A 4-6 start in June for Maple has the fans and owner concerned. We have tough week ahead of us. We play SoCAL at home and then travel across the country to play in Seattle. Maple is in last place in the Billy Martin TML Division trailing front runner San Francisco by 15 games. Maple in previous years has been down by double digits but, this year optimism in the locker room is faint.
There is some good news though longer term. The team has managed to rebuild with some youth and star potential. After the team recently waived the following main stays in Marauder gear: Frank Powers, Anthony Lewis, Doug Smith and Vic Jennings; the team announced some youngsters will get some major playtime in the ABL. The AAA roster call ups include: Ronnie Haynes SP, Brandon Farmer 1B, Clay Wadden UTIL, Floyd Lowery OF and Brooks Petersen OF. Chandler Fisher will return to his familiar role in the pen as a MR. The team also waived & DFA 1B Vernon Burns. We are excited about giving an opportunity to Lowery and Petersen both of which were tearing up the baseball in the minors.
Recent trade activity also gave an opportunity to a couple of RPs; Jonathan Martin and Mitchell Thompson. Mitchell was an interesting player to follow in the minors. He was drafted as a 2B but, was quickly converted to a RP in the minors. A very unique player for sure. In addition the recent trade activity has risen the Maple organization from the bottom of the ranks to 8th overall in the top prospects category compliments of Brooks Petersen's acquisition from Dallas for MR Ken Dixon.
The draft according to sources in Maple went as planned. We were very pleased with our draft choices. Only a couple of players drafted have been released, however; their 1st Round pick William "CANNON" Lee is already ranked as the #17 overall prospect after he quickly accepted his bonus. He will start his career in Kingwood, Texas playing A Ball the rest of the year. In the 2nd Round, Maple could not resist another big hitter 1B in Michael Knaus. Knaus has been a consistent .400 type hitter at Fresno in the NCAA. SS Taro Omori was taken as the Round 3 choice. This NBL allstar combines a "hoover" vacuum cleaner defense with a strong contact bat. Maple also landed the best knuckle ball pitcher in the draft; John Wallace in Round 11. John will be the 5th man in the rotation in Single A Kingwood this year to see what he can do.
We are also optimistic on some future talent coming up through the organization including; SP Subaru Kishita (he really drives a honda) AA who has bounced back and forth between AA and A this year, CL Zeus "BIG THUNDER" Hallman last years Round 1 pick who is dominating in A Ball, CL Manny "BLITZ" Palma who has struggled in the minors and has also drawn alot of interest from ABL teams, Garrett Bennett 1B, AA who may have a short term 1B job in Maple by the end of next year to keep the base warm for the "CANNON" and the OF duo of Brad Thomas and Martin Petersen at AAA. Brad, Martin, Floyd and Brooks were making up the solid 4-some in AAA Astoria that put the "HURT" on SPs.
HOME OF THE 10TH MAN
HOME OF THE 10TH MAN
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Maple May Movements
Maple continued tweeking their lineup in the month of May. From the ABL active roster; Incoming = Danny Burris, Billy Bishop & Jessie Clark and Outgoing = Rich Bussell & Jacques Carpentier. Maple was set on improving their middle infield which has been piece work for over five seasons. Bussell didn't stay long in Maple but, management was just not convinced after our slow start that we were a legitimate contenders in the ABL let alone the TML.
Maple went from 1st to last in the Billy Martin Division over the past month and currently sits 8 games back of San Francisco.
Maple is closely monitoring the progress of a couple of rookies this year: John "TOAD" Jones MR has been lights out; 3-1 Record - 19G, 18.2IP, 10HA, 6ER, 1HR, 13BB, 28K & 1.23WHIP; George Evans OF/DH had been hot until the past couple of weeks; 36G, 151AB, 12R, 40H, 10DBL, 2TRI, 6HR, 19RBI, 6BB, 35K, .265avg, .291obpct, & .477 slugging pct. The past couple of weeks Evans has struggled at a 7 for 43 clip! Maple management remains steady forward with these two youngsters.
Down on the "Farm"; we are very excited about our Triple AAA OF which features potential ABL players and maybe stars! - Brad Thomas (R5 pick in 2015), Floyd Lowery (Acquired earlier this year from Mile High), Martin Petersen (Acquired earlier this year from Nottinghamshire), Tee Wilson (R1 pick in 2014) & Antonio Alvarez (R2 pick in 2014). Joshua Goldberg the son of the owner also received a call-up to the big club in Maple to fill in the rotation while Nicolas Rodrigues spends some time on the DL. In Double AA Tad Williams appears ready to jump to Triple AAA soon. We would like to see some improvement in his 2B defense though. It may be while because after the Jessie Clark trade; Eric Rice 2B was demoted from Maple to AAA Astoria. In Single A 2B Tony Baird is having a great start in Kingwood, TX. Defense again is an area he must work on before taking the jump to Double AA.
Our Top prospects according to OSA sources is Subaru Kishita SP which was drafted this year in R4 and recently was promoted to AA from A. Manny Palma CL has tried to jump to AAA a couple of times but, appears set to finish the season in AA based on his recent stint in Astoria. Then there is Zeus "BIG THUNDER" Hallman our R1 pick this past season; who was drafted as a SP out of College (Arkansas) but, has been the CL in Kingwood Single A. Big Thunder has been terrific so far with a 2-0 record and 9 saves spotting a tiny 1.07 WHIP.
The rumor mill is swirling still in Canada as Frank Powers OF/1B, Vic Jennings who just returned back from the DL along with power hitting SS Doug Smith are all available for a contender this year.
The fans certainly have shown their approval so far this year with the changes. Attendance is up +1.0% over last season.
Maple went from 1st to last in the Billy Martin Division over the past month and currently sits 8 games back of San Francisco.
Maple is closely monitoring the progress of a couple of rookies this year: John "TOAD" Jones MR has been lights out; 3-1 Record - 19G, 18.2IP, 10HA, 6ER, 1HR, 13BB, 28K & 1.23WHIP; George Evans OF/DH had been hot until the past couple of weeks; 36G, 151AB, 12R, 40H, 10DBL, 2TRI, 6HR, 19RBI, 6BB, 35K, .265avg, .291obpct, & .477 slugging pct. The past couple of weeks Evans has struggled at a 7 for 43 clip! Maple management remains steady forward with these two youngsters.
Down on the "Farm"; we are very excited about our Triple AAA OF which features potential ABL players and maybe stars! - Brad Thomas (R5 pick in 2015), Floyd Lowery (Acquired earlier this year from Mile High), Martin Petersen (Acquired earlier this year from Nottinghamshire), Tee Wilson (R1 pick in 2014) & Antonio Alvarez (R2 pick in 2014). Joshua Goldberg the son of the owner also received a call-up to the big club in Maple to fill in the rotation while Nicolas Rodrigues spends some time on the DL. In Double AA Tad Williams appears ready to jump to Triple AAA soon. We would like to see some improvement in his 2B defense though. It may be while because after the Jessie Clark trade; Eric Rice 2B was demoted from Maple to AAA Astoria. In Single A 2B Tony Baird is having a great start in Kingwood, TX. Defense again is an area he must work on before taking the jump to Double AA.
Our Top prospects according to OSA sources is Subaru Kishita SP which was drafted this year in R4 and recently was promoted to AA from A. Manny Palma CL has tried to jump to AAA a couple of times but, appears set to finish the season in AA based on his recent stint in Astoria. Then there is Zeus "BIG THUNDER" Hallman our R1 pick this past season; who was drafted as a SP out of College (Arkansas) but, has been the CL in Kingwood Single A. Big Thunder has been terrific so far with a 2-0 record and 9 saves spotting a tiny 1.07 WHIP.
The rumor mill is swirling still in Canada as Frank Powers OF/1B, Vic Jennings who just returned back from the DL along with power hitting SS Doug Smith are all available for a contender this year.
The fans certainly have shown their approval so far this year with the changes. Attendance is up +1.0% over last season.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Maple hoping not to get Heart Burn over Vernon!
Maple after sim #2 called up a 26 year old who hasn't seen the ABL for six years. His name Vernon Burns. Maple had been after him for a long time during the off-season, however; Burns' agent would not get him to accept a Minor League contract. Fast forward to the 2nd week of baseball and Vernon is going to get his chance to play for Maple in the ABL and hopefully add some pop to the lineup while fielding at 1B. Burns last year made the AAA allstar team and won a gold glove at first base. What really caught our eye was his 82 EBHs with 42 of those going over the wall. Too make room for Burns, Don Strickland cleared waivers and Chandler Fisher SP/MR was placed on the 15 day DL.
Horizon City, TX will be watching the satellite dish tomorrow to see how he does in a Maple uniform.
Horizon City, TX will be watching the satellite dish tomorrow to see how he does in a Maple uniform.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
The latest news from the Marauders organization as we begin Season #6 in the ABL.............
Maple enters the 2017 season with a conflict of opinion. The owner feels we should be an above .500 club this year, however; the GM feels we are in a rebuild mode.
Over the past five seasons the TML Billy Martin division has been arguably one of the weakest divisions in the ABL so, a .500 record in fact may put you in the playoff hunt come September. The OSA scouts though predict a horrible outlook for the Marauders with a 2nd last place finish and a well below .500 record. Fans in Maple were surprised to see the OSA prediction with the Marauders double digit games behind a surprising 100 win San Francisco club. Only time will tell if the Marauders are this bad or if San Francisco is really this good.
