Orcin Returns

[Orcin]

2015 Spring Training Recap

• The spring training record was 10-12. The injury total was one, and it was a doozy.
• SP #1 Edgardo Ordonez has a partially torn labrum and will miss 3-4 months. He was placed on the 60-day D/L to create a 40-man spot for his replacement.
• SP Mike Anderson missed his last spring start with mild elbow inflammation. He had a great spring otherwise and should be ready for his first start on April 10.
• I made an offer to SP Edison Mazzone (27/L/1.5*). He was 11-16 with a 4.93 ERA for Orlando last year. He is the best LH available and still young enough to improve.
• Will Spencer and Jerome Clark look good this spring, and Spencer is out of options. I will keep them both (for now) and option Maestas and Rodgers to AAA.
• Shusaku Kouki beat out Bruce Irvine in the battle of waiver claim bullpen lefties.
• Garry Latham is on the bubble if Mazzone signs.
• The catcher situation cleared up when Juan Alejandrez refused to be demoted and Chuck Haines accepted his demotion. Alejandrez will be traded or released.
• Mike Guy did not have a great spring but I signed him to be the left-handed power bat off the bench. Right now, he is the best option that I have.
• Searles and Morrison did nothing to distinguish themselves. I plan to start Morrison and use Searles as the utility infielder for now. Searles seems to have trade value.
• Infielders Griffith, Ortiz, and Hoddinott were optioned to AAA along with outfielders Dixon and Fontenot. Soto would have gone down but he is out of options.
• Outfielders Chavez, Young and Price are fighting for the last LH spot. Young is the only one with options remaining. He has to go down in order to preserve assets.
• I have to choose between Chavez and Price, or have a predominantly left-handed bench. It’s a tough call, but Chavez draws more walks and has a higher ceiling IMO.
• I will have to choose between Banks and Sykes for the final RH spot. Again, a tough choice but Banks has speed. Sykes really needs to play every day somewhere.
• Carson can give Gillespie a rest at third, giving Guy or Bland some at bats at first base, and Searles can also play third. Sykes was optioned to AAA.
• I starting working on trades for Price, Soto, and Alejandrez.

Around the league:
• Providence C Andy Hamm will miss five weeks with a fractured thumb.
• Cleveland signed free agent 1B Marcus Reynolds (31/L/3*) to a 6-year contract worth $45M. Reynolds led the Patriot League in HR (59) and RBI (143) in 2014.
• Salt Lake City RF Brian Deacon ($17M salary) will miss the first month of the season with a broken hand suffered when he fell off a golf cart.
• Charlotte traded SP Jesus Hernandez (27/R/1.5*) to San Diego for CF Tracy Murray (30/L/2.5).
• Boston signed MR Chip Davidson to a 1-year contract at $1.3M.

[Orcin]

April 2, 2015 (BNN)

Subject: Colonels-Bombers Trade

Louisville and Boston have swapped players as CBA teams arrange their rosters ahead of the Monday deadline. The Colonels announced today that they have sent 26-year-old center fielder William Price to the Bombers in exchange for 28-year-old starting pitcher Ben Gentry and 25-year-old first baseman Shane Plumbly.

GM Otto Orcin said that he hated to trade Price but the injury to SP Edgardo Ordonez forced a trade to acquire pitching. Price has batted .310 in his major league career with 53 hits in 171 at bats. “Price will become a star if he learns to be more patient at the plate,” Orcin said. “However, Boston’s offer for Price was too good to pass up.”

The 28-year-old Gentry has made 129 appearances, including 26 starts, so far in his career. He has thrown 304.1 innings with 214 strikeouts and 113 walks. His won-lost record is 14-11 with a 4.67 ERA. Gentry struggled to break into the starting rotation in Boston, but he should get that opportunity in Louisville.

