Danger!

[Mr. Baseball]

Duluth Bullpen Enters Full Rebuild Mode
February 1st, 1991

With the departure of future hall of famer Bakhitiyar Davis and swingman Chris Hatfield, Duluth was forced to turn to free-agency to restock a depleted bullpen. Four HBL hurlers have signed on to help the Danger in 1991 along with former Duluth SP Logan Gleeson, who will be working primarily out of the pen, but also provides some much needed depth in the starting rotation should injury occur. Meet the new faces of Duluth!

These players will join Alan Simpson, star closer Tom Simmons, Joe Buckley, Michael Yates, and Francisco Murillo in the pen.


RHP Bill Wright --31 Years Old
Named by U.S Weekly as the ugliest professional athlete in the world, Wright has been known through the HBL more for his looks (or lack of) than his ability to pitch. Duluth probably scared some children and women away from the park by this signing.



LHP Larry Baldwin -- 30 Years Old
Baldwin pitched in 48.2 innings with Dayton last season and posted a 4.06 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. Baldwin career numbers: 4.82 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 4.43 FIP. Signed through 1992.



RHP John Henson -- 36 Years Old
Henson was signed via-free agency by Springfield last year and posted a 4.71 FIP, 4.48 ERA, and 1.65 WHIP. He has three pitches and can be a spot-starter if necessary. He's also a veteran having been in the league since the inaugural season back in 1978.


LHP Logan Gleeson -- 36 Years Old
Gleeson has been elected to four All Star Games as a starter and pitched for the Danger previously from 1985-1988 before being waived due to poor performance. After being waived, Gleeson proceeded to show his worth by being elected to the All Star game the next year. Last season with Canton was limited, but in 1989 he went 11-13 with a 2.93 ERA with the Kernals -- Promising!

[Mr. Baseball]

Spring training is officially over. Time now for the much anticipated season!

Danger Announces 1991 Opening Day Roster
March 27th, 1991

The Official 1991 Regular-Season Roster has been announced.

Note: All 'seasons' are relevant to Duluth. Represented are the number of years each player made at least 1 appearance with Duluth.

1991 Opening Day Roster

Starting Rotation:
1. R Robert "Bhut Jolokia" Snyder (7th season)
2. L Steven Hembrow (9th season)
3. R Alfred "Public Enemy" Warren (9th Season)
4. R Pedro Lopez (2nd Season)

Bullpen:
1. CL Tom "Barracuda" Simmons (10th Season)
2. MR Francisco Murillo (2nd Season)
3. MR Alan Simpson (7th Season)
4. MR Joe Buckley (8th Season)
5. MR John Henson (1st Season
6. MR Larry Baldwin (1st Season)
7. LR/SP Logan Gleeson (4th Season) -- Not consecutive

Catchers:
1. Don Lindsay (1st Season)
2. Denver Pollard (2nd Season)

Infielders
1B: Andrew Rodgers (6th Season)
1B: Elton Caldwell (1st Season)
UTIL: Brad Palmer (1st Season)
2B: Jose Woods (1st Season)
2B: Jose Morales (8th Season)
SS: Mike Young (11th Season)
3B: Santiago Gonzalez (2nd Season)

Outfielders:
OF Michael Sanders (6th Season)
OF Emilo Cruz (5th Season)
OF Dave Martin (2nd Season)
OF Ricardo Rodriguez (3rd Season)
OF Russ Moleyns (3rd Season)

[Mr. Baseball]

1991 Duluth Danger Preview



Duluth seems to have established a trend in recent years of being competitive every other season, which if you’ve been following the pattern, means that 1991 will be another good year for the Danger. Duluth was sixth in the North in 1984, won the division in 85’, fifteen games back in 86’, just barely missed in 87’, dropped back below .500 in 1988, proceeded to win the division again in 89’, and was 22 games behind the 1990 Oshkosh Outlaws for the division title. Anyway, you get the idea!