The off-season saw Maple pick up a quality starter from Dallas as Rich Bussell was acquired in exchange for allstar catcher Bobby Shine. We hate to lose Bobby as he was a nice surprise last season for our team and the catcher position in the ABL has been a tough position to fill at a high level. On that note, acquiring Rich gives us a chance to be more competitive this season and gives us more options near the trade deadline if we should be really as bad as the OSA predicts. Teams have already contacted Maple to see what the price is for Bussell and the response from Maple has been a consistent; "we will let you know IF and WHEN he is on the market". This trade also allowed us to call up Manuel Fernandez known as "Stubblebeard". Our scouts predict only a backup role for him but, if there is any chance he can turn into anything beyond that now is his chance. Fernandez does shine with the glove behind the plate.
Another interesting off season move saw Nottinghamshire and Maple again continue their interleague relationship in making deals each season; Maple acquired last seasons AAA KSL Cy Young winner - Nicolas Rodriguez in exchange for hard throwing Van "Shooter" Smith. The GM feels a change of teams sometimes can help the players involved so we will see longer term how this trade works out. Maple fans were happy to see that Rodriguez made the team out of spring and will be in the rotation for Maple to start the year.
After a mediocre spring training Maple was on the phone again after the 1st regular season week trying to improve his club and deal with some tough decisions on their 25 man active roster. This team has a lot of players out of options and having the flexibility to call up players like in the past is now just a memory. Maple finished 3-4 after the 1st week of the season and quickly made two more transactions that were announced shortly afterwards. The first move shipped SP Vern Poulin to Nottinghamshire in exchange for hitting middle infield prospect Alfonso Alonso. We felt we have an excess of SPs in similar quality to Poulin and needed some more depth in the middle infield. It is always a pleasure to deal with Mr. William Atteberry. We both discuss which players are of interest and then either quickly agree or move on. Nottinghamshire has been the flagship organization for the ABL and whenever you can pick up some young players that play within that surrounding we feel it is a benefit to our minor leagues. In the second trade, Ron Harrison of Mile High agreed to send OF Floyd Lowery AA to Maple in return for MR Leon King ABL. This deal was to help to get some value from a very decent prospect and young pitching arm in lieu of managing the 25 man roster and possibly losing a player for nothing. We also like Lowery's ability to play all OF positions namely CF. CF has been a long time need for Maple from a defensive stand point. Lowery will begin in AA and based on his results will be given a quick promotion to AAA if the results meet expectations. Lowery's time to make the ABL is now and he knows it. Meanwhile Alonso will start in AA as well and will see some time at 3B. The sales of Sandy Springs Spartans' Alfonso Alonso jerseys skyrocketed quickly after the deal was announced. Fans have been saying in the Atlanta area, "how can't you not like this kid and his name"! We will see how far this 21 year old progresses in the minors over the next year or two.
After all of the minor juggling, the Maple organization announced two more organization changes. Both might have implications for the TML ROY race. 1st call-up was John "Toad" Jones MR from AAA. He was our R1 Supplemental pick this past draft. John was looking very strong out of spring training and didn't pitch for Maple in any spring training games but, had several effective outings in International play. John has bloomed very quickly and we are pleasantly surprised and very happy to have him in the ABL this soon. This southpaw pitched at South Carolina and has told reporters, "I would love to compete versus my favorite team growing up the Bombers"! Gary Altman was not available for comment. Gary has taken some bad press for neglecting to pick the local fan favorite. The 2nd call up saw power hitting OF George Evans get the promotion from AAA ball. Evans was Maple's R2 pick the year previous and is coming off a monster season in AAA for Astoria when he hit 38 HRs and had 78 Extra base hits. Maple is confident both players will be on the ROY ballots for the TML at the end of the year.
Over the past five seasons the TML Billy Martin division has been arguably one of the weakest divisions in the ABL so, a .500 record in fact may put you in the playoff hunt come September. The OSA scouts though predict a horrible outlook for the Marauders with a 2nd last place finish and a well below .500 record. Fans in Maple were surprised to see the OSA prediction with the Marauders double digit games behind a surprising 100 win San Francisco club. Only time will tell if the Marauders are this bad or if San Francisco is really this good.
The off-season saw Maple pick up a quality starter from Dallas as Rich Bussell was acquired in exchange for allstar catcher Bobby Shine. We hate to lose Bobby as he was a nice surprise last season for our team and the catcher position in the ABL has been a tough position to fill at a high level. On that note, acquiring Rich gives us a chance to be more competitive this season and gives us more options near the trade deadline if we should be really as bad as the OSA predicts. Teams have already contacted Maple to see what the price is for Bussell and the response from Maple has been a consistent; "we will let you know IF and WHEN he is on the market". This trade also allowed us to call up Manuel Fernandez known as "Stubblebeard". Our scouts predict only a backup role for him but, if there is any chance he can turn into anything beyond that now is his chance. Fernandez does shine with the glove behind the plate.
Another interesting off season move saw Nottinghamshire and Maple again continue their interleague relationship in making deals each season; Maple acquired last seasons AAA KSL Cy Young winner - Nicolas Rodriguez in exchange for hard throwing Van "Shooter" Smith. The GM feels a change of teams sometimes can help the players involved so we will see longer term how this trade works out. Maple fans were happy to see that Rodriguez made the team out of spring and will be in the rotation for Maple to start the year.
After a mediocre spring training Maple was on the phone again after the 1st regular season week trying to improve his club and deal with some tough decisions on their 25 man active roster. This team has a lot of players out of options and having the flexibility to call up players like in the past is now just a memory. Maple finished 3-4 after the 1st week of the season and quickly made two more transactions that were announced shortly afterwards. The first move shipped SP Vern Poulin to Nottinghamshire in exchange for hitting middle infield prospect Alfonso Alonso. We felt we have an excess of SPs in similar quality to Poulin and needed some more depth in the middle infield. It is always a pleasure to deal with Mr. William Atteberry. We both discuss which players are of interest and then either quickly agree or move on. Nottinghamshire has been the flagship organization for the ABL and whenever you can pick up some young players that play within that surrounding we feel it is a benefit to our minor leagues. In the second trade, Ron Harrison of Mile High agreed to send OF Floyd Lowery AA to Maple in return for MR Leon King ABL. This deal was to help to get some value from a very decent prospect and young pitching arm in lieu of managing the 25 man roster and possibly losing a player for nothing. We also like Lowery's ability to play all OF positions namely CF. CF has been a long time need for Maple from a defensive stand point. Lowery will begin in AA and based on his results will be given a quick promotion to AAA if the results meet expectations. Lowery's time to make the ABL is now and he knows it. Meanwhile Alonso will start in AA as well and will see some time at 3B. The sales of Sandy Springs Spartans' Alfonso Alonso jerseys skyrocketed quickly after the deal was announced. Fans have been saying in the Atlanta area, "how can't you not like this kid and his name"! We will see how far this 21 year old progresses in the minors over the next year or two.
After all of the minor juggling, the Maple organization announced two more organization changes. Both might have implications for the TML ROY race. 1st call-up was John "Toad" Jones MR from AAA. He was our R1 Supplemental pick this past draft. John was looking very strong out of spring training and didn't pitch for Maple in any spring training games but, had several effective outings in International play. John has bloomed very quickly and we are pleasantly surprised and very happy to have him in the ABL this soon. This southpaw pitched at South Carolina and has told reporters, "I would love to compete versus my favorite team growing up the Bombers"! Gary Altman was not available for comment. Gary has taken some bad press for neglecting to pick the local fan favorite. The 2nd call up saw power hitting OF George Evans get the promotion from AAA ball. Evans was Maple's R2 pick the year previous and is coming off a monster season in AAA for Astoria when he hit 38 HRs and had 78 Extra base hits. Maple is confident both players will be on the ROY ballots for the TML at the end of the year.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
MAPLE YEAR IN REVIEW
Maple finished in 3rd place in the TML, Billy Martin division behind winner in a one game playoff South Carolina and 2nd place San Francisco. Maple entered the last month of the season with an outside shot but, earlier moves to reduce payroll and increase profit hurt their chances down the stretch. GM stated that they felt winning the division this year was a short term fix and didn't feel we had the horses to compete with the top teams in the ABL. Maple finished September 15-13 and closed out October at 0-2.
The 77-85 finish is the worst record in the history of Maple in the ABL. In fact since finishing 93-69 in Season I, Maple has had a worst record in each of the successive seasons, 90 in Season II, 89 in Season III, 84 in Season IV and 77 this past year. Maple clearly needs to regroup with some youth and build back their once dominating SP rotation which at one point and a micro 3.33 ERA!
Maple has a ton of money available for Free Agents and for Extensions, however; team sources indicate that they will not resign CL Johnny Tiller who is recovering from a serious injury and Emmanuel Villa a hard throwing MR. At one during the season it looked like Anthony Lewis OF was a step away from having his contract bought out after he successfully cleared waivers but, he got back on track towards the end of the season to finish the year with 31 HRs. Maple has many needs SP, MR, 2B, 3B & Catcher despite having Bobby Shine make the allstar team.
Our most effective players were LF Billy Greer, C Bobby Shine, SP Dan Wilder who started the season as the teams MR, MR Ken Dixon and MR Chandler Fisher. The teams least effective players were SP Aaron Nelson who missed a majority of the season due to injury, LF Anything "BIG STICK" Shelton who had been the teams Dave Kingman but, passed through waivers and finished the year at AAA Astoria, SP Jesus Ramirez the teams R1 pick last year from University of Florida and was rushed into the SP rotation to see what he had, CF Antonio Alvarez who is a highly touted spec but, due to injury and lineup shakeups and based on his defense was rushed into the ABL a bit early to see what he could do too.
