Thursday, March 11, 2021

The Bear Briefs - 1st 3 Rounds of the NASBL Draft

 

As we round the corner from the NASBL Draft Round 3 to Round 4 – we have some interesting insights.

The Georgia Roadkill and Johnny Miller have been dormant with no picks yet, in fact they don’t pick until Round 5, #72 overall.  Then they wait until Round 8, followed by three Round 11 picks.  Will Johnny be looking for world beaters with those picks.  I doubt Luis Robert slips that low.  Or is Johnny planning his next heist of players by drafting scraps, you know the players who can fill a needed role on his roster? or future trade chips to add with his 2022 No.1, No.2, No.3, and so on?

Who has had the best draft so far?  

Kind of a tie, depending on what you like.

Adam Leickel kicked off the draft with the Slatington Bulldogs selection of Luis Robert.  Adam had 3 of the first six picks and scored a coup with Robert, Alec Bohm, and Dustin May.  Then Adam added flame thrower Dylan Cease and acquired promising Griffin Canning in trade.

Joe Howard and the Phoenix Pony Express rode up on Kyle Tucker as its top choice at #2 and has added prized pitching prospects Jesus Luzardo, Christian Javier, and James Karinchak.

Mike Dickson and the Mount Pirongia Kiwis sitting in the 5th seat nabbed Will Smith, the catcher not the RP.  Mike could not let Smith slip any further.  (Sorry Red!) Mike has added probably the top pitcher in the draft (by GCG estimation) in Sixto Sanchez and added Dylan Carlson who should hold a Kiwi OF spot for years to come.  Then Mike boldly took Mike Brosseau a 2B/utility guy with a bat that will help any NASBL team, especially the KIWIs.

Red Robbins and the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs grabbed Ke’Bryan Hayes, a highly regarded stud and then took Sean Murphy CA who was almost nabbed in the 1st round by the Griz.  Dallas added two solid SP in David Peterson LHer and Antonio Senzeatela (is that a Spanish name for Nutella?)

The Griz management likes Stan Pietruska’s and the Honolulu Hawaiians draft as a reentry team.  Stan’s motto must be out with the old and in with the new.  Stan grabbed the Springfield Times highly rated Zac Gallen in the 9th slot to head his pitching staff.  How did Gallen fall so far?  Then he promptly added a new foundation to his Hawaiian lot.  The Hawaiians’ grabbed Nick Madrigal as its 2B of the future, Joey Bart as the head guy of the Tools of Ignorance Squad, Carter Kieboom for the Hot Corner, and “Give Me a Bat” Willi Castro as its long-term SS.  The foundation is poured and should lead the Honolulu team for a long time.

Doug Sherlag and the Springfield Isotopes may have pulled off the best pick in the draft with #10 overall Corbin Burnes.  The RHSP showed he deserved respect in 2020 season.  the Isotopes added solid LHSP Framber Valdez and highly regarded Tarik Skubal and thsee southpaws will wreak havoc on NASBL teams now and into the future.  But wait, the Isotopes added Kwang Hyun Kim to its staff and then punched up the Springfield lineup with OFer Tesocar Hernandez.
 
Mike Johnson used the Shawnee Crows first three picks on Kyle Lewis (AL Rookie of the Year and one of the top CFers in the game), stud RHSP Brady Singer, and Taijuan Walker who will mow down some NASBL righthanded batters.  Ken Anderson and Denville Ultras took Ultra OF Prospect Jo Adell.  Now that is a building block!!!  Ken has added a very solid RHRP in Mike Mayers (also an Angel) – is there a trend here?

Steve Beard and the Champion Lake Champlain Cannibals decided to bust out the whooping stick and took offensive minded Trent Grisham (a Gold Glove CFer), Jeimer Candelario, also owns a glove at 3B, and slugging sensation Austin Slater – OFer.  Jack Howard’s Grundy County Grizzlies went pitching first, and that is relief pitching in the form of Devin Williams, potential SP Triston McKenzie, and LHRP Victor Gonzalez, all of which should help in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings if the Griz starters can keep the Griz in the game to that point.

The Outlaw Josey Wales and Mark Hildebrant appears to be a Baltimore Oriole fan picking OF slugging sensation Anthony Santander and 1B/OF slugging sensation Ryan Mountcastle off the Orioles’ squad.  Brad Sherlag and his Illinois Chow Chows quietly took two guys who going into the 2020 season were afterthoughts but made the baseball writers stand up and applaud.  Jake Cronenworth, a new SDP favorite and a man with many talents and gloves - steam rolled his way into the starting line-up spot on a very talented and strong Padre team and Dominic Smith made Met fans ask – who is Pete Alonso?

Well Ed Kilmer and the EdCouch Potatoes finally closed out the 3rd round with his selection of Aaron Civale at 48, a very talented young RHSP who was among several players who had a disappointing 2020 – throw that COVID season out the window – this is a great pick.  Ed also grabbed NL R-O-Y Tony Gonsolin a RHer who can start and relieve, and Adam Wainwright.  I think I heard of that last guy before.  Potatoe pitching is on the upswing. Kevin Burns’ and the Leigh Valley Iron Pigs were not collector of early draft picks – only drafting Daulton Varsho, a solid hitter who gives the Pigs a back-up catcher and solid OFer - a guy with a good reputation with a bat and can steal a base.

