As the rain soaks into the ground during this crazy Ohio Winter, the Boys in Blue got back to business this past weekend. The Royals held their first practice to prepare for the upcoming 2012 season. The Royals are very excited for the season to begin. For the first time they have their entire 2011 roster returning. They've also added some new talent to help add some more speed and power to the lineup. Jake Wilson is joining the Royals from the Cheese Cake Factory player developement center. Jake joins fellow current Cheese Cakers Tim Peffley and Frank Burgos, and Factory alumni Shawn Rudegeair in the great line of players produced by the Cheese Cake Factory to wear the Powder Blues. Wilson played his first season in the MVABL with the Miami Cardinals, where he belted a game tying triple off the fence in the great night matchup at Kettering Field. Wilson will help add infield depth as veterans Brian Duffy and DJ Swearingen focus on their Bar Exams. Also new to the Boys in Blue is former Wittenberg player Brad "Koop" Koopman. Brad played with current Royals Jason Holmberg, Santel Grant, and Shawn Rudegeair. Koop will also get some work around the field as well as hopefully some work off the mound, and will hopefully bring some more beef to the Royals lineup of hitters.
With the new additions, the Royals hope to rebound from their tough loss to Rangers and get back on the winning track once the first pitch is thrown.
The Royals got some great news this month, current Skipper and catcher Mark Franklin was voted into the 2012 MVABL Hall of Fame. This is a great honor the Royals coach. He entered the league in 1996 as the number 1 selection for the expansion Mets. The Mets were unable to hold together and were disbanded after their first season. Franklin was able to join up with the Expos, where he caught 2 seasons behind the dish for such All-Stars as Matt Klaus. In 1999, the new Expos Coach traded Franklin to the expansion Devil Rays who needed a solid backstop to anchor their defensive lineup. That sesason the Devil Rays were able to win their first Championship. However, in 2000 much of the Championship team was released around the league as their Management looked to pickup new players, and again Franklin was on the move. So in 2000 then current Royals coach, Neil Lynch, picked Franklin up off the waiver wire to fill the defensive whole behind the plate they had on their roster. Franklin, along with current Royal Eric Jameson, struggled through some hard years that saw the Royals always on the bottom, and in 2005, Lynch left the team for personal issues, and Franklin stepped in to help the team survive. Over his first 2 seasons as Royals Skipper he continually built on the talent the team had, adding key pieces to the puzzle from friends of friends to great talent affected by teams folding, and in 2007 the Royals finally joined the MVABL elite after years of climbing that hill and won their first Championship. In 2008 the Royals joined other elite teams, the Astros and Woodpeckers, as the only teams able to win back-to-back Championships. After a tough loss in the 2009 semi-finals the Royals rebounded to win their 3rd title in 4 years in 2010 under Franklin's management. Since taking over as the Royals Skipper he has helped lead the team to 107 victories and ranked in the top 1-2 teams in their division each season. Since joining the Royals in 2000, Franklin has also be a very dependable hitter. He has a career batting average of .339, recorded 279 total regular and post-season hits, plating 154 RBIs, and only striking out every once every 8.9 at-bats out of 823 in his 11 years with the club.
To be selected into the MVABL Hall of Fame is a great honor, and to be the first Royal, out of what he hopes to be many, is a great accomplishment. When asked how he felt about the selection, he replied "I'm over joyed!! I couldn't have gotten here without the many great players that I've played with, or against, over the years that helped push me to be the best I could be. It may be an individual recognition, but it is definitely a team game."
3 Time Miami Valley Adult Baseball League Champions 2007 // 2008 // 2010
3 Time Miami Valley Adult Baseball League Champions
