Shuckers manager: Biloxi blessed to have MGM Park

Mike Guerrero is back for season No. 2 as the manager of the Biloxi Shuckers and he hopes fans in the area understand just how lucky they are to have a stadium like MGM Park.

The Southern League team is in its third year of existence after the Milwaukee Brewers' Double-A affiliate moved from Huntsville, Ala., in 2015.

A year ago, the Shuckers came up just shy of a first-half South Division title and finished 72-67 overall. It marked the second consecutive season that the team has put a winning product on the field after winning the Southern League South title in 2015.

Guerrero, who made a brief stop in Biloxi on Friday and Saturday before leaving for Arizona to begin spring training, wants baseball fans on the Coast to know just how much his players and staff have enjoyed playing at MGM Park.

“They love Biloxi,” he said. “They love the crowds, love the support. Biloxi is spoiled to have a ballpark like we have. To have a working place that great, the clubhouse, a great hitting cage. It's a great facility to work in and a great environment with the people that come. It makes it enjoyable to go to work. You're actually excited to go to the ballpark. That's the way we want them to feel.”

MGM Park attendance numbers so far have generally been on par with the Shuckers' in-state rival, the Mississippi Braves.

The Shuckers drew an average of 2,692 fans to MGM Park in 2016 to rank eighth out of 10 teams in the Southern League. The Braves, who play at Trustmark Park in Pearl, averaged 2,838 fans last season to finish seventh.

The Birmingham Barons again led the Southern League in attendance last year with an average of 6,063 fans. Jackson, Tenn., ranked ninth in the league in attendance with an average 2,002 fans and Mobile came in last at 1,527.

Woodruff impresses

The best individual story of the Shuckers' 2016 season belonged to former Mississippi State pitcher Brandon Woodruff, who was named the Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2016.

After receiving a promotion from Class A in the first half of the season, Woodruff finished 14-9 overall with a 2.68 ERA in 28 starts. He struck out 173 and walked only 40.

His numbers were even more impressive considering he had to deal with tragedy away from the field after his brother, Blake, died in July at the age of 28 following an ATV accident in Northeast Mississippi.

It's unclear where Woodruff will play this season, but Guerrero believes the right-hander proved he can pitch above the Double-A level.

“I think Woodruff showed that he can pitch in the big leagues,” Guerrero said. “He has three major league pitches. He proved that he can dominate. Even with the adversity outside of the ballpark, when he got on the mound he was in a different world. He proved that he belongs on a high level.”

Shucker in WBC

One of the top pitchers for the Shuckers over the last two seasons, right-hander Jorge Lopez, will be pitching for his native Puerto Rico when the World Baseball Classic gets underway on March 6.

Lopez, who is considered one of the Brewers' top pitching prospects, will possibly be in the starting rotation for Puerto Rico and Guerrero believes the experience will be a positive one for the Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2015.

“I think it's always good,” Guerrero said. “Anytime you have a chance to compete and play the game and represent your country is great.”

The WBC, which will be televised by the MLB Network, hasn't quite caught on as planned in the U.S. with the American team falling short of the title in the first three tournaments, but Guerrero sees the passion for the event elsewhere, including his native Dominican Republic.

“I think in Venezuela they've been working out. In the Dominican, they've been working,” Guerrero said. “Everybody pretty much started getting ready in December so everybody is looking forward to the Classic. Everybody wants to be a part of it. It's great for baseball. It keeps expanding to different countries. Countries that have never played baseball, they want in it.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2017 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Shuckers manager: Biloxi blessed to have MGM Park."