Did I forget Ken Anderson (Jr.) and the Pocono Chin Music?  No, I did not – I would like to, he beats me, but I did not.  The Chin Music took a pitching conductor in Dinelson Lamet.  He was a Maestro on the mound last season and if healthy will cause many more sleepless nights in Grundy County and the NASBL as a whole.  K-Jr. also took a very solid understudy in RP in Matt Foster.

Oh, did I mention Johnny’s Roadkill are still only picking their nose and their banjos and waiting.


 

 

-Written by NASBL Ford Frick Award nominee Jack Howard of the Bear Briefs

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Baseball finally returns to Hawaii

 After nearly a decade, the city of Honolulu is getting its baseball back. Between natural disasters hitting the island and man-made disasters like the Roy Oswalt/Alex Avila for David Price trade, the year of 2012 was last one for the Hawaiians in NASBL  It appeared like lava flowing down the mountain that the once proud Hawaiians franchise was totally in ruins. Shortly thereafter, the league relocated the team.   

That was then, this is now.  Almost in the shadow of Diamond Head crater the Hawaiians will now play at Aloha Stadium.  This is a far cry from the old Hawaiians home field which was only slightly large than a little league field.  The park was so small in fact that Las Vegas often featured over/unders in the low 20s due to the excessive run scoring.  Aloha stadium will be quite pitcher friendly.  The dimensions are fairly deep. The LF fence is 405 feet from home plate, CF 505 and RF is 405 which will result in a ballpark home run factor of 1.  Due to the trade winds, the ballpark sits almost in reverse of how many parks are built today.  


With the franchise having moved from Vermont, it looks like players will be trading snowboards for surfboards. Speaking of trades, former Sioux SS Carlos Correa, demanded a trade upon hearing that the franchise was moving.  Trader Stan was only too happy to oblige and sent him packing to Slatington for Ramon Laureano, Jose Altuve and Eliser Hernandez. It is likely that will not be the last move made before the season starts. 



The supplemental draft brought in the newest Hawaiian, Luke Weaver, who  hopes to get his career back on track.  Once a top prospect, he has been weighed down by the home run ball in recent past. For 2021, Native islanders can now look forward to a different type of baseball in Honolulu, one built on speed and defense. With the rookie draft looming, and two picks in the first round, the rebuild is coming fast. It should be an interesting season in Honolulu, unlike one seen before.



Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Springfield Times Annual Mock Draft

Springfield (AP) – What a difference a year makes! The days of yore where the Slatington Bulldogs’ faced a conundrum of who to pick first between Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis seems like a decade ago vs. 365 days ago.

This was truly a season like no other in MLB.  While often a NASBL team must make a decision on the future of its franchise on a “small” sample size of 75-100 innings pitched or 200 plate appearances, these same decisions are being made this year based on 27-36 innings pitched and 72 plate appearances – AKA a hot April or September.

In addition, young pitchers were handled with kid gloves in MLB this season more than ever before.  There may be pitchers drafted in the first round this year that have not seen a lineup three times through– with starter ratings of 4-5 innings.  Care to guess how many batters faced young fire-baller Tristan McKenzie three times in a game?  The answer is 6.  Ke’Bryan Hayes tore it up in 85 at bats.  Is the youngster Hayes a good comp to Shane Spencer, his dad Charlie, or Scott Rolen?  Who knows? 

The answer is always up in the air - but this year it feels more akin to a NASBL GM playing craps and hoping to hit a difficult point.  Good luck – I hope everyone hits their “4” the hard way.  For the second straight year the Slatington Bulldogs are ON THE CLOCK!

1) Slatington Bulldogs – Luis Robert (CF)

There are three really good young centerfielders in this draft, but only one has the ability to truly change the game on both sides of the ball.  It is extremely rare for a 22 year old to win a gold glove.  In the last 30 years, Robert is only the third rookie to win a gold glove award at any position outside of catcher.  The other two to win in their rookie seasons were two guys named Ichiro and Nolan Arenado.  Adam Lieckel will gladly take those comps. 

There are some concerns about the bat.  After catching fire early in the season, Robert limped to the finish by slashing an ugly .136/.237/.137 with only one extra base hit in the last 23 games of the season.  There is no sugar-coating that those are historically terrible numbers.  However, the season is not only 23 games long.  Even with that terrible month, Robert still produced 31 homers/95 runs scored/89 RBI when pro-rated for a full season.  Luis Robert is a star and even if he ONLY turns out to be a Vernon Wells/Torri Hunter/Andruw Jones type player, I believe the Bulldogs would be happy with its pick.

2) Phoenix Pony Express – Zac Gallen (SP)

The fantastic selection of Fernando Tatis Jr. with last year’s 2nd overall pick should lead to a reversal of fortune for the Pony Express in the near term.  However, the current iteration of the Pony Express appears to lack the horses required of a championship worthy rotation (see what I did there?). 

There are so many ways that Joe Howard could go with this pick.  I would attest that you could throw Zac Gallen, Sixto Sanchez, Corbin Burnes, Dinelson Lamet, Jesús Luzardo, Tony Gonsolin, Triston McKenzie and Dustin May in a hat and you would be happy with whichever slip of paper you would pull.  When in doubt, go with the guy with the best track record. 

Gallen barely missed the cut-off for NASBL rookies for last year’s draft.  As such, Gallen has amassed a 2.78 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 178 strikeouts over a robust 152 inning/27 start sample size.  Gallen does not have the prospect pedigree of many of the other mentioned, but his success on the field led to a 9th place finish in the NL Cy Young balloting in his first full (albeit truncated) season.

