Orcin Returns

[Orcin]

April 3, 2017 (BNN)

Subject: Baseball America Top 100 Prospects

The season is about to start, so it's time to publish the annual Top 100 Prospects list. This year 18-year-old closer Thibault Demange of the New York Monarchs is the #1 prospect overall.

Here is the top 10:
1) CL Thibault Demange, 18, New York Monarchs (2015 int’l discovery from Canada)
2) 3B Cullen Chambers, 20, Charlotte Knights (2014 draft, round 1, overall pick #3)
3) LF Travis Groves, 22, Baltimore Robins (2015 draft, round 1, overall pick #6)
4) CF Steve Evans, 23, Washington Admirals (2015 draft, round 3, overall pick #93)
5) CL Paco Álvarez, 23, Pittsburgh Warriors (2016 draft, round 1, overall pick #17)
6) MR Bill Bond, 24, Philadelphia Firebirds (2015 draft, round 1, overall pick #11)
7) CF Ray Williams, 22, Cleveland Rockers (2015 draft, round 1A, overall pick #36)
8) CL Pablo Morales, 20, Los Angeles Vipers (2015 int’l discovery from Dominican Republic)
9) SP Christian Roux, 19, Dallas Rattlers (2015 draft, round 4, overall pick #99)
10) SS Russell Murdock, 23, Chicago Cougars (2015 draft, round 4, overall pick #102)

Nashville, Chicago, and Charlotte have the top-rated farm systems.

The Louisville Colonels farm system is rated #22 out of 30 teams.

Louisville’s Top 100 prospects:
• #42 SP Dean Daniels (2014 draft, round 6, overall pick #173 by NY, acq. via trade)
• #57 MR Salvador Felix (2015 draft, round 4, overall pick #96 by LOU)
• #62 CL Ray Forrest (2014 draft, round 4, overall pick #111 by SEA, acq. via trade)
• #87 CF Curt Turner (2015 draft, round 1, overall pick #15 by LOU)
• #98 LF Miguel Bustamante (2015 int’l discovery by WAS from Puerto Rico, acq. via trade)

We have five additional prospects in the top 200, including 3 of our recent draft picks. One reason that we don’t rank higher is the rapid advancement of some of our best young players to the major league roster.

Of course, another reason is the trading of ranked prospects, such as Jeremy Fisher and Norberto Garcia, for developed players, such as Francisco Longoria and Ryan Edwards. I don’t intend to leave all of the good prospects for the GM that follows me.

[Orcin]

April 3, 2017

OPENING DAY at Indianapolis

Projected Lineup:
2B Patrick Guillaume
SS Luis Vargas
LF Hector Castro
1B Jose Martinez
3B Phil Gillespie
CF Bryan McConnell
RF Brian Ferguson
C Ryan Edwards
SP Francisco Longoria


2017 FINANCIAL FORECAST

Budget = $130 million (17th of 30 teams)

Revenues $130 million (excl. playoffs)

Expenses:
Player salaries $89 million (down $7M from last year)
Personnel $8 million
Scouting $10 million (up $2M from last year devoted to international)
Draft $7 million (set by owner)
Player Development $12 million (up $2M from last year)
Total Expenses $126 million (down $3M from last year)

Projected Operating Profit $4 million

The payroll ranks #20 out of 30 teams.
Highest-paid players: SP Francisco Longoria & SP Edgardo Ordonez at $14M each
(FYI… the highest salary in the CBA is St. Louis CF Nick Crosby at $23.15M.)

Most Popular Players:
1. SS Luis Vargas
2. 3B Phil Gillespie
3. SP Edgardo Ordonez
4. SP Francisco Longoria
5. LF Hector Castro

Finally, this list makes sense.

