The NABL

[jaa36]

Game one matched Matt Johnson against Ricardo Morales. Both pitched well, but the Outlaws couldn't put up anything against Morales, who won the 3-0 decision. Morales pitched seven innings, allowing eight and striking out seven against no walks. Second baseman Leland O'Quinn provided most of the offense, going 3 for 4 with a two-run homer. Johnson pitched a complete game in the loss, striking out ten.

Game Two was a huge letdown for the Outlaws. Center fielder Stanley Byrd hit a two-run homer in the first for the Rapids, but San Antonio came roaring back with four in the fourth inning off three extra-base hits. First baseman Brad Fuller brought them back to 4-3 in the bottom of the inning, and things stayed that way until the ninth. With closer Chris Wilson on the mound, O'Quinn led off with a double and then scored to tie the game on pinch hitter Gary Lightfoot's one-out single. The score remained tied entering the bottom of the eleventh, when Leland O'Quinn singled to lead off the inning. Two walks by Alain Benoist loaded the bases, and with two outs light-hitting catcher Ernesto Ramos singled to score O'Quinn and send the Rapids home victorious.

Now the series moves home to San Antonio, with Henry Roberts taking the ball in game three and Augusto Gomez in game four. We still have a shot, but the odds aren't good.

[jaa36]

Game three starter Henry Roberts pitched quite well, allowing only one run over eight innings and striking out seven. Pedro Parra, Manuel Cruz, and Luis Molina all provided RBI hits to stake the Outlaws to a 3-1 lead heading into the ninth. But Chris Wilson managed to blow his second save of the series, allowing a two-out, three-run home run to rookie left fielder Diego Delgado to make the score 4-3 and silence the crowd. The Outlaws went down meekly with a one-two-three ninth, making the series 3-0.

On the verge of being swept, Augusto Gomez matched up against Cristobal Zagala in game four. The Rapids put up one in the first and three in the third, with Leland O'Quinn hitting his third home run of the series. Manuel Cruz had an RBI double in the first and a sac fly in the third which made the score 4-2. This time it was San Antonio's turn for a comeback, with David Vincent singling home two runs in the bottom of the seventh. This time Chris Wilson was able to put down the Denver lineup in order to close out the 5-4 win.

The aces matched up again in game five, with Matt Johnson pitching eight effective innings, allowing two runs and striking out six against no walks. Javier Garcia was injured running the bases, which was fortuitous as it led to Alvin Clark entering the lineup and hitting a solo homer and driving in another run. Al Brooks contributed a two-run homer. The biggest contributor was catcher Brent Powell, who went four for four with two doubles and three RBI. The Outlaws came out 7-2 winners.

Now we head back to Denver, where Hector Ortega will go up against Jim Richardson once again. The offense suddenly looks strong. Can the Outlaws overcome a 3-0 series deficit to advance? We'll see...

[jaa36]

Once again, the Outlaws got down early, with Hector Ortega giving up an RBI single by Diego Delgado in the second and a double by Stanley Byrd in the third. But a Bruce Atkinson home run in the fourth and a two-run blast by Manuel Cruz in the sixth gave the Outlaws a 3-2 lead. In the eighth, an RBI double by right fielder Martin White off reliever Alain Benoist tied the score at three. But in the ninth, San Antonio took the lead off a bases loaded, two out single by pinch hitter Javier Garcia. That opened the floodgates for three more runs crossing the plate on singles by Al Brooks and Pedro Parra to make the final score 8-3.

Now it comes down to game seven- Howard Roberts and Kazuhiro Nishimura. And the Outlaws are hot!!!

[jaa36]

Well, it was a good run, but this is the end for the Outlaws this year. Denver starter Kazuhiro Nishimura was masterful, shutting out San Antonio on six hits, walking one, and striking out four. Howard Roberts was not as effective, allowing four runs in 5.1 innings, and the damage could have been worse, with the Outlaws turning three double plays.

Pedro Parra, Luis Molina, Manuel Cruz, and Bruce Atkinson all hit over .300 in the series, and the pitching was generally good, but not enough to overcome Denver. The Rapids will advance to the conference championship series against Dallas, and San Antonio goes home. I'm disappointed with the loss, but pleased with the team's overall performance this year. With another year of experience and less offense on the DL we have a good chance at winning it all next year.

