We're In! Bags Claim First Postseason Berth!

Nearly 6 years after a tedious inaugural draft that left the D-Bags with a good, not great team, a team that was always good enough, but that not good, has finally clinched a place in the postseason tournament.  Jersey has of the last few years been known as the best never to make an appearance, playing out of the tough CL East and missing the playoffs last season by 2 games with 94 wins finally can shed that title.

A rough September which left them 10-10 for the month still surprising left them with 6 games to play and a Magic number of 1 over the reeling Austin River Sharks.  With all 6 games being home games and Reno coming to town it looked inevitable, but as Swain as seen his vast days of baseballing, nothing is set in stone. The gang got to the stadium early to watch Austin on TV beat Madison in a game to keep their season alive. They knew a win meant celebration.  They didn't want to clinch on a loss anyways.

Jersey would run this year's ace Art Ellis on the mound and a lineup full of the usual characters.  Reno countered by sending Clarence Seals to the mound, whom Jersey had beaten up on in his only start against them earlier this season.   Reno scored early in the 1st and took a 4-0 lead in the 3rd on which was capped off by last year's 2nd overall pick Seaug-chun "Air" Mun hit a 2 run blast off of Ellis.

This was September for Jersey, a team with high aspiration, laying down in September, we have never seen these Bags before.

But Jersey wasn't going to roll over like that.  In their half of the third a single, walk and a single left 2 runners on while one was thrown out at the plate.  Bryant and Doyle both connected on RBI singles to halve the score at 4-2.  Both pitchers settled in until the 6th when Reno struck again.  Back-to-back-to back hits brought in 2 more runs and pushed the lead back to 4 runs at 6-2.  But of course Jersey wasn't done, Scott Powers added an RBI single and Adam Morrow knocked in 2 more to bring the score to 6-5 at the end of the 6th.  

The crowd of nearly 38,000 really got a rise to their feet when Mr. D-Bag Mikey Bryant pulled a ball high into the air down the right field line that barely snuck inside the foul pole for a game tying solo HR in the bottom of the 7th.  Maybe tonight was the night!  Mungo came in to pitch and a combination of a single, sac bunt, intentional walk and a double brought the go ahead run across the plate.  Just like that, 7-6 Reno.

Back to  back singles for Powers and Kino led off Jersey's 8th and a Morrow groundball advanced them to 2nd and 3rd.  Up to bat came, from Reno by way of the Rule V draft, OF Jose Ortiz.  On the 5th pitch of the AB, Ortiz grounded between 3B and SS that got through and Powers scored easily and Kino beat the throw by mere feet for a 9-8 lead.  That 2nd run wouldn't matter because the next batter C Duran would blast a 2-run HR down the RF line to make it 10-7 and the crowd on their feet.  A solo  HR by Doyle 2 batters later really brought the crowd to a frenzy which lasted the remainder of the game.  Mungo came out and retired the side in order and not a soul had left.  

The D-Bags celebrated on the field, Gatorade buckets were dumped and the champagne was on ice inside the clubhouse.  It's not a division title, but a postseason berth. The only batters on the roster with postseason experience are Scott Powers and Leon Foster.  While on the pitching side only Burgess and Ellis has experience, both being part of a Hendersonville championship team.

Jersey will travel to Toronto to take on the Titans in the 1st round of the CL playoffs.  The rosters are not set yet, but after the regular season concludes we will be back to preview this opening round 7 game series.

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

Prospect Breakdown; Meet SS Lawrence Schroeder

 

Growing up in Fontana, California had it's perks.  Hop on I-10 for an hour and be in Hollywood, take a little more time and head south and be in Redondo Beach.  Great weather for the beach, for surfing, for people watching, this was after all Southern California. What Lawrence Schroeder liked the most though is being mere minutes from the Little League baseball facility in San Bernadino, California.  For a week and a half every summer the West Regional tournament was held in San Bernadino.  Though Schroeder never had the chance to to participate he loved watching the kids from all over the western side of the country play baseball. He was especially envious of those last 4 teams who's games are always televised on ESPN and ESPN2.  Playing baseball on TV what a thrill!

Schroeder was always athletically talented.  His father was 6th round draft pick in the NFL and played parts of 2 seasons.  His mother a high school track star.  He excelled in basketball in high school, maturing early hitting his 6'3" height when he was just a sophomore in High School. He made the baseball team as a Junior and quickly became one of the better players on the team.  His high school coach said he was always one of the first ones are practice and almost always the last one there.  The kid loved to practice, loved to get better and it helped the guys around him want to get better too.  

