Season 15 Potential ROY Candidates

Here is an analysis of the best of this year’s crop of rookies and ML ready upper level minor league prospects.

Todd Kennedy, SP, Charleston Season 12’s 5th overall selection in the amateur draft has been developing his skill set in the in the newly relocated Charleston minor league system, and he’s now ready to show that he can cut it in the big leagues. His 4-seam fastball has plenty of movement, and he has a decent curveball as a 2nd pitch. His other three pitches are all poorly rated, so they can be counted together as a weakness. Kennedy throws hard enough to earn his share of strikeouts, and his delivery is good enough to keep hitters on both sides of the plate off balance. He has adequate control for ML duty. Expect him to eat up innings for this rebuilding franchise. 230 IP this season is not out of the question. If he gets some solid run support, he could contend for the Rookie of the Year trophy. Scouting reports have him not having hit his ceiling yet, so even better things can be expected from him going forward.

Storm Patterson, 3B, Iowa City Bearcats fans are excited to come to the ballpark to watch this multi-tool hitter in action. Patterson’s offensive numbers should be moderated by playing half of his games in the pitching friendly Principal park, but 30 home runs and a .275 batting average is not out of the question. He has good contact skills, a good eye at the plate and hits both right-handed and left-handed pitching well. This left handed hitting infielder has been playing shortstop throughout his minor league career, but is probably better suited to third base in the majors. The main drawback on this kid is his low durability. He will only be able to play in about four fifths of his potential plate appearances. When he does play, he will impress.

Ricardo Gonzales SP, Las Vegas This 23 year old right hander is ready for big league action, despite only signing his first pro contract last season. Although he could easily pitch in the majors this season, Las Vegas management might decide to let him develop one more year at the AAA level. When Gonzales does make it to the show, he will be a major inning eater for the franchise, capable of effectively pitching upwards of 225 IP. Two of his four pitches are very good, and he throws them especially well against right handed batters. He throws hard, keeps his pitches down and has good control. This guy has the potential to put up multiple 20 win seasons. Expect Gonzales to improve by leaps and bounds as this season progresses.

Ebenezer Caruso, RP, Los Angeles LA’s first round pick (ninth overall) from the season eleven draft is ready to join the National League’s stable of elite bullpen pitchers alongside D’Angelo Lopez of Montreal, Jimmy Parker of Vancouver, and Walter Milton of Kansas City. Caruso has the durability and stamina to be able to pitch one to two innings almost every day should he need to. He has above average control, very good splits, blistering velocity, and he can pull the string on his sinker unlike any other. His fastball makes for a good second pitch. A small drawback is that he doesn’t have a third pitch to throw but his two pitches used effectively should make him pretty un-hittable. A bullpen ace in the making.

Enrique Valdes, 1B, Montreal This big money international signing is ready for ML duty. If Montreal management can find a way to get this premier bat into the lineup, he will produce runs immediately. This switch hitting slugger has some elite hitting skills. He will be able to hit for a high batting average and slugging percentage, and will sport a good on-base percentage. He has the durability to play all 162 games per year, but his ability to stay healthy and maintain his abilities over his career might be the only small drawback that this player may have. We might have to wait one more season to see Valdes in the big leagues, since the big club’s first base and left field positions are occupied by some big name talent as it is.

Bailey Dykstra, LF, Montreal Although the left field position is filled quite adequately in Montreal by Miguel Jimenez, he is in the last year of his contract. On the other side of the outfield, it is expected that Montreal management might be letting Jackie Coppinger and Odalis De La Vega walk once they become free agents next season, in order to open up roster spots to accommodate Enrique Valdes and Dykstra. It is more than likely that Dykstra has reached his ceiling, so there is no use for him to spend any more time in the minors. He brings a good amount of pop with his bat, and should get on base often enough to use his speed and base-running skills to the team’s advantage. His stats might be hindered by his “super bench player” status this season, but if a permanent roster spot opens up for him, 30 home runs, 20 stolen bases, a .270 average and 90-100 runs batted in is not out of the question.

Vic Lopez, SP, Montreal Another one of Montreal’s big money IFA signings, Lopez is expected to log a heavy workload for the big league club starting this season. He has very good control and good splits versus right-handed batters, and adequate abilities against lefties. He has a large arsenal of pitches, such as a great four seam fastball, combined with good slider, cut fastball and changeup pitches, plus an average curveball. He has the durability/stamina combination to be able to pitch upwards of 230 innings per season. His drawbacks – he’s a fly-ball pitcher who doesn’t get much velocity on his pitches. He could give up his fair share of home runs, especially to left handed batters. He should be able to pitch out of most jams, and will be given the full support of Montreal’s management and fans.

