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07-25-2019, 08:47 AM
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#1 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ashford, UK
Posts: 203
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The Idaho League (redux)
The Idaho League, established in 2019, is designed for two core purposes 1) to give the people of Idaho a regular, consistent, easily connectable league of baseball to not only watch but also participate in, and 2) to offer the former MLB rookie leaguers, the ones that never quite made it, a vital opportunity at making a living, if only for a small while, playing the game that they love. Playing over an 80-game competition, the six teams taking part this year are:
- Coeur dAlene White Wings - Idaho Falls Maulers - Caldwell 97s - Twin Falls Elephants - Boise Steamrollers - Pocatello Suns The top two teams, at the end of the season, will play a seven-game season called the Idaho Cup. The first-placed side, given its a one-division competition, will win the Idaho Trophy (possibly to be renamed), but the Cup, truly, is the one that everyone wants. Come to the ballpark, grab your favourite drink and snack, and have a glorious day watching Americas Pastime in the beautiful state of Idaho. If you're reading this and thinking 'hey, didn't I read this on a really, really short 'dynasty' that went absolutely nowhere a short while back?', you'd be absolutely right! Hopefully, my laptop doesn't brick itself this time around. |
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07-25-2019, 08:51 AM
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#2 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ashford, UK
Posts: 203
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PRESEASON NEWS AND TRANSACTIONS
8th March 2019 Only a day after the formal foundation of the league, we have our first purchase to the bigs as the Los Angeles Dodgers shelled out the necessary $250k to purchase Oscar Adams from the Coeur d'Alene White Wings. Oscar, 27, hails from Pocatello and has, according to the scouting department at the Dodgers, 'big-league stuff with great movement'. He throws a meaty 99mph fastball and a splitter. 'I went undrafted due to some stupid stuff I did at college', said Adams to reporters, 'but I've grown as a person, both physically and mentally. At 27, I'm ready to try again.' Commissioner Frank Chandler Jr., speaking to congregated press, said of the trade that he '[was] immensely proud of Oscar, despite having never played in the Idaho League. This is exactly what this competition was designed to do – give those who may have slipped through the cracks a second shot at glory. We have every faith and hope that Oscar will be joined by others.' Adams joins the Arizona League side initially, but is expected to quickly progress through on further evaluation. 9th March 2019 Reagan Rutledge, from Houston, Texas, becomes the first player to come into the Idaho League on a free transfer as the centre-fielder joins the Coeur d'Alene White Wings. Rutledge, 27, is a speedy, solid defensive player with good contact by the IL's standards. After a year out of baseball since being released by the Trinidad Triggers of the Pecos League, he's ready to play again. 14th March 2019 Coeur d'Alene seem to be exploiting the $250k cash injection they received from Adams' departure as today they bring another two players into the fold. The first is 1B Clint Freeman from Jonesborough, Tennessee, who played three seasons in the Frontier League for the River City Rascals, batting .264 overall while hitting 33 home runs in 266 appearances. The second is a spectacular coup for the team as they snag 2B Stephen Bruno, the 7th-round pick for the Chicago Cubs in the 2012 Draft – just last year, he was playing for the Iowa Cubs (their AAA-affiliate), but on receiving an offer to play regular baseball in Idaho, the 28-year-old couldn't refuse. He brings +++ contact to the league with great power, solid baserunning smarts and good defensive grounding. 15th March 2019 Guess what? The White Wings are at it again, this time bringing in SP/1B Ryan Leach on a $42k contract from the Ottawa Champions. Leach, 26, from Farmingdale, Maine, had bounced around the Canadian sides in the Can-Am League before the White Wings approached him. Throwing a 90mph fastball, a curveball and a changeup, the expectation is he will pitch at the top of the rotation. 16th March 2019 Another day another Coeur d'Alene acquisition, and this one carries the flag of the first man in the Idaho League to have major-league experience. 3B Josh L. Bell, from Rockford, Illinois, featured in 79 games for the Orioles in 2010 and 2011, and other 21 outings for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012 (although his Orioles batting average ended .200 dead and the D'backs ended .173). Nevertheless, he's a switch-hitting machine that should have an awful lot of fun against pitchers this year. Some have started to express concern at the White Wings' dominance in the early transfer market, notably Boise owner Kamar Mozie. “It's ridiculous really that the competition hasn't even started yet and we're no longer playing on a level playing field” said the 59-year-old. “Either something has to change or this is going to be a very one-sided season.” Others are a little less bothered. “They got lucky I guess,” said Caldwell owner Jorge Prieto, at the White Wings' obtaining and consequent flipping of Oscar Adams to the Dodgers. Pocatello owner Jeremy Lahey noted to media that, “while [the White Wings] have been able to sign lots of talent up quickly, they had to do it at the expense of a man expected to lay waste to this league. With all due respect to their new signings, none are the calibre of Oscar by a decent way.” 17th March 2019 Coeur d'Alene may have just 'fixed' that with the acquisition of Chase Whitley, who as recently as 2017 appeared in 41 relief outings for the Tampa Bay Rays and as also enjoyed starts with the Yankees in 2014 and '15. After a disjointed 2018 moving through the Atlanta organisation he joins Coeur d'Alene presumably with the view to giving his career some much-needed stability. 21st March 2019 1B Cameron Haskins becomes the first player to sign for an Idaho League side that ISN'T the White Wings today, as he pens a minor-league contract with the Boise Steamrollers. After two reasonably anonymous seasons with the White Sands Pupfish of the Pecos League, Haskins, 25 from El Paso, Texas, has already stated he's just playing now because he 'loves to play'. 25th March 2019 Angel Nelo, an 18-year-old Venezuelan catcher, becomes Twin Falls' first signing of the pre-season. Having gone .250 in 84 games for the Tampa Bay Rays' rookie side, he's an excellent prospect for an IL side but undoubtedly needs more work before turning into a potential excellent all-rounder. 26th March 2019 Coeur d'Alene at it again, this time signing SP Phil Klein who, a year after being released from the Yokohama Baystars, joins the White Wings on a $21k contract. A former 30th-round pick for the Texas Rangers (Klein himself is from Columbus, Ohio), he made 36 appearances for the Rangers (with two starts) and another 4 for the Philadelphia Phillies (including another two starts) before a short trip to Japan, which saw him flog a 4.75 ERA from 7 starts. Klein brings stupendous pitch movement to the league, and throws a 93mph fastball, a cutter, a slider, and an iffy changeup. 27th March 2019 White Wings! Again! This time however it's a more modest minor-league acquisition in the shape of 21-year-old RF Chad Hardy, a 33rd-round pick in 2016 for the Boston Red Sox. After toiling for two seasons in the Red Sox's rookie system (his entire 2017 season was derailed, presumably by injury) the Massachusetts side released him, and he was picked up by the White Wings' scouting department six days later. 1st April 2019 Is it an April fools? No, it's another Coeur d'Alene signing, this time 23-year-old 1B/3B Trevor Abrams. Abrams, who has already gone in as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco Giants back in 2017, was released at the end of 2018 after an outstanding period in A- Salem-Keizer, and a disappointing promotion to A Augusta. 4th April 2019 As an aside from the Idaho League for a moment, Oscar Adams gave his first appearance in the Dodgers' system today, playing for AA-Tulsa during their opening game against the Arkansas Travellers. He came on at the start of the 6th with Tulsa already 3-0 down, and despite the Drillers would ultimately lose 3-1, played 2-and-a-third scoreless innings, striking out one and allowing three walks. Meanwhile, the Caldwell 83s open their account by signing 19-year-old outfielder Jose Cardozo, recently released after spending three seasons in the Texas Rangers' international and rookie circuit. Despite having current contact issues (both rookie seasons he finished below the Mendoza line), Cardozo is predicted to develop excellent contact and superb power for the competition. 5th April 2019 Coeur d'Alene continue the overhaul of their existing team by bringing in 30-year-old reliever Chris P. Smith, a three-pitch guy (fastball, changeup and his favoured curveball) from Louisville, Kentucky. Signed as an amateur by the Yankees in 2013, he since spent time in the Blue Jays', Nationals' and the Tigers' organisations, although has only 5 innings of major league play (four showing for Toronto in 2017) to show for it. In Twin Falls, 1B Wilmy Valdez joins up. A potential batting star for the Elephants, with projected ++ contact and + discipline, he signs onto a minor-league contract after spending three seasons with the Mets' rookie leaguers. Tragically his final season before being cut showed the most promise as he nudged .250, so doubtless the 21-year-old Dominican will be looking to this opportunity to continue that. 7th April 2019 Coeur d'Alene land another two today, both relievers from the Pecos League. The first is Sean McNeill (29, Riverside Township, NJ) who sort of kind of throws a fastball (89mph) and a curveball and has the ghostly vestiges of a changeup lurking somewhere. He is joined by Hunter Pearson (26, Warrenton, VA) whose fastball is a smidge higher at 90mph but it otherwise a very similar player. 