Louisville also obtained 1B Shane Plumbly in the deal. Plumbly was the 2013 Patriot League Rookie of the Year. His career .272/.342/.443 stat line includes 43 HR and 130 RBI in 2 seasons as the Bombers first baseman. Plumbly is an excellent defender and can also play second and third base at a high level.

Gentry and Plumbly will both be arbitration eligible heading into next season with over $2M estimates, while Price will not reach eligibility this year. Some fans are speculating that this played into Boston’s thinking in the deal.

First baseman Mike Guy and reliever Garry Latham were optioned to Lexington (AAA) to make room for Plumbly and Gentry on the Colonels active roster.

[Orcin]

April 3, 2015 (BNN)

Subject: Louisville and Houston Confirm Trade

The Colonels and Stars confirmed this afternoon that a four-player trade has been completed. In the deal, Louisville will get 22-year-old left fielder Norberto García and 23-year-old starting pitcher Domingo López, while Houston will receive 35-year-old catcher Juan Alejándrez, 25-year-old second baseman Pedro Soto and $650,000 in cash.

His career numbers show Alejándrez is hitting .269 with a total of 159 home runs. He is expected to be the starting catcher for the “win now” Stars.

García is a right-handed hitter with all five tools and great intangibles. He is rated as the #65 prospect in the CBA, according to BNN. General Manager Otto Orcin said, “We had several possible trades for Alejandrez, but we liked García’s power potential from the right side of the plate. Right-handed power hitters with his combination of speed and defensive skills are extremely hard to find.”

López projects to be a major league starter. Orcin said, “He has pitched well at every level and will be in the rotation at AAA this season.”

The two prospects acquired by Louisville are on minor league contracts and do not have to be added to the 40-man roster this season.

The Colonels also announced that soft-tossing lefty SP Edison Mazzone was signed to a 1-year contract at $800,000. Mazzone has been optioned to AAA Lexington.

[jaysdailydose]

Just wanted to post a quick note of thanks on behalf of us all... I think I speak for everyone when I say that this is truly a daily must-visit. I know we've said it before, but thanks again for sharing your world with us, Mr. Orcin!

[Orcin]

Thanks for the kind words. It is great to know that people are following.

I promise that the longest off-season in dynasty report history will end today and games will begin this weekend. I am anxious to see this new group on the field.

I have some housekeeping announcements first though.

[Orcin]

April 6, 2015 (BNN)

PRE-SEASON PREDICTIONS




The pundits at BNN are far more confident in our pitching than I am. However, I added about 8 wins in the off-season to a team that was 82-80, so it is probably not far off.

Houston SP Kevin Morse is a constant reminder of my previous mistakes. He was in AA when I traded him to Houston in 2007 for infielder Alexander Mooney (now retired).




Cleveland SP Steve Bowden is a name for me to watch. I tried to trade Price, Soto, and Alejandrez in a package for him, but the Rockers wanted Searles instead of Soto and Ferguson instead of Price. I decided to keep the players that I liked best and go with the other two deals instead, but I may regret that decision if Bowden is this good.

FYI… there are 91 players on waivers, 22 are pitchers. Unfortunately, none are worthy of a claim.

[Orcin]

April 6, 2015

Subject: Personal Message from the Owner – Season Expectation

Otto,

I have now decided on the goal for the coming season. After evaluating several factors, I have come to the conclusion that the team should play .500 ball.

I agreed to be patient and I will. However, I do want to remind you of the standards that will be in place by the end of our three-year agreement.

1. Win the division championship.
2. Be competitive in the playoffs.
3. Record a financial profit.
4. Keep fan interest above 90 and draw 3 million fans.
5. Maintain a minor league system ranking of 10 or higher.

I expect you to work toward these goals during your first season back at the helm.

Good Luck!
Gordon Cooper

[Orcin]

April 6, 2015 (BNN)

Subject: Baseball America Top 100 Prospects

The season is about to start, so it's time to publish the annual Top 100 Prospects list. This year 18-year-old starting pitcher Luis Ortíz of the Dallas Rattlers is the #1 prospect overall.

