2021 Week 25 News Update
 

Gardini 5-for-5 Against Astros
stadiumreport.bbn Nicolá Gardini(24, 3.5*) did more than his part as the Cincinnati Eagles topped the Houston Astros, 7-6, at Minute Maid Park. The Eagles first baseman pounded out 5 hits to pace his team. Nicolá Gardini singled in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, hit a two-run single in the 5th, hit an RBI single in the 7th and singled in the 9th.

Gardini is hitting .276 this year with 8 home runs, 37 RBIs and 44 runs scored. He has 98 hits in 355 at-bats, 41 walks and a .779 OPS. Gardini has played in 107 games and amassed 1.0WAR.

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Smith Bombs 3 HR Against San Diego
stadiumreport.bbn Salt Lake City right fielder Josh Smith(27, 2.5*) blasted three homers at Bearcats Park in the 14-10 Bearcats victory over the San Diego Padres.

For the game, Josh Smith scored 4 times and knocked in 5 runs. When he hit his last home run, his teammates, hearing the crack of the bat, leaped off the bench and rushed on the field to greet the jubilant Smith when he reached home plate.

"It was just one game, but it sure was a lot of fun -- 4-for-4, three roundtrippers and a win," a gleeful Smith told BNN reporters in a postgame interview. "What a day."

Josh Smith hit a three-run home run off Justin Brown in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, walked in the 4th, hit a solo-shot off Justin DuMont in the 6th and hit a solo-shot off Justin DuMont in the 8th.

So far this year, Smith is hitting .217 with 33 home runs, 65 RBIs and a OPS of .794, amassing 1.2WAR in 115 games.

2021 Week 25
 

Week 25: 3vs Boston Aeros(71-73), 3@ Philadelphia Grizzlies(71-74)

September 20th
Offday

September 21st

Magana Continues to Thrife as Expos Win, 4-2 over Boston

The Montreal Expos got a good effort from starter Melvin Magana in defeating the Boston Aeros at Olympic Stadium. He worked six innings of 2-hit and 2-run ball in his third win of the season.

The final score was 4-2. Their 62-82 record puts the Expos last in the Eastern League North East Division.

The Expos got a big at-bat from shortstop Jose Robles. For the game, Robles was 1 for 4 with a double, while adding 2 RBI. In the bottom of the fourth, with runners on 1st and 2nd, he stroked a 2-run double. His 21st double of the season gave Montreal a 3-2 lead. The 27-year old is batting .216-12-46 .624OPS 0.7WAR in 134 games.

Montreal manager Aaron McCreery praised his team's "energy."

Brian Peduzzi(R, 9-10 4.23) – Adrian Hilscher(R, 2-11 4.95) tomorrow. Pretty decent season for the 25-year old.

SP Melvin Magana 6IP 2H 2R 2ER 1BB 5K W PotG
DH Dan Cook 2-4 R DB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 RBI DB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 0-3 R BB
SS Jose Robles 1-4 2RBI DB
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 R
HR BOS: Garcia(12)
HR MON: none
W: Melvin Magana(3-4 4.72) L: Tyrese Speed(3-4 4.53) SV : Ryan Rasbach(28 3.38)
Magana is setting himself up for a good contract next season…

September 22nd

Mendia, Aeros win 7-2, at Montreal

Elias Mendia was a vital contributor to the 7-2 Boston victory over Montreal. The Aeros catcher was 3-5 with a home run and 2 singles. He scored 2 times and drove in 3. The last-place Expos dropped to 62-83.

Boston used the hitting of Mario Garcia to pick up the win. The second baseman clubbed a 2-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to put the Aeros on top, 4-1. For the game, Garcia had 1 home run and 1 single in 3 at-bats. The 26-year old is batting .266-13-45 .771OPS 0.9WAR in 74 games and now has homered two days in a row.

"Good baseball players make you a smarter manager," said Boston manager Tony Rodriguez.

Manuel Amezola(R, 10-8 3.89) – Austin Roy(R, 2-11 4.95) tomorrow. Two good starts in a row for Roy?

SP Adrian Hilscher 4.2IP 3H 2R 2ER 3BB 5K L
DH Dan Cook 1-4 TP
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 RBI
SS Jose Robles 1-4
3B Orlando Gonzalez 0-1 RBI BB
HR BOS: Garcia(13)
HR MON: none
W: Brian Peduzzi(10-10 4.12) L: Adrian Hilscher(2-12 4.90) SV: none
Mendia was a clear trade mistake. He is batting .242-25-74 .772OPS 2.2WAR in 111 games… The players we got for him combined for -0.7 NMLB WAR.

September 23rd

Expos Win 8-4 on Messer’s Big Day

The home crowd had a good time watching the Boston Aeros and Montreal Expos get after it.

The Montreal Expos topped the Boston Aeros by a score of 8-4. Leading the way was right fielder Ian Messer. Messer was 3 for 4 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 runs for the Expos. Ryan Rasbach converted his 29th save in 36 tries.

Had Dan Cook not delivered a key base hit in the bottom of the seventh, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and runners on 1st and 2nd, Cook hit a run-scoring single. That made the score 4-3, in favor of the Expos.

"Very good win for our guys," said Cook. The 28-year old rookie is batting .287-16-57 .804OPS 1.6WAR in 144 games.

The Expos, at 63-83, inhabit last place in the Eastern League North East Division.

Sam Griffin(R, 8-9 3.93) – Oscar Guzman(R, 8-9 5.20) tomorrow. Same record, but the ERA’s…

SP Austin Roy 7.2IP 7H 4R 3ER 1BB 5K W
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R RBI
LF Karl Ferguson1-3 R 3RBI BB HR
RF Ian Messer 3-4 2R RBI DB HR PotG
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 2R RBI DB
C Jordan Chavis 2-3 R 2RBI
HR BOS: Dale(12)
HR MON: Ferguson(19), Messer(9)
W: Austin Roy(8-14 4.69) L: Hector Perez(3-5 5.49) SV: Ryan Rasbach(29 3.32)
Messer with a big game against his former club and Roy with a solid start.

September 24th

Quiros Wins it in 10 for Expos

Montreal beat Philadelphia on the strength of starting pitcher Sam Griffin's fine effort. The right-hander led his team to a win, 4-3. Montreal pitcher Dusty Leone got the win. He's now 9-0. T.J. Delaney was tagged with the loss. Ryan Rasbach was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 30 of 37 save opportunities.

Who knows how it would've ended, had it not been for David Quiros? The 25-year old second baseman Quiros stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the tenth inning to put Montreal up, 4-3. For the game, he was 3 for 5, including 1 double and 2 singles. The backup infielder is batting .230-4-30 .595OPS -0.4WAR in 108 games.

"I'll probably toss and turn tonight," Philadelphia manager Pat Pierce said, following the tough loss.

Montreal now owns a record of 64-83.

Sam Rush(R, 5-10 5.39) – Colin Taylor(R, 6-10 3.85) tomorrow. Amazing stuff, 8.6 K/9.

SP Sam Griffin 6IP 5H 2R 2ER 1BB 4K ND PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 R
DH Dan Cook 2-5 R 2RBI DB
LF Karl Ferguson 2-5 RBI DB
RF Ian Messer 3-5 R DB
2B Dave Quiros 3-5 RBI DB
SS Jose Robles 1-3 R
HR MON: none
HR PHI: none
W: Dusty Leone(9-0 2.44) L: T.J. Delaney(3-7 2.72) SV: Ryan Rasbach(30 3.26)
Griffin really is a standout this season, and we got some batting averages up today.

September 25th

Another Extra Inning Win For Expos, 5-4

The Philadelphia Grizzlies got a sterling performance from third baseman Jose Maldonado, but the Montreal Expos still prevailed, 5-4. Maldonado was 4 for 5 with a double and 3 singles, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. John Mannino got credit for the win, improving to 1-0. He allowed no runs on 1 hit in 2 innings. The third-place Grizzlies have lost 4 consecutive games.

Montreal needed the clutch hitting of Karl Ferguson to seal the deal. The left fielder swatted a solo home run in the top of the tenth inning to put the Expos on top, 5-4. For the game, Ferguson had 1 home run and 1 single in 5 at-bats.

"Trying isn't good enough in this league," said Ferguson. "You've got to get results." The 2019 EL Rookie of the Year is batting .264-20-73 .756OPS 0.3WAR in 140 games.

Melvin Magana(R, 3-4 4.72) – Jessie Dittus(R, 9-11 4.25) tomorrow. 1-0 2.31 against us…

SP Sam Rush 5.1IP 5H 1R 1ER 2BB 4K ND strained back 1 week
LF Karl Ferguson 2-5 R RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 2-5 R
SS Jose Robles 1-4 R
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-2 R 2RBI 2BB HR
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 2RBI BB
HR MON: Ferguson(20), Gonzalez(9)
HR PHI: Flesner(8)
W: John Mannino(1-0 0.00) L: T.J. Delaney(3-8 3.00) SV: none
Rush pitched well until his injury. He won’t be placed on the DL as we have an extra pitcher, so if needed, Rich Nelson will get a start.

