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

2016 Rule IV Amateur Draft; Jersey Shore

It's draft time again and that means one of GM Josh Swain's favorite times of the year.  Swain has done a fantastic job drafting taking the teams 2 superstars in Bryant and Doyle, as well as the team's current SS Adam Morrow and the team's future SS Lawrence Shroeder and recently traded Richard Coker.  In 6 years of drafting one thing has been common for the Bags, taking a bat in the first round.  And most notably taking an infield bat.  5 out of the 6 years the team's first round pick was an infiender: Bryant, Doyle, Coker, Schroeder and Brodeur.  The only other first rounder that wasn't an IF was CF Ernesto Barzaga who never developed and is out of the league.  This year we saw things change.

1st Round:
With Jersey's first pick coming at pick 31 in the first round they went and different direction and chose SP Gianluigi Ciottone out of the University of Nebraska.  Ciottone was a solid starter for Nebraska for 4 season averaging over 11 K/9 while walking 3.5 per/9 and limiting his HR.  Swain was ecstatic to get him at 31.  "I'll be honest we had him as a Top 3 SP in this draft and him falling to 31 is amazing, I would have taken him 20-25 picks sooner if we had position" Swain said.  The one knock on Gianluigi is the lack of a decent 3rd pitch.  He does throw a changeup, but it is very raw and limits it in games.  The Bags will try to help improve the pitch in the offseason and track his results from there.

2nd Round:
Having 2 second round picks, Jersey went the same route with both picks.  Both high stuff/high movement MR, one out of HS and one out of college.  The first was pick 40 of the 2nd round and 113th overall, MR Gil Dickson out of Randall HS.  Dickson served as the closer for Randall for 4 years, totally 31 saves in his 4 seasons.  He finished his HS career with a 2.70 ERA, racking up 99 K's in 60.0 IP.  He throws an above average fastball and curveball and tops out at 94 MPH.

2 picks later at 115th overall, Jersey selected SP/MR Claude Pinard out of the University of Louisville.  Pinard was a college starter and finished school with a 16-7 W/L record, striking out 271 batters in 67.2 IP. He was one of the best starters in the country his senior year having a 2.13 ERA and finishing 6-0.  Jersey has already come forth and stated he might get some minor league starts but with only 2 pitches he will probably be regulated to straight bullpen duty.  Pinard throws an excellent sinker which keeps the ball on the ground almost 75% of the time.  Combine that with his power to hit 99 MPH, you have some great potential.

3rd Round:
For the 2nd round in a row Jersey would have 2 picks.  With the first the trend continued and Jersey selected MR Pat Wright out of Dublin Jerome High School at pick 45 of the 3rd round, 169th overall. Wright started for 4 seasons tallying a 20-6 record in 32 starts amassing an amazing 319 K's and only 38 BB's 199 IP.  He like Pinard only throws 2 pitches and probably will be regulated for bullpen duty and if there was a knock on his pitching it's his movement. He gave up 29 HR in 32 stats.

2 picks later Jersey selected another pitcher and it's 5th of the day taking MR Jesus Ramos out of Buchanan High School with pick 47 of the 3rd round, 171st overall.  Ramos played at Buchanan for 3 seasons compiling a 3.53 ERA, making 14 starts in 23 appearances.  His control is his strong point rating at a 16 on a 20 point scale.  He will be sent to A ball Manhatten.

4th Round:
With it's 4th round pick, 203rd overall, Jersey selected Nicaraguan born 23 year old MR out of the University of Minnesota Sergio Hernandez.  Hernandez was selected 90th overall last year by the New Orleans Looters but failed to sign.  He reportedly played ball in the South American league this season before re-entering the draft pool.  Sergio was the primary closer for UMN, but what stands out is his 73% groundball rate and the fact he only gave up 4 HR in 89.2 IP in college.  He will report to AA Gainsville.

5th Round:
For Jersey's 5th round pick they finally shied away from the arms and selected a bat.  At 231st overall they selected 3B Michael Swanson out of UCLA.  This is the 3rd time time Swanson has been drafted and will turn 25 later this year. Not the ideal draftee.  He was selected 134th overall by Toronto in 2014, then 160th overall by your Jersey Shore D-Bags last season.  Swanson doesn't have much upside with the stick but has elite speed and has a great glove.