Down on the farm, the following specs have some high upside and could be in the ABL within the next 2-3 years - Manny Palma CL (AA), George Evans OF (AAA) and Brad Thomas OF (AAA). Similar to most teams in the ABL, Maple is just loaded in the OF position with potential.
The Maple organization would like to congratulate the playoff teams for a great season and also a high five to Sir William for his three-peat. I am on record to say I doubt he can win 4 in a row but, it will be fun to see what happens in Season VI in the ABL.
Jason
MAPLE
The 77-85 finish is the worst record in the history of Maple in the ABL. In fact since finishing 93-69 in Season I, Maple has had a worst record in each of the successive seasons, 90 in Season II, 89 in Season III, 84 in Season IV and 77 this past year. Maple clearly needs to regroup with some youth and build back their once dominating SP rotation which at one point and a micro 3.33 ERA!
Maple has a ton of money available for Free Agents and for Extensions, however; team sources indicate that they will not resign CL Johnny Tiller who is recovering from a serious injury and Emmanuel Villa a hard throwing MR. At one during the season it looked like Anthony Lewis OF was a step away from having his contract bought out after he successfully cleared waivers but, he got back on track towards the end of the season to finish the year with 31 HRs. Maple has many needs SP, MR, 2B, 3B & Catcher despite having Bobby Shine make the allstar team.
Our most effective players were LF Billy Greer, C Bobby Shine, SP Dan Wilder who started the season as the teams MR, MR Ken Dixon and MR Chandler Fisher. The teams least effective players were SP Aaron Nelson who missed a majority of the season due to injury, LF Anything "BIG STICK" Shelton who had been the teams Dave Kingman but, passed through waivers and finished the year at AAA Astoria, SP Jesus Ramirez the teams R1 pick last year from University of Florida and was rushed into the SP rotation to see what he had, CF Antonio Alvarez who is a highly touted spec but, due to injury and lineup shakeups and based on his defense was rushed into the ABL a bit early to see what he could do too.
Down on the farm, the following specs have some high upside and could be in the ABL within the next 2-3 years - Manny Palma CL (AA), George Evans OF (AAA) and Brad Thomas OF (AAA). Similar to most teams in the ABL, Maple is just loaded in the OF position with potential.
The Maple organization would like to congratulate the playoff teams for a great season and also a high five to Sir William for his three-peat. I am on record to say I doubt he can win 4 in a row but, it will be fun to see what happens in Season VI in the ABL.
Jason
MAPLE
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Season #5 - August - Month in Review - Final push by a gritty Maple team
Maple had its best month of the season in August going 16-12, however; an early 1-3 start in September has us sitting 5 games back of San Francisco in 3rd place in the Thurman Munson League Billy Martin Division.
We might not be a collective group of the best teams in the ABL, however; each year our division races have come down to the wire! Jersey who is in last place is just as likely to win this division this year as San Francisco who sits in 1st place. I am going to predict that 80 wins will win this division this year!
In September we have the following schedule ahead:
Home
1 x South Carolina
3 x Jersey
3 x Las Vegas
3 x Cabo
4 x San Francisco
Away
3 x Boston
3 x Eureka
3 x South Carolina
1 x Jersey
In October:
Away
2 x Jersey
So overall 14 at HOME and 12 AWAY for the Marauders. To get to 80 wins I will need to go 16-10 the rest of the way. This looks on paper to be a big task as we face playoff teams Cabo, Las Vegas and Eureka. We will need to get the broom sticks out at HOME vs. SF, Jersey and South Carolina to have this happen. We are also hoping our record in close games pays dividends as the pressure turns on. We are 8-3 in Extra Inning games and 19-18 in 1 run games.
September Call Ups:
Maple has called up the following players for their stretch run:
Ramon Torres MR - He will add some depth in long relief for a team that has a very tired pen.
Don Strickland 1B - Remember his glorious 1st season in the ABL? After acquiring Vic Jennings from Las Vegas he was a lost member of the Maple Organization. He could provide that clutch pH off the bench and also is a vacuum cleaner at 1B defensively
John Powers CF - Our OF has been on / off injured all season and our biggest weakness defensively has been the CF job. Powers can hopefully contribute as well offensively. He was the source of many trades at the deadline which Maple passed on.
Tom Hunter 2B/INF - Tom is no stranger to the ABL. He is also a defensive specialist that will be asked to fill in at 2B/SS/3B as needed. He might also get the odd RF duty during the final weeks of the season.
Oliver Davis LF - Oliver has been a terror to minor league pitching. Like so many others he has yet to get his chance and prove his value at the ABL level. This might be his last opportunity to make an impression.
Antonio Alvarez CF - Similar to John Powers, Antonio is an interesting prospect and based on his defensive capabilities and the numerous injuries and fatigue in the OF he will get some swings and also some late inning work.
Minor League Report:
George Evans OF will remain in the AAA Astoria team the rest of the way barring any further injury to big club. He is likely to roam the OF for Maple next season joining youngster Billy Greer. Evans is hitting .293 bavg, .357 obpct and .606 slugging so far this year in 108 games at AAA including 35 bombs. If you had this to his AA #s he is on pace to hit 50+ HRs in the minors this year!
Brad Thomas OF has been fast tracked to AAA Astoria after some excellent play at Kingwood A ball. Brad has come out of no where on the organization depth chart to rank among the top 100 specs. He was hitting .285 bavg. .382 obpct and .417 slugging this year with 32 extra base hits (16 HRs) in 128 games so far this year.
We might not be a collective group of the best teams in the ABL, however; each year our division races have come down to the wire! Jersey who is in last place is just as likely to win this division this year as San Francisco who sits in 1st place. I am going to predict that 80 wins will win this division this year!
In September we have the following schedule ahead:
Home
1 x South Carolina
3 x Jersey
3 x Las Vegas
3 x Cabo
4 x San Francisco
Away
3 x Boston
3 x Eureka
3 x South Carolina
1 x Jersey
In October:
Away
2 x Jersey
So overall 14 at HOME and 12 AWAY for the Marauders. To get to 80 wins I will need to go 16-10 the rest of the way. This looks on paper to be a big task as we face playoff teams Cabo, Las Vegas and Eureka. We will need to get the broom sticks out at HOME vs. SF, Jersey and South Carolina to have this happen. We are also hoping our record in close games pays dividends as the pressure turns on. We are 8-3 in Extra Inning games and 19-18 in 1 run games.
September Call Ups:
Maple has called up the following players for their stretch run:
Ramon Torres MR - He will add some depth in long relief for a team that has a very tired pen.
Don Strickland 1B - Remember his glorious 1st season in the ABL? After acquiring Vic Jennings from Las Vegas he was a lost member of the Maple Organization. He could provide that clutch pH off the bench and also is a vacuum cleaner at 1B defensively
John Powers CF - Our OF has been on / off injured all season and our biggest weakness defensively has been the CF job. Powers can hopefully contribute as well offensively. He was the source of many trades at the deadline which Maple passed on.
Tom Hunter 2B/INF - Tom is no stranger to the ABL. He is also a defensive specialist that will be asked to fill in at 2B/SS/3B as needed. He might also get the odd RF duty during the final weeks of the season.
Oliver Davis LF - Oliver has been a terror to minor league pitching. Like so many others he has yet to get his chance and prove his value at the ABL level. This might be his last opportunity to make an impression.
Antonio Alvarez CF - Similar to John Powers, Antonio is an interesting prospect and based on his defensive capabilities and the numerous injuries and fatigue in the OF he will get some swings and also some late inning work.
Minor League Report:
George Evans OF will remain in the AAA Astoria team the rest of the way barring any further injury to big club. He is likely to roam the OF for Maple next season joining youngster Billy Greer. Evans is hitting .293 bavg, .357 obpct and .606 slugging so far this year in 108 games at AAA including 35 bombs. If you had this to his AA #s he is on pace to hit 50+ HRs in the minors this year!
Brad Thomas OF has been fast tracked to AAA Astoria after some excellent play at Kingwood A ball. Brad has come out of no where on the organization depth chart to rank among the top 100 specs. He was hitting .285 bavg. .382 obpct and .417 slugging this year with 32 extra base hits (16 HRs) in 128 games so far this year.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Maple July in Review
Maple sits in 3rd place tied with South Carolina and 2.5 games back of San Francisco as July comes and goes in the ABL. Despite a 47-57 record, Maple stays alive in the subpar Billy Martin TML Division.
Maple did comes to terms with Mile High for SP Jesse George. Maple sent $2M cash + SP Jesse George for young SP Jeff Andrews who will instantly get a promotion to Astoria in AAA and 2B Kazuhiro Kojima who also gets the instant promotion to AA. We hate to see Mr. Consistency go but, we don't feel we can win the championship this season with the likes of Cabo San Lucas and Nottinghamshire around. This will free up some contract money next year in free agency for Maple and we will play the wait and see game with both prospects of which are borderline ABL players at this point in their projection.
Maple finished July at 12-15. We have slipped in the team batting categories and team pitching has been overall respectable and still a surprise to us. Losing George will hurt our Team ERA which ranks 5th in the TML currently. Ron Cutter has been hot of late in the CL roles since Johnny Tiller went on the 60 day DL. Ron in his past 16 G, 9 SV, 0.52 ERA and 21 Ks in 17.1 IP. Also hot is Dan Wilder in his new SP role, he has gone 1-0, 1.57 ERA in his last 5 G with 22 Ks in 23 IP. Highly touted spec Dave Guenette 3B just can't get it going at the ABL level, since his call up he has struggled in his opportunity going 9 for 79, .114 bavg with 0 HR, 5RBI in 22G. The organization is growing impatient with him and perhaps a change of scenery is best for him at this point in his career. Anthony Lewis OF coming off waivers as unclaimed sparked him to a super 17 for 42 clip, .405 bavg, 4 HR and 10 RBI in his past 12 G. Anthony was pretty vocal about his disappointment being waived by Maple's management. It is clear if you don't produce the patience in MAPLE will be short with any high paid players.
