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

Great August Puts 1st Playoff Appearance in Reachable Sight

The Jersey Shore D-Bags picked a great time to string together their best two months of the season in July and August, but should it come as a surprise to anyone considering the way this team has played over the years?  Widely known as a 2nd half team, the Bags record of 81-55 put them on pace to finish the season with 96 which would set a new team record and in this case probably would secure a playoff spot.  The 19-11 record in August put them 6 games up on the Austin River Sharks for the Wild Card spot in the CL and marks the first time they entered the last month of the season in the lead for a playoff spot.

Players of the Month

SP Art Ellis.  1-2. 2.77 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 38K/39 IP.  Though his W/L record doesn't show it Ellis was far and away the best starter in the month of August. In 4 of his 6 starts he gave up 2 ER or less and twice gave up 0 ER, once earning him a loss (4 unearned runs) and the other a no decision.  Ellis's great August kept him in the lead in the CL in the ERA race and makes it likely he will set the team record in this category which was set by Dan Macias last season.

MR Jaime "Mungo" Saenz.  4-0, 2 saves. 0.00 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 31K/21.2IP.  Mungo was as we call it flat out nasty in August.  In fact this probably is the best month from a Jersey reliever ever, and that's saying something.  Appearing in 17 of the teams 30 games he didn't give up a run and only allowed 6 hits in 21.2 innings.  Mungo is showing that if the Bags can't work out an extension with closer Daniel Morris that he is more than able to do the job going forward

1B Matt Doyle. 10 HR, 22 RBI, .364/.456/.710.  1.166 OPS.  Another POTM for Doyle, even if it wasn't as big as his July.  He continued to lead the CL in HR and his average crept higher towards that .326 he hit last year, finishing the month at .298. His 10 HR was tied for 3rd in the BSA only behind Caro's 11 of NFF and "Superman" Phillips's 16 also of NFF.

3B Alberto Perez. 4 HR, 15 RBI, 10 2B, .390/.420/.701 1.121 OPS.  Antonio Ruiz who?  Perez has been a highly coveted asset with no place to play in Jersey until the trade that sent Ruiz to Vista before the deadline.  Now that he is getting AB's he is showing the fans of Jersey what he can do.  Despite a handful of AB's over the past two season this was by far his best month in the big leagues, adding 30 hits and 15 of those for extra bases.

2B Mike "Coffin" Bryant.  10 HR, 23 RBI, .316/.374/.598.  Bryant's stellar 2nd month in a row puts him in the MVP chase again and ended the month ranked 3rd in AVG, 3rd in HR, 2nd in RBI while leading the leading the league in runs scored.  The past 2 September's have been huge for Bryant earning him POTM from the Bag Report for each of them, don't be surprised to see him here again next month.

LF Sergio Rodriguez. 4 HR, 17 RBI, .351/.424/.689, 1.114 OPS.  Sergio is another player like Perez who is an AAA standout but just lacked a place to get AB's on the Jersey big league club.  He continued his above average July with a stellar September month, much of the time playing CF.  The drawback was he had an elbow injury towards the end of the month which will sideline him for 3 weeks.  With Scott Powers and Foster coming off the DL, Jersey will have replacements for him, but it always is a downer losing a hot bat.

Roster Changes, Questions and Answers:

Ah, September always brings a time to see the young kids called up and get their "cup of coffee."  This year should be no different as we expect to see a a group of new faces joining the club.  With Leon Foster coming off the DL, he should join the Bags the first week of August after his rehab stint gets over with.  Sergio Rodriguez is the only member of the club on the DL at the moment, should miss the first 2 weeks on the DL and might get a small rehab stint before joining the club the last week of the season.

We talk about him almost every month in this section, but OF Tim Duncan has been called up to the big club.  In fact in August he played in 2 games and hit his 1st career HR and stole his 1st career base in the same game, so congrats to him.  We aren't sure yet if he will start on a regular basis, but expect him to at least get pinch run and some late inning defense in.  The Bags are also expected to recall MR Takafumi Ogusuku to give the bullpen some rest before their late season playoff push.  He was so-so with the Bags in July posting an ERA north of 5.00.  

We also expect at least at some point in the month that 1B Edgardo Gonzales, 2B Aaron Bailey, SP Jose Reyes, C Albert Lopez, and LF Ken Taylor to be recalled for some AB's.  With Tuscaloosa being 14 games up in the AAA standings, their magic number is 9 and would get their players back before the playoffs started.  