6th: CF Guillermo Cardenas
7th: MR Juan Patino
8th: CF Charlie Nichols
9th: LF Joseph Randall
10th:  RF Greg McDaniel

Overall another strong draft for the Bags.  The pitching will restock the system and give them one of the deepest systems in MR prospects in the BSA.  If Ciottone can develop like Jersey hopes, he could be an absolute steal at pick 31.

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore's 2014 Amateur Draft

The 2014 was an exciting one for Jersey Shore having compensation picks for free agents they totaled 9 picks in the first 4 rounds and 14 picks total.  As the draft wound down bats filled the draft board, taking 12 of 14 position players.

Their first pick came with the 28th overall pick.  The Bags selected 22 year old SS Lawrence Schroeder out of the U of Virginia.  Schroeder is a rangy SS who hits with good contact and for average power with a decent eye.  He hit .340, had an OBP of .453 and hit 45 HR's in his college career.  He will be sent to AA Gainesville where he should play right away and should have one of the quicker paths to the big leagues of any player in the draft.

With their 2nd pick in the draft, and 34th overall (former pick of the Toronto Titans and compensation for SP Jose Brito) the D-Bags selected 22 year old OF Armando Gonzales out of the University of Florida.  Gonzales played mainly CF in college but projects as a corner OF with good contact and great eye potential, scouts see him as an ideal #2 hitter.  He finished his college career witha .323 BA, and a .481 OBP and will also report to AA Gainesville.

For their 3rd pick and 48th overall in the supplemental round (compensation for Brito) the Bags took Gonzales teammate at Florida, 22 year old OF Matthieu Vancini.  Vancini follows in a similiar to mold to Gonzales, good contact and low power.  Vancini though has a knack for limiting strikeouts and has more speed.  He will join the first 2 picks in AA.

3 picks later, at 51st overall (compensation for SP Hector Hernandez) Jersey selected their first HS player of the draft in 19 year old 3B Cesar Reyes.  Coming out of Sante Fe HS in New Mexico, Reyes played 2 years of HS ball hitting with a 185 OPS+ both years.  Reyes isn't the most athletic player but projects with plus gap and power potential.

In Round 2, at pick 77, (formally belonging to Jacksonville, compensation for Hernandez) the Bags went back to college and selected 2B Armando Martinez.  Martinez is a Domincan born player who played his college ball at Texas Tech.  He plays every IF positions, but mainly stays on the right side at 1B and 2B.  He is a high contact hitter, but doesn't add too much else.  Hit .355 with a .455 OBP in 518 college AB's.

With their own 2nd round pick, the Bags took an interesting player in college 1B Clay Hawkins out of Arizona.  Hawkins was selected last year by Seattle, but didn't sign.  Hawkins was at UA for 4 years, but only had 4 AB in his first 2 seasons and then bust out.  Back to back 20 HR seasons led Arizona both years.  Sources say he is asking for a large signing bonus, so it could get interesting.

The rest of the draft is as follows:

3rd: 3B Jesse King - 19 year old high contact player out of Washington

4th: C Pedro Ramos - 22 year old college player from Rutgers

5th: P Wayne Barksdale - 19 year old projected MR from Pennsylvania

6th: SS Henry Paul - 19 year old speedy IF from New York

7th: P Tony Gurerrero - 22 year old P from Penn State

8th: RF Ben McKay - 22 year old util player from Pittsburgh

9th: P Sean Shaffner - 22 year old MR from USC

10th: RF Dan Pierce - 19 year old speedy OF from Arizona

This is the most drafted players the Bags have ever brought in one year.  How many of these players are future D-Bags?  Hopefully we will see a lot of them in the future.

GO D-BAGS

2013 Offseason

After another winning year, but missing the playoffs once again, we find ourselves in December and smack-dab in the middle of the off season.  Free agents have declared, arbitration has run it's course, the Rule V draft is upon us and we will break down the players who have moved on, trades and players acquired since the end of the season.


Players Lost:


C Jorge Lozano: After posting the 2nd best VORP of 50.8 ever as a member of the D-Bags, the soon-to-be 33 year old bolted for free agency.  Statistically the best season of his long career, the backstop is looking for that last big payday by hitting the open market.  Rumors have it he is looking for a 4+ year deal worth around 18 million a season.  Jersey would like to thank Jorge his 2.5 years of service and wish him luck in his search.  Jorge is a Type A free agent and Jersey would receive 2 draft picks if a team were to sign him.


