Spring Training is Here!!

Dust off cleats, gloves and bats Spring is here!  The boys arrived this week to prep for the regular season and solidify their spots on the big club.  There a few new faces and a couple faces which will not be seen, but overall on paper the D-Bags are primed for a big year. While the whole 40 man roster is invited to ST, there will be 37 members of the D-Bags organization here for the next few weeks.  Of these 38, 25 will earn Big League spots and this is to breakdown the locks, solid and bubble players.

Starting Pitching (5)

The starting rotation will consist of 5 members, and will more than likely the rotation we saw this team end the season with last year.

Locks

Jose Reyes, Hector Hernandez, Alex Torrez, Jose Brito (4)

Bubble

Rob Goodship - After having 2 very promising starts towards the end of last year, Goodship remains the favorite to round out the rotation at this point

Greg Schafer - Former Rule V pick rounded out the rotation last year and in 13 starts he posted an ERA north of 6.30 until being demoted.  In AAA, he flat out dominated, winning 6 of 7 starts putting up a 1.53 ERA.  A couple great starts could lead him past Goodship.  He is only 23 years old.

Not Likely

Justin Terry - This 29 year old righty pitched very solid in AAA last season posting a 16-4 record and an ERA of 3.49.  Jersey signed him to a small extension, but doesn't look to be more than a 7th-8th option at this point.

The Bullpen (6)

The bullpen will be again one of the stronger points of this year's club.  With the extension of Daniel Morris, the entire bullpen is back, who posted the 2nd best ERA in the league last year.

Locks

Daniel Morris, Jose Gomes, Ciro Roghi, Jaime Saenz, Lucio Tapia (no minor league options left) (5)

Bubble

Alonso Jiminez - This rookie is one of the frontrunners to win that last bullpen slot.  He pitched also perfect baseball in his call up last year, allowing 6 base runners in 9 innings, giving up 0 runs and K'ing 7.

German Huerta - After posting a solid 3.02 for Jersey 2 seasons ago, Herta reverted told his minor league self posting an ERA around 5.

Gabriel Barrentez - The lone lefty of the bubble group.  Was injured much of last year, but when he was healthy he was good.  He put up a 2.75 ERA in AAA during 19 innings of work.  Also threw 4.2 innings of scoreless ball for the big club.

Marv Williams -  Probably the most interesting character of the group.  Was drafted a starter, won 12 games in 2010, couldn't get anyone out in 2011 and pitched decent in AAA in 2012.  Has massive talent, but can't put up the numbers.  Has an outside shot at a bullpen slot.

Brian Wilson - Spent the 2012 season as the closer for AAA Tuscaloosa.  Saved 32 games while posting a 2.81 ERA and had a K/IP ratio of nearly 1.  Can hit 99 on the gun and has a sinker that induces a lot of ground balls.  Might not find a bullpen slot this year, but will in the future.

Catching (2)

The catching duo last year of Mario Ramirez and Jorge Lozano maybe wasn't the idea situation, but between the two of them in 760 PA, they put up 28 HR, 123 RBI, which cannot be argued by anyone.  A new face adds his name to the list though.

Locks

Jorge Lozano (1)

Bubble

Mario Ramiez - Though his line from 2011 looks good from the stat sheet, much of those numbers were because of a hot start.  As the season rolled on, Lozano got more AB's.  Will be interesting how he hits in ST.

Luis Antonio Duran - The 24 year old backstop put up his 2nd straight monster season in AAA last year.  With a line of .312/.454/.535 to go with 31 HR this kid looks ready to contribute.  An on base machine who switch hits, should give Ramirez a run for his money.

Corner Infield (2-3)
Here is about the first place where you will see some changes from last season.  Slick fielding power hitter David Pena was shipped off to New York in the offseason.  He played primarily 1B, but also filled in at 3B when Parker Morrow needed a day off.  There are many intriguing bats here to choose from.
Locks
Parker Morrow (1)
Bubble
Starting first baseman is a true competition in this year's camp.  We have 3 candidates who have their own accolades for starting.

Milliard Cross -  He started 80+ games last year and while he was not spectacular, he got the job done.  Plays great defense and has the ability to hit 20+ HR over the course of a full season.  Strikes out a lot.

Derrick Wright - Came over from Sacarmento last season and KILLED AAA pitching, setting a new league record for RBI.  At 27 he looks primed to breakout.  Hit 31 HR's last year, and knows how to take a walk.  Will see a of time in ST.

Manny Romero - This 25 year old played very well in AA Gainesville last year, hittin 25 HR and driving in 112.  Usually players do not skip AAA, but over the course of the off season scouts say he has developed tremendously and is ready to help the club now.  Will also see plenty of time in ST.

 Middle Infield (4)

Shortstop is the only position that is locked in up the middle.  Oft-injured Jerome Lindsey showed up for camp healthy and in shape and after his great play last season he has locked himself into a starting role.  The rest of the group is interesting.

