PART VIII (updated 11/9)

PART VII (updated 11/1)

PART VI (10/20)

PART V (10/6)

PART IV

PART III

PART II

PART I

Replaced with a state-of-the-art, vertically drained, sand-based playing field commensurate with those found at the highest levels of professional baseball.

Since the ballpark’s opening, the Bisons have invested over $20 million in various improvements. Coca-Cola Field is currently the oldest ballpark in the International League.

The Bisons have engaged Sports Construction Group of Brecksville, OH for the job.

The Bisons have also worked hand-in-hand with Populous (former H.O.K. Design, the architects of Coca-Cola Field) in the design of the new drainage system.
Digging has already begun for the project that should take close to two months to complete. SCG will dig at least 18 inches below grass level and haul out over 600 truckloads of dirt before installing the new drainage system.

Baseball legends are born in October. There can be a new hero on any one pitch. It’s why we love the playoffs. It’s why we cheer for teams from New York, San Francisco, Texas and Philadelphia.

But if you’re looking for a reason to align yourself with one of the eight teams vying for a World Series Championship this year, you need to look no further than your own backyard. Eight former Buffalo Bisons will take part in October’s action and many of them are vital pieces to their team’s championship hopes.

But which player might help push their big league club to a championship? Their careers in Buffalo may offer a clue to the team that will win it all.

READ: Who will win it all?

MLB PLAYER PAGE (with Bisons)
Chad Durbin, Phillies, (’03-04)
Ben Francisco, Phillies, (’05-08)
Cliff Lee, Rangers, (’02-03,07)
Brandon Phillips, Reds, (’02-05)
CC Sabathia, Yankees, (’06)
Kelly Shoppach, Rays, (’06)
Jim Thome, Twins, (’98)
Wilson Valdez, Phillies, (’09)

The bulldozers are working around the clock at Coca-Cola Field and the Bisons install a new state-of-the-art drainage system. Bisons.com Ben Wagner catches you up on the project.

The New York Mets announced that outfielder Lucas Duda was named the Sterling Organizational Player of the Year while lefthanded pitcher Mark Cohoon earned Sterling Pitcher of the Year honors.

In addition, the Mets announced the 2010 Sterling Awards, emblematic of the Most Valuable Player for each of their nine minor league affiliates.

Righthanded pitcher Dillon Gee was the Sterling Award recipient at Buffalo (AAA) of the International League; outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis received the award for Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League; shortstop Wilmer Flores was honored at St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League; outfielder Cesar Puello captured the award for Savannah (A) of the South Atlantic Leauge; outfielder Darrell Ceciliani received the honor for Brooklyn (A) of the New York-Penn League; third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez was tabbed for Kingsport (R) of the Appalachian League; righthanded hurler Domingo Tapia was honored for the rookie-level Gulf Coast Mets; centerfielder Eudy Pina was selected for the Dominican Summer League Mets #1 and catcher Hector Alvarez received the award for the Dominican Summer League Mets # 2.

STERLING ORGANIZATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LUCAS DUDA (OF)
Duda combined to hit .304 (129-425) with 74 runs scored, 40 doubles, two triples, 23 home runs and 87 RBI in 115 games between Binghamton and Buffalo. He became the fifth player in the 125-year history of the Buffalo franchise to hit home runs in five consecutive games when he accomplished the feat from June 28th-July 2nd. The 24-year-old finished tied for the team lead, and New York Mets organizational lead, with 17 home runs despite playing in only 70 games with the Bisons.

STERLING ORGANIZATIONAL PITCHER OF THE YEAR: MARK COHOON (LHP)
Cohoon, who was the Sterling Award winner for Brooklyn in 2009, combined to go 12-5 in 26 starts with Savannah and Binghamton this season. In 161.1 innings he allowed 46 earned runs for a 2.57 ERA. The lefthander allowed 142 hits and 32 walks while striking out 131 for a better than 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Cohoon, who celebrates his 23rd birthday today, allowed two earned runs or less in 22 of his 26 starts this season including all 13 outings with the Savannah Sand Gnats. The 2010 South Atlantic League All-Star was also tied for fifth among all Mets minor leaguers in strikeouts.

