OOPS I did it again

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LEAGUE NEWS

• The second day of camp word came down that the games #1 prospect, SS Josh Timperio of Detroit suffered a broken kneecap and will miss the entire 2012 season. Timperio was taken 6th overall in last years draft and went straight to the IBL hitting .290/.341/.429 over 72 games and 245 AB's with 16 2B and 6 HR. Huge loss for them.
• Las Vegas lost closer Hideto Shoda in mid-march to a torn UCL, he save 27 last year for them. The job is going to free-agent signing Jaime Lopez. Lopez saved 23 in Philadelphia last season and was signed to a 3 year deal this winter.
• Mid-camp Cleveland signed star 1B James Bruce to a 7 year $81.2 million dollar extension. Bruce is a career .285 hitter with 192 HR's and 632 RBI's with a .353 OBP and a 3-time all-star.
• The Punishers lost their free-agent SS signing in Brad Rowsey. The 3 time gold glover broke his kneecap the last week of camp and is likely to miss the year. He was on a 1-year deal.
• Boston lost SP Yushua Salazar to elbow surgery late in the spring. The 31 year old is a 2-time world series champion.

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The lottery was held today and the top (By % chance) once again took the top two spots, this time in order.

Draft Pick Team (seed)

• 1- Oklahoma City (1)
• 2- Detroit (2)
• 3- Columbus Black Knights (5)
• 4- Washington Jets (4)
• 5- Los Angeles Storm (7)
• 6- Philadelphia Patriots (3)
• 7- Chicago Hitmen (8)
• 8- Austin Roughnecks (6)

Top 10 prospects in March

• 1- David Kallis CF (HS)
• 2- Chris Hanson OF (COL)
• 3- Justin Price OF (HS)
• 4- Sid Woodward LHP (HS)
• 5- Mike Weems OF (COL)
• 6- Jason Lique 3B (COL)
• 7- DJ Biggs C (COL)
• 8- Jonathan Cramlet OF (COL)
• 9- Jon Cruz 2B (COL)
• 10- John Kuhn OF (HS)

We will be selecting 18th in the 1st round.
There are 35 picks with Compensation in round 1.
5 Supplemental picks
We managed to trade up and will have picks 15, 16, and 17 in the 2nd round, and 16th and 18th in the 3rd round.
So overall we have picks 18, 55, 56, 57, 92, and 94 in the top 100.
We don't pick again until the 6th round.
We will start the process of final scouting reports for the draft today, mid spring training.
The Mock Draft has us selecting HS Senior Bobby “Strangler” Woodruff. A 5'10” left-handed 5-star prospect. I don't know enough about him to comment just yet, but a 5'10” pitcher not named Pedro seems risky....

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Bumps and scraps were all we managed to endure, until quite literally the last half of the last inning of the last game of the spring, more on that in a bit.

The roster was paired down to 27 and I'll give it to you here and after all this introduce the new faces to the club.

STARTING ROTATION-
Joey Morris (RHP-24), Brian Pelletier (LHP 27), Andy Powers (RHP 27), Danny Floyd (RHP 28) Bobby Guijosa (RHP 28)
BULLPEN-
Mark Williams (LHP 31), Nate Draper (RHP 27), Aaron Camarillo (RHP 25), Justin Anderson (RHP 29) Pete Ricks (RHP 26), Rick McKitrick (RHP 23), Chris Becker (RHP 23), Nate Gross (RHP 24)

• Our staff had a phenomenal spring across the board. The name missing above is Brian Pennington. The 22 year old top prospect who had made the staff, ruptured a disc in his back in the final inning of spring training. He will miss the entire year and was placed on the 60-day DL on opening day. He did go 2-1 1 SV 2.04 over 17.2 innings, fanning 18 to 6 walks on 12 hits.
• Wilfredo Diaz was hurt at the end of camp and instead of goofing around I just had him put on the 15-day and he will be ready in 10-15.

The new names on the staff:

• Brian Pelletier- 27 (Signed a 4-year $3.9 million dollar extension a bit before camp. Had a nice run in September going 2-1 2.83 over 5 starts and 28.2 IP with 32 K's and 27 H walking 10. Romano gives him a solid 3-star rating and his stuff is still developing. His cutter is already ++. Had a 3.86 ERA in camp as a starter.
• Rick McKitrick- 23 (Arbitration guy) He's not a new name, he made 44 appearances last year to a 5.17 ERA. However it was a winter of huge growth and Romano rates his fastball and curverball at 20+ today. He fanned 49 in 38.1 innings last year and the 6'5” flame thrower has seen his control improve to the point he will see more high leverage innings and could close if need be.
• Pete Ricks- 26 (Arbitration guy) Acquired in a January deal with the World champion Colonials. 3 more years of club control. With Boston last year he was 5-3 3.00 in 59 games, 57 IP fanning 65 to just 10 walks. Another monster body with a power arm and power sinker to go with it. Middle innings with high leverage or closing ability if need be.
• Aaron Camarillo-25 (League minimum) Rule 5 pick from Las Vegas in December. A gamble for sure but our scouts say it's worth it. Spent last year at AAA mostly starting and relieving. He's a future starter for sure. For now we'll make him the long man and hopefully squeeze in spot starts along the way.
• Mark Williams-31 (FA signing. 2 years at 1.8 a year with a 3rd year option at 2 million. Limited no-trade clause). 10 years service time. Our prize pitching acquisition who had a great spring. In 9.2 IP he fanned 15, walked 3 on 5 hits with a 2.79 ERA. For now he's slated to be the lefty situational guy but he's capable of doing anything with power down there. He's 17-32 with 35 Saves lifetime, 368 K's in 366 IP with a 1.22 WHIP. In Chicago he was 14-15 2.94 over 226.2 IP with a 1.12 WHIP.

• The rotation is listed in order, except that Morris threw late in camp so will be bumped back.
• Nate Gross will open the season as the closer, Becker and McKitrick will set up with Ricks and Anderson as the middle guys. Draper and Camarillo the long men with Williams the lefty. Would be well served to get another lefty down there.