Here is the top 10:
1) SP Luis Ortíz, 18, Dallas Rattlers (2014 1st overall pick by DAL)
2) SP Cristo Rodríguez, 19, Milwaukee Eagles (2013 1st overall pick by MIL)
3) SP Will Milledge, 21, Atlanta Flames (2012 2nd overall pick by ATL)
4) 1B Arnie Boyd, 22, Los Angeles Vipers (2007 round 7 - 195th overall pick - by LA)
5) SP Bradley Stickler, 20, Indianapolis Indians (2012 5th overall pick by IND)
6) RF Carl Nelson, 21, Seattle Falcons (2011 18th overall pick by SEA)
7) SP Juan Ruíz, 20, Salt Lake City Bees (2012 4th overall pick by SLC)
8) CF Arturo Pérez, 22, Detroit Titans (2014 7th overall pick by DET)
9) 2B Jorge Machado, 20, Phoenix Coyotes (2014 10th overall pick by PHX)
10) LF Joe Heyrick, 21, Charlotte Knights (2012 11th overall pick by CLT)

Charlotte, Atlanta, and Seattle have the top-rated farm systems.

The Louisville Colonels farm system is rated #26 out of 30 teams. Top 100 prospects are:

• #52 SP Michael Bowles (20/L/3.5* POT) drafted 2012 R#1S (#30 overall) by CHI, acq 2015 in trade from CHI for RF Eduardo Sanchez, currently in AAA
• #65 LF Norberto Garcia (22/R/3* POT) disc 2010 in Venezuela by HOU, acq 2015 (3 days ago) in trade from HOU for two players and cash, currently in AAA
• #81 LF Jesus Reyes (24/R/2.5* POT) drafted 2013 R#1 (#28) by LOU, currently in AA

There will be a detailed analysis of the AAA club at Lexington in a subsequent post. There are 44 players on the Lexington roster (I have a limit of 30 in AAA), so some difficult choices will be required.

[Orcin]

Louisville Colonels: Off-Season Summary

It has been an active off-season. I want to return to the original road map and action items to show the net changes from the team that Chris Porter left me. I stuck to the plan pretty well, I think. The underlying theme was to protect the farm system and not take on any bad contracts. I did trade some young players, so it wasn’t a perfect job. However, I am confident that I made the club better, both for today and the future.

1. Right-handed power bat

The net transaction here ended up being Eduardo Sanchez for Bryan McConnell. Between two separate trades, I saved $12 million and got a significantly younger star. I traded a left-handed leadoff hitter (which I already had in Vargas) in return for a right-handed power hitter (which I did not have). I also received a top-100 prospect, lefty SP Michael Bowles, and a young reliever, Daniel Carlson. I gave up two young players, outfielder Rafael Vasquez and catcher Tsutomotu Kubo, and two journeymen. A grade on these two trades must be reserved until we see what Bowles does, but I am very happy with McConnell and Sanchez needed to go in order to bring the budget in line.

2. Starting first baseman

I obtained a good young player, Frank Carson, from Phoenix in return for two veteran minor league outfielders that were blocked in my organization. Carson was blocked in Phoenix by their best player, Ramon Lopez. The two outfielders I gave up both made the Phoenix 40-man roster, but neither of them project to be star players. Neither does Carson, but he is a better first baseman than the Colonels had last season.

3. Closer/Setup reliever(s)

Here is a case where I traded two younger players for an older star out of competitive necessity. Brooks will stabilize my entire bullpen. The younger players that I gave up would not have played for me, but they did make Boston’s 40-man roster as reserves. I don’t think either of those players will become stars, and I am confident that they will never be worth as many wins as Brooks. Maybe other teams have lower standards, or maybe their scouts see something we don’t (or something that is not real).

