LUGNUTS 2017 Magazine — Issue 02 by Pro Sports Marketing

ISSUE 02

PLUS PLAYER profiles lugnut charities

4 7 8 26 28 30 40 44 54

Greetings from Ownership Letter from Minor League Baseball Letter from the Midwest League 2016 Team Statistics Road to the Show

2017 CONTENTS

Departments

Player Profiles Coaching Staff Fan Guide Meet the Front Office

Features 10

Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame

Class of 2017: Ty Cobb & the 1959 Hamtramck Little League

Retooled For 2017

Lugnut Charities

The Lugnuts Experience is Award-Winning & Still Improving

Publisher Sherrie Myers

Art Director Ryan L. Smith

Editor Ryan L. Smith

Cover Photo Detroit Free Press

Greetings from Ownership

A Newwelcome Look & a New Fieldclub! for a New Season to the Dear Best Customer,

Welcome the 22nd year of Lansing Lugnuts baseball! Welcome to to another season of Lugnuts Baseball! Fourteen years thanks to you! We have spent the off-season speaking with many of you and learning what you, our best fans, want and need from us.

At the start of every season it is easy to think about how quickly time flies. It wasn’t

so long ago that introduced Lansing to pain Big Lug andunique the Lugnuts and first opened We have heard yourwe stories and, we too, feel your in these times. We are also looking for ways to keep our family entertained and feeling upbeat. the gates for baseball. But it isn’t enough to be nostalgic. There must also be change, bringing that same excitement and even energy that we’vetimes. shared last two decadesAs Midwesterners, we know how to work, in challenging We for alsothe know how to have good, wholesome fun! We aren't fancy, but we are loyal and we love plus. That’s why we renovated Cooley Law School Stadium last year, culminating with our is where the Lugnuts help andwe’re we want to provide a family the families. openingThis of The Outfield. And can that’s why adding to that feeling of freshness and friendly port in this "Michigan Storm." Look at what we've got for you: renewal this year with several major changes.

• Value Priced Tickets – as low as $8 for 3 hours of fun. • Exchangeable Tickets - Any ticket from season ticket packages is For the first time since 2004, the Lugnuts will wear brand new caps and uniforms: three exchangeable, so that you never waste the value of these tickets. signature, eye-catching baseball that are drawing raves around • Free Kids Activities - Everycaps Sunday is Kids Day with free kids’ crafts, the country, paired balloon animals, and animals from the Potter Park Zoo! with all new home, road and batting-practice jerseys and pants that give us one of the • New Food Service Vision - We overhauled the food operation, hired best looksaninaward-winning all of Minorchef, League Baseball. Jackson Field entirely new: replaced improved our menu quality and is arealso keeping and re-sodded during the offseason with a new warning track, improved irrigation and prices almost flat. • Free Food -drainage, Now on Sundays, kidshead 12 and under eat free! Zach Severns at the helm. re-grading, added and new groundskeeper • Cheap Eats - Tuesdays are Dollar Dog Tuesdays! • Value Beverages - Every Thursday we offer $2 beverages in celebration of Labatt Light Thirsty Thursday featuring draftinbeer The Lugnuts haveBlue a new flagship radio station this$2year Theand Game 730 AM, the top fountain sodas. sports radio station in Mid Michigan, bringing you the sounds of Midwest League • Food Coupons - We also provide food coupons for you to sample our baseball all summer Anddepending since lastonyear’s Crosstown Showdown presented by menus, worth long. $10 - $25, your ticket package.

Auto-Insurance was such a hit with the beautiful autumn weather and pregame Home

But if that isn’t enough, we want you to be our guest to our premiere special Run Derby, we’re keeping it in September again thisInsurance. season. event – the Crosstown Showdown presented by Auto-Owners

Free Ticket – Crosstown Lugnuts vs. Michigan Amidst•all of the changes, our Showdown, commitment to you remainsState, the same: to provide on Thursday, April 16th at 7:05pm. affordable, innovative entertainment and positively outrageous service, throughout this Share theand newsmany that the Lugnuts indeed family, fun. Thank you for season seasons toare come. Gear up affordable and Go Nuts! allowing us to earn your business.

Tom Dickson Tom Dickson Lugnuts Owner

Lugnuts Owner

LANSING LUGNUTS

Sherrie Myers SherrieOwner Myers Lugnuts

Lugnuts Owner

“Chef” Brett Telder Memorial

It is with great sadness that I write this. Brett Telder passed away unexpectedly on March 19th at the young age of 46 after suffering a brain aneurysm. Brett, or “Chef” as we all knew him, had been the Director of Food Service for the Lugnuts since 2008. Brett is survived by his mother, Bonnie V’soske and step father, John V’soske; his four children, Jason, Kayla, Zach and Madison and his fiancé, Karla Clark. For those of us who knew Brett well, he was larger than life. From the Lugnuts and PSC tattoos he proudly wore, to his Harley-riding swagger and infectious personality, Brett was a friend to all who knew him. To meet Brett was to like Brett. I am lucky to have known Brett well. I fondly remember the day I interviewed him to come and work for the Lugnuts in the summer of 2008. He was so excited and anxious for the job, that he kept his suit jacket on throughout the interview, despite the 95 degree day, because he had completely soaked his shirt with perspiration. I also smile when I think about every trip I took to Lansing to see a game. Brett would have my favorite drink sitting in the owner’s suite, on a little table, all ready to go. He never forgot. Beyond the little things that Brett did, he was a true professional. He ran a fabulous operation and always delivered the bottom line that he promised. But more importantly, Brett always treated our fans and our employees like part of the family, and made everyone feel welcome around him. As many of you who knew Brett will remember, Brett would often say how “honored” he was to work for the Lugnuts and PSC. I can say that we are the ones who have been honored to know Brett. He will be terribly missed, and his memory will live with us forever. In his honor, the kitchen at Cooley Law School Stadium has been dedicated in his name: the Brett Telder Memorial Kitchen. - Tom Dickson

Letter from MiLB

Dear Fans: On behalf of Minor Leagu e Baseball and the Lansi ng Lugnuts, I want to we School Stadium. Minor lcome you to Cooley La League Baseball’s arriva w l every spring and summe an old friend and it is gre r is like being reunited wi at to see you at the ballpa th rk! The 2017 season will see the launch of several new team names, logos and ma realignment in our Single scots, as well as -A classification. What rem ains the same is the quali entertainment in a clean ty, affordable family and safe environment tha t is a staple of Minor Le country. ague Baseball across the With 20 leagues and mo re than 250 clubs, Minor League Baseball is where of baseball’s brightest sta you will find the next wa rs on their way to the big ve leagues. The next Kris Br Kershaw just might be pla yant, Mike Trout or Clayto ying in the game you are n watching now! Minor League Baseball also remains an integral part of the sports landsc represents. Last season, ape, and of the communit Minor League Baseball’s ies it philanthropic endeavors approximately $39 millio included donating n in cash and value in kin d contributions to local and proud to support our Na tional Charity Partners: national charities. We are The ALS Association, the Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Cancer Society, The BairFind Foundation and Ed Randall’s Fans for worthy initiatives and cau the Cure, as well as other ses. In 2016, a remarkable 41 .3 MILLION fans attend ed Minor League Baseb with your continued sup all games and I am certai port, Minor League Baseb n that all will continue to prospe come. As stewards and r for many years to fans of the game, it is ou r responsibility to build, game for the future genera nurture and protect this tions of fans. great Thank you again for your passionate support of Mi nor League Baseball, and Lansing Lugnuts. I wish most importantly the you a healthy and enjoyab le season of baseball. Le t's play ball!! Sincerely,

Pat O'Conner President & CEO Minor League Baseball

Letter from the MWL President

Celebrating 70 years of Midwest League baseball PRIMARY LEAGUE LOGO

PRIMARY LEAGUE LOGO ON DARK BACKGROUNDS

The trademark notices (“TM” or “® notice for each product upon submis

LANSING LUGNUTS

Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame

Ty Cobb & 1959 Hamtramck Little League Celebrating Michigan’s baseball history... Michigan has a rich tradition of baseball excellence, one that reaches back over a century while still thrilling and inspiring us today. Founded January 28, 2015, the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame is dedicated to those players, coaches, teams and contributors representing the foremost in achievement and lasting impact, from Little League to the Major Leagues. We celebrate their legacies while looking forward to future baseball leaders taking the field and making their own mark. The mission of the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame is to honor the state’s baseball heroes of yesterday, celebrate the national pastime today, and inspire the baseball fans and ballplayers of tomorrow Detroit Tigers legend Ty Cobb and the 1959 Hamtramck Little League World Series Champions comprise the 2017 class of the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 15th, prior to the Lansing Lugnuts/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers game at Cooley Law School Stadium. The inductees were determined by a vote of a special Hall of Fame committee: Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster and Michigan State University alum Joe Block, longtime Western Michigan University baseball coach Fred Decker, longtime umpire Mark Ditsworth, WLNS TV 6’s Fred Heumann, Detroit Tigers broadcaster Mario Impemba, former University of Michigan head baseball coach Rich Maloney, WILX TV 10’s Tim Staudt, the MHSAA’s Mark Uyl and Detroit Tigers scout Clyde Weir.

by Jesse Goldberg-Strassler

LANSING LUGNUTS

Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame

TY COBB “The Georgia Peach” was arguably not just the Detroit Tigers’ greatest player – he was one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball’s history. Born December 18, 1886, in The Narrows, Georgia, Ty Cobb first distinguished himself for Augusta in the South Atlantic League in 1905, drawing attention with his play in two exhibition games against the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers purchased the 18-year-old Cobb’s contract for $700, bringing him to the Major Leagues on August 30th. It took him only two years to become the American League’s premier player. In 1907, Cobb led the Majors with a .350 batting average, 212 hits and 119 runs batted in. That began a stretch in which he won the American League batting crown nine consecutive seasons and 12 times in 13 years. By 1909, he had led the league in every category from runs to hits to doubles to triples to home runs to steals to on-base percentage to slugging percentage to total bases, while concurrently driving the Tigers into the World Series each year from 1907 through 1909. Cobb took his performance to a new level in 1911. In 146 games, he batted .420 with a .621 slugging percentage, 248 hits, 147 runs, 47 doubles, 24 triples, 127 RBIs, 83 steals and 367 total bases. Each total

