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08-04-2009, 06:53 PM
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#41 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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 This Week in Baseball - Headlines: Here we are again with the week 4 edition of This Week in Baseball. With the Piedmont League stratifying into contenders and pretenders already, the season long intrigue this season appears to be in finding out which teams in the Appalachian League will survive into the postseason. With the entire league separated by only 5 games, literally any of the teams from the Platinum and Copper Divisions could catch fire and take control, particularly in the insanely close Platinum Division which has all four teams within a game and a half of each other. Last season, the survivors were the Concord Cannons and the Greenville Mallards with Concord the eventual Appalachian League representative in the State Championship. Greenville was near the top of the league in pitching and offense while Concord was near the middle of the pack in both categories. This season, Concord looks to have stronger pitching but their offense has yet to get rolling. Greenville, on the other hand, appears to have taken a major step backward in both regards. Based on what we've seen so far this year, Rocky Mount appears poised to pull away from the rest of the Appalachian Copper Division based on the strength of their pitching staff which is far and away the best in the entire NCBL, while Raleigh hopes to counter with a strong offensive attack. In the Platinum Division, the race is so tight that no team appears significantly different from the others. It should be an exciting and close race all season long. The Week in Review: Chapel Hill came into the week with a mission - to prove to themselves and to the division leaders that they were going to be a part of the playoff hunt. Based on their poor showing in games against Winston-Salem and High Point, it appears that Chapel Hill just isn't ready yet to make that case. Instead, the division leaders both asserted themselves and have started to pull away. The Piedmont League will likely be mostly decided by the all-star break. Signings: 2B Merlin Crabtree, Winston-Salem - $25.38 million over 2 years Injuries: RF Mike Morrison, Greenville - out 9-10 months with a torn PCL RP Nathaniel Knight, Winston-Salem - out 2 weeks after a setback in his rehabilitation RF Joe Massey, Raleigh - out 5 days with a slight shoulder strain C Raymond Robionson, High Point - out 1 week with diverticulitus Game of the Week: At The Ballpark in Raleigh Bruce Richards of the Greensboro Gladiators wreaked havoc on Raleigh pitching, beating them 8-7 and leaving them in ruins after a prodigious three-home run performance. It was clear he was in a groove early on and as blast after blast cleared the fences. Fans knew they were witnessing a feat they wouldn't soon forget. After his monumental game Richards told reporters at the press conference, "The last one was totally unexpected. I just wanted to make good contact, never thinking I would get a home run -- and BANG! -- I got #3." For the game the Greensboro right fielder had 3 hits in 4 at-bats, drove in 3 and scored 3 runs. Richards hit a solo-shot off Green in the 2nd, hit a solo-shot off Green in the 4th, grounded out in the 4th and hit a solo-shot off Sorensen in the 7th. This year Richards is hitting .299 with 26 hits, 11 home runs, 22 RBIs and has scored 16 runs. Players of the Week: It can be difficult for a young player to step out of the shadows and assert himself in the Piedmont, but last week Bob Cook of the High Point Renegades reminded everyone just why he's here as he threw up numbers that made him an easy selection for Player of the Week. Cook rocked opposing pitching for a .458 average (11-24), 3 home runs and 13 RBIs to come away with the award. Cook has collected 41 hits for the Renegades this year, 6 of them home runs. He has also netted 27 RBIs and scored 36 runs while batting .406. ----------------------------- At the age of 26, Andrés Rodríguez might have some potential he hasn't realized yet -- if his success at the plate last week is any indication. The Concord catcher put up some exceptional numbers the past seven days with a .400 batting average. For his efforts Rodríguez collected the Appalachian Player of the Week Award. He racked up 8 hits in 20 at-bats, 2 home runs and 8 RBIs last week in 5 games. Rodríguez is presently hitting at a .271 pace with 4 home runs and 21 RBIs. He has played in 24 games and scored 8 times. Monthly Award Winners for April: When Bob Cook stepped up to the plate in April, he did it with confidence and today he was honored with the Piedmont Batter of the Month award. The young High Point center fielder posted a .383 batting average with 4 home runs, 20 RBIs and scored 31 runs. Cook also worked pitchers for 12 walks to post a .468 on-base percentage. ----------------------------- Bruce Richards of the Gladiators hit .277 in April with 12 home runs, 25 RBIs and 17 runs scored to capture a majority of votes for the Appalachian Batter of the Month trophy. The 31-year-old is in the last year of his contract and will undoubtedly use these numbers to try and bring in a huge pay raise. ----------------------------- Veteran Mark Morris put together quite a successful stretch in April for the Wilmington Warriors, earning himself the Piedmont Pitcher of the Month award. Morris racked up a 4-1 record in 6 starts, posting a 0.94 ERA over 38.1 innings and striking out 39. ----------------------------- Allen Williams took a much-deserved turn in the spotlight earlier today as he accepted the Appalachian Pitcher of the Month award for April. The 25-year-old Patriots starter is a relative newcomer to the league, but nonetheless racked up an impressive 4-1 won-lost record in 6 starts. He has fanned 28 batters in 38.1 innings and sports a 2.82 ERA. ----------------------------- Ed Blanton is still a bit shy, but then, who could blame the newest Piedmont Rookie of the Month honoree? He hasn't been around the league long enough to fully know the ropes yet, despite the fact that he's putting up veteran-like numbers. In April the Wilmington hitter tagged opposing pitching for a .394 average with 13 hits, 1 home run and 9 RBIs. ----------------------------- Ryan Doyle was toddling around on his tricycle when some of the guys he's playing against were in their prime, but the 21-year-old catcher definitely knows how to get to first, second or beyond. Today he was chosen April's Appalachian Rookie of the Month for his remarkable month of hitting. In 20 games Doyle batted .280 for Cary, slapping 21 hits in 75 at-bats with no home runs, drove in 4 runs and scored 11 times. Down on the Farm: AAA Goldsboro (Winston-Salem) RF Bill Sutherland got the call from the Twins and is now playing for the big club after posting a league best line (.393 12 40) in the opening month of the season. In his first game with Winston-Salem he went 1-3 with a triple and a walk. AAA Burlington (Greenville) SP Marty Davenport will not remain in AAA much longer if he can continue the pace he set in April. The 26 year-old led the Greenville staff with an outstanding ERA of 1.54, going 4-0 with a WHIP of 0.93. He could be the answer Greenville has been looking for to get their pitching staff on track. AA Lenoir (Rocky Mount) LF Kevin Gilbert has been on the decline for his career but he may still have something left as he is tearing up the ball in AA. The 30 year-old former major leaguer is hitting .265 with 8 HR and 23 RBI in 22 games. Never able to hit for a high average plagued Gilbert when he was with Rocky Mount but he has shown that he can contribute some power to the lineup. AA Garner (Asheville) RF Josh Coleman is another former major leaguer who is desperate to return to the bright lights. The 27 year-old struggled mightily last year in Asheville and AAA Salisbury. The management decided a trip through the low minors would give him a chance to find his swing and possibly get him back with the big club. He may have found something working with the Garner coaching staff as he has impressed with a .412 average with 5 HR and 19 RBI in 19 games. Weekly Power Rankings:
Looking Forward to Next Week: The series to watch this week will be between Winston-Salem and Durham in a battle between the best in the Piedmont Silver Division. In their previous meetings, Winston-Salem was slightly better, winning 2 out of 3 games. |
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08-04-2009, 07:28 PM
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#42 |
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All Star Starter
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,676
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Being a native of the Tar Heel state, I've got to pick some teams to follow ...
