Turn a Pair Baseball Podcast

How does the front office of an historical MiLB franchise cope with the rumors that they're going to lose their affiliation, a cancelled season and lost revenue?

Fortunately, on 11/30/20 MLB announced the formation of the MLB Draft League. The Williamsport Crosscutters were one of five teams announced as original participants (eventually they will have a sixth). There are so many questions that need to be answered, and Gabe is our man.

Gabe and Chris spend time on Bowman Field staples like The Little League Classic and Rhashan.

Brad Balukjian is a man unafraid of a big adventure, whether it's a lunar chat with Buzz Aldrin or navigating the camel clutch from The Iron Sheik.

His latest adventure came to him while sitting in the upper deck enjoying an Oaklan A's game. He'd purchase a pack of unopened 1986 Topps baseball cards and set out on an adventure to meet all 15 players featured on the cards. He'd then compile the interview data and write a book. It was a bold move that turned in to a fantastic book filled with nostalgia, travel humor and a whole lot of personal growth opportunities (for both Brad and the reader).

In our conversation with Brad we talk through his 11,341 mile trip around the country. How did the idea come about? What was his objective? What was a surprising theme shared by most of the former stars?

If you've read the book, this interview should provide answers to the questions you may have had. If you haven't read the book, this will be the conversation that pushes you over the edge.

To purchase this incredible book visit www.waxpackbook.com.

The Wax Packers include: Al Cowens, Carlton Fisk, Don Carman, Doc Gooden, Garry Templeton, Gary Pettis, Jaime Cocanower, Lee Mazzilli, Rance Mulliniks, Randy Ready, Richie Hebner, Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Yeager, Vince Coleman

Preston, the son of former Mets star Mookie Wilson, spent his youth at Shea Stadium. The Mets selected an 18 year old Preston Wilson in the 1st round. At 23, he made his big league debut. Hearing the story of his debut gave us the chills, and Preston said he was nearly drawn to tears sharing. Preston spares no detail in his incredible 10 year journey.

Profile:

Twitter - @PrestonWilson44

Position: Centerfielder

Bats: Right • Throws: Right

6-2, 193lb (188cm, 87kg)

Born: July 19, 1974 (Age: 46-049d) in Bamberg, SC us

Draft: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 1st round (9th) of the 1992 MLB June Amateur Draft from Bamberg Ehrhardt HS (Bamberg, SC).

High School: Bamberg Ehrhardt HS (Bamberg, SC)

Debut: May 7, 1998 (Age 23-292d, 14,845th in MLB history) vs. STL 4 AB, 3 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB

- 1st player in Marlins history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in one season.

- Led NL in RBI's (141) in 2003

- Played in 2003 All Star game going 1/2.

- Played instrumental role in winning 2006 WS while a member of the Stl. Cardinals.

Last Game: May 5, 2007 (Age 32-290d) vs. HOU 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1999 season

National Team: us USA (18U)

Named Baseball America High School Player of the year in 1992.

Scott realized his dream in 2008 by helping the Philadelphia Phillies win a World Series. The title was the capstone. This episode is about everything before that led to the crowing achievement.

Scott Eyre Profile:

Twitter - @Scotteyre47

Position: Pitcher

Bats: Left • Throws: Left

Born: May 30, 1972 (Age: 48-094d) in Inglewood, CA

Draft: Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 9th round of the 1991 MLB June Amateur Draft from College of Southern Idaho (Twin Falls, ID).

High School: Cyprus HS (Magna, UT)

School: College of Southern Idaho (Twin Falls, ID)

Debut: August 1, 1997 (Age 25-063d, 14,724th in MLB history) vs. ANA 4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 SO, 5 BB, 6 ER, L

2005 - led the league in appearances, was a 2.3 WAR player and received MVP votes.

Last Game: October 4, 2009 (Age 37-127d) vs. FLA 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 SO, 1 BB, 0 ER

Bob File burst on to the scene in Toronto in April, 2001. He nasty sinker helped him earn a win in his debut. He's competitiveness in his second outing earned him a regular spot out of the bullpen. We talk about his journey from a D2 slugging Third Basemen to a high leverage Major League relief pitcher.

Bob's Profile:

Twitter - @BobFile

Position: Pitcher

Bats: Right • Throws: Right

6-4, 215lb (193cm, 97kg)

Born: January 28, 1977 in Philadelphia, PA

Draft: Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 19th round of the 1998 MLB June Amateur Draft from Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, PA).

High School: Father Judge HS (Philadelphia, PA)

School: Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, PA)

Debut: April 14, 2001 (Age 24-076d, 15,447th in MLB history) vs. KCR 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER, W

Last Game: September 30, 2004 (Age 27-246d) vs. BAL 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER

Host RoseAnn Sapia circled the bases with SF Giants pitching prospect Trevor McDonald. Trevor was the Giants 11th round pick of the 2019 draft. The 19 year old is quickly ascending the prospect ranking boards. Trevor shared one of the funnies stories in Turn a Pair history.

Trevor's Bio:

Twitter: @trev_mcdonald18

Position: Starting Pitcher

Bats: Right • Throws: Right

6-2, 180lb (188cm, 81kg)

Team: San Francisco Giants (minors)

Born: February 26, 2001 (Age: 19-179d) in Mobile, AL us

Draft: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 11th round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from George County HS (Lucedale, MS).

High School: George County HS (Lucedale, MS)

Full Name: Trevor Dale McDonald

Baseball has played a significant role in Randall Thompson's life. Once an undersized high school middle infielder, he grew and gained arm strength in his Junior year. He was good enough to play college ball and eventually sign as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays. After being cut by the Jays, he was sitting in the dugout at his alma mater watching a coach saw baseball bats. It was there he came up with the idea to drink beer out of a baseball bat. Yes, you read that right.

He talks about how he went from prototype to multi-million dollar company poised to double revenue from 2019 to 2020.

Follow Dugout Mugs on Twitter and IG:

@dugoutmugs

Logan Hofmann's road to professional baseball is well traveled. The Saskatchewan native spent two years building his profile at Colby Community College. He pitched so well that he his 2019 included an All Star game appearance in the Cape Cod League and a 35th round selection by the Stl. Cardinals. He passed on signing to play at Northwestern State. How did that decision work? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out.

Baseball Reference:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=hofman000log

Twitter:

@lhofmann11

Caleb debuted in Dodger Stadium on July 25th, 2020 and earned the win after setting down the heart of LA's order. Caleb's path to the show was bumpy and windy. His story is complete with being overlooked out of High School, JUCO, a run with the Hoosiers, an up and down MiLB run and a Major League debut. The day we recorded, Caleb picked up his second win to make him 2-0 on the season.

We sat down with former Canadian National Team star Josh Burgmann for our 100th episode. Josh was a 5th round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2019 out of the University of Washington. We talked about the NHL's new team the Seattle Kraken, the thrill of playing baseball in Japan, the college experience and being a part of the Cubs organization.