The Charleston Journal

9l! · 05-21-2024, 02:50 AM

The Charleston Journal - Volume 1

The Hiring of General Manager/Manager Wi Hana

As a new expansion team to the MLB, the Charleston Cottonmouths knew they had to make a blockbuster move to put the league on notice. Since the expansion draft was just weeks prior to the 2023 season, they needed someone at the helm that knew what to do. The hiring of 2-time KBO Executive of the Year Wi Hana was the best move they could make. Hana is just 32, but already has one of the best CVÂ’s in the business. He took the worst team in the KBO for a few years running into perennial contenders, and despite never winning a championship, Cottonmouths owner Jeff Lawrence knows heÂ’s the right man for the job. His first action as GM/Manager of the Cottonmouths is the 2023 Expansion Draft, where Hana will have to work his magic to try and build this team towards a championship. Hana and Lawrence have agreed on a 5-year plan. The goal is to have incremental improvements every year, before hopefully winning it all before that 5-year mark.

9l! · 05-21-2024, 03:38 AM

The Charleston Journal - Volume 2

The Expansion Draft

The War Room in Charleston features Wi Hana, owner Jeff Lawrence, and a few of Hana’s trusted advisors. While Hana is not the best English speaker yet, having only learned a little in school, Lawrence knew he was delighted when the Jacksonville Pioneers selected 27-year-old LHP David Peterson from the Mets. After the draft, Lawrence was quoted saying “I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but I was laughing along with them!” Peterson is an interesting choice, having 2 and a half years of MLB experience, but Mets fans know he is an inconsistent pitcher. With this being a serpentine draft format, the Cottonmouths have two picks in a row. With the Cottonmouths on the clock, they have plenty of available options. All of the star relievers are on the board, as are all of the batters. When Charleston’s representative went up to the podium, James Outman’s name was called. Outman will turn 26 2 months into the season, and has only made it into 4 games in his MLB career. He’s stuck behind a plethora of outfield talent in the Dodgers organization, and Hana is hoping that given an opportunity, he will be a star. Outman claims the #33, and will be the opening day Center Fielder. After the celebrations ended in the Charleston War Room, their second pick was revealed. 23-year-old Left Fielder Canaan Smith-Njigba is the second player to put on the light green Cottonmouth colors. Smith-Njigba is a former Yankees draft pick, and was traded to the Pirates in the Jameson Taillon trade. He possesses elite plate discipline, and a good enough glove for the corner. After Tyler Freeman and Donovan Walton were drafted by the Pioneers, Hana was stunned. He couldn’t believe that the Pioneers would allow him to select the two best hitters AND the two best starting pitchers in the draft. He rushed to put the names in, and soon, Kenta Maeda and Jeffrey Springs were Charleston Cottonmouths. Maeda is 34 and Springs is 30, meaning that they likely won’t be key components of a World Series winning Cottonmouths organization, but they should be great pieces for a year or two. After a few hours of picks flying past, and players getting news of their new organizations, the Expansion Draft was complete. We caught up with Wi Hana after the draft, and asked about how he thought it went, (translation) “I couldn’t be happier with the future of this team.”

9l! · 05-21-2024, 04:14 AM

The Charleston Journal - Volume 3

The Start of Something Special

Opening Day of 2023 is the start of something special. The start of 2 franchises, to be exact. The Jacksonville Pioneers will start their season vs the Cincinnati Reds, while our Charleston Cottonmouths will face the Minnesota Twins. The Cottonmouths are predicted to win 70 games this season, according to the Baseball News Network. Before the season, moves were made around the league. One move in particular was interesting for fans of the Cottonmouths. Wi Hana is known for his gung-ho approach to trades, and this pre-season was no different. Trade #1 of the Hana era in Charleston was a huge one. Caleb Ferguson, Zack Jackson, and Yolbert Sanchez are now with the Boston Red Sox. All of these players were expansion draft selections, and in return, the Cottonmouths got 10 minor leaguers. The highlight of these players according to assistant GM Erik Neander are 23-year-old C/LF Nathan Hickey, RP Oddanier Mosqueda, SP Kutter Crawford, and 1B/LF Armando Sierra. However, that wasn’t the only move that GM Wi Hana made to improve this empty farm system. With the next move, Hana traded with another division rival in the Yankees. Charleston received another 10 players in return for Jalen Beeks, JP Sears, Colin Poche, and Rob Refsnyder. The main gets in Neander’s opinion are LF Elijah Dunham, SP Sabier Marte, C Antonio Gomez, and C Agustin Ramirez.