Alex Ortiz, SP, Ottawa This right handed pitcher might have just enough stamina to start games, but he could be better suited to pitching important innings out of the bullpen. Wherever he pitches, he will dominate. He pitches extremely well against both lefties and righties, keeps the ball down, has very good control, and has very good movement on two of his four pitches. The only question mark for this guy if used as a starter is his ability to stay late in games. If he can do that, then Ortiz should put together double digit wins. As a setup man or as a two-inning closer, he could pitch 90-120 important innings effectively.

Cord Epstein, SP, Washington D.C. Season 12’s second overall draft pick is ML ready, and it’s up to Washington management to decide if he should play in the big leagues this year, or to give him another season of seasoning in the minors. This hard throwing rightie has good control, and has an excellent forkball and four-seam fastball. Add to that a good curveball and a couple of other junk pitches, and he has a good arsenal. Epstein pitches very well against right handed batting, but might get victimized by lefthanders here and there. Health shouldn’t be a concern, and he has the durability and stamina to pitch at least 200 effective innings for Washington. He has as good a shot as anyone to take home the NL’s ROY trophy if he makes his debut this season or next.

Honorable Mention:

Moe Stovall, RF, Boston
Ralph Hodges, 3B, Boston
Del Guerrero, SS, Cheyenne
Edgardo Seguignol, RF, Kansas City
Arthur Davis, 3B, Louisville
Max Gardel, RP, NY
Luis Lee, SS, Oklahoma City
Sal Rossy, SP, Tacoma
Oscar Pittinger RP, Toronto
Gregory Franklin, RP, Vancouver

All time Standings

		Team			Wins	Losses	Win Pct.
1		Boston			1526	742	0.673
2		Detroit			1426	842	0.629
3		Durham			1386	882	0.611
4		Tampa Bay			1329	939	0.586
5		Madison			1293	975	0.570
6		Charlotte			1275	993	0.562
7		Las Vegas			1265	1003	0.558
8		Vancouver			1249	1019	0.551
9		Oklahoma City			1243	1025	0.548
10		Helena			1227	1041	0.541
11		Toronto			1207	1061	0.532
12		New York			1188	1080	0.524
13		Kansas City			1165	1103	0.514
14		Montreal			1147	1121	0.506
15		Louisville			1123	1145	0.495
16		Burlington			1119	1149	0.493
17		Jacksonville			1085	1183	0.478
18		Chicago			1080	1188	0.476
19		Cheyenne			1077	1191	0.475
20		Los Angeles			1069	1199	0.471
21		Tacoma			1056	1212	0.466
22		Ottawa			1055	1213	0.465
23		Scottsdale			1051	1217	0.463
24		Pittsburgh			1015	1253	0.448
25		Syracuse			1008	1260	0.444
26		Trenton			1000	1268	0.441
27		St Louis			998	1270	0.440
28		New Orleans			972	1296	0.429
29		Florida			952	1316	0.420
30		Little Rock			933	1335	0.411
31		Washington D.C.			907	1361	0.400
32		Iowa City			870	1398	0.384

Single Season Win Leaders:

1. S7 Boston 125 wins
T2. S9 Boston, S12 Oklahoma City 123 wins
4. S13 Detroit 119 wins
T5. S6 Durham, S5 Boston 114 wins
T7. S14 Montreal, S9 Detroit 113 wins
T9. S1, 6, 8, 10 Boston 112 wins
T13. S2 Burlington, S6 Vancouver, S9 Tampa Bay, S14 Detroit 111 wins

The Hall Of Fame Is Coming!

This upcoming off-season, Yastrzemski world will be unveiling it’s hall of fame, and likely inducting it’s first member(s). We at the world news decided to look at the potential candidates for induction in this off-season, and for seasons to come. We’ll start by looking at the position players who qualify automatically due to meeting certain statistical requirements:

7+ Silver Sluggers

Ron Karnuth (11, 2 MVP, 4 GG)

Rick Nicholson (9, ROY)

Herman Parrish (8, 495 HR)

Stephen Garciaparra (7)

10+ Gold Gloves

None

7+ All-Star Appearances

Rick Nicholson (11)

Ron Karnuth (11)

Miguel Beltran (8, 4 SS, 1 GG)

Herman Parrish (7)

Stephen Garciaparra (7)

Emil Franco (7, 5 SS)