LANSING LUGNUTS

ranked first among all players in the Major Leagues, earning Cobb the Triple Crown and his first and only American League Most Valuable Player award. He followed up this success by batting .409 in 1912, firmly establishing himself as the best hitter in the game – a position that he would not relinquish until the ascendance of Babe Ruth a decade later. The Tigers installed Cobb as their player-manager from 1921 through 1926. In his first season, Detroit finished 71-82, in the sixth place in the eight-team American League. They did not finish below .500 again under Cobb’s direction, rising to third place in 1922 and 1924 and second place in 1923, only to be topped by Ruth and the New York Yankees. Ty Cobb only played two years outside of Detroit, joining the Philadelphia Athletics in 1927 and 1928 before retiring at the age of 41. When he hung up his spikes, he held the Major League record for total bases (5,854), broken by Stan Musial in 1962; games played (3,034), broken by Hank Aaron in 1974; at-bats (11,434), broken by Hank Aaron in 1974; base hits (4,189), broken by Pete Rose in 1985; runs scored (2,244), broken by Rickey Henderson in 2001; and batting average (.366), which remains the MLB record to this day.

Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame

1959 Hamtramck Little League The 1959 Hamtramck Little Leaguers – manager Gene Piontkowski and players Sidney Cline, Art “Pinky” Deras, William Heald, Kenneth Jones, Steven Lepkowski, Michael Milewski, Mark Modich, Joseph Piasecki, Gregory Pniewski, James Polick, Matthew Prybysz, Mark Scott, John Zarembski – remains the only Michigan team to ever win the Little League World Series. In 1953, Hamtramck Little League celebrated its first season. Two years later, a Hamtramck Little League team first qualified for the Little League World Series before being eliminated in the leadup to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The same occurred the next year. In 1959, however, nothing could stop the 14-player steamroller. Hamtramck won 13 consecutive games on its way to the 1959 championship, including a record 11 by shutout. Following the second game of the tournament, the team held its opposition scoreless until the next-to-last game, posting nine consecutive shutouts. The ninth shutout was the opening game in Williamsport, with Pinky Deras throwing a one-hitter in a 5-0 victory over San Juan, Puerto Rico. The shutout streak came to an end in the second game in Williamsport, taking on Oahu, Hawaii, but Deras swatted a grand slam and Hamtramck still won easily, 7-1.

LANSING LUGNUTS

Pinky Deras was back on the mound for the championship game, taking on Auburn, California. This time he threw a three-hitter, and Hamtramck cruised to a convincing 12-0 triumph. In all, Deras finished the season with 75 consecutive scoreless innings, hitting 12 homers in the 13 tournament games. His final numbers for the season: 16 shutouts in 18 starts, 10 no-hitters, 298 strikeouts recorded in 108 innings (compared to only 10 walks), plus a .641 batting average, 33 home runs and 112 runs batted in. A total of about 25,000 combined fans attended the three victories in Pennsylvania, with more than 2,000 welcoming them back to Hamtramck. The team was nationally congratulated: brought to the Lawrence Welk show in Los Angeles, touring Disneyland, and publicly celebrated before a Los Angeles Dodgers game. Reporter John Beauge, who covered every Little League World Series dating back to 1957, ranked Hamtramck as the fourth-greatest LLWS champion in the history of the tournament in a 2014 article.

INSIDE THE MARKET!

WATERFRONT BAR & GRILL With one of the best patio views in Lansing and a wide variety of food and drinks, this is the place. All of this while enjoying a craft beer from the ever changing tap list - serving great beer from around the state and country.

CAPITAL LOOP GIFTS Featuring Lansing and Michigan products made by local artists. A great place to buy a unique gift for a friend, family member, or for yourself. Or a perfect destination for souvenirs! HILLS CHEESE 125 different varieties of cheese from around the world, plus specialty olives, jams, meats and crackers.

Tuesday–Friday: 10am–6pm Saturday: 9am–5pm (individual vendor hours may vary)

Located right across Cedar St. from Cooley Law School Stadium.

LS JEWELRY DESIGNS AND FLORAL Hand crafted designer jewelry for all occasions and fresh flowers for your table at home or for your fun event. Special orders are welcome too! RIVER TOWN ADVENTURES River Town Adventures aims to provide you with a fun and adventurous time experiencing local waterways via canoe, kayak, and more!

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date! For event listings and details: lansingcitymarket.com/events.

/GroesbeckGolf @GroesbeckGolf 1600 Ormond Street Lansing

Play 9 holes with a cart for less than $20!

Coming Summer 2017!

Completed reconstruction of holes 6 and 7 with beautiful new water features!

Meet the Class of 2017 A nine-member Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame Selection Committee determines each year’s class of Michigan Baseball Hall of Famers. These committee members were selected for their expertise spanning the range of the Michigan baseball landscape, representing the different facets, levels and generations of the game. Joe Block is the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates, joining the team this offseason after four years in the Milwaukee Brewers radio play-by-play booth. Hailing from Roseville, Michigan, and a graduate of Michigan State University, Block joined the Brewers in 2012 after working for more than 10 years in TV and radio in the NBA, Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball, which included stops in Los Angeles; New Orleans; Jacksonville, Florida; Great Falls, Montana; Billings, Montana; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Charleston, South Carolina. Block is a devout baseball historian and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Fred Decker served as head coach at Western Michigan University for 29 seasons, retiring in 2004. He finished his career with a record of 791-505-5 and 401-337 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play, setting new MAC records for both career wins and career league wins. A native of Colon, Mich., Decker starred in the outfield for the Broncos and earned 2nd Team All-America and 1st Team All-District honors in 1963 and 1964. After taking over the Broncos’ reins in 1975, Decker led WMU to 18 winning seasons and 12 seasons with 30+ wins. In 1982, the Broncos finished 34-17 overall, took first place in the MAC West and won 20 consecutive games over the course of 10 doubleheaders. He was inducted into the WMU Hall of Fame in 1993. Mark Ditsworth’s distinguished umpiring career stretches back over three decades, ranging through all levels of amateur baseball. He currently serves as NCAA Division 1 Regional Advisor, covering and evaluating Division 1 umpires in the Midwest. Ditsworth has umpired Olympic qualifiers, the Division 1 College World Series, Mid-American Conference Tournaments, Big Ten Conference Tournaments, the MHSAA State Finals, the 2007 World Cup in Taiwan, the 2008 World University Games in the Czech Republic, and the first World Cup of Women’s Baseball in Edmonton. He also serves as a basketball official at the NAIA, junior college, Division II and Division III levels. Ditsworth starred in both baseball and football at Lansing Eastern High School, where he played on two Diamond Classic championship teams, later serving as Lansing Eastern football and baseball coach. Fred Heumann serves as Sports Director at WLNS-TV in Lansing, a position he has held since 2003. A native of Detroit and graduate of Central Michigan University, he served as the scoreboard operator at Tiger Stadium from 1979-1988. Concurrently, his television career began at WJIM-TV in Lansing in 1980, moving shortly to WILX-TV in Jackson, WJRT-TV in Flint, and then 17 years in Detroit reporting and anchoring at three different television stations and six different radio stations. In total, he has over 30 years of experience covering Michigan sports. In 2007, Heumann was married in front of home plate following a Lansing Lugnuts game. Mario Impemba is the Detroit Tigers’ lead TV play-by-play announcer on Fox Sports Detroit, joining the Tigers in 2002.

After graduating from Michigan State University in 1985, Impemba moved up through the Minor League ranks to the Anaheim Angels in 1995. Impemba has been well recognized for his work, receiving the 2006 Emmy Award for sports play-byplay, the 2011 Michigan NSSA Sportscaster of the Year Award, and the 2013 Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association Ty Tyson Award for excellence in sports broadcasting. In the offseason, he delivers the call of the MHSAA football and basketball state championships. Rich Maloney is the current head coach of the Ball State Cardinals, the winningest coach in program history. Maloney was a three-year letter-winner and two-time captain at Western Michigan, where he is a member of the WMU Athletic Hall of Fame. After serving as an assistant coach at Western Michigan from 1992-1995 and head coach at Ball State from 1995-2003, he joined the University of Michigan from 2003-2012. With U of M, Maloney won 341 games, leading the Wolverines to Big Ten Championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and earning Big Ten and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Mideast Region Coach of the Year honors in 2007 and 2008. He currently serves as the fourth Vice President for the ABCA. Tim Staudt is the “Dean of Sports,” broadcasting and reporting on sports in the Mid-Michigan region for 45 years, the longest streak in Michigan on-air broadcasting history, news, sports or weather. A graduate of Michigan State University, Staudt served as Sports Director at WJIM-TV in Lansing from 1970 through 1980, when he assumed his current role as Sports Anchor at WILX-TV. He is also the host of “Staudt on Sports” on The Fan 730 AM, a morning sports talk show dating back to March 1993, and the author of several books, including “Tales of the Magical Spartans: A Collection of Stories from the 1979 Michigan State NCAA Basketball Champions.” Mark Uyl is the Assistant Director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), where he has served since 2004. He has umpired at the NCAA Division I level for the past 17 years, working primarily in the B1G, Conference USA and American Athletic Conference and arbitrating at seven NCAA Regionals, three Super Regionals and the 2014 College World Series. Uyl was the sole American umpire selected to work the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Prior to joining the MHSAA, he was a teacher, coach and athletic director at Caledonia High School and Middleville-Thornapple Kellogg High School. Uyl was a four-year starter and team captain at Calvin College as a first baseman from 1993-1996. Clyde Weir has worked as an amateur scout for the Detroit Tigers for 30 years. His first position in baseball was as an unpaid bird dog for the Cleveland Indians, where he rubbed shoulders with Tigers scouts while watching fellow Mid Michigander John Smoltz at Waverly High School. Those encounters led to a job offer from general manager Bill Lajoie, with Weir joining the Tigers’ organization in February 1985, seven months before Detroit signed Smoltz. Weir’s beat has brought him throughout the Great Lakes State, watching and evaluating high schoolers and collegiate ballplayers both in league play and in summer baseball tournaments. Weir entered scouting after a long career in amateur baseball and softball, with a first-ballot election to the Michigan Amateur Softball Hall of Fame.