10th April 2019 The Pocatello Suns land 1B Alexis Marquez, a man already being hailed as 'too good defensively to play on first' – it is considered extremely likely that he will learn second right away. The 19-year-old Venezuelan comes to Pocatello with two seasons in the Mets' rookie leagues under his belt (finishing on a .192 from 71 games) and, while never expected to be a heavy slugger, is projected to become a smallballer's dream in the coming years. Reporters questioned Coeur d'Alene GM Ben Hodge today over the likelihood of even more marquee signing for the White Wings. His response was indefinite: 'we're almost at the bottom of the well now, certainly,' he replied, 'but never say never'. 14th April 2019 23-year-old LF Tolly Filotei joins the Elephants on a minor-league contract. The former 38th-round pick of the Cubs in the 2016 Draft briefly scraped into A- Eugene but never finished a season above the Mendoza line while part of Chicago's organisation – Twin Falls will doubtless hope this changes, especially as scouts rate his contact to be pretty good when considered alongside the rest of the league. He's a talented baserunner with good defensive smarts, too. 17th April 2019 Fresh from the California City Whiptails' roster (a Pecos League side) comes 1B Brian Wiest, who joins the Boise Steamrollers on a minor-league contract. Wiest, a leftie, joins the side as a most-likely backup to Juan Arriaga, their hard-hitting slugger who is also a southpaw. 19th April 2019 The Steamrollers bolster their team by adding... another first-baseman, this time in 24-year-old Alexander Rosario – a slow, defensively inept, not especially strong batter from the Dominican Republic. That's all we know given the lack of background data on him. 20th April 2019 Pocatello's turn to add two now, in the shape of 20-year-old catcher David Pernalete and outfielder Lewis Baez, 22. Pernalete comes from the Rangers' organisation as an international free agent – despite a .263 2016 and a .345 2018 he was given the boot, rarely given the opportunity to develop after never breaching twenty games in a season. He's a switch-hitting Venezuelan with project + contact, great speed and a wicked arm/ Baez, 22, comes from the Dominican Republic and is also a former international free agent, this time with the Boston Red Sox. Despite a massive improvement between 2017 and 2018 (.127 to .314, -0.6 WAR to 1.1 WAR) Boston deemed him not worth keeping on – but for a man with a projected outstanding eye, pace and fielding ability, their loss is Pocatello's (and the Idaho League's) gain. 23rd April 2019 Boise recognise that they might need to sign players that aren't first-basemen too, and respond by picking up outfielder Eulises Sanchez, a 22-year-old Dominican formerly of the Mets organisation. His three seasons with the New York affiliate system saw him spend the entire time in Florida, where he finished with a measly .186 BA but a more impressive .354 OBP. Indeed, in Eulises the Steamrollers have a well-rounded contact man who shouldn't let them down whether on the plate or in the outfield. 26th April 2019 Pocatello's latest signing seems to be purely aimed at squad depth, as they bring in 26-year-old 1B Trevor Jaunich, released earlier this month by American Association side, the Sioux Falls Canaries. With little in terms of data available to the Suns and scout reports showing a righty with poor batting skills, no pace and weak defensive abilities, GM Mike Birling seems to have reasoned 'he's cheap and he'll play'. 28th April 2019 Idaho Falls receive word of SP Ren-Qing Ou-Yang, a 16-year-old hurler from Lingyuan, China. They've agreed to keep an eye on him while he's in China, with Ou-Yang wishing to make it in American baseball by any means possible. He throws a cutter, a curveball and a changeup... or at least, I think that's what they're supposed to be. Meanwhile, the Pocatello Suns sign up Joon An, another first-baseman with seemingly not much going for him. 29th April 2019 Oberto Munoz joins Pernalete as the second immensely promising catcher to join the Pocatello Suns, who it seems are making a late preseason surge in signing up the minor-league talent available to them. A 22-year-old from the Mariners' organisation, Munoz may not be the best baserunner in the world but he does have a killer arm, and is projected to develop mean contact and cracking plate discipline, should he progress as he should. Predictions to follow! |
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07-25-2019, 10:31 AM
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#3 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ashford, UK
Posts: 203
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PREDICTIONS
Coeur d'Alene White Wings Expected finish: 1st (58-22, .725) Youth ranking: 4th What the papers say: It comes as little surprise to anyone that, after the departure of Oscar Adams to the Dodgers and the money that brought in, the White Wings are expected to be in the driving seat of the competition this year. With a pitching lineup practically unrivalled by any other side (the acquisitions of Phil Klein and Chase Whitley did no harm to this) and hugely talented players on second (Stephen Bruno), third (Josh Bell) and left-field (Chris Wahl – notably not a signing and a native of Nampa, Idaho), for this season at least we cannot foresee another winner. --- Twin Falls Elephants Expected finish: 2nd (42-38, .525) Youth ranking: 3rd What the papers say: Defeating Coeur d'Alene may be a stretch too far but we foresee it being the Elephants that join the White Wings in the Idaho Cup for this inaugural season. Batting signings C Angel Nelo, 1B Wilmy Valdez and LF Tolly Filotei are all excellent prospect for development, but their real ace card is a superb bullpen which we rank possibly even better than that of Coeur d'Alene's – keep an eye out for Brad Finn (and at 6'9'', you'll be pressed to miss him), Pat Lenart, Mike Schumacher and star closer Joe Sammons, who should all make the Elephants a very frustrating team to face. --- Boise Steamrollers Expected finish: =3rd (40-40, .500) Youth ranking: 2nd What the papers say: Boise's GM Tony LaCava attracted some flack this preseason for failing to address his side's infield problem while loading his side with more first-basemen, and this is not without basis – second, third and short are all very weak, and centre-field especially isn't looking too strong either. Nevertheless, Juan Arriaga holding first should help their offensive cause, and it must be said that they have curated a pretty strong-looking battery for 2019. C.J. Winehart fronts a starting rotation ranked second in the competition, while Jadon Mathelier chalks in on catcher as a star option in a competition otherwise woefully short on present catcher ability. A dark horse, perhaps. --- Pocatello Suns Expected finish: =3rd (40-40, .500) Youth ranking: 1st What the papers say: If he can stay injury-free, 24-year-old SP Estevon Romero is capable of putting batters into a world of pain, combining vicious movement with a 99mph fastball, cutter and forkball combination – expect very few homers against him. Romero is definitely the highlight of a side largely seen to be developing for the future of the Idaho League, as shrewd signings like Pernalete, Munoz and Baez could well make Pocatello an unstoppable force in a few years time. Chris Cagle on short and Josh O'Brien on first are decent but ageing power guys. Not this season, perhaps, but one to watch. --- Idaho Falls Maulers Expected finish: 5th (33-47, .412) Youth ranking: 6th What the papers say: Given Idaho Falls' sole transfer move this preseason was to assure a 16-year-old Chinese pitcher that he might be able to play in America one day, the Maulers will be largely dependent on the talents of their outfield corners if they're to get any success this season. Josh Huss on the left is a phenomenal batting talent although at age 37, we're not too sure of his longevity, while Maddox Grannum is a fantastic, if shy, batting talent fresh from Boise, just up the road. Aside from that, their starting rotation is cripplingly weak and their next-highest-rated player is 1B Chad Trader, a solid, if slightly unremarkable, bat. --- Caldwell 83s Expected finish: 6th (29-51, .362) Youth ranking: 5th What the papers say: It could be a long season for Caldwell this inaugural outing, but it's not without potential highlights. They have comfortably the best players in two key positions – short and catcher – with Brenden Perry flying the infield flag with superlative batting chops added, and Chris Ellis a wonderful talent behind the batter. Lefty Eric Harrison is a good top-of-the-rotation finesse guy to watch too. With little else to cheer about and no real sign of a willingness to upset the status quo from GM Vinny Ganz it's unlikely that Caldwell are going to light any bonfires this year... but who really knows? |
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07-25-2019, 11:10 AM
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#4 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ashford, UK
Posts: 203
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07-26-2019, 05:35 AM
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#5 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ashford, UK
Posts: 203
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MAY 2019
 PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Josh Bell (CD) - .388/.512/.582, HR, 13 RBI, 23 R PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Phil Klein (CD) 0.64 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 46 K  Coeur d'Alene White Wings 22-7 (.759), - GB, 1st overall Batting slash: .264/.360/.385 (1st/1st/1st) Runs scored: 152 (1st) 5.2/G Batting WAR: 11.1 (1st) Home runs: 23 (1st) Starting slash: 1.25 ERA/0.73 WHIP/4.65 K:BB (1st/1st/1st) Starting WAR: 7.1 (1st) Starting runs against: 27 0.9/G (1st) Starting K's: 158 (1st) Bullpen slash: 3.16 ERA/1.42 WHIP/1.69 K:BB (1st/3rd/2nd) Bullpen WAR: 2.2 (1st) Bullpen runs against: 36 1.2/G (=1st) Bullpen K's: 76 (=2nd) It comes as a surprise to virtually no-one that, at the end of the first month of Idaho League baseball, the table is topped by the Coeur d'Alene White Wings, already ahead by 5 games which, one must remember, is one-sixteenth of the season right there. The White Wings have run rampant with sticks in hand, with no fewer than four batters hitting more than .300 this month. 3B Josh L. Bell leads the pack on .388 and an OBP of .513, and with one home run and 13 RBI also took the inaugural Batter of the Month award. This could comfortably have gone to his colleague 2B Stephen Bruno, however, whose .369 with 3 dingers and 21 RBI, while Clint Freeman, playing the DH, batted a .327 while topping the lead in run creation, with 23. Furthermore, LF Chris Wahl tops the league as the only man to hit 6 taters. However, it must be said that Coeur d'Alene have been disturbingly good on the mound, too all five starting pitchers finish May with a sub-2.00 ERA, with Phil Klein (4-0, 0.64 ERA) and Chase Whitley (4-0, 0.86 ERA) dropping below 1.00. Klein too finished the month as the much-lauded Pitcher of the Month, and with the exception of Whitley he didn't really have too much competition. In the news 2nd May Chase Whitley becomes the first man in IL history to record a shutout, striking out four and relinquishing only a walk and two hits during the White Wings' blowout 13-0 victory over the Idaho Falls Maulers. 11th May Phil Klein repeats Whitley's feat only nine days later, throwing an 11 K, one hit masterclass against the Pocatello Suns. The White Wings won 5-0. 13th May POTW award: Josh L. Bell 20th May POTW award: Stephen Bruno Injuries: None major LF Chris Process and LF Chris Wall are on the DtD for a day and two days respectively, with a bruised finger (Process) and a sprained ankle (Wall). Transactions: None. --- Twin Falls Elephants 17-12 (.586), 5 GB, 2nd overall Batting slash: .245/.340/.343 (2nd/2nd/3rd) Runs scored: 146 (2nd) 5/G Batting WAR: 8.6 (2nd) Home runs: 18 (3rd) Starting slash: 3.42 ERA/1.25 WHIP/2.13 K:BB (4th/2nd/2nd) Starting WAR: 2.5 (2nd) Starting runs against: 77 2.66/G (4th) Starting K's: 111 (3rd) Bullpen slash: 3.68 ERA/1.34 WHIP/1.70 K:BB (4th/1st/1st) Bullpen WAR: 1.6 (2nd) Bullpen runs against: 45 1.55/G (4th) Bullpen K's: 92 (1st) As expected, Twin Falls come into the second month of the season in second place and, truth be told, are doing a decent job of keeping the White Wings honest at five games adrift. It's worth noting, though, that the Elephants have gotten themselves to where they are at the moment primarily on offensive ability. While none have hit that .300 BA, LF Tolly Filotei has chalked up a very impressive .423 OBP, courtesy of a hit rate of more than one-a-game and drawing 17 walks in the process. Josh Larsen is on a hot streak at the moment too, going .375 in the last week with 9 hits and two taters along the way. To be fair to Twin Falls they've not been totally inept on the mound Pat Lenart sits top of their rotation with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 1.56, and Steve Bowman has been thus far dependable, sitting with a 2.43. Davon Winns at the other end, however, has had a grim start, his sole win coming from a bullpen appearance during the Elephants' 14-7 victory over Boise. In the news: Nothing to report. Injuries: 3B Joe Lippincott, batting .250/.324/.438, fractured a finger during the aforementioned 14-7 victory over Boise on the 21st - he'll miss the next 5-6 weeks while recovers. C Angel Nelo may be having a poor season (.185/.270/.231 is hardly inspirational stuff), but hearts were broken when the #1 prospect broke a kneecap during the Elephants' 6-7 collapse against the Idaho Falls Maulers on the 25th (it was 6-2 until the bottom of the 8th). He will miss the rest of the season now. Transactions: 1B Blinger Perez came in on the 6th May, a former international amateur for the San Diego Padres. He's currently racking up a .188/.278/.188 line from 8 starts. --- Idaho Falls Maulers 14-15 (.483), 8 GB, 3rd overall Batting slash: .240/.321/.349 (3rd/3rd/2nd) Runs scored: 115 (3rd) 3.97/G Batting WAR: 6.9 (3rd) Home runs: 15 (5th) Starting slash: 4.22 ERA/1.35 WHIP/1.00 K:B (6th/=5th/6th) Starting WAR: 1.7 (4th) Starting runs against: 87 (6th) Starting K's: 81 (6th) Bullpen slash: 3.28 ERA/1.61 WHIP/0.82 K:B (3rd/5th/6th) Bullpen WAR: -0.4 (5th) Bullpen runs against: 36 (=1st) Bullpen K's: 55 (5th) The main story of the Maulers' May has been the batting streak of 3B Jeremy Weinberger, whose 22-game run of hits was only ended on the 30th during Idaho Falls' 1-0 victory over Pocatello. Weinberger's run has been a major boost for his side, and he has developed a sturdy partnership with RF Maddox Grannum whose .320/.426/.524 line is hardly to be sniffed at either. However, moderate performances from CF Mike Poythress aside, Idaho Falls have been somewhat carried by their two stars three starters and three semi-regular backups sit below the Mendoza line. Pitching for the Maulers has been two separate stories, too. Juan Mitre (2-1, 1.06) has been ridiculously stingy so far, leaking 5 earned runs and holding opposing batters to an average of .159 against lefties, this sinks further to 0.093. Similarly Alan Rouleau (4-1, 2.59) has ridden his luck a couple of times, but before the 6-10 defeat to Twin Falls on the 27th that he started, he too was sitting on a neat 1.33 ERA, with four unbroken wins. However, outside of those two Idaho Falls have been appalling. Alec Bennett (1-2, 4.99) has been a walk mess. Joey Zimmerle (1-2, 7.01) likewise, with the added downer of not being able to strike anyone out. Bobby Krupke (1-3, 8.31) was doing so badly as a starter that he got swapped for Pat Debes, in the hope he can save his spiraling ERA. In the news 27th May: POTW Award - Jeremy Weinberger Injuries: RP Billy Kauffman went on the DtD for a week on Opening Day with wrist soreness, but has since recovered and is throwing a 3.72 ERA season with an ERA of -0.2. Transactions: 1B Austin Nicely was picked up on a free on the 13th May. The former 10th round pick of the 2013 Draft for the Houston Astros was released from the Evansville Otters on the 10th, and has started his career in Idaho Falls well, hitting a .326/.436/.457 line in 14 appearances. --- Pocatello Suns 13-16 (.448), 9 GB, 4th overall Batting slash: .210/.290/.311 (6th/6th/=5th) Runs scored: 94 (5th) 3.24/G Batting WAR: 2.7 (5th) Home runs: 21 (2nd) Starting slash: 3.90 ERA/1.32 WHIP/1.34 K:BB (5th/4th/5th) Starting WAR: 0.7 (6th) Starting runs against: 81 2.79/G (5th) Starting K's: 115 (2nd) Bullpen slash: 3.21 ERA/1.35 WHIP/1.65 K:BB (2nd/2nd/3rd) Bullpen WAR: 0.0 (3rd) Bullpen runs against: 40 1.38/G (3rd) Bullpen K's: 76 (=2nd) Pocatello may have the second-most home runs in the competition but the crux of the problem is this if you can't score enough runs, you can't win games. The Suns have severely harmed their season with a very, very poor batting average barely scraping above the Mendoza line, and even their top batters RF Joe Kanellis and LF Lewis Baez are sitting at a reasonably unexceptional .261. 1B Josh O'Brien's 5 taters is good to come runner up in the league, but he also is batting .118. Amazingly, 5 of 12 of his total hits have been homers. A rotation without Estevon Romero (1-1, 1.11) and Chris Grubb (2-1, 2.04) would flatten any chances the Suns have left at realistic success in the Idaho League given the paucity of fortune elsewhere. Eric Seaton (1-3, 3.55) hasn't had a bad start and is unfortunate to have the record he does, but Jeff Rector (0-3, 7.13) had been disastrous and the final spot, shared between three players, has yielded no stability whatsoever. Their bullpen, however, has fared much better and is a key reason as to why they still sit in fourth. In the news 27th May: 16 days after Klein shut the Suns out, Estevon Romero exacts some kind of revenge, blanking the White Wings 9-0 on three hits and 7 strikeouts. Injuries: Estevon Romero was put on the DtD on Opening Day with an elbow strain and SS Chris Cagle strained an oblique on the 4th (he also bruised a calf at the end of the month), but both are now back in action. The only injury carrying over into June is RP Sener Zapata (1-0, 2.45) who will be out for another week with a serious oblique strain obtained on the 18th. Transactions: signed 1B D. J. Carr on the 10th May after being released by the Frontier League's South Illinois Miners (he was only contracted for a month before being let go). As backup as backups go, he's hitting .250/.308/.333 from four starts. --- Boise Steamrollers 11-18 (.379), 11 GB, 5th overall Batting slash: .217/.298/.311 (4th/5th/=5th) Runs scored: 98 (4th) 3.38/G Batting WAR: 2.2 (6th) Home runs: 11 (6th) Starting slash: 3.34 ERA/1.35 WHIP/1.69 K:BB (2nd/=5th/3rd) Starting WAR: 1.9 (4th) Starting runs against: 66 2.28/G (3rd) Starting K's: 105 (4th) Bullpen slash: 5.06 ERA/1.88 WHIP/0.9 K:BB (6th/6th/5th) Bullpen WAR: -0.3 (4th) Bullpen runs against: 49 1.69/G (5th) Bullpen K's: 54 (6th) Apologists will blame the injury issue that the Steamrollers have at the moment (not entirely without merit more on that in a bit), but the truth is that Idaho's capital side have had a team which has stepped up decidedly badly to adversity. RF Cameron Haskins is currently the team's internal triple crown guy with a .287, four home runs and 19 runs batted-in and frankly, you can only carry a team so far on those numbers. To the pitching staff's credit, their starting rotation has been uniformly pretty solid this year so far no Coeur d'Alene style walkovers, but 4 out of 5 of their current starters sit comfortably between 2.70 and 3.60 in ERA and that's perfectly decent. The fact that all but one, Juan Jaramillo (3-2) has a winning record is