September 26th

Grizzlies Need Two Innings to Beat Expos, 9-6

The Philadelphia Grizzlies powered past the Montreal Expos, 9-6, at Citizens Bank Park. Fidel de Leon provided some of the pop. Rags was 3-3 with a home run, 2 singles, and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. The win makes Philadelphia 73-78. They scored nine runs in the first two innings.

One pivotal at-bat came with two out in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and Montreal trailing 9-2, Jessie Dittus needed to bear down against Robby Weltzer. Dittus won the battle, as Weltzer grounded out and the Grizzlies went on to win.

Adrian Hilscher(R, 2-12 4.90) – Dorian Hoffe(R, 3-1 5.05) tomorrow. Salt Lake City(78-71) for three away.

SP Melvin Magana 1.1IP 8H 8R 7ER 1BB 0K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 R 2BB DB
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R RBI BB
RF Ian Messer 2-5 R 4RBI HR SB(6)
LF Huai-yu Mah 1-5 R RBI HR
SS Dave Quiros 1-4 R DB
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 R BB
HR MON: Mah(3), Messer(10)
HR PHI: Jimenez(27), Cano(21), de Leon(19)
W: Jesse Dittus(10-11 4.23) L: Melvin Magana(3-5 5.56) SV: Cristiano Zavala(1 2.76)
Magana was too good in his last two starts I guess.

Record: 65-84, 5th in EL Northeast, 13.5GB
Week: 4-2 (2-1 vs BOS, 2-1 @ PHI)
Power Rankings: #23(+6)
Runs scored: 558(15th)
Runs against: 711(12th)
Starters ERA: 4.88(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.07(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .680 (12th)
Zone Rating: +25.9(1st)
Fan Interest: 81(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Austin Roy 2G 2-0 1.69 16IP 9K
RHRP Glen McKeen 18G 2-0 1.00 18IP 16K
RF Ian Messer 7G 12-27 .444 2HR 6RBIs

Who's not?
1B Cody Kerzner 6G 2-24 .083 0HR 0RBIs
3B Orlando Gonzalez 7G 1-22 .045 1HR 3RBIs

Memphis Bolts C Jason Hardy(24, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-20 3HR 5RBIs 5R. The rookie is batting .235-6-15 .716OPS 0.2WAR in 37 games.

Salt Lake City Bearcats LF Josh Smith(27, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 9-20 4HR 6RBIs 9R. The 2019 EL All-Star is batting .220-34-66 .805OPS 1.4WAR in 118 games.

2021 Week 26
 

Vega Goes Downtown 3 Times Against Killer Whales
stadiumreport.bbn Whatever Omar Vega(23, 5*) ate for breakfast before his game against the San José Killer Whales, it gave him some impressive power.

The Las Vegas catcher smacked three balls up and out of the park at Ballpark of San José. His home run barrage helped the Gamblers defeat the Killer Whales, 14-1.

"When they throw it in your wheelhouse, you've got a shot at a homer," he told BNN reporters after the game. "I got three shots today and nailed them all."

On his 3-homer day, he went 3-for-4, scored 4 times, drove in 6 and put on a display that history will remember.

Omar Vega hit a two-run home run off Danny Arauz in the 1st, walked in the 2nd, flied out in the 4th, hit a two-run home run off Justin Hagen in the 6th and hit a two-run home run off Justin Hagen in the 8th.

Vega is hitting .337/.402/.663 in 2021 with 108 RBIs and 43 home runs good for 8.6WAR, leading all of NMLB in WAR, batting average and OPS as well as slugging percentage.

--


Week 26: 3@ Salt Lake City Bearcats(78-71), 4vs Pittsburgh Kings(73-76)

September 27th

Expos Lose in 6-4 in Extras Despite 5-5 Day for Messer

The Salt Lake City Bearcats beat the Montreal Expos, 6-4, at Bearcats Park. The win was due in part to right fielder Brian Ward, who was 2-3 with a home run, a double, and 2 walks, while scoring 2 and driving in 2. The win puts Salt Lake City at 79-71 this season.

The game was still up for grabs in the bottom of the tenth. With one out, Ward hit a curveball from Ryan Rasbach for a 2-run home run. The Bearcats, in dramatic fashion, had a walk-off win.

"It doesn't matter if you're 10 games over .500 or 10 games under, it feels good to win," Ward told the Salt Lake City News. The 3x All-Star is batting .305-35-112 .913OPS 3.2WAR in 143 games.

The star for the Montreal Expos was Ian Messer however. The right fielder went 5-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. He is batting .268-10-46 .710OPS 0.4WAR in 121 games and finally showing signs of his 2020 version.

Austin Roy(R, 8-14 4.69) – Nick Moritz(R, 8-8 4.68) tomorrow. Fifth season for him, won 13 in 2019.

SP Adrian Hilscher 5IP 5H 2R 2ER 2BB 2K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R 2DB
DH Dan Cook 1-5 RBI DB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-5 R DB
RF Ian Messer 5-5 R RBI
SS Jose Robles 1-4 RBI DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R RBI HR
C Kevin Craddock 1-4
HR MON: Gonzalez(10)
HR SLC: Plummer 2(2), Ward(35)
W: Brendon Miller(2-2 3.77) L: Ryan Rasbach(6-7 3.55) SV: none
Shows once again why Rasbach is no elite reliever and why no one was willing to give up an elite prospect for him alone…

September 28th

Moritz Dominates Expos En Route to 3-0 Win

Salt Lake City pitcher Nick Moritz did his part in helping his team defeat the Montreal Expos, 3-0. The opposition could never get too much going against the left-hander. Brendon Miller was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 9 of 11 save opportunities. Salt Lake City has won 3 straight, while Montreal has lost 3 in a row.

Moritz, who dominated for Salt Lake City, earned the victory to move to 9-8. He was in control the whole game, scattering 2 hits over 8 innings, while striking out 8. Montreal batters could never bunch up enough hits to produce a rally.

"Nick set the tone with his ability to attack the hitters," said Salt Lake City manager Erik Nance.

Sam Griffin(R, 8-9 3.90) – Carlos Aguilar(R, 12-10 5.18) tomorrow. 12 wins with THAT ERA…

SP Austin Roy 7.1IP 4H 3R 3ER 1BB 3K L
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-3
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3
HR MON: none
HR SLC: Benson(47), Barr(18)
W: Nick Moritz(9-8 4.44) L: Austin Roy(8-15 4.65) SV: Brendon Miller(9, 3.64)
Benson is hitting home runs for fun this season… well we had him for like 5 minutes. Oh, and we are officially ELIMINATED from playoff contention :D

News:
Philadelphia Grizzlies SP Ruben Torrez(21, 4/5*) pitched 8 scoreless innings against the high octane Las Vegas Gamblers offense, walking one and striking out 8 in a 4-0 win. The #2 prospect prior to the 2020 season is now 15-8 3.18 232K 6.4WAR in 32 games.

Jacksonville Patriots SP Paul Kirksey(22, 4/5*) was even stronger with a 8.1IP 1H 0ER 1BB 7K performance in a 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres. The #4 prospect prior to the 2020 season is now 13-9 4.10 180K 3.8WAR in 29 starts.

September 29th

Aguilar Strong in 7-3 Win, Sweep, over Expos

Carlos Aguilar, who is tied for 9th in the WL in wins with 13, propelled his team to victory over the Montreal Expos. The final score was 7-3, Salt Lake City. The winner was Aguilar. He threw 6.2 innings allowing 3 runs. The loser was Sam Griffin. Pedro Moreno earned his 1st save in 3 chances.

Manny Salazar went 1 for 3 for Salt Lake City. The 24-year old first baseman had a key at-bat in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, he broke a 3-3 tie with a run-scoring sacrifice fly off Sam Griffin. It was his 46th RBI of the season.

"It's nice to come out on top today," said Salazar. Playing DH today, he is batting .248-10-46 .694OPS -0.3WAR in 89 games.

With the win, the Bearcats have a record of 81-71.

Chris Myles(L, 9-14 4.72) - Rich Nelson(L, 4-0 3.96) tomorrow. Journeyman that had 10 wins last year as a reliever.

SP Sam Griffin 5.2IP 3H 6R 6ER 4BB 6K L
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-2 2R BB DB HBP
1B Dan Cook 1-4
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 2RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-4
CF Brian Schill 1-4
2B Dave Quiros 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4 R RBI HR
HR MON: Robles(13)
HR SLC: none
W: Carlos Aguilar(13-10 5.14) L: Sam Griffin(8-10 4.08) SV: Pedro Moreno(1 3.50)
Very un-Griffin like game with four walks.

September 30th

Myles Now 10-14 After Subduing Expos

Getting an impressive start from Chris Myles, Pittsburgh beat Montreal by the score of 2-1. T.J. Hoffman got the save, his 32nd in 33 chances. The Expos, now 65-88, have lost 5 in a row.

