Was good to hear from former Greensboro News and Record sportswriter and former Greensboro minor league baseball beat writer, Bill Hass this week, and Bill also wrote Bill on Baseball for the Greensboro Grasshoppers for several years, and Bill has the beat/pulse on what is happening with the former Greensboro Grasshoppers, as the MLB Trade Deadline came and went this week…. Bill says: I counted three former Hoppers who were involved in the trade deadline frenzy that ended Tuesday. Rodolfo Castro went from Pittsburgh to the Phillies, Mark Canha from the Mets to Milwaukee and Brad Hand from Colorado to…

Koch achieves 3-homer hat trick from Bill Hass with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com…. Grant Koch did something that a Hoppers’ hitter hadn’t accomplished in 12 years Friday night — hit three home runs in a game. The catcher, who came into the game with four home runs for the season, became the first Hoppers’ batter to hit three in a game since Scott Cousins pulled off the feat on Aug. 22, 2007. Koch, batting ?8 in the lineup, flied out in his first at-bat, then homered in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings. All were solo shots and…

Hoppers keep big picture in focus from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers), at www.gsohoppers.com…. As players learn and grow through their first full season of pro baseball, so does a manager. The Hoppers lost their home finale Thursday night, 7–0 to Rome, and were officially eliminated from any chance at making the South Atlantic League playoffs. But the result of this one game didn’t spoil anything about the bigger picture for manager Miguel Perez. “For a first taste of Greensboro it was a great year,” he said. The Hoppers carry a 77–57 record into their final four games…

Hoppers turn tables with shutout from Bill Hass on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com…. Pitching and defense is a hard combination to beat and the Hoppers used it to their advantage Tuesday night. After dropping a 1–0 decision to Rome on Monday, they bounced back to beat the Braves 3–0. Four pitchers combined for the shutout with Steven Jennings picking up his seventh win of the season. Rome collected nine hits but, like the Hoppers the previous night, could not get one to produce a run. Greensboro’s defense played a big role in that, turning four double plays. “That’s a beautiful…

Shutout pitching carries Hoppers from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers), at www.gsohoppers.com…… A shutout is always a source of pride for a pitching staff. The Hoppers delivered one Saturday night, blanking Augusta 7–0. It was the staff’s 10th shutout of the season and fourth at home. “A shutout is a shot in the arm,” said pitching coach Stan Kyles. “And it makes the pitching coach feel pretty good.” The bulk of the work was done by Winston Nicacio, making a spot start for Colin Selby. The right-hander settled into a groove early and Augusta never mounted a serious…

Hoppers beat oddball defense to win from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers), at www.gsohoppers.com…. You want pitching? The Hoppers delivered a lot of that Friday night. Clutch hitting? They were able to provide some against the best pitcher in the South Atlantic League. Drama? Well, you had to see the bottom of the ninth inning when the Hoppers scored against a gimmick defense to beat a tough Augusta team 4–3. Let’s start with the drama. With the game tied 3–3, Grant Koch drew a leadoff walk from left-handed relief pitcher Bryce Tucker. Hoppers manager Miguel Perez then inserted…

Herman “Feeling Good” after 4 RBIs from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com Jack Herman likes being a little different. When he comes to the plate for the Hoppers, for instance, his walk-up music isn’t a fast-paced piece to get his adrenaline pumping. Instead, it’s the smooth, jazzy, old-time Big Band sound of Michael Buble singing “Feeling Good.” And that certainly applied to Herman Friday night when he drove in four runs to lead the Hoppers to a 7–3 victory over Kannapolis to open a four-game series. “I’m wired all the time,” he explained about his music,…

Harrer’s simple approach pays off from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball, from www.gsohoppers.com Keep it simple. Sometimes baseball players forget that basic rule and become their own worst enemies. Just ask Hoppers’ outfielder Justin Harrer. Harrer continued his hot hitting Wednesday afternoon with a home run, a double, two RBIs and two runs scored to lift the Hoppers to a 3–2 win over Asheville. “I had a terrible June,” Harrer said. “I talked with Petey (hitting coach Chris Petersen) and some teammates and I was swinging at balls out of the (strike) zone. So I decided to simplify things.…

