One of the Good Guys; D-Bags to Retire Bryant's 42

Noticeably absent from the current year's Jersey Shore team is the smiling face of 2 time MVP Mike Bryant who retired this past off-season.  Bryant spent his entire career with Jersey Shore after becoming their 1st amateur draft pick at 21st overall in the 2010 season.  The slugger played in the World Series 3 times, was only the 2nd player in BSA history to win the Triple Crown and finishes his career in the Top 10 of most offensive categories.  On Friday, May 26th when the D-Bags take on rival Greenville, the number 42 will be hoisted into the Jersey Shore ring of honor.

Bryant grew up in Beach Haven West, New Jersey, just 50 miles where the future franchise of the Jersey Shore D-Bags would play their home games.  A natural athlete, Bryant would excel in baseball and football as well as academics in High School.  A heavily sought after recruit, Bryant would decide to go cross country for college and attend the prestigious Stanford University.  Bryant would drop football to put his full attention on baseball and it would show.  He would start from Day 1 and man 2nd base for all 4 seasons playing for the Cardinal.  In 187 college games, Bryant would slash .328/.389/.613 while hitting 53 HR, knocking in 154 runs and scoring 153 times.  

Twenty teams would pass on Bryant before Jersey Shore would select him with 21st overall pick.  Bryant would sign right away and spend 3 years between AA Gainsville and AAA Tuscaloosa before making his major league debut in June 2013.  He would take over at 2B and not look back for the next 13 seasons.  During those 13 seasons, he would have a 10 year streak of 35+ home runs and 100+ RBI.  He would win the CL MVP in 2016 and 2017, and have only the 2nd Triple Crown season in BSA history in 2016 where he would hit .347 with 40 HR and 158 RBI.  He would lead Jersey Shore to their 1st playoff appearance and 1st World Series appearance in 2015 where the D-Bags would fall in 7 games to Hendersonville.

Bryant's number will be the 1st number to be retired by the Jersey Shore franchise.  The first 20,000 fans to the game will receive a commemorative pin and Mike Bryant bobble-head.  Several former D-Bags will be in attendance and will be signing autographs before and after the game.


GO D-BAGS

Miguel Serna; Jersey Shore's Next Big Thing

With the bandbox that is the Ballpark at the Shore, hitters will most always take center stage on the D-Bags roster.  With Mikey Bryant on his last leg and Dave Dodd turning 33 this year we look towards a 26 year old and former 1st round pick who burst onto the national scene last season.

Background

The Florida born, Canadian educated Serna as the 21st overall pick out of Madawaska Valley High School In Barry's Bay, Ontario in the 2020 1st year player draft.  A 2-year starter in HS, he had his best season as a Junior where he hit .394/.518/.651 with 6 HR and 21 RBI.  Serna opted to sign for $3.85M, well above slot, to skip college and join the D-Bags organization.  Serna would report to A ball in Manhattan where he would struggle mightily all year long.  In 66 games his slash line looked like .152/.184/.187 with 102 strike outs and only 35 hits in 230 AB.  Even with his struggles, he was still named the 11th best prospect in baseball by the OSA going into the 2021 season.

Improvement

Serna's 2021 season was much improved but the 20 year old still showed glaring holes in his game.  While he would raise his triple slash to .268/.334/.389, he would strike out 207 times in 634 AB, which would be 2nd in league history for K's in a season trailing the leader by a single K.  Serna would only hit 7 HR all season, but what encouraged scouts were the 42 doubles he hit.  Scouts hoped that those doubles would some day turn to HR, so they stayed optimistic.  Serna would return to Manhatten as a 21 year old for 2022 season.  Playing in 152 games, he would improve again, this time bringing his average up to .300 and his slugging up to .435.  He would still strikeout 182 times but take more walks, hit more homers as he was ranked the 16th best prospect in baseball.  After only 16 games in 2023, Serna would suffer a broken kneecap at a collision at homeplate that would cost him the entire of the season.

Breakout

2024 would be the year for Serna that he finally put things together.  He would go to Manhattan for the 4th time, but only stay for 16 games before being called up to AA Gainesville.  Miguel would only spend just over a month in his home state as he crushed AA pitching to the tune of .384/.452/.500 with 2 HR and 17 RBI in 28 games.  He would be bumped up to AAA Tuscaloosa where his bat would continue to turn heads.  It was here where Serna finally found his power stroke.  In 127 games for the Trout Slayers he would smash a career high of 19 HR and 73 RBI on his way to 2.6 WAR.  He would have probably gotten a cup of coffee in the bigs but was blocked by Gerardo Escobedo who was on his way to a 3.0 WAR season for Jersey.

Escobedo was still the D-Bags in 2025 and was the Opening Day starter at 3B.  Serna would spend the first 45 games in AAA where he hit .319 to add to his 9 HR and 40 RBI.  A fractured foot suffered by Escobedo meant that Serna would finally get his shot in the bigs.  He would struggle as rookie, but would go on to start 96 games at the hot corner where he would amass 0.5 WAR.  Serna would even start all 7 games for Jersey Shore in the playoffs where they eventually swept out by rival Greenville in the Divisional Round of the CL Playoffs.

Stardom

With Escobedo leaving as a free agent, Serna was the heir apparent to the 3B and was only 1 of 2 players who played there during Spring Training.  After a slow start to the season, Miguel would turn it in the dog days of summer.  He would eventually start 158 games for the D-Bags and have a monster season offensively.  His 38 home runs would only trail the 44 of CL MVP Dave Dodd meanwhile finished 3rd on the team in RBI with 109 and WAR with 4.2 as well leading the team in SB with 27.  Jersey Shore would win the division in a playoff game and eventually lose the World Series in 7 games to the Irvine Green Gang.  Despite missing the All-Star game due to his breakout coming later in the season, Serna was award with the 2026 Platinum Stick for 3B in the CL.

Serna hasn't slowed in 2027 as he is the offensively leader on May 10th and on pace to hit 59 HR, drive in 135 runs and 10.4 WAR.  At 26 years old, we are probably looking at the future star and building block of this Jersey franchise.  Before the season Jersey locked up Serna to a 9 year deal so he isn't going anywhere soon so get use to seeing #18 rounding the basepaths for the D-Bags.

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore Ousts Pocatello and Springfield to Reach 4th World Series

The ride here has been anything except boring for the boys of the Jersey Shore D-Bags.  After leading the CL East for most of the season, it took winning 5 of their last 7 games, including a sweep of Greenville just to reach a 1 game playoff for the 84's.  Late home runs by Boyd and Doyle lifted the Bags to their 1st division title in 6 years and a chance to host Pocatello, a team in the playoffs for the 1st time in 15 years, in the division round.

Jersey Shore quickly found themselves down 3-1 in the series with Boccabellas facing elimination on the road.  But the team wouldn't let that happen.  An 8-2 win fueled by 12 hits and a gritty 6 inning outing by Sergio Martinez on 3-day's rest sent the D-Bags back home, where they had to win both games, including beating the reigning 3-time Cy Young award winner Kevin Bush.  Cristobal Santos would match Bush for 7 innings before handing things off the bullpen and a walk-off RBI double from Pat Zimmerman off of All-Star closer Adrian Martinez would send us to Game 7.  Call it a high, momentum or just plain confidence but Jersey Shore would dominate Game 7, led by Roland Martin's 7 shutout innings and emerging star catcher Luis Rios with 3 hits out of the 9 hole as well seldom used 4th outfielder Wilson Martinez who doubled twice and knocked in 2 runs.  A final score of 8 to nothing couldn't even be celebrated as the D-Bags loaded up and flew to Springfield that same night to face the Stars in Game 1 of the CLCS the very next day.

The Stars finished with the best record in the CL as well as best record in team history at 111-51.  It was the Springfield's franchise 1st playoff appearance since 2011 when they were known as the Kansas City Cougars.  That 2011 team was led by some names you might have heard of.  They include the great Jean-Thomas Francoeur, John Garrett and John Crowe.  The 2026 Stars might not have the HOF names yet, but they are loaded with talent.  Trotting out the most productive outfield the BSA has ever seen in Derek Davidson, Calvin Bennett and Felipe Guerrero.  Trotting out other bats that include Elliot Newell and Juan Rodriguez, the Stars led the BSA in runs with 1006.  They became just the 2nd CL team in history to cross the 1000 run threshold, as the only other team to do so were the 2022 Greenville 84's. BTW....the 2022 Springfield Stars?  A CL record of just 555 runs scored.  What a difference 5 seasons can make.