less a reflection on them and more a reflection on the troublesome run creation from the men with the sticks. It can't be denied though, their bullpen has been horrible, bottoming out in the ERA stakes by nearly a whole point. Jonathan Ayers (0-1, 8.78) has lurched from one disaster to another, while Alfredo Maldonado (0-2, 5.40), Freddy Kinley (1-1, 4.96) and Danny Abercrombie (1-0, 4.72) haven't exactly been magical either. In the news: Nothing in particular. Injuries: Now, here's where things do get a bit messy. It was a spectacularly bad start to the year for the Steamrollers as RF Luis Bonilla, a hard-slugging workhorse sustained a season-ending MCL tear while baserunning a headache made x10 worse only four days later, when C. J. Wisehart, their #1 pitcher, tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder. 1B Juan Arriaga, then their top slugger, was downed for a few weeks on the 17th with hamstring tendinitis (he's still out for four more days at the start of June) and then, to cap it all off, their shortstop Andy Williams (admittedly not having a good season already on .185) fractured a finger TWO INNINGS LATER and is now out until at least the playoffs if the Steamrollers can even entertain ideas of playoffs. Transactions: the 15th saw the Steamrollers sign catcher Andy Jose Garcia, a 20-year-old Colombian formerly of the Diamondbacks' organisation. He needs an awful lot of work but is projected to be a possible league star in a few years he's hitting .136/.208/.227 in his seven appearances so far, but could develop ++ contact and a brilliant eye, too. --- Caldwell 83s 10-19 (.345), 12 GB, 6th overall Batting slash: .211/.316/.309 (5th/4th/6th) Runs scored: 91 (6th) 3.14/G Batting WAR: 3.7 (4th) Home runs: 17 (4th) Starting slash: 3.07 ERA/1.31 WHIP/1.48 K:BB (2nd/3rd/4th) Starting WAR: 2.0 (3rd) Starting runs against: 63 2.17/G (2nd) Starting K's: 102 (5th) Bullpen slash: 4.01 ERA/1.50 WHIP/1.12 K:BB (5th/4th/4th) Bullpen WAR: -0.7 (6th) Bullpen runs against: 66 2.28/G (6th) Bullpen K's: 75 (4th) Caldwell finish the first month in last place, as expected, although while they certainly haven't played like title contenders they've looked like statistical wooden spoon lords far less than one might first have thought. Their batting average of .211 is hardly good but is no worse than that of the Pocatello Suns, although their numbers have been somewhat jacked by the performances of 3B Ben Stratmann (.294/.402/.412), and SS Brenden Perry's joins the elusive 5-HR club at the end of May. It must be said however, that four of the nine starting batters are hitting on or below the Mendoza line, and another three are batting sub-.220. Again, starting pitching has actually been very good indeed, with Eric Hamilton (3-2, 2.35) and Latrell Yelder (1-1, 1.85) posting exceedingly good numbers even Mike Hill, with his 1-4 record, is filing a 3.24 ERA thus far. Their bullpen could be doing better however, as alone they can be attributed to 9 of the 19 defeats suffered and while his starting is going okay, Hill's 0-3, 5.25 ERA is at the very top of the blame pile for those. Nevertheless, Caldwell have ended the month with the joint-best form (6-4 alongside Coeur d'Alene) and so we could see a surprise resurgence on the horizon... In the news: Nothing to report. Injuries: SP Patrice Jamet, currently 0-1 with a 3.98 ERA, has been struggling all month with finger blisters, and as such he goes into June already on his second spell on the DtD waiting for them to recover. Perhaps more troubling, 37-year-old LF Jonathan Allen, a key slugger for the 83s, is out for the next 6 weeks at least with an MCL strain which in the short calendar of the IL, could mean he'll only see two or three more weeks of baseball left this year. Transactions: Two days after being released from the Minnesota Twins' organisation, 1B Luis Manuel Baez, a slight prospect from the Dominican Republic, was picked up. After going .188 with a home run during his 2018 year with the Twins rookies, he already has his first homer for the 83s in only his third game played. 
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07-27-2019, 11:11 AM
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#6 | |
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Hall Of Famer
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Quote:
Hope it is alright to steal some of your creative elements for my dynasties. Your state is beautiful... my sister lives in Boise and it is a lovely city... have visited several times... enjoyed the Boise Hawks baseball game, too. Spent a weekend in McColl... really nice town to visit... got to stay in a luxury rustic rental lodge overlooking a serene and beautiful golf course in the midst of a verdant green forest. I'm not rich... just frugal and saving... sometimes I splurge. Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-27-2019 at 11:14 AM. |
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07-27-2019, 03:28 PM
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#7 |
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All Star Reserve
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: The Hague,Netherlands
Posts: 839
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OT: Play up Pompey! Pompey play up!
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07-27-2019, 06:23 PM
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#8 | ||
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ashford, UK
Posts: 203
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Quote:
 As for 'stealing', half the structure of this is built on what others have posted anyway (reds' outstanding Braeland save is a huge inspiration, even if I can't hope to match his graphical output!) so please, borrow away! Quote:
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07-27-2019, 06:36 PM
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#9 | |
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Hall Of Famer
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Quote:
No problem, I love the Brits, Scots, Welsh and Irish... all fine folks. The best of luck on your Idaho league. |
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07-27-2019, 06:55 PM
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#10 |
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Hall Of Famer
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If you should ever want graphics... league logos, home and away jerseys and caps... you might post a request on the OOTP Graphics Forum.
You might get quicker results, if you post each team request one at a time and not all at once in the same thread. Just post the name of the team and the colors you want. Since you have a small league, you might get someone to do them for you... if you're lucky, txranger may take a crack at some of them. Good graphics really enhance immersion in your league... for you... and for the viewers. |
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07-28-2019, 11:48 AM
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#11 | |
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All Star Reserve
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: The Hague,Netherlands
Posts: 839
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Quote:
Hope they`ll win L1 this season! Last edited by Hageneezz; 07-28-2019 at 11:49 AM. |
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08-01-2019, 06:28 AM
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#12 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ashford, UK
Posts: 203
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THE 2019 IL DRAFT
Even the Idaho League has its own little draft – a five-round affair of players returning home after high school or college, undrafted but their dreams not quite ready to be over. For the first year, it was agreed that the draft order would take place in reverse order that the teams found themselves in on the morning of the 5th June. Therefore this went: - Caldwell 83s - Pocatello Suns - Boise Steamrollers - Idaho Falls Maulers - Twin Falls Elephants - Coeur d'Alene White Wings # CALDWELL 83s Caldwell's first pick, and indeed the first pick overall of the 2019 draft, was 21-year-old CL Tommy Thomas. Originally from Orofino in the north of the state, he went to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and had an okay showing for the Bulldogs, claiming a 6-9 record from 19 starts (good for a 4.47 ERA). The right-handed hurler throws a 99mph fastball and something resembling a slider, with good pitch movement and decent control maintained. With outstanding stamina (he average seven innings a game for Gonzaga) but only two pitches, it's considered likely that the 83s will use him as a long- or mid-relief while he develops. Second round: 3B Mike Stankowski – a killer arm and superb baserunning chops (he stole 38 bases in 42 games for the Washington State Cougars) are the 23-year-old righty's best assets. An otherwise weak batter. From Meridian, only 20 miles out from Caldwell. Third round: C Joe Hallford – another Washington State graduate, Hallford is projected to be an average-at-best batter with horrific pace, but a decent defensive asset. From Emmett, about 25 miles NE of Caldwell. Fourth round: SP Josh Brode – a high-school success story, going 9-2 (2.83 ERA) with the Post Falls Trojans (Brode is from Coeur d'Alene, only a few miles up the road from Post Falls). Outstanding stamina, but an 87mph fastball, awful slider and equally poor changeup are unlikely to be enough. Projected to eat innings in relief for the time being. Fifth round: SP Mike Buckley – a graduate from the University of Utah, Buckley can lay down a bunt and not a lot else. Struggled at college with a 3-7, 6.62 ERA showing (walking a mindblowing 7 men per 9 innings). POCATELLO SUNS Pocatello chose RP Ricky Booker, a 22-year-old from Moscow, Idaho (a 9 hour trip to Pocatello in the south-east) as their no. 1 pick. While studying at Oral Roberts he recorded 19 saves in 24 appearances for the Golden Eagles, despite