On a day that featured 4 errors, 11 pitchers and 11 innings of baseball the Titans of Toronto ended up on top to take a 3-2 win and a 2-1 advantage in this best of 7 Divisional Series. Though Titans starter Gonzales only pitched 4.2 innings, the Titans bullpen combined throwing 6 arms, giving up only 1 run on 3 hits in 6.1 innings, limiting the powerful Jersey offense to just 2 runs on 5 hits.
Jose Lara, making only his 2nd start since coming off his rehab assignment was sharp pitching 6.2 innings giving up 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. The last batter he faced reached on an error when 1B John Warner bobbled a throw, a play that should have ended the inning. Instead reliever Angel Lara would come in and promptly give up a double to German Rivas followed by a single from Luis Gonzalez which would score two runs and give Toronto a late 2-1 lead.
Jersey would come back in top of the 8th and tie the game on back to back doubles by Alberto Perez and Matthieu Vancini, but Bryant would end up stranding Vancini on 3rd with a lazy fly ball to center field two batters later. Toronto would strand a runner on 2nd in the bottom half and John Warner nor Warren Goyer could knock in Fransisco Ibarra from 2nd base in the Top of the 9th.
Jersey would get a real chance to pull ahead in the 11th when Ignacio Rios would hit Jersey shortstop Lawrence Schroeder with a pitch on a 2-2 count and walk Mike Bryant to put two runners on with none out. Toronto would get the force out at 2nd on Ibarra' fielder choice putting runners at the corners for David Dodd. The mistake came when Ibarra lazily was caught leaning off of 1st base on a pick off throw which wasn't even close. Dodd would eventually strike out which would be Jersey's last chance to take the lead in the game.
Toronto would start the 11th with a bloop since from Zaragoza followed by a walk from Overbeek to give the Titans life. Reliever Gerald Johnson would get Ayala to hit a slow chopper where 3B Perez's only play was 1st base giving the Titans 2 runners in scoring position with only 1 out. Catcher Gonzalez would be intentionally walked to set up the double play for 9th hitter Lucero. Johnson wouldn't even give him a chance to win the game with a hit by walking him on 4 pitches and forcing in Zaragoza from 3rd for the winning run to end a frustrating and error filled game for the D-Bags and putting them in a 2-1 series hole.
This is not a position the D-Bags wanted to get into, especially with 2 more games in Toronto. Game 4 both teams will bring back their Game 1 starters on short rest as Jose Ramos looks to even the series with another dominate performance. Meanwhile Lebel tries to avoid losing to the D-Bags for the 5th time this season while putting team on the brink of their 3rd trip to the League Championship Series for the 3rd time in 4 season.
GO D-BAGS
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Titans Use Long Ball to Tie Series at 2; D-Bags Lose Brodeur
The Titans made up for their inefficiencies at the plate in Game 1 by showing off their powerful offense in Game 2. Toronto pounded out 14 hits, including 5 for extra bases and 4 of them being home runs as they scored in 6 of the first 7 innings to jump out to a 7-0 lead before eventually winning Game 2, 7-3. 2nd year pitcher and 17 game winner Sergio Martinez struggled as the Titans tagged him for 8 hits, 3 of which were home runs, 5 earned runs in only 3.2 IP. It marked his 2nd shortest start of the year and only game of the year where he gave up 3 home runs.
Not only was the pitching sluggish for the D-Bags the bats weren't much better. Though they did manage 8 hits and 4 of them for extra bases, 4 of those hits came in the last two innings, including Goyer's 2 run HR in the 9th. Jersey scored all 3 of their runs in the last two frames. Not only did Jersey struggle on both sides of the ball, they also lost their 2B/SS/3B Fabrice Brodeur for the foreseeable future. Brodeur led off the 5th inning with a double down the right field line and came up limping as he got to 2nd. Adam Morrow would pinch run for him as he was helped off the field with a limp. He is diagnosed with a strained hamstring and is likely gone for the season. A blow to Jersey defensively, but also was productive with the bat for the past 2 months.
Tim Harmon, starter for Toronto, had his best month of the season in September, kept it going in Game 2 allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 batters through 6 scoreless innings. Not bad for his first post season start after spending the the previous 5 years of his career as a member of the New York Knights.
Stars Luis Gonzalez and Kevin Beasley did most of the damage for the Titans, going a combined 6-8 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBI and a walk. Two of those hits were home runs by Gonzalez. The other homers for Toronto came from catcher Manuel Gonzalez and SS Eugenio Lucero.
Game 3 will be in Toronto after an off day. SP Jose Lara will go for Jersey, while 23 year old Jose Gonzales will take the bump for Toronto.
GO D-BAGS
Ramos Masterful; Jersey Takes 1-0 Series Lead
Jose Ramos showed today why he is one of the favorites to take home the CL Cy Young Award and why he is considered one of the best starters in the BSA. Ramos sprinkled 4 hits in a complete game, giving up 1 earned run on a 5th inning Kevin Beasley single, walking no one and striking out 7 in a 120 pitch performance. Only 5 balls left the infield all day, as Ramos induced 15 groundballs, including a double play.
Ramos was aided by 11 hits by the offense, including back to back to back singles in the 4th to tie the game and 3 singles and an error in the 5th which would put the D-Bags up for good. For the most part starting pitcher Albert Lebel for Toronto kept Jersey guessing all day, striking out 9 in 6.2 innings. On the 10 hits that Lebel surrendered only 1 went for extra bases. Lebel got in trouble when he gave up multiple hits as he did in all 3 innings that Jersey scored in. Dave Dodd added a solo HR in the 8th inning for extra measure making the score 5-1 which would be the final.
