Whats on the horizon for the Reno Tenpinners of the PEBA?
Note: I am not affiliated in any way with the PEBA, i am not the GM of the Tenpinners. This is for entertainment purposes only (not sure what else it could possibly be for, but its fun to say that!).
It’s hard to find many good things on a team that’s sits at 22-67. The Reno Tenpinners don’t appear to have much going for them. Not when you have a team batting average that ranks 23rd out of 24 teams. How about Homeruns? 61. That’s good for the 20th ranking. Runs? 23rd. OBP? Slugging? Stolen bases? Not good. Don’t bother looking at the Pitching, outside of Keith Bandelow, it’s bad. Want to check out the team fielding? It’s not horrible, but let’s not call it good. If not for the Yuma Bulldozers, the Reno Tenpinners would be the worst team in the PEBA in virtually every major statistical category.
Do the Tenpinners have some good players? Sure. A handful. But not enough to make a good team. So what is good about the Reno Tenpinners?
It’s the Angoon Avalanche. The lineup boasts 9 players with at least solid PEBA potential and the starting rotation has superb potential with one guaranteed superstar.
SS Jesus Campos is outstanding fielder, and if he can learn some patience at the plate, his speed and ability to steal bases would make him a nice top of the lineup weapon.
C Marvin Collins does everything good. His strength is in how he plays the catcher position. He’s tough, and knows how to handle his pitchers.
LF Pedro Chavarria has a nice skill set, but it’s his outstanding work ethic that could push him up to the PEBA. He has a lot of work to do, but his natural ability is rock solid. Anyone that has sat in the stands of an Avalanche game can attest to this kids motor.
The middle of the Avalanche lineup boasts 1B Ricardo Encarnacion, RF Merrill Stewart and 3B Kenneth Cameron. Some coaches have questioned the work ethics of Encarnacion and Stewart, and there are clearly holes in each of their games.
Encarnacion has the power potential to push him over 30 homeruns. If he can learn to lay off some really bad pitches. Stewart’s fielding and his skill running the bases help offset his sometimes lazy attitude at the plate. A little more focus would really benefit this kid.
Cameron hit 49 homeruns in his 4 years at Ohio State. The knock on him is that he didn’t really develop much between his freshmen and senior seasons. If the Angoon coaches can push him, Cameron could become a fixture in the Tenpinners five hole.
At 23, RF Henry Milk is running out of time to prove himself in Angoon. After a 2013 season where he hit .299 and really got the coaches attention with his stellar fielding, he’s hit just .237 this season. He’s being given every chance to show he can be a piece of the Tenpinner future, but he really needs to show some more growth.
Batting 8th and 9th are 2B Flynn Scott and 1B Doug White. Consistent with the Angoon approach, both are outstanding fielders. Scott’s ability has yet to translate at the plate, but as with the rest of the team, the potential is there. He has a solid eye and can really turn on some good pitches. At 18, White has yet to show the power he demonstrated as a high school senior at Chatsworth, where he had a .569 slugging pct with 16 HRs. Again, if the coaches can get to this kid, he’ll be a 6 or 7 hitter for the Tenpinners.
The real strength of this Angoon team, and a testament to the outstanding drafting of the Tenpinners management and coaching is the starting pitchers. Saving the best for last makes no sense, so lets talk about Michael Johnson.
The 8th overall pick in this years draft, the kid they call Mustache is the unquestioned leader of this team. In just his first year, he has truly asserted himself in the clubhouse. A 5 pitch repertoire highlighted by a 97mph fastball helped him to 19 wins at Union City High School where he struck out 351 in only 280 innings. His first Avalanche outing was an 8 inning, 6 hit shutout with 9 K’s and 0 walks. There’s no reason to believe Johnson won’t be a 20 game winner and all all-star in the very near future.
The rest of the staff? All taken in the 2014 draft. 2nd round pick Dale Lake, 3rd round pick Steve Elwell, 5th round pick Chad Stewart and 8th round pick Christian Porter form the rest of the starting lineup. If even one of these kids pan out, the Tenpinners will have an excellent number two to follow up Johnson.
Lake is a solid pitcher, but the coaches really feel he could develop even more than projected. His intelligence and work ethic are literally off the charts. One of the coaches commented that they actually have to lock the door to the coaches office to keep the kid out. Outside of a fairly poor season at Pittsburgh, the biggest knock against him is his lack of stamina. He doesn’t often last past the 6th inning.