OPENING DAY POSITION PLAYERS

• C-Brian Stachowski (RH) 24, Jonathan Miller (LH) 33
• IF-1B Jesus Ramirez (RH) 25, 2B Gus Garcia (RH) 23, SS Mark Calkins (RH) 31, 3B Jose Nieves (19), IF Juan Ayala (RH) 26
• OF- LF Jesse Roberts (LH) 27, CF, Kevin Dietz (LH) 23, RF Michael Johnson (RH) 27, OF Justin Krieg (RH) 26, Ricky Gutierrez (RH) 26, Tom Martinez (LH) 26

• 1B- Jesus Ramirez Signed on the 1st of the year as a minor league FA and crushed it in camp. He's an elite defender. No real pop, he's a singles hitting contact guy with minimal speed. His defense is so good, and he had a good spring that he's getting the opening day nod. This is a guy who our scouts put the reputations up for. Curious and hopeful he's what they think. Can play a big league 3B, and a decent SS if need be.
• 3B Jose Nieves Time to find out if a 19 year old is ready. He absolutely mashed in camp with a .918 OPS. His defense is going to be a problem, no getting around that. I thought he'd slot in at the bottom of the lineup to start out but that's clearly not what the skipper wants. He's going to hit 2nd vs RHP. Hit 29 HR in AAA last year with a .377 OBP. Will likely get spelled late in close games defensively.
• SS-Mark Calkins Had an atrocious spring, hitting just .167, but we don't care. We got him to solidify and improve the defense and to mentor the younger hitters. He'll hit 7th vs RHP.
• CF- Kevin Dietz Going to play every inning of CF he can play. A jackrabbit with HOF level instincts in the OF. Hit .254 in AAA last year with some pop, 16 HR's. Not expecting Willie Mays by any stretch but if he can just hold his own at the plate we'll take it. He was brought here from Detroit in a December deal of minor leaguers to do one thing, run every fly ball down. Young and still improving. Romano projects 40+ 2B gap power if he makes the strides he's capable of.
• Justin Krieg was listed as an extra outfielder but the guy who finished 2nd in the Batting race last year will be the every day DH and play some OF as it comes to him.

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Here's manager Seth Spicers opening day lineup, and lineups vs left and right handed pitching.
Expect Gutierrez speed to be employed late in games.
Garcia will move to 3rd vs LHP, with Chavez playing 2B. Gutierrez and Nieves will be the legs vs LHP if needed.
Day before the season opened we had high hopes in claiming LHP Josh Lemke off waivers but Austin snuck in and grabbed him. There will be no shortage of effort in trying to secure a 2nd lefty for the bullpen.
After that passed we did place a claim on a 2nd LHP, Ramon Rivera, a 23 year old in the Brooklyn organization.

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• The Las Vegas Aces and the “Other” Chicago team are predicted to be the World Series participants. The Chicago Iron Pigs are expected to win 88 games and win the NL Central by 3 over El Paso and Indianapolis. I guess our off-season turned heads.
• There's some good stuff in here, including an Iron Pig hitter, Gus Garcia, who had a great year. Predicted to hit .310 with 26 HR's! However, no pitchers of note for us.
• The really crazy one?
• The 1st overall pick in the 2008 draft, Zach Stewart, in his 1st two seasons has hit 23, and then 33 HR's, both years hitting .236. His OBP jumped almost 50 pts last year.
• This year?
• He's predicted to hit an IBL record 69 home runs with a .366 OBP.....
• Going to be following that one.
• Staten Island, Chicago (AL), Utah, and Cleveland are predicted to win the AL divisions, with Dallas and San Jose as Wild Cards.
• In the NL, the NY Punishers, us, Fresno, and Las Vegas, with Washington and El Paso as the wild cards.
• The reigning world champions are predicted to finish dead last in the AL East....

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3 vs San Francisco 3 @ New England
RUNS SCORED: 30 (t-8th)
RUNS AGAINST: 21 (2nd)
OBP: .330 (11th)
STARTERS ERA: 3.63 (3rd)
RELIEVERS ERA: 0.52 (1st)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .713 (4th)
ZONE RATING: +3.1 (1st)

RESULTS 4-2 (t-1st)
3-0 vs San Francisco 1-2 @ New England
4/2- CIP 6 SF 4 Pelletier 6 IP 11 K 3 ER (W) Gross 1 IP 3 H SV Mike Johnson 2B 3 RBI
4/3- CIP 4 SF 2 Powers 6 IP 3 K 5 BB 2 ER Justin Anderson SV Dietz 2 2B R
4/4- CIP 8 SF 2 Floyd 6.2 IP 7 K 3 BB 2 ER (W) Camarillo 2.1 IP 3 K 0 H Krieg 2H 2 RBI Nieves 2B HR 2R 2 RBI Calkins 3-3 3 R 2B
4/5- NE 5 CIP 4 Morris 6 IP 8 H 5 R 4 ER (L) Chavez 2B HR RBI
Lusk (NE) 3H 2 2B 3 RBI
4/6- CIP 6 NE 1 Guijosa 6.2 IP 6 K 1 R (W) Krieg 3H 2B 2 RBI Jesse Roberts HR 2 RBI Stachowski 2B HR 2R 2 RBI
4/7- NE 7 CIP 2 3 Errors 5 unearned runs Nieves E (2) Roberts 2 H SB Pelletier (L) 3.1 IP 7 R 2 ER 3 BB 5 H
Matt Austin (NE) 8.2 IP 6 H 6 K 2 ER (W)

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- LF Frank Gamble (DEN) 14-27 4 HR 11 RBI
NL POTW- 2B Matt Schempp (SD) 16-32 13 RBI

• New England's Cory Peterson went 3-4 and hit 3 HR's on opening day in an 11-8 win over Indianapolis.
• Chris LaPierre of Staten Island announced this will be his last year. Astute readers might remember LaPierre as we traded him on May 1st of last year with SP Ron Alexander to Indianapolis to acquire Justin Anderson. The 40 year old is 43-38 68 Saves in 742 games over 667 IP with a 3.92 ERA. He was a 2nd round pick (25th overall) by Las Vegas in 1993.
• Lourenco Manhas (SD), last years AL Batting Champion, hit for the cycle on Friday in a 9-3 win over San Francisco.
• Boston 2B Tommie Holt went 4-5 homering 3 times and driving in 7 in an 18-5 win over Cleveland. He hammered 6 HR and drove in 13 in their first 6 games.