Ramos brings up his post season record to 2-5 with the win. He had hard two years against against Austin where he went 1-2 despite only giving up 3 ER and only allowing 12 hits in 19 innings pitched. This was Lebel's 1st post season loss after going 2-0 in 5 starts in Toronto's World Series run last season. For the 2019 season this marked the 4th time Jersey has beaten Lebel this season.
Game 2 in Jersey Shore features SP Tim Harmon for Toronto vs. SP Sergio Martinez for Jersey
GO D-BAGS
Monday, April 28, 2014
2019 CLDS Breakdown; Toronto vs Jersey Shore
In what many saw as a wacky year in the BSA the playoff teams that eventually came out probably didn't surprise that many people. While surprise teams Chicago and Pocatello fell short in September and left contenders Seattle and Austin under the .500 mark, the CL sent Toronto and Greenville back to the playoffs while Jersey Shore and Vista reclaimed their division titles that they both had claimed in 2017.
It took a 1 game tie breaker against division rival Greenville, but Jersey Shore held on for their 2nd division title and and the #1 seed in the CL playoffs. They had to withstand a 24-4 September record from the 84's but had enough in the tank to win Game 163 on the road, 6-4 and win a date with Toronto.
This will mark the 3rd time in BSA history that D-Bags and Titans will meet in the postseason. The first being in the 2015 CLDS where Toronto took a 2-1 lead and Jersey came back and won 3 games in a row to advance and eventually make the World Series. That Jersey Shore team won 13 games less than the heavily favored Titans who had the best record in the CL and 2nd best record in the BSA behind Hendersonville. They would also meet a year later, this time as Jersey coming in as the team that had won 11 more games. Toronto still had home field advantage being division winners and walked away with a convincing 4-1 series win which propelled them to the World Series as well. This will mark the first time that Jersey will face Toronto as the better seed with home field advantage.
Jersey won the season series this year by a slim margin of 5-4 which was mostly made up of convincing wins by either side. There were only 2 of the 9 games decided by 2 runs or less. It should be noted that Jersey did hand the Toronto ace Albert Lebel 3 of his 9 losses on the season.
Projected Jersey Shore lineup:
vs RHP:
LF Matthieu Vancini
SS Lawrence Schroeder
2B Mike Bryant
CF Fransisco Ibarra
RF Dave Dodd
1B John Warner
C Warren Goyer
3B Fabrice Brodeur
DH Alberto Perez
Bench:
C Albert Lopez
1B Roberto Bojorquez
3B Adam Morrow
LF Fransisco Torres
RF Jose Ortiz
vs LHP
LF Matthieu Vancini
SS Lawrence Schroeder
DH Mike Bryant
CF Fransisco Ibarra
1B John Warner
RF Dave Dodd
C Warner Goyer
2B Fabrice Brodeur
3B Adam Morrow
Bench:
C Albert Perez
1B Roberto Bojorquez
3B Alberto Perez
LF Fransisco Torres
RF Jose Ortiz
Pitching Staff:
Jersey will go with a for sure 1-2-3 of Ramos, Martinez and Jose Lara for the first 3 games of the series and will use either Art Ellis or Greg Schaefer in Game 4 or back to Ramos if necessary. Here is a list of Jersey pitchers with their season stats against the Titans.
SP Jose Ramos - 2-0, 17 IP, 15H, 4ER, 0BB, 11K, 2.12 ERA, 0.88 WHIP
SP Sergio Martinez - N/A
SP Jose Lara - N/A
SP Art Ellis - 0-2, 12.1 IP, 13H, 7ER, 4BB, 7K, 5.11 ERA, 1.38 WHIP
SP Greg Schaefer - 1-0, 6IP. 9H, 2ER, 1BB, 5K, 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP
SP Jerry Burgess - 0-2, 16.2 IP, 22H. 15ER, 17BB, 11K, 8.10 ERA, 2.34 WHIP
MR
LHP Phillip Moran - 5.1IP, 7H, 5ER, 2BB, 6K, 8.44 ERA, 1.69 WHIP
RHP Yin-zhen Zong - 6IP, 9H, 2ER, 3BB, 9K, 3.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP
LHP Pedro Vega - 2.2IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 1K, 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP
Setup
LHP Gerald Johnson - 1-0, 4.0IP, 7H, 3ER, 1BB. 4K, 6.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP
RHP Angel Lara - 1-0, 7IP, 9H, 4ER, 2BB, 3K, 5.14 ERA, 1.57 WHIP
Closer
RHP Jose Ruiz - 2 saves, 2.0IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 0K, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
GO D-BAGS
It took a 1 game tie breaker against division rival Greenville, but Jersey Shore held on for their 2nd division title and and the #1 seed in the CL playoffs. They had to withstand a 24-4 September record from the 84's but had enough in the tank to win Game 163 on the road, 6-4 and win a date with Toronto.
This will mark the 3rd time in BSA history that D-Bags and Titans will meet in the postseason. The first being in the 2015 CLDS where Toronto took a 2-1 lead and Jersey came back and won 3 games in a row to advance and eventually make the World Series. That Jersey Shore team won 13 games less than the heavily favored Titans who had the best record in the CL and 2nd best record in the BSA behind Hendersonville. They would also meet a year later, this time as Jersey coming in as the team that had won 11 more games. Toronto still had home field advantage being division winners and walked away with a convincing 4-1 series win which propelled them to the World Series as well. This will mark the first time that Jersey will face Toronto as the better seed with home field advantage.
Jersey won the season series this year by a slim margin of 5-4 which was mostly made up of convincing wins by either side. There were only 2 of the 9 games decided by 2 runs or less. It should be noted that Jersey did hand the Toronto ace Albert Lebel 3 of his 9 losses on the season.