The Stars strolled into the postseason with the #1 seed and looked part in beating the powerhouse Greenville team by scoring 28 runs in 5 games and finishing off the 84's with a shutout in a Game 5, 3-0 win on the road.  They would get 3 days off to rest before Jersey Shore would come to town for the CLCS.  Maybe the off days got them out of a rhythm or a funk, but the offense never came for the Stars.  Jersey would take the first two games of the series in Springfield.  Game 1 a close 4-3 contest, as the D-Bag bats put up 4 runs on Kyu-Pyeong Pak with the go ahead runs coming in the 6th inning off of the bat of Pat Zimmerman by way of a 2-run HR. Game 2 saw a slugfest in the 1st 3 innings, as Jersey came out in the 4th inning up 6-5.  Jesse Green would pitch out of trouble multiple times in the next 3 innings before handing things off to the bullpen who tossed 3 nearly perfect innings leading to a 7-5 Jersey win to take a firm grip on the series, which was heading to Jersey Shore for the next 3 games.

Game 3 saw an early rain delay knock both starters out before the 6th inning while the Stars took advantage of 2 Jersey errors for 3 unearned runs.  The score of 4-3 after 4 innings wouldn't change as both bullpens were dynamite.  The bullpens combined for to throw 9 innings, giving up 5 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB and 6 strikeouts.  Springfield would avoid going down 3-0 and breathed new life going into Game 4.  The Stars would send Pak back to the mound and would face Roland Martin, the Jersey ace for the 1st time in the series.  Pak would go on to toss a gem, allowing just 2 singles in 7 shutout innings and would get help with a 3 run 3rd inning fueled by a Derek Davidson 2-run HR as the Stars would go onto win the game 4-2 and even the series at 2 games apiece.  The pressure would move to Game 5 with the winner getting a clear cut 3-2 advantage.  We would see Sergio Martinez take on Long Haul Lopez.  The Bags would get the scoring started right away with home runs by Boyd and Doyle in the 1st innings as well as a solo HR by Serna in the 4th.  The Stars would cut into the 4-0 in the 7th with back to back homers from Davidson and Guerrero, but give them right back in the bottom half with a 2-RBI double from Doyle.  Davidson would again homer in the 8th, but the Stars just started scoring too late and the boys from Jersey would win the contest 7-4  and go back to Springfield with the series lead.

With the series on the line, Springfield would go to Game 5 hero of the CLDS Hyo-Chin Ch'oe to try and send this series to a deciding Game 7.  Cristobal Santos would take the mound on 3 days rest for Jersey.  It was smooth sailing for both pitchers through 2 innings until Jersey would appease the hometown crowd with 4, third inning runs coming off the bats of Dodd and Doyle.  The Bags would add 2 more runs in the 4th to take a commanding 6-0 lead.  Ch'oe would be knocked out in the 5th inning, but that didn't stop the D-Bags from adding on runs.  After 6 innings, the lead was 10-2 and would stay like that.  Springfield would load the bases with no outs in the 7th, but would fail to score.   With the Irvine-Baffin Island series still going on, Jersey Shore would finally get to celebrate the victory with cases of champagne in their own clubhouse taking their 1st CL Pennant since the 2022 team did.

Now comes Irvine.  The wire-to-wire best team in the BSA all season long.  The team with the best staff in the league.  Their 477 runs given up rank 2nd all time, only behind the epic staff of the 2015 Hendersonville Hitmen.  Their ace Masutaro with a historic 13.8 WAR season which shattered Scott Hill's previous record.  They led the NL in OBP and finished 3rd in runs scored.  The BSA will have a new champion this year.  Either way, I think we are in for a great series.  Congrats Larry and good luck!

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore Ousts Pocatello and Springfield to Reach 4th World Series

The ride here has been anything except boring for the boys of the Jersey Shore D-Bags.  After leading the CL East for most of the season, it took winning 5 of their last 7 games, including a sweep of Greenville just to reach a 1 game playoff for the 84's.  Late home runs by Boyd and Doyle lifted the Bags to their 1st division title in 6 years and a chance to host Pocatello, a team in the playoffs for the 1st time in 15 years, in the division round.

Jersey Shore quickly found themselves down 3-1 in the series with Boccabellas facing elimination on the road.  But the team wouldn't let that happen.  An 8-2 win fueled by 12 hits and a gritty 6 inning outing by Sergio Martinez on 3-day's rest sent the D-Bags back home, where they had to win both games, including beating the reigning 3-time Cy Young award winner Kevin Bush.  Cristobal Santos would match Bush for 7 innings before handing things off the bullpen and a walk-off RBI double from Pat Zimmerman off of All-Star closer Adrian Martinez would send us to Game 7.  Call it a high, momentum or just plain confidence but Jersey Shore would dominate Game 7, led by Roland Martin's 7 shutout innings and emerging star catcher Luis Rios with 3 hits out of the 9 hole as well seldom used 4th outfielder Wilson Martinez who doubled twice and knocked in 2 runs.  A final score of 8 to nothing couldn't even be celebrated as the D-Bags loaded up and flew to Springfield that same night to face the Stars in Game 1 of the CLCS the very next day.

The Stars finished with the best record in the CL as well as best record in team history at 111-51.  It was the Springfield's franchise 1st playoff appearance since 2011 when they were known as the Kansas City Cougars.  That 2011 team was led by some names you might have heard of.  They include the great Jean-Thomas Francoeur, John Garrett and John Crowe.  The 2026 Stars might not have the HOF names yet, but they are loaded with talent.  Trotting out the most productive outfield the BSA has ever seen in Derek Davidson, Calvin Bennett and Felipe Guerrero.  Trotting out other bats that include Elliot Newell and Juan Rodriguez, the Stars led the BSA in runs with 1006.  They became just the 2nd CL team in history to cross the 1000 run threshold, as the only other team to do so were the 2022 Greenville 84's. BTW....the 2022 Springfield Stars?  A CL record of just 555 runs scored.  What a difference 5 seasons can make.

The Stars strolled into the postseason with the #1 seed and looked part in beating the powerhouse Greenville team by scoring 28 runs in 5 games and finishing off the 84's with a shutout in a Game 5, 3-0 win on the road.  They would get 3 days off to rest before Jersey Shore would come to town for the CLCS.  Maybe the off days got them out of a rhythm or a funk, but the offense never came for the Stars.  Jersey would take the first two games of the series in Springfield.  Game 1 a close 4-3 contest, as the D-Bag bats put up 4 runs on Kyu-Pyeong Pak with the go ahead runs coming in the 6th inning off of the bat of Pat Zimmerman by way of a 2-run HR. Game 2 saw a slugfest in the 1st 3 innings, as Jersey came out in the 4th inning up 6-5.  Jesse Green would pitch out of trouble multiple times in the next 3 innings before handing things off to the bullpen who tossed 3 nearly perfect innings leading to a 7-5 Jersey win to take a firm grip on the series, which was heading to Jersey Shore for the next 3 games.

Game 3 saw an early rain delay knock both starters out before the 6th inning while the Stars took advantage of 2 Jersey errors for 3 unearned runs.  The score of 4-3 after 4 innings wouldn't change as both bullpens were dynamite.  The bullpens combined for to throw 9 innings, giving up 5 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB and 6 strikeouts.  Springfield would avoid going down 3-0 and breathed new life going into Game 4.  The Stars would send Pak back to the mound and would face Roland Martin, the Jersey ace for the 1st time in the series.  Pak would go on to toss a gem, allowing just 2 singles in 7 shutout innings and would get help with a 3 run 3rd inning fueled by a Derek Davidson 2-run HR as the Stars would go onto win the game 4-2 and even the series at 2 games apiece.  The pressure would move to Game 5 with the winner getting a clear cut 3-2 advantage.  We would see Sergio Martinez take on Long Haul Lopez.  The Bags would get the scoring started right away with home runs by Boyd and Doyle in the 1st innings as well as a solo HR by Serna in the 4th.  The Stars would cut into the 4-0 in the 7th with back to back homers from Davidson and Guerrero, but give them right back in the bottom half with a 2-RBI double from Doyle.  Davidson would again homer in the 8th, but the Stars just started scoring too late and the boys from Jersey would win the contest 7-4  and go back to Springfield with the series lead.

With the series on the line, Springfield would go to Game 5 hero of the CLDS Hyo-Chin Ch'oe to try and send this series to a deciding Game 7.  Cristobal Santos would take the mound on 3 days rest for Jersey.  It was smooth sailing for both pitchers through 2 innings until Jersey would appease the hometown crowd with 4, third inning runs coming off the bats of Dodd and Doyle.  The Bags would add 2 more runs in the 4th to take a commanding 6-0 lead.  Ch'oe would be knocked out in the 5th inning, but that didn't stop the D-Bags from adding on runs.  After 6 innings, the lead was 10-2 and would stay like that.  Springfield would load the bases with no outs in the 7th, but would fail to score.   With the Irvine-Baffin Island series still going on, Jersey Shore would finally get to celebrate the victory with cases of champagne in their own clubhouse taking their 1st CL Pennant since the 2022 team did.

Now comes Irvine.  The wire-to-wire best team in the BSA all season long.  The team with the best staff in the league.  Their 477 runs given up rank 2nd all time, only behind the epic staff of the 2015 Hendersonville Hitmen.  Their ace Masutaro with a historic 13.8 WAR season which shattered Scott Hill's previous record.  They led the NL in OBP and finished 3rd in runs scored.  The BSA will have a new champion this year.  Either way, I think we are in for a great series.  Congrats Larry and good luck!