SP Jose Brito:  Ace of the staff from 2013 Jose Brito pitched the best season as a full time starter in his career this past year.  Accumulating 16 wins and 178 strikeouts this 29 year old also hit free agency.  With starting pitching in high demand, bidding for his services looks to be high as he looks for a long term deal.  Brito will be missed with the D-Bags sit with a undetermined rotation as this point.  Brito, like Lozano, is also a Type-A type free agent, which will bring the D-Bags 2 draft picks if signed.


SP Hector Hernandez:  Jersey says goodbye to Hector to after just less than a season and a half in a D-Bags uniform.  Hernandez turned 32 just this past month, had a 17-16 record in his 43 starts in Jersey.  Rumors have it he also would like a lengthy contract and he also carries a type-A player tag on him with Lozano and Brito.


2B Fred Ross:  After early season injuries set him back he was regulated to AAA.  He was promoted to the big league club, but his AB's were all but taken by the progressions of prospects Antonio Ruiz and Matt Bryant.  All-in-all he was a glorified bench player in both places and saw very little AB's.  Instead of paying him arbitration the D-Bags cut him loose and let him try to find a place on another roster in free agency.

Lozano                  Brito                  Hernandez  

Trades:
Though some major moves have been discussed and may still be in the works or on the back burner, Jersey has made a few trades up to this point.


SP Carlos Garza to Vista for SP Daniel Felix:  Garza has been with the organization since the inaugural draft in 2010.  The 25 year old won 14 games in AAA and all signs point to him fighting for a shot in the Vista rotation.  In Return coming to Jersey is 19 year old Daniel Felix.  In one year of A ball, Felix posted a respectable 3.13 ERA while striking out 196 in 201 innings.  Though far off from the big club, Jersey sees his ceiling as a #3-4 starter.


RF Michael Paul, SS Jesus Diaz, LF Daniel Guerrero to Reno for SP Kenny Stanford.  After having a huge year in LA, the 2 years Paul spent in Jersey were nothing to be desired.  Instead of paying him 4.5 plus million in arb, Paul was the main piece sent to Reno.  Going with him is all around utility man Jesus Diaz, who is 24.  He doesn't handle the stick great, but has speed, plays every infield position and would make a handy bench player with a team with room.  Also going is 18 year old Daniel Guerrero, a young speedy OF with minimal power. Coming to Jersey is SP Kenny Stanford.  Stanford could be considered an innings eater, who posted an ERA of 4.92 last year. He would slide into the #4 spot in the rotation and has one year of arbitration left.


CF Bill Welshman to Indianapolis for CL Angel Pena:  Though Welshman started out great last season, his K's and injuries again bit him to bring him down.  He has tremendous speed and gold glove caliber defense, but at 27 the D-Bags gave up on this project who will hit free agency next season.  Coming to Jersey is 23 year old AA closer Angel Pena.  Pena was drafted in the 2nd round of 2012's amateur draft  out of the University of Connecticut.  In his first full season in AA he thrived, converting 41 of 44 saves, posting an ERA of 1.16, a WHIP of 0.99 and striking out 74 in 71 innings.

Stanford                     Felix                     Pena  

Free Agency and Rule V:
With the Rule V draft happening Monday night, it is uncertain if Jersey will draft or stands to lose anyone in this draft.  Going in, Jersey has 37 of 40 players on their 40 man roster, leaving room if a player or players are to be drafted.  


As for free agency, a first look over the D-Bags financials show not a lot of money if any is available at this point.  Rumors have it that Jersey is trying to slash some payroll to make room for a free agent of two but that hasn't been seen yet.  


Stayed tuned for more off season dealings, rumors and moves!


GO D-BAGS!

Jersey Shore - September 2013

September was a do or die month for the D-Bags.  They entered the month down 5 games and needed a great Sept to have a sniff at the playoffs, or so they thought.  After their best month of the season going 17-9, they ended up a staggering 8 games out of the division when it was all said and done.  Greenville hit their stride at the right time went 20-7 for the month and ran away with the division.


Players of the Month
With the team playing so well it was hard to choose just a couple of players for POTM, but here they are:


Mike "Coffin" Bryant: 9 HR, 27 RBI, .375/.425/.702. 25R. After displaying some power during the summer, we finally saw the top prospect and former first round pick break out.  He homered once every 10.5 AB, drove in 27 runs in 25 games and killed opposing pitching.  Hate to pre-mature call him a star, but it seems he is destined for big things in this league.


