Catchers Dustin Garneau Bruce Maxwell Josh Phegley
B/T R/R L/R R/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’0” 200 8/13/87 6’1” 250 12/20/90 5’10” 230 2/12/88
# 1 26 8 57 28 18 10
Infield Franklin Barreto Matt Chapman Jed Lowrie Jorge Mateo Matt Olson Chad Pinder Marcus Semien
B/T R/R R/R S/R R/R L/R R/R R/R
Ht Wt DOB 5’10” 190 2/27/96 6’0” 210 4/28/93 6’0” 180 4/17/84 6’0” 190 6/23/95 6’5” 230 3/29/94 6’2” 195 3/29/92 6’0” 195 9/17/90
# 20 2 11 23 56 22 25 3 5
Outfield Mark Canha Khris Davis Dustin Fowler Matt Joyce Ramon Laureano Renato Nunez Stephen Piscotty Boog Powell Jake Smolinski
B/T R/R R/R L/L L/R R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’2” 210 2/15/89 5’10” 195 12/21/87 6’0” 195 12/29/94 6’2” 205 8/3/84 5’11” 185 7/15/94 6’1” 220 4/4/94 6’3” 210 1/14/91 5’10” 185 1/14/93 5’11” 205 2/9/89
Arizona KEYMagazine
Hohokam Stadium - Mesa
Oakland Athletics STADIUM ADDRESS: 1235 N. Center Street, Mesa, AZ 85201 • 480-644-4451
Infield Box
$30+
TICKETS: 877-493-2255
Terrace Box
$28+
Field Level
$24+
DIRECTIONS: Located between Brown Road and McKellips Road in north central Mesa. Center Street is midway between Country Club and Mesa Drive, each of which are accessible from the Superstition Freeway (US-60) on the south, and in close proximity to the Red Mountain Freeway (202) on the north (exit at Country Club Drive).
Terrace Reserved
$16+
Lawn
$10+
*Dynamic ticket pricing will vary by game.
Restaurant Hours -- THURS: 12pm-3pm, FRI: 11am-5pm, SAT: 11am-6pm, SUN: 11am-5pm Appetizers . Wings . Burgers . Sandwiches . Milkshakes . FULL BAR!
ArizonaKEY.com
59
snapshot
Grand Canyon
O
ne of the natural wonders of the world. The mighty Colorado River. Painted deserts. What more could you ask for? The Grannd Canyon invites you to indulge your sense of adventure and wonder. Hike it, drive it, ski it, fly over it, float down it – just be sure to get here and immerse yourself in it.
The canyon is a spectacular experience at any time of year. Whatever the season... spring, summer, fall, winter... each brings an intimate mood to the splendor of the Grand Canyon that will make your first visit very special. Savor the delicate fragrance of spring wildflowers as you stroll along the Canyon Rim. Enjoy a fresh summer breeze rich with the scent of pine following a brief afternoon thundershower. Discover color that only nature can create in the fall flowers and canyon oaks as they prepare for the coming winter season. See winter clouds hanging heavy over the Canyon after a fresh snow, lifting like a theatre curtain to reveal nature’s newest spectacle. In every season the Grand Canyon is a spectacular vision. 928-638-2901 GrandCanyonCVB.org AZ Plan Your Trip to the Grand Canyon
ompare values in a mber of products sold s show each category’s hole.
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STARTING CITY
MILES TO SOUTH RIM
Flagstaff
75 miles
Phoenix
218 miles
Lake Powell
147 miles
Kingman
175 miles
Grand Canyon North Rim
217 miles
Sedona
150 miles
Tucson
334 miles
Williams
50 miles
Monument Valley
182 miles
Petrified Forest
199 miles
Lake Havasu City
288 miles
Arizona KEYMagazine
Pie Chart
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Bright El Angel Tovar Kolb Lodge S EN TRA Grand Canyon Yavapai NC Studio E Visitor Center Lodge Maswik C EN VILLAGE T Lodge Chase Bank LOOP DR US Post Office 64 MARKET PLAZA DR Groceries/Deli/Gifts North County Mather Health Center Campground
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ArizonaKEY.com
Grand Canyon National Geographic Camper Village Visitor Center Western Discovery Museum Canyon Plaza Resort Grand Canyon Trading Post Holiday Inn Express Grand Hotel Best Western Grand Canyon to Grand an Canyon y National ti Park rpo po 3 4 Airport 5 6
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61
Grand Canyon The
“The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is beyond comparison--beyond description; absolutely unparalleled throughout the wide world .... Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is to keep it for your children, your children’s children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see.” — President Theodore Roosevelt
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Arizona KEYMagazine
ENJOYING THE SOUTH RIM Individual interests, available time, weather, and health considerations can influence your visit to the South Rim. Before heading out, visit www.nps. gov/grca/ to help plan your trip. Once you arrive in the park, talk with the rangers for up-to-theminute information.
Many miles of roads along the rim feature numerous pullouts to enjoy the views. Hermit Road to Hermit Rest is open to private vehicles only from December through February. The free shuttle bus system provides a relaxing way to explore the developed areas of the rim.
Elevations along the rim vary from 6650 feet (2030 m) at Hermits Rest to more than 7400 feet (2260 m) at Desert View near the East Entrance. Summer temperatures are pleasant along the rim, but increase rapidly as you descend into the canyon. Low humidity makes for big temperature differences between day and night. The low humidity and high elevation also means that it is important to drink water frequently.
The Rim Trail winds along the rim for more than 13 miles (21 km), much of it paved and suitable for visitors in wheelchairs. The Greenway, a broad, paved pathway for hikers, bicyclists, and wheelchairs, leads two miles (3 km) from Grand Canyon Visitor Center to Grand Canyon Village. A separate segment heads east from Hermits Rest along the rim. The Bright Angel and South Kaibab trails descend steeply into the canyon.
