Andy Appleby loves pointing out that Jimmy John’s Field was built to fulfill dreams, starting with his own.
The inviting, 4,500-capacity venue near downtown Utica is home to the United Shore Professional Baseball League, which Appleby founded in 2016 after nearly 30 years working in high-level sports management positions, including a 12-year stint with the Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment.
He was motivated by a desire to bring affordable, high-quality, fan-friendly independent minor league baseball to Metro Detroit.
Appleby has watched his dream grow ever since.
After averaging 3,100 fans and selling out 42 of 75 games as a three-team league in its inaugural season, the USBPL added a fourth team last year, and average attendance rose to 3,350 per game, including 60 sellouts.
Of Michigan’s seven minor league baseball organizations, only the West Michigan Whitecaps (5,683) and Lansing Lugnuts (4,576) boasted higher attendance last season.
The USPBL has also fulfilled the dreams of 22 players who were hoping to use the league as a springboard to signing contracts with MLB organizations.
Appleby expects several more to do so during the USPBL’s third season, which begins Friday.
“More and more, Major League scouts are paying attention to our league and we are drawing a stronger class of players, because they see it can lead to them to bigger things,” said Appleby, who added that ticket sales are up nearly 30 percent from last year.
The four teams, featuring players ages 18-25, will play a 75-game schedule, mostly on weekends, through September.
More on the USPBL:
Here is a look at five USPBL players who could be the next to sign with MLB organizations, and a preview of what is new in the league this year.
Five players to watch
Thomas Roulis, 2B
Team: Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers
Notable: The New Hyde Park, N.Y., native was the USPBL’s batting champion last season with a .348 average, including eight doubles, in 50 games. He also scored 35 runs, drove in 23, and stole eight bases. Roulis had a .397 on-base percentage and was a .421 slugger.
Roulis, a switch hitter, batted above .300 his final two seasons at Dartmouth and was named to the All-Ivy League first team.
“Thomas was our batting champion last year for a reason, because he always finds a way to hit the ball hard and get on base,” said USPBL Director of Baseball Operations Justin Orenduff, a 2004 Los Angeles Dodgers draft choice. “He is a solid athlete with above-average speed and has shown more power potential in spring training. We would like to see him hit with more power on a consistent basis, but Thomas has all the tools to sign with Major League club before the end of the season.”
Cody Brown, P
Team: Utica Unicorns
Notable: The Fulshear, Texas, native struggled somewhat after joining Utica during last season following a dominant season at NCAA Division III University of Texas-Tyler. Brown was 1-3 with a 3.64 earned run average. He struck out 40 while allowing 38 hits, 25 walks and 19 earned runs in 47 innings.
Brown was 10-3 with a 2.79 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 84 innings his senior season at UT-Tyler. Overall, he posted a 27-8 collegiate record at Tyler (Texas) Junior College, Division I Sam Houston State and UT-Tyler.
Orenduff expects Brown to show more of that form this year.
“Cody is a guy with Major League potential with a fastball in the low 90s that he follows with a great slider, which allows him to go deep into games,” Orenduff said. “He has done a good job making adjustments from last season and is working on a third pitch. We’d like to see Cody throw 65-70 percent strikes. He could be signed and be a top-line starter at least at the single-A level by July.”
Ethan Wiskur, OF
Team: Westside Woolly Mammoths
Notable: After standout careers at Flint Powers and Hillsdale College, Wiskur struggled after joining the Mammoths when his collegiate season ended last year.
He batted .203 in 35 games, but drove in 19 runs and smacked nine extra base hits.
Wiskur batted above .500 his final two prep seasons before becoming of the top hitters in Hillsdale’s history and was named an honorable mention NCAA Division II All-American as a senior. The left fielder drove in a school-record 128 runs in 166 career games with the Chargers while batting .337 with 39 doubles and 22 homers.
Orenduff expects a breakout season from Wiskur.
“Ethan could be the best athlete in the league and graded out in the two in most of our preseason skills tests and has great power potential,” he said. “He worked very hard to fix some little flaws in the offseason and came in this spring with 15 pounds of added muscle, and you can see his confidence when he steps on the field. Ethan should put up great numbers.”
Rob Paller, 2B
Team: Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers
Notable: The Brooklyn, N.Y., native went on a tear after joining the Beavers midway through last season from the Frontier League’s Lake Erie Crushers.