Projected Jersey Shore lineup:
vs RHP:
LF Matthieu Vancini
SS Lawrence Schroeder
2B Mike Bryant
CF Fransisco Ibarra
RF Dave Dodd
1B John Warner
C Warren Goyer
3B Fabrice Brodeur
DH Alberto Perez
Bench:
C Albert Lopez
1B Roberto Bojorquez
3B Adam Morrow
LF Fransisco Torres
RF Jose Ortiz
vs LHP
LF Matthieu Vancini
SS Lawrence Schroeder
DH Mike Bryant
CF Fransisco Ibarra
1B John Warner
RF Dave Dodd
C Warner Goyer
2B Fabrice Brodeur
3B Adam Morrow
Bench:
C Albert Perez
1B Roberto Bojorquez
3B Alberto Perez
LF Fransisco Torres
RF Jose Ortiz
Pitching Staff:
Jersey will go with a for sure 1-2-3 of Ramos, Martinez and Jose Lara for the first 3 games of the series and will use either Art Ellis or Greg Schaefer in Game 4 or back to Ramos if necessary. Here is a list of Jersey pitchers with their season stats against the Titans.
SP Jose Ramos - 2-0, 17 IP, 15H, 4ER, 0BB, 11K, 2.12 ERA, 0.88 WHIP
SP Sergio Martinez - N/A
SP Jose Lara - N/A
SP Art Ellis - 0-2, 12.1 IP, 13H, 7ER, 4BB, 7K, 5.11 ERA, 1.38 WHIP
SP Greg Schaefer - 1-0, 6IP. 9H, 2ER, 1BB, 5K, 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP
SP Jerry Burgess - 0-2, 16.2 IP, 22H. 15ER, 17BB, 11K, 8.10 ERA, 2.34 WHIP
MR
LHP Phillip Moran - 5.1IP, 7H, 5ER, 2BB, 6K, 8.44 ERA, 1.69 WHIP
RHP Yin-zhen Zong - 6IP, 9H, 2ER, 3BB, 9K, 3.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP
LHP Pedro Vega - 2.2IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 1K, 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP
Setup
LHP Gerald Johnson - 1-0, 4.0IP, 7H, 3ER, 1BB. 4K, 6.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP
RHP Angel Lara - 1-0, 7IP, 9H, 4ER, 2BB, 3K, 5.14 ERA, 1.57 WHIP
Closer
RHP Jose Ruiz - 2 saves, 2.0IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 0K, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
GO D-BAGS
Saturday, April 26, 2014
The Machine that is Tuscaloosa
When you think dynasties you think the Murderer's Row and the Yankees of the 20's and 30's, the Celtics of the 60's, the Showtime Lakers, Steel Curtain Steelers, Jordan's Bulls, the late 90's Yankees, and most notably the Hendersonville Hitmen the modern era. A little less talked talked about modern dynasty is what is going on for Jersey Shore's AAA affiliate in Tuscaloosa.
Tuscaloosa is most well known for the the powerhouse that is the Alabama Crimson Tide of the collegiate football world, but in the last 9 years, the Trout Slayers of Tuscaloosa have donned the championship hats and shirts 5 times and are set to tangle this week with the Trenton Stars in a best of 5 series aiming for their 6th title in 10 years.
In this being the 10th year of the modern BSA, Tuscaloosa has won 8 division titles and made the playoffs as the Wild card team the 2 remaining years. This season with their 108 wins it marked the 6th time they eclipsed the 100 win barrier and marked the 3rd straight year they have seen over 1 million in attendance for the season.
In a league and for a team that is very much offensive based, the Trout Slayers feature a player who has taken International league hitting to new heights and that player is 25 year OF Juan Mendoza. Originally a 2nd round pick of the Jacksonville Jackhammers way back in the 2014 season, Mendoza was signed and then released nearly a month later and say as a free agent for 3 weeks before Jersey offered him a minor league deal and was sent to A ball Manhattan. Always projected as a power prospect, he didn't show it until the 2016 season hitting 26 HR in A ball and a combined 22 HR between A and AA the following year. 2018 was a stellar year for Mendoza as he bashed 39 HR and drove in 135 runs to go with 100 walks in AA Gainesville before being promoted to AAA to finish the 2018 season. 2019 Mendoza finally was put on the 40 man roster and was invited to Spring Training for the D-Bags where he struggled in 31 AB, only hitting .161 with a single HR. Being sent back to AAA gave Mendoza a push. He hit double digit HR in every month except September and had his banner month in August. In 106 AB in 28 games he 17 HR, 45 RBI, walked 22 times on way to a slash line of .349/.461/.858. He won player of the month for both June and August and sprinkled in 3 player of the week awards in their as well. This season he set the ITL record for SLG (.713), OPS (1.97), Total Bases (430), HR (72), RBI (185) and WAR (9.8). Those are some big numbers.
Not only did the 2019 feature the record breaking Mendoza, they also had Tadahisa Kisuki, a very possible next star in Jersey at 1B, who hit .366/.452/.561 and 3B Xin Zhang who added 25 HR and hit .322/.431/.552. Not only could they hit they had four 16 game winners led by top prospect Ramon Ruiz who went 21-4 in 28 starts with an ERA of 2.91 and a WAR of 6.9 and not to mention one of the best bullpens in the ITl. While Trenton does have a very stacked roster, the Trout Slayers have a very good chance to add a 6th title to their wall.
Many of Jersey Shore players past and present have been part of championship teams and added to the storied past which is Tuscaloosa. From that first Championship year in 2010 which featured players such as: former MVP Ricardo Vargas, long time major leaguers David Pena, Damien Balmforth, Sergio Rodriguez, Jugurtha Wemusa and Jose Reyes to long time Jersey bullpen arms such as Jaime Saenz, Lucio Tapia and Jose Ruiz. The 2014 Championship team featured former ROY Adam Morrow, 5-time All Star Matt Doyle, Jersey starter Alberto Perez, Jersey starting pitchers Sergio Martinez and Greg Schaefer and current bullpen arms Jose Ruiz and Yin-zhen Zong.