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Clinches Playoff Spot Despite Decimated Starting Rotation

Jose Ramos, Roland Martin, Ramon Ruiz, Sergio Martinez and Stephen Puckett.  The forceful rotation that was set to lead the Jersey Shore D-Bags to the playoffs and contend for their first BSA title.  That's what many of fans and management alike saw heading into Spring Training for the 2026 BSA season.  Fast forward to today, just 7 days left in the regular season and the D-Bags have clinched a playoff spot, but the starting rotation wasn't how they got there.  

The injuries started on April 27th, when 5th starter and former Vista Panther, Cristobal Santos would leave a home game in the 2nd inning against Chicago with immense pain his shoulder.  Jersey trainers were hoping it was a sprain, but news quickly came that he had a partially torn labrum which would require surgery and keep Santos out of action up to 4 months.  To the DL goes Santos.

The D-Bags would promote super prospect Stephen Puckett to take his place and hopefully cement his place in the rotation for years to come.  Everything was going smoothly especially with Jersey Shore up in 1st place in the CL East until June 6th when Puckett left a contest against the Madison Bombers with discomfort in his elbow.  A worst case scenario was soon found out as Puckett would need surgery to remove bone spur from the elbow on his pitching arm.  Best case scenario following surgery was a 4-5 month time frame, which would put Puckett out for the rest of the season.

Before the D-Bags had time to re-group, just 4 days later, 15 game winner from 2025 Ramon Ruiz would be pulled after 2 innings against Chicago and not return.  Similar results would come back and Ruiz would require surgery to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow and would miss the rest of the season and could possibly push into Spring Training.  What now?

With AAA also having a few injuries and the talent level barren, the D-Bags looked outside the organization and quickly sparked up a trade with the Vista Panthers.  Jersey would bring in veteran starting pitchers Jesse Green and Jose Zamora looking to patch the rotation.  To Vista went promising former 1st round pitching prospect Sloan Sanders, who at the time was dominating single-A pitching.  Though neither were world beaters, Green and Zamora slotted into the 4th and 5th rotation slots.

With a strong bullpen and very strong offense, the D-Bags would trudge on through the summer months with the CL East lead in hand.  On August 17th, Santos was sent to AAA for rehab and was recalled to the big club on September 7th.  He was slotted back into the rotation and Zamora would head to the bullpen, though this wouldn't last long.

Just 10 days later staff ace and one of the team captains, 3 time 20 game winner Jose Ramos would leave a game with the Kings in the 2nd inning.  Jersey brass feared the worst and soon received news that Ramos would be on the shelf for 3 months with bad elbow inflammation, effective ending his season.  Since then the D-Bags have gone 3-7, coughing up the division lead.

With a week to play, the D-Bags who have clinched a playoff spot, trail their arch rival Greenville 84er's by 2 games and eye the playoffs down their top 2 starters and their ace young gun who they had such high hopes for.  If the season ended today Jersey would host division rival St. Louis in the best of 3 Wild Card round with a win pitting them against the best team and a similiar built team in the Springfield Stars.  For the D-Bags to advance deep into the playoffs, they must have Roland Martin and Sergio Martinez step up and lead this staff as winning slugfests in the playoffs are not how you win ballgames.

Can the D-Bags do it?  Of course.  Is the road a tough and very uncertain one?  Very much so.  

GO D-BAGS

Trio For the Ages

You have to go back almost a decade to the year 2017 to find a lineup that featured Mike Bryant, Matt Doyle and Dave Dodd.  That Jersey Shore team would win a CL record of 119 games that still stands today. In a huge upset, the Austin River Sharks would bounce them in 7 games in the 1st round of the playoffs and immediately after the season ended GM Josh Swain shipped out slugger Matt Doyle to Toronto to try and stabilize the rotation.  Doyle was coming off of a 32 HR, 124 RBI season.  He hit clean up behind league MVP and Triple Crown winner Mike Bryant and ahead of 23 year old up and coming sophmore sensation Dave Dad.  That year the three of them combined for 99 2B, 109 HR, and 375 RBI.  Doyle would go on to play the next 7 season in Toronto and 1 season in LA, winning two titles along the way.

After letting 1B Tadahisa Kisuki walk to free agency, Jersey Shore was in need of a 1B, and they went looking Doyle's way.  At 36 years of age, he is not the same player he once was, but still managed to hit 17 homers last year with the Bruins.  At about the same time, Jersey Shore decided to bring back Mike Bryant seemingly for 1 more year after after having by far the worst season of his career at age 37.  With Dave Dodd in the 2nd year of his 7-year, $175M dollar contract, the trio would be re-united for one last season.

Wearing a D-Bag uniform, the three have combined for 995 home runs and sit 1st, 2nd and 4th in D-Bags history.  Doyle would need 20 home runs to pass Kisuki and take over 3rd on the list.  What's even more interesting is the trio sits 3rd, 4th and 5th on the all time HR list, which historically speaking is something we have never seen before.  1282 career HR out of just the 3 of them.  

We are into May and they haven't been in the same lineup yet.  An early season fractured finger from Doyle kept him out of the lineup for the first couple weeks.  When he was able to come back, Bryant was stuck on the shelf with a hamstring strain.  They were finally all healthy for 1 game when Dodd missed a week with neck spasms.  Now they are all healthy again, Manager Carlos Uribe has said he would like to see them all starting for at least a game.

While Dodd is still in his prime but starting to age at 32, this is almost the end of an era for Jersey Shore.  Bryant has been a staple in the lineup for 12+ years.  Doyle a top prospect and a star with a late homecoming.  The future pieces are already in Jersey, but for fans this year represents one last chance for the old crew to make a run.  They are still chasing that elusive 1st title.  While Bryant and Doyle probably won't have nearly the impact they once had, it should be a fun summer for fans and a last chance to see these stars play together.

GO D-BAGS

How Much are Titles Worth? Breaking Down the German Rivas Trade.

On June 5th, 2015 one of the biggest trades in BSA history took place.  German "Golden" Rivas, the face of the Orlando franchise, was sent to the Toronto Titans for a staggering 14 players.  Playing in a contract year with the Calrissian who were on pace to lose 100+ games, Jason Goldberg and James Patterson struck a monumental deal which would change both franchises.  3 years short of the 10 year anniversary of this trade, how did both teams fare?  Who got the better end?  Let's break it down.

To TORONTO:

OF German Rivas.  The then 29 year old Rivas would sign a 6 year deal worth $88.5M and would spend the entire length of the contract with the Titans, giving him 6.5 seasons in a Toronto uniform.  Over that time period, Rivas would put up 30.7 WAR, a triple slash line of .299/.393/.530 to go with 192 HR, 201 2B, 652 RBI and 141 SB.  He would make the CL All Star team 4 times in those 6 years following the trade and was an instrumental part of a lineup that would go onto win back-to-back BSA Championships in 2018 and 2019.

Totals: 30.7 WAR, 4 AS games, 2 titles.

To ORLANDO:

SP Reagen Wear.  One of two crown jewels of the deal.  The 33rd ranked prospect before the 2015 season.  Wear has been everything that he was projected to be and then some.  The 30 year old SP has a career record of 126-95 with a 3,46 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a career WAR of 49.7.  His 2021 season in which he won the NL Cy Young was one of the best seasons in BSA history for a starting pitcher where he posed a BSA record 1.22 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 10.7 WAR.  Wear is under contract with Orlando for next 4 seasons as well.

126-95 record, 49.7 WAR, 1 Cy Young, 6 AS games

1B/DH Santiago Marquez.  The 2nd of crown jewel prospects found in the trade.  Marquez was ranked the 85th prospect before the season in 2015.  Known simply as Q in Orlando, Marquez was 18 when the trade happened and though probably rushed, he played 85 games with Orlando that season.  The now 28 year old is under contract with the Calrissian for the next 4 seasons as well.  In his career thus far, Q has put up 35.1 WAR, 321 HR, 301 2B, 1032 RBI as well as winning the 2024 NL MVP award.  He is a fan favorite and is probably heading towards 3000 hits and 500 HR.

35.1 WAR, 6 AS games, 1 MVP

CF Bryce Hopkins.  The 28 year old Hopkins came over in the trade to be a replacement for Rivas in CF.  He won the 2014 gold glove the year before and while he only would spend the remainder of 2015 in Orlando and the next 3 years, he would have 3 of his top 5 overall seasons there.  Hopkins played in 576 games over 3.5 seasons putting up 21.1 WAR with a triple slash line of .280/.343/.438 with 134 doubles, 28 triples and 58 HR.  He would make one all star team before leaving the team via free agency in 2019.