Locks

Jerome Lindsey, Fred Ross (2)

Bubble

Antonio Ruiz - The uber prospect.  Can hit for average and power and has shown in AAA.  Started 50+ games last year for Jersey, struggled, but officials are hoping he can bust out this year and take the starting role at 2B

Juan Gomez - Plays every IF position and has plus speed.  Has virtually no power, but is only 22 years old.  Makes for a great utility player if the club has room to keep him on the roster.

Marvin Taylor - Plays every IF position, and plays them all very well.  Gold glove caliber all over.  Has plus speed and a great eye.  Should be a favorite based on tools but hasn't seem to put it together yet at the ML level.

Outfield (5)

The outfield in Jersey should be a crowded place this upcoming season.  A lot of AB's to go around, but who will get them?  New face Leon Foster will get a lot of playing time.  He hit 36 HR last year for New York and brings some much needed power to this OF.

Locks

Mason Bonniface, Leon Foster (2)

Bubble

OK this bubble list might be a little long, but 3 of these players will make the team, there just isn't concrete evidence for anyone yet. 

Ik-jun Ye - I put him first on the list because a) he's 31 and b) he is out of options.  Came out with a bang last year, but slowly settled into a 1-37 slump down the stretch bringing his numbers down considerably.  Crushes Left-handed pitching.

Jon Price - The slick fielding speedster was thought to be gone of FA, but at the last minute Jersey gave him a 2 year, 1.1 million dollar deal to stay.  Signs point to him making the team, but he is so up and down that his spot might be up for grabs.

Bill Welshman - Came over from Orlando last year.  Plays great defense and has great speed.  In 280 AB last year between clubs his average hovered around .200.  Hits great in AAA, would make a great bench player if he could get his bat going on the ML level.

Michael Paul - He should be a lock.  Posting a VORP near 38, 2 seasons about for LA, Paul came over and struggled for Jersey.  He was sent down and excelled in AAA and came back for the stretch run and picked it up in September.  Would be surprised if he is left of the 25 man roster.  Makes too much money and is a great RF.

Ramon Taverez - You might be thinking, What?  Bubble? Tavarez hit .288 and knocked 15 HR in one of the bigger surprises of the season for the D-Bags.  We are just worried it was a fluke.  If not, he should see time in RF and possibly DH.

Joe Henderson - This list seems full of speedy OF who lack power, and Henderson is no exception to this rule.  The only thing he brings to the table over the others is he actually played well last year.  He is a lefty masher, hitting almost .400 against them last year.  Has a MLC, is more than likely set to start the year at AAA.

Bob Thomas -  26 year old who has been quietly overshadowed in AAA the past 2 seasons.  A good bat, hits for average, can hit the long ball, has a decent eye.  Plays LF, RF and a little 1B. With a lefty laden team, in the case being left handed might mean a trip down to Tuscaloosa to start the season though.

There are your 37.  We have identified 15 locks.  That means of the remaining 22 players, there are 10 spots up for grab.  Sure things like contracts, options and age will be a factor.  Usually there might be 3-4 spots up for grabs, but that is what is going to make this ST a fun time.  Many players vying for few spots!  Enjoy!

GO D-BAGS!!

Bags Make First Off Season Move

Welcome back Bag fans!! Afte the Bags best season since moving to Jersey, their first roster move of the off season has happened.  Right before the eligible players have filed for free agency talks a deal finally formalized between the Bags and the Knights of New York.  The teams had been in talks for almost a week when a deal was agreed upon. 

The D-Bags agreed to send one of the more popular players in 3B David Pena, who broke out last season witha team high 28 HR, and former inaugural 4th round selection SP Rudy Bourg packing to New York.  In return Jersey will retain some power back with the versatile OF Leon Foster.  Foster plays all 3 OF above average, brings what Jersey most sorely needed as well, power from the right hand side of the plate.  Last season Leon jacked 36 bombs, 42 doubles while driving in 123 runs hitting 5th for the Knights last season.  His bat will be a welcome addition to the lefty-laden roster of Jersey.

When asked about trading Pena, GM Josh Swain said it was a hard one and added, "David is a great kid.  He is a gold glove caliber fielder and hits the ball a long ways.  He is only 27 and we might not have seen his peak yet, but it was a team decision.  We sorely needed a big OF bat, especially a right handed one.  Our 1st-3rd base platoon is a very crowded one, and he was expandable, but we will miss him in the clubhouse."

When Swain mentioned that the 1st-3rd platoon was a crowded one, he wasn't kidding.  Milliard Cross showed splashes of power hitting with his 200-some AB's last year for the D-Bags and the 2012 likely MVP Derrick Wright will get ample time to prove he can handle the position.  He absolutely tore up AAA pitching to the tune of 35 2B, 31 HR, a league record 158 RBI and a triple slash line of .343/.420/.561 and scouts like what they see in this kid.  

