Monthly Archives: November 2010

By Rennie Leon / smokiesbaseball.com

Hey fans…with a memorable 2010 season in the books and another Southern League North Division title to add to the mantle, we would like to again thank you for your support. To kick things off for 2011 and to bring you some holiday cheer, we would like to invite you and your loved ones to our annual Smokies Holiday Open House this Wednesday, December 1!

Join us in the Clubhouse Shop here at Smokies Park between 3:00-6:00 p.m. this Wednesday for FREE sweets, hot beverages, up to 30% discounts on most merchandise arrivals for your gift-giving needs, good fellowship and plenty of holiday cheer!

And a special gift awaits for those of you who come today. Courtesy of our friends at Shadrack Watersports & RV, everyone who attends our open house gets a free trip through Shadrack’s ‘Christmas Wonderland’ drive-through light show here on our stadium grounds!

The upcoming 2011 season promises to be an entertaining one, so help us get a jump on the fun today here at Smokies Park. For more information on the event and 2011 ticket information, please feel free to contact us at (865) 286-2300.

By Rennie Leon / smokiesbaseball.com

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – Four members of the 2010 Tennessee Smokies squad were added to the Chicago Cubs’ 40-man roster, as announced this afternoon by the Cubs.  Chicago’s 2010 Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year, Chris Archer and Brandon Guyer respectively, along with pitchers Alberto Cabrera and Kyle Smit, are now eligible for the Cubs 2011 active roster.

2010 Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year Chris Archer

Archer went 15-3 with a 2.34 ERA this year between Tennessee and High-A Daytona to earn the Cubs’ 2010 Minor League Pitcher of the Year award.  Called up to Double-A on June 28, Archer would start off his time with the Smokies by tossing 31.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.   In 13 starts for Tennessee, he went 8-2 with a 1.80 ERA.

2010 Cubs Minor League Player of the Year Brandon Guyer

Guyer, named the Cubs’ 2010 Minor League Player of the Year, hit .344 (127-for-369) for the Smokies in 102 games.  He led the Southern League in slugging percentage (.588) and OPS (.986), and ranked second in batting average and third in doubles (39).

Kyle Smit

Smit dazzled in his 12 relief appearances for the Smokies after being acquired by the Dodgers this past summer in the Ted Lilly trade.  He went 5-1 with one save and a 1.96 ERA in Tennessee.

Alberto Cabrera

Cabrera split the 2010 campaign between High-A Daytona and Tennessee.  While with the Smokies, he went 0-4 with a 6.33 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts).  An improved showing in Daytona put his year-end totals at 7-9 with a 4.24 ERA.

Skipper Pat Listach led Smokies to 2007 Southern League playoff wildcard berth

By Rennie Leon / smokiesbaseball.com

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – Former Tennessee Smokies field manager Pat Listach was named by the Chicago Cubs today as its bench coach for the 2011 season.  Listach, who arrives to Chicago after two seasons as the third base coach for the Washington Nationals, will also serve as Chicago’s infield coach.

While with Tennessee in 2007, Listach led the Smokies to a 73-65 overall record and a wildcard playoff berth in the Southern League North Division Series.  Tennessee would lose a best-of-five series against the Huntsville Stars, 3-games-to-2.  Listach led the Smokies to the top of the league in many offensive categories that year:  batting average (.271), hits (1270), runs (636) and league-low 879 strikeouts.

2011 will mark Listach’s 12^th season in professional coaching.  Prior to his arrival to the Nationals, he served nine seasons as a minor league coach or manager in the Cubs organization.  As a player, Listach played six seasons as an infielder with the Milwaukee Brewers (1992-96) and Houston Astros (1997), and was the 1992 American League Rookie of the Year.