Atlantis League of Professional Baseball

[jaa36]

The Bulldogs are 53-56 after a winning July (13-12) but have fallen 11.5 back of Stephens in the conference. Barend Schachte has made an immediate impression with the team, winning a Player of the Week award en route to a .327 average and eight home runs in his brief time with the team. Rookie James Porter just returned from injury and has a .417 average in a little over a month with the team. Herb Clark through his second shutout of the season and still leads the league with a 2.71 ERA. New acquisition Enrico Ortiz is 3-1 with a 0.63 ERA since joining the team. Herb Clark, Jeff Gwin (10-7, 3.99), Manasa Pualani (1.42, 27 saves), Kevin Ring, and Haukea Kaikeapona (.278, 16 HR) were all selected to the all-star game.

Brian Blankenship was placed on the DL for 8 weeks with shoulder inflammation, and old friend Arsene Delcroix was recalled to fill his spot in the rotation. Delcroix was 9-2 with a 2.66 ERA at Willow Hill, though 24-year-old Kewiki Hiwahikeiki is knocking at the door also with a 10-5 record and 3.12 ERA. And Sergio DeNiro is out for a month, with rookie Reed Barber replacing him.

Tommy Vanover, hitting .210 with a .244 OBP and no home runs, was placed on waivers. No one offered any trades at the deadline this season.

[jaa36]

It was another winning month for the Bulldogs, going 14-13 to run their record to 67-69 overall. The first .500 record in team history is within reach. We are tops in the conference in run prevention, with the best bullpen in the league. This is a pleasant surprise. The rotation has been no slouch either, with only Dana Webb (8-16, 4.76) really disappointing. Herb Clark continues to impress, with a 12-8 record and league-leading 2.52 ERA. This offense, on the other hand, has dropped back to last in the conference. With 20-homer seasons from Jack Cook, Hawk Kaikeapona, and Vincent Bowman, we are third in the league in that category.

Catcher Jonathan Wilson, who hit .320 with 26 home runs across two levels, was called up to make his debut, and will get the chance to start against righties. James Porter, hitting .364 with a .423 OBP, will move into the leadoff slot, with Wilson batting second, and struggling Hekeka Ahulani (.282 OBP) will move down to sixth in the order. Kewiki Hiwahikeiki (14-8, 3.12, 185 K) was also called up and will join the rotation, and 23-year-old Roy Hill (8-5, 2.77, 14 saves) will enter the bullpen.

With a month to go around the league, Stephens has a five-game lead in the WC, and Sungate is up two on Timberton in the EC. Sungate's Jeff Slocock leads the ALPB with 35 home runs.

[jaa36]

A 16-10 September left the Bulldogs with an 83-79 record, for the first .500 finish in team history! For the second year in a row, we played much better baseball in the second half of the season. Runs allowed, starters' ERA, and bullpen ERA were all first in the league. And we ended at seventh in scoring, as well as second in home runs. We drew 1.86M fans, and made a profit of $25M.

Jack Cook hit three home runs in a game against Uniontown to finish with 29 on the season. Vincent Bowman led the team with 30 home runs and 90 RBI. Hawk Kaikeapona filled in admirably for departed Doug Walters, hitting .280 with 26 homers. Barend Schachte was great after coming over in trade, hitting .294 with 16 home runs. And rookies Jonathan Wilson and James Porter were stellar in short stints with the team, hitting .406 and .390 respectively.

Herb Clark was the big story among the pitchers, leading the league in wins (18) and ERA (2.56) while finishing third in strikeouts (235). He took home the Dagger Award as the league's top pitcher. 29-year-old rookie Jordan Lucas threw a two-hit shutout in his final start of the season to finish 9-6 with a 3.31 ERA. And Manasa Pualani was great all season, finishing with a 1.96 ERA and 33 saves.