Until next time, go out and root on your Bags as their quest for their first playoff spot could come to and end this month!!

GO D-BAGS

D-Bags make 2 trades: Bring in Burgess, Send Ruiz Packing

Burgess Trade

In 2 separate trades in the weening days of June, the D-Bags have again bolstered their rotation with an addition and sent a familiar face packing to the sunny state of California.

The big piece in the trades was bringing in SP Jerry Burgess from the El Paso Diablos.  Now over the past 2 seasons Jersey has brought in Dan Macias, Art Ellis and Jerry Burgess.  To get Burgess they had to dip into their deep talent-rich farm system to pull off the deal, but let's talk about Burgess first.

Jerry Burgess is a 28 year old left hander who stands at a statue tall 6'7" and will be calling Jersey his 4th home in just 5 seasons under his belt.  Drafted by Madison in the inaugural draft, he played his first 2 professional seasons there in 2011-2012 before being traded to Hendersonville where he would help them win a title in 2013.  He would be dealt at the 2014 deadline to El Paso in the Yokoyama deal and pitched a week short of a full season there before landing in Jersey today.

Burgess has a career record of 55-41, 4.20 ERA, and averages over 1K/IP for his career.  This year has been the worst so far as a professional, but Jersey brass has confidence that a change of scenery can help him turn it around.  

The deal was a 6-1 trade that included: SP Kenny Stanford who was struggling in his 2nd season as a D-Bag and is an impending FA this offseason.  32 year old SP/MR Justin Terry who has been a staple on the AAA staff for years now.  OF Harold Robinson, saw brief time last season in Jersey and should be on a ML roster but due to the D-Bags he found himself buried in AAA.  

The main real piece of this deal was 20 year old SP Ignacio Colon. The Cuban SP is in his 3rd season of AA and has improved on each one.  Scouts say that if he was coming out in the rookie draft this year he would be a Top half of the first round talent.  Also from AA OF Jorge Melendez, who has tremendous talent potential, who socked 24 HR in 370 AA AB's last season.  The last piece is MR Victor Lopez, 19 year old RHP, who projects to be a solid bullpen arm someday. 

A lot of pieces for 1 arm, but a move that Jersey hopes can help push them over the hump this year.  A rotation of Macias-Ellis-Burgess-Goodship-Schaefer is one the Jersey ownership claims is Top-5 in the league and should help us to our first playoff berth this season.

Ruiz Swap

IF Antonio Ruiz is one of the only remaining players on the Jersey franchise since the inaugural draft of 2010.  He was spending his 4th season in a Jersey uniform and earlier this season signed a very, very team friendly contract of 3 years and 1.98 million dollars.  Coming off a season where he hit 20 HR, this came as a surprise to many folks to see him packing his bags, but today Jersey announce they have sent Ruiz to the Vista Panthers in exchange for 2 minor leaguers.  

When GM Josh Swain was asked about why, he had this to say: "We have always like Mr. Ruiz in this organization.  We thought he signed a great deal for us, but we had some reservations.  While it rare to find a SS who can hit for 20+ HR, his batting average and OBP haven't been there over the past 2 seasons, which are two main components.  With bringing in Burgess, we now have 5 starters who are considered ground ball pitchers, and while Ruiz can play the MI positions, his strengths lie at 1B and 3B, which are currently occupied by Doyle and Morrow.  This combined with the fact we have a very, very good player in Alberto Perez who has been in AAA far too long without getting a shot, led to our decision to trade Antonio."

With Perez being demoted we can expect to see defensive specialist Marvin Taylor see time at SS against RHP and Adam Morrow being shifted to SS against LHP to allow Alberto Perez to play 3B.  We are also pretty sure that the play of former 1st round pick Lawrence Schroeder in AAA this year gave some insurance in case of disaster or injury.

In exchange for Ruiz, the D-Bags receive 2 18 year old players.  The 1st is SP Javier Garcia, whom Vista discovered and signed out of Mexico in 2013.  He is a workhorse who throws 6 pitches, the best being his fastball.  His movement is lacking in his game and Jersey plans on looking in and fiddling around with this in the offseason.  The other player is 18 year old OF Miguel Rosa whom the Vista Panthers discovered and signed out of Cuba in 2013.  Rosa is a speedy left hander who has 50+ SB in the last 2 seasons combined and projects with plus power.  He is still very raw with the bat and glove, but at only 18 years old, there is plenty of time to see him progress.

Garcia                     Rosa

Hopefully these 2 trades will reap the rewards and turn out to be wise decisions for the D-Bags this season and beyond.

