The Career of Davis Holden...

[NYJuggalo45]

uh oh, do i see a shoulder injury due to drinking and falling down stairs? lol

great read man, keep it up

[LivnLegend]

Originally posted by NYJuggalo45
uh oh, do i see a shoulder injury due to drinking and falling down stairs?

Brian Griese?

Great installments, Brad! Geez, I feel like a housewife who can't wait for her afternoon soap to come on

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, March 24, 2004

Back to Stockton and I'm actually kind of happy to be here. Most of the guys from last year are back, which is a little disappointing but also to be expected. The four of us are back into that same old dumpy apartment but hey, Clemente is back! We actually threw him a welcome back party of sorts last night, I'll just say that we all had a good time and we definitely need to work out a bed schedule for when we bring some girls back.

We have a new manager this season, I guess finishing 28 games under .500 will do that. The cool thing is that they moved Jorge Lopez from a low-level scout to a low-level manager meaning, WELCOME TO STOCKTON, JORGE! I'm excited because we've gotten along so well when we've talked. He might be just what this team needs.

Some big news for the big league club, there is some hope this year. They spent $19,500,000 to bring in Pedro Martinez and outfielder Shannon Stewart. The Rangers might be worth watching this year!

The Wrangler is holding out well, the soft top has a couple small cuts in it but I'll wait to get it replaced. Its kind of lonely out here in California, even living with the guys. I kind of miss Theresa, my high school girlfriend. She went off to school at N.C. State and we haven't really talked since I came out here. I think about her and hope she's doing well though.

Opening Day is two days away and I got the news I was waiting for, back to third base!!! Plus Jorge says he might bump me to clean-up hitter after I spent most of last year hitting second, which was weird. Actually the talk around the organization is that I'm swinging the bat well and they are going to be keeping an eye on me. My hopes are high!

[WillTheThrill]

This is one of my favorite all-time threads, its right up there with all three HOBs.

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, April 8, 2004

I guess I was wrong, Jorge Lopez wasn't exactly what the team needed. We've started out 1-6 and we've only scored seven runs over that stretch! The offense is looking pretty terrible while the pitching has been brilliant.

Nerves have been running a little thin. On our first roadtrip of the year, out to Bakersfield to play the Blaze, there was a fight on the bus. Scott Tyler, one of our starting pitchers, was playing the guitar and wouldn't stop. He is pretty terrible and all he plays is country music so Clemente finally grabbed the guitar and went Nirvana on it. After some pushing and shoving, it got broken up and thankfully, the music will be over for a while.

Actually I feel kind of bad for Tyler. He's probably our best pitcher down here as proven by his 2.51 ERA. Yet the poor guy has started the season 0-2 thanks to our poor offense. Even last year his record didn't reflect how important he was. He had a 3.69 ERA but went 8-12.

They call it the bus leagues and you never really appreciate that name until you've gone on a minor league roadtrip. The bouncing, the grinding, and even the occassional breakdown that strands you on the side of the road. I typically get through the rides either writing this diary or playing cards.

My performance hasn't been too shabby, I'm hitting .280 but I've only driven in one run. The best I've done was a nice double off the wall at the end of our home series against the San Jose Giants.

Jorge seems to be having trouble dealing with our losses. He is more irritable and stressed out every time I look at him. We actually have a pool for how long it takes for him to lose or pull out all his hair. I've got April 19'th and if things keep going this way, I may not be far off!

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, April 29, 2004

Where to start? The team is still struggling a ton, we are now 10-16 and Jorge's cool demeaner has gone out the window. He has blown up at a few of us lately for a variety of things, me for striking out too much. I don't take it personally though, he's under a lot of pressure. Word is that our organization now has the worst ranked minor league system in the Majors.

Terrible news for Clemente, he must be jinxed or cursed or something. He's hurt his arm again. Not quite as bad, no surgery this time, but he'll miss six weeks. Its really ashame though because he was finally coming around. The cool thing is that he's gonna stay around the team this time and travel with us. Maybe he's just prone to injury.

I'm hitting about the worst I have ever hit in my life. I'm barely hitting above my weight, currently at .231 and 216. I've got three homers which is tied for the team lead and 9 RBIs but I just feel so uncomfortable in the batter's box, I can't explain it. And the breaking balls that some of these guys throw, wow, guys didn't throw these in high school.

There is some good news though. The Rangers are in first place!!! They might be able to make a worst to first run. There record is the mirror of ours, they are 16-10 and have a two game lead. We actually fight over the newspaper in the clubhouse to see how they did the night before (no cable in the apartment, too expensive).