3) Slatington Bulldogs (from ILL) – Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B)

I know what you are saying – didn’t Adam Leickel take a 3rd baseman first overall last year?  Technically that is true, however after a year of watching Vladito stumble around third base, MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays decided a move across the diamond was warranted and he now calls first base home to the tune of a nifty “5e14” rating.  This leaves the Bulldogs without a 3rd sacker.

There just happens to be a gold-glove caliber rookie third baseman on the board who punished MLB pitching in a way that few have ever seen –albeit in a very limited sample size.  Get ready for some truly video-game like numbers, couched again by the fact that the following occurred in a 24 game sample size.  Hayes’ slash line was a silly .376/.442/.682.  Just because it is fun, let’s see what a pro-rated  162 game season would have looked like for Ke’Bryan.  Are you ready?  I’m not sure you are.  Hayes would have had 216 hits, 114 runs scored, 47 doubles, 13 triples, and 33 homers.  These offensive numbers are from a guy who’s calling card in the minors was his defense.  As a result, Hayes generated 1.9 WAR in his 24 games of action – prorated to 12.8 WAR in a 162 game season.  I have no further words.

4) Shawnee Crows – Devin Williams (RP)

Three picks in and the two MLB rookies of the year are still on the board.  The Crows would be well served to change that by selecting the NL rookie of the year – Devin Williams.  A relief pitcher at #4 in the draft?  That is crazy some would say.  The Springfield Times would usually agree. 

It is without doubt that the most dominant pitcher in all of baseball when he was on a mound in MLB last year was Devin Williams.  This is not even in dispute.  The numbers are silly.  In 27 innings, Devin Williams allowed 8 hits, 6 walks, 1 earned run, and struck out 53.  His ERA was 0.33.  This is not a misprint. 

Williams’ 84 MPH change-up is THE best pitch in all of baseball.  Batters only managed two singles in 62 at bats versus his change and struck out an insane 41 times against it.  There is a reason Williams finished seventh in the Cy Young balloting and even received some down ballot MVP votes as a rookie middle reliever.   The Crows look like they already have a full lineup and rotation that is near playoff ready.  Having 75 innings of Devin Williams and unlimited playoff usage really does provide the most value here to the Crows.

5) Mt. Pirongia Kiwis – Alec Bohm (3B/1B)


Alec Bohm is a professional hitter - something that is not often said of a rookie.  In today’s day and age where batting average is no longer en vogue, there is something to be said of a guy who hit .338 over his first 44 major league games.  Bohm isn’t just empty batting average though, as his nifty .400 OBP would impress even the most callous sabremetric mind. 

Bohm has the prospect pedigree to match the production and finished second to Devin Williams in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting.  Bohm is not known for his glove based on early results in his major league career, but Bohm’s glove will play enough to slot in as the Kiwis’ first baseman for the next decade.

6) Slatington Bulldogs (from OJW) – Sixto Sanchez (SP)

How does Adam Lieckel seem to have half the first round picks every year?  That is a question for another article.  The sixth pick in the first round marks the Bulldogs’ third selection this year. 

After going offense for his first two selections, the Bulldogs will pivot and take one of the plethora of young starting pitching options in the draft.  My analogy to picking out of a hat still applies here, however based on recent history Leickel skews towards youth in his selections. 

Sixto Sanchez is the youngest of the bunch - making his debut last year at the ripe age of 22 years and 24 days old.  Sanchez absolutely dazzled in his seven regular season starts.  Sanchez also had two postseason starts – which were a mixed bag, but showed the Marlins absolute faith in their young hurler.

7) Dallas Ft. Worth Spurs – Will Smith (C)


Red Robbins yet again finds himself in the enviable position of having a team with few holes entering the NASBL draft.  One area in which Red finds himself slightly lacking is behind the dish.  There just happens to be one of the best young offensive catchers to come around in a number of years available here in the form of Will Smith.  Smith almost qualified for last year’s NASBL draft, so the sample size is larger than most in this year’s draft.  In his first 333 MLB plate appearances, Smith has slashed .268/.363/.574 – AS A CATCHER!  He was even better in 2020 posting a ridiculous .289/.401/.579 slash line – AS A CATCHER!

How is Smith available with this pick?  That is a fair question - and he very well may go higher.  The one knock on Smith to date appears to be in his defense.  MLB’s Dodgers utilized Will Smith as its designated hitter in four of the six games they played in MLB’s World Series.  While this is quite the testament to Smith’s bat, it is also quite the testament to the Dodgers’ faith in Smith to call/frame and do everything else needed to be a true two-way catcher.  It should be noted that Smith carries a “-1” arm into NASBL, so any real world defensive concerns may not be an issue at all for whoever drafts Smith in NASBL.

8) Mt. Pirongia Kiwis  (from  GRK) – Corbin Burnes (SP/RP)


Corbin Burnes has actually been kicking around MLB since 2018, however he did not meet NASBL’s minimum innings requirements as either a dominant reliever in 2018 (2.61 ERA), nor as a disastrous starter/reliever in 2019 (8.82 ERA). 