21.1 WAR, 1 AS game.

MR Max Jones.  A 29 year old reliever at the time of trade, Jones would be a staple in the Orlando bullpen from 2015-2018 before bouncing around the minors for a few years and retiring in 2021.  Jones pitched in 209 games over a 4 year span with a 3.27 ERA, striking out 216 batters in 242 innings and produced a 2.3 WAR/

2.3 WAR.

MR Randolph Plante.  A 28 year old reliever who put up a 2.81 ERA in Toronto in 16 innings in 2014.  He would throw in 94 games over the next 2 years for Orlando, including a league high 91 appearances in 2016.  In 2 seasons he put a 4.72 ERA, striking out 94 batters in 108.2 IP, which was good for a 1.7 WAR,

1.7 WAR 

MR Jorge Ibarra.  A 28 year old reliever at the time of trade, Ibarra had a spectacular 2014 in the Toronto pen, which ended with a 0.43 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and completely aided by a .155 BABIP.  He would pitch for the Calrissian for 2.5 seasons before leaving for Irvine in free agency and ultimately retiring in 2023.  He would pitch in 76 games, including 34 starts for Orlando.  He would end his time in Orlando pitching 214 innings of 4.91 ERA ball, good for 1.4 WAR.

1.4 WAR

MR Michael Taylor.  A 32 year old reliever who was a big part of the Titans bullpen in 2014.  He would pitch in the Orlando pen for remainder of 2015 and parts of the next 4 years before becoming a free agent and eventually retiring in 2019.  His time in Orlando saw him pitch in 198 games, 210 innings with a 3.34 ERA and contributing 1.3 WAR

1.3 WAR.

OF Salvador Gonzales.  A 19 year old and ranked 67th best prospect before the 2015 season who showed a lot of promise in AA after coming over in the trade.  He would be called up in 2016 at the age of 20 and would struggled in 68 games.  Over the next 2 seasons he would generally play in AAA and would look major league ready mid-way through the 2018 season where he would put up his best season in 130 games.  He would eventually be claimed off of waivers by Reno in 2020.  He played in 372 games for the Calrissian, putting up a line of .264/.313/.408 with 28 HR and 167 RBI.  Good for a WAR of 0.3.

0.3 WAR

MR Tetsunori Okamoto.  A 35 year old throw in who would start 3 games in Orlando before being released just over a month after the trade.  He went 1-2 in his 3 starts with an ERA of 9.82 and WHIP of 2.25, where he walked 6.8 batters per 9 and had a .368 BABIP.  His time in Orlando would be the last he would see of the bigs and he retired in 2017.

0 WAR

SS Michael Cooke.  At the time of trade, Cooke was your glove first utility infielder.  He would play the next season with Orlando, playing excellent 2B and SS and struggling at the plate.  He would become a free agent and sign with Seattle in 2017 before eventually retiring in 2019.  in 106 games with the Calrissian, Cooke would put up a triple slash line of .226/.274/.276 with a ZR of +8.3 at 2 posititions.

-0.1 WAR

MR Kenneth Duncan.  A 33 year old journeyman reliever at the time, would get 2 starts in Orlando during the 2015 season, neither of which went well.  He gave up 12 runs in 11.2 innings pitched and was released shortly after.  He would sign back with Toronto after the season and appear in 30 games with the Titans over the next 2 years.

-0.2 WAR.

MR Bill Boland.  At the time the 30 year old reliever was bouncing between AAA and the big league club. He would pitch 2 seasons for Orlando appearing in 55 games. His overall stat line was a 5.23 ERA and a -0.2 WAR. After becoming a free agent following the 2016 season he would fail to pitch in the majors again, finally retiring in 2022.

-0.2 WAR.

MR Juan Reyes.  A 26 year old reliever who had never seen the majors before coming to Orlando in 2015. He would struggle in 2 seasons before being claimed off the waiver wire by Irvine in 2017.  He would go on to have some decent seasons in Los Cabos and is one of the only players still active in the trade, as he was recently signed to a minor league contract by the Cartel.  He appeared in 103 games for Orlando, putting up a 5.56 ERA as control has never been his forte.  

-0.4 WAR

2B Vicente Morales.  A toss in who would never see a game in an Orlando uniform and also would never find his way back to the big leagues who eventually retired in 2022.

Total for Orlando:  112 WAR, 13 AS games, 1 Cy Young, 1 MVP

Once broken down, the 14 players to Orlando turned out to be 3 good prospects, 1 ML player and generally a group of middling veterans who wouldn't produce much.  Wear is still an ace, Marquez is a monster and both are locked up for the next 4 years.  Rivas helped Toronto to two banners and Toronto went to the playoffs in 6 of the 7 seasons he was there.

So what's your opinion?  Who's side do you want?

Last Sim of the Season; What to Watch For

Well here we are!  There are 4 days left in the regular season and what a wild ride it has been.  Not 1 of the 6 divisions have been clinched yet and there are still 4 playoff spots to be taken. So what's at stake?

NL EAST
Much like last year, the NL East race might go down to the season's final day.  At the moment, Niagara Falls leads Baffin Island by 1 game.  The Frenzy will visit Boston for a 4 set while Baffin will stay home and welcome Plymouth to town.  If you remember last season, these two played a one game playoff for the division.  The Beavers are looking for their 9th NL East division title while if the Frenzy can hang on, this would be their 1st.  The division winner would clinch the 2 seed and play the NL South winner in the Divisional Round while the loser will clinch Wild Card spot #2 and be the visiting team in a 3 game set against the other Wild Card winner,  which will be Los Angeles or Irvine.

NL WEST
After winning the division comfortably by 16 and 17 games over Irvine the last two seasons, 3 games separates the two with just 4 games left to play.  Both will be at home, Los Angeles welcomes Maui meanwhile the Bandits of San Francisco will be visiting Irvine.  If the Bruins can take care of business they will win their 14th division title in 16 years.  Irvine is looking for their 2nd division title, while their only one came in 2021.  The winner of the division will be rewarded with the #1 seed and will await the winner of the Wild Card round.  The team that places 2nd will be rewarded with the #1 Wild Card seed and will host either NFF or BAF.

NL SOUTH
Two years removed from a World Series win and one year removed from the best record in the BSA, the Hendersonville Hitmen find themselves 2 games up on the resurgent New Orleans Looters, who are attempting a worst to first story.  The Hitmen lead by 2 and will welcome the Looters for a 4 game series to end the season.  The Looters will need to take 3/4 to tie for the division and a series sweep to win it outright.  The Hitmen are looking for their 15th division title in 16 season, with their only blemish coming in 2021 when Orlando took home the crown.  The Looters are looking for their 1st division title and 2nd playoff appearance.

CL EAST
The best division in baseball.  They will have 3 teams finish with at least 96 wins.  Atop of the division and on the verge of clinching are the St. Louis Browns.  The Browns lead the division by 4 games with just 4 to play over the Greenville 84ers.  St. Louis will travel to Chicago where only 1 win is needed to clinch their 1st division title in team history.  The 84ers welcome Madison where they will need a 4 game sweep and 4 losses from St. Louis just to tie the division.  If the miracle happens, they will win their 11th division title.  The winner will be the #1 seed in the CL playoffs, meanwhile the loser has already locked up the #1 Wild Card.

CL WEST
Almost identical to the East, the St. Charles Sheens lead the Portland Philosopher Stones Kings by 4 games with just 4 to play.  Unlike the East these two will play each to finish off the season as the Sheens travel to The Kallipolis for a 4 game set.  One win for the Sheens will give them their 4th division title and third in a row.  If Portland can sweep and then cause a 1 game playoff and win again, they would win their first division title and their first playoff appearance.  Their 93 wins are already 13 ahead of the franchise's best 80, set back in 2010.  Portland is in the Wild Card race, explained below.

CL CENTRAL
After a close race all season long the Toronto Titans hold a 4 game lead with 4 games to play over the Springfield Stars.  The Stars had their chance in the last series, but the Titans won the last 2 games of the series to push Springfield on the brink of elimination.  The Titans will travel to rival Austin for 4 while the Stars go to Kalamazoo.  The Titans are looking for their 12th division title while Springfield is looking for a miracle to take home their first title.  Their only playoff appearance was a Wild Card berth in 2011.

CL WILD CARD
The 1st Wild Card position has already been clinched by St. Louis/Greenville, but we have a two team battle for the 2nd.  Jersey Shore currently leads Portland by 1/2 game as both teams are playing amazing baseball.  Jersey gets an off day before heading to New York to finish their season, while Portland welcomes St. Charles for 4 games. The Jersey Shore is looking for their 8th playoff spot, while Portland is still searching for their 1st.

TRIPLE CROWN WATCH
Santiago Marquez, or Q, of Orlando is still in contention for the NL Triple Crown.  If you remember last year he led the league in RBI, but finished 2nd in AVG and 3rd in HR.  With 4 games to play he leads the NL in AVG and HR but trails Ruben Calderon of Los Angeles by 6 RBI.  It would take some huge games, but it is still in reach.