4. Starting pitcher

I obtained Ben Gentry from Boston, along with utility infielder Shane Plumbly, for yet another left-handed hitting outfielder William Price. Again, the jury is out on this trade until we see what Gentry does. The spring injury to our best pitcher (Ordonez) made it necessary to add a starting pitcher with major league experience. Vasquez (see trade #1) and Price are good young players that I may regret trading, but the organization was flooded with left-handed outfielders that are out of options. There are only so many positions on the field and spots on the roster. Lineup balance is important also.

5. Future catcher

I acquired Gary Arkle in return for SP Maximo Rodriguez, a lesser version of SP Will Spencer. Rodriguez will never be a good major league pitcher because his control is terrible. I think Arkle has a chance to be at least a good backup major league catcher, and maybe more.

6. Second base upgrade
7. Reserve outfielder that bats R

Cheap free agents, Jason Searles and Ray Banks, were signed to temporarily solve these issues. I am not sure about second base yet. It could be the incumbent Morrison that eventually wins the job. Plumbly might also be the eventual starter at second.

Other actions

One of the best trades that I made was right at the very end, dumping two veteran players that were out of options and were going to be waived (C Juan Alejandrez and 2B Pedro Soto) and receiving a top-100 prospect, Norberto Garcia, and a really good young starting pitcher, Domingo Lopez. Garcia could be the eventual center fielder to replace Rafael Valdez. Lopez could be in the major league rotation in 2016. Or both of them could be busts – such is the risk of trading for developing young players.

I also signed several veteran free agents along the way. As I move through the season, these players may be displaced by younger players that have matured. Some of these veteran players could be moved for more prospects at the trade deadline, in order to build up the farm system. I suspect that SP Mike Anderson will be in demand and he will be available when Ordonez returns. Reliever Salvador Castaneda and infielder Jason Searles may also be desirable trade bait.

[Orcin]

April 6, 2015

OPENING DAY at Milwaukee

Projected Lineup:
SS Luis Vargas
RF Brian Ferguson
LF Bryan McConnell
3B Phil Gillespie
CF Rafael Valdez
1B Frank Carson
2B Lance Morrison
C Gary Arkle or Duncan Bland
P Wallace Trauttmann


FINANCIAL FORECAST

Budget = $130 million (19th of 30 teams)

Revenues $130 million (excl. playoffs)
Expenses:
Player salaries $87 million
Personnel $10 million (incl. fired personnel payoffs)
Scouting $8 million ($5M domestic + Cuba, Mexico, Dominican, and Puerto Rico)
Draft $5.25 million (set by owner)
Player Dev $9.75 million
Total Expenses $120 million
Projected Operating Profit $10 million

The payroll ranks #22 out of 30 teams.
Highest-paid player: CF Rafael Valdez $15.25M

Most Popular Players:
1. SS Luis Vargas
2. CF Rafael Valdez
3. C Duncan Bland
4. SP Edgardo Ordonez
5. CL Bruce Brooks

[MarkCuban]

:-) I really thought that this was the year you should've hit the reset button, especially after the injury to your #1 Starter.

It would've been good to see a full reset of the roster.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by MarkCuban

especially after the injury to your #1 Starter

A perfect test of patience, don't you think?

[Orcin]

April 13, 2015

Subject: Week 1 Notes

Record: 4-2, .667, 1 GB
Position: 2nd place (behind Chicago)
Runs Scored: 26 – 8th in Federal
Runs Allowed: 17 – t1st in Federal
Defense: .767 – 1st in Federal
Power Ranking: 125.0 (4th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Normal; Fan Interest: 84/100

