Cedar Rapids Kernels

Berrios sets big goals with Twins for 2016

Minnesota Twins pitching prospect Jose Berrios made his debut with the Cedar Rapids Kernels in late April, 2013 and has evolved into what one national organization has rated as the 17th best prospect in all of professional baseball heading into the 2016 season.

On Wednesday night, Berrios joined his former manager with the Kernels, Jake Mauer, and the Twins’ minor league director, Brad Steil, for an appearance at the Kernels’ annual Hot Stove Banquet at the Doubletree Hotel.

The 21-year-old Berrios, from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, was a supplemental first-round draft pick by the Twins in 2012 and his quick ascension up the organizational ladder has him on the threshold of becoming a Major Leaguer in 2016. Expectations of Berrios among Twins fans are extremely high.

He said he's not feeling any extra pressure, however, as he prepares to compete for a spot in the Twins’ starting pitching rotation in spring training.

“When you prepare your mind and your soul, you don’t have that pressure or anything. You can just be yourself and do your best work,” Berrios said.

The young right-hander has a reputation as an extremely (some might say fanatically) hard worker in the offseason, as workout videos that he posts on social media sites would seem to support. That hard work just comes naturally to Berrios.

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Kernels promote Hawk, seek broadcast partner

Morgan Hawk will be juggling a bigger role with the Cedar Rapids Kernels organization this year, but it also means he'll spend less time in the radio booth as their primary announcer.

Hawk, 29, has been named the sales manager for the Waterloo Bucks and also will serve as the supervisor of broadcasting for both the Kernels and the Bucks. The Kernels own the Waterloo Bucks, which is a summer collegiate team in the Northwoods League.

Hawk will continue to have a strong presence in the radio booth for Kernels home games, especially in April and May, but the Kernels plan to hire a second announcer to handle the bulk of the Kernels road games, serve as Hawk's color commentator for home games and handle the play-by-play when Hawk is not available.

Hawk welcomes the new assignment with the Bucks, who play their 72-game season from Memorial Day through mid-August. He noted the Kernels have poured significant resources into the Bucks and he's looking forward to playing an expanded role with the organization.

"It's certainly exciting to be part of that, and growing something big in Waterloo will be fun," he said.

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3 chosen for C.R. Hall of Fame

Dale Brodt, Tom Lawless and Reggie Sanders have been selected for induction into the Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, the Kernels announced Tuesday.

Brodt began as the public address announcer at the old Veterans Memorial Stadium and announced more than 1,700 minor league baseball games. He was in broadcasting for more than 30 years, starting in his home town of Mason City in 1957.

Brodt worked at radio stations in Cherokee and Oelwein before moving to Cedar Rapids, where he was a news reporter for 20 years at KLWW and KCRG. After his broadcasting career, Brodt went to work for the City of Cedar Rapids, where he retired as the chief zoning inspector in 2003.

He and his wife, Rena, have been married 56 years and have four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandsons.

Lawless managed the Cedar Rapids Kernels for three seasons (1994-96), posting a 216-196 record and winning the Midwest League Championship in 1994. He played eight seasons in the Majors after being selected in the 17th round of the 1978 draft from Penn State.

Lawless is best remembered for being the only player ever traded for Pete Rose and for his game-winning home run in Game 4 of the 1987 World Series. In 343 MLB games, he hit .207 with two homers and 24 RBIs with the Reds, Expos, Cardinals and Blue Jays.

Lawless managed 11 seasons after his playing career, serving as the Astros interim manager in 2014 for 24 games. His most recent coaching assignment was for the Corpus Christi Hooks in the Texas League as their infield coach during the 2015 season.

Sanders retired from baseball in 2007 after a 17-year career in the Major Leagues. During his Major League career, Sanders played on eight different teams, was elected to play in one All-Star Game and won the World Series in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He played in five different National League Championship Series and three different World Series. The Cincinnati Reds drafted Sanders in the seventh round in 1987. He played for the Cedar Rapids Reds in 1990, batting .285 with 17 homers, 63 RBIs and 40 stolen bases in 127 games.

Sanders made his MLB debut on Aug. 22, 1991 against the Atlanta Braves. During his Major League career, Sanders played in 1,777 games, which included more than 6,200 plate appearances, more than 3,000 total bases, 983 runs batted in, 304 stolen bases, 305 home runs and a lifetime .267 batting average.

He has the distinction of being one of only eight players in the history of Major League Baseball to hit 300 home runs and steal 300 bases. Sanders lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C. with his wife, Wyndee, and their four daughters.

The Class of 2016 Hall of Fame will be honored at the Hot Stove Banquet on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Cedar Rapids.

Hot Stove Banquet set for Jan. 27

The 20th Annual Cedar Rapids Kernels Hot Stove Banquet will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in downtown Cedar Rapids.

The banquet will include a silent auction featuring sports memorabilia and local items, a Minnesota Twins Hot Stove Roundtable Discussion featuring Twins top pitching prospect Jose Berrios, and the induction of the Class of 2016 into the Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame.

This year’s Hall of Fame Class includes Dale Brodt, Tom Lawless and Reggie Sanders.

Proceeds from this event help the Kernels Foundation accomplish its vision of ensuring that all youth in Eastern Iowa have the opportunity to experience the thrills and life-enhancing lessons that come from engaging in athletics and recreational activities.

Tickets for the banquet are $50 in advance and $55 at the door, with corporate tables seating 10 people available for $450. Tickets can be purchased at Veterans Memorial Stadium during regular business hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by phone at 363-3887. Banquet tickets also may be purchased on-line at www.kernels.com.

KCRG TV-9, KZIA and KGYM are media sponsors of the banquet.