Scorpion News

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BREAKING NEWS: TOP STORY

2016 Death Valley Scorpions Draft in Review

1B Jamie Talbot - Oklahoma
4.13 (85th overall)
Trade with WIL for 4.DVS and 5.DVS in 2018
Age: 20 Bats: Right
NCAA Career Stats: .316/.403/.591 25 HR 80 RBI

The Scorpions moved into the 4th round to select 1B Jamie Talbot, initiating a trade with Wilmington for future 4th and 5th round draft picks. Talbot was the 11th 1B selected overall, in a draft considered by many GMs as one of the deepest at the position in recent memory. OSA has rated Talbot as 4-5-5-4-5 as a hitter and 5-5-4 as a pitcher.

The Scorpions project Talbot as a hitter and he was given a late 1st round grade by scout Armando Chiari, while GM Bob Smith had him with a mid 2nd round grade. Chiari projects Talbot as a 6-5-6-5-6 hitter and one of only 6 hitters to earn a 6 contact and 6 power grade from the organization. Four of the other six were selected in the top 7 picks in the draft.

As a pitcher, the organization believes that Talbot could transition to the bullpen if necessary. His 5-4-6 rating, moderate stamina, groundball tendency, and fastball (6), slider (6) and an evolving change-up (2) make him a versatile prospect. His lack of velocity (88-90 mph) and his high ceiling as a potential cleanup hitter, have Death Valley's front office slotting him as the starting 1B at A Santo Domingo after the draft. He'll need to improve his fielding at all levels, but management is encouraged by interviews that point to high work ethic and intelligence for Talbot.

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Scorpions Acquire Windy City Legend Victor Robles

Las Vegas, NV (BNN) - The Death Valley Scorpions (18-21) have acquired legendary Windy City outfielder Victor Robles. The popular Chicago outfielder has openly requested a trade this season, as the Blues (12-25) continue to rebuild around younger pieces. The 37 year-old Robles was drafted 14th overall in the 2000 BLB draft and has spent his entire 15 year career playing for the Playboys, winning a Brewmaster's Cup in 2009. As the team began the second phase of its rebuild, which included a rebranding from the iconic Playboys brand to a fresh look as the Blues, speculation began to mount that Robles could find himself traded to a contender.

The Scorpions have struggled coming off a 106 win season. With the majority of the roster returning, expectations have been high in Vegas. They've sat at the bottom of the Porter since Opening Day, so it comes as no surprise that GM Bob Smith made a move for another bat.

"We're excited to bring in Victor. He's a champion, he was an all-star last season. He was the face of the Playboy franchise for 15 years. We expect him to contribute immediately and should fit right into our veteran clubhouse," said Smith.

Robles is currently batting .302/.397/.794 in 28 games as 4th outfielder in Chicago. He's expected to play the corner outfield spots in Vegas, where CF Al Anguiano's struggles have team officials frustrated with their run production. Robles will allow Tom Estes to spend more time in CF, and he'll provide a quality option for days the team chooses to rest star Tom Wright.

Death Valley will send SP Dave Porter, OF Ethan Costa, minor league MR Hung-ryul Park, and a 2017 4th round pick to Windy City.

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Las Vegas, Nevada (BNN) -- The Death Valley Scorpions are pleased to announce the relocation of our AA Lautering Union affiliate in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Miramar, California. Our organization is honored to have entered into an agreement with the United States Marine Corps that will bring minor league baseball to Marine Corps Air Station Mirimar.

Located just north of San Diego, construction has begun on a 7,500 seat stadium within the air station that will be home to the Miramar Mavericks. The Mavericks will begin play in Southern California for the 2016 season. This marks the return of Death Valley baseball to California. Prior to moving to Santo Domingo, the single A Rum Runners played in Redlands, CA as the Marshalls.

"We're excited to enter into a partnership with the United States Marine Corps. Opportunities such as this do not come along often. The ability to bring our brand back to California and provide entertainment for our servicemen and servicewomen while developing our baseball team was a no brainer," said Director of Minor League Operations, Mac Aaron.

The Death Valley organization would like to thank Jackson Hole for everything they've done for us. Our goal is to bring a minor league title to Wyoming this season. The Hooligans are currently 56-33 and in 1st place in the WORT Hops Division.