Afternoon thundershowers are common in July, August, and early September. Windy conditions prevail in April and May. Snow may fall as early as November. Winter snowstorms continue into March. Rangers present programs—walks, talks, and evening presentations—throughout the year. All activities are free.
VISITOR CENTERS:
ArizonaKEY.com
The Grand Canyon Visitor Center near Mather Point is the largest of several visitor centers and makes a perfect first stop. All are open every day of the year; hours vary seasonally. AZ
63
team previews
san diego padres
As the rebuilding process continues for the San Diego Padres the outlook appears hazy on the horizon at least for the immediate future. Comprised mostly of still developing prospects the 2017 Padres fielded the youngest average batting (26.2) order in the major leagues last year. Top prospect outfielders Manuel Margot, 22, and Hunter Renfroe, 25, both cracked San Diego’s Opening Day starting lineup after making their big league debuts in September of 2016. Renfroe lived up to his power projections knocking 26 home runs in 122 games with 58 RBI and a .231 batting average but struck out 140 times in 406 at-bats, hit only .202 vs. right-handed pitching and was a below average right-fielder. Center fielder Margot hit .263 with 13 home runs, with 39 RBI and 17 stolen bases and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. First baseman Wil Meyers remains the Padres top power threat and hit a career-high 30 home runs in the his second full season eclipsing his previous season’s total of 28 but dropped from 94 to 74 RBI and from a .259 to a .243 batting average. The Padres 604 runs scored and .234 team batting average, were both the worst in the major leagues while the team’s pitching corps didn’t fare much better surrendering 816 runs, fourth most in the league. Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin was the Padres only starter with wins in double figures going 13-10 with a 3.89 ERA in 32 starts spanning 180 innings. The nine-year veteran was signed to a one-year $1.75 million contract prior to the season and was released at season’s end inking a two-year $15.5 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Lefty Clayton Richard accomplished a dubious trifecta leading the National League with 15 losses, 240 hits allowed and 840 batters faced. Richard is signed through 2019 at $3 million per–year. Help does appear to be around the corner as two of the top lefthanded pitching prospects reside in the Padres system; MLB Pipeline rated Padres first-round draft pick Mackenzie Gore, 18, at the top of its list followed by Adrian Morejon, 18, at number six. Gore made his professional debut throwing 21 innings in the Arizona Rookie League with 34 strikeouts and 1.27 ERA. Cuban phenom Morejon pitched for the 2014-2015 Huracanes de Mayabeque in the Cuban National Series when he was 15 years old and signed an $11 million contract with the Padres in July of 2016. The Padres acquired shortstop Freddy Galvis in a trade from Philadelphia with one year remaining on his contract at $6.8 million. Whether the Padres attempt to sign Galvis past next year his presence this season fills a hole at the position until top prospect Luis Urias is ready to make the jump to the big leagues. Prospect to watch: Slick fielding shortstop Luis Urias, 20, has compiled a .310 batting average over parts of four minor league seasons and was a standout performer in the 2017 Arizona Fall League blasting a 416-foot home run at the annual Fall Stars Game.
ARRIVALS: SS Freddy Galvis, RHP Kazuhisa Makita (Japanese free agent). DEPARTURES: 3B Chase Headley, RHP Jhoulys Chacin. 64
40-man roster # Pitchers 77 Buddy Baumann — Colten Brewer 56 Carter Capps — Jose Castillo 43 Miguel Diaz 41 Robbie Erlin 52 Brad Hand 64 Dinelson Lamet 62 Walker Lockett — Jordan Lyles — Kazuhisa Makita 88 Phil Maton 38 Kyle McGrath — Bryan Mitchell 61 Luis Perdomo 29 Colin Rea 3 Clayton Richard 34 Craig Stammen 65 Matt Strahm 76 Jose Torres — Brad Wieck 39 Kirby Yates
B/T Ht Wt DOB L/L 5’11” 198 12/9/87 R/R 6’4” 230 10/29/92 R/R 6’5” 230 8/7/90 L/L 6’4” 200 1/10/96 R/R 6’1” 175 11/28/94 R/L 6’0” 190 10/8/90 L/L 6’3” 228 3/20/90 R/R 6’4” 187 7/18/92 R/R 6’5” 225 5/3/94 R/R 6’4” 230 10/19/90 R/R 5’10” 181 11/10/84 R/R 6’3” 220 3/25/93 L/L 6’2” 185 7/31/92 L/R 6’3” 210 4/19/91 R/R 6’2” 185 5/9/93 R/R 6’5” 225 7/1/90 L/L 6’5” 240 9/12/83 R/R 6’4” 230 3/9/84 R/L 6’3” 185 11/12/91 L/L 6’2” 175 9/24/93 L/L 6’9” 255 10/14/91 L/R 5’10” 210 3/25/87
# Catchers 58 Rocky Gale 18 Austin Hedges 21 Luis Torrens
B/T Ht R/R 6’1” R/R 6’1” R/R 6’0”
# Infielders 20 Carlos Asuaje 17 Allen Cordoba — Freddy Galvis 70 Javier Guerra — Chase Headley 4 Wil Myers 15 Cory Spangenberg 22 Christian Villanueva
B/T Ht Wt DOB L/R 5’9” 158 11/2/91 R/R 6’1” 175 12/6/95 S/R 5’10” 185 11/14/89 L/R 5’11” 155 9/25/95 S/R 6’2” 215 5/9/84 R/R 6’3” 205 12/10/90 L/R 6’0” 195 3/16/91 R/R 5’11” 210 6/19/91
# Outfielders 33 Franchy Cordero 24 Alex Dickerson 16 Travis Jankowski 7 Manuel Margot 2 Jose Pirela 10 Hunter Renfroe 23 Matt Szczur
B/T Ht Wt DOB L/R 6’3” 175 9/2/94 L/L 6’3” 235 5/26/90 L/R 6’2” 185 6/15/91 R/R 5’11” 180 9/28/94 R/R 6’0” 220 11/21/89 R/R 6’1” 220 1/28/92 R/R 6’0” 200 7/20/89
Wt DOB 185 2/22/88 206 8/18/92 175 5/2/96
Arizona KEYMagazine
Peoria Sports Complex
San Diego Padres & Seattle Mariners STADIUM ADDRESS: 16101 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria, AZ 85382 • 623-773-8700
Infield Box
$29+
Club Seat
$25+
TICKETS: 1-800-677-1227 or 623-773-8720
Upper Box
$23+
Outfield Box
$21+
DIRECTIONS: From 101 loop: Exit Bell Road, East to 83rd Ave., South 1/4 mile.