RETOOLED

The Lugnuts Experience is Award-

by Bill

he final stages of downtown Lansing’s crown jewel have officially been completed, putting an emphatic full stop to the massive overhaul to Cooley Law School Stadium. After hundreds of workers, thousands of hours and millions of dollars, Lansing is left with one beautiful minor league park.

LANSING LUGNUTS

Any Lugnuts fan who made it to a game (or even drove past) in the last two seasons will be quick to tell their fellow baseball fans about the new look to the outfield. What was once an open-ended centerfield with a simple batter’s eye surrounded by a playground and a picnic venue is now a 360-degree walkable concourse with more than 80 apartment units of all shapes, sizes, and colors,

creating an urban feel. Underneath the apartments are fully functional and thriving venues for groups of any size, enhancing the way people watch the game and improving their overall experience. There’s the rebranded and re-designed Chevrolet Terrace that can fit almost a thousand guests, Good Hops Craft Beer Bistro, where fans can sip their

FOR 2017 Winning and Still Improving Getschman

favorite IPA while enjoying the game from a covered patio, and there’s The VIEW, an immaculately decorated and well-kept multi-purpose event space that can hold as many as 150 of your most important guests. Situated between the three venues is the newly founded Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame, featuring local legends such as Pat O’Keefe (Grand Ledge High School), John Smoltz (Waverly High

School), and Jim Abbott (University of Michigan). It’s hard to miss these beautiful renovations that have thrust Cooley Law School Stadium into the conversation for prettiest ballpark in the Midwest. Fresh paint all across the color wheel as far as the eye can see. A new high-definition scoreboard and sound system. Spectacular LAFCU

Fireworks shows most Friday and Saturday nights. But the final piece of the puzzle is subtler, one that arguably took more physical labor than any other aspect of the renovation, one that every fan sees whether they sit down for nine innings or casually stroll down Cedar Street – and one that needed to happen in order to have baseball in Lansing at all: a brand new Jackson Field.

Please Enjoy Leinie’s Responsibly

Award-Winning & Still Improving

Crews resodding Jackson Field

The Game Before the Games When you think about it, the field is the crux of the renovation. Without a good field, this business and venue would change drastically. All across the nation and world, regardless of the number of seats that surround home plate, it has to be 90 feet to first and 60 feet 6 inches to the pitching rubber. Whether you are at Wrigley Field or the backyard clearing used in “The Sandlot,” if the surface isn’t flat, the grass isn’t mowed, and the lines aren’t straight, there cannot be baseball. In late 2016, the entire field was torn up to make way for a brand new one; new sod, fresh drainage and irrigation, a new grading system, the works. It was completed just before Thanksgiving. “New is nice,” said Lugnuts head groundskeeper Zach Severns. “There are going to be lots of eyes on it. If it doesn’t look good, the investment was futile.” Severns’s first day on the job was the day after the Super Bowl. He walked into a unique position in Minor League Baseball: not only a ballpark with apartments above his office, but a brand new field and groundskeeping area behind the left field fence. Zach and his assistant, Harley, a border collie, put in overtime from Day 1 in order to bring the Lugnuts the finest field seen in Mid Michigan in years. If well maintained, athletic venues usually overhaul their playing surfaces every five to seven years; it was 11 years since the last field renovation here. Also new to Jackson Field in 2017 are

25 added drains spaced roughly 20 feet apart on the warning track, a new warning track dirt mix, and re-grading of the field to assist in proper flow of irrigation and to prevent build-up of dirt or particles that could be harmful to the sod. Despite the frigid winter and waiting for the sod to take, building the pitching mounds was Severns’s biggest hurdle. There were seven total mounds that needed to be built; two in the batting cage, two in both bullpens down the foul lines, and the primary one, located at center stage. “We were in a time crunch down the stretch,” Severns said, “but we cowboyed up and worked through it.”

The field was also built for longevity. With a strong layer of fertilizer ready to go, Severns is prepared to maintain the field’s quality. “I approach this with a five-year plan,” he said. “We can’t only think about this season.” From aerating the field to different mowing patterns, there are many tips and tricks of the trade that Zach Severns has picked up over his years in the industry, from his time at Washington State University to his most recent post with the Augusta GreenJackets. All eyes are on his work come first pitch, day after day, all summer long.

Retooled For 2017

Former Lugnut and current Detroit Tigers starter Daniel Norris proudly dons the new road cap.

Luggie, the beloved face of the team. The road uniforms introduce a sight never used on jerseys before, a gray “Lugnuts” with silver trim on a black jersey with gray pants – no red to be seen. “I see it as a refresher of the logos,” says Matt Hicks, director of retail operations for the club. “It isn’t a complete overhaul but it isn’t reverting to the past either. We’re simply adding to one of the most successful brands in Minor League Baseball.” New to the team as well are a lineup of hats for a variety of uses: a new alternate hat with a script double L, stylized after the Frisco RoughRiders’ doubled R look; a new batting practice hat that boasts a robust red crown, completed with a zoomed-in Luggie’s face on a black bill; and a sleek gray road cap with Luggie’s face sitting above a black brim. The Lugnuts now have five official hats, two fewer than the maximum allotment for MiLB clubs.

MAKING OVER THE LUGNUTS Fans attending their first Lansing Lugnuts game of the year might not recognize the product on the field immediately. For the first time in 12 years, the Nuts are donning new uniforms, a fresh blend of past and present, designed to the precise wishes

LANSING LUGNUTS

of minor league ballplayers. Doing away with the polyester vest look, the new home jerseys are lightweight and slick all-white with simple black piping around the neck and down the legs. The “Lugnuts” across the front remains a traditional tackle-twill sewn on patch, but on the sleeves this year are three more patches, a tribute to former league president George Spelius, the Toronto Blue Jays’ affiliate logo, and

“It’s an exciting time for retail. The Minor Leagues are all about fun, and I think what we did with our new apparel really promotes that goal,” said Hicks. “We’ve had our cap appear on ESPN’s Mike & Mike, and be modeled by former Lugnuts like Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd with the Detroit Tigers, and Aaron Sanchez, Casey Lawrence, Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins with the Blue Jays. “With what we’ve done with the stadium, the new field, the renovation,” added Hicks, “I didn’t want the uniforms to be the only thing left without a makeover. Now I’ve crossed that off my work bucket list.”

ALTERNATE ROAD

Retooled For 2017

Miniature golf at Cooley Law School Stadium

Lansing Lugnuts events and meetings manager Malinda Barr, that was only the beginning. “My goal for 2017 is 188 events, not including baseball games, and 450 events in a few years,” Barr said. “That would put the Lugnuts at the top of the special events industry within Minor League Baseball.” Moving a special event to a unique facility such as Cooley Law School Stadium is a massive undertaking, but that isn’t the most challenging facet of Barr’s job. Her biggest obstacle is educating clients, guests, and even residents of Lansing that the park is open to bookings when the team is out of town or out of season. “What makes me good at my job is thinking outside the box and educating clients to use us for traditional purposes in a non-traditional venue,” said Barr, who was named the National Certified Tourism Ambassador of the Year in 2016, the most prestigious accomplishment in her field. “We’re not recreating the wheel, but rather just customizing it to the car we are driving.”

Thinking beyond the bases Despite the name, Cooley Law School Stadium is much more than just a stadium. Last year’s Miniature Golf at the Ballpark in September was a perfect representation of that, turning the field into an 18-hole mini-golf course that proved ideal

LANSING LUGNUTS

for a family excursion or for a date night. With The VIEW, a capacity of 11,000, and a 360-degree concourse, it makes perfect sense to expand the stadium’s functionality and break into other sectors of business. In the last calendar year, Cooley Law School Stadium hosted over 140 events, not including Lugnuts baseball games. According to

This past February, Cooley Law School Stadium hosted the Polar Plunge, an annual fundraiser for the Special Olympics in which participants raise money in teams and jump into a freezing cold pool on a cold day. The event was wildly successful, both in terms of fundraising and in terms of execution, but the planning of the event took more than a year. “Literally every element was different [from their previous location],” Barr said, “and that’s typical of major events at a unique venue, but the more we execute major events like this, especially in the

Award-Winning & Still Improving

Beerfest at the Ballpark

winter months, the more the public knows about us.” Next year’s event is going to be a threeday weekend winter extravaganza called “The Capital Ice Games,” culminating with the Polar Plunge on a Sunday. The stadium has traditionally never held outdoor winter events, but now is not the time to be traditional. In 2017, the stadium will host four fundraising walks or runs in addition to the Polar Plunge, at least two concerts, a Beerfest at the Ballpark, spirit tastings, and countless other more traditional business meetings, receptions and luncheons. The next time you drive past Cooley Law School Stadium in the dead of winter or when

the Lugnuts are out of town, you can bet that the stadium is in use in some fashion.

award-winning and still improving What we have downtown on Michigan Avenue in the shadow of the Capitol Building is one of the prettiest settings and most unique backdrops that the Minor Leagues have to offer, but hosting 70 baseball games isn’t enough anymore. When so many people worked so hard to make Cooley Law School Stadium such a polished gem, it’s only right that we work as hard as

we possibly can to give back to the city in whatever means possible. That work has paid off. In addition to Barr’s CTA honor, Lugnuts general manager Nick Grueser was named the 2016 Midwest League Executive of the Year, and the stadium was awarded the 2016 Best Ballpark Renovation over $10 Million by Ballpark Digest. Installing a new field was a massive undertaking, a project that spanned more than just a few months. Now Cooley Law School Stadium’s facelift is finally complete. For Zach Severns, Matt Hicks, Malinda Barr and the other 22 members of the full-time staff, this is when the real work begins.