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Willie Rosales Traded to Scorpions

Las Vegas, NV (BLB) -- It's been confirmed by multiple sources that Death Valley has completed a deal for Wilmington slugger Willie 'Cracker' Rosales. The deal cannot be completed until after the playoffs are complete, but details have emerged that Rosales and catcher Tyler Cohen will be headed to Las Vegas for a package of pitchers and picks that includes former 1st overall selection Tristan 'The Professor' Jackson, BLB starter Sid Bourne and AA SP Jamie McCue. The Wildcats will also receive a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick in the deal.

The Scorpions have been actively shopping for a clean-up hitter for the middle of their line-up. Rosales will play 1B and most likely bat 3rd or 4th for the Scorpions. He hit .288/.371/.519 with 34 homeruns and 85 RBIs for the Wildcats last season. Tyler Cohen projects as the starting C entering Spring Training, having hit .272/.339/.430 with 10 homeruns and 43 RBIs.

Pat Bryant, Rogelio Guadamuz Extended

The Scorpions have announced the details of their extensions for LMR Pay 'Wildfire' Bryant and OF Rogelio Guadamuz. Bryant and his 2.33 ERA was resigned to a 3 year extension totaling $7.6 million. Guadamuz, acquired late in the season from Toronto, hit .365/.429/.730 with 4 homers and 14 RBIs in 25 games for Vegas. He signed an extension worth $5,300,000 over 3 years.

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Las Vegas, NV (BLB) - The Death Valley Scorpions are excited to announce the relocation of their Bush League (A) affiliate from Redlands, CA to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

"We're excited to be one of the first teams to bring minor league baseball to the Caribbean. The opportunity to establish a team in the Dominican Republic has been a goal of our organization for the last several seasons," announced Death Valley owner David Miranda Jr.

We'll be retiring the Marshals logo and rebranding the team as the Santo Domingo Rum Runners. They will begin Bush League play in a state of the art stadium with an adjoining youth baseball academy complex for the 2013 season.

"As a Dominican who grew up in Santiago, I'm thrilled to have been involved in helping Mr. Miranda and the Scorpions make this a reality," said catcher Danny Salcedo. "This is a tremendous event for the city of Santo Domingo and all of the Dominican Republic."

"This is a tremendous gift to my home city of Santo Domingo. I look forward to being actively involved in the team when the time comes for me to hang it up," said closer Edgar Salazar.

The Death Valley franchise would like to thank the Redlands, California community for their support over the last several years and we'll continue to have a presence in that community with the establishment of our first Youth Baseball Academy at our park there.

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Melgoza Traded, Melts Down in DVS Clubhouse

8/26/12 - Pittsburgh, PA (BLB) - Unnamed sources inside the Death Valley organization have confirmed that Scorpion set-up man Danny Melgoza was involved in an altercation with teammates following the team's 7-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night. It's believed that Melgoza instigated a fight with fellow set-up man Tom Bell after Bell gave up 3 runs in just 0.1 IP for his 9th loss of the season.

Sources state that Melgoza has been upset with his bullpen role and has demanded personally and through his agent that he be placed in the starting rotation. There have been rumors that Melgoza has simmered all season in regards to being denied a starting rotation spot. In particular, it's been said that he's had it out for Bell since Bell was named a starter in Spring Training.

"Danny was pissed that Pitching Coach [Frank] Kershner named Bell as the starter. It got worse when Bell struggled and was put back into the bullpen in his old set-up role. Danny has ridden Tom all season and it's definitely showed in Tom's play this season," said the source.

Witnesses state that Melgoza approached Bell at his locker in the clubhouse following the loss and began taunting him. It's been confirmed that Bell punched Melgoza and the two exchanged blows before being separated by a furious Gil Brummett, who tossed Melgoza to the ground before dragging him out of the clubhouse.

Team officials have declined to comment on the record, but it's been confirmed by multiple sources that Melgoza was personally escorted to the team hotel. Within an hour of the altercation he'd been notified that he'd been traded to Indianapolis.

Melgoza will join former Scorpions Robby English and RJ Manning for the resurgent Clowns, who lead the Pilsner by 5 games over Dallas. The Scorpions receive AAA SP Johnathon Arnholt (9-6, 3.12 ERA) and CL Jamie Hawkes (0-7, 6.66 ERA, 11 SV) for Melgoza.

The Scorpions have struggled following a rash of injuries, a field controversy and an incident involving SP Joey Bertin and a rake. They trail Washington by 4 games in the Stout.

