Illinois Times -- 01/17/08
Illinois Adds Pick Subtracts Thomas
Illinois was able to add another draft pick to their Inventory today by dealing DH Frank Thomas. For Thomas, Illinois aquired the VFS 4th round pick. Illinois now has 7 picks in the first four rounds including 3 in the 1st.
GM Brad Sherlag explained the move as follows, "We really had too many guys that don't play defense well on our team. Using a roster spot for someone without a position really limits Morandini's ability to sub in defensive replacements late in the game. We appreciate the season Frank had for us last year and know he will do well in Vermont. I am confident that whoever we choose with the 4th will get more playing time than Frank would have." As you probably already know, the Chows intentions are to DH Ramirez this year and obtain a better fielding everyday shortstop.
17-Man Roster Date Approaches Quickly
With today's Thomas trade, the Chows will be able to keep one more player who is on the bubble or enter the Supplemental Draft. There are 14 players solidly on the roster leaving 3 spots for Vidro, Iguchi, Kearns, Gagne and Teahen to fight for. Assuming Sherlag makes no more deals, he will have some tough decisions over the next couple of days. The smart money is on Teahen and Kearns to make it and Iguchi to be cut. Apparently the font office is split on Gagne and Vidro.
No Update on Draft Location
The Chows are still waiting to hear back from the NASBL offices to see if Seventies Stadium will host the upcoming draft. The Times will announce ticket information if the Chows win their bid. The lack of amenties (think folding tables and plastic lawn furniture chairs) is making their bid difficult. The Chows maintain that ratings will increase on ESPN 2 if the hometown team goes to the podium three times in the first round. "Chow fans have not ahd a lot to get excited about -- this draft is likely to be the highlight of the franchises existence so far. We plan on distirbuting free tickets to our season ticket holders if we win the bid." After two dismal seasons, the Chows have less than 2,000 season tickets sold for next season.
Of course if the first two drafts are any indication -- it could be a lowlight. From the draft two years ago, Illinois will only still have Glavine (a supplemental pick) and possibly Teahen or Iguchi. First pick Capuano is almost sure to be cut. Not a lot to show for their first effort.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Big Hurt packs bags for Vermont
Burlington, VT -
In an effort to improve their production from the DH spot the Vermont Fighting Sioux have acquired Frank Thomas from the Illinois Chow Chows in exchange for a 4th round pick. Last year in Illinois Thomas had 28 HRs and 86 RBIs.
Vermont GM Justin Rabidoux would gladly take that production in 2008. The DH spot was vacant after Vermont sent longtime Sioux hero Carlos Delgado to Miami for a 3rd round pick. "All in all, it was a great swap for us", said Rabidoux, "By every measure Frank was more productive than Carlos in 2007 and we improved our overall draft picks in the process", referring to the fact that in addition to the personnel swapped Vermont added a #3 pick in the Delgado trade and gave up a #4 pick for Thomas.
For Thomas, who will be joining his 6th NASBL team in 10 years, joining Vermont has always been a dream, "I've hopped all around the league, but my real goal has been to enjoy my IHOP triple stack with real maple syrup, yum"! The Big Hurt is projected to bat cleanup in Delgado's old place behind Albert Pujols.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sioux Bid Adieu to Slugger Carlos Delgado
Burlington, VT -
The Vermont Fighting Sioux have reached a deal with the Miami Surf to send Carlos Delgado south in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick. Carlos, who had a no trade clause in his contract, had this to say "While I am sad to leave, will be refreshing for have not that to move with spade the snow already. I expect to see all those fine southern women of Beach (sic)".
Local blogs are already hammering home the "there is no royalty in big time sports" angle. They point to Carlos' 5 great seasons as Vermont's cleanup hitter (and King Albert's protection) when he averaged 33 HRs and 93 RBIs. His greatest individual moment came amidst a tough time for his team, the 2007 NASBL playoffs. Delgado was a beast during the Sioux's run to the Less Filling LCS hammering 8 HRs and driving in 19 in Vermont's 11 playoff games.
Throughout his tenure in Vermont he made pitchers pay for pitching around Pujols, including a game winning grand slam in the playoffs this past season. Carlos came to Vermont in an early season trade in 2003 with the Georgia Roadkill. In what eventually became on of the better trades in Vermont's history, Carlos was acquired (along with a 1st and 3rd round draft pick) for the aging needle addict Sammy Sosa. GM Justin Rabidoux used that first round pick to acquire Rocco Baldelli. While Baldelli didn't accomplish much in a Sioux uniform, he was packaged in a trade that netted Vermont's all time saves leader, Billy Wagner.