RECORD WATCH
There are a few season records that could be in jeopardy going into our final 4 days.  Jeff Daniels of Portland is 10 hits shy of Dave Dodd's record of 239 hits set back in 2021.  Daniels needs to average 2.5 hits per game in his last 4 to tie.  Ronnie Brown of Boston sits at 166 singles on the season.  The current record is held by his teammate Rob Whitley who singled 175 times back in 2016. Brown would 9 in his final 4 games to tie.  Meanwhile in Boston, Bill Wilson has been a doubles machine and currently sits with 61 for the year.  The record of 67 was set by Jin-yu Son way back pre-BSA in 2007.  The current day BSA record is 63 set by Dan Best in 2014.  Derek Davidson currently sits at 156 RBI on the year and is 10 behind Dave Dodd's record of 166 set in 2021.  Thought it is a long shot, Davidson has 4 games.

On the pitching side of things, Irvine closer Kuang-Yin Yue sits at 48 saves with 4 games to play.  The current BSA record for saves is 50, which is shared by 4 players.  2 will give him a tie with this foursome while 3 would give him the outright record.  Jose Rivera of San Fran and Armando Lopez of Niagara Falls have both appeared in 101 games this season, which turns out is a new BSA record for appearances in a season.

Li-xue Si-ma Jersey's Best Pitcher?

On Saturday Li-xue Si-ma was named the winner of the Pitcher of the Month award winner for the month of May in the CL.  During the month Si-ma started 6 games, going 5-0, giving up only 20 hits in 43.2 IP while walking 15 and striking out 29 batters.  It was his first such honor in his career and those 5 wins were nearly 30% of Jersey's 18 wins during the month.  But where did this come from?

Si-ma signed a 2 year deal with Jersey Shore this past offseason after spending the rest of his career in Maui.  Last season he went 11-7 with a 4.09 ERA and 1.6 WAR.  Jersey signed Si-ma to be the 5th starter and more of a place holder until top pitching prospect Stephen Puckett was ready to join the rotation.  Now let's look into the numbers.

On the season Si-ma is 7-0 through 10 starts and has a BSA low 1.24 ERA to go with a 0.90 WHIP.  While he is striking out 6.0 batters per 9 innings which is right along with his career average, his BB/9 sits at 2.9 which is nearly a full walk below his career numbers.  Batters are also hitting a BSA low .169 against him.  Is it all good pitching, or is he getting lucky?  His FIP currently sits at 3.60 which is 2 runs higher than his actual ERA and .70 better than his career norms.  The number that really stands out is his .197 BABIP which is absurd and very not sustainable.

While I think everyone in Jersey does not expect Si-ma to continue this amazing season, with Jose Ramos struggling to the tune of 6-4 with a 3.99 ERA, Si-ma has helped pick up the pieces and keep Jersey near the top of a crowded playoff race.  Currently the D-Bags sit 3rd in the CL East and are 3 games behind the division leading Greenville 84's and 1.5 games behind the St. Louis Browns. In the Wild Card race, they are currently tied with the Portland Philosopher Kings for the 2nd wild card spot.  With the added playoff spot the CL is shaping up to be a great race and probably won't be settled until very late in the season.

GO D-BAGS

End of April Marks Double Milestones for Dodd

As April 2024 winded down, Dave Dodd eyed two career milestones.  1000 RBI and 1500 career hits.  The RBI mark would fall first as the Porland Philosopher Kings would visit Jersey on April 28th.

In the 5th inning Dodd would launch a solo HR off of 2nd year pitcher Jose Garza that bring Jersey Shore within one run and make the score a 5-4 game.  After watching Portland's young slugger Jeff Daniels put the Philosopher Kings up 3 with a 2-run HR in the top of the 7th, Dodd would get his chance in the bottom half. Tadahisa Kisuki would lead off the inning with a single and Mikey Bryant would just miss a home run with his ball careening off the wall in right-center field that would end with Kisuki at 3rd and Bryant at 2nd.  Edgardo Guzman, the flame throwing 26 year old lefty for Portland, would get ahead of Dodd 1-2.  Dodd would take a borderline pitch that was called ball 2 before fouling another pitch back to the screen.  Guzman would make the next mistake hanging a high curveball that Dodd would deposit 408 feet later over the spot that Bryant had previously doubled for his 328th career HR and 1000th career RBI which also tied the game.  The D-Bags would go on to score one more run in the inning and go on to win the game 8-6.  

Dodd became the 21st player in BSA history to reach the 1000 RBI milestone, 14 of which of those are active players.  Next on the list is the retired Louis May, who sits at 1006 RBI.  At age 30 Dodd has a good chance at making a run at the all time record, currently held by Shumei Yokoyama at 1579.  Yokoyama is still active playing for the Niagara Falls Frenzy.

After an off day, the San Francisco Bandits would come to town on April 30th, which marked Dodd's 30th birthday.  Dodd would get his 1st hit in the 1st inning and also drive in the games first run with an RBI single off of starter Tomiji Takuda.  Dodd's 2nd hit of the game would come in the bottom of the 6th inning, also off of Takuda.  With 2 outs and the bases empty, Dodd would smoke a line drive the other way past the 3rd baseman. The ball would rattle around in the corner while Dodd coasted into 2nd with a stand up double.  Hit number 1499.  He would be stranded at 2nd.  Dodd would get his first crack at 1500 when he would lead off the 9th inning with his D-Bags down 13-8.  Veteran Pedro Castillo would was on the bump for the Bandits and that proved as a good sign for Dodd as he was 5-9 lifetime against Castillo up to this point.  Dodd would foul off 5 straight pitches to start the at bat before taking a 94 MPH fastball the other way which would clear the 15 foot wall in left center and land in the 4th row for his 1500th career hit.  Though Jersey would go on to lose the game 13-9, Dodd would join Mike Bryant as the only two players to join the 1500 career hit club in Jersey Shore uniforms.  As a career achievement the hit mark isn't as impressive as the RBI mark, but it does make Dodd the 47th BSA player to reach the mark.

With 3 gold gloves, 4 all star appearances and 3 straight MVP's, Dodd is probably a shoe in already for the BSA Hall of Fame, but could he become one of the best ever?  At only 30 years old all current BSA records seemingly are in play.  If he has the health and longevity that his teammate Mike Bryant has nothing is off the tables, but as we all know, nothing in the BSA is a given as we have seen players at all ages fall abruptly off the table.  What Dodd and Jersey Shore fans want next is a World Series ring.

GO D-BAGS

Tracking Mikey Bryant's Assault on the Record Books; Volume 7

This will be 7th year in a row we will continue to follow Mikey Bryant's rise on the career leaderboards.  Mikey turned 36 just two weeks ago and his career appears headed towards a close, but at a gradual pace.  2023 was the 1st season Bryant finished under 5 WAR since his rookie campaign but still managed 36 HR and 105 RBI.  Jersey Shore reached the conference championship round again before losing to Greenville, and Bryant's time to get a ring is running out.

Besides the HR, Mikey had 192 hits, walked a career best 66 times and still had a fairly productive season mainly playing from the DH position for the D-Bags.

Bryant's average of .304 was the lowest mark he has put up in his career and dropped his career average to .324.  Bill Wilson and Paco Rosas remained in the top two spots and we have a newcomer to the list, as Bryant's teammate Tadahisa Kisuki has enough AB's to pass Bryant for 3rd. Bryant remained 3rd overall in slugging, but fell in OPS behind the retired Mel Fields and slugger Shumei Yokoyama, good for 6th.

In hits SS Oliver Hernandez remains in the top spot and needs 157 hits this season to become the first BSA player in history with 3000 career hits.   With his 192 hits, only his 2nd full season below 200, Bryant moved past the the retired Crowe and active players Copriviza and Rivas to sit in 6th place as we start the season.  The recently retired Gordon McMahon sits 189 above Bryant.  Another 30+ double campaign made Mikey the 19th player in BSA history to reach the 400 doubles plateau and good for 19th place.  Bryant also finished the 2023 season 5th in total bases which put him 5th all time and 71 short of 4000 for his career.

His 36 HR last year was enough to top the 400 HR mark, following Crowe, Newell, Cobra and Yoko. Yoko took over the career lead last year and sits at 431 and we should see 3 more sluggers reach the 400 mark this year in Delaney, Rivas and Doyle.  His 10th straight 100+ RBI season slots Mikey into 6th all time, just 3 behind Newell, 25 behind the retired Crowe and 26 behind the retired Sagar.  65 RBI would make Mikey the 3rd player ever to reach 1400 RBI.

It was another productive year stats wise, but most categories down down down as expected.  Bryant is playing with a $26M contract this year which was a team option picked up by Jersey Shore this past off-season.  At 36 years old, what does Jersey do with Mikey?  Does he come out and have a solid year at 36? Is the year when we see things start to slide off the table?  Time will tell this season. Stay tuned!