In 2020, MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers threw Burnes for three games in the pen before reintroducing him as starter.  Burnes was a revelation for the Brew Crew – posting a 2.11 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 13.3 K/9 and 0.2  HR/9 for the season.  Burnes was even better as a starter than a reliever, with a 4-1 record and a 1.72 ERA in his nine times toeing the bump in inning 1.  It was a strong enough season to earn Burnes a sixth place finish in the NL’s Cy Young balloting in 2020 and Mike Dickson is glad to take him here.

9) Honolulu Hawaiians – Dustin May (SP/RP)


Welcome back to the league Trader Stan.  With his first selection back, Mr. Pietruska could do much worse than add a building block like Dustin May.  The Gingergaard may not have a defined role for MLB’s LA Dodgers, but one thing that is not in dispute is the pure stuff that Big Red employs in whatever role he fills.  On a scouting scale of 80, his 97.9 MPH sinker is a 70, his 93.6 MPH cutter is a 80, his 99.1 MPH fastball is a 70, his 86.8 MPH curveball is a 70, and his unparalleled flow of red hair is a 90.

May’s stuff has translated to fantastic production as well, posting a 2.52 ERA during 2020 in 12 games/10 starts over 56 innings and only allowing a 1.09 WHIP.  May was a little homer prone in 2020, but that is truly picking nits and it should be noted that May limited homers during his 34 inning debut in 2019.  A great pick for Stan, but my advice for Dustin May would be to “rent and not buy” during his stay in Honolulu.  Stan is a man who is known to turn over his roster on occasion.

10) Springfield Isotopes  - Jesús Luzardo (SP/RP)


The Topes find themselves with only Max Scherzer and Mike Minor holding down the fort in the starting rotation.  It is VERY apparent that young starting pitching is a need for the Topes.  The Topes don’t tend to shy away from southpaw starters – so Jesús Luzardo appears right in Doug Sherlag’s wheelhouse with this pick. 

Luzardo made his debut as a 21 year old in September 2019 as one of the top pitching prospects in MLB and served to bolster the Athletics’ bullpen in the stretch run and in the playoffs.  Luzardo stepped into a starter’s role in 2020 and there were flashes of brilliance and flashes of not-so-brilliance.  Four of the twelve times Luzardo pitched, he left the game without giving up a run.  Other times…..not so much.  As a whole, Luzardo put up a very solid 4.12 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 9.0K/9IP during the regular season. 

Slightly concerning is that Luzardo also had two clunker starts in the postseason, posting an ERA in excess of 8 in a little over 7 innings of work.  However, the talent is clearly there for the Topes to get a top of the rotation starter with this pick.

11) Grundy County Grizzlies – Kyle Tucker (LF/RF)


The Times usually takes a look at a squad and identifies their needs to aid in the mock draft selection.  The Grizzlies literally need nothing outside of some relief arms to win a NASBL championship.  They are stacked at every position.  If Devin Williams is still here, he is a no-brainer for the Grizz.  However, in this mock, Williams is long gone.  Due to Aaron Judge’s inability to stay on the field, it appears that another corner outfielder could be beneficial the Grizz.  As such, Jack Howard could do much worse than grab Kyle Tucker with this pick.

Tucker is extremely athletic and has been on prospect radars since 2016.  Tucker had cups of coffee in MLB in both 2018 (which went very badly) and 2019 (which went very well) before finally securing a full-time role in 2020 (which also went very well).  With a slash line of .268/.325/.512 in 2020, Tucker has proved that the .439 OPS he posted in 72 plate appearances in 2018 were an anomaly.  Tucker’s athleticism was on full display in 2020 as led the league in triples and over a pro-rated season, Tucker’s batting line would have completely filled the stat sheet with 33 doubles, 16 triples, 25 homers, 117 RBI’s, 92 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases.   Great pick for the Grizz.

12) EdCouch New Potatoes – Dinelson Lamet (SP)

Dinelson Lamet’s talent is undeniable.  Lamet was a 2nd round pick of the Pocono Chin Music in the 2018 NASBL Draft based on a season in which he stuck out 139 batters in 114 innings as a rookie in MLB.  Dinelson Lamet’s inability to stay healthy and on the field is also undeniable. 

In the three years since his rookie season, Lamet has pitched a total of 26 games and 142 innings.  A Google search of “Dinelson Lamet injury” pulled up 90,800 results in 0.45 seconds.

During 2020, Lamet seemed to turn a corner with his health and finished 4th in the NL Cy Young voting on the back of his 12 starts of 2.09 ERA ball and racking up of a silly 93 punch-outs in 69 innings.  However, Lamet finished the year with a right elbow injury that kept him out of action at the end of 2020 and during the Padres postseason run.  Cue the familiar music. 

Although Lamet says that platelet therapy did the trick and he is “100% healthy” heading into 2021, Ed Kilmer knows what he is getting here - and the talent outweighs the risks here at #12.

13) Denville Ultras – Kyle Lewis (CF)

MLB’s American League Rookie of the Year is still on the board.  The Times predicts that will change as Ken Anderson Sr. and the Ultras select Kyle Lewis with their 1st Round Pick.  Lewis was a consistent force for MLB’s Seattle Mariners throughout the 2020 season.  His .262/.364/.437 slash line over 242 plate appearances led to Lewis being a unanimous selection for ROY in MLB.  The fact that Lewis hits both sides equally is invaluable this year when starting pitchers are often rated for 5 innings of endurance and roster spots are at a premium.

Lewis’ defense may be better slotted for a corner outfield position - which is the only reason he is still here at #13.  With either Byron Buxton or Cody Bellinger patrolling center for the Ultras, a corner outfield spot for Lewis suits Ken Anderson Sr. just fine.

