Andrew Constant – Sports Writer

Brandon Bantz has hit nearly .300 since the All-Star break. Photo by: Parker Waters/New Orleans Zephyrs

The life of a catcher in the minor leagues can be a tiring one. The lengthy roadtrips and extreme temperatures, taking a toll on the players that strap on the tools of ignorance. The turnover on pitching staffs and pressure to keep up with new players on a nearly daily basis.

But for Brandon Bantz, as the season has gone on, his performance has spiked instead of dipped.

Bantz, who has played semi-regularly for the Zephyrs since joining the club in late-April, is batting .298 (17-for-57) in 19 games since the All-Star break and displaying above-average ability to throw out base runners. In his seventh year of professional baseball, Bantz has learned how to improve as a player over the course of a long season, just focusing on himself day in and day out.

“It’s always a grind, especially in this league with the travel as it is. If you’re not used to it, first year up, it’s kind of like ‘holy smokes, what is going on here?’ But you get used to it after that first year and you start to get into a routine and know what to expect, so that’s a plus coming in after being in this league for a couple of stints,” he said. “I have specifically learned for myself is just more growing and who I am as a player. Getting better at understanding who I am and what I do and what it’s going to take for me to contribute and be a player at the next level.”

Bantz had a very brief cup of coffee in the majors in 2013 with Seattle, batting twice against Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees. Since then, he has been in both the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins organizations, settling in this season as a backup for the Zephyrs.

He hit .286 in 15 games in May before struggling in June (.224 average, 14 strikeouts), but Bantz’s defense has never waned. His ability to throw out baserunners has been lethal this season, as he’s nabbed 12 of 34 potential runners (.353 percentage) and it’s something he takes serious pride in.

“A lot of times it gets boring back there when nobody runs, so for me I love when you get a team that runs a lot. I take it personally. I love that challenge when I know a team is going to run and I try to own that and win that battle,” Bantz said. “It’s a strength of mine and I have to continue to maintain and get better at.”

If he had enough games played to qualify for the league leaderboard, Bantz would rank third among Pacific Coast League catchers in throwing out baserunners. It would also be the best mark by a Zephyrs backstop since Gustavo Molina in 2008.

When he’s at the plate and not behind it, Bantz has taken off offensively, hitting .324 (11-for-34) in August and significantly cutting down on his strikeout totals. Over the season’s first three months, he struck out 27 times in 99 at-bats, and since July 1, Bantz has struck out only seven times in 76 plate appearances.

“With this being my seventh year, I’ve been through it a little bit and I am more accustomed to the rigors of a season and everybody is different, everybody’s bodies are different, but I have learned what works for me during the season to keep me healthy and fresh towards the end of the season. If I were in the big leagues, we’d have a whole month to go now. You have to be ready for that,” he said.

If Bantz is to make it back to the big leagues, whether it be with Miami or another organization, his dual-threat ability to not only hit when given the opportunity but to also neutralize an opponent’s running game plays in any situation.

“I think it’s something I take pride in, being able to be an everyday player in the big leagues. That’s our goal: to be that kind of a guy. Obviously we all can’t be that, but that’s the mentality and you want to be out there every day helping your team,” he said.

Marcell Ozuna has batted .353 with 12 extra-base hits in his first 18 games with the Zephyrs. Photo by: Parker Waters / New Orleans Zephyrs

Coming into 2015, the Miami Marlins had reasons to believe that this would be the season to break a 12-year playoff drought since winning the franchise’s second World Series in 2003.

The team had acquired Dee Gordon and Dan Haren from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and veteran righty Mat Latos from Cincinnati. They gave superstar slugger Giancarlo Stanton a 13-year, $325 million contract extension, the richest contract in American sports history.

Miami had the makings of one of the best outfields in the game, with all three positions occupied by players 25 years old or younger. Christian Yelich, a 2014 National League Gold Glove winner, also signed a new contract with the club prior to the season after batting .284 with nine home runs and 54 RBI in his first full season.

But the player who manned the outfield between Stanton and Yelich flashed two-way ability that could impact the game like few others in the league. 24-year-old Marcell Ozuna, the club’s starting center fielder, was coming off a season in which he hit .269 with 23 home runs, 26 doubles and 85 RBI. He played defense at a high level, racking up 10 outfield assists to rank second in the National League.

However, the 2015 season has not gone the way Ozuna or the Marlins would have liked it to, as the Dominican Republic native went 1-for-37 over a 10-game stretch before being optioned to New Orleans on July 5. He had been hitting .249 with four homers and 26 RBI for Miami in 79 games. It was the first demotion of any kind for Ozuna since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2008.