BUFFALO (AAA) OF THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE: DILLON GEE (RHP)
Gee was previously honored in 2008 as the Sterling Award winner for St. Lucie before his record setting season with Buffalo in 2010. The righthander struck out a Buffalo franchise record and International League leading 165 batters while going 13-8 with a 4.96 (89 earned runs / 161.1 innings pitched) ERA . The 24-year-old also ranked second in the IL in Wins.

BINGHAMTON (AA) OF THE EASTERN LEAGUE: KIRK NIEUWENHUIS (OF)
Nieuwenhuis hit .289 (114-394) with 81 runs scored, 35 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 60 RBI in 94 games with the B-Mets before being promoted to Buffalo on August 5th. The 2009 Sterling Award winner for St. Lucie led Binghamton in runs scored, doubles, RBI and total bases. The 23-year-old was named to the Eastern League’s Eastern Division All-Star team before moving on to Buffalo and hitting .225 (27-120) over his final 30 games of the year.

ST. LUCIE (A) OF THE FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE: WILMER FLORES (INF)
The 19-year-old shortstop began the season with Savannah before moving to St. Lucie during the final month of June. In 67 games in the Florida State League he hit .300 (83-277) with 18 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 40 RBI. The 2008 Sterling Award winner for Kingsport hit an astounding .508 (32-63) against lefthanded pitching with St. Lucie while combining to drive in 84 over his two stops in the organization, which ranked second among all Mets minor leaguers.

SAVANNAH (A) OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE: CESAR PUELLO (OF)
Rightfielder Cesar Puello hit .292 (118-404) with 80 runs scored, 22 doubles, 34 RBI and 45 stolen bases for Savannah. The 19-year-old speedster ranked fifth in the SAL, and first in the Mets organization, in stolen bases and led Savannah in hits, runs scored, doubles, and total bases.

BROOKLYN (A) OF THE NEW YORK-PENN LEAGUE: DARRELL CECILIANI (OF)
At 20 years of age, Darrell Ceciliani was the youngest player on the Brooklyn roster and one of the youngest in all of the New York-Penn League. By the end of the season, the centerfielder was also the NYPL’s leading hitter with his .351 (95-271) average. He also established a franchise record with 95 hits, 56 runs, and 12 triples this season, which lead the organization, while being named to the NYPL All-Star team.

KINGSPORT (R) OF THE APPALACHIAN LEAGUE: ADERLIN RODRIGUEZ (INF)
Third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez was the offensive leader of the Kingsport Mets, hitting .312 (78-250), 44 runs, 22 doubles, 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 61 games with the K-Mets. The 18-year-old slugger ranked fifth in the Appalachian League in average, third in home runs, hits, and RBI, while also ranking second in doubles and fourth in runs scored.

GULF COAST METS (R) OF THE GULF COAST LEAGUE: DOMINGO TAPIA (RHP)
Righthanded pitcher Domingo Tapia went 4-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 10 games, all starts, allowing 25 runs, 18 earned, and 49 hits over 47.0 innings while walking 10 and striking out 29. The 18-year-old hurler did not allow more than two earned runs over his final seven starts of the season, pitching to a 1.96 ERA (eight earned runs / 36.2 innings) over this span dating to July 15th.

DSL METS # 1 (R) OF THE DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE: EUDY PINA (OF)
Centerfielder Eudy Pina was an offensive force for the DSL Mets #1 all season long. The 19-year-old led the team in average (.310), runs scored (42), hits (77), doubles (14), triples (four), home runs (three), RBI (45), and stolen bases (29).