Maple management is very high on OF George Evans who at AAA is batting .273/.337/.553 with 21 HR in 311 ABs for Astoria. He might join Billy Greer in the OF next year for Maple :-) CL Manny Palma was demoted back to AA based on his wild performance at AAA this year. OF Brad Thomas has been a pleasant surprise at A Kingwood this year batting .296/.381/.426 with 12 HR in 371 AB. He might get promoted to AA by the end of August if he continues to swing the bat at this pace.
Astoria in AAA is 45-59, 13 1/2 GB and in 6th place; Sandy Springs AA is 55-50, 8 GB and in 3rd place and finally Kingwood A is 59-45, 14 1/2 GB and in 4th place despite playing over .500 for the first time in their teams history.
Maple's MVP is Billy Greer so far. This OF is batting .300 with 26 dingers, 62 RBI and recently moved over to DH with the call up of defensive specialist Antonio Alvarez to roam CF.
It will be interesting to see who gets the September call ups from Maple this year as there are a few youngster that would benefit from some ABL experience going into next year. Then again, we might be in 1st place in this division so you never know what can happen in the wild and worst division in ABL baseball...
Jason/Maple
Maple did comes to terms with Mile High for SP Jesse George. Maple sent $2M cash + SP Jesse George for young SP Jeff Andrews who will instantly get a promotion to Astoria in AAA and 2B Kazuhiro Kojima who also gets the instant promotion to AA. We hate to see Mr. Consistency go but, we don't feel we can win the championship this season with the likes of Cabo San Lucas and Nottinghamshire around. This will free up some contract money next year in free agency for Maple and we will play the wait and see game with both prospects of which are borderline ABL players at this point in their projection.
Maple finished July at 12-15. We have slipped in the team batting categories and team pitching has been overall respectable and still a surprise to us. Losing George will hurt our Team ERA which ranks 5th in the TML currently. Ron Cutter has been hot of late in the CL roles since Johnny Tiller went on the 60 day DL. Ron in his past 16 G, 9 SV, 0.52 ERA and 21 Ks in 17.1 IP. Also hot is Dan Wilder in his new SP role, he has gone 1-0, 1.57 ERA in his last 5 G with 22 Ks in 23 IP. Highly touted spec Dave Guenette 3B just can't get it going at the ABL level, since his call up he has struggled in his opportunity going 9 for 79, .114 bavg with 0 HR, 5RBI in 22G. The organization is growing impatient with him and perhaps a change of scenery is best for him at this point in his career. Anthony Lewis OF coming off waivers as unclaimed sparked him to a super 17 for 42 clip, .405 bavg, 4 HR and 10 RBI in his past 12 G. Anthony was pretty vocal about his disappointment being waived by Maple's management. It is clear if you don't produce the patience in MAPLE will be short with any high paid players.
Maple management is very high on OF George Evans who at AAA is batting .273/.337/.553 with 21 HR in 311 ABs for Astoria. He might join Billy Greer in the OF next year for Maple :-) CL Manny Palma was demoted back to AA based on his wild performance at AAA this year. OF Brad Thomas has been a pleasant surprise at A Kingwood this year batting .296/.381/.426 with 12 HR in 371 AB. He might get promoted to AA by the end of August if he continues to swing the bat at this pace.
Astoria in AAA is 45-59, 13 1/2 GB and in 6th place; Sandy Springs AA is 55-50, 8 GB and in 3rd place and finally Kingwood A is 59-45, 14 1/2 GB and in 4th place despite playing over .500 for the first time in their teams history.
Maple's MVP is Billy Greer so far. This OF is batting .300 with 26 dingers, 62 RBI and recently moved over to DH with the call up of defensive specialist Antonio Alvarez to roam CF.
It will be interesting to see who gets the September call ups from Maple this year as there are a few youngster that would benefit from some ABL experience going into next year. Then again, we might be in 1st place in this division so you never know what can happen in the wild and worst division in ABL baseball...
Jason/Maple
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Maple Month in Review - June
Maple improved their play in June after a poor May going 12-14, and still staying within striking range, 2.5 games back in the TML Billy Martin division. At home Maple is playing .500 ball and on the road struggling at 16-24 for an overall record of 36-44 for the season.
Team Batting statistics are pretty much middle of the pack ranging from a low of 5th overall in the TML to a high of 12th in the TML overall. Power on the batting side is still a strong point with 90 HRs on the season and not getting on base with free passes is hurting the team with only 212 bases on balls.
Team Pitching statistics are a bit stronger for Maple. We rank #1 in Strikeouts meanwhile we are 10th in giving up the long ball. We expected our pitching to be a weakness this year but, so far the youngsters are holding their own.
Maple made some adjustments in June. First move was to place Dan Wilder in the rotation. There was a lot of interest from teams in acquiring him but, we have decided to see what he can do for us on the mound as a starting pitcher. So far in two starts he has been very good, 1-0 with 13.1 IP, 7 HA, 4 ER, 1 HRA, 3 BB, 7Ks. In both games Maple ended up winning (Vs. GEO and vs. SFE). The 2nd big move was the call up of 2B Eric Rice, 3B Dave Guenette and CF Antonio Alvarez. Dave Guenette was a highly rated prospect but has yet to find his stride at the ABL level. This could be his last shot. Eric Rice has been a surprise player ever since being picked in the 7th Round of the draft a couple of years ago. Alvarez was taken in the same draft as Rice but in Round 2. So far Rice is doing the best, batting .368 and a RC/27 of 7.64. Alvarez and Guenette are struggling to bat their weight.
Down on the farm;
Astoria AAA - Kevin McConnel DH has really picked up his game hitting .288 with 11 HRs and 46 RBI. Nobody has really stood out on the mound so far.
Sandy Springs AA - Antonio Paz 1B has been mr. consistent batting .363 with 14 HRs and 60 RBI. On the mound Joshua Goldberg who has struggled at AAA is a solid contributor at the AA level with a 2.16 ERA.
Kingwood A - Brad Thomas OF is leading the way with a .279 bavg, 7 HRs and 36 RBI. Nobody has really stood out on the mound so far.
Playoffs at the minor league level maybe in the sights for Sandy Springs sitting at 44-37 and 2.5 games back. Kingwood who has never reach .500 is playing their best baseball ever sitting at 46-36 but 12.5 games back.
The Maple minor league system has dropped to last in the league according to the experts at OSA, however; keep in mind that most of the solid prospects for Maple are at the ABL level at this time.
The goal for this team is to improve and get younger and keep the financial machine turning out money. We feel we can still move a few aging players such as Jesse George SP to a contender and still compete in the Billy Martin division.
Jason/GM Maple
Team Batting statistics are pretty much middle of the pack ranging from a low of 5th overall in the TML to a high of 12th in the TML overall. Power on the batting side is still a strong point with 90 HRs on the season and not getting on base with free passes is hurting the team with only 212 bases on balls.
Team Pitching statistics are a bit stronger for Maple. We rank #1 in Strikeouts meanwhile we are 10th in giving up the long ball. We expected our pitching to be a weakness this year but, so far the youngsters are holding their own.
Maple made some adjustments in June. First move was to place Dan Wilder in the rotation. There was a lot of interest from teams in acquiring him but, we have decided to see what he can do for us on the mound as a starting pitcher. So far in two starts he has been very good, 1-0 with 13.1 IP, 7 HA, 4 ER, 1 HRA, 3 BB, 7Ks. In both games Maple ended up winning (Vs. GEO and vs. SFE). The 2nd big move was the call up of 2B Eric Rice, 3B Dave Guenette and CF Antonio Alvarez. Dave Guenette was a highly rated prospect but has yet to find his stride at the ABL level. This could be his last shot. Eric Rice has been a surprise player ever since being picked in the 7th Round of the draft a couple of years ago. Alvarez was taken in the same draft as Rice but in Round 2. So far Rice is doing the best, batting .368 and a RC/27 of 7.64. Alvarez and Guenette are struggling to bat their weight.
Down on the farm;
Astoria AAA - Kevin McConnel DH has really picked up his game hitting .288 with 11 HRs and 46 RBI. Nobody has really stood out on the mound so far.
Sandy Springs AA - Antonio Paz 1B has been mr. consistent batting .363 with 14 HRs and 60 RBI. On the mound Joshua Goldberg who has struggled at AAA is a solid contributor at the AA level with a 2.16 ERA.
Kingwood A - Brad Thomas OF is leading the way with a .279 bavg, 7 HRs and 36 RBI. Nobody has really stood out on the mound so far.
Playoffs at the minor league level maybe in the sights for Sandy Springs sitting at 44-37 and 2.5 games back. Kingwood who has never reach .500 is playing their best baseball ever sitting at 46-36 but 12.5 games back.
The Maple minor league system has dropped to last in the league according to the experts at OSA, however; keep in mind that most of the solid prospects for Maple are at the ABL level at this time.
The goal for this team is to improve and get younger and keep the financial machine turning out money. We feel we can still move a few aging players such as Jesse George SP to a contender and still compete in the Billy Martin division.
Jason/GM Maple
Friday, September 27, 2013
Maple cools down in May after fast start...
Maple took a step backwards in May going 10-17 after posting a quick and surprising 13-11 start in April. At the time this article was written the Marauders were also struggling at 1-4 in June.