The Danger struggled in the early stages of 1990 due to an inability to produce offensively. Although Duluth has always been known more for pitching than offense, the club was always in the middle of the pack in run production up until last season…in large part due to John Newman, who was traded to Canton in April in exchange for SP Pedro Lopez. The good news is that the Duluth lineup has improved in recent months and should have a brighter outlook for 1991 with the arrival of Dave Martin and late-season trade acquisition Santiago Gonzalez. Of the clubs that seem to be annual competitors in the North (Bay City, Duluth, and Oshkosh), the Danger still easily have the worst offense of the group, but combat that with what is undeniably the best rotation in the league (if not the entire HBL) and you have a serious competitor. OSA Reports ranks all four of Duluth’s starting four hurlers in the ‘Top 20’ pitchers report; Steven Hembrow finished second in the 1990 Top Pitcher Award Voting and ranks 8th, Alfred Warren led the entire HBL in opponent batting average and ranks 12th, flamethrower Robert Snyder comes in at 14th and is followed by the youngest of the four Pedro Lopez, who’s 16th. The Danger defense was also impressive last year, committing the fewest errors in the North League with 69.

The bullpen is in a stage of rebuilding after Bakhitiyar Davis and Chris Hatfield departed via free agency, but the club still has one of the better closers in the North in Tom Simmons. Simmons had some big shoes to fill in 1990 coming in to replace the fan-favorite Davis after many years of being his setup man. Simmons stepped up to the plate and saved 29 games, which was complimented by a 2.18 ERA.

The old saying that pitching wins championships should certainly being encouraging for Duluth fans in 1991. Although you can never overlook the unbelievably talented Bay City lineup or the historically dominant Oshkosh, I think the Danger have the most balanced franchise of the three and therefor will come out victorious this year.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Good luck.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Pitching and defense will win a lot of games. What's going on in the South?

[Honorable_Pawn]

It looks like Jefferson City will be the team in the South that loses to the North this year.

[Mr. Baseball]

Originally Posted by Honorable_Pawn

It looks like Jefferson City will be the team in the South that loses to the North this year.

Jefferson City has won the South three straight years now and has the last two Heartland Series titles. No South team will stop them in 1991. Canton is a far cry from the Jackalopes and they're probably the second best team in that league.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Originally Posted by Mr. Baseball

Jefferson City has won the South three straight years now and has the last two Heartland Series titles. No South team will stop them in 1991. Canton is a far cry from the Jackalopes and they're probably the second best team in that league.

oh no...

I was looking at the left column. Dumb. The bold is the champion. I gotta go fix something.

[Mr. Baseball]

1991 Spring Training Recap
March 27th, 1991

For the second consecutive season, Duluth has concluded spring training with the best record in the North League. If last year was any indicator however, that isn't anything to boast about. The Danger spring squad was led offensively by big performances from 1B Andrew Rodgers (.464/.531), RF Michael Sanders (4 HR, 19 RBI, .967 OPS), 1B Elton Caldwell (.362/.469), and newly acquired second baseman Jose Woods, who posted a .500 OBP in fifty-six at-bats. Woods was obtained from the Canton Kernals in a trade back in February and has a career .400 OBP, which puts him in the top 15 all-time.

The Danger starting rotation really struggled this spring in somewhat of a surprise. Steven Hembrow, the aging staff ace, had a 7.20 ERA in 20 innings while Alfred Warren and Pedro Lopez both inflated their ERA's over 4.50. Nothing to worry about, however, as they all saw limited action. The bullpen had a few of bright spots in preseason play. Closer Tom Simmons was electric, pitching in 14.0 innings and allowing just one run while striking out nineteen. Alan Simpson, Francisco Murillo, and John Henson all managed to post ERA's below 3.00.

