So who's #1?

Its in everyone's head this time of year. Inquiring minds want to know who wil be the first pick on the 2010 NASBL entry draft. The Georgia Road Kill have that pick and their scouts have been playing it close to the vest. While nothing is set in stone, several players would seem to be a good fit for the Road Kill. The Road Kill did not have a first round pick last year as they traded that pick to the New Jersey Trash Heap in 2008 for a so far disappointing John Lackey. (NJT picked Joey Votto with that selection.) The last time GRK picked in the first was to take Yovanni Gallardo who has been injury riddled. Without much further ado, here is who Georgia should be looking at with their first pick.

Scouts Favorite: Catcher Matt Wieters is a big guy. At 6'5" he has drawn comparisons to Joe Mauer. He played his first major league game on Friday May 29, 2009, against the Detroit Tigers. Wieters' first major league hit came the next night, a triple, off of Detroit's Justin Verlander. Wieters hit his first career home run June 17, 2009 against the Mets, it was a two-run home run off of Mets starter Tim Redding. The 23 year old went on to hit .288 with a .340 on base percentage and 9 homers in 382 plate appearances. In the minors Wieters posted a lofty .341 career batting average. As young as Matt is, we can only expect his power to expand. Based on the current Road Kill catching situation, he appears to be the popular choice.

Owner's Favorite: Perhaps the worst kept secret in the bigs is Johnny Millers love for the Braves. It should come as no surprise that pitcher Tommy Hanson would be on his radar. Hanson was called up by the Atlanta Braves on June 3, 2009 after the team cut Tom Glavine. He had a rocky debut on June 7, 2009 against the Milwaukee Brewers pitching 6 innings, striking out 5, giving up 6 earned runs, 3 home runs and receiving a no decision. On June 12, 2009, Hanson earned his first win against the Baltimore Orioles. and on June 28, 2009, he threw six scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks to improve his career major league record to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.48. In his 4 major league victories, his combined ERA to this point was 0.78. He threw 22 consecutive shutout innings and also became the first National League rookie pitcher to win consecutive starts against the Yankees and the Red Sox. For his efforts, Hanson was named the June's NL Rookie of the Month. In his final 10 starts, Hanson pitched 60.2 inning's, allowing just 17 earned runs in that span. Hanson's name had been mentioned heavily in the NL Rookie of the Year award talk's for most of the second half of the season, eventually finishing third in voting for the award. With the recent acquisition of Carlos Zambrano, passing on Wieters to take Hanson is a luxury the Road Kill may not be able to afford.

Fan Favorite: Its rare that a player can continue to hit despite being moved around the infield. Gordon Beckham is that rare player. A versatile infielder, he can play second, short or third adequately and it was this usefulness that led to his purchase by the White Sox on June 3, 2009. Beckham tore up the minors hitting .326 with 23 doubles, four home runs and 25 RBI in 175 at-bats between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He got his first MLB hit, a single to center field, in his 14th at-bat on June 9, 2009 at U.S. Cellular Field, after which he received a standing ovation from the home crowd. On June 20, 2009, Beckham hit his first major league home run, a three-run shot in the fourth inning, off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto. Beckham's milestone home run came while the Reds were ahead 5-0, and sparked a comeback victory for the Sox. On October 26, 2009 Beckham was voted the American League Rookie of the Year by the MLBPA, which is voted on in September by every player on a major league roster. The fact that he can play various positions makes him particularly valuable in strat-o-matic.

Darkhorse: Although Florida left fielder Chris Coghlan didn't get called up until May 8, he impressed enough to win the Rookie of the Year award from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Coghlan, 24, batted .321 -- best by a rookie since Albert Pujols in 2001. And Coghlan had 113 hits after the All-Star break, easily the most in the majors and most by anyone since 2004. He led the majors in hits in September with 47, most by a rookie in September since 1928. He also had the most August hits by a rookie (47) since 1954. And no NL player had 94 hits over a two-month span since Dave Parker in 1978. Coghlan led NL rookies in runs (84), total bases (232), doubles (31) and on-base percentage (.390). While all these numbers would have him worthy of a number one pick, the Road Kill outfield seems crowded already with the likes of Nick Markakis, Nate McLouth and Alex Rios.