24-32 record places us in 4th place in the close Billy Martin Division in the Thurman Munson League. A .500 record may win this division! Outside of slugging and HRs the offense is struggling to score runs (11th in the TML). However, the perceived weakness in the pitching staff is in fact the teams strong point. Maple is in the top of each of the pitching categories. If the defense was a bit better we could only imagine how better the staff stats and the W/L record would be (10th in BABIP and 11th in DEF EFF).
Maple offense has been led by Billy Greer OF who is hitting .289 with 11 HRs and 24 RBI and 12 SBs.
Maple pitching has been led by Jesse George SP who is 5-5, 3.82 ERA, 43 Ks, 75.1 IP
On the farm:
Astoria AAA is 23-33, 7.5 games back
Sandy Springs AA is 28-27, 7.5 games back
Kingwood A is 32-24, 8.5 games back
Tee Wilson CF our highest rated prospect received a brief stint in Maple hitting .255 with 3 HRs and 14 RBI in 24 games. He was sent back down to AAA Astoria. We should see him during September Call-Ups. He also might be a starter next year in Maple in CF.
Jason
24-32 record places us in 4th place in the close Billy Martin Division in the Thurman Munson League. A .500 record may win this division! Outside of slugging and HRs the offense is struggling to score runs (11th in the TML). However, the perceived weakness in the pitching staff is in fact the teams strong point. Maple is in the top of each of the pitching categories. If the defense was a bit better we could only imagine how better the staff stats and the W/L record would be (10th in BABIP and 11th in DEF EFF).
Maple offense has been led by Billy Greer OF who is hitting .289 with 11 HRs and 24 RBI and 12 SBs.
Maple pitching has been led by Jesse George SP who is 5-5, 3.82 ERA, 43 Ks, 75.1 IP
On the farm:
Astoria AAA is 23-33, 7.5 games back
Sandy Springs AA is 28-27, 7.5 games back
Kingwood A is 32-24, 8.5 games back
Tee Wilson CF our highest rated prospect received a brief stint in Maple hitting .255 with 3 HRs and 14 RBI in 24 games. He was sent back down to AAA Astoria. We should see him during September Call-Ups. He also might be a starter next year in Maple in CF.
Jason
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Maple off to a surprising start in Season V
Maple finished the opening month of Season V above .500 posting a 13-11 record. Maple unlike last year is winning the close games and doing well in extra innings (6-1 in 1 run games & 3-1 in Xinnings). The power game is still in the lineup (ranked #2 in the TML) with 40 HRs. Every other offensive category Maple sits about average meanwhile, in the pitching category Maple is #1 in strikeouts at 274 for the season. Despite having the 11th ranked defensive efficiency and BABIP surprisingly the pitching staff ranks in the top half of most of the major categories including ERA, Starter ERA, Bullpen ERA and runs allowed.
Maple dug into their farm system to call up two of the top rated prospects. Robert Osborne SP and CF Tee Wilson joined the club at the ABL level very early on. The last remaining of the top prospects may also get a call up before rosters expand in September CL Manny Palma. Maple's farm system has dropped in rating to #22nd overall.
Maple is also lacking a top 20 batter and pitcher for the first time in five seasons of ABL baseball.
Down on the farm all levels of the organization are in contention to make the playoffs. Astoria AAA is 3 GB sitting 14-17, Sandy Springs is 18-13, 2 GB and Kingwood is 20-11, 2 GB and for the first time ever is above .500 on the season!
On the health front, the Marauders have lost 3 starting players so far due to injuries. CF Anthony Lewis is due back in May, SP Aaron Nelson is due back in June and the big blow is CL Johnny Tiller who is out for the season.
Billy Greer continues to be the most consistent batter for Maple, .299 bavg, 6 HRs, and 9 SBs so far this season. Chandler Fisher surprisingly is our top starter with 4 wins, 3.09 ERA and 32 IP.
Hopefully we can keep this going!
Jason
Maple Marauders
Maple dug into their farm system to call up two of the top rated prospects. Robert Osborne SP and CF Tee Wilson joined the club at the ABL level very early on. The last remaining of the top prospects may also get a call up before rosters expand in September CL Manny Palma. Maple's farm system has dropped in rating to #22nd overall.
Maple is also lacking a top 20 batter and pitcher for the first time in five seasons of ABL baseball.
Down on the farm all levels of the organization are in contention to make the playoffs. Astoria AAA is 3 GB sitting 14-17, Sandy Springs is 18-13, 2 GB and Kingwood is 20-11, 2 GB and for the first time ever is above .500 on the season!
On the health front, the Marauders have lost 3 starting players so far due to injuries. CF Anthony Lewis is due back in May, SP Aaron Nelson is due back in June and the big blow is CL Johnny Tiller who is out for the season.
Billy Greer continues to be the most consistent batter for Maple, .299 bavg, 6 HRs, and 9 SBs so far this season. Chandler Fisher surprisingly is our top starter with 4 wins, 3.09 ERA and 32 IP.
Hopefully we can keep this going!
Jason
Maple Marauders
Friday, August 30, 2013
Maple Post season & Pre Season Review
Maple managed another late season run finishing 81-81 on the season but, for the first time in their ABL history failed to make the playoffs.
The off-season created some challenges for Maple. The pitching which was an anchor in the past for the Marauders was no longer one of the best in the league. The hitting showed some pop but, never managed to be consistent throughout the season.
Some highlights so far:
Just after Post Season:
MR Emmanuel Villa executed his last optional contract year.
MR Ron Cutter had his last optional contract year renewed.
Cutter should be valuable this year in the ABL while Villa will most likely see most of his time in the Minors.
Annual Draft;
Maple went after strikeout king SP Jesus Ramirez from the University of Florida in R1
Then Maple went after power hitting RF George Evans in R2 from the University of LSU.
Those two top picks hopefully will pan out for Maple and address both needs in the SP and Hitting dept.
Free Agency:
Victor Enriquez SP - He had short stint in the ABL and failed miserably. Our scouts feel his ceiling is AAA.
Brandon Crawford MR - Another average MR was set free. Those are a dime a dozen.
Eric McSwan DH - This was a tough decision but he was asking for too much money and with the crop of youth I have coming up that can play either OF and/or DH he was viewed as expendable. We will take the compensation pick and hopefully bank a future star. Mile High signed this allstar!
We did sign Aaron Nelson SP to a 1 year contract and we hope he can fill a back end starting pitcher role this year in the ABL.
Rule V Draft:
Maple lost two players Jake Hennessey and Allen Gardner in the Rule V draft. Good news is Allen Gardner was returned to Maple after SoCal decided to part ways. Bad news is Gardner won't see any ABL action anytime soon.
Jason
Maple
The off-season created some challenges for Maple. The pitching which was an anchor in the past for the Marauders was no longer one of the best in the league. The hitting showed some pop but, never managed to be consistent throughout the season.
Some highlights so far:
Just after Post Season:
MR Emmanuel Villa executed his last optional contract year.
MR Ron Cutter had his last optional contract year renewed.
Cutter should be valuable this year in the ABL while Villa will most likely see most of his time in the Minors.
Annual Draft;
Maple went after strikeout king SP Jesus Ramirez from the University of Florida in R1
Then Maple went after power hitting RF George Evans in R2 from the University of LSU.
Those two top picks hopefully will pan out for Maple and address both needs in the SP and Hitting dept.
Free Agency:
Victor Enriquez SP - He had short stint in the ABL and failed miserably. Our scouts feel his ceiling is AAA.
Brandon Crawford MR - Another average MR was set free. Those are a dime a dozen.
Eric McSwan DH - This was a tough decision but he was asking for too much money and with the crop of youth I have coming up that can play either OF and/or DH he was viewed as expendable. We will take the compensation pick and hopefully bank a future star. Mile High signed this allstar!
We did sign Aaron Nelson SP to a 1 year contract and we hope he can fill a back end starting pitcher role this year in the ABL.
Rule V Draft:
Maple lost two players Jake Hennessey and Allen Gardner in the Rule V draft. Good news is Allen Gardner was returned to Maple after SoCal decided to part ways. Bad news is Gardner won't see any ABL action anytime soon.
Jason
Maple
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Maple - August Update - Season #4
Maple had their 3rd consecutive improving monthly result in August finishing at 16-12, .571 winning pct. July they were 13-11, .542 winning pct and in June we were 14-12, .538 winning pct. We manage to climb from last place to 2nd place within 2 games of front runner San Francisco. At one point we swept four consecutive divisional series!
The teams hitting has really started to take off! We are in the top quarter of the TML in many categories including; bavg, obpct, hits and home runs. Pitching hasn't really improved as Maple ranks in the bottom quarter in almost every pitching category except; bullpen ERA, BB and Ks. The defense also is 2nd last in the TML.
Maple's top prospects rank 12th - middle of the pack with Robert Osborne SP acquired from Nottinghamshire maintaining the top ranking at 19th, Manny Palma CL acquired in the same trade from Nottinghamshire ranks #39th and Tee Wilson CF who was our 1st round pick (14th overall) this year ranks 41st overall.
From an organizational stand point; Maple is ranked in the top 5 in the following positions: LF, RP and CL. SP and 1B are our worst positions strength wise.
Down on the farm the following players are going through hot streaks: AAA - SP Ronnie Haynes, 3G, 1-0, 1.47 ERA w/ 18.1 IP and 14Ks.; AA - Miguel Jimenez SP, 3G, 2-0, 1.06 ERA, 17 IP w/ 11 Ks; and A - Daniel Irwin OF - 7 G, 14 for 28, .500 bavg, 2 HR, 6 RBI, Stephen Joseph MR, 14 G, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 17.1 IP w/ 22Ks - 0 ERS! and Jose Medina 1B, 11 G, 10-24, .417 bavg, 3 HR, 9 RBI who is stuck in A due to a log jam at 1B above him.