SavetheSioux.ca/blogspot, the most fanatical off the Sioux fan blogs (which originates from Sherbrooke, Quebec, about 45 minutes north of Vermont's home offices) posted this comment today, "First we divided our well-loved Expos with the Puerto Rico, only finally to lose them. This most of recent disgrace is an insult to the basis of fan of northern Vermont. Carlos was a local hero in top here, and we powerful torqued off by his departure. GM Rabidoux has a lot to do to win return our support. Indeed, we can begin just to pull for the Cannibals, that have a file of good proved track border relations as testified by their matter of love of all things Larry the Walker".
The team wished Carlos well and he is sure to be enshrined in the Ring of Honor where all Vermont's baseball heroes of yesterday reside.
Good bye Carlos, we will miss you for moments like these:
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Diamond Notes - Vermont Fighting Sioux
Burlington, VT -
2007 was a season of great expectations for the Sioux. However, this writer can attest that not all dreams come true. Vermont ran into the Red Robbins buzz saw in the form of the Dallas Fort Worth Spurs. No hard feelings though, DFW was the better team and we congratulate them on their 2007 NASBL World Series Championship.
Now, the Sioux must look forward - and the future ain't pretty. Vermont returns only 4 starting pitchers - and calling anyone after John Lackey a "starter" is a stretch. Not available to toe the rubber this year in the 1st inning for the Sioux are convertedboxer reliever Bret Myers and injury casualties Francisco Liriano and Josh Johnson.
Things didn't get better for most of the everyday players. Other than Jorge "Ponce de Leon" Posada, the rest of the regulars experienced a decrease in production. Gone are the range "1s" for Derek Jeter and Ryan Zimmerman, gone from the roster is long time Sioux CF Mark Kotsay and gone is Albert Pujols' stash of "Vitamin B".
In pursuit of their 1st NASBL title, the Sioux traded their 1st round draft choice to acquire the aforementioned injured Josh Johnson (8-3, 3.72 in reg. season, but disappointing in playoffs) and Brian Giles, who produced a respectable .360 OBP while patrolling RF but whose age may find him on the unemployment line come NASBL cut down day.
The result is an aging team with diminishing skills and no 1st round pick. Carlos Delgado is likely to join the ranks of "former Sioux players" as the team will try to get younger. Don't get us wrong, Carlos still has some pop, but he may be of more use to a team in the position to make some noise in the playoffs.
Achieving 93 wins again seems all but impossible. 85 seems like a more appropriate target. Hopefully that's enough to contend for a playoff spot, but it probably ain't.
2007 was a season of great expectations for the Sioux. However, this writer can attest that not all dreams come true. Vermont ran into the Red Robbins buzz saw in the form of the Dallas Fort Worth Spurs. No hard feelings though, DFW was the better team and we congratulate them on their 2007 NASBL World Series Championship.
Now, the Sioux must look forward - and the future ain't pretty. Vermont returns only 4 starting pitchers - and calling anyone after John Lackey a "starter" is a stretch. Not available to toe the rubber this year in the 1st inning for the Sioux are converted
Things didn't get better for most of the everyday players. Other than Jorge "Ponce de Leon" Posada, the rest of the regulars experienced a decrease in production. Gone are the range "1s" for Derek Jeter and Ryan Zimmerman, gone from the roster is long time Sioux CF Mark Kotsay and gone is Albert Pujols' stash of "Vitamin B".
In pursuit of their 1st NASBL title, the Sioux traded their 1st round draft choice to acquire the aforementioned injured Josh Johnson (8-3, 3.72 in reg. season, but disappointing in playoffs) and Brian Giles, who produced a respectable .360 OBP while patrolling RF but whose age may find him on the unemployment line come NASBL cut down day.
The result is an aging team with diminishing skills and no 1st round pick. Carlos Delgado is likely to join the ranks of "former Sioux players" as the team will try to get younger. Don't get us wrong, Carlos still has some pop, but he may be of more use to a team in the position to make some noise in the playoffs.
Achieving 93 wins again seems all but impossible. 85 seems like a more appropriate target. Hopefully that's enough to contend for a playoff spot, but it probably ain't.
Friday, January 4, 2008
KNIGHTS LOOK TO NEXT LEVEL, BUT FACE SUBSTANTIAL ISSUES IN 2008
(New York Daily Mirror – December 28, 2007)
NEW YORK – One year ago, Knights GM Mitch Pak stood at a press conference before a gaggle of hard-boiled, skeptical New York sportswriters and media talking heads and proclaimed that the Knights were heading in the right direction. He pointed to the team’s 15-game improvement from 2005 to 2006 and predicted that, if everything went according to plan and the players performed to their potentials, the Knights would not only surpass their franchise-record win total of 71 (set in 2003) and not only finish over .500, but would actually contend for a division title in 2007. Much derisive literary snorting and over the air skepticism followed.