“It’s funny, I have so much history with Ozuna; I’ve know him since he signed,” Zephyrs manager Andy Haines said. “I managed instructional league the day he came in and it’s funny to see him go from a little kid, basically, to what he is now and in the grand scheme of things, like I’ve told him about 10 times, this is the best thing that could ever happen to him. I think he’s a major league All-Star and I think he could be a superstar-type player.”

Ozuna has come to New Orleans and performed the way he’s capable of, batting .353 with 12 extra-base hits in 18 games, while collecting four homers and nine RBI. He recently rescued the Zephyrs with a game-tying home run in the ninth inning in Nashville, and has hit .524 (11-for-21) in the seventh inning and later.

“You just don’t see guys that can do what he does with the bat,” Haines said. “Some of the balls he’s hit and the way he can play the outfield and throw. I don’t know if I’ve had a player handle it better, coming from the big leagues to Triple-A. He just plays with a joy about him and he’s happy and he’s been a good teammate.”

For now, as he continues to rack up the hits against Pacific Coast League pitchers, Ozuna awaits the call that will bring him back to Miami. He said it’s been tough, but he continues to put his best foot forward and hone his craft.

“I am just waiting for Miami to give me the chance again to play in the big leagues,” Ozuna said. “That’s what I work for and what I wait for.”

As for his recent run of success with the Zephyrs, Ozuna said he isn’t trying to do too much, instead focusing on the basics.

“I’m just going out there trying to hit the ball. I don’t do anything specific. I just hit the ball and stay back,” he said.

Andre Rienzo worked a scoreless second inning during the PCL’s 4-3 loss to the IL. Photo by: Chris Donahue

When the Pacific Coast League announced the players it had selected to attend the 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game at Werner Park in Omaha, Zephyrs starter Andre Rienzo’s name was not on the list, despite a 2.75 ERA.

But when fellow starter Adam Conley was summoned from New Orleans to Miami for a spot start the Saturday before the break, Rienzo was chosen to replace his teammate for his third career All-Star nod. It was an honor that Rienzo said he was very humbled to accept.

“Conley deserved it and couldn’t go after he got called up, so I went and I really appreciate that the team gave me a chance to go,” Rienzo said.

Having previously pitched in the 2011 California/Carolina League All-Star Game and the 2013 Futures Game, Rienzo was able to draw from his experience and work around a leadoff walk to toss a scoreless second inning in an eventual 4-3 PCL loss to the International League’s best.

“I have been in the bullpen before so I just tried to relax and not do too much, because sometimes when you go to the bullpen you do too much and get a loss. I just wanted to go to the All-Star Game and have fun. The game is about having fun and I tried my best and had fun with the whole thing,” Rienzo said.

The 27-year-old right-hander from Brazil had set down the two batters he faced in the California/Carolina League tilt and then followed that up two summers later with a perfect frame with a national audience at the Futures Game at Citi Field. Pitching for the World Team, Rienzo got San Diego’s Austin Hedges to pop up, got Cincinnati’s speed demon Billy Hamilton to ground out, and struck out Texas’s Delino DeShields Jr.

Rienzo said he didn’t think too much about his impressive performance two years ago, instead opting to just go out there and try his best and have fun.

“The Futures Game was different. Everybody in that game was just happy to be there, and our league’s All-Star Game is in the middle of the season so we can just have fun and see friends from other teams on the other side,” he said.

After walking Dixon Machado to open the second inning last Wednesday, Rienzo got Jackie Bradley Jr. to line out and then induced a groundout from James Beresford before striking out Matt Hague to end his night in front of the national TV audience on MLB Network.

Setting aside the TV cameras, Rienzo focused on his task and has now thrown 2 2/3 scoreless innings in three career All-Star appearances.

“It’s really cool because this is one of the things you work for,” Rienzo said. “You care a lot about your teammates and your team, but sometimes when you have that kind of chance to be by yourself in an All-Star Game, it’s pretty cool.”

Isaac Galloway has made highlight-reel catches routine during his first Triple-A campaign. Photo by: Parker Waters / New Orleans Zephyrs

On any ballclub, there always seems to be at least one player that makes highlight-reel plays and impacts games with his glove and arm.

For the New Orleans Zephyrs, that man is clearly Isaac Galloway.

Galloway has hit .243 in 67 games in his first season at Triple-A, but has been a difference-maker for the Zephyrs in the outfield, consistently running down fly balls and on occasion robbing home runs from the opposition.