I allowed manager Mario Arreola's contract to expire, despite the successful season. Arreola finished with a 352-458 record at the helm of the Bulldogs. He is 63, and has some extreme strategic tendencies (favoring speed over power, and hitting over pitching, despite the way our team tends to operate) so I felt comfortable letting him go and looking elsewhere. I offered Kelly Hurst, longtime hitting coach for the Clemons Fork Capitals and Gardenbury Stars, the position for five years, $870K/year. Hurst is 58, and was a switch-hitting catcher who hit .332 in parts of three seasons with Adamond, but somehow never stuck as a player. He is known as an outstanding personality and will likely work well with rookies and veterans alike.

Owner Don Allaire is "delighted," but pulled $15M out of our coffers at the end of the season. Our budget remains last in the ALPB at $74M. Keith "Notorious" Brown is our only free agent, but we can let him go.

[jaa36]

The Stephens Rattlers won their eleventh ALPB championship, though it took some drama to get there. The Rattlers went into the final weekend of the season tied with the Marsh Heroes, and then defeated them in two out of three games to win the conference at 92-70. They were a balanced team, with good offense and defense, led by shortstop John "Dodo" Springer (.319, 19 HR, 98 RBI) and right fielder Daruna Nagalingam (.324, 116 runs). They squared off against a Timberton Dragons team that made the playoffs after winning two out of three against Sungate, then winning a one-game playoff in which light-hitting second baseman drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

The Atlantis Series was more thrilling than any in recent memory, with Timberton starting things off by winning the first two games on the road in their last at-bat. But the Rattlers came back to allow one run in each of the next three games in Timberton to take a 3-2 series lead. Returning home, Bill "Revenant" Griffin pitched eight scoreless innings and took home the Walter Award, pitching sixteen innings, striking out 17, and not allowing any runs in the series.

Award winners:
WC Best: 2B Horton Robison, Waterbank, .336, 13 HR, 72 RBI, 107 R, 26 SB, 7.9 WAR
WC Dagger: Herb Clark, Dawn Branch, 18-8, 2.56, 267 IP, 235 K, 7.8 WAR
WC Crowe: RF James Porter, Dawn Branch, .390, 47 R, 18 SB
EC Best: SS Jeff "The Comet" Slocock, Sungate, .314, 42 HR, 121 RBI, 112 R, 7.8 WAR
EC Dagger: Vincent Adams, Timberton, 21-7, 2.30, 298 IP, 307 K, 10.5 WAR
EC Crowe: RF Artie Shepard, Timberton, .326, 25 HR, 88 RBI

I don't generally edit the rookie award, but Porter was just dominating in a half-season and produced more value than the runner-up did in a full year. Vincent Adams of Timberton won the pitching triple crown.

[jaa36]

Looking at the stat sheets for the season, we had some outstanding performances from some unexpected sources, but some big disappointments too. The leader in WAR among position players was actually James Porter in his part-time Crowe Award-winning performance. Hawk Kaikeapona played very well at third base, providing 26 home runs and 20 steals and holding his own on defense. Jack Cook also played very well in part-time duty, hitting 29 home runs and providing 78 RBI. Among the disappointments, Tommy Vanover was terrible, Hekeka Ahulani hit only .224, and Vincent Bowman didn't quite measure up to expectations despite his 30 home runs.

Herb Clark was obviously the big success on the pitching staff. Jeff Gwin pitched very well for a rookie. Dana Webb didn't get great results, but his peripherals actually looked pretty good. The back end of the rotation switched around a lot but the results from Jordan Lucas and Brian Allen were a lot better than I would have expected. The bullpen was surprisingly good also- I've mentioned Pualani's outstanding year a few times, but Johnny O'Quigley pitched 106 innings out of the bullpen and performed very well for a rookie.

Among players no longer on the Bulldogs, Doug Walter hit .229 but had 36 home runs and won a Giles Award for Sidney City, Michael Rice was 18-8 and was traded to Uniontown, Dan Price went 11-8 with a 3.54 ERA for Timberton, and outfielders Arthur Parkinson and Ryan Taylor ended up not playing in the majors. Prospect Buck Jeffery broke his arm and was injured for the second half of the season.

