The IBL's Chicago Iron Pigs

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by gehrig38

Roberto Martinez, 26 years old with a mid 90's fastball. The 2021 Koufax Award winner. A 3 time all star. Missed about 10 starts last year but the season was a wash when he did pitch. His peripherals weren't off, but the W/L and ERA was.
Coming in this year he was my 1A to Hall's 1. If you take his 22 starts last year, 10 this year, that's about a seasons worth of starts, 32.
In his last 32 starts here's the line.
11-11 5.51 192.2 IP 204 H 28 HR's 59 BB 177 K's. That's a number 5 guy, if that. Certainly not on this staff. He's got a 10.8M club option for next year that, barring catastrophe, I pick up. But the next 20 or so starts are being made on the 'hope' that he finds his self and bounces back.

Although his K/BB ration has slipped from 4.46(2019-21) down to 3, he'd probably still be really good if not for the really unlucky .369 BABIP this year(assuming league average is around .300) Considering it's only a one year 10.8 option you almost have to take the shot like you said and hope he finds his way over the next year and a half.

[gehrig38]

WEEK: 9
RECORD: 2-4
OVERALL: 32-22 +3.5 (Green Bay 28-25)
RUNS SCORED: 376 (54) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 261 (47) 2nd
OWNERS MOOD: Undecided (-1)
FAN INTEREST: 90/100 (-2)
WEEK AHEAD: 1 vs Buffalo/Off Day/3 vs West Michigan/2 @ New Hampshire

5/22 BUF 9 CHI 7
W-Payne (2-1) L-Morgan (5-4) S-Artlano (12)
HR BUF-Holbrook 2 (10) Grueter (9) Crawford (5) J.Martinez (7) CHI-Castro (2)
Morgan crushed 4-10-8-8-0-5 4 HR's. Holbrook (BUF) 5 RBI's (22) Martinez (BUF) 3-5 HR Castro 3-4 HR 4 RBI's (19) Blakeway 3-4

GREAT GAMES-See news item below....

5/23 Off Day

5/24 CHI 21 WMI 9
W-Pimentel (8-0) L-Vargas (7-3)
HR WMI-Hunter (9) Adaricio (12) Hernandez (6) CHI-Castro (3) Jackson (6) Collins 2 (7)
Ash 3-5 2B (10) 3 runs 3 RBI's (26) Hudson 3-5 2B (8) 4 runs Castro 3-5 3B (4) HR 4 runs 6 RBI's (25) Shaw 3-5 2 RBI's (23) Collins 4-6 2B (6) 2 HR's 4 RBI's (23) Jackson 4-5 2 2B's (5) HR 3 runs 3 RBI's (24) Pimentel 5.1-7-7-7-4-4 and gets a W out of it.

5/25 WMI 8 CHI 7 (12)
W-Burbidge (1-0) L-Tucker (1-3)
HR WMI-Mejia (6) Montoya (21)
We get 2 in the 8th, 4 in the bottom of the 9th to tie it. Ash 3-6 2 2B's (12) Hall turns in another horrible start from the rotation 5-8-7-7-4-6 Drake (WMI) deals 6.2-7-1-1-1-6 (ND)

5/26 CHI 7 WMI 6
W-Moreno (1-1) L-Gonzalez (4-3)
HR WMI-Hernandez (3)
Down 2 in the 9th, 2nd and 3rd, wild pitch to tie, passed ball to win. Collins 2-4 2 RBI's (25) Martinez 7.1-7-5-5-3-10

5/27 NH 9 CHI 7
W-Moore (1-0) L-Casas (1-4) S-Kelly (17)
HR CHI-Shaw (7) Jackson (7) Chavez (15)
Trujillo 36 pitch 1st. 6-8-4-3-4-5. Zapata (NH) 3-4 3 RBI's (22) Hayden (NH) 3-4 Chavez 2-4 HR SB (10) 2 RBI's (41)

5/28 NH 6 CHI 5
W-Jackson (4-2) L-Morgan (5-5) S-Bentley (1)
HR CHI-Castro (4) Hudson (17) NH-Ackerman (7)
Up 3-0 Morgan gives up 5 in the 6th. Salinas 4-5 2B (10) 2 RBI's (32) Shaw 3-4

MILESTONE-See press release below...

INJURY NEWS-Stephen Watkins (BAL) the Colts big ticket Closer signed this winter will miss the next 2-3 months after being diagnosed with a herniated disc. He was 2-0 15 SV 2.54 in 26 games. The Colts trail the 1st place Bombers by 8 games.

WEEK 9 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Vincente Dominquez (GB) 9-22 5 HR's 12 RBI's (.324-14-44)
CL POTW-Lance Berkman (SAC) 13-26 4 HR's 10 RBI's (.345-14-39)

ORG POTW
A(S) POTW Pete Flynn (BEL) 10-25 4 HR's 7 RBI's (.321-7-36)
A(N) POTW Julio Lopez (DEN) 10-21 3 HR's 9 RBI's (.308-6-28)

WEEK 9 POWER RANKINGS
1) Brooklyn (5)
2) Corpus Christi (1)
3) West Michigan (3)
4) Green Bay (-)
5) Dallas (-)
OUT Chicago (8) Boston (6)

AAA Tulsa (2 -) 35-19 +1 (Battle .367-1-27 11 SB/Vaughn .325-6-39/Swagat .398-1-39/Cannon .361-10-40/Rea 10-0 2.87)
AA Bakersfield (14 -7) 30-24 8 GB (Hinson 5-0 2.40/Buckley 0-1 1.64/Watanabe 11 SV 0.74)
A(S) Belleview (7 -1) 29-25 4 GB (Flynn .321-7-36/Martinez .318-5-17/Guillen .271-9-41/Day 6-1 3.13/Caine 8 SV 0.90)
A(N) Denison (22 +2) 24-30 6 GB (Butler .303-5-23/Blankenship .317-7-34/Ellis .250-11-36)

[gehrig38]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

Although his K/BB ration has slipped from 4.46(2019-21) down to 3, he'd probably still be really good if not for the really unlucky .369 BABIP this year(assuming league average is around .300) Considering it's only a one year 10.8 option you almost have to take the shot like you said and hope he finds his way over the next year and a half.