14) Honolulu Hawaiians (from LVI) – Trent Grisham (CF)

Trent Grisham was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the San Diego Padres in MLB in a rare “top prospect” for “top prospect” swap that saw the Kiwis’ Luis Urias go back to Milwaukee.  It is thought that an extreme misplay of a ball in MLB’s wild card game that cost the Brewers the victory was too much for Grisham to overcome and continue his career in Milwaukee.  If this truly was the case, it could be the ultimate example of “small sample size” as Grisham won the gold glove in his first full season as a centerfielder in MLB with the Friars.  Hal determined that Trent was only worthy of a “2” but the metrics show the gold glove award was well deserved.

Gold glove centerfielders are worth their weight in a certain precious commodity that I will not name to avoid using the same adjective twice during the same sentence.  Gold glove centerfielders that actually can swing the bat, as Grisham did in 2020, are worth even more.  On a pro-rated basis, Grisham’s 2020 would have resulted in a .251/.352/.456 slash line, 115 runs scored, 27 homers, 71 RBI’s and 27 steals.  Not too shabby for a late 1st round pick.

15) Pocono Chin Music –Tony Gonsolin (SP/RP)


The Chin Music has a championship caliber offense with no real holes – except behind the plate.  The Chin Music do not appear to be nearly as strong on the pitching side – with three solid starters and one good reliever.  Whatever need they address here is up to Ken Anderson’s whims.  Tony Gonsolin didn’t reach the attention of the prospect prognosticators until he was 25 and his minor league/major league results were too hard to ignore.

However, since entering MLB in late 2019, Gonsolin has quietly outpitched most of the league – putting up a 2.60 ERA and a 0.923 WHIP over 87 innings.  There are some concerns about Gonsolin’s length as a starter.  MLB’s Dodgers only allowed Gonsolin to go two innings or more in one of his three postseason starts.  Even if this proves to be true, Gonsolin would be the Game 1 starter for the Chin Music in the NASBL playoffs and would more than likely shut down any team for five innings.

16) Lake Champlain Cannibals – Jeimer Candelario (3B/1B)


The Cannibals championship window remains firmly open in 2021.  In Lake Champlain’s division, it typically takes 110 wins to make the playoffs.  As such, Steve Beard may need to make upgrades that could be considered as “high rent problems” if he wants to make another run at it this year (which he should).  One such upgrade would be to shift Justin Turner off of 3rd base and into a DH role for this season.

Jeimer Candelario put up a .297/.369/.503 slash line as a switch hitter in 2020, while playing near gold-glove caliber defense at third base.  While the offensive output appeared to come out of nowhere for the 26 year old, on a pro-rated basis, Jeimer’s 6.0 WAR is an absolute steal for Beard with the 16th pick

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Sioux throw No Hitter vs GCG!!!

And of course HAL pulls Flaherty after 8 sterling innings ...


BOXSCORE: 2020 Grundy County Grizzlies At 2020 Vermont Fighting Sio 9/29/2020
 
  Grizzlies          AB  R  H RBI AVG     Fighting Sioux     AB  R  H RBI AVG
  D.Solano 2B         4  0  0  0 .255     W.Adames SS         4  0  1  0 .291  
  T.Turner SS         3  0  0  0 .292     H.Renfroe RF        4  0  0  0 .192  
  L.Voit 1B           3  0  0  0 .202     M.Maldonado 1B      3  0  0  0 .212  
  M.Sano DH           3  0  0  0 .234     M.Kepler CF         4  0  1  0 .271  
  A.Judge RF          2  0  0  0 .280     M.Cabrera DH        4  0  1  0 .280  
  K.Schwarber LF      3  0  0  0 .224     W.Merrifield 2B     2  1  0  0 .285  
  M.Machado 3B        3  0  0  0 .215     A.Gordon LF         3  0  1  0 .272  
  F.Mejia C           3  0  0  0 .222     E.Escobar 3B        3  1  1  2 .262  
  B.Hamilton CF       3  0  0  0 .227     A.Nola C            3  0  1  0 .257  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      27  0  0  0                 Totals      30  2  6  2
 
 
Grizzlies....... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  0  0  0
Fighting Sioux.. 0 0 0  0 0 0  2 0    -  2  6  0
 
Grizzlies (81-61)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
P.Lopez LOSS(10-7)        7       5   2   2   1   8   1   5.16
J.Diekman                 1       1   0   0   0   1   0   4.41
Totals                    8       6   2   2   1   9   1
 
Fighting Sioux (74-77)   IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
J.Flaherty WIN(12-13)     8       0   0   0   1  12   0   3.75
O.Drake SAVE(1st)         1       0   0   0   0   1   0   4.55
Totals                    9       0   0   0   1  13   0
 
ATTENDANCE- 11,986 DATE- Tuesday, September 29th 2020 TIME- Night 
T- 2:18
LEFT ON BASE- Grizzlies: 1  Fighting Sioux: 6
DOUBLE PLAYS- Grizzlies: 0  Fighting Sioux: 0
DOUBLES- W.Adames(24th)
HOME RUNS- E.Escobar(32nd)
RBIs- E.Escobar-2(84th)
WALKS- A.Judge, M.Maldonado
HIT BY PITCH- W.Merrifield
STRIKE OUTS- D.Solano-2, T.Turner, L.Voit-3, M.Sano, K.Schwarber-2, M.Machado-2,
             F.Mejia-2, H.Renfroe-2, M.Kepler, M.Cabrera-2, W.Merrifield,
             E.Escobar, A.Nola-2
2-out RBI- E.Escobar-2
RLISP 2-out- W.Merrifield-2
TEAM RISP- Grizzlies: 0 for 0  Fighting Sioux: 1 for 4
 
The Vermont Fighting Sioux pitching staff gave the fans an evening that
they'll never forget by tossing a combined no-hitter! The tension started to
build around the 6th inning.  By the 9th inning the crowd was electrified.
Vermont had only 6 hits for the game.  
 