Milliard Cross: 5 HR, 20 RBI, .433/.520/.750.   What happened to Cross after July?  He more than doubled his HR and RBI and hit 400 over the past 2 months of the season.  He went from guy who played when someone needed a rest to starter.  By far the best month of his career


Scott Powers: 5 XBH, 19 RBI, 15 BB, .340/.427/.436, 6 SB.  After stepping his game in August, it was September that really showed why Jersey dealt the talent they did for Powers.  He was an on base machine hitting leadoff, getting on base at a .420 clip.  Look for this not to be his last time in the POTM column.


SP Hector Hernandez: 3-2, 2.12 ERA.  Hernandez's best month of the season.  4 of 5 Quality starts and one of his losses came in a great performance where he gave up 1 ER.  Hernandez is a pending FA, so this might be the last time he graces the POTM.


MR Jose Gomes: 1 Save, 13.2 IP, 21 K, 1.42 ERA, .55 WHIP.  Gomes was nearly unbelievable in September, and ask any Jersey fan and you will hear, "About time!"  After a season in which Gomes struggled  , for him, he put up his finest month by far.  One bad inning he gave up 3 of his 7 baserunners all month long.  Under the radar, the D-Bags signed Gomes to a 5 year deal.


MR Jamie "Mungo" Saenz:   1 Save, 13.2 IP, 16 K, 1.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP.  Much like Gomes, Saenz was dominate in the late innings.  The month completed his best season so far and helped the D-Bags hold the lead in many of their winnings during September.


Roster Changes, Questions and Answers
We didn't see too many changes to the roster this month.  Sergio Rodriguez, Joe Hernandez, Edgardo Gonzalez all got a hand full of AB's during September and all showed promise. All 3 have a shot at making the active roster next season.  

Being in end of the season we will likely see a lot of change to the roster.  Several big names players have yet to sign a contract extension which would make them FA's in just weeks time.  These players include SP Jose Brito, SP Hector Hernandez and C Jorge Lozano.  Lozano had a career year and as much as everyone in Jersey would love to see him stay, he is 32 and wants a big contract and rumors have it Jersey doesn't have the money.  The same goes for Brito who was very solid this year and the loss of both Brito and Hernandez would put a big dent in the Jersey rotation.


Speculating into the future, Lozano's role can be filled by Mario Ramirez  who tore up AAA pitching this year and has shown he can hold his own against ML pitching.  The SP isn't so easy projected.  Greg Shaefer was having a good year before going down with an injury, he would be slotted to join the rotation and you have to think another SP would come via trade or free agency.  Unless there are some big moves there seem to be starters slotted at every position, which can never be considered a problem.  


The D-Bags fell 1 win short of their 2nd straight 90 season, but yet finished with their 4th straight winning season.  Maybe next year will be Jersey's first trip to the playoffs, only time will tell.  For now look forward to any moves Jersey makes during the off-season!


GO D-BAGS

Do or Die

September baseball for the Jersey Shore D-Bags has customarily involved seeing a lot of new faces in lineup and the younger players getting their so-called "cup of coffee" after the team had fallen out of the playoff race.  Welcome to exciting September baseball Jersey fans!  After the hottest month of baseball in Jersey history which saw our D-Bags erase a 10 game deficit in the division, September didn't start nearly as hot.  The 2nd week saw Jersey drop 4 of 5 making their big August run seem like merely a tease.  This was until this last week when Jersey took 3 of 4 from division foe Greenville and followed that with a 3-game sweep of Madison to position themselves closer a playoff spot than they have been all season.  

With 6 games apiece left in this 2012 season the Dent division has a 2-way tie for first place.  The Greenville 84's and the Pittsburgh Pirates are deadlocked with an 88-68 record.  Your Jersey Shore D-Bags sit one game behind them both with a 87-69 record.  The Wild Card Standings look exactly the same but add in the Oklahoma Droogies and their 87-68 record and you have 4 teams, 1  game apart vying for 2 playoff spots.  2 will move on, 2 will be left in the dust.  