IRON PIG NEWS
Powers win on the 3rd was his 7th straight dating back to the end of last year

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Fans in Chicago woke up this morning to news their team had dealt a free-agent signing many thought would make the club out of camp. SS Kareem Jackson signed a 1-year contract this winter, but had such a bad spring at the plate that the team had DFA'd him. With no claims, at the 12th hour, Utah stepped in, and instead of claiming him, sent Chicago minor leaguers Graham Marx (26), an outfielder, and pitcher Aaron Warren (26).

BACKROOM CHATTER
Marx was the 25th pick in the 2007 draft out of Waxahachie Faith Family Academy in Texas, who spurned Portland and went to Lemonyne-Owen College in Tennessee. He was taken 42nd overall in 2010 and signed with Utah. He hits LH, has no power whatsoever, but is a legitimate 2-hole hitter with outstanding bat skills. He hit .255/.353/.386 in almost 600 PA's in AAA Lexington last year and will head to New Orleans to play every day.
Warren went 6-14, 4.48 last year at Lexington with a 1.37 WHIP. Romano has him as an AAAA arm who will fill a spot down there.
I signed Jackson with every intent to make him that backup middle infielder, but he had such a poor spring that it was not going to happen. He refused his demotion, and he earned that right, but Utah jumping in allowed us to get something and move his 990K contract.

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2 @ Indianapolis 3 vs San Diego OFF DAY
RUNS SCORED: 56 (8th)
RUNS AGAINST: 51 (5th)
OBP: .316 (11th)
STARTERS ERA: 4.48 (8th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 2.92 (5th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .691 (6th)
ZONE RATING: +4.5 (1st)

RESULTS (5-7 3 GB)
0-3 @ Indianapolis 1-2 vs San Diego
4/8- IND 7 CIP 2 Powers (L) 4.2 IP 8 H 6 ER 6 K Stachowski 2H 2B
4/9- IND 8 CIP 7 1st bad bullpen game. Led 6-4 end of 7. Williams, Becker, Anderson 4 ER 1.1 IP Krieg 3H 2B Johnson HR Roberts 2H HR (2)
Reeves (IND) 3H 2 HR 3 RBI Ward 3B 4 RBI
4/10- IND 7 CIP 3 Morris (L) 5 ER 6 BB 4 H 3.2 IP
Jesus Ramirez is struggling. Just 4-30 with no XBH.
4/11- SD 2 CIP 0 Juan Laurel (SD) 7.1 IP 3 H 10 K 0 BB (W) Guijosa (L) 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 7 K
4/12- SD 2 CIP 0 Pelletier ND 7 IP 5 H 5 K 1 BB Velazco (SD) ND 7 IP 3 H 9 K Krieg 2 2B
0-0 game after 8. Rivera allows 2 IR in the 9th. McKitrick (L)
4-1 start to 4-7.
4/13- CIP 14 SD 4 Krieg 4H 2 2B 4 R Nieves 4H 2 HR (3) 4 R 5 RBI Ayala HR 2H Powers 6 IP 5 H 7 K 3 ER (2-0 5.94)
Rule 5 pick Aaron Camarillo has started the season with 10 scoreless innings.
4/14- OFF DAY

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- LF Zach Stewart (PHI) 10-22 6 HR 11 RBI
NL POTW- 1B Adam Finch (LA) 11-20 3 HR 11 RBI

• Pittsburgh 2B Dan Yeo ruptured his achilles and the 23 year old is done for the year. He was a big part of the Miner offense last year, hitting .281 with 34 2B's a league leading 8 3B's and 10 HR and was 25-32 in SB. They're moving 21 year old TJ Bauerle to 3B full time and 3B Jared Piepenburg to 2nd. Bauerle's power is without question and he's an adequate defender but the bigger issue is the fact he has huge swing and miss numbers in the minor leagues that hasn't improved in limited IBL at bats.
• Mr “69 HR's” is off to a hot start. Homering 8 times and driving in 17. He's on pace to hit 100 HR's.....

IRON PIG NEWS

• On Wednesday our claim of LHP Ramon Rivera went through. Nate Draper is going to be sent down and put into the AAA Rotation where we can stretch him out since his future is as a SP.
• AAA New Orleans was shut out 1-0 in it's first two games and ended the week 3-3. AA Milwaukee is 0-6 and Albuquerque is 4-2 at the end of the seasons 1st week.
• Recently acquired Aaron Warren will be inserted into the AA rotation to give them 6 starters.
• It's quite obvious the changes to the defense have had an enormous impact. We were never, not even a week, on the + side of Zone Rating.
• But the team otherwise is, and yes it is just 12 games, but the inverse of last year. Good to great pitching with a sputtering offense. The 1B issue is going to come to a head. I won't pull the trigger just yet, but a meeting with our current 1B is in order and I'll likely watch his numbers from here to the end of the month to see his response. Is recalling Anthony Tripp the answer? He couldn't hit a lick in limited time last year (.176/.208/.236) but when he was sent down he handled himself (.273/.346/.403). All signs and word from our scouts is the offensive capability is there, it's just not being realized.
• Problem is he's off to a horrid start, even though it's just 5 games. The upside is his elite defense and the fact he switch hits. But does he? Does a switch hitter who isn't hitting really bring value as a switch hitter???

