DELMARVA Baseball League

[illeracula]

Week 4
Current Week: 7-0 (22-4 .846 / +9)
Next Week: 2 vs Baltimore Barons, 3 vs Richmond Cardinals
Power Ranking: 1
Fan Interest: 90
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 122 (t4th)
Avg: .257 (6th)
HR: 32 (t4th)
SB: 34 (1st)
Runs Against: 54 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.09 (1st)
Pen ERA: 1.09 (1st)
Def Eff: .722 (2nd)

Game 20: Milford 0, Norfolk 1
Joaquin Hernandez: 0.1 IP, H, K
Eric Helton: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 K
Teo Ha: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K
David Moran (3-1): 2.0 IP, 2 H, K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 6): 1.0 IP, K
Trevor Parker: 1-1, 2B, R (PH)
Edgar Baez: 1-3, 2B, RBI
H: 3, LOB: 1

Game 21: Milford 1, Norfolk 6
Paul Brown (4-0): 7.1 IP, 9 H, R, BB, 6 K
Teo Ha (SV 1): 1.1 IP, H, K
Trevor Parker: 2-4, HR (3), 4 RBI
Francisco Gallegos: 2-3, 2B, 2 R
H: 8, LOB: 3

Game 22: Seaford 5, Norfolk 11
Cornell Pearons (4-1): 5.1 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 8 K
Robinson Lopez: 2-4, HR (1), 2 R, RBI
Edgar Baez: 1-4, R, 3 RBI
Sergo Galvez: 1-3, HR (6), 2 R, RBI
Claudio Flores: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
H: 11, LOB: 10

Game 23: Seaford 1, Norfolk 4 (10 Innings)
Migul Contreras: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 6 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (2-0, BS 1): 2.0 IP, 2 H, R, 2 K
Sergio Galvez: 4-5, HR (7), R, 3 RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 3-4, R
Leonard Lawson: 1-4, 3B, RBI
H: 10, LOB: 7

Game 24: Norfolk 8, Salisbury 0
Carlos Coronado (3-0): 9.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K (84 GS)
Trevor Parker: 2-5, HR (4), R, 3 RBI
Alejandro Diaz: 3-4, HR (2), R, RBI
Pedro Torres: 2-4, 3B, R, RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-5, R, RBI
H: 14, LOB: 4

Game 25: Norfolk 6, Salisbury 1
Boyd Martin (1-0): 7.1 IP, 6 H, R (debut)
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-6, 2 R
Trevor Parker: 2-4, 2 RBI
Edgar Baez: 3-5, R
Francisco Gallegos/Alejandro Diaz: 1-4, R, RBI
H: 11, LOB: 13

Game 26: Norfolk 4, Salisbury 0
Paul Brown (5-0): 7.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 12 K
Leonard Lawson: 1-4, HR (5), R, 2 RBI
Mario Gomez: 1-3, HR (3), R, RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-3, HR (8), R, RBI
H: 6, LOB: 2



Injuries:
LF Bob Short, Fractured thumb, 2 weeks
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 3-4 months

One thing we don't have a lot of depth in is starting pitching. Well sort of, I mean we do have two starters in the bullpen, but with the way they have been pitching I feel like I can't make that move... at least not yet... so when we go the news that our rookie stud Joaquin Hernandez is going to be out 4 months with a partially torn laburm I got nervous... After looking over the obvious 4:
(stuff/movement/control/prospect ranks)
Lazzaro Tadiotto, 12/11/11, #27 DBL, #4 NFK
Angel Rivera, 11/15/9, not rated
Michael Meagher, 12/13/11, not rated
Alberto Ramos, 12/11/11, #31 DBL, #5 NFK

I decided to go with Boyd Martin (11/12/12, #33 DBL, #6 NFK) who was being used as the closer in Yokohama our AAA club thi season. He is probably not quite ready for this slot, but I am just going with my gut. He is another lefty, so I am not sure if that is a good thing or not, but I am willing to give him 2 starts before I jump to one of the other kids. Martin was our 2 round pick, 33rd overall, pick in the 2023 draft. He will get his first start this week.

Other/Roster News:
Edgardo Perdnard (AAA): 22-56 / .393-3-17, 5 2B, 2 3B / 2B rating: 1

We signed an ex-farm hand Jeffrey Miller to a minor league deal. Miller was part of the Cav's organization from 2013-2023. He has no big league experience, and has been signed for depth. Stuff: 10, Movement: 10, Control: 15

GM Notes:
I need to figure out what is going on with Sergio Galvez. He doesn't seem to be stealing bases this season, in fact he only had 2 steals, and has been gunned down 6 times. That is not the Sergio Galvez I saw last season.

When Short returns from the DL it looks like I will have a tough choice to make. I will have to find a space in the lineup for both Trevor Parker and Leonard Lawson. Parker has proven that he deserves more AB's hitting .264-4-16, while Lawson continues to hit .253-5-14 as well. Both these guys have quality bats and keeping them happy will be a must.

Pedro Torres is having a solid start, hitting .261-0-4 with 2 triples. I am not sure what to do when I have to move him down. I like his bat. I could get a little crazy and make a move. Trade Baez (.286-2-9) or Gomez (.367-3-3), but I am not sure I want to do that just yet. Based on the projected arbitration numbers for 2027 one of those two guys will have to be dealt.

Boyd Martin had an impressive debut going 7 innings, and only allowing 6 hits. Granted it was against one of the worse teams in the DBL, but impressive none-the-less. My biggest concern is the 0 K's. Then again the day before against my other lefty, the Ports only struck out 3 times.

This is our second week to go 7-0 and I am truly shocked. I am excited by it as I thought this was going to be a rough season. I am not saying the season is over, but this team is tough. I really didn't think we were going to be this good this year, but the way this pitching staff is throwing makes a huge difference. The Senators will make a run at some point, and getting as far as head as possible as early as we can will make a big difference.



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers: 15-11 (+1)
DE Northern: New Castle Colonials: 18-8 (+4)
MV Eastern: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs: 18-8 (+1)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 22-4 (+9)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Berend MiddelKamp, Milton Brewers, 10-25, 4 HR's, 5 RBI's
MarVa: Armando Vazquez, Ocean City Tourists, 17-33, 3 HR's, 8 RBI's

Power Rankings:
1) Norfolk Cavaliers (168.3)
2) Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs (141.6)
3) New Castle Colonials (131.6)
4) Ocean City Tourists (130.7)
5) Chesapeake Blue Crabs (109.8)

News:
Lewes Braves: SS Errol Williams will miss about 3 weeks with a strained hamstring. Williams was hitting .306-3-11 on the season.
New Castle Colonials: 1B Jorge Trujillo had his hitting streak stopped by the Richmond Cardinals at 21 games.
Richmond Cardinals: SS Leon Bermudez will miss another week of action after suffering a set-back during his rehab for a strained triceps.
Dover Generals: Rookie MR Won-chul Sop will miss 7 months with a partially torn UCL. Sop was 1-1 2.45 in 6 games.
Ocean City Tourists: RF Jeff Lewis was off to an amazing start of the season, but his season will be put on hold for 2-3 weeks after spraining his wrist. Lewis is hitting .439-8-26 on the season.
Milton Brewers: LF Chip Hurt will miss 2 weeks after suffering a strained abdominal muscle while jogging. Hurt off to a slow start is hitting .213-1-8 on the season.

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 26 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 7 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Jeff Lewis: 14 to 1000 RBI's (DL)
Derek Campbell: 27 to 1000 RBI's
Pedro Galvan: 24 to 600 SB's
(note: there are 5 other players who should reach 1000 RBI's this season)

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 8 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Matt Hollis: 141 to 2000 K's
Robert Walker: 142 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 42 to 1000 G's
Will Wilson: 44 to 1000 G's
Arturo Herrera: 20 to 900 G's
Mike Banks: 33 to 900 G's

Some Ex-Cavs;
Henry Hamer (Express): .200-4-5
Luis Martinez (Express): 2-1 2.31, 6 SV, 11 G
King Brock (Blue Crabs): .280-1-12
Jeff Lewis (Tourists): .439-8-26 (DL)
Pablo Garcia (Colonials): 3-2 3.03 / 6 GS
Raul Hernandez (Ports): .284-7-15
*Hernandez was traded away in the King Brock deal, he is 23 and was once the #4 prospect in the DBL

[illeracula]

Week 5
Current Week: 2-3 (24-7 .774 / +7)
Next Week: 2 vs Lewes Braves, 2 vs Christiana Blue Hens, 3 @ Salisbury Ports
Power Ranking: 1
Fan Interest: 92 (+2)
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 143 (6th)
Avg: .260 (5th)
HR: 40 (t2nd)
SB: 36 (1st)
Runs Against: 76 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.51 (1st)
Pen ERA: 1.12 (1st)
Def Eff: .719 (1st)

Game 27: Baltimore 2, Norfolk 3
Cornell Pearson (5-1): 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 10 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 7): 1.0 IP, H, 2 K
Trevor Parker: 1-3, HR (5), R, 2 RBI
Claudio Flores: 1-3, RBI
H: 5, LOB: 4

Game 28: Baltimore 5, Norfolk 4
Miguel Contreras (2-2): 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, BB, 4 K
Alejandro Diaz: 1-4, HR (3), R, RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-5, R
Francisco Gallegos: 2-4, RBI
H: 10, LOB: 7

Game 29: Richmond 8, Norfolk 2
Carlos Coronado (3-1): 7.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, BB, 5 K
Robinson Lopez: 1-4, HR (2), R, RBI
Trevor Parker: 2-4, RBI
Edgar Baez: 2-4
H: 9, LOB: 7

Game 30: Richmond 1, Norfolk 7
Boyd Martin (2-0): 5.2 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, K
Teo Ha (SV 2): 3.1 IP, 3 H, R, 2 K
Leonard Lawson: 1-4, HR (6), 3 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 3-5, HR (9), R, 2 RBI
Edgar Baez: 1-3, HR (3), R, RBI
Robinson Lopez: 2-4, R
H: 12, LOB: 7

Game 31: Richmond 6, Norfolk 5 (10 Innings)
Paul Brown: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 6 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (2-1): 2.0 IP, 3 H, R, BB, K
Sergio Galvez: 4-4, 3B, 2 HR (11), 3 R, 4 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 2-4, R
H: 11, LOB: 11



Injuries:
LF Bob Short, Fractured thumb, 1 week
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 3-4 months

Other/Roster News:
Edgardo Perdnard (AAA): 38-85 / .447-7-23, 6 2B, 3 3B / 2B rating: 1
*player of the week (16-29, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 10 R)

Edgardo has been quite impressive on the offensive side of the ball, after 4 seasons pitching (21-13 3.16, 240 G) I decided to give him a chance on the other side of things. I wonder how long he will stay so hot? Just seems really crazy.

GM Notes:
Before the first game of the Baltimore Series the Cavaliers held a presentation for Don Sweetapple, and offically retired his number. A plaque was put in the Cavaliers Hall-of-Fame room... The first of 3 ceremonies planed for 2026.

The draft-pool was announced, it doesn't seem like an overly deep pool of players with only 5 players 4.5* or better. We have the 21st pick in the first round, the 20th in the 2nd and the 23rd in the 3rd, so we will be looking for some diamonds in the ruff. I think they are out there and I am going to rely on our scout to help me find them.

Our 9 game winning streak came to an abrupt halt with us losing 3 of 4. I guess it does prove this team is human, becuase there really isnt' a reason we should lose 2 of 3 to the Cardinals! Oh well, it happens and we will move on...

Augusto Rodriguez had been set to start every 3rd game, but after 6 games he will be pulled back some. He went 3-17 during that time period. Flores is only hitting .214-1-6, but he seems like the better option. More potential, not to mention the 4x Glove Wizard winner doesn't have the range he once did.

It is a good thing to have a week like this. Sort of brings you back down to reality. Our pitching staff has been pretty amazing, but our offense is lacking something. I guess that is the eye opener right there. I think for us to go all the way this season we will need to score more runs than 6th in the league. Then again if we score 4.6 runs per game and only allow 2.5 we should be in pretty good shape. I just can't foresee our staff maintaining that pace. 9 of our 24 wins have been shut-outs, to keep that pace all season would be something close to amazing.

Armando Lopez really wants to be a starter, and in all rights he probably should be. He has the ratings, the heart and the mind for it. But he has been so awesome out of the pen this season I just can't move into the rotation right now. Plus Boyd Martin is off to a pretty solid start. Lopez has a 0.87 ERA in 10 games (10.1 IP). He has allowed just 1 ER and stuck out 11, against 0 walks. He is too valuable right now.



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers/Dover Generals: 16-15 (+3)
DE Northern: New Castle Colonials: 21-10 (+4)
MV Eastern: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs: 22-9 (+2)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 24-7 (+7)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Roberto Alvarez, VB Surf Dawgs, 14-23, 0 HR, 3 RBI
MarVa: Edward Barnes, Milton Brewers, 11-23, HR, 5 RBI, 3 R

Power Rankings:
1) Norfolk Cavaliers (142.4)
2) Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs (138.7)
3) Ocean City Tourists (123.1)
4) New Castle Colonials (121.9)
5) Chesapeake Blue Crabs (112.3)

News:
Lewes Braves: SP Alex Haney is out 13-14 months with a torn rotator cuff. Haney was 1-3 5.89 in 6 starts this season. He was signed to a 4-yr deal during the off-season to help solidify the Braves rotation.
Newark Millers: The Millers suffered a huge blow this week, losing Brad Rose for the season. Rose part of the 1-2 Brad punch the Millers throw at you tore his flexor tendon in his elbow. On the season Brad was 5-0 1.52 in 6 starts.

