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This is a little late (obviously), but I've been burried at work the past week and a half.
Local Brews
July, thank goodness that’s over. The month was essentially a large pot hole that we ran over and shot our wheels off, sending our bus careening toward the guard rail that is supposed to keep us from plunging to our deaths in the crevice below. We posted a 10 - 16 record and saw our lead in the Porter completely disappear. Our pitching staff spontaneously combusted for practically the entire month (with a few exceptions) from top to bottom. The offense struggled at times as well, but for the most part they showed up to play more often than not. We have two months left to try to right the ship, but it will be difficult as we are closing in on a 12 game road trip in the middle of August. This is not going to be easy.
We’ve had several standout performances to date, but we want to highlight a few (just for the month of July):
Geoff Scott - Scott turned in another great month and actually ranks second in the IL in VORP at 50.5 (behind former Freedom face of the franchise Mel Woodbury - 56.4). For the month of July he had 31 hits and 27 BBs in 96 ABs. For the month he delivered a slash line of .323 | .472 | .573 | 1.044 and scored 23 runs while driving in 21 and hitting 5 HR. A couple of more months like that could actually garner him some attention in the Stout Slugger talk. As it stands, his work in July earned him the in-game IL Batter of the Month award.
Jim Newlin - Newlin produced another fine month in July and is now in the #3 spot in the IL in VORP behind the previously mentioned Woodbury and teammate Scott. For the month Newlin drove in 17 runs and scored 16 times while batting .344 | .426 | .458 | .884. Newlin struck out twice in 96 ABs. Wow. Solid, solid numbers from the most consistent member of our lineup this season.
Jim Seagarra - I’ve been waiting for this. His previous owner (Carlos) told me how this season would go and he’s been dead on. Seagarra struggled mightily through the first 3 months of the season and has really turned it on since the All-Star break. For the month of July Seagarra drove in 19 runs and scored 14 while batting .322 | .417 | .444 | .861. More of this please.
Joe Arredondo - His month doesn’t actually warrant any special discussion because it was just solid, not outstanding, but considering what was going on around him with the rest of the members of the staff he looked like Teagan Corrigan to us. He posted a 3-0 record with a 2.83 ERA over 35.0 IP. The other starters?
Joe Aurillo 2-3 5.23 ERA
Ben Irvin 1-2 4.43 ERA
Tim Nathan 1-3 3.77 ERA
Ray Minnoz 2-3 5.34 ERA
Micro Brews
-SP Doug Miles (AAA) - Miles is dirty. He still has control issues, but that’s fine for a 20 year old SP at the AAA level when he posts a K/9 rate of 12.3 (which he did for the month of July). This kid is still growing and figuring out the way the world works, but he is certainly the brightest star in our minor league system.
These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty!!
A “quick hit” look at goings on around the league in the fourth month:
- Dallas came to terms on a 3 year extension for OF Tim O’Fay ($2.22m/per season) despite rumors spreading around league circles that the Snappers were actively shopping O’Fay on the trade market.
- Washington Bats and SP Cristofor Villazon reached an agreement on a 4 year contract extension ($32.4m) that will keep Villazon with the club through the 1992 season (during which the RH will reach age 37)
- Syracuse locked up 30 year old 2B Frank Rancourt to a 3 year extension for $24.7m
- July was a big month for league milestones.
1) Neil Hildebrand scored his 1,000th run while playing for the Dinos.
2) Bats’CL Grant Lewis became the 3rd pitcher to reach the 400 save mark.
3) Maine’s Teagan Corrigan became the first BLB pitcher to crack the 200 win plateau. Corrigan just turned 35 in June so it will be interesting to see just how high he can push that mark. Will he make it to 250? He’s got two more guaranteed years on his current deal with a mutual option for a 3rd. Some wondered if he was beginning to slip a bit during the ’87 season when he posted by far (more than ½ a run) the highest ERA of his career, but he’s had a nice bounceback year so far in ‘88. Some of that bounceback may be due to having the lowest BABIP in his career (.257) so far.
4) One of the most consistent performers in the league since its rebirth, Denver 3B Pedro Zamarida became the 7th batter to top 1,000 career RBIs
5) Sergio Lumar was traded to Indy just in time to to score his 1,000th run on 07/26
6) Morgantown CL Jon Cleary notched his 400th career save on 07/29
-Carolina's John Harbison hit 3 HRs in the same game on 07/19. It was the 19th time in league history that feat was accomplished.