With Jersey's long time strategy to build within and through the draft, it is evident to this how many home grown players have come up and won in the Jersey system playing together. This can only mean a championship is coming to Jersey......right?
GO D-BAGS
Tuscaloosa is most well known for the the powerhouse that is the Alabama Crimson Tide of the collegiate football world, but in the last 9 years, the Trout Slayers of Tuscaloosa have donned the championship hats and shirts 5 times and are set to tangle this week with the Trenton Stars in a best of 5 series aiming for their 6th title in 10 years.
In this being the 10th year of the modern BSA, Tuscaloosa has won 8 division titles and made the playoffs as the Wild card team the 2 remaining years. This season with their 108 wins it marked the 6th time they eclipsed the 100 win barrier and marked the 3rd straight year they have seen over 1 million in attendance for the season.
In a league and for a team that is very much offensive based, the Trout Slayers feature a player who has taken International league hitting to new heights and that player is 25 year OF Juan Mendoza. Originally a 2nd round pick of the Jacksonville Jackhammers way back in the 2014 season, Mendoza was signed and then released nearly a month later and say as a free agent for 3 weeks before Jersey offered him a minor league deal and was sent to A ball Manhattan. Always projected as a power prospect, he didn't show it until the 2016 season hitting 26 HR in A ball and a combined 22 HR between A and AA the following year. 2018 was a stellar year for Mendoza as he bashed 39 HR and drove in 135 runs to go with 100 walks in AA Gainesville before being promoted to AAA to finish the 2018 season. 2019 Mendoza finally was put on the 40 man roster and was invited to Spring Training for the D-Bags where he struggled in 31 AB, only hitting .161 with a single HR. Being sent back to AAA gave Mendoza a push. He hit double digit HR in every month except September and had his banner month in August. In 106 AB in 28 games he 17 HR, 45 RBI, walked 22 times on way to a slash line of .349/.461/.858. He won player of the month for both June and August and sprinkled in 3 player of the week awards in their as well. This season he set the ITL record for SLG (.713), OPS (1.97), Total Bases (430), HR (72), RBI (185) and WAR (9.8). Those are some big numbers.
Not only did the 2019 feature the record breaking Mendoza, they also had Tadahisa Kisuki, a very possible next star in Jersey at 1B, who hit .366/.452/.561 and 3B Xin Zhang who added 25 HR and hit .322/.431/.552. Not only could they hit they had four 16 game winners led by top prospect Ramon Ruiz who went 21-4 in 28 starts with an ERA of 2.91 and a WAR of 6.9 and not to mention one of the best bullpens in the ITl. While Trenton does have a very stacked roster, the Trout Slayers have a very good chance to add a 6th title to their wall.
Many of Jersey Shore players past and present have been part of championship teams and added to the storied past which is Tuscaloosa. From that first Championship year in 2010 which featured players such as: former MVP Ricardo Vargas, long time major leaguers David Pena, Damien Balmforth, Sergio Rodriguez, Jugurtha Wemusa and Jose Reyes to long time Jersey bullpen arms such as Jaime Saenz, Lucio Tapia and Jose Ruiz. The 2014 Championship team featured former ROY Adam Morrow, 5-time All Star Matt Doyle, Jersey starter Alberto Perez, Jersey starting pitchers Sergio Martinez and Greg Schaefer and current bullpen arms Jose Ruiz and Yin-zhen Zong.
With Jersey's long time strategy to build within and through the draft, it is evident to this how many home grown players have come up and won in the Jersey system playing together. This can only mean a championship is coming to Jersey......right?
GO D-BAGS
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Milestone for Bryant; Smashes HR #250
I'm sure the league has to be sick of hearing the name Mike Bryant by now. The superstar now in his 6th full season and 7th total season continues to put up eye popping stats year in and year out. Earlier this season he was selected to his 6th straight All-Star game and after a "slow" month of April Byrant has hit at least 6 HR and 20 RBI in every month, hit above .330 with an OBP of over 400 in every month except for May and is currently having his most productive month with a week still left over.
On August 12th, 2019, the first game of a 10 day roadtrip, Bryant didn't take much time hitting a towering fly down the RF line into the 2nd deck of Red Box Field in Madison off of 24 year old reliever turned starter Robinson Gonzales for his 250th career bomb. Bryant became only the 14th batter to reach this milestone behind classic sluggers such as Crowe, Sagar, Yoko, Delaney, Rivas, Fujita, Alston, Torres, Chouda, Newell and most recently Copriviza. Not a bad group of players to be associated with.
At the current pace he is on with ~5 or so weeks to go in the season, Bryant would reach 37+ HR for the 6th straight year, 208+ hits for the 6th straight year as well as 119+ RBI also for the 6th straight year. While he seems to have lost a tiny step on defense and on the basepaths there is really no denying his bat is still going strong. Bryant will turn 32 a few weeks before the 2020 season and all of Jersey Shore is hoping he ages gracefully continuing to be the heart and soul of the powerful offense. With his current pace, Bryant should hit the magical 1500 hit mark at some point next season and if he continues on his career HR pace, the 300 HR mark could be hit near the end of next season.
With the emergence of Dave Dodd as a bonafide superstar, he and Bryant make for the one of the most dangerous duos in the current BSA. They lead all duos with a combined 66 HR, 207 RBI, 193 runs scored and 594 total bases. Throw in catcher Warren Goyer and the trio makes up for 3 of the top 4 HR hitters in the CL this season. Will this be enough to push Jersey into the post season? We can only hope so. With 5 weeks left in the regular season, Greenville is making a charge and sits 5 games behind Jersey. The D-Bags only hold a slight lead on the current Wild Card team, the Pocatello Bocabellas as well. It should be a fun 5 weeks in the CL!