My high school paper interviewed me again, Mom promised to send me a copy. It was kind of cool though. They had a writer call me over the phone from the school and interview me, it was the most relaxed interview I've had.

Thank God April is almost over, the team has done so bad and so have I, maybe May will bring good things to the Ports.

[PurdueBrad]

Batavia High School: Where Are They Now?

Name: Davis Holden
Class: 2003
Profession: Baseball Player

(Q) How have you liked the move from high school athletics to professional sports?

(A) It was a much bigger change then I expected. In high school I could always get by on my talent alone but here they really have me working hard to do well. All the strength training makes me regret blowing off Mr. Walker's Weight Lifting Class so much.

(Q) Do you have hopes of playing in the Major Leagues?

(A) Of course, I don't think anyone would subject themselves to life in the minors if they didn't have a dream of one day making it. Its not glamourous down here, we don't get paid much and we really don't live in style but its all for the hope that one day I'll make my dream of playing Major League baseball come true.

(Q) Have you dealt with much adversity since becoming a professional baseball player?

(A) Actually yeah, a good amount. I moved out here to California, leaving my family and friends, and came out here where I knew nobody. I've made some friends on the team but it isn't the same. We don't know who'll be there tomorrow, who'll get promoted, who'll get cut, so our friendships kind of lack depth.

(Q) How have you done this season?

(A) Pretty bad actually. I'm not hitting too well, I still have to get used to hitting some of the better pitchers. I've been striking out a ton but hitting is only part of the game. I'm at my natural position of third base and I've been playing really well in the field. Once I get my hitting straightened out, I hope to move up to San Francisco, our Double A team.

(Q) What advice do you have for all the athletes back at Batavia High School who want to play professional sports?

(A) Stay in shape and work hard. I messed around too much this off-season and I'm paying for it right now. Once you let yourself slip out of shape, it is really hard to get back into it. And as cliche as it may be, have fun with what you do. If you treat it like a job, it is going to feel like a job. Appreciate what you get to do.

[Roxtar]

Best thread ever!

Well atleast since the Bubba thread.

Finally, something to do at work. Keep up the great work.

[PurdueBrad]

Ports Hit .400, No, Not the Good Kind

Stockton, CA- The Ports have struggled all season long to win. One week the offense doesn't show up, then the next the pitching gets shelled or, which has been happening most of the time, neither is any good. But Stockton went on a mini-run the last two weeks and raised their winning percentage to .400, good if you are a hitter, bad if you are a team.

Scott Tyler, a throw-in in the trade that brought Brad Radke to the Rangers, has to be the story of the year thus far. Although his win-loss record is like the team's, miserable, his 2.89 ERA is very promising. He's done it the old fashioned way, just by keeping runners off base. He has a 6 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio and opposing hitters are struggling to bat over .200 against him.

"Being 3-5 with such a low ERA is tough, but I know as the season goes on that my offense will kick it up a gear and we'll get to where we should be," said the promising young pitcher.

The highest profile player on the team Davis Holden struggled early in the year but has recently been showing signs of coming out of his slump. Holden has raised his average almost twenty points over the last two weeks to .247 with 4 homeruns and 12 RBIs. Holden's biggest contribution has been impressive play at third base where hitters have to be lucky to sneak one past him.

"I know I'm partly to blame for our slow start but you'll notice that the team is starting to come out of it and so am I. I'm looking forward to a fun and exciting summer and hopefully I'll get my average back to where it should be," said Holden.

The Rangers' fifth ranked prospect Rick White has quickly grown to be a fan favorite at Billy Hebert Stadium. The first baseman has pounded out a team best .306 average while hammering 3 homers and driving in 13. Fans have been salivating at the thought of how good this infield will be at the corners once Holden's bat catches up to White's.

"I've had to step up and lead this team so far this year which was kind of natural since I am the oldest guy here. Don't let our slow start fool you though, we've got some outstanding talent, two great catchers in Angel (Morales) and Federico (Loya) and a future star in Davis (Holden)," said the fan favorite Rick White.

Fans will have an opportunity to meet their favorite Ports players next week at the team-sponsored Fan Fest. In addition to a meet and greet with all the players, fans will have the opportunity to tour the stadium, walk the field, participate in a variety of raffles, and sample the delicious ballpark fare. Kids will get to meet their favorite mascot, receive a mystery bobblehead upon entrance, and enjoy fireworks at the event's conclusion.