Pittsburgh starter Chris Myles was exceptional. The 1.97 m left-hander allowed no runs on 2 hits over 8 innings of work.

"Chris's a gamer," said Pittsburgh manager Randy Sandlin. "Glad he's on our side."

Jon Russo(R, 11-9 3.66) - Melvin Magana(R, 3-5 5.56) tomorrow. The former Rule 5 draftee has become a mainstay…

SP Rich Nelson 4.1IP 2H 2R 2ER 5BB 5K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3 R RBI HR
SS Jose Robles 1-2
HR PIT: Jones(19)
HR MON: Weltzer(5)
W: Chris Myles(10-14 4.52) L: Rich Nelson(4-1 3.96) SV: T.J. Hoffman(32 0.89)
Nelson was wild and our offense was anemic… we won too many games the last weeks, had to bounce back to losing.

October 1st

Kings Popped by Expos, 8-2

Montreal beat Pittsburgh on the strength of starting pitcher Melvin Magana's fine effort. The right-hander led his team to a win, 8-2. He worked 5.1 innings of 1-run ball in the win.

Montreal is now 66-88, while Pittsburgh is 75-79.

Cody Kerzner helped out the Montreal cause in the bottom of the third inning with a run-scoring walk. For the game, the first baseman drew 2 walks in 4 plate appearances, while scoring 2 times. The waiver wire claim is batting ..243-19-59 .738OPS 0.8WAR in 110 games.

Said losing manager Randy Sandlin: "At the end of the day, we've got to play better."

Elimilton Amaro(R, 3-8 5.36) - Adrian Hilscher(R, 2-12 4.84) tomorrow. Another AAAA that will probably dominate us now that I called it.

SP Melvin Magana 5.1IP 3H 1R 1ER 2BB 2K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R RBI
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R
LF Karl Ferguson 1-3 2R RBI BB HR
1B Cody Kerzner 0-2 2R RBI 2BB
RF Ian Messer 1-2 2R RBI BB HBP
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 2RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 R 2RBI DB
HR PIT: Roman(9)
HR MON: Ferguson(21)
W: Melvin Magana(4-5 5.28) L: Joe Russo(11-10 3.86) SV: none
Magana back to winning ways and some offense. Still the 3rd worst team in baseball currently by the way :D

October 2nd

Lemus 5-5 in 11-5 Rout of Expos

Ricky Lemus had a huge game in a Pittsburgh Kings win at Olympic Stadium. Lemus rapped 5 hits in 5 tries and helped the Kings overcome the Montreal Expos, 11-5.

Ricky Lemus doubled in the 2nd, hit a two-run home run off Adrian Hilscher in the 4th, hit a two-run single in the 5th, singled in the 7th and hit an RBI single in the 8th.

A look at his season totals shows Lemus with 22 home runs, .284 BA, .790 OPS, 78 RBIs and 87 runs scored, good for 1.8WAR in 150 games. The winning pitcher was Elimilton Amaro, moving to 4-8 after pitching 8.1 innings of 4-run ball.

Brent Perino(R, 9-7 4.26) - Austin Roy(R, 8-15 4.65) tomorrow. Roy is now 5-8 4.45 with us with two more starts to go…

SP Adrian Hilscher 5.0IP 9H 4R 4ER 1BB 4K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5
RF Ian Messer 1-3 2R RBI BB HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R DB
LF Huai-yu Mah 2-4 R 3RBI HR
SS Jose Robles 1-4 R
C Jordan Chavis 2-4 RBI
HR PIT: Lemus(22), Mora(30)
HR MON: Mah(4), Messer(11)
W: Elimilton Amaro(4-8 5.28) L: Adrian Hilscher(2-13 4.94) SV: none
Hilscher was not good, McKeen was lit up for 4ER and Chris Ball followed suit with 3ER…

October 3rd

Kings Win Game, 4-1, and Series

Brent Perino pitched a gem to lead Pittsburgh to victory over the Montreal Expos, 4-1. Perino got the win, improving to 10-7. He gave up 7 hits and walked 1 over 6.2 innings. He allowed 1 run. Pittsburgh, at 77-79, holds down 4th place in the Eastern League Central.

Pittsburgh took advantage of an error in the top of the sixth inning. The game was tied, 0-0, when Jon Kramer hit a run-scoring single that was misplayed. It put the Kings in front, 1-0.

Kramer called winning a team effort. "It's not the same guy every time," he said. "It's the sum of the parts." The 3x All-Star is batting .253-8-26 .702OPS -0.2WAR in 73 games after losing his job in spring training.

Ruben Torrez(L, 15-8 3.18) - Sam Griffin(R, 8-10 4.08) the day after tomorrow. We open the final week with the Grizzlies(76-80) and their young stud ace.

SP Austin Roy 5.1IP 4H 2R 2ER 4BB 2K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-5 DB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R
C Kyle Craddock 1-4 RBI
HR PIT: Creamer(3)
HR MON: none
W: Brent Perino(10-7 4.10) L: Austin Roy(8-16 4.61) SV: T.J. Hoffman(33 0.88)
Them having Kramer and Creamer on their roster threw me off… maybe Austin too as he was as wild as a goose today…


Record: 66-90, 5th in EL Northeast, 17GB, tied 2nd worst in baseball
Week: 1-6 (0-3 @ SLC, 1-3 vs PIT)
Power Rankings: #30(-7)
Runs scored: 580(15th)
Runs against: 746(12th)
Starters ERA: 4.87(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.14(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .683 (11th)
Zone Rating: +27.3(4th)
Fan Interest: 81(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Austin Roy 4G 2-2 2.48 29IP 14K
LHRP John Mannino 14G 2-1 0.57 15.2IP 13K
RF Ian Messer 10G 18-38 .474 3HR 8RBIs

Who's not?
1B Cody Kerzner 13G 5-47 .106 0HR 1RBI
1B/DH Dan Cook 6G 2-24 .083 0HR 0RBI
LF Ignacio Benavides 6G 2-20 .100 0HR 0RBI

New York Mets 1B Chase Guidry(23, 2.5/3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 12-24 2HR 4RBIs 2R. The rookie is batting .333-2-11 .844OPS 0.3WAR in 29 games.

Oakland Oaks 1B Chad Miller(27, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 8-12 2HR 2RBIs 2R. No power hitter by trait, he is batting .308-10-32 .872OPS 1.2WAR in 55 games.

I’ll post the next State of the Expos after the final week, spoiler, we did not win a monthly Award in September :D

2021 Week 27
 

Smashing Success: Sexton Wallops 3 HR
stadiumreport.bbn The "hardest feat in sports" debate is a never-ending one with no correct answer, but hitting three home runs is certainly in the conversation. That's exactly what Craig Sexton(24, 3*) did at LoanDepot Park, going deep three times and carrying his team to victory, 14-6.

"It all came together. I was seeing the ball well and I got some good pitches to hit," Sexton said. "Good things happen, when that happens."

The Los Angeles Angels shortstop blistered the Miami Marlins for 3 hits, batted in 6 runs and scored 3 times.

"It ain't like we weren't trying," Miami manager Matt Knight said. "He was hot and really torched my boys today."

Craig Sexton hit a two-run home run off Eibe Hoekstra in the 2nd, hit a three-run home run off Tyler Jackson in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Tyler Jackson in the 4th, grounded out in the 6th and flied out in the 8th.

For the year, Sexton has hit at a .230/.274/.347 clip with 49 RBIs, 13 home runs and 55 runs scored, good for 1.3WAR in 145 games as his defense is superb.

--

Week 27: 3vs Philadelphia Grizzlies(76-80), 3@ New York Mets(74-82)

October 4th
Offday

October 5th

Eagles Grill Montreal, 11-2

The Philadelphia Grizzlies beat the Montreal Expos, 11-2, at Olympic Stadium. Philadelphia right fielder Jesus Maradiaga had an outstanding performance. He went 2 for 4 with 2 home runs, while adding 3 RBI and scoring twice. The Grizzlies now own a record of 77-80.

The game turned with no one out in the top of the fourth. That's when Maradiaga hit a 2-run home run off Sam Griffin. It propelled the Grizzlies into the lead, 4-2. The 26-year old is batting .248-25-64 .762OPS 0.2WAR in 125 games.

"Glad to get this win," said Maradiaga. "But we need to keep playing at a high level."

Alberto Cordoba(R, 14-8 3.88) - Sam Rush(R, 5-10 5.24) tomorrow. How they are 77-80 with this pitching is beyond me.