The last week schedules look like this:

Greenville: JER, JER, JER, @MAD, @MAD, @MAD

Pittsburgh: @HAD, @HAD, @HAD, WHI, WHI, WHI

JerseyShore: @GRN, @GRN, @GRN, DNV, DNV, DNV

Oklahoma: @WHI, @WHI, @WHI, HAD, HAD, HAD, HAD

At first glance, the obvious series is the 3 game set between Jersey and Greenville.  A sweep either way will more than likely eliminate one of these teams.  A 2-1 win for Jersey would put them in a virtual deadlock with 4 games to play, this will be an interesting series, especially considering Jersey just took 3 of 4 from the 84's.  It will be a nerve racking week for 4 owners this week as Pocatello and Regina sit back and await who their first round matchups will be.  Even though Pocatello is the only TL team that has clinched, they still sit 2 games behind Pit/Grn for the 2nd playoff seed.  Regina has the 1 seed locked up. 

NEWS AND NOTES

In Jersey's current 5 game win streak, the bullpen allowed 0 ER in 10 IP.  The tentative pitching schedule for the D-Bags for their last 6 games would be Brito, Goodship, Bourg, Reyes, Hernandez and then with Brito getting the ball on the last day of the season.  Brito and Reyes have been the two best starters as of late, giving up 5 ER between the 2 of them in their combined last 6 starts.  Jersey has already set their franchise record for wins with 87, their previous high being 85 in 2010.  1B Derrick Wright was called up after his monster year in AAA and proceeded to get a single in his first VBL6 AB. David Pena needs 2 HR's to tie William Hinson for most HR's in a season by a D-Bag with 30.  Jose Brito could set a Jersey Shore record for wins in a season at 15, if he can win both of his starts.  Mason Bonniface became the only D-Bag ever to walk 100+ times in a season.  Parker Morrow became only the 11th player in VBL6 to record 1000 career hits earlier this month.

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore - August 2012

AUGUST!  What's there to say, except the Bags kicked some ass!  The D-Bags had a VBL best 21-7 record for the month August, which is the franchise's first 20 win month in it's history.  They went from being a seller at the deadline to thick in the mix of the playoff picture in just a month.  This record was helped by good starting pitching and phenomenal job by the bullpen.  Jersey went 10-2 in 1-run games during the month of August, while the bullpen only allowed 15 ER all month long.  The Bags end August with a record of 74-61 and trail Pittsburgh by 2 in the division and Greenville by 2 games for the WC.  There are 26 games left in the regular season and 7 of them will be against Greenville.

Players of the Month:

SP Hector Hernandez: 4-1, 3.19 ERA, 1.18 WHIP.  In his first month as a D-Bag, Hernandez thrived.  He pitched 4 quality starts, winning 4 of his first 6 starts with his new ballclub.  The same amount of wins he had in 13 starts with Orlando while pitching with almost half of the ERA.  

MR Jamie "Mungo" Saenz: 1-1, 2 Saves, 1.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 21.2 IP, 24K.  Mungo continued his spectacular season with a great August.  The bullpen really came through and Saenz was a big reason why.  Pitching in the setup role with Dog Pound, the two made the road to CL Morris as easy one stopping several rallies.  He even contributed by going 2+ innings 5 times during the month.  Jersey will need him to come up big down the stretch run with Lucas, Huerta and Roghi all battling injuries.

MR Jose "Dog Pound" Gomes: 4-0, 1 Save, 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP.  For the 3rd month in a row Dog Pound receives a POTM award. He tied with Hernandez for the team lead in wins with 4, he allowed 1 ER in 14 appearances and lowered his season ERA to 1.98 on the season.  If Daniel Morris wasn't on the team he would be the closer no doubt, but with Morris, these two make one of the, if not the best 1-2 bullpen punch in baseball.

1B David Pena: .292/.341/.496  6HR 19 RBI. After winning a POTM award in June, Pena slumped in July and finished with only .202 BA and 9 RBI.  He bounced back in a big way in August leading the team in HR with 6, bringing his season total to a team leading 25.  He has also been tremendous in the field at 1B.  In 1060 chances he has yet to commit an error.

OF Ramon Taverez: .288/.351/.500 4 HR 21 RBI 17 R.  This shouldn't come as a surprise after hearing about him so much this month.  He earlier won the TL POTW award and didn't stop hitting after that.  Even after being moved from 1st to 4th to 5th in the lineup order his bat never cooled down.  He led the team in RBI for the month with 21 and 2nd on the team in runs for the month.  In Jersey's big win against Oklahoma on the 23rd he hit a go-ahead and eventually game winning 3-run homer in the 14th inning.  Finishing 4-7 with 4 RBI.