Current All-Time Rank.  (Previous 6 years are in parenthesis)  

BA: 4th (3rd, 2nd, 2nd 2nd, 2nd, 1st): .3240

OPS: 6th (4th, 3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd): .9557

SLG: 3rd (2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st): .5744

VORP: 8th (8th, 9th, 13th, 20th): 624.94 - apparently OOTP doesn't track anymore

Hits: 6th (8th, 14th, 27th. 34th, 57th, 96th): 2216

Doubles: 19th (25th, 29th, 42nd, 57th, 82nd, NR): 402
Triples: 12th (15th, 17th, 28th, 46th, 75th, NR): 54

Total Bases: 5th (8th, 11th, 14th, 23rd, 41st, 73rd): 3929

HR: 5th (8th, 8th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 35th): 401

RBI: 6th (7th, 8th, 9th, 19th, 32nd, 53rd): 1335

Runs: 7th (11th, 14th, 22nd, 28th, 55th, 86th): 1249

WAR: 6th (6th, 10th, 11th,13th, 18th, 24th): 66.74

Meet the 2024 Pitching Staff

2023 saw the Jersey Shore D-Bags take another deep run into the playoffs before eventually falling to the World Champions Greenville 84's.  While only losing one piece of the staff in the off-season, the staff remains nearly unchanged. 

Starting Pitching - Bags bring back the Big 4 with a new face

SP Jose Ramos - Coming off a 24 win season and 2nd in the Cy Young voting, this is the first year in his $163M contract.  Ace.

SP Roland Martin - 2022 Rookie of the Year and 17 game winner last season, Martin is a budding star.  With a devastating change-up, he and Ramos make a mean 1-2 punch.

SP Ramon Ruiz - Hard throwing lefty who struggled last season after 2 good years.  Control will always be his issue, but has the stuff to strikeout 10/9 and be a great 3.

SP Sergio Martinez - Martinez has won at least 14 starts in 5 straight years now and rounds out a very good 1-4 staff.  He is in a contract year and it will be interesting to see if this is his last year in Jersey.

SP Li-Xue Si-ma - With SP Gianluigi Ciotton being selected in the expansion draft to Nassau, the D-Bags looked to free agency to fill their #5 spot.  Si-ma has previously won 14 games on 2 occasions in Maui and came over on a cheap 2 year deal.  He walks a lot but does keep the ball in the ballpark.

The Bullpen 

MR Angel Lara - Had an awful 2023 but won the job in ST.  Hits 99 with his fastball but needs to improve on his K/BB which was less than 2.

MR John Hall - Groundball pitcher with a good fastball.  Had his best season as a pro last year and will work middle relief.

MR Luis Cortez - 29 year old righty coming off 3 straight solid years.  Won't overpower many hitters, but does have a tricky curveball in his arsenal, will also work the middle innings.

MR Claude Pinard - Left handed power arm who had 129 K's in 105 innings last year.  Historically has been tougher on righties than lefties.  His sinker is his out pitch and home runs off of him is a rarity.

MR Hyo-chin Kim - At 27, Kim is probably one of the best non-closers in the BSA.  Career 3.03 ERA in 424 appearances and is only 27 years old.  Coming off two sub-1.80 ERA years and will act as the set-up man.

CL Gerald Johnson - With back-to-back All Star appearances, Johnson is becoming one of the premier closers in baseball.  He led the league with 42 saves last season while striking out more than 13 batters per 9.  

In the Wings 

SP Stephen Puckett - Former 2nd round pick out of High School, Puckett had a full year of AAA last season with decent results.  He may not be ready now, but could be an injury fill in and possibly a staple in the rotation as soon as next year.

MR Gil Dickson - Dickson looked good and improved in what very little time he got after missing most of all 2023 to injury.  If he can limit walks he should be an average reliever down the road.

MR Jonathan Phillips - Very hard throwing 25 year old right hander who can hit triple digits.  He struck out 171 batters in 108 innings last year in AAA, but managed to walk 81 as well.  Don't be surprised if he is the first reliever up this season.

MR Alfonso Martinez - 23 year old junk ball pitcher who survives with a great change-up.  Struggled in AAA last year after walking more than 6 per 9 innings.  He is still young, but the jury is still out.

GO D-BAGS

Jose Ramos to Stay in Jersey; Signs Huge Extension

Lost in the shuffle of the playoff race and the playoffs themselves, Jersey announced on September 28th that they had come to terms with superstar ace Jose Ramos on a 7 year contract extension.  Ramos the 6 time All-Star and 3 time 20-game winner was rewarded with the most lucrative contract in Jersey Shore history.  The extension will pay him $163.52 million over the next 7 seasons, which comes to an average of $23.36M per season.  This number is over 3 times what he made this season and the contract will pay him through his 35 year old season.

"It was an easy but yet a tough decision for us," GM Josh Swain commented, "the guy has won 49 games over the last 2 years and is one of the elite starters in the game.  It was a no brainer to re-sign him in the position we are in right now.  The money was a little difficult, but you have to pay to keep top talent and that's all it really comes down to."

With Los Angeles likely to decline Stan Hickman's $23.7M team option, Ramos will become the 3rd or 4th highest paid player of the 2024 season at the moment.  Jersey's decision on star Mike Bryant's team option of $26M would be third if it's picked up.

Ramos led the league in wins for the 2nd straight year with 24 and finished 2nd only behind Kevin Bush in pitcher WAR with 7.9 compared to Bush's 9.3.  It was the 6th season of Ramos's career that he surpassed 225 innings pitched and age 28 he sits with a record of 136-46.  The 136 wins place him in a 2-way tie for 20th place all time with Chuck Phillips.

Finances with Jersey Shore might get interesting next season with Dave Dodd, Mikey Bryant and Sergio Martinez contracts are all up, but the D-Bags should bring a loaded team next year still searching for that 1st title.

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Active at Deadline; Makes 2 Trades

Mixed in with a whirlwind of deadline trades, the Jersey Shore D-Bags were active and finished deals with both the Baffin Island Beavers and the Chicago Machine.  Not that it comes at a surprise, but GM Josh Swain isn't known throughout the BSA community for his wheeling and dealing.

The biggest name brought in is 3 time Gold Glover and and former All Star, Catcher Bryan Sandstrom.  The California born and longtime Maui Tropic, comes over from Chicago where he spend the last 3.5 seasons after signing a 5 year deal in the winter of 2019.  At 35 years old, Sandstrom doesn't seem to be slowing down and was having the best year he has had at the plate since coming to Chicago, while still posting a positive WAR behind the plate and throwing out near 40% runners trying to steal on him.  He definitely adds to the Jersey Shore catching situation which has mainly featured 2nd year player Owen Carter as their starter.  As a rookie Carter split time with now departed Fernando Ramos, but now with Ramos gone and Carter given the full time duties his numbers have dropped across the board.  Jersey is hoping they can find a medium between Sandstrom and Carter, though both seem to prefer hitting against left-handed pitching.  Either way Sandstrom should provide a boost for Jersey on both sides of the ball.

Departing to Chicago is a pair of players, the first most notably is 3B Fabrice Brodeur.  Brodeur, a former Jersey Shore 1st round pick, turned 30 years old this past offseason and has another year left on his contract.  He did win the Gold Glove at third base last year and where he had primarily played this year as well.  What helped make him available was the acquisition of Gerardo Escobedo in the offseason as well as the emergence of rookie Ricardo Gonzalez.  Brodeur should slide right into Chicago's lineup.  Also going to Chicago is 22 year old CF Adrian Prouse.  Prouse was discovered by Jersey scouts in Australia during the 2018 season and is spending his 7th season in the minor leagues.  Once heralded a Top 100 prospect, Prouse has speed and plus power and projects as a corner OF.  If his 2022 numbers in AA have anything to say about his future, he might be a good one.  He finished the season hitting .286/.414/.521 with 29 HR and 89 RBI.

Jersey Shore also shipped off 22 year old AAA starting pitcher Jose Bamuelos to Baffin Island for a trio of players.  Bamuelos was originally drafted by San Francisco in 2016 in the 3rd round but failed to sign.  Jersey signed him as a free agent after he went undrafted the following season.  He spent parts of 4 seasons in A ball, before being promoted in 2022 where he would go 14-10 with a 4.80 ERA last season.   This year he is 7-7 in 24 starts while maintaining 10 K/9, but finding control will be make or break for him.

Coming to Jersey were the following 3 players: 2B Orlando Bruno, RF Pat Zimmerman and RF Mark Wells.  Bruno was drafted in the supplemental first round and 38th overall by Baffin in 2020 and has played in the majors in every season since.  He is a plus contact hitter with above average defense and blazing speed.  It's unknown if he will join Jersey or head to Tuscaloosa after struggling with the bat so far this year.

Pat Zimmerman was originally drafted by the Orlando Calrissian in the 6th round of the same 2020 draft and spent 3 years in their minor league system before being traded to Baffin Island just last month in exchange for catcher Yaichiro Sugahara.  Zimmerman also has blazing speed with above contact and decent gap power as well as raw power potential.  He profiles to be an average fielder at best, but his bat should carry him.

