The Eugene Emeralds

[Hotwheelz]

I didnt lose anything in the crash but I feel horrible for those that did. A lot of hard work was put into some great dynasty threads and to see that work go to waste is horrible. Hopefully people stick with it and continue to post.

Anyway, I thought I would restart a dynasty thread. Here goes.

Emeralds Focus On Offense; Abrego Top Pick
6/1/2007

The Eugene Emeralds drafted only 2 pitchers in the amateur draft and both were relievers. The rest were hitters and the group was lead by hard hitting, athletic firstbaseman Nicolas Abrego out of New Hampton Prep (H.S.). Abrego hit .551 with 9 homeruns and 36 RBI while adding 20 stolen bases and playing some of the finest defense many had seen at first. "Abrego is a fine hitter with prolific power. However, his finest quality is his defense and ability to hit in the clutch. Watch out for this young man." responded one area scout.

[Hotwheelz]

Nicolas Abrego, 1B - New Hampton Prep (H.S.)
2007: .551/9/36, 20 SB

At 6'2" and 200 lbs. Abrego is a bit smaller than the prototypical slugger at first but Nicolas has the athleticism to make this a mute point. The best player to come out of New Hampton Prep scouts are already touting him as the Oregon/Washington league equivelant to MLB's Alex Rodriguez, Hank Blalock and Derrek Lee. "This kid has the speed to steal 15-20 bases and hit 45+ homeruns every season. But that isnt even his best quality. Nicolas can field his position with the best of him and could push for the leagues top defensive honors right now, just out of high school." responded an anonymous Oregon league scout.

The Eugene Emeralds will start Abrego at Single-A Beaverton and let him gain some experience before deciding whether he will be fast tracked. With Raul Vega handling the job at first for now the team doesnt have to rush this young talent. "Its going to be interesting. We have Vega but Nicolas could push him for the job eventually." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

[Hotwheelz]

James Eilers, C - Somerset H.S.
2007: .619/0/21, 10 SB

With Sam Rambro entrenched as the Emeralds starter behind the plate the selection of Eilers was a bit of a surprise. But Eilers is only 17 and while he will start his professional career at Double-A he has a few years before he makes it to Eugene, giving the team a chance to make a decision regarding the teams future behind the plate.

Who cares that Eilers failed to hit a homerun in his high school season, or that many scouts consider his lack of power a weakness that could keep him out of the big leagues. Team officials believe that James is so good with the bat and that he will hit enough doubles to make up for this weakness. "He wont hit even 10 homeruns, period. He will hit 40+ doubles and that is good enough for us." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

[Hotwheelz]

Tim Creager, SS - Texas A&M
2007: .320/2/37

Creager will start the season at Triple-A Warrenton and if he can learn to play third as the team would like, he could be the drafts first player to make it to the big show. Tim has average skills, little power, and wont steal many bases. What will get him to Eugene is his ability to get on base at a very high rate. "Creager might hit .240 if given a starting job but he would get on base at least 36% of the time and that is something we would love to have on our bench." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

[Hotwheelz]

Domingo Parisi, CF - Spirit Lake H.S.
2007: .577/1/29, 33 SB

Blazing speed and a knack for hitting doubles are the abilities that will get Parisi a look and if he can develop a bit of power and on base skills he could be the steal of the draft. "Parisi has such immense, raw talent that I could see him being one of the best players. Ever. However, he needs to put that talent to good use and prove he can play at that level." responded Parisi's high school coach.

Domingo will start the season leading off for Single-A Beaverton and the Emeralds are in no rush to hurr him along. He will be given plenty of time to develop.


Stephen Jones, 3B - Gibbs H.S.
2007: .502/3/26, 14 SB

Jones was a reach in the 5th round and wont even start at Single-A since the team already has #10 prospect Robert Stock at third. So why was he chosen? We dont know. He has a bit of speed, some defensive skills and little power.



Eric Blaha, RHP - Archmere H.S.
2007: 6-2, 1.65

Finally a pitcher. And a good one a that. The 17 year old righthander with a decent 88-91 MPH fastball and devestating slider will start his pro career at Double-A in the Klamath Falls bullpen, where he will likely spend the rest of his career. "Eric has great stuff. An amazing slider. And he is only 17 years old so his ceiling is endless." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.