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 25 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 7 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Jeff Lewis: 14 to 1000 RBI's (DL)
Derek Campbell: 27 to 1000 RBI's
Pedro Galvan: 21 to 600 SB's
(note: there are 5 other players who should reach 1000 RBI's this season)

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 8 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Matt Hollis: 141 to 2000 K's
Robert Walker: 139 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 38 to 1000 G's
Will Wilson: 42 to 1000 G's
Arturo Herrera: 19 to 900 G's
Mike Banks: 31 to 900 G's

Some Ex-Cavs;
Henry Hamer (Express): .190-4-6
Luis Martinez (Express): 2-1 1.84, 7 SV, 13 G
King Brock (Blue Crabs): .298-2-15
Jeff Lewis (Tourists): .439-8-26 (DL)
Pablo Garcia (Colonials): 4-2 2.45 / 7 GS
Raul Hernandez (Ports): .274-7-16
*Hernandez was traded away in the King Brock deal, he is 23 and was once the #4 prospect in the DBL

[illeracula]

Week 6
Current Week: 4-3 (28-10 .737 / +7)
Next Week: 3 @ Chesapeake Blue Crabs, 3 vs Washington Senators
Power Ranking: 1
Fan Interest: 93 (+1)
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 167 (7th)
Avg: .255 (6th)
HR: 47 (4th)
SB: 44 (2nd)
Runs Against: 91 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.39 (1st)
Pen ERA: 1.42 (1st)
Def Eff: .722 (1st)

Game 32: Lewes 0, Norfolk 4
Cornell Pearson (6-1): 8.2 IP, 5 H, BB, 6 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 8): 0.1 IP, K
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-5, 2 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-5, 2B, 2 R
Francisco Gallegos: 2-3, 2B
H: 10, LOB: 8

Game 33: Lewes 1, Norfolk 6
Miguel Contreras (3-2): 8.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 6 K
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-5, RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-5, HR (12), R, 2 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 3-4, HR (3), 2 R, 3 RBI
Claudio Flores: 3-4, 2 R
H: 13, LOB: 8

Game 34: Christiana 5, Norfolk 3
Carlos Coronado (3-2): 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 7 K
Miguel A Gonzalez: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB
Alejandro Diaz: 2-3, 2 HR (5), R, 3 RBI
Francisco Gallegos: 2-4, 2B, R
H: 6, LOB: 4

Game 35: Christiana 3, Norfolk 1
Boyd Martin (2-1): 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, BB, 3 K
Leonard Lawson: 1-4, HR (7), R, RBI
Gallegos/Lopez/Torres/Baez: 1-3
H: 5, LOB: 4

Game 36: Norfolk 4, Salisbury 1
Paul Brown (6-0): 8.0 IP, 5 H, R, 5 K
Miguel A Gonzalez: 1.0 IP, K
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-5, R, 2 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 0-1, R, 3 BB
Edgar Baez: 1-3, R, RBI
H: 6, LOB: 8

Game 37: Norfolk 5, Salisbury 2
Cornell Pearson (7-1): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 7 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 10): 1.0 IP, BB, 3 K
Claudio Flores: 2-4, HR (2), R, RBI
Alejandro Diaz: 1-4, HR (6), R, 3 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-5
Robinson Lopez: 1-3, RBI
H: 8, LOB: 5

Game 38: Norfolk 1, Salisbury 3
Miguel Contreras (3-3): 7.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, BB, 7 K
Leonard Lawson: 2-4, 2B
Trevor Parker: 1-4, 2B, RBI
Francisco Gallegos: 1-3, 2B, R
H: 4, LOB: 4



Injuries:
LF Bob Short, ready to be activated
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 3 months

Other/Roster News:
Edgardo Perdnard (AAA): 46-116 / .397-10-31, 7 2B, 3 3B / 2B rating: 2

GM Notes:
Before the second game of the Lewes Braves series the Cavaliers held a ceremoney retiring Dalton Whitakers #18. Whitaker was the Cav's closer for 10 years and retired the career save leader and the only closer with over 300 saves.

Bob Short will be joining the team for the new week, and I am very excited about that. We need someone to spark this lineup and I have a feeling it will be him. He will give us some more power, and hopefully be able to get us some runs. We fell to 7th in the league in runs and I am getting a little nervous that we are putting too much pressure on this pitching staff.

We have too many good bats in the lineup for no-one to be hitting over .300. In fact we only have 2 hitter hitting over .289, Sergio R at .288 and Sergio G at .284. Something has to give here.

Part of me wants to make a deal, but I am not sure if that is the right thing to do. If I can trade Baez (.261-3-11), then I could move Lopez (.270-3-14) to 3B and get Torres (.256-0-5) in the lineup full-time. I think Torres will start to hit the ball better, but doing that would open up the roster slot for Short. I would then have Franco, Gomez and Rodriguez as my back-up infielders. I am just not sure I am ready to deal Baez, despite the fact that I think he is over paid at $6,875,000.

Paul Brown (6-0 2.06) and Cornell Pearson (7-1 1.63) are carrying this team right now. I am lucky they are off to such a solid start, without them where would we be? The rest of the staff isn't doing too shabby, but those 2 guys are off to special seasons.

We have a 3 game set with the Senators coming up and I am curious to see how we will match up with them. They are a really solid team, with a lot of youth... however they are without 3 starters who are on the DL. Those 3 guys on the DL might be the reason why we hold a 7 game lead.

Maybe letting my hitting coach go was a mistake. Not that the new guys is doing anything wrong, but maybe my team just isn't good hitters. I still have faith in Robertson, but that being said we have to hit better than .260 lets see what he can do...



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers/Dover Generals: 20-18 (+5)
DE Northern: New Castle Colonials: 23-15 (+1)
MV Eastern: Ocean City Tourists/Chesapeake Blue Crabs: 24-14 (+1)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 28-10 (+7)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Jose Montoya, Christiana Blue Hens, 18-33, 0 HR, 4 RBI's
MarVa: Ken Fletcher, VB Surf Dawgs, 11-23, 2 HR's, 6 RBI's

Power Rankings:
1) Norfolk Cavaliers (131.6)
2) Chesapeake Blue Crabs (120.7)
3) Ocean City Tourists (116.7)
4) Christiana Blue Hens (107.2)
5) Wilmington Iron Pigs (107.2)

News:
Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs: RF Ken Fletcher was acquired by the Dawgs in the off-season and the Dawgs decided they wanted to keep Ken around, coming to terms on a (crazy) 6 year deal worth $84,000,000. On the season Fletcher is hitting .299-6-19.
New Castle Colonials: 1B Jorge Trujilio will miss 6-7 weeks with a fractured hand. Trujilio was off to great start this season (.327-6-27) and the Colonials will miss him as they try to hold off the Charging Iron Pigs.

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 23 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 7 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Jeff Lewis: 11 to 1000 RBI's
Derek Campbell: 23 to 1000 RBI's
Pedro Galvan: 19 to 600 SB's
(note: there are 5 other players who should reach 1000 RBI's this season)

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 7 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Robert Walker: 131 to 2000 K's
Matt Hollis: 139 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 37 to 1000 G's
Will Wilson: 40 to 1000 G's
Arturo Herrera: 17 to 900 G's
Mike Banks: 28 to 900 G's

Some Ex-Cavs;
Henry Hamer (Express): .194-4-9
Luis Martinez (Express): 2-1 1.53, 8 SV, 16 G
King Brock (Blue Crabs): .297-3-22
Jeff Lewis (Tourists): .441-8-29
Pablo Garcia (Colonials): 4-3 3.30 / 8 GS
Raul Hernandez (Ports): .280-7-18

[illeracula]

Week 7
Current Week: 3-3 (31-13 .705 / +7)
Next Week: 2 vs Annapolis Admirals, 2 vs Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs, 3 vs Ellicott City Express
Power Ranking: 1
Fan Interest: 93
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 197 (t5th)
Avg: .260 (5th)
HR: 56 (3rd)
SB: 45 (2nd)
Runs Against: 123 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.71 (1st)
Pen ERA: 2.15 (1st)
Def Eff: .723 (1st)

Game 39: Norfolk 9, Chesapeake 4
Carlos Coronado (4-2): 9.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, BB, 2 K
Claudio Flores: 1-4, HR (3), R, 3 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 3-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI
Mario Gomez: 3-4, R
Francisco Gallegos: 2-3, 3 R
H: 14, LOB: 8

Game 40: Norfolk 2, Chesapeake 9
Boyd Martin (2-2): 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, BB, 2 K
Eric Helton: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB (first runs of season)
Francisco Gallegos: 1-4, HR (4), R, 2 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 2-4
Leonard Lawson: 2-4
H: 7, LOB: 4

Game 41: Norfolk 6, Chesapeake 0
Paul Brown (7-0): 9.0 IP, 6 H, 13 K
Sergio Galvez: 4-5, 2B, 2 HR (14), 4 R, 2 RBI
Bob Short: 3-5, R, 2 RBI
Pedro Torres: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Francisco Gallegos: 2-5, R
H: 13, LOB: 6

Game 42: Washington 2, Norfolk 9
Cornell Pearson (8-1): 9.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, BB, 8 K
Sergio Galvez: 3-5, 3B, 2 R
Francisco Gallegos: 1-3, HR (5), 2 R, 2 RBI
Bob Short: 2-4, HR (4), R, 3 RBI
Trevor Parker: 2-4, HR (6), R, 2 RBI
H: 12, LOB: 5

Game 43: Washington 9, Norfolk 2
Miguel Contreras (3-4): 4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 K
Miguel A Gonzalez: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, BB, 2 K
Francisco Gallegos: 2-4, HR (6), R, RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 3-5
Mario Gomez: 1-4, RBI
H: 9, LOB: 9

Game 44: Washington 8, Norfolk 2
Carlos Coronado (4-3): 3.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 K
Sergio Galvez: 3-4, HR (15), 2 R, RBI
H: 5, LOB: 4



Injuries:
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 3 months

Other/Roster News:
Edgardo Perdnard (AAA): 47-117 / .402-10-31, 7 2B, 3 3B / 2B rating: 2
*Edgardo Perdnard will miss hte next 3-4 months with a partially torn laburm. The dream season will be put on hold. Guess that is the chance you take with fragile players... the Perdnard watch is over, it sure was fun while it lasted.

GM Notes:
To start off the week, I activated Bob Short and put him right back into the lineup. To make room for him I sent Carlos Franco down. With Franco down I redid the depth charts, so Pedro Torres and Mario Gomez will get their share of AB's. Short will play LF, with Lawson heading back to the DH. Trevor Parker and Lawson will split DH time as well as getting some more AB's in the outfield. Trying to balance everyone's playing time, hopefully it doesn't backfire.

As Miguel Contreras struggles I am starting to get a little worried about his vesting option for 2027. $17.3M for 150IP would hurt for 2 reasons: 1) its a lot of money, 2) his skill is dwindling and it'd hurt the team... But what do I do? He is 7 wins from 250, he has been a rock for this team for a quite a few seasons... I feel like putting him in the bullpen would be some kind of slap in the face to him... am I taking this to personal? I mean this is a business right? (ok its a game, but the Cavaliers finances are my games business)... I think I will let him play out July then make my mind up then. I have to keep a close eye on those innings however... He should hit 150 around 23-25 starts based on IP/G so far this season. Its hard to watch legends fall.

Oddly enough our offense seemed to hit the ball well this past week, but our pitching wasn't there. I guess that is just how it works, however. You can't have it all all the time. Miguel Angel Gonzalez has had 2 really bad outings in May, and both of them were just regular relief appearnces. I am not sure why he is being used when there is no need for him... specially when you have 2 guys who aren't seeing that much time, but are performing when they do.

After 2 solid starts Boyd Martin has been hit hard. I am going to keep my eye on him, and if he continues to get hit, he will be sent back down and Armando Lopez (or Lazzaro Tadiotto) will get a shot at the pen... I do have some options at least. I could even reach out to the free-agent market to get another reliever. So I do have options.

It looks like we are heading into a funk. Hopefully that is just what this is and not a drop back to our baseline. I was really enjoying riding high... Plus those Senators are a tough team and the more cushion we have the better.

I dropped the ball on our #6 starter. I thought we were deeper. With Hernandez down, and Martin not being overly efficent I think it might be time to put Lopez in the rotation. Then I will have to think about my bullpen. I think Sanchez, Ha, Hanson and Moran will be able to pick up the slack of Lopez...



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers: 25-19 (+3)
DE Northern: New Castle Colonials: 27-17 (+1)
MV Eastern: Ocean City Tourists: 28-16 (+2)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 31-13 (+6)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Chip Hurt, Milton Brewers, 14-27, HR, 5 RBI's, 4 R's
MarVa: Sergio Galvez, Norfolk Cavaliers, 12-21, 3 HR's, 3 RBI

Power Rankings:
1) Norfolk Cavaliers (124.8)
2) Ocean City Tourists (121.5)
3) New Castle Colonials (111.5)
4) Christiana Blue Hens (109.4)
5) Washington Senators (108.3)

News:
Richmond Cardinals: SS Leon Bermudez had a day to remember during a 11-10 victory. Bermudez went 4-5, hiting for the cycle.
Ellicott City Express: MR Eisse Bookelman has throwin over 70 games over the past 9 seasons, but he won't hit that mark this season. He is out 5 months to have bone-chips removed from his elbow. Eisse was 2-3 4.76 in 19 games on the season.
VB Surf Dawgs: Carsten van der Esch will miss 8 months with a torn flexor tendon. Carsten was 3-4 3.12 in 10 starts this season.
Georgetown Sixteens: Manager Anthony Carlson has been surrounded by controversy this season, including a post game tirade just a few weeks ago. After 44 (14-30) games the Sixteens have decided it was time to part ways. This was the long-time scouting directors first managerial job.