Hoppers continue solid hitting in 11–1 win from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball, at www.gsohoppers.com With three of their best hitters promoted to Bradenton, it was only natural to believe the Hoppers might have some trouble getting hits and scoring runs. That hasn’t turned out to be the case. Even with Rodolfo Castro, Lolo Sanchez and Mason Martin gone, the lineup has continued to rake. The latest example was an 11–1 pasting of Hagerstown Wednesday afternoon. That wrapped up a six-game homestand in which the Hoppers churned out 52 runs. They hit five homers Wednesday to follow the four…

Mangieri makes presence felt with two HRs from Bill Hass on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com…. Luke Mangieri had a one-word answer when he was asked about his first impressions of Greensboro. “Hot,” he said after a sweltering Tuesday night in which he helped the Hoppers beat Hagerstown 9–3. That’s also an apt description of the way he’s hitting. In six games since he joined the team, the first baseman is hitting .348 with three homers and eight RBIs. He smacked a pair of two-run homers Tuesday, the first on a changeup and the second on a breaking ball. Mangieri is…

Mottice leads barrage in series finale from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball, at www.gsohoppers.com Kyle Mottice is one of those hitters who just has a knack for finding the open spaces in a defense. “I just try to hit the ball hard and I’ve been lucky enough to find some holes,” he said, deflecting any praise. Well, there’s a bit more to it than that, of course. He was at at again Sunday, getting two hits, drawing two walks, stealing two bases, driving in two runs and scoring three times in the Hoppers’ 12–9 win over West Virginia. In…

Sweep makes fireworks more dazzling from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball, at www.gsohoppers.com…. The post-game fireworks looked a lot brighter for the Hoppers Saturday night. Some of them saw the extravaganza after the game on July 4, but it was more watching than enjoying after they lost an 11–10 game they knew they should have won. Saturday, though, they sprinted out of the tunnel to enjoy the show after sweeping a pair of games against Lakewood. They started by finishing Friday’s suspended game and winning it 9–4. Then they won a tight game 2–1 that required an extra inning.…

Hoppers will carry on despite elimination from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com Wednesday will bring another day and another baseball game for the Hoppers. That’s the approach manager Miguel Perez expects his team to take, even though Greensboro was officially eliminated from the Northern Division race in the first half of the season with a 2–1 loss to Hickory Tuesday night. “Every day matters in player development,” he said. “You win the day. And what I mean by that is that you work on something, like bunting, that will make you better and get you ready…

Ogle’s new role clinches Hoppers’ win from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com Closing games is not something Braedon Ogle ever thought he would be doing, nor is it something he will necessarily be doing down the road. But as long as he’s in that role, he’s having fun. The hard-throwing left-hander recorded his third save Sunday afternoon as the Hoppers beat Lakewood 4–3. It was Ogle’s second save in the series, in which the Hoppers took three out of four games. “I like it a lot,” he said. “When (the Pirates) first approached me about it,…

Hoppers Take Aim On Shorebirds from Bill Hass, with Bill on Baseball, at www.gsohoppers.com There are still 40 games left in the first half of the South Atlantic League schedule, so it’s probably too early to talk about the importance of any series, right? Well, maybe not. The Hoppers open a three-game series at Delmarva Wednesday night and then face the Shorebirds four more times next week in Greensboro. It’s a golden opportunity to pick up some ground on the Northern Division leaders. Rarely will a coach or a player admit that any particular series this time of year is…

Castro, Siri help Hoppers stay hot from Bill Hass with Bill on Baseball, Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball, at www.gsohoppers.com…… Staying ready when you’re not playing isn’t an easy thing, but Raul Siri has managed to do just that for the Hoppers. While he has been with the team since it broke training camp and came to Greensboro, Siri has been on and off?—?mostly off?—?the active roster. He was activated Tuesday when infielder Chase Lambert was promoted to Bradenton to fill an open roster spot caused by an injury. Playing for the first time since April 17, and for just his third…