DSL METS # 2 (R) OF THE DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE: HECTOR ALVAREZ (C)
Catcher Hector Alvarez hit .249 (50-201) with 31 runs scored, 19, doubles, one home run and 28 RBI for the Boca Chica North Division Champion DSL Mets # 2. The backstop guided the pitching staff to a 2.77 ERA and threw out 31 of 67 (46.3%) would-be base stealers.

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In a commitment to maintain Coca-Cola Field’s standing as one of the marquee ballparks in all of minor league baseball, the Buffalo Bisons today announced the installation of a completely new drainage system and field for the ballpark.

The existing native soil playing field at Coca Cola Field is being replaced with a state-of-the-art, vertically drained, sand-based playing field commensurate with those found at the highest levels of professional baseball. The new field will consist of an under drainage network capable of draining up to 10″ of rainwater per hour. The under drainage network will consist of a series of perforated pipes placed in gravel filled trenches. The new field will also be outfitted with an automated irrigation system. The natural turf will be a Kentucky Bluegrass blend grown specifically for use on a professional baseball field.

“It is absolutely vital that we update our drainage system that is over two decades old to ensure that we always have the best possible playing conditions for our team,” said Mike Buczkowski, Vice President/General Manager of the Bisons. “This new system will allow us to provide the highest level of baseball and entertainment that our great fans have come to expect with the Bisons baseball experience.”

This project is just one of a number of updates Coca-Cola Field has received over the past 23 seasons. Since the ballpark’s opening, the Bisons have invested over $20 million in various improvements. Coca-Cola Field is currently the oldest ballpark in the International League.

The Bisons have engaged Sports Construction Group of Brecksville, OH for the job. SCG most recently installed the drainage systems of Yankee Stadium and PNC Field, home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. With more than 50 years in the business, SCG’s client list includes one-fourth of the National Football League and one-fifth of all Major League Baseball teams.

The Bisons have also worked hand-in-hand with Populous (former H.O.K. Design, the architects of Coca-Cola Field) in the design of the new drainage system.

Digging has already begun for the project that should take close to two months to complete. SCG will dig at least 18 inches below grass level and haul out over 600 truckloads of dirt before installing the new drainage system.

About Sports Construction Group
Sports Construction Group is a sports field specialty contractor that handles all phases of natural turf and synthetic turf jobs, from excavation and sub base through installation, replacement and maintenance. SCG has more than 50 years of construction experience, including more than 20 years of expertise building high-performance sports fields.

SCG’s clients include one-fourth of National Football League teams, one-fifth of Major League Baseball teams and scores of top-tier collegiate and high school teams. On the SCG roster are some of the most recognizable sport facilities in the nation: Yankee Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Progressive Field, Soldier Field, Heinz Field, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Notre Dame Stadium and Northwestern’s Ryan Field, along with dozens of minor league, collegiate, high school and community turf systems. More information is available at http://www.SCGfields.com.

About Populous
Since inception in 1983, Populous has grown into the world’s leading design firm dedicated exclusively to creating environments that draw people and communities together for unforgettable experiences. The firm has completed more than 1,000 projects around the globe with construction value exceeding $20 billion. Populous has worked with 24 Major League Baseball franchises, 30 NFL franchises, 80 professional and civic arena clients, 40 global soccer and rugby teams, 120 universities, 40 convention center clients, 29 equestrian clients and has planned more than 30 major worldwide events.

Their portfolio includes such icons as Yankee Stadium in New York; the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games main stadium; Nanjing Sports Park in China; ANZ Stadium in Australia; Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona; the new University of Minnesota football stadium and event planning for the Super Bowl and Major League Baseball All Star Game. They have received nearly 200 design awards for our work, including three national American Institute of Architect awards and countless global design awards. In addition, in 2009 and in 2010, Populous was named one of Fast Company magazine’s most innovative companies in sports and was also named the American Institute of Architects – Kansas City Chapter Firm of the Year. As Populous, we enthusiastically embrace the expertise we uniquely claim – drawing people together around teams, athletes, events, places, commerce, industry and ideas they wholeheartedly embrace and adore. More information is available at http://www.Populous.com.