05-21-2024, 02:50 AM	#1
9l! Bat Boy Join Date: May 2024 Posts: 6	The Charleston Journal The Charleston Journal - Volume 1 The Hiring of General Manager/Manager Wi Hana As a new expansion team to the MLB, the Charleston Cottonmouths knew they had to make a blockbuster move to put the league on notice. Since the expansion draft was just weeks prior to the 2023 season, they needed someone at the helm that knew what to do. The hiring of 2-time KBO Executive of the Year Wi Hana was the best move they could make. Hana is just 32, but already has one of the best CVÂ’s in the business. He took the worst team in the KBO for a few years running into perennial contenders, and despite never winning a championship, Cottonmouths owner Jeff Lawrence knows heÂ’s the right man for the job. His first action as GM/Manager of the Cottonmouths is the 2023 Expansion Draft, where Hana will have to work his magic to try and build this team towards a championship. Hana and Lawrence have agreed on a 5-year plan. The goal is to have incremental improvements every year, before hopefully winning it all before that 5-year mark.

05-21-2024, 03:38 AM	#2
9l! Bat Boy Join Date: May 2024 Posts: 6	The Charleston Journal - Volume 2 The Expansion Draft The War Room in Charleston features Wi Hana, owner Jeff Lawrence, and a few of Hana’s trusted advisors. While Hana is not the best English speaker yet, having only learned a little in school, Lawrence knew he was delighted when the Jacksonville Pioneers selected 27-year-old LHP David Peterson from the Mets. After the draft, Lawrence was quoted saying “I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but I was laughing along with them!” Peterson is an interesting choice, having 2 and a half years of MLB experience, but Mets fans know he is an inconsistent pitcher. With this being a serpentine draft format, the Cottonmouths have two picks in a row. With the Cottonmouths on the clock, they have plenty of available options. All of the star relievers are on the board, as are all of the batters. When Charleston’s representative went up to the podium, James Outman’s name was called. Outman will turn 26 2 months into the season, and has only made it into 4 games in his MLB career. He’s stuck behind a plethora of outfield talent in the Dodgers organization, and Hana is hoping that given an opportunity, he will be a star. Outman claims the #33, and will be the opening day Center Fielder. After the celebrations ended in the Charleston War Room, their second pick was revealed. 23-year-old Left Fielder Canaan Smith-Njigba is the second player to put on the light green Cottonmouth colors. Smith-Njigba is a former Yankees draft pick, and was traded to the Pirates in the Jameson Taillon trade. He possesses elite plate discipline, and a good enough glove for the corner. After Tyler Freeman and Donovan Walton were drafted by the Pioneers, Hana was stunned. He couldn’t believe that the Pioneers would allow him to select the two best hitters AND the two best starting pitchers in the draft. He rushed to put the names in, and soon, Kenta Maeda and Jeffrey Springs were Charleston Cottonmouths. Maeda is 34 and Springs is 30, meaning that they likely won’t be key components of a World Series winning Cottonmouths organization, but they should be great pieces for a year or two. After a few hours of picks flying past, and players getting news of their new organizations, the Expansion Draft was complete. We caught up with Wi Hana after the draft, and asked about how he thought it went, (translation) “I couldn’t be happier with the future of this team.”

05-21-2024, 04:14 AM	#3
9l! Bat Boy Join Date: May 2024 Posts: 6	The Charleston Journal - Volume 3 The Start of Something Special Opening Day of 2023 is the start of something special. The start of 2 franchises, to be exact. The Jacksonville Pioneers will start their season vs the Cincinnati Reds, while our Charleston Cottonmouths will face the Minnesota Twins. The Cottonmouths are predicted to win 70 games this season, according to the Baseball News Network. Before the season, moves were made around the league. One move in particular was interesting for fans of the Cottonmouths. Wi Hana is known for his gung-ho approach to trades, and this pre-season was no different. Trade #1 of the Hana era in Charleston was a huge one. Caleb Ferguson, Zack Jackson, and Yolbert Sanchez are now with the Boston Red Sox. All of these players were expansion draft selections, and in return, the Cottonmouths got 10 minor leaguers. The highlight of these players according to assistant GM Erik Neander are 23-year-old C/LF Nathan Hickey, RP Oddanier Mosqueda, SP Kutter Crawford, and 1B/LF Armando Sierra. However, that wasn’t the only move that GM Wi Hana made to improve this empty farm system. With the next move, Hana traded with another division rival in the Yankees. Charleston received another 10 players in return for Jalen Beeks, JP Sears, Colin Poche, and Rob Refsnyder. The main gets in Neander’s opinion are LF Elijah Dunham, SP Sabier Marte, C Antonio Gomez, and C Agustin Ramirez.