Schedule outlook for September:
@ SFE x 3
@ JER x 3
H SOU x 3
H EUR x 3
@ LAS x 3
@ BOS x 3
H JAC x 3
H SFE x 4
H JER x 2
We will need to sweep SFE in our final 4 games and play .600 baseball in the rest of the games this month to have a shot. That would give us 4-0 + 14-9 = 18-9 record.
Jason GM Maple
The teams hitting has really started to take off! We are in the top quarter of the TML in many categories including; bavg, obpct, hits and home runs. Pitching hasn't really improved as Maple ranks in the bottom quarter in almost every pitching category except; bullpen ERA, BB and Ks. The defense also is 2nd last in the TML.
Maple's top prospects rank 12th - middle of the pack with Robert Osborne SP acquired from Nottinghamshire maintaining the top ranking at 19th, Manny Palma CL acquired in the same trade from Nottinghamshire ranks #39th and Tee Wilson CF who was our 1st round pick (14th overall) this year ranks 41st overall.
From an organizational stand point; Maple is ranked in the top 5 in the following positions: LF, RP and CL. SP and 1B are our worst positions strength wise.
Down on the farm the following players are going through hot streaks: AAA - SP Ronnie Haynes, 3G, 1-0, 1.47 ERA w/ 18.1 IP and 14Ks.; AA - Miguel Jimenez SP, 3G, 2-0, 1.06 ERA, 17 IP w/ 11 Ks; and A - Daniel Irwin OF - 7 G, 14 for 28, .500 bavg, 2 HR, 6 RBI, Stephen Joseph MR, 14 G, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 17.1 IP w/ 22Ks - 0 ERS! and Jose Medina 1B, 11 G, 10-24, .417 bavg, 3 HR, 9 RBI who is stuck in A due to a log jam at 1B above him.
Schedule outlook for September:
@ SFE x 3
@ JER x 3
H SOU x 3
H EUR x 3
@ LAS x 3
@ BOS x 3
H JAC x 3
H SFE x 4
H JER x 2
We will need to sweep SFE in our final 4 games and play .600 baseball in the rest of the games this month to have a shot. That would give us 4-0 + 14-9 = 18-9 record.
Jason GM Maple
Saturday, June 29, 2013
MAPLE JULY UPDATE - Season #4
Another above .500 month for Maple in July; finishing 12-11. Maple did not make any last minute trades before the deadline. We were trying to move some older SPs with some not so good contracts such as Pat Super Sellers and also an interesting hurler in Jesse George who is arbitration eligible and having a good season. Alot of teams inquired about our youth namely Billy Greer OF. Greer is not going anywhere anytime soon! Towards the end of the month, Maple called up from AAA SP Victor Enriquez and Pancho Lopez. While Enriquez has not looked sharp in his two starts, Lopez has been on fire going 2-0 and yielding only 1 run in 12 IP!
Maple in almost every hitting category is around the middle of the pack in the TML. Pitching is another story for a disappointing season for the rotation ranking towards the bottom in the TML. Combine that with a poor defense efficiency (12th in the TML) and you start to figure out why Maple is likely not going to defend their Billy Martin Division title for the 4th consecutive season.
The current bright spots on the Marauders are: Pitching: Johnny Tiller CL - 1-3, 26 Saves, WHIP 0.97 and MR Ambrosio Cuco 2-3, 1 Save, WHIP 0.98. Hitting: Vic Jennings 1B, .313 bavg, .383 obpct, .516 slg pct with RC/27 of 6.96
Prospects Watch: Maple ranks 14th out of 24 teams in the ABL according to the Top Annual Systems report. CF Tee Wilson AAA (23rd), SP Robert Osborne AAA (28th)* and Manny Palma CL AAA (60th)* - * both acquired in the Roberto Martinez trade to Nottinghamshire.
Tee "Off" Wilson looks to be the real deal, hitting .295 bavg, .356 obpct, .465 slg pct w/ .821 OPS in his first season of AAA ball. Wilson has been playing CF, however; his best position is LF. Hopefully he can show signs of development in CF for us. Another nice aspect of his game is his speed - 24 SBs but, also 14 CS!
We sit 8.5 games back of SF for the division lead. We will need a big run in August to see if we even have an outside shot at a miracle in September like we did in Season #1. :-) SF has done it before (choke) so we will see what happens :-)
Maple in almost every hitting category is around the middle of the pack in the TML. Pitching is another story for a disappointing season for the rotation ranking towards the bottom in the TML. Combine that with a poor defense efficiency (12th in the TML) and you start to figure out why Maple is likely not going to defend their Billy Martin Division title for the 4th consecutive season.
The current bright spots on the Marauders are: Pitching: Johnny Tiller CL - 1-3, 26 Saves, WHIP 0.97 and MR Ambrosio Cuco 2-3, 1 Save, WHIP 0.98. Hitting: Vic Jennings 1B, .313 bavg, .383 obpct, .516 slg pct with RC/27 of 6.96
Prospects Watch: Maple ranks 14th out of 24 teams in the ABL according to the Top Annual Systems report. CF Tee Wilson AAA (23rd), SP Robert Osborne AAA (28th)* and Manny Palma CL AAA (60th)* - * both acquired in the Roberto Martinez trade to Nottinghamshire.
Tee "Off" Wilson looks to be the real deal, hitting .295 bavg, .356 obpct, .465 slg pct w/ .821 OPS in his first season of AAA ball. Wilson has been playing CF, however; his best position is LF. Hopefully he can show signs of development in CF for us. Another nice aspect of his game is his speed - 24 SBs but, also 14 CS!
We sit 8.5 games back of SF for the division lead. We will need a big run in August to see if we even have an outside shot at a miracle in September like we did in Season #1. :-) SF has done it before (choke) so we will see what happens :-)
Thursday, June 20, 2013
June Update
Maple finished June with an above .500 record at 14-12. This was the first time all season we have played over .500 ball in a month. However; we trail SF by 8.5 games and made no ground up this past month. A 7-3 record in the past 10 leading into July has Maple playing 2nd best overall in their past 10 next to Montreal who posted a 8-2 mark.
Maple's W/L improvement came from their play in close games. We sit 17-13 now in 1 run games. The pen is a strength of the club and they are doing their best holding the fort for a team that features one of the worst SP rotations in the league. How things change so fast after only 1 season! In summary, we have a very poor rotation & defense, excellent bullpen and average hitting with some great pop. Might explain the 35-47 overall record as we approach the allstar break.
June started off with a big bang as Roberto Martinez was dealt to Nottinghamshire. This was a deal consisting of two teams going in the opposite directions and fast. We are happy with the pickup of youngsters Manny Palma CL and SP Robert Osborne.
We then decided to give two youngster a shot at the ABL when we called up OF Billy Greer and SS Clay Wadden. Billy has added a nice bat facing RHP where Big Stick Anthony Shelton has really struggled despite being in the top 3 in the league in HRs. Shelton though is crushing southpaws! Clay hasn't hit too much but he has added much needed team speed and within one week had the team lead in SBs for the entire season! Top prospect Dave Guenette 3B was sent down to AAA to make room. The team also released veteran Derek Beimer SS. He cleared waivers multiple times. He does possess a decent power bat but, his limited defensive abilities really hurt him as a everyday player in the ABL.
Jason/Maple
Maple's W/L improvement came from their play in close games. We sit 17-13 now in 1 run games. The pen is a strength of the club and they are doing their best holding the fort for a team that features one of the worst SP rotations in the league. How things change so fast after only 1 season! In summary, we have a very poor rotation & defense, excellent bullpen and average hitting with some great pop. Might explain the 35-47 overall record as we approach the allstar break.
June started off with a big bang as Roberto Martinez was dealt to Nottinghamshire. This was a deal consisting of two teams going in the opposite directions and fast. We are happy with the pickup of youngsters Manny Palma CL and SP Robert Osborne.
We then decided to give two youngster a shot at the ABL when we called up OF Billy Greer and SS Clay Wadden. Billy has added a nice bat facing RHP where Big Stick Anthony Shelton has really struggled despite being in the top 3 in the league in HRs. Shelton though is crushing southpaws! Clay hasn't hit too much but he has added much needed team speed and within one week had the team lead in SBs for the entire season! Top prospect Dave Guenette 3B was sent down to AAA to make room. The team also released veteran Derek Beimer SS. He cleared waivers multiple times. He does possess a decent power bat but, his limited defensive abilities really hurt him as a everyday player in the ABL.
Jason/Maple
Sunday, June 2, 2013
May in Review
An 11-18 month in May has shifted the focus of top management from playoff contender to pretender. We might have enough to win the division at .500 but, this will not be enough to win a championship this year. We have Cabo San Lucas, Las Vegas, Nottinghamshire, Montreal, Seattle and yes Boston and many others all with better teams this year at the ABL level. We have decided to be a seller right now and based on this decision we sent Robert Martinez our ace SP packing to Nottinghamshire for a couple of pitching prospects. In return Maple acquired Robert Osborne SP and Manny Palma CL. Osborne will start his Maple career in AAA Astoria and Palma will start in A ball Kingwood.
Rumors also swirling that Pat Super Sellers last years Allstar representative for the TML is on the block. At 34 years old, this SP can still get the job done for a contender. At $12M next year plus a pro-rated remaining contract value this year it will be interesting to see if a contender jumps at the opportunity to pick up a veteran down the stretch for this rotation. Sellers has always rated higher than his potential in his ABL career.
