Sea Dogs Receive Awards

Last week was a successful one for the Sea Dogs, and two of their players were rewarded for their efforts. Chad Spann and Phil Seibel received Eastern League Player and Pitcher of the week honors, respectively. Spann hit .481 (13-27) for the week, with three doubles, a triple and a home run. He scored 8 runs and drove in 7. Seibel made two starts for a total of 10 shutout innings in running his scoreless streak to 17.1 consecutive innings. Seibel, along with Kason Gabbard and Chris Smith, helped limit the Connecticut Defenders to one run in sweeping a three-game set over the weekend, much to the dismay of a fellow blogger. Portland now leads the EL East by five games over Connecticut and New Britain.

The Altoona Curve come to town this week. They are currently in second place, 1/2 game out of first in the EL South, but they are doing it with a bunch of minor league veterens. Only three members of the current roster warrant inclusion on John Sickels' list, and they all rate at C+, which is hardly a sure thing.

Two of the players are the keystone combination of Craig Stansberry (2B) and Javier Guzman (SS). Thus far on the season, the two (both 23 years old) have hit like middle infielders. Stansberry shows a bit more power and patience, coming in at 236/324/415-7-22 with 7 steals. Guzman's line, 236/272/316-2-15, screams "I better play good defense." Alas, Guzman leads the team with 15 errors, not that this is the strongest indicator of defensive performance.

The other prospect is RHP Chad Blackwell, who missed the first two month of the season and has appeared in two games, allowing three runs in three innings pitched. Blackwell is just 22 years old, so he certainly has time to develop.

Also on the Altoona roster is former Sea Dog Brett Roneberg. The 2004 Sea Dogs MVP (278-17-77) and now a part time outfielder for the Curve, Roneberg is also one of their top hitters, batting 313/365/447-5-25 in 38 games.