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 22 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 6 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Jeff Lewis: 10 to 1000 RBI's
Derek Campbell: 19 to 1000 RBI's
Pedro Galvan: 18 to 600 SB's
(note: there are 5 other players who should reach 1000 RBI's this season)

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 7 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Robert Walker: 119 to 2000 K's
Matt Hollis: 138 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 35 to 1000 G's (DL)
Will Wilson: 39 to 1000 G's
Arturo Herrera: 16 to 900 G's
Mike Banks: 26 to 900 G's

Some Ex-Cavs;
Henry Hamer (Express): .242-4-12
Luis Martinez (Express): 2-1 1.37, 9 SV, 18 G
King Brock (Blue Crabs): .285-3-22
Jeff Lewis (Tourists): .408-9-30
Pablo Garcia (Colonials): 6-3 2.81 / 10 GS
Raul Hernandez (Ports): .263-7-19

[illeracula]

Week 8
Current Week: 5-2 (36-15 .706 / +7)
Next Week: 2 @ Christiana Blue Hens, 2 @ Seaford Blue Jays, 3 @ Ellicott City Express
Power Ranking: 2 (-1)
Fan Interest: 94 (+1)
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 246 (5th)
Avg: .263 (4th)
HR: 69 (2nd)
SB: 52 (t1st)
Runs Against: 137 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.56 (1st)
Pen ERA: 2.18 (1st)
Def Eff: .729 (1st)

Game 45: Annapolis 2, Norfolk 9
Boyd Martin (3-2): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 3 K
Armando Lopez (SV 3): 2.0 IP, 3 K
Pedro Torres: 2-3, 2 HR (2), 2 R, 3 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 1-5, GS (16), R, 4 RBI
Francisco Gallegos: 3-3, 2B, R, RBI
H: 11, LOB: 7

Game 46: Annapolis 3, Norfolk 8
Paul Brown (8-0): 8.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, BB, 13 K
Robinson Lopez: 1-4, HR (4), R, RBI
Bob Short: 1-1, HR (5), R, 2 RBI (PH)
Alejandro Diaz: 2-4, HR (7), R, 3 RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI
H: 10, LOB: 4

Game 47: Virginia Beach 4, Norfolk 3
Cornell Pearson: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, BB, 7 K
Armando Lopez (1-1): 1.0 IP, 2 H, R, 3 K
Francisco Gallegos: 3-5, HR (7), r, 2 RBI
Mario Gomez: 2-4, 2B
Sergio Galvez: 1-4, 2B, 2 R
H: 9, LOB: 10

Game 48: Virginia Beach 4, Norfolk 2
Miguel Contreras: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K
David Moran (2-2): 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K
Bob Short: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Leonard Lawson: 1-1, RBI (PH)
H: 5, LOB: 5

Game 49: Ellicott City 0, Norfolk 10
Carlos Coronado (5-3): 9.0 IP, 7 H, BB, 5 K
Bob Short: 3-4, 2 HR (7), 2 R, 4 RBI
Sergio rodriguez: 2-5, R
Edgar Baez: 1-3, HR (4), 3 R, 2 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 3-3, 2B, 2 R
H: 13, LOB: 6

Game 50: Ellicott City 1, Norfolk 9
Boyd Martin (4-2): 7.0 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 2 K
Bob Short: 2-4, HR (8), R, 3 RBI
Alejandro Diaz: 1-5, HR (8), R, 3 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 1-3, 2B, 3 R
H: 11, LOB: 7

Game 51: Ellicott City 0, Norfolk 8
Paul Brown (9-0): 7.0 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K
Francisco Gallegos: 1-3, HR (8), 2 R, 2 RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 3-5, 2B, 3B, R, 2 RBI
Bob Short: 1-4, 2 RBI
H: 8, LOB: 8



Injuries:
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 2-3 months

Other/Roster News:
none

GM Notes:
The final number retirement celebration in 2026 was held on Tuesday at home against the Admirals. I think that will be the last number in Norfolk retired for a while. Others to be considered: Jeff Lewis (19), King Brock (43), Augusto Rodriguez (16), Miguel Contreras (29). But they are all active players.

We recorded a couple more shutouts this week, this staff has just been amazing. However we lost 2 games against the Blue Hens. I guess I should look at the positive, since we beat the 2 teawms we should of beat. However it sure would be nice to beat a team that we may end up playing in the playoffs. We can't go around losing to the top teams and still think we are on the top of our game.

I am hoping that Miguel Contreras can bounce back from a string of rough starts. He isn't himself anymore that is for sure. He has now lost 4 of his last 7 starts, against 1 win. Hopefully his 7 inning ND is a sign that he is starting to turn things back around. 64 Innings thrown this season, 150 on the option. Contreras has seen his fastball drop under the 90 MPH mark, he once would average 96-98, which has seen a huge drop in his stuff down to 9 (was 11 last season, 14 in 2024, 17 2023). Its really effected his game.

I like this team I think we are well rounded and with a lot of potential. We are young and stil finding ourselves. Sergio Rodriguez is a prime example. He is 21, just about to turn 22, and playing his first season as a full time player. Last season he played in 117 and in 2024 37 games. I can't blame him if he slumps here and there. Its crazy to think he made his debut in AAA in 2024. I have a lot of faith in this kid and I think he has a long long career ahead of him... the olders player in my starting lineup is 28!

I am toying with the idea of making a move, but I am not sure I am "ready". I am thinking it may be time to part ways with Alejandro Diaz, and go for this young kid (Henry Rojas) in Georgetown who is playing AAA ball. Rojas, I think is ready, would take over the catching duties and split time with Mike Baldwin (AAA,.244-7-21). The problem is if I pull off a deal like that a) it will cost a lot and b) if Baldwin or Rojas doesn't hit my lineup is a lot different. Currently Diaz is hitting .204-8-22, but should be hitting around .240's... can I take that risk?

I am at a cross-roads... I have a deal ready to be pulled off, where I send Alejandro Diaz and Edgar Baez to the Sixteens for 3 prospects, including C Henry Rojas, SP Angel Nasquez and 3B David Marricio... just seemed too easy, so I am a little nervous about making the deal. I would get back 3 prospects, at least one of those 3 would be an everyday player, but I'd lose my starting catcher and third-baseman. Torres would go play 2B everyday, Lopez and Gomez 3B. Rojas and Baldwin would C with Bolton heading down to AAA.... and the best part, I save a ton of money Diaz makes $7.9M and will get a bump over $9M next season and Baez makes $6.8M and will get a bump over $8M next year... seems sort of now-brainer'ish... something to think about... but I don't have a lot of time to think about it...

Make the move or sit still? Its a tough call, I think I will take a minute or two away from the game and get some work done and ponder the trade... hmmm...



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers: 28-23 (+3)
DE Northern: New Castle Colonials: 31-20 (+2)
MV Eastern: Ocean City Tourists: 34-17 (+2)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 36-15 (+7)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Alonso Martinez, Wilmington Iron Pigs, 12-27 3 HR's, 8 RBI
MarVa: Manuel Martinez, Baltimore Barons, 15-29, HR, 7 RBI's

Power Rankings:
1) Ocean City Tourists (133.0)
2) Norfolk Cavaliers (132.1)
3) Chesapeake Blue Crabs (118.9)
4) New Castle Colonials (108.4)
5) Wilmington Iron Pigs (108.4)

News:
Annapolis Admirals: Will be without their shortstop Pepe Martinez, who suffered an intercostal strain on a defensive play, for at least 3 weeks. Martinez was hitting .251-4-17 on the season.
New Castle Colonials: Came to terms with team leader and super-star Peter Peters on a 2 year extension worth $28,600,000. The 33yr old is one of the "Stars of the DBL" when on the field. The 6-time Silver Slugger took a hometown discount to stay in New Castle (3M/yr pay cut over current salary). Peters is hitting .305-13-32 on the season.

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 19 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 5 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Jeff Lewis: 5 to 1000 RBI's
Derek Campbell: 17 to 1000 RBI's
Pedro Galvan: 13 to 600 SB's
(note: there are 5 other players who should reach 1000 RBI's this season)

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 7 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Robert Walker: 110 to 2000 K's
Matt Hollis: 137 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 35 to 1000 G's (DL)
Will Wilson: 38 to 1000 G's
Arturo Herrera: 14 to 900 G's
Mike Banks: 23 to 900 G's

Some Ex-Cavs;
Henry Hamer (Express): .255-4-13
Luis Martinez (Express): 2-1 1.31, 9 SV, 19 G
King Brock (Blue Crabs): .291-3-25
Jeff Lewis (Tourists): .394-10-35
Pablo Garcia (Colonials): 7-3 2.71, 11 GS
Raul Hernandez (Ports): .267-8-22

[NYY #23]

I'm a few days late, but it is real nice to see Sweetapple's number retired.

He was definitely one of my favorites from the beginning when I first started following along. Even though it's nice to see Dalton Whitaker get his number retired too, nobody tops Sweetapple.

As for the potential trade, I say go with Rojas and make the move as long as Rojas is strong defensively.

[illeracula]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

He was definitely one of my favorites from the beginning when I first started following along. Even though it's nice to see Dalton Whitaker get his number retired too, nobody tops Sweetapple.

Sweetapple was a fun one to follow. I just wish he was either younger when he go to the league or was able to hang in longer. His downfall happened fast. Maybe that was his punishment for chasing the money and leaving Norfolk. :-) ... He ended up with 8 solid seasons and 138 wins.

Originally Posted by NYY #23

As for the potential trade, I say go with Rojas and make the move as long as Rojas is strong defensively.

He isn't as good as Diaz, but still above average. Diaz is probably rated the best defensive catcher in the game.

Diaz:
C Ability: 18
C Arm: 18
Catcher: 20

He'd be replaced with Baldwin, Bolton and Rojas:
Henry Rojas
C Ability: 13
C Arm: 14
Catcher: 15

Mike Baldwin
C Ability: 8
C Arm: 13
Catcher: 12

Mark Bolton
C Ability: 12
C Arm: 13
Catcher: 16

Currently the deal is pretty big, with me sending 3 big-league players over to the Sixteens in return for a star and 3 prospects (Rojas is a prospect). That or just 2 of 3....

Proposed deal:
I'd send to Georgetown
C Alejandro Diaz: .204-8-22 (43 G)
Contact: 8/9, Gap: 7/7, HR: 15/15, Eye: 5/6, K's: 12/12
*Glove Wizard @ C in 2024

3B Edgar Baez: .252-4-13 (38 G)
Contact: 10/10, Gap: 11/11, HR: 9/9, Eye: 9/9, K's: 10/10
*Glove Wizard @ 3B in 2024 & 2025

3B Mario Gomez: .302-3-5 (16 G)
Contact: 12/12, Gap: 11/11, HR: 10/11, Eye: 2/2, K's: 11/11

In return I would get:
IF Bryant Frank: .284-4-16 (50 G)
Contact: 10/10, Gap: 12/12, HR: 10/10, Eye: 12/13, K's: 10/10

SP Angel Nasquez: 3-2 2.94, 2 SV 7 G/5 GS, A
Stuff: 9/12, Movement: 10/11, Control: 8/12

3B David Marricico: .377-4-20 (25 G), AA
Contact: 10/11, Gap: 9/9, HR: 8/12, Eye: 3/4, K's: 11/12

C Henry Rojas: .380-8-34 (32 G), AA / .375-0-2 (6 G), AAA
Contact: 11/12, Gap: 13/13, HR: 9/12, Eye: 9/11, K's: 9/12

The deal works like this or with removing Gomez and Frank. These two guys are close, but Frank is "durable" and Gomez "fragile" plus Frank is about $2M cheaper in 2027.

I will prepare for the draft and have to think about this... right now. I am leaning towards pulling it off...

I think the lineup and defense will still be just as good... but a big deal like this can be a game changer in either direction.

[illeracula]

May 2026 Award Winners

Delaware Conference Monthly Awards

Pagado Wins DEConf's Best Bat Trophy: When Felipe Pagado stepped up to the plate in May, he did it with confidence and today he was honored with the Delaware Conference Batter of the Month award. The young Seaford left fielder posted a .385 batting average with 11 home runs, 25 RBIs and scored 30 runs. Pagado also worked pitchers for 16 walks to post a .459 on-base percentage. In 50 games this year Pagado has posted a .325 average and put up these numbers: 16 home runs, 43 RBIs and 39 runs scored.

Tirado Chosen May's Best DEConf Hurler: "The kid had it all working last month," a veteran teammate told reporters. "He keeps up those kind of numbers, we might have to start inviting him out with us after the games." Ramón Tirado put together a very solid month to take home the Delaware Conference's top pitching honor in May. The 23-year-old reliever threw like a veteran. In 14 relief appearances he raked in 6 saves and 20 strikeouts in 17.2 innings as he put together his 3-0 record and 0.00 ERA. This season Tirado has worked 28 innings in 23 relief appearances and picked up 9 saves. He has dished out 25 strikeouts and walked 9 with a 3-1 mark and a 0.96 ERA.

Delaware Conference Names Rookie of Month: José Montoya earned May's Rookie of the Month honors in the Delaware Conference for last month's performance. The boyish Christiana right fielder might be wet behind the ears, but he's proving that he has what it takes to play at this level. Montoya hit .370 with 1 home run, 14 RBIs and 18 runs scored this past month on his way to winning the award. This year Montoya is batting .310 with 2 home runs and 17 RBIs.

MarVa Conference Monthly Awards

May's #1 Batter Announced: Seasoned by several years of professional experience, 29-year-old Domingo Valéncia put together a solid offensive month for Ocean City and was crowned May's top batter in the MarVa Conference. He batted .378 with 9 home runs, 22 RBIs and 26 runs scored. Currently Valéncia is batting .357 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs.

Brown Is May's Top Starter: Paul Brown of Norfolk had an excellent May with a 5-0 record and was selected the Pitcher of the Month in the MarVa Conference. He finished the month with a 1.83 ERA while piling up 53 strikeouts in 44.1 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .160 batting average. This season Brown has a 9-0 mark in 11 starts with a 1.79 ERA. He has given up 54 hits in 80.2 innings, struck out 87 and issued 12 walks. Opposing clubs have compiled a .186 batting average against him.

MVConf Selects Rookie Star of the Month: A veritable toddler to the MarVa Conference, Leland Pérez just sewed up the Rookie of the Month trophy for May. Over the past month the 25-year-old shortstop for Salisbury hit .264 with 24 hits, 2 home runs and 8 runs batted in. He also logged 0 walks and compiled a .272 on-base percentage. For the season Pérez has produced 34 hits in 142 at-bats for a .239 average with 5 home runs and gotten on base at a .250 clip.

