Your All-Time Jersey Shore Team

I thought this seemed like a fun idea.  To find the best team I could from former Jersey Shore teams.  Rules: You can only use a player once, regardless if he played another position.  Some decisions were tough, some were easy, but here you have it:  

SP: 2019 Jose Ramos.  23-6, 2.76 ERA, 2.88 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 8.2 WAR

SP: 2014 Dan Macias. 20-8, 2.82 ERA, 2.81 FIP, 1.16 WHIP, 8.9 WAR

SP: 2015 Art Ellis. 13-8, 2.94 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 5.0 WAR

SP: 2019 Sergio Martinez. 17-3, 3.08 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 4.5 WAR

SP: 2017 Greg Schaefer. 18-3, 3.82 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 3.9 WAR

MR: 2016 Jose Gomes. 10-1, 4 saves. 1.31 ERA, 2.05 FIP, 1.02 WHIP, 3.6 WAR

MR: 2014 Daniel Morris. 6-5, 31 saves.  1.52 ERA, 1.94 FIP, 1.03 WHIP, 2.0 WAR

MR: 2013 Lucio Tapia. 8-1, 2 saves.  2.19 ERA, 1.77 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 3.0 WAR

MR: 2019 Jose Ruiz.  6-3, 40 saves. 2.83 ERA, 2.92 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 1.3 WAR

MR: 2013 Ciro Roghi. 1-0, 0 saves. 1.95 ERA, 2.15 FIP, 1.30 WHIP, 1.2 WAR

CL: 2017 Jaime Saenz. 8-2, 49 saves.  1.94 ERA, 1.96 FIP,  0.99 WHIP, 2.8 WAR

C: 2013 Jorge Lozano. .303/.388/.511.  36 2B, 24 HR, 107 RBI, 5.1 WAR

C: 2017 Warren Goyer. .257/.329/.541. 20 2B, 42 HR, 116 RBI, 3.4 WAR

1B: 2015 Matt Doyle. .302/.386/.572.  25 2B, 44 HR, 147 RBI, 5.7 WAR

1B: 2021 Tadahisa Kisuki.  .366/.424/.560.  32 2B, 18 HR, 57 RBI, 5.7 WAR

2B: 2016 Mike Bryant.  .347/.407/.618.  48 2B, 40 HR, 158 RBI, 9.6 WAR

3B: 2015 Adam Morrow. .282/.402/.360.  31 2B, 4 HR, 61 RBI, 3.9 WAR

3B: 2012 Parker Morrow. .313/.390/.418.  29 2B, 10 HR, 62 RBI. 3.6 WAR

SS: 2020 Lawrence Schroeder.  .306/.341/.542.  27 2B, 19 HR, 74 RBI, 4.7 WAR

SS: 2011 Jerome Lindsey.  .343/.427/.480.  23 2B, 9 HR, 56 RBI, 4.2 WAR

UTIL: 2020 Fabrice Brodeur.  .325/.365/.465.  29 2B, 10 HR, 61 RBI, 3.4 WAR

OF: 2021 Dave Dodd.  .388/.455/.799.  46 HR, 119 RBI, 9.7 WAR

OF: 2011 Mason Bonniface. .328/.433/.556.  23 HR, 78 RBI, 6.1 WAR

OF: 2010 William Hinson.  .308/.404/.538.  23 HR, 91 RBI, 4.3 WAR

OF: 2013 Leon Foster.  .272/.338/.567.  33 HR, 105 RBI, 3.7 WAR

Starting Lineup:

SP: 2014 Dan Macias. 20-8, 2.82 ERA, 2.81 FIP, 1.16 WHIP, 8.9 WAR

1.  SS 2011 Jerome Lindsey

2. DH 2021 Tadahisa Kisuki

3. 2B 2016 Mike Bryant

4. RF 2021 Dave Dodd

5. 1B 2015 Matt Doyle

6. C 2013 Jorge Lozano

7. LF 2011 Mason Bonniface

8. CF 2013 Leon Foster

9. 3B 2015 Adam Morrow

How does your team stack up?

GO D-BAGS

2018 Jersey Shore Amatuer Draft

The only downside of finishing the 2017 season with BSA's best record (besides being knocked out in the first round) is that Jersey Shore would receive the last pick in the 2018 Rule IV draft held on July 1.  Drafting late in the draft hasn't been a problem so far for the D-Bags who have found some mid-late 1st round gems over the years.  Here we will break down Jersey's 2018 draft.

1st Round, 30th overall (acquired from LA) - 1B/C Owen Carter - When the LA Bruins signed MR Jose Gomes in the off season, the rights to their first round pick become the D-Bags with the type A compensation attached to him.  With LA's pick, GM Swain was very surprised to find Carter still available.  He was the best catcher in the draft and had really started to show his skills after 2 years at University of Arizona.  He was previously drafted in the 2015 draft, 12th overall, by the Kansas City Cougars, but they couldn't come to an agreement, so off to Tuscon he went.   Carter has an overall skill set of average contact, great gap power and above average HR power and eye.  His defense should come out to be average to play at the big league level.  The D-Bags really enjoyed the jump in HR and BB his senior season, hitting 12 HR and walking 47 times in only 48 games.  If everything goes to plan, Carter should be the heir apparent to catcher someday.

1st Round, 32nd overall - 1B/DH Sergio Barron.  Using their own first round pick, and the last in the round, Jersey selected high school 1B/DH Sergio Barron.  Barron who hails from Jefferson-Youngsville High School in Jefferson, NY, isn't your typical 19 year old.  At 6'3" and 250 pounds he is a force on the field.  While he lacks speed, he was drafted for his bat.  He compiled 37 HR, 111 RBI and 69/32 BB/K with a triple slash of .381/.485/.791.  His senior year his .435 average and .519 OBP ranked among the elite in at the HS level.  Jersey power hitters aren't known for their patience and limiting K's so Barron is a difference.  With being so young we might not see him for awhile, but one day this kid could be a force at the plate.

Supplemental Round, 50th overall - SP Michael Manning. Using the 2nd of 2 picks from the Gomes compensation the Bags selected High School pitching Manning out of Madawaska Valley HS. Manning sits 6'1, doesn't have the best stuff and but makes up for it with above average control and movement.  His fastball tops out at 89-90 and his forkball is best of his 4 below average pitches.  With some technique going into one of his pitches he might be able to pick up stuff while in the minors.   He never had a great season in high school on the surface but his 4 year FIP was 2.60, topping out a best 2.06 his senior year.  He carried a 8.29 K/BB ratio while giving up .55 HR/9.  While he doesn't look like front line material, if a little time goes into him he might be a mid to back-end rotation option.