Bleacher
$16+
Lawn Seating / GA
$7+
* $2 discount for advance purchases for all ticket levels
ArizonaKEY.com
65
MGR. BRUCE BOCHY #15 2017 RECORD, 64-98 5TH PLACE, NL WEST
team previews
san francisco
giants
How the mighty have fallen. Just three years ago the San Francisco Giants were enjoying a tremendous run that saw the team win three World Series championships in five years from 2010 – 2014. Even though the Giants had slipped to two consecutive second place finishes behind the emerging powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers there was still reason to believe the team could compete for a post season spot in a tough NL West division. The starting pitching tandem of Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto was among the best in the game in 2016 and both appeared ready for the 2017 season. But the Giants stumbled out of the gate going 4-6 in the team’s first 10 games and were 6-10 on April 20 when the wheels literally fell off. It was on that day that Bumgarner was injured in a dirt bike accident in Colorado on an off day prior to the start of a three-game series with the Rockies. The Giants were swept by the Rockies in the series and Bumgarner was out of the rotation for the next three months. By the time Bumgarner resumed his spot in the rotation on July 15 the Giants were (35-57) 22 games under .500 and 28 games back of the division leading Dodgers. Cueto had slipped as well going 6-7 with a 4.59 ERA in his 19 starts to date and was sidelined with blisters on his throwing hand the same day that Bumgarner returned failing to make another start until September 1. Cueto finished the season at 8-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 25 outings. Bumgarner was 4-9 with a 3.32 ERA in 17 starts. No Giants starter posted a winning or recorded victories in double figures. Attempting to rebound from a string of four abysmal seasons Matt Cain was 3-11 with a 5.43 ERA in 23 starts and announced his retirement after 13 big league seasons in San Francisco. With the exception of catcher Buster Posey who hit .320 with 12 home runs and 67 RBI in 140 games, the entire Giants offense was mired in a season long slump. No other regular Giants starter reached .300 or hit more than 18 home runs. The team’s 128 home runs were the fewest in the major leagues. So just exactly how bad was the Giants 2017 season? The last time the team lost 98 games was the 100-loss, 1985 team 32 years ago. The Giants were busy attempting to right the ship in the off-season acquiring nine-year veteran outfielder and five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen from Pittsburgh for pitching prospect Kyle Crick and minor league outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Veteran third baseman Evan Longoria was also acquired from Tampa in exchange for top prospect infielder Christian Arroyo and outfielder Denard Span. McCutchen is in the final year of his contract while Longoria is signed through 2023. Prospect to watch: Outfielder/First Baseman Chris Shaw hit a combined .292 with 24 home runs and 79 RBI at AA Richmond and AAA Sacramento.
ARRIVALS: OF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Evan Longoria DEPARTURES: RHP Matt Cain, OF Denard Span 66
40-man roster # Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB — Tyler Beede R/R 6’3” 210 5/23/93 50 Ty Blach R/L 6’2” 200 10/20/90 40 Madison Bumgarner R/L 6’5” 250 8/1/89 47 Johnny Cueto R/R 5’11” 220 2/15/86 49 Sam Dyson R/R 6’1” 205 5/7/88 — Julian Fernandez R/R 6’2” 160 12/5/95 62 Cory Gearrin R/R 6’3” 200 4/14/86 67 Roberto Gomez S/R 6’5” 180 8/3/89 — Joan Gregorio R/R 6’7” 180 1/12/92 — Tyler Herb R/R 6’2” 175 4/28/92 — Chase Johnson R/R 6’3” 190 1/9/92 — Pierce Johnson R/R 6’3” 200 5/10/91 64 Derek Law R/R 6’2” 210 9/14/90 41 Mark Melancon R/R 6’2” 210 3/28/85 54 Reyes Moronta R/R 6’0” 175 1/6/93 32 Steven Okert L/L 6’3” 210 7/9/91 61 Josh Osich L/L 6’2” 230 9/3/88 29 Jeff Samardzija R/R 6’5” 225 1/23/85 — Dan Slania R/R 6’5” 275 5/24/92 13 Will Smith R/L 6’5” 265 7/10/89 — D.J. Snelten L/L 6’7” 245 5/29/92 34 Chris Stratton R/R 6’3” 190 8/22/90 60 Hunter Strickland R/R 6’4” 220 9/24/88 # Catchers 5 Nick Hundley 28 Buster Posey
B/T Ht Wt DOB R/R 6’1” 205 9/8/83 R/R 6’1” 215 3/27/87
# 9 35 52 63 10 12 48 37 —
Infield Brandon Belt Brandon Crawford Miguel Gomez Ryder Jones Evan Longoria Joe Panik Pablo Sandoval Kelby Tomlinson Engelb Vielma
B/T L/L L/R S/R L/R R/R L/R S/R R/R S/R
Ht Wt 6’5” 220 6’2” 215 5’10” 185 6’3” 215 6’2” 210 6’1” 190 5’11” 255 6’3” 180 5’11” 155
DOB 4/20/88 1/21/87 12/17/92 6/7/94 10/7/85 10/30/90 8/11/86 6/16/90 6/22/94
# 66 — — 6 8 53 51
Outfield Gorkys Hernandez Austin Jackson Andrew McCutchen Jarrett Parker Hunter Pence Austin Slater Mac Williamson
B/T R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R
Ht Wt 6’1” 190 6’1” 205 5’10” 195 6’4” 210 6’4” 220 6’2” 215 6’4” 240
DOB 9/7/87 2/1/87 10/10/86 1/1/89 4/13/83 12/13/92 7/15/90
Arizona KEYMagazine
Scottsdale Stadium
San Francisco Giants Lower Box
$32-125
Upper Box
$28-105
TICKETS: 877-473-4849
Reserved Grandstand
$21-85
Line Box
$21-80
DIRECTIONS: From the 101 loop: Exit on Indian School, Go WEST on Indian School (toward Downtown Scottsdale). SOUTH on Drinkwater Blvd. Stadium is on the corner of Osborn & Drinkwater Blvd.