[PurdueBrad]

May 31, 2004

Dear Mom and Dad,

This was going to be an entirely happy letter but I saw something horrific today at the ballpark. Our centerfielder James Kaminsky, a nineteen year old from Alabama, got hurt trying to steal a base today. He slid into second to avoid the tag and he came in pretty awkward, anyway, his spike must have caught and he ended up breaking his ankle. The scariest thing was that the bone actually broke the skin, they say he's probably done for his career so keep him in your prayers.

Its hard to go to good news but I'm really starting to feel at home in Stockton (not that I wouldn't leave it for San Francisco or Arlington in a heartbeat!). We had something called a Fan-Fest this past week where our season ticket holders and other paying fans can meet and mingle with us. I signed a ton of autographs which I absolutely love doing. The best part though was the team made up three bobbleheads to give away to the kids and they made one of me!!! I had one but they ran out at the gate so I gave mine to a little kid that didn't get one. Thats alright though, they made my chin look like Jay Leno's and its kind of freaky looking at a little statue of yourself!

The fans were great though. I'm not having the best year, hitting only .246 with 6 homeruns but the fans were actually excited to meet me. I liked the kids the best though, you would think that we were Major League All-Stars with how big their eyes got at meeting us. I'll never turn away an autograph request if I can help it, its too much fun.

Oh, Mom, I met a girl there. Before you even think it, no, she's not a groupie! We really don't have those here, one of the few times that Bull Durham seems to have gotten something wrong. Anyway, she's twenty and she actually works for the club in the ticket office, don't know how I missed her! We've got a date tomorrow.

In addition to my date, I'm kind of nervous about tomorrow because its the amateur draft. I hope the team doesn't draft a third baseman to come down here and take my place. A lot of the guys on the team are worried about it but we'll manage.

I know Dad's been following the standings but just in case, the Rangers have started to drop back. As soon as Pedro Martinez got hurt, they started to fall off. The word is that he could still pitch at about 70% but apparently the team doesn't want to take any chances so he'll be back in a few more weeks. I hope he hurries because boy do they need him. They've fallen out of first and into third, three games back of Oakland.

Well I've got to go but know that I'm thinking about you.

Davis

[PurdueBrad]

Stockton Ports Receive Influx of Talent

Stockton, CA- The Texas Rangers overly average season last year paid off with the twelth overall pick in the 2004 June Amateur Draft. With their pick, the Rangers worked on fixing major gaps in their minor league system, especially here at Stockton.

The Rangers, notoriously a desert of pitching, used their number 1 pick to bring in twenty year old starting pitcher Lawrence Edmundson. In addition to having tremendous skills on the mound, the pitcher is physically intimidating at 6'7" and 200 pounds.

"When I was a scout the last few years this was a kid that was always on our radar, I'm glad to see him join the organization but I know that he'll start out at least in AA rather than here," said Ports manager Jorge Lopez.

Although it doesn't look like Ports fans will get to Edmundson, the remaining six picks will more than likely don Ports jerseys this year. Manager Jorge Lopez will benefit from three new outfielders, a new shortstop, and a pair of pitchers to add to the Ports' depth.

Connie Poteet and Christian Ortega, both naturally leftfielders, add some veteran leadership and maturity to the young Ports team. The players, respectively twenty-two and twenty-four, join a team filled with players under the age of twenty-one.

The third outfielder is Carlos Salgado, an eighteen year old, is the most exciting of the outfield prospects. He has tremendous speed and is an acrobatic centerfielder. The Rangers are hoping that Salgado will develop into a true, solid leadoff hitter with some power.

Rounding out a very solid infield will be new shortstop Michael Elmer. The nineteen year old native Californian is known for good bat control and could develop into a good number 2 hitter. The Rangers will probably hope to see some improvements in his defense at Stockton.

The Ports will welcome both a new starting pitcher, Andre Hicks, and a middle reliever, Frank Corman. Hicks will be joining a club that has been struggling to score enough runs to support their pitchers but claims to look forward to the challenge. Corman seems to be in the mold of number 1 pick Edmundson as he is also 6'7" but is bulkier at 225 pounds.

[PurdueBrad]

Bill Walters' Baseball Radio Show (Interview Transcript 6/11/04)

Bill Walters- Listeners we are extremely privileged to be joined by the Stockton Ports' star third baseman Davis Holden. Welcome back Davis, its good to have you here.

D.H.- Thanks a lot Bill, I had a lot of fun last time so its great to be back.

B.W.- You had a rough couple of months at the plate, in fact, as recently as May 31'st you were hitting .247 with 3 homeruns and 12 RBIs and then came June. In just ten days, you've raised your average to .262, hit 4 more homeruns with 7 RBIs, can you keep this up for the rest of June?