• Last week (4-2): 1-2 at Milwaukee, 3-0 at Charlotte
• 04/06: MIL 7, LOU 5 – Quintero (MIL) 3-4, DBL, 2 RBI; Carlson/Kouki combined to blow the save in the 7th
• Denver signed F/A C Justin Stone to be their starter. They also have top prospect C Ryan Edwards at AAA. Is former ROY C Ben Holcomb available in trade?
• 04/07: LOU 5, MIL 4 – Valdez 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI; Vargas 4-4
• 04/08: MIL 3, LOU 2 (10) – Juan Chavez (MIL) walk-off HR off Bruce Brooks (0-1)
• SEA SP Connor Legh has a torn labrum and will miss 5-6 months. He was on the Colonels last season and signed with Seattle as a free agent.
• 04/10: LOU 6, CLT 0 – shutout by Mike Anderson 2 H, 0 BB, 9 K, 94 pitches, wow!
• Bryan McConnell supplied the offense for Anderson, going 3-4, DBL, HR, 5 RBI
• No wonder other teams were frequently asking for Anderson in trade negotiations.
• CLE CL Lucas “Country Boy” Sanders became the CBA’s all-time leader in saves with 576.
• 04/11: LOU 2, CLT 0 – Spencer 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K; Valdez 2-2, TPL, RS
• Baltimore star LF Kevin Leonard was 5-5. Leonard was 2013 MVP hitting .312 with 56 HR, but he missed most of last season with 3 injuries and 2 setbacks.
• Houston signed 33-year-old SP Robbie Scott to a 3-year extension worth $24M. Scott makes $24M/year now (final year of his old deal) so that’s a big pay cut.
• 04/12: LOU 6, CLT 3 – Trauttmann 8 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K; Vargas 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
• This week: 3 at Denver, 4 vs. Los Angeles


For Your Information…
Who is the leader in the Continental Baseball Association in career on-base percentage?

Mike Pearson .439 (1981-1991)
Anthony Davis .424 (1981-1995) HOF
Luis Soto, HOU .421 (2003-2015)
Ramón Martínez, SEA .420 (2005-2015)
Dan Wilson .414 (1981-1996)

[Orcin]

Roster Analysis – Lexington Legends (AAA)

The Legends have 44 players on their roster, and the roster limit is 30 players in AAA. There are 28 position players and 10-12 of the cuts will come from there. Since I am looking at every player anyway, it is a good time to provide a thumbnail of the roster at this level. Most of the good prospects in the system are here.

Note: players that are on the secondary (40-man) roster are shown in bold

Rotation: The first two pitchers in the rotation are the best prospects in the group, and they are expected to be here all season. They only have 17 innings at AAA between them. The next three starters are the first options to be promoted in case of injury or failure by Will Spencer and/or Jerome Clark (fifth starters at Louisville). Thus, I will be watching the progress of these pitchers closely.

• Michael “Hawk” Bowles (20/L) draft 2012 R#1S by CHI, acq 2015 via trade from CHI; 2014 AA 9-13, 2.74 ERA; no options used
• Domingo Lopez (23/R) 2010 R#2 by NSH, acq 2015 via trade from HOU; 2014 missed most of the season with bone chips in his elbow; no options used
• Edison Mazzone (27/L) draft 2008 R#2 by PIT, signed via free agency 2015; 2014 ORL 11-16, 4.93 ERA; 3 options used
• Marcos Maestas (24/R) draft 2008 R#1 by LOU; 2014 LOU 3-8, 3.63 ERA; 2 options used
• Juan Jose Rodgers (26/R) draft 2006 R#1 by LOU; 2014 AAA 14-6, 3.35 ERA; 3 options used
• Josh MacDonald (26/R) draft 2007 R#10 by LOU; 2014 AAA 8-11, 4.02 ERA; 3 options used

Bullpen: Bruce Irvine would be the first left-hander promoted out of the bullpen. I would use a starter as the replacement for a right-hander unless Latham pitches well early.