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3 @ New York 3 vs Phoenix 1 @ Las Vegas
New York leads the NL East at 10-3, Phoenix is off to an IBL worst 1-12 start. Vegas is 6-7.
RUNS SCORED: 90 (6th)
RUNS AGAINST: 79 (t-4th)
OBP: .323 (7th)
STARTERS ERA: 4.08 (7th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.60 (7th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .704 (3rd)
ZONE RATING: +3.9 (3rd)

RESULTS (10-9 2 GB)
2-1 @ New York 2-1 vs Phoenix 1-0 @ Las Vegas
4/15- NYP 2 CIP 1 Floyd CG (L) 8 IP 5 H 2 ER 6 K 0 BB
4/16- CIP 14 NYP 11 Morris 6 ER 8 H 2 IP Anderson 3 ER 3 H 1/3rd of an inning Jose Nieves 3H HR 3 R 2 RBI Garcia 2B HR Roberts 2H HR 4 RBI Calkins 3H (.333) 2 RBI Mike Johnson 4-5 2B SB 2 RBI NYP 5-run 1st. Down 7-4 after 5 scored 10 times in the 6th -8th.
Jonathan Obie (NYP) 4-5 2B 2 HR (5) 5 RBI (17)
4/17- CIP 1 NYP 0 Guijosa (W) 6.1 IP 4 H 4 K 4 BB 4 relievers go 2.2 1 H 5 K's 1 BB Ricks SV (1) Nieves 3-4 HR (5) (hitting .379)
4/18- CIP 7 PHX 2 Pelletier (W) 8.1 IP 4 H 5 K 2 ER Juan Chavez 203 HR 2 R 2 RBI Garcia HR RBI
4/19- CIP 4 PHX 3 Johnson walk off 1B Nieves HR (6) Powers ND 6 IP 4 H 2 ER
Phoenix falls to 3-14.
4/20- PHX 7 CIP 0 Fulgencio (PHX) CG 7 H 5 K (1-3 3.38) Floyd (L) 6.1 IP 7 H 3 ER Ricks 3 ER 4 H 1 IP
Andy Peterson (PHX) 5-5 2B 2 HR 3R 2 RBI
Kevin Dietz hurt his back but not serious enough to IL him. He's dtd for 4-5 days and will sit for at least 2-3 before seeing where we are.
4/21- CIP 7 LV 3 Morris (W) 7 IP 2 H 6 K 2 ER Williams SV (1) Jose Nieves 2 HR (8) 3 RBI (16) Krieg leadoff HR (1) SB (1) Ramirez 3-4 2B HR (1) 2 RBI
Kreinbring (LV) 2 HR 3 RBI

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- SS Kareem Jackson (UT) 11-20 2 HR 5 RBI (Didn't I just trade him after a horrible spring?)
NL POTW- SS Alex Aguillon (FRE) 14-30 4 HR 8 RBI

• Jacksonville LF Danny Lamar went 3-4 homering 3 times and driving in 4 runs in a 5-4 loss to El Paso.
• The next day LF Eric Ward (OKC) hit 3 and drove in 7 in a 7-4 win over Atlanta.
• It comes in threes? Portland 1B Chris Cross went 3-7 with 3 HR's in a 14 inning 8-7 loss to San Jose.

IRON PIG NEWS

• The 14-11 win on Monday highlighted some things. Joey Morris is getting raked after a great spring, 11.57 ERA through his 1st three starts. Jesse Roberts (.189 after the 2-6) and Jesus Ramirez (.140 after the 2-5) are struggling big time and sitting right in the middle of the order.
• New Orleans SS Dan Ames went 10-20 2 HR 7 RBI to win AAA POTW

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2 @ Las Vegas 3 vs Pittsburgh OFF DAY 1 @ Atlanta

RUNS SCORED: 118 (7th)
RUNS AGAINST: 106 (t-4th)
OBP: .326 (6th)
STARTERS ERA: 4.27 (8th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.28 (5th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .692 (5th)
ZONE RATING: +4.6 (5th)

RESULTS (14-1 1 GB)
2-0 @ Las Vegas 1-2 vs Pittsburgh 1-0 @ Atlanta
4/22- CIP 7 LV 6 up 5-0 end 1st. Guijosa (ND) 3.2 IP 3 H 2 BB 5 ER Gross SV (3) Roberts 3H 2 R 2 RBI Calkins 2 2B 2 RBI
Gridley (LV) Grand Slam 4 RBI
4/23- CIP 4 LV 3 Ayala GW HR in the 9th Garcia game-tying HR in the 8th 'Pen 4.1 IP 4 H 4 K 0 BB 0 R Pelletier ND 4.2 IP 5 H 4 K 3 ER Camarillo 1.53 ERA
4/24- CIP 5 PIT 3 Powers (W) 7 IP 7 H 7 K 1 ER Gross SV (5) Chavez HR (3)
Larry Wood (PIT) 4H 3 2B
4/25- PIT 7 CIP 1 Danny Floyd (L) 1-3 4.45 6 IP 7 H 4 BB 5 ER 4-run 1st Krieg 3 BBSB (2)
4/26- PIT 6 CIP 4 Morris ND 7 IP 8 H 4 R 3 ER Becker BS (2) (L) 2R 0 ER 1 IP Calkins Error (2) Chavez 3R HR (4) 3 RBI
4/27- OFF DAY
4/28- CIP 7 ATL 2 Guijosa ND 6.2 IP 8 H 9 K 0 BB 2 ER Williams 1.1 IP 3K fans 3 in a row 2nd and 3rd 0 outs in 2-2 game. Calkins 3H 2B R RBI Gutierrez 2H R 2 RBI

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- CF Roman Martin (CLE) 10-21 4 HR 7 RBI
NL POTW- LF Jorge Mayorga (PHX) 10-24 2 HR 8 RBI

• On Tuesday Jacksonville's Scott Herman won his 4th straight start with a CG 6-hit SHO. In his last 4 starts he's 4-0 33.1 IP 29 H 2 ER 4 BB 28 K lowering his ERA to 0.54. Herman led the league with 21 wins last season. On April 30th Herman would come out with a sore elbow and learn a day later his season was over. The 38 year old was 4-0 0.48 on the year. The Panthers announced 34 year old reliever Dan Baker would take the rotation spot vacated by Herman. Baker was 1-1 1.93 over 14 innings this year.
• On Saturday New England learned that RH Bob Parra suffered a significant setback from the torn UCL last August and will be not return for the 2012 season. The 32 year old was 10-5 3.33 before the injury and will have one year on his deal when he returns for 2013. The Revolution are 1 GB of New York in the NL East and were counting on Parra to give their rotation, ranked 14th in SP ERA, a lift.