D.H.- June has been good to me, I don't know what else to say. I've been seeing the ball extremely well and felt incredibly comfortable at the plate. Actually one of the biggest differences is that I've changed to a lighter bat. Coach Lopez has been trying to help me cut down on my strikeouts so he had me switch bats, its gone pretty well.

B.W.- Another change is that you've been switched from second to seventh in the lineup, how do you feel about that?

D.H.- Its kind of a strange spot for me but as you see, its worked out. I'm used to being around the center of the order so it kind of hurt my pride at first but I've been dealing with it. But it gives me a chance to drive in the guys that the heart of the order leave stranded.

B.W.- What is your opinion of the new talent that joined the team after the draft?

D.H.- We've upgraded at a few positions, including an entirely new outfield. I think the biggest addition will be Andre Hicks though. He's thrown two games for us and has been amazing. I'm not sure what his ERA is but I know its minute.

B.W.- Hicks, in two games, is 1-0 with a 0.59 ERA in 15 innings. He's only allowed 9 hits and struck out 19. He and Tyler have been solid but their win-loss records aren't as good as they should be, what is missing from the offense?

D.H.- Early in the year we were just sluggish, I don't know any other way to explain it. Now its just a matter of us getting used to playing with each other. I guarantee though that we'll be a better team as the season goes on.

B.W.- What did you think of your first experience at the Stockton Ports' Fan Fest?

D.H.- No offense to the fans but I hope its my last, I keep hoping to get promoted!!! No, but honestly, it was probably the most fun I've had since coming to Stockton, the fans were great, and it was just a lot of fun. I'm not going to say who did it but when Angel Morales was doing his tv interview and got a pie in the face, that may be the funniest thing I've seen.

B.W.- Well my last question is this, how did it feel to have your own bobblehead?

D.H.- It was kind of embarrassing actually. The team didn't tell me in advance so it was a surprise when I saw the first one. I don't know, maybe I have an inflated view of myself, but I really hope I don't look like that!

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, June 25, 2004

Since the last time I wrote in here I have gone on a run. I've gotten my average back up to a respectable .277 with 10 homeruns and 30 RBIs. June has been good to me. I came into the month with very different numbers: .247, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs. The word is that I may be getting a call soon. Especially since my old friend Dwayne Miranda is still struggling to hit his weight up in AA.

Our team is still having a rough go of it overall though. We are 33-43 which, although a big improvement over last year, still isn't what a franchise wants to see out of its' youth. Speaking of win-loss records, our Rangers are still battling it out in the AL West. They currently are 43-33 and a mere half a game back of the Oakland Athletics, talk about a turn around!

The Major League All-Star Game is coming up and we'll be in the middle of a roadtrip when it happens so we've gotten together and decided to throw a party at the hotel we're in. I don't care how unimportant the game is, I've always loved watching the All-Star Game. It gives fans a chane to see the cream of the crop on the field and in the lineup together.

My favorite players aren't the obvious ones, maybe that comes from being a ballplayer. I'm not a big Bonds or A-Rod or Sosa guy, I always like the guys that make a career out of a little less talent.

Although I hate rooting for pitchers, you can't go wrong cheering on Tim Wakefield. He was a former minor league infielder like me but he stopped hitting, got cut and on the way out convinced them to check out his knuckleball. Kind of makes me wish I could throw one of them!

From the offensive side of things I've become a Rafeal Palmiero fan since meeting him back in September. He really is like the ultimate professional hitter, he's so much fun to watch at the plate. I like Mike Sweeney and Brian Giles too. They are both stuck in struggling small market franchises and forced to be leaders of their teams with next to no protection in the lineup yet they find ways to put up massive numbers.

I found out today that with my big June that I'm currently tied for 10'th in homeruns among all Single A players. Its about time my power makes an appearance. If I hadn't struggled so badly the first couple months I would be leading the darn thing.

The one good thing about my sudden offensive output is that I've all but locked up the team's Player of the Month Award and the Outback dinner that goes along with it. I'm thinking of taking the girl I met at the Fan-Fest...

[Tiger Fan]

Just finally had a chance to read the whole thing. Fantastic writing. Keep it up.

[Psicosis]

So, how is Davis "Holden" up?

(sorry, it had to be said)

[VegasRobb]

Great story, really enjoying it.

Thank you

[suurimonster]

Excellent, thanks.

[NYJuggalo45]

did this die?

[I_Got_Wood_34]

yes unfortunately they all die

[BaseballGuy21]

That really sucks that this one died. It was so young and showed so much promise. This is and the Bubba thread are on my all-time favorites list.