2nd Round, 93rd overall - SP Jonathon Phillips.  For the 3rd time in 4 picks, Jersey reached for a high school player, selecting Phillips out of Butler HS. There's no easy way to say this, but Phillips was a beast his senior year.  He won the league's Outstanding Pitcher Award while finishing 8-0 in 8 starts, compiling a 1.87 ERA to go with a 0.79 WHIP and struck out 85 hitters in just 53 innings.  That included a 17-strikeout No-Hitter on May the 11th.  The downside for Phillips, is depsite his overwhelming velocity and fastball and his nasty slider, he lacks a 3rd pitch.  He does look a little wild, but got away with it HS with kids flailing away at pitches.  He will probably start in the minor leagues but I doubt he ever sees anytime in the bigs as a starter.  He could turn out to be a decent reliever though.

3rd Round, 128th overall - 1B Ryan McBride. McBride is an unathletic 1B who does have some skills as a hitter especially contact.  He won't hit for a ton of power, despite hitting 14 HR his senior year for the Iowa State Hawkeyes. If he can gain some power he could be a legit prospect, but if he pans out like his potential stacks up, he might start one day a team looking for a cheap 1B or DH option, but more than likely is a guy who puts up good-great numbers in AAA.

4th Round, 157th overall - LF David Murphy. Murphy is another high schooler who has speed and power.....and not much else.  In his 1 high school year he did hit over 300 with 13 HR, but he is a boom or bust player.  The type of player you find in the around the 150th pick in a draft.  Someone with a above average skill you could hope turns elite in his time in the minors.

There was nothing of note in the last 6 players and I would guess would be surprised if more than 2-3 of them made any roster.    Overall I give this draft a B.  It yielded a very nice looking player at a premium position, a potential above average power bat, and two pitchers who could pitch at the major league level one day.  Not great, but in an overall weak draft position picking at the end of every round, gems are hard to come by.  It will be fun watching Carter and Barron to see if they live up to those 1st round expectations that Jersey fans are accustomed to seeing.

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Clinches 1st Division Title; Breaks CL Record for Wins

An improbable season, an improbable break out star, business as usual for the D-Bags.  September 14th, Jersey was on the road in the middle of a 3 game series with the Vista Panthers.  After winning the first game of the series 4-2, Jersey knew that this was the first day they would have a shot at clinching the the CL Eastern division for the first time in their history.  It would take a Jersey win over Vista and a Greenville loss at Reno to clinch on that night, not probable, but what was probable this season?

Both games started at 7:05 MST and were played in the Pacific time zones.  Jersey would get the scoring started in the 2nd inning, when singles by Goyer and Perez would put runners on the corners with one out.  A RBI single by 3B Adam Morrow would score Goyer and back to back wild pitches from Michael Hoffmeyer would bring in Perez making it 2-0 Bags in the 2nd.  Vista would get one back when a Yun-qi Qiao would hit an RBI groundout making it a 2-1 game after 2 innings of play. 

Jersey 2-1. End of 2.

Cruising along in Reno, the Cards would get on the board first when Kent Hall, who is having a very rough year, doubled down the left field line scoring breakout rookie Sugiyama who had earlier tripled.  Reno would lead 1-0 after 3.

Reno 1-0. End of 3.

Back to Vista, it didn't take long for Jersey to get the run they gave Vista in the 2nd as they quickly loaded the bases and Mike Bryant would score on a long fly out sac-fly from Warren Goyer.  A walk from rookie Fransisco Ibarra would re-load the bases for Alberto Perez, whose solid hit line drive would find the outfield and bring home 2 more runs making the Jersey lead 5-1. A 1-2-3 inning on 3 pitches from Greg Schaefer would put Jersey to bat again and MVP candidate Bryant hit a scorching line drive that left the park easy for a 6-1 Jersey lead which would stand through the 4th.

Jersey 6-1. End of 4.

While Jersey was busy scoring in Vista, 1st overall pick in this year's amateur draft Jaime Guzman and and fellow 21 year old rookie Cristobal Santos had a pitchers duel going.  Few men reached base as threw zeros  up on the board which lasted until the bottom half of the 6th inning.  Free agent signing Cade Delaney would hit a fly ball that looked routine which just kept carrying 401 feet for his 34th HR of the year giving Reno a 2-0 lead heading into the 7th inning.

Reno 2-0.  End of 6. 

After getting in a little trouble in the 5th Greg Schaefer switched on cruise control and would walk one and hit one batter over the next 3 innings.  Jersey threatened a couple of times but Vista pitching would skirt out of trouble each time as the score remained the same through 7 innings.

Jersey 6-1. End of 7.

Players like Jaime Guzman are the reasons Reno fans have bright hope for the future.  Guzman would go 7 1/3 before being pulled after a 10-pitch AB resulting in a single from 84's catcher Fransisco Diaz.  It was by far the rookie's best ever outing and left to an ovation from the Reno crowd.  A combination of relievers would take us to the bottom half of the inning where Kent Hall's 2nd RBI double of the game gave Reno a 3-0 heading into the 9th inning.  Closer Didyu Ghosh would be called upon to save the game for the Cards.  He would get Donahue and Hickman easily before a mini scare as former MVP Felix Morales would ruin the shutout with a solo HR into the RF bleachers.  It would take only 3 pitches to get promising youngster Enzo Diaz to groundout and secure the win for the Cards.

Reno 3-1. FINAL 9:32 MST.

The final score was posted on the scoreboard in Vista and cheers came from the Jersey dugout and sparingly throughout the crowd.  Schaefer would be pulled after 7 1/3 finishing his night on his 6th K of night night getting Artie Kelley swinging.  Jose Gomes would take over and finish the 8th and 9th with no more trouble sending the D-Bags running out onto the field as 1B Alberto Perez fielded an unassisted ground-out for the final out of the game.  Smiles could be seen around the crowd and Schaefer received a gatorade bath as this performance improved his record to 17-3 on the season, his previous career high coming in 2015 with 13 wins.

Jersey 6-1. FINAL 10:14 MST.

This win was Jersey's 109th win of the season and later and 4 days later with a walk-off win against Seattle Jersey would break the CL record for wins in a season with 112 which was previously set by the Regina River Sharks (now Austin) in the 2013 season where they would advance to the World Series. At the time of this publication Jersey sat with a 117-42 record with 3 games left to play in the season.  117 wins puts them 3rd all time behind two juggernaut Hendersonville teams of 2015 and 2014. 

Not only did this Jersey team set the record for most wins in the CL, they also clinched the best record in the BSA this season, the 1st time a CL team will ever finish with the most wins in the BSA for a season.  Quite an improbable run from a team who lost their ace in spring training which left big question marks heading into this season.  With 3 games left, GM Swain plans on playing mainly back ups and saving pitchers to start in the playoffs.