Spring Batting Statistics:



Spring Pitching Statistics:

[Honorable_Pawn]

I see Sandman, Pollard, and Caldwell got off to blistering starts. In fact, you lead the North in OPS. You'd think you'd have a better start than that but giving up 5.8 runs a game will tend to do that. That golden rotation needs to step it up before you dig a hole. You can't blame the bullpen on that sim....ouch

[Mr. Baseball]

Originally Posted by Honorable_Pawn

I see Sandman, Pollard, and Caldwell got off to blistering starts. In fact, you lead the North in OPS. You'd think you'd have a better start than that but giving up 5.8 runs a game will tend to do that. That golden rotation needs to step it up before you dig a hole. You can't blame the bullpen on that sim....ouch

Tell me about it! We won our series against Bay City and South Bend, but then proceeded to get swept by Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids has finished either 5th or 6th in the North every year since 1983, so that was a big surprise. They're 7-2 to start the year.

Really good to see Denver Pollard hitting though. He was my first round draft pick in 1989 and I have very high hopes for him.

[Mr. Baseball]

Duluth Management Places Confidence In Youth
April 11th, 1991

It's been some time now since Duluth has witnessed their home-grown talent make a major impact at the professional level. The Danger have traded away four of their last five first round draft picks along with several other second and third round selections in an attempt to prepare the roster for immediate success. It is the Duluth way -- trading those obtained via the draft for guys that are proven to be successful. General manager Gavin Giles explains, "Obviously, I'm not opposed to letting prospects come through the system. The problem is that I've inherited an older ball club and the only way to keep from entering in to a phase of 'rebuilding' is to use draftees as trade-bait if you will. I don't believe in rebuilding. I field the best 25-man roster I possibly can every year and that mentality is the reason that the Danger have had five winning seasons of the last six."

Duluth has traded their way to the bottom of the farm system rankings, kicking off the 1991 campaign with just one player (OF Leonard Reid) making the Top 100 Prospects list. But don't let the lack of farm talent fool you, the Danger have three young players on the active-roster that are expected to make a major impact in 1991...and they were all drafted into the system!

Meet the sole survivors of the massacred Duluth farm system!


C Denver Pollard (23 Years Old)
Drafted: Round 1 (11th Overall) by Duluth in 1989

Pollard struggled in his first professional season in 1990, but that is to be expected from a kid fresh out of college. The young catcher is a Michigan University product and posted a career .451 OBP and .956 OPS for the Wolverines. Pollard is off to a hot start, kicking off the 1991 campaign in third place in the North in batting.



CF Dave "The Brain" Martin (23 Years Old)
Drafted: Round 2 (18th Overall) by Duluth in 1986

It's somewhat of a miracle that Martin managed to stay in the Danger system as long as he did, considering his name swirled around trade talks for two or three consecutive seasons. But Duluth remained committed to the stud who came up big in 1990 with the ML club. Martin is ranked by OSA as the 13th best hitter in the HBL, which might come as a surprise to some people. He hasn't made a name for himself yet, but soon! Known for drawing ridiculous amounts of walks with a career .443 OBP in over 2,000 at-bats.


OF Emilio Cruz (27 Years Old)
Drafted: 4th Round (47th Overall) by Duluth in 1985

Cruz has been up and down with the professional club for the last few years, but may have finally reached his full potential at the age of 27. He was never projected to be a star, but fought his way through the minor leagues and gave Danger management a reason to give him a real chance in 1991. Cruz was the 1990 AAA Batter Of The Year and has a career .329/.421/.668 slash line in Triple-A. He's a sleeper, and most people don't seem to place much value on him having never been deemed a Top 100 Prospect. But you know who else was never a Top 100 Prospect? Duluth starter and two-time All Star Robert Snyder. OSA just recently ranked Cruz as the 20th best hitter in the HBL. He has explosive power, a great eye, and the ability to hit for average.

[Mr. Baseball]

Danger Recap: April 1991




Despite the Cedar Rapids Rebels jumping out to a 7-2 start, all normality has since returned to the North League with the three annual competitors sitting atop the division standings. Nevertheless, only five games separate the 11-15 Reapers from Bay City in the hierarchy. Duluth concluded the month on a positive note, winning five of their last six games including a three-game sweep over the Rebels, who had previously shocked the Danger faithful by sweeping them earlier in the month.

