The North Carolina Aviators (AFBL)

[Chappy]

Years ago, I wrote about the Pennsylvania Freedom, a team I was running in the NPBL. I had a lot of fun doing that, so now I'm going to start writing about my team in the AFBL, the North Carolina Aviators.

The AFBL began in 2013, and is currently about to begin the 2041 season. I am the original owner of the Aviators. During the dispersal draft, I decided to draft a team that could compete right away, and the Aviators made the playoffs in 5 of the league's first 7 seasons. We managed to make it to the finals a time or two, but in the end entered a long rebuilding period with no championships to show off.

In 2032, the Aviators made the playoffs, ending a 12-year playoff drought. That year, we began a streak of 7 straight postseason appearances including a championship in 2037. After failing to make the playoffs in 2039, we rebounded with a 95-67 record and a postseason berth in 2040. Now, we are gearing up for 2041.

All time, the Aviators are 2286-2250 (.504) with 13 playoff appearances, 6 Patriot League South Division titles, 4 Patriot League Championships and 1 AFBL championship in 29 seasons. I've tried to keep a well-stocked minor league system and have avoided trading the farm for a slightly better team, which is probably partially responsible for my only winning one title in 13 playoff tries. Still, I'd rather be in the hunt more frequently and avoid long rebuilding periods if I can help it.

Next up: About the organization...

[Chappy]

Current Primary Team Logo

The AFBL features Major League, AAA, AA, A and R levels, with all four minor leagues playing a full season schedule. The draft takes place at the conclusion of the season, so there's no need for short season schedules that you typically see with a June draft. The top 3 minor league affiliates are all located within our home state while all rookie league clubs play in Florida.

The North Carolina Aviators play in Charlotte, NC at Bojangles Stadium. Our minor league teams are:

AAA Raleigh Explorers (the city where I currently reside, and named after a team I once owned in the JOBL)
AA Greensboro Green Sox
A OBX Privateers
R Delray Beach Grasshoppers (the city where I grew up)

The Aviators have retired 2 numbers:

#1 for AFBL Hall of Fame outfielder Crawdad Hicks
#23 for AFBL Hall of Fame pitcher Norberto Leon

Hicks was our all-time team leader in WAR (51.9) until he was recently surpasses by active 3B Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan (often referred to as just 'Goppy'), while Leon was and is our all-time leader in RWAR (61.2).

A third player, #33 Don Wilson, has been considered for this honor, but as of right now it has not been retired.

[Chappy]

Where we are now...

In the AFBL universe it is currently February 25th, 2041, the first day of Spring Training. We have 37 of a possible 50 players in camp. This is a veteran team, so there are not very many position battles going on.

There are a few big storylines this spring:

Can a rookie break into the rotation?
Our rotation hasn't seen much change since current ace Norman Cornell entered the lineup in September of 2037.

But this Spring, we have a pair of rookies pressuring veterans Ron Carmichael (36 years old, 18-8, 2.87 last season) and Bertil Aarden (32 years old, 14-9, 4.38 last season) for playing time.


Ron Powell

28-year-old Ron Powell is a bit old for a rookie, and he has gotten a taste of the big league life a couple of times before. Back in 2039, he was a September call-up and was 0-2 with a 6.11 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP in 28 innings of work. Last year, he took a big step forward with a 2-1 record and a 1.31 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in 20.2 innings. He also made a start in the postseason and allowed 2 ER in 7 innings, walking 2 and fanning 4.

Powell has worked hard to get where he is. As a 4th round pick in 2032, Powell was not really expected to make the big leagues. He has now started over 100 games in AAA, so he's really earned this opportunity. But he's going to have to beat out a current Aviators starter AND another hot prospect.


Teimua Kirisitopa

23-year-old Teimua Kirisitopa is not quite as developed, but has a higher ceiling than Powell. He was 12-8 with a 5.36 ERA in AAA last season, but Explorer League (AAA) ERA's are typically inflated in the AFBL universe. A scouting discovery from American Samoa, we expect Kirisitopa to be a solid big league pitcher. The only question is 'when?'.

Can Goppy still play Third Base?
The 2039-2040 offseason brought us a stunning surprise; 4-time best defender award winner Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan suddenly had a '-' rating at 3rd base. Not a '2', not a '1', but a '-'. It really turned our infield on it's head. We tried him out at 3rd and he posted a ZR of -9.5, just 1 season after posting a ZR of +7.6 at 3rd base. We tried him out at 1B and he committed 3 errors in 10 games. A 1B with a .970 fielding % was not going to work. We put him at DH, which displaced our best pure HR hitter who can't really play defense anywhere.

The league conversion to OOTP19 has re-branded Goppy's '-' as a '1', so this Spring I am going to keep a close eye on him and see if he can handle the 3B duties again. He doesn't have to be the best 3B in the league, but he needs to be better than he was last season.

Who will the starting outfielders be?
From former All-Star/ROY Jorge Chewie Baca, to current flavor of the week Turd Newton, to veteran .308 career hitter Cristobal Castillo, to last year's Team MVP David Ruiz, to the always disappointing Jesus Martinez... and so on... we've got a whole room full of guys with big league talent wanting to start. But we've also got to narrow it down to 3 players.

Those are the questions I'll be attempting to answer as I follow up this post with my first Spring Training report.

[Chappy]

Spring Training Rotation
I always run a six-man rotation during the Spring Training period, as there's very little talent separating the end of my rotation so I need to get a look at the numbers to make my final decisions. Here's a look at who will be in the rotation as Spring Training starts:

SP1 - Norman Cornell - 26 years old
After back-to-back 16 win seasons in '38 and '39, Cornell won a career-high 19 games for the Aviators last season, posting a 3.15 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP along the way. Rated 9/6/7 with 4 good pitches (8/8/8/7 ratings), Cornell appears to be in his prime and ready to be our ace for another season.

SP2 - Trey Drackley - 33 years old
Until last season, Drackley was usually our 5th starter, posting 3-12 and 3-13 records in 2038 and 2039. But last year, Drackley lowered his ERA from 5.19 to 3.41 and posted a 9-6 record, moving up in the rotation and earning himself the #2 spot to start this spring. Rated 7/5/8 with 2 good pitches, 1 ok pitch, and a change up I wish he wouldn't throw (8/8/5/1)

SP3 - Jesus Ortega - 30 years old
It's been a rough two years for Ortega, who once led the AFBL in starts and innings pitched for three straight years (2036-38). A 12-12, 4.84 campaign in 2039 followed by a slow start last season led to Ortega finishing the year in the bullpen (thus picking up his first two career saves). He's rated 8/6/7 and will try to return to form this year from the #3 spot in the rotation. He;s got an elite splitter and a good fastball, but his other two pitches are just rated '4', which may be why he has struggled in recent history. I heavily considered keeping him in the pen permanently, but he's got a ton of stamina and I'm not ready to give up on him as a starting pitcher.

SP4 - Ron Powell - 28 years old
As I mentioned earlier, Ron Powell is a rookie trying to break in to the rotation. He's got a '9' in stuff and three great pitches (10/9/8), but both his movement and control are downright average (5). He was effective last season in September, so I want to get a good look at him this spring. I'm thinking he could be a good power pitcher. Last season in AAA he fanned 195 batters in 153 innings. Powell might not make this Aviators squad, but he's got a legit shot.

SP5 - Ron Carmichael - 36 years old
Carmichael is a guy who constantly pitches better than his ratings. He's a two-time 20 game winner, and was 18-8 last year. His ERA of 2.87 was almost a full point below his career ERA of 3.85. He did that with 6/5/9 ratings. A placement pitcher with high intelligence, Carmichael is also one of my most durable players. He's started 30 or more games every year since 2028, when he stared 29 games. At 36, we'll be monitoring him closely, but he still has 3 solid pitches (8/7/7) and excellent control so he should perform well.

SP6 - Bertil Aarden - 32 years old
Aarden was the 6th overall pick in the 2025 draft and he's pitched decently for me, but he's on the fringe right now. If he winds up in AAA, it might be tough for him to fight his way back against younger players like Ron Powell and Teimua Kirisitopa. Rated 5/6/9, he doesn't quite pitch above his ratings like fellow control freak Ron Carmichael. Aarden posted a career high 1.38 WHIP last year, and also had the 2nd worst ERA he'd ever had at 4.38. His pitches are becoming average (7/6/5), and the end may be near if he can have a solid spring.

Extra Starter in Bullpen - Teimua Kirisitopa - 23 years old
Currently only rated 7/5/5, but with potentials of 8/5/8, Teimua is a guy we think will be in the rotation perhaps as soon as late this season. He's got excellent stamina and has progressed through the minors nicely. This spring, we'll just use him in the pen for the first sim. Many relievers get more innings than the starters in the pre-season anyway.

Coming soon.... the rest of the bullpen.