3+ MVPs

Rick Nicholson (8)

500+ Home Runs

Rick Nicholson (633)

Alfonso Mercedes (545, ROY, 4 AST, 1 MVP)

Miguel Beltran (539)

Desi Russell (517, ROY, 4 SS, 1 MVP, 2 AST, 2 GG)

Jorel Kaufman (507, 2 MVP, 5 AST, 4 SS)

Torey Rosario (503, 4 AST, 4 SS, 1 GG)

Karl Frank (502, 1 MVP, 4 AST, 4 SS, 1 GG)

3000+ Hits

None

That being said, there are a bunch of position players whose career trajectories will place them into the auto nominations. They are/could be:

Carlos Cruz (3 AST, 5 SS, 2 MVP, 1 GG, ROY)

Joshua Meadows (5 AST, 2 SS, 1 GG)

Joey Kramer (6 AST, 2 SS)

Tom Borland (5 AST, 4 SS, 1 MVP)

Max Cora (1 MVP, 1 SS, 1 AST, 1 GG, 371 HR)

Ivan Armas (2 AST, 1 GG, 1 SS, .333 AVG)

Jose Guerrero (2 AST, 443 HR)

Benny Villafuerte (3 AST, 308 HR)

Napoleon Watson (2 AST, 5 GG)

There are some players who have retired, but due advanced age at the inception of the world, they missed out on a chance to qualify automatically. Here is the list:

John Robbins (6 AST, 1 MVP, 2 SS, 2405 H, .341 AVG)

Felix Walker (6 AST, 1 MVP, 4 SS, 1 GG)

Cookie Castro (5 AST, 1 MVP, 2 GG, 3 SS)

Benny Hutchinson (3 AST, 3 SS, 2 GG 313 HR)

Dann Kelly (1 MVP, 3 AST, 2 SS, 295 HR)

Artie McDonald (4 SS, 2 AST, 385 HR, .309 AVG)

Matthew Jackson (2 AST, 1 GG, .309 AVG)

Skeeter Anderson (210 hr in 6 seasons, 1 SS)

Justin Mauer (267 hr in 7 seasons, 1 AST, 1 SS)

Lastly, we have the list of players that some owners will nominate because they hold/held a place close to their hearts, even though their numbers don’t amount to enough for automatic nomination:

Brian Meng (1 MVP, 2 AST, 3 SS, 454 hr, 1652 rbi*career leader)

Jose Torrealba (3 AST, 2 GG, 1 SS 2214 H)

Morgan Borland (4 AST, 3 SS)

Chris Jordan (2 AST, 3 SS, 1015 SB)

Mendy Song (6 AST, 4 GG)

The picture for pitchers is quite different. Although there are a few automatic nominations, there are many more borderline players. Here are the pitchers who automatically qualify:

7+ All-Star Appearances

Del Garces (9, ROY, 433 S)

Ricardo Tavarez (8, 222 W)

Jimmy Parker (7, 328 S)

3+ Firemans of the Year

Del Garces (6)

3+ Cy Youngs

Ricardo Tavarez (3)

Doug Wells (3, 217 W)

300+ Wins

None

3000+ Strikeouts

None

500+ Saves

None

Here is a list of pitchers who, if all goes well, could qualify for automatic nomination upon retirement:

John Mailman (2 CY, 6 AST)

Bruce Schoendienst (1 CY, ROY, 5 AST)

William Ishii (1 CY. 4 AST, 219 W)

Vasco Montanez (easy to tell, even at age 23! ROY, 1 CY, 3 AST)

Tony Bautista (1 FOY, 4 AST)

Brook Perez (1 CY, 3 AST, 1 GG)

Douglas Steenstra (ROY, 3 AST)

Here are some pitchers that might or might not qualify for auto nomination, but will probably be nominated by owners who have soft spots for them:

Eric Klassen (6 AST, 1 FOY, 325 S)

David Trevino (6 AST)

Bud Dresden (3 AST, 3.86 ERA)

R.A. Mann (5 AST, 1 GG, 213 W)

Bobby Joe Post (1 CY, 3 AST)

Darryl Davis (1 CY, 4 AST)

Randall Wilson (5 AST, 188 W)

Ellis Springer (4 AST, 277 S, 3.73 ERA)

Matt Boone (ROY, 186 W)

Dweezil Stone (3 AST, 178 W)

Samuel Mercedes (2 AST, 184 W)

Joel DiSarcina (2 AST, 1 GG, 171 W)

Ray Fischer (1 AST, 1 SS, 159 W, 3.94 ERA)

Chuck Russell (3 AST, 3.91 ERA)

Trevor McCarthy (2 AST, 3.53 ERA)

Arthur Koskie (1 AST 3.48 ERA)

Bobby Courtney (1 AST 3.90 ERA)

And finally, the list of retired elite pitchers whose careers were cut short by dint of being too old upon the creation of the world. We can only imagine what their totals would have looked like if they had played full careers:

Gerald Matsui (2 CY, 5 AST, 1 GG)

Lou Hinch (2 CY, 2 AST)

Happy voting next spring!