• Dave Turner (21/R) draft 2012 R#5 by LOU; 2014 AA 3-2, 2.16 ERA, 19 SV; no options used
• Bruce Irvine (24/L) disc 2007 in Canada by CHI, claimed off waivers 2015 by LOU from CHI; 2014 CHI 6-4, 5.71 ERA; 1 option used
• Billy Wilson (24/R) draft 2013 R#7 by LOU; 2014 AA 2-7, 4.47 ERA, 17 SV; no options used
• Garry Latham (24/R) draft 2008 R#22 by LOU; 2014 LOU 2-2, 4.63 ERA; 1 option used
• Zach Rogers (23/R) draft 2010 R#7 by BAL, acq 2014 via trade from BAL; 2014 AAA 3-2, 3.82, 12 SV; no options used

Position Players: I will list everyone on the 40-man roster plus the key prospects. In the case of promotion due to need, secondary roster players will be considered first.

• C Chuck Haines (30/L) draft 2002 R#6 by SF, signed via free agency 2015; 2014 BOS .244/.300/.384; 2 options used
• C Christian Soto (25/R) draft 2010 R#11 by LA; signed 2010 milb free agent; 2014 AAA .258/.343/.346; no options used
• 1B Mike Guy (32/L) draft 2004 R#2 by BAL, signed via free agency 2015; 2014 NSH .248/.311/.458; 3 options used
• 1B Gonzalo Rodriguez (24/L) draft 2008 R#8 by LOU; 2014 AAA .292/.316/584; no options used
• 2B Jose Vasquez (23/R) 2013 R#1S by LOU; 2014 AA .294/.373/.431; no options used
• 2B Randy Hoddinott (26/R) draft 2009 R#10 by LOU; 2014 AAA .208/.264/.268; 3 options used
• 3B Jason Sykes (24/R) draft 2008 R#1 by ATL, acq via trade 2009 from ATL; 2014 AAA .269/.347/.410; 3 options used
• 3B Felipe Ortiz (24/R) disc 2009 in Cuba by BAL, acq 2010 via trade from BAL; 2014 AAA .250/.320/.301; 2 options used
• SS Bernardo Casas (29/R) draft 2007 R#3 by LOU; 2014 AAA .235/.318/.322; 3 options used
• SS Richard Griffith (28/R) draft 2009 R#3 by LOU; 2014 AAA .290/.357/.381; 3 options used
• LF Hector Castro (21/L) draft 2011 R#6 by LOU; 2014 A .313/.410/.567; no options used
• LF Craig Dixon (28/R) draft 2010 R#3 by LOU; 2014 AAA .227/.325/.352; 2 options used
• CF Joe Young (24/L) draft 2010 R#4 by LOU; 2014 LOU .237/.318/.437; 1 option used
• CF Aaron Decker (27/R) draft 2011 R#5 by LOU; 2014 AA .308/.382/.538; no options used
• RF Norberto Garcia (22/R) disc 2010 in Venezuela by HOU, acq 2015 via trade from HOU; 2014 AA .268/.361/.426; no options used
• RF Barry Fontenot (26/L) draft 2010 R#6 by LOU; 2014 AAA .254/.373/.468; 2 options used

As you can see, there are quite a few players with no options remaining after this year. The upcoming season will be important to evaluate them. They will likely be leaving the organization unless they win a major league job next spring.

Hector Castro is probably the best position player prospect in the system, according to Phil Green. We need to see if he can make the jump from Evansville to Lexington this season before we start making room for him in Louisville.

[Orcin]

April 20, 2015

Subject: Week 2 Notes

Record: 7-6, .538, 1.5 GB
Position: 2nd place (behind Chicago)
Runs Scored: 62 – t4th in Federal
Runs Allowed: 44 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .733 – 2nd in Federal
Power Ranking: 99.9 (14th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Good; Fan Interest: 84/100

