News and Notes: Monday, May 15, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- BAL was 18-7 early this season. That seems so long ago, as the Panthers dropped 15 straight before winning their final game v PAR Sunday night. BAL has scored the 7th most runs but have the 5th worst ERA (4.94), in which most of the embarrassing performances are coming from the bullpen. Among the starters though, LHP Oliver Perez has just 2 QS in 8 opportunities.
- TAI continued their strategy of "Winning? Not interested, thanks" after dealing RP F Rodney (3.27 ERA)to ATL in a multi-player swap. After the trade was announced, SP R Mexico went ballistic in the dressing room. "Let's face it, we're a farm team. We'll draft guys and when they develop, trade them to a real team. I know I'll be out of here too - if they don't trade me I'll walk at the end of the year. We should change our team colors to all-white 'cause from management on down, we just @#*%ing surrender."
- The Nick Swisher experiment has ended in BED. After going 2-7 with a double and HR in three games v CHNG, GM Rich Gin traded their big free-agent signing to SCO for AAA 3B R Zimmerman. Zimmerman was hitting .312 in Stockholm while Swisher was hitting .250 with 5 HR for the Crunch.
- At 15-25, ATL is 12.5 back of red hot SJ. SJ is 17-2 in their last 19 buy GM J Masters of the Flyers isn't backing down. Sources inside the Flyers head office say Masters is going ahead with plans to print tickets for not just the playoffs but the World Series as well. "We think it's premature but he's confident in his team. He's dug himself a hole ... but with Zambrano getting his ERA down (4.11 ed) he thinks we're a lock. If we disagree with him in private or in public, he sacks us."
- In HAL's 2 game sweep of ATL before sweeping doormat TAI, the Sailors lost 2B (and RHOY favourite) for 4-6 months. Reporters couldn't get GM Lars Cain to comment but did hear constant sobbing coming from the GM's office.
- KYO's 2 big free agent signings aren't faring too well. RF J Reed (8M per) is hitting just .234 with a .649 OPS on a team that needs him desperately to provide offense. And 35 year-old SP J Peavy has a 5.80 ERA with 74 baserunners in 50 IP.
- Preseason favourite LON was the latest victim of SJ and has now lost 5 straight. After winning 97 games last year and adding RF D Young, the Knights are now last in the Euro, 6 games back of SCO.

News and Notes: Monday, April 24, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- SCO pasted BAL in a 3 game series putting up 31 runs in the Panther Dome. 2B K Bristow hit his 7th HR already - his career high is 14 (HAL 2014). Bristow also leads SLB in runs scored. The sweep of the Panthers puts SCO up 1 game in the Euro and diminishes BAL's lead to just a half game in the South.
- CF Rocco Baldelli continues to work out in Arizona and practice with ASU while his agent desperately works the phones. Baldelli, a former Goat of the Year (LON 2005), hit just .228 in spot duty for TAI last season. "I may be 34 but I'm in the best shape of my life", said Baldelli. "I'm not looking for a multi-year deal, just an opportunity somewhere. I can't even get a job in Triple A right now? Come on."
- BED has scored the 5th most runs in SLB so far (110). Leadoff hitter and CF T Johnson has as many HR (5) as SB.
- After making 5 deals and revamping his roster, GM B Royer now sees his CHNG team in 3rd place, just one game up on TAI. The Kwaan have the second worst ERA (5.53) despite SP M Prior's 1.90 in 38 IP. Will Royer be able to turn this team around again? His head is on the chopping block according to league sources, with ownership upset that last year's 101-win team was remade instead of tinkered with.
- CLE LHP C Y'Barra (1-1, 7.18) outdueled CHNG RHP M Prior in the rubbermatch of their series to give the Dawgs 3rd place in the North. The game gave Prior his first loss and Dawg Closer M Towaki his 3rd save.
- IRE rookie CF J Ferrera might want to reconsider buying new plasma Hi-Def big screens and the new Apple - that Rookie of the Year bonus money might not be in his future. The Invader CF is hitting (using that term loosely, I know) .198 with 2 HR while batting 2nd in the lineup.
- KYO LF A Mule went 0-8 with 3K in the first two games v SJ (both losses) before rebounding in game three - 4-4 with 2 HR. The young Bushido outfielder is playing hurt but is being counted on to carry the team with both 1B M Hamilton and CF J Hamilton out 4-6 weeks.
- Will KYO's injury issues allow the other Far East teams to shrink the Bushido's 3.5 game lead? KYO doesn't play a Far East opponent for 9 more series.