SP Sam Griffin 6IP 3H 4R 4ER 2BB 4K L
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R RBI HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
3B Orlando Gonzalez 3-4 R DB
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-3 RBI
HR PHI: Maradiaga 2(25), de Leon(20)
HR MON: Cook(17)
W: Ruben Torrez(16-8 3.16) L: Sam Griffin(8-11 4.14) SV: none
Our bullpen is playing with flip-flops by now with Nelson and Thrower giving up 7ER in a hurry…

October 6th

Rush Wins Final Start of His Season, 7-2, Over Eagles

The Montreal Expos beat the Philadelphia Grizzlies, 7-2, at Olympic Stadium. Montreal center fielder Vicente Rodriguez led the way. He went 4-5 with a double and 3 singles, while scoring 2 times. Montreal occupies last place in the Eastern League North East Division at 67-91.

Cody Kerzner went 2 for 5 with 2 singles. He drove in 3 runs for Montreal. The 26-year old first baseman had a key at-bat in the bottom of the fifth. With one out and the bases loaded, he broke a 1-1 tie with a 2-run single off Alberto Cordoba. It was his 108th hit of the season.

"We put our best foot forward tonight," said a smiling Kerzner. He is now batting .245-19-62 .734OPS 0.7WAR in 114 games.

Sam Rush got the win in this one, working 5 innings of 1-run, 0ER ball and striking out 4 to finish his 2021 6-10 with a 5.06ERA and 119 strikeouts in 142.1IP.

Oscar Guzman(R, 8-10 5.22) - Melvin Magana(R, 4-5 5.28) tomorrow. 26-year old with 14 wins last year.

SP Sam Rush 5.0IP 5H 1R 0ER 1BB 4K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 4-5 2R RBI DB SB(10)
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R BB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-3 R 2BB
1B Cody Kerzner 2-5 3RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-4 HBP
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3 RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R RBI HR
C Kevin Craddock 2-4 2R RBI HR
HR PHI: none
HR MON: Gonzalez(11), Craddock(3)
W: Sam Rush(6-10 5.06) L: Alberto Cordoba(14-9 3.95) SV: none
Rush ended his season in style and Rodriguez continues to outperform his 2.5* rating for me.

October 7th

Vargas Hits Two Homers in 8-3 Win for Philadelphia

The performance of Pablo Vargas proved critical in helping Philadelphia beat Montreal, 8-3. The Grizzlies left fielder was 2 for 4 with 2 home runs. He drove in 4 runs and scored twice. Oscar Guzman, the winning pitcher, is now 9-10. He went 8.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 10 hits, while fanning 7 and walking 2. The third-place Grizzlies are 78-81.

With Philadelphia leading 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Vargas hit a fastball from Melvin Magana for a 3-run home run. It was his 6th home run of the season and put the Grizzlies ahead, 4-0.

"I keep on showing up every day and trying to put up good at-bats and find good pitches to hit," said Vargas. The 29-year old is batting .253-6-18 .723OPS -0.2WAR in 54 games off the bench this year.

Adrian Hilscher(R, 2-13 4.94) - Josh Eisenberg(L, 12-7 4.38) tomorrow. Another how did you get 12 wins pitcher.

SP Melvin Magana 4.2IP 2H 5R 4ER 4BB 7K L
DH Dan Cook 1-5
LF Karl Ferguson 1-3
1B Cody Kerzner 2-4 R 2DB
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R 2RBI HR
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R SB(1)
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 RBI
C Kevin Craddock 2-4
HR PHI: Vargas 2(6), Cano(24)
HR MON: Messer(12)
W: Oscar Guzman(9-10 5.12) L: Melvin Magana(4-6 5.42) SV: none
That closes the book on Magana, and most likely for good as he won’t get $2.2M in arbitration from me. 17 starts, 0.3WAR for 500k.

October 8th

’Winless’ Hilscher Wins Big Over Mets, 9-0

The Montreal Expos topped the New York Mets, 9-0, in Eastern League action at Citi Field. The game was highlighted by the performance of Montreal pitcher Adrian Hilscher. The Expos, at 68-92, sit in last place in the Eastern League North East Division.

Hilscher dominated for Montreal, raising his record to 3-13. New York hitters had few good at-bats against the right-hander, who scattered 1 hit over 8 innings while striking out 6.

"We'll pop the top on a cold beverage and get back to work tomorrow," Hilscher said. He was supported by a 16-hit barrage including three-hit games by Dan Cook, Ignacio Benavides and Robby Weltzer.

Austin Roy(R, 8-16 4.61) - Zach Laurents(R, 9-13 3.92) tomorrow. 1-2 4.92 against us.

SP Adrian Hilscher 8IP 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 6K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 R
DH Dan Cook 3-5 2R RBI
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 R 2RBI BB HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-5 R 2RBI HR
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 2R BB
RF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 2R 2RBI HR
2B Robby Weltzer 3-5 R
HR MON: Kerzner(20), Benavides(3), Ferguson(22)
HR NYM: none
W: Adrian Hilscher(3-13 4.62) L: Jesse Eisenberg(12-8 4.46) SV: none
That is a way to lower your ERA in the last week of the season! Hilscher with a gem and our offense with a nice display.

October 9th

Expos Sunk by Mets

Due in large part to center fielder Abel Lemke, the New York Mets sunk the Montreal Expos, 8-5. Lemke went 1-3 with a home run and a walk, while scoring 3 times and driving in 2. The winner was Zach Laurents, who threw 91 pitches over 5 innings. The right-hander was charged with 4 runs on 6 hits. New York now owns a record of 77-84.

Alberto Perez had a timely hit in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out and the bases loaded, the New York first baseman hit a 2-run single. That put the Mets in front, 6-4. The 30-year old journeyman is batting .214 in 75 games.

"Winning never gets dull," said Perez. For Montreal, the game became even more painful as left-fieder Karl Ferguson had to leave the game early after a ugly collision at second base. He was diagnosed with a broken bone in his elbow and will be out for four months.

Sam Griffin(R, 8-11 4.14) - Willie Fernandez(L, 2-3 5.83) tomorrow. The season ends with our most reliable starter.

SP Austin Roy 4.1IP 6H 6R 4ER 5BB 2K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 RBI BB
DH Dan Cook 1-5 R RBI DB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-3 broken bone in his elbow 4 months
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3 2R BB DB
SS Jose Robles 1-3 2RBI DB
3B Dave Quiros 1-4 R
HR MON: none
HR NYM: Lemke(11)
W: Zach Laurents(10-13 4.02) L: Austin Roy(5-10 4.53) SV: Ron Millett(30 3.05)
Roy with another stinker… Ferguson exits the season on a stretcher… time for the last game.

October 10th

Quiros Jacks 3 into the Stands

Montreal Expos bombardier David Quiros set his sights on the stands and blasted three balls over the fence as his club beat the New York Mets, 8-0.

"I guess you could say I was a good guesser today, especially on the last one," Quiros told writers in the postgame press room. "I was ahead in the count, so I gambled that I'd get a certain pitch, and got all of it."

For the game, the Montreal second baseman had 3 hits in 5 at-bats, drove in 5, and scored 3 runs.

David Quiros grounded out in the 1st, hit a three-run home run off Grant Roy in the 2nd, hit a solo-shot off Jose Avila in the 4th, struck out in the 6th and hit a solo-shot off Cody Forst in the 9th.

Currently Quiros is batting .232 with 7 home runs and 35 RBIs.

SP Sam Griffin 7.2IP 8H 0R 0ER 0BB 4K W
2B Dave Quiros 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR
DH Dan Cook 2-5
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 SB(2)
1B Cody Kerzner 2-4 R BB
RF Ian Messer 1-4 2R BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-4 DB
CF Brian Schill 1-4 RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 R RBI
SS Jose Robles 1-4 R RBI
HR MON: Quiros 3(7)
HR NYM: none
W: Sam Griffin(9-11 3.97) L: Grant Roy(0-1 15.43) SV: none
That is the most random thing I have ever seen on the final day of the season.

Record: 69-93, 5th in EL Northeast, 18GB, 2nd worst in baseball
Week: 3-3 (1-2 vs PHI, 2-1 @ NYM)
Power Rankings: #28(+2)
Runs scored: 614(15th)
Runs against: 775(12th)
Starters ERA: 4.79(12th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.22(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .686 (10th)
Zone Rating: +30.8(4th)
Fan Interest: 80(-+1)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Rush 2G 1-0 0.87 15IP 12K
LHRP John Mannino 13G 2-0 0.00 15IP 12K

Who's not?
nobody

2021 September/October: State of the Expos
 

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Washington RF James McFadyen(26, 3*) .398-7-18 1.160OPS 1.6WAR 2020 All-Star and Silver Slugger.
Pitcher of the Month: Miami RHCL Brian Umbaugh(23, 3.5*) 1-0 10SV 1.69 11K 13IP 0.3WAR 2nd year closer, 2nd in SV(45)
Rookie of the Month: Atlanta 2B Nick Flores(22, 3*) .365-5-20 1.046OPS 26G 1.4WAR 3rd overall pick in 2017

WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Vancouver C Jake Williams(25, 5*) .384-12-26 1.274OPS 1.7WAR 2021 All-Star
Pitcher of the Month: Salt Lake City Bearcats SP Jamie Sloan(31, 3*) 4-1 2.30 33K 6GS 43IP 0.8WAR 2nd NMLB year at age 31
Rookie of the Month: Arizona 3B Michael Lemus(23, 3*) .287-8-28 1.020OPS 25G 1.2WAR Leads WL rookies in HR(36) and WAR(3.4)

So, we are the second worst time in baseball, yet won 14 more games as last year. The San Diego Padres are behind us by one loss, and I think that only shows how close this year was compared to last year. No 100 loss team. That means we will get the #2 pick in the upcoming draft, and boy do we need another good pick to build a contender in the future.