Roster Changes, Questions and Answers:

As we enter September the rosters are expanded from 25 to 40 men which will lead to some interesting roster changes.  There is no doubt a few arms will be called up.  Injuries have Carl Lucas out for the remainder of the season and German Huerta will miss the first 2-3 weeks.  In the first game of September Ciro Roghi felt soreness in his wrist and is listed as day-to-day, but an injury like this could linger for up to 2 weeks.  Look for names such as Gabriel Barrentez, Marv Williams and maybe Alonso Jimenez, the former 3rd round pick, to get a shot, as he has shot up from AA and looked amazing. 

Antonio Ruiz still has 11 days left on the DL with his wrist injury so look for Fred Ross to get more time at 2nd, and there has been rumors that Mike "Coffin" Bryant could possibly get a call up, but he is currently not even on the 40 man roster.  Stay tuned.  Other batters we could and will probably see up are OF Michael Lee, would bring great defense and speed to the bench.  We might even get to see the VBL debut of Derrick Wright who is hitting the cover off the ball in AAA.  He came over in the William Hinson trade this past winter.  He is on pace to shatter the ITL record for RBI which is currently 145.  Wright sits at 141.

 

The big question remains can this team stay hot?  I don't think anyone expects them to stay as hot as they have been, but they do have 3 winning months in a row.  The pitching for once this month was phenomenal.  In 28 games, the staff gave up 4 runs or less 23 times, this is how you win ballgames.  Can this team complete the ridiculous comeback and make the playoffs for the first time?  Being 2 games out of the WC leading Greenville with 7 games left against them will lead to an exciting August.  Come out the ballpark and root on your D-Bags!

GO D-BAGS

Hernandez Shines in Debut; Tavarez Wins POTW

HERNANDEZ SHINES IN DEBUT

It had been nearly 6 weeks since Hector Hernandez had his last win.  In fact since his last win he has had 3 subpar starts and 4 bullpen appearances since beating The Bruins on 6/22.  In his last start for Orlando he didn't get out of the 2nd inning, giving up 3 hits, 3 walks and 5 earned runs.  While seeming like the odd man out of the rotation for Orlando, he was dealt the next day to Jersey Shore.  

His first start in for Jersey came this past week on 8/4.  He was facing the same Whitewater Warhawks that battered him around and knocked him out in the 2nd inning, but this time things were different.  After allowing a solo HR to Star Carlos Valle in the 1st inning and escaping a 2-on, 2-out jam in the 2nd something clicked for Hernandez.  He only allowed 2 hits and 1 walk in the next 6 innings, going 8 innings strong for his first win as a D-Bag.  It was an encouraging sign after much criticism for trading for such a struggling pitcher at the deadline.  Hopefully this is just the start of the good things we will see from Hernandez in the future.

TAVAREZ WINS POTW

For the first time this season a D-Bag has been named the Trillian Player of the Week.  That player was OF Ramon Taverez.  In 28 AB's, Tavarez pounded out 11 hits, including 2 2B, 3 HR and 5 RBI.  His splits were .393/.414/.786.  He also scored 6 runs in this time period.

 It was Ramon's first POTW award in his short career.  Tavarez first saw action in the big leagues as a 24 year old rookie for Jersey in 2010.  In 23 games he hit a pedestrian .238 with 0 HR, amassing 15 hits in 63 AB's.  That year he went on to hit 17 HR in AAA Tuscaloosa while posting a .358 BA.  In 2011 he saw time in spring training for Jersey, but didn't make the opening day roster.  He went on to lead Tuscaloosa in almost every major offensive category for a team that won 90+ games.  The most notable statistics were the 26 HR and 100+ RBI.  Power numbers that we hadn't seen in Tavarez's minor league career up to this point.

After dealing William Hinson in the offseason, Tavarez would have thought to be a shoe-in for a roster spot in 2012.  Yet, he started the season back in familiar Tuscaloosa.  He got the call up to the show in the last week of April and finally got his chance to start when others faltered during early May.  Once given that shot he hasn't looked back since.  On the year, Tavarez, is hitting .302/.329/.500 while bashing 11 HR and 39 RBI.