Bulldog Outlook

[LedgerSko]

Bulldog Outlook

May 30th, 2003



The 2004 season is right around the corner and the Bulldogs roster seems to be set for opening day, we would like to take the time to talk about the teams players, make up and goals for the coming season.

Starting with the starting rotation.

1) #34 Maurice Dexler 28 years old Bats:R Throws:R
2) #23 Bobby Spear 26 years old Bats:L Throws:L
3) #84 Omer Eglin 25 years old Bats:R Throws:R
4) #26 Enriques Baca 24 years old Bats:R Throws:R
S) #16 Eric Allis 32 years old Bats:R Throws:R

Maurice Dexler is the most developed of the 5 starters the Bulldogs will be carrying on their 25 man roster. He has a fastball in the low to mid 90's that he spots with excellent control. At 6'7 220 lbs, he can be imposing figure on the mound. He is big, strong and a good athlete. While not blessed with immense talent, the Bulldogs could certainly do a lot worse with their number one pitcher. Being from Ohio along with his size and flair on the field has made him a fan-favorite at Bulldogs home games.

Bobby Spear will be the number two starter this season and should provide a lot of solid innings. Being the only lefty starter on Canton only increases his value to the team. Bobby is a burly 6'3 225 lbs, and hails from Louisville, Kentucky. While not possessing a huge arm, he can still get the radar gun up to the low 90's at times, he relies more on natural movement than on sheer overpowering velocity. Bobby's one flaw is control. The big key for him is to throw strikes, when he does, he is the toughest pitcher in the Bulldogs rotation.

Omer Eglin will start the season in the third slot. Not fancy on the mound, the 6'3 215 righty from Kansas City, MO, will be counted on by Canton to provide a lot of innings in the middle of the rotation. A good athlete with a good move to first, Omer is solid at most things but a master of none.

Enriques Baca is the youngest of the starters this year for Canton but he may be the most gifted. The sure sign to tell when Enriques is in a groove will be how many ground balls he gets. He has 4 solid pitches but relies mostly on his fastball and changeup to set up his best pitch, the spit-finger fastball. When he is on you will see batters either swinging through a lot of pitches or helplessly pounding his pitches into the ground, if he isn't though, look for balls to leave the park in a hurry. Baca stands at 6'2 210 lbs and is a native of Boca Raton, FL. Like all the Bulldogs starters this year, Enriques should be able to go deep into ball games and rack up his share of innings.

Eric Allis is the veteran among the starters and, standing at only 5'11 and 190 lbs, looks even smaller standing next to his fellow starters. One of the hardest throwers on the team, Eric just doesn't get enough movement on his pitches and if his curveball isn't on he can have his struggles. Eric is a good athlete who can help himself on the field with his quickness coming off the mound.

The Dog Pen

Closer) #75 Shannon Giannini 31 years old Bats:R Throws:R

In what to be a rotation of closers employed by the Bulldogs, Shannon gets the first crack out the job. Shannon is a lean 6'3 195 LBS, who gets by with changing speeds and location on his pitches. While only having two pitches in his arsenal, he uses his 88 MPH fastball to sit up his slider. Not overpowering but knows how to pitch and will try to use his experience as well as his talent to close out games for the Bulldogs in 2004

Set-Up Men) #14 Jack Wolk 28 years old Bats:R Throws:R
# 99 Joe Williams 34 years old Bats:L Throws:L

Jack Wolk may be the most talented of the arms coming out of the bullpen. He will start as the right-handed set-up man for the beginning of the season but may be called upon to close games for the team if Shannon Giannini falters. The 6'2 195 LBS from Sherman,TX, possesses a fastball that can get in the low to mid 90's and has good control. He can struggle with location at times and usually gets in trouble if he is off. He is one of the better conditioned athletes for Canton and could be called upon to pitch almost everyday if needed.

Joe Williams will be the lefty set-up man out of the pen for the Bulldogs. Standing 6'5 205 lbs from High Point, North Carolina, Joe will be called upon to get the tough lefties out late in ballgames. He uses his 91 MPH fastball to set up his 84 MPH split-finger fastball. A veteran who knows how to pitch and rarely beats himself should provide a nice balance with Jack Wolf in the 7th and 8th innings for the Bulldogs.

Middle Men) #34 John Spoon 32 years old Bats: R Throws: R
# 44 Scott Rodriguez 32 years old Bats: R Throws R

John Spoon is a control pitcher who locates well and spots his mid 80 MPH fastball to keep the hitters off-balance. He has a rubber arm that seem to allow him to bounce back day-after-day. With his control and location he doesn't walk many and hitting a homerun can be fluke against this guy.

Scott Rodriguez will be the other half of the Canton middle men tandem. Scott has the better stuff of the two and throws the ball in the low to mid 90's but unlike his partner, John Spoon, he sometimes has no clue where the strike zone is. Hitters find it difficult to hit S-Rod partially from his stuff, and partially from the fear that he doesn't know where the ball will be going when it leaves his hand.

Mop-up Reliever) #16 Eric Allias 32 years old Bats:R Throws:R

Eric Allis is the veteran among the starting pitchers and will start in the mop-up role out of the pen as well as seeing some spot starts. He will be ready and more than capable to step in should any injuries occur to the young four currently in the rotation. While Eric has excellent control and has 94 MPH fastball he suffers from lack of movement on his pitches which at times can make him appear to be easily hit.


Now for the position players, starting with the Catchers.