- What is going on with LON SP Jered Weaver? After going 17-4, 3.80 in 213 IP in 2016, Weaver has been rocked in all 4 starts for the Knights in 2017. Zero quality starts, an ERA of 23.14 and 34 baserunners in 9.1 IP. (Not a typo: 4 GS totalling 9.1 IP). One theory coming out of the Euro division is that Weaver is spending too much time being "mentored" by such upstanding citizens as Knight's hitting coach Darryl Strawberry and pitching coach Dwight Gooden.

News and Notes: Friday, April 14, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- BAL flew out of the gate this season with a 7-3 mark. That matches KYO for the best record in the league. 26 year-old 3B T Gammell is hitting .400 with 5 HR. "That's up there in Rockwell territory," said Gammell. "I plan on doing this all year long."
- Last year's champion PAR has limped out to just a 6-5 record so far, dropping their last 3. Pimpernel pitchers have been grooving pitches at an alarming rate; B Kim has given up 4 HR in 9.2 IP, H Kuo 4 HR in 8 IP, and D Arizmendi 4 HR in 6 IP.
- CLE waived LHP T Lare in order to send the 29 year-old to Hawaii. Manager Joe Torre, bundled up in his winter parka, was misty-eyed after informing Lare of the decision. "It's not that I feel bad for the kid," said Torre. "I just wish I could go with him. Instead I have to stay here, freezing, and watch Towaki pitch. You know what that does to me?" RHP M Towaki, the highest paid Dawg at 3/18M, has a 6.75 ERA so far.
- SCO CF Darin Ford is providing some pop in the Rebel lineup. Ford has a 1.061 OPS with 5 HR in 11 games with the Rebels in front of LON, PAR and IRE. How long Manager Rollie Fingers continues to give RHP E Degerman chances is anyone's guess - Degerman has a 7.62 ERA with 5 HR in his 2 starts.
- OSA lost RP C Sadler (2-4 weeks) and LF R Brown (6-8 weeks) in the first game of the season. And on Tuesday, 2B P Matthew left the game early with a strained back and is out 4-6 weeks. Manager Sadaharu Oh, known for his tough practice schedule, refuses to lighten the workload despite the constant injuries to his players. "They are not in shape and show no discipline. When they accept my methods the team will perform better. I will show no mercy to weak players."
- BED LF N Swisher is struggling with his new team - not that it has hurt the Crunch so far - batting just .214 with 0 HR and a league-worst 15 K's. LHP S Kazmir has shown an affinity for pitching in Bedford, however, with a 2.25 ERA and 10 K in 12 IP.
- SJ's bullpen has been putting gas on the fire early this season. Last year's surprise of a reliever, Edwin Jackson, has a 6.75 ERA (4.74 career). Setup man J Colome has a 7.50 ERA with 11 baserunners in 6 IP.
- LON is behind SCO by a game and has lost LF J Russell for up to 2 weeks. The Knights won't be getting much help from their AAA affiliate in Queens, as they can't even compete at that level. Queens is 0-11, hitting 6 HR so far as a team and allowing 15.
- IRE is 3-8 and last in the Euro, which isn't surprising. What is surprising are the weak performances by pitchers C Sabathia (1-2, 4.12), J Beckett (0-1, 7.71) and FA signee T Kawabata (0-1, 5.25). Look for pitching coach Roger Clemens to be shown the door if this continues.
- New KYO SS B BooYa (acquired from PHI) leads SLB in batting avg (.441) and had a 1.031 OPS with 5 SB. "Right now, he's making up for Jeremy Reed," says Manager Bobby Valentine, trying to bite his tongue. "Reed has .... has not .... lived up to expectations, frankly. My sister can hit better." RF J Reed is at .189 so far while making 8M per season. Says one rival GM, still bitter over the Oswalt/Mule trade to the Bushido, "Maybe they can send Reed to their Triple-A team - that's Taipei, right?"