Broken Taps
A quick look at significant injuries sustained during the fourth month:
- Denver lost the services of SP Macerio Irigaray on the first day of the month, for the entire month with a hamstring injury.
- Los Alamos saw veteran LF Bill Fallon injured on the first of the month as well, leaving the 07/01 game with a fractured thumb. He was expected to miss at least a month.
- The Brawlers’ rotation sprung a bit of a leak as the resurgent season of one Yeong-suk Kang was derailed with a torn triceps muscle on 07/14. The 38 year old was having one of the better seasons of his entire career in ’88. He’s expected to miss the majority of the majority of the remainder of the season, though he could make it back for the tail end
- The Dinos lost Neil Hildebrand for 5 weeks with a sprained elbow suffered on 07/17
- Virginia lost their 7 time All-Star CL Vernon Simmonds to inflammation of the rotator cuff on 07/18. Simmonds is expected to miss about 2 months
- Los Alamos’ newly acquired SP Ryan Vest made it through 8 pitches in his 1 and only start for the Bandits before tearing his UCL, an injury that will require TJ surgery and shelve the RH for 13 months.
- The hits just keep coming for the Bandits. SP Jason Justice saw his season come to an end early when he felt a pop in his elbow during his start on 07/24. The early diagnosis was a torn flexor tendon in his elbow which will shelve Justice for at least 7 months
- Los Lunas liked what they saw out of their new DH Ellis Shinamius who came over in a deal from Dallas, but that excitement was short lived as Shinamius came up lame in the 07/24 game at Sin City. Shinamius suffered a strained quad while running the bases which will cost him 5-6 weeks of the regular season
- Washington lost the services of Larry Fitzsymons for 6-7 weeks on 07/27 with an oblique strain
- MIS lost veteran OF Nick Latham on 07/28 due to concussion related symptoms for about 6 weeks
- The Bats were struck with an injury once again when Dave Robbins was lost for 4 weeks on 07/31 with a rib cage injury
Award Winning Brews
DL Batter of the Month: Don McGuire
DL Pitcher of the Month: Tino Suarez
DL Rookie of the Month: Tex Briggs
IL Batter of the Month: Geoff Scott
IL Pitcher of the Month: Martin Carlton
IL Rookie of the Month: Raul De Jesus
LINK
Local Brews
July, thank goodness that’s over. The month was essentially a large pot hole that we ran over and shot our wheels off, sending our bus careening toward the guard rail that is supposed to keep us from plunging to our deaths in the crevice below. We posted a 10 - 16 record and saw our lead in the Porter completely disappear. Our pitching staff spontaneously combusted for practically the entire month (with a few exceptions) from top to bottom. The offense struggled at times as well, but for the most part they showed up to play more often than not. We have two months left to try to right the ship, but it will be difficult as we are closing in on a 12 game road trip in the middle of August. This is not going to be easy.
We’ve had several standout performances to date, but we want to highlight a few (just for the month of July):
Geoff Scott - Scott turned in another great month and actually ranks second in the IL in VORP at 50.5 (behind former Freedom face of the franchise Mel Woodbury - 56.4). For the month of July he had 31 hits and 27 BBs in 96 ABs. For the month he delivered a slash line of .323 | .472 | .573 | 1.044 and scored 23 runs while driving in 21 and hitting 5 HR. A couple of more months like that could actually garner him some attention in the Stout Slugger talk. As it stands, his work in July earned him the in-game IL Batter of the Month award.
Jim Newlin - Newlin produced another fine month in July and is now in the #3 spot in the IL in VORP behind the previously mentioned Woodbury and teammate Scott. For the month Newlin drove in 17 runs and scored 16 times while batting .344 | .426 | .458 | .884. Newlin struck out twice in 96 ABs. Wow. Solid, solid numbers from the most consistent member of our lineup this season.
Jim Seagarra - I’ve been waiting for this. His previous owner (Carlos) told me how this season would go and he’s been dead on. Seagarra struggled mightily through the first 3 months of the season and has really turned it on since the All-Star break. For the month of July Seagarra drove in 19 runs and scored 14 while batting .322 | .417 | .444 | .861. More of this please.
Joe Arredondo - His month doesn’t actually warrant any special discussion because it was just solid, not outstanding, but considering what was going on around him with the rest of the members of the staff he looked like Teagan Corrigan to us. He posted a 3-0 record with a 2.83 ERA over 35.0 IP. The other starters?