Mark Wells was originally selected by the Calrissian in the 2020 draft but he failed to sign and headed to college where he could play one year at Oklahoma before becoming a 2nd round selection and 50th overall pick by the Madison Bombers in the 2021 draft.  He would spend the entire 2022 season playing for Madison's A ball affiliate where he played decent.  In a surprise move Wells made the Madison roster this past Spring and has started 79 games for the Bombers this year with less than desired results.  His .211/.269/.374 line with 8 HR and 31 RBI to go with a historically bad -24.9 ZR has produced a -3.0 WAR this year.  Jersey Shore will send him to AA Gainesville where hopefully he can regain his stroke and improve on his fielding.  Overall though, Jersey receives 3 players who all project to have MLB potential for Bamuelos.

Though some blockbuster trades were discussed, not a whole lot will change for Jersey Shore.  Look for Sandstrom to be in the Jersey Shore starting lineup this week. Rumors have it that he will wear number 26.

GO D-BAGS  

Dodd Clubs HR # 300; Joins Elite Group

At age 29, Dave Dodd has a lot of accolades already to his name.  He is a 4-time All Star, 3-time Gold Glover, 2 time MVP and a Triple Crown Winner.  He has also played in 2 World Series and has 3, 20+ game hit streaks to his name.  On July 20th in St. Louis he added his name to a list only 16 names long as he joined the 300 HR club.  He is the youngest member by 3 years and 200 days, next to Manny Copriviza who sits with 412 HR.  He teammate and the only person he is behind on the Jersey Shore HR list, Mike Bryant, hit his 300th, 3 weeks after his 33rd birthday.  That just shows where he is ranks all time, and it's looking pretty good.

His 300th HR came on a warm down in St. Louis in a game that Jersey would eventually lose 7-6.  2nd year flame thrower John Allan had just taken the mound after Mike Bryant's solo HR off of Dae-hyun Mae sent him to the showers.  Dodd met Allan's fastball with a deep blast to straight away CF which easily cleared the 10 foot wall, 405 feet away from home plate.  The shot was estimated at 431 feet and for a short while gave the D-Bags a tie with St. Louis at 6 apiece.  To go with Dodd's 300th HR, he is rapidly approaching 1500 hits and 1000 RBI, both which should be reached next season and probably before his 30th birthday.

Dodd, who signed a 4 year contract in 2019, has his contract expire next year and if anyone had to guess it will probably be one of the richest the BSA has ever seen, at least from a positional player.  With Mike Bryant's 26M dollar option next year is the last on his contract, there should be money to keep Dodd in Jersey Shore, but regardless he is on pace to be one of the best sluggers the BSA has ever seen.

2013 Draft; A Look Back

As we embark on the 2023 amateur draft his week, let's look back at the draft that happened 10 years ago.  The players were drafted were generally between the ages of 18 and 22 and at the time when selecting teams might have been thinking they just signed a star for the future in those rounds.  Or possibly just taking a waiver on someone late not thinking they would ever see a ML roster.  I will warn you, the 2013 draft was light.......to say the least.

The 1st overall pick in the draft went to the New Orleans Looters who selected 5-tool potential CF Arturo Rodriguez out of Maris High School.  He signed for $8M and was assigned to the Looters minor league system where he would spend nearly 5 years before making his debut in New Orelans during the 2018 season.  He would spend 5 years there peaking in the 2020 season with a 7.4 WAR before leaving this past offseason and signing with Los Cabos.  Career wise for a #1 pick his stats are a little under whelming.  .285/.330/.456, 17.8 career WAR, 110 HR, 447 RBI.

Picks 2 and 4 were taken by Reno and Maui and were not signed, so let's take them out of the equation.

Pick 3 went to the Seattle...at the time....Kings, who selected SP Drew "Onion" Schaefer, 22 year old starting pitcher out of Texas A&M. He signed for $9.69M and was given a 2 year major league contract worth $2.9M.  Less than 2 months after he was selected there was some controversy, but it will go down as Niagara Falls claimed Schaefer off of waivers.  He would spend 2 season in the NFF system before being called up at age 25. He was traded to Jersey Shore 2 years later where he would struggle, bounce around the league to 5 more franchises before ultimately being released by Vista early this season.  He is currently a 32 year old free agent.  It was a tough ride.  At the moment he has a 16-20 record, 6.20 ERA and a career WAR of 0.4.

Rounding out the Top 5, St. Louis selected 2B Joe Sanders out of Purdue University.  He signed for $5.29M.  He spent almost 3 years in the Browns system before being called up.  He won the 2017 ROY award, has a gold glove and has been selected to 2 AS games.  While he has a great bat and even better eye, injuries have really limited his production.  Nonetheless at age 32 he is starting for the Browns, has 26.9 career WAR and a .310/.384/.379 line and is probably the best pick of the Top 5.

The best player overall in the draft is the unquestionable Dave Dodd of Jersey Shore.  Selected as the 2nd pick in the 2nd round by Reno, Dodd was released the same year he was drafted. Jersey took a flyer on the power bat where he toiled around the Jersey Shore system for 3 seasons before making his debut in 2016.  Always good speed and glove, Dodd started out as a boom or bust hitter, hitting a lot of home runs and striking out more often than not.  Dodd since then has established him as one of the game's most feared hitters, posting a league record in WAR at 12.1, winning a triple crown and 2 MVP trophies.

Currently the best pitcher in the draft would be SP Carlos Lopez, selected by St. Louis as the 1st pick in the Supplemental 1st round.  Lopez was drafted out of Texas Tech and made his debut in 2015.  2016 was his break out year where he would 10-3 and a 2.56 ERA.  His season was cut short with major arm surgery and he was never the same pitcher.  He would pitch in the Browns rotation until 2021 where he came out of the bullpen.  He signed a 3 year deal with Austin prior to the 2022 season and is currently part of their rotation.  His career stats stand as: 54-50, 4.11 ERA and 9.8 WAR.

Other notable picks include All-Stars OF Alden Lindsey picked 6th overall by Irvine, 3B Richard Coker picked 20th overall by Jersey Shore, and Eliot Helen selected in the 2nd round by St. Louis.  

Late round steals include Ryan Campbell selected in the 4th round by San Francisco, Tom Carey 5th round pick of Baffin Island and Jose Padilla 6th round pick of Greenville.  All 3 have played in more than 350 games at the major league level.

The 2nd to last pick in this draft actually made the Major Leagues, which is mind boggling.  SS Finley Frogley was taken by Hendersonville out of the University of Michigan in the 10th round, pick 27.  A pure utility infielder, Frogley appeared in 1 game for the Hitmen in 2018 and actually started 22 games for them in 2018.  While his bat was well......not good.  .167/.183/.218, he did put up a +1.7 ZR playing shortstop.

As for pitchers, the last pitcher selected to make the Majors was Ramon Soto taken as the 3rd pick in the 8th round by Seattle.  He appeared in 3 different seasons from 2018-2020, pitching in 34 games to the tune of a 5.77 ERA.  He is currently pitching for Maui's AAA club.

What will this year's draft bring?  Will you draft a bust like Schaefer? Will you find a gem like Dodd in the 2nd round or maybe a utility man late?  That's the fun in the draft, no one knows what will happen.  Happy Drafting!

Future of the BSA; All 24 and Under Team

There are names around the BSA you hear from on a daily basis.  Taking a look at the standings can generally give a decent view of who the best team is out there.  But who are the BSA's young stars and future faces of franchises?  Here is a team of all player's 24 years or younger, whom you will be hearing about over the next decade of BSA baseball.  I only included players who are currently on a BSA roster.  There's a ton of talent not quite here and they have been omitted.  Here's your 25 man roster:

The Rotation

SP: Kevin Bush, Pocatello, Age 23.  Already one of the best pitchers in the BSA, Bush won 25 games last season as a 22 year old.  He was discovered in Canada as a 17 year old and spent 3 years in the minor leagues before earning a spot in the Boccabellas' rotation full time in 2020.  He will likely get to 60 career wins before the age of 24 and his 9.2 WAR from a year ago ranks the 20th best season ever from a starting pitcher.

SP Hong-Ryul Yun, New York, 22 years old.  Hailing from South Korea, Yun burst on to the scene last year with a 21-6 record and leading the Knight's rotation to their first playoff appearance ever.  A lefty who can hit triple digits on the gun, had 254 K's last season averaging nearly 10 per 9 innings.  Awarded $4.75M this past season in arbitration, he could be headed towards one of the biggest contracts in BSA history if he ever were to hit the FA market.

SP Roland Martin, Jersey Shore, 24 years old.  The oldest of the bunch, Martin turns 25 in just 2 weeks.  He was the D-Bags 1st round choice in the 2017 amateur draft.  He spent parts if 5 season in the minors before making his debut in 2021.  Martin made a name for himself last season with a 16-9 record winning himself the CL Rookie of the Year award and also a 5 year contract extension that will keep him in Jersey Shore through the 2027 season.