[Orcin]

April 10, 2017

Subject: Week 1 Notes

Record: 4-2, .600, - GB
Position: 1st place (tied with Milwaukee)
Runs Scored: 31 – 5th in Federal (5.2/G)
Runs Allowed: 21 – 2nd in Federal (3.5/G)
Defense: .701 – 5th in Federal
Power Ranking: 120.0 (11th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Delighted; Fan Interest: 92/100

• Last week (4-2): 3-0 at Indianapolis, 1-2 at Phoenix
• 04/03: LOU 7, IND 5 – Martinez 2-3, DBL, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 RS
• Vargas, McConnell, and Edwards each had 3 hits in the game.
• 04/04: LOU 3, IND 2 – Graves 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 9 K
• Guillaume 3-5, DBL, SB, 2 RS; Vargas 4-5, DBL, 2 RBI
• Cleveland SP Hsi-men “Frisky” Chen signed a 3-year extension worth $55M.
• Our waiver claim of C Gregory Gardner was successful. He was assigned to AAA.
• 04/05: LOU 8, IND 1 – Yang 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K
• Guillaume, Vargas, and McConnell each had 2 hits. Vargas was 9-15 in the series.
• 04/07: LOU 6, PHX 1 – Bowles 8 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 9 K; Castro 3-5, HR, 2 RBI
• 04/08: PHX 5, LOU 3 – Lopez pitched a great game except the 4-run 7th inning
• 04/09: PHX 7, LOU 4 – Longoria struggled for the 2nd straight start and an error by rookie CF Bustamante led to 3 unearned runs in the 3rd
• New York signed free agent SP Wallace Trauttmann to a 1-year contract at $4M.
• This week: 3 vs. Denver (3-3), 3 vs. Detroit

[Orcin]

April 17, 2017

Subject: Week 2 Notes

Record: 5-7, .417, 1.5 GB
Position: 3rd place (behind Indianapolis and Milwaukee)
Runs Scored: 44 – 14th (of 15) in Federal (3.7/G)
Runs Allowed: 53 – t9th in Federal (4.4/G)
Defense: .693 – 8th in Federal
Power Ranking: 67.0 (24th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Very Happy (declining); Fan Interest: 92/100

• Last week (1-5): 1-2 vs. Denver, 0-3 vs. Detroit
• 04/11: DEN 4, LOU 0 – shutout by Bullock (DEN) 4 H, 4 BB, 3 K, W (1-1, 3.38)
• 04/12: LOU 1, DEN 0 – Vargas 2-4, GWRBI single in the 8th; rain delay in 3rd forced both starters out; both bullpens did a nice job; Polk 3 IP, 0 ER, W (1-0)
• 04/13: DEN 8, LOU 3 – McConnell had a good day (2-3, DBL, HR) but Bowles (4.2 IP, 6 ER) did not.
• Detroit comes to town next, another team (like us) that is stumbling along at 5-4.
• 04/15: DET 7, LOU 3 – Lopez gave up 5 gopher balls, wind was not blowing out
• 04/16: DET 8, LOU 3 – Longoria was sailing along in a 2-2 tie until a 6-run, 6-hit 8th inning by the Titans
• Our starting pitching has been horrendous over the past three games.
• Veteran SP Danny Robertson (2.5*/30/R, 2016 with SF: 16-9, 4.88) was signed to a minor-league contract and will report to Lexington to get his arm in shape.
• 04/17: DET 5, LOU 3 (12) – Flores blew the save for Graves 7 IP, 2 ER, ND
• Detroit is no longer struggling, but we have now lost 7 of our last 8 games.
• Seattle SP Kevin Morse (1-1, 1.61) is paying dividends for his new team. He went 11 innings for his first win, allowing 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB and recording 8 Ks.
• Luis Vargas is 2nd in the CBA with a .431 batting average.
• Who’s Hot: 1B Jose Martinez 8G, 7 for 24 (.292), 3 HR, 8 RBI
• Who’s Not: C Ryan Edwards 7G, 1-21; 2B Patrick Guillaume 8G, 2-30
• This week: 3 vs. San Diego (4-9), 3 at Chicago


I am staying with my new players, Edwards and Guillaume. When you make a commitment to someone, it should last for more than two weeks.

