Well, the draft has come and gone. All we got this season was one future ML player, but that's all that we expected, given the weak draft class, and the fact that we only had one selected in the top 130 or so. We ended up with SS Turner Schoeneweis at #9, which we were happy with, because we had him in our top three. He will unseat Randy Atkins as our SS of the future. While his defense will suffer a bit, he hits for more power and a better average. We just hope he can reach those projections. Atkins should still serve as a starter for us for at least a season or two.
As for the big league squad, we're currently standing at 31-34, only three games back of the WC2 position. We're halfway through our killer set against the NL North, having gone 3-3 in the first two series. If we can take two from Minnesota and steal one from Chicago, we'll be in okay shape.
We've made some roster moves. The net difference is that we brought back last year's closer, Eli Rivera, as a set up man and we sent long-reliever Bernie Adkinsson down to the minors.
Hot players are led by Skeeter Wilkinson who has gone 12-40 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs, Aramis Maduro who is on a 9-game hitting streak, and Alex Johnson who has given up just four hits and 0 ER in his last three appearances and 7.1 IP.
Cold players include Pete Benes who is just 5 for his last 30, Midre Cela who is 5 for his last 34, and Jumbo Tabaka who is 2 for his last 15.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Back in it
Well, our fortunes have certainly changed since the last update. Since then we've been able to go 8-3 to improve to 25-26 overall. Currently, we're four back of the WC2 position, which puts us very much in it.
Over the last several games, Pete Benes has been injured. He is due back after tomorrow's PM2 cycle. We'll have to make a decision in terms of a roster move. We could send down either Trey Hafner or Jumbo Tabaka. At this point, we're leaning toward Tabaka, as he hasn't been able to get on-base nearly as much as we would have liked so far this season. Hafner gives us power off the bench, where one swing of the bat can be a difference maker late in the game.
We received our draft list. This is probably the weakest draft class I've seen. We have our eye on three different infield prospects and at 9, we hope to get one. This is a draft without any real first round picks, so 2nd round caliber players will go in the first, but that's all we can hope for.
Three up: Rule 5 selection Robert Daniels has been hitting really well lately, going 12-38 with 10 runs scored and 5 RBIs. Hipolito Castillo has been heating up as well, going 10-34 with 8 runs and 5 RBI. Finally, D'Angelo Rivera continues to pitch well, giving up only two hits in his last four appearances.
Three down: Bernie Adkinsson is not doing any favors for the starting rotation giving up 11 ER in his last four appearances, spanning 8.1 IP. Midre Cela has cooled off considerably, collecting just four hits in his last 29 ABs. Finally, Trey Hafner hasn't filled in all that well for Pete Benes, posting just six hits and no home runs in 28 ABs.
Over the last several games, Pete Benes has been injured. He is due back after tomorrow's PM2 cycle. We'll have to make a decision in terms of a roster move. We could send down either Trey Hafner or Jumbo Tabaka. At this point, we're leaning toward Tabaka, as he hasn't been able to get on-base nearly as much as we would have liked so far this season. Hafner gives us power off the bench, where one swing of the bat can be a difference maker late in the game.
We received our draft list. This is probably the weakest draft class I've seen. We have our eye on three different infield prospects and at 9, we hope to get one. This is a draft without any real first round picks, so 2nd round caliber players will go in the first, but that's all we can hope for.
Three up: Rule 5 selection Robert Daniels has been hitting really well lately, going 12-38 with 10 runs scored and 5 RBIs. Hipolito Castillo has been heating up as well, going 10-34 with 8 runs and 5 RBI. Finally, D'Angelo Rivera continues to pitch well, giving up only two hits in his last four appearances.
Three down: Bernie Adkinsson is not doing any favors for the starting rotation giving up 11 ER in his last four appearances, spanning 8.1 IP. Midre Cela has cooled off considerably, collecting just four hits in his last 29 ABs. Finally, Trey Hafner hasn't filled in all that well for Pete Benes, posting just six hits and no home runs in 28 ABs.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Hanging on by a Thread
Well, since the last update, things have gone from hanging in there, to barely hanging on. In the past ten games, we've gone a rather pathetic 2-8, dropping our overall record to 17-23. We currently stand six games back of the WC2 position, currently held by Trenton. I believe that we can compete with teams like Trenton and Salt Lake City, however, it's all but decided that either San Francisco or Anaheim will win the WC1.
While our deficit is not insurmountable, it's always tough to come out of a hole. We've responded by placing several players on the trade block. Anaheim inquired about Richard Takada, but refused to offer value in exchange for him. Hard to blame them - their system is all dried up, and the window could be closing for them. They need to hang on to what few prospects they have.