Surprise pick: There is no better place to have a 1 then shortstop. Elvis Andrus is the player that franchises are built around. Elvis hit .267 with only 6 homers but at age 21, alot of future upside is expected offensively. His plate discipline is really strong, almost downright amazing for someone of his age and experience, and there is also a speed component to his game. From the defensive side of the field, Elvis is a vacuum cleaner at short. With Rangers shortstop Michael Young agreeing to move to third base in 2009, Andrus earned the starting job on opening day. Andrus stole his 20th base on July 28, 2009 in his rookie season. Andrus is the 10th player in major league history to steal 20 bases under the age of 21. The last player to do that was teammate Andruw Jones back in 1997 with the Atlanta Braves. The Road Kill don't appear to need a shortstop with Alexei Ramirez on the job but GRK has pulled surprises in the past and this could be another of them.

At this point the Road Kill Management has to be torn from their love of pitching and the need for a long term solution behind the plate. From a long term standpoint, Wieters makes the most sense as catchers like him don't come along everyday. The fact that GRK recently acquired Carlos Zambrano makes the need to pick a starter somewhat less likely, though most managers in NASBL will tell you that you never can have too much pitching. Who will GRK ultimately pick? Time will tell.

A quiet offseason for the Haymakers?

Troy, NY: As the NASBL teams work on finalizing their protection lists for the upcoming season and the flurry of trades are posted in preparation for the highly anticipated draft, the Haymakers front office has been very quiet, prompting some questions about a winter hiatus.

"No, our office has been open," says GM and Manager Ken Anderson, "We just have just been doing some planning for our upcoming season. Plus, our team this season has not really left us with much to move this off-season. Our plan is coming together though."

Some have been trying to find out what that plan actually is. Even with a successful first season as GM of the franchise, the team has never finished out of last place while losing over 103 and 90 games over the last two season. "We did have a 12 game improvement over the 2008 campaign," says the GM with a smirk, "And we are looking to be even better next year."

Is he even taking this job seriously? With really only one starter going into the draft, one wonders if he cares about winning. Anderson's record with starting pitching has not helped the team too much. The manager has a tendency to allow the pitchers to get beat-up while nursing the pen, and their history has shown that. Over the past three seasons the bull-pen has an ERA almost two runs lower than the starters, and it tends to create some ill-will from the starters. Scott Olsen, the only starting pitcher to play for the Haymakers for all three seasons, posted a 19-36 record with a 5.89 ERA. "I'm not going to say it's all his fault," says Olsen, speaking of Troy's manager Ken Anderson, "But he'll just leave you out there when you don't have it while the guys in the pen are playing cards or watching TV in the clubhouse. It's just not right."

"I can't think of one game where he actually 'had it'." responded the manager, "You can bet your ass he's going to be gone...in fact I just cut him now." That will leave Huston Street, as the only pitcher on the original Haymakers in 2007.

It's true the the team has had some bad luck, or bad scouting, with pitchers since their inception in 2007. The team had high hopes for the likes of Olsen, Clay Hensley, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Jesse Litsch. All have either been traded, had long term injuries or were just plain bad. The only pitcher to seem to finally come around has been Jered Weaver, and that still is yet to be seen.

"All I can say is that we have a plan for the team and we would like the support of our fans and reporters," said the GM. Well, you have to win to have the support. We shall see....

Fangraphs Takes Notice of Chows Players

Illinois Times -- Are the Chows finally doing something right? Forward thinking baseball website Fangraphs featured two articles today spotlighting the merits of Illinois players. In the first article they consider the merits of Chows backstop Kurt Suziki and why he doesn't get just due.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/kurt-suzuki-anatomy-of-an-underrated-player

Later that same afternoon, the site spotlighted Josh Willingham and dared to ask the question -- is Wilingham the same guy as Jason Bay?

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/willingham-and-bay

Chows GM Sherlag has maintained that Willingham and Suzuki are cornerstone type players, while the Illinois Times has scoffed at that notion. Either Sherlag is moonlighting at Fangraphs, or maybe he isn't far off on his assessments.

Santana Happy to be a Hawaiian

In a surprise move, the Honolulu Hawaiians acquired Johan Santana from Pocono for Asdrubal Cabrera. The move was unexpected as Santana had been previously untouchable in past off seasons. GM Stan Pietruska was looking for a lefty who could throw three games at Springfield and said "there was no better candidate than Johan." While we loved the future for Asdrubal, it was a move that had to be made when it was apparent that Santana was available.