[Sal, The Barber]

Don't worry, Orcin, Sal is coming over. I won't talk you off the ledge, but Sal will try to catch you if you jump. Course if you stay up there very long Sal will have drunk all the gin, and then, well, you're taking your chances with Sal's catching skills.

So come inside, put the martini glasses in the fridge, and get out the Noilly Pratt and the jalapeno stuffed olives. Sal knows how to calm things down.

Have you noticed, by the way, that you scored exactly 3 runs in 4 straight games? Sal imagines that that is hard to do. Sal suggests that your manager make a to-do about it (Sal can't remember your manager's name now that it is no longer that detested Byrne fella). He should give out an award to every hitter for scoring 3 runs in 4 straight games. The more ridiculous the ceremony the better. This is psychology (Sal has to explain to the new breed of managers; it is frustrating). This will also totally distract today's ballplayer from his smelly performance (today's ballplayer is not very bright), and they will be better hitters in the morning. Trust Sal. This one comes with a money-back guarantee.

[Westheim]

Scoring three runs per game is fine. If you have a 2.00 ERA pitching staff.

And, ah, those week 2 spills. You don't know whether you were just unlucky, or whether the package just outright sucks. From my experience the ratio is about 10:90, but don't listen to me, no, no, everything will be fine.

For some team.

[gehrig38]

2 weeks is less than 4 quarters of a 16 game football season. I look at the season in 16 game chunks. Is 1 game enough to see your teams future? If you lose 52-0 to a sucky team maybe? If you go 2-14 in your first 16 you likely are in trouble, that's like losing your NFL opener 50-0.
But 16 games is a nice milepost, look at the schedule, runs per game, defense, runs given up, you can find some relevant data in that sample size as long as you factor in the competition.

[Orcin]

April 24, 2017

Subject: Week 3 Notes

Record: 9-9, .500, 1.5 GB
Position: 2nd place (behind Indianapolis)
Runs Scored: 69 – 13th in Federal (3.8/G)
Runs Allowed: 75 – t4th in Federal (4.2/G)
Defense: .704 – 3rd in Federal
Power Ranking: 89.0 (15th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Very Happy; Fan Interest: 92/100

• Last week (4-2): 2-1 vs. San Diego, 2-1 at Chicago
• 04/18: SD 7, LOU 2 – grand slam off Yang was plenty to beat our anemic offense.
• Hector Castro’s inside-the-park HR was one of our 4 hits vs. Ken Myers (2-1, 2.19)
• 04/19: LOU 2, SD 1 – Bowles 8 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 K, W (2-1, 3.48 ERA)
• Finally, a good outing by a starting pitcher – maybe that will jump start the team
• Patrick Guillaume is 8-53 and has a snowflake beside his name. 2B Paco Morales is 14-36 at AAA with a flame beside his name. The clock is ticking. Patience.
• 04/20: LOU 8, SD 3 – McConnell 2-3, grand slam HR; Lopez 8 IP, 3 ER
• It feels good to win a series against anybody, even last-place San Diego. Now, we will try to get over .500 against Chicago, another last-place team at 7-10.
• 04/21: LOU 5, CHI 3 – McConnell 4-4; Castro 3-5; Martinez 1-2, HR, 3 BB
• Chicago signed Michael Bowles’ older brother, John, to a minor league contract out of an independent league. You may recall that we acquired Michael from Chicago.
• 04/22: CHI 5, LOU 4 – Graves (7 IP, 2 ER) pitched well but a 3-run HR with 2 out in the 9th (off Flores, BS #2) cost him the win.
• Detroit picked up veteran SP John Watts for $1.6M to add depth to their rotation.
• Cleveland signed lefty SP Hirohisa Yamamoto (career 68-76, 4.06) at $1.6M as a fifth starter.
• Our no-risk signing of SP Danny Robertson looks pretty good compared to these.
• 04/23: LOU 4, CHI 3 – Yang 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K, W (2-1, 2.74 ERA); Guillaume 3-5, 3 RS, 4 SB
• This week: 3 at St. Louis (9-10), 4 vs. Seattle

