Vermont Welcomes Raúl Ibañez

Burlington, VT



In a short press release today, the Vermont Fighting Sioux announced the acquisition of LF/DH Raúl Ibañez from the Less Filling Champions Miami Surf in exchange for a 2nd round pick. The press release droned on about the 5 straight MLB seasons of an OBP over .350 and an OPS+ above 1.15 but conveniently left out Raúl's shortcomings in the field, thus the dual positional notation of LF/DH.

The Sioux currently have no DH or LF under contract, so Ibañez is a welcomed addition, regardless of his "range".

スー tribe, gets 2b that attached to smooth defense

Burlington, VT

For the second time in two days, a Less Filling Central club eager to improve on their dismal 2008 performance, made a trade involving a 1-rated second sacker. Instead of shipping one out of town like division rival GCG, the Vermont Fighting Sioux acquired Akinori Iwamura from the Springfield Isotopes in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick (LVI's #2) in the 2009 NASBL Rookie/Free Agent draft.

In addition to flashing his leather, the presumptive American League Gold Glove runner-up will be part of a platoon at 2b with the incumbent, Robinson Cano. Switch hitting Aki will face RHP (.356 obp in '08 MLB) while the lefty Cano will oppose LHP (.349).

Vermont now boasts an impressive defensive infield with 1s at 1b (Albert Pujols), 2b (Aki), ss (Jack Wilson) and a 2 at 3b (Ryan Zimmerman). Lord knows the pitching staff will need all the help it can get.

"This move was made necessary by Robbie posting a career low OPS+ for the parent club this past season. If he bounces back this year, we'll be in the enviable position of having two talented second basemen", said Sioux GM Justin Rabidoux. When relayed that quote, a miffed Cano stated, "Bounce back, I've got your bounce back right here" while pointing to his nether region.

Hurt feelings aside, this move improves the Vermont club, but is the dealing done? "Hopefully not yet", replied a weary Rabidoux from his stool at the local saloon. Rabidoux is rumored to be upset at himself as a result of being late in the Matt Holliday sweepstakes but is definitely in the market for a big bat and has the draft picks to get a deal done.

And Now There Is 1

News Flash from the chilly midwest.

Prior to (Not Mark Prior to) the bears curling up for their long winters nap. Papa bear made changes to the roster once again. The Griz dispatched 1/2 their 2008 gold glove infield and a prime innings eater to the Haymakers for a seasonal gift. Terms of the deal to be announced in an upcoming article(s).

Griz 2008 opening day infield of Youkilis 1B-1, Phillips 2B-1, Betancourt SS-2, and Lowell 3B-1 is only a distant memory for Grundy County fans.

Lowell was dispatched after the season's first Block with a group of stud relievers for mega prospect Alex Gordon.

Phillips and Betancourt were part of a package the Griz parted with this festive season in their quest for the latest Helen of Troy.

And then there is one. Kevin Youkilis remains on the Griz active roster. However, he will probably be assigned to the otherside of the diamond or pasture duty more often than 1B. Oh well, a new direction for the bottom feeders.

Best (Luckiest) Draft Ever

Lady Luck was signed by Outlaw on January 30, 2008. That's the day we selected Mike Napoli with the second overall 2008 NASBL Supplemental Draft pick and kicked off the by far best ever draft in the history of the Outlaw Josey Wales. We drafted not four keepers last year, nor five, not six, nor seven keepers. As of now, it's looking like we'll have eight quality keepers from last year's draft, and we weren't even in a rebuilding mode!

As much as I'd like to claim incredible insight and skill, luck obviously had a lot to do with it. And a few of these players may have had career 2008 MLB seasons and end up to be short-term keepers. Nevertheless, I plan on fully enjoying last year's draft throughout the 2009 NASBL season. Here's a recap of the probable keepers from last year's draft and their 2008 MLB performance:

#1 Supp - Mike Napoli. I was drawn to his power potential and good card against RHP despite the low AB and BA. His 20 HR in 227 AB and .960 OPS are McGwire-esque stats for his 2008 262 MLB PA. He'll be gainfully employed against the Tastes Great competition next year. Napoli might cost long-time catcher Ramon Hernandez a roster spot and could pay off long-term if he can overcome his streakiness and nail down a full-time job.

#2 Supp - Scott Downs. It's been getting harder every year to find a good balanced LH relief pitcher card in the draft, so I jumped on his 2.17 ERA early, expecting only one season in return. I consider it pure luck that this 32 year-old journeyman improved in '08 with a 1.78 ERA, 5 saves, and 70 IP. He could be only a two-year keeper, but then he's lowered his MLB ERA and WHIP for six consecutive years and the Jays are considering him for the rotation next year.

#1 Rookie - Dustin Pedroia. Sophomore years don't get much better than gold glove, MVP, and OPS comparable to Big Papi. It was hard to pass up Braun and Tulowitzki, but I needed a second baseman, Omar was good for one more season, Dustin had managed to excel at all levels of baseball despite the naysayers, he's a defensive wiz at a crucial position, and analysis of the critical right side of his card showed it to be nearly as good as the right side of the unbalanced Braun and Tulowitzki cards. Time will tell whether Pedroia was the right choice, but Outlaw couldn't be happier so far.