League Leaders - June 1, 2026
Delaware Conference League Leaders





End of the Year Award Front Runners:
Silver Slugger: Felipe Pagado, Peter Peters, Yann Gosselin
Golden Arm: Ricardo Gonzalez, Takayuki Iemochi, Pablo Garcia
Newcomer: Jose Montoya, Emilio Rivera, Mike Johnson

MarVa Conference League Leaders





End of the Year Award Front Runners:
Silver Slugger: Jeff Lewis, Jason Atkins, Claudo Bond
Golden Arm: Paul Brown, Cornell Pearson, Pedro Rivera
Newcomer: Leland Perez, Edgardo Rubio, Pedro Torres

Standings - June 1, 2025



Southern Division:
Current Leader: Milton Brewers/Dover Generals (28-23 .549 / +3)
Projected Winner: Lewes Braves (88-74 .543 / +2)
Believe it or not the Brewers played worse in May than they did in June, but they pulled 3 games up on the Generals. The Brewers are currently the only team in the division who is playing over .500 ball, but there are only 9 games seperating first and last. This division seems to be the weakest in the league and may take some time to figure out who the winner will be.

Northern Division:
Current Leader: New Castle Colonials (31-20 .608 /+2)
Projected Winner: Wilmington Iron Pigs (97-65 .599 / +2)
Losing their top hitter Jorge Trujillo for over a month has hurt the Colonials, but they continue to hold on to the division lead despite playing .500 ball in May. Peter Peters and Wally Lambert lead the powerful offense while Pablo Garcia holds down the rotation. The Iron Pigs are starting to warm up, so if the Colonials want to hang on they will need to try pick up the pace in June.

Eastern Division:
Current Leader: Chesapeake Blue Crabs (34-17 .667 / +2)
Projected Winner: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs (89-73 .549 / +3)
The Tourists continue their hot swing with 20 wins in May. Jeff Lewis is having one the best years of his career and Domingo Valencia is showing off his power. No one expected the Tourists to hold the division lead this far into the season, as they jumped over the Blue Crabs and Surf Dawgs in May. The Blue Crabs and Surf Dawgs will try to find their footing in June, as this division looks like it will be a three team race for sure.

Western Division:
Current Leader: Norfolk Cavaliers (36-15 / +7)
Projected Winner: Norfolk Cavaliers (110-52 .679 / +10)
The Cavaliers cooled off dropping from .826 ball in April to .607 in May, but the Senators couldn't make a run remaining 7 games out. The Cav's are being lead by Paul Brown and Cornell Pearson, who together are 17-1. They will continue to rely heavily on these two guys as the rest of the starters try to find their consistency. The Senators aren't out of yet. The Cav's will need to find some consistency the rest of the way, to keep the Senators at bay.

[illeracula]

Overall I haven't had much luck drafting. I have been the GM in Norfolk since 2013 and of all the players I have drafted #1 only 1 has made the All-Star team or won any post season awards, that happens to be the first player I ever drafted Arturo Ramirez.

It could be I just haven't had faith in my guys, such as Ben Sanford. He has turned into an ace, but I wouldn't trust his "6" control rating. Tom Dundee is another one that is turning out to be quite the everday player, but I had no room for him on my roster. The future seems bright with my last 2 #1 picks, as both Quirke and Williamson seem to have solid potential. We will just have to wait and see what the future brings...

Norfolk Cavaliers #1 Pick History:
2013 - Arturo Ramirez (SP)
Current Team: Baltimore Barons
Transactions: Traded to the Barons in 2020
Debut: 2017
Awards: Newcomer of the Year 2018, 5 time All-Star
Career Stats: 75-35 2.93, 95 SV, 369 G / 92 GS

2014 - Gabriel Santos (SP)
Current Team: Retired 2026
Transactions: Traded to Baltimore in 2015, Acquired from Baltimore 2020, Traded to Salisbury 2022
Debut: 2019
Career Stats: 6-8 3.70, 31 SV, 208 G

2015 - Joseph Kearse (1B)
Current Team: Chesapeake Blue Crabs
Transactions: Traded to Chesapeake 2016
Debut: 2018
Career Stats: .261-28-174, 448 G

2016 - Ben Sanford (SP)
Current Team: Christiana Blue Hens
Transactions: Traded to Christiana in 2021
Debut: 2021
Awards: Glove Wizard Winner 2025
Career Stats: 59-49 3.65, 5 SV, 194 G / 149 GS

* The Cavaliers had 3 first round picks in 2017
2017 - Ramon Granados (OF)
Current Team: New Castle Colonials
Transactions: Traded to New Castle in 2024
Debut: 2020
Career Stats: .270-64-269, 723 G

2017 - Bernardo Velez (2B)
Current Team: Annapolis Admirals (AA)
Transactions: Traded to Annapolis in 2025
Debut: 2022
Career Stats: .229-19-79, 251 G

2017 - Tom Dundee (OF)
Current Team: Seaford Blue Jays
Transactions: Traded to Seaford in 2023
Debut: 2021
Career Stats: .255-50-189, 357 G

2018 - Michael Heathcote (SP)
Current Team: Chesapeake Blue Crabs
Transactions: Traded to Christiana in 2021
Debut: 2021
Career Stats: 27-19 3.40, 13 SV, 309 G

2019 - Mark Bolton (C)
Current Team: Norfolk Cavaliers
Transactions: n/a
Debut: 2022
Career Stats: .246-12-73, 152 G

2020 - Michael Russell (OF)
Current Team: Salisbury Ports (AAA)
Transactions: Traded to Salisbury 2022
Debut: 2024
Career Stats: .198-2-12, 52 G

2021 - Ben Gibbs (2B)
Current Team: Norfolk Cavaliers (A)
Transactions: n/a
Debut: n/a
Career Stats: .236-13-116, 353 G (A)

2022 - Doug Phelps (SP)
Current Team: Salisbury Ports (AAA)
Transactions: Traded to Salisbury 2025
Debut: n/a
Career Stats: 1-1 6.45, 1 SV, 22 G, 2 GS (AAA)

2023 - Jimmy Lewis (SS), #57 DBL Prospect
Current Team: Newark Millers (AA)
Transactions: Traded to Newark 2025
Debut: n/a
Career Stats: .252-10-68, 140 (AA)

2024 - Blake Quirke (OF), #96 DBL Prospect
Current Team: Norfolk Cavaliers (A)
Transactions: n/a
Debut: n/a
Career Stats: .238-22-108, 185 G (A)

2025 - Dennis Williamson (OF)
Current Team: Norfolk Cavaliers (A)
Transactions: n/a
Debut: n/a
Career Stats: .232-2-22, 68 G (A)

I went a little crazy with the trades of my first round pick, but with the last 2 seasons, Quirke and Williamson I am going to try to keep them around. I think they will both have solid careers... assuming I am in Norfolk that many more years.

[illeracula]

DBL News: First-Year Player Draft: The 2026 DELMARVA Baseball League amateur draft will be conducted today. The cream of the crop in amateur baseball circles will be plucked by the baseball hierarchy. Diamond journalists and experts say these ten names are at the top of the first-year player shopping list:


1. Mark Meaden, 17 year-old starting pitcher out of high-school.
2. Ray Nikkola, 20 year-old catcher out of college.
3. Pancho Sánchez, 18 year-old center fielder out of high-school.
4. Luis Rodríguez, 22 year-old center fielder out of college.
5. Allen Graves, 21 year-old first baseman out of college.
6. José García, 21 year-old shortstop out of college.
7. Dave Smith, 21 year-old shortstop out of college.
8. Joey Bradley, 18 year-old shortstop out of high-school.
9. Jimmy Moore, 22 year-old first baseman out of college.
10. Bob McCulloch, 21 year-old starting pitcher out of college.

Richmond, Newark, Annapolis, Baltimore and Georgetown have the top five picks and hope to cash in this year.



Here is a look at the all-time #1 picks in the DBL... 11 of the 13 #1 picks are still active, 5 have made the All-Star game, 3 have won Championships, 1 has one the Golden Arm (CY) and 1 the Silver Slugger (MVP). An accomplished group of players and possibly a Hall-of-Famer or 2. From the stars to the busts here are the 13 #1-Overall Picks in DBL history:

2013 - Jorge Moran (SP), Chesapeake Blue Crabs, Columbia University
Debut: 2013
Current Team: Chesapeake Blue Crabs
Awards: Golden Arm 2019, All-Star 2016, 2019, 2020
Championshps: 3 (Lewes Braves - 2020, 2023, 2024)
Career: 174-109 3.30, 1 SV (402 G, 383 GS)

2014 - Gabriel Santos (SP), Norfolk Cavaliers, High School
Debut: 2019
Current Team: retired 2026
Career: 6-8 3.70, 31 SV (208 G)

2015 - Phil Carlson (SP), Lewes Braves, High School
Debut: n/a, pitched 2 years in AAA
Current Team: retired 2023
Career: 70-56 4.62, 2 SV (209 G, 189 GS)

2016 - Will Riley (C), Ellicott City Express out of Vanderbilt U
Debut: 2017
Current Team: Annapolis Admirals
Awards: Newcomer of the Year 2017, Silver Slugger 2021, All-Star 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Career: .316-269-907 (1321 G)

2017 - Cornell Pearson (SP) Seaford Blue Jays out of Creighton
Debut: 2018
Current Team: Norfolk Cavaliers
Awards: All-Star 2021, 2023
Championships: 1 (Norfolk Cavaliers - 2025)
Career: 110-68 3.24 (247 G / 235 GS)

2018 - Pablo Garcia (SP), Salisbury Ports, Oral Roberts University
Debut: 2019
Current Team: New Castle Colonials
Awards: All-Star 2021, 2024, 2025
Championships: 1 (Norfolk Cavaliers - 2025)
Career: 105-67 3.16 (243G/GS)

2019 - Shunen Koyama (SS), Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs, U of New Mexico
Debut: 2020
Current Team: Viriginia Beach Surf Dawgs
Awards: All-Star 2023, 2024, 2025
Career: .290-32-108

2020 - Will Hayes (3B), Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs, Farleigh Dickinson College
Debut: 2022
Current Team: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs (AAA)
Career: .235-21-82 (248 G)

2021 - Steve Cole (SP), Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs, High School
Debut: 2024
Current Team: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs
Career: 25-19 3.78 (58 G/GS)

2022 - Brooks Carlson (SP), Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs, High Shcool
Debut: n/a
Current Team: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs (AAA-Ball)
Career: 3-5 3.10 / 17 SV (38 G / 3 GS)
Propsect: #16 VB

2023 - Ryan McCoy (SP), Ellicott City Express, TCU
Debut: 2025
Current Team: Ellicott City Express
Career: 7-4 3.65 / 4 SV (56 G / 6 GS)

2024 - Ernie Kennedy (SP), Ellicott City Express, HS
Debut: n/a
Current Team: Norfolk Cavaliers (AA-ball)
Career: (AA) 4-2 3.14 (11 G/11 GS)
Prospect: #3 DBL / #1 Norfolk

2025 - Mike Johnson (OF), Milton Brewers, U of Miami
Debut: 2025
Current Team: Milton Brewers
Career: .268-4-31 (61 G, 50 G in 2026)
Prospect: # 5 DBL

2026 - Richmond Cardinals hold the 1st pick in 2026

[illeracula]

2026 1st Year Player Draft

1) Richmond Cardinals - 1B Allen Graves (Lehigh U)
Graves is looking for a record $8 million bonus, but he may well be worth it. He has a great impact on other players on the team and according to Alexis Shelton he "could be a superstar". A decent fielder with an impact bat, if the Cardinals and Graves come to terms its possible Graves could see some big-league time this season.

2) Newark Millers - SS Dave Smith (UVA)
Smith was the 13th player drafted last season, so going to college for a season boosted his draft status. A smart guy, with a big league glove, who could develop into one of the games top power hitters. There is a lot to like about this 21 year old.

3) Annapolis Admirals - 1B Jimmy More (William & Mary U)
Jimmy is a player who loves the game and studies the pitchers he is going to face. Another guy with big-power potential, whose bat is just about ready. He isn't a great defender, but his bat will carry him through his career. He is another guy that could debut this season.

4) Baltimore Barons - CF Pancho Sanchez (HS)
Pancho is the first high-schooler drafted in 2026. He is a very raw talent compared to the first 3 draftee's, but if he can adjust to the playing at a more competitive level and iron out his kinds "he could do a lot of damage at the top level".

5) Georgetown Sixteens - CF Luis Rodriguez (U of Maryland)
If a line drive hitter with good speed, who knows how to play defense in the outfield sounds good to you you will like Rodriguez. He has a lot of potential and could hang around the "bigs" for a long time to come.

The rest of the first around:
Round 1, Pick 6 - Salisbury Ports: SP Bob McCulloch
Round 1, Pick 7 - New Castle Colonials: CF Jeff Williams
Round 1, Pick 8 - Dover Generals: SP Greg McAskill
Round 1, Pick 9 - Salisbury Ports: SP Terrence Dixon
Round 1, Pick 10 - Ocean City Tourists: SS José García
Round 1, Pick 11 - Milford Clippers: SP Charles Roberts
Round 1, Pick 12 - Christiana Blue Hens: SS Joey Bradley
Round 1, Pick 13 - Seaford Blue Jays: SP Dave Foley
Round 1, Pick 14 - Chesapeake Blue Crabs: SP Dan Kessler
Round 1, Pick 15 - Ellicott City Express: SP Jonathan Hunter
Round 1, Pick 16 - Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs: SP Mark Meaden
Round 1, Pick 17 - Lewes Braves: C Ray Nikkola
Round 1, Pick 18 - Chesapeake Blue Crabs: SP Kent Gunther
Round 1, Pick 19 - Wilmington Iron Pigs: C Jorge Rose
Round 1, Pick 20 - Washington Senators: CF Tim Burman
Round 1, Pick 21 - Norfolk Cavaliers: 1B Paul Perkins



With the 21st and final pick of the first round the Norfolk Cavaliers take 1B Paul Perkins from Southwestern College.