Outfield Box
$18-68
Bleachers
$10-49
Lawn
$12-60
STADIUM ADDRESS: 7408 E. Osborn Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 • 480-312-2586
*Dynamic ticket pricing will vary by game.
A NIGHT
YOU CAN’T FORGET STARTS WITH A PLATE YOU CAN’T TOUCH.
From her warm hospitality to her steaks served on 500° sizzling plates, Ruth had a certain way of doing things. Scottsdale • 480.991.5988 7001 N. Scottsdale Rd.
ArizonaKEY.com
Make your reservation today.
67
MGR. SCOTT SERVAIS #9 2017 RECORD: 78-84 THIRD PLACE, AL WEST
team previews
seattle mariners
Entering the season with high-hopes and what appeared to be a beefedup batting order, the Seattle Mariners were a fashionable pre-season pick to contend in the AL West or perhaps vie for a wild card spot in 2017 Newly acquired shortstop Jean Segura was coming off a breakout season in which he hit a career-high .319 leading the NL in hits and at-bats. Sturdy slugger Nelson Cruz solidified the middle of the Mariners batting order for the two previous seasons batting in-between 2nd baseman Robinson Cano and 3rd baseman Kyle Seager and with a shored-up and healthy pitching staff, the Mariners appeared poised to make a pennant race run. Bedeviled by the injury bug the Mariners used 17 different starting pitchers, the most in the majors last year, and tied the inaugural 1977 Mariners for the most in team history. The Mariners also placed 16 different players on the disabled list including shortstop Segura twice and four of the team’s projected starting five rotation including ace Felix Hernandez, number two starter James Paxton, Hisashi Iwakuma, who led the team with 16 wins in 2016 and newly acquired veteran Drew Smyly who required Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left arm and missed the entire season. The Mariners 78-84 record was an eight-game drop from the previous season and landed the team in third place -- 23 games behind the division leading Houston Astros. Seattle’s 750 runs scored were seventh best in the 15team American League while the team’s 772 runs allowed was seventh lowest. Despite two separate stints on the DL, southpaw James Paxton started a career-high 24 games and led the Mariners rotation going 12-5 with a 2.98 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 136 innings. No other Seattle starter had wins in double figures and “King Felix” Hernandez sputtered to a 6-5 record with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts spanning just 86 innings. Sophomore closer Edwin Diaz posted a 3.27 ERA in 66 innings compiling 34 saves. Cruz led the Mariners with 39 home runs, averaging 42 per-season in his three years with the club, and led the American League with 119 RBI making his fifth All-Star appearance and finished 10th in MVP voting. At 37, Cruz is due $14 million in the final year of his four-year contract. Cano’s numbers were markedly down from his stellar 2016 campaign hitting 23 home runs with 99 RBI and a .280 batting average he’s signed with Seattle through the 2023 season. After playing in a career-high 153 games Segura spent two separate stints on the DL hitting an even .300 in 125 games with 22m stolen bases. Segura is signed through 2022 with a club option for 2023. The Mariners filled two major vacancies in the team’s starting lineup acquiring center fielder Dee Gordon from the Miami Marlins and first baseman Ryon Healy from the Oakland Athletics. Godon led the National League with 60 stolen bases and hit .308 with 201 hits in 158 games last year. Healy clubbed 25 home runs with 78 RBI and a .271 batting average in 149 games with the A’s. Prospect to watch: Outfielder Eric Filia took the 2017 Arizona Fall League by storm leading the league in hitting (.408) on-base percentage (.483) and OPS (1.088) knocking four doubles, four triples and home run with 13 RBI and 15 runs scored, reaching base in each of the 22 games he played. Filia also hit well (.326) at High-A Modesto with an .891 OPS and was being ticketed for the big leagues sometime soon before testing positive for the second time for a “drug of abuse” per minor league baseball’s testing program and will begin the season serving a 50-game suspension.