Season Review

2016 Scorecard 2016 was nothing if not eventful for the 21st edition of the Lansing Lugnuts. The Nuts included three different firstround picks (2014’s Max Pentecost, 2015’s Jon Harris, and 2016’s T.J. Zeuch), experienced a skunk delay (lasting seven minutes in Dayton on August 22nd), and threw the second no-hitter in franchise history – in a loss (at Peoria on July 14th). Steered by first-year manager John Schneider, the Lugnuts boasted a talented starting rotation filled out with dominating performances. After allowing three runs on Opening Day, the aforementioned Harris gave up only one unearned run in his next 32 innings, including five straight scoreless starts. He was supplemented by a rotation featuring ace turns

from Sean Reid-Foley, Francisco Rios, Ryan Borucki, Jordan Romano, Justin Maese, and Midwest League Mid Season and Post Season All-Star Angel Perdomo, who led the league with 156 strikeouts in just 127 innings. Both Perdomo and Rios received their just due in mid July, representing the Blue Jays as members of the World roster in the All-Star Futures Game. The bullpen was similarly strong, led by Colton Turner, who notched nine scoreless appearances leading to first a promotion and then a trade to the Chicago White Sox, and Dusty Isaacs, who gave up only three earned runs in the first two months of the year. The starting lineup was led by AllStar leadoff hitter Andrew Guillotte, who played second base and all three

outfield positions and batted .360 in the first inning, and All-Star first baseman/ third baseman Juan Kelly, who put together a league-best 34-game onbase streak and took part in the Home Run Derby. At the end of the year, the lineup was further bolstered by the addition of 2016 draftees J.B. Woodman (2nd round), Joshua Palacios (4th round), and Cavan Biggio (5th round). Woodman, in particular, batted .441 in nine games, while Palacios notched a 19-game hitting streak between Vancouver and Lansing. At the big-league level, six former Lugnuts made their MLB debuts: pitchers Chad Girodo, Dustin Antolin, Danny Barnes, and Matt Dermody in the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen, Andy Burns in the Blue Jays’ lineup, and Ryan

F INAL BAT TING STATS Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E J.B. Woodman CF 9 34 5 15 2 0 1 5 20 4 13 0 1 .487 .588 .441 1.075 1 Joshua Palacios CF 9 38 2 13 3 0 0 1 16 1 3 0 2 .375 .421 .342 .796 0 Max Pentecost C 62 239 36 75 15 3 7 34 117 21 51 4 2 .375 .490 .314 .864 Juan Kelly 1B 131 475 60 130 35 6 12 67 213 57 113 11 0 .356 .448 .274 .804 10 Gunnar Heidt SS 57 211 29 57 15 3 4 21 90 22 56 13 8 .351 .427 .270 .778 8 John La Prise 2B 64 239 42 61 12 1 0 20 75 25 76 4 3 .332 .314 .255 .646 8 Andrew Guillotte CF 115 455 65 115 27 3 4 44 160 39 77 20 10 .322 .352 .253 .674 3 Ryan Hissey C 111 410 43 101 19 3 4 36 138 36 97 5 1 .310 .337 .246 .647 7 Jake Thomas LF 57 213 24 52 7 4 0 17 67 24 49 4 3 .325 .315 .244 .640 3 Carl Wise 3B 84 304 36 73 15 0 4 27 100 21 72 1 3 .291 .329 .240 .620 20 Connor Panas LF 98 321 46 74 10 3 16 50 138 45 97 3 4 .343 .430 .231 .773 1 Cavan Biggio 2B 9 36 3 8 1 0 0 5 9 4 7 2 0 .310 .250 .222 .560 3 Josh Almonte CF 56 195 23 43 7 2 2 19 60 9 53 9 4 .266 .308 .221 .573 4 Lane Thomas CF 81 282 50 61 14 1 7 27 98 45 107 17 5 .330 .348 .216 .678 5 JC Cardenas SS 78 262 28 54 14 0 3 25 77 27 71 2 1 .279 .294 .206 .573 24 Aaron Attaway 3B 25 77 12 15 4 1 1 4 24 9 20 1 0 .287 .312 .195 .599 6 Justin Atkinson 1B 109 384 33 73 19 1 5 47 109 30 95 0 0 .248 .284 .190 .532 9 Austin Davis LF 33 102 5 18 1 0 0 4 19 10 30 0 1 .250 .186 .176 .436 0 Ryan Metzler SS 58 184 17 30 7 3 1 16 46 20 78 10 2 .257 .250 .163 .507 10 Juan Tejada OF 25 78 9 12 1 1 1 6 18 4 23 2 0 .202 .231 .154 .433 2 Jacob Anderson RF 27 96 4 14 4 1 1 10 23 6 34 0 0 .196 .240 .146 .436 0 Alex Maldonado 3B 3 8 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 2 1 0 0 .300 .250 .125 .550 0

LANSING LUGNUTS

Schimpf with the San Diego Padres. The 2016 season concluded with the first autumn edition of the Crosstown Showdown presented by Auto-Owners Insurance, having been postponed from April. A crowd of 8,432 on September 6th roared for an electric pregame Home Run Derby won by Lugnuts slugger Connor Panas, overpowering debuting teenage prospects Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., and Bo Bichette in the first round, and outhomering MSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dan Durkin 14-10 in the final. In the game itself, Christian Williams swatted a tworun homer, Bichette lined an RBI triple, and Woodman supplied an RBI single, leading to a 4-1 Lugnuts win.

LEADERS

Batting Average

Hits

Luis Arraez, CR........................ .347 Will Maddox, WM................... .339 Eloy Jimenez, SB.................... .329

Will Maddox, WM.................... 173 Luis Arraez, CR......................... 165 Magneuris Sierra, PEO............ 161

Home Runs

Runs Batted In

Isan Diaz, WIS............................ 20 Casey Gillaspie, BG................... 19 3 Tied.......................................... 16

Zander Wiel, CR......................... 86 Eloy Jimenez, SB....................... 81 Brett Sullivan, BG...................... 81

Stolen Bases

Runs

Eliezer Alvarez, PEO................... 36 Derek Hill, WM........................... 35 2 Tied.......................................... 31

Magneuris Sierra, PEO.............. 78 Michael Russell, BG................... 76 2 Tied.......................................... 75

Wins

ERA

Genesis Cabrera, BG................. 11 3 Tied.......................................... 10

Evan Manarino, BEL............... 2.15 Ryan Borucki, LAN.................. 2.41 Carlos Hernandez, KC............. 2.55

Games

Innings Pitched

Steven De La Cruz, PEO............ 49 Nate Griep, WIS......................... 49 Matt Walker, CLI......................... 48

Boomer Biegalski, BEL......... 153.1 Shao-Ching Chiang, LC........ 152.1 Jordan Yamamoto, WIS....... 134.1

Saves

Strikeouts

Nate Griep, WIS......................... 23 Sarkis Ohanian, DAY................. 13 Matt Walker, CLI......................... 13

Angel Perdomo, LAN............... 156 Jordan Yamamoto, WIS.......... 152 Dennis Santana, GL................. 124

2016 SEASON REVIEW

MIDWEST LEAGUE

FINAL PITCHING STATS Player Angel Perdomo Tayler Saucedo Ryan Borucki Josh DeGraaf Jon Harris Jordan Romano Ryan Cook Dan Lietz Starlyn Suriel Sean Reid-Foley Justin Maese Tom Robson Dusty Isaacs Francisco Rios Kirby Snead Andrew Case Daniel Young Jackson Lowery Conor Fisk Patrick Murphy Nate Abel Colton Turner Gustavo Pierre T.J. Zeuch Evan Smith Geno Encina Griffin Glaude Aaron Attaway Austin Davis

W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB SO WHIP HLD GF 5 7 3.19 27 25 0 0 1 127.0 101 57 45 4 8 54 156 1.22 0 1 8 11 5.91 28 16 1 1 0 120.1 151 89 79 14 14 41 71 1.60 1 1 10 4 2.41 20 20 1 0 0 115.2 105 36 31 1 5 26 107 1.13 0 0 5 7 3.43 35 7 0 0 3 94.1 91 44 36 6 0 25 79 1.23 2 12 8 2 2.23 16 16 0 0 0 84.2 74 28 21 1 5 24 73 1.16 0 0 3 2 2.11 15 14 1 0 0 72.2 49 24 17 3 5 27 72 1.05 0 0 1 6 5.30 26 7 0 0 0 69.2 75 44 41 2 1 34 66 1.56 2 8 6 3 4.20 35 0 0 0 0 64.1 59 34 30 4 4 28 50 1.35 3 13 5 3 3.21 32 0 0 0 2 61.2 51 28 22 5 0 23 60 1.20 6 11 4 3 2.95 11 11 0 0 0 58.0 43 22 19 2 1 22 59 1.12 0 0 2 4 3.36 10 10 0 0 0 56.1 59 22 21 2 4 14 44 1.30 0 0 0 4 7.50 21 3 0 0 1 54.0 78 47 45 6 3 29 40 1.98 7 5 1 4 2.87 27 0 0 0 12 31.1 32 17 10 2 1 6 37 1.21 1 24 2 0 1.20 6 6 0 0 0 30.0 21 7 4 0 2 8 43 0.97 0 0 0 1 3.91 13 0 0 0 1 25.1 31 12 11 0 3 3 17 1.34 3 3 0 2 2.28 22 0 0 0 10 23.2 20 9 6 0 0 6 19 1.10 0 19 2 1 2.70 21 0 0 0 0 23.1 25 11 7 2 2 10 18 1.50 2 9 1 2 4.03 17 0 0 0 4 22.1 23 10 10 0 1 7 21 1.34 2 8 2 2 4.91 7 1 0 0 0 22.0 21 13 12 3 0 8 26 1.32 0 0 0 1 4.29 8 2 0 0 2 21.0 24 12 10 3 1 14 20 1.81 1 3 3 0 3.31 10 0 0 0 0 16.1 18 7 6 1 0 8 12 1.59 1 3 0 0 0.00 9 0 0 0 5 12.0 8 0 0 0 0 3 13 0.92 0 9 1 1 10.97 8 0 0 0 0 10.2 13 13 13 0 2 11 3 2.25 0 1 0 1 9.00 2 2 0 0 0 8.0 10 8 8 1 3 2 14 1.50 0 0 0 0 13.50 4 0 0 0 0 5.1 12 8 8 0 0 2 6 2.63 0 3 0 0 0.00 2 0 0 0 0 3.1 2 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.90 1 1 0 0 22.50 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 7 5 5 0 0 0 1 3.50 0 1 0 0 18.00 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 2 2 0 0 2 0 4.00 0 1 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 2.00 0 1