We're willing to part with any contracts that expire over the next two seasons, but the ones that don't expire until the end of Season 10, well, we're in no hurry to move them. There will be some players that we'll want to move this season, but first we'll see if we can't play our way back in. The biggest issue is that almost every offensive player is underperforming, and we're dead last in runs scored. If these guys ever put it together, we could make up some ground.
Midre Cela is still hitting well, posting a .963 OPS with 14 RBIs. He has cooled off some, though. D'Angelo Rivera finally surrendered his first run of the season, but he is still sporting an impressive 0.50 ERA in 18 innings of work. He is making a case for the closer's job in Season 10, and maybe even later this season if Rod Sweeney is traded. Willie Mercado is also pitching well out of the bullpen, posting a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings of work.
Speaking of Sweeney, he is not pitching especially well, as he is posting a 6.14 ERA in 14.2 IP. He's also blown a save. Alex Johnson is doing even worse, sporting a 7.91 ERA in 19.1 IP. Finally, Robert Daniels hasn't been able to come out of his funk, as he's still posting a lowly .269 on-base percentage.
While our deficit is not insurmountable, it's always tough to come out of a hole. We've responded by placing several players on the trade block. Anaheim inquired about Richard Takada, but refused to offer value in exchange for him. Hard to blame them - their system is all dried up, and the window could be closing for them. They need to hang on to what few prospects they have.
We're willing to part with any contracts that expire over the next two seasons, but the ones that don't expire until the end of Season 10, well, we're in no hurry to move them. There will be some players that we'll want to move this season, but first we'll see if we can't play our way back in. The biggest issue is that almost every offensive player is underperforming, and we're dead last in runs scored. If these guys ever put it together, we could make up some ground.
Midre Cela is still hitting well, posting a .963 OPS with 14 RBIs. He has cooled off some, though. D'Angelo Rivera finally surrendered his first run of the season, but he is still sporting an impressive 0.50 ERA in 18 innings of work. He is making a case for the closer's job in Season 10, and maybe even later this season if Rod Sweeney is traded. Willie Mercado is also pitching well out of the bullpen, posting a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings of work.
Speaking of Sweeney, he is not pitching especially well, as he is posting a 6.14 ERA in 14.2 IP. He's also blown a save. Alex Johnson is doing even worse, sporting a 7.91 ERA in 19.1 IP. Finally, Robert Daniels hasn't been able to come out of his funk, as he's still posting a lowly .269 on-base percentage.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Hanging in There
Even though we went just 4-6 in our last ten to fall to 15-15, we're happy with it. We actually won the series against Anaheim, avoided a sweep against San Francisco, and played a tough series against Salt Lake City. Especially against Salt Lake, even though we dropped three of four, every game was decided by a single run and could have easily gone the other way. We'll now move into a three game series against St. Louis followed by another three against SLC. After that our schedule will really soften up. We're five back for the division and two back of SLC for the WC2, so I'd say we're still in striking distance at this point.
As for performances, Cap Glass has cooled off some, but is still performing well, posting a .908 OPS, Midre Cela is red hot right now, hitting 14-30 in his last 10 games (1.152 OPS for the season), and D'Angelo Rivera is still untouchable, reaching 14.1 scoreless frames in 14 appearances.
As for the bad, Skeeter Wilkinson isn't doing much hitting at all, slugging just .307 on the season while leaving a ton of runners on base, Brandon Hansell has yet to get it going, batting just .241 with no home runs, and Robert Daniels is posting a rather pathetic .265 OBP.
As for performances, Cap Glass has cooled off some, but is still performing well, posting a .908 OPS, Midre Cela is red hot right now, hitting 14-30 in his last 10 games (1.152 OPS for the season), and D'Angelo Rivera is still untouchable, reaching 14.1 scoreless frames in 14 appearances.
As for the bad, Skeeter Wilkinson isn't doing much hitting at all, slugging just .307 on the season while leaving a ton of runners on base, Brandon Hansell has yet to get it going, batting just .241 with no home runs, and Robert Daniels is posting a rather pathetic .265 OBP.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
On a Roll
Since our last update, we've really improved our play. We've won 8 of 12 to improve our record to 11-9. We're currently 2.5 games back of Trenton in the NL East, but only a half game back of San Francisco for the WC2.
With this morning's game, we completed a sweep of Monterrey. The highlight of this game was David Matos, who pitched a 2-hit complete game shutout, surrendering only one walk. Despite throwing his 5th quality start (out of 5 total starts!) this season, he just picked up his first win.