Galloway has said that he takes batting practice seriously, using the time before games to practice his routes to fly balls and keep his legs in shape so he can be a game-changer.

“My legs are important. I have to make sure I keep them fresh to run down balls,” he said. “But I try and take good routes in BP and I take that pretty serious. I try to make my defense as important as my offense.”

The offensive side of the game has slowly started to come around for the 26-year-old Galloway, who has hit .300 (9-for-30) in nine July games. He has been in the lineup 66 of 71 games since joining the club in late-April and Galloway said that being in there nearly every day has helped him mature as a player.

“Last year my playing time and at-bats were sporadic and that was kind of the first time for me that I had to deal with that,” he said. “It was an adjustment for me and I didn’t know how to handle that. But this year, I’ve gotten a lot more playing time and more consistent playing time so that has helped me get into more of a rhythm.”

Galloway is tied for the team lead with six stolen bases, despite not having one since June 17. He said he wants to run as often as possible for the Z’s, who have the third-fewest stolen bases in the league, but knows he needs to pick and choose his spots well.

“I try and go for it as much as possible when I get on base,” Galloway said. “This isn’t a team that runs too much and when I get on I try and make something happen.”

A player that relies on his speed to be dangerous, Galloway has set a new career-best with seven triples this season, and had a walk-off RBI single against Omaha on June 13 during a stretch where he had at least one hit in 13 of 16 games.

He has hit .274 with six doubles, five triples and two home runs at home, compared to .213 with six extra-base hits on the road. Considering New Orleans is no paradise to hit in compared to some of the higher-elevated cities in the Pacific Coast League, Galloway said he doesn’t change his approach depending on where he’s digging into the batter’s box.

“I’ve never thought about it or even realized it,” he said. “I have the same approach, home or away, so I guess I am just a little more comfortable at home.”

For a player that collected his first Triple-A hit off Barry Zito on April 25, Galloway has not eased up at all, knowing he’s nearly assured of being slotted into center field upon arrival into the Zephyrs’ clubhouse.

“When I first got called up here, I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” he said. “But I just try to play hard and play well and I definitely don’t take playing every day for granted.”

Nick Wittgren has converted 10 of 11 save opportunities since joining the Zephyrs in mid-April. Photo by: Parker Waters / New Orleans Zephyrs

Nick Wittgren has only been a professional baseball player for three and a half seasons now. But he’s starting to get accustomed to being named an All-Star.

The closer was one of two Zephyrs selected to the 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game, to be played at Omaha’s Werner Park on July 15, along with starting pitcher Adam Conley.

Wittgren has now been chosen to represent four different leagues in mid-summer All-Star Games since being selected by the Marlins in the ninth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Purdue.

“It’s awesome. Being selected with Conley is definitely an honor,” Wittgren said.

The 24-year-old right-hander was previously an All-Star in the New York-Penn League in 2012, the Florida State League in 2013 and the Southern League last season. But the bump up in level of play has elevated Wittgren’s performance, as he has tied for fourth in the Pacific Coast League with 10 saves since being promoted from Double-A Jacksonville in mid-April.

Wittgren said he started to grasp the mentality of being a closer when he got to Purdue after spending one season at Parkland College in Illinois.

“I thrive on pressure and it all started once I got to Purdue. My coach asked me if I wanted to close and I said ‘sure.’ It started from there,” he said. “Sure enough, I had success and he looked at me at the end of the season and asked if I wanted to start again and I said, ‘whatever you want, but I love closing.’ He said they were going to keep me there and I’ve been loving it since. I just love going out there and competing.”

Wittgren set a new school-record with 22 saves at Purdue and was the winning pitcher in the Big Ten Tournament championship game in 2012. He became the first Boilermaker to record a double-figure saves total in consecutive seasons and pitched to a 1.46 ERA for Jamestown in 17 games after being picked by the Marlins.

He has been on the fast-track through the Miami system since, recording 25 saves in 29 chances for Single-A Advanced Jupiter in 2013, which earned him a late-season promotion to Jacksonville, where he converted he only save chance.

Wittgren had 20 saves in 25 chances for the Suns last season, becoming one of only four minor leaguers to notch at least 20 saves in each of the last two years, but faced some adversity by allowing six home runs and posting a 3.55 ERA in 52 games for the Southern League champions.

His first season with New Orleans has been nearly adversity-free, as he successfully converted his first eight save chances before blowing a one-run lead on June 28 at Iowa.

“It’s always tough when you give up the lead and essentially lose it for your team, but as a baseball player in general, you have to have a short memory and if you hold onto things, it’s going to eat you alive in this game,” he said.