ARRIVALS: OF Dee Gordon, 1B Ryon Healy
DEPARTURES: OF Jarrod Dyson, 1B Danny Valencia 68
40-man roster # Pitchers 53 Dan Altavilla — Shawn Armstrong — Chasen Bradford 35 Chase De Jong 39 Edwin Diaz 32 Marco Gonzales 34 Felix Hernandez 8 Mike Leake 37 Ariel Miranda — Sam Moll 48 Andrew Moore — Mike Morin — Juan Nicasio 65 James Paxton 47 James Pazos 46 David Phelps — Max Povse 31 Erasmo Ramirez — Nick Rumbelow 25 Marc Rzepczynski 50 Nick Vincent 63 Rob Whalen 55 Tony Zych
B/T Ht Wt DOB R/R 5’11” 200 9/8/92 R/R 6’2” 225 9/11/90 R/R 6’1” 229 8/5/89 L/R 6’4” 205 12/29/93 R/R 6’3” 165 3/22/94 L/L 6’1” 195 2/16/92 R/R 6’3” 225 4/8/86 R/R 5’10” 170 11/12/87 L/L 6’2” 190 1/10/89 L/L 5’10” 185 1/3/92 R/R 6’0” 185 6/2/94 R/R 6’4” 220 5/3/91 R/R 6’4” 252 8/31/86 L/L 6’4” 235 11/6/88 R/L 6’2” 235 5/5/91 R/R 6’2” 200 10/9/86 R/R 6’8” 185 8/23/93 R/R 5’10” 215 5/2/90 R/R 6’0” 190 9/6/91 L/L 6’2” 220 8/29/85 R/R 6’0” 185 7/12/86 R/R 6’2” 220 1/31/94 R/R 6’3” 190 8/7/90
# — 28 3
Catchers David Freitas Mike Marjama Mike Zunino
B/T R/R R/R R/R
Ht 6’3” 6’2” 6’2”
# 22 — — 21 — 15 2 20
Infield Robinson Cano Mike Ford Ryon Healy Taylor Motter Andrew Romine Kyle Seager Jean Segura Daniel Vogelbach
B/T L/R L/R R/R R/R S/R L/R R/R L/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’0” 210 10/22/82 6’0” 225 7/4/92 6’5” 225 1/10/92 6’1” 195 9/18/89 6’1” 200 12/24/85 6’0” 210 11/3/87 5’10” 205 3/17/90 6’0” 250 12/17/92
# 16 — 17 5 —
Outfield Ben Gamel Dee Gordon Mitch Haniger Guillermo Heredia Cameron Perkins
B/T L/L L/R R/R R/L R/R
Ht Wt DOB 5’11” 185 5/17/92 KEY 4/22/88 5’11” 170 6’2” 215 12/23/90 5’10” 180 1/31/91 6’5” 195 9/27/90
Wt DOB 225 3/18/89 205 7/20/89 220 3/25/91
# Designated Hitters B/T Ht Wt DOB Magazine Arizona KEY 23 Nelson Cruz R/R 6’2” 230 7/1/80
Peoria Sports Complex
San Diego Padres & Seattle Mariners STADIUM ADDRESS: 16101 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria, AZ 85382 • 623-773-8700
Infield Box
$29+
Club Seat
$25+
TICKETS: 1-800-677-1227 or 623-773-8720
Upper Box
$23+
Outfield Box
$21+
DIRECTIONS: From 101 loop: Exit Bell Road, East to 83rd Ave., South 1/4 mile.
Bleacher
$16+
Lawn Seating / GA
$7+
* $2 discount for advance purchases for all ticket levels
ArizonaKEY.com
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texas rangers
team previews
After two consecutive A.L. West division titles including a 95-win season in 2016, the Texas Rangers sputtered out of the blocks before being steamrolled by the upstart Houston Astros finishing with the rest of pack, 23 games back, tied for third place with Seattle, two games behind Los Angeles and three in front of Oakland. Injuries plagued the Rangers starting rotation throughout the season; lefty Cole Hamels missed nearly two months of action with a strained oblique, and struggled down the stretch finishing 11-6 with a 4.20 ERA in 24 starts and the Rangers 816 runs allowed were the fifth most in the A.L. Missing half of the season in 2016, former staff ace Yu Darvish was sluggish in 22 starts going 6-9 with a 4.01 E.R.A. and was deemed expendable by the trade deadline with the Rangers well out of the race 19 games back with a 50-55 record. Darvish was dealt to the National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers for 22-year old top outfield prospect Willie Calhoun and a pair of minor leaguers. At the time of this writing Darvish was an unsigned free-agent and expressed interest in re-signing with the Rangers. Six Rangers hit more than 20 home runs including team-leader Joey Gallo with 41, followed by second baseman Rougned Odor (30), first baseman Mike Napoli, (29), DH Shin-Soo Choo (22), Shortstop Elvis Andrus (20) and right fielder Nomar Mazara (20). The Rangers’ 237 home runs were 3rd most in the AL. Texas’ 799 runs scored was the fifth highest total in the league but so too was the 816 runs allowed. In the final year of year of an eight-season contract with the Texas Rangers and perhaps the last of his illustrious 21-year career, third baseman Adrian Beltre appears to have secured his Hall of Fame credentials becoming just the 31st player in major league history to record 3,000 hits knocking a double off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Wade Miley on July 30th, 2017. With the exception of Rafael Palmiero, who has been shunned by voters because of his association with performance enhancing drugs and Ichiro Suzuki and Alex Rodriguez whose names have yet to appear on the ballot, every other member of the 3,000-hit club has been elected to the Hall of Fame. Beltre’s similarity scores, devised by statistician Bill James and included on every major league players’ baseballreference.com page, compare most favorably with Hall of Famers Dave Winfield, Andre Dawson and Al Kaline as well as recently retired Carlos Beltran and Chipper Jones whose name appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year. Calf and hamstring injuries slowed the start of Beltre’s 2017 season limiting him to just 94 games in which he remained productive, rapping 17 home runs with 71 RBI at a .312 clip. With 462 career home runs Beltre has a shot of reaching the coveted 500-home run plateau but this might be Cactus League fans’ final opportunity to see him up close and personal. Prospect to watch: Outfielder Willie Calhoun hit a composite .300 with 31 home runs and 93 RBI for AAA Oklahoma City and Round Rock before and after being traded to the Rangers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and made his big league debut with Texas on September 12th, hitting his first major league home run off Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander at home on September 27th.