[Orcin]

May 1, 2017

Subject: Week 4 Notes

Record: 13-12, .520, 1.5 GB (13-12 in April)
Position: 2nd place (behind Indianapolis)
Runs Scored: 109 – t8th in Federal (4.4/G)
Runs Allowed: 107 – 5th in Federal (4.3/G)
Defense: .705 – 3rd in Federal
Power Ranking: 96.6 (14th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Happy (declining); Fan Interest: 92/100

• Last week (4-3): 2-1 at St. Louis, 2-2 vs. Seattle
• 04/24: LOU 4, STL 3 (10) – PH Vargas singled to start the 10th, was sacrificed to second by Edwards, PH deluxe Frank Carson singled him home for the win
• LF Hector Castro was injured while running the bases, diagnosis pending
• Lexington CF Jack Bunney was placed on the 15-day D/L with chronic back soreness. He is expected to miss five weeks.
• 04/25: STL 4, LOU 3 – Morrison 3-5, RS, SB (raised his average to .333)
• 04/26: LOU 7, STL 1 – vintage Longoria 9 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 K, back on track?
• McConnell 2-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB – now batting .328, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 5 SB
• Evansville CF Marcus Dickey had a 3-HR game and is now batting .396 (53 AB).
• Bad news… Hector Castro (batting .329) will miss 5-6 weeks with a strained lat.
• Brian Ferguson will slide over to LF and Jason Harmon will go into the starting lineup playing RF. Bryan McConnell will move into Castro’s #3 spot in the order.
• No immediate roster move was made to replace Castro, leading to speculation in the press that a trade is pending. In fact, we are waiting for a free agent to sign.
• Next we play the under-achieving Seattle Falcons (7-15).
• 04/27: LOU 5, SEA 3 – Edwards 2-4, DBL, HR, RBI, 2 RS
• 04/28: SEA 6, LOU 4 – Gillespie 3-4, DBL, HR, RBI ; Yang 3 IP, 5 ER, L (2-2, 4.15)
• Rookie reliever Brendan Polk pitched 4 scoreless innings. He now has a 1.26 ERA with 16 K’s and only 2 BB in 14 IP.
• 04/29: SEA 9, LOU 7 – former LOU 3B Jason Sykes 2-4, DBL, HR, 3 RBI
• SP Edgardo Ordonez began a rehab assignment at Lexington.
• 04/30: LOU 10, SEA 6 – Gillespie 2-3, HR, 3 RBI; Edwards 3-4, DBL, 2 RBI
• Domingo Lopez left the game with an oblique strain but won’t miss his next start.
• MR Daniel Carlson was our Pitcher of the Month for April: 14 IP, 0.64 ERA, 17 K
• 1B Jose Martinez was our Player of the Month: .306/.452/.597, 5 HR, 18 RBI
• Dayton CF Curt Turner was AA Player of the Month: .328, 5 HR, 16 RBI
• Who’s Hot: 3B Phil Gillespie 6 G, 10-23 (.435), 5 HR, 8 RBI
• Who’s Not: Nobody.
• This week: 3 vs. Houston (14-11), 3 at Seattle

[Orcin]

Hello, Jennifer here.

Mr. Orcin seems to be calmer since he was ordered to cut back on the espresso. This report is almost understandable.

Sal says Mr. Orcin is boring now, without all of the screaming and pacing. I think Sal just misses the drama. But I don’t understand why Sal wanted hair from Gordon Cooper’s comb. Doesn’t he have enough hair all over the floor in that shop? And what kind of grown man plays with dolls anyway?