an ERA a fraction short of 5.00 and a sub-standard strikeout rate. Utilising a cutter and a slider (both of which need some work, it must be said) he has great pitch movement and is projected to develop excellent stuff too – coupled with a great work ethic and an unwaveringly loyal personality, the Suns seem set to make him their closer with immediate effect. Second round: batting .358 at Paw Paw Senior High in Illinois, and hailing from Madrid in Spain, 3B Juan Bustamante has had an interesting few years to say the least. Despite a fantastic arm it's questionable whether Bustamante has the quality to compete in the Idaho League, and the Suns are likely to play the 17-year-old as a backup initially. Third round: SP Art Herman, one of the WSU Cougars crew in the draft this year, brings cracking pitch movement and a 99mph fastball to a model which is otherwise 'in-development', let's say. Outside of a solid forkball he's working on a fledgling curveball and changeup to hopefully get to four pitches, at which point his control will hopefully have matured too – in the meantime, he will play in the bullpen. A frustrating 4-7 (5.34 ERA) season for the Cougars will almost certainly have only motivated the 20-year-old sparkplug. Fourth round: SP Joey Picard, born-and-raised in Pocatello, comes from a Mormon background and played at Brigham Young University (he went on mission, explaining his 23 years at the time of the draft). Hardworking and with acceptable pitch movement, he will nevertheless have to work on improving his 91mph fastball/curveball/changeup trio and, importantly, his control, if he is to have any chance of making it out of the Suns' bullpen. Fifth round: completing the Suns' apparent mission to bolster their pitching ranks, SP Even Lundsgaard comes back home to Idaho following three years playing for the Miami University RedHawks. Going 6-10 with an ERA of 6.57 during his senior year is not encouraging, and nor is his 7 BB/9 walk rate – plus, he only effectively works with a fastball and a cutter (his changeup needs a lot of work). However, given the troubles that Pocatello have had finding a stable rotation, it looks like he may be getting the nod to try out for starter. BOISE STEAMROLLERS Boise used their first-round pick on 17-year-old catcher Eric Gilkey, the righty from Moscow, ID becoming the highest-drafted high-school prospect in the process. Hitting .366/.393/.527 in the proving grounds of high school is one thing, and as the numbers suggest his biggest tool is his swing – he may only have hit 1 home run all season, but over a quarter of all his hits (11-in-41) were doubles. Still, with a monstrously bad eye and contact really not all that good at IL level, it remains to be seen how, or if, Gilkey is able to progress his game. Perhaps due to his impressively weak arm, it looks as though Boise will be training him as a first-baseman. Second round: Fresh out of the University of Utah, C Danny Roehm becomes the Steamrollers' second pick despite finishing with a .305 SLG. Indeed, batting is not his selling point, although he does have a canny eye developing – he also runs like he has a piano on his back. No, the 21-year-old from Idaho Falls' biggest draw is his fantastic arm from behind the plate, and for that reason he seems set to be a backup catcher. Third round: C Mike Adkins makes it three catchers in three picks for Boise, which raises the Steamrollers' backstop count to six (assuming, that is, that Gilkey is being commuted to 1st). A righty out of Washington State Uni, Adkins batted an anonymous .253 and with a weak arm, exceedingly mediocre bat and poor pace, this anonymity looks set to continue – especially as he may be a backup four-times removed. Fourth round: sad to say but Boise's fourth draft pick looks set to be another blastwave of disappointment. SP Devin May, 21, played 20 games at college and collected a 5-9 record – with a 6.94 ERA, almost a walk an inning and a total estimated WAR of almost -2. A 92mph fastball is almost all that May has, with decent pitch movement dampened by control issues and only the starting embers of a changeup. Emergency reliever, probably. Fifth round: Boise's 5th round pick is an interesting one, in 18-year-old pitcher Chris O'Bryan. He has the potential to be an average starting pitcher in the Idaho League, notably so because he actually has four pitches – a cutter, a forkball, a curveball and a changeup. All need work and are only effective so far at the moment, but if his stuff and control can build, he may actually feature in the Steamrollers' rotation in the next couple of years... IDAHO FALLS MAULERS The Maulers' first pick of the draft, 20-year-old outfielder Ron Watson will either be a great or an endless frustration. A native of Idaho Falls, he hit a .265/.302/.332 line at college while stealing a remarkable 39 bases in 53 starts – a pretty good indication of how Watson is as a player. His bat is decent but unremarkable (his eye and contact need work but his power is good), he can bat both ways, and his baserunning is underpinned by explosive speed. He's also an exceedingly handy defensive asset in the outfield. He is, however, undetermined and complacent, two of the biggest killers of talent. He'll need careful mentoring but could be a shrewd acquisition. Second round: Idaho Falls may have a second-round blinder in pitcher Danny Thacker. Blessed with a 100mph heater, high stamina and great pitch movement, and with the potential to develop his control into very handy territories, the man from Nampa's biggest issue is that he only has one solid pitch, his fastball – he has a decent slider, but his curveball only vaguely breaks and his changeup is very, very much in the fledgling stages too. Still, get his versatility up and the Maulers will likely be very happy to have Thacker in their racks. He will likely usurp Bobby Krupke as Idaho's closing man. Third round: a true 'additional tools' pick, 21-year-old outfielder Chris Hoehne, from St. Maries, is a humble, versatile lefty with great defensive smarts and very usable baserunning qualities. Unfortunately, batting .238 at college (so not even on the pro circuit) signifies Hoehne's biggest weakness – his bat is dreadful. Can see this guy becoming a late-game lead-protector or a pinch-runner. Fourth round: 22-year-old Rhett Warren, from Washington State, was born to play relief, although maybe not particularly well. With only two (well, one-and-a-half) pitches in a 92mph fastball and a slider, low stamina, and so-so movement and control, he was nevertheless able to pitch 16 saves at college despite an ERA approaching 7. One point of interest: for some bizarre reason, some scouts have predicted his batting contact could reach MLB level in a few years. Something to think about. Fifth round: Righty pitcher Ken Helsel, just out of Pocatello High School, looks set to be moved into backup relief for his first season in Idaho Falls. A two-pitch guy (a 94mph fastball and a half-baked sinker – his changeup is almost non-existent) with dodgy control, Helsel's strongest traits are decent pitch movement for the division and a good aptitude for learning. TWIN FALLS ELEPHANTS Twin Falls elected for power for their inaugural pick of the 2019 IL Draft and went for 1B Ethan Dawes, a 23-year-old traditional cleanup man from Jerome, ID. Slow, defensively not that great and with patchy contact, Dawes' #1 attribute is his proclivity for homers, as and when he does clock a ball – about one-in-six of the balls he hit while playing at Utah in college were dingers. If his eye continues to develop in the way it seems to be, Twin Falls seem to have a future first-bagger, or at least a DH, on their hands. Second round: Considering he was the 11th pick overall, pitcher Jeremy Holbert looks solid for a regular relief spot already in the Elephants' lineup – a 98mph fastball matching up with actually half-decent control, good pitch movement and otherwise great (and developing) stuff is pairable with high stamina to yield a guy who can happily munch through a couple of innings if needed. He'll need to develop more pitches if he wants to progress though; his curveball is in dire need of more break and, while he's learning two styles of changeup, he needs to pick one and fast. Third round: high-school outfielder Bobby Dean joins the Elephants after batting an impressive .371 in Nampa. He is, however, likely to get a shock when he plays against IL pitchers as his contact at this level is frankly appalling – as is his plate discipline. Indeed the .371 looks good but is easily his weakest asset. Instead, he's a quality defensive outfielder with good legs. Again, expect him to eat innings at the end of games and come on as a pinch-runner. Fourth round: reliever Mike Purpura, 22, from Boise. Great stuff (for a reliever) yields a 99mph fastball... but not a lot else. His movement is weak, his control is weak, his slider is not amazing, his changeup is guff and he can't hold a runner for toffee. Still, he looks set for a mid-relief spot in Twin Falls' bullpen. Fifth round: pitcher Josh Mallernee is, sadly, a making-up-the-numbers pick for sure. When your fastball tops out at 90 that's a problem even in the IL, but when that's your only pitch – his curveball is dreadful and his changeup non-existent – you in for a world of pain, especially with Mallernee's control. Curiously, he looks to scouts as though he'd have more of a future playing contact bat on first base. Unfortunate, really. COEUR D'ALENE WHITE WINGS Coeur d'Alene surprised everyone at the draft with an ultra-defensive first-round pick in shortstop Sergio Zamora. Despite playing 40 games at USC this season he chalked up a singularly unimpressive .247/.285/.279 line, and his baserunning nous is frankly hilariously bad. However, as already alluded to he's a defensive wonder on shortstop, with a cracking arm, great range, sure hands and a lightning rod on the double-play. Second round: bizarrely they seem to have elected for a Zamora Pt. II in the second-round, bringing in