Abbreviations:

AST – All-Star Team appearances

SS – Silver Slugger awards

GG – Gold Glove awards

ROY – Rookie of the Year awards

MVP – Most Valuable Player awards

HR – Career home runs

AVG – Career batting average

H – Career hits

SB – Career stolen bases

CY – Cy Young awards

FOY – Fireman of the Year awards

W – Career wins

S – Career saves

ERA – Career earned run average

Q and A with the Vancouver V-Bats owner

Today the Yastrzemski World News sits down for a Q and A session with Vancouver Vampire Bats owner Bourbonmoon. A perennial contender for over 10 seasons, the V-Bats are a force to be dealt with in the NL West.

Q: Our readers are dying to know how is it that you came up with the franchise's name. Are you in fact from Transylvania?

A: I came up with the Vampire Bats franchise name very suddenly while I was sculpting a piece of soapstone to look like a tiger. I've always been drawn to alliteration and the "bats" reference seemed vaguely baseball related. Vancouver Vampire Bats had a nicer ring to it than the Vancouver Tigers.

Q: The V-Bats have enjoyed quite a bit of success under your stewardship, winning the division title nine out of the last eleven seasons. Do you think that this can continue for seasons to come?

A: I've had some good luck with trading and drafting over the seasons. No offense to my worthy divisional adversaries, but I've also been lucky NOT to be in one of the "Divisions of Death". I think I can keep fielding a competitive team, but how to win in the playoffs seems to elude me. The other teams in my division are going to give me a good run. My team isn't good enough to be over-confident.

Q: Which V-Bat player, past or present, have the fans in Vancouver been most fond of, and why?

A: Many of the Vancouver faithful still wear their John Robbins jerseys. In fact, thanks to a nice gift from the thoughtful Toronto GM, I have a John Robbins V-Bats jersey myself. Robbins was always the team leader on the field and he also really liked to party. I could tell you some crazy stories. That guy never slept!

Q: Which V-Bat player, past or present, the fans have the highest hopes for, only to have them dashed by poor performance?

A: The fans had some high hopes for Kordell Barry. He jumped from AA to the pros, winning the starting CF job in season 9, hitting leadoff. He had a great rookie season with 119 runs, 30 doubles, 10 triples, 26 homers, 23 steals and a .307 batting average. He missed the entire next season with a terrible neck injury and was a shadow of his former self when he tried to comeback in season 11. He's done with baseball now and he's still under 30. Sure had one great year though.

Q: Which NL team do you consider to be your biggest rival?

A: As far as rivals go, I haven't had a consistent divisional rival though I'm braced for a much tougher go of things in the future. I guess I consider Tampa to be a rival. When I first started HBD, gydk gave me a bit of advice and for that I always think of him like an Obi-Wan Kenobi sort of figure. Even though it was only a couple of questions a few years ago, I still feel like beating him in the playoffs is like Luke Skywalker showing his teacher that he's learned the force. He beat me in the playoffs in season 4, then I beat him in seasons 6 and 7, then he beat me in seasons 8 and 11. They're usually pretty good series. I hope to beat him again! We're both still seeking that elusive playoff glory.

Q: What prospect in your system do you have the highest hopes for?

A: I don't have a favorite prospect in my system right now. I really like Erick Redman (my rookie ML catcher) and a couple of big bats like Everett Robertson and Del Calvo. I have them both pencilled in at first base, so one of them might wind up on the block. I have reasonably high hopes for Logan Harper when he gets healthy, and also pitchers Greg Franklin, Ralph Rocker and Frank "the Laser" Lunsford (who suffered a major injury last season which has seriously tempered my expectations.)

Q What trade have you made that you have the most regrets over?

A: I don't have time to regret any trades. What purpose would that serve?

Q: What trade have you made that you feel has helped your team the most?