The victory went to Jack Flaherty(12-13) who went 8 innings, allowing no runs.
Oliver Drake recorded his 1st save.  The loss was charged to Pablo
Lopez(10-7).  
 
'You probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than this
happening,' said Flaherty who got credit for the win, 'I don't expect it to
sink in for awhile.' he said. 'You know, it's hard to say who was better, the
starter or the bullpen!'

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

LVI returns 8-4 favor to Vermont

BOXSCORE: 2020 Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs At 2020 Vermont Fighting Sio 5/31/2020
 
  Iron Pigs          AB  R  H RBI AVG     Fighting Sioux     AB  R  H RBI AVG
  P.Ervin RF          6  0  1  0 .190     W.Merrifield 2B     4  0  2  1 .298  
  A.Bregman SS        2  1  2  0 .268     J.Choi 1B           4  0  0  0 .240  
  T.Murphy C          4  0  0  0 .280     W.Adames SS         4  0  0  0 .214  
  N.Cruz DH           5  2  3  1 .378   B-K.Suzuki C          0  0  0  0 .368  
  T.Edman 3B          5  2  2  1 .370     M.Joyce DH          3  1  1  0 .282  
  H.Dozier 1B         5  2  4  3 .395   C-M.Tauchman PH       1  0  0  0 .308  
  A.Engel CF          5  0  0  0 .167     N.Markakis RF       3  0  0  0 .097  
  T.Mancini LF        4  1  2  0 .143     A.Gordon LF         4  0  0  0 .265  
  K.Wong 2B           4  0  2  3 .324     E.Escobar 3B        4  2  2  2 .264  
                                          M.Kepler CF         3  0  0  0 .250  
                                          M.Maldonado C       2  1  1  1 .286  
                                        A-C.Correa PH,SS      1  0  0  0 .259  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      40  8 16  8                 Totals      33  4  6  4
 
A-Pinch Hit For Maldonado In 8th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Adames In 9th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Joyce In 9th Inning
 
Iron Pigs....... 0 1 4  0 0 1  0 0 2  -  8 16  0
Fighting Sioux.. 0 0 2  0 0 0  2 0 0  -  4  6  0
 
Iron Pigs (7-4)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
J.Verlander WIN(2-0)      8       6   4   4   0  10   1   3.14
W.Harris                  1       0   0   0   1   2   0   0.00
Totals                    9       6   4   4   1  12   1
 
Fighting Sioux (18-8)    IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
B.Anderson LOSS(1-3)      7      11   6   6   3   2   2   4.88
H.Robles                  1       2   1   1   1   1   0   1.17
O.Drake                   0       1   1   1   0   0   0   1.93
A.Cashner                 0 1/3   1   0   0   0   1   0   1.88
E.Pagan                   0 1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
W.Smith                   0 1/3   1   0   0   0   1   0   3.60
Totals                    9      16   8   8   4   6   2
 
ATTENDANCE- 47,768 DATE- Sunday, May 31st 2020 TIME- Day 
T- 3:04
LEFT ON BASE- Iron Pigs:11  Fighting Sioux: 3
DOUBLE PLAYS- Iron Pigs: 0  Fighting Sioux: 1
DOUBLES- P.Ervin(1st), K.Wong(3rd), W.Merrifield(5th), M.Maldonado(4th)
TRIPLES- T.Mancini(2nd)
HOME RUNS- H.Dozier-2(7th), E.Escobar(5th)
RBIs- N.Cruz(8th), T.Edman(8th), H.Dozier-3(16th), K.Wong-3(4th),
      W.Merrifield(9th), E.Escobar-2(11th), M.Maldonado(5th)
SACRIFICE FLIES- K.Wong
WALKS- A.Bregman-2, T.Murphy, T.Mancini, N.Markakis
HIT BY PITCH- A.Bregman
STRIKE OUTS- P.Ervin, T.Murphy, T.Edman, A.Engel-2, T.Mancini, W.Merrifield,
             J.Choi, W.Adames, M.Tauchman, N.Markakis, A.Gordon-3, E.Escobar,
             M.Kepler, M.Maldonado, C.Correa
GIDP- A.Engel
WILD PITCHES- J.Verlander-2, H.Robles
2-out RBI- E.Escobar-2, K.Wong-2
RLISP 2-out- T.Edman, W.Adames, N.Cruz-2, T.Murphy, P.Ervin
TEAM RISP- Iron Pigs: 4 for 13  Fighting Sioux: 3 for 6
 
First baseman Hunter Dozier launched 2 homeruns and had 3 RBI and Justin
Verlander struck out 10 batters as the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs bested the
Vermont Fighting Sioux 8 to 4 at Fighting Sioux Field.
 