The Duluth starting rotation continues to be a genuine concern for team management. Prior to the regular season, most experts assessed that the historically dominant Duluth rotation was the best in the North League, if not the entire HBL. After the starting four struggled in spring training, officials were hoping for some better results in April. Unfortunately, things certainly didn't go their way as the combination of Hembrow-Snyder-Warren-Lopez struggled to the tune of a 5.52 starters ERA. Keep in mind this is a rotation in which each of the starting four ranks in OSA's Top 20 Pitchers report. These results are shocking and incredibly disappointing.

Here's the ironic part though -- despite having the fourth worst starters ERA in the league, Duluth has actually boasted what is by far the best bullpen ERA at 2.89. Team closer Tom Simmons, setup man Francisco Murillo, and free agent acquisitions Larry Baldwin, Logan Gleeson, and John Henson -- all have posted ERA's under 3.00. Why is this ironic? Because headed into the regular season, the bullpen was an area for concern and perhaps deemed the weakest component of the Danger roster.

And how is that lineup doing? Well, let's just say that it's much better than last season when Duluth struggled just to score three runs in any given ballgame. In the month of April, Duluth has three full-time starters that are batting over .340; catcher Denver Pollard, third baseman Santiago Gonzalez, and second baseman Jose Woods. Michael Sanders leads the entire North League in home runs with 10, complimented by 30 RBI. As a unit, Duluth is hitting .311, which shockingly was only good enough for 3rd in the North thus far. Their OBP has been significantly improved with the off-season acquisitions of Jose Woods and Elton Caldwell and Duluth ranks 2nd in that category at .383.

Defensively, the Danger's .682 defensive efficiency ranks first in the North.

Simply put, absolutely everything has goon Duluth's way in the month of April with the exception of the one area everyone anticipated they'd thrive -- the starting rotation. If the rest of the team can keep up the pace and the elite four starters pitch the way they're supposed to, there's no reason the Danger shouldn't remain in contention. Another positive sign is that Duluth is 4-2 against Bay City, the division leader.





Top 100 Prospect Watch:

#44 Prospect: OF Leonard Reid
After a blistering performance in the month of April combated with solid numbers in Double-A last season, Reid has been promoted to Triple-A Akron. The 20 year-old who was drafted out of high school in the 2nd round of the 1989 draft was batting .349/.438 in 106 AB's prior to being promoted. Last season in Double-A, Reid batted .306 in almost 200 at-bats.

Transactions:
Duluth waived both SP Gerald Humphrey and OF George Givens. Humphrey was a former 1st round draft pick by Duluth that never lived up to his potential. He was claimed by Cedar Rapids. Givens has been performing well in Triple-A, but couldn't find a spot with Duluth due to the organization having an overcrowded outfield. Givens was claimed by Poplar Bluff.

[Mr. Baseball]

Monthly Awards: April 1991

April 1991 North Awards:

Pitcher Of The Month:

SP Herb Green (Cedar Rapids)
It's been a long time since a Cedar Rapids starting pitcher has received recognition of any kind, but Herb Green broke that trend this month. Green tossed 22 strikeouts in 42 innings, complimented by a 5-1 record and 2.14 ERA. Opposing batters hit just .236 against the fifth year HBL veteran. Collectively, the Rebels starting rotation ranks 2nd in the North in ERA at 4.81.

Batter Of The Month:

1B Albert Bosel (South Bend)
Bosel concluded the month of April with a .441 AVG, 6 HR, 22 RBI, .496 OBP, and a .706 slugging percentage. Bosel ranks 2nd in the North League in batting average and third in home runs behind Duluth's Michael Sanders and Cedar Rapid's Stan Harper.

Rookie Of The Month:

OF Neil Jones (Bay City)
Neil Jones completely bypassed the minor leagues after being drafted in the first round of the 1990 draft. The Lake Monsters have a history of drafting successful Michigan State alumni and Neil Jones is no exception. The rookie made waves two years ago when he came up just short of the NCAA Triple Crown award. Jones finished the month of April with a .438 AVG, .506 OBP, 1 HR, 10 RBI, and a .578 slugging percentage.