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore May 2015 in Review

May 2015 is in the books and your D-bags remain one of the streakiest teams in all of the BSA.  This might be the streakiest month though we have ever seen.  The D-Bags opened the month with high hopes with a tough schedule coming up and in the next 2 weeks managed to have the worst stretch in the team's history going 2-12.  This stretch included 6 1-run losses and bad play all around.  Losing much ground in the division and WC race, the Bags finish the month on a 13-1 run, which included closing out May on an 11 game winning streak.  What gives? What is going on?  Who knows, but here's the month in review.

Players of the Month

SP Rob Goodship 3-0 1.54 ERA 36K's 0.94 WHIP.  With Macias and Ellis on the staff who would have picked Goodship to be the best pitcher through the first 2 months?  He dominated this month giving up 6 ER total while ending the month with 22 straight scoreless innings.

MR Jaime "Mungo" Saenz 2-0 1.62 ERA 23K/2BB in 16.2 IP.  In a month where the bullpen got demolished in the first half of the season Mungo thrived.  Averaging almost 1.5K per inning he allowed the opposition to hit at a .182 clip and led the shaky bullpen.

1B Matt Doyle .299/.362/.335  8HR 34RBI 24R.  After a relatively slow start in April Doyle busted out in May.  Averaging more than a hit and RBI per game he led the offense in hits, HR, RBI and runs.  This is what to expect out of your MVP candidate and 2nd year superstar.

2B Mike Bryant .300/.371/.500 4HR 25RBI 22R.  When Bryant and Doyle hit the D-Bags thrive.  The two combined to knock in 59 runs in 28 games.  Bryant also added 8 2B and 3SB for the month.  He continues to show that his runner up for MVP last season wasn't a fluke.

3B Adam Morrow .317/.450 33H 25BB 22R.  This rookie continued to flourish hitting mainly out of the 2 hole.  His OBP of .450 is a godsend for the big boys behind him and had his 2nd straight 30 hit month.  The early talks of ROY hold merit, the kid can ball.  Won BSA CL Rookie of the Month for May.

RF Peter Larson .300/.463  82B 26BB.  Larson has such a good eye that he averaged 1BB shy of 1 per game.  When his bat is going an OBP of over 450 is never out of the question.  When Larson and Morrow both have a cominbed OBP over 450 is anyone surprised Doyle drove in 34 runs for the month?  He is the catalyst of this offense. 

Roster Questions, Changes and Answers

Thus far ::knock on wood::: the Bags have been injury free.  This creates little room for call ups and ABs for other players. We did see Rule V pick Jose Ortiz return from the DL after his spring training injury and hit 3-14 in limited action.  The Bags would like to see him get more AB's against RHP.  Super prospect CF Tim Duncan got a call up after the Bags struggled so much against LHP early in the season. Duncan who had been tearing the cover off of the ball in AAA pitching for the past 2 years had little success managing 8 hits in 37 ABs in 9 games getting 1 XBH hits and stealing no bases.  The 5th OF position has been a carousel looking for someone to take charge.

OF Taro Kino ripped up in AAA pitching as well with 11 HR hitting .404 with a .500 OBP, look for him to possibly get some BSA AB's this upcoming month.  Also we could see 3B Alberto Perez sometime soon, even though I'm not sure Jersey has a spot for him.  He had an astonishing 45 hits in just 27 games in AAA and is on pace for a monster season.  The 27 year old lost the battle to Adam Morrow in ST, but with the struggles of SS Marvin Taylor and 2B/SS/3B Antonio Ruiz, we could see Perez sooner than later.  

As the Bags end the month on an 11 game win streak all we can think is June plans on being another streaky one!  Let's hope the Bags can stay close in the division and WC so that elusive first playoff berth hopes will still be alive down the stretch!

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

Bags Make Deal; Ship Roghi Off to Vista

In 2010 Jersey scouts searching through Europe came across young men on a semi-pro Italian team warming up and saw a big kid who threw hard.  They decided to stay and watch as the 6'3" dark haired Italian kid marvel the opponents with a fastball that touched 97 and devastating, yet a tab uncontrollable sinker.  Not 3 weeks later the Jersey Shore D-Bags had signed the kid and he was pitching in A ball affiliate Gainesville.  His name was Ciro Roghi, a left handed reliever from Rome. It only took 2 years for the kid to find his way to the Jersey Shore and insert himself as a main cog in the Jersey bullpen.  An ERA of 2.90 in his rookie season in 77 innings turned some heads, but it really was the 1.95 ERA and 61 K's in 55 IP that got peoples attention.  