Dozier provided much of the offense.  He delivered a solo blast in the 2nd
inning, popped a two-run clout over the fence in the 3rd inning, laced a
one-base hit in the 5th inning and hit a single in the 9th inning.  Vermont
was out-hit by Lehigh Valley, 16 hits to 6.  
 
The win went to Verlander(2-0) who allowed 4 runs in 8 innings. Brett
Anderson(1-3) was given the loss.  He got hit pretty hard, allowing 11 hits
and 3 walks in 7 innings.  
 
'I had my good stuff today.' Verlander said. 'As the game went along I started
to get the feeling that I was going to strike out a bunch of hitters.'

Vermont doubles up Iron Pigs behind Correa's perfect day at the plate

BOXSCORE: 2020 Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs At 2020 Vermont Fighting Sio 5/30/2020
 
  Iron Pigs          AB  R  H RBI AVG     Fighting Sioux     AB  R  H RBI AVG
  P.Ervin RF,CF       3  0  1  0 .200     E.Adrianza 1B       3  0  0  0 .250  
F-S.Marte PH          1  0  0  0 .259   B-M.Joyce PH          0  0  0  1 .278  
  A.Bregman SS        3  1  0  1 .231   C-M.Maldonado C       1  0  0  0 .269  
  T.Murphy C          5  1  2  2 .333     C.Correa SS         3  2  3  3 .269  
  N.Cruz DH           3  1  1  1 .350     M.Cabrera DH        4  0  2  1 .346  
  T.Edman 3B          5  0  1  0 .364     H.Renfroe RF        5  0  0  0 .120  
  H.Dozier 1B         4  0  1  0 .342     M.Tauchman LF       4  1  1  0 .320  
  A.Engel CF          3  0  0  0 .231     E.Escobar 3B        4  0  1  0 .253  
E-G.Stanton PH,RF     1  0  0  0 .500     W.Merrifield 2B     3  2  1  1 .290  
  T.Mancini LF        3  1  2  0 .105     K.Suzuki C          2  1  1  0 .368  
  K.Wong 2B           3  0  0  0 .303   A-T.La Stella PH      0  1  0  0 .362  
                                        D-J.Choi 1B           1  1  1  1 .254  
                                          M.Kepler CF         2  0  0  1 .261  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      34  4  8  4                 Totals      32  8 10  8
 
A-Pinch Hit For Suzuki In 6th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Adrianza In 6th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Joyce In 7th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (1B) For La Stella In 7th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Engel In 8th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Ervin In 9th Inning
 
Iron Pigs....... 2 0 1  1 0 0  0 0 0  -  4  8  0
Fighting Sioux.. 1 0 0  0 3 3  0 1    -  8 10  0
 
Iron Pigs (6-4)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
C.Sale LOSS(1-2)          5 1/3   7   6   6   2   6   2   5.40
W.Suero                   0       0   1   1   2   0   0   1.59
T.May                     2 1/3   3   1   1   2   2   1   4.76
J.Garcia                  0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   6.75
Totals                    8      10   8   8   6   8   3
 
Fighting Sioux (18-7)    IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
J.Vargas                  3 1/3   4   4   4   4   6   2   4.15
A.Cashner WIN(2-0)        2 2/3   2   0   0   1   2   0   1.93
E.Pagan HOLD(5th)         1 2/3   1   0   0   0   4   0   0.00
O.Drake HOLD(3rd)         0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
J.Hughes                  1       1   0   0   1   1   0   2.35
Totals                    9       8   4   4   6  13   2
 
ATTENDANCE- 49,188 DATE- Saturday, May 30th 2020 TIME- Night 
T- 3:06
LEFT ON BASE- Iron Pigs:10  Fighting Sioux: 8
DOUBLE PLAYS- Iron Pigs: 0  Fighting Sioux: 0
DOUBLES- T.Murphy(1st), T.Edman(2nd), T.Mancini(1st), E.Escobar(7th),
         W.Merrifield(4th)
HOME RUNS- T.Murphy(1st), N.Cruz(4th), C.Correa-2(3rd), J.Choi(4th)
RBIs- A.Bregman(6th), T.Murphy-2(2nd), N.Cruz(7th), M.Joyce(5th),
      C.Correa-3(6th), M.Cabrera(5th), W.Merrifield(8th), J.Choi(11th),
      M.Kepler(15th)
STOLEN BASES- M.Tauchman(1st)
SACRIFICE FLIES- A.Bregman, M.Joyce, M.Kepler
WALKS- P.Ervin, A.Bregman, N.Cruz-2, T.Mancini, K.Wong, C.Correa-2, M.Cabrera,
       W.Merrifield, T.La Stella, M.Kepler
STRIKE OUTS- P.Ervin, S.Marte, T.Murphy-3, T.Edman-3, H.Dozier-2, A.Engel-2,
             G.Stanton, H.Renfroe-3, E.Escobar, W.Merrifield-2, K.Suzuki,
             M.Kepler
WILD PITCHES- A.Cashner
2-out RBI- N.Cruz, C.Correa-2, M.Cabrera
RLISP 2-out- A.Engel, K.Suzuki, H.Dozier, T.Murphy-2, A.Bregman, H.Renfroe-3,
             K.Wong, T.Edman
TEAM RISP- Iron Pigs: 0 for 6  Fighting Sioux: 2 for 8
 
Shortstop Carlos Correa knocked 2 homeruns and had 3 RBI as the Vermont
Fighting Sioux defeated the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs by a score of 8 to 4 at
Fighting Sioux Field.
 