[Chappy]

Spring Training Bullpen
There's enough of a talent drop between my worst ML reliever (Rob Williams) and my best AAA reliever (Ivan Julio) that it is doubtful there will be much change in the bullpen from last season to 2041. But let's take a look at who is in the mix for what:

Lou Moore

Closer
28-year-old Lou Moore is destined to be our closer barring injury. After saving 31 games with a 1.08 WHIP in 2039, he posted 47 saves and a 0.83 WHIP last season. Moore has great stuff and control (9), but like many other players, suffered a drop in movement (5) during the conversion to version 19. He's got 3 solid pitches (8/7/7), a luxury in my bullpen.

Setup

SU1 - Edgardo Rosas - 37 years old
Guns 'N Rosas is an aging star, but he still puts up good numbers. Rosas was 1-1 with 2 saves and a 2.47 ERA (1.18 WHIP) in 60 appearances last year. He doesn't have great stuff (5), but his movement (8) and control (9) are good enough to make up the difference. Rosas has appeared in 850 games for the Aviators in his career, posting a 3.12 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in 876 innings.

SU2 - Rob Williams - 29 years old
Williams is coming off a 1-2-3, 3.68 campaign in which he appeared in 31 games. While not great at anything, Williams is good at everything. He's rated 7/6/7 with two good (7) pitches, good (7) stamina, good (8) at holding runners... when you add it all up, you've got a pretty decent relief pitcher who can get the job done in most situations.

Middle Relief

MR1 - Jose Estrada - 31 years old
It took Estrada a while to finally stick in the big leagues. Although he first pitched for the Aviators way back in 2030 at age 20, he was back and forth between Charlotte and Raleigh for 10 years. Last season, he finally pitched a complete season in the majors, going 5-3-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 55 appearances. His previous high in appearances was 35, set back in 2033. Estrada was - more often than not - our best AAA reliever and first to be called up to the bigs whenever there was an injury. He's got good to above average ratings (8/6/6) and his pitches vary greatly (9/6/5).

MR2 - Dean Edwards - 30 years old
Dean's coming off of a 6-3-4 season with a 3.95 ERA and a career-worst 1.37 WHIP. We're hoping for a rebound. He's rated 8/5/9 with 3 solid pitches (7/7/6) and is gifted at holding runners. As a 4th round pick, I've gotten my money's worth out of Edwards.

MR3 - Teimua Kirisitopa - 23 years old
As mentioned in an earlier post, Kiristitopa is a starting pitching prospect, but I've worked him into the bullpen to get him some action this spring. He appeared in 1 game last year, allowing 1 hit and no runs while striking out 5 in 4.2 innings of work.

Long Relief

LR1 - Bobby Miller - 28 years old
Miller, a 4th round pick 11 years ago, has never pitched above AAA. He's rated 6/6/6 with pitches rated 7/4/5, but has a potential to get up to 8 in stuff, which would make him very useful. As of right now, he's staring at AAA.

LR2 - Terence Jackson - 27 years old
Jackson is entering his 3rd full big league season, after going 4-3-8 with a 2.47 ERA in 76 appearances last season. Terence Jackson is a former 2nd round pick, and is rated 7/6/7 with 3 good pitches (8/7/6). He figures to be in the bullpen to start the season.

LR3 - Cristo Perez - 28 years old
Perez is another older player that has never pitched in the majors. He's an interesting case, as he has really good stuff (8, 9 potential) but just average movement (5) and control (4). He's got a nice curve ball (9), a good fastball (7), but just an average change (5). He holds runners well, something I like to see in relievers since they often enter the game with runners on. He's not quite ready for prime time, but if he can gain a point in control, he'd likely get a shot.

Other

25-year-old Ivan Julio is also in the pen as a specialist, assigned to face LHB. Julio has fantastic stuff (10), but below average movement and control (4). He throws a change up (1) that he probably shouldn't. He's pitched in September during each of the last 3 seasons, combining for 12 innings of work in 24 appearances. He owns a 0.75 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. Pretty nice, but a very small sample size (and he's only been used vs lefties).

Coming soon, a look at catchers and first basemen...

[Chappy]

Catchers in Camp

Bob Hopkins - 33 years old
Hopkins, our third round pick (#45 overall) in the 2026 draft, is a good defensive catcher with average to above average hitting ability. After being our primary big league backup from 2033 to 2037, he's been bouncing around between AAA and the Aviators a lot over the past three seasons. He's a career .265/.319/.419 (AVG/OBP/SLG) player at the big league level in 317 big league games. Current ratings are 5/5/6/5/5 with very little room to grow, but as I mentioned earlier, he's solid defensively as well (8 rating at C).

Kevin Roberts - 23 years old
In an unusual occurrence (at least in my AFBL experience), our 4th round pick in the most recent draft is in Spring Training camp. Kevin Roberts has the exact same ratings as Hopkins - 5/5/6/5/5, although he's actually completely maxed out (barring changes in his potentials). Like Hopkins, Roberts is rated '8' at the catcher position. But while Hopkins has a career .265 batting average, Roberts only has a .233 career mark an that was at the college level. At any rate, we'll see how he does this spring, but it's very likely he'll be in AAA Raleigh to begin his pro career.

Juan Rodriguez - 25 years old
The incumbent starter, Juan Rodriguez has done a very nice job for a 3rd round pick (#59 overall in 2033). Currently rated 5/6/7/5/5 with a little room to grow, Rodriguez is - like our other catchers - very capable defensively, holding an '8' rating behind the plate. Rodriguez hit .263-20-62 last season in 486 at bats as our #1 backstop, a role he is likely to reprise.

First Basemen in Camp

Luis Aragon - 29 years old
Luis is a former 2nd round pick that hasn't quite been able to stick in the bigs. Last season, he hit .294, but only appeared in 7 games. He also hit .306-26-71 in AAA Raleigh. He's rated 6/5/6/4/6, and is slightly below average in the field (4). He also lacks speed, but is sneaky on the basepaths. He's appeared in 212 career AFBL games and has hit .250/.301/.355 during that time. Aragon is likely to be our starting 1B in AAA this year.

Arturo Gonzalez - 26 years old
Our third round pick (54th overall) in 2032, two years after Aragon was drafted, is our incumbent starting 1B. Gonzalez is quite average with the glove (5), but is an above-average hitter, putting up 22 HR in each of the past tow seasons. Rated 6/6/7/6/6, Gonzalez has hit .248/.316/.438 over 450 big league games. He's battling Shane Schute for the first base job.

Shane Schute - 30 years old
Schute has really been a disappointment considering he was the #2 overall pick back in 2029. He exploded onto the scene as a rookie in 2033, leading the league in doubles (51) and posting a sweet .326 average. The following year, he led the league in doubles again (44) and walked over 100 times to post a .403 OBP. But unfortunately, those were not really signs of what was to come. Injuries struck in 2035 (broken foot), 2036 (broken elbow), 2037 (broken foot again), 2038 (ACL strain) and 2039 (bruised elbow and strained ankle), costing him a total of 39 weeks of playing time and diminishing his abilities. Last season Shane stayed healthy but hit just .258-10-49 in 123 games including 95 starts. In his career, he's a .286/.386/.443 guy. He's a liability in the field (2 rating at 1B), so he may DH quite a bit. But more on the DH battle later.

Coming soon, infielders in camp...

[Chappy]

Infielders in Camp
5 of the 7 infielders (not counting 1B and Catchers) in camp will make the 25-man roster. Let's take a look at them:


Future Hall of Famer Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan

2B/SS/3B - Eddie Wheeler - 28 years old
Eddie is a fantastic fielder what hasn't developed the bat we hoped he would. Taken with our first round pick (19th overall) in the 2033 draft, Wheeler first had a cup of coffee with the big league team in 2036, but due to injuries and depth, finally became an everyday player just last season. He hit .266-7-47 with 24 doubles and 33 stolen bases. Current ratings are maxed out at 6/6/5/4/7, with 8/10/10 running ratings and a 10 at his current position, 2B.

2B/SS/3B - Juan Baez - 28 years old
Baez, a scouting discovery, is basically a poor man's Wheeler. Rated 5/5/4/5/6 (maxed out) with 6/10/10 running ratings and a 7 at 2B & 3B, Baez has career .253/.317/.342 stats in 337 games. Somehow he sneaked his way onto the 2038 PL All-Star team, hitting .274-6-37 in a career-high 355 plate appearances that year. Must've had a hot start.

3B/LF - Pat Bannatyne - 23 years old
Pat has made it a long way for a 6th round pick (#115 overall in 2035). He hit .247 with 2 HR and 5 RBI in 90 plate appearances last year, his first in the big leagues. He also hit .403-4-24 in 169 AAA plate appearances. Currently maxed out at 5/6/5/5/6 with average running and fielding ratings, Pat doesn't figure to be a star, but he can be a capable role player for us.