Upon his senior year he was scouted by a few teams and eventually accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Virginia all the way across the country.  They were the only school willing to let Schroeder play both basketball and baseball for them.  He joined the Cavaliers baseball team in 2010, which was a team led by older players  In fact he was the only bat on the team who wasn't a junior and a senior. At first it was hard being the newcomer and by far the youngest kid on the team but in the end he learned more from those guys than any coach out there.  Though they lost to Nebraska 2-1 in the best of 3 series in the first round it was Schroeder's first taste of playoff baseball, and he loved it.  The pressure, everything on the line.  He played in 43 of the team's 48 games, leading the team in doubles and showing off his great eye at the plate.  He only hit .259, but his OBP of .385 was good for 4th on the team.

2011 was another Virginia team led by seniors, but Schroeder like his freshman year was in the thick of things.  He and current Austin River Shark Jerome Miles led the team and became one of the best 1-2 punches in the country.  Schroeder officially put himself on the national radar hitting .400, 9 HR, 17 2B with an OBP of .525 again leading Virginia to the playoffs, and again ending in defeat by way of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first round.

2012 was going to be their year.  Virginia named Schroeder team captain before the season started and a slew of young talented players led Virginia for a record of 32 victories which still stands.  The offense featured 5 players in double digit HR's including Schroeder who hit a career high of 14.  He also posted some very high numbers, which many are still in the top 25-30 in college baseball history.  He hit .404 with an OBP of .530 and an OPS o 1.284.  Not to mention that Lawrence had developed a very slick glove at shortstop.  Virginia made the playoffs again and rallied around Schroeder and Miles to knock off their ACC rival Duke in the first round of the playoffs 2-0.  They went on to play powerhouse UConn who led the nation in wins with 39 behind a big pitching staff, current ROY candidate Eliot Helen, former first round picks Ramiro Navarro and Jorge Torres.  Virginia took care of business 2-0, moved on to face Kentucky who they also swept to reach the championship in a bout against the Oregon Ducks.  The series was a joke with Virginia beating them 2-0 to win their first and only national championship.  Currently the 2012 Virginia team is on the 2nd team along with South Florida to sweept through an NCAA playoffs without a loss.  

For the next two years Schroeder would put up decent numbers but nothing compared to the magical summer of 2012. He was a highly touted and ranked prospect going into the 2014 draft, but on draft fell down the draft board and finally was picked by the Jersey Shore D-Bags with the 28th overall pick.  GM Josh Swain said "We were ecstatic and actually very surprised he fell to us.  He was Top 13 on our big board and just kept falling.  It's hard to find a SS with that good of glove/contact with some pop.  The fact he was about to 24 at the time of the draft was also enticing.  We felt he would be one of the faster movers in the entire draft and with need for a SS on the big club, it was a perfect fit."

Schroeder was dissapointed due to his drafted position but was also encouraged.  The 2014 season we saw the breakout of stars in Jersey as Mike Bryant and Matt Doyle lit up the CL with tape measure HR's and names being all over national publications.  "Being not far from Jersey while I was in school I saw them a lot.  They are one of the best team in developing home grown talent, so it really was an honor being drafted by them.  I knew if I was going to make the big leagues, this was a great place for me."

Schroeder signed a 1.29M signing bonus not a week after the draft and was sent to AA Gainesville skipping right over A ball.  While he didn't match his college numbers, he posted respectable numbers in the 67 games he played in with them, he hit 11 HR while hitting .254.  In the winter of 2014 really worked with Schroeder on evening out his swing to produce more line drives and helping him keep his weight back to try and help his power game.  His maturity was evident early on in 2015 as he smacked around AA pitching for 2 weeks and earned a surprise promotion to AAA affiliate Tuscaloosa.  He immediately took over the starting SS position for them, while getting some good time at 2B as well this season.  He has been everything he was advertised as with a slash line of .299/.353/.474 hitting 15 HR and driving in 80 runs in 111 games thus far this season. The one drawback is he striking out a lot, but plans to work on that in the off season. 

While Jersey has no immediate plans to call up Schroeder, his future is bright.  He was named the 31st best prospect before the season started and with his success in AAA so far, things are looking up.  But really should anyone be really surprised?  Even if Schroeder spends the rest of the season and 2016 in AAA, in 2017 we could be looking at a Jersey infield of Doyle, Bryant, Schroeder and Adam Morrow.  What do these players have in common?  All players drafted by Jersey, 3 1st round draft picks, Morrow being the only 2nd round pick of the bunch.   Did we mention 2013 1st round pick 1B/3B 21 year old Richard Coker is starting to tear it up in AA and talks of a promotion have been abound the Jersey clubhouse?  It could be something rare to see that many home grown players in one clubhouse and starting lineup.