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Fans Furious, Confront Death Valley GM

Phoenix, Arizona (BLB) -- Late Tuesday night, 285 miles southeast of Las Vegas in Phoenix, rumors began swirling that the Scorpions had dealt franchise cornerstones Robby "Coma" English and RJ "Basher" Manning to the Indianapolis Clowns for 2010 number 1 overall pick SP Willie "Hammerhand" Fajardo and MR Melvin Hurtado.

The move is bold, especially coming on the eve of Spring Training. The Scorpions are expected to take the field Wednesday in front of a full house vs Windy City in their spring opener. Expected to contend for yet another Stout division title, and with expectations higher than ever following their recent playoff struggles, the move has many fans scratching their heads.

"**** that guy," was the reaction of one anonymous fan referring to GM Bob Smith, as he stood outside the Applebee's across from the team hotel in a black Scorpions Coma is Coming t-shirt. "He doesn't know nothing. Who the **** is Nellie Hammerhead Furtado anyway? We don't need that guy. We need Coma."

Willie Fajardo, who is the lynchpin of the deal, is the #7 overall prospect in the BLB and #3 pitcher overall. Selected 1st overall in the 2010 BLB Draft by the Indianapolis Clowns, the hard throwing 22 year old boasts a strong arsenal of pitches and an arm capable of hitting 101 mph on the gun.

Joining him in Vegas is possible future closer Melvin Hurtado, who will forever be known as the pitcher that Bob Smith traded first ballot Hall of Fame closer RJ Manning for.

All parties involved in the trade declined comment when reached by phone late Tuesday night.

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Death Valley Scorpions 92-70 (1st, Stout)
Lost in the Division Series 4-3 to PHI

Overview:

Since recovering from The Scandal and turning the corner in 2005, the Scorpions have made 6 playoff appearances, captured 4 Stout division titles, and won an average of 97 games a year. However, that success is yet to translate in the playoffs where they've lost in the Wild Card Round four times and the Division Series twice. Particularly painful is an 0-4 record in Game 7's with losses to BAT, CHI, and PHI (twice) in consecutive seasons.

The Plan:

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in late October, just after the loss to Philadelphia in Game 7, Death Valley owner David Miranda Jr. called a meeting of his top executives at the Aria Hotel. Overlooking the pool in true Vegas style, the team decided the best way to change their bad luck was to double down on the basics - a strong bullpen, better positional depth, and a re-focus on defense and player versatility.

Who's In?
MR Jonathon Burns (FA $1.2m)
CL Edgar Salazar (FA $1.5m)
SS Javier Villarreal (FA $2.0m)
CF Hector Gutierrez (Trade w/ LAD)

Who's Out?
IF Johnny Ingle (FA)
OF Dave Perkins (Trade w/ LAD)

OF Shaun Hague (FA)

Pitching:

From his time rebuilding Hartford into Brewmaster's contender, to his rebuilding and rebranding of the Virginia Colonials into the Scorpions, GM Bob "umd" Smith has a reputation of assembling some of the best rotations in the BLB. The current iteration of Death Valley is no different.

Superstar Gil Brummett anchors a rotation that features Top 20 caliber starters in Robby English and Adrian Pulido, rising star Tyler Clarke, and emerging stars Dave Honea and Sid Bourne. The trend away from 6 man rotations hasn't influenced manager Steve Boyd and pitching coach Frank Kershner. They continue to preach about benefits that include the ability to create better match-ups, provide starters with a lighter workload, and ease the transition for young arms from AAA to the BLB.

With the rotation locked in for a second season, the Scorpions looked to bolster an already strong bullpen. Flexibility has always played a huge role in player personnel decisions, and the bullpen's makeover this offseason was no different.

The front office had two names at the top of their free agent board and came away with both. SP Jonathon Burns was signed immediately following a midnight doorstep meeting with Smith and Miranda. The two convinced the Brewmaster champion to move to the bullpen and bring his championship experiences with him. Just 5 days later the ink was dry on CL Edgar Salazar's deal, with the Scorpions selling the future HOF closer on pairing with another future HOF closer in RJ Manning to shut down opposing hitters.

Add in three more closer quality arms in Jamie Gruell, Danny Melgoza and Tom Bell, brilliant lefty specialist Pat Bryant, and established MR Jonathan Marrujo and the Scorpions are poised to lead the league in runs against.

