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I just submitted this to the front page... but thought I'd throw it here too...
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New York, NY (AP) -- With the BLB deep into their 6th season since their triumphant 1978 return to the sports landscape, the story that everyone ISN'T talking about this year is the improbable season being put together by
Philadelphia Freedom Ace Joe Aurillo. "Bluto", who was barely 21 when he first cracked the Freedom rotation in 1981, has not lost a game this year. The nasty lefty with a five-pitch arsenal and an attitude to match is 20-0 in his 25 starts (21 QS) with a 1.22 ERA and an unbelievable 0.75 WHIP.
The stocky Californian, who is often seen hitting the streets of the City of Brotherly Love in his brand new, black on black Dodge Mirada, was the #1 overall pick in the 1979 Rookie Draft in the BLB that Philly earned with their 58-104 inaugural season. That got us here at the BLB Beat thinking now was a perfect time to check in on some of the other early picks from that 1979 draft.
Who's booming? Who's busting? Who's close? Who's done?
We Got The Beat!
1979 BLB First Year Player Draft - The Top 10
#1 - Joe Aurillo - Philadelphia Freedom - The Freedom snatched up Aurillo with the top pick and the rest appears to be history.
#2 - Gil Melgoza - Dallas Snappers - This huge Texas slugger was grabbed by the Snappers with the second pick and enjoyed a turbulent, yet successful minor league career before making the jump to "The Show" in 1983. After bouncing from A to AAA back to A and finally to AA in his first two seasons, Melgoza finally got his skills together and made the leap in Spring Training this season. He should easily finish in the Top 2 for DL Refreshing New Brew and, to the surprise of some, has flashed a rock solid glove that could win him a Glove Wizard Award at 1B sooner than later.
#3 - Elton Jessie - Pawtucket Patriots - The Patriots used their pick on a powerful 3B from the University of Michigan named Elton Jessie. Jessie had all the tools to man the hot corner for the next decade in Pawtucket. Unfortunately, a rash of injuries have plagued the now 26 year old which helped make the Patriot's decision to leave him unprotected in the 1982 BLB Expansion Draft. Jessie was grabbed in the 26th Round by the Indianapolis Clowns, where he continues to work hard in AAA and battle "injury prone" stigma that has followed him his entire career.
#4 - Mark Steward - Pittsburgh Millers - Less than two months after
celebrating his 18th Birthday, this High School phenom was packing his bags for Reading after the Millers hard-hitting SS with the 4th overall pick. After an up and down first two seasons in the minors, including an elbow injury that had the entire organization holding their collective breath, Steward was a key ingredient in a 1981 trade that sent him, along with fellow prospects Nathan Perceval and Larry Miller, to the cornfields of Iowa to join the Davenport Brawler's organization. There was something about the move that turned the light bulb on for Steward as he immediately began to tear his way through the minors from day one with Athens and eventually Portland. He got "the call" in September of '82 and hasn't left yet. Steward is getting most of the starts against left-handers these days but is struggling to find his groove at the plate against the right handed hurlers in the Bock. Time and tutoring will only make the future brighter for this kid.
#5 - Dylan Howard - Los Alamos Bandits - Howard made four infielders in a row when the Bandits, then the Mayhem, picked "Cotton" with the 5th overall pick. Sadly, Howard may become the poster child in the BLB for miss-management and "too much too soon" in this league. The then rogue ownership bounced Howard between levels, never letting him settle in any one place for long enough to truly perfect his game and realize his potential. His minor league career was a series of highs and lows by the time he made his BLB debut in late 1980. He bounced around between AAA and the Majors in '81 before a disappoint beginning to the '82 season forced new ownership to make the controversial decision to waive Howard. Davenport was quick to claim the young New Englander and his production improved immediately. Unfortunately, 1983 has not been as kind and the now 27 year old Howard has appeared in just 60 games where he's hitting a critical .149. The future does not look bright.
#6 - Pete LaClair - California Wildfire - Yet another Michigan product was the next to the podium when 19 year old Pete LaClair was taken at #6. The lanky LaClair bypassed A ball completely and began his career at AA Huntington Beach. He spent the '80 and '81 seasons in Huntington Beach showing solid skills, but ownership was content to let him grow. Late '81 he did get the call to join the AAA team in Fullerton (now Bakersfield) where he still plays today. The '82 and '83 seasons have been All-Star Years for the 1B and many experts believe that LaClair has met his minor league potential. Is this the year that the still struggling Wildfire gives this kid a shot in September?
#7 - Charlie Edkins - Sin City Gamblers - In one of the most controversial Top 10 picks in BLB history, the Gamblers (then the Bootleggers) lived up to their current name when rolling the dice on a true middle reliever at #7. The BLB has seen its share of MR drafted early and converted to Starters, but the soft-tossing Edkins was a middle man through and through. The right-hander out of Louisville appeared in only 76 games in his first three minor league seasons, boasting marginal numbers at best, despite bringing home a Single A Championship in 1980. He joined the big club in late '81 where he has appeared in just 63 games in his career and less than 75 innings. While Charlie Edkins is a nice player, is that what Sin City was looking for at #7?