David Bracero, RHP - S.W. Texas State
2007: 16 SV, 2.86

Bracero give the team some added depth at Triple-A Warrenton and will pitch out of the long relief role for now. "Bracero is decent and could pitch in the big leagues at some point. He wont dominate and likely wont be more than a long reliever, but he wont suck." responded one Washington league scout.



Zenjirou Rosanjin, 2B - Weber State
2007: .294/2/34

Rosanjin is an interesting pick with the teams last selection. He can play center and right, along with second, adequately and could see time at some point as a utilityman. Nothing more. He doesnt profile as anything more than a journeyman role player.

[Hotwheelz]

Triple-A Warrenton; A Look At The Offense In Waiting
6/26/2007

Triple-A is where those who are just short of being ready for the majors land and most of the time they wait. Prospects that have lit the world on fire are few and far between at Triple-A so most rosters are filled with career minor leaguers or future backups in the majors. Warrenton is no different.

1. Nelson Benford, 2B - (.254/2/25) - Benford is classified as a prospect but is nothing special. If he was he would have to beat Jon Stewart and Rob Adams to crack the Emeralds middle infield and at this point there is no chance at that. A backup role may be in his future.

2. Seth Klingelhoefer, SS - [/i](.264/1/19)[/i] - With that last name how can you keep him out of the lineup? He has little talent but produces when he is on the field. Even a backup role seems like a longshot at this point.

3. Millard Caryl, CF - [/i](.287/3/27, 23 SB)[/i] - The Emeralds picked Caryl with their first pick in this years draft in hopes that he could crack their lineup by September but at this point that wont happen. Caryl can hit and steal a few bases but the one talent the Emeralds hoped he would flash, the ability to get on base, has yet to appear. Even with the talent he posseses he could be stuck behind Clyde O'Curry, Dalis Campbell and Antonio Oliverio. A trade could be in his future.

4. Gerald Huth, 1B - (.133/0/2) - Being the teams lone major leauge talent Huth sure hasn't flashed the stats that he should have. However, he does have an immense amount of talent and him being at Triple-A is temporary, until he can get his hitting back on track, so he wont be here long.

5. Chris Peroza, DH - (.341/7/39) - Peroza can hit but he would be better off taking a seat in the outfield, letting the ball land gracefully, instead of trying to actually catch the ball himself. If the league institutes the DH next season like they have discussed then Peroza could win a spot but as of now he is a very good minor league slugger.

6. James Eilers, C - (.265/0/0) - Unfortunatley for Eilers he would have to beat Sam Rambro to start behind the plate for the Emeralds and that just wont happen. James has a lot of talent, especially in the plate discipline department, and at the very least he will be a very good backup catcher.

7. Eddy Acevedo, LF - (.239/8/22) - In theory Eddy can hit but he has yet to flash anything besides power. The thought of moving him from behind the plate to leftfield, other than the fact that he cant catch to save his soul, is that he could catch on as a righthanded power bat off the bench.

8. Tim Creager, 3B - (.253/1/7) - Creager was drafted with a backup infield job in mind. He plays second and short adequately and is in the process of learning the finer points of playing third. If that conversion goes well he could be in Eugene as early as September.

9. Andrew Neal, RF - (.200/0/1) - The club is very high on Neal and his work ethic and if he can learn to play rightfield, which shouldnt be hard moving from behind the plate, he could win a job on the Emeralds bench next season.

[Hotwheelz]

Elliot To Olympia; Team Gives Up On Struggling Starter
6/30/2007

Milton Elliot is a 22 year old kid who has all of the talent in the world but this season flashed such little control that the Eugene Emeralds gave up on the pitching prospect, dealing him to the Olympia Capitals. This season Elliot had a 1-4 record and 4.70 ERA while walking 37 batters compared to 48 strikeouts. In exchange for Elliot the Emeralds acquired 25 year old starting pitcher Horacio Sanchez and 22 year old lefty reliever Florentino DeCastro, who will be sent to Triple-A Warrenton. "Elliot had no control to speak of. He has amazing stuff but what is stuff when you cant control it? Sanchez gives us a kid who can pitch out of the back end of the rotation and possibly move up in the future. He has talent and the fans in Olympia loved him. As for DeCastro, he gives us a kid who should fill our need for a solid lefty setup man." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

This season at Triple-A DeCastro had a 3.00 ERA in 15 games pitched with a record of 1-0. Horacio Sanchez had a 4-2 record with a 2.83 ERA in limited action this season.