Joe Aurillo 2-3 5.23 ERA
Ben Irvin 1-2 4.43 ERA
Tim Nathan 1-3 3.77 ERA
Ray Minnoz 2-3 5.34 ERA
Micro Brews
-SP Doug Miles (AAA) - Miles is dirty. He still has control issues, but that’s fine for a 20 year old SP at the AAA level when he posts a K/9 rate of 12.3 (which he did for the month of July). This kid is still growing and figuring out the way the world works, but he is certainly the brightest star in our minor league system.
These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty!!
A “quick hit” look at goings on around the league in the fourth month:
- Dallas came to terms on a 3 year extension for OF Tim O’Fay ($2.22m/per season) despite rumors spreading around league circles that the Snappers were actively shopping O’Fay on the trade market.
- Washington Bats and SP Cristofor Villazon reached an agreement on a 4 year contract extension ($32.4m) that will keep Villazon with the club through the 1992 season (during which the RH will reach age 37)
- Syracuse locked up 30 year old 2B Frank Rancourt to a 3 year extension for $24.7m
- July was a big month for league milestones.
1) Neil Hildebrand scored his 1,000th run while playing for the Dinos.
2) Bats’CL Grant Lewis became the 3rd pitcher to reach the 400 save mark.
3) Maine’s Teagan Corrigan became the first BLB pitcher to crack the 200 win plateau. Corrigan just turned 35 in June so it will be interesting to see just how high he can push that mark. Will he make it to 250? He’s got two more guaranteed years on his current deal with a mutual option for a 3rd. Some wondered if he was beginning to slip a bit during the ’87 season when he posted by far (more than ½ a run) the highest ERA of his career, but he’s had a nice bounceback year so far in ‘88. Some of that bounceback may be due to having the lowest BABIP in his career (.257) so far.
4) One of the most consistent performers in the league since its rebirth, Denver 3B Pedro Zamarida became the 7th batter to top 1,000 career RBIs
5) Sergio Lumar was traded to Indy just in time to to score his 1,000th run on 07/26
6) Morgantown CL Jon Cleary notched his 400th career save on 07/29
-Carolina's John Harbison hit 3 HRs in the same game on 07/19. It was the 19th time in league history that feat was accomplished.
Broken Taps
A quick look at significant injuries sustained during the fourth month:
- Denver lost the services of SP Macerio Irigaray on the first day of the month, for the entire month with a hamstring injury.
- Los Alamos saw veteran LF Bill Fallon injured on the first of the month as well, leaving the 07/01 game with a fractured thumb. He was expected to miss at least a month.
- The Brawlers’ rotation sprung a bit of a leak as the resurgent season of one Yeong-suk Kang was derailed with a torn triceps muscle on 07/14. The 38 year old was having one of the better seasons of his entire career in ’88. He’s expected to miss the majority of the majority of the remainder of the season, though he could make it back for the tail end
- The Dinos lost Neil Hildebrand for 5 weeks with a sprained elbow suffered on 07/17
- Virginia lost their 7 time All-Star CL Vernon Simmonds to inflammation of the rotator cuff on 07/18. Simmonds is expected to miss about 2 months
- Los Alamos’ newly acquired SP Ryan Vest made it through 8 pitches in his 1 and only start for the Bandits before tearing his UCL, an injury that will require TJ surgery and shelve the RH for 13 months.
- The hits just keep coming for the Bandits. SP Jason Justice saw his season come to an end early when he felt a pop in his elbow during his start on 07/24. The early diagnosis was a torn flexor tendon in his elbow which will shelve Justice for at least 7 months
- Los Lunas liked what they saw out of their new DH Ellis Shinamius who came over in a deal from Dallas, but that excitement was short lived as Shinamius came up lame in the 07/24 game at Sin City. Shinamius suffered a strained quad while running the bases which will cost him 5-6 weeks of the regular season
- Washington lost the services of Larry Fitzsymons for 6-7 weeks on 07/27 with an oblique strain
- MIS lost veteran OF Nick Latham on 07/28 due to concussion related symptoms for about 6 weeks
- The Bats were struck with an injury once again when Dave Robbins was lost for 4 weeks on 07/31 with a rib cage injury
Award Winning Brews
DL Batter of the Month: Don McGuire
DL Pitcher of the Month: Tino Suarez
DL Rookie of the Month: Tex Briggs
IL Batter of the Month: Geoff Scott
IL Pitcher of the Month: Martin Carlton
IL Rookie of the Month: Raul De Jesus
LINK
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