1B/3B - Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan - 37 years old
A future Hall of Famer, Goppy is definitely on the down side of his career. He's still rated 8/7/2/4/7 and although his speed is diminished (3), he still is smart on the basepaths. He hit .331 last season, playing at 3B, 1B and DH. We'd like to play him at 3B everyday, but his defensive abilities have really taken a dive. Well, actually it's just his range (2) that has suffered. He's still got a good glove and an elite arm. Goppy dropped from a 6 at 3B to a 0 last year, but the conversion to OOTP19 propped him back up to a 1. Goppy was the #1 overall pick in the 2023 draft and he reached 3,000 hits last season. His days are numbered, but we're going to throw him out there as long as we can.

3B - Ireno Kehlmaier - 25 years old
We acquired Kehlmaier in a trade last year when Goppy's defense really crashed. He hit just .226 but had 7 HR in 198 plate appearances. His ratings suggest he should hit better than that. He is maxed out at 5/7/7/5/7. He's an average defender with average speed, but he's smart on the basepaths.

3B/SS - Doug Butler - 33 years old
Butler is an undrafted free agent we signed years ago. He's can play SS well and is one of our best bunt hitters, if that's a thing. Rated 5/6/3/6/3, he'd be a lot more useful if he could max out his Eye rating to it's potential 9. As he is, he's a career .261/.312/.375 hitter in 274 big league games scattered over parts of 8 seasons.

SS - Jose Martinez - 27 years old
Martinez is a scouting discovery who evolved into an elite prospect and then devolved into a slightly above average player. His strength is his glove. He's an elite defensive SS with 2 Best Defender Awards on the shelf. He was also voted onto the All-Star team in 2035 and 2036. He's also good for 20-30 stolen bases per season. Rated 5/5/5/7/4 and nearly maxed out (he has room to grow to a 5 in avoid k's), he is the definition of mediocre at the plate. Career line is .240/.313/.351 through 930 games. He'll probably start at SS for his defensive ability.

Coming soon, the outfielders...

[Chappy]

Outfielders in Camp
5 of the 8 outfielders in camp this year will make the 25-man roster. Let's take a look at them:

LF/RF/1B - Ed Hunt - 31 years old
If you've ever played in a non-financials league, you know that it's not very often that you find a useful player in the free agent pool. Ed Hunt was cut loose by Oregon in 2039, and we picked him up for depth. He appeared in 60 games for the AAA Raleigh squad and 24 games for the Aviators. He was not particularly good; he hit .242-9-25 in AAA and .182-0-3 in the bigs. He's rated 5/4/6/5/7 and actually won a Best Fielder Award for Oregon at 1B in 2037, which isn't really that long ago. He plays 3 positions and is a capable baserunner, which makes him a good bench guy if he makes the 25-man.

LF/CF/RF - Francis Ridley - 31 years old
Francis Ridley is an interesting player. I'm not sure why, but when he's on my 25-man, the team just plays better. He is a good leader with good gap power, good defensive ability, and good running traits (9/10/8 Speed/Stealing/Baserunning). His ratings are otherwise average; 5/8/4/2/6. He was an All-Star, a Best Fielder Award winner, CF Platinum Stick Award and the Rookie of the Year in 2035, when he hit .274-19-95. After that, his numbers really fell off, although he was an All-Star again in 2038 when he hit .249-14-60. In his career, he has just a .247 average and a weak .295 OBP. He hits lots of doubles and triples, giving him a .398 slugging percentage in 779 major league games. Ridley is a good luck charm. He spent nearly the entire 2039 campaign in AAA because he was hitting so poorly, and that's the one year we've missed the playoffs since he made his big league debut in 2033. We struggled to start off the 2040 campaign and called him up and immediately started winning games. Even though he hit just .193 we had to keep him in the lineup. He's borderline on making the roster based on ratings, but his x-factor might allow him sneak onto the team.

CF/RF - Jorge 'Chewie' Baca - 26 years old
We seem to have a lot of players that explode onto the scene and fade very quickly. Baca, a scouting discovery, doesn't quite fit into that category - yet. In 2037 Chewie won the Rookie of the Year, was an All-Star, won the RF Platinum Stick Award, won the Federation Cup (the AFBL's World Series) and was named Federation Cup Series MVP. He hit .304-26-99 with 40 stolen bases and let the PL in runs (106), triples (13) and SLG (.549). The following year, he fell to .279-15-59. The year after that, he fell to .228-9-38. Last season he hit .271-5-15 but appeared in only 39 big league games. Current ratings are maxed out at 5/7/6/4/6, which suggest he'll never reach those rookie year numbers, when his contact and power ratings were both '7'. He's only an average defensive player but is an excellent baserunner. Baca is not a particularly well-liked guy around the clubhouse, which definitely factors into decision making when we've got so many similar outfielders to choose between.

LF/CF/RF - Cristobal Castillo - 33 years old
Cristobal is a veteran singles hitter who has decent baserunning skills and is a good defender that can play all 3 outfield spots. He hit .272 last season, breaking a streak of 8 consecutive .300+ seasons. For his career, he's appeared in 1,748 games and hit .308, notching 2,122 hits along the way. Injuries over the past 4 years have most likely killed his chance at 3,000 hits, but at one point that seemed like a strong possibility. If he plays until he's 40, who knows? He's rated 7/4/1/4/9, making him one of our most consistent players at getting the ball in play. I wish he'd walk more, but that's just not part of his game. His career numbers are .308/.345/.373. He was a scouting discovery.

LF/CF/RF - Edmund Collins - 25 years old
Our 2nd round pick (#37 overall) in 2036, Collins is officially still a rookie although he has appeared in 44 AFBL games. Maxed out ratings at 5/6/6/5/5 suggest he'll be a mediocre hitter, and he's kinda slow compared to our other outfielders. He is decent in the field but by no means spectacular. Collins will probably be in AAA this coming year barring a super strong spring showing.

CF/RF - Turd Newton - 21 years old
With our first pick in the 2037 draft (#20 overall), the Aviators took a diverse young outfielder named... Steve Campbell. With our 2nd pick in that same 2037 draft (#40 overall), we took another outfielder; Turd Newton. Three years later, Campell is still toiling away in the minor leagues while the Turdster is the latest young outfielder to star in North Carolina. He was called up August 1st last season and after a slow start, he wound up hitting .261-9-24 in 65 games, all starts. He also demonstrated his great baserunning ability (10/10/9) swiping 12 bases. While his positional skill (6) has not yet caught up to his raw outfield talent ratings (8/10/8), he should develop into a solid outfielder. He's rated 6/7/7/4/6 at the plate with a little room to grow, and he hit .369-22-83 in 96 AAA games before being called up. Turd is likely to start in CF for us this coming year.

RF - Brad Cooke - 26 years old
Brad Cooke is a high character guy that has worked hard to reach the spring training roster. Rated 5/5/6/6/5, he's a former 5th round pick (99th overall) and he went 1-for-5 in his first AFBL experience last September. He's hit very well in AAA, and although he's weaker at baserunning and defense than most of our outfielders, he still has a shot at turning into a decent player. He'll likely need a power boost though. Cooke's already done more than we expected to get out of a 5th round pick.

LF/RF - David Ruiz - 27 years old
Ruiz was an All-Star right fielder for us last year and also picked up the RF Platinum Stick Award for the PL with a .297-32-92 season. Rated 6/6/7/6/8 with a little room to grow in eye rating, Ruiz is our likely RF starter. He's average defensively and below average running the bases, but his big bat makes up for what he lacks. He was a 3rd round pick in 2031, and has already surpassed our first round pick that year (outfielder Jim O'Brien) in value. We'll talk more about O'Brien soon, since one of my biggest debates is what to do with him. He's got the best pure power ratings on my team but is too much of a liability in other areas to keep on my 25-man roster. But more on that later.

Next up, a little about our division.

[Chappy]

About the Division
The Aviators play in the PL (Patriot League) South Division. Last year's final standings looked like this:

Team                     W  L  PCT GB  RS  RA
North Carolina Aviators 95 67 .586  - 665 592
Georgia Titans          90 72 .556  5 727 630
Virginia Diamond Club   80 82 .494 15 750 709
West Virginia Hollers   80 82 .494 15 694 718
Maryland Bridegrooms    77 85 .475 18 692 727

As you can see, we won the division despite scoring the fewest runs. We owe that to a spectacular pitching staff, which I expect to have again this year. I also expect to score more runs with the emergence of Turd Newton and if Goppy can handle playing at 3rd.

About the League
There are a total of 20 teams in the league, split between the Frontier League and the Patriot League. All teams are named after states. The division winners and two wild card teams per league make the playoffs, meaning 8 of the 20 teams make the postseason each year.

Coming soon - Spring Training Results and our 25-man roster.