We're really going to find out where we stand over the next few days. Tonight we'll enjoy an off day, and then move into 16 straight games against Los Angeles/Sarasota, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City. If we can come out of that with our heads above water, we'll be in great shape, but if we play poorly, we might be done for.
Cap Glass is playing well early this season, with a team high six home runs and 1.130 OPS. Midre Cela has come on strong lately as well, with four home runs and a 1.058 OPS. Finally, D'Angelo Rivera is still pitching well out of the bullpen, posting 10 scoreless innings with a .080 WHIP in nine appearances.
Not all is well, however. Jumbo Tabaka is batting just .133 after 45 ABs, Pete Benes just .163 and no home runs after 43 ABs, and Ted Reith is hitting just .158 after 38 ABs. These players need to pick it up!
With this morning's game, we completed a sweep of Monterrey. The highlight of this game was David Matos, who pitched a 2-hit complete game shutout, surrendering only one walk. Despite throwing his 5th quality start (out of 5 total starts!) this season, he just picked up his first win.
We're really going to find out where we stand over the next few days. Tonight we'll enjoy an off day, and then move into 16 straight games against Los Angeles/Sarasota, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City. If we can come out of that with our heads above water, we'll be in great shape, but if we play poorly, we might be done for.
Cap Glass is playing well early this season, with a team high six home runs and 1.130 OPS. Midre Cela has come on strong lately as well, with four home runs and a 1.058 OPS. Finally, D'Angelo Rivera is still pitching well out of the bullpen, posting 10 scoreless innings with a .080 WHIP in nine appearances.
Not all is well, however. Jumbo Tabaka is batting just .133 after 45 ABs, Pete Benes just .163 and no home runs after 43 ABs, and Ted Reith is hitting just .158 after 38 ABs. These players need to pick it up!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tough, yet encouraging, start
Even though our record stands at 3-5, on some level, I feel good about the start we've had. In our opening series with Cincinnati, we split, and even had a good shot at taking three of four. Against the class of our division, that is huge. Since we played them, Cincinnati has rattled off four straight wins. In our next series, we did drop two to Trenton, but it could have easily gone the other way. While our record isn't where we'd like it, we feel that we can compete in-division.
Last night's game was a bit of a disappointment. After being pretty well shut down for the first seven innings against former Hitmen prospect Pedro Cruz, we finally broke through against another former Hitmen prospect, Augie Wang. After Endy Flair struck out to lead off the inning, Lyle Lindsey came on as a pinch hitter for David Matos (who pitched a brilliant game, by the way). Lindsay came up big with a single to get on with only one out. Robert Daniels followed up with another single and Hipolito Castillo walked to load the bases. Skeeter Wilkinson came up with the bases loaded, but before he could do anything, Wang let loose a wild pitch, allowing Lindsey to score and put us ahead late. Skeeter followed up with a sacrifice fly to plate Daniels, before Pete Benes popped out to end the inning. Up by two late, we felt pretty good about things.
On came closer Rod Sweeney. He had converted his first two saves of the year, so we felt good about him picking up a third. Unfortunately, he started off by allowing two straight singles to Walter Jordan and Richie Rivers before striking out Sting Crosby. Up next, Quinton Hall came up as a pinch hitter for Dale Hollandsworth and delivered by hitting a single to drive in Jordan. Still, the Hitmen led by one with only two outs to go. First and third, Sweeney fired, and Paul Heredia turned it around for a 3-run walk-off home run.
A discouraging loss. Sweeney saw his ERA balloon to a 10.80. I should note, however, that Sweeney is in no real danger of losing the closing job at this time. The only other real option is D'Angelo Rivera, but we prefer him in the set-up role right now.
The problem for us right now is that Trenton is playing so well (only loss so far was against us) and so is Cincy (only two losses so far were against us). Our schedule is softening up a bit, but that's why it's crucial to win these series' against teams like Salem. Still, if we can take the next two from them, we'll be in good shape, but that's a lot of pressure, even against a poor team.
As for top individual performances, Kevin Aldred is off to a hot start, already hitting 3 HRS and 9 RBIs in just 24 ABs. Billy Ray Sewell is playing well, with just a 0.64 ERA and 2-0 record after two starts. Finally, D'Angelo Rivera is doing a great job out of the bullpen, working 5.2 scoreless innings in five appearances.
On the other side of the coin, Pete Benes is hitting just .095 with no home runs or RBIs, while Ted Reith is hitting .150 with only two RBIs, despite many chances. Finally, Troy Stargell has posted a 14.85 ERA after two starts. Yikes!
