Tater Talk: 2039.08 – Pre-Season News and Notes

[jleddy]

With the Winter Meetings in the rear view mirror and Brewster Baseball Association general managers eyeing spring training, let's get caught up on all the news and notes out of Boise:

As reported weeks ago, third baseman and team captain Pedro Nava suffered a foot injury during a team bonding trip to Sun Valley to celebrate the New Year. Nava traveled back to the team facilities on January 3 and after medical staff ran tests, Nava was diagnosed with a fractured toe on his right foot, an injury that will keep Nava in a protective walking boot for three weeks.

"It was a stupid thing," Nava told Baseball News Network. "As I stepped in, my right foot slipped on the step and hit the bottom of the hot tub. I thought I just bruised it."

Team doctors expect Nava to make a full recovery and be ready by the start of spring training come mid-February.

* * * * * * *
The Spuds have made several minor signings in the past few days leading up to the new season:

• January 1 - Purched contract of Tom Warren from Double-A Buffalo and added to 40-man roster. Warren will be in competition for the closer's role.

• January 1 - Signed free agents Francisco Gonzáles and Matt Mills to minor league contracts and assigned to Tripe-A Salt Lake City. Both pitchers are expected to serve as organizational depth.

• January 9 - Signed free agents Jesús Villanueva, Cipriano Silva, Daniel Martínez and Mauro Ochoa to minor league contracts.

• January 16 - Signed free agents Javier Venegas and Yoshi Ito to minor league contracts. Ito will be converted to a two-way player and is expected to start out in High-A Tulsa. Venegas, recovering from Tommy John surgery last September to repair a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament, is expected to miss most, if not all of 2039. Venegas' contract will pay him $500,000 this season with a team option for $1.2M in 2040 should he have a successful rehabilitation.

While general manager Joe Lederer has yet to make a splashy move in his first off-season in charge of the Spuds, several high profile free agents remain unsigned. Rumors are Lederer may have had extensive talks with a few, as well as discussing potential trades with general managers across the league.

* * * * * * *
In conjuction with the new 2039 Brewster Baseball Association schedule, Boise released their promotional schedule for all home games this year:

Date	Opponent	Promotion
Wednesday, April 6	Omaha	Dennis French Golden Bat Bobblehead Giveaway
Tuesday, April 12	Hawaii	Fleece Blanket Giveaway
Friday, April 15	Yellow Springs	Friday Night Fireworks
Friday, April 22	Edmonton	Friday Night Fireworks
Sunday, April 24	Edmonton	Team Trading Card Set Giveaway
Friday, April 29	California	Friday Night Fireworks
Wednesday, May	Long Beach	Camouflage Trucker Hat Giveaway
Friday, May 13	Calgary	Friday Night Fireworks
Friday, May 27	Des Moines	Friday Night Fireworks
Sunday, May 29	Des Moines	Summer Beach Blanket Giveaway
Thursday, June 2	Vancouver	Cooler Backpack Giveaway
Friday, June 10	Mexico City	Friday Night Fireworks
Tuesday, June 28	California	Yunosuke Terada Bobblehead Giveaway
Wednesday, July 13	Wichita	Bring Your Dog To The Park Night
Friday, July 15	San Fernando	Friday Night Fireworks
Monday, July 25	Edmonton	All-You-Can-Eat Mashed Potatoes
Friday, July 29	Twin Cities	Friday Night Fireworks
Sunday, July 31	Twin Cities	Glow-In-The-Dark Mini Bat Giveaway
Tuesday, August 9	Seattle	Cowboy Hat Giveaway
Monday, August 15	Vancouver	Hooded Sweatshirt Giveaway
Friday, September 9	Phoenix	Friday Night Fireworks
Friday, September 16	Valencia	Friday Night Fireworks
Saturday, September 17	Valencia	Kids Appreciation Day
Sunday, September 18	Valencia	Fan Appreciation Day

Limited to the first 30,000 fans in attendance, the Dennis French
bobblehead is expected to draw a huge crowd to Grigg Memorial
Stadium on April 6th. The bobblehead commemorates French's
first Puckett League Golden Bat Award at CF in 2038.

[RonCo]

Awesome.

I need to up my game...love the promotion nights.

[usnspecialist]

San Fernando and our offense looks forward to providing the fireworks on July 15th.

[felipe]

Bring your dog to the park day?

Woof

[shoeless.db]

Sweet work. I'll be in attendance for the all-you-can-eat mashed potatoes.