[jaa36]

Dana Webb will get $3M/year for three years, but the others I'm going year to year on. Enrico Ortiz and Jack Cook are both looking for multi-year deals and are not willing to accept offers at the arbitration estimate, so I'll take them to arbitration. Cook has played very well the last few years, but I worry that even at $5.5M he would be getting paid too much, and I may shop him at the deadline. And I can't offer five years to a reliever like Ortiz wants, even though he has pitched very well.

I didn't offer contracts to Tommy Vanover, Broderick Johnston, Brian Blankenship, or Mike Collins. Blankenship didn't pitch badly but with the emergence of several rookies and the usual payroll crunch, he is a luxury I can't afford.

I lost Cook's hearing (he will make $6.75M) but won Ortiz's ($1.9M).

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We actually had a small amount of free agent money available- $1.6M- but with a still-negative projected budget, I only want to make an offer if it really seems like it would help the team. Instead of making major-league offers, I put the extra money into player development to help out all our high draft picks. We are now at $5.7M, still well below the league average of $8M.

We signed minor league starter Gary Jordon (whom Bryan Kramer seems to rate much higher than other scouts), reliever Lindsay Marley (hey, I signed him last year!), and outfielder Kika Peleke.

I shopped Jack Cook, Gian-Carlo Panatta, and Kevin Ring in the offseason but didn't find any good deals. Cook will definitely be trade bait if we fall out of contention.

Dave Maupin strained a hamstring, but was ready for the season. And backup catcher Franz Krause broke a finger, but with the emergence of Jonathan Wilson, he is extraneous anyway.

Major free agent signings include pitcher Rob Jackson to Silverley for $110M over six years, OF Joe Coffey to Freeton for $84M over five years, starter Orlando Lugo to Patrick for $93M over six years, and SP T.J. Vogel with Marsh for $82M over four years.

[jaa36]

It's time for another year of Bulldogs baseball, as Dawn Branch tries to build on the first winning record in franchise history. Owner Don Allaire expects us to stay close to an even record, as usual. In looking at the preseason predictions, I couldn't find our team at first, then looked at the top of the standings- we are projected to win 97 games and win the conference!! Vincent Bowman, Herb Clark, rookie Kewiki Hiwahikeiki (!), and Manasa Puasani are all listed amont the top ten players. We still have the lowest budget and payroll in the league. The Stephens Rattlers are projected to finish second, with 92 wins. In the EC, Timberton and Sungate are projected to fight it out again for a playoff spot.

The starting rotation will be Herb Clark, Dana Webb, Jeff Gwin, Jordan Lucas, and Kewiki Hiwahikeiki to start the season. Dave Maupin and Brian Allen are also available if a spot starter is needed. There is enough pitching depth in the minors as well.

The lineup against righties will be

RF James Porter
C Jonathan Wilson
3B Haukea Kaikeapona
CF Vincent Bowman
1B Barent Schachte
LF Jack Cook
2B Gian-Carlo Panatta
SS Sergio DeNiro

I'm asking a lot out of Bowman to play center field, but Hekeka Ahulani can't hit righties. He, T.J. Moore, Lou Johnston, and Kevin Ring will play against lefties.

Our minor league system slipped to 14th out of 16, in part because some of our players are graduating to the majors. 21-year-old OF Tom Caldwell is ranked #39 and will start in AAA, and last year's first round pick SP Rick Mosley is #48. Hiwahikeiki is listed as #75, and Jonathan Wilson is only #132.

