October 2010

How sweet is first place.

Well it has been a few days since I have signed in and wrote what is on my mind. A lot has happened since I last got on and shared. If you have checked the standings lately we have risen to the top of our division and have been there for a few days now. It is early in the season still but we are playing well. I think last time I wrote we were 1-2 and not playing as a team. That has really turned around. We went on a three game winning streak, which always helps. We also won the game we played today in Phoenix. I have gone to all the ballparks now and have realized how lucky we are to play at the complex in Surprise. It really is a beautiful ball park that is set up very well.

Now I think you should know what I have been up to in the beautiful retirement community of Surprise. I have found my favorite place to hang out when we’re free and that is the Brookside Bar and Grill. This is a sports bar that has a amazing bacon cheeseburger. The food is great but that is not the best par.  This bar has an electric dartboard!  So it’s a lot of fun to get a few of the guys and play and as you can imagine the games get pretty intense. I went to the mall in Peoria tonight which was nothing special but they do have great places to eat around the out side of the mall. I have gone over to have P. F. Changs and Cheesecake Factory multiple times. The other thing that is special in the state of Arizona are the golf courses. The pitching staff loves to take it to the course and get the swing going on the off days. There are many retired men and women that live in the town of Surprise and apparently the cool thing is having a golf cart. So instead of having a cool car I feel I need to custom a golf cart to fit in.
The team is having a lot of fun right now. In the game today we went into extra innings where Adron Chambers had two RBIs in the 10th inning to give us the runs we needed to win the game. We have been playing good defense and pitching well but our offense is something special. It is fun to sit down in the bullpen and wait on us to have a big inning. Yesterday’s game we were winning 2-0 and some how they scored 7 to make it 7-2.  The next inning we scored 6 to take the lead back. We can always count on our hitters to give the pitching staff what we need to win.
That’s all I have for this post so hopefully the next time I post we’ll still be on top of the division!

What A Team.

The last few days have been unbelievable. The league is everything I thought it would be and more. I would like to start this entry by talking a little bit about the team and what a normal day in the life of an Arizona Fall League player is like. 

First, the guys on the team are some of the most down to earth guys I have been around not to mention some of the most talented. The way it is set up is we are one team comprised of five major league organizations. Our team is made up of the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Detroit Tigers. Its a fun experience to meet players from different organizations because they all come from different leagues and all have different stories to tell. Another thing I find interesting is playing against many of these players before in different places and finally playing on the same team and talking about past games against one another. For instance I live with Zack Cox who we played last year in college. So there are always things to give each other a hard time about.
The day in the life of an AFL player is one that is pretty fun. The only downside is waking up between 7-7:30 AM every morning. Beside that everything is a blast! I will wake up and head to the field, I try to get there a little early just incase there is something I need to do. When I get there I always eat. There is always a nice spread for us to eat. After we eat we will hang out for a bit there are a few TV’s in the locker room which will always be in TBS in the morning which will be showing ” Saved By The Bell ” followed by ” Yes Dear ” then my favorite ” Fresh Prince of Bell Air “. Then we will get ready for batting practice which starts at 9:30AM when we play at home. Then we will come back until game time at 12:35PM. After the game the TV’s have shifted to ” Sports Center” and the food is all laid out for us to eat! When we leave the field it is usually around 4:00PM and we are free for the day.
Now a little about the first three games. We started off on the road in Peoria where we won the first game of the year. Every thing clicked for us that game. We had run support and the pitchers all threw well. The next two games have been at home and we have not given the home town fans what they want. We dropped the last two games. I think as a team this being or first time playing together there will be a few more ups and downs, it does not worry me because I have seen the talent we have and we will gel and start playing better baseball. As for me I had my professional debut today. I threw 2 innings which was my first time to throw to a hitter in 5 months. It felt good to have the mound under me in a game and see people in the stands! As for my outing it was not my strongest went 2 innings and gave up 2 earned runs, but everything felt good. The hitters in this league hit mistakes so I found out how important hitting spots is. I really took a lot from the game and cant wait to be back out there!
I would like to send a thank you to my parents and grand parents. They have been in town to watch me the last few days and it was really nice to have them there for my debut. They flew out from Dallas, Texas to watch and I was really fortunate to have my grandparents there for me.

Time To Get Started!

With the start of the Fall League only six days away I thought it might be a good time to share a few of the things that are going through my mind before the start of the league, but first I will tell you a little bit about me.

My name is Jordan Swagerty. I am from Dallas, Texas and I was taken as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 2010 draft. For the last two years, I played baseball at Arizona State University. I was a draft eligible sophomore so I only had two years of college. During my time at ASU I learned many things that will help me in life and also gained knowledge about the game of baseball.

I think the AFL will be an experience that I will take with me for the rest of my life. It will be my professional debut. Just hearing that is exciting and a moment that I have waited for since I started playing baseball at the age of three. I am looking forward to playing with the top Minor League players around the league. This will be a challenge but one that I have prepared for. It is always an exciting time when you get to play with the top players. I know it will be a challenge but what a way to get your feet wet in professional baseball.

I will be playing for the Surprise Rafters, which uses the Rangers and Royals spring training complex. This is an exciting time and I can’t wait to get out there.

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