#8 - Simone Bertetto - Virginia Colonials - The first foreign born player drafted in 1979 and one of the only Italians to ever join the BLB, Simone Bertetto was just 18 when the Colonials made him the #8 pick. Not overpowering or prone to the strikeout, Bertetto was expected to get people out by using his looping curve ball to induce groundouts in Virginia enormous ballpark someday. The Colonials handled the youngster with care leaving him at Single A Blacksburg for his first 4 seasons before an '82 jump to Battle Creek. He joined the big club in Virginia after the season-ending injury to Rich Mathes in Spring Training. Bertetto struggled becoming a victim to the BB, something he never experienced in the minors. He's returned to AAA Detroit, even throwing a No Hitter his first week back, and, at only 22, the Colonials hope that his next trip to Williamsburg will be to stay.
#9 - HrfdW Castro - Hartford Whalers - Always an important position in the BLB, Hartford used their first pick in '79 on HrfdW Castro. The son of illiterate Cuban nationals who settled in Southern California, the 20 year old with the big bat and the weird name won a Single A Championship during his brief first season in Guilford, a team he'd stick with for his first two seasons. The 1982 season saw Castro racking up U-Haul miles as he moved quickly through Middletown and New Haven before making his BLB debut with the Whale. Sticking with the big club after Spring Training, 1983 marks his official BLB rookie year and it's been a good one. Though reports out of Hartford have Castro complaining about the team's performance, the now 23 year old has been solid at the plate and behind it. If he can fine tune his power stroke and cut down his strikeouts, he should be one to watch in the next few seasons.
#10 - Frank Rancourt - Syracuse Slammers - Cornhusker Frank Rancourt may end up being the steal of the Top 10 among position players. The Slammers drafted the left-handed second baseman out of college and watched him tear through their minor league system, hitting the ball well at every stop. In 1983, he's with the main club and paying them back for their confidence with a season that could net him the DL Refreshing New Brew award. Fighting through two eye injuries that some experts believe could cut his career short, he continues to produce at a high level offensively and defensively. Though his power numbers don't seem to fit in the glorified batting cages of the Domestic League, his ability to set the table for the bigger sticks in the lineup should make Rancourt a fixture well into the late 80's.
With Joe Aurillo making history every time he toes the rubber, it's hard to remember that he was just a wide-eyed teenager a few short years ago. What will the future hold for him and the rest of The Class of '79? Only time... and baseball... will tell the tale.
***
New York, NY (AP) -- With the BLB deep into their 6th season since their triumphant 1978 return to the sports landscape, the story that everyone ISN'T talking about this year is the improbable season being put together by
Philadelphia Freedom Ace Joe Aurillo. "Bluto", who was barely 21 when he first cracked the Freedom rotation in 1981, has not lost a game this year. The nasty lefty with a five-pitch arsenal and an attitude to match is 20-0 in his 25 starts (21 QS) with a 1.22 ERA and an unbelievable 0.75 WHIP.The stocky Californian, who is often seen hitting the streets of the City of Brotherly Love in his brand new, black on black Dodge Mirada, was the #1 overall pick in the 1979 Rookie Draft in the BLB that Philly earned with their 58-104 inaugural season. That got us here at the BLB Beat thinking now was a perfect time to check in on some of the other early picks from that 1979 draft.
Who's booming? Who's busting? Who's close? Who's done?
We Got The Beat!
1979 BLB First Year Player Draft - The Top 10
#1 - Joe Aurillo - Philadelphia Freedom - The Freedom snatched up Aurillo with the top pick and the rest appears to be history.
#2 - Gil Melgoza - Dallas Snappers - This huge Texas slugger was grabbed by the Snappers with the second pick and enjoyed a turbulent, yet successful minor league career before making the jump to "The Show" in 1983. After bouncing from A to AAA back to A and finally to AA in his first two seasons, Melgoza finally got his skills together and made the leap in Spring Training this season. He should easily finish in the Top 2 for DL Refreshing New Brew and, to the surprise of some, has flashed a rock solid glove that could win him a Glove Wizard Award at 1B sooner than later.
#3 - Elton Jessie - Pawtucket Patriots - The Patriots used their pick on a powerful 3B from the University of Michigan named Elton Jessie. Jessie had all the tools to man the hot corner for the next decade in Pawtucket. Unfortunately, a rash of injuries have plagued the now 26 year old which helped make the Patriot's decision to leave him unprotected in the 1982 BLB Expansion Draft. Jessie was grabbed in the 26th Round by the Indianapolis Clowns, where he continues to work hard in AAA and battle "injury prone" stigma that has followed him his entire career.