I'll go with the Winston-Salem Twins (I live near W-S), Chapel Hill Saints (I'm a UNC grad) and Raleigh Cardinals (where I was born) ... Saints in Chapel Hill -- that's a good one. Maybe Roy Williams ... Having fun with this dynasty -- it's neat to see how you developed the history so much. I started a North Carolina league (see my signature for link to the thread) but haven't played it in awhile. My problem is I get too bogged down writing about the league that I stop playing. I should just do what you did and sim a bunch of years and then write more broadly so I can cover more years ... Anyways, keep up the good work ... If you ever expand the league, consider Elkin, Mount Airy, Wilkesboro or Yadkinville. Neat little towns west of Winston-Salem but before you get to the mountains...
__________________
Current Dynasty Project The Tobacco State League: A Summer With the Red Springs Red Robins From the Way-Back Machine (WAY old dynasty stories): Tale Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story The Steve Victory Story: Tournament Dreams College Basketball! Baseball In The Tar Heel State: A Fictional Experience The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams Last edited by AZTarHeel; 08-04-2009 at 07:30 PM. |
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08-04-2009, 07:32 PM
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#43 |
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All Star Starter
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,676
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One question: Did you set it up so that the players all come from NC and surrounding areas? Just curious if you did and how you did it ... Thanks,
AZ
__________________
Current Dynasty Project The Tobacco State League: A Summer With the Red Springs Red Robins From the Way-Back Machine (WAY old dynasty stories): Tale Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story The Steve Victory Story: Tournament Dreams College Basketball! Baseball In The Tar Heel State: A Fictional Experience The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams |
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08-04-2009, 09:35 PM
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#44 | |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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Quote:
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08-04-2009, 10:35 PM
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#45 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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Uniforms for the NCBL
I get a kick out of having team uniforms that look cool. I spent a surprising amount of tweaking each team's look so that I was pleased with the result. All images and jersey templates were extracted from various mods on PadresFan's website:
 I like these a lot but I may ask some of those talented artists in the mods forum to see if they'd be interested in creating original artwork for these guys if this thing can stay going for a while. |
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08-04-2009, 10:36 PM
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#46 | |
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All Star Starter
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,676
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Quote:
__________________
Current Dynasty Project The Tobacco State League: A Summer With the Red Springs Red Robins From the Way-Back Machine (WAY old dynasty stories): Tale Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story The Steve Victory Story: Tournament Dreams College Basketball! Baseball In The Tar Heel State: A Fictional Experience The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams |
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08-04-2009, 11:42 PM
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#47 | |
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All Star Starter
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,676
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Quote:
__________________
Current Dynasty Project The Tobacco State League: A Summer With the Red Springs Red Robins From the Way-Back Machine (WAY old dynasty stories): Tale Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story The Steve Victory Story: Tournament Dreams College Basketball! Baseball In The Tar Heel State: A Fictional Experience The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams |
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08-05-2009, 01:49 AM
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#48 | |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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08-05-2009, 04:33 AM
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#49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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 This Week in Baseball - Headlines: Hello and welcome to this week 5 edition of This Week in Baseball. Looking at the past week, the story remains the same in the Piedmont League. The good teams remain good, the bad teams are looking at the top selections in the amateur draft. Much more intriguing is the Appalachian League where it seems no team is either willing or able to separate itself from the others. Cary managed to take the lead in the Copper Division but hold a tenuous 1 game lead over Raleigh and Rocky Mount with the Greenville Mallards furiously working to keep themselves in it. Greensboro has gotten up off the mat and made a major move up in the Platinum Division to take second - only a half game out of first! Such is life for now in the Appalachian League. A big loser from last week was Durham, who could do nothing with Winston-Salem and was swept in a critical 3 game series. Raleigh has also come back to the pack a bit as they endured a difficult 1-5 week. Being swept by Rocky Mount and losing 2 out of 3 to Greenville has the Cardinals front office buzzing with activity as they try to figure out how to right the ship. Rumors are flying about a big acquisition by the Cardinals in an attempt to raise their competitiveness on the field. The NCBL was also witness to one of the great feats of accomplishment in league history as Greensboro starter Cedrick Barnes no-hit the Asheville Riflemen in a 1-0 game. We'll talk more about the game in our Game of the Week segment. The Week in Review: Signings: SS Doyle Johnston, Greensboro - $12.26 million over 2 years Injuries: SS Pedro Jimenez, Wilmington - out 3-4 weeks with a fractured jaw SS Brian Newton, Fayetteville - out 2 weeks with a high ankle sprain 1B Alfredo Ocampo, High Point - out 2 weeks with tendinitis in his right hamstring CF Joe Martin, Jacksonville - out one week with shoulder soreness C Raymond Robinson, High Point - out for a week and hospitalized after suffering a setback in his recovery from diverticulitus C Andres Rodriguez, Concord - out 3 weeks with a lacerated finger Game of the Week: This week it can be no other than the thrilling game between Greensboro and Asheville that saw SP Cedrick Barnes throw the second no-hitter of the season. This time is was Asheville on the receiving end as Barnes turned in a beautiful 3 BB 7 K performance. Keeping the Riflemen scoreless was critical as Asheville's starter Jason Cox and reliever Tony Sloan were nearly as effective, limiting Greensboro to only 1 run on 2 hits and 6 walks. C Terry Richardson, filling in at 3rd for the game, delivered a 2 out RBI in the bottom of the second that turned out to be the only offense in the game. The no-hitter improved Barnes's already great numbers on the season to 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA with a WHIP of 0.93. The game also completed a 4 game series sweep of Asheville and a 6-1 week which vaulted the Gladiators up in the power rankings. Players of the Week: One of the league's most exciting young players, Bob Cook of the High Point Renegades earned himself Piedmont Player of the Week honors with a standout performance in last week's games. For the week the 23-year-old center fielder had a lofty .368 average (7-19), collecting 5 home runs, 9 RBIs and 6 runs scored. Currently Cook has 10 home runs and a .385 batting average. --------------------------------------- His hard work and hustle paid off this week. The hard-working and hard-playing Ken Raymond was rewarded with the Appalachian Player of the Week honors. The scrappy Cary Aces first baseman hit .500 while collecting 13 hits in 26 at-bats, 2 home runs and 9 RBIs. Raymond is currently hitting at a .331 pace with 6 home runs and 31 RBIs. Down on the Farm: AAA Sanford (Gastonia) CF Ramon Encarnacion piled up 10 hits in 24 at-bats, 4 home runs and 10 RBIs while hitting .417 in the last week. Looking at his stats this year, Encarnacion has compiled a .349 batting average, while hitting 6 home runs and driving in 16 runs. He has played in 26 games and scored 17 runs. AAA Havelock (Wilmington) RF Jorge Serrano is making a last ditch effort to return to the Warriors roster as the 26 year old is having another good season (.300 11 36) in Havelock. A late-season callup last year seems to have inspired the talented outfielder as he is making a case for being the best RF in all of AAA. Should Wilmington need an infusion of talent, they will likely start with the talented Texan from Waco. Here's betting he continues to impress and finishes the season in the majors. AA Morganton (Concord) CF Josh French continues to scortch minor league pitching as the 20 year-old is now hitting an absurd .452 for the season. His prospects don't look good for moving up at the moment, however, as he has yet to develop any real power with his bat and his fielding is well below average. Team officials privately indicated that French's only real limits were those he placed on himself as he seems content to do the minimum required and not really apply himself to getting better. If nothing changes, he may eventually work his way up to become a major league bench player who would provide a good pinch hitting/pinch running option. Other than that, though, French just doesn't appear to have what it takes to play at the major league level unless he becomes more dedicated. Weekly Power Rankings:
Looking Forward to Next Week: Interleague play is here with a vengance this week as most of the games feature contests between the two leagues. Once the week is up it may be possible to draw some conclusions about which league overall is the strongest. Are High Point and Winston-Salem the class of the Piedmont League or the entire NCBL? Tune in next week to see if we've found an answer to that question and more in our next installment of This Week in Baseball! |
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08-06-2009, 09:53 AM
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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 This Week in Baseball - Headlines: Welcome to this edition of the North Carolina Baseball League program, This Week in Baseball. After playing all the members of their respective leagues, here in week 6 the Piedmont and Appalachian Leagues met head to head to see which league would take the early lead in the race to be the best in the NCBL. At this point, neither league can safely claim dominance over the other but the Piedmont League did win 4 more games than the Appalachian in the early test. Rocky Mount and Greensboro were the big movers this week as they both climbed up in the standings in the Appalachian League. Greensboro, in particular, has cause to celebrate as they have successfully bounced back from last place after the first week to finally sitting alone at the top of the Platinum Division. Rocky Mount will look to make the same move next week as they have now tied Cary for the top spot in the Copper Division. On the other end of the scale, Fayetteville and Greenville have begun to lose momentum and have struggled to keep pace. Fayetteville's 2-4 week doomed allowed the oncoming Grensboro Gladiators to take over the lead in the division. The Week in Review: The week featured the second straight 1-0 game with a no-hitter being thrown, bringing the season total to 3 - and it's only May! Who knows if this exhibition of pitching dominance can continue? We're enjoying every minute of it as everyone enjoys watching history being made right before their eyes. Read on to our Game of the Week segment for more. Perhaps one thing aiding the pitching this season is the sudden rash of injuries popping up at this point in the season. Perhaps all the trainers have gone to a convention at the same time and left their fragile charges to fend for themselves? All of the extended injuries this week were incurred by the offensive side, with nary a single pitcher having to visit the trainer's office the entire week. Signings: CL John LePage, Gastonia - $4.23 million over 1 year Injuries: 3B George Fulton, Durham - out a week with back spasms SS Tony Evans, Greenville - out 7 weeks with a hamstring strain 2B Steve Franklin, Cary - out 3 weeks with a problem with his throwing shoulder 3B Logan Ward, Gastonia - out 6-7 weeks with a strained abdominal muscle LF Eric Donahue, Rocky Mount - out 8 months with a broken tibia 3B Dana Harris, Jacksonville - out one week with a right knee contusion 2B Mark Richardson, Charlotte - out 4 months with a severe hamstring strain 3B Javier Flores, High Point - out 6 months with a PCL strain SS Forrest Collins, Greenville - out 1-2 weeks with a strained thumb Game of the Week: A pattern seems to be emerging this year in the NCBL. For the second straight week a pitcher successfully took the mound and no-hit the opposition. This week's no-hitter was thrown by Charlotte's Robert Miller in a 1-0 game against Greenville. Millers line included 4 strikeouts and 5 walks and brings his season pitching line to 3-4 with a 3.78 ERA. Cleanup hitter Nick Wilson drove in a run with an RBI single in the first. At the time no one had any idea that that was all the offense Charlotte would need on the day, or that without his hit Miller would likely not have completed the no-hitter. Trevor Aldridge was the hard luck loser, allowing only one run in 7 while giving up 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 8 Charlotte batters. Players of the Week: There's nothing like being in the prime of your baseball career -- and playing like it. Just ask Eric Hunt, the Cary first baseman, who swung a sweet bat all week to not only aid his team, but also pick up the Appalachian Player of the Week honors. Hunt piled up 9 hits in 24 at-bats, 2 home runs and 9 RBIs while hitting .375. So far this season, Hunt: has recorded a .363 batting average with 53 hits, 11 home runs, 40 RBIs, 26 runs scored and a .394 OBP. ----------------------------- One of the league's most exciting young players, Clyde Catron of the Winston-Salem Twins earned himself Piedmont Player of the Week honors with a standout performance in last week's games. For the week the 25-year-old right fielder had a lofty .480 average (12-25), collecting 1 home run, 6 RBIs and 5 runs scored. In 35 games this year Catron has posted a .413 average and put up these numbers: 3 home runs, 26 RBIs and 30 runs scored. Down on the Farm: AAA Kinston (Durham) 1B Mark Blevins is hitting the ball batter than ever and has a 27 game hitting streak going. AAA Statesville (Cary) 1B Rodger Noble continues to impress at AAA with his bat. The 27 year-old has a .357 BA, 17 HR and 45 RBI. There may not be a spot for him for a while with the big club, though, as 1B Eric Hunt is hitting .363 with 11 HR and 43 RBI currently. AAA Matthews (High Point) SP Wayne Lawson continues to put up big numbers even though his Won/Loss record of 4-3 doesn't show it. With a 2.41 ERA and 45 K in 56 IP, Lawson is as good as it gets at AAA. AA Garner (Asheville) RF Josh Coleman continues to showcase his talent as a 5 tool player as he has compiled a .378 BA with with 7 HR, 11 Stolen Bases. He has committed only 1 error this season in right. He's the total package, at least at this level. AA Garner (Asheville) SP Jim O'Quinn is having arguably the best season of anyone in AA with a 6-1 record, 2.40 ERA, and 52 K in 56 innings. A Carrboro (Greenville) 1B Simon Lott is off to a tremendous start so far, hitting .412 with 8 HR and 30 RBI. Weekly Power Rankings:
Divisional play resumes this week as teams make their way towards the amateur draft. Rumors are flying already of deals in the works for teams with the financial room to add some veteran talent while other teams are formulating long range plans based on the blue-chip prospects they will have coming into camps in a few weeks. Soon we will break down the draft and take a more in-depth look at the recent high school and college players who have become eligible to play in the league. |
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08-07-2009, 02:29 AM
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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 This Week in Baseball - Headlines: Hello, baseball fans! Here on This Week in Baseball, we do our best to bring you the news you need to know as you watch all the NCBL action. From goals reached to dreams shattered, our staff at TWiB will bring you up to speed. Stay with us each an every week as the drama of the 2100 season unfolds! At this time of year, teams are jockeying for position and beginning to find out who will play deep into October and who will spend the fall working on their golf swing. Some teams know early that this is not going to be their year. Inevitably, as some championship dreams are put on hold, these teams refocus their energy on building for the future. Here in the early season, there's no more important event for the future champ than the annual amateur draft. Equally as critical for teams looking to rebuild is to look to their farm system and see how their prospects are coming along. Most scouts around the league will tell you that the key to sustained excellence lies in developing a deep, rich crop of players for the big club to bring along. Gastonia, even though they have only 1 top ten prospect, fits the mold for an ideal situation in their minor league system. Stocked with pitchers and prospects by the handful, Gastonia is sure to be a team to be reckoned with in the future. Perhaps even more impressive is High Point, who is not only in line to potentially repeat as State Champion, but also has 4 top 25 prospects - amazing and scary if you are in their division! Here's a look at the prospects for each team, from best to worst.