[Chappy]

Before we get to Spring Training results, which won't run until this evening, let's take a look at our organization's top prospects:


Flash Rodriguez - 21 years old
Catcher - #1 Prospect in Organization - #12 Prospect in AFBL
Scouting discovery - Made pro debut in 2036
Potential Batting Ratings - 8/8/8/4/7

Flash was originally one of two players within the NC organization named 'Jose Rodriguez'. Coincidentally, both were catchers. And born in 2019. In December. 4 days apart. In order to differentiate them, I had to give one of them a nickname. I looked at the 'better' Jose Rodriguez (the 4.5 star prospect), spotted his '1' rating in speed, and decided to call him 'Flash', ironically of course. Flash hit just .214 in his first pro season with Delray Beach in the Rookie League back in 2036. He followed it up with a .319-16-86 campaign in 2037 and was promoted to A-ball the following year. He hit .295-12-60 in A-Ball and was promoted to AA for 2039. That year he hit .289-8-61. He broke out last year in his 2nd AA season with a .328-17-67 line. This year he'll be suiting up for the AAA Raleigh Explorers. A September call-up is not out of the question, especially if he develops that power some this year.

The other Jose Rodriguez is no slouch, by the way. A 3-star prospect with potentials of 5/6/6/6/7, he's expected to play in single-A this year.


Teimua Kirisitopa - 23 years old
Starting Pitcher - #2 Prospect in Organization - #38 Prospect in AFBL
Scouting discovery - Made pro debut in 2035
Potential Pitching Ratings - 8/5/8 (Stamina 10, Hold Runners 9)

I've mentioned Teimua previously as he's in Spring Training camp this year. He made his pro debut very much under the radar with Delray Beach (R), going 3-7 with a 6.65 ERA in 23 starts. The following season, he was promoted to OBX (A) and was 7-6 with a 4.24 ERA. In a second season with OBX, he was 9-11 with an ERA of 5.07. He really started to shine in AA, although his first season with Greensboro (AA) was cut short by injury. He was 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA in 14 starts. The following year, still in Greensboro, he was 10-2 with a 3.43 ERA. That season really put him on everyone's radar. Last year, his first in AAA, he was 12-8 with a 5.36 ERA. Elevated ERA's are common in the high-scoring Explorer League (AAA), so we are not concerned about the ERA. He was 12-8 for a team that went 66-74. He'll get another shot in AAA this year unless he somehow sneaks onto the 25-man roster.


Steve Campbell - 20 years old
Center Field - #3 Prospect in Organization - 109th Prospect in AFBL
Drafted in the 1st round, #20 overall in 2037 - Made pro debut in 2038
Potential Batting Ratings - 5/7/5/6/5 (Speed 10, Center Field 10, OF Range, Error and Arm 10)

Campbell has seen a slight ratings drop since being drafted. His contact and power ratings were both '6' back then. He struggled early in his pro career. In 2038 he hit just .209-11-57 for Delray Beach (R). The following year he was promoted to OBX (A) but hit just .214-16-50 while striking out 187 times in 135 games. Last year, he was moved to AA Greensboro and cut his strikeouts from 187 to 114, and also hit much better (.306-16-61). This year he moves up to AAA, and hopefully his numbers continue to climb. He's got great baserunning attributes (10/8/9) and is still a 3-star prospect, but he's probably not going to be the All-Star outfielder we were hoping he would become when we took him in the first round.

[Chappy]

North Carolina Aviators Secondary Logo

Spring Training Results
The Aviators posted a 14-16 record in Spring Training, landing tied for 3rd with the Virginia Diamond in the PL South standings. The Georgia Titans led the way with a 19-11 record, with West Virginia 1 GB at 18-12. Maryland brought up the rear with a 10-20 mark. We care a lot more about player performances in the Spring than we do about the team record, so a sub-.500 record is nothing to be alarmed about.

Let's take a look at the three storylines I mentioned in a previous post.

Can a rookie break into the rotation?
Indeed. Both Ron Powell and Teimua Kiristopa had a shot, with Powell starting all Spring and Kiristopa coming in from the pen. The pair logged approximately the same number of innings, with Powell pitching 19.2 and Kiristopa in for 20.1. The results? Ron Powell was 0-1 with a team-worst 5.95 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP (worst WHIP among starters in Spring, and 2nd worst among all NC pitchers). Teimua Kiristopa was 2-0 with a save and the third-lowest ERA on the team (2.21) and he led all NC players with a 0.65 WHIP.

Teimua Kiristopa will start the year as our #5 starting pitcher, while Ron Powell and veteran Bertil Aarden will start the season in Raleigh (AAA).

Can Goppy still play Third Base?
The jury is still out on this one, because I cannot seem to find Spring Training fielding stats anywhere. I can tell from the box scores that he only made one error, but perhaps that's because he's not getting to the ball. At this point, I'm going to just let him start at 3rd for the month of April and then re-evaluate things.

Who will the starting outfielders be?
David Ruiz will start in RF. That was an easy choice, as he was an All-Star and Platinum Stick Award winner there just last season. His .314 average and .872 OPS (3rd best on the team) in Spring Training cemented it. Turd Newton will start in CF. He hit .292 and led the team in both Runs (11) and RBI (10) this Spring. He ranked 4th in plate appearances. LF ended up being the toughest call. Francis Ridley, our sparkplug, was 2nd on the team in OPS (.916). But in the end, I named veteran Cristobal Castillo starter. Castillo led the team with a .358 average. Ridley will stay on the 25-man roster as a backup outfielder though. And hey, if we struggle, injecting him into the lineup will be my first course of action.

NC Aviators Reveal 2041 Opening Day 25-man Roster

POS Player (Spring Stats) W-L-S   IP  ERA WHIP
SP1 Norman Cornell        1-1-0 20.0 4.50 0.90
SP2 Jesus Ortega          3-0-0 20.0 1.35 0.95
SP3 Trey Drackley         0-3-0 20.0 5.85 1.25
SP4 Ron Carmichael        2-2-0 20.0 3.15 0.85
SP5 Teimua Kiristopa (R)  2-0-1 20.1 2.21 0.69 
MR1 Terence Jackson       0-0-0 10.0 4.50 1.10
MR2 Dean Edwards          0-1-1 10.0 4.50 1.20
MR3 Jose Estrada          0-0-0 15.1 2.35 0.98
SU1 Edgardo Rosas         0-2-0 11.0 3.27 1.18
SU2 Rob Williams          1-0-0 21.1 1.69 1.08
CL  Lou Moore             1-5-6 19.2 4.12 1.12

Trey Drackley's 5.85 ERA is alarmingly high, but his 1.25 WHIP tells me there's probably a lot of bad luck there. Still, I'll watch him closely early this season. The scariest thing here is closer Lou Moore's 5 losses! That's going to have to be corrected and soon. Overall, I'm pleased with all of the WHIPs on the staff. We seem to be doing a good job keeping players off the bases.

  PO Player (Spring Stats)  AVG-HR-RBI  OBP  SLG  OPS  SB CS
1 SS Jose Martinez         .308  1   4 .393 .385 .778   3  7
2 3B Ahilocana Goppy       .295  1   3 .317 .410 .727   0  1
3 RF David Ruiz            .314  3   6 .415 .457 .872   0  0
4 CF Turd Newton (R)       .292  2  10 .325 .472 .797   4  1
5 1B Arturo Gonzalez       .283  2   6 .328 .400 .728   5  0
6 DH Shane Schute          .300  2  10 .412 .525 .937   0  0
7 2B Eddie Wheeler         .193  1   6 .245 .273 .517   5  1
8 CA Juan Rodriguez        .286  0   4 .380 .357 .737   0  0
9 LF Cristobal Castillo    .358  0   2 .393 .453 .846   2  0 
    Bench
 CA Bob Hopkins            .244  3   4 .295 .512 .808   0  0
 IF Ireno Kehlmaier        .176  4   8 .300 .451 .751   4  0
 IF Doug Butler            .188  1   3 .204 .292 .496   0  0 
 OF Francis Ridley         .321  0   3 .345 .571 .916   3  0
 OF Jorge "Chewie" Baca    .275  2   9 .351 .471 .821   5  1

Eddie Wheeler and Jose Martinez were battling for the leadoff spot this Spring. Martinez won that battle easily. I'm going to need for Wheeler to hit a lot better than he is right now. Baca gives me good depth in the OF, while Kehlmaier and Hopkins should provide a little pop off the bench.