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2 @ Atlanta 3 vs El Paso 2 vs Fresno
Big series in El Paso, currently tied at 15-11, 1 GB of Indianapolis
RUNS SCORED: 151 (t-8th)
RUNS AGAINST: 135 (t-5th)
OBP: .324 (7th)
STARTERS ERA: 4.28 (7th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.03 (4th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .689 (7th)
ZONE RATING: +7.9 (2nd)

RESULTS (21-13 t-1st)
2-0 @ Atlanta 2-1 vs El Paso 1-1 vs Fresno
4/29- CIP 4 ATL 3 Michael Johnson 9th inning GW HR (2) Krieg 2 2B 2 R Garcia 3H 3B BB R RBI Pelletier ND 7 IP 6 H 3 ER Gross SV (6)
4/30- CIP 3 ATL 1 Powers (W) 4-1 3.75 6.1 IP 4 K 5 BB 1 ER Gross SV (7)
5/1- CIP 6 EP 4 Floyd (W) 6 IP 5 K 6 BB 1 ER 120 pitches (2-3 3.99) all 9 starters 1H each. Krieg HR (2) 3 RBI
5/2- CIP 4 EP 1 Morris ND 5 IP 6 H 4 K 1 ER 102 pitches 6 relievers 4 IP 4 H 6 K 0 BB Camarillo SV (2) 1.69 ERA Mike Johnson 2H 2 RBI (22) SB (4) Jesus Ramirez 2 2B RBI (.208! Wonder if he's hearing the rumors?)
5/3- EP 7 CIP 2 Guijosa (L) 2-2 3.94 3.2 IP 6 BB 5 H 5 ER Garcia HR (4) 2 RBI (15)
Nick Thomas (EP) W 3-1 1.43 8.2 IP 4 H 2 ER 6 K
5/4- CIP 7 FRE 5 Krieg 2H HR (3) 3 RBI Dietz 3H R RBI Pelletier ND 6 IP 8 H 4 ER Camarillo W (2-0 1.61) Gross SV (8)
Zach McMillion (FRE) last years K leader (267) 4.2 IP 10 H 6 K 5 ER ND
5/5- FRE 4 CIP 1 Powers (L) 4-2 3.89 8 IP 8 H 8 K 1 BB 4 ER Nieves 2H 2B (.325) Error (3)

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 2B Cody Buhrke (WYO) 15-31 2 HR 8 RBI
NL POTW- 1B Mike Geiselman (SD) 12-27 5 HR 12 RBI

• Zach Stewart hit HR's on Wednesday and Thursday to give him 19 with 33 RBI's through 30 games. Philly is just 13-17 and already 7 GB of the 20-10 Boston Colonials.
• On Saturday Denver's Bobby Hibbard fired a no-hitter in beating Charlotte 1-0. He struck out 9 and walked 3 to move ot 4-3 2.49. Bobby was drafted 9th overall in 2008 by the Saints and the no-no was his 1st IBL Shutout.

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• New England ends the month on a 10 game streak.
• Zach Stewart is apparently all-in on the 69 HR prediction. Setting an IBL record for April with 17 HR's.
• On the final day of the month San Diego announced they had signed 2011 NL Batting Champion Laurenco Manhas to a record 7 year 102.3 million dollar contract extension.

AL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- LF Zach Stewart (PHI) .295-17-29
NL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- SS Alex Aguillon (FRE) .370-14-30
AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Dan Caples (DEN) 5-1 2.77
NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Scott Herman (JAX) 4-0 0.48
AL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- SP Mike Mayne (BOS) 4-1 2.97
NL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- 3B Jose Nieves (CIP) .337-8-18

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH- 3B Jose Nieves (CIP) .337-8-18
PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Aaron Camarillo 1-0 1.37 19 IP 17 K 4 BB

• Outside of Nieves and Calkins a very inconsistent April for the offense. Jesse Roberts is sort of heating up, Krieg is hitting what, for him, is a pedestrian .284. Jesus Ramirez is still sub-mendoza, at .193 while Tripp has heated up at AAA New Orleans. Going to swap them out and see if that helps. Michael Johnson has a team high 20 RBI's in the 9 hole.
• Still feels very much like the team is finding it's way. One concern has been closer Nate Gross. He's lights out, 7 Saves 0.00 but he really has not been able to work back to back games. His stamina is an issue so Chris Becker and others have helped fill the gap.
• Looking at the pen with regards to Diaz and his rehab and Justin Anderson (10.29) and Ramon Rivera (6.75 in limited innings) are the two candidates right now. It might be time to move Anderson who wants to close.

MINOR LEAGUE POTM- A LF Jerome Jones .475/.523/.650 19-40 26 TB .472 BABIP
MINOR LEAGUE PIOTM- AAA Dan Ferguson 2-2 2.05 0.88 WHIP 30.2 IP 19 K 21 H

• New Orleans is 10-10, not hitting much but pitching outstanding. Wilfredo Diaz has closed on his rehab stint and thrown very well, and will likely be recalled when he's due. Unsure of the corresponding move but Justin Anderson is struggling.
• Milwaukee is 4-16 and just a disaster right now on the mound and at the plate. Just 67 runs in 20 games. A team average of .223. Jimmy Young is hitting .188-3-8, top prospects Bill Brumfield (.184-5-6) and Ben Towns (.221-2-3).
• They are going with a 6 man rotation.
• Aaron Warren is 1-1 1.65 as the 6th starter.
• Albuquerque is 11-9 with a 6-man rotation that is 2nd in ERA. Prospects Allan Velazquez (3-0 1.69) and Kyle Fay (1-1 1.50) while Jerome Jones (.475-2-11) and a bevvy of prospects are starting to hit.

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1 vs Fresno 3 @ Washington OFF DAY 2 vs Jacksonville
The Draft combine starts this week as well. We'll likely follow a significant number of pitchers this year.

RUNS SCORED: 178 (7th)
RUNS AGAINST: 155 (2nd)
OBP: .317 (10th)
STARTERS ERA: 4.11 (7th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.11 (3rd)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .699 (2nd)
ZONE RATING: +9.4 (2nd)
Also 14 errors, 1st in the league. Is the Defense truly having that large of an impact?