CA # 8 Steve "Wild Card" Giron 29 years old 6'2 220 LBS Columbia,MO Bats:R
CA #17 Brad Thompson 34 years old 6'0 220 LBS Durham, NC Bats:R
CA # 92 Rimmy Nieto 30 years old 5'10 185 LBS Syracuse,NY Bats:R

Steve Giron in one of the best defensive catchers in the FLB whose cannon arm should slow down opposing teams running game. While not a tremendous average hitter, he will provide a lot of homeruns from the catcher position for the Bulldogs.

Brad Thompson is a catcher by trade but will likely see the bulk of his time as Canton's DH in the 2004 season. He is the best hitter among the Bulldogs catchers and may be the best all-around hitter on the club. He should be among the team leaders in batting average as well as walks and while not the biggest homerun hitter on the club, he can certainly hit 15 or more in the regular season.

Rimmy Nieto will be the back up catcher on days where Thompson is the designated hitter. He lacks a lot of talent but looks to be able to do an adequate job in limited action. With two star catchers ahead of him look for most of his time to be spent warming up relievers in the pen, giving one of the other catchers some rest in blow-out games or late inning pinch hitting situations.

1B # 19 John Maddock 32 years old 6'2 200 LBS Chicago, IL Bats:L
1B # 62 Powell Broxton 33 years old 6'2 230 LBS Live Oak, FL Bats:R

The Bulldogs will feature a platoon at first base. John Maddock will get the work against right-handed pitchers, and Powell Broxton against the southpaws. Maddock is no more than average as a hitter. He does have enough power to reach double figures in homeruns. Adequate with the glove, but definitely nothing spectacular. Broxton is a clone of Maddock only as a right-handed hitter. Average hitting skills with some pop. By themselves they would not be a good solution for a team at first base, but as a platoon they may be the perfect pair for the Bulldogs in their first season.

2B #20 Jackie Veltri 19 years old 6'0 220 LBS Rockford, IL Bats:R
2B #21 Paul Boettcher 32 years old 6'0 185 LBS Norwich, CT Bats:R

At just a tender age of 19, Jackie Veltri will be given the everyday job as the Canton Bulldogs second baseman. Despite the boyish face and the demeanor of a young man that age, Jackie is one of the Bulldogs best hitter. He can hit for average and he has a smooth natural swing that seems effortless but generates a lot of natural power.

Paul Boettcher will earn his paycheck not only for his fantastic defensive skills, but as a tutor to the young Veltri. Management hope the youngster can improve his defense from learning the fundamentals at second base from the 32 year old. Not a tremendous hitter, he can hit an occasional homerun but will most likely come off the bench after the 7th inning as a defensive sub for Veltri or to pinch hit against south paws.

3B #41 Lawrence Didonato 34 years old 6'1 210 LBS Florence, SC Bats:L
3B #52 Adam King 29 years old 6'0 180 LBS Zeeland, MI Bats:S

Lawrence Didonato possesses the most power of any of the Bulldogs this year. While he struggles at times against tough lefties, there is no pitcher he can't go deep on. One of the favorite things Canton manager Ken Griffey Sr. likes about Lawrence is the leadership skills he has shown. He has been know to take a younger player to the side and give a pep talk or a stern lecture, what ever is needed. The younger players look up to him, and on road trips he even rooms with 19 year old Jackie Veltri. Rumor has it that while they are friends, the main reason was to keep the energetic 19 year-old away from certain "temptations" he may run across on their road trips across the FLB

Adam King will be the back up for Didonato and will most likely not be called upon much except to give the slugger a day off from time to time. Adam has just average skills and will struggle against the better pitchers in the Frontier League.

SS #18 North Keo 32 years old 6'1 210 LBS Kalamazoo, MI Bats:R

North will have to be the Cal Ripken of the FLB as the Bulldogs have no other SS in their entire organization above A-Ball. While Keo will most likely do no more than hit in the .250-.260 range, the aspect of his game the Bulldogs like the most is his smooth glove and ability to keep a lot of balls in the infield with his good range. Canton may need to go SS hunting if Keo begins to slide or get injured.

LF #5 Elliot "Cujo" Cudjoe 27 years 6'5 190 LBS Atlanta, GA Bats:R
LF #93 Jeff Schweizer 32 years old 6'3 210 LBS Rochestor, MN Bats:R

Elliot will get the nod as the starting left fielder. The Bulldogs hope this 27 year old can hit in the .270 and reach double-figures in homeruns this season. He seems to be a late bloomer as he has not yet reached his full potential, some say he never will. Cudjoe is one of the faster runners as well as being one of the smartest player Canton has at running the bases.

Jeff will be the back up left fielder. Slightly below average hitter that won't get many starts. His main role with the club will be to spot Cudjoe in the lineup when he needs a rest, and to come off the bench as a pinch runner. His legs seem to be his greatest asset.

CF #79 Derek Davis 27 years old 6'2 210 LBS Tulsa, OK Bats:L

Derek will the start the season out as the only center fielder on the Bulldog roster. He has a good swing but has a difficult time against lefties. He seems to be more cut out to be the left handed center fielder in a platoon. He is a good defensive center fielder with plenty of range that will benefit the middle of the Bulldog defense.

RF #65 Troy Nash 27 years old 6'3 195 LBS Kirkwood, MO Bats:L

Troy is a fantastic athlete who will help the Bulldogs in right field and center field while also being one of the FLB's best base runners. As a hitter he is no more than adequate and will struggle against most lefties. Canton hope his quickness on the field and on the base paths will off set any hitting slumps that may occur.

Well there you have it folks the initial 25 man roster of the 2004 Inaugural 2004 FLB Canton Bulldogs. We hope they have a good season and that everyone enjoys all the action in the Frontier League

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