Ya, the option is literally a no brainer barring serious injury. Especially at that price. I can't figure out why he's been so bad, it seems like he's down 2-0 before he gets an out, every start.

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by gehrig38

Ya, the option is literally a no brainer barring serious injury. Especially at that price. I can't figure out why he's been so bad, it seems like he's down 2-0 before he gets an out, every start.

Just stumbled across this article from last June concerning Lincecum. It seems eerily apropos. Here's the link:
When Aces Struggle: Is Tim Lincecum Having a Historically Bad Season? « TheCutoffMan

[gehrig38]

Former Iron Pig John Overhill makes the news.

[gehrig38]

WEEK: 10
RECORD: 6-0
OVERALL: 38-22 +5.5 (Green Bay 32-27)
RUNS SCORED: 427 (51) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 273 (12) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Good
FAN INTEREST: 90/100
WEEK AHEAD: 1 @ New Hampshire/Off Day/3 vs Dayton/2 vs Columbus

5/29 CHI 8 NH 1
W-Pimentel (9-0) L-Teoh (2-4)
HR CHI-Castro (5)
Pimentel 9-5-1-1-1-12 Ash 3-5 Chavez 2-5 2B (5) RBI (42) Castro GS 5 RBI's (31)

STUFF-I believe, and I am checking as best I can, though I'd need to go back and read through this thread for definitive confirmation, Pimentel is the first Iron Pigs starter to go 9-0 in his first 9 decisions. I know Ken Lee was 13-1 in 2016, and he was 9-1 that season, but I think he lost one early. I am almost 100% sure no Iron Pig starter has ever gone 10-0 to start the season. He is definitely the first Iron Pig pitcher to win his first 10 decisions as an Iron Pig.

5/30 Off Day

5/31 CHI 8 DAY 2
W-Hall (3-4) L-Kelley (6-2)
HR DAY-Greene (19) CHI-Chavez (16)
Hall 8-5-2-2-0-8 Top 3 in the lineup (Castro, Hudson, Chavez) go 7-14 2 2B's HR 5 runs 4 RBI's. Chavez 3-5 HR 3 RBI's (45) Collins 3-4 2 RBI's (27) Greene (DAY) 2-4 2B (12) HR 2 RBI's (45)

6/1 CHI 4 DAY 3
W-Carlson (1-0) L-Canales (3-6)
HR CHI-Hudson (18)
Another 2-0 deficit before we came to bat. Martinez goes 8-8-3-3-2-7 after rough 1st. Dayton gets 4 DP's. Hudons leads off bottom 9 with a walk off HR. Castro 4-5 2B (11) Ash 3-4

6/2 CHI 17 DAY 2
W-Trujillo (8-2) L-Espinoza (2-5)
HR CHI-Shaw (8) Collins (8) DAY-Cooper (20)
Hudson 2-2 3 runs Shaw 4-5 HR 3 runs 5 RBI's (31) Jackson 2-5 2B (6) 3 runs Collins 3-5 HR 4 RBI's (31) Miranda 3-5 2B (20) 3 RBI's (40) Trujillo 6-5-2-2-3-2. 5-0 after 1, 11-0 after 2, 13-0 after 3.

6/3 CHI 6 COL 2
W-Carlson (2-0) L-McKee (5-4)
HR CHI-Castro 2 (7) Jackson (8) Chavez (17)
Morgan comes out after the 2nd with an unknown arm issue, Blakeway comes out after a nasty collision on the basepaths. Both are out until we get word back. Castro 2-3 2 HR's 4 RBI's (35)

6/4 CHI 8 COL 2
W-Pimentel (10-0) L-Barnes (5-4)
HR COL-Garcia (10) CHI-Vela (3)
Castro 2-5 2B (13) 2 RBI's (37) Vela 2-4 HR SB (6) 2 RBI's (15) Pimentel 7-7-2-2-3-5.

INJURY NEWS-Ramon Castro came out of the game with an apparent leg issue, but it was cleared up after the game, shouldn't miss any time. Andy Morgan's got a mild oblique strain, will likely be a DtD thing for a few days and we'll push back, or skip, his next start.

ORG POTW
A(S) Brian Wilson OF 12-27 HR 9 RBI's (.400-1-10)

SINGLE SEASON RECORD: STRIKEOUTS
Angelo Esparza (SAN) 329 '22
Estaban Figueroa (SAC) 310 '22
Angel Esparza (SAN) 290 '20
Joaquin Vargas (WMI) 285
Walt Thompson (Retired) 281 '14

WEEK 10 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Ramon Castro (CHI) 11-25 4 HR's 10 RBI's (.327-7-37)
CL POTW-Lance Berkman (SAC) 13-28 4 HR's 6 RBI's (.357-18-45)

WEEK 10 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (8)
2) Brooklyn (1)
3) West Michigan (3)
4) Dallas (5)
5) Green Bay (4)
OUT Corpus Christi (9)

AAA Tulsa (2 -) 40-20 +2
AA Bakersfield (5 +9) 36-25 3 GB
A(S) Belleview (6 +1) 34-27 3 GB
A(N) Denison (15 +7) 29-32 5 GB