Roghi

This current season, the now 26 year old, had lofty expectations. He struggled out of the gate and never really turned in around.  Through the middle of June he had an ERA of 4.56 and had walked batters at a much higher rate than previously.  The team announced on 6/15 that Roghi had been traded to Vista.

This is when the reports started to come out.  Many players mentioned he had been sluggish in many appearances this year.  Not all there.  Tired.  Words like this being thrown around.  After Jersey personnel looked into this more, they found out why.  On night's after many home games, Roghi was seen jumping into his sports car and racing up the coast, through the Holland Tunnel into Manhatten, NY, then all the way into Little Italy.  Usually staying late and coming home in the wee hours of the morning, even on game days.  

When confronted, Roghi denied at first, but when photos were shown he came clean.  In a quote, "I miss my home cooking!  Jersey food is terrible, I want an Italian meal!!!!"  On Roghi's player card, his weight is listed at 225, which teammates think is laughable.  According to them he comes in AT LEAST 240.  I guess that chicken parm does add weight huh?  Roghi wasn't too pleased with his new destination of Vista, quoting California pizza is the biggest sham out there, but Jersey brass thinks it will work well for them and a Vista team in need of a hard throwing lefty in their pen.

In exchange for Roghi the Bags picked up some quality pieces. The first peice being OF Ken Taylor. Taylor is a 26 year old power hitting left hander with limited time in the big leagues. Last season combined in AA and AAA he hit 40 HR and drove in 98.  He won't hit for average, but loves pounding balls to the gap and over the fence.  This season in 27 games for Vista, he has 8 2B and 4 HR.  GM Josh Swain says he has had his eye on Taylor for awhile, and even acknowledged having conversations about him with GM Travis Hayes in the off season.  He plans to get AB's against RHP for a Jersey OF that has been less than spectacular.

Taylor

Also coming over in the trade is 19 year old MR Luis "Bugs" Cortez.  Cortez was found in Chile last season when scouts noticed a 6'7" kid pound the strike zone over and over.  Ticket to the BSA.  Cortez is a hard worker and was known by his HS coach as a true team leader.  Pitching in Chula Vista this year in 19 games, Cortez has a 1.66 ERA. 0.69 WHIP, only allowing 11 hits in 21+ innings.  Though he is young, he does have a nice upside.  He will report to Gainsville where he should move into the closers spot.  

Cortez

GM Josh Swain wants it to be noted that this trade is in no way "conceding," even though the Bags sit back almost 10 games in the division.  

Here's to Taylor bombing some into the Ocean and Cortez working his way through the system and one day being part of the lethal Jersey bullpen

GO D-BAGS

Jersey Shore - May 2013

After a quick start in April for the usual slow starting D-Bags, was it any surprise that May brought struggles?  The D-Bags had their first losing month after tallying 5 winning months in a row and finished May with a 13-15 record, putting their overall record at 31-25 for the season.  The month all started by placing 2 starters on the DL, something they skirted by through April without having to do.  After winning a POTM award in April spark-plug Marvin Taylor missed the majority of the month, as well as 3B Parker Morrow with injuries sustained in the same game.  Later in the month OF speedster Bill Welshman who surprised everyone with a quick start tore a rib cage muscle and will return sometime in August. 

Players of the Month:

SP Jose Reyes: 3-3, 2.19 ERA, 0.95 WHIP.  Reyes returns to the POTM section for a 2nd straight year after a strong month in May.  His record was not stellar but that's more of the offensive problems than his, as he threw 5 Quality Starts and 2 of his 3 losses he gave up 3 and 1 ER respectively.  He averaged 8 innings per start and threw 2 complete games and added a shutout in for month.

MR Lucio Tapia:  1-0, 1.08 ERA, 1.20 WHIP. Tapia was stellar out of the bullpen for the D-Bags in May.  He pitched in 13 games, averaging over 12K/9 racking the highest WAR for pitchers on the team at 1.7.  The 28 year old who struggled with an ERA over 5 in 51 games last year seems to have found his stride posting a sub 2.00 ERA throughout the first 2 months of this young season.

C Luis Antonio Duran: 7 HR, 17 RBI, .291/.364/.595. 2 months into the season and Jersey has it's 2nd catcher on the POTM list.  After a very poor ST, Duran popped onto the screen in May co-leading the team in HR, which included a stretch of 4 HR in 4 games in mid-May.  He mainly saw time at DH while regular catcher Jorge Lozano did the catching, but look for these two to trade off during the season.