Coaches told me that Steve Elwell is the guy they really want to develop into an innings eater. He has three good pitches, with his changeup being the best. He won’t strikeout many batters, but he generally puts the ball right where he wants it. His ability to go deep into ballgames and give the bullpen a rest is invaluable.
After Elwell, Angoon features Chad Stewart and Christian Porter. Neither one has Star written on him, but both could be big league pitchers. Stewart is very well rounded with no extreme weakness and projects as a nice number four guy. If he can stop giving up dingers, he gave up 15 in 74+ innings his senior year at Illinois College, he could see a lot of big league innings.
Porter is a guy the coaches are really taking a risk with. He doesn’t go deep into ballgames and has only two pitches. However, his 98 mph fastball has many in the organization hoping he can slide into a decent middle reliever role. His splitter lacks movement, but it also a very good ‘out’ pitch for him.
The Avalanche’s closer is Tim Hooper, another 3rd round pick. He has three pitches, but the coaches really want him to lay off tossing his weak changeup. He doesn’t blow hitters away, but his great movement and very good control get him lots of outs. It’s hard to project how he will develop, but the coaches are giving him every opportunity to show he’s got big league skills.
It’s rare that a team predicted to go 40-122 has so much hope on the horizon. Tenpinner fans are hoping these kids make it to the big league sooner than later, but the coaches know better than to rush these kids. It wouldn’t shock me to see a huge Mustache revival on the streets of Reno before too long.
It’s hard to find many good things on a team that’s sits at 22-67. The Reno Tenpinners don’t appear to have much going for them. Not when you have a team batting average that ranks 23rd out of 24 teams. How about Homeruns? 61. That’s good for the 20th ranking. Runs? 23rd. OBP? Slugging? Stolen bases? Not good. Don’t bother looking at the Pitching, outside of Keith Bandelow, it’s bad. Want to check out the team fielding? It’s not horrible, but let’s not call it good. If not for the Yuma Bulldozers, the Reno Tenpinners would be the worst team in the PEBA in virtually every major statistical category.
Do the Tenpinners have some good players? Sure. A handful. But not enough to make a good team. So what is good about the Reno Tenpinners?
It’s the Angoon Avalanche. The lineup boasts 9 players with at least solid PEBA potential and the starting rotation has superb potential with one guaranteed superstar.
SS Jesus Campos is outstanding fielder, and if he can learn some patience at the plate, his speed and ability to steal bases would make him a nice top of the lineup weapon.
C Marvin Collins does everything good. His strength is in how he plays the catcher position. He’s tough, and knows how to handle his pitchers.
LF Pedro Chavarria has a nice skill set, but it’s his outstanding work ethic that could push him up to the PEBA. He has a lot of work to do, but his natural ability is rock solid. Anyone that has sat in the stands of an Avalanche game can attest to this kids motor.
The middle of the Avalanche lineup boasts 1B Ricardo Encarnacion, RF Merrill Stewart and 3B Kenneth Cameron. Some coaches have questioned the work ethics of Encarnacion and Stewart, and there are clearly holes in each of their games.
Encarnacion has the power potential to push him over 30 homeruns. If he can learn to lay off some really bad pitches. Stewart’s fielding and his skill running the bases help offset his sometimes lazy attitude at the plate. A little more focus would really benefit this kid.
Cameron hit 49 homeruns in his 4 years at Ohio State. The knock on him is that he didn’t really develop much between his freshmen and senior seasons. If the Angoon coaches can push him, Cameron could become a fixture in the Tenpinners five hole.
At 23, RF Henry Milk is running out of time to prove himself in Angoon. After a 2013 season where he hit .299 and really got the coaches attention with his stellar fielding, he’s hit just .237 this season. He’s being given every chance to show he can be a piece of the Tenpinner future, but he really needs to show some more growth.
Batting 8th and 9th are 2B Flynn Scott and 1B Doug White. Consistent with the Angoon approach, both are outstanding fielders. Scott’s ability has yet to translate at the plate, but as with the rest of the team, the potential is there. He has a solid eye and can really turn on some good pitches. At 18, White has yet to show the power he demonstrated as a high school senior at Chatsworth, where he had a .569 slugging pct with 16 HRs. Again, if the coaches can get to this kid, he’ll be a 6 or 7 hitter for the Tenpinners.
