All aboard the Knight train

We’re getting pretty damn close to the season launch and the Defensive Specialist is itching with excitement (and a skin irritation). On a recent sojourn to Western Australia, your old pal had a chance to sit down with new Perth Heat skipper – Brooke Knight. Knight comes to the Heat from the US where in recent years he has been both the General Manager and Field Manager of the Corvallis Knights, a collegiate summer league team. Knight played college baseball at Oregon State and then went on to play professional baseball in both the Milwaukee and Pittsburgh organisations. He has also served stints as a professional scout in the San Diego area for the Montreal Expos (2001) and the Florida Marlins (2002-2003). Here’s how the conversation went down:

DS: Why are you in Australia, coaching in the ABL?

BK: There are a number of reasons why I saw this as a great opportunity

1) .Scouting can be a very nomadic existence. I love the coaching aspect of baseball, especially the 18-25 age range where you can really shape the skills and abilities of players. The team will be a mix of professionals, amateurs and feature players striving to make the professional ranks – I look forward to working with this group of players.

2) I have a connection to Australia through my wife and family and I want to see the game flourish down here because I believe the baseball community is passionate and the players have the ability to really compete in the professional game. I have an affinity for Australia and I want to develop Australian kids into professional baseball players

DS: Tell me about the collegiate summer league you manage

BK: The league my team is in is arguably the premier competition on the west coast and ranks right up there with the Cape Cod league and Northwood league in terms of talent. The team is run much more like a professional organisation (we played 68 games in 69 days for example). It’s like a minor league team in that you have guys from different college programs all coming together on one team. Since 2005 we have had 7 guys appear in the big leagues and approximately 40% of our roster will likely go onto play pro ball.

DS: How much coaching do you see taking place in the ABL?

BK: It really varies from guy to guy. The pro guys need to get their work in and most organisations have a way they want things done. Pro organisations don’t want us interfering with their guys too much. Typically what I will do is act as a facilitator for affiliated guys, liaise with their organisations to ensure they are following plans and workouts etc. Our imports are from Baltimore so I’ll need to clarify what the guys left with and what they want to accomplish over the summer.

For non affiliated guys you really have two avenues. You have the older and happy ones who don’t really need to change anything and then you have the younger guys who perhaps are looking to sign and need to refine or improve their skill sets. From that perspective there is plenty of opportunity to coach.

DS: Where do you see the ABL going?

BK: Tough to answer that right now. The goal is to accelerate it as fast as possible while providing a fan friendly experience. High quality guys will promote the game although I believe that high quality Australian guys will grow it even faster.

DS: The Perth Heat has been renown in recent years for its strong pitching. How do you make up for key losses?

BK: We definitely lack power arms but we do have a couple of quality young guys who will help us like Barron, Saupold and Hendriks. When you add in 2 Baltimore imports I think we will compete on the mound. We will be impacted by inning limits placed on guys like Hendriks and the imports. We play 40 games, meaning that we need to eat up 360 innings. Hendriks and the import pitchers will likely be restricted to 40 innings or so each so that’s 120-150 innings taken care of. I think we have the arms to fill out the rest.

DS: Are you under any sort of mandate to play the pro guys?

BK: The professional guys need every opportunity to fail. Obviously my goals are to develop both talent and the league while winning. The challenge is to develop while winning along the way.

DS: Tim Kennelly and Brendan Wise are in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. When can we expect them back and what will be their involvement?

BK: They’ll both be back in early December. I expect Kennelly to take a break and be available for the first series after Christmas. Wise’s availability will depend on his organisation (Detroit). After a full season and the AFL they may want to shut him down.

DS: How is the team looking offensively?

BK: Luke Hughes is a big part of the line up. He is rehabbing from surgery but should appear in the early series. He may be heading off to play in Venezuela however so we need to make the most of his passion and leadership. Mitch Graham, Matt Kennelly and Brandon Dale will all add to the line up along with 2 Baltimore pro’s.

DS: What sort of game style can we expect from you and the Perth Heat?

BK: Your talent typically dictates the style of game you play. We don’t have a team full of bangers so we need to cater to that by running a little and moving guys around. We have a team of sound baseballers so we’ll execute, hit and run etc. I think I can find a happy medium between Earl Weaver and small ball!

DS: Can you comment on the rumours that other clubs (Canberra) may have up to 8 imports?

BK: The disparity amongst imports is interesting. Personally I want a club primarily made up of Australians as it is the best way to promote the league. I see it as a challenge to take it to these other ball clubs. If the imports can play then they’ll be strong and the competition will be better. On the flip side, if they can’t play they’re in big trouble. For the teams that don’t have as strong a local competition it’s a smart move because at the end of the day, fans will come out to watch a good winning team

DS: The Defensive Specialist pays particular attention to a coach’s ability to hit a solid catcher’s pop up after pre game infield outfield. What can we expect from you?

BK: At some stage this year, I will land a ball on home plate!*

Wow, it’s not often you hear a manager toss the gauntlet like that when it comes to catcher pop ups, but Knight has just set the bar for all other coaches around the league*. Many thanks to Knight for taking time out of his schedule to chat with the Defensive Specialist.

*The Defensive Specialist may have made up Knight’s last response to generate a little friendly competition amongst managers and coaches this season.