GO D-BAGS
On August 12th, 2019, the first game of a 10 day roadtrip, Bryant didn't take much time hitting a towering fly down the RF line into the 2nd deck of Red Box Field in Madison off of 24 year old reliever turned starter Robinson Gonzales for his 250th career bomb. Bryant became only the 14th batter to reach this milestone behind classic sluggers such as Crowe, Sagar, Yoko, Delaney, Rivas, Fujita, Alston, Torres, Chouda, Newell and most recently Copriviza. Not a bad group of players to be associated with.
At the current pace he is on with ~5 or so weeks to go in the season, Bryant would reach 37+ HR for the 6th straight year, 208+ hits for the 6th straight year as well as 119+ RBI also for the 6th straight year. While he seems to have lost a tiny step on defense and on the basepaths there is really no denying his bat is still going strong. Bryant will turn 32 a few weeks before the 2020 season and all of Jersey Shore is hoping he ages gracefully continuing to be the heart and soul of the powerful offense. With his current pace, Bryant should hit the magical 1500 hit mark at some point next season and if he continues on his career HR pace, the 300 HR mark could be hit near the end of next season.
With the emergence of Dave Dodd as a bonafide superstar, he and Bryant make for the one of the most dangerous duos in the current BSA. They lead all duos with a combined 66 HR, 207 RBI, 193 runs scored and 594 total bases. Throw in catcher Warren Goyer and the trio makes up for 3 of the top 4 HR hitters in the CL this season. Will this be enough to push Jersey into the post season? We can only hope so. With 5 weeks left in the regular season, Greenville is making a charge and sits 5 games behind Jersey. The D-Bags only hold a slight lead on the current Wild Card team, the Pocatello Bocabellas as well. It should be a fun 5 weeks in the CL!
GO D-BAGS
Friday, April 11, 2014
2019 Trade Deadline; A Missed Opportunity?
Usually the BSA trade deadline is a buzz worthy time with trades coming in from all angles from multiple teams. This year the buzz was low and only 4 teams got in on 2 different trades making it one of the quietest deadlines on record. Who missed out? Did some teams miss opportunities to better themselves for a playoff run? Absolutely. But instead of going that route, let's go look at which teams were holding the pieces and missed out on dealing them. I'm not saying there was a huge market for these players but, here are 8 players IMO that should have been traded:
C Luis Munoz, Madison: Madison, a last place team coming off the #1 overall pick with a younger, talented roster. Now Munoz is a couple years past his all-star days and struggled last year and the current one, but at age 32 he can still hit and is one of the better defensive catchers in the league. With 2 years at relatively small money left on his current deal combined with 23 Juan Sanchez in the pros and 24 year old Derek Roach, who is great defensively, ripping up AAA pitching...there was more than enough there to move forward with. Even getting a mid-level prospect or two for Munoz would have been a win in my book for the Bombers.
C Jaime Torres, Seattle: I know Seattle is built to win now. I have been one of the more vocal voices talking about the age of that roster. Kevin has spent a lot of money building a team to compete for years...but being back 10+ games at the deadline with such a high payroll and not much in the pipeline....I think it would have been a good move. With all the veterans on the team, I think Torres would have been most marketable. With one year, an 8.9M player option left on his contract, at age 34 Torres is still one of the more talented bats at the position in the BSA. I know there isn't much to replace him with, but with a team on pace to lose almost 14M this season, getting anything in return would have been a plus at this point.
IF/SS Bobby McIntosh, New York: With the wealth of young starting pitching that is being stock piled in New York, I'm a little shocked to see the Knights in last place. Though the team does lack depth in the hitting department, and McIntosh was signed just this off season, at age 31 he likely would have made an attractive candidate. He plays everywhere in the infield, though not the greatest and is a 283 career hitter to go along with a 360 OBP. He is only owed 3.6M per season over the next two years, and the 2nd being a team option he is affordable for everyone. With a system that is fairly barren outside of a few gems, a couple of mid-level specs would have been nice to add some depth to a team that is short on it. With veterans Foster, Manuel and probably Scholl gone this off season it would have only made sense to get what they could for Bobby, but at least he has another guaranteed season for the Knights.
LF Errol Hughes, Cleveland: Cleveland is such a strange team. A team chalked full of young talent mixed with gritty veterans yet they are on pace for their 4th straight season of playing ~.475 ball. I like the direction they are going and while only 7 games out of the Wild Card, they still could make a push. Hughes is a former 2 time all-star and is only 31 years old. While his average dipped the last year with the Looters, he still clubbed 29 homers and walked 100 times. He was traded to LA, then on to Hendersonville for the 2018 where he struggled in 150 so at bats and became a free agent. Cleveland stepped in and gave him a one year 960K contract this year and has shown he still has a lot left in the tank. 17 HR to go with a .382 OBP thus far on a very minimal contract makes him an attractive piece. With a young OF core in Cleveland, I think most contenders could have used Hughes, even just as a platoon player and if the Monsters could have scored a 2.5-3* player out of a 960K investment? That's a win in my book
*I really think SS Cassidy would have made a great piece.....if he wasn't struggling so much this season.
SS Brian Cash, Boston: For the record, Dave did inform the league he was on the trade block. Why no one scooped him up? I'm not sure. At age 33, Cash has turned his career around since coming to Boston last season. This year marked his 2nd straight All-Star game and he is only making 4M this season and has a $4M player option next season. LA would have been a perfect fit. I can only imagine the option is picked up and Cash will be shopped next season. Boston is an up and coming team though, maybe Cash was priced out too high and the Rebels are planning on taking a run next season? Who knows.