Well, we're ready to roll! Here's a look at our first couple of opponents:

April 1-3 - vs Virginia Diamond Club (80-82 last season, projected to go 78-84)
April 4 - Off
April 5-7 - vs New Jersey Athletics (91-71 last season, projected to go 82-80)

[Chappy]

Sim #1

Game Summaries
4/1 - 3-2 loss vs Virginia (12 innings) - SP Norman Cornell pitched well enough to win, but there just wasn't enough run support. Reliever Edgardo Rosas surrendered a solo HR in the top of the 12th and Virginia's Wilson Perez held us scoreless in the bottom half of the inning to seal the Virginia Diamond Club victory. Turd Newton was 4-for-5 (all singles) in the game with a run scored and a run driven in.
4/2 - 7-3 WIN vs Virginia - Jesus Ortega pitched a complete game, allowing 3 ER on 8 hits in 9 innings while fanning 7. Eddie Wheeler had 8 total bases in the game, going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and a HR. SS Jose Martinez was 2-for-5 with a HR of his own.
4/3 - 9-2 WIN vs Virginia - Trey Drackley earned his first win, allowing 2 ER on 4 hits in 7 innings of work. Terence Jackson pitched well in the final two innings. DH Shane Schute was 3-for-4 with his first HR of the year. He's one of 3 starters hitting exactly .500 through the first 3 games (Schute, Ruiz and Newton).
4/4 - Off Day
4/5 - 4-3 loss vs New Jersey - Ron Carmichael fanned 7 and allowed just 5 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings of work, but NJ capitalized on timely hitting and got the win. We out hit the Athletics 8-6, with Turd Newton and Juan Rodriguez leading the way with 2 hits a piece.
4/6 - 7-1 WIN vs New Jersey - Cornell pitched well again, allowing 1 ER on 7 hits in 7 2/3 innings while fanning 9 Athletics batters. Goppy led the Aviators in hits with 3, while catcher Juan Rodriguez drove in 3 runs on a 2-for-4 day.

Notes
Maryland went 4-1 this week to take an early lead in the Patriot League South. We are tied with Georgia at 3-2, 1 game back. Through the first 5 games, we lead the league in a handful of offensive categories (Batting Average, OBP, OPS, Runs, Hits, XBHits). Our leauge leading .337 team average is powered by 4 .400+ hitters: DH Shane Schute (.467), CF Turd Newton (.435), C Juan Rodriguez (.409), and RF David Ruiz (.409). Of course, 5 games is an extremely small sample size.

Upcoming Games
4/7 - vs New Jersey Athletics
4/8-4/9 - vs Ohio Knights
4/10-4/11 - vs New York Twin Towers
4/12-4/14 - vs Georgia Titans

We'll finally play a road game 4/15.

Role          T	Pitcher	G	 GS	W	L	SV	ERA	WHIP	Status
Starter       L	Norman Cornell	  2	2	1	0	0	1.98	1.32	Exhausted
Starter	      R	Jesús Ortega	  1	1	1	0	0	3.00	1.22	Rested
Starter	      R	Trey Drackley	  1	1	1	0	0	2.57	0.71	Rested
Starter	      R	Ron Carmichael	  1	1	0	1	0	6.00	1.00	Exhausted
Starter	      L	Teimua Kirisitopa 0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	Rested
Middle Relief R	José Estrada	  1	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	Rested
Middle Relief R	Dean Edwards	  0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	Rested
Middle Relief R	Terence Jackson	  2	0	0	0	0	0.00	1.25	Rested
Setup	      L	Rob Williams	  1	0	0	0	1	0.00	0.75	Rested
Setup         L	Edgardo Rosas	  3	0	0	1	0	3.00	1.33	Injured (Day-To-Day)
Closer        L	Lou Moore	  2	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.33	Rested

# B Name                    Pos	 AVG	HR	RBI	SB
1 R José Martínez            SS	.261	1	3	1
2 R Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan 3B	.348	0	1	0
3 L David Ruíz               RF	.409	0	5	0
4 L Turd Newton              CF	.435	0	2	4
5 L Arturo González          1B	.200	0	1	0
6 L Shane Schute             DH	.467	1	4	0
7 R Eddie Wheeler            2B	.350	1	4	0
8 R Juan Rodríguez            C	.409	0	5	0
9 R Cristóbal Castillo       LF	.118	0	0	0

[Chappy]

Sim #2

Game Summaries
4/7 - 1-0 WIN vs New Jersey - The offense didn't show up today, but was okay since Jesus Ortega was in top form. The veteran SP allowed 4 hits and fanned 6 in 8.1 innings of work while closer Lou Moore finished the game with 0.2 shutout inning(s). Goppy had our only hit until the bottom of the ninth, when catcher Juan Rodriguez led off the inning with a walk-off HR. Gotta give some praise to New Jersey's Bobby Young, who had a great line (8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10 K's) in the Athletics' loss.
4/8 - 7-2 WIN vs Ohio - Turd Newton got the scoring started early with a 3-run HR in the first inning, while Trey Drackley picked up the win with 2 ER allowed on 4 hits in 7 innings of work. Goppy finished the game with 3 hits in 5 AB, and Newton finished with 4 RBI. Bob Hopkins added a 3-run HR for good measure.
4/9 - 5-2 WIN vs Ohio - Tiemua Kiristopa made his big-league debut, and earned his first victory. The young prospect allowed 8 hits but just 2 ER in 7 innings of work, fanning 5 and walking none. He allowed 2 solo HR. 2B Eddie Wheeler was 3-for-4 with a R and 2 RBI, as the Aviators scored 5 runs without an extra-base hit.
4/10 - 2-1 WIN vs New York - Ron Carmichael pitched 7 scoreless innings while Rob Williams blew a save attempt before the offense bailed him out. Lou Moore picked up his second save of the year. Goppy, David Ruiz, and Juan Rodriguez led the team at the plate with 2 hits each and DH Shane Schute hit his 2nd HR of the season (which leads the team, btw).
4/11 - 4-1 WIN vs New York - Norman Cornell earned POG honors with a 1 ER on 3 H in 8 IP line, while Moore earned save #3 with a scoreless 9th inning. Jesus Martinez was 2-for-3 with a HR and 2 RBI, while Turd Newton and Shane Schute also had 2 hits a piece.
4/12 - 1-0 WIN vs Georgia - Jesus Ortega pitched a complete game shutout, allowing 3 hits and fanning 8 Titans batters. In 3 starts this year, he has pitched 9, 8.1, and 9 innings. Turd Newton's 2nd HR of the season was all the offense we needed, as 3 Georgia pitchers combined to hold us to 4 hits.
4/13 - 4-2 WIN vs Georgia - Trey Drackley moved to 3-0 on the year, allowing 1 ER on 7 hits in 6 innings. Leadoff man Jesus Martinez took the team lead in HR with his 3rd and Goppy was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double as the Aviators complete a 7-0 week.

Notes
2 weeks in, and our pitching numbers are phenomenal. We lead the league with a 1.62 ERA. Split up, that's a 1.84 ERA (1st) for the starters and a 0.78 ERA (1st) for the bullpen. The only pitching category we're not #1 in his HR allowed (9 - 3rd). Offensively, our numbers have come down since the first sim, but we still lead the league in OBP (.354). Starting 1B Arturo Gonzalez and starting LF Cristobal Castillo are both struggling, batting .167 and .139 respectively, but I'm not messing with the lineup while we're on a roll.

Upcoming Games
4/14 - vs Georgia
4/15-4/17 - @ Maryland
4/18 - Off Day
4/19-4/21 - @ West Virginia

Role          T	Pitcher           G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	WHIP	Status
Starter       L	Norman Cornell    3	3	2	0	0	1.66	1.06	Slightly Tired
Starter       R	Jesús Ortega      3	3	2	0	0	1.03	0.68	Tired
Starter       R	Ron Carmichael    2	2	0	1	0	2.77	0.92	Rested
Starter       R	Trey Drackley     3	3	3	0	0	2.25	0.90	Exhausted
Starter       L	Teimua Kirisitopa 1	1	1	0	0	2.57	1.29	Rested
Specialist    L	Iván Júlio        1	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	Rested
Middle Relief R	Dean Edwards      0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	Rested
Middle Relief R	José Estrada      2	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.67	Rested
Setup         R	Terence Jackson   3	0	0	0	0	0.00	1.20	Rested
Setup         L	Rob Williams      4	0	1	0	2	1.80	1.20	Slightly Tired
Closer        L	Lou Moore         6	0	1	0	3	0.00	0.60	Rested

#	B	Name                    Pos	AVG	HR	RBI	SB
1	R	José Martínez            SS	.277	3	7	4
2	R	Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan 3B	.373	0	2	1
3	L	David Ruíz               RF	.340	0	5	0
4	L	Turd Newton              CF	.354	2	9	4
5	L	Arturo González          1B	.167	0	2	0
6	L	Shane Schute             DH	.394	2	5	0
7	R	Eddie Wheeler            2B	.295	1	7	1
8	R	Juan Rodríguez            C	.342	1	8	0
9	R	Cristóbal Castillo       LF	.139	0	0	4

The next AFBL sim is not until Monday night so I'll be back with some more analysis sometime this weekend.

[Chappy]

Deeper Thoughts
I've decided - despite the current 8 game winning streak - to bench Cristobal Castillo (.139-0-0 in 43 plate appearances) in favor of Jorge "Chewie" Baca. Our bench has seen very little action thus far, so Baca (and fellow backup outfielder Francis Ridley) have yet to appear in a game this year. Baca will hit 9th, right where Castillo was hitting. He hit .271-5-15 in 39 games last season.