Santana and his wife (seen above packing their car) are said to be thrilled for a chance to head west to work and play on the islands. Last year the big lefty was 14-15 with a 4.78 ERA in 248 innings and an alarming 41 homer runs. Despite the large "big fly" numbers, Pietruska had to make the move. "It's always difficult to throw a lefthander out there in strat. If you are going to do it, you better make him a good one." Santana will compete with Jair Jurrjens for the #3 slot behind Justin Verlander and Roy Oswalt. The 5th starter position will be a spring training camp decision.

DFW Press Conference

AP- Dallas Morning News...........

The DFW Spurs will have a Press Conference next Tuesday. They will inform fans of Spring Training dates along with the plans the organization plans to head in regards of if Red Robbins will remain as manager and to address other questions about the club. Officials have stated that they see no change at manager or other high ranking positions as of now, giving Robbins a 'Vote of Confidence'.

Q & A with Knights Captain Michael Young

(New York Daily Mirror - January 28, 2010)

NEW YORK – In the middle of the 2003 NASBL season, fledgling Knights GM Mitch Pak completed a trade with the Canyon Country Cannons, which was then under the leadership of the legendary (and now NASBL Hall of Famer) Brendan Conrad. In that deal, the Knights sent their closer, Jason Isringhausen, to the Cannons in exchange for a little-known 26 year old infielder named Michael Young. In a foreshadowing of trades to come, New York sports pundits ripped the deal, lambasting Pak for dealing away the reliable veteran Isringhausen, who had notched 23 saves for the 64-win Knights in 2002 and was having another solid year in 2003, for a relatively unknown rookie. And Young’s numbers with the Cannons were certainly anything but awe-inspiring: 50 games, 90 at bats, a .222 average and a .571 OPS. But Mitch Pak had Young scouted during the previous season and was told that Young had the tools to be a Derek Jeter-like player, someone who could cement the Knights infield for many years to come. Thinking that Young could do very well hitting ahead of then-team captain Jim Thome, Pak set out to acquire Young during the 2003 season and eventually made the deal that brought him to New York.

Fast forward to 2010. Isringhausen, now 37, missed the entire ’09 NASBL season recovering from Tommy John surgery after laboring for seven, mostly productive, seasons with the Cannons, the New Jersey Trash Heap and the Miami Surf. But his last season as a full-time closer was 2006, when he notched 21 saves for the Cannons, the last time he would reach double-figures in that category. Because of his age and the nature of his injury, Isringhausen’s career in the NASBL is likely over.

Things have worked out differently for Young, however. After the Knights terrible 12-28 start in 2004 that resulted in the trades of Thome, team ace Mike Mussina and slugging outfielder Preston Wilson, Young became the de facto leader of the ballclub. After a lackluster rookie half-season in 2003, during which he hit just .262 with a .671 OPS, Young had a breakout year for the Knights in ’04, batting .292 with 77 RBI and 91 runs scored for an offensively-challenged club. His 194 hits that season set a club record that stood until he broke it himself two years later. During the winter of 2005-2006, after having been moved to shortstop, Young was named team captain and he responded with one of the best seasons any NASBL infielder has ever had – a .349 average, 232 hits (fourth best in NASBL history), 29 homers, 121 RBI and an OPS of .978.

Today, Young is the senior member of the Knights, the face of the franchise and will begin his seventh full season with the club when hitters report to the team’s Port St. Lucie, Florida training camp late next month. He has been team captain for several years now and his quiet dignity and measured opinions are respected in both the clubhouse and in the front office. The team sells more #10 Knights jerseys than any other three players combined. He is at or near the top in most of the Knights’ career batting categories including games played (940),at bats (3,854), hits (1,124), runs scored (514), doubles (212), triples (24), extra base hits (315), runs batted in (462) – and strikeouts (657). His

career batting average stands at .290, despite two recent lackluster seasons. For a franchise and a fan base that is starving for consistency from its players, Young has been everything that the Knights hoped for since that 2003 trade.

The Mirror recently caught up with Young at his Abilene, Texas home where he resides with his wife and daughters when not laboring for the Knights.

DM: What was your initial reaction when you heard that you’d been traded to New York?

MY: I was a little scared at first. I’m basically a small-town guy from Texas and I’d heard that New York could eat you alive. I was pretty nervous that whole first year I was there. I also was very surprised that anyone would trade Jason Isringhausen for me.

DM: Did you feel a lot of pressure when you started out with the Knights?