[jaa36]

Forgot to select someone after last season! The 2003 inductee is catcher Ignacio Rivera. A native of El Dorado, Rivera was a 2nd-round pick out of Grandham High School by the Clemons Fork Capitals. He reached the major with the Capitals in 1957 at age 20, and secured the starting job at age 22. He was an all-star in 1959, his first full season, and made the all-star team a total of eleven times. He was consistently quite good until his age 27 season, when he exploded to another level altogether in 1965, when he hit .314 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI. In 1967, he hit .343 with 23 homers and 105 RBI in winning his first Best Award. He captured the 1968 and 1969 awards as well, with his 1969 perhaps his best season, hitting .336 with 30 home runs and 41 doubles. He led the Capitals to the Atlantis Series in 1964 and 1971, but the team didn't win either time. After spending fifteen seasons with the Capitals, Rivera finished his career with Adamond and Sungate. He was a three-time Giles Award winner behind the plate. He finished with a .301 average, .374 OBP, 2564 hits (third all-time), 248 home runs, and 61 WAR, currently third all-time and easily best among catchers. Congratulations Ignacio!

[jaa36]

The Bulldogs got off to their usual slow start, going 13-14, good for fourth place in the conference. Jonathan Wilson was named the Rookie of the Month, hitting .326 with five home runs. James Porter picked up right where he left off, hitting .345. Jeff Gwin is pitchin well, with a 2.97 ERA, though Herb Clark has lost four games already.

Dave Maupin suffered his second major injury in two years with a torn rotator cuff and will miss nearly the rest of the season. Rookie Roy Hill was called up to replace him. Barend Schachte and Kevin Ring both went on the DL for two weeks with minor injuries.

[jaa36]

Not a good May for the Bulldogs, who lost 11-18 to fall into seventh place at 24-32. Fortunately, we are only 6 1/2 games out of first place, which is currently held by Uniontown and Waterbank. The offense is not performing as expected, sixth best in the league. Herb Clark has fallen to 2-9 on the season, but has a 3.47 ERA. Last season's outstanding bullpen has collapsed, with Manasa Puasani holding a 7.48 ERA, and we are only sixth in the league in run prevention.

James Porter broke a finger and Gian-Carlo Panatta tore his quad; both will miss five weeks. This allows Lou Johnston to play against righthanders as well. Second base will be handled by a platoon.

[jaa36]

With an even 14-14 record on the season, Dawn Branch is now 38-46 overall, and ten games out of first. A disappointment considering the lofty predictions prior to the season. Dana Webb was sensational, going 4-0 and winning the Pitcher of the Month award; he is now 6-3 with a 3.24 ERA on the season. Herb Clark is now 6-12 but leads the conference with 132 strikeouts and has a 3.30 ERA. Vincent Bowman won a player of the week award, but is still only hitting .237 with 12 home runs on the season. Jack Cook is hitting only .238 with 10 home runs. Hawk Kaikeapona has been our most productive hitter, batting .293 with 13 homers and 47 RBI.

Barend Schachte was suspended five games for his participation in a bench-clearing brawl against Waterbank- the native of Rutas is feisty! James Porter and Gian-Carlo Panatta returned from injury and back into the lineup. Cory McCann will be sent back down despite hitting .343- I will not be swayed by a small sample size by a player I know is crappy. Joe Dougherty filled in well as the replacement second baseman, hitting .306.

Sidney City took high school pitcher Cole "Headcase" Nichols. Bryan Kramer is not high on him, and I'm not sure what's to like about him, with a nickname like that and a reputation for being "arrogant and condescending." With the tenth overall pick, we selected high school catcher Jayson Bush. Bush is a righthanded hitter with a great arm but otherwise questionable skills behind the plate, and there is a chance he will end up in the outfield. He projects as an outstanding hitter for power and average, and has surprisingly good speed as well. With our next four picks, we selected high school right-hander P.J. Shannon, high school second baseman River McGuire, college lefty David Smiley, and college third baseman Ken Frazier.

Having been unable to close the gap between the conference leaders, I'm actively shopping Manasa Pualani and Jack Cook, but no takers thus far.

Around the league, Uniontown and Waterbank remain at the top of the WC; I can't get too upset about this as Waterbank has the 15th-largest budget, and Uniontown the 12th-largest. Sungate has the best record in baseball at 51-31 and leads the EC by two games. Marsh's Craig Cote has 28 home runs and has a shot to become the first ALPB player to hit 50 home runs in a season. Our old friend Doug Walter has 24 for Sidney City.