[jaa36]

The Miami Atlantics won their second straight league championship and fifth overall, defeating the Denver Rapids in six games. Miami was a league-best 109-53 on the season, and were led once again by Will Bell, who hit .309 with 49 home runs and 124 RBI. Left fielder Jason Banks also produced plenty offense, hitting .309 with 26 home runs, as did third baseman Adam Offredi, who hit .299 with 20 homers. Ace Jake Myers (19-8, 2.68), Jesus Moreno (16-6, 2.80), and Carlos Sanchez (17-7, 3.91) led the team to the best pitching in the conference.

[jaa36]

A good season overall- score was 70. Not a bat start for new manager Julio Dominguez. Scouting director Brandon Lyon and hitting coach Oxford Pearce both retired, so we have a few vacancies to fill.

A few bright spots on offense. Al Brooks had a very effective and durable season, amassing 4.8 WAR over 761 plate appearances. He had a remarkable 61 doubles, which is the second-best season all time in this category. Outfielder Manuel Cruz and Pedro Parra were both very effective in part-time roles, with Cruz stealing 27 bases and Parra providing outstanding defense in center field. Cornell Walton had his best season in years, providing 3.1 WAR. John McCants didn't repeat his success of the year before but was still good, with 21 home runs and 69 RBI. Infielders Luis Molina and Alvin Clark both fell off quite a bit from their standards of the previous year. And new acquisition Dennis Jones wasn't around long enough to contribute much. On the other hand, Curt Wright managed an 0-10 record with a 6.92 ERA after leaving us, so we got the better of that deal so far.

On the mound, Matt Johnson didn't pitch much but was good when he did. Hector Ortega and Matthew Wallace were the anchors of the rotation. Howard Roberts was OK and had a remarkably low ERA relative to his peripherals. Relievers Chris Wilson, Juan Sonteogo, and Alain Benoist all had good seasons.

Looking at our current prospects, starter Lee Wilson is on the shelf for 9 more months after elbow replacement surgery, starter Larry Cantrell went 14-9 with a 3.90 ERA in AAA (he may be trade bait again this offseason), and 18-year-old third baseman Jorge Vazquez scuffled in rookie league and A ball. Our top draft pick Nelson Sanchez was great in A ball (.324, 11 home runs) but struggled at AAA.

Heading into the offseason, outfielders Walton and Bruce Atkinson, reliever Sonteogo, and infielder Javier Garcia are likely to leave as free agents. With Jones's salary on board, we won't be likely to have much room to maneuver in the market this year.

[jaa36]

Miami's Will Bell did not win the triple crown, but did win his fourth straight Player of the Year, at .306 with 49 home runs and 124 RBI. Jose Guzman reclaimed his annual Pitcher of the Year Award, his seventh overall, by going 22-8 with a 1.95 ERA, narrowly besting Baltimore's Pedro Gonzalez. New Orleans' Charles Pruitt won the WC Player of the Year, hitting .303 with 25 home runs and 49 stolen bases and playing an effective center field; he had won the Hitter of the Year the previous year, but this year lost that award to Los Angeles outfielder Tommy Lyons. And despite losing Gonzalez, Seattle had another Pitcher Award winner this year in Mario Davila, who was 14-9 with a 2.78 ERA and 269 K.

[jaa36]

This year's Hall of Fame selection is Bart Childs. Childs was a first-round pick by our old friends the Jacksonville Spartans out of Missouri State in 1985. He reached the majors the following year, and blossomed in 1987, going 15-9 with a 2.43 ERA. Between 1989 and 1998, he never posted an ERA above 3.00 or a WAR below 7, starting at least 33 games every year. He signed with San Francisco in 1993 and pitched for them until the end of his career. He was a four-time 20-game winner (including a 25-6 record in 1995) and a ten-time all-star, though never won the Pitcher of the Year Award, as he was usually competing against teammate Von Kirby. He was 10-4 with a 2.53 ERA in six trips to the playoffs with San Francisco, winning a title in 1994. He finished with a 247-134 record, a 2.74 ERA, a VORP of 876 (#6 all-time), and 113 WAR (#9). Congrats Bart!