italics - currently playing in the majors The Week in Review: Hold on there, Greensboro! You thought you could just blow by the Platinum Division without a fight? The Fayetteville Patriots have stepped up in the last week to show everyone that it may not be as easy as you thought. A gutty 6-1 performance by the Patriots and a subpar 2-4 week from the Gladiators has reminded everyone that you can't ever allow yourself to become comfortable. The season is still young and there is plenty of time for teams to chip away at the leaders if they can elevate their game and respond to the challenge. Signings: none Injuries: SP Jeff Morris, Greensboro - out 3 months with a strained throwing elbow Game of the Week: It was high-5 day at Piedmont Ballpark, at least for Ryan Cole of the Fayetteville Patriots. He got a lot of high-5's from his teammates for his outstanding hitting against the Greensboro Gladiators. Cole smashed 6 hits in 6 at-bats on his record-setting day, leading his club to a 7-5 win. His manager said, "Ryan was hitting everything. It really was a special game for him." In the other dugout the opposing manager told writers, "He ambushed my boys today. Obviously we didn't have much success against him, but luckily, tomorrow is another day. Hopefully it will be our day to shine." Cole singled in the 1st, hit a solo-shot off M. McClellan in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 5th, singled in the 7th, hit a solo-shot off T. Copeland in the 9th and hit an RBI single in the 10th. In his stats this season, Cole has posted a batting average of .325 with 49 hits in 151 at-bats, 10 home runs and 32 RBIs. He has also scored 27 runs, walked 21 times and compiled a .405 OBP. Players of the Week: His face might be sun-baked after all the years he's invested in this game, but 37-year-old Rob King of the Fayetteville Patriots is still playing a kid's game -- and getting paid for it. The veteran right fielder had a tremendous week and was named the Appalachian Player of the Week. King drilled 13 hits in 22 at-bats and 3 home runs on his way to posting a .591 average. He also knocked in 9 runs and scored 5 times. Looking at his present stats, King has compiled a .263 batting average in 41 games with a .322 on-base percentage, while hitting 7 home runs and driving in 24 runs. ---------------------------------------- 23-year-old Dirk Watson made a few High Point headlines during this past week as the rookie shortstop proved he could compete at the plate with his high-school idols. He captured the attention of fans, journalists and Piedmont officials last week and today took home Player of the Week honors for his effort. He cracked 18 hits in 33 at-bats to put up a .545 average. Watson collected 1 home run, 5 RBIs and scored 9 runs. This year Watson has hit at a .538 clip with 28 hits, 2 home runs, 10 RBIs and 13 runs scored. Down on the Farm: AAA Matthews (High Point) SS Dirk Watson has gone from starting the year in AAA to winning player of the week honors in the NCBL. The scrappy shortstop has always been a tireless worker in the batters box - never giving an inch or taking off an at-bat. His dedication is paying off in a big way as he is working his way up the list for consideration for NCBL Rookie of the Year. AA Thomasville (Jacksonville) MR Chris Holcombe may have come up short earlier in a short trip to AAA Kannapolis, but here in AA he may be dominant enough as a middle reliever to be considered for Pitcher of the Year. With a 2-1 record (1 save) and a 1.97 ERA in 19 appearances he gives Thomasville team management a solid option out of the bullpen when they need to take control of games in critical middle-inning situations. Only allowing 1 HR in 32 IP, Holcombe is trusted to come into games after the starter has gotten into a jam. More often than not, he not only keeps his team in the game, he prevents those critical inherited runners from scoring. Weekly Power Rankings:
Looking Forward to Next Week: The amateur draft is looming on the horizon! Next week we'll sneak a peak at the best of the young players who are now eligible to play professional baseball. We'll break down the draft and highlight what each team may be looking for come June 15th. High Point and Winston-Salem start another epic 3 game series this evening in Winston-Salem. Although it's likely that both teams will continue to lead their divisions after the week no matter the outcome of the series, neither is so far ahead that they can let up now. Fayetteville and Cary also get together later in the week in what promises to be a no-holds-barred slugfest. The league standings could well be in for a shakeup. Last edited by VARoadstter; 08-10-2009 at 12:58 PM. |
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08-12-2009, 01:26 AM
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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 This Week in Baseball - Headlines: Welcome to tonight's edition of This Week in Baseball. In this installment we will look forward to the amateur draft and get a sense for who the teams are looking to get, how deep the draft is, and what each team may be looking for. The NCBL is unique in that it works in partnership with the state colleges and universities as well as state high school players to provide the talent for the league. As the league is held to a strict cap on the amount of players that can be from out of state, this is as much by necessity as it is by design. That being said, let's start by taking a look at this year's collegiate and high school playoff teams. It's a good bet that the graduating seniors from the playoff squads will get a good look from the NCBL teams come draft day. Here's how the state NCAA Championship playoffs looked:
In the playoffs, Campbell defeated NC State 3-1 to win the Capital League pennant while East Carolina outlasted Duke in a 3-2 duel for the Royal League pennant. Campbell was simply no match for the Pirates as East Carolina swept Campbell in 4 games to win the 2100 NCAA championship. Only a few players from this year's playoff teams bear close attention while 2098 and 2099 champ Wake Forest has a large amount of its talent moving on this year. Pitching talent throughout the NCAA is suffering a down year and very few graduating seniors will get much of a look in the majors. Here's the best of the best for this year's graduating class (career numbers in parentheses): Batters - CF Matt Alder (Campbell): .395 18 70 12 SB (.403 75 251 64 SB) 1B Melvin Barraclough (Wake Forest): .418 15 49 (.418 60 202) LF Terry Stephens (Wake Forest): .320 19 61 (.394 48 201) LF Flint Peterson (North Carolina): .414 16 62 (.360 57 182) RF Carlos Oliva (East Carolina): .326 14 47 (.333 35 151) CF William Crow (Wake Forest): .294 2 31 25 SB (.307 19 116 64 SB) LF Carlos Vargas (NC State): .350 11 34 (.412 49 169) Pitchers - SP Jim Meyer (UNC Wilmington): 6-3 5.85 (19-11 5.28) SP Martin Carpenter (East Carolina): 4-0 5.40 (17-7 6.29) SP David Murray (Appalachian State): 7-3 4.93 (27-9 3.22) SP Dennis Brown (East Carolina): 5-2 4.64 (14-14 4.60) Now we turn our attention to the High School grads. Here are the final standing from this year's play:
Come draft day, this year's real depth is found in the talented players coming out of high school. Top talent and likely 2nd overall selection (behind superstar-in-waiting SP Ryan Burke) RF Pat Foyt suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs to cast a big shadow on his draft status as he will be out of action for 8 or 9 months. Here's Foyt's numbers along with the best of the graduating seniors for this years amateur draft: Batters - RF Pat Foyt (Providence): .497 22 75 (.465 60 237) CF John Holbrook (Broughton): .461 15 52 (.453 42 184) 2B Joe Goguen (South View): .465 8 65 (.409 24 160) 1B Joe Werner (South Mecklenberg): .426 11 63 (.378 42 204) 3B Curt Oldknow (South View): .394 17 53 (.383 57 191) 1B Andrew Shaw (Lee Senior): .449 7 32 (.427 55 209) Pitchers - SP Ryan Burke (Glenn): 7-1 2.92 (22-5 3.58) SP Bryan O'Toole (Apex): 5-1 4.09 (9-13 7.92) SP Arthur Ward (Providence): 5-1 4.67 (18-6 5.85) SP Roger McConnell (South View): 6-1 6.12 (12-9 7.71) The Week in Review: Here come the Patriots! Fayetteville is buzzing after their hometown Patriots tore up the league with a solid 6-1 week to put themselves in a clear #1 position. Nemesis Greensboro also performed well, winning 5 out of 6 to keep within striking distance of the Platinum Division lead. Over in the Copper Division, Cary is holding off Raleigh and Rocky Mount for now but no one is a clear leader. Signings: SP Ron Gibbs, Fayetteville - $26.1 million over 3 years C Lindsay Webster, Asheville - $17.6 million over 3 years Injuries: CF Max Orlebar, High Point - day to day with left hamstring tendinitis SP Trevor Aldridge, Greenville - out 1-2 weeks with inflamation in his throwing elbow SS Doyle Johnston, Greensboro - out 4 weeks with a broken right hand Game of the Week: 5/29/2100 - Jacksonville 4, High Point 3 (14 innings) Jacksonville may not come out of the 2100 season with many highlights but this game will go down as one of the best of the season for the struggling club. #16 against #1 in the Power Rankings started off looking like the mismatch everyone was expecting as High Point plated 3 runs in the top of the first inning as Jacksonville SP Ryan Clark (4-3 4.55) had one of the strangest innings ever witnessed. He