[Hotwheelz]

Abrego Promoted; Should Vega Be Scared?
7/21/2007

Nicolas Abrego was drafted with the Emeralds 1st round pick, 6th overall, in this years amateur draft and he has already impressed the club enough to earn a promotion to Double-A Klamath Falls. This season Abrego has hit .314 with 4 homeruns and 26 RBI and according to one league scout has played "the best defense at first I have ever seen."

Eugene has Raul Vega, a converted outfielder who has some of the best pure power in the system, entrenched at first but many scouts feel that Abrego could push for the starting job within two years. "Nicolas has a lot of talent. A lot of power. He is already ready defensively and could win a gold glove right now." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

[Hotwheelz]

Zorilla To Rotation; Moreira Is Back
7/22/2007

The Eugene Emeralds cannot decide whether Jason Zorilla is a starting pitcher or a top notch reliever. The 25 year old righthander has held lefthanded hitters to a .223 batting average, leading the club to use him in a setup role. "Jason doesnt have the endurance to pitch 7-8 innings every time out but he will give you 5-6 very good innings. Our problem is deciding whether he is more valuable ending games or giving 5-6 slightly less dominating innings." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

This season Zorilla is 6-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 32 games pitched.

Reliever Albert Moriera, who was with the Emeralds in their inaugeral season and acquired earlier this year, will give another chance today after he was promoted from Triple-A. Antonio Ceja was demoted and saved one game with a 5.40 ERA in 6.2 innings pitched.

[Hotwheelz]

Shea Emerges As Unlikely Leadoff Hitter
7/25/2007

When the season started Zak Shea didnt even have a starting job and many feld that he should be dealt after losing most playing time to second year player Gabby Chaffin. Chaffin struggled and was demoted to Triple-A and Shea regained a starting job at third. The story should end there, right? Wrong. After winning the starting job Shea has worked his way all the way to the top of the Emeralds lineup as the teams leadoff hitter. "Zak wont steal 30 bases. Heck, he wont even steal more than 10. But he can get on base and has decent speed and instincts when he gets there. Zak is really everything you would want at the top of your lineup. We just never saw it." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

Zak Shea is hitting .272 with 1 homerun and 24 RBI, along with a .364 OBP, this season. Last season Shea struggled, hitting .247 with 5 homeruns and 45 RBI.

[Hotwheelz]

Emeralds Acquire Shortstop Prospect
7/31/2007

When the trading deadline approached everybody assumed that struggling reliever Brad Prill would be the first to be dealt but the deadline came and went with the Emeralds dealing only starting pitcher Pedro Colmaneras. In exchange for the 23 year old righthander the Emeralds acquired top shortstop prospect Derrick Dubovy from the Tillamook Suns. "The knock on Dubovy is his horrid defense and the fact that he is 25 years of age. He has talent but at his advanced age he wont have the time to develop that most young players have." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

This season at Triple-A Pedro Colmaneres was 3-11 with a 4.95 ERA but many scouts considered him to be a much better prospect than his stats seemed to show. "The talent is there. He doesnt have an overpowering fastball, which I think is what hurt him the most in regards to being considered a top prospect. However, his complimentary pitches, such as his change and curve, are very good. Keep an eye on this kid." explained one Oregon league scout.

Dubovy will likely see time at Triple-A before getting the call to join Eugene and see any time at the big league level. Dubovy has hit .299 with 11 homeruns and 46 RBI and would give the Emeralds more offense than Adams has provided (.248/2/23) but is horrible defensively, where Adams has proven to be at least above average.