It has been confirmed that Jersey will take on Austin in the 1st round of the playoffs.  Swain has come out and said they plan on throwing Ramos, Schaefer and Ellis in the 1st 3 games as well.   Here's to the boys finishing the season strong and looking forward to this year's playoffs!

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore May 2017 In Review

Jersey enjoyed it's 2nd hot month of the season coming into May with a BSA best 20-6 and May with a BSA best 40-15.  The club's 2nd 20 win month is a first for them, never had they won 20+ games more than once in a season.  A mixture of stars and youngsters led to this record which puts Jersey up 7 games in the CL East after just 2 months of play.  

Players of the Month

SP Jose Ramos: 5 GS, 4-1, 1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 20K, 6 BB, 42.1 IP.  The stud, the phenom, the future of the Jersey Shore pitching staff.  Ramos came off his week injury to dominate in the month of May.  Maybe most was his performance against Jersey rival Greenville, where Ramos pitched his first complete game shutout, holding the 84's to just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.  Plan to see Ramos on POTM many more times before his career is over.

SP Greg Schaefer: 6 GS, 6-0, 3.12 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 35K, 40.1 IP.  If you picked Schaefer to lead the league in wins after 2 months, raise your hand.  At 10-0 he has 1/4 of the D-Bags wins this year and continues to impress.  Schaefer was also named the CL Pitcher of the Month for month of May, his first such accolade. Though his fip of 4.24 isn't THAT impressive, it would be his best season in the BSA.

MR Jose Gomes: 1-0, 1 save, 23.0 IP, 1.17 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 34K.  Gomes demonstrated why he is one of the best set up men in the league and runner up for the CL Reliever of the Year last year.  He absolutely dominated in May, appearing in 17 of the teams 26 games.  2 of the 3 ER he allowed all season were allowed on the last game he pitched in May as well. 

LF Fransisco Torres: .337/.462/.495.  2 HR, 14 RBI, 19 BB, 4 SB.  Torres is going from rookie to staple in the Jersey lineup.  The speedy 22 year old had his second straight great month hitting the ball over all the yard and putting him squarely in ROY consideration.  For his outstanding play, he was named the CL Rookie of the Month for May.

SS Lawrence Schroeder: .307/.363/.430.  The 2nd year player and former 1st round pick is finally getting comfortable in his sophmore season after a breakout rookie season a year ago.  While the power he displayed last year hasn't come into play yet, the rest of his play has.  He led the BSA in doubles with 12, while scoring 17 times and knocking in 11 runs out of the 2 hole in the Jersey lineup.

C Warren Goyer: .301/.377/.602.  7 HR, 22 RBI.  Who led the D-Bags in HR and RBI in May? Bryant? Doyle? Dodd?  Nope, it was Mr. Goyer.  After struggling with the stick in April to the tune of a .195 average, he lit up May.  His feats include HR in 3 straight games during the middle of the month and his first multi-HR game coming on the last day in May where he drove in 5 runs in a 10-4 drubbing of the Browns.

Question, Concerns and Answers

For what it's worth May was a quiet month for roster moves for Jersey.  Ramos was activated on the 11th and rookie Yin-Zhen Zong was sent down, getting just 4.1 IP for the Bags.  Backup backstop Albert Lopez was given a  2 year extension which pretty much says he will remain the team's backup through his 31st birthday.  With no viable catchers in the minor leagues close to getting to Jersey this come as no surprise.

A couple of players continue to dominate down in AAA, but until the ship turns for Jersey or we see injuries (knock on wood) nothing seems imminent at this point.  

Minor Leaguers of the Month 

Pitcher

CL Angel Lara (AAA): 16.1 IP, 1-0, 9 saves.  5 BB, 21 K.  Lara, who many think is the closer of the future for the D-Bags certainly pitched like he wants the future job.  Not only did he only allow 2 ER all month long, he was also named the ITL Pitcher of the Month for May.  It marks the first time Jersey has had players at 2 different levels win Pitcher of the Month in same month.  Lara is surely a guy we might see in Jersey at some point this season.

Hitter

CF Fransisco Ibarra (AAA):  108 AB, 38 hits, 13 HR, 48 RBI, 22 BB, .361/.466/.796.  I think Ibarra felt robbed when we gave his team Martel the POTM for May.  He absolutely CRUSHED the ball in May.  13 HR and 48 RBI in just 27 games.  He is certainly the CF of the future for the D-Bags but how long can GM Josh Swain ignore what he is producing in AAA? In 53 games through May 31st he has 18 HR and 77 RBI, ridiculous. 

Jersey Shore vs. Vista; Tied After 2

Welcome to the long awaited BSA Division round of the 2016 playoffs!  The Jersey Shore D-Bags will take on the Vista Panthers in the first round.  Since Vista was the division winner, games 1-2 and 6-7 will be played in Vista, while 3-4-5 will be played in Jersey.

We breakdown the first 2 games of the series played in Vista here:

Game 1

Former Cy Young winner Cipriano Montanez would take the hill for Vista, making him the first Vista starter to start a playoff game for the team.  He would throw a ball to Peter Larson to start the game in front of a packed house of just over 40,000 fans.  He would get Larson to pop out, rookie SS Lawrence Schroeder to ground out before coming to the teeth of the Jersey lineup.  Mr. Triple Crown Mikey Bryant would run the count to 2-0 before roping a line drive the other way into the corner for a 2 out double and the game's first hit. On the first pitch to Matt Doyle he would hit a hard grounder through the hole between 3rd and SS, Bryant with a great jump would score the game's first run without a throw.  Montanez would get rookie Dave Dodd swinging to the end Jersey's first.

Starting for Jersey Shore was their veteran ace Art Ellis.  We learned early on that his control might be a little off today.  He walked the leadoff man Brian Cash, gave up a single to John Doby and walked Matt House to load the bases with only one out.  A very fortunate come-backer off the bat of Armando Macias would result in a force out at the plate for the 2nd out.  Cesar Torres would step to the plate and see the 2nd pitch in the at bat in the dirt and to the screen, a passed ball, which would bring home Doby to the tie the game.  Torres would strikeout in the at bat 4 pitches later to end the inning.

The 2nd innings treated both pitchers well with both getting 3 up and 3 down.  The 3rd inning the Bags would get to Montanez again.  A walk to Larson followed by singles by Schroeder, Bryant and Doyle resulted in 2 runs, giving the D-Bags a 3-1 lead.  A single to Doby is all Vista could manage in their half of the 3rd, ending the inning trailing 3-1.  A base runner apiece for each team in the 4th is all the action we would see, keeping the score the same.

