The American Baseball League

[gehrig38]

Dave Zupan

• Selected 33rd overall by the Denver Saints in the 2013 June draft out of Princeton. He won the 2013 Swindell Award as Colleges best pitcher and was runner up for the Golden Spikes, awarded to the best player in the NCAA.
• He's a true 2-way threat and talent.
• His AAA career looks like this at the plate: .294/.357/.458 48 2B 10 3B 46 HR 196 RBI 77-120 SB. He's an offensive force as well as a potential top of the rotation starting pitcher.
• His AAA career looks like this on the mound: 36-22 3.10 536.1 IP 556 K 393 H 176 BB 1.06 WHIP
• For some reason Denver thought they could sneak him through waivers at the end of January.
• They didn't. With an option left it was a total no-brainer and one that appears we may end up looking back on as a franchise-changing move.
• I've seen many 2-way players and often times one facet or the other is more obligatory than not. Few Ohtani's will ever exist. He could be one. He's just 24 years old.
• From a pure tools perspective, he's a left-handed hitting corner OF (obviously has a good arm) who can slot to either side with above avg defense. His natural position is LF. On the mound, he's a legitimate 3-pitch starter who has top of the rotation potential but likely will settle in as a 3-4 or 5.
• He has 1 option left and just 169 days of service but he's a legitimate future Rustler who will have an impact. The potential roster flexibility someone like this presents is incredibly unique and rare. Certainly set some expectations with a 1st start no-no!

[gehrig38]

SINGLE SEASON RECORD 2B

1. Omar Torres (SF) 69 2002
2. Pat Reid (SAN) 64 1990
3. Edwin Bright (NE) 62 1993
4. Omar Torres (SF) 58 2001
5. Bobby Sheffer (PRO) 58 2016

[gehrig38]

WEEK 4

• RECORD: 3-3
• STANDINGS: 14-7 (+.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 101 (2nd)
• OPS: .738 (2nd)
• RUNS AGAINST: 65 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .719 (10th)
• SP ERA: 2.92 (1st)
• BULLPEN ERA: 3.26 (6th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
• FAN INTEREST: 100
• POWER RANKINGS: 3rd

THIS WEEK: 2-1 vs Phoenix (11-4) OFF DAY 1-2 vs Charlotte (11-5)

4/17: AUS 4 PHX 0 Behrens CG 10 K 4 H 2 BB (4-0 1.13) Nolasco 2B (1) 2 RBI (5) Comerford 2-4 Adrian 1-3 BB 2B (2) R 2 SB (10)
4/18: AUS 12 PHX 1 Collins CG 12 K 4 H 2 BB 1 ER (3-0 1.65) Archer 2-4 2 HR (2) 2 R 4 RBI (16) Davis 2-4 BB R RBI (4) Nolasco 2-4 HR (2) 3 R BB RBI (6) Hanna 2H R 3 RBI (8) Tighe 2 H R RBI (7)
4/19: PHX 5 AUS 3 Forney ND 6.2 IP 4 H 8 K 4 BB 3 ER Laskey (L) BS (1) Comerford HR (3) 3 RBI (8)
4/20: OFF DAY
4/21: CHA 6 AUS 3 Wilson (L) 4 IP 7 H 4 K 6 ER (2-2 5.16) Archer 2 2B (6) R RBI (17) Feliciano 2H (.436)
4/22: CHA 8 AUS 7 Steele ND 6 IP 4 H 5 K 3 ER Boland 1.2 IP 5 ER 2 HR 3 BB Nolasco 2-4 HR (3) 2 R 3 RBI (9) Hanna PH HR (3) 2 RBI (10) Down 3-0 after 6. 7 over last 3 in. Peoples (CHA) 3-4 2B (2) 2 HR (5) 2 R 4 RBI (14)
4/23: AUS 2 CHA 0 Behrens CG 1-hitter 7 K 1 BB (5-0 0.88) 2-0 2 CG SHO this week. The only hit was Charlotte SP Sandy Nieves 2B in the 3rd. Nieves (L) 7 IP 3 H 3 K 3 BB 2 ER (2-1 3.42)

NEXT WEEK: 3 vs Houston (12-9) 4 @ Dallas (10-11)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
4/18:

• Sammy Reyes (CHA) is off to a horrid start in Charlotte (.128-1-3). That was before he was diagnosed with a forearm strain and is listed DtD for the next week to 10 days.
• Matt Behrens is off to a monster start but former Rustler rotation mate Rich Whittaker is as well. The 30-year-old fired a 3-hitter in beating Brooklyn 1-0 to go 4-0 0.72. He struck out 6 and walked 1. John Loughlin (PRO) walked it off with a PH solo HR. Dakota Eddleman got a ND going 7.2 IP on 5 H 4 K and is 2-1 1.65 on the year.

4/20:

• Pittsburgh sent 26 yr old RF Curt Pagliai (2.5*) and 22 yr old P Josh Hedrick (2*) to Ohio for 34 yr old P Bond Wolf (2*) and 24 yr old OF Colt Wood (3*)

4/23:

• Juan Esquerra (PRO) threw a 2-hitter and struck out 3, walking 6 in a 5-0 win over New England.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Towers RF (SJ) 10-25 4 HR 7 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Matt Behrens SP (AUS) 2-0 0.00 18 IP 5 H 17 K 3 BB (this is rarer than a 6 hit game, a P winning a PotW award)

[gehrig38]

WEEK 5

• RECORD: 4-3
• STANDINGS: 18-10 (t-1st)
• RUNS SCORED: 127 (t-3rd)
• OPS: .712 (3rd)
• RUNS AGAINST: 88 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .725 (6th)
• SP ERA: 2.77 (1st)
• BULLPEN ERA: 3.12 (4th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
• FAN INTEREST: 100
• POWER RANKINGS: 3rd

THIS WEEK: 2-1 vs Houston (12-9) 2-2 @ Dallas (10-11)

4/24: HOU 5 AUS 4 (14) Forney ND 7 IP 12 K 4 H 2 ER Scott BS (2) 2 out HR bottom 9 Stodder (HOU) ND 8 IP 3 H 1 ER Archer 3R HR to take the lead top 9 (3) 3 RBI (20) Hanna 2 H 2B (2) HR (4) RBI (12)
4/25: AUS 6 HOU 4 Down 4-1 top 9 Nolasco GW HR (4) 3 RBI (12) 2 BB Forney ND 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 4 K Laskey 2 ER 2 IP (W) Scott SV (7)
4/26: AUS 6 HOU 1 Wilson (W) 7.1 IP 4 H 7 K 1 ER (3-2 4.20) Nolasco 3-4 2B (2) HR (5) 2 R 2 RBI (14) Archer HR (4) RBI (21) Dziedzic 2H 2B (4) RBI (8)
4/27: DAL 8 AUS 3 Steele (L) 5R 1st 4 IP 6 R 2 ER (1-2 5.40) Madison (DAL) (W) 7.2 IP 5 H 2 ER (3-0 3.90)
4/28: AUS 5 DAL 2 Behrens (W) 8 IP 5 H 3 K 2 ER 1-3 (6-0 1.10) Scott SV (8) Nolasco 2B (3) HR (6) 2 R 2 RBI (16) Adrian 2H HR (2) 2 R 2 RBI (9)
4/29: AUS 2 DAL 1 Collins ND 7 IP 3 H 2 K 5 BB 1 ER Scott SV (9) Jaeger (DAL) ND 7 IP 3 H 0 R Down 1-0 into the 9th Nolasco GW HR (7) RBI (17)
4/30: DAL 2 AUS 0 Forney (L) 7 IP 6 H 7 K 2 ER (1-2 3.35) 5 Texan P's combine on 5-hit SHO.

NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 3 @ Lexington (16-12) 3 vs Providence (16-13)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
4/27:

• NY Empire closer Bobby McDermott is now in the DtD cycle as he tries to recover from elbow issues. The 24-year-old has yet to throw a pitch this year
• Montreal signed FA 3B Jerry Nickles to a 1 year 4.28 million dollar deal. The 32-year old hit .219-29-71 last year with Chicago.

4/28:

• Roadrunner SS Tyler Maxwell will miss 5-6 weeks with a groin injury

4/29:

• Memphis SP CJ Clinton will be out 8-9 weeks after learning he had a herniated disc.
• Cameron Mears (GB) threw a 4-hitter and fanned 2 in a 3-0 win over Ohio to go 3-2 2.72 on the year
• Joe Fletcher (SAN) scattered 8 hits to win his 1st game of the year 3-0 over Memphis.
• Jeff Alexander (PHX) struck out 1, walked 3, and allowed 2 hits in a 1-0 win over Las Vegas.

4/30:

• Jonathan Carlson (OH) will be out at least the next 4 months with a rotator cuff injury. The 28-year-old reliever will go on the 60 day DL.

RUSTLER NEWS:
5/1:

• Byeong-min Yoo (AA) won PotM honors hitting .362-7-18 for Modesto
• Dave Tillery (AAA) won Pitcher of the Month for Warren after he went 4-0 2.43

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Charlie Angwin CF (SD) 13-23 4 HR 12 RBI 6 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Larry Peet 3B (PRO) 13-25 3 RBI


RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Dave Nolasco .344/.377/.750 7 HR 17 RBI 16 R 16 G
RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Matt Behrens 5-0 0.86 42 IP 20 H 33 K 4 BB
RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Byeong-min Yoo (AA) .362/.396/.638 7 HR 18 RBI 14 R
RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Dave Tillery (AAA) 4-0 2.43 29.2 IP 23 H 20 K

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: John Ventre CF (BAL) .316-11-22 30 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Dmitry Ajaev LF (CHA) .323-6-24 23 R
PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Mike Laffey SP (SD) 5-0 2.93 24 K 33 H 46 IP
COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Rich Whittaker SP (PRO) 5-0 0.79 45.2 IP 36 K
PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Bryce McLeod RP (DET) 8 SV 3.12 ERA
COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Jonathan Hoffman P 3-1 7 SV 1.26

[gehrig38]

Nothing too surprising. I told you Lexington isn't going away. With very few exceptions (NYE, LA, CHI) every team is within 2-3 games of the lead. San Antonio is playing well.
Good month for the kid at 3rd, great to see him hitting the way we anticipated. Mike Davis stats will fool you too. He is struggling (.173) but his K/BB of 7/19 has been a huge part of him staying afloat. He will start being platooned with Brian McLaughlin to see if that doesn't ease some of the pressure.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 6

• RECORD: 5-1
• STANDINGS: 23-11 (+3)
• RUNS SCORED: 161 (2nd)
• OPS: .724 (2nd)
• RUNS AGAINST: 111 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .726 (5th)
• SP ERA: 3.10 (4th)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.88 (3rd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
• FAN INTEREST: 100
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: OFF DAY 2-1 @ Lexington (17-17) 3-0 vs Providence (17-18)

5/1: OFF DAY
5/2: AUS 4 LEX 2 Wilson (W) 7 IP 4 H 4 K (4-2 3.89) Scott SV (10) Tighe 4-4 RBI (9)
5/3: AUS 5 LEX 2 Steele (W) 8 IP 5 H 7 K (2-2 4.64) Scott SV (11) Dziedzic 2H 2B (6) 2 R McLaughlin 2H 2B (1) R RBI (4)
5/4: LEX 8 AUS 7 Behrens (L) 2 IP 4 H 5 ER (6-1 1.94) Davis HR (2) 2 R 2 RBI (7) Nolasco 2H 2B (4) R Childress (LEX) 3 H 4 RBI (12)
5/5: AUS 8 PRO 5 Collins (W) 5 IP 6 K 5 BB 5 H 4 ER (4-0 2.26) Nolasco 4-5 HR (8) 2 R RBI (18) Dziedzic HR (2) 2 R 4 RBI (13) Comerford 2H HR (4) 2 RBI (14)
5/6: AUS 7 PRO 4 Forney (W) 6 IP 8 H 5 K 4 ER (2-2 3.71) Laskey H (5) Scott SV (12) Feliciano 2-3 HR (2) 2 R 3 RBI (15) Nolasco HR (9) 3 RBI (21) Dziedzic HR (3) RBI (14)
5/7: AUS 3 PRO 2 Wilson ND 7 IP 6 H 8 K 2 ER Boland (W) Lopez SV (1) Adrian 2H 2B (4) R RBI (11) Barrett Lopez was hurt but there is no word yet on what, or how bad.

NEXT WEEK: 3 vs San Diego (14-20) 4 vs Houston (18-15)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
5/2:

• Trevor Pope (GB) threw a 1-hitter and fanned 9 to beat Ft Worth 4-0. It's only May and the lefty and former Rustler has already had a weird season. He signed a 3 year 5.06 million dollar FA deal with San Francisco in January. He was released just a week ago after starting the year 2-0 3.48 in 3 starts for the Bears.
• The Bears are off to an 18-17 start and leading the California Division. Their rotation is absolutely stacked. Mark Holmes, Xie-li Ai-Yong, Omar Trinidad, Michael Cawthon, and Tony Delgado. Apparently, Pope refused to go to the bullpen and the ensuing quarrel saw him get released.
• Green Bay swoops in for nothing, signs him to a minor league deal and all he has done in 2 starts is go 2-0 0.56 allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk while punching out 17 in 16 IP. The son of a Carnival Barker, with the nickname “Carney Jr”, Pope was 18-5 3.35 for Austin in 2011. Leading the league in wins.
• He was dealt to San Antonio in March of 2013 for closer Chris Haske in a 1-1 deal. He went 28-17 4.70 over the next 2 seasons and was not offered arbitration, wherein Brooklyn signed him to a 3 year 3.18 million dollar deal in January of 2015, released him 6 months later, and signed a 1 year deal with Baltimore.
• That winter he became a FA, signed BACK with Brooklyn for 4 years 21.4 million in December, was released in May of that year and signed on 4 days later with Charlotte.
• Mr. Toads' wild ride for sure.

5/4:

• Cameron Mears (GB) tossed his 2nd straight 4-hit CG SHO, this time striking out 3 and walking 2 in a 114 pitch effort. He's 4-2 2.25 in 7 starts.
• Brendon Biernacki (BUF) fanned 15, walked 1 in a 9-3 win over Houston.

5/5:

• 2-way star Mike Spitler (NYE) will miss at least 2 months after learning he had a bicep tear in his non-throwing arm. The 26-year-old LF/SP was hitting .275-1-8 and 0-1 9.00 in 2 relief appearances.
• David Martinez (DET) scattered 6 hits over 9 and whiffed 6 with no walks in a 6-0 CG SHO of San Francisco.