[jaa36]

July proved to be an injury-filled but otherwise good month for Dawn Branch. We went 17-10 to raise our record to 55-54 overall, seven games back of conference-leading Waterbank. Herb Clark went 4-0 to raise his record to 10-12 overall, and he leads the conference with 161 strikeouts. He was named the WC Pitcher of the Month. James Porter returned to the lineup and is hitting .330. Dana Webb and Haukea Kaikeapona were selected to the all-star team; Hawk is hitting .309 with 19 home runs. The middle infield has been predictably wretched, with Gian-Carlo Panatta hitting .208 and Sergio DeNiro hitting .224. Manasa Pualani's ERA is still 5.66, but he is second in the conference with 25 saves.

Vincent Bowman strained his hamstring and missed three weeks, and Barend Schachte strained his quad and went out for five. Old friend Bill Spurlin was given a minor league contract to replace Schachte. Then Jack Cook tore his labrum and will miss the rest of the season- boo. 26-year-old outfielder Will Poulin, who is hitting .308 in Willow Hill and hit .319 there last year, was called up to replace Cook, with Kika Peleke joining the lineup against righties. Next, Hekeka Ahulani strained his MCL and went out for six weeks.

We signed a 17-year-old catching prospect out of Arcadia named Kirk "Bow Wow" Hoyt. He is right-handed, a good hitting prospect but not likely much of a fielder. I was offered an interesting trade near the deadline- 26-year-old shortstop Pat Phillips for catcher Jonathan Wilson. Phillips is a great fielder and excellent hitter, and is probably an even better talent than Wilson- but has two fewer years of team control. I turned down the offer. I shopped Manasa Pualani and Gian-Carlo Panatta at the deadline but wasn't able to get anything worthwhile.

[jaa36]

A 10-17 August pushed the Bulldogs to 65-71 and out of contention, 18 games back from division-leading Waterbank. Vincent Bowman has been a major disappointment, hitting only .217 with 19 home runs and contributing two wins less than replacement! This is incredibly bad for a player of his stature, and one that is making the highest salary on the team. Jonathan Wilson has put together a great season, hitting .290 with 18 home runs, though I feel bad for Kevin Ring, who lost his job after three straight solid offensive seasons.

Dana Webb tore a finger tendon and is gone for the rest of the season. Maluhialani Kimo was called up from Willow Hill where he was 11-8 with a 3.23 ERA and 203 strikeouts. Webb was 10-6 with a 3.29 ERA on the season. September roster additions included Dave Maupin, finally returning from injury, and backup catcher Franz Krause. Bill Spurlin will remain with the team even though Barend Schachte has returned from injury as well.

Around the league, Marsh's Craig Cote is up to 46 home runs, only two away from the all-time single-season record. Cote is 26, and only had 45 career home runs entering this season. He was traded to Marsh in the offseason and is clearly enjoying the league's best hitters' park. He is also up to 139 RBI, which is 12 away from the record. Sidney City's Doug Walters is leading the EC in home runs with 36 and RBI with 92. Timberton's ace Vincent Adams has 278 strikeouts and has a shot out at the league record of 335. Sungate and Freeton are fighting it out for the Eastern Conference, though Waterbank has the best record in baseball at 83-53.

[jaa36]

The Bulldogs reeled off a ten-game winning streak in September to salvage their season and push them over .500 overall at 82-80. This was good for third place, but a full 17 games behind Waterbank, who won the conference at 99-63. We had an attendance of 1.5M (down 300K from last year) and turned a $13M profit.

We finished second overall in run prevention, behind what turned out to be once again the league's best bullpen after a remarkable second-half turnaround in that department. Herb Clark threw a shutout and finished only 12-18 with a 3.50 ERA but led the league with 237 strikeouts. Jeff Gwin turned in a solid sophomore campaign with a 14-11 record and 3.52 ERA. The offense moved up to fifth overall, and Jonathan Wilson captured a player of the week award en route to hitting .304 with a team-leading 26 homers.