Correa had a big evening at the plate.  He lofted a solo-blast 'downtown' in
the 1st inning, cleared the fences for a two-run home run in the 5th inning
and ripped a single in the 8th inning.  Vermont totaled 10 hits on the night.
 
Andrew Cashner(2-0) allowed no runs in 2 and 2/3 innings, and picked up the
victory. Chris Sale(1-2) suffered the loss.  He was knocked around pretty
good, giving up 6 runs in 5 and 1/3 innings.  
 

15 hit outburst fuels Vermont win over Shawnee

BOXSCORE: 2020 Shawnee Crows At 2020 Vermont Fighting Sioux         5/20/2020
 
  Crows              AB  R  H RBI AVG     Fighting Sioux     AB  R  H RBI AVG
  R.Chirinos C        5  0  0  0 .000     W.Merrifield 2B     5  1  2  0 .289  
  C.Walker 1B         5  1  1  0 .143     J.Choi 1B           5  1  3  1 .243  
  R.McMahon 2B        3  1  0  0 .000     W.Adames SS         5  1  2  1 .225  
  L.Garcia SS         4  0  2  2 .375     M.Joyce DH          4  0  2  0 .278  
  N.Arenado 3B        4  0  2  1 .389     N.Markakis RF       4  0  1  1 .107  
  V.Reyes LF          3  0  0  0 .167     A.Gordon LF         3  1  1  0 .281  
  D.Santana CF        3  0  1  0 .286     E.Escobar 3B        4  1  3  0 .253  
  J.Heyward RF        3  0  0  0 .083     M.Kepler CF         3  0  0  1 .269  
A-A.Garcia PH         1  0  0  0 .000     M.Maldonado C       4  1  1  2 .280  
  F.Reyes DH          3  2  1  1 .278                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      34  4  7  4                 Totals      37  6 15  6
 
A-Pinch Hit For Heyward In 9th Inning
 
Crows........... 0 0 0  1 2 0  0 0 1  -  4  7  0
Fighting Sioux.. 0 0 1  3 0 2  0 0    -  6 15  1
 
Crows (0-5)              IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
W.Buehler LOSS(0-1)       5 2/3  12   6   6   2   4   2   7.71
M.Wacha                   2 1/3   3   0   0   1   0   0   2.25
Totals                    8      15   6   6   3   4   2
 
Fighting Sioux (17-7)    IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
B.Anderson WIN(1-2)       5 2/3   6   3   3   3   3   0   4.07
E.Pagan HOLD(4th)         1       0   0   0   0   3   0   0.00
O.Drake                   0 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
W.Smith                   0 2/3   0   0   0   1   1   0   3.86
K.Yates SAVE(8th)         1       1   1   1   0   3   1   1.17
Totals                    9       7   4   4   4  11   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 26,140 DATE- Wednesday, May 20th 2020 TIME- Day 
T- 3:07
LEFT ON BASE- Crows: 7  Fighting Sioux:10
DOUBLE PLAYS- Crows: 2  Fighting Sioux: 1
ERRORS- B.Anderson
DOUBLES- L.Garcia(1st), W.Merrifield(3rd), J.Choi-2(3rd), W.Adames(3rd),
         E.Escobar(6th)
TRIPLES- L.Garcia(1st)
HOME RUNS- F.Reyes(2nd), J.Choi(3rd), M.Maldonado(2nd)
RBIs- L.Garcia-2(2nd), N.Arenado(3rd), F.Reyes(5th), J.Choi(10th),
      W.Adames(6th), N.Markakis(3rd), M.Kepler(14th), M.Maldonado-2(4th)
WALKS- R.McMahon, V.Reyes, D.Santana, F.Reyes, M.Joyce, A.Gordon, M.Kepler
STRIKE OUTS- R.Chirinos-2, C.Walker-2, R.McMahon-3, L.Garcia, D.Santana,
             A.Garcia, F.Reyes, W.Adames, M.Joyce, N.Markakis, M.Kepler
GIDP- M.Joyce, M.Maldonado
2-out RBI- L.Garcia-2, J.Choi, N.Markakis
RLISP 2-out- N.Markakis-2, J.Heyward, W.Adames, N.Arenado, M.Kepler, F.Reyes,
             A.Gordon, W.Merrifield
TEAM RISP- Crows: 2 for 7  Fighting Sioux: 4 for 16
WEB GEMS- Bot 2nd: Jason Heyward robbed Martin Maldonado of an extra base hit.
          Bot 5th: Danny Santana robbed Max Kepler of an extra base hit.
 
In a good matchup it was the Vermont Fighting Sioux 6, the Shawnee Crows 4 at
Fighting Sioux Field.
 
Vermont had 3 runs cross the plate in the bottom of the 4th inning when they
came up with 4 base hits.  The key at-bat was by Martin Maldonado who excited
the crowd when he cracked a two-run shot.  Vermont finished with 15 hits
while Shawnee ended up with 7.  
 
Brett Anderson(1-2) was the winner allowing 3 runs in 5 and 2/3 innings.
Anderson got relief help from Kirby Yates who gained credit for his 8th save.
The losing pitcher was Walker Buehler(0-1).  He was unable to control the
Vermont offense and allowed 12 hits and 2 walks in 5 and 2/3 innings.  
 
'I didn't have my best stuff but sometimes you just get lucky,' Anderson said,
'this was one of those times.'