MY: I did, I really did. The sportswriters and radio guys were unhappy with the Knights because they were coming off two losing seasons in ’01 and ’02 and didn’t like the idea of the closer being traded for some kid they’d never heard of. New York’s got a short fuse that way.

DM: Do you read the sports pages in New York? Or listen to sports talk radio?

MY: I only read the Mirror’s coverage (laughing). No, I try to stay away from all that stuff. I find that the majority of the people writing and talking sports have never played the games they report on. They don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, how hard we work.

DM: Some sportswriters in New York have compared you to Derek Jeter. How do you respond to that?

MY: The first time I heard that, I just went “wow”, you know? I know Derek personally and professionally. He is a gifted guy. I don’t know anyone who has his combination of focus and ability but he’s so modest and unassuming too. I’m flattered to be compared to him but I’m not him. There’s not much more to say about that. I’ll be the first to admit that.

DM: You’ve been in New York longer than anyone. Looking back over the past six-plus years, how would you assess the job Mitch Pak is doing as GM of this organization?

MY: He’s my boss, right? So I think he’s doing a great job (laughs). Seriously, Mitch and I have a great relationship. I’m very flattered by the faith he’s put in me all these years. I don’t think I really deserve it…

DM: But you won’t question him.

MY: Nah (laughs). No, Mitch has it tough. This is a tough league to build a winner in. We don’t have free agency so Mitch has to try to build a winner through the draft and through trades. We’ve never had a crack at getting the big guys, like Manny or A-Rod or Pujols and we probably never will. I know some of Mitch’s moves haven’t worked out but I can tell you this, he is always, always in there trying to improve this club.

DM: Do you think the NASBL should have free agency and a salary cap?

MY: I do, I really do. I think free agency would give the teams considered the “have nots” like us and Grundy County a real shot at contending. But I know that’s been raised before and the owners of the teams never go for it.

DM: What do you see as the Knights’ biggest problem over the past six years?

MY: Consistency. When Mitch gets a player in the draft or in a trade, he’s always hoping that the player he gets will be consistently good. Not great, not earth-shattering, just good. If its an outfielder, someone who will be a decent glove, can give you 600 at bats and maybe 30/90 every year. I know Mitch would sign up for that.

DM: But there hasn’t been consistency.

MY: No, no way. Look at the home runs. Since 2004, the year Thome was traded, there has been a different player leading the team in home runs. In 2004, Lopez had that monster season when he had 60. In ’05, it was Mats (Hideki Matsui). In ’06, it was me, which’ll tell you how hurting we were for homers that year. In ’07, it was Billy Hall, in ’08 it was Wig (Ty Wigginton) and then last year it was Xavier Nady. Not one of those guys, including me, was consistent enough to lead the team in homers more than once. And the same goes for the pitching. I know that Mitch has been real disappointed in the pitching.

DM: I supposed you’re referring to Barry Zito.

MY: Oh, boy (laughing). I feel awful for Barry. Everyone loved the trade when it was made but he told me a couple of times in the clubhouse that he was feeling a lot of pressure to do well here. You guys in the media thought he just lost his talent, but I’ve been around the game a long time and I know you never lose talent. Not like that. Barry was pressing. A lot. And it showed.

DM: Lets talk about 0-23 in 2008.

MY: Oh, God (laughs). That was a terrible year, not just for him but for all of us. And we had just come off a winning year where we finally contended for a wild card. People thought we had finally turned the corner as an organization and then, wham, the floor and ceiling fall in.


DM: Did Mitch ever regret that trade?

MY: I don’t think he did. I think he was privately stunned that Barry pitched as poorly as he did. You have to judge a trade in the context of when it was made. When Mitch got Barry, he had just come off three very good years and there was no reason to think he wouldn’t continue. You media guys didn’t help, always pointing out that Joe Nathan, whom I like, had become a huge superstar closer while Barry fell off a cliff in New York.

DM: Why did Mitch let Zito lose all those games in 2008? Why didn’t he bench him?

MY: There were a couple of reasons. First, he needed Barry’s innings. He didn’t have anyone on the roster who could take the ball every fifth day and potentially give him six, seven innings. Second, I think he wanted Barry to straighten himself out and you can’t do that by sitting on the bench. I don’t think Mitch intended to embarrass Barry. He didn’t know Barry would lose 23 games and not win one. No one would have believed that. I mean, that was Barry Zito, a guy who won 59 games in his first three seasons.