Anthony "Big Stick" Shelton has continued his hot ways. He leads the ABL in HRs with 19 and 30 of his 42 hits have gone for extra bases. Anthony who is not hitting his weight at .211 vs. 226 lbs is crushing south-paws this year at .328 bavg with a OPS 1.296. Shelton has always shown amazing flashes of POWER in the ABL and he can be very streaky when he is healthy. Original on the trade block, this latest power burst has management thinking he can stick with Maple and his team friendly $800K for the next two seasons.
Down on the farm nothing spectacular in terms of W/L records is happening however; there are some bright stars waiting in the wings to make the ABL.
Astoria AAA:
Billy Greer OF and Clay Wadden SS have been called up to the ABL.
Sandy Springs AA:
Oliver Davis OF and Antonio Paz 1B have been pounding the baseball all season long.
Kingwood A:
Jose Medina 1B is tearing up pitchers in A Ball.
Minor League Systems is currently ranked #14 overall. Watch out for Tee Wilson OF in AAA he is a couple of years away from being at the big dance.
Financial Watch:
Attendance is down -2.7%, Budget is #11 and payroll is #10 so the move of Robert Martinez puts us in line to help re-sign our FA eligible players such as Eric McSwan DH if desired.
At 20-32 we are still in the hunt for the division title strangely enough. We are sitting 5.5 games back of SF after recently being swept by them last sim. Keith K Thompson moves into the rotation for Martinez and Dan Wilder receives the long awaited call up back to the ABL at MR to take Thompson's spot in the pen. Dave Guenette 3B was demoted in order to not rush him. He has been struggling at the ABL level. Jeff Morgan UTIL has been called up to fill his active roster spot.
In June we face Texas, Jacksonville and Georgia with 2 games also with SF. It will be interesting to see if we can "hang around" the TML Billy Martin division a bit longer to make things interesting.
Rumors also swirling that Pat Super Sellers last years Allstar representative for the TML is on the block. At 34 years old, this SP can still get the job done for a contender. At $12M next year plus a pro-rated remaining contract value this year it will be interesting to see if a contender jumps at the opportunity to pick up a veteran down the stretch for this rotation. Sellers has always rated higher than his potential in his ABL career.
Anthony "Big Stick" Shelton has continued his hot ways. He leads the ABL in HRs with 19 and 30 of his 42 hits have gone for extra bases. Anthony who is not hitting his weight at .211 vs. 226 lbs is crushing south-paws this year at .328 bavg with a OPS 1.296. Shelton has always shown amazing flashes of POWER in the ABL and he can be very streaky when he is healthy. Original on the trade block, this latest power burst has management thinking he can stick with Maple and his team friendly $800K for the next two seasons.
Down on the farm nothing spectacular in terms of W/L records is happening however; there are some bright stars waiting in the wings to make the ABL.
Astoria AAA:
Billy Greer OF and Clay Wadden SS have been called up to the ABL.
Sandy Springs AA:
Oliver Davis OF and Antonio Paz 1B have been pounding the baseball all season long.
Kingwood A:
Jose Medina 1B is tearing up pitchers in A Ball.
Minor League Systems is currently ranked #14 overall. Watch out for Tee Wilson OF in AAA he is a couple of years away from being at the big dance.
Financial Watch:
Attendance is down -2.7%, Budget is #11 and payroll is #10 so the move of Robert Martinez puts us in line to help re-sign our FA eligible players such as Eric McSwan DH if desired.
At 20-32 we are still in the hunt for the division title strangely enough. We are sitting 5.5 games back of SF after recently being swept by them last sim. Keith K Thompson moves into the rotation for Martinez and Dan Wilder receives the long awaited call up back to the ABL at MR to take Thompson's spot in the pen. Dave Guenette 3B was demoted in order to not rush him. He has been struggling at the ABL level. Jeff Morgan UTIL has been called up to fill his active roster spot.
In June we face Texas, Jacksonville and Georgia with 2 games also with SF. It will be interesting to see if we can "hang around" the TML Billy Martin division a bit longer to make things interesting.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Maple Season IV - April in Review
Maple started the 4th Season of ABL OOTP 13 baseball in slow fashion going 9-14. Maple's typically strong pitching staff is ranked around the middle of the pack so far this season. Maple's bats are about the same as last season with the long ball helping them win some games (#2 in the league).
Maple made one significant trade sending prospect D.J. Richardson to Eureka in return for Leon King MR and SP Dave Blake. Maple was trying to find a new home for Derek Beimer SS but, after being waived nobody claimed him. So Derek is now back up with the big club as a bench player. His age, the $1.75M contract combined with his poor defensive skills most likely the reason for passing him up. In the past he has had some big games for Maple and definitely still has the power to hit in the ABL.
Maple closed out the spring training with a new look this season with the following news:
A) Cale Hines 3B demoted to AAA. Last years starting 3B.
B) Carl Dalton MR demoted to AAA. He had an incredible ST but, no room for him on the active roster.
C) Brandon Crawford MR demoted to AAA. He had an incredible ST but, no room for him on the active roster.
D) Ramon Villa OF demoted to AAA. One of my bright young OFs started some games last year as the 4th OF but, this year no room for him on the active roster.
E) Don Strickland 1B demoted to AAA. Some may remember his incredible 1st year and his amazing hit streak of 20+ games.
Maple made one significant trade sending prospect D.J. Richardson to Eureka in return for Leon King MR and SP Dave Blake. Maple was trying to find a new home for Derek Beimer SS but, after being waived nobody claimed him. So Derek is now back up with the big club as a bench player. His age, the $1.75M contract combined with his poor defensive skills most likely the reason for passing him up. In the past he has had some big games for Maple and definitely still has the power to hit in the ABL.
Maple closed out the spring training with a new look this season with the following news:
A) Cale Hines 3B demoted to AAA. Last years starting 3B.
B) Carl Dalton MR demoted to AAA. He had an incredible ST but, no room for him on the active roster.
C) Brandon Crawford MR demoted to AAA. He had an incredible ST but, no room for him on the active roster.
D) Ramon Villa OF demoted to AAA. One of my bright young OFs started some games last year as the 4th OF but, this year no room for him on the active roster.
E) Don Strickland 1B demoted to AAA. Some may remember his incredible 1st year and his amazing hit streak of 20+ games.
The
starting lineup for Maple will feature some youth this year:
Bobby
Shine – C, 22
D.J.
Richardson – 1B/DH, 21 (TRADED TO EUREKA)
Jacques
Carpentier – 2B/UTIL, 21
The
rotation/bullpen will also see some new faces:
Chet
Carver SP (Acquired from Mile High)
Johnny
Tiller takes over the CL role full time (Acquired from Texas last year)
Down on the minors:
Astoria AAA features an up coming OF Billy Greer (.294, 10 HR, 25 RBI)
Sandy Springs AA features an up coming CL Ariel Goldberg (6 SV, 2.16 ERA)
Kingwood A features an up coming OF Rob Johnson (.300, 1 HR, 14 RBI)
Finances:
The attendance is down -2.8% so far this season. The 6th largest player payroll will have to get winning soon otherwise expect a player or two to be moved by the deadline if we are not in the running for the division title for the 4th straight season.
Extensions:
Eric McSwan is asking for a 7 year, $105M dollar contract. He is 32 years old and a DH with a big power bat. It will be interesting to see if I am able to resign him to a shorter deal with more favorable money :-)
Eric McSwan is asking for a 7 year, $105M dollar contract. He is 32 years old and a DH with a big power bat. It will be interesting to see if I am able to resign him to a shorter deal with more favorable money :-)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Whatever happenned to Double 7?
Top Flight Prospect receives ABL call-up!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Maple Year III - Month #4 Review
Maple continued their improvement with a solid 18-8 W/L record in July! Their final 4 games of the month saw them put up 48 runs in 4 games including 10-0, 10-0, 16-1, 12-6 victories over Georgia and a 3 game sweep of Jersey! We haven't seen that much offense from this team since the ABL started and we are excited! Also the ball is flying out of all ABL parks as the Marauders continue to rank #1 in bombs at 141! Anthony Shelton, LF - 25, Vic Jennings, 1B - 23, Eric McSwan, DH - 22, Anthony Lewis, CF - 18 and Dan Smith, SS - 16 lead the team. Vic Jennings set a team and tied a TML record with 3 homers in a game in July! Vic Jennings and Anthony Lewis both tied team records scoring 4 runs in a game in July.
Brandon Wilson has been stellar in the CL role. 6-2 W/L, 20 saves, 0.82 WHIP! Who is Millard Marshall? That is the CL that is out for the year and most likely his ABL career is done (95-97 fastball MPH down to 84-86 yikes!)
The team did get some bad news this month as starting catcher James Baker is out for 4 months/season with a broken kneecap (ouch!). Defensive specialist Jorge Rodriguez will take over the duties behind the plate meanwhile Alfredo Valdez C (AAA) received the call-up. Maple was rumoured in numerous trade talks for a catcher but, nothing really significantly improved our team over what we alread had imho.
Roberto "Styx" Martinez SP has also turned his game around. He is still under .500 at 6-7 W/L but, his WHIP is 1.18 and has taken over the ACE role again for the Marauders. Pat Sellers SP after his beating in the ALLSTAR game has taken the 2nd spot in the rotation and has dropped off a bit (WHIP 1.22).