surrendered a leadoff double, followed by a walk and a hit batsmen to load the bases. Obviously shaken, Clark was unable to fool High Point cleanup hitter 1B Alfredo Ocampo and walked in a run before finding his spots and striking out consecutive batters. RF Ryan Holohan then came up to bat and wasted no time delivering a two RBI single to run the score to 3-0. To his credit, Clark did not allow the early control problems to derail him completely and he struck out the #8 batter to escape further damage and then followed with 5 strong innings allowing no hits or walks before exiting in the 7th inning. For their part, the Jester's offense was unable to answer in the 1st but clawed their way back to even by plating a run in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd. What looked like a walk in the park for High Point was turning into an epic struggle. Both teams gave the game over to the bullpen once High Point SP Ben Sullivan left in the middle of the 8th. The game dragged on and on as neither team seemed to have the stamina to mount a winning rally. Time after time men would end up stranded on base only to have their teammates fail to finish the game. Finally, mercifully, in the bottom of the 14th C Shane Baker worked a leadoff walk and PH Bob Garrison sacrificed him over to 2nd. The stage was set. CF Arthur Durberville crushed an 0-2 pitch deep to center. Only a miraculous catch by Renegade CF Holohan prevented the game from ending right there. Alertly, Baker kept his head and tagged up - then advanced easilly to 3rd on the throw in. 3B Dana Harris seemed to thrive in the pressure and looked unfazed even after getting behind 0-2. Then, with 2 outs and no strikes left to take, Harris punched a single to the right of the shortstop into left field as Baker came home with the winning run. The marathon 4 hour 22 minute game was over. Jester's players flew out onto the field and mobbed their catcher moments after he hop-stepped over home plate. For one night, at least, Jacksonville has taken on Goliath and triumphed. In post-game interviews, Harris looked exhausted but proud as he recalled his final at bat. "I knew High Point was as tired as we were. Their pitcher was throwing well but with a man on 3rd I just felt that he wouldn't risk his breaking stuff hitting the dirt and rolling to the backstop. I fouled off a good fastball on 0-1 so I had my timing for the heater. When he threw it everything just went into slow motion, man. I could see every stitch on that ball as it was heading for the outside of the plate. I swung as hard as I could but I topped it a little bit. I couldn't tell right away if it was going to get through the hole or not so I hauled ass to first as fast as I could. Before I even got there, though, I heard the crowd and I knew it got through. It was awesome, man - probably the best I've ever felt playing baseball." Congratulations to Jacksonville. They definitely deserve to be our Game of the Week. Players of the Week: It's always a thrill for fans of the team and students of the game alike when a superstar in the making shows what he's got. Alex Willis, the Charlotte Royals 25-year-old second baseman, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for Piedmont Player of the Week honors. He ripped 13 hits in 32 at-bats, compiling a .406 average with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs. Willis is currently batting .308 with 5 home runs and 20 RBIs. ---------------------------- There's nothing like being in the prime of your baseball career -- and playing like it. Just ask Ryan Cole, the Fayetteville first baseman, who swung a sweet bat all week to not only aid his team, but also pick up the Appalachian Player of the Week honors. Cole piled up 13 hits in 30 at-bats, 5 home runs and 11 RBIs while hitting .433. Cole is batting .320 with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs this season. Down on the Farm: Speedy 25 year-old Sanford (Gastonia) CF Keith Stone leads AAA with 22 stolen bases to go along with his impressive .341 Batting Average. In an earlier shot with Gastonia, Stone failed to impress, hitting a miserable .173 in 52 at bats. Now having had a taste of what the major leagues is like, he is working like mad to get back up as soon as possible. AAA New Bern (Chapel Hill) SP Steve Johnston hopes that he will have said goodbye to AAA permanently after his recent call up. The 24 year-old was the dominant pitcher in AAA until the move, having posted a 5-0 2.39 in 7 starts before the promotion. Things haven't gone as well with the Saints, however, as Johnston so far has a 5.68 ERA in 2 starts with the big club. Time may be running out for AA Kernersville (High Point) RF Dan Church. Although he is hitting well in AA (.372 5 26) he is currently on the disabled list for 5-6 weeks with a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger. At 27, the clock ticks by quickly in AA. Even assuming he comes back full strength, Church did not seem to do enough in his time in AAA Matthews to keep him on the radar of the High Point brass. Weekly Power Rankings:
Looking Forward to Next Week: The amateur draft is 2 weeks away. The first five picks belong to Rocky Mount, Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Cary, and Asheville. Raleigh also deserves mention in this draft as they have stockpiled picks hoping that the draft turns out to be one of the deepest in recent memory. With 3 picks in the first, 4 picks in the second, and 3 in the 3rd, the Cardinals have an opportunity to do just about anything they desire. They may try to move up, trade picks for players, or just rebuild their entire minor league system. Whatever they do, we'll be watching! Last edited by VARoadstter; 08-15-2009 at 01:09 AM. |
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08-14-2009, 04:01 AM
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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 This Week in Baseball - Headlines: Welcome to this edition of This Week in Baseball. We've spent a lot of time in our headlines section discussing the contenders. This week, as a preliminary to next week's draft extravaganza, we're going to take a hard look at the bottom-feeders. Just as important to a team to recognize the secret to their success is discovering what has happened to cause a bad team to struggle. In the last few years, no teams have struggled more than the two bottom teams in the Piedmont Gold Division, Charlotte and Chapel Hill. The Royals are among the more storied of franchises in NCBL history. They have had plenty of success over the years but have been on a streak of futility in recent years that threatens to undermine all the credibility they once enjoyed. Charlotte hasn't had a winning season since they went 86-76 in 2095 and has only appeared once (2093) in the postseason since they won the State Championship in 2079. Team leader 2B Alex Willis is starting to put things together a bit but there are no other all-star caliber hitters on the roster. His frustration has gotten the best of him at times this season and he has openly challenged team management to "either fix this thing or send me somewhere where I can make a difference". Looking at the pitching staff, SP Robert Miller is getting no help from the rest of the starters as his record of 7-4 dissapears in the putrid 5-19 combined record from the other front line guys. Looking objectively at Charlotte, they need immediate help in the 2-5 slot in the rotation as well as upgrades in LF, 1B, and RF just to become respectable. In Chapel Hill, the Saints have got to find some offense to complement RF Kevin Bartlett. While they do have some youth in the lineup, there's little reason to believe that most of their offensive starters should be much more than platoon players at best. Pitching may be even worse as none of their starting 5 look to be much more than journeyman quality. When your best starter (SP Mark Adams) has a line that reads 4-5 4.32, there's obviously not a lot of quality starting pitching on the squad. Chapel Hill really needs to find new blood at 1B, 3B, SS, CF, and LF. Without an upgrade the Saints are just not going to go anywhere. Chapel Hill hasn't had a winning season since they were 87-75 on 2094, and haven't been to the postseason since 2092. The Week in Review: Signings: none Injuries: RF Mike Morrison, Greenville - out 9 months after heart surgery C Joseph Ferguson, Charlotte - out 2 weeks with a strained back CF Freddie Burns, Durham - out 4 months with a herniated disc Game of the Week: High Point right fielder Bob Cook put on quite a show at Explorers Ballpark with a big 5-hit day in the 11-9 victory over the Durham Dragons. In the postgame interview, he said with a smile, "Not a bad day at the plate... 