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The Freeton Crusaders won 94 games en route to their eighth overall ALPB championship, sweeping the Waterbank Diamonds in four games. Freeton was led by a balanced offense including 3B Kaponianani Ahimeleka (.328, 20 HR), LF Dan Singleton (.315, 28 HR), 1B Ray Brooks (.295, 25 HR), and CF Ubaldo Bottesini (.308, 23 HR). Ed Carlson was the staff ace and went 19-6. Outfielder Saini Ekekiela took home the Walter Award, hitting .444 with two home runs in the series win.

Craig Cote did set the ALPB record for both home runs (52) and RBI (154). Three WC batters had averages of .367 or higher; all three were in the top ten seasons all time. Doug Walters finished with 39 home runs and 109 RBI.

Award winners:
WC Best: LF George Matkin, Waterbank, .370, 14 HR, 70 RBI, 108 R, 58 SB, 9.4 WAR
WC Dagger: Sammy Simmons, Stephens, 17-6, 2.91, 219.1 IP, 137 K, 7.5 WAR
WC Crowe: C Jonathan Wilson, Dawn Branch, .304, 26 HR, 76 RBI
EC Best: 1B Matt Gaston, Sidney City, .336, 27 HR, 88 RBI, 6.1 WAR
EC Dagger: Vincent Adams, Timberton, 11-14, 2.63, 290.1 IP, 311 K, 8.4 WAR
EC Crowe: CF Ubaldo Bottesini, .308, 23 HR, 93 RBI

[jaa36]

The 2004 Hall of Fame selection was an easy choice, going to the league's most dominant pitcher and player, Tane "Chief" Keli. Keli, a native of Taputupuatea, Muan, was the #3 overall pick out of Wonderwood High School in 1980 by the Clemons Fork Capitals. He rocketed through their system, reaching the majors in 1982, and was an all-star by 1983, when he went 17-13 with a 2.45 ERA. In 1985 he went 20-12 with a 2.87 ERA to win the first of his incredible ten Dagger Awards as the league's top pitcher. He exceeded that performance the next season, going 23-9 with a 1.93 ERA and reaching the Atlantis Series with the Capitals.

After two more outstanding seasons with Clemons Fork, Keli signed as a free agent with the Marsh Heroes. He was a huge success in his first season with Marsh, winning the Dagger Award and going on to win the Atlantis Series. In 1991, he had perhaps his finest season, going 30-6 (breaking the record for wins in a season by five) with a 2.51 ERA, and going on to win the Walter Award for the best postseason performance by going 1-0 with a 2.78 ERA in three starts en route to his second championship. 1992 was arguably his best season yet, as he went 25-7 with a 1.99 ERA, a career-high 326 strikeouts, and won his sixth Dagger Award.

Following the 1992 season, Keli signed with the Adamond Bruins, where he went on to win four more Dagger Awards in four seasons. He spent two seasons with Sungate and one with Wal to round out his career in 1999, finishing as the all-time record holder in wins (329), starts (616), complete games (174), shutouts (36), innings (4714), strikeouts (4515), VORP (1071), and WAR (183). He was a fourteen-time all-star. Keli is miles ahead of any other pitcher in league history- congratulations Tane!

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Among position players, catcher Jonathan Wilson was the biggest success, bringing home the Crowe Award to the Bulldogs for the second straight season. He hit .304 with 26 home runs and 32 doubles. Outfielder James Porter followed up on his outstanding rookie season by hitting .338 with a .414 OBP and stealing 22 bases. Haukea Kaikeapona continued his development into a consistent middle-of-the-order hitter, batting .279 with 24 home runs and 32 doubles. Barend Schachte and Hekeka Ahulani were both solid, getting on base and providing 12 home runs apiece. But not everything went well- outfielder Vincent Bowman turned in an unexpectedly terrible season, hitting .237 with a .288 OBP and only 23 home runs and finishing at -1.2 WAR. Infielders Gian-Carlo Panatta and Sergio DeNiro were both replacement level.