5/7:

• 23-year-old Pedro Mendoza (BAL) struck out 9 and walked 1 while allowing just 3 hits in the Blackbirds 7-0 win over San Jose. He's 3-3 3.70

RUSTLER NEWS:

• AAA Warren is ranked #1 in the power rankings. The team is off to an 18-7 start with their offense and defense clicking. Their pitching is ranked top 3 across the board and they are 4th in HR's. Brad Hathaway is raking (.346-3-20) and Alfredo Razo is sporting a .378 OBP in the leadoff spot with 12 SB's. Their starters are warming up with Mike George 2-1 1.72, Dave Zupan 2-1 2.61, and Dave Tillery 4-1 3.55. All without top P prospect John Stanley (2-0 6.91) finding his groove yet. Top OF prospect Cody McNutt is hitting just .189 and 3B David Bone is at .209. Recently acquired C Julio Jaramillo is mashing, hitting .368 through the first 25.
• I don't know what to do at AA Modesto. Making personnel changes isn't helping. Off to another atrocious start at 6-24. Salt Lake City started 0-6 but has rebounded a bit to 13-17.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Randy Lane 1B (PHX) 9-18 3 HR 5 RBI 4 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Pat Sullivan 1B (DAL) 10-21 4 HR 14 RBI

[gehrig38]

SINGLE SEASON HR RECORD

1. 65 Gabe Rodriguez (AUS) 1990
2. 65 Jeff Weathers (SJ) 1992
3. 65 Mike Murphy (PRO) 1999
4. 61 Jordan Rincon (SJ) 1995
5. 60 Micah Tufts (AUS) 1996

[gehrig38]

WEEK 7

• RECORD: 3-4
• STANDINGS: 26-15 (+2.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 195 (1st)
• OPS: .743 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 147 (t-6th)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .720 (8th)
• SP ERA: 3.17 (3rd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 3.55 (6th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
• FAN INTEREST: 100
• POWER RANKINGS: 4th

THIS WEEK: 2-1 vs. San Diego (14-20) 1-3 vs. Houston (18-15)

5/8: SD 6 AUS 5 (10) Steele ND 6 IP 5 H 2 HR 4 ER O'Brien (SD) 3-5 2 HR (8) 2 R 2 RBI (22)
5/9: AUS 5 SD 1 Behrens (W) 7.2 IP 5 H 6 K 0 ER (7-1 1.69) Archer 3-4 HR (5) R 3 RBI (28) Nolasco 2-3 2B (5) 2 R (.348) Feliciano 1-2 2 BB 2 R (.345)
5/10: AUS 4 SD 1 Collins (W) 8 IP 3 H 6 K 1 ER 1-2 (5-0 2.11) Scott SV (13) (1.02 ERA) Dziedzic 2-4 2 HR (5) 2 R 2 RBI (16) Feliciano 2H (.350)
5/11: AUS 10 HOU 9 Down 8-3 in the 7th, 7 run 7th. Davis 3-6 R RBI (8) Hanna 2 2B (6) 2 R 3 RBI (18) Adrian 3-5 R 2 RBI (13) Orozco 4-5 R (.371) started at 1B Scott SV (14)
5/12: HOU 1 AUS 0 Wilson (L) 7 IP 3 H 8 K 1 ER (4-3 3.35) Dover (HOU) GW HR (5) in the 7th Bradley (HOU) (W) 6.1 IP 5 H 5 K 5 BB (3-1 2.37)
5/13: HOU 5 AUS 2 4 run 7th Steele (L) 6.2 IP 11 H 5 ER (2-3 5.12) Nolasco 2-3 HR (10) R RBI (24)
5/14: HOU 13 AUS 8 (11) Behrens ND 7 IP 3 H 1 ER Boland 0 IP 3 H 2 BB 5 ER BS (2) Scott BS (3) Lopez (L) 0 IP 5 H 3 ER (0-2 4.91) 2 RP's 0 IP 8 H 3 BB 10 R 8 ER Feliciano 3-5 HR (3) 2 R 3 RBI (20) Adrian 2B (6) HR (3) 3 RBI (16) Brule (HOU) SP 1 IP 6 H 2 BB 7 ER ND


NEXT WEEK: 3 vs Ft Worth (23-17) OFF DAY 3 @ Memphis (16-25)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
5/9:

• Cameron Mears (GB) tossed a 3rd straight SHO beating Las Vegas 2-0. He fanned seven and walked none while scattering eight hits. In his past three starts, he's thrown 27 IP, allowing 16 H with 12 K and 3 BB lowering his ERA from 3.44 to 1.92.

5/10:

• San Antonio will be without the services of their star CF Jorge Hernandez for the next 3-4 weeks after he fractured a thumb. The former MVP and 8x all-star is hitting .304-4-14
• Jeremy Cline (BUF) won his1st game of the year (1-4 5.12) via the CG SHO as he fanned eight and walked 1 in a 6-0 2-hitter over Detroit.

5/13:

• Sam Reyes (CHA) continues to struggle (.186-3-10), and the injuries continue to mount. A sore back has him DtD for the next 7-10 days.
• Juan Rio (NYE) was 0-3 1.71 through his 1st three starts, receiving one total run in 3 games. In his past two starts, he's gotten 0 runs, and he was 0-5 4.05 coming into today's game vs. New England. He got off the schnide with a CG SHO, fanning 8, walking 0, and allowing just six hits for his 1st win of the season. He's 1-5 3.40

5/14:

• Edward Cano (PHX) threw a 1-hitter to beat Denver 4-0 and win his 3rd (3-1 3.92)

RUSTLER NEWS:
5/9:

• Byeong-min Yoo continued his assault on AA pitching going 3-4 slamming 3 HR's and driving in 6 in the Beasts 15-3 win over the Spokane Steelheads. The 27-year-old is hitting .333-11-26 through 37 games
• Dave Steele would like a contract extension... (See next post)

5/15:

• SLC (A) 3B Ryan Lambert went 13-25 3 HR 7 RBI 7 R to take home mid-west league PotW. The 21-year-old was drafted in the 9th round in 2014 and is hitting .303-7-21 this season.
• Alfredo Razo (AAA) went 12-29 2 HR 4 RBI to win the Western League's PotW. Razo is hitting .313-2-10 with a .400 OBP and 26 runs.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Towers RF (SJ) 12-24 2 HR 4 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Mauzey CF (HOU) 13-26 2 RBI 4 R

[gehrig38]

PLAYER PROFILE
Dave Steele

• Dave Steele is a 29-year-old RHP drafted in the 5th round (132nd overall) out of North Alabama JuCo in 2007 by the New York Punishers. He skyrocketed up the prospect charts almost immediately. He went 10-8 3.92 in 2013 before signing a one-year extension for 306K with the Empire. Austin sent P prospect Tashfin Sassi and backup C Greg Cowan to NY for Steele and C prospect Jeremias Bidet.
• He's done nothing but win since coming to Austin. He's 49-21 3.95 in 101 career starts covering 663 IP with 613 K's and allowing 600 H and 97 HR with 220 BB for a 1.24 WHIP. He's a good teams #3 and a great teams #5. He's our #5, and he wants to talk contract extension. He's currently making 1.35 million in the final year of his contract, and his ask is for three years at 1.6 per year.
• Not even remotely unreasonable and a total no-brainer from my perspective. He takes the post every 5th day, is solid, if not spectacular. He's 1-3 4.43 in 8 post-season starts covering 44.2 IP. So he's the 4th man in a 4-man post-season rotation, at best. He can go to the bullpen if need be. He's got far more value as potential trade bait than he has as a starter in our rotation. I will work something out and make this deal happen. With Warren's young arms starting to flourish, he's insurance and a deadline mover who brings us back a top prospect.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 8