April 1991 South Awards:

Batter Of The Month:

OF Bob Hansen (Jefferson City)
Another Jackalopes player, no surprise there. Despite hitting 31 home runs in just over 400 at-bats last year, Hansen seems to just now start getting noticed by the media. Hansen concluded April with 12 home runs, which is one of the best finishes in recent memory. On pace to hit 69 if he keeps the pace, Hansen also is batting just a shade under .300 at .298 and has 9 SB and a .376 OBP.

Pitcher Of The MontH:

SP Curt Holmes (Jefferson City)
Holmes was originally drafted by Rochester back in 1984, but was traded to the Jackalopes two years later. Now in his third season in the HBL, Holmes is coming off a 1990 season in which he earned his first all-star nod. The 25 year-old Jackalopes star was 5-0 in the month of April with a 3.67 ERA and 1.24 WHIP to lead the Jefferson City squad to first place.

Rookie Of The Month:

SP David Michael (Springfield)
Michael was drafted in the first round (7th overall) in the 1987 draft out of Wisconsin. Prior to this year, he has made four appearances in the HBL Top 30 Prospects report. The rookie is off to a blazing hot start going 2-0 in 2 starts, but shutting down the opposition both in complete games. He has tossed 18 innings, allowed no runs, struck out 13, and posted a 0.61 WHIP. What better way to start a career?

[Honorable_Pawn]

Wow...Nice Sim!

You went from 3 under .500 to 1 over in 1 week. Now that's a good result.

[Mr. Baseball]

Duluth Rotation Finally Heating Up!
May 11th, 1991



As I reflected in the April recap, once the starting rotation heats up (as they should), Duluth would become basically unstoppable in the North. Well, the month of May is already yielding some positive results from the rotation. I opted to move away from the traditional Duluth four-man starting rotation and added Logan Gleeson to the group. I can't remember the last time I had five starters, but it seems to be working well. The guys are getting some much needed rest and that really benefited us the last few days.

Thus far in the month of May, Duluth is 7-2 including a six game winning streak. Early May is typically characterized by inter-league play, so we've been facing a lot of South teams lately. The Danger have historically been very successful in inter league play and this year was no different. Anyway, during that six game winning streak there was a four-game period between May 5th and May 9th that the Danger did not allow more than a single run in any game. Four games, three runs allowed. Not bad at all! Oh, and that stretch also included a 21-1 victory over Dayton. During the massacre, Duluth shortstop Santiago Gonzalez became only the sixth player in HBL history to earn six hits on on game!!!!!



Don't let Gleeson's ERA fool you. He brought a complete game shutout into the ninth inning of a 4-3 win over the Canton Kernals. His last start was awful, but he hasn't been as bad as it appears on paper.

[Mr. Baseball]

May 6th, 1991

North Player Of The Week:


SP Henry Morrow (South Bend)
Morrow becomes the first pitcher in the 1991 season to walk away with a player of the week award. This is an extremely rare accomplishment for a pitcher. Nobody really disputes that Morrow is the best pitcher in the HBL right now and this is only the first time he's been the Player Of The Week (if that puts into perspective). The South Bend starter was 2-0 this week, striking out 15 batters in 16.2 innings, holding the opposition to just a .175 average and only allowed one earned run. Immediately after winning this award on May 10th, Morrow pitched yet another complete game shutout.

South Player Of The Week:


C Matt Bryant (Jefferson City)
The 33 year-old Jackalopes catcher batted .500 this week, going 12-for-24 with 2 HR, 7 RBI, and 4 RS. This is the sixth time in his career that he's been named Player Of The Week. Bryant is also second on the Jackalopes roster in batting average (which is saying something considering they lead the South right now), batting .362.