Mistakes abound would kill Vista in the 5th inning. Schroeder would strike out to start the inning before Bryant would pull a scorching ground ball down the first base line for his 2nd double of the game.  An intentional walk to Doyle would set up the double play ball seemed to be a good strategy until the 3rd pitch to Dodd would be a wild pitch to move the runners up.  This forced Montanez to intentionally walk Dodd to load the bases. Alberto Perez would step to the plate, and what should have been an inning ending double play ate up SS Riley Cassidy, which subsequently would allow 2 runs to score and the inning to keep going, also this would chase Montanez from the game.  Guillermo Martinez would relieve Montanez, give up a sac fly to catcher Duran, to bring home Jersey's 6th run, before getting rookie Fransisco Torres to ground out to end the inning and a big Jersey lead 6-1.

This would be all Jersey would need today.  Vista would load the bases in the 6th against Ellis but only muster one run, and that was forced in by a walk from Matt House.  This would chase Ellis who ended up pitching 5 2/3 innings, giving up 2 ER on 3 hits but walked 7.  Jersey would get the run back and another in the 7th with a single from Duran that would bring home Doyle and Dodd and make the score 8-2.  The only other base runner for the rest of the game would come in Vista's 9th when 1B Manny Dominguez would walk, before Hyo-chin Kim retired 3 batters in a row to end the game.  Dominguez was the only batter Kim would let reach in 3 1/3 inning, which resulted in a save for him in his first postseason pitching.

Final Score: Jersey 8   Vista 2
POTG: Matt Doyle  3-4, 2B, BB, 2R, 2RBI

Game 2

Game 2 would offer an interesting pitching matchup.  Vista would send Michael Hoffmeyer to the mound, who was 0-2 against Jersey this season with the combination of Mikey Bryant and Matt Doyle doing most of the damage in those 2 games.  For Jersey they would send 21 year old phenom Jose Ramos, who shutout Vista in 7.1 IP in his only start against the Panthers this season.  

Hoffmeyer and Ramos would dance around base runners in the first inning before both escaped trouble. The 2nd inning both pitchers would get 3 up, 3 down getting a pair of groundouts apiece to send us to the 3rd still knotted at 0.  Besides a 6 pitch watch to Peter Larson, Hoffmeyer was all business in the 3rd, throwing 8 pitches to achieve 3 outs outside of the Larson AB.  

In Vista's half of the 3rd we would finally get some action.  After Manny Dominguez would strike out swinging, Riley Cassidy would come to the plate trying to redeem himself for his very costly error in Game 1.  On the 2nd pitch of the AB, Cassidy would surprise everyone and drag a bunt down the line and beat it out by half a step.  On a 1-1 count to Brian Cash, Cassidy would steal 2nd base, giving Vista a rare runner in scoring position.  Ramos would get Cash to fly out for the 2nd out, but wasn't out of trouble yet.  Roberto Bojorquez would slice a line drive down the RF line that would land fair by a foot scoring Cassidy from 2nd easily and giving Vista the early 1-0 lead.  A John Doby walk would extend the inning before Matt House grounded out to Mikey Bryant to end the inning.

The Bags would show some life in the 4th, well Bryant would show some life.  He started the inning with a single, his 2nd hit of the game and stole 2nd with Dodd at the plate after Doyle flew out to RF.  Dodd would fly out for the 2nd out before disaster almost struck Vista and Mr. Cassidy.  Alberto Perez would again ground to Cassidy which should have ended the inning but a bobble and a throw off target would allow him to reach and send Bryant to 3rd base.  Duran would come to plate looking to tie this game up at 1.  After running the count to 2-0, he took a big cut at a fastball which would result in a grounder to 1st, which would end the inning.

After the middle of the 4th, both pitchers would settle into a groove and besides a wayward single we would head into the bottom of the 6th inning with Vista still leading 1-0.  Doby would lead off Vista's half of the 6th with a single before House and Macias hit lazy fly balls into the OF for easy outs.  But again Vista would strike with two outs.  Cesar Torres, the speedy OF, who had 46 2B on the year, would do what he does best and line a ball to the gap in left-center.  CF Torres would have no chance to make a play on the ball, Doby would score with no throw and Vista goes up 2-0, but it wouldn't last long.

Dave Dodd would lead off the 7th for the Bags and take Hoffmeyer's 3rd pitch of the AB and deposit it 425 feet later into the RF bleachers.  It would mark the first HR for either team in the series and erase the insurance run Vista just pushed across the plate.  Hoffmeyer would struggle through the rest of the inning, getting 2 outs, but loading the bases in the process.  The threat would be ended when he would get SS Schroeder to fly out to CF avoiding all danger and leaving the Bags with 3 runners left on to think about. 

The bottom of the 7th and top of the 8th were very similiar for both starters seeing 3 batters apiece with Hoffmeyer getting Bryant, Doyle and Dodd to all groundout in order.   Ramos's night would be over after pitching 7 very solid innings for Jersey, giving up the 2 ER on 6 hits while striking out 5.  Jose "Dog Pound" Gomes would come in, getting a ground out and 2 strike outs to send us to the 9th.

Vista closer Alejandro Lopez would be called upon to end the game for Vista.  Lopez saved 20 games on the season between Vista and St. Louis.  His night wouldn't start well with a 5 pitch walk to Lopez.  One of the more bizarre plays you will see happened when Duran stepped to the plate.  On the 3rd pitch of the AB, Duran would lay down a bunt that immediately went back to the pitcher Lopez.  Lopez would twirl and fire to 2nd to get Perez easy as the force out, but a heads up play by Cassidy to throw to first would end in a bang-bang double play off a bunt attempt.  Duran had had't a successful sac bunt attempt in over 2 years and only 3 in his entire career.  It was an odd decision. Jersey wasn't done yet as Torres reached after being hit by a pitch and last year's ROY Adam Morrow coaxed and 8-pitch walk to put the tying run in scoring position for leadoff man Peter Larson.  But it wasn't meant to be for the Bags as Larson popped up the first pitch on the infield where 2B Cash would end the game with an easy catch.  

Final Score:  Vista  2   Jersey 1
POTG: Michael Hoffmeyer   8IP, 1ER, 1R, 4H, 4BB, 4K

We now head to Jersey for 3 games, tied 1 game apiece.

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Slides to 12-14 July Record

A theme is occurring this season in Jersey and it isn't a position one.  We just finished the 4th month of the season and each month in succession has gotten worse than the last.  The most recent was an up and down  with a lot of struggling finishing with their first under .500 month of the season with a record at 12-14.  It included losing 3 of 4 at home to division mate Madison, being swept on the road at rival Greenvilleand losing 4 of their final 6 games of the month to Maui and Niagara Falls.  The only constant was the play of The Machine, Mikey Bryant, who put the team on his back.