On the 3rd base side you have the incumbent and Jersey's MVP of the 2012 season in Parker Morrow who is signed for the next 3 seasons.  In AAA 25 year old Alberto Perez finished last season with a line of .334/.379/.462 while knocking 13 HR's looks ready for some VBL experience and one of the team's top prospects Adam Morrow was very successful in AA after his mid-season promotion and will likely be called up to AAA for the upcoming year.  A very crowded depth chart.

With the trading of SP Rudy Bourg, a spot will open up in the rotation.  Bourg had a lackluster year posting an ERA of 5.15, with a record of 11-12.  The most likely candidate to take Bourg's place would be the 26 year old Rob Goodship who went 12-7 in AAA last year, but posted a very big dominating performance in the last week of the season to keep Jersey's season alive.  Another candidate could be #2 pitching prospect league wide Jerry Paige.  Paige came over in the Vargas trade with Maui last off season.  In AAA he went 15-5, an ERA of 3.44, while striking out 240 batters in just 209 innings.  

According to sources this move might be the first of a couple moves to come this off season to bolster this roster for another playoff run.  We shall see!

Go D-Bags!

Jersey Shore - September 2012

Even though with the end of September we saw our D-Bags fall short of their first playoff spot, we did see another good month in September.  After a rocky start the D-Bags went on a middle of the month run and finished up with a 16-11 record for the month.  This marked their 4th straight winning month and in those months they played at a clip of .630.  If they would have played that well in April and May this team would have won 102 games.  Disappointing end to a magical run, but encouraging moving forward.

Players of the Month:

SP Jose Reyes: 3-2, 1.75 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 30 K's.  The season will be marred with "what-if's" for Reyes.  After suffering an injury last season which kept him out until the middle of June he rejoined the rotation and was the staff's best pitcher.  After 3 sub-par starts at the end of August, Reyes re found the magic in September winning 3 of his 5 starts and lasting into the 7th inning 4 times out of 5 tries.  A little more run support and help from the bullpen and he could have been 5-0.  Regardless he is a big reason that Jersey came so close this year to their first playoff berth.

MR Ciro Roghi: 1-0, 1.08 ERA, 8.1 IP.  Though 8 innings in a month is a small sample size, 1 ER in relief for the month is why he has a role on this team. Roghi finished up a fabulous rookie year with 2nd straight POTM award.  He allowed 1 ER in his last 17.2 IP.  Look for this lefty to be a staple in the pen for years to come.

MR Alonso Jiminez: 0.00 ERA, 9 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 7 K:  Where did this kid come from??  Jiminez was Jersey's 2010 3rd round draft pick out of Michigan, and just two years later he was an intricate piece of the D-Bags late season bullpen.  He started the year dominating AA ball, moved to AAA Tuscaloosa posting big numbers and earned a September call up.  He racked up a 5.5 VORP in just 9 outings and it's looking like he could add to Jersey's already lethal bullpen.

3B Parker Morrow: .326/.391/.484. 4 HR, 13 RBI, 16 R, 2 SB.  Morrow capped his best season as a D-Bag with his 2nd best month and 2nd POTM award of the 2012 season.  This month included 7 multi-hit games including 4 with at least 3 hits.  He also had his first multi-HR game of the season on the 4th against Regina.  Morrow also picked up his 1000th VBL6 hit this month.  He finished the season with 1037 hits and only turns 28 this upcoming January.

LF Mason Bonniface: .313/.451/.438.  1 HR, 10 RBI, 18 BB.  Yes, that's right his OBP was higher than his SLG in the month of Sept. Bonniface's bat regressed this year and he had his worst season since his rookie year as a pro, but clogged the basepaths all month long.  Became the 25th player in league history to draw at least 104 BB's in a season.  Really bounced back after the beginning of the season saw him moved down in the lineup and had people questioning his talent.

2B Fred Ross: .378/.489/.595.  8 RBI, 9 BB, 1K, 4 SB.  Sure this screams small sample size considering he only played in 12 games, but filled a much needed void.  After trading 2B Nunez at the trade deadline to make way for uber prospect Antonio Ruiz, Ross was the fill in if needed and PR.  Antionio Ruiz gets injured and thrusted Ross into the starting position where he couldn't have done much better.  He hit the cover off the ball, hitting in 11 of the 12 games he played in Sept, and scoring in 7 of the 12. 

Roster Changes, Questions and Answers:

As always in September we see different new faces, some make a difference and some do not.  Alonso Jiminez stepped up from AAA to dominate out of the pen.  The loss of Antonio Ruiz allowed Fred Ross to step off and hit the cover off the ball.  Alex Torrez suffered a season ending injury mid-month and Rob Goodship jumped in to make two spot starts against Greenville and pitched brilliantly.  The kind of pitching that this team's front office thinks he can do in the future.

As always when a season ends means roster changes.  The team as a whole has 4 players whose contracts are ending and another 8 players who will be arbitration eligible when the season is over.  It will raise some interesting questions the team must make, especially considering the amount of talent this club has waiting in AAA this season.  This will be talked more in depth in the first off season report.  This wraps up the last monthly report for the 2012 season.  Look for our season in review report which will be out next month.

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