infielder Luis Gelpi, a Puerto Rican graduating from Au Sable Valley, New York. However, Au Sable is a high-school and the 18-year-old does have a little more time for a potential bat to develop. For the time being though, once more he's a defensive master with little baserunning smarts (although he IS quick, at least) and a iffy bat. Third round: after a 14-game high-school season which saw him start 8 and relieve 6, Hugh Zirker's 2.20 ERA is impressive, especially at HS level. Zirker will unlikely move into a starting role in the IL unless he can develop a third pitch (he throws a 99mph fastball and a weak slider) and his stamina grows a little, but has plenty of time to build on his control, which scouts seem to think he can do with his in-built willingness to learn and improve. Fourth round: amazingly, pitcher Jorge Silva (from Coeur d'Alene, funnily enough) had to wait 24 picks to be chosen – perhaps due to a 4-9 season at Arizona. He favours a 97mph fastball over all other pitches, but he can generate solid movement and, shockingly, control his pitches better than many in the league currently. In addition to the fastball, he throws a splitter and a forkball, with a curveball and a knuckle curve in the works too. With a potential 5 pitches on offer and stamina of his, he should breeze through the inevitable early bullpen assignments. Fifth round: pitcher Josh Zitko will likely have a harder time than Silva – at best, the 20-year-old can be described as lacklustre (his 94mph fastball) to actually downright bad (his control, his slider, his runner holding...). Throwing an incredible 8.01 in 14 games for UCF is in itself a pretty good argument for why Zitko was drafted 30th, and last, in the draft. Still, he gives an honest effort each time he takes to the stage and you can't ask for much more than that.  Top row: CL Tommy Thomas (CLD), RP Ricky Booker (POC), C Eric Gilkey (BOI) Bottom row: OTF Ron Watson (IF), 1B Ethan Dawes (TF), SS Sergio Zamora (CdA) Last edited by Archelirion; 08-01-2019 at 06:30 AM. |
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08-25-2019, 04:00 PM
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#13 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ashford, UK
Posts: 203
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JUNE
 PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Josh Bell (CD) - .388/.512/.582, HR, 13 RBI, 23 R (.381/.500/.588, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 44 R overall) PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Andy Williams (CAL) 1.05 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 22 K (1.71 ERA. 1.42 WHIP, 36 K overall)  Coeur d'Alene White Wings 40-15 (.727), - GB, 1st overall June record: 18-8 (.629) Coeur d'Alene may have slipped slightly from their 0.750+ May but, being realistic, an 18-8 June is hardly going to harm their ever-increasing chances of Idaho Cup glory. While others may have had a great month for the White Wings, you'd have to be a particularly embittered person to deny that June has belonged to any other player than 3B Josh L. Bell. His batting average for the month, .375, is a whole 4.5% higher than Twin Falls' Kevin Sayre. Furthermore, he has an OBP of .487 (nearly 5% over teammate 2B Stephen Bruno) and is the only man to play a month with a SLG of over .500 and at .594, he's really in a league of his own. He ties with Sayre on RBIs for June (16), heads the pack on runs (21) and also walks (20). His most astounding statistic for the month, however, may be his whiff rate on 4 strikeouts, only 3.4% of all his plate appearances ended in a K. Remarkable. As already mentioned, Bruno's .304/.439/.443 line has helped his side out, even though a herniated disc saw him miss the last week of the month (and will see him miss the first week of July, too). LF Chris Wahl has battled through a quad strain since the 17th and despite only hitting for .188, has a .344 OBP and also still the third-highest ISO of the month, behind Bell (obviously) and Idaho Falls' Maddox Grannum. On the mound, SP Phil Klein is still pulling unbelievable numbers (how does a 6 start, 1.04 ERA, 2 win, 0 HR, 10 K/9 month sound?) and Chase Whitley is still putting up a great year too, even if he inexplicably ended the month on a 1-2 record. With only 25 games to play and a 15-game lead over the 3rd placed Pocatello Suns, playoffs look almost certain for the White Wings an 11-14 July (itself highly unlikely) is all it takes. Will they be able to fend off the surging Elephants though...? In the news: 2nd June: Team shutout 2-0 win over the Twin Falls Elephants (1 hit, 8 K, 0 BB Klein 3.2 IP, Diltz 3.1 IP [W], Lozano 1.0 IP [H], Smith 1.0 IP [SV]) 3rd June: POTW Award 3B Josh L. Bell 4th June: Long game Chris Wahl's 16th-inning, two-run homer proved the difference in an edgy, 14-hit-overall game between the White Wings and the Idaho Falls Maulers. Coeur d'Alene eventually won, 3-1. This was also to be the White Wings' 8th win on the trot. 6th June: 2-HR day 2B Stephen Bruno (3-for-4, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB White Wings won 5-3 over the Idaho Falls Maulers) 10th June: POTW Award 3B Josh L. Bell 19th June: Team shutout 17 days after their first team shutout of the month it's the Twin Falls Elephants who again fall victim as they're easily beaten 7-0 by Coeur d'Alene (6 hit, 12 K, 2 BB Pearson 5.0 IP [W], Pundt 1.0 IP [H], DeNigris 3.0 IP [SV]). Again, this presents a milestone for the White Wings as they now have won five consecutive games. 23rd June: Long game a collective 12 pitchers featured and 357 pitches thrown saw the White Wings squeak out a 2-1, walkoff single victory in the bottom of the 12th against the Idaho Falls Maulers. 29th June: Long game in yet another bullpen tester (their 4th in the month, and their third eventual win), 3B Josh L. Bell's walkoff solo homer in the bottom of the 13th came to save the White Wings against the Pocatello Suns, who outhit Coeur d'Alene 12-to-7. Extra innings also came with a possible win and an equaliser in the 11th. Final score: 4-3. 30th June: High scorer 10-3 win at home against the Pocatello Suns. Coeur d'Alene outhit the Suns 15-to-9, and benefited from POTG 3B Josh L. Bell's 2-for-3, 2 RBI day. Injuries: 37-year-old RP Mike Clements (1-2, 6.35 ERA) came out of their 3-1 win over Idaho Falls on the 4th with back spasms, and has missed the rest of the month and likely about 10 days of July while he recovers. More pressingly, 34-year-old LF Chris Wahl (.250/.404/.472, 8 HR, 2.2 WAR) has only just returned to the DtD after a quadriceps strain sustained on the 17th, running the bases after a double in the 9-2 win against Pocatello. Finally, star 2B Stephen Bruno (.341/.459/.478, 10 2B, 3.7 WAR) came out of the 5-9 defeat, again to Idaho Falls, on the 24th with a herniated disc in his back, though he is expected to come back in about 5 days. Transactions: Coeur d'Alene have had a busy month hoovering up potential talent. The signing of undrafted outfielder Kyle Smith (24) on the 10th was rewarded on the 13th with a leadoff homer against the Pocatello Suns coming in as a regular he has hit .206/.333/.397 with 2 triples and 13 RBI this month. LF Von Watson was picked up on the 11th as another undrafted guy (he'd been drafted in the 29th round by the Phillies in 2015 but it came to nothing) and is projected to grow into a well-rounded, do-everything guy for the White Wings. The signing of 30-year-old 2B Rolando Gomez on the 15th saw the former 11th-round Angels pick (2008) immediately fall into the leadoff batter's slot, exhibiting great defensive smarts, superb pace and neat contact (he's hitting .265/.315/.324 in his 15 appearances so far). 23-year-old 3B Alejandro Diaz, a former Mets guy, has work to do but is projected to be an unreal batter in the IL should he continue to grow. Finally, 16-year-old Masato Sugawara has been spotted by Coeur d'Alene talent guys in Japan, but okay movement aside, doesn't exhibit any real chance of becoming a star. Twin Falls Elephants 34-21 (.618), 6 GB, 2nd overall June record: 17-9 (.654) Now 9 games ahead of the Pocatello Suns and still within touching distance of Coeur d'Alene's 40 wins, the Elephants have surprised everyone so far with how honest they have kept the White Wings' otherwise dominance this season. Key to the Elephants' success has been the trifecta of 1B Kevin Sayre, LF [b]Tolly Filotei[/i] and RF Gene Scheiman who, at .330, .324 and .291 respectively, make up three of the top five batters by batting average over the month of June. Sayre has particularly impressed from a production perspective, his 16 RBI joint-first in the entire competition for June along with Coeur d'Alene irrepressible Bell, while Filotei's 9 stolen bases are almost twice the number of any single player (2nd for the month is CF Steve Flores, another Elephant). By and large, their starting rotation has continued to be very consistently decent, with four of the five at the end of the month showing a maximum of 3.10 on the ERA charts (and if Andy Rose, ERA 2.92, was still fit, then Davon Winns and his 5.82 ERA wouldn't be getting a look-in right now). 31-year-old Mike Schumacher (5-0, 3.05) is still undefeated across 23 appearances and 38 innings, and since his inclusion in the starting rotation following the 16th (an 8-0 thrashing of Caldwell), he has a W in every single IL start so far. In fact, the Elephants have looked good in the bullpen too, with closer Joe Sammons (1-1, 0.63) with 8 saves from 12 outings this year. In the news 4th June: Long game after a two-run salvo in the bottom of the ninth by the Steamrollers, the Elephants needed until the top of the 13th to get the winning three runs and overcome Boise, 7-4. Additionally, this snaps a 5-game losing streak which goes back to the end of May for Twin Falls. 14th June: Team shutout solid hitting and a superb outing from Billy Blocker and Josh Yates (6.0 IP [W] and 3.0 IP [SV] respectively) gave the Elephants a 5-0 result over the Idaho Falls Maulers. 