United States Baseball League: The Dynasty!

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Originally Posted by goroyals

That's cool. I always wondered how Gagne would have developed had he not been put in the pen? How's Eric pitched so far?

Gagne has taken a while to develop. He was drafted 12th overall by D.C. in 1999. He had a decent rookie year, in 40 games he was 6-3 with a 4.89 ERA, striking out 65 in 57 innings. After 46 games and an ERA over 5 in 2000, he was released the next year during spring training. After signing with St. Louis in April of 2002, he bounced back and forth from AAA to the big club, starting half of his AAA games and 9 out of his 11 games in the bigs. He wasn't all that dependable last year. He has usually given up less then a hit per inning, but his problem has been giving up the big run scoring hits. A fractured elbow in late July pretty much ended his 2002 season. His ratings have pretty muched maxed out based on his potential this year. He's a 10 (out of 10) in movement, a 7 in control and a 7 in movement. He began 2003 as the number 2 starter for St. Louis and has been a bright spot, easily their best starter so far.

Career numbers in the majors and minors:
Year G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER HR BB K CG SHO WHIP Teams
1999 40 0 6 3 1 4.89 57.0 50 31 31 9 17 65 0 0 1.18 DC
2000 48 2 4 2 1 5.56 69.2 65 45 43 6 19 77 0 0 1.21 DC
2001 6 0 1 1 0 5.00 9.0 12 5 5 2 5 10 0 0 1.89 DC STL
2002 11 9 3 4 0 5.40 43.1 40 28 26 5 16 42 0 0 1.29 STL
2003 5 5 5 0 0 2.35 30.2 27 8 8 2 12 35 0 0 1.27 STL
Total 110 16 19 10 2 4.85 209.2 194 117 113 24 69 229 0 0 1.25

Year G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SHO
1999, AAA 16 3 1 0 1 3.41 34.1 23 13 13 15 52 0 0
2000, AAA 12 5 3 2 0 2.35 38.1 22 10 10 11 58 0 0
2001, AAA 30 15 6 3 1 2.39 109.1 76 32 29 20 170 0 0
2002, AAA 21 21 10 7 0 3.88 134.2 108 60 58 29 177 0 0

2003 stats:
Overall G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG CG% SHO QS QS%
5 5 5 0 0 2.35 30.2 27 8 8 12 35 0 .0 0 3 60.0

Overall SVO BS SV% RA GF R/9 H/9 K/9 BB/9 RL RLS RLS% IR IRS IRS% ERC
0 0 .0 0 0 13.2 7.9 10.3 3.5 1 0 .0 0 0 .0 3.93

AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SF SH HP AVG OBP SLG OPS
vs. LHB 65 17 4 0 2 4 4 6 20 0 0 3 .262 .351 .415 .767
vs. RHB 48 10 1 0 0 4 4 6 15 0 0 3 .208 .333 .229 .563

G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K
Home 2 2 2 0 0 3.09 11.2 11 4 4 4 15
Road 3 3 3 0 0 1.89 19.0 16 4 4 8 20
This Week 1 1 1 0 0 0.00 5.0 2 0 0 4 11
Last Week 1 1 1 0 0 0.00 6.0 3 0 0 1 6

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Minneapolis Millers (9-12) at Dallas Eagles (15-7)

We head to the EagleDome to face the team that roughed us up to start the year. Tim Hudson faced Donovan Osbourne. If there ever was a game that summed up our season to this point... this is it. Before the game, after scouring the waiver wire I signed Tino Martinez to a minor league deal. Tino hasn't had a hit since 2001, but I am short of LH bats... and he was cheap. His 6/10 in contact and 6 in power is enough for the occasional start, especially the way my offense has looked. Anyhow, we took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd, only to give it up thanks in part to a two-run double by Griffey in the bottom of the inning and we're now down 2-1. Still, though, Hudson is hitting his spots. Edgar Renteria finally comes through, with a 2 out 2-run homer in the 5th to give us the lead back, 3-2 and Hudson leaves after 6 in line for the win. Only problem is my guys in the bullpen who have gotten lefties out their entire careers have suddenly forgotten how to. Jorge Fabregas would hit a solo homer in the 7th to tie it off of Gabe White. Then after we scrape out the go ahead run in the top of the 8th, my other lefty Rincon gives up a single to Griffey to start the inning. The inning would end with a three-run triple by superman Jorge Fabregas, 3/5 in the game with 4 rbi. What a backbreaker as we lose 6-4 in a game we should have won.

Next game we have Javier Vazquez, just called up from AAA when Fossum was sent down, facing Joey Hamilton. The 26 year old Vazquez was 3-0 in 4 starts in AAA with a 2.54 ERA, but in his 5 year big league career has only appeared in 21 games, with 4 starts, 0 wins and a 9.43 ERA in 42 innings. He would have a very inauspicious start to 2003.. In his 6 innings, he gave up 2 three-run homers (by John Mabry, who hit three in a game a few days before, and Marvin Bernard) and 8 earned runs. Our bright spots? Rincon pitched an inning and despite giving up a hit and a walk, did NOT allow a run. Tim "Golden" Neahring had 3 hits, including a homer and 2 rbi... the rookie Silvas and Edgar Renteria may be showing signs of coming out of their slumps, picking up a pair of hits each. We lose the game 8-4.

A great matchup to close the series, as both aces match up. Andy Pettite for us (3-1 1.77ERA) and Andy Benes for Dallas (2-0 3.23ERA). Scoreless until the top of the 4th, when we get a three run shot by the struggling Jimmy Leyritz, his 4th of the year giving him 14 rbi. Leading 3-0 we get another big hit in the 8th, thanks to a three run shot by Carlos Lee, his 2nd of the year. As for Pettite, you can't get any hotter (unless your name is Pedro Martinez.. but he pitches for the Miami Mariners... luckily in the Atlantic League and not my Continental League). A complete game shutout, giving up 5 hits striking out 8 and walking 1. We win 6-0. We thankfully salvage a game... our first win against our division leader this year. Pettite is now an awesome 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA.

**Notes**
36 year Albert Belle has been signed to a 1 year contract for the league minimum. Albert is at the end of his career. Last year with New Orleans he hit just .200 with 22 HR and 53 RBI. I picked him up pretty much to just face lefties, against who he has a career .315 average. Albert has 449 homers in his career and his best year was a mere 5 years ago, in 1998, when he hit 50 homers and drove in 139.


Record: 10-14