Scotland Rebels

2016 Record: 61-99
Projected Record: 81-79
Key Additions: Kenji Johjima (trade), Jed Lowrie (trade), Jeremy Sowers (trade), Ricardo Romero (trade), Hank Blalock (free agent), Felix Hernandez (free agent)
Key Losses: Dennis Tankersley (trade), Ryan Howard (free agent)

GM Carmelo Guarneri has a trade record that rivals Cleveland's Mike McAvoy. This winter Scotland made 6 trades and may have more cooking by the end of Opening Day. He added a couple of solid pieces in the auction and should be set .... but if the phone rings, Guarneri's listening.

Last year's Rebels left fans and ownership disgusted but all of the winter moves have been like a breath of fresh air. There's quality young players at almost every position. But is there enough star quality to win the Euro? At catcher Scotland added former All-Star Kenji Johjima. Nice work. And he has two 23 year-olds to back him up and rest those tired old knees. At 1B, Ryan Howard took his .215 batting average to Kyoto (addition by subtraction?) and will be replaced by Billy Gladden (25) and Henry Sanchez (23). Definitely an upgrade there. Second base could have a platoon as newcomer Jed Lowrie (27), stolen from Atlanta, and Kevin Bristow (25) who batted .336 this spring, are both capable starters at worst. Shortstop could also have a platoon of 23 year-old Wilson Finney and Andy Cannizaro (25) who hit .309 last season, one of the few bright spots for the Rebels in 2016. Hank Blalock signed for three seasons to play 3B which bumps Howie Sloat (26 HR in 2016), who's only 25, to the bench. Nice, right? Not much power though so it will have to be provided by the outfield of Drew Stubbs, Walt Coon and Rob Walsh with Grady Sizemore and Dale Parks able to step right in. Coon led all Rebels with 29 HR last season.

Will Scotland have enough power to survive in the Euro? They may lack the big bopper but are counting on several 20 HR type threats to do the job. They were one of seven teams to hit fewer than 200 bombs last season and just one of those teams made the playoffs.

One might argue that the cold temperatures and regular rainfall depress the offensive numbers. That's fine. But then why the heck did Scotland put up a 4.81 ERA last season? That's truly horrible and improvements have to be made. 11th in ERA isn't going to cut it this year and pitching coach Bob Gibson had better figure out how to knock almost a run off that mark or he'll be canned in a hurry. Guarneri dumped the aging Dennis Tankersley on Baltimore and picked up last year's Comeback Player of the Year Ricardo Romero. He'll be the third starter behind the returning Brandon Webb and underachieving Jeremy Sowers, who was so bad last season (6-15, 4.95) he got bumped to Baltimore's 'pen. (If that's not living in exile, I don't know what is.) Frustrating Felix Hernandez joins this year's team and sophomore Eddie Degerman had a helluva spring, enough to win the 5th spot. To recap, that's Aging, Underachieving, Comeback, Frustrating and Sophomore as your Rebel rotation. A lot of things will have to go right for Scotland to beat out either Paris or London for a playoff spot.

What about the bullpen, you ask? Well, it isn't Osaka bad .... but it's close. Dallas Buck (6.20 in 2016) will have a role if he doesn't grab the 5th starter spot. Dan Brauer (6.71), Lee Dedaux (9 freakin' 58!), Eddie Krueger (5.26, phew!) and anyone else with an arm and a pulse lead to Closer Jorge Julio (3.38) and new setup man Chad Cordero (4.71).


Projected Lineup
2B Kevin Bristow
SS Andy Cannizaro
3B Hank Blalock
LF Walt Coon
C Kenji Johjima
CF Drew Stubbs
RF Rob Walsh
1B Dan Gladden

Look for a lot of platoons. Drew Stubbs blew goats last season (.214 12 HR) and stubbornly stayed with his approach at the plate this spring (.220 4 HR). That's unacceptable from a starting CF. Has the league figured him out? Stubbs averaged .286 with 21 HR and 49 SB's his first two seasons but apparently has fallen of a cliff - the cliff of sucktitude. How long before he's on the trading block? We're talking minutes, not days.

Rotation
Brandon Webb
Jeremy Sowers
Ricardo Romero
Felix Hernandez
Eddie Degerman

Closer
Jorge Julio

There's a huge dropoff in talent from the rotation to relief. GM Guarneri has improved his roster a great deal but not enough to take out the big boys. Manager Rollie Fingers has to be hoping his starters can go 6 and that the skies open up. If there's an inordinate amount of games getting called early, you know Fingers has been working the umps. They could be in for trouble on the road with that strategy though.