[gehrig38]

WEEK: 11
RECORD: 5-2
OVERALL: 43-24 +5 (Green Bay 37-28)
RUNS SCORED: 476 (49) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 300 (27) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Good
FAN INTEREST: 90/100
WEEK AHEAD: 2 vs Columbus/3 vs Corpus Christi/2 vs Tulsa

6/5 CHI 9 COL 0
W-Hall (4-4) L-Morales (4-6)
HR CHI-Chavez 3 (20)
Luis Chavez went deep 3 times, a career 1st, and Stan Hall went 9-2-0-0-0-9 in a dominating effort. 5 times an Iron Pig has hit 3 HR's in a game (Bill Alexander, Wes Morgan, Hugh Collins 2x). He went 3-4 3 runs 4 RBI's (50) Vela 2-4 2B (7) 3B (3) The 3-4 day raised his average to an even .400. His solo drive in the 6th also marked his 300th career HR, tying him with teammate Jeffrey Hudson for 16th all time.

6/6 COL 7 CHI 4
W-Braschi (2-2) L-Martinez (5-3) S-Amaya (15)
HR COL-Lynch (9) Schall 2 (8) CHI-Chavez (21)
Martinez ERA? 6.66 after a 3-9-6-6-1-3 outing, burning up the pen again. Aging veteran slugger Christian Schall was 3-3 2 HR's 4 RBI's (19)

INJURY NEWS-Andre Blakeway will be out at least a month with an intercoastal strain. Prospect Kevin Vaughn, a switch hitting middle infielder with an outstanding glove will be recalled. Kevin was acquired in the deal that sent Massi Lorenzelli to Staten Island.

6/7 CHI 14 CC 7
W-Casas (2-4) L-Toner (5-4) S-Tucker (1)
HR CC-C.Jones (2) R.Miller (14) CHI-Jackson (9) Chavez (22) Hudson (19)
Trujillo bombed 3.1-8-6-6-1-2 Casas 3.2 IP 1 H 6 K's Top 4 hitters have 2 hit days. Chavez 2-4 HR SB (11) 3 RBI's (55) Jackson 3 RBI's (34) Ash 3-5 2B (14) 2 RBI's (35) Jones (CC) GS 5 RBI's (16) Covington (CC) 3-3 Earl Shaw's 2-4 day moved his hitting streak to 20 games.

GOOD GAMES-Angelo Esparza (SAN) made the most out of the interleague matchup, tossing a 6-hit SHO and K'ing 10 to move to 7-5 3.10 on the year. He's tossed 98.2 IP with 111 punch outs.

INJURY NEWS-Randolph Boyd (AZ) has a broken elbow and the 32 year old 2B for the Rattlers will miss up to 11 months with the injury the team learned today. Arizona is 32-30 and trailing Alaska by just 1 game in the Western Division.

6/8 CHI 4 CC 2
W-Moreno (4-2) L-Gobbi (5-7) S-Cruz (2)
HR CC-Covington (6) CHI-Hudson (20)
RP Juan Moreno gets the spot start and goes 6-3-0-0-2-4 for the W. Castro 2-4 RBI (39) Hudson 2-4 2B (10) HR 2 RBI's (59) Chavez 2-3 3B (2) SB (12) are all the Chicago hits. Earl Shaw went hitless.

AA All Stars-Karl Gardner SP 6-4 3.31, Patrick Hinson SP 7-0 2.34, Masakado Nakashima SP 6-1 3.25, Pancho Villarreal RF .324/.465/.540 5-20

A(N) All Stars-Julio Lopez 2B .291/.350/.514 8-33

6/9 CHI 8 CC 2
W-Pimentel (11-0) L-Colon (5-4)
HR CHI-Castro (8) Hudson (21)
Pimentel major struggles 5-5-2-2-7-4 Andre 3-1-0-0-0-5 in relief. Miranda 3-4 Castro 2-5 HR Hudson 2-4 HR R.Miller (CC) 3-4 3B (1)

AAA All Stars-Orlando Rea SP 12-0 2.53 Roberto Hidalgo RP 4-1 1 SV 2.19, Asiman Swagat C .393/.484/.488 1-42, Juan Medina 3B .345/.440/.389 1-25, Stan Cannon LF .348/.415/.620 12-47, Willard Battle CF .317/.432/.433 1-27 13 SB's

6/10 TUL 6 CHI 1
W-Sutherland (4-7) L-Tucker (1-4)
HR CHI-Shaw (9)
Sutherland 9-6-1-1-1-5 CG Hall 8-5-1-1-0-6 (ND) Tucker and Carlson go a combined 1-5-5-5-2-1 in the 9th. Shaw 3-4 HR

6/11 CHI 9 TUL 3
W-Morgan (6-3) L-Davis (5-3)
HR TUL-Gray (5) J.Ortiz (13) CHI-Chavez (23) Collins 2 (10)
Collins 3-4 2 HR's 5 RBI's (36) Chavez 2-5 2B (8) HR 2 RBI's (57)

WEEK 11 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Alberto Rivera (DAY) 14-23 2 HR's 5 RBI's (.336-9-36)
CL POTW-Michael Moran (SAN) 14-21 HR 5 RBI's (.330-14-47)

ORG POTW
AAA Steve Rush 9-19 3 HR's 8 RBI's (.301-6-25)

WEEK 11 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Brooklyn (2)
3) San Antonio (-)
4) West Michigan (3)
5) Green Bay (5)
OUT Dallas (6)

AAA Tulsa (1 +1) 45-21 +2
AA Bakersfield (9 -4) 38-27 5 GB
A(S) Belleview (8 -2) 36-29 4 GB
A(N) Denison (15 -) 32-33 5 GB

FORMER IRON PIGS IN THE NEWS
San Antonio 2B Matt Cook, dealt there last year for a swap of 2nd picks and 3M in cash, will miss the next 4-5 months with a concussion. Matt was drafted in the 2018 Supplemental round (34th overall) out of Beatrice HS, NE. He was hitting .288 with 5 HR's and 32 RBI's and a .357 OBP in 58 games this year. Counting last season he's played in 114 games hitting .283/.335/.386 with 7 HR's 54 RBI's 12 2B's and 12 SB's.