Speaking of the bench, backup catcher Bob Hopkins has made 2 starts and hit .200-1-3, backup infielder Doug Butler has appeared in 1 game, going 1-for-1 with a single, and backup IF Ireno Kehlmaier has seen the most action, appearing in 9 games (mostly as a late game defensive replacement at 3rd base). He's 2-for-6 at the plate.

We're going to stick with Arturo Gonzalez at 1B for now, despite his .167 start. He should pick it up soon.

Standings

PL North
Team                     W  L GB STRK
North Carolina Aviators 10  2  -  W8
Maryland Bridegrooms     8  4  2  W1
Virginia Diamond Club    5  7  5  L4
Georgia Titans           5  7  5  L3
West Virginia Hollers    5  7  5  L1

[Chappy]

Sim #3

Game Summaries
4/14 - 5-1 loss vs Georgia - We end our long home stand on a sour note, as Tiemua Kiristopa's 2nd career start does not go particularly well. He allowed 4 ER on 7 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings. The team didn't give him much support at the plate, either, though Jorge Baca went 3-for-3 with a 2B and a 3B and a stolen base in his first start of the season.
4/15 - 4-2 WIN @ Maryland (14 innings) - Ron Carmichael allowed 2 ER on 3 hits in 6 innings, fanning 5. Then a quartet of relievers allowed just 8 baserunners in the next 8 innings to hold on, with Terence Jackson getting credited with the win. Ireno Kehlmaier was the hero at the plate. Making a start at 3rd base, Ireno was 3-for-6 with the eventual game-winning HR in the top of the 14th inning. Eddie Wheeler was 2-for-7 with a 2-run HR in the 3rd inning.
4/16 - 12-2 WIN @ Maryland - The offense really was in tune today, with Shane Schute, Arturo Gonzalez, and backup catcher Bob Hoskins all having 3-hit days. We hit 4 HR as a team, which is pretty rare, as Gonzalez, Doug Butler, Hopkins and Eddie Wheeler all went yard. It was the 2nd game in a row where Wheeler hit a HR. Norman Cornell got the win, allowing 2 ER on 5 hits in 7 innings of work. He's now 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA on the season.
4/17 - 3-1 WIN @ Maryland - Arturo Gonzalez seems to be recovering from his slow start. His second 3-hit game in a row brings his season average up to .237. Jesus Ortega threw his 3rd complete game in 4 starts this year, allowing 1 ER on 7 hits while fanning 4 batters. He's now 3-0, 1.02 on the season.
4/18 - Off Day
4/19 - 4-2 loss at West Virginia - We were really hammered in this one, with Trey Drackley allowing 10 hits in 5 innings and the bullpen allowing another 5 hits in the final 3 innings (didn't pitch a 9th because we were down). Turd Newton was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI, but the rest of the team didn't do very much. #3 hitter David Ruiz is in a big slump right now.
4/20 - 4-2 loss at West Virginia - The score was the same, but this was a much better effort for us. We hit a pair of HR, but unfortunately they both came with the bases empty. Arturo Gonzalez (2) and Jorge Baca (1) were the HR hitters. Ron Carmichael tooke the loss, allowing 3 ER on 6 hits in 6 innings while fanning 8 batters. A quality start, but we just needed a little more from the bats.

Notes
RP Jose Estrada suffers our first major injury of the season. He's out for 3-4 months, and has been replaced by Ivan Julio. Julio, 25, has a career 0.73 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in 25 appearances, mostly as a specialist. He has faced 1 batter this season and stuck him out.

I could feel Ruiz was in a slump, and it's verified by the numbers. He hit .087 this week. Meanwhile, Arturo Gonzalez emerged from a slump of his own with a .350-2-4 week, going 7-for-20. Jorge Chewie Baca hit .286-1-3 in his first week in the starting lineup, a huge upgrade from how Cristobal Castillo had been hitting. Castillo was 1-for-3 this week off the bench.

I'm still keeping a close eye on Goppy's defensive performance at 3B. While the sample size is still small, he seems to be doing a lot better than last season. His efficiency (.864) is lowest of any starter on the team, but our team leads the league in that category overall, so even though he may be the weak link, we are still playing great defense as a team. I'm going to let him ride there for now.

I'm also going to keep Chewie in LF for the next sim.

Stats

Role          T	Pitcher           G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	WHIP	Status
Starter       L	Norman Cornell    4	4	3	0	0	1.88	1.01	Rested
Starter       R	Jesús Ortega      4	4	3	0	0	1.02	0.71	Slightly Tired
Starter       R	Ron Carmichael    4	4	0	2	0	3.24	0.88	Exhausted
Starter       R	Trey Drackley     4	4	3	1	0	2.52	1.16	Exhausted
Starter       L	Teimua Kirisitopa 2	2	1	1	0	4.15	1.38	Rested
Middle Relief R	Dean Edwards      2	0	0	0	0	0.00	1.71	Slightly Tired
Middle Relief R	Terence Jackson   5	0	1	0	0	0.00	1.07	Rested
Setup         L	Rob Williams      6	0	1	0	2	2.00	1.33	Rested
Setup         L	Edgardo Rosas     5	0	0	1	0	1.93	0.86	Rested
Closer        L	Lou Moore         8	0	1	0	3	0.00	0.62	Rested

CATCHERS
#	B	Player         Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
9	R	Juan Rodríguez	C	15	58	17	1	8	6	2	13	.293	.311	.414	0.4
38	R	Bob Hopkins	C	3	10	4	2	4	3	1	3	.400	.417	1.100	0.3
INFIELDERS
#	B	Player                  Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
28	L	Arturo González          1B	18	66	15	2	6	8	6	13	.227	.301	.364	0.0
65	L	Shane Schute             1B	17	55	18	2	6	11	9	11	.327	.422	.545	0.6
35	R	Ireno Kehlmaier          3B	12	20	7	1	3	3	3	5	.350	.435	.600	0.3
15	R	José Martínez            SS	17	69	16	3	7	9	6	21	.232	.321	.377	0.6
14	R	Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan 3B	17	67	23	0	3	5	3	9	.343	.371	.403	0.3
33	R	Eddie Wheeler            2B	17	67	19	3	11	7	2	13	.284	.304	.493	0.6
54	R	Doug Butler              SS	3	9	3	1	3	1	0	2	.333	.333	.667	0.1
OUTFIELDERS
#	B	Player            Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
19	L	Turd Newton        CF	18	71	24	2	12	8	3	12	.338	.368	.451	0.9
50	L	David Ruíz         RF	18	70	18	0	5	6	5	11	.257	.325	.314	-0.1
67	R	Francis Ridley     LF	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	-0.0
13	R	Jorge Baca         LF	6	21	6	1	1	3	1	6	.286	.375	.714	0.3
36	R	Cristóbal Castillo RF	15	39	6	0	2	6	8	2	.154	.298	.179	0.1

#	B	Name                    Pos	AVG	HR	RBI	SB
1	R	José Martínez            SS	.232	3	7	6
2	R	Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan 3B	.343	0	3	2
3	L	David Ruíz               RF	.257	0	5	0
4	L	Turd Newton              CF	.338	2	12	8
5	L	Arturo González          1B	.227	2	6	0
6	L	Shane Schute             DH	.327	2	6	0
7	R	Eddie Wheeler            2B	.284	3	11	1
8	R	Juan Rodríguez            C	.293	1	8	0
9	R	Jorge Baca               LF	.286	1	1	2

Upcoming Games
4/21 - @ West Virginia (8-10)
4/22 - Off Day
4/23-24 - @ Ohio (8-10)
4/25 - Off Day
4/26-28 - @ Ontario (10-8)

Standings

South                    W	L	 PCT	GB
North Carolina Aviators 13	5	.722	-
Maryland Bridegrooms     9	9	.500	4.0
Georgia Titans           9	9	.500	4.0
West Virginia Hollers    8	10	.444	5.0
Virginia Diamond Club    7	11	.389	6.0

[Chappy]

Future Stars Report


Flash Rodriguez

21-year-old Venezuelan catcher Flash Rodriguez is off to a blazing hot start in AAA Raleigh. Roddy hit .328-17- 67 in AA Greensboro last season. This year, in 15 games, he has hit 5 homers and driven in 17 runs. He's hit .333 and posted an OPS of 1.083.

The 5 HR are a nice sign; we've been waiting for the young catcher to develop his power swing. Scouts gave him an '8' potential years ago, but he has not yet eclipsed 20 HR in a single season yet. Current ratings for Flash are 6/8/4/4/6 with potentials of 8/8/8/4/7.

Additionally, he is a quality defensive catcher. He's struggled this year though, posting 5 errors already and only throwing out 2 of 12 would-be base stealers.

Down in AA Greensboro, Steve Larson is playing some exceptional baseball. The 21-year-old outfield prospect is off to a .344 start, with 2 HR and 8 RBI in 16 games. He's scored 13 times and is 6-for-7 stealing bases. Steve is posting a .963 OPS so far.