Hitting:

In a fast moving deal, Death Valley quickly came to an agreement with the Los Angeles Dinos that sent RF Dave Perkins to California for CF Hector Gutierrez. The move solidified a CF position in turmoil in the wake of Colin Cash's decline and trade to Denver in the middle of last season. Gutierrez immediately anchors the clean-up spot in an improving line-up. Travis Anthony will return to the top of the order as an emerging star and franchise cornerstone. Tom Cole and Damian Dowling return in the #2 spot. Danny Salcedo and Masao Nara will bookend Gutierrez. Tony Garza takes over full time in LF, after having a breakout season. He joins the quiet and under appreciated Edgar Castillo adds power and experience to the backend of the line-up. Free agent IF Javier Villarreal joins IF Dave Sherrod to bolster the defense up the middle.

Rumors:

Despite all the positive spin coming out of the Scorpions front office, rumors continue to swirl that Robby English was about one phone call from being traded and that RJ Manning has been actively shopped because of his salary. It remains to be seen if the two actually change addresses, but it is something to watch early this season.

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Hanback Returns, Leads Vegas to 7-3 Victory

Washington, DC (BLB) - Early on a clear and unseasonably warm October morning, Troy Hanback walked the seven blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue to a stadium he called home for 14 seasons. Now just a visitor leaving from his Death Valley team hotel, instead of from his home in Arlington, Hanback didn't know how to get into the stadium.

So like every other game he's ever played at home, he entered the stadium through the Washington Player's Only entrance in the back parking lot.

"I saw Mickey our gate guard, he didn't even look twice. All he said was his usual, 'go get'em today Troy'... I don't think he even realized I was traded," says Hanback.

Mickey may not have noticed, but this isn't the same Troy Hanback that won 3 consecutive titles for the Bats in 2002, 2003, and 2004. That Troy Hanback posted a 10-1 record and a 1.50 ERA in those postseason games, anchoring one of the most dominant rotations in baseball and making Washington the premiere franchise in the BLB.

This Troy Hanback is 35 and tired. On July 27th, three days before the trade deadline, Hanback was sent packing to the New Orleans Dukes. The victim of an unceremonious salary dump, he was dealt to the bottom of the Domestic League along with RF Danny Herrera and a 2nd round draft pick.

"I was making a lot of money, and I wasn't getting it done. Pat did what he had to do. It was time to move on, I guess," replies Hanback when asked about his feelings towards Washington. "I loved my time in Washington, we did some great things here."

There weren't many reporters, fans, or baseball people who were surprised with the move. Hanback was 6-7 at the time with an ERA of 5.77 on the tail end of a four year $58 million contract. It was the highest ERA of his career, even higher than the 5.74 he posted as a Bat rookie in 1997 at the age of 23.

When the 58 win Dukes cut him loose less than 6 days later, without even giving him a start, many just figured he was done and would walk away.

However, within a week, Death Valley had signed him to minor league contract. Ironically, that was the same week that Washington came calling again. Hanback deflects the question when asked why he decided to go to Vegas, instead of back to Washington. After all, his wife and kids are still in the Arlington house he bought at 25. Mixed into his vague and winding answer is a sense that it was time for a fresh start.

And start over is exactly what he's done in Vegas. The desert has given the former ace new life. The Scorpions never intended to put Hanback in their AAA Reno rotation. He immediately took over as the Scorpions 6th starter, joining a collection of some of the best young pitchers in the BLB.

Revitalized by the bright lights of Vegas and his youthful former rivals, Hanback has gone 3-2 with a 3.29 ERA in 7 crucial starts. A month after signing that minor league deal, Hanback was extended by Death Valley for 2 years and $1.6 million.

Having spread 10 hits over 7 innings, Hanback took the mound to start the 8th inning with the Scorpions leading 4-2. Staring him down from the batters box was Pat Ladd, who was just a fresh faced rookie when Washington won it's first title in 2002. As early as July, they had been co-captains and longtime friends. Now they were battling on opposite sides of a Stout Division title.

Ladd got the best of their match-up, crushing an 0-1 pitch from Hanback 456 feet into the Washington bleacher seats where some fans still wore their purple and white Hanback jerseys.

However, it was the old Washington ace who won the day as R.J. Manning came on to rescue his once rival and now teammate, giving the Scorpions and Hanback a 7-3 victory.

The win ties the Scorpions and the Bats for the Stout Division lead, something he's grown accustomed to over his 14 seasons.