[gehrig38]

Brooklyn taking charge in the Empire.
We are starting to get a firm hold on this division< Green Bay's playing good ball too.
The Western looks like it's going to be fun, all 4 teams within 5.
West Michigan and Michigan are pitching their way to the Northeastern again.

In the CL Boston, Pittsburgh and Philly are alive in the Keystone. Corpus Christi and Tulsa appear to be getting ready to take over.
Great race in the Pacific, everyone's in play.
San Antonio and Dallas locked in at 38-28.

Luis Chavez could threaten the best batting average midway through. Rich Stone (FRE) hit .398 in 2012 through 81 games.
Ammanati (SJ) might push the SB mark of 43 set by Jimmy Rollins in 2020.
Esteban Figueroa (SAC) is going to blow away the K's mark, it was 156 (Ramon Roa (PIT) 2019). We have 14 games to play, which is 2-3 starts for him, and he's at 153 now.

No one will threaten best record (60-21) this year.

[gehrig38]

2023 DRAFT
Unlike last season when we owned the 1st round, we are picking 3rd overall. There are 29 picks in round 1, 14 in the supplemental round, 32 in round 2 and all the way through. We have picks 3, 51, 104 in the 1st 3 rounds.

Dallas has the 5th and 6th picks, Dayton 4, 9 and 23.

I will cover the first 10 picks. The top 10 prospects from our scouts are all pitchers but 1, CF Nelson Stevens out of Orinda Academy HS, Orinda CA. We are hot for a few guys, 19 year old Pedro Sanchez out of Wynford HS in Ohio, 22 year old Tom Warner from Northeastern, 19 year old Carlos Hernandez from the University of Mississippi. The signing bonuses of those three is anywhere from a low of 5.5 (Sanchez) to 8 for Hernandez. We come in with a 5.1M dollar draft budget.

1) Providence Black Sox-Pedro Rivera SS (20) 6’ 185 R/R-North Carolina State-Will play 2B/SS/3B, and win a gold glove at each. Premier top tier defender, very good runner with what our guys think is a leadoff bat. No pop, very good eye.
2) San Jose Sharks-Jose Rodriguez SP (22) 5’10” 185 R/R-Oregon State-Our scouts aren’t all that hot on him. 93-95 already, had a good season against great competition. We were thinking about it only because the ask (3M) is doable. But he’s 5’10”, not exactly how you see your #1.
3) Chicago Iron Pigs-Carlos “Country Boy” Hernandez SP (19) 6’1” 185 R/R-U. of Mississippi-Huge arm, horse stamina. Works 93-95 already, big fastball but a potential HoF change. Taken 5th overall by Dallas last year out of HS, failed to sign. We’ll give it another whirl.
THOUGHT PROCESS-Martin wants Carlos Hernandez the righty out of Mississippi. He’s asking 8M and the slot recommendation is 3.67. We cannot go over budget, but apparently he’s a potentially ‘easy’ sign? This is another spot, given the depth of our minor league system, where I am thinking about making this pick, and taking him, and if he doesn’t sign we get this pick again next year and maybe free up more cash? The other choice is 17 year old SS Bernardo Lopez out of Orting HS, WA. Track star speed, raw as hell with pop and very good defensive potential.
4) Dayton Dragons-Tom “Mungo” Warner SP (22) 6’3” 210 R/R-Northeastern-Another huge arm, 96-98 consistently with bowling ball sinker, very good hook and a developing slider. Major difference and reason we went Hernandez was stamina. Hernandez has a delivery to work innings and deep in games. Warner’s dogged by some rumors about his teammates thinking he’s a ‘horses ass’, arrogant? Or Cocky?
5) Dallas Texans-Pedro “Friar” Sanchez SP (19) 6’ 185 R/R-Wynford HS, OH-best HS arm in the draft. 95-97 with 4 other pitches. Second pitch is going to be his split. Was the guy we debated on with Hernandez. Going to be a stud.
6) Dallas Texans-Bryce “Carny” Hicks OF (23) 6’2” 225 R/R Hawaii-Hilo, HI-Built to play in the NFL, and runs like it. Surprisingly no pop, but top of the order legs, bat and eye.
7) Baltimore Colts-David Welch OF (21) 6’ 175 R/R Sacramento State, CA-Colts took him 13th overall last year and failed to sign him (obviously). Thunder bat, 50 homer potential, 30+ steal guy, can play across the OF though range and arm seem to point to LF or center.
8) Houston Roughriders-Patrick Hamilton IF/OF 6’ 180 R/R U. of Minnesota-Huge bat, light tower power. Below average runner who’s got the ability to play 2B, 3B, SS or RF. Has the eye to walk 90+ times, and the aggressiveness to K that many times as well.
9) Dayton Dragons-Manuel Flores OF (21) 6’2” 185 R/R Houston Baptist College, Houston, Texas-Comparisons in range to Willie Mays. Could start, and likely be a top 5 outfielder today. Can fly. He’s a potential 2 or 5 hitter, depending on the power and how it matures. Dayton gets two huge upside guys in first 9 picks.
10) Tulsa Drillers-Hoo-Gwo Yang SP (20) 6’ 185 R/R Georgia Tech-Low 90’s sinker slider, with a good change as well. Could potentially play CF, wants to try two way?

