Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Minor Leagues:

51s’ Basso back in Vegas to rekindle winning ways

Former LV Stars catcher says his Triple-A team will battle for PCL title

51s Media Day

Leila Navidi

Manager Mike Basso, center, talks with player Howie Clark, right, during media day for the Las Vegas 51s on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at Cashman Field.

Only the Name Stays the Same

After spending the past eight season as the Triple-AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Las Vegas 51s are the top farm club for the Toronto Blue Jays. The 51s open the season on Thursday night.

51s Media Day

The Las Vegas 51s warm up before practice during media day at Cashman Field in Las Vegas on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. Launch slideshow »

Beyond the Sun

It had been 15 years since Mike Basso had been back to Las Vegas.

It has been even longer since the city’s Triple-A baseball affiliate has won a Pacific Coast League title.

But this summer could mark the return of both.

“That would be awesome to win it again,” said Basso, who is in his first year as the 51s' manager, but in 1988, he was a catcher for the Las Vegas Stars when the area’s minor league franchise last won the PCL crown as a part of the San Diego Padres’ organization.

“The city has change quite a bit. Where there was dirt, now there is a lot of development,” said Basso, whose 51s open the season on the road Thursday at Colorado Springs. “But (Cashman) field is pretty much the same way it was as far as dimensions and the way it plays, which is fast.

“Vegas is obviously a great place. I’m very happy to be back here and see some friendly, familiar faces.”

It’s the new faces though, that now represent the Toronto Blue Jays instead of the Los Angeles Dodgers that local fans will be interested in. Last fall, Toronto signed a two-year contract with the 51s, while the Dodgers relocated to their previous Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque, N.M.

“We got a real good mix of veterans and talented youngsters,” said the 44-year-old Basso, who began his 10-year managerial career as a player/coach for the Padres’ affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and last season was a coordinator of instruction for the Blue Jays.

“We’re really balanced. We got some veteran depth on our pitching staff and have some speed, defense and a few players that know how to handle the bat.”

A handful of first-round picks — including a couple of 2007 selections in catcher J.P. Arencibia (21st overall pick) and pitcher Brett Cecil (38th overall) — dot the roster for the 51s, whose home opener is April 17.

Right-hander Bryan Bullington was the first overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Indianapolis native, who has played in nine Major League games, played in Triple-A Indianapolis last year as well as with Buffalo. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder also pitched in three games with the Cleveland Indians, posting an 0-2 record with 12 strikeouts.

Second baseman Scott Campbell played all of last season at the Blue Jays’ Double-A New Hampshire affiliate. The first native New Zealander ever selected in the MLB draft also participated in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game, representing the winning World Team.

Fellow infielder Joe Inglett played in 109 games for an injury-riddled Toronto team last year, posting a .297 average while scoring 45 runs and driving in 39 RBIs.

Veteran outfielder Jason Lane has played in nearly 500 big league games and hit a home run in the 2005 World Series.

“Everybody here can play in the big leagues. Either they have played there or will play there,” said Don Logan, the 51s’ president and general manger. "We’ve got a really solid squad and I think it’s going to be a fun season.”

But the year began with slight turmoil as the 51s found out that the Dodgers, which had been affiliated with the city since 2001, were returning to their longtime roots in Albuquerque.

Logan doesn’t hide the fact that he was disappointed with the way the Dodgers left.

“The first morning when you can start talking to other affiliates I get a call from the Albuquerque affiliate that the Dodgers were gonna return there. The Dodgers didn’t even call,” said Logan, recounting the mid-September memory.

“But the next call I got was from Dick Scott (director of player development for the Blue Jays) saying they were not going back to Syracuse. He said: 'I hear you guys run a good operation, would you be interested in talking?’ We both got on planes the next day and started hammering out the details.”

While the 51s always have been an organization representing National League teams, Logan isn’t worried about the transition to the American League. Nor not having the connection with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which naturally tied in with many Las Vegas residents, who have relocated from California.

In fact, Logan said he’s pleased with the positive atmosphere resulting from the change.

“The Blue Jays to this point have been much more professional, much more worried about the performance on the field,” he said. “They want their guys to win at the minor-league level. The Dodgers were kind of like 'as long as you get pitchers their innings and batters their at-bats, that’s all that matters. If you do well, that’s great. If you don’t, no big deal.’

“That’s not how these guys operate at all. They want results. It’s a whole different mindset. They’re concerned about the little stuff, and that’s what baseball is all about. Bunting, defense, stealing bases, being in the right place at the right time. That’s the difference between good, winning baseball and bad baseball.”

Logan said despite the 2,200-mile distance from Las Vegas to Toronto, he doesn’t expect the Canadian team to do anything differently with rehab assignments for pros or call-ups and call-downs within the organization.

“No, they won’t use New Hampshire just because it’s closer. They’ll come here for the level of play,” Logan said. “The good thing about Vegas is we’re the seventh-busiest airport in the country so there are a lot of flights in and out. The Blue Jays are gonna be in Toronto for 81 games, but they’re also gonna be on the road for another 81 games and we’ve got direct access to every Major League city in the country.

“It’s easy to get flights from west to east, it might be a little more difficult to come from east to west. So when their guys are coming here, it might be a day delay. But no big deal.”

While Basso said he doesn’t concern himself with transactions, he did say he’s already delivered a special speech about the “distractions” available within Las Vegas.

“We’ve talked to them about that. If they’re going to burn the candle at both ends, then they’ll burn out at this end,” Basso said. “There’s a lot of money to be made in the Major Leagues. They know that, and it’s ultimately their responsibility to handle themselves appropriately.”

The 22-year-old Cecil agreed with his manager, but said he’s already experienced a taste of the temptations with a couple of games of cards and craps.

“It’s my first time out here and as a young guy it can be pretty overwhelming with all the nightlife and casinos and stuff,” said the University of Maryland standout. “You just try not to do too much.

“I know what’s ahead of me and I definitely don’t want to ruin it by getting into too much of anything out here.”

Plus, there’s that whole thing of Basso rekindling his “Vegas magic” and the 51s recapturing a long-awaited PCL crown.

“A PCL championship is definitely what we’re after,” Cecil said with a smile.

Andy Samuelson can be reached at [email protected] or 702-948-7837.

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