4/1 OPENING DAY NEWS
This is your next big superstar in the IBL. Average OF (much better in RF than LF) with good tools. No wheels what so ever, but a hall of fame bat. .330+ 50 HR power. He won't walk but he doesn't strike out a ton either. Will be a 25-30 doubles guy, but has off the charts power and will chase a batting title or two. Hard worker. Expect to hear a lot from him in the next 10-15 years, he's just 20 years old. Signed by Arizona out of Venezuela in 2027, he's skyrocketed up the prospect charts.
And here are the top 10 prospects
I think I hit the jackpot for Alaska with last years draft and signings. That's 3 aces as far as our scouts are concerned. Lots to work with here. Craig is breaking camp with the big club and I expect him to start an all star career this year. He's a top tier offensive prospect. Watch out for this Addison kid in Chicago, huge arm who has come out of nowhere. Drafted 7th round in 2026 out of HS by New York, then traded 3 times (to Tulsa, To Hawaii and then to Chicago). Blossomed into a Koufax contending prospect last year.
With the minor league organizations ranked out of spring training.
Owner Randy Phillips is asking for a club that stays at/near .500. I think we can do that, we have the makings of a decent team. Our problem lies in the division, this is a very strong division. Here's a look at our opening day finances. I've put more money into scouting and player development. The hope is I can have a good enough year to increase attendance and get a budget bump. Fan interest is up about 8 pts from the end of last season. Fans are feeling good about the moves we made, and didn't make this winter.
MERRITT SIGNS
Once again Pete Merritt seems to be the last one in. He signed a 1 year 5.69M dollar deal with Columbus today.
Baltimore signed 1B Cesar Diaz (.350-17-66 in 123 games between BOS and AZ last year) to a 2 year 10.6M dollar deal. He's a .293/.341/.440 hitter in 943 IBL games, having played for SAN ('20-'22) DAY ('23) PIT ('24-'25) HOU ('26) SJ ('28) LV ('29) BOS and AZ ('30).
SAN ANTONIO NEWS FROM CAMP
3/4
26 year old SP Jorge Martinez has agreed to terms on a 3 year 11M dollar deal. Rodriguez spent the first 5+ years in Green Bay where we was 52-63 4.98 in 173 games (149 starts) over 945.2 IP he had 1040 K's. He's had 200+ K's 4 straight seasons. He signed out of Mexico in 2021. This could turn out to be a sleeper signing as he ended up having a great camp and breaks as the #3 starter.
Richard Morton has created a log jam in RF in Alaska. The Avalanche, for reasons unknown to me, have been peddling Lowell Cook. I have a bunch of players out of options, and IF Luis Lorenzo was one. Alaska jumped at the chance to trade Cook, who I had no issues at all in acquiring. He'll DH for me.
Espinoza is out of options, expensive, older and not very good. Jorgensen is none of the above. I can take on the salary, and he'll be a 2nd lefty out of the pen, which we didn't have.
Younger and better, every trade has to be both. The third one is, again. I know Chambers from the Alaska days, and he has 3-5th starter potential on a good team. Walters was out of options and even if he wasn't, wasn't likely to be in our long term plans.