ROUND-Pick
2) Henry Parmenter 3B (22) 6’3” 210 R/R Elon, NC-Outstanding range and arm at 3rd, slow as hell but as good a baserunner as there is. Enormous power, outstanding eye for the zone. Does not chase, swings and misses a bit much, likely a 90+ K guy.
3) Leonard Badoglio SP (18) 6’3” 190 L/L Princeton Day HS, NJ-Fastball, Forkball lefty. Mid 80’s now, if he can get the change going could be a 3-4 guy.
4) Coy Robinson IF/OF (18) 6’1” 175 L/R Newark Memorial HS, CA-Can play 5 positions. Top of the order speed, top of the order eye and strike zone awareness. No real power to speak of.
5) Nuzhet Abas SP (18) 6’ 175 R/R Lockland HS, OH-Touches 90 now, 3 good pitches, working on a 4th. Good body, will work innings.
7) Bryan Nelson SP (18) 6’ 175 R/R Tilden HS, IL
8) Henry Willis OF (19) 6’1” 180 R/R Stevens HS, TX
9) Michael Ross Jr SS (20) 6’3” 190 S/R Vanderbilt, TN
10) Ryan Williams SS (21) 6’ 180 R/R U. of Connecticut, CT
11) Jose Castillo OF (20) 5’11” 180 R/R U. of Florida, FL
12) Manny Aranceta IF (19) 6’2” 185 North Little Rock HS, AR
13) Felix Garcia RP (20) 6’ 185 R/R Clemson, SC
14) Roy Hackworth RP (20) 6’1” 190 S/R Mississippi St, MS
15) Ray Park RP (20) 6’7” 225 R/R Kent State (Yep, 6’7”!)
16) Jose Lopez (22) 6’3” 200 R/R Cal State-Fullerton, CA
17) Horace Cherry (23) 6’1” 200 L/L Fresno State, CA
18) Carlos Mejia OF (18) 5’10” 170 L/R Eugene HS, MO
19) Mike Carson SS (17) 6’1” 170 R/R Olton HS, TX
20) Royce Hester RP (23) 6’6” 225 L/R Villanova, PA

[gehrig38]

WEEK: 12
RECORD: 3-2
OVERALL: 46-26 +5.5 (Green Bay 40-31)
RUNS SCORED: 513 (37) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 334 (34) 2nd
OWNERS MOOD: Good
FAN INTEREST: 90/100
WEEK AHEAD: 1 vs Tulsa/Off Day/3 @ Hawaii/Off Day/1 @ Alaska

ROSTER STUFF-Jorge Pacheco is being sent down. As much as I want 3 and 3 from throwing sides, it's not really smart to have a lefty that can't get anyone, especially lefties, out. Orlando Perez, a power arm who can get LHH out, will be recalled.

6/12 CHI 7 TUL 5
W-Perez (1-0) L-Baker (1-1) S-Cruz (3)
HR TUL-Schultz (7)
That was fast, 10 minutes after being called up he gets the W. Castro 2-4 2 RBI's (43) Salinas 2 RBI's (34) Trujillo 5.2-6-5-5-2-4.

6/13 Off Day Martinez starts tomorrow, and rumors today have Mark Buerhle asking to be traded in New Orleans. If he has a stinker all options have to be on the table, this is getting stupid. The draft is tomorrow too.

6/14 HAW 10 CHI 4
W-Charraz (5-3) L-Martinez (5-4)
HR HAW-Peck (8)
Martinez 5.1-10-8-8-0-5 and a 5 run 1st inning. Hudson 2-4 2 2B's (12) 3 RBI's (64) Rios (HAW) 3-4 2B (5) 3B (4) 3 runs Peck (HAW) 3 RBI's (20) Perez (HAW) 3-4 2B (2) 2 RBI's (10)

Iron Pigs shake things up
2021 Sandy Koufax award winner and 3 time all star Roberto Martinez finds himself packing up, and heading to Tulsa, not the IBL Tulsa Drillers, but the Iron Pigs AAA affiliate Tulsa Iron Pigs. After another dreadful outing his record stands at 5-4 and his ERA 7.11 in 14 starts. “I have no idea, I'm out there afraid to throw strikes, fearful of contact and before we get an at bat I've put us in a 5-0 hole. I will figure this out.”

The kid is smart, has a good work ethic and is a good teammate. We are going to let him get some air in AAA and go from here. A call has been put in to New Orleans, preliminary of course. Orlando Rea, 13-0 2.46 in 14 AAA starts has been recalled and will take Martinez' spot, he'll be in long relief the next 2-3 days.

6/15 CHI 9 HAW 7
W-Tucker (2-4) L-Villanueva (0-1) S-Cruz (4)
HR CHI-Hudson (22) HAW-F.Torres 2 (14)
Castro 2-6 2 2B's (15) 3 RBI's (46) Hudson 2-5 HR 2 RBI's (66) Hamlyn 1-4 3B (2) 3 RBI's (16) C.Alonzo (HAW) 3-5 2B (10) Torres (HAW) 2-6 2 HR's 3 RBI's (44) King (HAW) 3-4 2B (8) 3 RBI's (44) Castro 2B extended his hitting streak to 20 games.