SS Oliver Hernandez, Los Cabos: For the record I think Don has done a very good job slashing payroll and moving players this season. At age 32, O-Hern has spent his entire BSA career with the same club and is the face of the franchise. While he might not be the player he once was with the stick or in the field, he is still a very popular, above average fielder and can hold his own with the bat. He is making $13M this season and is an upcoming free agent. Without knowing what his contract demands are and his salary this year, he might have been tough to move. He is one of the few players on this list who I think could have brought back a Top 100 prospect. The market has to be right for a player like this though. Either way, I think he becomes a popular target this winter in free agency.
LF Domingo Martinez, San Fransisco: Oh San Fransisco, what happened? Just two years ago you were winning 94 ball games...and now you will be lucky to win 2/3 of that total. The roster looks depleated and the farm doesn't look that much more attractive. I know Martinez is San Fransisco baseball. He has been on the NL All-Star team now 4 years in a row and is the only member on the team to have a WAR above 1.5. While it would be hard to trade someone of his popularity, he is only making $2M this year and is an upcoming free agent. This will mark the 6th year he posted over a 4.3 WAR, and while corner outfielders aren't the most popular targets, he as consistent as they come. I can see a lot of teams giving up a handful of specs for Martinez and the contract of another veteran or two. If Martinez is resigned well then that's that. If he is let go to free agency, I will call this a major mistake for the Bandits.
3B Jud Younger, Orlando: After such a positive 2017, the will be the 2nd year in a row that Orlando is headed for the .500 mark or slightly below it. The ORL has a roster of youth outside of JTF, Richardson and Younger. While I know Orlando gave up a draft pick to sign Younger to a 1 year deal, his 50 XBH and his OBP of 363 shows his value. With being an up and coming free agent, his contract isn't an issue during trade talks. Imagine that bat inserted into Pocatello's offense this year. While a prospect or two might not seem worth it considering his production, at age 32 and just on a 1 year deal it could have given the Calrissian more young talent going forward.
Although I spotted a lot of players I wanted to include, these 8 stood out to me. There were many players who just made too much money to keep them tradeable. Those names include JTF, Jesus Moran, Peter Larson, Jason Jackson, Cade Delaney, Bill Allan and Kyuso Fujita among others. I also didn't include any middle relief or closers. I feel the league is very stocked with quality relief and while some contenders could have used an upgrade there wasn't a single sure fire option at a reasonable price I saw out there.
Enjoy!
GO D-BAGS
C Luis Munoz, Madison: Madison, a last place team coming off the #1 overall pick with a younger, talented roster. Now Munoz is a couple years past his all-star days and struggled last year and the current one, but at age 32 he can still hit and is one of the better defensive catchers in the league. With 2 years at relatively small money left on his current deal combined with 23 Juan Sanchez in the pros and 24 year old Derek Roach, who is great defensively, ripping up AAA pitching...there was more than enough there to move forward with. Even getting a mid-level prospect or two for Munoz would have been a win in my book for the Bombers.
C Jaime Torres, Seattle: I know Seattle is built to win now. I have been one of the more vocal voices talking about the age of that roster. Kevin has spent a lot of money building a team to compete for years...but being back 10+ games at the deadline with such a high payroll and not much in the pipeline....I think it would have been a good move. With all the veterans on the team, I think Torres would have been most marketable. With one year, an 8.9M player option left on his contract, at age 34 Torres is still one of the more talented bats at the position in the BSA. I know there isn't much to replace him with, but with a team on pace to lose almost 14M this season, getting anything in return would have been a plus at this point.
IF/SS Bobby McIntosh, New York: With the wealth of young starting pitching that is being stock piled in New York, I'm a little shocked to see the Knights in last place. Though the team does lack depth in the hitting department, and McIntosh was signed just this off season, at age 31 he likely would have made an attractive candidate. He plays everywhere in the infield, though not the greatest and is a 283 career hitter to go along with a 360 OBP. He is only owed 3.6M per season over the next two years, and the 2nd being a team option he is affordable for everyone. With a system that is fairly barren outside of a few gems, a couple of mid-level specs would have been nice to add some depth to a team that is short on it. With veterans Foster, Manuel and probably Scholl gone this off season it would have only made sense to get what they could for Bobby, but at least he has another guaranteed season for the Knights.
LF Errol Hughes, Cleveland: Cleveland is such a strange team. A team chalked full of young talent mixed with gritty veterans yet they are on pace for their 4th straight season of playing ~.475 ball. I like the direction they are going and while only 7 games out of the Wild Card, they still could make a push. Hughes is a former 2 time all-star and is only 31 years old. While his average dipped the last year with the Looters, he still clubbed 29 homers and walked 100 times. He was traded to LA, then on to Hendersonville for the 2018 where he struggled in 150 so at bats and became a free agent. Cleveland stepped in and gave him a one year 960K contract this year and has shown he still has a lot left in the tank. 17 HR to go with a .382 OBP thus far on a very minimal contract makes him an attractive piece. With a young OF core in Cleveland, I think most contenders could have used Hughes, even just as a platoon player and if the Monsters could have scored a 2.5-3* player out of a 960K investment? That's a win in my book
*I really think SS Cassidy would have made a great piece.....if he wasn't struggling so much this season.
SS Brian Cash, Boston: For the record, Dave did inform the league he was on the trade block. Why no one scooped him up? I'm not sure. At age 33, Cash has turned his career around since coming to Boston last season. This year marked his 2nd straight All-Star game and he is only making 4M this season and has a $4M player option next season. LA would have been a perfect fit. I can only imagine the option is picked up and Cash will be shopped next season. Boston is an up and coming team though, maybe Cash was priced out too high and the Rebels are planning on taking a run next season? Who knows.