5-6... wish I could do this more often. It would do wonders for my batting average... and my salary, too." B. Cook hit a solo-shot off J. Evans in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, singled in the 6th, hit an RBI double in the 8th, hit a three-run double in the 9th and struck out in the 10th. Cook has a .362 average and a .452 on-base percentage for the year. He has picked up 77 hits, 12 home runs and driven in 48 runs. Players of the Week: Josh Harris is respected by most Greenville Mallards fans for his no-frills style of play. The 26-year-old center fielder went about his business with vigor last week to grab the Appalachian Player of the Week honors. He compiled a .484 average (15-31) with 5 home runs, 10 RBIs and 9 runs scored. So far this season Harris has put up a .321 batting average with 71 hits, 15 home runs and 39 RBIs. ---------------------------------------- There's nothing like being in the prime of your baseball career -- and playing like it. Just ask Brendan West, the Gastonia first baseman, who swung a sweet bat all week to not only aid his team, but also pick up the Piedmont Player of the Week honors. West piled up 10 hits in 17 at-bats, 3 home runs and 7 RBIs while hitting .588. West is swinging at a .338 pace on the year with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs and 18 runs scored. He has played in 49 games. ---------------------------------------- A veritable toddler to the Appalachian, José Saldaña just sewed up the Rookie of the Month trophy for May. Over the past month the 24-year-old second baseman for Asheville hit .236 with 21 hits, no home runs and 13 RBI. He also logged 4 walks and compiled a .266 on-base percentage. Thus far in 2100 Saldaña is hitting .252 with no home runs, 15 RBIs, 15 runs scored and has compiled a .297 OBP. ---------------------------------------- Youngster Dirk Watson emerged as the latest Piedmont Rookie of the Month today. The young man from High Point deserved the honor, batting .424 with 3 home runs and 14 runs batted in. Is the month of May a harbinger of things to come or just a fluke? We'll find out someday, but for now, we'll just let Watson enjoy the limelight. Currently Watson is batting .424 with 39 hits and 3 home runs. He has knocked in 14 runs and scored 17 times. ---------------------------------------- Trevor Aldridge has been around the league long enough to appreciate the honor he received today. After going 4-1 in May, the 34-year-old Greenville hurler has been named Appalachian Pitcher of the Month. He fanned 31 in 35.2 innings, logged an ERA of 1.51 and allowed opponents to hit .208 against him. To date this season, Aldridge has registered 11 starts, 4-4 won-lost mark, 3.32 ERA, 59.2 IP, 58 strikeouts and 25 walks. Opposing teams have hit .201 against him. ---------------------------------------- It was a sensational May for David Davis as he mystified, mesmerized and terrorized opposing batters to capture the Piedmont Pitcher of the Month trophy. Davis locked down a 4-1 mark in 6 starts last month, striking out 33 while walking 12 in 36.2 innings and posting a 1.47 ERA. So far this year Davis has compiled a 7-2 record with a 2.92 ERA. ---------------------------------------- It was a good month for Fayetteville Patriot's first baseman Ryan Cole, May's Appalachian Batter of the Month. Cole starred by hitting .333 with a .376 on-base percentage. He totaled 36 hits in 108 at-bats, 10 home runs, 26 RBIs and scored 18 runs. Cole is hitting .320 this year with 13 home runs, 39 RBIs and 31 runs scored. He has 57 hits in 178 at-bats, 23 walks and a .396 on-base percentage. Cole has played in 49 games. ---------------------------------------- The Piedmont Batter of the Month has been picked for May and the honor goes to the Durham Dragon's Bob Erickson. He compiled a .412 batting average with 42 hits and 7 home runs, along with 21 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Batting .402 to date, Erickson has 11 home runs and 35 RBIs. Down on the Farm: AAA Kinston (Durham) Mark Blevins put together a good May to earn the AAA Appalachian Batter of the Month prize. A virtual unknown, he made the most of his chance to prove to Kinston officials that he belongs on the big league roster. The Islanders first baseman posted a .366 batting average with 7 home runs, 22 RBIs and 20 runs scored. For the year Blevins is batting .374 with 12 home runs. Weekly Power Rankings:
Looking Forward to Next Week: Draft Day is almost here and with the arrival of the draft comes our special TWiB Draft Spectacular! Our next report will have wall-to-wall coverage of this year's amateur draft, complete with live coverage and commentary as each first round pick is chosen, featuring special analysis from league scouts and coaches. Following the live coverage, we'll have complete team-by-team listings of the players taken. Follow along as your favorite team makes their move to put together a championship team. Last edited by VARoadstter; 08-15-2009 at 11:46 AM. |
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08-15-2009, 10:49 PM
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#54 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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2100 NCBL
Draft Spectacular Jeremy: "Hello and welcome to this special edition of This Week in Baseball! As everyone already knows today is the day for the amateur draft and teams from Wilmington to Greenville to Asheville are eager to get today's festivities underway. I am your host for today's events, Jeremy Stevens. Since my retirement from the NCBL I have enjoyed getting to know the front office people around the league and I can tell you the conversations I've been having leading up to the draft have been fascinating. Honestly, I think if you polled all 16 general managers about who the first pick is going to be this year, you may well hear as many as 8 different players mentioned - the group at the top is that close in ability. Before we go any further, I'd like to introduce to you my cohost for today's edition of This Week in Baseball, Ray Howell who was inducted with me this year into the NCBL Hall of Fame". Ray: "Hey, thanks Jeremy for that warm welcome. I am excited to be here to watch history in the making as a new class of young men begin their careers as professional baseball players. Now, of course, unlike the NFL or NBA, nearly every draftee in the league will report to the low minors instead of immediately appearing on an NCBL roster. Looking over this year's class, I see a lot of talented hitting. I'm not as impressed with the pitching, though, outside of Glenn High School's Ryan Burke. Who are your big names offensively, Jeremy?" Jeremy: "I particularly like the outfielders this year, Ray. With RF Pat Foyt (Providence HS), CF Matt Alder (Campbell College), and CF John Holbrook (Broughton HS) looking like the cream of the crop, there's still plenty of depth to be had. I also like 1B Melvin Barraclough out of Wake Forest for his bat and his ability to captain the Demon Deacons to two NCAA State Championships. "With that, let's take a look at the list of the top ten prospects according to the consensus of scouts around the league:" 1. Carlos Vargas, 21 year-old left fielder out of college. 2. Pat Foyt, 18 year-old right fielder out of high-school. 3. John Holbrook, 18 year-old center fielder out of high-school. 4. Matt Alder, 21 year-old center fielder out of college. 5. Melvin Barraclough, 21 year-old first baseman out of college. 6. Flint Peterson, 21 year-old left fielder out of college. 7. John Hutchison, 21 year-old left fielder out of college. 8. Brian Martin, 22 year-old starting pitcher out of college. 9. Pat Hendrix, 17 year-old catcher out of high-school. 10. Larry Hutchison, 22 year-old starting pitcher out of college. Jeremy: "Ok, we're just about ready for the first pick by Rocky Mount. Ray, you're familiar with their team, what do you think is the right move for them, here?" Ray: "Well, I can't help but notice that they have a lot of quality hitters in their minor league system but only a few standout pitchers. I'm hoping the pick is Ryan Burke or possibly out-of-state import Brian Martin from FSU. Maybe it's because of the years I spent as a pitcher, Jeremy, but I just think that in a draft this deep with hitters, getting the top pitcher available is the right thing to do here. Anyway, here comes the commissioner, Hal Darby, and it looks like he's ready to reveal this year's first overall selection". Last edited by VARoadstter; 08-16-2009 at 04:43 PM. |
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08-17-2009, 11:53 PM