• Last week (3-4): 1-2 at Denver, 2-2 vs. Los Angeles
• One minor change to the lineup: McConnell, our best hitter so far, will bat in the cleanup slot. Valdez moves up to #3 because he walks a lot.
• 04/13: DEN 6, LOU 4 – Lopez (DEN) 2-3, DBL, TPL, 2 RBI
• 04/14: LOU 8, DEN 2 – Valdez 3-4, 2 DBL, 3 RBI; Vargas 3-5
• WAS CL Eric Alford recorded save #500 (#5 all-time).
• 04/15: DEN 4, LOU 3 (11) – Stewart (DEN) 2-5, GWRBI single off Merced
• 04/16: LA 3, LOU 1 – Brown (LA) 8 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K (Brown rated CBA #4 pitcher)
• 04/17: LOU 5, LA 1 – Trauttmann 8.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 K
• 04/18: LA 7, LOU 6 – Reed (LA) 3-5, 2 DBL, 3 RBI
• 04/19: LOU 9, LA 4 – Carson 3-4, 2 DBL, RBI, 2 RS
• Luis Vargas is 3rd in the CBA in batting at .418
• Rafael Valdez is 4th in the Federal League in OPS at 1.197
• Evansville (A) RF Terry Webb was Player of the Week (.438, 3 HR, 6 RBI)
• Who’s Hot: CF Rafael Valdez 11G, 15 for 36, .417, 2 HR, 11 RBI
• Who’s Not: C Gary Arkle 10 G, 2 for 35, .057, 1 HR, 2 RBI
• This week: 3 vs. San Diego, 3 at St. Louis

[Orcin]

April 27, 2015

Subject: Week 3 Notes

Record: 12-7, .632, 2 GB
Position: 2nd place (behind Chicago)
Runs Scored: 101 – 4th in Federal
Runs Allowed: 68 – 2nd in Federal
Defense: .720 – 1st in Federal
Power Ranking: 121.7 (3rd in CBA)
Owner Mood: Good; Fan Interest: 84/100

• Last week (5-1): 2-1 vs. San Diego, 3-0 at St. Louis
• A small change to the lineup this week: Valdez is moving up to #2, Carson up to #3, and Ferguson down to #6. Ferguson is cold and speed is good in #6 spot.
• Arkle is struggling so Bland will start about half of the games at catcher this week.
• 04/20: LOU 10, SD 6 – Carson 3-4, DBL, HR, 4 RBI; Bland 2-4, DBL, 3 RBI
• Anderson survived a 6-run inning to pick up his second win.
• 04/21: SD 4, LOU 3 – Spencer was tied 2-2 after 7, Merced gave up 2 in the 8th
• LF Ray Banks strained his rotator cuff throwing a ball and is out 4 weeks. He was placed on the 15-day D/L. CF Joe Young (.367 in 30 AB) was recalled from AAA.
• 04/22: LOU 9, SD 4 – Searles 2-5, DBL, 2 RBI, 2 RS
• Ben Gentry was given a couple of extra days off after a rough start. Rodriguez and Anderson will pitch the first two games at STL and Gentry will go on Sunday.
• 04/24: LOU 4, STL 2 – McConnell 2-4, 2 RBI; Gillespie PH solo HR for GWRBI
• 04/25: LOU 8, STL 7 – Vargas 4-5, 2 RBI, 2 RS; Ferguson 3-3, RBI, 2 BB, 2 RS
• 04/26: LOU 5, STL 1 – Gentry 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 5 K; Vargas 3-5, DBL, 2 RS
• Did the extra rest work for Gentry or was his first good start a coincidence?
• Vargas now has a 12-game hitting streak and leads the CBA in batting (.449)
• 1B Frank Carson was Federal League Player of the Week (12-24, 2 HR, 8 RBI)
• Who’s Hot: SS Luis Vargas 7G, 18-33, .545, 11 RS (and Carson)
• Who’s Not: 2B Lance Morrison 11G, 3-28, .107, 0 HR, 0 RBI (and Arkle is still cold)
• This week: 3 at Indianapolis, 4 vs. Denver


For Your Information…

Who is the leader in the Continental Baseball Association in career RBI?