SS Oliver Hernandez, Los Cabos: For the record I think Don has done a very good job slashing payroll and moving players this season. At age 32, O-Hern has spent his entire BSA career with the same club and is the face of the franchise. While he might not be the player he once was with the stick or in the field, he is still a very popular, above average fielder and can hold his own with the bat. He is making $13M this season and is an upcoming free agent. Without knowing what his contract demands are and his salary this year, he might have been tough to move. He is one of the few players on this list who I think could have brought back a Top 100 prospect. The market has to be right for a player like this though. Either way, I think he becomes a popular target this winter in free agency.
LF Domingo Martinez, San Fransisco: Oh San Fransisco, what happened? Just two years ago you were winning 94 ball games...and now you will be lucky to win 2/3 of that total. The roster looks depleated and the farm doesn't look that much more attractive. I know Martinez is San Fransisco baseball. He has been on the NL All-Star team now 4 years in a row and is the only member on the team to have a WAR above 1.5. While it would be hard to trade someone of his popularity, he is only making $2M this year and is an upcoming free agent. This will mark the 6th year he posted over a 4.3 WAR, and while corner outfielders aren't the most popular targets, he as consistent as they come. I can see a lot of teams giving up a handful of specs for Martinez and the contract of another veteran or two. If Martinez is resigned well then that's that. If he is let go to free agency, I will call this a major mistake for the Bandits.
3B Jud Younger, Orlando: After such a positive 2017, the will be the 2nd year in a row that Orlando is headed for the .500 mark or slightly below it. The ORL has a roster of youth outside of JTF, Richardson and Younger. While I know Orlando gave up a draft pick to sign Younger to a 1 year deal, his 50 XBH and his OBP of 363 shows his value. With being an up and coming free agent, his contract isn't an issue during trade talks. Imagine that bat inserted into Pocatello's offense this year. While a prospect or two might not seem worth it considering his production, at age 32 and just on a 1 year deal it could have given the Calrissian more young talent going forward.
Although I spotted a lot of players I wanted to include, these 8 stood out to me. There were many players who just made too much money to keep them tradeable. Those names include JTF, Jesus Moran, Peter Larson, Jason Jackson, Cade Delaney, Bill Allan and Kyuso Fujita among others. I also didn't include any middle relief or closers. I feel the league is very stocked with quality relief and while some contenders could have used an upgrade there wasn't a single sure fire option at a reasonable price I saw out there.
Enjoy!
GO D-BAGS
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
BSA 2019; What the Hell is Going on??
Year 10 of the current BSA has been an interesting one and that's saying things lightly. August has just started and here is a list of things that will either amuse you or make you say huh??
- There has been 1 triple play this season.....and it was turned by the Niagara Falls Frenzy
- Jeff Cole after being traded away from Hendersonville to a team with a bigger park AND who plays in the same division as Seattle and their huge park.....is on pace for his best career season
- How about New York's Jorge Diaz? In his 11th big league year at age 30 he is having a career year. Always an average or slightly above average player, Diaz's name is appearing on early MVP ballots and leads the NL in several major offensive categories.
- How rare are inside the park HR's? How rare are inside the park grand slams? On July 21st we had just that. Lawrence Schroeder of Jersey Shore came to bat in the 6th inning with the bases loaded and hit a deep fly to left center and ended up clearing the bases....and scoring himself. The game was also played in the small field in Jersey.....against Indianapolis who is one of the better defensive teams in the league
- The best offensive performance of the year came just this week. August 1st the Niagara Falls Frenzy played at New York against the Knights. The game ended 8-7 in favor of the Frenzy in an 18 inning marathon. The player was former phenom Russell Phillips. In 9 official plate appearances, Phillips reached base....9 times. He doubled in 2nd, homered in the 4th, walked in the 6th, homered in the 8th, singled in the 10th, walked in the 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th. He finished the day with a line of: 4-4, 2 runs scored, 4 RBI and 5 walks. 9 for 9. The next closest perfect day this season was Mike Bryant of Jersey Shore who went 3-3 and walked 3 times for a 6 for 6 day.
- If the season ended today Maui would reach the playoffs for the first time since 2013 and Pocatello for the first time since 2012.
- The Seattle Pikes are hitting .232 as a team thus far this season. If they drop any further they risk entering the Top 3 of the most inept hitting teams in CL history. The Reno Cards of 2016 are 3rd on the list with a team average of .231.
- 10 of the 34 1st round picks this year still remained unsigned, a month after they were drafted.
- Albert Lebel of Toronto is on pace to strikeout 279 batters this season. That would break the all-time record set by Jose Lara in 2011 playing for the Edison Coloniels (now Boston Rebels).
- Speaking of pitching records, Cipriano Montanez sits with an 18-3 record. At his current pace he would finish with a record of 27-4, breaking Scott Hill's win record by 1.
- Can Lorenzo Villa be the 3rd player in BSA history to win the Triple Crown? He is currently 1st in HR (4 HR lead), 1st in RBI (9 RBI lead) and tied for 2nd in batting average (trails by 11 points).
- The youngest player currently in the BSA is 21 years old and 77 days. That would be SP Mark "Skates" Collins of Orlando. He jumped from A ball to the big leagues.
- The oldest? The only above 40 year old player on an active roster, John Garrett. 41 years old and 55 days.
- Would you believe me if I told you the worst hitter this season in the BSA is a 3-time All Star? With an abysmal -18.0 VORP. SS Stephen Smith of San Fransisco takes the cake. His slash line on the year? .188/.244/.232. Ouch.