[Hotwheelz]

Cherba Gets Call As Teams Backup Catcher
8/14/2007

Just days after the 20 year old catcher was signed to a minor league contract by the Emerads, and only one week after being released by Walla Walla, Alden Cherba is back in the majors. The young catcher will take over as the teams backup catcher after Andrew Neal was released late yesterday and will start tonight in place of Sam Rambro. This season for Walla Walla Cherba hit .301 with 0 homeruns and 5 RBI, playing above average defense. "Cherba will never start. That is evident from the start. But Alden has that special something where he could stick around the league as a backup for many years. Much like Todd Pratt, Greg Myers or Gregg Zaun from the major leagues." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

[drums016]

Just wanted to say that I am following this. I have my own sort of "Battle of the States" league going on, with teams from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Canada. I use the teams from the current Northwest League, a few other old-time NWL teams and a few fictional teams (shoot, even the Tacoma Rainers have joined the fold!).

Keep up the work, and I'll be here reading, and checking out the site.

Jon

[Hotwheelz]

Originally Posted by drums016

Just wanted to say that I am following this. I have my own sort of "Battle of the States" league going on, with teams from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Canada. I use the teams from the current Northwest League, a few other old-time NWL teams and a few fictional teams (shoot, even the Tacoma Rainers have joined the fold!).

Keep up the work, and I'll be here reading, and checking out the site.

Jon

That sounds very interesting. I have long considered doing something with just Canada, since it seems like a place I just might want to move to someday

Thanks for reading. I apologize for the spotty coverage but with college, 2 kids, and a fiance.....its a bit tough to spend much quality time with OOTP

[Hotwheelz]

Its time for some house rules......

1. I will not claim a player off waivers that could be considered an impact player, prospect, or if I dont have a specific need to fill. If I can fill from within with somebody major league ready, I will use that player.

2. Trades will be carefully considered from now on. Nothing that I feel is remotely unfair will be accepted. Its time to take this trading business seriously.

3. I will not trade within the Oregon league unless I have an emergency need that needs to be filled quickly and cannot be filled from within, through free agency, or if nobody meeting the need is on waivers.

4. The Emeralds will now be considered small market. We will not allow ourselves to have a payroll in the second half of the league (meaning out of 20 teams we cannot be higher than #10 in payroll) and our payroll will never be more than 70 mil, no matter what.



These might not be the best rules and there is a chance they arent even helping (so if you have any ideas, please let me know) but its a start. Ive never done anything like this.

[Hotwheelz]

Espinal Gets Chance; Teams First Home Grown Starting Pitcher?
8/15/2007

John Bommel is having the best season ever seen by a starting pitcher in this league and many consider this season one of the best ever compared to major league baseball. The problem is Bommel was drafted with the teams first pick in the initial draft, so you cant consider him home grown talent. Terry Hardin and Horacio Sanchez are both having fine seasons but both were acquired through trade. The team has given Milton Elliot, Pedro Colmanares and an assorted group of pitching prospects a chance but none have had any success. So who will take the leap as the teams first home grown starting pitcher?

Today Eduardo Espinal was promoted from Triple-A Warrenton and while scouts dont feel he has the stuff to dominate, he has produced at a level that would lead many to believe he will be a very good starting pitcher in this league. This year at Triple-A Espinal had a 5-7 record and 4.47 ERA while over his minor league career he had a 15-8 record and very solid 2.18 ERA.

"We believe Eduardo has a chance to be one of our better starting pitchers. He will likely never lead the league in strikeouts or ERA but he is going to produce and over his career he just might be ranked near the top." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

His stuff seems to back this idea up. Espinal brings an 87-90 MPH fastball to the table along with an above average change and a developing slider. None of the pitchers are ranked as excellent but put together his stuff is above average.

[Hotwheelz]

Chaffin Wins Player Of Week Award
8/16/2007

Coming into the season Gabby Chaffin had a shaky hold on the starting job at third and after a very poor first month he lost his job and was sent back to Triple-A Warrenton. With Raul Vega starting to struggle and Huth struggling even more the team turned to Chaffin once again, this time as the teams starter at first. This week Gabby was recognized as the Oregon leagues best player after hitting .458 with 2 homeruns and 8 RBI cementing his position as a starter, whether at third or first. "Its great to see Gabby recognized like this. He had a great week and his time at Triple-A did a lot of good. It looks like he is here to stay." responded Emeralds GM Justin Olsen.

[Hotwheelz]

As of this point in time this league is dead. It just crashed for the second time in 2 days and I would have to go back to an earlier backup. While I got over this the first time I am not willing to do it again. At least not right now.