Players of the Month
2B Mike Bryant: .364/.405/.673  8 HR, 29 RBI, 10 2B.  Bryant kept his onslaught of the league posting huge numbers on his way to his 2nd Player of the Month award for the CL this year.  In fact, Bryant loves hitting in July.  It is the 3rd year in a row he has won the July player of the month for the CL, that has to be a record.  He continues his record pace where he still has has his eyes set on setting league records for hits, RBI, total bases, WAR and VORP.


3B Alberto Perez: .337/.432/.459  33 hits, 12 2B, 18 BB.  Perez continues to be a solid contributor this season, most coming from the 2 hole in the Jersey lineup.  His 33 hits gives him 30+ hits in 3 of the 4 months this season and his average puts him top 5 in the CL in batting.  Not only that, he also knocked in the game winning run in this month's all star game. 

MR Jose Gomes: 3-1, 1 Sv, 1.02 ERA, 25K in 17.2 IP.  What a year or resurgence for Dog Pound.  He has given up 2 ER in his last 55 IP and is posting the best season of his career.  On pace for career highs in IP, W, and K Gomes was also selected to this year's all star game, the first of his career.

CL Jaime Saenz:  3 saves, 0.93 ERA, 9 K in 9.2IP.  Lack of wins kept his save numbers down but he was all business as usual giving up 1 run in his 9.2 IP for the month.  With Saenz and Gomes anchoring the back end of the pen, not many games slide out of Jersey's hands.  This marks the 6th year the two remained bullpen mates in the Jersey pen

Questions, Concerns, and Answers
The real question is, can it get worse?  If the trend follows August should be Jersey's worst month of the season, but let's hope that doesn't happen. As of August 1st, Jersey sits 2.5 games behind the Chicago Machine for the CL Wild Card lead.  A familiar position for Jersey, who has seemingly been in the hunt every year as of late.

Jersey fans got a nice surprise when super prospect and No. 1 prospect on OSA's Top 100 list, Jose Ramos was called up to start the game before the All Star game.  Ramos ended getting a no decision but baffled Madison hitters only giving up 4 hits in 8 IP, including 3 ER as well as striking out 3.  In 3 other starts Ramos would dazzle against Pocatello and Chicago, giving up 1 ER in 16 innings against the 2 before getting lit up against Niagara Falls for 6 ER in 5.1 IP.  If his stuff so far is any indication, he is here to stay.

While speaking of pitching, what is going on with Jerry Burgess?  In 4 starts in July he failed to get out of the 6th inning and twice not even able to finish 5 innings.  In those starts he had a combined 17 K to 16 BB.  He has never been known for his control, but it's never been this bad.  If this continues, and Ramos stays up, it might mean a bullpen assignment or a demotion to AAA for Burgess.

Jersey welcomed back Al Ryan this month, but only played in 2 games.  He should return to his OF position in the lineup against RHP thought.  Leon Foster finally came off the DL after his re-injury and will rehab probably till the 2nd week of August before coming back to the big club.  OF Jose Ortiz came off the DL with his strained back to play 3 games and to strain his oblique which will put him on the shelf for 6 more weeks.  This led to increased AB's for Taro Kino, who had his best 5 game stretch of his career piking up 4 multi hit games, including two 3 hit games, 6 xtra base hits, and 6 RBI.  He cooled down considerably towards the end of the month and was sent back to AAA to make room for Al Ryan.

With the addition of Warren Goyer, Albert Lopez was sent back to AAA where he will be the starter.  With Adam Morrow continuing to struggle and former 1st round pick Lawrence Schroeder still killing AAA pitching, might there be a swap in order this month? Also OF Fransisco Torres, still only 21, is posting an OBP north of .450 at AAA Tuscaloosa, while bringing speed and great defense thus far.  He could be a candidate to be called up as well.  Don't be surprised to see the Bags shake it up a bit to try and turn around the slump.

Minor Leaguers of the Month
So who had it going on in the Bags system for the month of July?  We will recognize 2 new players here or stepped it up.  Last month's winners were SP Jesus Zapata and SS Lawrence Schroeder.

Pitcher
SP Henry Malone (AAA) 4-0, 1.93 ERA, 25K, 1.44 WHIP.  Malone, 29 year old career minor leaguer, put together a great month, starting 3 games and pitching 5 others out of the bullpen.  This marks the 4th straight year he has won over 12 games for Tuscaloosa.  There is still hope for Malone to hold down a 4th or 5th spot in some rotation in the BSA.




Hitter
OF Fransisco Ibarra (AA) .367/.441/.688  10 HR, 41 RBI, 40 hits, 15 SB.  Ibarra, in his 4th year in the D-Bags organization, has also had THAT potential.  Always been ranked Top 5 potential for D-Bag batters, got off to a slow start and struggled in limited AB's in his first 2 seasons.  Last year we finally got a glimpse of the hype when he hit 13 HR in 332 AB, but a .223 batting average kept him off the radar.  This year before the season he was named the 26th best prospect by OSA.  He got off to a promising start before be sidelined with a hamstring strain for 6 months, but after he came back he has been amazing.  His 41 RBI for the month mark a team record (that we could find) at any level, and his 10 HR increased his career HR by almost 33% and put high hope in what "could be" a 1-2 OF punch of Dodd-Ibarra in the Jersey Shore OF. 

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore: June 2016 in Review

In another winning month for the Bags, it was another month that slightly got worse than  the last percentage wise.  The Bags finished the month of June with a 16-11 record, in what was their hardest month of the year schedule wise.  It included series with Boston, New Orleans, Toronto, and Greenville twice.  The Bags finish the month 3 games back of the division leading Greenville 84's and 1/2 game behind the Chicago Machine.  Going into July the Bags are 52-30.

Players of the Month

MR Jose "Dog Pound" Gomes: 15.2 IP, 3-0, 15 K, 6H, 8 BB.  For the 2nd straight month Gomes did not allow a run to score on his watch.  He extended his scoreless streak to 38.2 IP which is over 31 appearances.  Any concern that the bullpen would take a step down with the loss of Daniel Morris can be put to rest.

OF Peter Larson: .337/.442/.533  2 HR, 13 RBI, 31 hits, 19 BB.  Peter Larson returned to the on-base machine we all know and love during June.  He was on base an astonishing 50 times, good for 44% of his AB.  If the Bags are going to compete they are going to need for players at the top of the order to be one base for the big boys.