We are going into this offseason with a lot of money in our coffers for 2021 as we ended up with player salaries of $26.4M at the end of the season, yet there are no really interesting free agents coming up, unless there is some stud joining the league from the international market. That means, we have to develop the talent from within.

Yet, the deal making GM that I am is already looking forward to the offseason and the opportunity to look for some trades, more on that below.

Pitching:

DL: SP Dan Hinton(22, 4/5*) torn flexor tendon (elbow) 5 months 4-0 1.93 38K 42IP 7GS 1.7WAR
DL: SP Danny Sandoval(23, 2.5*) ruptured UCL 8-9 months 0-5 5.36 59K 50.1IP 11GS 0.1WAR

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
SP Sam Griffin 1.7 BB/9 – 1st

Sam Griffin has 4.1WAR. Wow. That is a great achievement for a guy that was not expected to be more than a stopgap in our rotation. He certainly will stay with the team next season and beyond. Yet, we have a lot of work to do here as we want to get a.) younger and most importantly b.) better.

Starting Pitching (# of options left, arb. estimate, Trade Chips in Red):
Save Roster Spot: Hinton, Roy, Griffin
40-man minimum contract: Hilscher(0), Sandoval(3), Alvarado(2), Miranda(2), Martinez(2)
40-man arbitration: Rush(2, $950k), Magana(3, $1.5M)
To be waived and DFA’ed: Lopez(1)
Rule 5 eligible: Morris, Quiroz, Bernstein

We have a lot of junk here. Victor Lopez can go, and if someone wants to claim him or Rule 5 draft him, have fun. Sam Rush and Melvin Magana are options to be traded away, tho I would be willing to keep Rush for that arb estimate. Adrian Hilscher is an interesting conundrum as he did not perform that well and is out of options…Juan Miranda will get a good look next spring again as he is a workhorse starter with five strong pitches and a 3* potential, he may be ready to capture the #4 spot, leaving one slot open for Hilscher, Alvarado, Rush and Martinez to battle for…

LHRP (# of options left, arb. estimate, Trade Chips in Red):
Save Roster Spot: Leone
40-man minimum contract: Mannino(2), Nelson(3), Costa(1)
Rule 5 eligible: Wood
NMLB ready prospect: Herzer

Nelson was an All-Star but Dave G. thinks he is the third to fourh best lefty in our pen behind Leone, Herzer, Mannino and maybe Costa. That makes him expendable. Joe Herzer will get a shot at the NMLB roster next spring as his looks ready and is rated a 3* consensus reliever.

RHRP (# of options left, arb. estimate, Trade Chips in Red):
Save Roster Spot: Rasbach, Rudolph
40-man minimum contract: Ball(3), McKeen(2), Silva(2), Thrower(3)
To be waived and DFA’ed: Pelletier(2), Oldt(2)
Rule 5 eligible: Boettger
NMLB ready prospect: Cowden

In short, Pelletier and Oldt will be shown the door through waivers as we got a good arm in McKeen on the waiver wire and Kevin Cowden will get a shot at the NMLB roster, similar to Herzer as lefty. Mike Boettger is more of a long-man/starter, but may be on the 40-man just for that.

Position Players:

DL: LF Brian Oatley(27, 2.5*) ruptured ACL 2 months .289-1-8 .728OPS 27G/20GS 0.5WAR

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
1B Dan Cook 632 AB’s – 1st
1B Dan Cook 46 DB – tied 4th
CF Vicente Rodriguez 8 TP – 5th

Surprisingly enough, Vicente Rodriguez is the highest WAR position player in our team, followed by Dan Cook and Orlando Gonzalez, who only appeared in 89 games. Looking at his scouting ratings, Gonzalez may be a fluke, but he is a fluke that will keep the 3B job for next year unless something surprising happens.

Catcher (# of options left, arb. estimate, Trade Chips in Red):
40-man minimum contract: Craddock(3), Chavis(2)
Rule 5 eligible: Perry
Minor League Free Agent: Donald

This is a problem position for us. Craddock has performed a bit better in the second half and since he got the every day job in September, yet Chavis has a way better CERA(3.89) to Craddock’s 5.09… Perry is not a good defensive catcher and may be only on the 40-man as we need a third catcher.

Infield (# of options left, arb. estimate, Trade Chips in Red):
Save Roster Spot: 1B Kerzner, 3B Gonzalez
40-man minimum contract: 1B Cook(0), 2B Quiros(2), 2B Weltzer(2), 2B Reyes(2), SS Robles(0)
Rule 5 eligible: 1B Grochowski, 2B Hawk, 3B Alfaro, SS Hernandez
Minor League Free Agent: 3B Anderson, 2B Alvarez, 2B Boone, 1B Czech

Don’t get me wrong, Dan Cook had a great year and I grew fond of him. But he is not a good first baseman when it comes to power potential and production, and we have a logjam to solve in the outfield, more below. Ken Czech was signed as a minor league free agent and hit a solid .265 in AAA, Dave Grochowski hit .262 in AA… both are more contact oriented first baseman and Czech is already 24…

Second base was a revolving door and we need to get rid of a couple of those suckers as top prospect Julian Hernandez and #96 prospect Will Alfaro need roster spots. We need a new 3B backup tho and whether Hernandez is really part of this depth chart remains to be seen.

Outfield (# of options left, arb. estimate, Trade Chips in Red):
Save Roster Spot: CF Rodriguez
40-man minimum contract: CF Schill(2), LF/RF Messer(2), LF/RF Benavides(3), LF/RF Oatley(0), LF/RF Mah
40-man arbitration: LF/RF Ferguson(2, $2.3M)
Rule 5 eligible: LF/RF Nicholson

Logjam. Oatley, Benavides, Ferguson, Messer, Mah. Five hitters for two corner outfield slots. Ignacio Benavides has been glowing white against LHP, batting .368-2-12 .948OPS in 26 games, and I kinda want the kid to play in left has he is defensively better than Ferguson… who is the 2019 RotY. Ian Messer is the best left handed hitter in the bunch and the best defender in right field… Oatley is the odd man out with no options left I guess… we would need a DH slot open to clear this, or trade another one…

Prospect Watch:
#2 R CF Tyler Dean(5*) .196-6-13 .578OPS 39G 1.9WAR
#9 A LHSP Brett Asselin(4*) 3-18 4.15 119K 143.0IP 28GS 0.0WAR
#12 AAA SS Julian Hernandez(4*) .227-11-45 .608OPS 107G 15/17SB 2.1WAR
#46 R LF Santiago Rodriguez(4*) .221-14-32 .683OPS 91G 5.6WAR
#60 R SP Alejandro Corral(3*) 8-8 1.48 153K 146.1IP 4.7WAR
#63 R 1B Joe Townsend(4*) .250-3-5 .790OPS 12G 0.9WAR broken bone in elbow 8-9 weeks
#78 R SP Matt Porter(3.5*) 5-13 1.39 161K 155IP 28GS 3.8WAR
#96 A 3B Will Alfaro(2.5*) .186-6-27 .498OPS 105G -0.9WAR

Unranked, yet promising:
AAA SP Juan Miranda(3*) 11-8 3.94 131K 162IP 32G/27GS 2.9WAR
AAA RHRP Kevin Cowden(3.5*) 3-7 32SV 4.09 65K 50.2IP -0.2WAR
AA LHRP Joe Herzer(3*) 3-3 27SV 2.85 67K 60IP 1.9WAR
AA RHRP Bill Bell(3*) 1-4 2SV 2.82 39K 38.1IP 1.1WAR
AA 1B Dave Grochowski(3*) .262-5-14 .745OPS 125G 3.1WAR

The guys that are hot for the NMLB roster are listed above and the others are developing nicely. Why Julian Hernandez dropped from #4 to #12… don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.

October 12th: Office of the Owner
 

Office of the Owner

Rich Buchanan is a tolerant, non-meddling owner of a baseball team that he inherited from his father in the summer of 2020 and that he handed to a young GM that looks like me… Still, he checks in from time to time, and I noticed that he was in the park for the whole of last week, watching a 3-3 week for us to finish the season. And here am I, in his office on the day after the tiebreaker for the WL Wild Card finished.