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#55 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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This Week in Baseball Draft Special Round #1, picks 1-8 Within moments, commissioner Hal Darby strode to the podium, card in hand. The draft was officially underway! Hal: "With the first overall pick in the draft, the Rocky Mount Rough Riders have selected Brian Martin, pitcher from Florida State. Next on the clock are the Charlotte Royals, followed by the Chapel Hill Saints at #3". Jeremy: "Wow we're already looking at a shakeup at the top of the draft. Ray, you mentioned Martin as a possible #1 but he wasn't even a top 10 player in the eyes of scouts around the league. What did you know or what did you see to suspect that Rocky Mount would go this way?" Ray: "Well, it really has more to do with the lack of depth in the draft this season. Considering there is only one or two sure fire prospects coming from in-state, it's only natural that teams would spend time scouting outside the state pretty heavily. Now, the reason people are confused by the pick of Martin at #1 is due to their limited knowledge of his skills. I've looked at him and some others from out of state pretty closely, so I'll tell you what I see in him. First of all, this young man has good stuff and I think see all of his four pitches developing to good or excellent in a few years. He will be a 200+ strikeout per season guy and I also think he'll walk less than 80 a season at the major league level. Lastly, he keeps the ball down so you shouldn't see him giving up a ton of home runs each year. Really, he looks like a staff ace to me in 5-6 years". Jeremy: "So he's definitely one of the best in the draft then. How does he compare to Ryan Burke?" Ray: "Whoever drafts Ryan is going to have another superstar, it just may take a few more years since he's coming out of high school". Jeremy: "Ok, thanks, Ray. It looks like the commissioner is headed back up to the podium to announce the second pick". Commissioner Darby: "With the second pick in the draft, the Charlotte Royals have selected pitcher Larry Hutchinson, from Hampton University". Ray: "What!? Charlotte just took Hutchinson in the draft from out-of-state Hampton. Jeremy, considering the recent lack of success in Charlotte, this pick has got to be considered grounds for firing the GM unless the owner is responsible for this pick. I'm going to see if I can get hold of someone in their organization and get an explanation why they would take a 22 year-old prospect who projects to be no better than a 4-5 starter. His stuff just isn't that good. I hear he has five pitches but honestly, none of them project to be a real out pitch. I don't know what else to say, Jeremy". Jeremy: "Ok, Ray, we'll wait to hear from someone with the Royals about that pick. That leaves Burke sitting at #3 which I'm sure suits Chapel Hill just fine. They have spoken at length in recent weeks about their hopes of landing the young high-school stud Ryan Burke". Ray: "It looks like the commissioner is already heading back to the podium. 3 guesses who the Saints take here, and the first 2 don't count!" Commissioner: "Chapel Hill selects pitcher Ryan Burke out of Glenn High School with the third pick in the draft". Ray: "Well, there you go, Jeremy. After all the talk about the draft being short on pitching, the first 3 picks are pitchers. Looks like the GMs are scared to death that they will miss out on the few good ones available this year. "I just spoke with the GM from Charlotte and they had great things to say about Burke but they decided to go with Hutchinson because they wanted to get him up to the bigs sooner. I guess that's reasonable but I wouldn't have sacrificed the chance to have an obvious superstar just to get a short term infusion of talent. That's what free agency is for!" Jeremy: "Thanks for looking into that, Ray. That may clear things up a little for those following at home. What do you want to say about the young man who Chapel Hill just selected?" Ray: "Awesome potential. He was THE dominant pitcher in North Carolina's High Schools this year. He is only 18 but considering where Chapel Hill is right now, I could see him in the majors, barring injury, by the time he's 21. He's that good. He's got good stuff, keeps it low, and has excellent velocity on his fastball, clocking in at 97 MPH. Who knows, in a few years, he may be able to crack triple digits on the gun". Jeremy: "Ok, our producer's tell me it's time for the next pick. Let's see if we finally take a hitter off the board or if the run on pitching continues". Commissioner: "With the fourth pick in the draft, the Cary Aces have chosen David Murray, pitcher from Appalachian State University". Jeremy: "Well, there you have it, Ray. That's 4 pitchers taken with the first four picks. How do you rate this pick by Cary?" Ray: "I'm ok with it, Jeremy, since there's a pretty good dropoff right after Murray in the talent pool. Murray is not a bad prospect, by any means and I do see him making the majors down the line if he stays healthy. I would rate him slightly worse across the board compared to Burke but he's a pretty safe pick for a team that needed to add pitching." Jeremy: "Ok, I see the commissioner and it looks like he's ready to give us the next selection". Commissioner: "With the fifth pick in the draft, Asheville selects centerfielder John Holbrook from Broughton High School". Ray: "Ok, now I get to ask you to talk about someone, Ray. What do you think about Holbrook being the first hitter taken?" Jeremy: "I think it's a mistake, Jeremy, frankly. Given the choice, I would have taken Pat Foyt in an instant. I guess Asheville wasn't willing to take a chance that Foyt's ACL injury ruins his career and instead went with a guy who looks like an above average player at the major league level. If I had to write the check, maybe I'd feel the same way, I suppose". Ray: "Yeah, I watched Holbrook's games this year and he is definitely a solid prospect. It will be interesting to track his and Foyt's development to see which of them ends up being the better player. Ok, commissioner Darby is ready with the next pick". Darby: "Wilmington selects pitcher Rafael Morales from Texas Christian University with the sixth selection". Ray: "Ok, my buddy from Texas has been telling me about Morales. He did pretty well down there and I guess I'm not surprised to see him going in the first round. He has unbelievable stamina - regularly throwing 120+ pitches and almost always going 8 or 9 innings unless he is having an off day. He's mostly a fastball/slider guy but he's recently added a changeup and curveball to his pitch selection. Since he doesn't have dominating stuff he'll have to rely on some deception to get hitters out at the major league level. That's true of a lot of guys, though, Jeremy". Jeremy: "It's really surprising just how many of the pitchers going early are from out-of-state. The GMs around the league knew coming in the in-state talent was pretty thin so this seems to be their way of addressing it. Let's head back to the podium for the next selection". Darby: "With the seventh pick in the draft, Winston-Salem selects centerfielder Matt Alder from Campbell University". Jeremy: "That's a good pick for them, Ray. I really think Alder is a top tier prospect. Not only is he a fantastic fielder he also is a nightmare for opposing pitchers on the basepaths. He will work counts as deeply as he can to get on base and nearly every time he has a chance, he's likely to take 2nd. Winston-Salem will have a leadoff man for years once he makes his way through the system". Ray: "Yeah, I've seen him psyche out pitchers. It's really hard to concentrate with him jitterbugging over there at first all game long. Teams will have to gameplan to minimize his impact. Not only that, but if you don't watch out, he's liable to launch one over the fence. Really a good player, Jeremy. I see the commissioner is ready to announce the next selection". Commissioner: "With the eighth pick in the draft, Greensboro selects 1st baseman Melvin Barraclough from Wake Forest". Jeremy: "Wow, Greensboro gets a huge power guy with the 8th pick. They have to be happy that the two time NCAA Batter of the Year was still there for them. Without question, he's going to drive in a lot of runs and provide a big power bat in that lineup. It's just a matter of time before he's in the big show." Ray: "Yeah, look at the guys over there in the Greensboro war room. They are going wild over there. A pick like that could be the final piece of the puzzle to breaking through and winning the division down the road. "Ok, that's the halfway point in the first round. We'll pick up with the next eight selections after the break. Stay tuned!" |
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08-18-2009, 02:55 AM
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#56 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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This Week in Baseball
Draft Special Round #1, picks 9-16 Ryan: "And we're back from the break. We're just about to begin the second half of the first round. Raleigh is scheduled to have 3 of the 8 picks left so it will be interesting to see how they work this. Since they haven't moved any of their picks for prospects, it looks like they are happy to start a big youth movement here and completely refresh their depleted farm system. This will be the first of their picks". Commissioner: "With the ninth pick, the Raleigh Cardinals have selected rightfielder Pat Foyt from Providence High School". Jeremy: "Excellent job, Raleigh. Particularly with all those picks - they had to throw caution to the wind and take the injured star. I hope he bounces back strong for Raleigh because I am looking forward to seeing him play in the majors. He's a super athelete with an incredible work-ethic so I think he'll do fine coming back from surgery". Ray: "Having all those picks sure makes the decision easier. With that said, let's head back to the stage for the next pick". Commissioner: "With the tenth pick in the first round, Chapel Hill selects pitcher Neal Cole from Northwest Guilford High School". Jeremy: "The pitching renovations continue in Chapel Hill as they use both of their first rounders on pitchers. This time they took promising relief pitcher Neal Cole. He was a closer throughout his high school years but I don't think he can translate that easily to the bigs as he doesn't have tremendous velocity or stuff. The best thing about him is pinpoint control - which by itself is a nice thing to have but doesn't bode well for being the guy that gets the ball in the ninth inning. Still, Chapel Hill came in