#2 Rookie - Joakim Soria. Another guy who exceeded our high expectations in his sophomore MLB season. I really needed a closer and it was between Joakim and Manny Corpas. Most of what I read gave Soria the edge in potential, and then there's the "do not draft a Rockies pitcher" rule. Outlaw was and is hoping the Mexicutioner will nail down our closer spot for years, but a sophomore 1.60 ERA, 42 saves, and 0.86 WHIP are icing on the cake.

#3 Rookie - Ryan Ludwick. I needed a guy who could handle Center and Right better than Alfonso Soriano (not a high bar to set) and also hit right-handed pitching. I liked his power potential and figured he had a chance to be a keeper, but I'd be a flat out liar to say I wasn't as shocked as everyone else by his Pujols-esque 37 HR, 113 RBI and .857 OPS. 2008 may have been his career year, but I plan on enjoying it to the fullest.

#6 Rookie - Melvin Mora. This one was a deliberate sleeper pick. I needed more AB at third and Mora had a usable 2007 card. Sometimes it pays off to gamble on an aging veteran who has had a bad year or two after seasons of proving that he can bring it on. Mora's .285/23/104 2008 MLB stats made it easier to pull the trigger on the Aramis Ramirez for Rich Harden trade which vastly improves our 2009 rotation.

#9 Rookie - Ryan Theriot. This was pure luck. All I was looking for was a utility infielder who could double as a pinch runner last year. I don't like playing 3e20 at SS, but with Omar's decline it looks like Theriot and his well-balanced .384 OBP fell into my lap at just the right time. And if we're really lucky, Hal's inclination to improve range ratings on division winning teams will benefit Ryan.

#10 Rookie - Ryan Dempster. This was another deliberate sleeper pick that paid off big time for at least one season. I figure that any time you're looking for IP in the late rounds and can get a reliever who is being considered for the starting rotation and has any potential at all, grab him! A 2.96 ERA in 206 IP is more than we could have hoped for.

Josh Fields is on the Block

Dateline Illinois:

We met up with Chows Owner/GM Brad Sherlag on his way to this years Winter meetings. He was disappointed, yet encouraged with the 2008 season. "We made great strides, we were a winning club for the first time. Our division is extremely competitive right now and we think we can compete next year. All four clubs have an eye on the play-offs -- hopefully we will be one of the ones that make it next season."

Sherlag would not get into a lot of specifics, but he is looking for starting pitching and corner outfield help. "When you think about it -- to win 87 games and still pick 7th - we should get another cornerstone player." When asked about off-season trades, Sherlag sounded doubtful something would happen. "We really made our off-season move after Block II getting DeJesus. He will start in RF for us next year vs. Righties and should be better than the corner outfielder we would have taken at 23. Not having a 2nd rounder to deal will hinder our chances of helping the club. We are exploring trading a little youth to try and get better. Josh Fields had a solid rookie campaign in the NASBL, but he really won't play for us this year behind Figgins and Beltre. "

Fields could definitely be a nice player for a rebuilding team to get. Illinois is planning on keeping him as their 17th player -- but could be willing to deal Josh for some help at one of their needs. An aging DH type from a rebuilding team could be a deal that would make some sense.

Fields is projected to start at 3B this season for the Chicago White Sox (a team Illinois will loan him to so he can get some ABs in 2009). Due to plate appearance rules, Fields will not be in the NASBL supplemental or regular draft if Illinois elected to cut him loose. "We are 95% sure we will keep Josh as our last keeper. We just have to make sure we can get by with 29 players next year. We really believe Josh will start for somebody in the NASBL in 2010 be it us or another club."

Happy Turkey Day!

"Happy Thanksgiving"

Just a note to Wish All NASBL'ers a Happy Thanksgiving! To a bunch of guys I consider good friends and if you came up to me and slapped me in the face (c'mon don't tell me you haven't thought about doing that once, maybe twice! :) ) I wouldn't even know you!! Until you started making some trade offers that only Paris Hilton would make!! D'OH! A Big Thank you to snowboard king 'Beard' for keeping up the website, for running the Draft and babysitting 15 different personalities!!

"Happy Thanksgiving" Guys! RR

Outlaw Career Leaders

I was intrigued by Justin's career rankings post last month, so now that I have a few spare minutes I decided to stay up too late tonight drinking Longboard Lagers and tabulating Outlaw's career player rankings. To paraphrase Justin, using the new "Team by Team Single Season Leaders" function on the NASBL web site, we calculated the top Outlaw hitters and hurlers. Assigning 10 points for 1st place and 1 for 10th place for the major statistical categories, the top hurler and pitcher are no surprise:

Tim Hudson - Outlaw's career leader in complete games (82), innings pitched (1933), strikeouts (1262), shutouts (13), and wins (116), this 2000 first round draft pick and Cy Young winner has certainly lived up to his potential. With the power hitters that Outlaw has lined up for 2009, we expect Tim to add a lot to all those stats next year.

Manny Ramirez - Manny leads all Outlaw sluggers in at bats (5531), hits (1698), doubles (359), homers (405), extra base hits (778), RBI (1124), runs (989), and walks (799). And he's second in four other major statistical categories. And all this playing in a pitcher's park! ManRam's 150 point total was more than 50% higher than the closest competition. Manny was a product of the old NASBL rookie protection system for my Cleveland Indians and all trade inquiries about this hitting machine were promptly met with a standard "pry him out of my cold dead hands" clause. With Manny looking for a long-term contract and showing no signs of slowing down for teams that keep him happy, who knows what stats he'll rack up by the end of his career.