Drafted 1B Paul Perkins in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 21, 21st overall pick).
1B Paul Perkins - According to Alexis Shelton Perkins has a lot of potential and there is a lot to like about him. He is 20 years old, and could develop into a .300+ hitter with 15-25 HR's. He is a big righty (6-5 240) who knows how to play defense.
School: Southwestern College
Age: 20
Contact: 9/14, Gap: 9/12, HR: 6/13, Eye: 4/7, Avoid K: 6/13
Signability: Extremely Hard. Demand: $1,500,000. Offer: $1,750,000

Drafted MR Kyle Marshall in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 2, Pick 8, 35th overall pick).
I wasn't set on drafting Marshall, but this was a very weak draft when it came to pitching, when Shelton (scout) said draft him I looked aorund and it made sense. According to our scout he has the ability to challenge for the closer role one day. A lefty who throws low 90's with 2 solid pitches. As with most 20 year old pitchers the big question is can he develop some control? If so watch out. If we can sign him I may have him start.
School: Pepperdine
Age: 20
Stuff: 10/14, Movement: 10/11, Control: 6/12
Signability: Normal. Demand: $200,000. Offer: $560,000

Drafted RF Jesse Bryant in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 2, Pick 20, 47th overall pick).
Bryant is a local boy who is looking forward to playing in the DBL. He is an average fielder who makes solid contact. He shows off some gap power, but won't beat you with the long-ball, at least not very often. A decent outfielder who can also play 1B. He will start his minor league career, assume we can sign him, in the outfield.
School: U of Delaware
Age: 21
Contact: 8/10, Gap: 11/13, HR: 6/11, Eye: 5/8, Avoid K: 4/8
Signability: Normal. Demand: $380,000. Offer: $370,000

Drafted SS Russell Burke in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 3, Pick 5, 52nd overall pick).
When you look at this 18 year old he won't wow you with flashiness he is just an ordinary guy. But he works hard and has a lot of desire and if he can develop could end up being a solid second basemen. He has a lot of work ahead of him, but there are signs that he could surprise and be an everyday player, such as his .469 batting average this season as a senior.
School: Northern Valley Regional High School (NJ)
Age: 18
Contact: 4/9, Gap: 3/7, HR: 1/6, Eye: 3/10, Avoid K: 4/11
Signability: Extremely Hard. Demand: $550,000. Offer: $340,000

Drafted SS Domingo De La Garza in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 3, Pick 23, 70th overall pick).
With offers to play at some big time local colleges it may be hard to persuade Domingo to sign. However if we can get him to ink his name we feel that he has the potential for a bright future. At 18 he already has a big-league glove and big-league speed. Now he just needs to work on his swing. A possible 4* prospect we look at Domingo as a steal this late in the 3rd round.
School: Bonner Springs High (KS)
Age: 18
Contact: 7/11, Gap: 6/8, HR: 1/3, Eye: 2/5, Avoid K: 4/10
Signability: Extremely Hard. Demand: $190,000. Offer: $250,000

Drafted RF Bryant Burris in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 5, Pick 20, 111st overall pick).
Bryant isn't considered an overly smart guy, but he loves the game of basball and he always gives 100% percent. There are a lot of questions about his potential, but we feel he could develop into a solid power threat. A big kid at 6'4" with a quick swing, but has struggled some against better pitching. If he develops some confidence he could up finding himself in the Cavaliers outfield in a few years.
School: Schalick HS (NJ)
Age: 18
Contact: 2/6, Gap: 3/7, HR: 4/12, Eye: 4/9, Avoid K: 1/9
Signability: Hard. Demand: $260,000. Offer: $150,000

The following players were drafted and sent to Short-season A-ball... at this point in the draft I just had Alexis make the selections. I was in charge of the first six picks, with the exception of Kyle Marhsall.

Drafted SP Shawn Turner in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 6, Pick 20, 131st overall pick).
Drafted 2B John Kinlaw in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 7, Pick 20, 151st overall pick).
Drafted SS Garry Hensley in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 9, Pick 4, 175th overall pick).
Drafted CF Martin Britt in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 11, Pick 20, 231st overall pick).
Drafted SP Paul King in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 12, Pick 20, 251st overall pick).
Drafted 3B Francisco Chávez in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 13, Pick 20, 271st overall pick).
Drafted SP Allen Saunders in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 14, Pick 20, 291st overall pick).
Drafted SP George Kelly in the 2026 first-year player draft (Round 15, Pick 20, 311st overall pick).

[illeracula]

Its not everyday that a team leading their division by 7 games trades away 3 players who are key to their offense, including 2 every-day, Glove Wizard Award winning, players, but that is just what the Cavaliers did. In doing so the Cavaliers made a huge impact on their budget, but other than that its left to be seen...

Major Trade Includes Báez and Frank: A star-studded deal has been made! The Norfolk Cavaliers were pleased to announce a trade with the Sixteens today that will send 26-year-old catcher Alejandro Díaz, 25-year-old third baseman Edgar Báez, 26-year-old third baseman Mario Gómez, 28-year-old minor league left fielder Yoelbi Mosca and a 15th round draft pick to Georgetown in exchange for 25-year-old shortstop Bryant Frank, 23-year-old minor league catcher Henry Rojas, 19-year-old minor league shortstop Miguel Maldonado and 20-year-old minor league starting pitcher Ángel Násquez. "It's always nice to complete a deal like this." the Cavaliers general manager was quoted as saying. "We are very happy with the way this deal came together."

So far this year Báez is hitting .248 with 4 home runs.

Thus far in 2026 Frank is hitting .283 with 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, 27 runs scored and has compiled a .344 OBP.

Going to Georgetown:
Alejandro Diaz ($7,930,000) - .204-8-22 (43 G)
Edgar Baez ($6,875,000) - .248-4-13 (39 G)
Mario Gomez ($5,975,000) - .302-3-5 (16 G)
Yoelbi Mosca (AAA)
15th Round Pick in 2027

Going to Norfolk:
Bryant Frank ($4,400,000) - .283-4-16 (51 G)
Henry Rojas (AAA, #84)
Miguel Maldonado (A)
Angel Nasquez (A)

----
The Georgetown Sixteens are currently in last place with a 19-33 record, 10 games out. But with this trade their offense is a third different than it was yesterday. How will that translate in the long run? Its yet to be seen, but we will keep an eye on them. Mario Gomez is no listed as the starting SS batting 2nd, Alejandro Diaz the starting Catcher batting 4th and Edgar Baez is playing LF batting 7th.

The Cavaliers lineup will look a little differently as well, as Baez and Diaz leave holes in the starting lineup. Moving to starting catcher will be Henry Rojas and moving to 3B will be Bryant Frank. Robinson Lopez will be our 2B and Pedro Torres will sub for all infielders getting a lot of Ab's throughout the week. In a subsequent move to bring the current roster up to 25 players catcher Mike Baldwin was called up. Baldwin will give the Cav's 3 catchers on the active roster, this is the first time we have carried 3 catchers since our record breaking season in 2018 (Jose Renteria, John Phillips and Ed Duke).

We know are carrying four offensive rookies on the roster: Henry Rojas (C), Mike Baldwin (C), Pedro Torres (IF) and Trevor Parker (OF).

Its a different look, but I like it quite it a bit. What does this trade mean to the Cavaliers in terms of the fans and the budget? Well the fans are very disappointed with the deal that move 3 fan favorites and the Interest and dropped 10 points down to 84. But our budget changed dramatically, as our current player payroll is now 14th in the league ($100,351,000), and we have over $20M for free-agents and money for some extensions. This might allow us to extend a player like Bob Short or Armando Lopez past their arbitration seasons.

Here is what the Cav's current lineup looks like:
RF Sergio Rodriguez
CF Sergio Galvez (L)
1B Francisco Gallegos (S)
LF Bob Short (L)
3B Bryant Frank
DH Leonard Lawson (L)
SS Claudio Flores
C Henry Rojas (L)
2B Robinson Lopez

Pedro Torres will be playing every 3-4 days at every infield position and Trevor Parker the same for the outfield... I know the fans might be overly exited by this move, but I am...

[illeracula]

Week 9
Current Week: 5-2 (41-17 .707 / +6)
Next Week: 2 @ Annapolis Admirals, 3 vs Richmond Cardinals
Power Ranking: 1 (+1)
Fan Interest: 85 (-9, gained 1 since trade)
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 286 (4th)
Avg: .265 (3rd)
HR: 81 (2nd)
SB: 57 (2nd)
Runs Against: 165 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.56 (1st)
Pen ERA: 2.87 (1st)
Def Eff: .728 (1st)

Game 52: Norfolk 3, Christiana 1
Cornell Pearons (9-1): 8.0 IP, 4 H, R, 4 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 11): 1.0 IP, H
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Mark Bolton: 2-4, 2B, 2 R
Claudio Flores: 1-3, RBI
H: 9, LOB: 3

Game 53: Norfolk 7, Christiana 10
Miguel Contreras: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER
Eric Helton (1-1): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K
David Moran (BS 1): 1.2 IP, 2 H, R, BB, K
Pedro Torres: 2-4, HR (3), R, RBI
Bob Short: 2-5, R, 2 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 1-3, 2 R
Bryant Frank: 1-4, RBI (Cavaliers Debut)
Henry Rojas: 1-4, R (DBL/Cavaliers Debut)
H: 11, LOB: 9

Game 54: Norfolk 6, Seaford 1
Carlos Coronado (6-4): 9.0 IP, 5 H, R, 5 K
Pedro Torres: 2-4, HR (4), 2 R, 2 RBI
Leonard Lawson: 1-3, HR (8), R, RBI
Sergio Galvez: 1-5, HR (17), R, 2 RBI
Henry Rojas: 3-4, 2 2B
H: 11, LOB: 6

Game 55: Norfolk 9, Seaford 10 (10 Innings)
Boyd Martin: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, BB, 3 K
Alberto Sanchez: 0.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R
Miguel A Gonzalez (2-2, BS 2): 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 K
Leonard Lawson: 1-4, HR (9), 2 R, 2 RBI
Trevor Parker: 2-4, 2 R, RBI
Bob Short: 1-2, 2 RBI
Henry Rojas: 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-6, 2 R
H: 10, LOB: 8

Game 56: Norfolk 4, Ellicott City 3
Paul Brown (10-0): 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 10 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 12): 1.0 IP, 2 H, R, K
Francisco Gallegos: 2-3, 2 HR (10), 2 R, 3 RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 3-5, 2B, RBI
H: 8, LOB: 10

Game 57: Norfolk 8, Ellicott City 3
Cornell Pearons (10-1): 9.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 K
Leonard Lawson: 3-4, 2B, HR (10), R, 2 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-5, HR (18), R, 2 RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-5, 3B, 2 R, RBI
Bob Short: 2-5, R, RBI
H: 12, LOB: 6

Game 58: Norfolk 3, Ellicott City 0
Miguel Contreras (4-4): 8.0 IP, 4 H, 3 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 13): 1.-0 IP, H, K
Sergio Galvez: 2-3, HR (19), 2 R, RBI
Francisco Gallegos: 2-4
Henry Rojas: 1-4, RBI
H: 8, LOB: 5



Injuries:
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 2-3 months

Other/Roster News:
Mike Baldwin, one of our top catching prospects and our #8 prospect overall, was recalled to give the team 3 catchers. Baldwin, a righty, and Bolton, a lefty, will be used to give rookie Henry Rojas time off. Baldwin got his first taste of the bigs last season with a Sept call-up, he went 3-10 with a double, a run and 2 RBI's in 4 games.

"The Contreras Watch" -- Miguel Contreras 77.1 IP @ 150 an option for 2027 kicks in worth $17,250,000. He also has a player option for 2028 worth $17,250,000, so that 150 IP could cost us $34,500,000... a nice chunk of change that we could use to secure some of young guys who are getting close to the end of their arbitration years.

Draft Picks:
1B Paul Perkins (R1,P21,O21) - Signed: $1,750,000
>> Perkins was labled as an "extremely hard sign", but we did it on our first try. Welcome to the club.

MR Kyle Marshall (R2,P8,O35) - Signed: $560,000
>> Liked our offer and signed. He will be assigned to our A-ball club. There are a lot more pitchers in the short-season A club, so this way he will get more work.

RF Jesse Bryant (R2,P20,O47) - Signed: $370,000
>> Jesse didn't waste time signing. He will head over to our short-season club.

SS Russell Burke (R3,P5,O52) - Signed: $550,001
>> Quickly turned down our initial offer ($340,000), so we matched his demand.
>> Burked liked our second offer and signed.

SS Domingo De La Garza (R3,P23,O70) - Signability: Extremely Hard. Demand: $190,000. Offer: $250,000
>> Haven't heard anything from Domingo, as he debates college or the minors.

RF Bryant Burris (R5,P20,O111) - Signability: Hard. Demand: $260,000. Offer: $260,001
>> Was the second player to turn down our initial offer ($150,000) on the 2nd day after the draft. We matched his demand too, plus a dollar.

GM Notes:
This week it was the bullpen that had the issues, as our rotation threw pretty well. Just a couple of bad relief outings made the difference in what could of been a perfect week... The crazy thing is we went 5-2, which is awesome, however the Senators went 6-1 and gained a game. They are going to be tough, which makes these late game "blow ups" that much more difficult to deal with.

As I keep on creeping closer to the 150 innings and the Miguel Contreras option, I have been toying with the idea of moving him down to the #6 slot in the rotation, putting Armando Lopez in the #3 slot and going with a "strict, but start highest rested at times" rotation. Its that or dump him from the rotation and I am not sure I am ready to do that just yet.

Well Rojas has welcomed his starting role hitting 7-16 during his first week with the Cavaliers. He has 3 RBI's. The one "downfall" is that he struck out 6 times. I don't mind as I figured this will be an adjustment period. He does have 1 PB, and he didn't throw anyone out yet. His ZR is -0.4, but I expect that to go up in time.

Cornell Pearson and Paul Brown have been lights out this season and are carrying our team. These two guys are 20-1 while the rest of the starting staff is 15-10. This, however, makes me a little nervous. Why? Well what happens if they came back down to baseline? Or get hurt? They are the reason we are leading the division. Do I have anyone who can pick up the slack? I am not sure...

Boyd Martin has done a pretty decent job in the rotation since coming up. Yes it was just a few weeks ago i was ready to dump him back down to AAA, but he has continued to pitch well shaking off his 2 rocky starts. Currently in 7 starts, 3 of which have been quality starts, he is 4-2 3.14 with a 1.12 WHIP. I am a little concerned with his K/9 ratio of 2.93. I just have a feeling that to be a consistent winner you have to have that "out" pitch and right now I am not sure he does.