Otto Orcin’s Journal – April 2017

Guillaume continues to scuffle and Morales is still hot. How long can I wait to pull the trigger on that move? Guillaume has only one option remaining… should I burn it? I think I am scoring enough runs that I can afford to wait on this decision for a while. Guillaume is an electrifying player when he gets on base. You can’t teach speed.

We have seen a rash of injuries to outfielders. Diaz is still on the D/L. Castro is out for another month at least. Lexington outfielders Jack Bunney and Roberto Lopez are also injured for the next month, and Ricky Allen (who was playing LF) has an undiagnosed injury. I have an offer pending to a free agent outfielder, but he is taking his time.

Trades are another option. I have a glut of relievers but there is little demand for anyone except the cream of the crop. I can trade for outfielders with no options remaining, but that doesn’t seem to be a smart long-term solution for a short-term problem. Morrison has a little trade value, but not enough to give him up. I can trade a starting pitcher, but I will not do that to obtain a temporary fifth outfielder. I’ll wait for the free agent to decide.

The offense is better than last year but the pitching has under-performed. I am tracking runs scored/allowed per game, and we are right at 4.4 runs per game in both metrics compared to the league average of 4.39 runs per game. We have a small defensive advantage in that we allow fewer unearned runs than the league average.

Offensively, we are high in the power/speed categories, ranking second in stolen bases and fourth in home runs. It is encouraging that Vargas and McConnell are off to good starts after down years in 2016. The offense should be fine since Gillespie has started to hit. On the other hand, Ferguson is inconsistent and has yet to play to his potential or pay grade. However, I cannot afford to tinker with the outfield now – not enough healthy bodies to run experiments.

The bullpen is #2 in the league but the starters are only #8. I believe the pitching will improve if/when Ordonez is able to come back healthy. The question is which starter to send down or move to the bullpen? Yang could be useful as a reliever, giving us two lefties in the pen again. Lopez would be sent down to AAA because he needs to pitch regularly if we are to make a judgment on him for the future.

[Sal, The Barber]

Remember, Mr. Orcin. At the post-game conference. Wink twice in a row with your left eye and Sal will give Mr. Cooper a little poke with the needle. Cock your right arm and give Sal the Ol' Chicken Wing, and Sal takes the razor to his throat.

And tell the dame, this ain't dolls, honey, it's voodoo!

[Westheim]

That week 2 spill maybe was not the end of things after all.

But... Where is Randy Hoddinott these days? Has he found a home after being shunned by Mr. Orcin?

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Westheim

That week 2 spill maybe was not the end of things after all.

But... Where is Randy Hoddinott these days? Has he found a home after being shunned by Mr. Orcin?

Good question! Mr. Hoddinott remains an unsigned free agent looking for a minor league deal. I don't like his chances as a 1-star 28-year-old.

Thanks for calling though. I will keep him in mind if injuries decimate my minor league middle infield. He is very sharp with a good work ethic and a burning desire to win. You can never have too many of those guys to show the kids how to play the game.

[Orcin]

May 8, 2017

Subject: Week 5 Notes

Record: 19-12, .613, - GB
Position: 1st place (2.5 game lead over Indianapolis)
Runs Scored: 148 – 5th in Federal (4.8/G)
Runs Allowed: 118 – 3rd in Federal (3.8/G)
Defense: .713 – 3rd in Federal
Power Ranking: 123.3 (3rd in CBA)
Owner Mood: Happy; Fan Interest: 92/100