here today determined to right the ship pitching-wise and with these selections, they have taken some steps toward cleaning things up a few years down the line". Ray: "Cole looks like a good pick here if you needed pitching but there are still so many good hitters left I have to question the choice. Anyway, it looks like it's time to get the next name called". Commissioner: "With the eleventh pick of the draft, Concord selects leftfielder John Hutchinson from Arizona State". Ray: "Well, now teams are going out-of-state for their hitters, too! I can't remember the last time the draft had so many 'foreigners' in it. Actually, Hutchinson qualifies as an in-state player as he is from Greensboro. He decided to attend Arizona State to follow in the footsteps of his dad and now it looks like he's heading back to the Tar Heel State to play. I say, 'Welcome back, John. We're glad to have ya!'". Jeremy: "He had some excellent numbers at Arizona State, Ray. In his junior year when he won the collegiate MVP trophy, he hit 30 home runs, 85 RBI, and batted .460. Everyone knew that the NCBL would have him on their short list of prospects come draft day. The only real downside with John is a lack of range in the outfield and only average speed. Even so, he should hit the ball right away as a professional. Good pick, there. Here comes the next pick, and it's Durham's turn to select". Commissioner Darby: "Durham selects pitcher Jose Miranda from Western Carolina". Ray: "Another reliever in the first round! This time, though, the pick is definitely in the closer mold. Miranda has terrific stuff and if he can harness it enough to keep the batters from getting too many free passes, I think he could be tremendous. With his fastball/slider arsenal, he is going to remind people of Mariano Rivera. If they didn't use aluminum bats in college, he'd probably break a lot of bats, too. Instead, he sent a lot of hitters back to the dugout with severely stinging hands from all the balls that ate them up inside against him. Really there's not much bad to say about him as long as he improves his control. He could be a steal, here". Jeremy: "Absolutely, he was an obvious choice here even though he lost most of his senior season to a broken arm he sustained on a wicked comebacker that caught him flush on the forearm. That was a painful replay to watch, Ray". Ray: "Yuck, you had to remind me of that, didn't you? It still gives me the shakes when I see it and I know what's about to happen. "Let's change the subject and head back to the podium for the next selection, ok? Raleigh has back to back choices here". Commissioner Darby: "With the thirteenth pick in the draft, Raleigh selects catcher Pat Hendrix from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach". Ray: "I thought Raleigh would get Hendrix with one of these picks. Solid choice at this point in the draft. He's a great backstop, if not a great hitter. Give the Cardinals a few years to help him develop and I think it's likely he'll get a lot better - he's a tremendous athlete". Jeremy: "Every pitcher in the Cardinals system is cheering, Ray. You can't quantify the impact of bringing in a guy like Hendrix. No one runs on him, no breaking balls seem to get by him, ever. He's really something to watch back there. I think he could catch in the majors right now, if they needed him. I'd wait to help him develop some, though. No need to get him all confused up there". Ray: "Good pick for Raleigh, and it looks like they have their next choice ready to go". Commissioner: "With the fourteenth pick, Raleigh selects leftfielder Carlos Vargas from NC State". Ray: "Well, finally the guy the scouts had as the #1 prospect is off the board. I was starting to wonder if everyone had forgotten he was still available, Jeremy". Jeremy: "Apparently, there have been some late-breaking concerns about Vargas and his agent asking for ridiculous sums of money. Smart of Raleigh to take the catcher ahead of him as it helps in negotiations later when they remind Vargas that he was only the 14th player chosen. Even if they acknowledge that he could have been the #13 pick, they are still looking at a lot less money than if he were the first one taken". Ray: "Vargas has some skills, too. He wasn't the supposed #1 for no reason. He has a great power swing and good athleticism. Guys in left field rarely get much attention for their fielding but Vargas plays the position like a center fielder. If he had a stronger arm, he'd probably have played one of the other outfield spots. "There's two teams left to pick in the first round: Greenville and High Point. Here's the commissioner with Greenville's choice". Darby: "Greenville has selected 1B John Wilson from Wake Forest with the 15th overall selection". Jeremy: "Wake Forest is representing well in the draft, Ray. It's going to be some time before they have a team quite as strong as the one they've had the last couple years. Winning back to back NCAA State Championships is unbelievably difficult". Ray: "Even so, their manager had some great things to say about his guys. He told me that Wilson was one of his favorites. He was a walk-on at Wake after playing for a small school in high school. The first year he barely got on the field but by his sophomore year, you couldn't get him out of the lineup. He still has tremendous upside as he's pretty raw after not getting all that playing time. It's hard to know what his ceiling will be but he's already a first round talent so that tells us something. I'm betting he becomes a special player at the next level". Jeremy: "That leaves only High Point left to draft. Here's the selection". Commissioner Darby: "High Point takes 3B Curt Oldknow from South View High School". Jeremy: "Clearly a need pick for High Point. There's a lack of solid defensive players in their system and Oldknow is definitely more of a defensive specialist than an offensive threat. Honestly, with his arm I'd be tempted to try to convert him into a pitcher as you could do without his offense. Interesting pick there, Ray". Ray: "And that finishes up the 1st round. We'll take a break and have coverage of the supplemental round after the break. Raleigh is again in the spotlight, as they have four more picks coming in the round". ---------------------------------------------------------------- Recap: Brian Martin(22), Rocky Mount Larry Hutchinson(22), Charlotte Ryan Burke(18), Chapel Hill David Murray(21), Cary John Holbrook(18), Asheville Rafael Morales(22), Wilmington Matt Alder(21), Winston-Salem Melvin Barraclough(21), Greensboro Pat Foyt(18), Raleigh Neal Cole(18), Chapel Hill John Hutchinson(21), Concord Jose Miranda(21), Durham Pat Hendrix(17), Raleigh Carlos Vargas(21), Raleigh John Wilson(21), Greenville Curt Oldknow(18), High Point Last edited by VARoadstter; 08-18-2009 at 03:02 AM. |
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08-21-2009, 02:58 AM
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#57 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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This Week in Baseball
Draft Special Round #1, supplemental round The picks came fast and furious in the supplemental round. Here's how it went: Chapel Hill Saints - pitcher Jonathon Morgan, 20 years old Concord Cannons - rightfielder Ernest Wilkins, 18 years old Raleigh Cardinals - rightfielder Eric Ward, 18 years old Raleigh Cardinals - leftfielder Dean Williams, 18 years old Greenville Mallards - 1st baseman Andrew Shaw, 18 years old Raleigh Cardinals - leftfielder Flint Peterson, 21 years old Raleigh Cardinals - 2nd baseman Joe Goguen, 18 years old Chapel Hill Saints - pitcher Michael Daniel, 17 years old Wilmington Warriors - pitcher Paul Weber, 21 years old Durham Dragons - centerfielder Gordon Tucker, 21 years old High Point Renegades - leftfielder Terry Stephens, 21 years old Chapel Hill Saints - pitcher Wayne Montgomery, 21 years old There were several excellent picks in the round and some real head-scratchers. Raleigh did extremely well with its 4 picks in the round. At some point, though, they need to address their pitching staff. Right now they will end up with a huge logjam of prospects ready for the majors at around the same time, particularly in the outfield. Chapel Hill did well to grab the pitchers they did, finding a serviceable starter, middle-reliever, and a closer. High Point had only one selection but they found a very productive outfielder that should do very well given time to develop. With the Renegade's talent right now, there should be no reason to rush him along. On the other end of things, it appears that Concord and Greenville took a reach on their choices as the players they selected just haven't produced to date. Neither player looks to be major league quality for long, if ever. Next we'll list the remaining round's picks. |
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08-21-2009, 03:12 AM
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#58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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08-21-2009, 03:13 AM
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#59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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08-21-2009, 03:14 AM
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 211
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