6/16 HAW 6 CHI 4
W-Cook (5-7) L-Hall (4-5) S-Womack (11)
HR CHI-Salinas (9) Hudson (23) HAW-Francis (5)
Torres (HAW) 3-4 SB (13) Francis 3 RBI's (16) Miranda 3-4 3B (2) Hall 6-7-4-4-3-6 Cook 6-4-2-2-0-7

6/17 Off Day Felix Estrada (AAA) went 5-6 in their 12-11 win. He's hitting .354-0-20 after a very good '22 season. He's RH, and a RF, both things I could use if I had a spot. He's 26, and quite frankly done at AAA.

A(S) All Stars-Cesar Guillen 1B .275/.331/.457 13-53, Juan Martinez 2B .324/.408/.540 12-36, 3B Ruben Arroyo .267/.345/.479 10-39, Jose Mireles LF .318/.357/.436 4-26, Pete Flynn RF .324/.375/.498 10-45

6/18 CHI 13 ALK 6
W-Morgan (7-5) L-Alexander (2-1)
HR CHI-Castro (9) Shaw (10) Hudson (24) Salinas (10) Chavez (24) ALK-Sanchez (18)
Castro 3-4 HR 3 runs RBI (47) Hudson 2-5 GS 5 RBI's (72) Chavez 3-6 HR 5 RBI's (62) Shaw 3-6 2 2B's HR Jackson 2-2 3 runs 3 BB's

WEEK 12 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Alberto Rivera (DAY) 13-22 2 HR's 6 RBI's (.354-11-41)
CL POTW-Ricardo Flores (NO) 9-22 3 HR's 6 RBI's (.238-17-34)

ORG POTW
A(S) Juan Martinez 2B 8-20 4 HR's 8 RBI's (.320-12-36) 2022 2nd round pick (47th overall)

WEEK 12 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Brooklyn (2)
3) San Antonio (3)
4) West Michigan (4)
5) Michigan (-)
OUT Green Bay (6)

AAA Tulsa (2 -1) 49-22 +3 (Battle .322-2-32 15 SB/Thomas .366-1-8/Swagat .396-1-47/Cannon .350-13-51/Medina .351-1-26/Moore .332-3-34/Estrada .349-0-20/Hidalgo 1 SV 2.08)
AA Bakersfield (8 +1) 42-29 5 GB (Villarreal .324-7-27/Cordero .297-10-44/Rodriguez .383-3-25/Hinson 7-0 2.14/Nakashima 7-1 3.05/Watanabe 17 SV 0.61)
A(S) Belleview (9 -1) 39-32 3 GB (Mireles .317-4-25/Martinez .320-12-36/Guillen .283-13-54/Flynn .317-10-45/Caine 13 SV 2.30)
A(N) Denison (17 -2) 34-37 9 GB (Butler .290-6-31/Blankenship .308-10-51/Walker .235-16-52/Ellis .248-12-41)

FORMER IRON PIGS IN THE NEWS

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WEEK: 13
RECORD: 4-3
OVERALL: 50-29 +6.5 (Green Bay 43-35)
RUNS SCORED: 562 (49) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 367 (33) 2nd
OWNERS MOOD: Good
FAN INTEREST: 90/100
WEEK AHEAD: 2 @ Alaska/3 @ New York/2 @ Green Bay

6/19 CHI 12 ALK 7
W-Trujillo (9-2) L-Allison (4-4)
HR CHI-Jackson (10) Chavez (25) Collins 2 (12) ALK-R.Hernandez (5)
Castro 3-6 Hudson 3-6 Chavez 3-5 HR 4 runs 3 RBI's (65) SB (14) Shaw 3-6 2B (13) Jackson 2-6 HR 3 RBI's (38) Collins 3-3 2 HR's 5 RBI's (41)

DRAFT NEWS-Leonard Badoglio (3rd round 104th overall pick out of Princeton Day HS, NJ) has agreed to a 230K signing bonus.

6/20 ALK 7 CHI 6 (10)
W-Winston (3-7) L-Andre (0-1)
HR CHI-Vela (4) Hudson (25)
Rea 6-10-5-5-2-1 down 2-0 in the 1st. Vela 3-5 HR 4 RBI's (21)

DRAFT NEWS-Nuzhet Abas (5th round 168th overall pick out of Lockland HS, OH) signed for 130K and reported to Omaha.

MINORS NEWS-Roberto Martinez went 3.1 IP and gave up 4 H 4 ER 2 HR's in his first AAA start.

6/21 NY 6 CHI 5 (10)
W-Espinoza (3-3) L-Casas (2-5)
HR NY-Sandoval (8) Mathews (1)
Sandoval GW HR 10th inning. Pimentel 6-4-2-2-4-6 (ND) McCormick 7.1-9-3-3-4-3 Sandoval (NY) 3-4 2B (13) 3B (5) HR RBI (45) Hudson 4-5 2B (13) Castro 3-4 SB (1)

6/22 CHI 6 NY 1
W-Hall (5-5) L-Catuncan (4-8) S-Cruz (5)
HR NONE
Hudson 4-5 Miranda 3-5 RBI (44) Hall 7-5-1-1-4-9

6/23 NY 7 CHI 5
W-Davis (6-5) L-Morgan (7-6) S-Ivey (12)
HR CHI-Hudson (26) NY-Glaus (18)
Morgan 5.1-6-6-5-5-4 Davis 6.1-5-3-3-6-6 Hudson HR 3 RBI's (76) Petty (NY) 3-4 2B (14) 2 RBI's (20)

GREAT GAMES-Pittsburgh's Fernando Moya became just the 14th player in IBL history to record 6 hits in a single game, going 6-7 and 5 RBI's in the Bulldogs 12 inning 9-8 loss to Corpus Christi.

