Tweet
LINK
Local Brews
It’s been a bit of an uneven start of the season for the Freedom, but things have been following the blueprint for the most part (pitching as the #1 priority). We got out of the gate a bit slowly on the offensive side, but as the weather has warmed a bit so has the production. We’ve managed to overcome an early season deficit in the standings and currently sit tied atop the Porter Division with last year’s champion, California.
Current Porter Standings<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="20%"><tr><th>Team</th> <th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>PCT</th> <th>GB</th></tr>
<tr><td>CAL</td><td>15</td><td>11</td><td>.577</td><td>-</td><td></tr><tr><td>PHI</td><td>15</td><td>11</td><td>.577</td><td>-</td><td></tr><tr><td>BAL</td><td>14</td><td>12</td><td>.538</td><td>1.0</td><td></tr><tr><td>BAT</td><td>11</td><td>15</td><td>.423</td><td>4.0</td><td></tr></table>
We’ve had several standout performances to date, but we want to highlight a few:
O.T. - The co-key piece to the Woodbury deal during the Winter Meetings (Joe Arredondo being the other), O.T. is second in the Import League in batting average (.372) and we are doing everything we can to get his bat in the lineup on a consistent basis. He is not a good OFer, but he has managed to avoid embarrassing himself there so far.
Jim Newlin - If there was a bounce back type award in the league he would be an early season candidate. He’s managed to put a disappointing 1987 behind him (.257 | .319 | .389) and is off to a hot start (.354 | .398 | .556 including a team leading 3 HR and 18 RBI. All this while switching defensive positions from 1B to 2B.
Victor Alveraz - This rookie catcher (got his first taste of the show as a September callup last season) is more than holding his own. We thought he would hit a little bit, but he is surpassing expectations to this point of the season.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>AVG</th> <th>OBP</th> <th>SLG</th> <th>HR</th> <th>R</th> <th>RBI</th></tr><tr><td>.299</td><td>.333</td><td>.429</td><td>1</td><td>8</td><td>7</td></tr></table>
Joe Aurillo - He is what he is and that is pretty good.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>IP</th> <th>HA</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>WHIP</th> </tr><tr><td>3</td><td>1</td><td>1.67</td><td>43.0</td><td>34</td><td>9</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>11</td><td>35</td><td>1.05</td></tr></table>
Joe Arredondo - He has been exactly what we hoped for when he was acquired from the Colonials. In fact, it’s safe to say he is exceeding expectations.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>IP</th> <th>HA</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>WHIP</th> </tr><tr><td>3</td><td>1</td><td>1.57</td><td>34.1</td><td>25</td><td>8</td><td>6</td><td>0</td><td>11</td><td>24</td><td>1.05</td><td></tr></table>
Micro Brews
- Organizational #1 Prospect Doug Miles got off to a good start at AA, continuing his run of success at that level. He just turned 20 prior to the start of the season so we want to avoid the temptation of “rushing” him, but a promotion to AAA could come by the end of June.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>IP</th> <th>HA</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>WHIP</th> <th>K/BB</th> <th>K/9</th></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2.54</td><td>28.1</td><td>21</td><td>10</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>9</td><td>38</td><td>1.06</td><td>4.22</td><td>12.07</td></tr></table>
- SP Doug Little (AAA) is also handling himself well in the upper minors. He would probably be the first option out of the minors in the event of injury to someone in our starting rotation.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>IP</th> <th>HA</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>WHIP</th> <th>K/BB</th> <th>K/9</th></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>3.22</td><td>36.1</td><td>28</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td>2</td><td>10</td><td>34</td><td>1.05</td><td>3.40</td><td>8.42</td></tr></table>
These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty!!
A “quick hit” look at goings on around the league in the first month:
- If a BLB star surpasses two milestones in the span of a week and no one mentions it, did it really happen?
Hyundai’s superstar and BLB cornerstone, Harry Keppel, surpassed 300 career HRs and 2000 career hits in the span of 3 days. The 30 year old Keppel will surely be at the top of almost every major offensive category by the time his career is over.
- We had our first no hitter of the year (and 16th since the BLB’s revival) as Windy City’s Jim Fletcher etched his name permanently in the record books by tossing a no-no at the expense of the Tobs.