The Lansing Lugnuts are a part of the Toronto Blue Jays organization. The Lugnuts are the Low A affiliate of the Blue Jays. That means they are near the bottom of the Toronto farm system, slightly higher than the Bluefield Blue Jays (another A affiliate) and the Gulf Coast Blue Jays (Rookie). Baseball players work their way up through the organization in hopes of getting to the big leagues. Toronto is in the American League and pulls its talent from these teams.

Toronto Blue Jays MLB - American League Toronto, Ontario (416) 341-1000 Buffalo Bisons International League (AAA) Buffalo, NY (716) 846-2000 New Hampshire Fisher Cats Eastern League (Class AA) Manchester, NH (603) 641-2005 Dunedin Blue Jays Florida State League (Class A) Dunedin, FL (727) 733-9302 Lansing Lugnuts Midwest League (Class A) Lansing, MI (517) 485-4500 Vancouver Canadians Northwest League (Class A) Vancouver, BC +1 (604) 872-5232 Bluefield Blue Jays Appalachian League (R) Bluefield, WV (276) 326-1326 Gulf Coast Blue Jays Gulf Coast League (R) Dunedin, FL (727) 734-8007

LANSING LUGNUTS

presented by

june 19-20, 2017 AT DOW DIAMOND The brightest stars of the Midwest League will descend upon Dow Diamond for festivities surrounding the 2017 Midwest League All-Star Game presented by Go Great Lakes Bay. The excitement begins with the MWL Home Run Derby on Monday, June 19th and culminates with the MWL All-Star Game on Tuesday, June 20th. Tickets available at LOONS.COM or by calling 989.837.BALL

Player Profiles

Meet Your 2017 Lugnuts! Jared Carkuff Bats/Throws: R/R Born: August 25, 1993 School: Austin Peay

RHP Height/Weight: 6-3/180 Resides: Bell Buckle, TN Acquired: 35th round, 20 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’16

CLUB GCL Blue Jays Vancouver TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 4-0 1.42 17 0 0 7 25.1 20 5 4 0 2 3 35 4 0 .217 0-0 6.75 1 0 0 0 1.1 3 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 .375 4-0 1.69 18 0 0 7 26.2 23 6 5 0 2 4 37 4 0 .230

Andrew Deramo Bats/Throws: R/R Born: May 26, 1995 School: Central Florida

RHP Height/Weight: 6-6/210 Resides: Panama City, FL Acquired: 29th round, 2016 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’16

CLUB Bluefield TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 0-3 7.71 14 1 0 0 23.1 42 22 20 5 2 8 18 9 0 .408 0-3 7.71 14 1 0 0 23.1 42 22 20 5 2 8 18 9 0 .408

Denis Diaz

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight: 6-3/210 Born: November 11, 1994 Resides: Tegucigalpa, Honduras School: - Acquired: International free agent, 2013 Minor League Playing Record YR ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

LANSING LUGNUTS

CLUB DSL Blue Jays DSL Blue Jays GCL Blue Jays Dunedin Bluefield Vancouver TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 1-0 9.00 12 0 0 0 15.0 24 17 15 0 2 15 12 2 0 .393 4-4 3.91 14 9 0 0 53.0 45 28 23 4 4 16 49 8 0 .231 4-1 3.58 10 7 0 0 37.2 32 18 15 3 3 22 31 5 0 .232 0-1 12.00 1 1 0 0 3.0 7 4 4 0 0 2 3 2 0 .438 2-1 2.91 5 3 0 0 21.2 17 9 7 0 2 6 12 2 0 .215 1-5 7.71 7 7 0 0 28.0 30 25 24 2 2 28 14 7 0 .280 12-12 5.00 49 27 0 0 158.1 155 101 88 9 13 89 121 26 0 .260

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: November 15, 1996 School: -

Height/Weight: 6-1/193 Resides: Azua, DR Acquired: International free agent, 2014 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’15 ’16

CLUB DSL Blue Jays GCL Blue Jays Bluefield TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 3-3 1.93 10 6 0 0 37.1 30 14 8 0 1 16 39 4 0 .217 1-1 4.74 5 3 0 1 19.0 24 11 10 0 0 7 19 3 0 .316 4-6 5.79 12 10 0 0 56.0 59 39 36 9 2 27 48 5 1 .267 8-10 4.33 27 19 0 1 112.1 113 64 54 9 3 50 106 12 1 .260

Mike Ellenbest

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: August 20, 1994 School: Saginaw Valley St.

Height/Weight: 6-4/205 Resides: Medina, OH Drafted: 24th round, 2016

2017 PLAYER PROFILES

Yennsy Diaz

Minor League Playing Record YR ’16

CLUB Vancouver TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 1-3 4.45 11 5 0 1 30.1 40 17 15 1 3 9 21 1 1 .323 1-3 4.45 11 5 0 1 30.1 40 17 15 1 3 9 21 1 1 .323

Connor ElleR

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: January 23, 1994 School: Ouachita Baptist University

Height/Weight: 6-2/195 Resides: North Little Rock, AR Acquired: 22nd round, 2016

Minor League Playing Record YR ’16

CLUB Bluefield TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 4-2 2.60 17 2 0 7 34.2 23 13 10 3 1 9 33 1 0 .189 4-2 2.60 17 2 0 7 34.2 23 13 10 3 1 9 33 1 0 .189

Player Profiles

Geno Encina

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight: 6-4/220 Born: July 7, 1994 Resides: San Antonio, TX School: University of the Incarnate Word Drafted: 18th round, 2015 Minor League Playing Record YR ’15 ’16

CLUB Bluefield Dunedin Vancouver Lansing TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 1-3 3.86 12 5 0 1 44.1 45 22 19 4 0 10 45 3 0 .259 0-0 3.00 1 0 0 0 3.0 3 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 .231 0-0 2.03 10 0 0 0 26.2 23 6 6 1 0 4 28 1 0 .223 0-0 0.00 2 0 0 0 3.1 2 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 .167 1-3 3.0 25 5 0 1 77.1 73 30 26 6 0 16 78 5 0 .242

Griffin Glaude Bats/Throws: R/R Born: April 6, 1992 School: Lyon College

RHP Height/Weight: 5-9/175 Resides: Beebe, AR Signed: nondrafted free agent, 2015 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’15 ’16

CLUB GCL Blue Jays Dunedin Lansing Vancouver TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 3-1 2.20 16 0 0 5 28.2 14 10 7 1 1 7 37 3 0 .140 0-0 9.00 1 0 0 0 2.0 2 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 .250 0-0 22.50 2 0 0 0 2.0 7 5 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 .583 2-1 2.36 21 0 0 5 34.1 24 12 9 1 0 17 40 2 0 .194 5-2 3.09 40 0 0 10 67.0 47 29 23 2 1 25 81 5 0 .193

Yeltsin GudiNo Bats/Throws: R/R Born: January 17, 1997 School: n/a

SS Height/Weight: 6-0/150 Resides: Maracay, VZ Signed: nondrafted free agent, 2013 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’14 ’15 ’16

LANSING LUGNUTS

CLUB GCL Blue Jays Bluefield Vancouver TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .145 40 138 17 20 3 0 0 12 0-3 1 13 28 0 1 .167 .219 .185 56 211 21 39 12 1 1 13 2-1 2 17 36 2 2 .265 .251 .226 54 186 18 42 4 1 0 15 3-2 4 29 43 0 1 .258 .338 .189 150 535 56 101 19 2 1 40 4-7 7 59 107 2 4 .237 .275

treat yourself...

Enjoy a game in our luxurious suite-level club or reserve The Clubhouse for your next event.

Tickets are only $25 in advance, $26 day of game. For more details or to order online, go to lansinglugnuts.com.