Arrivals: RHP Doug Fister, LHP Matt Moore
70 Departures: 1B Mike Napoli, RHP Andrew Cashner
40-man roster # Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB 43 Tony Barnette R/R 6’1” 190 11/9/83 47 Clayton Blackburn L/R 6’3” 230 1/6/93 51 Matt Bush R/R 5’9” 180 2/8/86 58 Alex Claudio L/L 6’3” 180 1/31/92 41 Jake Diekman L/L 6’4” 200 1/21/87 — Doug Fister L/R 6’8” 210 2/4/84 45 Nick Gardewine R/R 6’1” 179 8/15/93 35 Cole Hamels L/L 6’4” 205 12/27/83 — Jonathan Hernandez R/R 6’2” 175 7/6/96 — Ronald Herrera R/R 5’11” 185 5/3/95 — Ariel Jurado R/R 6’1” 180 1/30/96 50 Keone Kela R/R 6’1” 215 4/16/93 62 Jose Leclerc R/R 6’0” 190 12/19/93 — Brett Martin L/L 6’4” 190 4/28/95 — Chris Martin R/R 6’8” 215 6/2/86 65 Yohander Mendez L/L 6’5” 200 1/17/95 36 Mike Minor R/L 6’4” 210 12/26/87 — Matt Moore L/L 6’3” 210 6/18/89 — Joe Palumbo L/L 6’1” 168 10/26/94 33 Martin Perez L/L 6’0” 200 4/4/91 68 Ricardo Rodriguez R/R 6’2” 220 8/31/92 — Connor Sadzeck R/R 6’7” 240 10/1/91 # — 61 6 —
Catchers B/T Juan Centeno L/R Robinson Chirinos R/R Brett Nicholas L/R Jose Trevino R/R
Ht Wt DOB 5’9” 195 11/16/89 6’1” 210 6/5/84 6’2” 220 7/18/88 5’11” 211 11/28/92
# 1 29 13 67 — 12 19
Infield Elvis Andrus Adrian Beltre Joey Gallo Ronald Guzman Isiah Kiner-Falefa Rougned Odor Jurickson Profar
B/T R/R R/R L/R L/L R/R L/R S/R
Ht Wt DOB 6’0” 200 8/26/88 5’11” 220 4/7/79 6’5” 235 11/19/93 6’5” 225 10/20/94 5’10” 176 3/23/95 5’11” 195 2/3/94 6’0” 190 2/20/93
# 55 17 3 30 18 16 —
Outfield Willie Calhoun Shin-Soo Choo Delino DeShields Nomar Mazara Drew Robinson Ryan Rua Carlos Tocci
B/T L/R L/L R/R L/L L/R R/R R/R
Ht Wt DOB 5’8” 187 11/4/94 5’11” 210 7/13/82 5’9” 200 8/16/92 6’4” 215 4/26/95 6’1” 200 4/20/92 6’2” 205 3/11/90 6’2” 160 8/23/95
Arizona KEYMagazine
Surprise Stadium
Kansas City Royals & Texas Rangers STADIUM ADDRESS: 15850 N. Bullard Ave., Surprise, AZ 85374 • 623-222-2222 TICKETS: 888-755-2583 or 623-222-2222 DIRECTIONS: West on I-10 to Loop 101. North on Loop 101 to Grand Ave. West on Grand Ave. to Bell Rd. West on Bell Rd. to Bullard Ave. South on Bullard Ave. or... Loop 101 to Bell Rd.- West on Loop 101 to Bell Rd West on Bell Rd to Bullard Ave. South on Bullard Ave
Lawn
$8 | $12*
Plaza (sections 121-124)
$19 | $24*
Infield (sections 113-120)
$25 | $30*
Upper Dugout (sections 201-206)
$26 | $31*
Lower Dugout (sections 107-112)
$29 | $34*
Lower Premium (sections 101-106)
$30 | $35*
*Price for Premium Games
THE OLDEST ARIZONA HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE COMPANY with a Perfect Safety Record
Aerogelic Ballooning
HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES Offered in Phoenix Scottsdale . Chandler Mesa and surrounding areas
480.247.7813 ArizonaKEY.com
aerogelicballooning.com
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dining guide RUSTY SPUR SALOON 7245 East Main St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 480-425-7787 • rustyspursaloon.com Scottsdale’s last real cowboy saloon serves up great live country and western music daily. It’s located in a historic building in Old Town Scottsdale that used to be a bank and the walls are decorated with dollar bills, license plates and all kinds of American memorabilia. Lunch served daily from 11 - 4pm. VENETO TRATTORIA ITALIANA 6137 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85250 480-948-9928 • venetotrattoria.com 5TH AND WINE IN SCOTTSDALE Casual and moderately priced, Veneto Trattoria offers light, Northern Italian cuisine with a Venetian accent. Located in Hilton Village, the restaurant is known for its hand-fashioned pastas and gnocchi, and luscious risottos. Menu highlights include Venetian-style squid, calves’ liver and dried salt cod, called baccala. An extensive wine list offers a wide selection of Italian HAROLD’S CAVE CREEK CORRAL and California wines. Enjoy dining on the patio or 6895 East Cave Creek Road inside where the atmosphere let’s you drift off to Cave Creek, AZ 85331 Italy! Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm. Dinner 480-488-1906 • haroldscorral.com 5-10pm. Harold’s features the finest Choice hand carved steaks and daily delivered fresh seafood. All the BBQ meats are smoked on premise using mesquite wood to provide a traditional southwest flavor. The wide variety menu features everything from Salads, Steaks, Seafood, Italian & Mexican dishes, to the best Hamburgers in Arizona.
FOREFATHERS CHEESESTEAKS 9261 East Via de Ventura Scottsdale, Arizona 85258 Check them out on Google, Yelp & Facebook Philly Street Food! Forefathers Cheesesteaks offers flavorful eats, including some of the best cheesesteak, fries and salads in town. Whether you like, Cheez Whiz, Provolone or American cheese they’ve got you covered. This is a great spot for the whole family. Conveniently located by Salt River Fields and the new Odysea Aquarium at the 101 freeway and Via de Ventura. Forefather Cheesesteaks can accommodate both large and small group.
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE 7001 N. Scottsdale Rd., Ste. 290 Scottsdale, AZ 85253 480.991.5988 • ruthschris.com Get the best steak house experience at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Scottsdale. Their signature 500° sizzling plates and award-winning wine list are the perfect pairing for any occasion. The steak house has magnificent sunset views and a beautiful outside patio and terrace. Call today for an unforgettable dining experience! AZ/88 THE BAR 7353 Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 480.994.5576 Cocktails every day until 1:30 a.m. Full menu 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. every day. AZ/88 is a modern saloon with award winning cocktails and consistent cuisine with an ambience that is often as artistic as its two neighboring museums.