• RECORD: 2-4
• STANDINGS: 28-19 (+1.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 220 (1st)
• OPS: .739 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 164 (3rd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .720 (7th)
• SP ERA: 3.13 (2nd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 3.40 (6th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
• FAN INTEREST: 99
• POWER RANKINGS: 11th

THIS WEEK: 2-1 vs Ft Worth (23-17) OFF DAY 0-3 @ Memphis (16-25)

5/15: AUS 14 FW 1 Collins (W) 6 IP 9 K 1 ER 1-2 2B (1) 2 RBI (2) (6-0 2.06) Comerford 4-5 2 R RBI (15) Davis 2-4 BB 2B (3) HR (3) 3 R 3 RBI (11) Orozco HR (3) RBI (5) playing 1B Dziedzic 2B (9) 2 R 2 BB 3 RBI (19)
5/16: AUS 3 FW 2 Forney (W) 6.1 IP 5 H 7 K 1 ER (3-2 4.17) Scott SV (15) Feliciano 2 H 3B (2) R RBI (21) (.348)
5/17: FW 2 AUS 1 Wilson (L) 7 IP 2 H 2 ER (4-4 3.26) Myers (FW) (W) 8 IP 7 H 1 ER (4-1 3.20) Hudson (FW) SV (15) all 3 runs scored in the 1st. Tighe 3H 2B (5)
5/18: OFF DAY
5/19: MEM 3 AUS 1 Steele (L) 6 IP 3 H 3 ER (2-4 5.05) Archer HR (6) RBI (29) Soria (MEM) HR (2) 3 RBI (11)
5/20: MEM 4 AUS 3 Behrens ND 5.2 IP 6 BB 2 ER 1-3 Lopez (L) (0-3 4.76) Adrian 3-4 HR (4) R RBI (17) Dziedzic 2H HR (6) 2 RBI (21)
5/21: MEM 5 AUS 3 (11) Collins ND 7 IP 7 H 3 ER Scott (L) Vetter (MEM) walk off 2R HR (10) 3 RBI (17) Davis 3-5 2 2B (5) RBI (13) Adrian 2H 3B (1) R RBI (18) SB (13)


NEXT WEEK: 3 vs Buffalo (22-24) OFF DAY 3 vs Green Bay (26-21)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
5/16:

• Wan-Hua Jong (PHI) will miss the next 12 months after tearing his labrum. The 26-year-old 3B will undergo surgery tomorrow.

5/17:

• Mexico lost RF Chris Slaughter for 4-5 weeks with a fractured finger.

5/18:

• Dave Taylor (CHA) tossed a 3-hitter and fanned 6 to beat Dallas 6-0 and upped his record to 5-3 2.61. The 26-year-old righty is coming off a 3-13 4.75 2016 season.
• Brendon Biernacki (BUF) struck out 13 and walked 3 in a 7-0 CG 3-hitter to go 4-3 2.84.
• Chris Pearson (PRO) shut down San Antonio on 4 hits in 5-0 win.

RUSTLER NEWS:

• Karl Ficken (A) threw a 3-hit SHO to beat the Niagara Blue Claws 2-0. Ficken was a 2013 20th round draft pick.
• The next day Jose Ortiz tossed a 4-hit SHO vs the Des Moines Monks in a 4-0 win.
• The first returns for All-Star balloting are in and Austin's Dave Nolasco, despite missing the 1st two weeks of the season, leads all CL vote-getters.
• Rustlers Nick Archer (1st 1B) Joe Tighe (2nd 2B) Xavier Feliciano (1st 3B) Andy Adrian (3rd CF) Matt Behrens (1st SP) Tim Collins (2nd SP) Nate Scott (2nd RP) Ranan Laskey (3rd RP) are all in the top vote-getting group.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Terukatsu Yoshino 1B (CHI) 8-24 4 HR 8 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Mauzey CF (HOU) 11-21 2 HR 7 RBI (2nd week in a row)

[gehrig38]

RUSTLERS, STEELE, COME TO TERMS
The Austin Rustlers announced P Dave Steele has agreed to terms on a 3 year 4.5 million dollar contract extension. The 29-year-old righty is 2-4 5.05 in his 4th year with the club.

BACKROOM CHATTER

• A true layup if there ever was one. A solid, healthy, 29-year-old veteran SP for 1.5 million AAV? Where do we sign? He's a solid clubhouse presence to boot.
• On another note. I do not like what is happening right now. Our bullpen feels about as scatterbrained as I've ever seen.
• Having a very hard time getting the game to Scott in the 9th without multiple hiccups.
• We are 0-5 in extra-inning games and 6-9 in one-run games. I will give it one more week to fix itself.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 9

• RECORD: 6-0
• STANDINGS: 34-19 (+4)
• RUNS SCORED: 245 (1st)
• OPS: .738 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 180 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .730 (3rd)
• SP ERA: 2.92 (1st)
• BULLPEN ERA: 3.22 (7th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
• FAN INTEREST: 98 (down 2 over last 2 weeks)
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: 3-0 vs Buffalo (22-24) OFF DAY 3-0 vs Green Bay (26-21)

5/22: AUS 5 BUF 4 Forney (W) 7.2 IP 5 H 7 K 3 ER 1-3 R (4-2 4.09) Scott SV (16) (Pen 1.1 IP 1 HR 1 ER) Archer 2H 2B (9) BB R RBI (31) Tighe 2-2 2 BB 2 RBI (13)
5/23: AUS 5 BUF 3 (11) Wilson 7.1 IP 3 H 6 K 1 ER 2-3 ND Scott W Boland BS (3) (Pen 3.2 IP 2 HR 2 R) Hanna 3H 2 2B (10) HR (5) 2 R RBI (22) Archer 4-5 walk-off 2R HR (7) R 2 RBI
5/24: AUS 3 BUF 0 Steele (W) 6 IP 2 H 8 K 4 BB (3-4 4.53) Boland SV (1) (Pen 3 IP 1 H 1 K 0 R) Adrian 3-4 SB (14) Archer HR (8) RBI (34) Nolasco 2H SB (2) 2 RBI (30)
5/25: OFF DAY
5/26: AUS 6 GB 5 Behrens (W) 7.2 IP 4 H 4 K 2 ER (8-1 1.82) 1-2 Scott SV (17) (Pen 1.1 IP 4 H 3 ER HR) Adrian 3-4 2 2B (8) 4 RBI (22) 2 SB (16) Tighe 2H SB (9) R RBI (14)
5/27: AUS 1 GB 0 (15) Collins ND 9 IP 7 H 1 K 0 BB (Pen 6 IP 4 H 5 K 1 BB 0 R) Laskey (W) Dziedzic 3H GW 1B RBI (22) Reed (GB) ND 9 IP 5 H 4 K 3 BB
5/28: AUS 5 GB 4 (14) Forney ND 6 IP 6 H 4 R 1 ER 1 K 4 BB (Pen 8 IP 2 H 5 K 2 BB 0 R) DeSanto (W) Pope (GB) ND 7.1 IP 5 H 3 ER Archer Game tying HR in the 9th (9) walk off 2B in the 14th (10) 2 RBI (36) Adrian 2H HR (5) RBI (23) McGuire HR (1) RBI (6)

NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Detroit (28-24) OFF DAY 3 @ NY Empire (19-34)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
5/27:

• 22-year-old RP Dave Whittington (LA) will miss the remainder of the year after tearing his UCL. The 2016 9th overall pick was beginning to assert himself in the Storm's bullpen going 0-1 3.52 with 20 K's in 15 IP
• Greg Hartzler (PIT) struck out 6 with no walks in tossing a CG 5-hit shutout for a 5-0 win over Las Vegas.