- Wilmington’s Antonio Romo produced the 9th 6-hit game in league history against Baltimore in a performance for the ages. 6 for 7 with 6 runs and 6 RBI, 2 HR in a game that saw the Wildcats win one of the most lopsided games in league history 24 to 0.
- The Snappers’ #1 Denver Brode seems to be bouncing back nicely from last season’s elbow injury. He’s been on a pitch count to start the year, but has an unbelievable K/BB ratio of 27:0 in 20.1 IP. He reached 92 pitches in his last outing and appears to be almost back to full strength.
- Donato Guardamagni has picked up right where he left off last year (if not gotten better). He has allowed a grand total of 20 hits in 44.0 IP while striking out 62. He’s currently on pace for a 300+ K season.
Broken Taps
A quick look at significant injuries sustained during the first month:
Robby Shannon (CAL - 1B - out for the year) - The reigning IL MVP was lost for the year in ST with a broken kneecap, throwing the divisional race wide open in the Porter
Nate Magness (VIR - SP - expected to miss 3 months) - Losing a #1 is never an easy injury to absorb and it will be interesting to see how the Colonials adjust to life without their young gun
Dale O’Hegarty (VIR - SS - expected to miss 3-4 weeks) - Days after inking a new multiyear extension with the Colonials, O’Hegarty went down with a PCL strain
Herb LeFebre (WIL - 2B - our for the year) - Another player lost for the year with a broken kneecap
Cesaro Campoveroe (WIL - LF - expected to miss another 2-3 weeks) - Subject of offseason trade rumors, Campo suffered a lengthy an injury for the 3rd year in a row. A looming option year may have lead Campo to not disclose a minor injury to his team leading to the more significant time lost
Adam Nickell (PAW - CF - expected to miss another 6 weeks) - Last year’s hit king will end up missing at least 2 months of the ’88 season due to a broken hamate bone.
Bill O'Fallon (WAS - 1B - expected to miss another 3 weeks) - O'Fallon has struggled to match his career marks since coming over to the Bats last season, but nevertheless losing a cornerstone like O'Fallon (especially one as well compensated - 18mil) for any period of time can be difficult for a team to deal with.
Local Brews
It’s been a bit of an uneven start of the season for the Freedom, but things have been following the blueprint for the most part (pitching as the #1 priority). We got out of the gate a bit slowly on the offensive side, but as the weather has warmed a bit so has the production. We’ve managed to overcome an early season deficit in the standings and currently sit tied atop the Porter Division with last year’s champion, California.
Current Porter Standings<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="20%"><tr><th>Team</th> <th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>PCT</th> <th>GB</th></tr>
<tr><td>CAL</td><td>15</td><td>11</td><td>.577</td><td>-</td><td></tr><tr><td>PHI</td><td>15</td><td>11</td><td>.577</td><td>-</td><td></tr><tr><td>BAL</td><td>14</td><td>12</td><td>.538</td><td>1.0</td><td></tr><tr><td>BAT</td><td>11</td><td>15</td><td>.423</td><td>4.0</td><td></tr></table>
We’ve had several standout performances to date, but we want to highlight a few:
O.T. - The co-key piece to the Woodbury deal during the Winter Meetings (Joe Arredondo being the other), O.T. is second in the Import League in batting average (.372) and we are doing everything we can to get his bat in the lineup on a consistent basis. He is not a good OFer, but he has managed to avoid embarrassing himself there so far.
Jim Newlin - If there was a bounce back type award in the league he would be an early season candidate. He’s managed to put a disappointing 1987 behind him (.257 | .319 | .389) and is off to a hot start (.354 | .398 | .556 including a team leading 3 HR and 18 RBI. All this while switching defensive positions from 1B to 2B.