• Last week (6-0): 3-0 vs. Houston, 3-0 at Seattle
• 05/02: LOU 2, HOU 1 (11) – Longoria 8 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K, ND
• The injury to AAA LF/1B Ricky Allen is minor and he will not be placed on the D/L.
• 05/03: LOU 2, HOU 1 (10) – Guillaume 4-5, SB, scored winning run
• Reliever Andy Penfold (18 IP, 2.50 ERA at AAA) was temporarily added to the active roster. We are still waiting for a free agent outfielder to respond to our offer.
• 05/04: LOU 8, HOU 4 – Ferguson 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Holcomb 2-4, DBL, HR, 2 RBI
• Penfold was showcased and traded to Orlando for CF Shawn Tanner (2.5*/25/L). Ironically, Penfold was originally claimed off waivers from Orlando.
• Tanner has a major league contract and is out of options, so he will have to clear waivers in order to be assigned to AAA. It’s a gamble but I need OF depth at AAA.
• LF/RF Jacob Wagner (3.5*/30/R) was finally signed to a 1-year contract at $1M. Wagner is a RH bench bat and fifth outfielder with minor league options remaining.
• Next, we get another shot at Seattle (10-19) in their park this time.
• 05/05: LOU 7, SEA 1 – Bowles 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K, W (3-1, 3.83 ERA)
• 05/06: LOU 16, SEA 4 – Gillespie 4-6, 2 DBL, TPL, 3 RBI ; Lopez 9 IP, 4 ER
• 05/07: LOU 4, SEA 0 – a 4-hit shutout by Longoria (4-2, 3.33 ERA) w/ 8 K, 1 BB
• Dayton CF Curt Turner was named AA Player of the Week: 11-27, 3 HR, 7 RBI
• Denver LF Fernando Borges is out for the year with a torn ACL. The former Louisville prospect was traded to Denver in the Ryan Edwards deal.
• We were notified by the league that CF Shawn Tanner cleared waivers. He was assigned to AAA.
• A 7-game winning streak does wonders for your standings and rankings!
• This week: 3 at Sacramento (18-14), 3 vs. Houston


The experiment of 1B Ricky Allen playing LF is over. His range is too limited, so he will return to full-time 1B at AAA. We traded one of our other AAA 1B, Gonzalo Rodriguez (1*/26/L), to Charlotte for AAA 3B Mariano Ramirez (3*/27/L). He is on a major league contract after receiving $850K in arbitration, but he still has an option remaining after this year. Ramirez can also play 2B/SS/OF but he will concentrate on his best position (3B) at Lexington. We have no real depth at 3B after Gillespie and Frank Carson. The combination of Allen and Ramirez could soon make Carson an expendable trade asset.

[Orcin]

May 15, 2017

Subject: Week 6 Notes

Record: 23-14, .622, - GB
Position: 1st place (2.5 game lead over Milwaukee)
Runs Scored: 181 – 6th in Federal (4.9/G)
Runs Allowed: 145 – 1st in Federal, 3rd in CBA (3.9/G)
Defense: .706 – 3rd in Federal
Power Ranking: 119.9 (1st in CBA)
Owner Mood: Very Happy (improving); Fan Interest: 92/100

• Last week (4-2): 2-1 at Sacramento, 2-1 vs. Houston
• 05/08: SAC 6, LOU 5 – Miguel Vargas (SAC) inside-the-park HR for GWRBI
• 05/09: LOU 9, SAC 5 – McConnell 2-5, 2 RBI; Guillaume 2-5, 2 RBI, RS
• New York obtained CL Bill Mahoney (4*/29/R/$12M) from Boston for 2 prospects.
• 05/10: LOU 4, SAC 1 – Bowles 8 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K, W (4-1, 3.38 ERA)
• Phoenix SP Juan Munoz (3-1, 1.59 ERA) no-hit Indianapolis with 11 K’s. He faced the minimum, allowing one walk followed by a double play.
• We host Houston (17-17) next. They lead the league in starter’s ERA and defense.
• It is time to activate Edgardo Ordonez. The decision was tough but we think Lopez (3-3, 5.18 ERA, 12 HR in 41 IP) needs to work on his hanging curve ball in AAA.
• 05/12: HOU 4, LOU 2 – Longoria gave up two 2-run homers (one too many)
• 05/13: LOU 5, HOU 4 – Ordonez 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 7 K, ND; Martinez 2-3, HR, 2 RBI; Morrison 3-4, DBL, 3 RS
• 05/14: LOU 8, HOU 7 (10) – Guillaume 4-6, 4 SB, 2 RS; McConnell 3-4, 2 RBI
• San Francisco signed 23 y/o ace SP Bruno Maurin (4-3, 3.94) to a 4-year contract extension worth $47 million. The young lefty was 19-11 last season.
• The Indianapolis Indians have lost 10 straight games, falling to fourth place.
• 2B Patrick Guillaume has a stat line of .419/.468/.512 in May. He is now 3rd in the CBA with 17 stolen bases.
• 1B Jose Martinez is 3rd in the CBA with a 1.025 OPS. SS Luis Vargas is 6th in batting at .356.
• Who’s Hot: 3B Phil Gillespie 17G, 26-67 (.388), 6 HR, 17 RBI
• Who’s Not: Nobody.
• This week: 3 vs. Milwaukee (21-17), 3 at San Diego