16th June: Team shutout Mike Schumacher's starting debut was nigh-on perfect as he held the home Caldwell 83s to 5 hits in 8 innings today, striking out 5. Doug Burrows saw the game out (1.0 IP, H, 3 K) as Twin Falls thrashed the 83s 8-0, outhitting 14-to-6. 17th June: POTW Award 2B Luis Treminio 23rd June: 2-HR day/high scorer 1B Kevin Sayre (3-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB Elephants comfortably disposed of the Boise Steamrollers, 10-3) 24th June: POTW Award 1B Kevin Sayre 24th June: A 7-0 slaughtering at the hands of Coeur d'Alene on the 19th is the only blip, as the Elephants' 2-1 victory over Boise today is their 11th in 12 games. 30th June: High scorer Idaho Falls are the whipping boys again as they succumb to a 10-4 defeat at their home, with 4 runs in the 4th and 6 runs in the 6th doing the damage for the Elephants. Injuries: with 3B Joe Lippincott (.250/.324/.438) and C Angel Nelo (.185/.270/.231) still injured from May, the Elephants had a few more injuries to their books over the month of June. RP Josh Hickman (5-1, 5.63 ERA) opened the month with elbow inflammation but was able to return in 10 days to record three wins over the month. SP Andy Rose's (4-1, 2.92) injury sustained on the 3rd after throwing a masterful 10 K performance against Coeur d'Alene (despite Twin Falls ultimately losing 3-1) proved to be a partial labrum tear and will probably be out until the last week of the regular season while he recuperates. Defensive strongman SS Josh Larsen (.222/.337/.385, 5 HR, 1.8 WAR) missed most of the month after a nasty dead arm on the 6th, but has since returned as of the 28th to regular action. 1B Willi Martin (no data available) joined on the 16th from the Southern Illinois Miners and immediately aggravated an intercostal strain from March, putting the slugger out until at the least the third week of July. Finally on the 29th, RF Gene Scheiman's (.268/.374/.400, 10 2B, 2.2 WAR) excellent month ended in him straining his groin, and will now spend most of July on the day-to-day list so not ideal for the Elephants at all. Transactions: Twin Falls opened their June transactions log by signing 3B In-Ho Kang, a 23-year-old projected to develop substantial contact ability but really, little else. 3B Nestor Heredia joined on the 12th after a week of being released from the Cubs' organisation, and the 18-year-old international free agent (from Venezuela) has featured in most games since then (chalking up a .220/.226/.400 slash in the process). 27-year-old 1B Willi Martin (see above) joined on the 16th, and was joined three days later by 26-year-old Canadian 2B Austin Marcellus (who last played for Trois-Rivieres in the Can-Am League). Marcellus has enjoyed a solid start with a .262/.354/.357 slash from his first 11 starts and, dubious eye aside, has the makings of a solid all-rounder for the Elephants. Finally, the 24th saw Twin Falls bring former Met LF Ezequiel Pena, a 20-year-old with immense batting potential, and RP Daniel Tolano, a quality reliever from the Trinidad Triggers'. Pocatello Suns 25-30 (.455), 15 GB, 3rd overall June record: 12-14 (.462) Pocatello have barely deviated from their ~.460 form all season, and with the dominance of the Coeur d'Alene White Wings and the Twin Falls Elephants find themselves heading as the 'best-of-the-rest' as we go into the final month of Idaho League baseball. Despite advancing to third in the table, it's obvious that the Suns have continued to struggle putting runs on the board, clocking in at 6th (and therefore last) in most team-based offensive statistics (in fact, while the top two sides are the only team to have more than 200 runs, Pocatello's 177 so far makes them the only 'other' team to not be in the 190s on total runs). This hasn't been for want of trying from a few individuals RF Joe Kanellis' .273 batting average is 8th in the competition, his 24 ribbies only just sitting outside the league's top 10. 1B Josh O'Brien has still been a source of excellence and also frustration for Pocatello, his 8 home runs (2nd in the competition) clashing spectacularly with his .176/.302/.316 slash line indeed, just shy of 25% of all his hits this year have been taters. However, with 4 of 9 of their current lineup still hitting below the Mendoza line (the worst offender, 3B Mike Andalon, with a cool .156/.237/.226 from 52 starts), it's obvious where things must change. However, there's a reason why they're in 3rd, and a starting rotation headed by Estevon Romero (2-2, 1.91) and Chris Grubb (5-2, 2.29) has gone a long way to ensuring that. Manager Frank Kremblas has notably put a lot of faith into 29th-overall draft pick Even Lundsgaard (1-1, 4.58) and despite a pretty anonymous start the 21-year-old has done a pretty decent job of being a middle-of-the-rotation kinda guy. Furthermore, only three of a current 9 bullpen staff have an ERA of greater than 2.00, with Tony Boozer (1-0, SV, 0.90) and 1st-round draft guy Ricky Booker (0-0, 5 SV, 1.08) leading an impressively stingy endgame outfit. In the news 20th June: Team shutout a strong performance from Boise's Juan Jaramillo was met by a stronger one from Chris Grubb, whose 5 Ks in 8 innings paired with only 5 conceded hits and a little luck to guide his team to a tentative 1-0 victory, courtesy of CF Jeff Yund's solo dinger in the 2nd. 24th June: 2-HR day 1B Josh O'Brien (3-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB Suns overcame the Caldwell 83s 7-2) 26th June: Team shutout a productive 4th inning saw the only runs of the game scored in a close 8-to-6 hit win for the Pocatello Suns against the Twin Falls Elephants, as a run of contact hitting off Pat Lenart saw the Suns wins 4-0 without a single extra-base hit. Injuries: losing RP Mike Bradley for the rest of the season to an arthritic elbow was a bad start for the Suns, the 33-year-old finishing the season with a solid 1.42 ERA from 14 relief outings. RP Joe Rust is out of action for a purported torn elbow ligament sustained during Pocatello's 5-4 victory over the Elephants on the 9th (he finishes the season with a mediocre 1-1, 4.50 ERA tagline in 15 appearances). Aside from this, a welcome return for RP Sener Zapata (1-0, 1.56) sees him bounce back from a mid-May oblique strain, and no other injuries afflict the Suns at this present time. Transactions: the 15th saw only the first non-draft transaction for Pocatello in June, bringing #98 Pecos League prospect(!) catcher Tyler Baumann into the fray he has since become the Suns' starting backstop, with a .277/.346/.362 line amounting to 0.5 WAR in 12 outings so far. Only a day later, a second catcher in 23-year-old Devon Fisher was signed a 2014 Draft 20th-round acquisition by the Red Sox, who has put in a .200/.267/.255 as the team's DH. Former Cubs international, the 19-year-old LF Felix Stevens was brought in on the 19th and is projected to develop scintillating gap power to use with his quality defensive smart. The 25th was a two-man day as they brought in 25-year-old infielder Danny Grzywa, a solid all-rounder with good projected power, and catcher Eduardo Herrera, a 19-year-old star-for-the-future that was part of the Diamondbacks' setup until recently. Finally, the day later they signed their fourth catcher of the month 23-year-old Yeison Perez, a former Mariners international and most recently released from the Twins' organisation. Idaho Falls Maulers 23-32 (.418), 17 GB, 4th overall [i]June record: 9-17 (.346) After a solid May which saw the Maulers float around the .500 mark pretty comfortably, June has been an absolute horrorshow for Idaho Falls as a horrible second half, which saw them win only 3-in-17 games (good for .176, if you're keeping score) and abruptly ending any real chance of postseason participation in 2019. RF Maddox Grannum (.293/.414/.491, with 3.4 WAR and a league-topping 9 homers) and 3B Jeremy Weinberger (.305/.370/.443, 2.1 WAR) have, nevertheless, continued to be a strong duo in a team that manager Ron Warner seems to be running out of ideas for. Warner's management has come under increased scrutiny since the acquisition of 3B Culver Plant on the 16th from the Southern Illinois Miners, who has seemingly become favoured to play (even with a .208/.304/.271 slash) over Weinberger never mind the 32-year-old's impressive from all year and 22-game hitting streak in May. Is it a coincidence that they have only won 3 games in the 14 that Plant has supplanted (heh) Weinberger in? Probably a little, though it can't be helping matters. Where things are falling apart fast, however, are on the mound. 30-year-old Juan Mitre (2-1, 1.45) seems to be the only guy consistently pitching great baseball in Idaho Falls, and after two games which have seen his ERA rise 0.58 since the 20th, the Maulers will be hoping their captain isn't throwing in the towel entirely. Elsewhere, Nate Brubaker (2-5, 3.02) has been a little unfortunate with his record still, but nothing else is going right. The bullpen is arguably in even more of a shambles than it was at the end of May, with the best performing guy, Billy Kauffman, still with a 0-0 record and a 3.46 ERA although the 18-0 thrashing at the hands of Caldwell (see in Caldwell's section) has hardly helped numbers. In the news 3rd June: Team shutout a 3-from-5 day for 2B Andy Hawley and 7.1 innings of 2-hit, 4 K pitching from Joey Zimmerle bring the Caldwell 83s to an uninspiring 2-0 defeat. Joe Korte picked up his second save of the year. 5th June: 2-HR day/long-game RF Maddox Grannum (2-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB Maulers beat the White Wings 7-6 in the 14th inning, just a day after losing against Coeur d'Alene in a 16-inning slugout) 16th June: Team shutout - The Maulers skate by on the seats of their bums as they beat the Pocatello Suns 1-0, despite being outhit 8-to-3 by the visitors. Ultimately, Weinberger's 16th double of the season was good enough to make the difference, while Nate Brubaker struck out 5 and allowed 7 hits in 8 innings to just about claim the win Korte again picked up the save. 17th June: Team shutout consecutive team shutouts belie the Maulers' next 12 games as Joey Zimmerle (8 innings, 4 H, 6 K) and Bobby Krupke (1.0 IP, H, K) hold off the Pocatello Suns again, this time letting Idaho Falls win 2-0. 