5/28:

• Joe Fletcher (SAN) will miss the remainder of 2017 after undergoing TJ surgery today. The 26-year-old was 3-2 2.87
• Ft Worth announced P Brad Green would also miss the rest of the year after undergoing surgery on his right elbow. The 26-year-old was 2-3 4.57

RUSTLER NEWS:

• For the week the Bullpen = 23.1 IP 4 HR 6 ER. 14 scoreless innings in the final 2 games made the week bearable. The pen was a wreck to open the week. For now nothing major.
• AAA 2B Greg Bopp took home PotW honors going 13-21 3 RBI

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Andy Munoz 2B (PHI) 12-24 2 HR 8 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Larry Peet 3B (PRO) 10-21 2 HR 3 RBI 4 R

[gehrig38]

WEEK 10

• RECORD: 3-3
• STANDINGS: 37-22 (+3)
• RUNS SCORED: 271 (1st)
• OPS: .739 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 201 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .730 (3rd)
• SP ERA: 3.03 (2nd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 3.17 (7th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
• FAN INTEREST: 98
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: 2-1 @ Detroit (28-24) OFF DAY 1-2 @ NY Empire (19-34)

5/29: AUS 7 DET 3 Wilson (W) 7 IP 4 H 2 K 0 R (5-4 2.74) 1-2 Arregui 3 ER 1 IP Adrian 3B (2) HR (6) R 2 RBI Archer 2-3 BB HR (10) 3 R RBI (37) Comerford 3-4 2 HR (6) 2 R 3 RBI (18)
5/30: AUS 7 DET 2 Steele (W) 6.1 IP 3 H 4 K 2 ER (4-4 4.36) Archer 3-4 2B (11) HR (11) 2 R 5 RBI (42) Adrian 2H SB (17)
5/31: DET 6 AUS 2 Behrens (L) 5.1 IP 5 H 5 K 3 HR 6 ER (8-2 2.35) no-hit into the 7th. 2 hits total 0 ER Collins (DET) Grand Slam (5) 4 RBI (17)
6/1: OFF DAY
6/2: NYE 4 AUS 2 Collins (L) 7 IP 6 H 4 ER 1-2 Martinez (NYE) (W) 7.1 IP 6 H 5 K 2 ER (8-3 3.28)
6/3: NYE 2 AUS 1 Forney (L) 5.2 IP 7 H 6 K 2 ER (4-3 3.80) Rio (NYE) (W) 8 IP 9 H 8 K 1 ER (2-6 3.18) 10 hits, all singles. Offense is slumping
6/4: AUS 7 NYE 4 Wilson (W) 6 IP 9 H 7 K 3 BB 3 ER (6-4 2.87) Scott SV (18) Archer 3-4 1st inning grand slam (12) 5 RBI (47)


NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Ft Worth (34-25) OFF DAY 3 vs San Antonio (30-29)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
5/29:

• Troy Gillon (CHA) whiffed 4 and allowed 6 hits in an 8-0 win over San Diego to go 3-4 1.89

5/30:

• Houston lost SP Ian Gurr (2-3 2.86) for at least 4 months with a ruptured finger tendon on his left hand.
• Randy Lane (PHX) went 4-5 homering 3 times and drove in 4 in the Roadrunners 13-4 win over the Empire.

6/2:

• Chris Whitten suffered a fractured foot and the Providence star will miss 3-4 weeks at a minimum.

6/3:

• David Martinez (DET) went the distance allowing 7 hits in a 4-0 win over Brooklyn. He's 7-3 2.45

6/4:

• Donnie Blackwell (SAN) beat Green Bay 2-0 as the 21-year-old won his 1st ABL game. He's 1-1 1.93. He was the Broncos supplemental pick (34th overall) in the 2015 draft.

RUSTLER NEWS:
6/1:

• Salt Lake 3B Ryan Lambert hit .440 with 9 HR and 24 RBI's to win MWL PotM honors.
• Brad Hathaway (AAA) hit .359-9-21 with 18 R to win AAA PotM
• Warren SP Francisco Castro won pitcher of the month going 5-0 2.13

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Randy Lane 1B (PHX) 11-26 6 HR 10 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Archer 1B (AUS) 10-20 3 HR 11 RBI

RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Nick Archer .337/.420/.602 7 HR 20 RBI 15 R
RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Justin Wilson 2-2 1.70 34.2 IP 31 K 24 H .154 OPP AVG
RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Ryan Lambert 3B (A) .440/.472/.790 9 HR 24 RBI 20 R
RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Francisco Castro (AAA) 5-0 2.13 42.1 IP 32 K 38 H

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Randy Lane 1B (PHX) .370-11-22 .448 OBP 24 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Nick Mauzey CF (HOU) .364-4-17 21 R
PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Evan Woods (LA) 6-0 2.06 30 K 39.1 IP
COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Juan Esquerra (PRO) 5-1 2.76 42.1 IP 36 K
PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Evan Woods (LA) 6-0 2.06 30 K 39.1 IP
COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Mike Johnson RF (PRO) .356-4-14 19 R

[gehrig38]

2017 ABL FIRST-YEAR PLAYER DRAFT
A great mix of talent at the top of this year's draft. Last year it was insanely pitching heavy but there are bats up top this year. (all #* are our scout's assessments of the players ceiling)
This year's top prospects:




As I have scouted and looked to the franchises 'needs: I have realized that there are absolutely some 'holes' that need filling
The big club ranks in the top 5 (when comparing 25 man rosters) at SP, RF, RP, and 3B. Top 10 when you add 1B, 2B, CF, and C. Our lowest-ranked position is 16th and that's LF where Tommy Dziedzic patrols.
When you factor in organizational prospects (compared to the rest of the ABL) LF becomes #1. RP #2 RF #3 3B #9 and 2B 13th. C, SP, SS, 1B, CF, and Closer are all, ALL, ranked 25th or lower when factoring in prospects.
So when you combine the two you have the following overall rankings:

• RF #1
• SP #2
• RP #3
• 3B #5
• 2B #9
• CF #11
• 1B #12
• C #13
• LF #13
• SS #16
• CL #30!

30? all told that depth at RP should be enough but we don't have bonafide closers in our organization, none, except on the 25 man. Our top CL prospect is Matt Shepherd at SLC (A).
So what does that mean?
Well to me that means when you are picking 34th if a player is available where you have organizational weakness and he's a legit 4* prospect or better, you take him.
Given my concern over the inconsistency of the bullpen and what appears to be my inability to bring in guys who can shut down games in the late innings, I will veer off the beaten path this year. I may, given my plethora of early-round picks after the 1st, stockpile some power arms for the back end of the bullpen.