A: Trading for John Robbins in season 3 had a huge impact on the team. The two players I traded really didn't pan out. William Clontz had one good 24 home run season and Marc Latham pitched a total of 145 ML innings. Robbins was legendary.
There was also the Norm Priest for Vinny Cunnane trade in season 3. Priest had a 13 control despite having a projected overall rating of 90 or something. The terrible control meant that Priest has amounted to nothing (not even his parents are proud), while Cunnane won two Silver Slugger awards during 4 great seasons with the V-Bats.

Q: What free agent signing has been your best and worst?

A: Best free agent signing... Hopefully the giant bonus that I gave the Bandit this season. The bonus keeps him a bit cheaper for the next three seasons and he's a fan fave. Hopefully he gets his act together!
Worst free agent signing: The Shane of Command was an expensive bust. I got into a huge bidding war over Knoblauch and was paying him 65 million or something. He wasn't worth it. He was never as good as he was in his Crunch days.

Q: What players on your team (past/present) have had the best nicknames?

A: Best nicknames? All of my players have nicknames. I like "The Hawaiian Hammer" Bart Stewart and Curt "Papa Pigeon" Alexander. I always liked "The Bat" Derrick Butler who's now in New Orleans and of course "The Bandit".

Q: What player on your team has the best theme music?

A: The best theme music has to be the theme music from "Jeopardy" that plays whenever Jimmy Parker has a save situation. It keeps everyone on the edge of their seats, and the music plays straight through until he's either closed the game or blown the save.

Q: Do you feel that there is a media bias against your team in V.C? What do you do to get newsworthy attention?

A: There's no media bias. V.C. is V-Bat crazy in 2010!
We're stealing thunder from the Olympics! Coach Parker is a fountain of quotes every time he opens his mouth. The press can't get enough.

Q: In closing, please list the players who have played on your team that you feel are Hall of Fame worthy?

A: Hall of Fame worthy players? Definitely John Robbins and Ivan Romano. Justin Maurer would have if HBD started earlier in his career. Parker should get there once he's finished, and Schoendienst if he keeps going late into his 30's could be there as well. Yearwood and Stewart are outside chances, but I'm leaning towards no.

We at the Yastrzemski World News thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this for us. We wish you the best of luck!

30/30 CLUB Update

30/30 club (number of times in italics)

Season 3
Omar Lee 55hr/34sb
Brian Meng 52hr/31sb
Cookie Castro 33hr/37sb

Season 4
Cookie Castro (2) 42hr/32sb
Brian Meng (2) 32hr/36sb

Season 5
Red Grebeck 39hr/31sb

Season 6
Red Grebeck (2) 37hr/33sb

Season 7
Jorel Kaufman 56hr/38sb *most HR’s
Torey Rosario 48hr/52sb *only member of the 40/40 club
Chuck Westbrook 40hr/32sb
Sherry Grebeck 33hr/39sb
Morgan Borland 31hr/58sb * most SB’s

Season 8
Sherry Grebeck (2) 33hr/31sb
Joey Kramer 32hr/36sb
Mark Kyung 30hr/38sb

Season 9
Sergei Kydd 51hr/30sb
Joey Kramer (2) 37hr/36sb
Mark Kyung (2) 31hr/30sb
Torey Rosario (2) 45hr/32sb

Season 10
Sherry Grebeck (3) 31hr/36sb
Torey Rosario (3) 53hr/39sb
Carlos Cruz 40hr/38sb

Season 11
Tomas Bennett 30hr/31sb
Tom Borland 38hr/32sb
Sherry Grebeck (4) 35hr/33sb
Steve Guerrero 40hr/31sb
Joey Kramer (3) 44hr/31sb
Josh Moore 39hr/30sb
Torey Rosario (4) 38hr/43sb
Brad Street 39hr/35sb
Chuck Westbrook (2) 42hr/30sb

Season 12
Ned Daly 33hr/33sb
Emil Franco 31hr/34sb
Steve Guerrero (2) 50hr/31sb
Joey Kramer (4) 36hr/38sb
Jimmie Lopez 41hr/30sb

Season 13
Joey Kramer (5) 38hr/31sb
Torey Rosario (5) 39hr/44sb
Brad Street (2) 39hr/35sb

World Series Champs

Champion Defeated
14. Montreal Boston
13. Detroit Florida
12. Montreal Durham
11. Detroit Oklahoma City
10. Detroit* Oklahoma City
09. Boston Detroit
08. Boston Detroit
07. Helena Vancouver
06. Boston Vancouver
05. Detroit Durham
04. Boston Fargo
03. Baltimore Boston
02. Boston Albuquerque
01. Tacoma Toledo