- Will we ever have a 50 HR man again? Lorenzo Villa leads the BSA with 30 and is on pace to hit 45 HR this season.
- After Mikey rattled off over 110 podcasts in just over 2 years, we have had 3 in the last 6 months and going on month number 4 without a single one
Thursday, April 3, 2014
D-Bags Send 5 to All-Star Game
During a bounce back season from what we want to forget about 2018, Jersey Shore sent 5 players to the All-Star game this year which was played in Boston. 1 All-Star game staple, 1 2nd year selection and 3 new-comers made up this year's class. Though no one was voted in as a starter, it was the tied for the 2nd most players Jersey has ever sent to the mid-summer classic only trailing 2017 where the D-Bags sent 6 players.
2B Mike Bryant: .318/.400/.533, 17 2B, 17HR, 66 RBI. Bryant's 6th full year in the league and his 6th All-Star game appearance. One of 7 players ever to make 6 or more All-Star games. With Jeff Cole coming over to the CL, the reigning MVP Jorge Martinez playing for Seattle and 2 time batting champ Joe Sanders.....2B is a crowded position this year in the CL. Byrant hasn't dissapointed though, having a very Bryant-like season, despite the HR being slightly down. He is currently 2nd in the CL and hits, total bases and RBI.
SP Jose Ramos: 12-4, 3.42 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.95 fIP. After missing most of the 2018 season with injury, Ramos has found his 2016-2017 form and has come out of the gate strong here in 2019. Ramos leads the league in BB/9 and is 2nd in FIP, wins and WAR. If Jersey is going to stay atop or near the top of the CL East for the rest of the season they will be relying on their ace to keep it up.
SP Sergio Martinez: 11-1, 2.74 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 4.06 FIP. After being called up at 22 years old for a spot start last season, he won the job and pitched well down the stretch in 11 starts. This year starting the year off in the rotation, Martinez has been very good. Sure he has been a little lucky and bailed out by his defense, but is getting a quality start at over a 70% clip, has hurled one shutout and has won 11 of his 17 starts. At only 23 years of age this could be the first of many All-Star nods for Martinez.
MR/CL Jose Ruiz: 4-1, 23 saves. 2.41 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 2.99 FIP. Being named the closer this off season, Ruiz knew he would have to be good to keep that job with a very talented bullpen. He has been that more so far. Leading the CL in saves with 23, he has converted 23 of 27 saves and is striking out over a batter per inning. In the total of 10 years in the league, this is the 7th time Jersey has had a bullpen arm represented in the ASG.
RF Dave Dodd: .294/.366/.571. 23 2B, 21 HR, 66 RBI. After predicting big things out of Dodd for the 3rd year in a row now, at age 25 it looks like he is finally maturing into a dangerous hitter. He currently leads the CL in total bases, is 2nd in slugging and tied for 3rd in HR and RBI. Maybe most importantly his strikeouts are down again for the 2nd straight year and his numbers across the board are up, including AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS. A good finish and he could finish above Bryant in VORP, which no player has done since 2013, Bryant's rookie season in which he only played in 91 games.
5 All-Stars and a handful of very good candidates to go with a 2 game lead in the East at the break. A very good start for the D-Bags. There are a lot of games to go yet this season, anything can still happen
GO D-BAGS
2B Mike Bryant: .318/.400/.533, 17 2B, 17HR, 66 RBI. Bryant's 6th full year in the league and his 6th All-Star game appearance. One of 7 players ever to make 6 or more All-Star games. With Jeff Cole coming over to the CL, the reigning MVP Jorge Martinez playing for Seattle and 2 time batting champ Joe Sanders.....2B is a crowded position this year in the CL. Byrant hasn't dissapointed though, having a very Bryant-like season, despite the HR being slightly down. He is currently 2nd in the CL and hits, total bases and RBI.
SP Jose Ramos: 12-4, 3.42 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.95 fIP. After missing most of the 2018 season with injury, Ramos has found his 2016-2017 form and has come out of the gate strong here in 2019. Ramos leads the league in BB/9 and is 2nd in FIP, wins and WAR. If Jersey is going to stay atop or near the top of the CL East for the rest of the season they will be relying on their ace to keep it up.
SP Sergio Martinez: 11-1, 2.74 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 4.06 FIP. After being called up at 22 years old for a spot start last season, he won the job and pitched well down the stretch in 11 starts. This year starting the year off in the rotation, Martinez has been very good. Sure he has been a little lucky and bailed out by his defense, but is getting a quality start at over a 70% clip, has hurled one shutout and has won 11 of his 17 starts. At only 23 years of age this could be the first of many All-Star nods for Martinez.
MR/CL Jose Ruiz: 4-1, 23 saves. 2.41 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 2.99 FIP. Being named the closer this off season, Ruiz knew he would have to be good to keep that job with a very talented bullpen. He has been that more so far. Leading the CL in saves with 23, he has converted 23 of 27 saves and is striking out over a batter per inning. In the total of 10 years in the league, this is the 7th time Jersey has had a bullpen arm represented in the ASG.
RF Dave Dodd: .294/.366/.571. 23 2B, 21 HR, 66 RBI. After predicting big things out of Dodd for the 3rd year in a row now, at age 25 it looks like he is finally maturing into a dangerous hitter. He currently leads the CL in total bases, is 2nd in slugging and tied for 3rd in HR and RBI. Maybe most importantly his strikeouts are down again for the 2nd straight year and his numbers across the board are up, including AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS. A good finish and he could finish above Bryant in VORP, which no player has done since 2013, Bryant's rookie season in which he only played in 91 games.
5 All-Stars and a handful of very good candidates to go with a 2 game lead in the East at the break. A very good start for the D-Bags. There are a lot of games to go yet this season, anything can still happen
GO D-BAGS
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