[Mr. Baseball]

The Star Nobody Saw Coming



Robert Snyder is currently ranked by OSA as the 12th best pitcher in the HBL. He has been nominated to three All Star Games at just age 28 and has a career 66-40 record at the professional level. He also has the fastest heater in the entire league, topping out 101 MPH (a far cry from his mere 89 MPH when he graduated high school). Snyder was drafted 59th overall in the 1981 draft and his high school ERA was over 6.00. His talent literally came out nowhere.

Here's a brief overview of his journey to stardom...

July 14th, 1981:
Scouts from all twelve of the Heartland Baseball League teams have traveled the distance to Bay City High School. Each of them there for a similar purpose -- to get a closer look at a 16 year-old sophomore pitching sensation named Henry Morrow. Henry is fresh off of a freshman season in which he struck out 126 batters in just 98.1 innings. From all accounts, due to his illustrious academic track-record, Morrow is going to pursue graduating early and entering the draft after the first semester of his senior year in 1982. The vast majority of scouts are projecting him to go in the early stages of the first round, with his age being the only thing keeping him back from being a 1st overall selection.

The scouts gaze in complete bewilderment as Morrow plays catch with senior teammate Robert Snyder on the third base line, warming up for an afternoon double-header against Poplar Bluff High. All eyes are fixed on Henry and nobody seems to notice the hefty 245 pound Snyder. Robert has been a huge disappointment at Bay City High School, posting ERA's over 7.00 in both his freshman and sophomore seasons with the club. At 18 years old, Snyder's fastball has only topped out around 89 MPH and his control has proven to be awful. Little do these scouts know that five years down the road, Snyder is going to be one of the best pitchers the Heartland League has to offer.

August 1st, 1981:

Going against the wishes of his parents and the advice of his coaches, Robert Snyder turns down a full-ride scholarship offer from Michigan State University to enter the 1981 Heartland Baseball League draft. At this stage, Snyder's potential is so low that experts didn't even include him in their mock draft, writing him off as destined for a career in Single-A.

December 1st, 1981:

On the second day of the draft, Snyder hears his name called by the Rochester Reapers. He is the 59th overall selection -- round 5, pick 11. No signing bonus and very little chance of ever making a living playing professional baseball. His career statistics with Bay City High leave no room for optimism; 12-19 record, 6.63 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, -0.9 VORP.

March 1st, 1982

Snyder, having spent the entire off-season working with professional pitching coaches to eliminate the imperfections in his mechanics, arrives at camp with the Double-A Cicero Cyclones of the Reapers organization. Team management immediately takes notice to Snyder's significantly improved arm. Although he finished high school with just an 89 MPH fastball, the big man is now topping out around 96. Coaches cannot believe their eyes...how can someone add so much velocity in such a short period of time?

July 6th, 1982:

After posting a 10-2 record, 3.93 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 111 K's in 128 innings with Cicero, Rochester trades Snyder to the Duluth Danger along with catcher Leon Perez in exchange for Tim "T.T" Treweeke. Snyder finishes out the year with Duluth's double-a affiliate Rockford and wins both of his starts.

March, 1986

Snyder's fastball has at this point elevated to 101 MPH. He is the fastest pitcher in the HBL and Duluth opts to give him a shot on the opening day roster for 1986. Snyder had made brief appearances with Duluth in 84' and 85', but it was clear his control was still not satisfactory and he was sent back down to Triple-A to work out his issues.

July 31st, 1986

Snyder is elected to the 1986 North League all star squad.

[Honorable_Pawn]

I'm not sure if you are going to catch Bay City or not but so far the difference has been bullpen as evidenced by these 2 key indicators:



Are you thinking about slowing your "hook starter" strategy settings a tad towards patience? Or maybe trade a little minor league talent for a solid bullpen arm? It shouldn't cost too much talent to get a solid reliever.


Bullpen ERA looks ok so it appears to be starting pitching but I wonder what the inherited runners allowed pct. is? I bet it's high.

[Mr. Baseball]

You're looking at Oshkosh pawn.

Duluth leads the North in bullpen ERA at 2.63. The Outlaws passed us up by a half game.