Here is where the top prospects went in round 1

• Pick #
• 1—Ohio Jim Jacob SP
• 3—Las Vegas Ahmed Roberts CF
• 2—Chicago Evan Miller SP
• 15—Los Angeles Steve Tikkanen SP
• 9—Green Bay Owen Michael RF
• 4—Green Bay Greg Carpenter 2B
• 6—Denver Tim Hersey LF
• 8—Phoenix Danny Waterworth 2B
• 5—Houston Josh Kovarik 1B
• 14—San Antonio Mike Terry SP

The two picks that went top 10 who weren't listed in the pre-draft top 10
7—Pittsburgh 1B John Halpern
10—Memphis RF Jeff Wagy

So with 9 picks in the first 5 rounds, it fell as follows:
Round/Pick
1/34 Matt Rizzi LHP (19) Pima JuCo Scouts wanted a power-hitting 1B, I didn't. I went against their wishes worried that 22 picks were too long to expect the best future closer in the draft to still be around. 6' 180 Mid to upper 90s fastball with a wipeout slider. Throws down under, very unusual to have a power arm with that arm angle. Way under slot demand which frees up a possible later-round reach and he's not going to take long to arrive. (Incidentally, our scouts wanted 1B Brian Flores who went 2 picks later to Buffalo in the Supplemental round)
2/56 Cruz Recinos IF (19) R/R College of Southern Idaho JuCo Plays every IF position, and LF and RF. Super utility defender with a middle-of-the-order bat. No speed but great toolset otherwise. Has some focus issues. This was a scout pick, I wanted another arm.
2/59 Randy Erickson RHP (17) Boulder HS, CO. 6'9” 195 pd flamethrower who will fill out the back of a bullpen. Already has an ABL level fastball and a wipeout slider too. For a HS pitcher, he's very advanced and shouldn't take 4+ years to see ABL action. Another way under slot demand
2/67 John Vargo RHP (18) Dodge City JuCo 6'2” 185 upper 90's power arm with a devastating split. Another side arming power guy. Also closer than most 18-year-olds.
2/76 John Wilson OF (18) L/L Wabash Valley JuCo 6'1” 180 Scout pick. Has projection, long ways to go, could end up in the middle of the order if all pans out.
3/79 Micah Kehrberg LHP (18) 5'10” 175 San Jacinto JuCo first SP we drafted. Over the top power arm who sits 97-99. Great FB/SL combo with a changeup that could turn him into a legit top of the rotation arm if it matures. Very confident young man.
4/115 George Frost RHP (21) 6'8” 210 Marshall U. Huge body power arm. Another 95+ guy with a great FB/CB mix. Both wipeout potential. Another arm closer to the big leagues than most. Closer potential.
4/126 Omari Stoner RHP (18) 6'4” 200 Walters State JuCo Nicknamed “Candyman”. ¾ arm slot lower to mid 90's with a big-time slider. More mature at this point than most 18-year-olds. Future setup/closer
5/154 Scott Cox RHP (17) 6'3” 170 Boulder HS, CO Battery mates with Randy Erickson at Boulder HS. This is where our under-slot early pick money went. Enormous upside, with top of the rotation potential. We met his 850K demand and awaiting word.
I think this would be the textbook definition of "quick fix". If they all pan out, damn. But even 1-2 panning out would do what we need to do.

[gehrig38]

[gehrig38]

WEEK 11

• RECORD: 2-4
• STANDINGS: 39-26 (+1.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 287 (3rd)
• OPS: .725 (2nd)
• RUNS AGAINST: 223 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .729 (3rd)
• SP ERA: 3.23 (2nd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.91 (5th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
• FAN INTEREST: 97
• POWER RANKINGS: 8th

THIS WEEK: 1-2 @ Ft Worth (34-25) OFF DAY 1-2 vs San Antonio (30-29)

6/5: FW 3 AUS 2 Steele (L) 7 IP 4 H 6 K 3 ER (4-5 4.31) offense managed 2 hits Comerford HR (7) 2 RBI (21)
6/6: FW 4 AUS 1 Behrens (L) 7.1 IP 6 H 6 K 6 BB 4 ER (8-3 2.55) offense managed 4 hits, all singles
6/7: AUS 5 FW 3 Collins (W) 5.1 IP 6 H 6 K 4 BB 3 ER (7-1 2.39) Scott SV (19) Nolasco 2H R 2 RBI (33) SB (4) Archer 2H HR (13) R 2 RBI (49) Adrian 2H 3B (3) R RBI (28)
6/8: OFF DAY
6/9: AUS 5 SAN 2 Forney (W) 7.2 IP 6 H 9 K 2 ER 2-3 2B (1) RBI (1) (5-3 3.67) Scott SV (20) Adrian 2H R RBI (29) Nolasco 2B (9) 2 RBI (35)
6/10: SAN 6 AUS 1 Benoit (SAN) (W) 8 IP 3 H 1 K 3 BB 1 ER (7-2 2.68) Wilson (L) 5.2 IP 8 H 3 BB 6 ER (6-5 3.32) Archer HR (14) RBI (50)
6/11: SAN 4 AUS 2 Sullivan (SAN) (W) 7 IP 3 H 2 K 5 BB 1 ER (4-6 3.33) Roth (SAN) SV 16 Steele (L) 5 IP 7 H 5 K 4 ER (4-6 4.50) Hanna HR (6) RBI (24)

• What a putrid week for the offense. It comes and goes but much like my SP I figured the lineup was so deep it would negate any prolonged 'team slumps'. What a terrible week.
• 6 games and we had 4 or more hits just 2 times. Hit totals by game 2/4/11/8/3/4. Atrocious. Things like this are never one or two guys but there are signs everywhere.
• Feliciano has come down to earth AVG wise, on May 17th he was hitting .345 leading the league. His average has dropped 65 point since then. His .411 OBP is saving his season. His SLG has gone from .500 to .385 in that same time period.
• Obviously, Andy Adrian slash line last year .345/.392/.586 compared to now .260/.335/.397 is another huge factor.
• Lots to complain about but maybe a little lineup shuffling will wake them up.
• The order will change vs RHP:

1. 3B Feliciano
2. 2B Tighe
3. SS Davis
4. CF Adrian
5. RF Nolasco
6. LF Dziedzic
7. 1B Archer
8. C Comerford

• The top 3 are the best OBP guys on the team vs RHP and all have outstanding eyes and could eat at pitch counts early on. The middle is a mix of rock-solid bats who are sputtering and need a shakeup.

NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 3 @ New England (35-31) 3 vs Dallas (32-33)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
6/7:

• Joe Beck (LV) threw a CG 3-hitter in beating Denver 7-0. He fanned 5.

6/10:

• Former Rustler Rich Whittaker (PRO) moved to 10-1 2.13 after shutting out the NY Empire 8-0 on a 5-hitter. He struck out 8 and walked 1.

6/11:

• Chicago RF Marc England singled in the 1st and that would be the only hit of the game for the “Hitmen” as Jon Hogg fired a 1-hitter striking out 8. He's 4-5 3.15 on the year.

RUSTLER NEWS:

Draft News:
All 9 picks have been signed and reported.


PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Taichiro Kimura SS (BRK) 10-25 3 HR 10 RBI (some of you may remember Kimura was the star signed last year who busted up his knee in camp and missed the entire year)
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rich Whittaker SP (PRO) 2-0 0.00 16.1 IP 15 K 6 H (rare as hens teeth)

[gehrig38]

SINGLE SEASON RECORD CG

• Dakota Eddleman (BRK) 12 (2016)
• Jason Keeton (DET) 12 (2015)
• John Del Bianco (DET) 12 (2013)
• Chris Nosal (DET) 12 (2012)
• Brendon Biernacki (BUF) 11 (2016)

[gehrig38]

WEEK 12

• RECORD: 3-3
• STANDINGS: 42-29 (+1.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 313 (3rd)
• OPS: .727 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 242 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF:
• SP ERA: 3.25 (3rd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.67 (4th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Delighted (first time in over a year he hasn't been ecstatic)
• FAN INTEREST: 96
• POWER RANKINGS: 5th

THIS WEEK: OFF DAY 1-2 @ New England (35-31) 2-1 vs Dallas (32-33)

6/12: OFF DAY
6/13: NE 4 AUS 3 (10) Behrens ND 6 IP 3 H 3 K 4 BB 2 ER Boland BS (4) Nolasco HR (12) 2 RBI (37)Archer 2 2B (13) R
6/14: AUS 10 NE 2 Collins (W) 8 IP 7 H 6 K 2 ER 1-2 2B (2) (8-1 2.38) Feliciano 3-4 2B (12) 3 R 3 RBI (26) Adrian 3-3 2 BB 3B (4) 2 R 2 RBI (32) Nolasco 2H HR (13) 3 RBI (40)
6/15: NE 4 AUS 3 (17) Forney ND 6 IP 6 H 4 K 3 ER Huerta (L) 3.2 IP 1 H HR 1 ER (1-2 1.59) Myers (NE) 5.1 IP in relief 2 H 2 K 0 R Owings (NE) 3 H walk off HR (3) Archer 2B (15) HR (15) R 2 RBI (52)
6/16: DAL 3 AUS 0 Yoshimura (DAL) (W) 7 IP 2 H 3 K 5 BB (5-6 3.83) Wilson (L) 7 IP 4 H 4 K 2 ER (6-6 3.26)
6/17: AUS 6 DAL 3 Steele ND 6 IP 5 H 5 K 0 BB 3 ER Scott SV (21) Archer 3-3 BB 2B (16) 2 HR (17) 2 R 4 RBI (56) Comerford 2H HR (8) RBI (24)
6/18: AUS 4 DAL 3 Behrens ND 6 IP 7 H 4 K 3 ER Laskey (W) (4-2 3.16) Scott SV (22) Feliciano HR (4) RBI (28) Archer GW RBI (57) 2B (17)

NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Mexico (29-43) 4 @ Houston (36-35)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
6/12:

• Chris Pearson (PRO) threw a 2-hitter striking out 9 in a 1-0 win over Green Bay. 20-year-old John Halphen (GB) was the hard-luck loser going 7-6-1-1-0-8 to fall to 6-5 3.02
• Chris Negrito (CHI) allowed just 4 hits, fanned 4 in a 5-0 win over Mexico. He's 5-8 3.82

6/13:

• Juan Rio (NYE) struck out 9 and walked 2 in a CG 3-hit SHO of Ohio for a 7-0 win. He's just 3-8 in 15 starts with a 3.10 ERA.
• In that game 3B Orlando Flores (NYE) went 4-4 and hit for the cycle driving in a run and scoring 3 times.
• Bobby Reuter (SAN) tossed a CG SHO allowing 5 hits in a 4-0 win over Lexington. The 22-year-old is 4-1 3.51

6/14:

• Buffalo sent 34-year-old SP Mike Crawford, 19 yr old CL Jim Hayes (3*), and a 2nd round draft pick to Providence for 24 yr old RHP Aaron Anderson (3*) 21 yr old OF David Schroeder (2.5*) and 24 yr old LHP Jim Williams (1.5*). Crawford was the 2nd overall selection in the 2003 draft. The Black Sox, leading the Skyline division, just learned 22-year-old phenom Antonio Peterson will be out for an unknown period of time with back issues. Peterson is 5-3 4.27 and veteran Jake Byers has been pushed to the bullpen after allowing his 16th HR in just 71.2 IP. He's 2-6 1 SV 4.65 in 17 G 11 GS. Byers led the CL last year allowing 41 HR's while going 15-9 4.35 with 299 K's in 213.1 IP.

6/17:

• Ed Walters (SD) went 3-4 slamming 3 HR's and driving in 6 in an 8-6 win over LA> They were his 1st 3 HR's of the year.

RUSTLER NEWS:

• Warren (AAA) is currently ranked #1 in the power rankings and is 47-15 and running away with their division. Modesto stinks again. At 22-45, they are 21 GB. Salt Lake City is 1 GB despite being 31-36 but they have recovered from an abysmal start and 2 of the recent relievers drafted have reported there.
• Short Season Hartford and Rookie League Ft Wayne open their seasons Monday of next week.
• Brad Hathaway went 3-5 to win the AAA All-Star game MVP.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jack Terhune RF (NYP) 11-26 4 HR 12 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Archer 1B (AUS) 9-24 3 HR 7 RBI 5 R (Archer will move to the cleanup spot with Adrian in the 3 hole, Dziedzic 5 and Nolasco 6.)

[gehrig38]

WEEK 13

• RECORD: 2-5
• STANDINGS: 44-34 (1 GB)2
• RUNS SCORED: 334 (3rd)
• OPS: .713 (2nd)
• RUNS AGAINST: 271 (4th)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .726 (4th)
• SP ERA: 3.34 (7th)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.70 (4th)
• OWNERS MOOD: Delighted
• FAN INTEREST: 96
• POWER RANKINGS: 10th

THIS WEEK: 1-2 @ Mexico (29-43) 1-3 @ Houston (36-35)

6/19: AUS 4 MEX 2 Collins (W) 6.1 IP 9 H 6 K 0 ER Huerta SV (1) Feliciano 2H HR (5) 2 R RBI (29) Adrian 2H 2B (11) R RBI (33) CS (4) Traywick (MEX) 4-5 2B (5) R RBI (20) Dziedzic hurt, see notes
6/20: MEX 2 AUS 0 Ray (MEX) (W) 8 IP 3 H 3 BB 4 K (8-6 2.87) Martin (MEX) SV (18) Ausenhaus 3-4 2 2B (12) HR (3) 2 R RBI (23) 5 hits total 4 1B Forney (L) 5 IP 5 H 2 ER (5-4 3.72)
6/21; MEX 8 AUS 6 Wilson ND 3 IP 6 H 5 ER Boland (L) (3-2 3.03) McLaughlin 3-4 R CS (2) Comerford HR (9) RBI (25)
6/22: HOU 4 AUS 3 Steele ND 6 IP 8 H 6 K 3 ER Scott (L) ER 3 H .2 IP (2-2 1.93) 6 hits total, all 1B
6/23: HOU 5 AUS 0 Stodder (HOU) CG SHO 3 H 7 K (4-3 3.50) Behrens (L) 6 IP 6 H 2 ER (8-4 2.71) 3 hits all 1B
6/24: AUS 5 HOU 4 (12) Collins ND 7 IP 4 H 8 K 4 ER Scott 3 IP 0 H 4 K (W) Feliciano 3-5 2B (15) 3 R BB RBI (30) CS (1) Tighe H 2 BB 3 SB (15) 2 R
6/25: HOU 4 AUS 3 Forney (L) 7 IP 12 K 4 ER (5-5 3.82) Beyers (HOU) (W) 7 IP 2 H 2 HR 2 ER (4-4 4.54) Archer HR (18) RBI (61) Nolasco HR (14) RBI (45) Hanna HR (7) RBI (26)

NEXT WEEK: 3 vs San Antonio (40-38) OFF DAY 3 vs Green Bay (40-38)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
6/20:

• Dallas 1B Pat Sullivan will miss 4-5 weeks with an abdominal strain.