The real strength of this Angoon team, and a testament to the outstanding drafting of the Tenpinners management and coaching is the starting pitchers. Saving the best for last makes no sense, so lets talk about Michael Johnson.
The 8th overall pick in this years draft, the kid they call Mustache is the unquestioned leader of this team. In just his first year, he has truly asserted himself in the clubhouse. A 5 pitch repertoire highlighted by a 97mph fastball helped him to 19 wins at Union City High School where he struck out 351 in only 280 innings. His first Avalanche outing was an 8 inning, 6 hit shutout with 9 K’s and 0 walks. There’s no reason to believe Johnson won’t be a 20 game winner and all all-star in the very near future.
The rest of the staff? All taken in the 2014 draft. 2nd round pick Dale Lake, 3rd round pick Steve Elwell, 5th round pick Chad Stewart and 8th round pick Christian Porter form the rest of the starting lineup. If even one of these kids pan out, the Tenpinners will have an excellent number two to follow up Johnson.
Lake is a solid pitcher, but the coaches really feel he could develop even more than projected. His intelligence and work ethic are literally off the charts. One of the coaches commented that they actually have to lock the door to the coaches office to keep the kid out. Outside of a fairly poor season at Pittsburgh, the biggest knock against him is his lack of stamina. He doesn’t often last past the 6th inning.
Coaches told me that Steve Elwell is the guy they really want to develop into an innings eater. He has three good pitches, with his changeup being the best. He won’t strikeout many batters, but he generally puts the ball right where he wants it. His ability to go deep into ballgames and give the bullpen a rest is invaluable.
After Elwell, Angoon features Chad Stewart and Christian Porter. Neither one has Star written on him, but both could be big league pitchers. Stewart is very well rounded with no extreme weakness and projects as a nice number four guy. If he can stop giving up dingers, he gave up 15 in 74+ innings his senior year at Illinois College, he could see a lot of big league innings.
Porter is a guy the coaches are really taking a risk with. He doesn’t go deep into ballgames and has only two pitches. However, his 98 mph fastball has many in the organization hoping he can slide into a decent middle reliever role. His splitter lacks movement, but it also a very good ‘out’ pitch for him.
The Avalanche’s closer is Tim Hooper, another 3rd round pick. He has three pitches, but the coaches really want him to lay off tossing his weak changeup. He doesn’t blow hitters away, but his great movement and very good control get him lots of outs. It’s hard to project how he will develop, but the coaches are giving him every opportunity to show he’s got big league skills.
It’s rare that a team predicted to go 40-122 has so much hope on the horizon. Tenpinner fans are hoping these kids make it to the big league sooner than later, but the coaches know better than to rush these kids. It wouldn’t shock me to see a huge Mustache revival on the streets of Reno before too long.
Total Comments 3
Comments
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Excellent read Gern! You should really be writing for the PEBA, I started in the league that way. Before I got the job as Kuwana GM I created 'Ed's College Balls' and wrote about the PEBA & LRS college circuit. Next season with the GM's job I'll just concentrate on the Tokyo Collegiate Circuit so perhaps you fancy writing about the PEBA equivelant - The US collegiate baseball association? It's a good way to get really involved in the league and spot the future stars that will end as top draft picks.Posted 05-19-2011 at 01:10 PM by mavericktango 
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I really enjoyed reading this article. It's nice to see such a positive take on a franchise that has struggled so mightily. And you're right - there really is a lot of reason for hope in Reno. This latest impressive draft class joins a group of young players already moving through the system, the most advanced of which - António "Trashmaster" Morales - has just reached the PEBA. Morales was the sixth overall pick three seasons ago, which illustrates just how quickly some of these players can make an impact.
Beyond the quality of the article, let me thank you for taking an interest in the PEBA, Gern, and for taking the time to write about the league. Our members especially love reading articles written from independent voices. I will be sure to direct our members to your blog so they can enjoy your work!
Posted 05-19-2011 at 01:35 PM by Corsairs
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I am the current GM of this organization and I thank you for a great read!Posted 05-30-2011 at 11:22 AM by scotto313