SP Dionisio Penni, Reno, 23 years old.  Penni was the 1st overall pick in the draft in 2020 out of Maryland who spent parts of 3 seasons in the Reno minor league system.  He dominated AAA batters in AAA last season before being called up.  Despite struggling as a rookie in 10 starts last season, he came out hot this season, pitching to a 2.84 ERA in 38 innings before shoulder inflammation put him on the DL.  He will miss most of this season, but watch out for him in the future.

SP Jose Martinez, Austin, 23 years old.  Martinez was the 14th overall pick in the talent rich 2020 draft, hailing from Villanova.  Making the Austin rotation this season, he is the only true rookie on the list.  In his 1st 10 BSA starts he is 6-1, 2.13 ERA while striking out 9.1 hitters per 9 innings.  He can hit triple digits with his fastball to go with a nasty splitter and a great cutter.  He will turn 24 next month, watch out CL Central.

Honorable Mentions: Eduardo Trujillo GRN, Vicente Duran LCC, Arthur Green BRM, Geoffrey Keller CHI, Daniel Grant TOR

The Pen

MR Jorge Aybar. Cleveland, 23 years old.  Aybar was signed out of Cuba as a 19 year by the San Francisco organization.  Since then he has been traded twice, first to Toronto and then to Cleveland.  Though he has pitched very little over AA ball and only 15 innings as a rookie, he has big potential.  A left hander who can hit 100 MPH with a nasty cut fastball, he could one day anchor a bullpen.

MR Ienobu Sato, New Orleans, 23 years old. Sato was discovered in Japan by a Looters scout and signed in March of 2019.  A true rookie this year making the New Orleans pen after an excellent 2022 campaign in AA.  He has an electric fastball which has helped him average 9/k per 9 innings over his minor league career.  He avoids giving up home runs and has future closer written all over him..

MR Valentin Resendez, Chicago, 24 years old.  A Cuban left hander who signed with Chicago during the 2017 season.  He pitched for 5 season for Chicago's A club, dominating from the closers role the last 3 years before making the Chicago pen last year.  He had a great rookie season with a 2.97 ERA in 91 innings, tallying 107 K's.  He is currently working in a setup role, but wouldn't be surprised to take over the closer's role sometime as early as this year.

MR Cesar Menendez, Chiago, 24 years old.  Teaming up with Resendez, these two have the makings of a devastating back end of a bullpen.  Discovered in Venezuela by St. Louis, he has since been traded to Los Angeles and then to Chicago. A right hander who can hit 100 with his fastball, put up a 3.04 ERA in his rookie year last in 53 innings.  

MR David Simpson, Birmingham, 24 years old.  Drafted in the 2nd round and 48th overall by the Steeldogs in 2020, Simpson only threw 143 innings before making his BSA debut in 2021.  His true rookie year was last year where he was excellent with a 2.31 ERA in nearly 60 innings.  He has increased his K totals this year which could mean he still has room to grow.

CL Christian Escobar, Seattle, 24 years old.  Former Top 5 prospect hailing from Mexico who server as the Pike's primary closer last season, saving 22 games.  He was set have a breakout year this year, before being sidelined with shoulder inflmmation that will keep him out nearly the entire season.  With an excellent fastball and splitter as well as impeccable control, he has the potential to be one of the best relievers out there in the long run.

The Lineup

C Rich Anderson, Orlando, 22 years old.  Anderson was the 19th overall pick out of Washington in 2020.  He was ranked the 35th overall prospect before this season where he made his BSA debut.  His bat profiles as potentially one of the better ones under the age of 25.  He has hit .276/.308/.379 in his first 91 PA before going down with a torn abdominal muscle which will keep him out another month.

1B Jeff Daniels, Reno, 24 years old.  The 8th overall pick from Reno in 2018, Daniels was a Top 20 prospect for years before busting out last year.  he hit .320/.395/.443, good for 39 doubles a 3.4 WAR.  His average and OBP were both Top 10 in the BSA last year and he should contend for batting titles for years to come.

2B Jose Sanchez, Birmingham, 24 years old.  A Cuban born player who came to Birmingham via Boston in the Jose Hildalgo trade of 2020.  He finished 2nd in the NL ROY voting last year, where he finished with near 3 WAR with his .324/.383/.406 line.  Sanchez has elite speed and rarely ever strikes out.  He should become a threat at 200 hits every season in the future.

SS Dani Vazquez, Reno, 22 years old.  Vazquez was discovered by an Irvine scout in 2017 before being dealt to Toronto in 2018.  He was one of the main pieces in come to Reno in the famed Seung-chun Mun trade.  Vazquez was once thought to be a glove first SS, but now profiles as a top of the order threat.  Plus contact, eye and powers to the gap could eventually make him one of the game's best table setters.

3B Jose Salazar, Irvine, 24 years old.  Yet another Cuban who was traded to Irvine in 2018 from Baffin Island in the Kyuso Fujita trade. Salazar broke out in 2021 when he won the NL's ROY award as well as a Gold Glove at 3B.  He went through a sophomore slump last year and looks to bounce back this year.  He rarely strikes out and could walk more than K's in the future.  Even if his bat never matures like his potential say they could, his defense is elite.

LF Vicente Bueno, Greenville, 24 years old.  A Mexican born player who was signed with the Kansas City franchise in 2016.  He was traded twice that year, first to Baffin Island and then to Greenville.  A plus-plus defender with elite speed and above average gap power and contact, he is a weapon.  Bueno hit .288/.319/.505 in 25 games last year as a rookie and this season already has 10 HR and is hitting .335 in just 42 games.

CF Dante Owens, Niagara Falls, 22 years old. A Candian import for the Frenzy, Owens was considered a Top 5 prospect last season when he made his BSA debut.  In 373 PA, Owens hit .290/.342/.470 while leading the BSA in triples with 14.  While his power doesn't seem to be matured yet, Owens has the speed and gap power to possibly hit 60 doubles in the future and carry above a 300 average.  With decent defense in CF, he could be great sooner than later.

RF Jesus Campos, Irvine, 24 years old.  Drafted 5th overall in the 2020 draft out of Cal, it only took him 64 minor league games to reach the pros.  He was selected to the NL All Star team, won the NL ROY award and a Gold Glove all in his rookie year in 2021.  He has top of the line elite speed, one of the better OF defenders in the game and is only getting better with the bat.  He is on pace this season for 23 doubles, 30 triples and 20 Homers to go with 23 stolen bases. Scary good.

DH Antonio Ortega, Seattle, 24 years old.  Ortega came to Seattle via UCLA in the 2nd round of the 20202 draft.  Always a good contact hitter, Ortega was never seen as a big prospect until lately.  Last season in AA, he hit 43 doubles, 23 HR and 88 RBI putting up 4.5 WAR.  He made Seattle's roster this year and has played 50 games at 1B, hitting .298/.332/.468 with 12 doubles, 6 HR and 31 RBI.  He signed a very cheap extension that will keep him in Seattle for the next 5 years.  Is he the next big thing in the pacific northwest?

The Bench

C Vicente Aguirre, Madison, 22 years old.  A former Top 50 prospect from the Dominican Republic, he won the Bombers backup catcher position this season.  While his strikeout numbers in the minors are a little alarming he profiles out to be a plus contact hitter with great gap power and could add 20 HR a year one day.

2B Marcos Vargas, Chicago, 24 years old.  Cuban born, signed with Greenville during the 2015 season.  He was traded to Los Angeles in 2018 and then on to Chicago in 2020 in the Jose Valdez trade.  Vargas had a solid rookie year in 2021 with 45 extra base hits to go with a .270/.345/.396 line.  He slumped badly last year, being one of the worst full time starting options in the BSA.  He has bounced back in a big way this year, hitting .336 through 150 PA and on pace for 50+ doubles.

SS Taylor McFarlane, Hendersonville, 23 years old.  A 3rd round pick by Los Angeles, he was traded to the Hitmen in this offseason's trade to acquire SP Mendez.  Though his bat doesn't quite seem ready for the BSA, his defense is what lands him on this list.  He is an elite defender all over the infield, his bat should be good enough to land him as a starter at any infield position.

LF Troy Donaldson, New York, 24 years old.  The 6th overall pick in 2018 out of High School, Donaldson spent years on the Top 25 prospect lists before making his debut in 2021.  He struggled as a rookie, but had a nice sophomore season last year, hitting .99/..327/.513 with 20 doubles, 7 triples, 10 HR and 14 stolen bases.  He should be one of the better defenders in LF this season and if his bat comes around he could over 300 with 25+ home runs.

RF Tom Blake, Reno, 24 years old.  Drafted 34th overall by the Cards in 2020, Blake has hit over .300 at every stop in the minors before debuting last year for Reno.  He struggled with the stick last year, striking out over 31% of his at bats.  2023 has been a whole new world for Blake though.  He is hitting .361/.429/.660, has 13 HR, 48 RBI and 2.5 WAR through just 49 games.  This could shape up as a very special season for Blake and the Cards.

There were a ton of choices for bats, it was tough picking just 14 for the roster.  And there you have it, your all 24 and under team.  The future of the BSA.