#4 - Mark Steward - Pittsburgh Millers - Less than two months after
celebrating his 18th Birthday, this High School phenom was packing his bags for Reading after the Millers hard-hitting SS with the 4th overall pick. After an up and down first two seasons in the minors, including an elbow injury that had the entire organization holding their collective breath, Steward was a key ingredient in a 1981 trade that sent him, along with fellow prospects Nathan Perceval and Larry Miller, to the cornfields of Iowa to join the Davenport Brawler's organization. There was something about the move that turned the light bulb on for Steward as he immediately began to tear his way through the minors from day one with Athens and eventually Portland. He got "the call" in September of '82 and hasn't left yet. Steward is getting most of the starts against left-handers these days but is struggling to find his groove at the plate against the right handed hurlers in the Bock. Time and tutoring will only make the future brighter for this kid.#5 - Dylan Howard - Los Alamos Bandits - Howard made four infielders in a row when the Bandits, then the Mayhem, picked "Cotton" with the 5th overall pick. Sadly, Howard may become the poster child in the BLB for miss-management and "too much too soon" in this league. The then rogue ownership bounced Howard between levels, never letting him settle in any one place for long enough to truly perfect his game and realize his potential. His minor league career was a series of highs and lows by the time he made his BLB debut in late 1980. He bounced around between AAA and the Majors in '81 before a disappoint beginning to the '82 season forced new ownership to make the controversial decision to waive Howard. Davenport was quick to claim the young New Englander and his production improved immediately. Unfortunately, 1983 has not been as kind and the now 27 year old Howard has appeared in just 60 games where he's hitting a critical .149. The future does not look bright.
#6 - Pete LaClair - California Wildfire - Yet another Michigan product was the next to the podium when 19 year old Pete LaClair was taken at #6. The lanky LaClair bypassed A ball completely and began his career at AA Huntington Beach. He spent the '80 and '81 seasons in Huntington Beach showing solid skills, but ownership was content to let him grow. Late '81 he did get the call to join the AAA team in Fullerton (now Bakersfield) where he still plays today. The '82 and '83 seasons have been All-Star Years for the 1B and many experts believe that LaClair has met his minor league potential. Is this the year that the still struggling Wildfire gives this kid a shot in September?
#7 - Charlie Edkins - Sin City Gamblers - In one of the most controversial Top 10 picks in BLB history, the Gamblers (then the Bootleggers) lived up to their current name when rolling the dice on a true middle reliever at #7. The BLB has seen its share of MR drafted early and converted to Starters, but the soft-tossing Edkins was a middle man through and through. The right-hander out of Louisville appeared in only 76 games in his first three minor league seasons, boasting marginal numbers at best, despite bringing home a Single A Championship in 1980. He joined the big club in late '81 where he has appeared in just 63 games in his career and less than 75 innings. While Charlie Edkins is a nice player, is that what Sin City was looking for at #7?
#8 - Simone Bertetto - Virginia Colonials - The first foreign born player drafted in 1979 and one of the only Italians to ever join the BLB, Simone Bertetto was just 18 when the Colonials made him the #8 pick. Not overpowering or prone to the strikeout, Bertetto was expected to get people out by using his looping curve ball to induce groundouts in Virginia enormous ballpark someday. The Colonials handled the youngster with care leaving him at Single A Blacksburg for his first 4 seasons before an '82 jump to Battle Creek. He joined the big club in Virginia after the season-ending injury to Rich Mathes in Spring Training. Bertetto struggled becoming a victim to the BB, something he never experienced in the minors. He's returned to AAA Detroit, even throwing a No Hitter his first week back, and, at only 22, the Colonials hope that his next trip to Williamsburg will be to stay.
#9 - HrfdW Castro - Hartford Whalers - Always an important position in the BLB, Hartford used their first pick in '79 on HrfdW Castro. The son of illiterate Cuban nationals who settled in Southern California, the 20 year old with the big bat and the weird name won a Single A Championship during his brief first season in Guilford, a team he'd stick with for his first two seasons. The 1982 season saw Castro racking up U-Haul miles as he moved quickly through Middletown and New Haven before making his BLB debut with the Whale. Sticking with the big club after Spring Training, 1983 marks his official BLB rookie year and it's been a good one. Though reports out of Hartford have Castro complaining about the team's performance, the now 23 year old has been solid at the plate and behind it. If he can fine tune his power stroke and cut down his strikeouts, he should be one to watch in the next few seasons. #10 - Frank Rancourt - Syracuse Slammers - Cornhusker Frank Rancourt may end up being the steal of the Top 10 among position players. The Slammers drafted the left-handed second baseman out of college and watched him tear through their minor league system, hitting the ball well at every stop. In 1983, he's with the main club and paying them back for their confidence with a season that could net him the DL Refreshing New Brew award. Fighting through two eye injuries that some experts believe could cut his career short, he continues to produce at a high level offensively and defensively. Though his power numbers don't seem to fit in the glorified batting cages of the Domestic League, his ability to set the table for the bigger sticks in the lineup should make Rancourt a fixture well into the late 80's.
With Joe Aurillo making history every time he toes the rubber, it's hard to remember that he was just a wide-eyed teenager a few short years ago. What will the future hold for him and the rest of The Class of '79? Only time... and baseball... will tell the tale.
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