Meanwhile down in the farm; Astoria (AAA) is competing for a division title for the first time sitting 1.5 games back in the B.J. Birdie Division behind Minneapolis. The Argonauts are also #1 in HRs hit and the bats are dangerous on this squad led by: Billy Greer OF, Kevin McConnell DH and Juan Juarez 1B. If they are going to make the playoffs they will have to continue to out score their opponents as the pitching staff is horrible ranking in double digits in almost every category including a team ERA over 5.00+. Sandy Springs Spartans (AA) is in 2nd place in the Junction Jack Division 8 games back of Carson City. Christian Taylor RF received a AAA call up at the start of August based on his torrid play; .338 bavg., 16 hrs and 80 rbi. The Starting Rotation is in big trouble so far and most likely will be the reason the Spartans will miss the post season this year (4.61 ERA). The Kingwood Knights (A) were the laughing stock of the ABL in Year 1 but, the team has come a long way to at least be competitive. This year after July the Knights sit at 46-56 and feel they are still within reach of their goal of hitting .500 for the season. This team has some speed (2nd in SB - 113) which is a desparate need for Maple in the ABL. Hopefully some of these speedsters make to the big team soon. Ariel Goldberg is having a great rookie season at CL with 17 saves. Joshua Goldberg who struggled in AA ball returned to A ball and pitched like an ACE in his only start.
Brandon Wilson has been stellar in the CL role. 6-2 W/L, 20 saves, 0.82 WHIP! Who is Millard Marshall? That is the CL that is out for the year and most likely his ABL career is done (95-97 fastball MPH down to 84-86 yikes!)
The team did get some bad news this month as starting catcher James Baker is out for 4 months/season with a broken kneecap (ouch!). Defensive specialist Jorge Rodriguez will take over the duties behind the plate meanwhile Alfredo Valdez C (AAA) received the call-up. Maple was rumoured in numerous trade talks for a catcher but, nothing really significantly improved our team over what we alread had imho.
Roberto "Styx" Martinez SP has also turned his game around. He is still under .500 at 6-7 W/L but, his WHIP is 1.18 and has taken over the ACE role again for the Marauders. Pat Sellers SP after his beating in the ALLSTAR game has taken the 2nd spot in the rotation and has dropped off a bit (WHIP 1.22).
Meanwhile down in the farm; Astoria (AAA) is competing for a division title for the first time sitting 1.5 games back in the B.J. Birdie Division behind Minneapolis. The Argonauts are also #1 in HRs hit and the bats are dangerous on this squad led by: Billy Greer OF, Kevin McConnell DH and Juan Juarez 1B. If they are going to make the playoffs they will have to continue to out score their opponents as the pitching staff is horrible ranking in double digits in almost every category including a team ERA over 5.00+. Sandy Springs Spartans (AA) is in 2nd place in the Junction Jack Division 8 games back of Carson City. Christian Taylor RF received a AAA call up at the start of August based on his torrid play; .338 bavg., 16 hrs and 80 rbi. The Starting Rotation is in big trouble so far and most likely will be the reason the Spartans will miss the post season this year (4.61 ERA). The Kingwood Knights (A) were the laughing stock of the ABL in Year 1 but, the team has come a long way to at least be competitive. This year after July the Knights sit at 46-56 and feel they are still within reach of their goal of hitting .500 for the season. This team has some speed (2nd in SB - 113) which is a desparate need for Maple in the ABL. Hopefully some of these speedsters make to the big team soon. Ariel Goldberg is having a great rookie season at CL with 17 saves. Joshua Goldberg who struggled in AA ball returned to A ball and pitched like an ACE in his only start.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Maple Year III - Month #3 Review
Maple improved again in June going 16-12 to finally end up in the lead in the Billy Martin Division in the TML. Maple's power continues to carry the team (#1 in the TML). The Marauders lineup is very dangerous featuring Vic Jennings 1B, Frank Powers RF, Eric McSwan DH and Anthony Lewis CF. Unlike past years where Pitching was the name of the game; this year the Marauders are doing it with hitting. The usual Cy Young candidate Roberto Martinez SP has been very human this year. He is probably our 3rd or 4th best starter so far this year. If we are going to make a run at a title this year he will need to be the ACE he once was. A surprise in the rotation is Pat Sellers, ERA under 2.00 and a WHIP just above 1.00. Sellers has been our best hurler so far this year. Ray Lester SP is rumored to be leaving town before the trading deadline. He has pitched effectively the past 2 months and is one of the big reasons the Marauders are back in 1st place in the division. There is an indication that he hasn't fit in the club house. There is a list of 4 teams who have inquired about his services. Maple is looking for prospect(s) and a MR for his services. Lester leads the team in K/BB at 3.14. The pen has also been up and down all year. One of the bright spots is Brandon Wilson with is 19 saves and 2 ERA with a WHIP below 1.
The fans are starting to come back out to support the team. Attendance did gain ground this past month, however; still stands at -7.5% behind last years pace.
On the DL still is Millard Marshall CL and Derek Beimer SS. Beimer should return to the lineup in July while, Marshall is a big question mark to return by the end of the regular season.
Maple fans cheered about the news of a couple of Marauders making the TML Allstar game: Eric McSwan DH, Pat Sellers SP & Vic Jennings 1B were all named to the team.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Maple Year III - Month #2 Review
Maple had a better 2nd month of the season managing to play .500 ball at 13-13. This is a far cry from the previous two playoff seasons but, nevertheless a step in the right direction.
Maple continues to struggle vs. LHP (1-8) so far this season. Also away from Maple the team is not gelling (8-16) and close games the Marauders are blowing them (9-13).
The team is not hitting and not pitching to their abilities. The only bright spot from the bats is the power department (3rd). Meanwhile, the pitching staff is 3rd in Opponents Avg and BABIP so hopefully they will get a few breaks the rest of the way to improve. The SPs rank 10th in the league in ERA which is a surprise considering the amount of money, time and focus spent on the starting rotation from day 1 in the ABL.
If things dont' turn around a few interesting pieces maybe available to a contender: CL/MR Millard Marshall and SP Ray Lester.
Down on the farm, player development has been slow. We do feature a top ranked 3B in Dave Guenette who is AA ball is batting .249 in 44 games. Neither Minor team affliliate is leading their division but there has been a noticeable improvement in A ball with Kingwood. The Knights have been the laughing stock of A ball the past 2 years but, this year we are trying to reach .500 for the season (Currently 23-28, 7 back).
The fans are worried and it shows in the seats. Attendance is down -7.3% over last year and Maple ranks 11th so far in the ABL in total tickets sold.
Maple continues to struggle vs. LHP (1-8) so far this season. Also away from Maple the team is not gelling (8-16) and close games the Marauders are blowing them (9-13).
The team is not hitting and not pitching to their abilities. The only bright spot from the bats is the power department (3rd). Meanwhile, the pitching staff is 3rd in Opponents Avg and BABIP so hopefully they will get a few breaks the rest of the way to improve. The SPs rank 10th in the league in ERA which is a surprise considering the amount of money, time and focus spent on the starting rotation from day 1 in the ABL.
If things dont' turn around a few interesting pieces maybe available to a contender: CL/MR Millard Marshall and SP Ray Lester.
Down on the farm, player development has been slow. We do feature a top ranked 3B in Dave Guenette who is AA ball is batting .249 in 44 games. Neither Minor team affliliate is leading their division but there has been a noticeable improvement in A ball with Kingwood. The Knights have been the laughing stock of A ball the past 2 years but, this year we are trying to reach .500 for the season (Currently 23-28, 7 back).
The fans are worried and it shows in the seats. Attendance is down -7.3% over last year and Maple ranks 11th so far in the ABL in total tickets sold.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Maple - Year III - Opening Month Review
The Maple Marauders coming off back to back playoff appearances in the ABL get off to a real slow start in Year III posting a 8-14 record in April. The good news is the TML Billy Martin division features 4 teams all under .500 so Maple is near the top of the division despite playing 6 games under .500.
The biggest disappointment so far this season is with our Starting Rotation. Maple ranks 12th (last) in the TML at 5.66 ERA. This is also our biggest surprise since most of the past success with Maple has been on the mound and in the pitching staff the past couple of seasons. When your ace (Roberto "Styx" Martinez) opens the season at 0-4, 4.99 ERA you know you are heading for problems real quick.
Offensively, the Marauders are beginning to show the power expected of them. Anthony Shelton and Eric McSwan have combined for 19 dingers so far this year. Meanwhile Vic Jennings acquired last year from Las Vegas leads the team with 20 rbi. Part time utility players Tom Hunter has swiped 5 bases already this season.
The minor league system is playing much better baseball compared to the past two seasons. Astoria, Sandy Springs and Kingwood all are around .500 are above and are looking like contenders this season in their respective leagues. Dave Guenette 3B and David Picot OF are the two top prospects in the Maple organization according to BA writers. Both players are seeing regular play time in Single A Kingwood this year.
The biggest disappointment so far this season is with our Starting Rotation. Maple ranks 12th (last) in the TML at 5.66 ERA. This is also our biggest surprise since most of the past success with Maple has been on the mound and in the pitching staff the past couple of seasons. When your ace (Roberto "Styx" Martinez) opens the season at 0-4, 4.99 ERA you know you are heading for problems real quick.
Offensively, the Marauders are beginning to show the power expected of them. Anthony Shelton and Eric McSwan have combined for 19 dingers so far this year. Meanwhile Vic Jennings acquired last year from Las Vegas leads the team with 20 rbi. Part time utility players Tom Hunter has swiped 5 bases already this season.
The minor league system is playing much better baseball compared to the past two seasons. Astoria, Sandy Springs and Kingwood all are around .500 are above and are looking like contenders this season in their respective leagues. Dave Guenette 3B and David Picot OF are the two top prospects in the Maple organization according to BA writers. Both players are seeing regular play time in Single A Kingwood this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)