However, after the Knights’ 87 win season in 2007, their contention for the division title and their chase of a wild-card berth that lasted into the last week of the season, Pak has gained substantial credibility in the tough New York sports media, which is famous (or rather infamous) for its reluctance in recognizing and appreciating success.
But with the Knights entering their eighth season in the NASBL, and with their fans finally tasting contending baseball and naturally wanting more, Pak faces the daunting challenge of taking his team to the next level – the NASBL playoffs. Knights fans feel they deserve to experience the heady feel of October baseball, after so many years of disappointment and frustration. Its hard to argue with them.
And there lies the problem for Pak. Its one thing to transform an awful 55-win team into a merely lousy 70 win team, as Pak did from 2005 to 2006. Its quite another to make a good team, which the Knights were in 2007, into a playoff team. The team must not only improve, it must avoid backsliding, which is no easy task in this highly competitive league.
A critical look at the Knights 2007 season reveals some troubling issues that may transform into substantial challenges for Pak and the Knights in 2008.
1. Run Production
You wouldn’t think that run production would be a problem in 2008, since the ’07 team was a terrific offensive group. The team’s 390 doubles led the entire NASBL, they were second in hits with 1,674 and were third in team batting with a franchise-history mark of .288. Yet, a dispassionate observer could look at the Knights roster and raise some valid issues with the team’s ability to score runs next year, absent a terrific draft or a high impact trade.
Clearly, some of the Knights hitters had career seasons, never to be approached again. Bill Hall, a utility player who is regarded as having some pop in his bat at best, smashed 49 homers and knocked in 134 runs, putting him into Manny Ramirez-Alex Rodriguez-David Ortiz territory. Hall’s 2006 numbers, while good (17 HR, 54 RBI, .307 BA), did not portend the kind of performance Hall provided in 2007. The Knights should be a little concerned about getting a phone call from George Mitchell should he ever continue his probe into the use of steroids in baseball.
Hall aside, the Knights also shouldn’t expect a repeat of the run production provided by the team’s first base platoon of Olmedo Saenz and Adam LaRoche, who combined for 37 homers and 114 RBI, as well as a .338 batting average. Saenz, a career utility player, is another hitter who would have fallen under Mitchell’s radar, as his startling numbers in a part-time role (15 HR’s, 45 RBI, .359 BA in 167 AB’s) certainly raised eyebrows.
The Knights also cannot count on Jason Kendall batting .311 ever again in his career, although his home run total of zero is more typical of Kendall’s M.O. The Knights are still ruing the decision to trade Bengie Molina in favor of keeping Kendall. Rumors inside Knights camp are that the team will be releasing both Kendall and his lighter-hitting backup, Gerald Laird, if neither of them can be traded before cut down day in January.
The Knights also have to be concerned about team captain Michael Young, who flew under the radar in 2007 because the Knights were in contention until the end of September. A year after leading the club with 29 homers, 121 runs batted in and a .349 batting average, Young, who was rumored to be hurt all season, hit a paltry 4 homers, knocked in just 60 runs and hit a light .276. The Knights will need Young to rebound in a BIG way in 2008 if they are going to contend.
Still, there are some bright signs offensively for the Knights in 2008. Hideki Matsui (47 homers in 2005) will be back for a full season, and if he can approach the .370 average he posted in 154 at bats in ’07, the Knights will be that much more dangerous. The team also appears to be set for years to come at both third and in center field, with Garrett Atkins (.292, 21 homers and 104 RBI) and Grady Sizemore (20 homers, 58 RBI, .303) turning in All-Star turns. However, other productive players like Jacque Jones cannot be expected to repeat their ’07 performances.
It will be nearly impossible for the Knights to approach their 2007 offensive numbers, to say nothing about equaling them, without a major infusion of new blood. With the Knights not having a top 5 pick in the ’08 rookie draft and their trading stock somewhat thin, this will be a daunting task.
2. Pitching
2007 saw the Knights set a number of new franchise pitching records. It was the first season that all five starters recorded at least 10 wins (rookie Matt Cain led with 15) and also the first season that each starter recorded 150 strikeouts or more. The starters’ total of 59 wins also set a franchise record. The bullpen recorded a team record 44 saves, with the majority of them (37) tallied by rookie Takashi Saito. The club finally, for the first time in its history, allowed fewer runs (858) than it scored (897). Three of the starters hurled over 200 innings for the first time since 2001.