Wittgren responded with a perfect ninth the following day and now has 11 saves in 12 chances for the Zephyrs to go along with a 2.18 ERA in 33 innings. The hard-thrower has 34 strikeouts compared to just five walks, and he has allowed the second-fewest number of baserunners per nine innings in the PCL at 8.45.

He said that when the Zephyrs’ starters pitch well – the club leads the PCL with a 3.13 ERA – he gets the itch to get out there and do the same.

“It’s definitely contagious when our starters are going well. You see the starter going out there and competing and that fires up the bullpen. I want to be in the game and who doesn’t want to be a part of a shutout?” Wittgren said.

Conley is slated to start the All-Star Game in Omaha later this month, and if all goes to plan, Wittgren could be in line to save it for his teammate, a proposition that sounds just fine to the closer.

“That would be pretty cool if he got the start and the win and I got the save,” he said.

Austin Nola warms up with Marlins teammates prior to an exhibition game at Zephyr Field on March 30, 2013. Photo by: Parker Waters

The last time New Orleans Zephyrs shortstop Austin Nola took the field in Omaha, Nebraska, he was suiting up for the LSU Tigers in the College World Series.

This week, Nola returns to the city of his most successful triumph, having earned a promotion to Triple-A for the first time as the Z’s open a four-game series against the Omaha Storm Chasers.

“I haven’t been back in Omaha since we won in 2009 so it’ll be a lot of fun,” Nola said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to run by the old Rosenblatt site where we had so many memories.”

It was in the 2009 College World Series where Nola, then a freshman for the Tigers, had his coming-out party, helping LSU win its sixth championship in the penultimate season at historic Rosenblatt Stadium. His defense at shortstop was perfect – no errors in 24 chances in Omaha – and his bat started to come around .250 (5-for-20 with a double, home run and four runs scored) ahead of three more seasons in the middle of the diamond for LSU.

Following a four-year run at LSU, Nola was chosen by Miami in the fifth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft and he worked his way to Double-A Jacksonville in 2014, where he was a member of the Southern League championship team that was headlined by a host of current Zephyrs.

But it was not an easy road for Nola once he got to Jacksonville, and even after tasting success for the Suns last season, he returned to Double-A this year and was tasked with playing some second base, a new position for him.

“I needed to learn how to play more second base and get used to playing all around the diamond, being a utility player. That was big for me to get some good reps at second base at Double-A,” Nola said. “I was just trying to refine my approach, that’s it. I want to be consistent and I’ve been able to hit in all counts and play good defense at some different positions, which is a big thing for me.”

Though he hit only .211 in 69 games for Jacksonville this year, Nola was called up to New Orleans last weekend when starting shortstop Miguel Rojas earned himself a promotion to Miami.

“It’s a change of scenery and I’m moving on up. That’s always what you want to do when you get into this line of business: move up the ladder,” he said.

Nola played 27 games at second base, making three errors in 101 chances, but knows he needs to show versatility to continue “climbing the ladder.”

“Reid [Brignac] and I talked about that in spring training,” Nola said. “We talked a little about he and I being Louisiana guys and he just told me to play everything like shortstop. A lot of people I have talked to about it say that if you play shortstop a lot, you’ll be able to adjust to any other position on the field.”

For now, Nola will have to adjust to playing close to home for the first time since graduating from LSU in 2012. But he knows that when he and the Zephyrs return home starting July 4, he’ll have plenty of ticket requests to deal with.

“I’ve got a lot of great family and friends that are all looking forward to getting to see me when we get home and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “I have a lot of family and friends and you can’t beat that.”

Adam Conley has ranked among the PCL leaders in wins and ERA en route to making his big league debut. Photo by: Parker Waters / New Orleans Zephyrs

Pitching just an hour from his hometown, Adam Conley had more support than usual in the stands on June 5.

The 25-year-old left-hander was making his first professional start in his home state of Washington, with more than 30 friends and family in the stands as the Zephyrs took on the Tacoma Rainiers. Conley, who resides nearby in Olympia, Washington, gave his supporters plenty to cheer for.

Conley delivered his best start of the year, throwing 7 1/3 innings, scattering six hits and three runs, while striking out eight as the Z’s won 6-4. He threw 72 of his 107 pitches for strikes and turned in his longest start of the year.

“There was more adrenaline in that start than others. I just felt like the atmosphere there was a little more electric for me, knowing who was there and everything and just from the baseball side of it, it’s a great atmosphere there in Tacoma,” Conley said. “But on top of it, knowing there were so many friends and family there watching me put it over the edge.”