[jaa36]

We resigned three players to three-year deals off our arbitration list: center fielder Pedro Parra at $6.3M/year, third baseman Luis Molina for $3.2M/year, and reliever Manuel Ruiz for $1.4M/year. Outfielder John McCants was still asking a boatload and we'll continue to go year-to-year with him at $6.5M this year. We got popularity bumps for all four of them. We also resigned infielder Alvin Clark, utility man Duncan Clark, and outfielder Manuel Cruz at their arbitration estimates.

For personnel, our new head scout is Gabriel Nunez, who excels at scouting the minors and amateurs. He's 63 and has a long and not terribly illustrious career, though has brought three small-market teams to the playoffs in Nashville, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh. Our new hitting coach is Shawn Green, who most recently served as the hitting coach in Jacksonville.

We have only $14M to play with on the free agent market, so we won't be players for any of the big fish, unless any of them slide to February or March. Arturo Montoya is available this year but asking $20M/year.

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Our biggest free agent acquisition was infielder Bruce Lee, who you may recall (in addition to his martial arts acumen) was with the Charlotte Eagles when they beat out Jacksonville for a playoff spot way back in 2001. He signed for three years, $8M/year, which may prove to be a bit much for him. He's an excellent defender, winning last year's Gold Glove at shortstop with the Eagles, and can get on base well, though provides zero power. He should push Alvin Clark to the bench. Our other signing was 19-year-old catcher Ken O'Quinn, who our new scouting director was high on but whose ratings promptly tanked as soon as we signed him. We offered him $500K, he refused and asked for a minor league contract instead- what a team player! Anyway, this was a waste as he appears to be terrible.

We also traded longtime Outlaw Duncan Shaw to Philadelphia for outfielder Derrick Owens. 27 years old and still making the league minimum, Owens will provide us some salary relief and should be a capable fourth or fifth outfielder, having hit .294 with 16 home runs last year. We have very good depth in the outfield at this point, though less in the infield.

As spring training starts, Dennis Jones should return soon from injury, though Matthew Wallace will remain on the DL until June. We offered a two-year deal to 27-year-old free agent starter Casey Burton, a lefty who posted a 15-10 record and 3.85 ERA last year but has gathered little interest.

[jaa36]

The Outlaws are projected to finish 90-72 this year, which would be a game better than last year, but would only be third place in a competitive WC South. Dallas is once again the class of the division. Miami is once again the top team overall, projected to win 107 games. Matt Johnson is listed as one of the top ten pitchers, and Al Brooks among the hitters. Our owner expects us to make the playoffs, as do I.

Dennis Jones managed to tweak his hamstring the very first game he returned, then suffered a setback, and will need a rehab assignment before he rejoins the team in mid-April. So far he has been $80M poorly spent. The infield was a bit of a dilemma, as manager Julio Dominguez preferred to put Luis Molina on the bench, but we've just invested $10M in him and I'd like to see him play. So Molina will start at third, David Vincent at second, and gold glover Bruce Lee at short, with Alvin Clark spelling all of them every third day.

Starter Casey Burton did join the team, and slots in fourth behind Johnson, Hector Ortega, and Henry Roberts. Former first-rounder Larry Cantrell will debut with the team as the #5 starter, pushing Augusto Gomez to the bullpen, but Cantrell may return to the minors once Matthew Wallace returns unless he starts strong.

Our top prospect is last year's first-round pick Nelson Sanchez, who is #28 overall and our only player in the top 100 in our 23rd-ranked farm system. Hopefully new scouting director Gabriel Nunez will move things along, though our offseason signing of catcher Ken O'Quinn doesn't bode well. We've moved all the way up to #18 in total payroll, though our budget size remains only #29.

[jaa36]

After a horrific 18-1 loss on opening day, the Outlaws rebounded to start the season well, putting them at 15-12, third place by a nose behind co-Texan teams Houston and Dallas. Alvin Clark is off to a hot start, at .295 with five home runs, and took over a starting role from the injured Luis Molina. John McCants had six home runs and 19 RBI as well as a 13-game hitting streak. And catcher Brent Powell continued to play well, hitting .322.