OF Sergio Rodriguez:  .322/.400/.655  6 HR, 18 RBI, 19 runs.  Sergio was a nice surprise after injuries pushed him into an every day starting role.  He led the team in RBI for most of the month until Doyle passed him on the last day of the month.  The guy just does what he is asked.  He played great defense and even stole 2 bases.  

Roster Changes, Questions and Answers:  
A couple of injuries really dictated the moves this month.  On back to back days both OF Al Ryan and OF Jose Ortiz went down with muscle strains.  Both of them were diagnosed and guessed to be out around a month apiece.  Taro Kino and Ken Taylor were both called up to take over and have split the little time they have played in.  There has been talk about super SP prospect Jose Ramos being called up to make a few starts in the rotation.  If this does indeed it happen it will go against Swain's earlier statement claiming he would not being seen until Spring Training of next season.

Minor Leaguers of the Month
3rd official installment of MLOTM here at the Bag Report to recognize the top minor leaguer player in the Jersey Shore system for June.  Last month's were MR Yin-Zhen Zong and SS Lawrence Schroeder.

Pitcher: 
Jesus Zapata  (AA): 3-1, 1.27 ERA, 35.1 IP, 39 K, 0.96 WHIP.  The 20 year Zapata lit up AA in his 5 starts which included 21 straight innings without giving up an ER.  He has really picked up the strikeout this season averaging almost 8 per 9 innings.  He was signed to a MLC by the Bags in March of 2013 after being released by Greenville.



Hitter:
OF Taro Kino: .368/.439/.621. 32 hits, 6 HR, 28 RBI.  28 year old Kino lit up AAA pitching and continues to be a powerful bat for AAA Tuscaloosa.  He led the entire organization with his 28 RBI and his hot month is what dictated his promotion to Jersey Shore, where he hit 1 for 8 in 2 games. If he keeps up his torrid hitting in AAA, the Bags will have to find a roster spot for him.

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore May 2016 in Review

2016 continues to the year of the 3-headed monster in the CL East.  Jersey almost matched their record in April with an 18-10 record and currently sit 4.5 games behind Greenville for the division lead and 4 games behind Chicago for 2nd place and the WC lead.  

Players of the Month
2B Mike Bryant: .404/.465/.711 7 HR  36 RBI  46 hits  12 2B.  Why not start out with the league's POTM?  For the 3rd time in his career Byrant was named the BSA player of the month for his outstanding play during May. He over .400 for the 2nd straight month and his 46 hits are an unconfirmed team record for a single month.  12 multi-hit games, including 4 games with 4+ hits to go along with 10 multi-RBI games.  He leads the BSA in almost every offensive category.  Bryant also won back to back player of the week awards to begin the month.  

1B Matt Doyle: .353/.448/.716  11 HR  35 RBI.  After a terrible April, Doyle broke out in a big way.  He climbed to near the top of the charts in both HR and RBI and averaged over an RBI per game.  The beginning of the month say Doyle have a 3 game stretch where he had 7 hits, 3 HR and 12 RBI.  He and Bryant continue to carry this offense.

3B Alberto Perez: .339/.389/.46  2 HR  13 RBI  24 R  8 2B.  Perez just continues to flat out hit.  He hit 2nd for the most of the month and flourished with the stick.  His 39 hits were only behind the 46 of Bryant and he currently sits in the Top 5 for batting average in the CL with .355 average.  The 28 year old has already surpassed his career highs in every category and looks like here is in Jersey to stay.

MR Jose Gomes:  0.00 ERA, 23.0 IP, 0.61 WHIP, 28 K, 7 hits allowed.  Hello Dog Pound!  Gomes returned to the Gome of old for May and he was nearly unhittable.  7 hits allowed in 23 innings while chalking up 28 K, he was the among the best MR in baseball during the month.  He and Saenz have been a deadly 1-2 punch in the back end of the bullpen.

SP Art Ellis:  3-1, 3.31 ERA, 39 K 35.1 IP.  Ellis was the most consistent starter for the month and finally lost at the tail end for his first lost in his last 10 outings.  He continues to show why he was worth the big contract Jersey handed to him before the year started.

Roster Moves, Questions and Answers
The D-Bags gave us a little treat this month when the called up the #1 hitting prospect in BSA OF Dave Dodd.  Dodd has ridiculous raw power and showed it off hitting 3 HR in the 9 games he played in May. Welcome to the show kid. The reason Dodd got the call up was that Leon Foster was sent to the DL with shoulder tendinitis which is really too bad because he was starting to look like the Foster that made the All Star team in his first year in Jersey.  Foster plans on being back towards the end of May, possibly early June.

Also in May we watched the continued struggles of Dave Rice, the Bags Rule V MR pick from Chicago.  His struggles continued into May and he was eventually offered back to Chicago.  Takafumi Ogusuku took his spot in the pen and was just OK having a 5.14 ERA in 7 IP, striking out 7 and walking 6.

The speculation is still out to when we will super pitching prospect SP Jose Ramos.  He is starting to look more poised and polished and still just 21 years old.  He had the best starter of his career when he struck out 15 batters in a win against Topeka on 5/18 in just 7 innings.  GM Josh Swain said there is no time table for his call up, but we will keep a close eye out.

Minor Leaguers of the Month
In the 2nd installment we will introduce 2 more minor leaguers who had great months.  Last months MLOTM were Dave Dodd and MR Angel Lara.

Pitcher: Yin-zhen Zong (AAA) 13.0 IP, 2.08 ERA, 19 K. The 25 year old Zong who was a 7th round pick in 2013 has had a couple tough years in AAA.  The past two seasons he has started, relieved and closed and both years had an ERA north of 6.  And before the month of May his ERA of 5.40 was nothing of interest.  Something seemed to have clicked during the last month.  He mowed down hitters lowing his season ERA to 3.65 while he is striking out over 12 batters per 9 innings.  If this continues he could find himself in the Jersey pen before too long.

Hitter:  Lawrence Schroeder (AAA) .344/.383/.611.  7 HR  23 RBI  29 R  45 Hits.  Schroeder, the 24 year old SS, just continues to get better.  The former 1st round pick played the majority of 2015 in AAA putting up respectable numbers, but nothing like this year.  His power has been a surprise to go with some great gap power and high contact which makes his quite the IF threat.  He also has a plus glove at SS.  With Adam Morrow's struggles on the big club, could we being seeing Schroeder man the field for the Bags anytime soon?  He is on pace for 39 HR, 126 RBI and a .355 average in AAA.  What more could you ask for?

Jersey Shore July 2015 In Review

July was a successful month for Jersey who compiled a 15-8 record in the game shortened month causes by the All Star break.  The stars showed up to shine and the Bags will start August with a 4.5 game lead in the Wild Card race over the Austin River Sharks.  It's an odd place for Jersey who usually finds itself chasing other teams at this point and not holding any sort of lead.