[SurfRat61]

Nice rebound there! 6-0 and 4-2 weeks will make most GM's smile. It appears your patience has been rewarded with Mr. Guillaume. By the way, how is Mr. Edwards doing behind the dish versus his counterpart, Mr. Arkle who's toiling in Denver? Maybe Sal can make up an Arkle doll!

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by SurfRat61

By the way, how is Mr. Edwards doing behind the dish versus his counterpart, Mr. Arkle who's toiling in Denver?

I will have more details on both of these players soon. For now, I will say that both players suck, but Edwards sucks less and he is a lot cheaper. Arkle is not even playing full time now.

[Orcin]

May 16, 2017 (BNN)

Subject: Draft Pool Revealed

One of the few things certain about the 2017 first-year player draft is that it will be held 30 days from now. Today the CBA announced its list of players filing for the event, though little is publicly known about any given player, sending scouts from each of the league's clubs scattering to uncover what they can in as little time as possible. Some clubs will draft the ideal prospect late, while others will stake their futures to big-name prospects, those deemed most likely to succeed by the fickle, nameless consensus.

The top players available (in no particular order) seem to be:
1. CF José Cintrón, age 18, high school, bats R, 1-star potential
2. LF Sergio Gallegos, age 21, college, bats R, 1.5-star, drafted 2016 but did not sign
3. SP Cal Brown, age 17, high school, throws R, 0.5-star
4. SP Will Jobling, age 21, college, throws R, 2.5-star
5. SP Danny Brady, age 19, high school, throws R, 2-star
6. CF Steve McJannett, age 18, high school, bats R, 4-5-star
7. SP Francisco Ortega, age 17, high school, throws R, 3.5-star
8. SP Jon Lynch, age 19, high school, throws R, 2.5-star
9. SS Kevin Kennedy, age 22, college, bats R, 3.5-star, drafted 2016 but did not sign
10. RF Parker McKee, age 20, college, bats R, 1.5-star

**********

McJannett could be the first overall pick. Ortega, Jobling and Brady look like pretty good prospects to me. They will be gone after the first few picks in round 1.

The Colonels will have the 23rd selection in round 1 of the draft. We have no pick in the supplemental round. Our second-round pick is #58 overall.

[Orcin]

CBA STANDINGS (May 18, 2017 – 40 Games)



The Louisville Colonels have the best record in the CBA at the quarter-pole. How does that taste, BNN?
Ok, I realize that it is early. There is a lot of baseball left to play but I like how this club is playing right now.
Indianapolis is in free fall, having lost 12 in a row.



The Patriot League has no big surprises. I think New York will be back in the hunt before too long.

[Orcin]

LEAGUE LEADERS (May 18, 2017 – 40 Games)



Houston LF Luis Soto is not playing like a 35-year-old.




It is nice to see Michael Bowles among the leaders in several categories, and it is great to see him with such a low walk total. The only thing holding him back up to now has been his control.