Player Profiles

Osman Gutierrez

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: December 15, 1994 School: -

Height/Weight: 6-4/185 Resides: Leon, Nicaragua Signed: international free agent, 2011 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

CLUB DSL Blue Jays DSL Blue Jays DSL Blue Jays GCL Blue Jays Bluefield TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 1-0 4.50 7 2 0 0 14.0 17 9 7 0 2 9 10 2 0 .309 0-1 3.86 8 2 0 0 11.2 17 7 5 0 0 6 7 3 0 .340 0-1 1.91 12 10 0 0 47.0 44 26 10 0 9 25 42 5 0 .256 4-3 4.66 11 9 0 0 46.1 50 29 24 3 3 15 41 7 0 .273 4-3 3.88 12 11 1 0 65.0 69 36 28 5 3 21 66 8 0 .264 9-8 3.62 50 34 1 0 184.0 197 107 74 8 17 76 166 25 0 .273

Nick Hartman

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: October 24, 1994 School: Old Dominion University

Height/Weight: 6-2/180 Resides: Katy, TX Drafted: 9th round, 2016

Minor League Playing Record YR ’16

CLUB Vancouver TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 2-2 3.00 19 0 0 4 24.0 29 10 8 0 2 7 17 2 0 .299 2-2 3.00 19 0 0 4 24.0 29 10 8 0 2 7 17 2 0 .299

Javier Hernandez Bats/Throws: R/R Born: July 21, 1996 School: -

C Height/Weight: 6-1/180 Resides: Maracay, VZ Acquired: International Free Agent, 2012

Minor League Playing Record YR ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

LANSING LUGNUTS

CLUB DSL Blue Jays DSL Blue Jays GCL Blue Jays GCL Blue Jays Vancouver TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .223 48 157 20 35 5 0 0 6 1-2 8 9 28 4 2 .255 .295 .241 51 195 34 47 18 2 0 21 2-4 2 13 29 2 5 .354 .290 .385 6 13 2 5 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 1 4 0 0 .385 .429 .200 39 85 10 17 2 0 2 14 2-2 4 4 29 0 0 .294 .263 .215 46 163 19 35 10 0 2 15 0-1 3 15 52 0 1 .313 .291 .227 190 613 85 139 35 2 4 56 5-9 17 42 142 6 8 .310 .291

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: November 15, 1996 School: -

LHP Height/Weight: 6-1/193 Resides: Azua, DR Acquired: International free agent, 2014

Minor League Playing Record YR ’15 ’16

CLUB DSL Blue Jays GCL Blue Jays Bluefield TOTALS

Nash Knight

INF

Bats/Throws: L/R Born: September 20, 1992 School: Dallas Baptist University

Height/Weight: 6-0/200 Resides: Denton, TX Signed: nondrafted free agent, 2015

2017 PLAYER PROFILES

Juliandry Higuera

Minor League Playing Record YR ’15 ’16

CLUB GCL Blue Jays Bluefield Vancouver TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .207 47 140 17 29 5 0 2 18 0-4 0 28 39 2 1 .286 .331 .402 25 97 16 39 7 1 3 23 0-0 1 12 16 1 1 .588 .473 .261 24 92 16 24 1 0 0 12 0-0 0 11 17 1 1 .272 .340 .280 96 329 49 92 13 1 5 53 0-4 1 51 72 4 3 .371 .371

Mitch Nay

INF

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: September 20, 1993 School: Hamilton High School

Height/Weight: 6-3/220 Resides: Chandler, AZ Drafted: 1st round supplemental, 2012

Minor League Playing Record YR ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

CLUB Bluefield Lansing Dunedin Dunedin GCL Blue Jays TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .300 64 230 41 69 11 0 6 42 0-3 0 25 35 0 1 .426 .364 .285 120 473 57 135 34 3 3 59 0-3 3 39 79 6 2 .389 .342 .189 11 37 2 7 1 0 0 1 0-0 0 3 9 0 0 .216 .250 .243 109 391 32 95 18 5 5 42 1-8 5 32 75 0 1 .353 .303 .091 8 22 1 2 0 0 0 0 0-0 1 0 9 0 0 .091 .130 .267 312 1153 133 308 64 8 14 144 1-14 9 99 207 6 4 .373 .326

Player Profiles

Edward Olivares Bats/Throws: R/R Born: March 6, 1996 School: -

OF Height/Weight: 6-2/186 Resides: Caracas, VZ Signed: international free agent, 2014 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’14 ‘15 ‘16

CLUB DSL Blue Jays GCL Blue Jays Bluefield TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .314 40 140 31 44 5 3 1 22 1-1 11 20 23 12 3 .414 .436 .198 38 116 21 23 8 1 3 10 0-0 15 11 27 14 2 .362 .345 .273 15 55 8 15 3 1 1 6 0-1 1 5 12 1 2 .418 .339 .264 93 311 60 82 16 5 5 38 1-2 27 36 62 27 7 .395 .386

Rodrigo Orozco Bats/Throws: S/R Born: April 2, 1995 School: -

OF Height/Weight: 5-11/155 Resides: Panama City, Panama Acquired: International Free Agent, 2012 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

CLUB DSL Blue Jays DSL Blue Jays Bluefield Vancouver Vancouver TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .269 40 130 21 35 10 2 2 22 3-1 3 19 21 5 4 .423 .373 .274 61 234 49 64 9 2 2 33 3-1 3 40 32 20 8 .355 .385 .300 58 223 34 67 16 1 4 25 7-0 0 24 35 4 3 .435 .568 .333 3 9 2 3 2 0 0 4 0-0 0 4 1 1 0 .556 .538 .241 55 187 24 45 9 0 0 11 2-2 2 30 29 5 5 .289 .348 .273 217 783 130 214 46 5 8 95 15-4 8 117 118 35 20 .375 .372

Joshua Palacios Bats/Throws: L/R Born: July 30, 1995 School: Auburn University

OF Height/Weight: 6-1/193 Resides: Brooklyn, NY Drafted: 4th round, 2016 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’16

LANSING LUGNUTS

CLUB GCL Blue Jays Vancouver Lansing TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .265 13 49 10 13 3 0 0 4 0-0 1 3 6 4 1 .327 .321 .355 28 110 15 39 7 3 0 13 0-0 2 14 17 4 2 .473 .437 .342 9 38 2 13 3 0 0 1 0-0 1 1 3 0 2 .421 .375 .330 50 197 27 65 13 3 0 18 0-0 4 18 26 8 5 .426 .397

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: October 12, 1994 School: Kent State University

Height/Weight: 6-2/165 Resides: Sinking Spring, PA Drafted: 7th round, 2016

Minor League Playing Record YR ’16

CLUB Vancouver TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 3-1 5.12 11 5 0 0 31.2 40 18 18 5 2 9 18 3 2 .315 3-1 5.12 11 5 0 0 31.2 40 18 18 5 2 9 18 3 2 .315

Mattingly Romanin Bats/Throws: R/R Born: February 27, 1993 School: Chicago State University

UT Height/Weight: 5-10/185 Resides: Burlington, ON Drafted: 39th round, 2015

2017 PLAYER PROFILES

Andy Ravel

Minor League Playing Record YR ’15 ’16

CLUB Bluefield Vancouver TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .161 33 93 11 15 1 1 0 5 0-2 5 17 34 3 3 .194 .316 .229 12 35 8 8 1 0 1 7 0-0 2 10 7 0 0 .343 .426 .180 45 128 19 23 2 1 1 12 0-2 7 27 41 3 3 .234 .348

Luis Silva Bats/Throws: R/R Born: June 30, 1995 School: -

UT Height/Weight: 5-11/170 Resides: Valencia, VZ Acquired: Trade with Texas, 7/4/17 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’14 ’15 ’16

CLUB DSL Rangers1 DSL Rangers2 DSL Rangers1 Frisco AZL Rangers Hickory TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .278 63 198 39 55 7 5 0 26 5-4 9 19 32 2 5 .365 .361 .313 9 32 10 10 1 0 0 4 0-1 2 4 4 2 1 .344 .410 .255 52 200 28 51 6 1 0 20 3-2 8 11 18 4 5 .295 .317 .077 4 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 1 3 0 0 .077 .143 .238 13 42 4 10 3 0 0 7 0-0 0 2 6 0 2 .310 .273 .222 8 27 5 6 2 0 0 2 0-0 1 2 10 0 0 .296 .300 .260 149 512 86 133 19 6 0 59 8-7 20 39 73 8 13 .320 .332

Player Profiles

Nick Sinay

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: November 4, 1993 School: University at Buffalo

Height/Weight: 5-10/175 Resides: Marcellus, NY Drafted: 22nd round, 2015 Minor League Playing Record

YR CLUB ’15 Bluefield ‘16 Vancouver Bluefield TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .227 33 88 13 20 4 0 1 8 2-0 7 15 23 6 3 .307 .382 .200 1 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0-0 1 0 2 0 0 .200 .333 .246 58 191 52 47 4 2 1 11 10-0 24 40 45 34 5 .304 .435 .239 92 284 65 68 8 2 2 20 12-0 32 55 70 40 8 .303 .418

Ridge Smith

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: April 26, 1995 School: Austin Peay

Height/Weight: 5-10/190 Resides: Cordova, TN Drafted: 12th round, 2016 Minor League Playing Record

YR CLUB ’16 Bluefield TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .228 30 92 15 21 5 2 4 16 2-0 4 8 28 0 0 .457 .317 .228 30 92 15 21 5 2 4 16 2-0 4 8 28 0 0 .457 .317

Andres Sotillo Bats/Throws: R/R Born: December 28, 1993 School: -

C Height/Weight: 5-11/180 Resides: Tucupita, VZ Signed: international free agent, 2012 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

LANSING LUGNUTS

CLUB DSL Blue Jays GCL Blue Jays Bluefield GCL Blue Jays Bluefield Bluefield Vancouver TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .305 43 105 17 32 5 0 1 14 0-0 9 10 23 8 4 .381 .411 .302 18 63 8 19 1 1 0 3 0-1 4 3 15 0 0 .349 .366 .200 12 25 2 5 2 0 0 0 1-0 1 3 3 0 0 .280 .310 .107 9 28 4 3 1 0 0 1 0-0 3 1 7 0 0 .143 .219 .200 13 30 2 6 0 1 0 1 0-0 2 1 9 1 0 .267 .273 .250 26 72 11 18 1 2 2 13 1-1 6 9 16 1 0 .403 .375 .200 29 95 7 19 3 0 1 11 0-1 4 6 19 0 0 .263 .274 .244 150 418 51 102 13 4 4 43 2-3 29 33 92 10 4 .323 .340

RHP

Bats/Throws: R/R Born: October 3, 1994 School: Grayson County College

Height/Weight: 6-4/200 Resides: Sachse, TX Acquired: 8th round, 2016

Minor League Playing Record YR ’16

CLUB Bluefield TOTALS

W-L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR HB BB K WP BK AVG 4-0 4.06 10 5 0 0 37.2 37 19 17 2 2 9 33 3 1 .259 4-0 4.06 10 5 0 0 37.2 37 19 17 2 2 9 33 3 1 .259

Christian Williams Bats/Throws: L/R Born: September 14, 1994 School: Gulf Coast C.C.