6/24 CHI 6 GB 2
W-Trujillo (10-2) L-Althusser (4-3) S-Casas (10)
HR NONE
Trujillo 6-6-2-2-2-3 6 starters with 2 hits, Collins 2 2B's (8) Ash 2-5 2B (17) SB (13) 2 RBI's (41) Brooks (GB) 3-5

6/25 CHI 9 GB 3
W-Rea (1-0) L-G.Thomas (2-5) S-Moreno (1)
HR CHI-Miranda (4) Hudson (27) Collins (13) GB-Rolen (16)
Rea 6.2-4-1-1-2-5 Hamlyn 3-4 RBI (19) Miranda 2-4 HR 2 RBI's (47) Rolen (GB) 2-3 2B (16) HR 3 RBI's (59)

DRAFT NEWS-2nd rounder (51st overall) Henry Parmenter out of Elon College has signed.

WEEK 13 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Jeffrey Hudson (CHI) 18-35 3 HR's 9 RBI's (.353-27-78)
CL POTW-Alfredo Ortiz (LA) 12-25 4 HR's 8 RBI's (.295-13-38)

ORG POTW
AAA Steve Rush 13-23 3 HR's 7 RBI's (.323-9-34)
SS Cristo Flores 10-19 2 HR's 4 RBI's (.565-2-5)

WEEK 13 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) San Antonio (3)
3) Michigan (5)
4) Philadelphia (-)
5) Brooklyn (2)
OUT West Michigan (10)

AAA Tulsa (1 +1) 54-24 +4 (Battle .327-2-34 19 SB/Swagat .389-1-49/Cannon .338-17-62/Estrada .378-1-28) Roberto Martinez went 8-5-2-2-1-14 in his second AAA start.
AA Bakersfield (14 -6) 44-33 5 GB (Villarreal .315-8-31/Cordero .290-11-47/Rodriguez .378-3-31/Hinson 7-1 2.55/Watanabe 18 SV 0.57)
A(S) Belleview (9 -) 43-34 2 GB (Flynn .310-10-49/Guillen .283-14-60)
A(N) Denison (24 -7) 35-42 13 GB (Butler .286-7-33/Blankenship .302-10-51)
SS Heavener (7) 4-2 1 GB
R Omaha (39) 1-5 4 GB

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LEAGUE RECORDS THROUGH 81 GAMES (bold are records set this year)
AVG-.398 Rich Stone (FRE) '12
HR-35 Tony Greene (DAY) '21
RBI- 88 Jorge Garza (LA) '12
SB-43 Jimmy Rollins (PHI) '20
W- 13 Ken Lee (CHI) '16
Saves- 33 Michael Ross (HOU) '13
K- 172 Esteban Figueroa (SAC) '23
ERA- 1.75 Ernie Kelly (DAY) '12 '13
BEST RECORD- 60-21 .741 Chicago Iron Pigs '18 Columbus Clippers '20

[gehrig38]

Sorry if you guys don't wanna see this much Just showing off all the new uni's, which make this game even more fun to play.

In the Coastal, on the offensive side, Lance Berkman is having himself a year.

On the mound Esparza is coming on after a slow start. Figueroa is on pace to once again shatter the single season K mark. Mike Lewis was a guy I was thinking about this past winter, making trades to free up payroll and go after, but I felt I had more than enough pitching. Not sure that's working out so well.

[gehrig38]

After 81.
Luis Chavez is making a run at a 4th MVP and while it's still a ways to go, he could pose a threat to the single season mark for average. Jeff Hudson is having a monster year as well.
Gabriel Pimentel is doing some stuff we've never had done before. Jorge Trujillo has quietly been huge with Martinez struggling and Hall not getting on track.

[gehrig38]

A look at the active players stats.
Been trying to find playing time for Ash, Castro, Salinas, Collins, Chavez and Shaw, and it's not been easy. Ash is such a good defender, and clearly an elite hitter, but Castro replaces his D with power, big time power. Raul Miranda is having a great season in the field which is nice to see, and despite having just 4 HR's he's getting more than his share of RBI's.
Ernesto Cruz has been a Godsend. Casas is exactly what you want in a closer, the guy who can get a K in any situation, but the 3 outs in the 9th appear far harder for him than before, so we'll continue to get him experience setting up. I need to go out and look for a young power lefty this winter.

[gehrig38]

A look down below.

[gehrig38]

Just what San Antonio needs, another power arm. Interesting path for the kid from Texas....

[gehrig38]

.

[gehrig38]

WEEK: 14
RECORD: 4-2
OVERALL: 54-31 +8.5 (Green Bay 45-39)
RUNS SCORED: 587 (25) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 382 (15) 2nd
OWNERS MOOD: Good
FAN INTEREST: 90
WEEK AHEAD: 2 @ Green Bay/4 vs Dayton/All Star Break

6/26 CHI 5 GB 1
W-Pimentel (12-0) L-R Lopez (6-6)
HR GB-Cordero (5)
Pimentel 9-8-1-1-1-10 loses SHO with 1 out in the 9th. Salinas 2-4 RBI (40) Hamlyn 2-4 SB (7) RBI (20)

6/27 GB 5 CHI 0
W-Yates (8-2) L-Hall (5-6)
HR NONE
Hall sucked, 2.1-4-5-5-5-3. Perez comes in and goes 2.2-0-0-0-2-6. Yates 7.1-7-0-0-4-2.

6/28 CHI 5 DAY 1
W-Morgan (8-6) L-Woodroffe (4-6) S-Cruz (6)
HR CHI-Castro (10)
Castro 2-4 3B (6) HR 4 RBI's (56) Morgan 8.2-4-1-1-2-6 loses SHO with 2 outs in the 9th.

DRAFT NEWS-4th rounder (136th overall) Coy Robinson signed today. He reported to Rookie League Omaha.