Players of the Month

2B Mike "The MACHINE" Bryant: .385/.431/.703 8 HR 30 RBI 22 R.  Why not start off with the CL Player of the Month?  Bryant won the award for the 2nd time in his career for the month of July, he also won it July of 2014 as well.  Bryant had 12 multi hit games, 9 multi RBI games, including having 4 RBI on 3 separate occasions.  He started at 2B for the CL All Star team earlier in the month and has put himself back into the midst of MVP talks for the 2nd year in a row.

1B Matt "Down Home" Doyle: .357/.421/.667 8 HR 30 RBI.  Doyle joined Bryant to create quite the 2 some for the month.  He was also selected as a reserve for the All Star game and matched Bryant's HR and RBI totals.  The combined 16 HR and 60 RBI in 23 games is an incredible amount.  It was Doyle's 2nd 8 HR and 30 RBI month of the season, the other coming in May.  He currently sits 2nd in the league in HR and leads the league in RBI, also he was the first BSA player to reach 100 RBI on the season.

3B Adam Morrow: .323/.405 31 H 13BB 16R.  Super rookie continues to impress as he had his 3rd 30 hit month of the season.  Leading off most games he ranks in the Top 10 in the CL in hits and runs.  He has put himself right in the thick of things in a crowded CL ROY conversation as well.

SP Jerry Burgess: 4-0  2.70 ERA  28K/4BB  0.90 WHIP.  The new acquisition dazzled winning all 4 starts after coming over from El Paso.  His 4 wins were more than he had in 3 months with El Paso and his first month with less than double digit walks.  Apparently the bats like when he is on the month as well, in his 4 starts they scored:  11, 14, 13 and 15 runs in his starts. 

SP Art Ellis: 3-0  2.01 ERA  1.12 WHIP  26K/6BB.  Ellis continued his torrid first season with the Bags and is making a run at Dan Macias's team record for ERA which he set last year at 2.82.  After his last July start he sits at 2.44.  Ellis was selected to the All Star for the 2nd time this month and his first time since the 2011 season.

MR Jaime "Mungo" Saenz: 2-0  1.35 ERA   0.75 WHIP 16K.  After a rough start to the season in April for Mungo, he finished July as the 3rd month in a row with an ERA sub 2.00.  The hard throwing lefty is having a bounce back season after a "down" 2014.  This marks the 2nd year in a row he has registered 9 wins, he currently sits at 9-0.

CL Daniel Morris:  1-0  6 Saves  1.08 ERA  0.96 WHIP.  Morris had been having the exact opposite of what a contract season should be, but July he finally looked like the Morris of old.  2015 marked the 2nd year in a row Morris was left off the CL All Star team after a streak of making the team 3 years in a row.

Roster Questions, Changes and Answers

Leon Foster still has 3 weeks left on the DL and we won't see him probably until late August or September.  Scott Powers suffered a Knee contusion on 7/23 and will miss 3 weeks with the injury.  With him being out of the lineup it gave more AB's to Sergio Rodriguez and Taro Kino in the OF. Sergio had 60 AB in July and hit .300 with 2 HR.  

Jose Gomes was also injured on 7/30 with some shoulder tendonitis and is set to miss 3 weeks.  In his absence the Bags added Takafumi Ogusuku, the Japanese native to the 40 man roster and the active roster.  In one game in July he gave up 3 ER in 2.1 IP vs San Fransisco.  At only 19 years old he rose quickly through the Bags system to make it to the big club.

Edgardo Gonzales, Aaron Bailey and Tim Duncan continue to impress in AAA Tuscaloosa for the Bags but right now there just isn't any room for any bats.  Look for one or all 3 of them to get September callups to see what they can do for the big club, especially if the Bags start to pull away in the WC race. 

GO D-BAGS 

Slow Start

After a hot spring training the Bags were looking to change things up and get off to a hot start this year in 2015.  5 out of there first 6 games were decided by 1 run and left the D-Bags with a 2-4 record.  At the half way part of the month the Bags sit 8-6 with some surprises, both good and bad.

The Good:

Starting pitching has been excellent.  Jersey's starters sit with an ERA of 3.17 which is 4th in the league. Led by Art Ellis, Rob Goodship and Greg Shaefer who all have an ERA under 2.75.

The rise of Adam Morrow.  The draftee of 2010 (one round behind Mike Bryant) waited patientlly putting up huge numbers in AAA back to back years. Now hitting either leadoff or in the 2 hole has gotten off to a scorching start hitting .367 with an OBP of .441 and a team high 10 runs scored.

The return of dominant middle men.  The combination of Gomes, Saenz and Ruiz have been virtually unhittable giving up 10 hits in 22 2/3 IP while giving up 3 runs and striking out 23 while picking up 3 of the team's 8 wins thus far.

The Bad:

Bats off to a slow start.  Although with each sim the batting average goes up a little bit each, it still sits at .242 which is 10th in the league and a slugging percentage of .403 which is 8th in the league.  These are bound to go up but they can be attributed to the low scoring 1 run losses. 

Mike Byrant and Peter Larson slow starters.  When the 2-3 hitters in your lineup are either below 200 or barely above you know you will have problems.  Larson, though taking walks at a high pace has not hit....at all, getting 8 hits in 53 AB.  Mike Bryant who is and will be the catalyst of this offense, got off to a brtual start hitting .156 with no HR or RBI in the team's first 7 games.  He has turned it on some hitting a couple of bombs and raising the average to .213, but he needs to step it up.

Daniel Morris not automatic?  In the first 3 games he pitched in, he gave up 6 runs, struck out only 2 batters and attributed for 2 losses and a blown save.  Though in the last 4 games he has given up 1 hit, it was totally unlike Morris, who is usually Mr. Automatic.  It won't matter if the pen is lights out if Morris isn't.

As usual Greenville is off to a hot start.  Despite a few key injuries already, the 84's have raced out to an 11-2 record, 3.5 games ahead of the Bags.  They don't play their first series with Greenville until the end of the month giving the 84's plenty of time to cool down before these teams meet. 

GO D-BAGS

2015 Is Here; And a Major Change

Welcome back D-Bag fans!  As I type this we are just days away from the start of a new and exciting season full of promise for your Jersey Shore D-Bags!  We have a few new faces, but for the most part the Bags bring back the majority of the same team that won a team record 94 games last season.

The major news in the off-season is the addition of SP Art Ellis.  Ellis pitched in Madison last year after 3.5 seasons in Hendersonville.  He marks the first player ever to come play for the D-Bags who has a BSA championship ring from the current period, and he has 2.  After an injury plagued season in Madison last year which held him to 23 starts, he is healthy and ready to be the #2 starter behind Cy Young runner up Dan Macias.  This could be the 1-2 punch Jersey has been looking for in previous years.  For his career Ellis has won 89 games while posting a 3.83 ERA.