First pitch for our next game is in about 45 minutes. Hopefully we can get things back in order.
Last night's game was a bit of a disappointment. After being pretty well shut down for the first seven innings against former Hitmen prospect Pedro Cruz, we finally broke through against another former Hitmen prospect, Augie Wang. After Endy Flair struck out to lead off the inning, Lyle Lindsey came on as a pinch hitter for David Matos (who pitched a brilliant game, by the way). Lindsay came up big with a single to get on with only one out. Robert Daniels followed up with another single and Hipolito Castillo walked to load the bases. Skeeter Wilkinson came up with the bases loaded, but before he could do anything, Wang let loose a wild pitch, allowing Lindsey to score and put us ahead late. Skeeter followed up with a sacrifice fly to plate Daniels, before Pete Benes popped out to end the inning. Up by two late, we felt pretty good about things.
On came closer Rod Sweeney. He had converted his first two saves of the year, so we felt good about him picking up a third. Unfortunately, he started off by allowing two straight singles to Walter Jordan and Richie Rivers before striking out Sting Crosby. Up next, Quinton Hall came up as a pinch hitter for Dale Hollandsworth and delivered by hitting a single to drive in Jordan. Still, the Hitmen led by one with only two outs to go. First and third, Sweeney fired, and Paul Heredia turned it around for a 3-run walk-off home run.
A discouraging loss. Sweeney saw his ERA balloon to a 10.80. I should note, however, that Sweeney is in no real danger of losing the closing job at this time. The only other real option is D'Angelo Rivera, but we prefer him in the set-up role right now.
The problem for us right now is that Trenton is playing so well (only loss so far was against us) and so is Cincy (only two losses so far were against us). Our schedule is softening up a bit, but that's why it's crucial to win these series' against teams like Salem. Still, if we can take the next two from them, we'll be in good shape, but that's a lot of pressure, even against a poor team.
As for top individual performances, Kevin Aldred is off to a hot start, already hitting 3 HRS and 9 RBIs in just 24 ABs. Billy Ray Sewell is playing well, with just a 0.64 ERA and 2-0 record after two starts. Finally, D'Angelo Rivera is doing a great job out of the bullpen, working 5.2 scoreless innings in five appearances.
On the other side of the coin, Pete Benes is hitting just .095 with no home runs or RBIs, while Ted Reith is hitting .150 with only two RBIs, despite many chances. Finally, Troy Stargell has posted a 14.85 ERA after two starts. Yikes!
First pitch for our next game is in about 45 minutes. Hopefully we can get things back in order.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Top Prospects
I figure now is as good a time as any to look at who our top ten prospects are. These players could help us in the future, or be used to trade for a superstar.
#10: Howard Champion - Champion was drafted in the 5th round of the Season 6 draft. While he's a nice player, he probably won't have a starting spot with our ML team. That leaves us with two options for him: Keep him as a bench player, or trade him. If we need to add a piece, or decide to reload, we can package him with some other players. Despite all of that, we got good value on him, for a 5th round pick.
#9: C.C. Holloway - Holloway doesn't hit quite enough to be a really top-notch prospect, but he would do pretty well. Some of his defensive projections are just a touch lower than many people want at SS, but he would be able to field CF extremely well. He would get the job done for us at either position, but he's blocked at both. For that reason, he's another player that we'll look to trade.
#8: Kevin High - He was the least appealing of the three pitchers we drafted in Season 6, but he still looks like he could be a pretty decent major-leaguer. He's currently at Double-A, and the sim just moved him to closer, which might be where he'd fit in for the big club. Ideally, though, we could package him with Champion and Holloway for a top notch prospect, or to fill some other need.
#7: Sherman Pall - Pall was the second pitcher from that same draft. He's got better control than High, and thus has a better shot at sticking with us. We wouldn't hesitate to trade him in the right deal, although it would have to be for a pretty good player or package.
#6: Ahmad Spivey - Spivey came cheap, and he should be able to help us out. He's been closing out a lot of games in the minors, but he has enough stamina to get by as a starter. We're a little concerned with his effectiveness against right-handers, but his great control and pitches should make up for it. One more season at Triple-A and we should be ready to make a decision on him.
#5: Tony Leary - If he can stay healthy, Leary is going to be a great top-of-the-order hitter for us. He'll also field a great center. If he gets hurt, we've got Holloway to fill in, although he won't hit quite as well. We'd be unlikely to trade him unless it was part of an excellent deal.