Paller did not qualify for the USPBL batting crown, but hit .367 in 30 games with a .633 slugging percentage and .557 on-base average. He had 33 hits, including six home runs and six doubles, while driving in 22 runs and scoring 19.
After hitting .531 as a high school senior, Paller enjoyed a productive career at Columbia, where he was named All-Ivy League first team as a senior. Paller posted a career .270 average with 15 home runs in 158 games. He finished fourth on Columbia’s career doubles list (43) and sixth in RBIs (111).
“Rob is really a student of the game with great command of the plate,” Orenduff said. “He hits with plenty of power and is a tough out. We expect him to build on what he did last year and be even better this season. Rob could potentially sign with an MLB organization during the summer as well.”
Joel Sharon, P
Team: Westside Woolly Mammoths
Notable: The Milwaukee native posted a 2-1 record and two saves as a reliever last season. Sharon had a 2.57 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 21 innings. The lefty allowed 21 hits and 18 walks while appearing in 23 games.
Sharon was a solid two-way player at Division III Concordia University in Mequon, Wis., posting a .320 career batting average with 42 extra base hits in 139 games. On the mound, he fanned 67 batters in 103 career innings.
“Joel has a great delivery and has improved from last year with a fastball up to 95 miles per hour and an above-average breaking ball,” Orenduff said. “We would like to see him put everything together that he has been working on and throw about 65 percent strikes. Joel could be a valuable back-end reliever at the next level.”
What’s new in the USPBL for 2018
1. Introducing J.J. The Field General
J.J. is a well-trained golden retriever, who will be picking up bats, fetching balls and taking water to umpires. Appleby and his staff selected J.J. for the job in January 2017 and he’s been training for the opportunity ever since.
J.J. was trained to perform many of the same tricks as another Golden Retriever, Jake the Diamond Dog, who makes regular appearances at Minor League ballparks, including Jimmy John’s Field last year.
“Jeff Marchal, who trains Jake, also spent time training J.J.,” Appleby said. “Kids are going to love him, just like they do Jake. After I saw how people responded to Jake, we wanted a dog like that at all of our games.”
2. ESPN3 agreement
Thanks to the efforts of Scott MacDonald, who was named vice president of marketing and public relations in January, the USPBL will be the only minor league organization in the country to have some of its games broadcast on ESPN3 in 2018.
MacDonald, who oversaw Oakland University’s ESPN3 agreement during his 10 years at the school, finalized a deal to have 10 USPBL games broadcast online this season, beginning with Friday’s season opener.
Neal Ruhl, the voice of Oakland University men’s basketball, will call games along with veteran Detroit sports radio personality Matt Dery and sideline reporter Lauren Jbara.
“The ESPN3 agreement was big for us because it shows our league is becoming more and more legitimate,” Appleby said.
3. Dance crews
The USPBL will feature four dance crews, totaling 170 members. A 26-member senior dance crew will perform at most games while others are scheduled to perform on a rotating basis. Dancers range from 7-20 years old.
Among the senior dance crew members is Olivia Salerno, who has appeared in music videos for Pharrell (“Happy”) and Sia (“The Greatest”) and was a background dancer on Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” Tour in 2016. She also appeared on the first season of Nickelodeon’s “Lip Sync Battle Shorties.”
“We kept so many dancers because so many who scored very well in tryouts,” USPBL Entertainment Manager Lesley Kay said. “Senior dance crew members will also be doing promotional activities at the ballpark.”
4. The fan experience
Those attending games will be treated to several new additions and upgrades such as a craft beer garden, featuring mostly Michigan-made brands, and a larger fire pit.
There is also a summer picnic deck in right field, an outdoor kitchen, team merchandise shop and a speed pitch machine, featuring a life-like batter and catcher.
“Our speed pitch machine is one of the best ever developed and is much more than figures painted on a canvas,” Appleby said. “It has mannequins that look so real, including a catcher in full gear. Kids are going to want to throw a million pitches at this thing.”
5. Theme songs
The USPBL’s four teams now have their own original theme songs, produced by Life Line Nation-Studio in Oak Park. Life Line’s Bobby Conway is lead vocalist for two of the songs while Salerno and Detroit vocalist Keely Ferguson sing the other two. Ferguson was featured on rapper Big Sean’s 2013 hit “Love Story.”
Troy native Drew Parks produced the songs, which will be played prior to games and between innings.
“The idea is to use the songs as one of the ways to create a unique fan base for each USPBL team even though they all play at the same stadium,” Kay said.
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