RESULTS (23-16 t-1st)
1-0 vs Fresno 2-1 @ Washington OFF DAY 0-2 vs Jacksonville
5/6- CIP 6 FRE 4 Floyd 6 IP 6 K 4 ER ND Becker SV (1) 5 run 7th. Calkins 2H 2 RBI (.330) Roberts 2H 2 RBI Jon Miller 3H Ramirez 0-5 6 LOB
Jesus Ramirez was told he was being optioned down after the game. Anthony Tripp will be called up.
5/7- CIP 7 WAS 2 Morris CG 5 H 3 K 2 ER (2-2 5.22) Nieves 3H 2B HR (9) 2 R RBI Garcia 3H HR (5) 2 RBI SB Stachowski 2H HR (2) 2 RBI Tripp HR 2 RBI 1st start
5/8- CIP 7 WAS 1 Guijosa 7 IP 2 H 10 K (W) 3-2 3.46 Garcia 3H 2 R
First day in franchise history the Chicago Iron Pigs were in sole possession of first place.
5/9- WAS 4 CIP 3 Pelletier (L) 5 IP 7 H 2 K 3 ER (2-2 3.80) Stachowski HR (3) Calkins 2-4 R SB (5) Error (4)
Mike Palo (WAS) 3-4 2B HR (5) 2 RBI (18)
Wilfredo Diaz come off the DL and rehab tomorrow. We'll make a decision then.
5/10- OFF DAY
5/11- JAX 3 CIP 1 Powers (L) 4-3 3.88 7 IP 6 K 3 ER Mike Johnson solo HR in the 9th. Calkins 2H SB (.333)
Miguel Dieguez (JAX) 7 IP 10 K 0 R (5-2 1.58) Leonard SV (10)
San Francisco beat LA 4-3 to win their 10th game in a row and draw even with Fresno in the NL West. Their middling pitching is being offset by a thundering offense that leads the league in HR and is 2nd in Runs and OPS.
5/12- JAX 8 CIP 2 Floyd (L) 6 IP 9 H 5 ER (2-4 4.65) Roberts HR (4) RBI
John Simmons (JAX) (W) 8.1 IP 3 H 11 K 2 ER (2-3 4.91)


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 2B Nick Lowry (CHA) 10-21 2 HR 6 RBI
NL POTW- LF Raul Molinar (IND) 8-20 4 HR 8 RBI

• On Thursday, San Francisco's Elijah Conley fanned 15. He's just the 6th pitcher ever to record that many, and the first ever to do it twice. He fanned 15 in just 6.1 innings in an April 30th game. Staten Island's Victor Mora set the IBL record with 17 K's in a 1997 start vs Chicago.
  
• IRON PIG NEWS
• On the 5th prospect, Bill Brumfield, acquired from Washington in December, was hitting .159, 5 HR, 6 RBI. 4 games later, he's hitting .221 with 9 HR's and 15 RBI's and homering in 4 straight and raising his average 62 pts. Romano states “His power is there, it's already off the scale as is his eye at the plate. He'll grow a bit more contact wise, maybe swing a miss a little less, but he is what he is.”
• What he is is an elite 1B who destroys RHP from the left side. He's playing 3B in Milwaukee right now to broaden his toolset but he's already a ++ defender at 1B. Just 20, the decision is to let him simmer the year in AA and find his way. A late season call-up is not out of the question. He may be the 1B of the future. That is unless Mike Johnson is all he's cracked up to be.
• And to top it off, he wins AA POTW going 9-21, 4 HR, 12 RBI, and is now hitting .242-11-22.

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• Not for nothing but I am having some isses with our scouts. If they are to be believed there are an ENORMOUS amount of 5-star players available in this draft. So much so as to look back last year, at the same large pool, and see quite a few of our pitchers who I was told were 4+ star prospects, fall precipitously after the draft. This is my “Make hay or get out” draft for Chris Romano. I do not expect us to pick up near the top any more, but if you look at the upcoming draft we've managed to snag 3 consecutive 2nd rounders right in the middle of the round, we need those to hit big time.
• I should also mention the mock has us taking an 18 year old left-handed HS pitcher named Bobby “The Strangler” Woodruff. 5'10 175 with elite, and I mean elite stuff. 4 pitch mix but the change is a long ways off. Looking for 230+ as a bonus.
• I however, am enamored with 18 year old HS righty Luis Ornelas. A 6'2” 180 pound absolute flamethrower. He sits mid to high 90s right now, and is my favorite, an “over the top” delivery with triple digit potential. He is the rare bird who not just says, but actually does, have a 5+ pitch repertoire. Romano grades his fastball a 10 already, with a 20+ ceiling. His slider and curve are sub 10s at the moment but both grade out as future 20+ as well. Then he adds a bowling ball sinker, and what could be a “Nomo” esque split. Both of those grade out near 10 now, with 20+ futures. Looking for 320+ but I don't care. I've allocated a lot of extra draft money. Ornelas is predicted to go 9 picks after us. Hard time not taking him at 18 if he's there. Either way it feels to me like those first 4 picks will all be big arms.
• The fear is that we “miss', and they aren't what I'm told they will be. Heads will roll. By the way, right now, at 18, Romano, who has seen him a ton, has his Stuff/Move/Control at 9/9/6, today, at 18 with potentially them being 18/18/13. A true rotation ace. Oh and did I mention he is already an elite athlete, holding runners with a delivery and stamina to be a 240 IP monster.
• A reminder, we are picking 18th, 55th, 56th, and 57th in the first two rounds with the 92nd and 94th picks in the 3rd.
• I would love to have 4 big time arms out of those 6.
• The mock also has us getting a potetntial 17/17/16 SP in the 2nd, and a potential 13/10/14 RH HS pitcher as late as the 90s.
• I'll state it again, if the pool is that deep then so be it, but we need to hit with these.