However, and as is the norm with the Knights, the stats are misleading. Three of the team’s starters, including Cain, issued over 100 walks; every starter except Cain allowed more hits than innings pitched; and none of the starters recorded an ERA under 5.00, joining the putrid 2005 staff in that regard.
It’s no secret that the Knights are actively shopping Dontrelle Willis, who was 12-13, 5.28 in 2007 after posting a 14-win season in 2006. However, Willis has drawn little interest from other GM’s to date, raising the possibility that the Knights will start the 2008 campaign with six starters on the roster, since Adam Wainwright (5-5, 4.30 as a middle reliever in 2007) will most likely move into the rotation from the bullpen next year.
While GM Mitch Pak has declined to comment on the topic, Knights insiders speculate that Orlando Hernandez (10-8, 5.57 in 2007) and Willis would split a starting spot, with Hernandez getting the majority of the starts, if a starter cannot be moved by the roster cut-down day. Willis may also be moved into the bullpen as a lefty specialist. Despite having struggled in New York, there are no plans to shop Barry Zito, who notched 11 wins in 2007, although sources close to Mitch Pak’s thinking believe that he would be moved in a package.
The Knights would appear to be set in the bullpen, as at least two of the Knights’ three set-up men - Chad Qualls (5-6, 2.55 ERA, two saves), Scott Linebrink (3-2, 4.11) and Kevin Gregg (2-1, 4.62) – will probably be back in 2008 to set up for Saito.
The most nagging question facing Mitch Pak is whether the pitching next year can be good enough to support an offense than almost certainly will not be as productive in 2008 as it was in 2007. While there’s no doubt that Pak will be looking to upgrade his offensive production next season, real issues exist as to whether next year’s staff, even if composed of the same pitchers next year, can be as effective. Time will tell.
NEW YORK – One year ago, Knights GM Mitch Pak stood at a press conference before a gaggle of hard-boiled, skeptical New York sportswriters and media talking heads and proclaimed that the Knights were heading in the right direction. He pointed to the team’s 15-game improvement from 2005 to 2006 and predicted that, if everything went according to plan and the players performed to their potentials, the Knights would not only surpass their franchise-record win total of 71 (set in 2003) and not only finish over .500, but would actually contend for a division title in 2007. Much derisive literary snorting and over the air skepticism followed.
However, after the Knights’ 87 win season in 2007, their contention for the division title and their chase of a wild-card berth that lasted into the last week of the season, Pak has gained substantial credibility in the tough New York sports media, which is famous (or rather infamous) for its reluctance in recognizing and appreciating success.
But with the Knights entering their eighth season in the NASBL, and with their fans finally tasting contending baseball and naturally wanting more, Pak faces the daunting challenge of taking his team to the next level – the NASBL playoffs. Knights fans feel they deserve to experience the heady feel of October baseball, after so many years of disappointment and frustration. Its hard to argue with them.
And there lies the problem for Pak. Its one thing to transform an awful 55-win team into a merely lousy 70 win team, as Pak did from 2005 to 2006. Its quite another to make a good team, which the Knights were in 2007, into a playoff team. The team must not only improve, it must avoid backsliding, which is no easy task in this highly competitive league.
A critical look at the Knights 2007 season reveals some troubling issues that may transform into substantial challenges for Pak and the Knights in 2008.
1. Run Production
You wouldn’t think that run production would be a problem in 2008, since the ’07 team was a terrific offensive group. The team’s 390 doubles led the entire NASBL, they were second in hits with 1,674 and were third in team batting with a franchise-history mark of .288. Yet, a dispassionate observer could look at the Knights roster and raise some valid issues with the team’s ability to score runs next year, absent a terrific draft or a high impact trade.
Clearly, some of the Knights hitters had career seasons, never to be approached again. Bill Hall, a utility player who is regarded as having some pop in his bat at best, smashed 49 homers and knocked in 134 runs, putting him into Manny Ramirez-Alex Rodriguez-David Ortiz territory. Hall’s 2006 numbers, while good (17 HR, 54 RBI, .307 BA), did not portend the kind of performance Hall provided in 2007. The Knights should be a little concerned about getting a phone call from George Mitchell should he ever continue his probe into the use of steroids in baseball.
Hall aside, the Knights also shouldn’t expect a repeat of the run production provided by the team’s first base platoon of Olmedo Saenz and Adam LaRoche, who combined for 37 homers and 114 RBI, as well as a .338 batting average. Saenz, a career utility player, is another hitter who would have fallen under Mitchell’s radar, as his startling numbers in a part-time role (15 HR’s, 45 RBI, .359 BA in 167 AB’s) certainly raised eyebrows.