Overall I like this team, I think with the changes that were made this week we are stronger.



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers: 33-25 (+2)
DE Northern: Wilmington Iron Pigs: 35-23 (+2) *new leader
MV Eastern: Ocean City Tourists: 37-21 (+1)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 41-17 (+6)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Ricardo Hidalgo, Christiana Blue Hens, 11-28, 3 HR's, 10 RBI's, 6 R's
MarVa: Domingo Valencia, Ocean City Tourists, 14-27, HR, 10 RBI's

Power Rankings:
1) Norfolk Cavaliers (136.2)
2) Viriginia Beach Surf Dawgs (118.7)
3) Ocean City Tourists (117.8)
4) Washington Senators (115.6)
5) Wilmington Iron Pigs (113.6)

News:
Lewes Braves: CF Andres Salinas a key to the Braves offense will miss 3-4 weeks with shoulder inflammation. Salinas is hitting .276-8-21 on the season.
Wilmington Iron Pigs: Trying to sure up their bullpen the Wilmington Iron Pigs acquired closer Arturo Ramirez (1-1 2.81, 3 SV) from the Baltimore Barons for 3 minor leaguers: SP Andrew Biffen (AA, #53), LF Alex Morin (AA) and RF Tad Crawford (S-AA).
Chesapeake Blue Crabs: The Blue Crabs pulled off a big deal getting one of the games best reliever Ed Yoder (1-0 0.92, 7 SV) from the Annapolis Admirals in return for 4 prospects: C Harris Marshall (S-AA, #93), SS Diego Garcia (AA), LF Felipe Herrera (S-AA) and 1B Gabriel Mendez (A). Yoder will take over the closing duties from Marcos Estrada who has blown only 2 of 17 save opportunities this season. This deal gives the Blue Crabs one of the best 'pens in the game.

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 17 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 5 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Jeff Lewis: With 8 RBI's during the week Lewis hit the 1000 mark, the 9th DBL player to do so.
Derek Campbell: 14 to 1000 RBI's
King Brock: 56 to 1000 RBI's
Pedro Galvan: 12 to 600 SB's
(note: there are 5 other players who should reach 1000 RBI's this season)

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 6 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Robert Walker: 102 to 2000 K's
Matt Hollis: 135 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 35 to 1000 G's (DL)
Will Wilson: 37 to 1000 G's
Arturo Herrera: 12 to 900 G's
Mike Banks: 20 to 900 G's

Some Ex-Cavs;
Henry Hamer (Express): .228-4-15
Luis Martinez (Express): 2-1 2.05, 9 SV, 21 G
King Brock (Blue Crabs): .276-4-28
Jeff Lewis (Tourists): .401-11-43
Pablo Garcia (Colonials): 7-4 2.58, 12 GS
Raul Hernandez (Ports): .249-8-23
Alejandro Diaz (16s): .190-1-4
Mario Gomez (16s): .240-3-7
Edgar Baez (16s): .182-1-5

[illeracula]

Week 10
Current Week: 2-3 (43-20 .683 / +5)
Next Week: 2 @ Georgetown Sixteens, 2 @ Newark Millers, 3 @ Richmond Cardinals
Power Ranking: 1 (+1)
Fan Interest: 85
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 323 (4th)
Avg: .265 (3rd)
HR: 89 (2nd)
SB: 64 (2nd)
Runs Against: 185 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.67 (1st)
Pen ERA: 2.85 (1st)
Def Eff: .718 (1st)

Game 59: Norfolk 27, Annapolis 5 << not a typo
Carlos Coronado (7-3): 7.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Bob Short: 4-5, 2 HR (10) 4 R, 6 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 3-6, 2 HR (21), 3 R, 4 RBI
Leonard Lawson: 2-6, 2 HR (12), 3 R, 3 RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI
Trevor Parker: 1-2, HR (8), R, 2 RBI
NFK walked 13 times.
H: 22, LOB: 9

Game 60: Norfolk 4, Annapolis 6
Boyd Martin (4-3): 4.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Claudio Flores: 2-4, 3B, R
Henry Rojas: 1-3, 3B, 2 RBI
Trevor Parker: 1-3, HR (9), 2 R, RBI
H: 7, LOB: 3

Game 61: Richmond 2, Norfolk 7
Paul Brown (10-1): 5.2 IP, 11 H, 4 R, BB, 7 K
Henry Rojas: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Sergio Rodriguez: 1-4, 3B, R
H: 5, LOB: 5

Game 62: Richmond 0, Norfolk 2
Cornell Pearson (10-2): 7.0 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 5 K
Mike Baldwin: 1-3, 3B
Claudio Flores: 1-3, 2B
H: 5, LOB: 9

Game 63: Richmond 0, Norfolk 4
Miguel Contreras (5-4): 6.0 IP, 6 H, BB, 4 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 14): 0.1 IP, K
Trevor Parker: 1-1, 2 RBI (PH)
Henry Rojas: 1-3, 3B, R
Robinson Lopez: 1-2, 2B, R, RBI
H: 6, LOB: 2



Injuries:
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 2 months

Other/Roster News:
"The Contreras Watch" -- Miguel Contreras 83.1 IP @ 150 an option for 2027 kicks in worth $17,250,000. He also has a player option for 2028 worth $17,250,000, so that 150 IP could cost us $34,500,000... this is driving me crazy. He has 14+ shut-out innings, so its hard to make a move with him now. A little month or two injury wouldn't be too bad. Is it wrong to give him the shaft? I sort of thing it is, but then again there is a lot of money on the table there...

With the Short-Season A-ball team about to begin playing games, I went through and started cleanup. I still have WAY too many players on this team and will cut more... but here is the beginning:
OF Ron Howard: 2023 Draft, R 3, Pick 20, Overall 63, 24 yrs old
OF Juan Sanchez: 2017 minor league deal, 25 yrs old
IF Hector Cerda: 2020 minor league deal, 24 yrs old
C Sergio Lopez: 2019 minor league deal, 24 yrs old
IF Augusto Montoya: 2017 minor league deal, 24 yrs old

Draft Picks:
1B Paul Perkins (R1,P21,O21) - Signed: $1,750,000
MR Kyle Marshall (R2,P8,O35) - Signed: $560,000
RF Jesse Bryant (R2,P20,O47) - Signed: $370,000
SS Russell Burke (R3,P5,O52) - Signed: $550,001

SS Domingo De La Garza (R3,P23,O70) - Signed: $250,000
>> After something thinking De La Garza decided to join the Cavaliers franchise. He will be sent down to S-AA to being his career.

RF Bryant Burris (R5,P20,O111) - Signed: $260,001
>> Bryant liked our updated offer and signed on.

With the signings of De La Garza and Burris this week, we signed all of our draft picks. I think this might of been the first time we came to terms with all of our picks. At least first I remember.

GM Notes:
Might be too early to panic that I have blown up my defense, but my Def Eff has dropped from .729 to .718 in just 11 games since the deal. I guess its possible, but we will see, this team is still pretty solid and I am not going to "really" panic till it goes under .700 and then I will need to do something...

I hope this isn't a sign of things to come, but both Paul Brown and Cornell Pearson took L's this week. Their combined loss total went from 1 to 3... and Browns ERA went up .30+ points...

Bryant Frank hit .283-4-16 in 51 games with the Sixteens, but is having some issues adjusting to the Cavaliers lineup. So far since joining the club he is .212-0-3 in 10 games. I am expecting more from him that is for sure... I am going to move him over to 2B and Lopez over to 3B. This should make the defense a little better and hopefully take some pressure off of Bryant on that side of the field. Pedro Torres will remain sharing time with both players, every 4-5 games.

Henry Rojas has been more than I expected so far for us. He is hitting 12-30 with 4 2B and 2 3B. He has drove in and scored 6 runs. He still has some developmenting to do with the stick, but so far I have been impressed. I do expect him to hit a wall at some point, but for now I am going to stick with him and enjoy what i am seeing and what the future has in store for htis kid.

In the past 2 weeks we lost two games to the Senators, and no only lead the division by 5. I really beleive the Senators team are going to be tough to hold off. This division may come down to an injury and the depth each team has. I am pretty sure we will beat them there.

Augusto Rodriguez has struggled with the bat hitting only .160 and he has struggled with the glove. Part of that is my fault as I have demoted him to third string and he is playing all the infield posistions. Earlier this week had made 2 errors against the Admirals while playing 3B. Sometimes these players just don't age as gracefully as I'd like to see. He still has some talent and when he becomes a free-agent in 2027 I am guessing he will find a job.

These kinds of weeks drive me bonkers... It starts off with a huge win. I am not sure I have ever scored that many runs in a single game before. The offense slugs out 22 hits, 7 HR's, 3 players go deep 2 times. Just a good sign of things to come right? Well of course not, as we drop the next 3 games and 2 of those games we have our #1 and #2 guys going. How does that work?

I am looking forward to our next 2 games, as we face off with the Georgetown Sixteens. I know Baez, Diaz and Gomez are going to be out for blood...



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers: 38-25 (+5)
DE Northern: Wilmington Iron Pigs: 28-25 (+1)
MV Eastern: Ocean City Tourists/Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs: 39-24 (+1)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 43-20 (+5)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Ron MacKinley, New Castle Colonials, 7-11, 2 HR's, 4 RBI's, 4 HR's
MarVa: Henry Hamer, Ellicott City Express, 10-19, 2 HR's, 5 RBI's

Power Rankings:
1) Norfolk Cavaliers (125.9)
2) Milton Brewers (119.6)
3) Viriginia Beach Surf Dawgs (116.4)
4) Wilmington Iron Pigs (115.6)
5) Ocean City Tourists (111.4)

News:
Lewes Braves: RF Jorge Alonso had a game to remember going 3-3 with 3 HR's and 4 RBI's. On the Season Alonso is hitting .287-14-45.
Ocean City Tourists: The Tourists will be without 1B Jeff Lewis for a little over a week. Lewis who at 34 is in the midst of a career year, bruised is knee on a defensive play. For the season he is hitting .401-13-46.

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 15 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 5 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Pedro Galvan: 11 to 600 SB's
(removed the 1000 RBI club guys, its not that "special")

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 5 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Robert Walker: 93 to 2000 K's
Matt Hollis: 135 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 35 to 1000 G's (DL)
Will Wilson: 36 to 1000 G's
Manuel Petrelia: 28 to 300 SV's (Only one player has over 300 SV's in DBL history)

Some Ex-Cavs;
Henry Hamer (Express): .267-6-20
Luis Martinez (Express): 2-4 2.59, 11 SV, 25 G
King Brock (Blue Crabs): .261-4-28
Jeff Lewis (Tourists): .401-11-43
Pablo Garcia (Colonials): 7-4 2.76, 13 GS
Raul Hernandez (Ports): .259-8-25
Alejandro Diaz (16s): .190-1-7
Mario Gomez (16s): .304-4-10
Edgar Baez (16s): .250-2-7
* all 3 of the 16s players are not happy they were traded

[illeracula]

Week 11
Current Week: 4-3 (47-23 .671 / +7)
Next Week: 3 vs Washington Senators, 3 vs Chesapeake Blue Crabs
Power Ranking: 1
Fan Interest: 85
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 364 (3rd)
Avg: .268 (2nd)
HR: 99 (2nd)
SB: 69 (2nd)
Runs Against: 218 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.87 (1st)
Pen ERA: 2.65 (1st)
Def Eff: .720 (1st)

Game 64: Norfolk 6, Georgetown 5 (10 Innings)
Carlos Coronado: 7.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K (4 HR!)
Miguel A Gonzalez (3-2): 2.0 IP, H
Sergio Gavlez: 1-3, HR (22), R, 2 RBI
Pedro Torres: 2-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI
Bryant Frank: 3-5, 2B
H: 13, LOB: 7

Game 65: Norfolk 4, Georgetown 7
Boyd Martin (4-4): 2.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, BB, K
Alberto Sanchez: 3.1 IP, 3 H, R, BB, K
Pedro Torres: 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Leonard Lawson: 1-4, 3B, R, RBI
H: 6, LOB: 4

Game 66: Norfolk 6, Newark 7
Paul Brown: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 6 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (3-3, BS 3): 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 0 ER
Leonard Lawson: 2-5, 3B, R, 2 RBI
Bob Short: 2-5, R
Henry Rojoas: 2-4, HR (1), R, 3 RBI (first big-league HR)
H: 11, LOB: 8

Game 67: Norfolk 11, Newark 3
Cornell Pearons (11-2): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Teo Ha (SV 3): 3.0 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K
Trevor Parker: 3-5, 2B, HR (10), R, 3 RBI
Claudio Flores: 2-5, HR (4), 2 R, 3 RBI
Bob Short: 3-4, 2B, R, RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-6, R, 2 RBI
H: 14, LOB: 9

Game 68: Norfolk 6, Richmond 4
Miguel Contreras (6-4): 8.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, BB, 2 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 15): 1.0 IP, BB
Sergio Rodriguez: 3-5, R
Sergio Galvez: 1-5, HR (23), R, 3 RBI
Bryant Frank: 1-4, HR (5), R, RBI
Bob Short: 1-4, HR (11), R, RBI
Robinson Lopez: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
H: 12, LOB: 6

Game 69: Norfolk 1, Richmond 3 (11 Innings)
Carlos Coronado: 8.0 IP, 5 H, R, BB, 2 K
Armando Lopez (1-2): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, K
Pedro Torres: 2-3
Augusto Rodriguez: 1-4, R
H: 7, LOB: 7

Game 70: Norfolk 7, Richmond 4
Boyd Martin (5-4): 6.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Eric Helton (SV 2): 1.0 IP, BB
Claudio Flores: 3-5, HR (5), 2 R, RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-4, R
Francisco Gallegos: 3-5, 3B, 3 RBI
Leonard Lawson: 3-4, HR (13), 2 R, RBI
H: 13, LOB: 7



Injuries:
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 8 weeks

Other/Roster News:
"The Contreras Watch" -- Miguel Contreras 91.1 IP @ 150 an option for 2027 kicks in worth $17,250,000. He also has a player option for 2028 worth $17,250,000, so that 150 IP could cost us $34,500,000.