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IRON PIGS DEAL ANDERSON TO LAS VEGAS FOR BENSON
After prolonged negotiations, Chicago has shipped 29-year-old reliever Justin Anderson to Las Vegas for 23-year-old minor league P prospect Omar Benson and 26-year-old IF Javier Mariscal. There was a last-minute pause when Mariscal was injured in today's game, but once the Iron Pigs had reviewed it with the medical folks, they okayed the deal. Anderson was on his way to AAA New Orleans when the news broke. No word yet on Vegas's plans for Anderson, but Mariscal was placed on the 10-day IL and is out until mid-June with Plantar Fasciitis. Benson was sent to AA Milwaukee, where he will start (and in his 1st start he went 7, fanned 12 on a walk and 6 hits in a 5-1 win)

BACKROOM CHATTER
For some reason, Justin Anderson just didn't work out. I honestly don't blame the player. His role was never really firmed up when he opened the year last year after being traded, he set up Mendoza before the deal and the manager bounced him around despite the fact he led the league in saves when we acquired him. This deal was more focused on Mariscal. He's an elite defender around the infield with a bottom-of-the-order bat. He entered the IBL as a 16-year-old in 2001, signing with New England. He was dealt in 2005 to Vegas for SP Josh Wilson. He hits left handed and will be the perfect 5th infielder once he's healthy. Like Dietz I am not expecting a batting title but just as long as he solidifies the IF defense when needed. In an emergency, he's got enough offensive talent to hold down the fort if need be. Romano and the scouts rate his offensive abilities as 10's across the board with the exception of his eye, he won't draw walks in any volume. Plus runner to boot but also brings outstanding intangibles and presence off the field.
I would hesitate in a league with the DH to shorten the bullpen but it's a bridge we don't have to cross yet.

I'll also mention that after a year of less-than-good clubhouse shenanigans, the team chemistry appears to be on the upswing. Extra outfielder Ricky Gutierrez is apparently the guy these players would take a bullet for, with Michael Johnson, Garcia, backup catcher Jonathan Miller, and Rule 5'er Aaron Camarillo as the leaders inside. Stachowski and Becker are the two guys handling the media for the most part, neither of whom is remotely concerned about blowback.
Probably most importantly, the coaches seem to all be on the same page this year.

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1 vs Jacksonville 3 @ Oklahoma City, 3 vs Los Angeles
The Panthers are winning at an NL best .215 clip, OKC is cellar dwelling in our Division while LA is 16-23 in the West.
RUNS SCORED: 206 (t-7th)
RUNS AGAINST: 182 (2nd)
OBP: .320 (7th)
STARTERS ERA: 3.99 (6th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.49 (4th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .694 (3rd)
ZONE RATING: +11.1 (1st)

RESULTS (26-19 1st)
1-0 vs Jacksonville 1-2 @ OKC, 2-1 vs Los Angeles
5/13- CIP 7 JAX 2 Morris (W) 7 IP 2 H 11 K ER (3-2 4.63) Krieg 2H 2B (14) SB (3) 2 R RBI
5/14- OKC 9 CIP 8 Nightmare loss. Led 8-2 after 7. Diaz, Williams, Gross 7 Er in 1.2 IP. Gross 3H BB 3 ER in 2/3rds of an inning. Diaz 3 ER 1/3rd of an inning. Eric Ward (OKC) hits his 12th HR off Gross in the 9th to tie it up. Worst loss of the year.
Jonathan Miller 3-4 2 R (hitting .367 in a backup role) Mike Johnson 3-5 2B 2 R 4 RBI SB Tripp 3H 2 RBI
5/15- OKC 4 CIP 2 Pelletier (L) 5.2 IP 8 K 3 ER (2-3 3.91) Roberts 2-4 HR (5) Stachowski 2-4 HR (4)
5/16- CIP 3 OKC 1 Chavez 2H GW HR in the 9th 2 RBI Calkins 2H RBI Error (5) Powers ND 7 IP 4 H 8 K 0 ER Gross SV (9)
Justin Krieg is banged up with a sore knee. He's not bad enough for the IL but he'll get some downtime over the next 4-5 days.
5/17- LA 5 CIP 0 Eric Davis (LA) 8 IP 8 H 6-1 2.32 Danny Floyd 5 ER 4 BB 5.1 IP (2-5 5.01)
5/18- CIP 6 LA 4 Morris 6 IP 9 K 4R 2 ER ND Rivera SV (1) Garcia 4-4 leading off 2B 2 HR 2 R 4 RBI Gutierrez 3-4 SB (2)
5/19- CIP 9 LA 4 Guijosa (W) 4-2 3.16 5.1 IP 4 H 4 BB 5 K 1 R Camarillo 3 IP 1R 4 K (1.95) Calkins 3H HR (1) 2 R 2 RBI SB (8) Roberts 2H 2B 3 RBI (21) Dietz 2H HR (2) 2 R RBI


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- RF Mike Klotzbach (CBK) 14-28 4 HR 10 RBI
NL POTW- LF Lourenco Manhas (SD) 14-23 HR 7 RBI

• On Wednesday recently made hundred millionaire Lourenco Manhas (SD) not only went 5-5 to raise his average to .383, but he hit for the cycle in a 9-8 loss to Jacksonville.

IRON PIG NEWS

1. Last years wunderkind, Jimmy Young (.256-42-118) was is off to a slow start in AA. That changed a bit on Saturday as he went 3-5 homering 3 times and driving in 4 in a 15-5 win. He's now hitting .242-8-23.

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3 @ San Francisco OFF DAY 3 vs New England
Frisco leads the NL West by a game over Fresno, New England is tied with Washington atop the NL East, both are 25-21


RESULTS
5/20- SF 9 CIP 3 Pelletier (L) 1.1 IP 5 H 6 R 5 ER Ayala 2H HR (3) Error
Jose Ruiz and Luis Corona are SF middle of the order power duo. Ruiz 4-5 2 RBI (30) Corona 2B HR (14) 2 RBI (32)
5/21- SF 1 CIP 0 Powers (L) 4-4 3.20 6.2 IP 2 H 8 K 4 BB 1 ER Conley (SF) 5-4 2.69 8 IP 3 H 2 BB 6 K
5/22- SF 3 CIP 0 Floyd (L) 2-6 4.88 7 IP 4 H 4 K 4 BB 3 ER Juan Torres (SF) 3-3 4.01 8 IP 4 H 9 K
time to shake it up, the offense is riding a crazy roller coaster. Stachowski took a foul tip off the throwing hand and is out for 4-5 days. Cannot go with just 1 Catcher. The bullpen is taxed a bit so Stachowski will go on the 10-day and Salvatore Rivera will get the callup.
5/23- OFF DAY
5/24- CIP 10 NE 1 Morris 4-2 4.01 8 IP 6 H 4 K 1 ER Garcia 2H 2 RBI Gutierrez 3H SB (3) 3R Rivera 1-2 2 BB 2 R 2 RBI 2B
5/25- CIP 8 NE 7 Down 7-3 bottom 8. Tripp hits a walk-off 3R HR to win it. Calkins 2-4 2 R SB leading off Nieves homers for the first time in over a month. Krieg 2H 2 RBI Johnson 2B HR (4) RBI (31) Pelletier 4.2 IP 8 H 6 ER ND
5/26- CIP 4 NE 3 Guijosa 5-2 3.26 6.2 IP 6 H 6 K 3 BB 3 ER Calkins 2-4 2B R leading off.
Kevin Dietz is out until early next week at the earliest with a “dead arm”.


