GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — West Michigan Whitecaps play-by-play broadcaster Dan Hasty has seen his share of prospects in his four years on the job.
One of this seasons early successes came from shortstop Cole Peterson, whose glove earned him mentions in SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays and a call-up to the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
“He was sensational, and he continued to make play after play after play like that,” Hasty said of Peterson’s defense. “There’s always something nice about a walk-off home run, but a walk-off home run might not be a Top 10 play. A great defensive play in the Midwest League is as great as a defensive play in Major League Baseball.”
With great play comes a lot of turnover of the roster for a minor league baseball team, which can create ebbs and flows in a team’s success on the field. For the Whitecaps this year, that also means an inconsistent spot in the standings.
“I know that (the Whitecaps) are around a .500 team, they’ve been playing around that area for most of the season, but I thought they’ve played better than we expected them to play,” he said.
Whitecaps’ manager Lance Parrish is in his first year on the job, and Hasty says he is a big part of the reason the team has been able to stay in playoff contention.
“I think Lance Parrish has done a really nice job … you have a lot of major league experience on that staff, so I’m not surprised they’ve gotten as much out of the talent as they have, but I think other people are.”
**Hear more from Hasty in the above video.**
