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2006 Mid-Season Recap: Louisville Colonels
(courtesy of cbatraderumors.com)
The Louisville Colonels had some issues to address in the off-season, especially the large hole left in their starting rotation by the departure of 2004 Outstanding Pitcher Brian Wilson. GM Otto Orcin filled the hole by trading a minor leaguer to Chicago for Aaron Wilkerson, a fifth starter made redundant by the Cougars’ signing of free agent starting pitcher (you guessed it) Brian Wilson. Wilkerson (6-4, 4.06) has a winning record and a respectable ERA, while Wilson (6-7, 5.35) has neither. It is not really clear what happened here, but this writer’s money is on the coaching staff at Louisville. They seem to have a knack for turning water into wine (see Brian Wilson in 2003 when he was 8-20 with Phoenix and Aaron Wilkerson’s 8-14 record in 2005 if you need proof).
Orcin’s most surprising off-season move was the firing of long-time scout Fernando Candelaria. Insiders say that Orcin allowed new scout Jorge Enriquez to run the entire first-year player draft. We won’t know the consequences of that move for several years, but it seems that Orcin has confidence in his new advisor.
Orcin apparently trusted Enriquez to make the right call on another key decision – the trade of blue-chip outfield prospects with Cleveland. Juan Moran is batting cleanup for Cleveland and hitting .219 with 8 home runs. Ron Hartman bats leadoff for Louisville and has a .386 on-base percentage with 15/16 stolen bases and a good start on the Gold Glove Award in right field. We’ll give the edge to the Orcin/Enriquez team so far.
Louisville’s offense is more balanced after the trade, and that pitching staff is still the best in the league. The defense had the potential to go south after Orcin traded away Gold Glove center fielder Manuel Jaramillo in the off-season. Pedro Dominguez has stepped into the center field spot and made only one error so far with great range and a +5.6 zone rating. In addition, rookie Cristo Rodriguez has taken over at shortstop and is well on his way to a Gold Glove of his own. The emergence of Rodriguez has allowed Pierre-Louis Simon to take over at third base, again at the top of the league defensively at his position. Throw in one of the best catchers in the league (Duncan Bland) and you have several reasons why Louisville is the CBA’s #1 team in runs allowed.
The Colonels have made no secret of their philosophy. Spend heavily on scouting, player development, and coaching in order to keep a pipeline of young talent coming up through the organization. Pay close attention to character traits and team chemistry. Let the older big-money players (example: Wilson, Fletcher, Sanders) go at the point of diminishing returns, regardless of how many good years they may have left. Louisville enjoys the cheaper and arguably more productive front-end of their career, while another team pays a high price for a good year or two at the beginning of the decline phase. It is hard to argue with the plan when you study the results – five playoff appearances in five years. Louisville is out in front again in their 162-game pre-season phase, otherwise known as the Federal Midwest Division race, and you can buy those tickets now for playoff appearance number six in October.
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