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- SS Jayden Whitelaw (SJ) 12-24 HR 10 RBI
NL POTW- 1B Tony Clark (FRE) 13-26 2 HR 8 RBI (Rookie)

• Friday Indianapolis announced they had reached an agreement with OF Raul Molinar on a 6 year 55.9 million dollar extension. The 29 year old 2006 All-Star is coming off a career best .279/.348/.447 season hitting 27 HR's and driving in 81 while going 41-53 in stolen bases.

IRON PIG NEWS

• Albuquerque's Jason Montano fanned 3 in a CG SHO and a 6-0 win over Anchorage. The 20 year old, acquired last December from Staten Island in the deal that sent Eddie Cook away (and also got us Kareem Jackson) has jumped a bit in Romano's opinion, firmly a 3-star prospect now. The lefty has 5 pitches with 4 potentially ++ offerings. The SHO followed a season worst 1.2 IP 10 H 8 ER shellacking. He's 2-2 4.08 in 8 starts with 56 K's in 46.1 IP.
• Javier Mariscal, acquired 2 weeks ago and on the IL, had a setback and will now be out until mid to late June.

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3 vs Indianapolis 3 @ San Diego 1 vs New York
RUNS SCORED: 250 (9th)
RUNS AGAINST: 241 (3rd)
OBP: .317 (8th)
STARTERS ERA: 4.06 (5th)
RELIEVERS ERA:3.73 (7th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .697 (3rd)
ZONE RATING: +13.6 (1st)

RESULTS (32-26 3 GB)
0-3 vs Indianapolis 2-1 @ San Diego 1-0 vs New York
5/27- IND 17 CIP 2 Powers 8 ER 4 BB 4 IP 4-5 4.06 'Pen follows with 5 IP 10 H 2 HR 6 BB 9 ER Rivera 4 ER without an out Garcia 3-3 2 R
5/28- IND 6 CIP 5 up 4-1 entering the 9th. Gross, Rivera 1 IP 4 H 2 BB 5 ER Gross (L) Floyd 5.1 IP 7 H 1 ER ND Nieves 2 HR (12) 3 RBI Krieg 2H HR (4) Martinez PH HR (1)
Kyung-jin Sim GW 9th inning grand slam
5/29- IND 4 CIP 1 Morris 6 IP 8 K 4 HR's, all solo. 4-3 4.18
5/30- CIP 3 SD 2 (11) Bullpen is gassed. Guijosa 5 IP 3 H 7 BB 114 pitches 'Pen goes 6-4-0-0-3-5 Gross SV (11) Williams (W) Calkins leading off 3H
5/31- SD 2 CIP 1 (11) Pelletier ND 6.2 IP 4 H 6 K 3 BB 0 R Becker BS (3) Diaz (L)
The pen is wicked tired right now and Aaron Camarillo is DtD for a few days. Sent Wilson Diaz back to New Orleans, called up Adrian Nicol to give us some innings if needed. Really need to get the SP deeper into games. Manager's hook is killing the bullpen.
6/1- CIP 5 SD 3 Powers 8.1 IP 3 ER 5-5 3.97 Throws 145 pitches. Nicol SV Calkins 2H 2B 2R Error (6) leading off Nieves 3H 3B HR (13) 4 RBI (32) Tripp 3H R
Huge outing for Powers and the staff.
However Indy has won 8 straight, 9 of 10 and are now 4 games up.
The series with New York has us squaring off with 1 of 3 teams leading the WC, us, NY, and Las Vegas with El Paso a game behind. Too early to scoreboard watch but these games are 100% as meaningful as the late September games. Win one here is one less you need there.
6/2- CIP 2 NY 1 Floyd 3-6 4.18 7.1 IP 5 H 8 K 1 R 0 ER Williams SV (2) Calkins 2H 2B R leading off. Nieves 1st inning 2R HR (14) to win it. Garcia, Krieg 2H apiece.


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 1B Carlo Ambrogi (WYO) 10-23 3 HR 10 RBI
NL POTW- 3B Jose Nieves (CIP) 11-26 4 HR 9 RBI

• Monday saw 6 time gold-glove winner Dave Resch of Columbus announce this is his final season. The 38 year old SS is a career .266 hitter with 271 HR's and 483 career 2B. He was the Runner-up in 2000 for the Hank Aaron award hitting .307/.370/.600 and leading the league in Runs (120) 2B (54) RBI (131) SLG% (600) OPS (.970). Led the league in 2004 with 50 2B's and 5.6 WAR. Spent 14 of his 15 years in Utah, helping them win the Series in 2005 before signing as a Free-agent with Columbus this past winter.
• On Tuesday Phoenix Closer Mike Long recorded his 300th career save.

IRON PIG NEWS
Albuquerque's Matt Brittingham went 11-21 HR 2 RBI to win the Class A POTW

[gehrig38]

San Francisco ends the month on a 10-game streak.
Zach Stewart hits 13 more HR's in May, and is now on pace for “only” 87.


AL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- 3B Kile Lanning (CHI) .381-11-31 20 R
NL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- 1B Mike Geiselmann (SD) .393-9-31 14 R
AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Frank Wood (DEN) 4-1 0.92
NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Elijah Conley (SF) 5-0 0.25 36.2 IP 50 K
AL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- CF Josh McDowell (DET) .312-7-23 14 R
NL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- 1B Tony Clark (FRE) .341-7-25