24th June: a shock 9-5 result over the Coeur d'Alene White Wings breaks an ignominious 6-game losing streak in its tracks. However, they are to lose the next five games, and will be hoping to break that run in July as soon as possible... Injuries: RP Ken Helsel (0-1, 5.54 ERA) missed two weeks from the 6th with elbow inflammation, but was back for the game on the 19th which saw Caldwell lay fire-and-blood at the gates of Idaho Falls. 2Nd-round draft signer CL Danny Thacker developed shoulder tendinitis on the 15th and has been on the day-to-day list since then, while 32-year-old reliever Josh Harris' season was over after his 5th pitch of the day against Coeur d'Alene on the 23rd his elbow ligament tore. He finishes the season with a 1-2 record and an ERA of 4.00 from 15 apps. A clean bill of health outside these though. Transactions: Backup RF Sang-min Choi was brought into the Idaho Falls organisation on the 4th, and the 19-year-old South Korean has only made 5 plate appearances since then with no hits but one walk. 2B Rupert Watson, 26, was signed up on the 9th, and has become a fixture in the rotation having played 17 games, although only slashing for .215/.278/.338 in the time has given him a perfect 0.0 WAR. Undrafted 23-year-old CF Miles Lewis was signed on the 10th and ends his first month of paid baseball with a decent .372 OBP (the man from Hudson, Wisconsin is projected to be an Idaho star in the future), and on the 12th, nominal prospect 3B Bradley Harmon signed on as a backup after being released by the High Desert Yardbirds (a PECOS League side from Adelanto, California). 19-year-old Colombian Hernando Mejia, loosely a third-baseman but more of a first-base guy came in on the 13th and could become an absolute monster if he develops as he should, and the 16th saw the controversial signing and usurping by 3B Culver Plant (read above). Their final transaction of the month saw 1B Jesus Alexander Graterol, a 1B/2B with sound defensive abilities and potentially outstanding swing, come into the fray after being released by the New York Yankees. Caldwell 83s 22-33 (.400), 18 GB, 5th overall June record: 12-14 (.462) Caldwell's month sees the team from the outskirts of Boise beleaguered from injury, but rising above the wooden spoon position beyond seasonal expectations. Nevertheless, mediocrity is present in nearly every facet of the 83s' game. A key example of this can be seen in Caldwell's offensive line-up. Greatest success in terms of hitting probability has come from RF Josh Clark and RF Josh Wernette, hitting .314 and .265 respectively, but with the two being rotated rather evenly, neither can be said to be truly first-team regulars. However, when you get to the 'regulars', the outlook is rather ugly. SS Brenden Perry, 1B Chris Lamastus, 2B Billy White and C Chris Ellis are the only regular 83s hitting above the Mendoza line, with Perry doing the 'best' at a very humdrum .226 (although a 14% walk rate helps his OBP to a handy .368). While, as a unit, they don't bottom out in any one offensive statistic outside of stolen bases, as things stand Caldwell lack the standouts to advance further. Pitching is, to be fair, going marginally better still, with their rotation headed by the driving force of SP Andy Williams (6-2, 1.71), who outdid himself this month to earn a very deserved Pitcher of the Month award winning 4 games and dropping your ERA a whole 1.29 does not go unnoticed. The remainder of their starting rotation has played at more-or-less replacement level, but no pitcher in 5 has had an all-out blowout of a month. Tommy Thomas (2-0, SV, 3.00) has enjoyed a solid first month of baseball since being drafted first overall, establishing himself as arguably the most impressive hurler in the 83s' bullpen. Dan Young (1-2, 5.82) will be wanting to drag himself out of the slump he's in at the moment though. In the news 19th June: High scorer in a game having some parties calling for a variant of the 'mercy rule' to be imposed on the Idaho League, the 83s absolutely annihilated the Maulers in Idaho Falls, 18-0. Every Caldwell starter collected at least one run and all bar C Chris Ellis (0-3, 3 BB) batted in at least one; 2B Billy White (3-6, 2 R, 4 RBI) and CF Jake Stone (3-6, 3 R, 5 RBI) headlined the battering. 20th June: High scorer - Only the following day, the 83s once again hammer the Maulers but to the more modest tune of 10-6. The game was notable for Idaho Falls leading 6-3 until the 8th inning, before the relieving trio of Mike Lightner, Bobby Krupke and Rhett Warren fell apart. 30th June: Suspension for his part in a bench-clearing brawl during Caldwell's 7-3 victory over Boise, reliever Josh Brode has been suspended for four games for overly-aggressive pitching to Steamrollers' RF Amari Lurks. Injuries: A painful month for the 83s. With SP Patrice Jamet (recovered on the 14th) and LF Jonathan Allen (still out for another couple of weeks with an MCL strain) injury hangovers from May, the dam opened on the 3rd when SP Jim Shepherd (0-2, 4.43) succumbed to a triceps strain and will likely miss the rest of the season. 3B Ben Stratmann (.286/.400/.391) strained a hamstring on the 15th and missed the remainder of the month, as well as the first few days of July, and then backup 3B Gerardo Gonzalez (.341/.426/.390) suffered a knee contusion to put him onto the DtD for a few weeks. The final major blow came with CL Chad Huxhold (0-3, 4 SV, 2.31), as the 38-year-old tore an elbow ligament to guarantee him out until at the very least June next year. It remains to be seen whether he'll decide to retire or not. Transactions: Caldwell opened June by signing up 3B Bradley Haslam, formerly a non-drafted free agent with the Phillies, to act as a backup and pinch-hitter to Stratmann. 3B Gerardo Gonzalez (see above) came in on the 7th after spending a couple of years with the Detroit Tigers' organisation, and is expected to develop into a ++ contact guy with great speed and solid defensive ability. The acquisition of CF Moises Rivas, a previous Reds international free agent from the Dominican Republic, brings a raw but potentially huge talent into Caldwell, while the 17th saw CF Jake Stone come in, a 24-year-old possible all-round star expected to jump into the first team straight away. Indeed, the former Oakland Raiders man started the following thirteen games in June and chalked up an impressive .333/.393/.500. The offensive clout the 83s need? Maybe. Boise Steamrollers 21-34 (.382), 19 GB, 6th overall June record: 10-16 (.385) The Steamrollers continue to lurch from one disappointing week to another, and with the 83s improving their form during the last month, Idaho's capital team drop into last place as we head into July. Much like the Caldwell side, the Steamrollers find themselves in a position where they're not horrible offensively at all (in all honesty, better than Caldwell in most instances), but without the sparkplug to turn themselves into a winning side. Leading the way this month are CF Corey Dempster (.250/.324/.422) and 2B Ezra Freedman (.256/.345/.318), with Dempster coming in on the 10th of the month on a free transfer and making an immediate impact. 1B Cameron Haskins and RF Amari Lurks still lead the Steamrollers' RBI charts, with Haskins' 28 good for 5th in the competition and Lurks' 25 a joint 9th in the rankings. In short, there's definitely talent in Boise's ranks, but it's still going wrong somewhere. How about the starting? Boise's pitching is still a tale of two stories, with perhaps even more polarity than seen at the end of May. Sure, Dan Moran (0-6, 4.18) has had a nightmare of a month as he gains an L next to every game played in June, but even with the continued absence of C. J. Wisehart, the rotation has largely given a good account of itself Mike Chisholm (3-3, 2.09) and Chris Haraldson (4-6, 3.20) in particular have provided stern opposition to batters as the year has gone on. However, it's the same issue that plagued Boise in May scarily bad relieving. Five of their relief staff end the month with an ERA exceeding 5.00, with Jonathan Ayers (0-0, 6.48), [b]Freddy Kinley (0-2, SV, 7.84) and CL Dan Blaskie (0-1, 5 SV, 7.71) coming out worst in these numbers. Maybe if they can sort their endgame out, Boise might have a team to fear soon. In the news 14th June: a 5-1 victory over the Caldwell 83s breaks a 5-game losing streak which the Steamrollers had encountered, featuring a series sweep against Idaho Falls. 27th June: High scorer Idaho Falls get thumped again as the Steamrollers easily overcome them, 11-1. 30th June: the 3-7 defeat to Caldwell and the brawl that took place also saw Amari Lurks suspended for four games. Injuries: with SP C. J. Wisehart, SS Andy Williams and RF Luis Bonilla, three star players, still out from the first half of May, the return of slugger 1B Juan Arriaga (.232/.350/.424) has been a welcome event for diehard Steamrollers fans. There have, mercifully, been no other injuries in Boise during June. Transactions: the signing of 28-year-old backup fodders LF Andrew Medeiros and 1B Scot Hoffman on the 7th opened the month's transfer activity somewhat underwhelming for fans after the draft. The 10th saw a far more exciting move for CF Corey Dempster (see above) and two days later, a new first-team shortstop in Angelo Armenta (.217/.351/.333) was brought into the fray, Armenta going undrafted before being picked up. Finally, the signing of RF Abel Arocho on a free looks set to a) give the 23-year-old lots of game time and b) fill the gap left by Luis Bonilla while he recovers from injury.  So, with one more month to play it looks like we have our two Idaho Cup finalists already... but who will take the Trophy? Who will win the Cup? Can the Suns maybe cause a massive upset should Twin Falls collapse in July? Who knows... |
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