David Page 1879 (1981-1999) HOF
Joe Holloway, CLE 1747 (1997-2015)
Gary Mason 1679 (1996-2014)
Doug Smith 1628 (1981-1998) HOF
Jonathan Thomas 1562 (1989-2011)

[Orcin]

May 4, 2015

Subject: Week 4 Notes

Record: 16-10, .615, 1.5 GB (14-9 in April)
Position: 2nd place (behind Chicago)
Runs Scored: 137 – t2nd in Federal & CBA
Runs Allowed: 97 – 4th in Federal
Defense: .719 – 1st in Federal (3rd in CBA)
Power Ranking: 115.8 (7th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Happy; Fan Interest: 85/100 (+1)

• Last week (4-3): 2-1 at Indianapolis, 2-2 vs. Denver
• 04/27: LOU 4, IND 3 (14) – Arkle PH single for GWRBI; Bland injured (diagnosis pending) while stealing a base to put the winning run in scoring position.
• Philadelphia CF Mark Dumfries (2014: .297/.346/.446) was hit in the head by a pitch. He suffered a fractured skull, ending his career at age 28.
• 04/28: LOU 12, IND 1 – Valdez 3-5, TPL, 2 HR, 5 RBI; Trauttmann: 8 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 8 K
• We still trail Chicago by 2 games. We have won 6 in a row, but they have won 7.
• 04/29: IND 5, LOU 3 – Colon (IND) 3-4, HR, 2 RBI; Yates (IND) 8 IP, 1 ER
• Chicago scored 9 runs in the last two innings to beat Milwaukee 15-6 for their 8th straight win. Brock Richardson was 5-5 with a TPL, HR, and 4 RBI for the Cougars.
• Duncan Bland was diagnosed with a sprained ankle. He will miss 3-4 weeks and was placed on the 15-day D/L. Catcher Chuck Haines was recalled from AAA.
• 04/30: DEN 11, LOU 3 – Burnett (DEN) 2-5, HR, 5 RBI (grand slam off Anderson)
• Veteran Boston SP Russ Skiffington is out for the year (damaged elbow ligament)
• SP Wallace Trauttmann was our Pitcher of the Month for April: 4-0, 1.88 ERA
• SS Luis Vargas was our Player of the Month: .447/.480/.553, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 21 RS
• 05/01: LOU 5, DEN 0 – shutout by Gentry 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K; Arkle 3-3, DBL, TPL, HR, 4 RBI (missing the single for cycle)
• Lexington reliever Zach Rogers will have elbow ligament reconstruction surgery and is out for 12 months. Tough break for the 23-year-old right-hander.
• 05/02: DEN 6, LOU 3 (10) – Stewart (DEN) 3-4, 3 DBL, 2 RBI, 3 RS, GWRBI
• 05/03: LOU 6, DEN 3 – Young 1-4, 3 RBI, 2-run TPL for GWRBI
• Luis Vargas was Federal League Player of the Week (14-30, .467, 7 RS)
• Who’s Hot: C Gary Arkle 7G, 8-21, .381, 2 HR, 8 RBI (and Vargas)
• Who’s Not: SP Mike Anderson 3G, 1-1, 12.27 ERA, 14.2 IP, 22 H, 7 BB, 9 K
• This week: 3 vs. Houston, 3 vs. Dallas

[illeracula]

Originally Posted by Orcin

• Who’s Hot: C Gary Arkle 7G, 8-21, .381, 2 HR, 8 RBI (and Vargas)

Guess Mr Arkle didn't like losing playing time to Bland...

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by illeracula

Guess Mr Arkle didn't like losing playing time to Bland...

Yes, that is interesting.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Orcin

• Philadelphia CF Mark Dumfries (2014: .297/.346/.446) was hit in the head by a pitch. He suffered a fractured skull, ending his career at age 28.

Poor thing!