2B Antonio Ruiz: 2 HR, 14RBI, .306 BA, 18 R.  After a subpar rookie season and an underwhelming April, Ruiz finally showed a little of what scouts having been talking about for years with this 25 year old.  He mainly saw time at 1, and hit for some power, average and even speed with 3 2B and 2 3B.  Through May he is hitting around .300 and is taking more and more AB's away from 1B Milliard Cross, and I wouldn't expect that trend to stop anytime soon.

RF/CF Leon Foster:  7 HR, 22 RBI.  2nd month on the team, 2nd POTM award.  Foster again showed why the Bags traded for him bashing 7 HR for the 2nd straight month.  That was encouraging, but what really has management happy is the fact he also led the team in BB with 17.   He is on pace to almost double the walks he had last season and get back to what that OBP was looking like in 2011.  As of the last day of May, he is on pace to shatter the D-Bags HR record which right now stands at 30 by William Hinson in 2011.

Roster Changes, Questions and Answers:

With the injuries that happened we got to see some new faces in May.  Fred Ross returned from the DL he sustained in ST and went 0-11 for the month.  Super prospect Mike Bryant was called up and received 45 AB in May and struggled, hitting 1 HR and 5 RBI, but slumping to a .222 BA mark.  The scouts think he is ready for the pros, but might need some playing time to work out the nerves and kinks.  Also making their Major League debut in May was OF Sergio Rodriguez.  The 25 year old only appeared in 4 games gaining 3 hits in 12 AB, and was recalled to AAA when Michael Paul returned to action.

On the pitching front, Alex Torrez after a horrid April start, started 1 game in May and was lit up.  He was pulled from the rotation and replaced with Greg Schaefer from AAA who didn't fare much better compiling a 5.40 ERA in 5 starts.  Torrez went on to clear waivers but refused his assignment to get back on track in AAA.  At the end of May he hadn't pitched anywhere and his status for the remained of the season was up in the air.

It's been hinted a lot that if Schaefer can't find success at the ML level he will come back to AAA and we will see the debut of top pitching prospect Jerry Paige.  Through May Paige has a 5-0 record and a 2.96 ERA in AAA Tuscaloosa. 

May saw 7 1-run losses as the offense struggled to push runs across the board.  10 times of 28 they scored 3 runs or less and were shutout 3 times during the month which ended 1-0, 1-0, 2-0.  3 great efforts by the pitching staff wasted.

While the schedule doesn't look easy in June, a winning record should be obtainable.  The obstacles will be a 3 game set @Boston followed by a 3 game home stand with Hendersonville with a 6 game road trip at the end of the month to the seemingly out of nowhere red hot Regina and ending with division rival Pittsburgh.

GO D-BAGS!

Jersey Shore - April 2013

Normally when a season starts the D-Bags stumble out of the gate only to rite the ship later on in the season.  Not this year as the Bags starter April out with a bang, compiling an 18-10 record including a 10-1 home record where their only home loss came on the last home game of the month to Denver.  The run included average starting pitching, great bullpen help and some new found power along with the TL's top batting average.

Players of the Month:

MR Marv Williams: 1-0, 1.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 13K's.  Though I could have chose a number of relievers from the bullpen, I chose Williams because of the shock value.  Selected with a high pick in the inaugural draft, Williams failed as a starter and a reliever with the D-Bags. After an ERA over 5.30 last year in 15 games it looked as if his time had passed, until this year came around.  Williams dominated in ST, earning him the last spot in the bullpen.  April he posted an ERA under 20, seeing time in 20 of the D-Bags 28 games. Maybe his time to contribute has finally arrived.

CL David Morris:  1-1, 9 Saves, 0.69 ERA, 0.85 WHIP.  I couldn't help adding him as a POTW once again, his stats are ridiculous.  He did have one BS, which came in his first game of the season and was perfect from there on out.  He is making over $7 million this year, and was an All-Star last year, but this is what to expect out someone of his caliber.

C Jorge Lozano: 3 HR, 20 RBI, .408 BA, 1.081 OPS.  After splitting time with Ramirez last season Lozano won the job out of spring training and took off. He led the TL in batting average was all over the base paths with 40 hits, 10 BB"s compared to only 5 K's.  Is it a surprise he is in a contract year?