He's currently rated 5/8/3/3/4 with potentials of 6/8/7/5/6 and is an elite runner and defensive player.

While the Aviators are currently looking good at C and CF this season, it's good to know these young players are making strides.

[Chappy]

Sim #4

Game Summaries
4/21 - 2-0 WIN @ West Virginia - Norman Cornell was fantastic on the mound to help us avoid being swept by WV. Cornell allowed 6 hits and 1 walk in 8 innings and struck out 6 batters to move to 4-0, 1.47 on the year. Lou Moore picked up his 4th save with a scoreless inning. Offensively, we had just 6 singles and a walk, but the hitting was timely enough to get us a couple runs. Goppy and the slumping Ruiz each drove in a run.
4/22 - Off Day
4/23 - 5-2 WIN @ Ohio - Goppy had 3 hits in 4 at bats to lift his season BA to .373, and Turd Newton and Shane Schute each added a pair of hits to pace the hitters, while Jesus Ortega survived his 'worst' outing of the season: 1 ER allowed on 4 hits and 4 walks in 7 innings. He moves to 4-0 with a 1.06 ERA this year.
4/24 - 4-3 loss @ Ohio - We outhit the Knights 12-6, but were unable to capitalize, leaving 14 runners on base compared to the Knights 2. Jesus Martinez, Goppy, the Turdster, Schute and Chewie each had 2 hits for us, including Baca's 2nd HR of the season. Trey Drackley falls to 3-2 on the year, allowing all 4 runs in one inning in an otherwise good performance; he allowed 5 hits and fanned 4 while walking 0 in 5.2 innings.
4/25 - Off Day
4/26 - 9-6 loss @ Ontario (11 innings) - This one got away from us a couple of times. We took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th, but an error by the SS with 2 out and nobody on started an Ontario rally. The next batter singled, the next was hit by a pitch, and then a double by Ty Hinkle tied the game. Goppy drove in a run in the top of the 10th to put us up 6-5, but the Pirates matched it in the bottom half of the inning. Then, in the bottom of the 11th, LHP Rob Williams walked a pair of runners before Jeff Duncan hit a 2-out, 3-run walk-off home run to end the game. Goppy and Ruiz each had 3 hits for us, and Norman Cornell fanned 9 while allowing 2 ER on 6 hits in 8 innings. In the end, Martinez's error and a shaky bullpen cost us one we should have won.
4/27 - 4-3 WIN @ Ontario - This was an important win, as we nearly gave the game away for the 2nd day in a row. Ron Carmichael had a fantastic outing, allowing 1 ER on 4 hits in 8 innings of work. We entered the bottom of the 9th with Lou Moore on the mound and a 4-1 lead. But Moore allowed 5 hits and 2 runs before finally striking out Jeff Duncan swinging, the same player who hit the game winner the night before. DH Shane Schute had an interesting line: 0-for-1 with 2 walks and 2 RBI.

Notes
With two off days last week, we are pretty well-rested. That's good, because we don't have another off day for 16 days (with the two consecutive games already played, that's a total 18-day stretch).

Rookie pitcher Teimua Kiristopa has only made 2 starts so far, so I had considered sending him to AAA to get some innings in. However, with the 18 day games streak, it's likely he'll get a couple starts here soon, so I decided to put it off. I've always second guessed myself when it comes to giving young players playing time in AAA vs sitting on the pine in the big leagues.

We have used our bullpen very little this year thanks to fantastic starting pitching. 3 players have yet to allow a run, partly because they've barely pitched. Only Terence Jackson (11.1) and closer Lou Moore (13.2) have reached double-digit innings pitched this year. Jackson has yet to allow a run and Moore has a 1.32 ERA.

Baca will stay in for Castilla. Chewie is hitting .282-2-4 with 7 runs scored and is a perfect 6-for-6 stealing bases, while Castillo is .150-0-2 with 6 runs scored and 4-for-4 stealing bases. Castillo has started 13 games vs Baca's 11.

David Ruiz's slump is officially over, he's pulled his average up to .270 with a .333 week.

Stats

Role          T	Pitcher           G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	WHIP	Status
Starter       L	Norman Cornell    6	6	4	0	0	1.61	0.94	Exhausted
Starter       R	Jesús Ortega      5	5	4	0	0	1.06	0.78	On a Hot Streak
Starter       R	Ron Carmichael    5	5	1	2	0	2.73	0.82	Exhausted
Starter       R	Trey Drackley     5	5	3	2	0	3.23	1.11	Rested
Starter       L	Teimua Kirisitopa 2	2	1	1	0	4.15	1.38	Rested
Specialist    L	Iván Júlio        2	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	Rested
Middle Relief R	Dean Edwards      2	0	0	0	0	0.00	1.71	Rested
Middle Relief R	Terence Jackson   6	0	1	0	0	0.00	0.97	Rested
Setup         L	Rob Williams      7	0	1	1	2	4.66	1.55	Rested
Setup         L	Edgardo Rosas     7	0	0	1	0	4.05	1.35	Rested
Closer        L	Lou Moore        12	0	1	0	6	1.32	1.17	Slightly Tired

CATCHERS
#	B	Player         Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
9	R	Juan Rodríguez	C	20	76	20	1	9	6	4	18	.263	.293	.355	0.4
38	R	Bob Hopkins	C	4	11	4	2	4	3	1	3	.364	.385	1.000	0.3
INFIELDERS
#	B	Player                  Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
28	L	Arturo González          1B	23	83	18	2	6	9	9	17	.217	.301	.337	-0.1
65	L	Shane Schute             1B	22	68	22	2	8	12	13	14	.324	.427	.515	0.7
35	R	Ireno Kehlmaier          3B	16	24	7	1	3	4	4	6	.292	.393	.500	0.1
15	R	José Martínez            SS	22	91	22	3	7	12	7	28	.242	.324	.363	0.6
14	R	Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan 3B	22	88	34	1	8	9	5	12	.386	.419	.466	0.8
33	R	Eddie Wheeler            2B	22	89	24	3	12	8	2	16	.270	.286	.449	0.5
54	R	Doug Butler              SS	3	9	3	1	3	1	0	2	.333	.333	.667	0.1
OUTFIELDERS
#	B	Player            Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
19	L	Turd Newton        CF	23	92	30	2	13	9	5	14	.326	.364	.424	0.9
50	L	David Ruíz         RF	23	89	24	1	8	10	6	13	.270	.333	.348	0.0
67	R	Francis Ridley     LF	7	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	-0.1
13	R	Jorge Baca         LF	11	39	11	2	4	7	2	10	.282	.349	.641	0.6
36	R	Cristóbal Castillo RF	19	40	6	0	2	6	8	2	.150	.292	.175	0.1

PRIMARY LINEUP
#	B	Name                    Pos	AVG	HR	RBI	SB
1	R	José Martínez            SS	.242	3	7	7
2	R	Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan 3B	.386	1	8	3
3	L	David Ruíz               RF	.270	1	8	0
4	L	Turd Newton              CF	.326	2	13	9
5	L	Arturo González          1B	.217	2	6	1
6	L	Shane Schute             DH	.324	2	8	0
7	R	Eddie Wheeler            2B	.270	3	12	2
8	R	Juan Rodríguez            C	.263	1	9	0
9	R	Jorge Baca               LF	.282	2	4	6

Upcoming Schedule
4/28 - @ Ontario (14-9)
4/29-4/30 - vs Indiana (11-12)
5/1-5/2 - vs Illinois (9-14)
5/3-5/5 - @ Virginia (9-14)

Not a tough looking slate, so hopefully we'll take care of business. The Indiana and Illinois series' are our first interleague match-ups of the year.

PATRIOT LEAGUE STANDINGS, SOUTH
Team                     W	L	 PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
North Carolina Aviators	16	7	.696	-	17-6	-1	10-3	6-4	1-2	4-3	137	W1	6-4
Maryland Bridegrooms	13	10	.565	3	10-13	3	6-9	7-1	1-2	4-1		W4	5-5
Georgia Titans          12	11	.522	4	11-12	1	8-8	4-3	1-0	3-3		W3	6-4
West Virginia Hollers	11	12	.478	5	13-10	-2	4-3	7-9	0-1	3-2		W1	5-5
Virginia Diamond Club	9	14	.391	7	9-14	0	4-3	5-11	3-2	5-4		L1	3-7

[Chappy]

One note about the future stars report (Post 16)...

You might have noticed Post 10 had my #3 prospect listed as CF Steve Campbell, while Post 16 has my #3 prospect (#2 prospect Teimua Kiristopa is on the ML roster so I skipped him) listed as CF Steve Larson. That's not a typo, Larson has moved up to the #3 spot while Campbell has dropped to #5 behind 1B Natsuo Kubo.

Having two young CF prospects named Steve can get confusing, but at least they have separate last names, unlike the C Jose Rodriguez situation that forced us to change one guy's name.

Anyhow, I just wanted to clear that up.