Draft Picks:
Here is how our past 3 #1 picks have faired so far this season...
2026 - 1B Paul Perkins: 12 G, .065-0-0 : Off to an awful start 2-31 with 13 K's, will most likely be sent down to SS-A ball when the season starts later this month. Needs to develop, but has a lot of potential. Not making a quick adjustment to the minors from college as I thought he would.

2025 - OF Dennis Williamson: 21 G, .146-1-1 : not playing well at all this season. Overall potential has dropped to 2.5*. Herniated disc put him down for 4 weeks. Hasn't bounced back.

2024 - OF Blake Quirke: 23 G, .227-3-15 : might be sent down to S-A when it starts up. He hit .261 last season in A-ball.

GM Notes:
Pedro Torres is hitting the cover off the ball right now, as I work him in for more AB's, but to do that I have had to play him out of position at times. He is a solid 2B/SS, but I am also playing him at 3B and 1B. This way he is my first sub at all 4 positions. However I haven't been overly fond of his Defense. He has a -1.2 ZR and a -0.3 ZR at the corner slots and a +1.4 at both middle slots. He has committed 4 errors total, including 2 at his strongest position SS. I will have to keep an eye on his as he starting to show me that he may be the best 2B we have! In 17 games he has turned 20 DP's... not to shabby. He is on my watch list, but his bat has to be in the lineup.

I am still wondering what I should do with Boyd Martin. He is my #5, and my weakest starter. He has done a decent job, but I have 3 other guys in AAA that are ready to prove they are better than Boyd. Do I give up on him after 10 starts? I don't know he has just been very inconsistent. Looking at his stats they aren't too bad 57 IP, 55 H, 1.21 WHIP, 5-4 record. I mean pretty solid for a #5 right? Tough decisions IMO...

Our top pitching prospect Ernie Kennedy is having a solid year. Making me look forward to next year when he will be on the bump for us no doubt. He has the makings of a great pitcher. In all honesty he has better rankings than Martin...

My offense seems to be waking up some as our team average has crept up to 2nd in the league and we know have 4 starters toying with the .300 mark. Rodriguez: .304, Short: .299, Gallegos: .296, and Galvez: .294. The "biggest" hole in the lineup now is our SS, Claudio Flores. Flores is a great defender and I really thought he'd hit better than he has. I think the 23 year old will continue to grow with the bat.

We have 3 games coming up against the Senators this week and I am going to use it as a barometer. Not that I will pull off any deals, actually not sure what I would pull off, but more like how are we against our main competitor. I feel like this team is built to do a lot of damage this season and this week will prove quite a bit.

Creeping up on the half-way point of the season and I am feeling good about this team. I think we have 1 or maybe 2 holes, but nothing really gaping that will need to be fixed or plugged. We will make due with what we have.



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers: 43-27 (+7)
DE Northern: Wilmington Iron Pigs/New Castle Colonials: 42-28 (+5)
MV Eastern: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs: 39-24 (+1)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 47-23 (+7)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Tony Russell, Dover Generals, 11-28, 3 HR's, 10 RBI
MarVa: Francisco Reyes, Annapolis Admirals, 12-27, HR, 10 RBI's, 4 R's

Power Rankings:
1) Norfolk Cavaliers (121.9)
2) Milton Brewers (119.6)
3) Viriginia Beach Surf Dawgs (118.1)
4) Wilmington Iron Pigs (115.0)
5) Ocean City Tourists (114.6)

News:
Ocean City Tourists: Domingo Valencia had his hit streak stopped by the Salisbury Ports. His 21 game hit streak is tied for the longest of the season.
Milton Brewers: The Brewers acquired SP Guo-dong Liu (5-4 4.01) from the Ellicott City Express in return for 1B Emory Cameron (.381/.536/.619, HR, 21 AB) and 2B Ivan Sanchez (AA).
Georgetown Sixteens: Acquired SP Jorge Jiminez (2-7, 4.97) from the Newark Millers in return for 3 minor leaguers: 3B Lawrence Veeck (A, #85), MR Tony Newman (AA) and CF Roy Alexander (OF).

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 14 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 3 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Pedro Galvan: 7 to 600 SB's

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 4 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Robert Walker: 84 to 2000 K's
Matt Hollis: 132 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 35 to 1000 G's (DL)
Will Wilson: 36 to 1000 G's
Manuel Petrelia: 28 to 300 SV's (2nd member of the 300 sv club)

[illeracula]

Week 12
Current Week: 1-5 (48-28 .671 / +3)
Next Week: 2 vs Wilmington Iron Pigs, 2 vs Georgetown Sixteens, 3 @ Ocean City Tourists
Power Ranking: 5 (-4)
Fan Interest: 86 (+1)
Owners Mood: Delighted
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 376 (4th)
Avg: .263 (4th)
HR: 102 (3rd)
SB: 73 (2nd)
Runs Against: 218 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.87 (1st)
Pen ERA: 2.65 (1st)
Def Eff: .720 (1st)

Game 71: Washington 4, Norfolk 3
Paul Brown: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 11 K
Armando Lopez (1-3, BS 1): 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 K
Bryant Frank: 1-3, HR (6), R, RBI
Robinson Lopez: 2-3
Trevor Parker: 1-3, 3B, R
H: 8, LOB: 7

Game 72: Washington 2, Norfolk 1
Cornell Pearson: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, BB, 8 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (3-4, BS 4): 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, K
Pedro Torres: 2-3
Sergio Galvez: 1-4, 2B, R
H: 6, LOB: 6

Game 73: Washington 4, Norfolk 3
Miguel Contreras (7-4): 7.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, BB, 5 K
Teo Ha (SV 4): 1.0 IP, 2 H, R, 2 K
Sergio Galvez: 2-4, 2 2B, R
Bob Short: 2-4, 2 2B, R, RBI
Leonard Lawson: 2-4, 3 RBI
H: 8, LOB: 8

Game 74: Chesapeake 4, Norfolk 3
Carlos Coronado (7-4): 8.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 5 K
Francisco Gallegos: 2-4, HR (14), R, 2 RBI
Leonard Lawson: 1-4, HR (14), R, RBI
H: 6, LOB: 5

Game 75: Chesapeake 4, Norfolk 1
Boyd Martin (5-5): 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, BB, 3 K
Augusto Rodriguez: 2-3
Sergio Galvez: 0-2, R, 2 BB
H: 6, LOB: 8

Game 76: Chesapeake 1, Norfolk 0
Paul Brown: 6.1 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Sergio Rodriguez/Bryant Frank: 1-3
H: 5, LOB: 3



Injuries:
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 7 weeks

Other/Roster News:
"The Contreras Watch" -- Miguel Contreras 98.2 IP @ 150 an option for 2027 kicks in worth $17,250,000. He also has a player option for 2028 worth $17,250,000, so that 150 IP could cost us $34,500,000... Its hard to take him out of the rotaiton when he is currently my best pitcher. He has won his last 4 decisions. These options will hurt us really badly, but I feel like my hands are tied right now, until we right the ship some...

I reached out and offered John O'Donegan a minor league deal. John played with us in 2021 and 2022 and last season he hit .244-23-87 for the Washington Senators. He is an above average catcher and could ease some of our catching woes. We will see what happens.

Draft Picks:
Here is how our past 3 #1 picks have faired so far this season...
2026 - 1B Paul Perkins: .167-1-3 : Paul made more contact this week and showed off some of that raw power. He is starting to get comfortable, at least that is what I am hoping.

2025 - OF Dennis Williamson: .191-1-5 : Williamson bounced back hitting the ball well last week. He raised his average 50 points. I am bummed he isn't developing as well as we hoped, but he is only 19 so there is still a lot of time.

2024 - OF Blake Quirke: .250-4-22 : Quirke may get a call to double AA later this season as he is starting to hit the ball much better. He is shooting for a 2027 last season debut, but that being said he is one of our best outfielders defensivly in the organization so...

GM Notes:
I was super excited heading into this week thinking the offense was kicking and we play 2 solid teams and wham! We ran into a road block, and quite probably our worst week of the year. Our average dropped 5 points, our top hitter went down 10 points, and we hit ONLY 3 HR's... Now what? Should I be concerned? Talk about a roller-coaster ride of a week... The worse part of this week was going 1-5 at home!

It will be interesting to see how Henry Rojas bounces back. After crushing the ball his first few weeks with the Cav's he hit a slump and went 1-13. I will keep an eye on him, since if he isn't hitting then we aren't getting any production from behind the plate. Bolton (.160-0-1, 50 AB's), Baldwin (.118-0-2, 17 ABs) and Rojas (.293-1-10, 58 AB's). I didn't the trade of Diaz was going to be a "huge" issue, but if this keeps up it will make it seem even worse. To compare Diaz is hitting .250-2-13 in 88 Ab's with the Sixteens since the deal.

Bryant Frank has been awful, at least in my opinion, he has played 2B and 3B for us and has struggled at both positions. I have made sure he won't see anymore starting time at 3B for the time being. In 14 G's he committed 3 E's and had a FPct of .900, at 2B he is better only 1 E and a .975 PCT. He will stay at 2B and hopefully get back on track. He is a much better rated fielder than what we are seeing.

June is coming to an end and we are struggling big time.It looks like we could end the month with a sub-.500 winning pct. Hopefully we can hang on becauase the Senators have us their sites. Last week I said we have some holes and we will make due with what we have, and this week I have complete chagned my mind. I have reached out to two ex-Cav's Catcher John O and MR Adrian Otero to see if they were interested in a minor-league deal. I am only talking to them for one reason and that reason is because I want them on the big-league club. Well as long as they prove they still have some "stuff" left...

Armando Lopez has been pretty solid out of the bullpen, but I thikn its time to get him into the rotation and get Body Martin out. In 21 games he has a 3.00 ERA over 24 innings with 32 K's. His WHIP is only 0.83 and he would much rather start. I just need to figure out who is going to be that set-up man to replace Lopez.

These moves are panic, at least I hope not. I won't deem it panic until I start shipping prospects off... that is what I am telling myself.



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers: 47-29 (+8)
DE Northern: Wilmington Iron Pigs: 47-29 (+4)
MV Eastern: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs: 48-28 (+3)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 48-28 (+3)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Peter Peters, New Castle Colonials, 13-22, 4 HR's, 10 RBI's
MarVa: Julio Jaramillo, Washington Senators, 11-26, 6 HR's, 12 RBI's

Power Rankings:
1) Viriginia Beach Surf Dawgs (120.7)
2) Wilmington Iron Pigs (118.3)
3) Milton Brewers (114.3)
4) Washington Seantors (111.6)
5) Norfolk Cavaliers (108.7)

News:
Milford Clippers: RF Mario Ramos is going to miss 5-6 months with a torn labrum. He was hitting .294-13-31 on the season. The Clippers will miss this 24 year old.
Richmond Cardinals: The Georgetown Sixteens continue making deals, this week it is with the Richmond Cardinals. The Cardinals received 3B Doug Dook (.261-15-42) from the Sixteens for CF Ronnie Griffin (.297-1-4) and prospect SP Carlos Sanchez (A, #54).

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 13 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 1 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Pedro Galvan: 6 to 600 SB's

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 3 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL)
Robert Walker: 79 to 2000 K's
Matt Hollis: 131 to 2000 K's
Eisse Bookleman: 35 to 1000 G's (DL)
Will Wilson: 35 to 1000 G's
Manuel Petrelia: 26 to 300 SV's (2nd member of the 300 sv club)
* 40-yr-old Barney Butler signed a minor league deal with the Salisbury Ports. He is only 18 K's away from 2000, but was inactive. If he makes the Ports he will be placed on the list.

[illeracula]

June 2026 Award Winners

Delaware Conference Monthly Awards

Hidalgo Crowned Batter of the Month in June: In the last year of his deal with Christiana, Ricardo Hidalgo has created some waves by winning June's Delaware Conference Batter of the Month title today. He put up a solid .376 batting average with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He also worked DDIV pitchers for 9 walks and a .417 on-base percentage. If he keeps churning out numbers like these, the 28-year-old is sure to draw some attention, when contract time rolls around. This season Hidalgo is batting .322 with 23 home runs. His totals include 64 RBIs and 61 runs scored.

Delaware Conference Announces #1 Starter: Júlio Rocha took a much-deserved turn in the spotlight earlier today as he accepted the Delaware Conference Pitcher of the Month award for June. The 25-year-old Brewers starter is a relative newcomer to the league, but nonetheless racked up an impressive 5-1 won-lost record in 6 starts. This month he fanned 48 batters in 45 innings and compiled a 0.40 ERA. To date this year Rocha has compiled a 9-2 mark with a 2.41 ERA in 17 starts.

Delaware Conference Selects Rookie Star of the Month: A veritable toddler to the Delaware Conference, Mike Johnson just sewed up the Rookie of the Month trophy for June. Over the past month the 22-year-old center fielder for Milton hit .301 with 31 hits, 5 homeruns and 17 runs batted in. He also logged 24 walks and compiled a .438 on-base percentage. This year Johnson is hitting .264 with 7 home runs and 38 RBIs in 76 games played. He also boasts an OBP of .363 with 49 walks and 53 runs scored.

MarVa Conference Monthly Awards

Weaver Claims MVConf Batter of the Month Award: Seasoned by several years of professional experience, 27-year-old Wayne Weaver put together a solid offensive month for Virginia Beach and was crowned June's top batter in the MarVa Conference. He batted .303 with 6 home runs, 25 RBIs and 22 runs scored. So far on the season Weaver is hitting .290 with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs and 57 runs scored. He has 81 hits and played in 76 games.

MVConf Top Pitcher for June Picked: Cornell Pearson's been around the league long enough to appreciate the honor he received today. After going 4-1 in June, the 29-year-old Norfolk hurler has been named MarVa Conference Pitcher of the Month. He fanned 36 in 45.2 innings, logged an ERA of 1.77 and allowed opponents to hit .171 against him. In 16 starts this year Pearson has crafted a 12-2 record and a 1.84 ERA.