1B Height/Weight: 6-3/210 Resides: Stuart, FL Drafted: 15th round, 2015

2017 PLAYER PROFILES

Kyle Weatherly

Minor League Playing Record YR ’15 ’16

CLUB GCL Blue Jays Dunedin Lansing Vancouver TOTALS

J.B. Woodman Bats/Throws: L/R Born: December 13, 1994 School: Ole Miss

OF Height/Weight: 6-2/195 Resides: Orlando, FL Drafted: 2nd round, 2016 Minor League Playing Record

YR ’16

CLUB Vancouver Lansing TOTALS

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI S-SF HB BB K SB CS SLG OBP .272 54 195 28 53 18 1 3 24 0-3 4 30 72 10 2 .421 .375 .441 9 34 5 15 2 0 1 5 0-1 0 4 13 0 1 .588 .487 .297 63 229 33 68 20 1 4 29 0-4 4 34 85 10 3 .445 .391

Coaches Profiles

2017 Coaches Manager

Cesar MartIn Martín, 35, was originally signed by the Blue Jays as a teenager out of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. A third baseman, he played three years in the Jays’ organization, advancing as high as Auburn in 2002. For the next 11 seasons, Martín worked as a coach with the Jays’ Dominican Summer League affiliate, managing the club to a 41-29 record in 2013. After one year as Bluefield Blue Jays hitting coach, Martín was named the manager for the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays and posted impressive 39-19 and 39-17 campaigns in 2015 and 2016 respectively. He is the 14th manager in Lansing Lugnuts team history.

Hitting Coach

Donnie Murphy Murphy, 34, returns for his second season in the Midwest League, presiding over an offense in 2016 that featured All-Stars Juan Kelly and Andrew Guillotte. Murphy played parts of nine seasons in the Major Leagues, spanning from 2004-2014 with the Royals, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs and Rangers. A fifth-round Kansas City Royals pick in 2002, Murphy hails from Lakewood, California.

Pitching Coach

Willie Collazo Collazo, 37, is in his first year in Lansing after serving as Vancouver Canadians pitching coach in 2016. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the tenth round in 2001, he pitched in 368 minor-league games and made six relief appearances for the New York Mets in 2007. Collazo is a native of Carolina, Puerto Rico.

LANSING LUGNUTS

Chris Schaeffer Schaeffer, 29, has been a member of the Blue Jays system since the 2011 season, playing 28 games with the Lugnuts in 2012 and 13 games with the Lugs in 2014. A product of North Carolina State University, Schaeffer is in his fourth year as a coach with the organization. He is a native of Port St. Lucie, Florida.

2017 COACHES

Coach

Athletic Trainer

Drew MacDonald MacDonald enters his fifth straight season with the Lugnuts. He originally interned with Toronto in 2009 before joining the Baseball Canada Junior National Team in 2010. A native of Teeswater, Ontario, MacDonald moved up to Lansing after spending the 2011 season with the Bluefield Blue Jays and 2012 with the Vancouver Canadians.

Strength & Conditioning Coach

Kyle Edlhuber

Edlhuber, a graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College, makes his Lansing debut in 2017 after spending his first two seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization alongside Cesar MartĂn with the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. He was named the 2015 GCL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society. Edlhuber resides in Milwaukee.

Community Relations

By Jesse Goldberg-Strassler 42

LANSING LUGNUTS

Lugnuts Charities

Taking great pride in your community is a characteristic evident amongst so many in surrounding areas. That same sense of pride permeates the Lugnuts’ offices at Cooley Law School Stadium, creating a strong desire to give back to the greater Lansing region.

Lugnuts players themselves make appearances at events and clinics throughout the season. In 2016, Lugnuts players made hospital visits, appeared at numerous group outings and helped lead on-field clinics at Cooley Law School Stadium.

As the season approaches, members of the Lugnuts’ staff head out to elementary schools throughout the area to stress the importance of education and spread the message of baseball by the numbers – highlighting the importance of math in the game. Nine players on the field, three strikes, ninety feet to first base, going 2-for5 from the plate for a .400 batting average – everywhere you look, numbers and math define the game of baseball.

“We are proud of the support the Lansing community has for our Lugnuts,” said Myers. “They invest their time in our team, and we love being able to reciprocate and show our players the impact they make in MidMichigan.”

“We’re illustrating to kids that math is a part of our everyday lives, even when we’re playing—like in baseball. Stressing the importance of math in a fun way keeps learning exciting,” said Linda Frederickson, Lugnuts Assistant General Manager. “Our game of baseball trivia incorporates math, and Big Lug is right there to help the kids. It’s a great combination of education, baseball and fun.” In addition to visiting with students, Big Lug makes his way to all corners of Mid-Michigan – attending hundreds of local events while carrying with him a sense of Lansing Lugnuts pride. “Our goal is to bring smiles to as many faces as possible at events throughout the area,” said Lugnuts co-owner Sherrie Myers, “and Big Lug’s big smile does that in a big way.” While Big Lug is often the most popular attraction at every event he attends, he is happy to step aside as the Lansing

Outside of appearances, the Lugnuts are actively involved with supporting youth through Lugnut Charities. Lugnut Charities is dedicated to supporting existing programs to benefit youth in the greater Lansing community. For the 2017 season, Lugnut Charities are proud to partner with Impression Five Science Center, Capital Area United Way and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. The organizations all have a custom designed package with the Lugnuts, using ballpark inventory to meet their key objectives. “We want to maximize the impact of minor league baseball and our active fan base to get their messages out to our fans,” Myers said. “Every season affords us an opportunity for new ideas and ways to focus our time and talents on giving back to the charitable organizations throughout the community.” One of the highlights every summer is Lugnut Charities Night, sponsored by Dan Henry Distributing. The annual event celebrates the efforts of the Lugnuts’ partners in the community. This season’s festivities commence on August 26th and will again feature the

popular “Jersey Off Their Back” silent auction. Fans can bid on authentic, game-worn jerseys from Lugnuts players. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Capital Area United Way. By the end of the season, if we use our math skills to add the Lugnuts’ appearances in the community to the Lugnut Charities’ efforts, the end result equals the great sense of pride exhibited by Lugnuts players, front office staff and Big Lug in ensuring the Mid-Michigan community is well taken care of. For more information on Lugnut Charities or the Lugnuts’ involvement in the community, visit lansinglugnuts.com.

Fan Guide

Stadium Information The Lansing Lugnuts are celebrating their 22nd season! This Fan Guide is filled with stadium information as an overview of everything you need to know about the ballpark for your next visit. Have a great time and Go Nuts!

Alcoholic Beverages

Fans may not bring alcoholic beverages into or out of the ballpark. Guests purchasing alcohol at Lugnuts games must show proof of legal drinking age. Sales of beer and alcohol end after the first pitch of the 8th inning. The Lansing Lugnuts reserve the right to deny the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Animals

Pets are not permitted in the ballpark, with the exception of service animals. Dogs are welcome every Monday home game, as part of our Dog Days of Summer promotion.

Anthem Singers

If you are interested in singing the National Anthem at a Lugnuts game, please send a sample of your singing to the Lugnuts Marketing department. Due to limited opening, the Lunguts will only contact singers if there is an available opportunity.

LANSING LUGNUTS

ATM

The automated teller machine is located on the concourse level behind home plate.

Sparrow Autograph Area

Lugnuts players are available for 30 minutes, ending 20 minutes prior to the game in the Sparrow Autograph Area located on the concourse next to Nuts & Bolts prior to every game. Players may not sign autographs during a game.

Beverages, Food, Containers

No bottles, cans, food, beverages or containers may be brought into the ballpark.

Concessions

The Lugnuts offer a variety of food and beverages throughout the ballpark. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to take note of the specialty portable carts located throughout the ballpark.

2017 FAN GUIDE

Employment

Dean Information Area

The Dean Information Area is located next to the Guest Services Desk behind home plate with information about travel to and from major events such as Cedar Point and area casinos.

Drinking Fountains

Drinking fountains at the ballpark are located on the concourse level behind sections D and M.

Elevators

There are three elevators for fans at the ballpark. The elevator on the concourse behind home plate serves luxury suites and the barrier-free seating behind home plate. The right field elevator accesses barrierfree seating only and the left field elevator accesses the Pepsi Porch.

The Lansing Lugnuts offer a variety of seasonal employment opportunities. For an employment applications, visit lansinglugnuts. com.

Fan Mail

Lansing Lugnuts Fan Mail 505 E. Michigan Ave. Lansing, MI 48912 The Lugnuts are not responsible for the return of any mailed items.

Fan Suggestions

Guests with a comment or suggestion may express it in person at the Guest Services Desk or call 517-485-4500.

Gates Open

The gates at the ballpark open one hour and five minutes before the scheduled start of a game (6:00pm for a 7:05pm start)

Lost Parents/Found Children Parents should report a lost child to a representative at the Guest Services Desk. A guest services representative will contact security immediately. We ask that parents instruct children visiting the ballpark to find a security officer, Lugnuts employee or go to the Guest Services Desk should they become separated from their parents.

Guest Services Desk

The Guest Services Desk is located on the concourse behind Section H.

Sparrow First Aid

The first aid facility is located on the concourse level in the corridor behind Section F.

WHAT THIS PLACE NEEDS

…IS YOU

VOLUNTEER

Find where you’re needed most Capital Area United Way Volunteer Center www.micauwvolunteercenter.org. Proud to be a member of the Lugnut Charities for the past 12 years.