“Now KC, the season is over. How do you rate your performance?” I felt obligated here to remind him of 2020. “We won 14 more games than last year, and our farm system is #1 in baseball with a good number of prospects. And, we did all that with our best player in Dan Hinton on the IL for most of the year. So, I personally think it was a decent enough year given the circumstances.”

He looked at me with a wry smile. “I expected more of a .500 season. I expected the offense and OBP to come up. And, I asked for a Pitcher of the Year Award winner to come over. How do you look on those goals?” I knew that would be coming, and I came prepared. “The offense was a train wreck, I agree with you fully. We had hopes that Vinny Roman could lead the group, but he came out to be a liability, and the young bats of Karl Ferguson and Ian Messer did not deliver the quality we expected. As for the Pitcher of the Year winner, those guys don’t grow on trees, unless you want a washed up 38-year old that can’t pitch anymore.”

Buchanan blinked three times and then leaned back in his chair a bit. “You sure are a handful to argue with, I give you that. I still would love to see a star pitcher here in Montreal. That discussion point aside, I have seen you work now for a year, and I’d put it this way, I like your style. You don’t do bull****, you work hard, and you put together a roster that was well rounded and deep, avoiding 100 losses while adding talent to the minor league system- But, the true test will be, can you turn this franchise into a contender? And when?”

A mighty good question there. “I think we are at least one, more two years away from a playoff berth. The main problem here is hitting, and looking at the free agent market, there is no easy fix available here. Too many injury prone 30-year olds that demand a lot of money for one, maybe two good seasons before they become a liability. We had too much of that here lately. Growth has to come from within, or via trade. Within takes time, trade takes minor league talent. I’m no wizard. I can make good deals, I made some bad deals, but nobody is going to give us a 8.7WAR player like Omar Vega via trade for a bag of balls.”

A smile. “That is true, but there is a draft every year. You went heavy on high school talent, and while Tyler Dean is the #2 prospect in baseball, he and the whole draft is years away from the majors. I hope by god you hit that one, and the next one as well. I want a winner here in Montreal again. See you, KC, you will get my new owner goals as soon as the World Series is wrapped.”

---

Transactions:
Pitchers Victor Lopez, Jeremy Oldt and Andy Pelletier passed through waivers without issue and were sent to AAA again.

2021 Playoff Results
 

2021 November 7th - First Day of the Offseason
 

After taking a vacation over the playoffs... time to get back to work.

• Check for open overhead positions
• Make decisions on team options
• Arbitration decisions
• Make decisions about free agents/minor league free agents
• Take a look at the owner goals
• Take a look at the new budget
• Set up Development Facilities

• Check for open overhead positions

Open Positions:
NMBL Montreal Expos:
Team Trainer

AAA Spring Valley Bayhawks:
Manager
Pitching Coach
Hitting Coach

AA Golden Valley Blackbirds:
Pitching coach

A Newark Ducks:
Pitching Coach
Hitting Coach

S A Mill City Stone Crabs:
Pitching Coach

R Farrar Silverbacks:
Hitting Coach

Ok, the team trainer was the one guy that survived the purge last season, and we are looking for someone that can keep Dan Hinton in one piece. There was no slam dunk candidate out there, but we settled on offering 48-year old Travis Beaulieu a 4y/$115k p.a. deal. The Illinois native is Excellent in preventing Arm injuries, Fatigue Recovery and Rehabbing Other injuries. As for the minor league jobs, we looked for some adequate candidates that can work well with young players and are good at their jobs.

Interesting offer:
2011 EL All-Star Aaron Clapp, former catcher with 6.3 Career WAR as AAA hitting coach

• Make decisions on team options

None, move on.

• Arbitration decisions

SP Melvin Magana(28, 2.5*) 4-6 5.42 73K 78IP 0.3WAR – Estimate $1.2M – non-tender or trade
SP Sam Rush(25, 2.5*) 6-10 5.06 119K 142IP 2.1WAR – Estimate $1.1M – offer extension or trade
LHRP Dusty Leone(25, 3*) 9-0 7SV 2.28 62K 59.1IP 1.2WAR – Estimate $2.424M – offered 1y/$2.4M extension
LF Karl Ferguson(26, 3*) .260-22-78 .751OPS 151G 0.2WAR – Estimate $2.332M – Offered 5y/$25.4M extension

• Make decisions about free agents/minor league free agents

We offered some minor league extensions to guys, but to be honest, some players may simply not sign. Nobody special here tho.

• Take a look at the owner goals

Same as last season… :
Play close to .500 ball
Improve you team On-Base Percentage
Acquire a Pitcher of the Year Award Winner
Increase attendance from 25.903 to 39.000 per game
Improve your international amateur finds
Keep building the team up, in order to reach the playoffs in the next 5 seasons

• Take a look at the new budget

In a surprising turn of events, we got $14M additional budget for 2022, up to $182M. Of that, $18M go into the scouting budget, $27M into the development budget, and $5.4M into staff wages. Now, we have to find something to throw the money at.

Comparing that to the rest of the league, out budget is ranked 15th out of 30. The Sacramento Cavaliers have the lowest budget with $144M, the Houston Astros the highest again with $292M.

• Set up Development Facilities

A LHSP Brett Asselin(22, 2/4*) ->> Secondary Pitch Improvement
NMLB 1B Cody Kerzner(26, 2.5/3*) ->> Generate Batspeed
AAA SS Julian Hernandez(22, 2/4*) ->> Quality of Contact
NMLB RF Ian Messer(25, 2.5/3*) ->> Quality of Contact
NMLB CF Vicente Rodiguez(23, 2.5*) ->> Plate Discipline
R CF Tyler Dean(18, 1/5*) ->> Generate Batspeed

No surprises here. We had a lot of luck last year with a number of successful training routines, and some success here would be greatly appreciated as we sent some important personal into this. While I really liked the spark he provided, a successful winter for Kerzner may be what's needed for him to become a regular, and for Ian Messer, the story is almost the same. As for Vicente Rodriguez... he performed admirably last year, and giving him a bit more OBP would be much appreciated.

---

News:
The Washington Nationals have fired their GM in Dave Nuttall today. The 58-year old has been around since the founding of the league and won the first ever NMLB World Series as a GM with the Detroit Trains and worked there for five years before a 3-year stint with the Houston Astros that saw them tread water around .500. The Seven years with the Washington Nationals started with him orchestrating a rebuild that sent them to the playoffs in 2020 via the Wild Card… and into a 92-loss season this year. Tough.

Billy Pearman is out of a job now. The 57-year old was manager of the Los Angeles Angels for the last six years, making the playoffs in his first three seasons and winning the WL South West Division in 2017 with 92 wins. While the fans never were really fond of him, he rode those first three years to a 80-82 and two 69-93 seasons before getting fired.

2021 November 17th - Trade News
 

Montreal and Boston Trade Again, Rush to Aeros
stadiumreport.bbn Proving the old adage that one man's trash is another man's treasure, the Expos announced today the acquisition of 18-year old minor league LHP Alex Lopez(2.5* HS, 3* OSA) and 23-year old minor league RHRP Jim Ross(2.5*) from the Boston Aeros.

Lopez was a 7th round pick in 2020, but developed in to a solid starting pitching prospect that could become a good arm in someone’s NMLB roster, while Jim Ross, a 9th rounder in 2017, looks to become a solid relief pitcher in the future. He was 5-3 18SV 3.31 32.2IP in single A this season.

In exchange, the Boston Aeros receive 25-year old RHP Sam Rush(2.5*), 25-year old minor league 3B Charlie Breuer(2*), 24-year old minor league 1B Ken Czech(2.5*), and 21-year old minor league 1B Luke Lovett(1.5/2.5*). "This isn't the deal of the century," acknowledged the Expos, "but we think it will improve the direction of both teams."

Sam Rush has pitched a decent, but not great season with Montreal, going 6-10 with an ERA of 5.06 in 142.1IP, and the team is leaning towards younger players with more upside. Of the other players given up in the deal, there is no standout here as the Expos front office used this trade to clear the minor league logjam at first base.

--

Rush was not generating a huge buzz on the trade market, so we settled for an even transaction here. If Lopez ever becomes something remains to be seen, and Jim Ross is another one of those AAAA right handers that we circle through in our bullpen over the season. He is Rule 5 eligible tho, so we may have to put him on the 40-man if we want to keep him.

Czech was a minor league free agent signing in the summer, so no harm done here, and Lovett was not that hot of a prospect either… fill-ins.

There was not a lot of options left on the trade market as most of your guys had no value at this point…

News:
November 18th – Team Trainer Travis Beaulieu has signed his contract with us, so our NMLB coaching team is complete again.

November 19th – LHRP Dusty Leone(25, 3*) signed his 1y/$2.4M offer and LF Karl Ferguson(26, 3*) agreed to a 5y/$25.4M contract that will buy out his arbitration years and the first two years of free agency. Fan interest is back at 80 after dropping down to 78 after the Sam Rush trade.