More “Must-Try” Restaurants at www. ArizonaKEY.com 72
Arizona KEYMagazine
Just 90 minutes north of Phoenix, Prescott is surrounded by over one million acres of National Forest, 450 miles of trails, and four lakes. Find out why Prescott is known for true west, real adventure in a cool setting.
866.878.2489 ArizonaKEY.com
73
snapshot
Sedona and North Central Arizona
V
aried and vibrant aptly describe the north central region. The famous Red Rocks of Sedona. The bar where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday drank whiskey. The mining town carved on a hillside. With four seasons and something for everyone, this region begs to be seen and will not soon be forgotten.
POPULAR DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Sedona – Often called “Red Rock Country” Sedona is a four seasons playground for everyone – whether you’re into history & archaeology; arts & culture; power shopping; outdoor sports; or the spiritual & metaphysical, imagine doing all this amid a backdrop of some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Indeed, this picturesque city is surrounded by red-rock monoliths named Coffeepot, Cathedral and Thunder Mountain. At the north end of the city is the stunning Oak Creek Canyon, a breathtaking chasm that is both wild & wonderful. 800-288-7336 Prescott – Just 90 minutes north of Phoenix, “Everybody’s Hometown” is an ideal destination for golfers, outdoor adventure seekers, and western history buffs. From its majestic rock formations at Granite Dells to five area lakes to more than 450 miles of well-groomed hiking, biking and horseback riding trails, Prescott knows no boundaries for exploring the area’s stunning natural beauty. The downtown Courthouse Plaza is Prescott’s historic heart. The plaza is bordered by the famous Whiskey Row, known to have hosted the likes of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday--and still hosts eclectic boutiques, galleries, antique shops, and restaurants. 866-878-2489 Cottonwood & Verde Valley – Located in the “heart” of Arizona, the Verde Valley is ideally situated above the heat of the desert and below the cold of Arizona’s high country. With its state parks, historic sites and enticing attractions, the Verde Valley offers activities for all ages. There is an assortment of hotels, RV Parks, campgrounds and restaurants to choose from, all 74
within close proximity to the parks, attractions, wineries and Old Town Cottonwood. More than 100 species of birds reside at Dead Horse Ranch State Park and Native American history abounds at Tuzigoot National Monument. Scenic beauty and recreational opportunities will thrill the adventurer, and the many fine shops and galleries located in Old Town, Clarkdale, Camp Verde, Sedona, Cornville and Jerome will easily appeal to the shoppers. 928-634-7593 AZ
Arizona KEYMagazine
Why Are
Sedona’s Rocks
Red?
The answer to this commonly asked question is... IRON
T
he incredible array of colors displayed by Sedona’s famous Red Rocks is a direct result of iron oxide in water seeping into sandstone rock formations. Water carrying dissolved iron oxide drains through the porous sandstone and literally paints quartz grains – you guessed it – red! The Red Rocks vary in origin, color and age. Some were originally sea sediment while others came from blowing sand. You’ll see bright orange, red and tan rocks. The brightest orange rocks are more than 250 million years old. White and grey rocks are limestone that formed at the bottom of the sea or sandstone that had its red color washed out by water. You may also stumble across basalt extruded by volcanoes in the past. Sedona and its famous Red Rocks have been in the making for hundreds of millions of years. There are many ways to enjoy the scenery, just be sure to get out and experience Sedona’s world renowned Red Rocks! And remember, take only memories, leave only footprints. AZ
ArizonaKEY.com
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TOP
10
MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES
Sedona 1. PINK JEEP TOURS – Pink Jeep’s Sedona Jeep Tours have thrilled visitors for over 55 years! The Premier Broken Arrow, Ancient Ruin, and Diamondback Gulch tours take you places you may never imagined existed. 833-314-7465. 2. CLIFF CASTLE CASINO HOTEL – The entertainment destination on the way to Sedona is Cliff Castle Casino Hotel. Enjoy fun for the whole family including Bowling, Kid’s Quest, fabulous dining, newly renovated accommodations and of course great slot and table gaming. Voted Arizona’s #1 Casino 18 years in a row! 800-381-SLOT. 3. TLAQUEPAQUE – Tlaquepaque Arts and Craft Village is home to more than 40 shops and galleries and four restaurants, all enclosed in a compound of Spanishstyle buildings. Known as “The Art and Soul of Sedona,” this is a not-to-be-missed Sedona experience! 928-282-4838. 4. OAKCREEK COUNTRY CLUB – Oakcreek Country Club boasts a Robert Trent 76
Jones Sr. and Robert Trent Jones Jr. design. This 18-hole championship golf course is nestled in the majestic Sedona red rocks with views beyond compare. 888-284-1660. 5. OUT OF AFRICA WILDLIFE PARK – Watch exotic animals roam in spacious habitats plus exciting shows like Tiger Splash & Predator Feed. Use Promo code AZKEY18 for special savings. 928-567-2840. 6. SEDONA ROUGE HOTEL & SPA – Unwind in spacious, beautifully appointed guest rooms and hotel suites. Feast upon modern cuisine and delicious comfort foods at REDS Restaurant. Relax and rejuvenate your mind and body at the luxurious Sedona Spa. Call 866-312-4111 today! 7. SEDONA AIR TOURS – The most-trusted and well known helicopter and airplane tour company in Sedona. Take a tour in a jet-powered helicopter to view the fantastic formations of the red rocks of Sedona, or fly to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Rainbow Bridge, Skywalk in an airplane.