But the great feeling that Conley had following his best start of the season was only multiplied three days later when the Marlins called him up for his Major League debut.

“It was an awesome week for me, that’s for sure. It’s one I won’t forget,” Conley said. “When you go through professional baseball you wonder what that day is going to be like, and over the past few years, I was anticipating it more and was more anxious about that day coming. As I’ve gotten older, I understand better that when I was going to go up there, I needed to be ready and give myself the best chance to stay.”

Conley did his part, setting down the side in order on only six pitches on June 10 at Toronto. Although he was returned to New Orleans on June 12, Conley was able to take in the full experience of being in the bigs and pitching on a new mound, in a new stadium in front of all kinds of new fans.

“What I like to do, and I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now, is when I get to a new stadium that I’ve never been to, I take a good look around then so when I go out there to pitch, it’s not going to be the first time I’ve been out there,” he said. “I had not only the early stretching and throwing program before the game, but I sat through two games from start to finish and it was actually the last defensive inning for us in the whole series, so I had a lot of time to take it in and be with the guys and learn the ropes.”

In two starts upon returning to Triple-A, Conley has earned a pair of victories, including Wednesday’s win over Round Rock when he limited the Express to one hit in six scoreless innings.

The win was Conley’s seventh of the year to move him into a tie for the Pacific Coast League lead, and he lowered his ERA to 2.61, putting him in consideration for the third All-Star nod of his career in his third different level of the Marlins organization.

But Conley said he’s just pitching more consistently to get more outs this season, after struggling in his first taste of Triple-A in 2014.

“I don’t think the things I am doing well right now are any better than they have been in the past when I do things well,” he said. “But I think it’s just limiting those mistakes and being more consistent. When I go out there I don’t do anything special. I just try and move my fastball to both sides of the plate and I try and get ahead and stay ahead.”

“When I can throw three pitches for a strike, on both sides of the plate, I like my chances. I think hitting is the hardest thing to do in sports and I try and keep that in mind when I’m on the mound.”

Derek Dietrich has hit .424 over his last nine games with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. Photo by: Parker Waters / New Orleans Zephyrs

After getting off to a hot start in the season’s first three weeks, Derek Dietrich cooled off significantly and saw his average dip into the low .200’s. For a player with 106 games and 373 at-bats under his belt in the major leagues, Dietrich knew that he needed to just stay the course and his bat would come back to him.

He closed May with a bang, racking up five extra-base hits and seven RBI over the final week of the month, getting his average back near his career minor league mark of .280.

“I think I’m usually a pretty good starter into the season and I got off to a good start here, but I just had to battle there for a few weeks,” Dietrich said. “I never panicked once and I trusted my ability to hit and I’ve just been a little bit more aggressive and really looking to drive the ball and use the opposite field.”

From May 23-27, Dietrich went on a tear, picking up three straight two-hit games, with five of those hits being doubles. He sprayed the ball to left field helped lengthen a lineup that dipped as the month went on. But when the club went on its first West Coast trip of the season, Dietrich’s bat exploded even more, culminating with a 3-for-4 night in Reno, in which he homered and drove in five runs as part of a 14-3 Zephyrs victory.

“Some days you get 10, 12, 15 hits and the runs come easy and other nights you get two or three and win or lose by one,” he said. “Those are tough games, but the defense has been huge for us and our pitching as well, but I don’t think anyone is worried about our lineup. We’ve shuffled around, but when we get the guys in there, everyone trusts we’re going to get it done at the plate.”

New Orleans finished the month of May with the Pacific Coast League’s best ERA at 2.73 and has committed a PCL-low 27 errors on the season, with Dietrich at the center of the defensive renaissance.

He has been involved in the most double plays at second base and leads all PCL second basemen with a .994 fielding percentage (one error in 160 chances), despite playing seven games at third base and one in left field. Dietrich said that shifting around with his glove isn’t too much of an adjustment.

“Third base comes naturally to me, just being an infielder in general, but I also played third a little bit for the USA team in college and in summer baseball, so I played a little bit on that side of the diamond and it’s always been a spot that I feel comfortable at,” he said.

But he knows that showing flexibility and playing multiple positions is a good way to get his resurgent bat into the lineup and show the Marlins that he is more than a one-trick pony in an effort to get back to the big leagues.

After hitting his team-high sixth home run in Tuesday’s loss at Tacoma, Dietrich is batting .276 and has moved into a tie for the club lead with 24 RBI. He has 10 doubles to equal his season total from all of last year.

“I’m just playing anywhere I can to get my bat in the lineup and give our club here and the Marlins an opportunity to use my bat,” he said.