#4: Randy Atkins - Atkins was a first choice in the Season 8 draft. There is some concern that he won't get his glove up to where the projections say, but he should still be able to play short. We look forward to having Leary and Atkins set the table for our power hitters for years to come.
#3: Kenny McKay - McKay was acquired in a bit of a gift trade, and we couldn't be happier. He'll probably spend two more years in the minors before we call him up, although if he we were able to trade Cap Glass, we might bring him up next year. He's already got big league power. We're just waiting for those splits to develop. This guy is pretty close to untradeable.
#2: Angel Kelly - Kelly was drafted so high, that he often isn't given credit for how good he really is. He is not the kind of talent you usually see in a #2 overall pick, but he is still going to be a very good pitcher. He's probably ready for the bigs now, but with all of the pitching brought over in free agency, we were able to keep him down for one more season while his control and vL develops. A little more on his 2nd pitch wouldn't hurt, either. He's tradeable, but only in a situation where we were getting a lot back.
#1: Mark Baines - Baines has just one knock - injury concern. If he stays healthy, though, he'll be a great player. While the sim projects him at SS, we'd be more comfortable with him at 3B, and with Atkins coming along, that's where he'll play. He's got projections north of 70 for every hitting attribute but contact, and that projects at 63. We'll keep him unless someone offers us a blockbuster deal. He'll probably go into free agency, but when he does, he'll almost certainly bring us Type A compensation.
#10: Howard Champion - Champion was drafted in the 5th round of the Season 6 draft. While he's a nice player, he probably won't have a starting spot with our ML team. That leaves us with two options for him: Keep him as a bench player, or trade him. If we need to add a piece, or decide to reload, we can package him with some other players. Despite all of that, we got good value on him, for a 5th round pick.
#9: C.C. Holloway - Holloway doesn't hit quite enough to be a really top-notch prospect, but he would do pretty well. Some of his defensive projections are just a touch lower than many people want at SS, but he would be able to field CF extremely well. He would get the job done for us at either position, but he's blocked at both. For that reason, he's another player that we'll look to trade.
#8: Kevin High - He was the least appealing of the three pitchers we drafted in Season 6, but he still looks like he could be a pretty decent major-leaguer. He's currently at Double-A, and the sim just moved him to closer, which might be where he'd fit in for the big club. Ideally, though, we could package him with Champion and Holloway for a top notch prospect, or to fill some other need.
#7: Sherman Pall - Pall was the second pitcher from that same draft. He's got better control than High, and thus has a better shot at sticking with us. We wouldn't hesitate to trade him in the right deal, although it would have to be for a pretty good player or package.
#6: Ahmad Spivey - Spivey came cheap, and he should be able to help us out. He's been closing out a lot of games in the minors, but he has enough stamina to get by as a starter. We're a little concerned with his effectiveness against right-handers, but his great control and pitches should make up for it. One more season at Triple-A and we should be ready to make a decision on him.
#5: Tony Leary - If he can stay healthy, Leary is going to be a great top-of-the-order hitter for us. He'll also field a great center. If he gets hurt, we've got Holloway to fill in, although he won't hit quite as well. We'd be unlikely to trade him unless it was part of an excellent deal.
#4: Randy Atkins - Atkins was a first choice in the Season 8 draft. There is some concern that he won't get his glove up to where the projections say, but he should still be able to play short. We look forward to having Leary and Atkins set the table for our power hitters for years to come.
#3: Kenny McKay - McKay was acquired in a bit of a gift trade, and we couldn't be happier. He'll probably spend two more years in the minors before we call him up, although if he we were able to trade Cap Glass, we might bring him up next year. He's already got big league power. We're just waiting for those splits to develop. This guy is pretty close to untradeable.
#2: Angel Kelly - Kelly was drafted so high, that he often isn't given credit for how good he really is. He is not the kind of talent you usually see in a #2 overall pick, but he is still going to be a very good pitcher. He's probably ready for the bigs now, but with all of the pitching brought over in free agency, we were able to keep him down for one more season while his control and vL develops. A little more on his 2nd pitch wouldn't hurt, either. He's tradeable, but only in a situation where we were getting a lot back.
#1: Mark Baines - Baines has just one knock - injury concern. If he stays healthy, though, he'll be a great player. While the sim projects him at SS, we'd be more comfortable with him at 3B, and with Atkins coming along, that's where he'll play. He's got projections north of 70 for every hitting attribute but contact, and that projects at 63. We'll keep him unless someone offers us a blockbuster deal. He'll probably go into free agency, but when he does, he'll almost certainly bring us Type A compensation.
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