For now we will monitor Schroeder's progress in AAA.  They have a 16 game lead in their division and well on their way to their 6th straight playoff appearance and could be on their way to their 4th title in 6 years.  Schroeder is excited to get back into some playoff competition but also added, " I want a shot at Greenville and Toronto!"  While we are excited he is anticipating playing against Jersey's biggest rivals, we will end in saying, young man your time will come.  

GO D-BAGS

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 

2015 Jersey Shore Amateur Draft

2015 was a little different than 2014 where the D-Bags had 9 picks in the first 4 rounds.  This season they had two extra picks in the Supplemental round and a total of 7 picks in the first 4 rounds.  With the amount of players not being signed in recent years as well as the amount of compensation picks those picks which use to be in the 60's-70's are now 100+ which creates not the talent level it once did.


As it has been in the past, Jersey drafted heavy on hitting and heavy on college players. 10 of their 13 players were position players, many older.  Here's the breakdown:


Similiar to last year Jersey picked late in the 1st round, this year 25th overall.  They picked a college IF with this pick as they did last year as well, this time taking 22 year old SS out of U of Minnesota Fabrice Brodeur.  Brodeur is a rangy infielder with a big arm who projects as a SS or 3B with some time in the league.  Fabrice was having a fabulous 3 year career before a sudden drop in production his senior year.  Despite the drop across the board he still went 1st round. Fabrice will report to single A where Jersey hopes  he can work the kinks out of his swing.


In the supplemental round Jersey had 2 picks, picks from the losses of Gordon Brown and Marv Williams.  The 1st of the two was pick 10 in the supplemental round at 45th overall and with that pick the Bags selected CL Gerald "Top Dog" Johnson.  Johnson attended Rocky Point HS in NY and is a flame throwing lefty.  College closers don't see many innings, but in his 3 HR seasons Top Dog almost average 2 K's per inning.  Johnson will just add to the relief arms in Jersey's already well stocked stystem.


Their 2nd pick in the supplemental round came 10 picks later at 55th overall.  The pick was very similar to their last pick.  In fact not only were the players the same age, the attended the same High School.  The pick was local New Yorker 19 year old MR John Hall.  This right hander was downright filthy in his 3 years at Rocky Point and most notably his Sr. year.  In 28.1 IP he gave up 13 hits, walked 3 and struck out 50 on his way to an astounding 0.32 ERA and 0.56 WHIP.  He doesn't strike out as many as Top Dog but he has better control, if signed Jersey plans to send him to A ball.


With Jersey's 1st of 2 2nd round picks, compensation from Niagara Falls, the Bags selected 23 year old OF Juan Cabanas.  Cabanas, a local Jersey boy, played 3 years at Villanova and was drafted in the 2nd round and 64th overall last season by Kansas City and failed to sign.  Jersey took him 36 picks later this year. Cabanas hit .330 in 4 years at Nova and has good speed while and being an above average LF.


With Jersey's own pick in the 2nd round they took another 23 year old speedy OF from St. Johns, Caleb Farrell.  Farrell has a knack for stealing bases and some power.  He doesn't project to be a great major league hitter, but should hang on with his speed and defense.


In the 3rd round Jersey took another speedy college defender in UCLA 3B Michael Swanson.  Swanson has a big arm and his best attribute would be his power where he hit 35 HR in 3 seasons.  He does have a knack to strikeout and at 23 years old already, his time might be running short.


4th Round Pick: C Juan Salas, 24 year old college catcher from Pittsburgh.  Speed and good OBP player
5th Round Pick: 3B Jorge Perez, 24 year old 3B from Mississippi.  Power player, above average defender.
6th Round Pick: College OF Dale Sims.  Speedster, not much else.
7th Round Pick:  HS MR Michael Pitts.  Poor pitcher, won't last long.  Never posted an ERA below 5.00
8th Round Pick:  OF Flint Knight. College player, good speed and defense.
9th Round Pick: HS 3B Julio Manuel.  Big arm, good speed, not much with the bat.
10th Round Pick: SS Tony Tibbs.  Utility player, little talent.


Weird draft for Jersey, took a lot of older players.  High potential with the first 3 picks and not much more out of the rest of the draft.  Would be surprised to see half of them on the roster next year.  Don't be surprised to see at least 2 picks not get signed and Jersey to receive picks next year.

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!