New starter Casey Burton has been spectacular, going 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA. And Henry Roberts has posted a 2.06 ERA thus far. Larry Cantrell has not fared so well, with a 7.54 ERA. Our defense has been a mess, which is surprising given the ratings of the players out there... hopefully that's an anomaly.

Al Brooks was re-signed to a four-year extension at $9.5M/year. He's 30 years old, but perpetually hits .300 with good doubles power if not a lot of home runs, and as a nine-year Outlaws veteran I felt he should be rewarded. But after this extension we have only $11M for further extensions, and we'll have some hard budget decisions to make: Hector Ortega is demanding $14M, and Roberts $16M, neither of which I would be willing to pay. Relievers Augusto Gomez and Gonzalo Salinas can be had for between $2-3M/year, much more affordable. David Vincent, asking $7.5M, is likely gone next year. Brent Powell keeps getting older but keeps playing better- but will he be worth $3.5M next year?

[jaa36]

Another good month (17-12) leaves the Outlaws at 32-24 overall, good for second place in the division, 2.5 games behind first-place Dallas and 1.5 games back in the wild card. Injuries have decimated the outfield- good thing we had plenty of depth there- but fortunately none of them are long-term injuries. Dennis Jones has been on and off the DL all year but has been productive when around- .322 with 8 home runs so far. John McCants is dealing with some chronic back soreness right now but has been fantastic when he's played, hitting .301 with a team-leading 13 home runs and 36 RBI, as well as an 18-game hitting streak. Brent Powell continues to amaze and is batting .343 out of the #8 slot in the lineup.

On the pitching side, Matt Johnson threw a shutout and has moved his record up to 5-5. Casey Burton also threw one and has been terrific, 6-1 with a 2.38 ERA so far. And the bullpen has been excellent, with Chris Wilson at 10 saves with a 1.54 ERA. Larry Cantrell has been a bust so far, with a 6.20 ERA in 10 starts, but Matthew Wallace is on his way back soon.

Gonzalo Salinas re-upped for three years at $2.2M/year. Powell is now asking for $8M/year- too much for a now 35-year-old catcher- I resisted making that mistake Graciano Ribas a few years ago, so hopefully we'll be able to groom a replacement soon.

[jaa36]

the Outlaws strung together a seven-game winning streak, sweeping both New Orleans and previously division-leading Dallas and leaving us #1 in the power rankings in early June. We've won 12 of 13 overall. Things are looking good- everyone is returning from injury, and we will probably be buyers at the trade deadline.

[jaa36]

With the #32 overall pick in the draft, San Antonio selected lefthanded starter Juan Gutierrez out of the University of Miami. Gutierrez doesn't have a lot of endurance, but has the potential for top-flight stuff and five outstanding pitches- the question is whether he will develop them.

Our second pick was 17-year-old first baseman Howard Cummings. He's and outstanding contact and power prospect, and the hope would be he could replace Al Brooks in time.

Third pick was 17-year-old Fernando Dador, a switch-hitting outfielder who has good contact and power projection as well as speed on the bases. Finally we picked high-school outfielder John Beckett and collegiate outfielder Dale Barber.

The top overall pick went to Jacksonville (I feel guilty for leaving them)- 17-year-old third baseman Boboy Zapata, who should be a good hitter but not much of a fielder or on the basepaths.

Reviewing our top draft picks:

2004- Verissimo Alvares, having a rough go in Tampa's rotation (1-5, 5.32)
2005- Larry Cantrell, miserable with us (2-4, 6.20) before being demoted
2006- Lee Wilson, finally returning from elbow surgery in 4 days, but a non-prospect at this point.
2007- Nelson Sanchez, had a cup of coffee with us earlier this year when everyone was injured but playing well at El Paso (.287, 8 HR, 14 SB)

We need to draft better. Hopefully new scout Gabriel Nunez will have better luck than Brandon Lyon did.

[jaa36]

A very successful June (20-8) puts the Outlaws in a tie with Dallas for first place at 52-32 overall. We've been playing fantastic baseball and are on a 100-win pace. The starters have led the way: Matt Johnson was 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA, Hector Ortega and Casey Burton are up to ten wins apiece, and Henry Roberts keeps rolling along as well. Even Matthew Wallace has started chipping in, throwing a shutout in his last start. Chris Wilson is up to 19 saves with a 1.83 ERA. It's not the Spartans 2003 roster, but everything is clicking right now.