The Knights also cannot count on Jason Kendall batting .311 ever again in his career, although his home run total of zero is more typical of Kendall’s M.O. The Knights are still ruing the decision to trade Bengie Molina in favor of keeping Kendall. Rumors inside Knights camp are that the team will be releasing both Kendall and his lighter-hitting backup, Gerald Laird, if neither of them can be traded before cut down day in January.
The Knights also have to be concerned about team captain Michael Young, who flew under the radar in 2007 because the Knights were in contention until the end of September. A year after leading the club with 29 homers, 121 runs batted in and a .349 batting average, Young, who was rumored to be hurt all season, hit a paltry 4 homers, knocked in just 60 runs and hit a light .276. The Knights will need Young to rebound in a BIG way in 2008 if they are going to contend.
Still, there are some bright signs offensively for the Knights in 2008. Hideki Matsui (47 homers in 2005) will be back for a full season, and if he can approach the .370 average he posted in 154 at bats in ’07, the Knights will be that much more dangerous. The team also appears to be set for years to come at both third and in center field, with Garrett Atkins (.292, 21 homers and 104 RBI) and Grady Sizemore (20 homers, 58 RBI, .303) turning in All-Star turns. However, other productive players like Jacque Jones cannot be expected to repeat their ’07 performances.
It will be nearly impossible for the Knights to approach their 2007 offensive numbers, to say nothing about equaling them, without a major infusion of new blood. With the Knights not having a top 5 pick in the ’08 rookie draft and their trading stock somewhat thin, this will be a daunting task.
2. Pitching
2007 saw the Knights set a number of new franchise pitching records. It was the first season that all five starters recorded at least 10 wins (rookie Matt Cain led with 15) and also the first season that each starter recorded 150 strikeouts or more. The starters’ total of 59 wins also set a franchise record. The bullpen recorded a team record 44 saves, with the majority of them (37) tallied by rookie Takashi Saito. The club finally, for the first time in its history, allowed fewer runs (858) than it scored (897). Three of the starters hurled over 200 innings for the first time since 2001.
However, and as is the norm with the Knights, the stats are misleading. Three of the team’s starters, including Cain, issued over 100 walks; every starter except Cain allowed more hits than innings pitched; and none of the starters recorded an ERA under 5.00, joining the putrid 2005 staff in that regard.
It’s no secret that the Knights are actively shopping Dontrelle Willis, who was 12-13, 5.28 in 2007 after posting a 14-win season in 2006. However, Willis has drawn little interest from other GM’s to date, raising the possibility that the Knights will start the 2008 campaign with six starters on the roster, since Adam Wainwright (5-5, 4.30 as a middle reliever in 2007) will most likely move into the rotation from the bullpen next year.
While GM Mitch Pak has declined to comment on the topic, Knights insiders speculate that Orlando Hernandez (10-8, 5.57 in 2007) and Willis would split a starting spot, with Hernandez getting the majority of the starts, if a starter cannot be moved by the roster cut-down day. Willis may also be moved into the bullpen as a lefty specialist. Despite having struggled in New York, there are no plans to shop Barry Zito, who notched 11 wins in 2007, although sources close to Mitch Pak’s thinking believe that he would be moved in a package.
The Knights would appear to be set in the bullpen, as at least two of the Knights’ three set-up men - Chad Qualls (5-6, 2.55 ERA, two saves), Scott Linebrink (3-2, 4.11) and Kevin Gregg (2-1, 4.62) – will probably be back in 2008 to set up for Saito.
The most nagging question facing Mitch Pak is whether the pitching next year can be good enough to support an offense than almost certainly will not be as productive in 2008 as it was in 2007. While there’s no doubt that Pak will be looking to upgrade his offensive production next season, real issues exist as to whether next year’s staff, even if composed of the same pitchers next year, can be as effective. Time will tell.
Monday, December 24, 2007
T'was the Night Before Christmas
T'was the night before Christmas and all thur the house, not a NASBL manager was stirring not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, and every manager was hoping the player he wanted to draft would still be there. The managers were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of 5-tool players danced in their heads; All of a sudden I heard a noise outside & was glad I didn't have to 'pop a cap in the sucker's side'. I realize in a moment it must be St Nick because he shouted and called them by name: "Now, Braun! now, Lincecum! now, Pence & Dice K! On, Pedroia! on Young! on, Accardo and Okajima! Then he sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight, "HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL NASBL'ers, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT."
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