Victor Alveraz - This rookie catcher (got his first taste of the show as a September callup last season) is more than holding his own. We thought he would hit a little bit, but he is surpassing expectations to this point of the season.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>AVG</th> <th>OBP</th> <th>SLG</th> <th>HR</th> <th>R</th> <th>RBI</th></tr><tr><td>.299</td><td>.333</td><td>.429</td><td>1</td><td>8</td><td>7</td></tr></table>
Joe Aurillo - He is what he is and that is pretty good.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>IP</th> <th>HA</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>WHIP</th> </tr><tr><td>3</td><td>1</td><td>1.67</td><td>43.0</td><td>34</td><td>9</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>11</td><td>35</td><td>1.05</td></tr></table>
Joe Arredondo - He has been exactly what we hoped for when he was acquired from the Colonials. In fact, it’s safe to say he is exceeding expectations.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>IP</th> <th>HA</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>WHIP</th> </tr><tr><td>3</td><td>1</td><td>1.57</td><td>34.1</td><td>25</td><td>8</td><td>6</td><td>0</td><td>11</td><td>24</td><td>1.05</td><td></tr></table>
Micro Brews
- Organizational #1 Prospect Doug Miles got off to a good start at AA, continuing his run of success at that level. He just turned 20 prior to the start of the season so we want to avoid the temptation of “rushing” him, but a promotion to AAA could come by the end of June.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>IP</th> <th>HA</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>WHIP</th> <th>K/BB</th> <th>K/9</th></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2.54</td><td>28.1</td><td>21</td><td>10</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>9</td><td>38</td><td>1.06</td><td>4.22</td><td>12.07</td></tr></table>
- SP Doug Little (AAA) is also handling himself well in the upper minors. He would probably be the first option out of the minors in the event of injury to someone in our starting rotation.
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="10%">
<tr><th>W</th> <th>L</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>IP</th> <th>HA</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>WHIP</th> <th>K/BB</th> <th>K/9</th></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>3.22</td><td>36.1</td><td>28</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td>2</td><td>10</td><td>34</td><td>1.05</td><td>3.40</td><td>8.42</td></tr></table>
These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty!!
A “quick hit” look at goings on around the league in the first month:
- If a BLB star surpasses two milestones in the span of a week and no one mentions it, did it really happen?
Hyundai’s superstar and BLB cornerstone, Harry Keppel, surpassed 300 career HRs and 2000 career hits in the span of 3 days. The 30 year old Keppel will surely be at the top of almost every major offensive category by the time his career is over.
- We had our first no hitter of the year (and 16th since the BLB’s revival) as Windy City’s Jim Fletcher etched his name permanently in the record books by tossing a no-no at the expense of the Tobs.
- Wilmington’s Antonio Romo produced the 9th 6-hit game in league history against Baltimore in a performance for the ages. 6 for 7 with 6 runs and 6 RBI, 2 HR in a game that saw the Wildcats win one of the most lopsided games in league history 24 to 0.
- The Snappers’ #1 Denver Brode seems to be bouncing back nicely from last season’s elbow injury. He’s been on a pitch count to start the year, but has an unbelievable K/BB ratio of 27:0 in 20.1 IP. He reached 92 pitches in his last outing and appears to be almost back to full strength.
- Donato Guardamagni has picked up right where he left off last year (if not gotten better). He has allowed a grand total of 20 hits in 44.0 IP while striking out 62. He’s currently on pace for a 300+ K season.
Broken Taps
A quick look at significant injuries sustained during the first month:
Robby Shannon (CAL - 1B - out for the year) - The reigning IL MVP was lost for the year in ST with a broken kneecap, throwing the divisional race wide open in the Porter
Nate Magness (VIR - SP - expected to miss 3 months) - Losing a #1 is never an easy injury to absorb and it will be interesting to see how the Colonials adjust to life without their young gun
Dale O’Hegarty (VIR - SS - expected to miss 3-4 weeks) - Days after inking a new multiyear extension with the Colonials, O’Hegarty went down with a PCL strain
Herb LeFebre (WIL - 2B - our for the year) - Another player lost for the year with a broken kneecap
Cesaro Campoveroe (WIL - LF - expected to miss another 2-3 weeks) - Subject of offseason trade rumors, Campo suffered a lengthy an injury for the 3rd year in a row. A looming option year may have lead Campo to not disclose a minor injury to his team leading to the more significant time lost
Adam Nickell (PAW - CF - expected to miss another 6 weeks) - Last year’s hit king will end up missing at least 2 months of the ’88 season due to a broken hamate bone.
Bill O'Fallon (WAS - 1B - expected to miss another 3 weeks) - O'Fallon has struggled to match his career marks since coming over to the Bats last season, but nevertheless losing a cornerstone like O'Fallon (especially one as well compensated - 18mil) for any period of time can be difficult for a team to deal with.
Comment