888.866.7433. Mention KEY2018 for Special Savings. 8. EXPOSURES INTERNATIONAL GALLERY OF FINE ART – Enjoy a diversity of art including amazing bronze and stone sculptures, original oil and acrylic paintings, fine art jewelry, and an array of glass art. Exposures International Gallery has an impressive 20,000 square feet of art display that includes every style from classical to contemporary. Call 800-526-7668. 9. SLIDE ROCK STATE PARK – Slide Rock provides a natural water slide that invites everyone to be a kid again. Shaded by cottonwoods and sycamores along the canyon walls, hikers can explore the trails. 928-282-3034 10. CHAPEL OF THE HOLY CROSS – One of Sedona’s earliest landmarks, the Chapel rises two-hundred feet above ground surface between two red rock formations that accentuate its 90-foot tall cross. Must-see. AZ
Arizona KEYMagazine
CELEBRATING 24 YEARS!
The BEST independent films from around the world! Celebrities • Filmmakers • Parties • Workshops • Much more!
February 24 - March 4, 2018 PASSES NOW ON SALE
(928) 282-1177
ArizonaKEY.com
www.SedonaFilmFestival.org 77
2018 Fan Scouting Report
SCOUT THE TOP PROSPECTS Baseball Fans... here’s your chance to test your scouting skills. Below you will find the Top Prospects for each Cactus League Team. Watch the player, make your notes, and then see if you can get an autograph. Take a picture of your “Scouting Report” and post it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #KeyScout. Play Ball! ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Top Prospect Left-handed pitcher Jon DuPlantier combined 12-3 with 1.39 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 136 innings at Kane County (A) and Visalia (A+). Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
CHICAGO CUBS Top Prospect 22 year-old right handed pitcher Adbert Alzolay was a combined 7-4 with a 2.99 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 114 innings at A+ Myrtle Beach and AA Tennessee. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
CHICAGO WHITE SOX Top Prospect The top-ranked right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, Michael Kopech struck out 172 batters in 134 combined innings at AA Birmingham and AAA Charlotte. Kopech blazed through the Arizona Fall League in 2016 going 3-0 with 2.01 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 22 innings. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________ 78
Arizona KEYMagazine
2018 Fan Scouting Report CINCINNATI REDS Top Prospect Third baseman Nick Senzel hit a combined 14 home runs with 65 RBI and a .321 batting average in 119 games at A+Daytona and AA Pensacola. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
CLEVELAND INDIANS Top Prospect Cleveland’s top prospect catcher/third baseman Francsico Mejia hit 14 home runs with 52 RBI with a .297 average in 92 games at AA Akron and raked Arizona Fall League pitching to a .365 clip. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
COLORADO ROCKIES Top Prospect Corner infielder 1B/3B Rayan McMahon, 23, hit a combined .355 at AA Hartford and AAA Albuquerque with 20 home runs and 88 RBI. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
KANSAS CITY ROYALS Top Prospect Middle infielder Nicky Lopez SS/2B hit a combined .279 with 18 doubles and 21 stolen bases at single-A Wilmington and AA Northwest Arkansas in 2017 earning an appointment to the AZ Fall League where he hit .383 -- 5 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs in 20 games. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________ ArizonaKEY.com
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2018 Fan Scouting Report LA ANGELS Top Prospect All eyes of the baseball universe will be upon 23-year-old pitcher/hitter Shohei Ohtani the most heralded Japanese professional free-agent to enter the Major League market since Ichiro Suzuki. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
LA DODGERS Top Prospect Hailing from Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Outfielder Alex Verdugo played for team Mexico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and hit .314 with 6 HRs and 62 RBI in 117 games at AAA Oklahoma City before making his big league debut with the Dodgers in December. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
MILWAUKEE BREWERS Top Prospect Outfielder Corey Ray stole 24 bases at A+ Carolina with 7 home runs and 48 RBI in 112 games and earned an assignment to Brewers’ Salt River Rafters affiliate of the Arizona Fall League. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
OAKLAND ATHLETICS Top Prospect Third baseman Sheldon Neuse, acquired mid-season by the A’s from the Washington Nationals, in the deal that sent Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to the Nats, clubbed seven home runs with 22 RBI and a .386 batting average in 22 games at high-A Stockton and was among the Arizona Fall League leaders with five home runs and 23 RBI with a .314 average for the Mesa Solar Sox. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________ 80
Arizona KEYMagazine
2018 Fan Scouting Report SAN DIEGO PADRES Top Prospect Slick fielding shortstop Luis Urias, 20, has compiled a .310 batting average over parts of four minor league seasons and was a standout performer in the 2017 Arizona Fall League blasting a 416-foot home run at the annual Fall Stars Game. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS Top Prospect Outfielder/First Baseman Chris Shaw hit a combined .292 with 24 home runs and 79 RBI at AA Richmond and AAA Sacramento. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
SEATTLE MARINERS Top Prospect Outfielder Eric Filia took the 2017 Arizona Fall League by storm leading the league in hitting (.408) on-base percentage (.483) and OPS (1.088) knocking four doubles, four triples and home run with 13 RBI and 15 runs scored, reaching base in each of the 22 games he played. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________
TEXAS RANGERS Top Prospect Outfielder Willie Calhoun hit a composite .300 with 31 home runs and 93 RBI for AAA Oklahoma City and Round Rock before and after being traded to the Rangers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and made his big league debut with Texas on September 12th, hitting his first major league home run off Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander at home on September 27th. Date: ____________ Stadium: _________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________ Autograph: _________________________________________ ArizonaKEY.com
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State of Arizona
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map
Arizona KEYMagazine
30 minutes west of Flagstaff!
I-40 Exit 165 in Williams, AZ AT THE
GATEWAY TO THE
GRAND CANYON FIND US ON
www.bearizona.com | 928-635-2289 ArizonaKEY.com
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Pink Jeep Tours Most Trusted Adventure Tours in the Southwest 84
Sedona and Grand Canyon • pinkjeeptours.com • 833-314-7465 Arizona KEYMagazine