The top pitcher was Herb Clark once again, who provided 6.6 WAR. Jeff Gwin wasn't far behind with his solid sophomore campaign. Dana Webb was solid until missing the end of the season to injury. Jordan Lucas slumped badly in his second year, but Brian Allen picked up the slack with 137 innings as a swingman. Johnny O'Quigley provided plenty of innings out of the bullpen again, and Enrico Ortiz had a hard-luck season, going 0-7.

Former pitcher Dan Price had a good year, going 10-14 with a 3.67 ERA and 208 K. Michael Rice was not good, losing 20 games with a 5.44 ERA. Farani Feaunati was good out of the bullpen, with a 3.14 ERA, but doesn't look any closer to perfecting that circle change. Doug Walters, as I mentioned, had an outstanding season. Buck Jeffery hit .258 across three levels and looks like he's well on his way to an all-star career. Probably shouldn't have made that deal... Ryan Taylor and Arthur Parkinson are both officially retired.

Among prospects, 22-year-old outfielder Tom Caldwell made it to AAA but hit only .232; he may still be a year away from contributing. 19-year-old pitcher Rick Mosley tore up rookie ball (6-0, 0.91) and was good in short-season A (2.95). AAA Willow Hill was very good, going 83-61 and finishing in second, and the Hensley City Swamp Angels (rookie ball) were 43-25.

[jaa36]

The budget this season is only $71M, down $3M from the previous year, and we are $16M in the red, meaning that it's not possible to offer contracts to anyone. This means that Jack Cook (arb estimate $7.5M) is a luxury we can't afford, so he will not be offered arbitration. Dave Maupin, who's missed substantial time in the last two seasons, will not receive an offer either. T.J. Moore, Bill Spurlin and Cory McCann will not receive offers either. Brian Allen is tough- his ratings don't justify a $2.2M offer, but his performance definitely does, so I'll give it to him. Aaron Hardwick, Enrico Ortiz, Barend Schachte, Lou Johnston, and Kika Peleke will all get offers as well.

We ended up winning every arbitration case except Peleke, who ended up getting $1.74M- no big deal. Gian-Carlo Panatta, who spent parts of seven seasons with the Bulldogs, was allowed to leave as a free agent. Panatta hit .258 with 114 stolen bases over the course of his career with the Bulldogs, totaling 6.5 WAR and winning the 2002 Giles Award as the league's best fielding second baseman.

[jaa36]

Not offering arbitration offers to Jack Cook and others left us with a budget shortfall of only $4M. Cook ended up signing a four-year deal with Stephens for $39M. Dave Maupin signed a two-year deal with Silverley for $3.7M/year. Gian-Carlo Panatta ended up going to Marsh for $700K.

After a miserable 2004, Vincent Bowman was shopped around, with two years and $20M remaining on his contract. We were offered two outfielders that would reduce our budget allocations by about $6M, but I have enough faith in Bowman rebounding that I didn't pull the trigger. I ended up dealing Brian Allen (at the peak of his value) to Gardenbury for 27-year-old outfielder Trevor Edwards. Edwards is a left-handed hitter who hit .301 with 13 home runs last season. He is still making the league minimum.

I was offered 26-year-old left fielder Dan Phillips for 27-year-old infielder Jimmy Moss and 2002 second round pick catcher Bill Murray. Moss, a former seventh-round pick, actually profiles as our starting second baseman next year, but he isn't very good. Phillips is right-handed, has plus contact and power, plays a good left field, and has just over a year service time. I accepted the deal, and as usual, we have plenty of outfielders (even with Cook gone) but need lots of help elsewhere.

We offered minor league deals to 18-year-old pitcher Santiago Lopez, 25-year-old pitcher Lindsay Marley (as usual), and, in desperate need for infield depth, 30-year-old Cory McCann. Fortunately, there were no injuries in the preseason.

The spending was not quite as lavish around the league this offseason. The biggest deals included shortstop Ralph Gibson going to Stephens ($82M/5 years) and pitcher Ed Carlson to Clemons Fork ($73M/5 years).