2021 Minor Awards
 

2021 Gold Glove Winners

Pitcher
EL - Atlanta Minuteman SP Eddie Aguilera Jr.(24, 4*) 14-10 4.43 179K 34GS 4.0WAR – 2nd Award
WL – Vancouver Canadians SP Burgess Streen(29, 3*) 8-13 5.06 178K 34G 3.0 WAR - 7th Award

Catcher
EL – Chicago Rangers C Jesus Jaramillo(27, 4.5*) .274/.360/.510 24HR 69RBI’s 116G 4.0WAR +0.5 ZR 1.156EFF – 2nd Award
WL – Sacramento Cavaliers C Roger Lindemann(29, 3*) .236/.279/.386 14R 60RBI’s 126G 1.5WAR +0.4 ZR 1.156 EFF – 5th Award

First Base
EL - Philadelphia Grizzlies 1B Roberto Jimenez(33, 3*) .250/.316/.472 29HR 88RBIs 153G 2.1WAR +4.6 ZR 1.050EFF – 7th Award
WL - Portland Bears 1B Willie Chacon(27, 4.5*) .320/.401/.556 35HR 120RBIs 156G 6.3WAR +3.9ZR 1.029 EFF – 1st Award

Second Base
EL - Houston Astros 2B Dave Sanchez(27, 3.5*) .227/.310/.387 10HR 43RBIs 99G 2.0WAR +11.1 ZR 1.093 EFF – 2nd Award
WL Calgary Bears 2B Arturo Melendez(25, 3.5*) .269/.352/.481 23HR 75RBIs 135G 3.9WAR +9.7 ZR 1.090 EFF – 1st Award

Third Base
EL - Pittsburgh Kings 3B Bill Howe(26, 3.5*) .234/.287/.376 11HR 50RBI 121G 1.2WAR +5.4 ZR 1.055 EFF – 1st Award
WL Oakland Oaks 3B Jim Bilger(30, 3*) .263/.302/.447 18HR 59RBI 124G 2.7WAR +4.5 ZR 1.039 EFF – 1st Award

Shortstop
EL - Memphis Bolts SS Kyle Corsault(24, 2.5*) .239/.286/.375 11HR 49RBI 135G 2.6WAR +22.5 ZR 1.099 EFF – 1st Award
WL Sacramento Cavaliers SS Justin Tears(33, 2,5*) .216/.299/.330 13HR 36RBI 147G 1.8WAR +15.7 ZR 1.065 EFF – 3rd Award

Left Field
EL - Atlanta Minuteman LF Robbie Thompson(31, 3*) .277/.331/.436 20HR 82RBI 152G 2.1WAR +3.8ZR 1.034 EFF – 3rd Award
WL Portland Bears LF Mike Marino(26, 4*) .289/.358/.463 17HR 82RBI 150G 4.0WAR +8.1ZR 1.063 EFF – 1st Award

Center Field
EL - Detroit Trains CF Pedro Figueroa(29, 3*) .252/.297/.378 6HR 34RBI 82G 1.7WAR +13.7ZR 1.106 EFF – 3rd Award
WL Arizona Diamondbacks CF Josh Haddad(27, 3*) .246/.310/.400 15HR 68RBI 146G 3.0WAR +12.7ZR 1.045 EFF – 2nd Award

Right Field
EL - Miami Marlins RF Ricky Osorto(27, 3*) .282/.351/.395 10HR 51RBI 151G 2.3WAR +10.5ZR 1.110 EFF – 2nd Award
WL Arizona Diamondbacks RF Matt Roos(29, 2.5*) .268/.324/.429 21HR 73RBI 143G 3.1WAR +16.1ZR 1.124 EFF – 1st Award


EL - Pittsburgh Kings RHCL T.J. Hoffman(25, 4.5*) 5-1 35SV 1.13 63.2IP 2.5WAR– 1st Award
WL – Arizona Diamondbacks RHCL Justin Whitt(24, 3*) 6-4 36SV 92 76IP 3.3WAR - 1st Award

2021 Silver Slugger Award Winner

Catcher
EL – New York Mets C Mario Toscano(24, 5*) .293/.428/.502 21HR 62RBI’s 129G 6.6WAR – 1st Award, leads EL in BB, OBP
WL – Las Vegas Gamblers C Omar Vega(23, 5*) .332/.398/.654 44HR 110RBI’s 125G 8.7WAR – 1st Award, leads EL in AVG, SLG, OPS, War

First Base
EL Toronto Blue Jays 1B Oscar Cabrera(31, 3.5*) .276/.363/.494 31HR 88RBIs 152G 4.5WAR – 1st Award
WL Portland Bears 1B Willie Chacon(27, 4.5*) .320/.401/.556 35HR 120RBIs 156G 6.3WAR – 1st Award

Second Base
EL Boston Aeros 2B Ruben Barrales(23, 4*) .327/.380/.567 22HR 57RBI 107G 4.4WAR – 1st Award
WL San Francisco Red Devils 2B Ralph Pelletier(24, 4*) .284/.369/.864 25HR 80RBIs 149G 5.2WAR– 1st Award

Third Base
EL New York Mets 3B Bernie Castillo(25, 3.5*) .332/.375/.481 15HR 69RBI 149G 5.1WAR – 2nd Award, leads EL in hits, AVG
WL Arizona Diamondbacks 3B Marco Lemus(24, 3*) .266/.344/.862 37HR 114RBI 152G 3.6WAR – 1st Award

Shortstop
EL Washington Nationals SS Brandon Slaughter(26, 4.5*) .275/.332/.520 38HR 99RBI 145G 5.1WAR – 2nd Award
WL Salt Lake City Bearcats 3B Keith Roehm(25, 4*) .270/.383/.480 17HR 61RBI 112G 4.7WAR – 1st Award

Left Field
EL New York Mets LF David Steiner(26, 3*) .281/.321/.495 28HR 93RBI 141G 2.2WAR – 2nd Award
WL Calgary Beavers LF Jason Clem(25, 4*) .289/.368/.579 40HR 91RBI 153G 6.5WAR – 1st Award

Center Field
EL - Cincinnati Eagles LF Francisco Canales(25, 3.5*) .312/.382/.551 30HR 102RBI 150G 7.2WAR – 2nd Award, leads EL in WAR
WL Salt Lake City Bearcats CF Ken Connolly(25, 3*) .291/.372/.460 12HR 50RBI 151G 5.8WAR – 1st Award

Right Field
EL Boston Aeros RF Kurt Alexander(27, 3.5*) .30/.376/.576 39HR 109RBI 155G 4.8WAR – 2nd Award
WL Salt Lake City Bearcats RF Brian Ward(28, 3.5*) .311/.367/.561 37HR 123RBI 154G 3.9WAR – 2nd Award

Designated Hitter
EL - Houston Astros DH Ed Bigalow(28, 3.5*) .277/.349/.602 47HR 88RBI 146G 4.3WAR – 2nd Award, leads EL in R, SLG, OPS
WL – Denver Seahawks DH Devin Grose(36, 4.5*) .318/.423/.621 46HR 130RBI 156G 6.6WAR – 11th Award, leading WL in R, RBI and BB

2021 Major Awards
 

Rookie of the Year

Pitcher of the Year

Most Valuable Player

The Gamblers were my pick for the World Series with those quality players... instead, they did not win the division and crashed out in the Wildcard Series...

Dec. 8th 2021 - Free Agents File!
 

Dec. 8th
Today marks the beginning of New Major League Baseball's free agent filing period. With it comes the uncertainty of an offseason filled with the potential for blockbuster signings, off-the-wall trades and a mad scramble to improve your club before you get left out in the cold.

General managers have the entire offseason in which to sign free agents. The biggest names on this year's market include:

Starting Pitchers:
RHSP Ramon Ruedas(33, 4*) ex-SJ 11-10 3.14 169K 33GS 3.9WAR – 2017 PotY, 4x All-Star – 6y/$140.8M wrecked body
RHSP Frank Galaz(29, 3.5*) ex-OAK 8-9 4.38 192K 33GS 3.3WAR – 1x All-Star – 8y/$156.6M fragile
RHSP Dave West(30, 3.5*) ex-SJ 11-10 4.11 171K 32GS 3.1WAR – 1x All-Star – 8y/$188.0M
Plus a couple of 3* guys with $15M p.a. demands…
Dave West would be interesting on a 3y deal, but not eight…

Position Players:
2B Tim Aguilar(34, 4*) ex-SF .320/.413/.561 26HR 89RBIs 119G 4.9WAR – 2015 MvP, 5x SS, 8x All-Star – not interested
2B Bruce Locey(30, 3.5*) ex-DEN .265/.396/.445 15HR 65RBIs 123G 3.9WAR – 4x All-Star – 9y/$208.8M fragile
SS John Foley(29, 3.5*) .263/.331/.498 10HR 31RBIs 58G 1.2WAR – 2x SS, 2x All-Star – 7y/$154M wrecked and out with a ruptured ACL
LF Aaron Hilton(31, 3.5*) .318/.353/.440 4HR 40RBIs 130G 3.5WAR – 8y/$159M
RF Brian Ward(28, 3.5*) .311/.367/.561 37HR 123RBI 154G 3.9WAR – 2x SS, 3x All-Star – 7y/$168M fragile
Oof.