As of opening day the rotation will look like this:

1. Dan Macias

2. Art Ellis

3. Rob Goodship

4. Greg Shaefer

5. Kenny Stanford

 After losing Marv Williams to injury for most of the season, he became a FA and ultimately signed with the New Orleans Looters.  Gordon Brown was traded for right before the deadline and an extension couldn't be reached and he signed a 1 year deal with Niagara Falls this off-season.  With neither of these players being retained it opened up a spot in the bullpen.  After some solid pitching in Spring Training, the open spot will go to 22 year old Jose Ruiz.  Ruiz has climbed through the Jersey system since 2010 and finished last year with a 3.27 ERA in AAA along with 56 K in 41.1 innings.

The current bullpen looks like this:

MR1 Lucio Tapia

MR2 Jose Ruiz

MR3 Brian White

SU1 Jose Gomes

SU2 Jamie Saenz

CL Daniel Morris

Much of the faces on offense will look the same, in fact every players has had some playing time in a Jersey uniform except one player.  That player is OF Jose Ortiz.  Ortiz was picked in the Rule V draft coming over from the Reno organization.  He is 26 and never played above A ball, but Jersey think he has the type of skills to compete for the 4th-5th OF position.  In order to acquire Art Ellis the D-Bags traded all time hits leader Parker Morrow.  Morrow had been a D-Bag since the inception of the league and while it was sad to see him go, he will be replaced in the lineup by another Morrow, Adam Morrow.

The opening day starting lineup will look like this:

RF Peter Larson

3B Adam Morrow

1B Matt Doyle

2B Mike Bryant

DH Manny Romero

SS Antonio Ruiz

CF Leon Foster

C Luis Antonio Duran

LF Scott Powers

With a bench of:

C Albert Lopez

1B Derrick Wright

SS Marvin Taylor

LF Taro Kino

RF Al Ryan

RF Jose Ortiz*  Will begin year on DL.

With much of the team in tact, Ellis adding to the rotation, Peter Larson and Matt Doyle staples in the top of the lineup for the whole year, Jersey has a reason to be excited.  Expectations are high, but still have to some how find a way to overcome the dominance of the Greenville 84's and the tough competition atop of CL.

Jersey needed a change, not a managerial change, not a player change....but a change.  Something to break them out of their slump of missing the playoffs and something to send them over the top.  And with that, I would like to introduce to you the new logo of the Jersey Shore D-Bags.

Boom.  Enjoy.  

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore - September 2014

In another up and down season which Jersey finds themselves out of the playoffs, does it surprise anyone that September was their best month of the year?  Including their 11 game streak in the middle of the month, Jersey captured it's 2nd 20 win month in team history by going 21-6, falling just 2 games behind the eventual Wild Card winner, the Regina River Sharks.


Players of the Month:
With a big month like September, there will be several main players in the running for POTM, and this month was no exception.


SP Dan Macias 5-0, 2.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 42 K's. Aces are suppose to show up big in big situations and Macias did that in a month where Jersey needed every game. He pitched 6 quality starts, winning 5 of them and earning a no decision in the other.  He ended the season with 16 straight shutout innings picking up his 20th win on the last day of the year. It marks his first 20 win season and the first in Jersey Shore history.


SP Rob Goodship 6-0, 2.51 ERA, 2 CG.  Fans are hoping that Goodship has finally come to play. After a trying sophomore year Goodship finally put together a fabulous string of starts for a perfect 6-0 September.  Always thought of to have potential to be a legit #2 starter, the soon to be 28 year old might just be a late bloomer.


MR Jose Gomes 2-0, 2 Saves, 2.08 ERA, 21 K in 13 IP.  When Dog Pound is on his game, he can be one of the most dominating relievers in the game, and we saw that in September.  Gomes is very much a veteran to the POTM column.  He finished the season leading all relievers in K/9IP.  


2B Mike Bryant 6 HR, 29 RBI, .333/.398/.619.  Bryant rebounded from a slumping August to rake again in September.  3rd month of 2014 with at least 28 RBI.  1st round pick to standout rookie to legit MVP candidate.  The future is bright for Mr. Bryant.  Jersey Shore brass is also lobbying to get an official nickname change from "Coffin" to "The Monster"  Mr. Ulery, take note.


RF Peter Larson .333/.436/.444 11 wb, 18 BB, 20 runs scored.  Larson got better every month after putting on a Jersey uniform and September was by far his best month.  He was on base at a .436 clip and scored in 80% of Jersey's games.  Is there a better spot for him in the game than hitting in front of Bryant and Doyle?


C Luis Antonio Duran 4 HR, 17 RBI, .360/.436/.573.  Hitting mainly out of the 6 slot Duran showed what a valuable asset he can be with power and and and eye.  2nd straight season with 20+ HR and the front office has hinted about an upcoming extension.


Roster Questions, Changes and Answers
Since up until the last few days of the season Jersey still had slim hopes of a playoff spot we didn't get to see too many young players get AB's.  We did see OF Al Ryan get plenty of playing time this year and eclipse the 20 HR plateau.  We still have the 1B/3B candidates Adam Morrow and Alberto Perez looking for regular work.  Adam Morrow had a 4 hit game on the 2nd to last day of the season.  OF Harold Robinson was called up and hit a Grand Slam in his first AB.  OF Ken Taylor and OF Sergio Rodriguez both saw time recently and could be regulars in 2015.  MR Jose Ruiz who was hurt most of the season got a late season call up but never got to see the mound in a game.


It looks as though the D-Bags will hit the offseason with 3 pending Free Agents.  3B David Paquette, MR Marv Williams and MR Gordon Brown.  With the budget the way it is, I would look for none of the 3 to be resigned.  Williams pitched poorly then was injured and Paquette is 36 years old.  Brown would be an interesting candidate even though he pitched very poorly since coming to Jersey at the deadline.  Ruiz is a good candidate to take one of the open MR spots next year, and look for a trade or FA to come in to fill the other.  


There will be some interesting decisions in the off season as far as contract extensions go as well. Next year will be the last year on the contracts for CL Daniel Morris, CF Scott Powers, 3B Parker Morrow and SP Kenny Stanford.  Also you had to wonder when players who will be hitting arbitration soon such as Duran, Bryant , Manny Romero and Greg Schaefer will receive long term deals or wait out their arbitration hearings.  Stay tuned for a season long break down as well naming the Batter and Pitcher of the year as well as minor league players of the year for the Jersey system.


GO D-BAGS