6/21:

• Eric Arnold (BAL) threw a 1-hitter struck out 6 and walked 1 in a 3-0 win over Ohio to move to 7-5 3.11

6/23:

• Pittsburgh RF Pat Baker will miss 2-3 weeks with a rib cage strain.

6/25:

• Montreal traded SP Mike Boston (0-4 3.59) to Charlotte for 1B Mike Perozzi (3*) OF Josh Molan (3*) RP Roland Morey (2.5*) and OF Chad Coon (2.5*). Boston is in the final year of his contract and has expressed a desire to test the market.

RUSTLER NEWS:

• Tommy Dziedzic went down with a knee issue. He has tendinitis and it's re-occurring. He'll go on the DL for 2 weeks and we'll assess at that point. Top OF prospect Brad Hathaway will be recalled.
• First time in over a year we have not been in 1st place. The team is playing as bad as a team with this size payroll can play. There are no magic fixes, and certainly not time to panic and make a move for the sake of making one. This comes down to trusting the talent in place to correct itself. I'm expecting a monster 2nd half.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: John Thomas LF (PIT) 16-27 4 HR 9 RBI (Thomas was in Austin a few years back, a 2nd round pick, traded for C Nick McGuire)
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Vince Brooks LF (NE) 9-25 4 HR 13 RBI

[gehrig38]

WEEK 14

• RECORD: 5-1
• STANDINGS: 49-35 (+.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 364 (2nd)
• OPS: .718 (2nd)
• RUNS AGAINST: 289 (4th)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: 724 (4th)
• SP ERA: 3.30 (5th)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.71 (3rd)
• OWNERS MOOD: .Delighted
• FAN INTEREST: 96
• POWER RANKINGS: 2nd

THIS WEEK: 2-1 vs San Antonio (40-38) OFF DAY 3 vs Green Bay (40-38)

6/26: SAN 5 AUS 4 5-4 bottom 9. Nolasco 1B, Hathaway 1B, Orozco grounds into a triple play to end it. Really? Benoit (SAN) (W) 8 IP 7 H 4 ER (8-4 3.00) Roth SV (19) Wilson (L) 5.2 IP 8 H 5 BB 5 K 5 ER (6-7 3.88) McGuire PH HR (3) 2 R 2 RBI (10) Feliciano 2H 2B (16) 2 RBI (32) Nolasco 2H
6/27: AUS 8 SAN 5 Steele (W) 6 IP 5 H 8 K 3 ER (5-6 4.50) Scott SV (23) Davis 2-4 BB HR (4) 2 R 3 RBI (20) SB (1) Nolasco 2H HR (15) BB R 2 RBI (47) CS (1) Tighe 3-4 HR (2) 2 R 2 RBI (20)
6/28: AUS 3 SAN 2 Behrens ND 6 .2 IP 9 H 6 K 2 ER Scott (W) 1 IP 3 K (4-2 1.67) Nolasco 3-5 2B (10) GW 1B 2 RBI (49)
6/29: OFF DAY
6/30: AUS 9 GB 2 Feliciano 4-5 2 2B (19) 2 R 4 RBI (36) (.302) Adrian 3-5 2B (12) 2 R 2 RBI (36) Collins (W) 7 IP 3 H 7 K 5 BB (10-1 2.35)
7/1: AUS 3 GB 2 Forney ND 8 IP 2 H 1 ER 9 K Scott BS (4) (W) 1 IP 1 ER (5-2 1.84) Hathaway walk off HR (2) RBI (3)
7/2: AUS 3 GB 2 Wilson (W) 8 IP 8 H 6 K 0 BB 1-3 2B (1) (7-7 3.68) Nolasco 2-4 GW HR (16) R 2 RBI (51) Pope (GB) (L) 7.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 3 K (4-4 3.05) Scott SV (24) 1 IP HR 1 K


NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 3 @ Ohio (33-52) 3 @ San Antonio (43-42)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
6/27:

• Jason Michaud (NYP) will miss the rest of the season with a torn flexor tendon. The 30-year-old was 3-4 5.30 in 13 starts.

6/28:

• Rich Whittaker (PRO) tossed his 3rd CG SHO of the year to go 12-2 2.12 after 4-hitting Dallas in a 4-0 win.
• Jack Terhune (NYP) went 1-5 to extend his hitting streak to a league-best 25 games.
• 22-year-old Ronnie Kelly (MEX) went 3-5 slamming 3 home runs in a 15-3 win over Pittsburgh. Kelly, the 10th overall selection in 2010, almost hit the HR cycle. He slammed a 2R HR in the 3rd, a grand slam in the 6th (both off Pittsburgh SP Andy Zerbe), and a 3R HR in the 7th for a season-high 9 RBI's.

6/30:

• Brendon Biernacki (BUF) punched out 15 and walked 5 in a 2-0 win over Dallas. He's 6-4 2.58 on the year.
• Dakota Eddleman (BRK) fanned 9 and walked 3 in a 5-0 win over Denver to go 10-4 2.69

7/1:

• San Diego learned 24 year old RP Chris Harkness will miss the rest of 2017 after undergoing shoulder surgery.
• John Gunderson (DET) beat San Diego's Tyler Leech 1-0 with a 3-hitter to even his record at 7-7 3.34

7/2:

• Charlotte learned SS Manny Ramirez will miss at least a month with a bad back he injured running the bases.

7/3:

• The Missions got more bad news today. San Diego RF Arthur Vaughn will miss at least a month if not more after suffering a severe concussion.

RUSTLER NEWS:

• Expiring contracts: Austin-BC Egdardo Amaya, PC Mike Ligon (SA) PC Joe Pratt, HC Dan Giancarlo, and PC and HC at Ft Wayne.
• I will attempt to retain a couple of the minor league guys but two of them appear to be having issues relating to the younger players and what is minor league coaching if not relating to young players? I will work to re-sign both Austin coaches.
• The latest All-Star ballot is in and Dave Nolasco leads the CL with 2.7m votes. Archer (1st 2.3m) Adrian (3rd 2.1m) Collins (1st 1.8m) Behrens (3rd 1.7m) Scott (1st 1.0m) and Laskey (4th 882K) all appear in the voting.
• RF Jared Davis (AA) took home AA PotW honors going 14-26 4 HR 15 RBI 5 R
• Tim Collins has the flu and it's expected to be 3-5 days before he's up and running. With the off day his rotation spot will be skipped.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ronny Kelly (MEX) 7-23 3 HR 12 RBI 5 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dave Nolasco (AUS) 11-24 2 HR 6 RBI

RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Xavier Feliciano .326/.434/.484 9 2B 2 HR 13 RBI 16 R 15 BB
RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Nate Scott 2-1 6-6 SV 0.66 13.2 IP 3 H 20 K 4 BB 0.51 WHIP
RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Julio Jaramillo C (AAA) .429/.475/.625 2 HR 12 RBI 10 R
RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Mike George (AAA) 3-0 1.27 35.1 IP 26 K 17 H .143 OPP AVG

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Randy Lane 1B (PHX) .340-10-24 24 R .404 OBP
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Vince Brooks LF (NE) .313-10-30 18 R .355 OBP
PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Jon Fitzpatrick (LA) 4-0 0.60 30 IP 28 K .163 OPP AVG
COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Jeff Walters (PRO) 3-0 7 SV 0.60 15 IP 26 K 3 BB
PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Travis Esposito 1B (SD) .338-1-10
COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Kenji Suzuki CL (HOU) 2-0 6 SV 2.70