DM: Are you still in touch with Barry?

MY: Yes, kinda.

DM: Some think that you lost a step or two the last few years and that your stats show that. Do you think you’re heading for the downside of your career?

MY: Geez, I hope not (laughs). No, seriously, I can’t explain what’s happened the last few years. I was battling some injuries in ’09 and that kept my numbers down.

DM: Were you insulted when Mitch benched you for Block 4?

MY: No, not at all. I needed the rest and I wasn’t helping the team anyway.

DM: You’re going to be the third baseman in 2010 for the Knights.

MY: Yes.

DM: Do you feel you’re up to that task?

MY: I’m trying my best to adapt to that position. Third base is a lot harder than it looks. A lot of the best sluggers in the game are right handed, like you’re A-Rods and Ramirezes and when they pull the ball toward third, wow, its like a blur. I’ve been practicing with Howard (Johnson, the Knights’ infield coach) a lot and I’ve made progress. I’m not going to be great, but I’m going to give 100%.

DM: Garrett Atkins was just cut by the Knights. How do you feel about that?


MY: Pretty disappointed. I know when Mitch drafted Garrett a few years back, he hoped that Garrett would be our Scott Rolen, that he’d be with us for years. Garrett had some real good years for us, but with me moving to third and Jorge (Cantu) backing me and LaRoche up, Mitch felt that Garrett had no place on the team, so he let him go. He’s going to be a real good player for someone.

DM: What’s your feeling about the Knights in 2010, as the club enters its 10th season in the league?

MY: I’ve got a pretty good feeling about this club. I think we can build on last year. We have a good looking young lefty at the top of the rotation in Lester, we have a solid righty in the two slot in Matt Cain, who I think is going to rebound to his old form. Then we have Gavin Floyd, some good middle relievers and I think Chad Qualls is going to be a good closer.

DM: And now you have Vlad.

MY: Yeah, Vlad is going to help us. I’m not sure he’s going to be the big slugger he was in Georgia but with Mitch’s platoon system, he doesn’t have to be. If he gives us what he gave us last year, 15 homers, a .314 average in half a season, we’ll be OK.

DM: Just a few more questions. In your time with the Knights, who’s been the most colorful player you’ve seen?

MY: Oh, no question, David Wells (laughs). Boomer was larger than life and if you’d seen him with his shirt off, that’s pretty large. He’s one of a kind. Loves Babe Ruth and acts like him too.

DM: Anyone else.

MY: Javy Lopez was funny too. Dontrelle (Willis) was a real smooth character, a great dresser.

DM: It’s a shame what happened to him.

MY: It sure is. He has a world of talent. I’m hoping he’ll overcome whatever’s bothering him and come back to the league soon.

DM: If you had to put together a list of “great Knights”, who’d be on it?

MY: Oh, wow. Um, Jim Thome would be there, for sure. He was fearsome up there. I wished Mitch hadn’t traded him when he did, but we weren’t winning with him. What a bull he was. Ellis Burks was a class act, but he was at the end of his career when I got to New York. Oh, obviously Moose (Mike Mussina) and I think Grady Sizemore will be on that list too someday.

DM: And what about you?

MY: If you say so (laughs).

DM: Thanks for a few minutes Mike and have a great season.

MY: Thanks. Tell the fans I’ll in there trying and to keep the faith.

Z-nough is enough, Zambrano packs his bags

Career long Hawaiian Carlos Zambrano, who was perhaps one of the franchise's best draft choices, is leaving town for Georgia. In a surprising move, Zambrano was sent to the Roadkill for the NJT #1 pick and GRK #5 pick.

Big Z was drafted in 2003 in the 4th round (63rd overall) and had an up and down career for the Hawaiians. He showed flashes of brilliance but battled the demons of being a flyball pitcher in a small ballpark. Last year was a particularly difficult one as he was 13-14 with 5.37 ERA with a shocking 38 home runs surrendered. While the fans were happy to get so many souveniers, management was not as thrilled. The draft picks received will go to add depth.

NOTES: The Hawaiian gift shop will open early on Thursday morning for the winter caravan sale. Jerseys and Tshirts for Zambrano, Rollins, Rowand and Polanco have already been marked half off for your memorabilia pleasures. This includes the ever popular "I was there for the Big Z meltdown tour" shirts which features the dates and record of all the games wherein he unfortunately imploded.