6/29 DAY 3 CHI 2
W-J.Kelley (7-3) L-Trujillo (10-3) S_Canales (11)
HR NONE
Kelley 7-7-2-2-2-0 Trujillo 7-8-3-3-2-4.

6/30 CHI 5 DAY 4
W-Rea (2-0) L-Zamora (4-6) S-Cruz (7)
HR DAY-Rivera (13) CHI-Castro (11) Chavez (26)
Casas H (3) and Cruz work out of bases loaded jams to hold a 1 run lead. Salinas 2-4 2 2B's (15) Lopez (DAY) 3-5 2B (9) 3B (4)

ORG NEWS-Top prospect Guillermo Rodriguez (4th overall pick last year) led AA Bakersfield to an 11-3 victory by going 4-4 with 3 HR's and 5 RBI's. Since his call up to AA last month he's hitting .406-6-39 in 38 games.

7/1 CHI 8 DAY 1
W-Pimentel (13-0) L-Castillo (1-3)
HR CHI-Castro (12) Collins (14) Shaw (11) Chavez (27)
Pimentel 8.1-4-1-1-4-5 finishes the first half 13-0 3.09. Collins GS 4 RBI's (49) Castro 2-4 HR 2 RBI's (59)

7/2 All star Break begins

WEEK 14 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Ricardo Lozano (MICH) 12-27 6 HR's 12 RBI's (.358-26-75)
CL POTW-Daniel Rodriguez (DAL) 12-27 2 HR's 9 RBI's (.355-3-14)

ORG POTW
AA Guillermo Rodriguez 12-21 4 HR's 11 RBI's (.404-7-42)

ORG POTM
A(S) HITTER-Brian Wilson .391-5-20 (.361-5-22) 2020 2nd round pick (65th overall) out of Cardinal Stritch HS, OH.

WEEK 14 POWER RANKINGS
1) San Antonio (2)
2) Chicago (1)
3) Brooklyn (5)
4) Edmonton (-)
5) Tulsa (-)
OUT Michigan (7) Philadelphia (11)

AAA Tulsa (1 -) 59-25 +6 (Cannon .341-20-71/Martinez 2-1 2.79 went 8-6-0-0-1-9 in his 3rd start)
AA Bakersfield (11 +3) 49-35 4 GB (Villarreal .327-8-38/Cordero .297-13-55/Rodriguez .404-7-42/Watanabe 20 SV 0.53)
A(S) Belleview (10 -1) 47-37 2 GB (.310-11-52/Arroyo .263-15-51/Caine 15 SV)
A(N) Denison (18 +6) 39-45 15 GB (Butler .284-8-35/Blankenship .299-11-54)
SS Heavener (3 +4) 9-4 +1 (Jenkins .306-1-12/Flores .480-2-9)
R Omaha (38 +1) 4-9 7 GB (Van der Ham .250-2-5/Mitchell 2-0 1.38)

[gehrig38]

2012 Coastal 6 Frontier 5 W Hanna (FRE) (1-0) L Wells (EP) (0-1) S Suhayb (LV) (1) HR Tunstall (PIT) (1) Davis (EDM) (1) MVP Ross Tunstall (PIT)
2013 Coastal 9 Frontier 3 W Suhayb (LV) (1-0) L Mendez (EDM) (0-1) HR Whimster (TUL) (1) MVP Lando Jongmans (BAL)
2014 Frontier 10 Coastal 4 W Barlow (DAY) (1-0) L Holmes (COL) (0-1) HR Pitzi (SAC) 2 (2) Rosa (WMI) (1) Soto (LA) (1) Boyd (BAL) (1) Evans (CC) (1) Strong (COL) (1) MVP Vasco Pitzi (SAC)
2015 Frontier 8 Coastal 1 W Barlow (DAY) (2-0) L Medina (FRE) (0-1) HR NONE MVP Jean Chartier (CHI)
2016 Frontier 5 Coastal 4 W Potts (ALK) (1-0) L Gonzalez (LA) (0-1) HR Young (TUL) (1) Garza (FRE) (1) Moore (NY) (1) Villanueva (SI) (1) MVP Matthew Moore (NY)
2017 Frontier 7 Coastal 6 W Courtney (EDM) (1-0) L Gonzalez (LA) (0-2) S Cruz (CHI) (1) HR Chavez (CHI) (1) Helton (GB) (1) Riggs (CHI) (1) MVP Todd Helton (GB)
2018 Frontier 10 Coastal 4 W Copeland (PHI) (1-0) L Dejesus (COL) (0-1) HR Morgan (CHI) 2 (2) Hudson (COL) (1) MVP*Wesley Morgan (CHI)
2019 Frontier 2 Coastal 1 W Cruz (CHI) (1-0) L Barlow (2-1) HR NONE MVP Scott Rolen (GB)
2020 Frontier 9 Coastal 3 W Gonzalez (NY) (1-2) L Figueroa (SAC) (1-0) HR Rolen (GB) (1) Quinn (PHI) (1) MVP Dean Strong (COL)
2021 Coastal 4 Frontier 3 W Artlano (FRE) (1-0) L Peters (EDM) HR Walker (GB) (1) MVP David Walker (GB)
2022 Frontier 4 Coastal 3 W Mason (MICH) (1-0) L Kelley (BOS) (0-1) S Cruz (CHI) (2) HR NONE MVP John Drake (WMI)
2023 Coastal 8 Frontier 7 (11) W White (DAL) (1-0) L Smith (EDM) (0-1) HR Chavez (CHI) (2) Glaus (NY) (1) Edwards (SAN) 2 (2) Carmona (LA) (1) Oginlara (SAC) (1) MVP Cliff Edwards (SAN)