2017 FAN GUIDE

Lugnut Charities

Lugnut Charities was established in 1996. Its mission is to support existing programs and create new opportunities to benefit youth in the greater Lansing area. Any donation requests can be faxed to 517-4854518 to the attention of Lugnut Charities. Lugnut Charities Night is sposored by Dan Henry and will occur August 26, 2017. A special player jersey auction will be held to raise money for charity.

Paging

Paging for guests in the park will be done only in an emergency. See a Lugnuts representative at the Guest Services Desk.

Parking Lugnuts Merchandise

To buy hats, t-shirts, and other cool Lugnuts gear during games, visit the Nuts & Bolts store on the concourse level behind Section G. Shop online at lansinglugnuts.com.

Lugnut Loot

Lugnut Loot is voucher currency that can be used throughout Cooley Law School Stadium. It can be used to buy food at any conession stand, to purchase retail items at the Nuts & Bolts store or buy game tickets. Lugnut Loot is prepaid and comes in $1 and $5 increments. It can be purchased at the Nuts & Bolts store or at the Lugnuts Box Office.

Public parking is available on streets, parking lots and parking ramps in a four-to-five block area around the ballpark.

Re-Entering the Ballpark

Fans may leave the ballpark and return during Lugnuts games. Before exiting, get your hand stamped at any gate by a ticket taker for re-entry into the ballpark.

Scoreboard Messages

To have your birthday greeting or anniversary announced, please come to the Guest Services desk before the end of the second inning. Due to limited time, the Lugnuts are not able to announce out of town guests or other special events.

Smoking

The ballpark is a smoke-free facility by city ordinance. Fans who wish to smoke during a game may exit and re-enter by showing their ticket to a ticket taker and having their hand stamped before exiting.

Special Events

Looking for a unique venue to host your next special event? The VIEW is the perfect alternative to your typical event space in a fun and unique way to take your event to the next level. This venue includes a luxurious indoor area seating 130 guests comfortably and spacious outdoor patio located in centerfield overlooking Cooley Law School Stadium. For more information, contact Malinda Barr (mbarr@lansinglugnuts.com) directly at 517-827-2482.

Website Information

To find the most up-to-date information on the Lugnuts, visit lansinglugnuts.com. To sign-up for Lugnuts Alerts, text LUGNUTS to 80373.

Fan Guide

Ticket Information

Box Office

Purchase tickets online at lansinglugnuts.com, or at: Box Office 505 E. Michigan Ave. Lansing, MI 48912 517-485-4500 ext. 252

Day-of-Game Ticket Prices

(Advance prices are in parentheses) The Clubhouse: $26 ($25) Executive Box: $15 ($14) Box: $12 ($11) / College Student: $5 Bleacher: $11 ($10) Barrier Free/Wheelchair Accessible, Concourse Level: $12 ($11) Pepsi Porch: $36 ($35)

Ticket Packages

Full Season (Executive Club): $980 Full Season (Box): $770 35 Pack (Box): $385 20 Game Pack (Box): $220 LAFCU 10 Game Pack (Box) $110 6 Game Pack (Box) $66

Box Office Hours

Monday-Friday: 10:00am to 5:00pm Game Day: 10:00am until the middle of the 6th inning.

Tickets By Telephone

Tickets for all Lansing Lugnuts games are available by phone during regular box office hours and can be charged to your Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. Call 517-4854500. A service charge of $1.00 per ticket, plus $2.00 for shipping and handling, if mailed, will be added to each phone order.

Tickets Over the Internet

Buy tickets through the Lugnuts website at lansinglugnuts.com. A processing and handling fee of $1.50 per ticket will added to each online order. For your convenience, tickets may be printed at your location or left at Will Call at the box office if specified.

Ticket Resale

The resale of Lansing Lugnuts tickets on the ballpark grounds is prohibited. This includes the resale of tickets at face value and distribution at no charge.

LANSING LUGNUTS

Tickets for Babies/Toddlers

Children who have reached their third birthday require a ticket to enter the ballpark. They must have their own seat. If the child is under the age of three and requires his or her own seat, a ticket must be purchased.

Lost or Stolen Tickets

Please remember that game tickets are like money and should be secured like cash. Should tickets be lost or stolen, please contact the Lugnuts box office immediately.

Rain Checks

A game is considered official after five complete innings (4 Â˝ innings when the Lugnuts are leading). If a game is stopped before it becomes official or before it starts, your ticket will act as a rain check for a future game. Suspended game tickets cannot be exchanged. You can redeem your ticket at the box office for tickets to a future game, subject to availability. Rain checks are available at the box office or by mail. For mail exchanges, please send your ticket stubs along with three future game choices to:

2017 FAN GUIDE

Season Ticket Perks

Season ticket holders enjoy the advantages of Diamond Club benefits. Among the advantages: • Free Food Card • Free Crosstown Showdown ticket • Same great seats for every game • GAMEXCHANGE program allows you to exchange your tickets before or after a game is played for a free ticket of the same seat type to an upcoming game. • Free Lugnuts E-mail Newsletter • Priority for playoff tickets • First chance to upgrade tickets and seats for future seasons • Lugnuts Unused Ticket Donation Program Additional advantages for full season ticket holders include the following Diamond Club Select benefits: • Daily Game Notes • Lugnuts Magazine gift • Meet the Team Event at The Clubhouse at Cooley Law School Stadium, • Lunch Bunch Event • Fan Appreciation VIP Party • Guaranteed Auto-Owners Insurance Magnet Schedule Giveaway

Lansing Lugnuts Box Office 505 E. Michigan Ave. Lansing, MI 48912 Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. If you are a group leader, your representative will contact you to discuss your options.

Refunds

There are no refunds once a ticket has been purchased. However, if you are a season ticket holder you can exchange your tickets using the GAMEXCHANGE program of your Diamond Club benefits.

Will Call

Game tickets may be picked up at the Lugnuts box office during normal hours of operation. Tickets can only be released with a photo ID.

“Go Nuts” with a Group Outing

Last year approximately 100,000 people came to the ballpark as part of a group. Businesses, church groups, schools and associations of all sizes – from 20 to 4,000 – have discovered the delights of a night at the ballpark.

2017

FREE

A Lugnuts representative will be happy to help you select a special date, design the menu and develop special themes and prizing for your event. Pick the plan that fits your group’s size and budget. Group benefits include: • Everyone sits together • No waiting in ticket lines • No wondering about ticket availability • We’ll recognize your group on the scoreboard with a special PA announcement • Participate in a group raffle where one person in your group will win a special prize • Customized t-shirts for your whole group with a limited edition logo on the back (additional expense required – ask your Lugnuts repre sentative for further information) • No payment due until 45 days before your event • Honor someone in your group with a first pitch to start the game • Have a member of your group sing the National Anthem, subject to availability.

TICKET INS

IDE!

Call 517-485-4500 to learn more about special group outings with the Lugnuts.

Group Raffles

Groups receive recognition on the scoreboard and can win great raffle prizes nightly in our group raffles.

Delta Dental’s Smile Shots

All groups of 20 or more will have their photo taken by the Delta Dental’s Smile Shots Photographer. These complimentary photos will be available at lansinglugnuts.com or on the Lugnuts Facebook page.

Fan Guide

Venues

The $25.5 Million Cooley Law School Stadium includes these new group venue options that are sure to be hit with your guests this summer! Call 517-485-4500 or go to lansinglugnuts.com to learn more!

An ALL-NEW, upscale way to view the game! • Brand new, semi-private venue • Amazing location along third base line • Accommodates groups of 20-150 people

Experience the game like never before! • New “super suite” with private indoor/outdoor seating • High-end food options • Accommodates groups of 50-150 people

Newly renovated venue at a great value! • New covered seating for majority of venue • Same great food, new venue • Accommodates up to 2,500 people

It doesn’t get any better than this! • Newly renovated, fully furnished, heat and A/C • Private indoor/outdoor seating • Accommodates groups of 20-100 people

For more information, visit 50

LANSING LUGNUTS

lansinglugnuts.com

Tyren, 3

IFBSU USBOTQMBOU * XJTI UP CF B mSFNBO

BRING SMILES

UP .JDIJHBO LJET XJUI MJGF UISFBUFOJOH NFEJDBM DPOEJUJPOT

Refer Donate Volunteer Sponsor -FBSO IPX BU michigan.wish.org/ bringsmiles

michigan.wish.org Headquarters: 800.622.WISH t West Michigan: 877.631.9474 t 4PVUIFBTU .JDIJHBO 888.857.9474 .BLF " 8JTI .JDIJHBO HSBOUT UIF XJTIFT PG DIJMESFO XJUI MJGF UISFBUFOJOH NFEJDBM DPOEJUJPOT UP FOSJDI UIF IVNBO FYQFSJFODF XJUI IPQF TUSFOHUI BOE KPZ 1IPUP DSFEJU "OESFX ,OBQJL 1IPUPHSBQIZ

Fan Guide

Finding Your Rep

If you need assistance, simply check in at the Guest Services Desk behind Section H and someone will locate your group sales representative. Or just ask one of the concierges in your section for help.

Game Broadcasts catch all 140 lugnuts games on

Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, Radio Broadcaster

In his ninth year as Voice of the Lugnuts, Jesse GoldbergStrassler grew up rooting for Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker and the Detroit Tigers from his hometown in the Maryland suburbs. He graduated from Ithaca College in 2004, making broadcasting stops with the Brockton Rox, Montgomery Biscuits and Windy City ThunderBolts,

LANSING LUGNUTS

before joining the Lugnuts in 2009. During the offseason, Jesse can be heard broadcasting Central Michigan University women’s basketball. He is the author of two books, “The Baseball Thesaurus” (now in its second edition) and “The Football Thesaurus.”

2017 lugnuttiest days

All 17 Fireworks Shows presented by

April

A P R I L