MarVa Conference Names Rookie of Month: Pedro Torres earned June's Rookie of the Month honors in the MarVa Conference for last month's performance. The boyish Norfolk second baseman might be wet behind the ears, but he's proving that he has what it takes to play at this level. Torres hit .361 with 3 home runs, 10 RBIs and 9 runs scored this past month on his way to winning the award. Thus far in 2026 Torres is hitting .302 with 5 home runs, 20 RBIs, 17 runs scored and has compiled a .401 OBP.

League Leaders - July 1, 2026
Delaware Conference League Leaders





End of the Year Award Front Runners:
Silver Slugger: Ricardo Hidalgo, Peter Peters, Alonso Martinez
Golden Arm: Ricardo Gonzalez, Julio Rocha, Mariano Salazar
Newcomer: Mike Johnson, Jose Montoya

MarVa Conference League Leaders





End of the Year Award Front Runners:
Silver Slugger: Jason Atkins, Claudo Bond, Jeff Lewis
Golden Arm: Cornell Pearson, Paul Brown, German Alvardo
Newcomer: Pedro Torres, Leland Perez, Enrique Diaz

Standings - July 1, 2026



Southern Division:
Current Leader: Milton Brewers (49-29 .628 / +9)
Projected Winner: Lewes Braves (88-74 .543 / +2)
The Brewrs finally took control of the division by playing their best ball of the season and winning 21 games in June. Its as if they didn't believe they should be leading the division and was trying to give it away, but then it clicked. Wait we can do this and they did. The Brewrs have 3 starters with 9 wins and the highest team average in the DC. Watch out this team is for real.

Northern Division:
Current Leader: Wilmington Iron Pigs (48-30 .615 / +4)
Projected Winner: Wilmington Iron Pigs (97-65 .599 / +2)
The Iron Pigs continue to warm up and have taken advantage of the Clippers injuries to pull ahead. The Pigs have gone from a .522 WPct in April, to .607 in May to .704 in June. A big 19 wins and the offense is back on top, lead by last seasons Silver Slugger Antonio Castaneda (.276-20-51).

Eastern Division:
Current Leader: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs (49-29 .628 / +3)
Projected Winner: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs (89-73 .549 / +3)
The Blue Crabs and Tourists played under .500 ball in June and the Surf Dawgs took advantage and claimed the division lead. This division is far from over, but its hard not to root for the Dawgs. A young team that is fun to watch and team that has always been the underdog. The Surf Dawgs are looking to improve on their second place finish last season and become the first 2017 expansion team to make the playoffs. Is this the year?

Western Division:
Current Leader: Norfolk Cavaliers (49-29 / +3)
Projected Winner: Norfolk Cavaliers (110-52 .679 / +10)
The Cavaliers went 13-14 in June opening the door for the Senators to creep right up and that is just what they did. The Senators closed the gap to 3 games and won a big 2-game series in Norfolk earlier this week. With the Cavaliers struggling to find consistency after pulling off a big trade, the Senators are licking their chops ready to pounce. How this ends is anyone's guess, but it looks like its going to be a close one again.

[Orcin]

It's not panic, but it's hard not to be a little nervous right now. You shook things up and it feels like you spilled something in the process. Maybe it will just take a little more time to jell. You have the luxury of a good start and can probably weather a mid-season slump.

(I haven't posted in a while, but I am still reading this dynasty every chance I get. Great work!)

[illeracula]

Week 13
Current Week: 4-3 (52-31 .627 / +3)
Next Week: 3 @ Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs, 3 vs Washington Senators
Power Ranking: 4 (+1)
Fan Interest: 87 (+1)
Owners Mood: Delighted
Expectation: Playoffs

Runs Scored: 411 (4th)
Avg: .262 (4th)
HR: 110 (2nd)
SB: 78 (2nd)
Runs Against: 70 (1st)
Starters ERA: 2.85 (1st)
Pen ERA: 3.10 (1st)
Def Eff: .717 (1st)

Game 77: Wilmington 0, Norfolk 3
Cornell Pearson (12-2): 7.1 IP, H, BB, 10 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 16): 1.0 IP, 3 K
Francisco Gallegos: 1-4, HR (12), R, RBI
Leonard Lawson: 2-4, 2B, R
Robinson Lopez: 1-3, 2 RBI
H: 5, LOB: 6

Game 78: Wilmington 6, Norfolk 3
Miguel Contreras: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 K
David Moran (2-3): 2.2 IP, 3 H, R, 2 BB, K
Robinson Lopez: 3-4, 2B, 2 R
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-3
H: 6, LOB: 7

Game 79: Georgetown 5, Norfolk 6
Carlos Coronado: 8.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 7 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (4-4): 1.0 IP, 3 K
Bob Short: 1-3, 2 RBI
Leonard Lawson: 1-3, R, 2 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 1-3, 2 R, RBI
Trevor Parker: 1-2, R
*9 different players had 1 hit.
H: 9, LOB: 6

Game 80: Georgetown 8, Norfolk 4
Boyd Martin (5-6): 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, 4 K
Bob Short: 1-4, HR (12), R, RBI
Sergio Galvez: 1-4, HR (24), R, 2 RBI
Claudio Florez: 1-3, R
H: 6, LOB: 6

Game 81: Norfolk 5, Ocean City 6
Paul Brown: 8.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 9 K
Miguel A Gonzalez (BS 5): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, BB, 3 K
Armando Lopez (1-4): 2.1 IP, 2 H, R
Henry Rojas: 2-5, HR (2), R, 4 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 3-5
Bryant Frank: 2-5, R
Bob Short: 2-5, RBI
H: 14, LOB: 15

Game 82: Norfolk 4, Ocean City 0
Cornell Pearson (13-2): 8.0 IP, 5 H, 7 K
Sergio Rodriguez: 2-5, 3B, HR (1), 2 R, RBI
Leonard Lawson: 4-4, HR (15), R, RBI
Trevor Parker: 2-4, 3B, HR (11), R, RBI
H: 8, LOB: 7

Game 83: Norfolk 10, Ocean City 9
Miguel Contreras: 2.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 BB, K
David Moran (3-3): 0.2 IP, R, K
Miguel A Gonzalez (SV 17): 1.0 IP, H
Sergio Rodriguez: 3-3, 3B, 2 R, RBI
Sergio Galvez: 3-4, HR (25), 2 R, 5 RBI
Francisco Gallegos: 2-2, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Robinson Lopez: 2-5, 2B, 2 R
H: 14, LOB: 8



Injuries:
SP Joaquin Hernandez, Partially torn labrum, 6 weeks

Other/Roster News:
"The Contreras Watch" -- Miguel Contreras 104.1 IP @ 150 an option for 2027 kicks in worth $17,250,000. He also has a player option for 2028 worth $17,250,000, so that 150 IP could cost us $34,500,000... Contreras left his first game this week injured them said he was good to pitch and got roughed up. maybe its time to move him out of the rotation? Set-up man? I don't know, but how do you do that the best starter in the history of the DBL??

We came to terms with John O'Donegan on a minor league deal. He will get his swings, as I move our top catching prospect Gino Macciocchi to his back-up for the time being. We will see how John does and if he hits he could see himself in the Cavaliers uniform in the 2nd half. He isn't the hitter he once was, but he will give us some much needed veteran leadership in the clubhouse.
Contact: 8/8, Gap: 11/11, HR: 12/12, Eye: 9/10, K's: 10/10

We signed what we believe is the top of the international free-agents this season. This was a very weak group, but we are happy to announce the signing of Luis Sanchez for $1.6M. The 16 year old will head off to our international development complex and we will wait to hear good things.
Stuff: 4/11, Movement: 7/10, Control: 3/14

Draft Picks:
Here is how our past 3 #1 picks have faired so far this season...
2026 - 1B Paul Perkins: 25 G, .165-1-6 : Has 13 Hits and 27 K's not the best of stat lines. With Short-Season A starting up maybe he should be sent down to get some swings there.

2025 - OF Dennis Williamson: 32 G, .167-1-5 : 13 hits and 20 K's. Not as bad, but I really thought he would be getting better. I think its time for Williamson and Perkins to take their swings in SS-A. Second round pick of 2025 Flint Brooks might be the one to watch out of these two (.236-4-40).

2024 - OF Blake Quirke: 36 G, .236-5-24 : Blake has 33 hits and 32 K's, but has shown some patience with 24 walks. Quirke is well liked in the clubhouse and has shown some leadership skills that should help him down the line. He hit .261 last season and I'd like to see him get to that point again this year.

GM Notes:
Its time to make some changes with this staff... the first move is to put Armando Lopez in the rotation. I think Lopez will thrive in the rotation, and probably should of done it sooner than now. To fill the void in the bullpen its going to be tough. I tried to pull off a deal with the Braves to get their closer who makes $14M, but is a free-agent at the end of the season. They asking price was WAY too high. I will continue to look around, but Otero has a solid offer on the table and if he signs he will finish off the pen (for now). Laz Tadiotto is the next in line to get the call to the bigs. He is a starter (9-2 2.96, AAA), but will start off in the pen.

John O'Donegan didn't get enough swings in AAA to determine anything (0-5), but once he hits his groove I think he will be up and my back-up. Moving both Bolton and Baldwin down to AAA and maybe even AA. These guys have been really disappointing, especially Bolton who has progressively gone down hill the past 4 seasons: .255, .248, .227, .158... Then there is Mike Baldwin the #82 prospect in the DBL who just can't seem to get anything going .136-0-2, 22 AB's. He has only struck out 4 times, but he just can't seem to find any holes.

I looked over Teo Ha and Alberto Sanchez and decided that it was time for them to get more work in the pen, so I made their usage more often and both players ended up having rough weeks. One of the big reasons our relievers ERA went over 3. Ha gave up 4 runs in 3 innings and Sanchez 2 in 2. Both guys should bounce back, but it was quite a surprise to see both of them struggle this week.

I need Bob Short to step it up and prove to me that he is that "stud" we traded for. Right now he is having a solid season (.279-12-47) but he IS better than that. A lot of players have trouble coming to Norfolk and hitting the ball, it is well known through the DBL to be a pitchers park and when players like this "struggle" it shows how great players like King Brock, Jeff Lewis, Francisco Reyes really were in Norfolk.

We have 6 more games till the All-Star break and they are probably going to be the toughest 6 of the season. I think these 4 days off I will have to look over the roster and see if there are any moves to make... Looking at what we have the offense has been pretty consistent all year, the starters have been solid with a few hiccups and the bullpen was red hot out of the gate, but slumped lately. This team thrives on good pitching and when our pitchers struggle we struggle. Maybe that is a fault of the GM (aka me) or maybe its just an illusion. Whatever it is we need to break that, we really can't rely on solid pitching day in and day out. We need some batter to step up and take this offense on their shoulders. Last year it was Sergio Galvez, this year he is doing it again, however I am still waiting for someone else to step it up....



Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Milton Brewers: 51-32 (+9)
DE Northern: Wilmington Iron Pigs: 51-32 (+4)
MV Eastern: Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs: 54-29 (+6)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 52-31 (+3)

Players of the Week:
Delaware: Ricardo Hidalgo, Christiana Blue Hens, 10-23, 4 HR's, 9 RBI's, 5 R's
MarVa: Roberto Alvarez, Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs, 15-35, 4 HR's, 11 RBI's, 10 R's

Power Rankings:
1) Viriginia Beach Surf Dawgs (131-1)
2) Wilmington Iron Pigs (115.6)
3) Milton Brewers (113.6)
4) Norfolk Cavaliers (112.8)
5) Washington Seantors (111.3)

News:
Washington Senators: The Senators offense took a blow with the injury to 1B Chae-heui Yi. Yi will miss 6-7 weeks with a partially torn laburm. On the season Yi is hitting .334-17-49.
New Castle Colonials: CF Miguel Torres will miss 2 months with a fractured wrist. The 25 yr-old is hitting .237-8-30.
Ocean City Tourists: LF Jeff Lewis has ran his season long hit-streak to 25 games. Lewis is hitting .378-13-47 on the season.
Seaford Blue Jays: SP Bubba Snyder will miss 13 months with a torn rotator cuff. He will have surgery and hope to return strong next season. Bubba was 5-4 4.59 in 17 starts this season.

Dover Generals: The Generals acquired MR Jesus Espinosa (1-6 5.70, 12 SV) from the Newark Millers for 2 prospects: 2B Dave Gilbert (SA) and LF Rafael Romero (A).
New Castle Colonials: Traded away prospect C Patrik Asther (SA, #165) for 3B Robert Rumpf (.243-3-11) to fill voids created by injuries.
Ocean City Tourists: Dumped 39 yr-old 2B Dave McGill (.215-5-28) to the Georgetown Sixteens in return for 2B Kevin Swift (.263-2-14) and C Randy Spears (SA).
Seaford Blue Jays: Looking to improve their offense the Blue Jays acquired 43 yr-old Cliff Jones (.270-2-29) along with $3M for 2B Mario Reyes (.240-5-11) and prospect LF Ernest Condarco (SA, #48).

Milestones:
Batting:
Francisco Reyes: 12 to 600 HR's
Roberto Perez: 1 to 300 HR's (1st member of 300/300 club)
Pedro Galvan: 5 to 600 SB's

Pitching:
Miguel Contreras: 3 to 250 W's
Carlos Mateo: 61 to 2000 K's (DL/Rehab)
Robert Walker: 71 to 2000 K's
Matt Hollis: 131 to 2000 K's
Will Wilson: 33 to 1000 G's
Manuel Petrelia: 23 to 300 SV's (2nd member of the 300 sv club)
* Eisse Bookelman was removed from this list because he is injured and done for the season, and with Wilson passing him it looks like Wilson will be the first to 1000 G's. Might not be this season however.

[illeracula]

Originally Posted by Orcin

It's not panic, but it's hard not to be a little nervous right now. You shook things up and it feels like you spilled something in the process. Maybe it will just take a little more time to jell. You have the luxury of a good start and can probably weather a mid-season slump.

(I haven't posted in a while, but I am still reading this dynasty every chance I get. Great work!)

Thanks Orcin, glad you are still reading a long...

Slumps like this make the game fun, but also nerving. I feel like we have a solid core and I am going to make a little rotation shuffle to start the second half, hopefully that will make a difference.

I will admit I am a little worried about Cornell Pearson he has slumped every 2nd half I have had him and the way this team is playing I can't handle a slump from him. Maybe this is his true break out season...