June 8, 2023

Ryan Kellogg a Banana

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

New rules and a flashy bright yellow uniform.

Ryan Kellogg has played ball all his life, but this is a first.

The Georgia heat is enough to make any banana squishy but the yellow clad crowd of Savannah Bananas fans filling the stands is a dedicated breed. Kellogg (Whitby, Ont.) is dedicated too, to the game.

His love for the game has taken him all across the world in the past decade and to his newest role of ball player and entertainer with the Savannah Bananas.

It’s only half in his comfort zone.

The ball player side comes naturally. Lacing up his cleats and throwing 90-mph fastballs in front of large crowds is second nature to Kellogg. From a one-person audience of his mom playing on his front yard to taking the field for Rob and Rich Butler’s Ontario Prospects, auditioning as a left-handed catcher.

Then it was on to the Junior National Team, the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Chicago Cubs system.

Since signing with the Bananas, it’s no longer just throwing strikes. His new assignment is the game, but with a fascinating twist.

That twist can involve a lot of player antics, including back flips, singing and a whole lot of dancing. That has never come as naturally to the lefty Canadian pitcher as pitching. But in the past few days it’s become as much a part of his everyday routine as pitching - dancing, along with throwing baseballs, has been added to his practice routine.

“That is new, I’m going to have to work on those [dancing skills],” Kellogg said. “I was never a dancer as a child, had no artistic abilities in any sense of the word. I have no rhythm, I can’t dance. I can’t draw. I can’t do music.

“This is definitely something new.”

He was inspired to join the Bananas after hearing great things about the team from previous players. It’s about as unique as baseball can get. The team was created to put fans first, focusing on engagement. They combine quality ball with fast paced entertainment - such as doing the splits at the plate and behind the back catches - to keep fans glued to their seats the entire game.

It’s out of Kellogg’s comfort zone, coming from a traditional baseball background. But the lessons taught to him during those traditional ball playing days are helping him in his new role.

Starting in 2016, Savannah played in the Coastal Plains college summer league and were crowned champs three times. After the 2022 summer, the Bananas folded their college amateur team and began playing “Banana Ball.”

The Bananas will barnstorm from February through September with games in Savannah and across the country — like Eddie Feigner’s The King and His Court and the Indianapolis Clowns of the Harlem Globetrotters. The Bananas have over six million followers on TikTok, more than any major-league team.

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Some rules of Branded as “Banana Ball,” include:

The team that scores the most runs in an inning gets one point, except in the ninth inning when every run counts as one point. If an inning ends with one team at five points and a lead, that team wins.

A two-hour time limit on games. If a team is leading on points at that time, that team wins.

No bunting. A batter who attempts a bunt is ejected from the game.

Batters are not allowed to step out of the batters box; a violation is an automatic strike.

Batters are allowed to “steal” first base. Specifically, they can attempt to advance to first base in the case of a wild pitch or passed ball at any time during the at-bat.

No mound visits are allowed.

Walks are now called sprints. After the fourth ball, the batter is allowed to advance as far around the bases as he can. The ball must be sequentially thrown to all of the fielders apart from the pitcher, starting with the catcher; the ball remains dead, with the batter-runner not liable to be put out, until all fielders apart from the pitcher and catcher have touched the ball.

Foul balls caught by fans are counted as outs.

Ties are broken by what the Bananas call a “1-on-1 showdown” which can last at least three rounds. Each team selects a pitcher and hitter to face off, with the pitching team having only the pitcher, catcher, and a single fielder during the first round of the showdown. In the second round, the fielder is eliminated. If a third round is needed, the fielder is back but the bases are loaded. In any showdown inning, the hitter has to score a run in order to earn a point for the tiebreaker. A batter who draws a walk advances to second base, with the hitting team allowed to send a new batter to the plate. A showdown inning can only end with an out or a run scored.

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Kellogg was taught to “be comfortable being uncomfortable” as a young player wearing the Canada uniform while traveling across the world to unfamiliar countries. With his new team, it’s as relevant but taken to a whole new level.

“I’m just trying to embrace that and just fully buy into this is fun,” he said. “You can go out there, you can be silly, you can be goofy, nobody is going to care what you do out there, just have fun with it.”

Kellogg has some pretty good teachers. The guys have been very helpful in preparing him for the games, he said, starting from his first game a few days ago. There are a few more complicated moves he’s still working on getting the hang of, but like pitching, sometimes all it takes is a few tweaks.

He is also working on his on-field identity, a way for fans to identify more with the players than just buying a jersey at the store. Some players wear cowboy hats, others wear cut off pants.

After a few brainstorming sessions, they’ll likely be adding some Canadian flair to his, as he is the only Canadian on the team. Perhaps a Mountie uniform, maybe something to do with hockey, he said.

“A lot of people in Canada already know about the Bananas but it will be really cool if I can still show that like ‘hey, Canadians can play baseball,” he said.

Although he hasn’t had the chance to take the mound yet- he’s still waiting on his visa to go through - he’s ready, dancing and all, for when that time comes.

“I’m really excited to get on the mound and be able to compete with them, have some fun out there and go from there,” he said. “To have 10,000 people there excited to be there and glued to their seats. I think it’s going to be pretty special.”

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Kellogg’s ability to throw strikes has been a constant throughout his life. The 29-year old has represented Canada on multiple occasions, including at the WBSC Baseball America’s qualifier in 2021 and the World Baseball Classic in 2017. He plans to pitch for his country again at the Pan Am qualifier in Argentina later this month.

He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 12th round of the 2012 draft, and went on to pursue school at Arizona State. Three years later, he was selected in the fifth round by the Chicago Cubs.

In six seasons in the minors — at class-A Eugene, class-A South Bend, class-A Myrtle Beach, double-A Tennessee and triple-A Iowa — he appeared in 137 games (68 starts) and posted a 20-28 record, four saves and a 4.12 ERA. He walked 124 and struck out 316 in 467 2/3 innings.

Kellogg pitched for the Emeralds, Pelicans, Smokies and Cubs.

And now he is a Banana.