The offense is not slouching either. John McCants had another good month and is up to 19 home runs and 58 RBI midway through the season. Al Brooks has his average above .300 as usual. And Dennis Jones is playing very well when he's not collecting millions of dollars on the disabled list. Third base is a hole, with Luis Molina hitting only .198 and backup Alvin Clark not playing much better.

Down on the farm, AAA El Paso is wretched (24-52) but Nelson Sanchez is a lone bright spot (.299, 10 homers). A Corpus Christi is 38-38 without any real standouts.

[jaa36]

In the EC Atlantic, Philadelphia is on top but New York is threatening- they haven't made the playoffs since 1997. Toronto's comfortably out in front in the North, and Miami and Atlanta are fighting for the South. Montreal's Angel Nunez may wrest the Player of the Year from Will Bell this year. And Atlanta's Michael Thompson leads all three triple crown categories, though he's never had an ERA below 4 in his career.

In the WC, San Francisco leads the Pacific (they signed Arturo Montoya for $33M/year over five years) but is losing ground, and Chicago and St. Louis are in battle for the North. The Condors also signed Bill Northcote, the former New Orleans then Brooklyn first baseman, who's having a great year.

Two players are closing in on the home run record (489) but it's questionable whether either will make it. Jose Martinez is at 470, but at only 33 years old has hit The OOTP Wall and suddenly is a one-star player and has lost his starting job, so has only three home runs this year. He's signed through 2011 so unless Portland releases him he will still have a job for three more seasons. And Phoenix's David Elizondo is at 471, but is 38 years old, is hitting only .183 with 9 home runs, and signed through 2009. He's still got a starting job but is likely to lose it if he keeps playing this way.

[jaa36]

With another good month we are now 70-42 and in sole possession of first place. We finished 18-10 in July. John McCants has been on fire and hit .349 with nine home runs on the month. Alvin Clark popped six home runs in part-time duty. Al Brooks and Brent Powell both saw their averages dip below .300, but we now rate 4th overall in offense.

But the pitching staff has really shined. Matt Johnson had a 1.98 ERA to lead the way, and the top four starters have all reached ten wins. Manuel Ruiz has put together a great season in the bullpen.

Our budget constraints ($9M in the red) made maneuvering difficult, but we did send struggling swingman Augusto Gomez (6.21 ERA) to New Orleans for backup catcher Ron Messer, who is a better bat off the bench. The deal also provides us with $500K in salary relief, though neither player figures in next year's plans. Larry Cantrell was called up again to fill the vacant bullpen role, but we extended an offer to 36-year-old free agent Jorge Gonzalez, a former closer with 174 career saves.

One of the biggest factors in our success this year has been the relative health of our players- we have had no one on the DL for the last two months. Hopefully noting this will not jinx us.

[jaa36]

Our first sub-.500 month (13-14) drops us out of first place in the WC South, four games below the streaking Dallas Rattlers. Hector Ortega went 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA, and the other four starters continued to pitch well but none of them truly excelled. Jorge Gonzalez did sign a contract but hasn't pitched much so far. John McCants hit six more home runs and is up to 34 on the season, second in the conference. Either he or Dennis Jones could take the Player of the Year with a standout September. McCants, Jones, Casey Burton, and Howard Roberts all made the all-star team. Gonzalo Salinas went down for the season with an injury- hopefully that will be the extent of the jinx?

It would be nice to take the division and the home-field advantage that comes with it, but we remain in the driver's seat for the Wild Card.

[jaa36]

Miami, Toronto, and New York all have comfortable leads in the EC, and Philadelphia and Atlanta will likely battle for the wild card. The Knights' Ruben Rosas, last year's #1 overall draft pick, is threatening to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Player of the Year. And Atlanta's Michael Thompson continues to pitch way over his head at 18-6 with a 1.77 ERA.

In the WC Pacific, the Condors are in front but San Diego is closing the gap fast and is getting closer to the wild card as well. The North is competitive as well, and you know about the WC South. Bill Northcote is within shouting distance of the Triple Crown, just 10 points down in batting average.