2B Marvin Taylor: 3 HR. .373/.453/.640.  The super multi use player jumped onto the scene in April.  He played mainly 2B with Fred Ross out of the lineup and was quickly moved to the 2 slot where he scored 14 runs and was on base all the time.  After posted a time low -7.9 VORP last year, the 27 year old seems to have found himself a starting job.

RF/CF Leon Foster:  7 HR, 26 RBI.  In the offseason Jersey wanted a right handed hitting power OF, they seemd to have found it.  Foster led the team in HR and was Top 5 in the league in RBI.  His average and K's were down, but he was brought in to produce runs and did exactly that in April.  First month, first POTW!

Roster Changes, Questions and Answers:

Well on the injury front, so far so good.  But we know that will not last all season.  The only injury the team has suffered was the one to Fred Ross in the off-season and Marvin Taylor has stepped in more than likely better what Ross could have put up.  There is a lot of depth in the minor leagues, so if any injuries do take place, there should be adequate backups.  

Not everyone tore April up like the POTM's.  OF Michael Paul had an atrocious start to the season.  The normal OBP machine started out 3 for 45 with XBH and 8 K's.  He split time with Ramon Tavarez, who didn't hit much better but did have a HR and 5 RBI.  Manny Romero who won one of the last spots on the roster had ample opportunity in April but struggled at a .200 Avg while slugging 2 HR.  SP Alex Torrez also struggled with a 5.60 ERA but managed to win 2 games despite 0 quality starts in 5 starts.

Jerry Paige and Greg Schafer are waiting in AAA for their shot at the rotation and Torrez among others could be at risk to lose their starting spot.  There are 5 regulars hitting over .300 in AAA and 5 regulars with more than 7 HR's in Tuscaloosa.  A many number of players could see action over the next month.

There are a lot of division games and a big series with LAB coming up in May.  While a winning percentage of .643 might not be obtainable, look for Jersey to have continued success as long as the starting pitching does not completely implode.

GO D-BAGS!

Jersey to Call up Top Prospect

After an injury free and and successful month of April, the first days of May brought a rash of injuries to the Jersey Shore D-Bags.  On May 3rd, Marvin Taylor who had been playing out of his mind, in a game against New Orleans, Taylor doubled, then came around to score on a single by Leon Foster.  After he crossed the plate he came up limping and taken out of the game.  After the game team trainer diagnosed him with a latissimus dorsi strain, which will leave him out of action for 3-4 weeks.  Taylor had manned 2nd base throughout the first month.  

The next day in another win against the New Orleans Looters, a similar instance occurred.  During a 5 run 2nd inning, 3rd baseman Parker Morrow singled, advanced to 2nd on a Mason Bonniface single, then came around to score on a Jorge Lozano single to CF.  There was a play at the plate and Morrow slid in from an angle to avoid the game and safely slid across the plate.  In doing so he tweaked his back and was taken out of the game.  At first the trainer said he was day-to-day, but later was diagnosed to miss 2 weeks with a strained back muscle.  Later in the same game with no outs in the Top of the 5th, Jose Brito induced the Looters 3rd sacker Ronald Reardon to hit a fly ball down the RF line.  RF Michael Paul made a sliding catch near the line and apparently tweaked his wrist. He was taken out of the game for precautionary reasons and was diagnosed with a sore wrist, nothing that will land him on the DL for, but should miss 1-2 weeks of time.

With what seems like impeccable timing, Jersey activated 2B Fred Ross from the DL.  He had been on there since tearing his groin muscle in a Spring Training game on March 20th.  Ross appeared in 61 games last season, hitting with a slash line of .290/.387/.426 adding 14 XBH and 32 RBI.  Ross will be added to the 25 man roster, but the extent of his playing time is not known yet.

The big and more exciting news is the Jersey Shore D-Bags have announced they will call-up their highest rated hitting prospect, Matt "Coffin" Bryant.  Bryant is a former 1st round pick (21st overall in 2010) and was named the 21st best prospects in all of baseball by the BSA.  In 2012, Bryant had a solid season for AAA Tuscaloosa, hitting .296 with 17 HR and 94 RBI, while adding 37 SB.  In the first month of 2013 Bryant made a statement that is ready to help contribute.  In just 31 games he has amassed 8 HR, 30 RBI and 50 hits to post a .373 BA along with a staggering 1.045 OPS.  The switch hitter will be added to the 40-man roster and likely will start at 2B when the Bruins of Los Angeles visit on Monday.

Bryant

Look for April in review to come soon!

GO D-BAGS!