Side note; we have 10 prospects ranked in the top 200. I don't think that's bad for a team that has made the playoffs in 8 of the last 9 seasons.

[Chappy]

Arturo Gonzalez demoted to Raleigh, Jim O'Brien rejoins Aviators

With 26-year-old 1B Arturo Gonzalez struggling at the plate (.217-2-6 in 23 games) and 27-year-old DH Jim O'Brien zipping the ball out of the park in AAA Raleigh, I've decided to swap the two players, at least temporarily.

On paper, this move hurts our defense and increases our power, but in reality Gonzalez was struggling in the field as well as at the plate, so I don't know if it will actually hurt the defense.

DH Shane Schute moves to 1B, while O'Brien takes his spot at DH.

Shane Schute has started 367 games at 1B in the past, posting a .992 F%. He's rocking a .427 OBP this season.

Jim O'Brien has hit 13 HR and driven in 35 runs in 23 games with Raleigh this season. He's returning to the Aviators after a rough season that saw him hit just .236-11-44 in 99 games at the big league level. The year before, he hit .277-40-111 for the Aviators and was an All-Star.

O'Brien has unquestionable power, but his season-long slump last year led to him being left off the 25-man roster to start this season. A former 8th overall pick, if he can return to 40-HR form, he can really give us a boost in the power department.

[Chappy]

Sim #5

Game Summaries

4/28 - 7-5 WIN @ Ontario (11 innings) - Goppy went 3-for-5 to push his average up to .398, while backup backstop Bob Hopkins delivered a 2-run double in the 11th to give us the lead. Jesus Ortega pitched 8.1 innings, allowing 5 ER on 9 hits. Lou Moore got the win with 2 perfect innings pitched.
4/29 - 2-1 WIN vs Indiana (11 innings) - Trey Drackley pitched the equivalent of a complete game, allowing 1 ER on 5 hits in 9 innings, but got no decision. Edgardo "Guns N" Rosas pitched 2 perfect innings in relief and got credited with the win. Shane Schute hit his 3rd HR of the season while Turd Newton turned in a 3-for-5 performance at the plate.
4/10 - 7-6 WIN vs Indiana (12 innings) - We win in extras for the third day in a row. Kiristopa had a rough start, his first in some time. He allowed 5 ER on 11 hits in 6 innings. But Rob Williams and Terence Jackson combined to throw 6 solid innings in relief and the bats were strong, so we came out on top. Eddie Wheeler was 3-for-6 with a solo HR and 5 RBI. Jim O'Brien was 1-for-6. He's hit just .143 in his 3 starts at DH.
5/1 - 2-1 loss vs Illinois - Norman Cornell allowed 1 ER on 3 hits in 6 innings, but the bats were too cold today. Jim O'Brien had 2 of our 6 hits to pull his average up to .222.
5/2 - 3-1 loss vs Illinois - Had trouble scoring today, but we had 10 hits. Turd Newton had 3 of them in 4 at bats, including 2 doubles. Ron Carmichael allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings to fall to 1-3.
5/3 - 6-3 loss @ Virginia - Jesus Ortega had his 2nd rough start in a row, allowing 6 ER on 8 hits in 7 innings. Turd Newton continues to hit well, going 4-for-5 in the loss with his 3rd HR of the year. Jim O'Brien was brought in for his power, but is .174-0-0 at the plate this sim. Where is his stick?
5/4 - 9-7 WIN @ Virginia (10 innings) - There it is! Jim O'Brien goes 3-for-5 with 2 HR and 4 RBI to power the offense. His 2nd HR came in the 10th inning to give us the lead for good. All 4 of our wins this sim were in extra innings. Trey Drackley was roughed up. He allowed 6 ER on 10 hits in 4.2 innings. But we survived...

Notes
A strong performance in the last game of the sim gives Jim O'Brien a .250-2-4 line for the first sim.

Catcher Juan Rodriguez is .253-1-11 this year. That's significant, because down on the farm, Flash Rodriguez is tearing it up and looking ready for the bigs. He's at .386 with 6 HR and scouts have elevated his contact rating vs Righties to 7 with 9 gap power... at some point, we're going to have to call him up. I'm putting out feelers to see if anyone is interested in acquiring Juan, but I can always keep him as a backup if I don't like any offers I receive.

Goppy in 2nd in the PL in batting average with a .379 mark. Jorge Beltre of West Virginia leads the league at .384.

Turd Newton is tied for 2nd in the PL in batting WAR at 1.6.

Norman Cornell's 1.60 ERA is 3rd in the PL, and he's #2 in K's with 47.

Shane Schute's first 7 starts at 1B instead of DH were not impressive (fielding wise). His efficiency is .779, well off the .928 we saw from Arturo Gonzalez. It's a small sample size though, so I'm going to let it ride another sim. I want to see if O'Brien can get hot.

Despite two defensive liabilities - Goppy at 3rd and Schute at 1st - we are ranked 1st in the PL in team defensive efficiency (.718).

Stats

Role          T	Pitcher           G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	WHIP	Status
Starter       R	Jesús Ortega      7	7	4	1	0	2.50	0.92	Tired
Starter       L	Norman Cornell    7	7	4	0	0	1.60	0.89	On a Hot Streak
Starter       R	Ron Carmichael    6	6	1	3	0	2.70	0.80	Slightly Tired
Starter       R	Trey Drackley     7	7	3	2	0	3.65	1.17	Exhausted
Starter       L	Teimua Kirisitopa 3	3	1	1	0	5.21	1.58	Rested
Specialist    L	Iván Júlio        3	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	Rested
Middle Relief R	Dean Edwards      4	0	0	1	0	1.69	1.69	Slightly Tired
Middle Relief R	Terence Jackson   9	0	2	0	0	0.00	0.90	Tired
Setup         L	Rob Williams     10	0	1	1	2	3.60	1.33	Rested
Setup         L	Edgardo Rosas    10	0	1	1	0	3.72	1.34	Rested
Closer        L	Lou Moore        15	0	3	0	6	0.96	0.96	Slightly Tired

CATCHERS
#	B	Player         Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
9	R	Juan Rodríguez	C	25	95	24	1	11	7	4	23	.253	.291	.347	0.3
38	R	Bob Hopkins	C	6	18	6	2	6	3	2	5	.333	.381	.778	0.3
INFIELDERS
#	B	Player                  Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
8	R	Jim O'Brien              1B	7	28	7	2	4	4	2	5	.250	.300	.500	0.1
65	L	Shane Schute             1B	29	99	28	3	11	18	13	18	.283	.374	.475	0.5
35	R	Ireno Kehlmaier          3B	21	30	8	1	3	4	4	7	.267	.371	.433	0.1
15	R	José Martínez            SS	29	117	28	4	11	15	11	39	.239	.326	.359	0.6
14	R	Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan 3B	29	116	44	1	10	11	6	16	.379	.410	.474	1.0
33	R	Eddie Wheeler            2B	29	121	30	4	16	11	2	21	.248	.260	.430	0.5
54	R	Doug Butler              SS	3	9	3	1	3	1	0	2	.333	.333	.667	0.1
OUTFIELDERS
#	B	Player            Pos	G	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
19	L	Turd Newton        CF	30	124	44	3	16	13	5	20	.355	.391	.492	1.6
50	L	David Ruíz         RF	30	117	31	3	11	15	10	18	.265	.336	.385	0.1
67	R	Francis Ridley     LF	11	2	0	0	1	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	-0.1
13	R	Jorge Baca         LF	18	69	18	2	5	9	4	16	.261	.338	.507	0.6
36	R	Cristóbal Castillo RF	22	41	6	0	2	6	8	2	.146	.286	.171	0.1
PRIMARY LINEUP
#	B	Name                    Pos      AVG	HR	RBI	SB
1	R	Jorge Baca               LF	.261	2	5	6
2	L	Turd Newton              CF	.355	3	16	12
3	L	David Ruíz               RF	.265	3	11	0
4	R	Jim O'Brien              DH	.250	2	4	0
5	L	Shane Schute             1B	.283	3	11	0
6	R	Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan 3B	.379	1	10	3
7	R	Eddie Wheeler            2B	.248	4	16	4
8	R	Juan Rodríguez            C	.253	1	11	0
9	R	José Martínez            SS	.239	4	11	7

Upcoming Games
5/5 @ Virginia (11-19)
5/6-5/7 - @ New Mexico (14-16)
5/8-5/9 - @ Idaho (21-9) <--- Best Record in the AFBL
5/10-5/12 - @ New York (12-18)

I was hoping for a stronger showing last sim, but I'll take 4-3 over 3-4 any day. Good chance for a strong sim again. Everyone but Idaho is sub .500

South	                 W	L	PCT	GB
North Carolina Aviators	20	10	.667	-
Maryland Bridegrooms	16	14	.533	4.0
Georgia Titans	        16	14	.533	4.0
West Virginia Hollers	14	16	.467	6.0
Virginia Diamond Club	11	19	.367	9.0