Some housekeeping. Before free agency started, we successfully waived RHRP John Martinez(23, 2.5*) and LHSP Rich Nelson(26, 2*) to make some room on the 40-man for others… namely.
LHSP Roland Morris(23, 2.5*, 3-9 5.58 97K 18G AAA)
LHRP Joe Herzer(23, 3*, 3-3 27SV 2.85 67K 47G AA)
RHRP Kevin Cowden(22, 3.5*, 3-7 32SV 4.09 65K 52G AAA)
1B Dave Grochowski(23, 2.5/3*, .262-14-57 .745OPS 125G AA)
SS Julian Hernandez(22, 2/4*, .227-11-+45 .608OPS 107G AAA)

What do we need:
Third Base Backup
Shortstop Backup aside from Julian Hernandez
Center Field Backup

+ We have a ton of 2.5* guys eligible for the Rule 5 draft, it will be interesting to see whether they will be picked or not.

2021 December 9th: Trade News
 

Expos Move Leone, Cash, For Prospects
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The Montreal Expos once again traded talent and money for prospects in a deal involving the Jacksonville Patriots and the San Diego Padres that structures as follows:

San Diego Padres receive:
LHRP Dusty Leone(25, 3*, 9-0 7SV 2.28 62K 59.1IP 1.2WAR) from MON

Jacksonville Patriots receive:
1B Sal Masariegos(29, 3.5*, .317-10-55 .849OPS 106G 2.3WAR) from SDP – MON paying $16.6M of salary
A/AA/AAA C Ryan Perry(24, 2.5*, .253-12-45 .760OPS 100G 2.6WAR) from MON

Montreal Expos:
AAA C Kyle Barr(24, 2.5*, .248-10-46 .663OPS 109G 1.8WAR) from JAC
A RHRP Justin Hammond(21, 2/3*, 3-2 12SV 2.14 28K 21IP 1.0WAR) from JAC
R CF Mike Sather(19, 0.5/3*. .166-7-18 .493OPS 64G 1.5WAR) from JAC

With this trade, the Montreal Expos cut the ties with their left-handed star reliever Dusty Leone, a move that many think, they should’ve done at the trade deadline. The 25-year old had a career 2021 with nine wins and will now suit up for a different team after playing for the Expos since being a 2nd rounder in 2015.

Coming back from Jacksonville in this three team deal will be a trio of interesting prospects, starting with the #213 prospect and 2020 1st round pick in CF Mike Sather, a solid left-handed hitter with pop and speed. Added to that was right-handed reliever Justin Hammond, a 21-year old with a 98-100mph fastball, a great slider that still has potential, and some room for improvement on the control.

The final piece was a swap of catchers with more defensive orientated Kyle Barr moving over to Montreal in exchange for more offensive orientated catcher Ryan Perry.


---

I am totally honest. I am still mulling over a trade I did not make. Ryan Rasbach, Dusty Leone and a minor piece for #36 prospect SP Tristan Clark(3*) and #27 prospect C Travis Lukasiewicz(3.5*). The deal was there and I only had to say yes. I didn’t. The deal was off a couple of days later, and I regret that one still, even half a year later.

Rasbach’s value has tanked a lot, so there was no shot in packaging both, but here is my thought process. Cowden and Herzer are, according to Dave G., the better relief pitchers. We are at least one, more two years away from contending. Better take the prospects.

That being said, Mike Sather is the main piece of the deal here. The 21-year old has a great work ethic, good fundamentals, and projects well as a corner outfielder and good enough as a center fielder. We have a bunch of good outfield talent in our org, yes, but who knows whether they pan out or not.

Obviously, that deal cost us $14.2M, but we have tons of money laying around. And yes, I am exploiting some market inefficiencies here by buying veteran players, shopping them around when eating their salary, and getting a better prospect haul than the player that I traded away. But, no reason to let the money rot.

And FYI, C Kyle Barr was placed on the 40-man right away. He is a 55 rated defensive pitcher with a decent bat that should be a good 3rd catcher for us.

2021 December 12th: Trade News
 

Jacksonville, Expos Deal Again
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The Montreal Expos and Jacksonville Patriots are at it again. The Montreal Expos acquired another bat, ate the money, and get the prospect. Rival officials say that ‘the way Montreal and Jacksonville are doing business is shameful and should not happen like this.’

Still, they conducted another three team deal with Sacramento and Jacksonville:

Sacramento Cavaliers receive:
R RHRP Josh Bramhall(20, 1.5/2*, 2-2 3.58 36K 27IP 0.2WAR) from MON

Jacksonville Patriots receive:
1B Ruben Garcia(31, 3*, .274-31-73 .838OPS 135G 2.1WAR) from SAC – MON paying $12.2M of salary

Montreal Expos:
S A / A 2B Fernando Perez(21, 2/3*, .194-7-19 .584OPS 70G 1.2WAR)

The prize for Montreal is 21-year old prospect Fernando Perez, a right-handed power hitting infielder that can play second base, third base and shortstop. Drafted in the third round in 2018, the power potential is yet completely break through, but he is a nice versatile prospect at for them with good development potential… at the cost of $12.2M


--

Fernando Perez is maybe a year away from the majors, but at age 21, the development curve is good enough and a 65 power potential with a 65 rated defence at second is a good package for us. With both trades done, we are still expected to make $36M of profit…

News:
December 24th- The San Francisco Red Devils welcome 2B Bruce Locey(30, 3.5*, .265-15-65 .841OPS 123G 3.9WAR) with a 7y$146M contract with an opt out after three years.

2021 Winter Meetings Day One
 

NMLB Headline News: Winter Meetings Begin
stadiumreport.bbn The flights have arrived, the check-ins at the hotels have been completed and the bags have been unpacked. With that, the annual congregation known as the New Major League Baseball Winter Meetings can now begin in earnest. General managers from across the league will engage in three days of talk and debate, and fans, reporters and rival ballclubs will all await the developments with keen anticipation. Trade and contract talk will no doubt be heard almost everywhere a team GM can be found and the close proximity of so many club officials will make for rapid feedback on any proposals.

And things got off with a bang as the Vancouver Canadians and LF Brian Ward(28, 3.5*, .311-37-123 .928OPS 3.9WAR) agreed to a 4y/$78.4M contract to bring the 74-88 Canadians back into contention.

As for us, we tried to talk to some people about a package of prospects we were willing to give up… maybe. The main piece of trade bait for us was 3B Will Alfaro(21, 1.5/2.5* HS, 1.5/3* OSA, .186-6-27 .498OPS 108G -0.9WAR A). His defence is not good enough for 3B for us, his power potential is not showing properly, and he is Rule 5 eligible.

After some hard negotiations, we had a deal in place to trade for Kansas City Royals catcher Gabriel Cervante(26, 3.5*), a definite upgrade with the bat over our catching team as he has hit .254-23-65 .782OPS 2.9WAR. The thing was… we had to add A 1B Matt Talbert(24, 2.5/3*, .241-10-32 .709OPS 1.0WAR A) to the mix. The thing is… his name has come up OFTEN in trade talks. VERY often. I feel like Dave G. is undervaluing him. I don’t want to give him up without having a long look at him in spring.

So, the deal was off and the first day over.

2021 Winter Meetings Day Two to Four
 

The second day made some major headlines as SP Dave West(30, 3.5*, 11-10 4.11 171K 32GS 3.1WAR) signed with those Kansas City Royals for 6y/$117.6M. We offered a cheeky 3y/$60M for him, but he did not bite a bit. Now, we know why.

As for, we went back to Alfaro business as the Royals came back to us again, looking for a minor deal as they were very hot on Alfaro and we ended up ironing out something.

Expos, Kansas City Iron out Minor Trade
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Proving the old adage that one man's trash is another man's treasure, the Expos announced today the acquisition of 21-year old 2B/3B/SS Mitku Kazemd(21, 2.5*, .248-6-26 .678OPS 2.7WAR A), 19-year old minor league LHRP Jesus Ramirez(19, 1.5/2.5*, 2-1 16SV 1.31 30K 1.1WAR R), and 21-year old minor league LHP Rich Lange(21, 2/2.5*, .2-1 6SV 1.87 21K -0.1WAR A) from the Kansas City Royals. Mitku Kazemd made his major league debut late last season and was placed on the 40-man, while the others were assigned to minor league teams.

In exchange, 21-year old minor league CF Gordie Bushway(21, 0.5/2.5*, .204-2-4 .510OPS 1.8WAR R) and 21-year old minor league 3B Will Alfaro(21, 1.5/2.5*, .186-6-27 .498OPS -0.9WAR A) will be moving to Kauffman Stadium. "This isn't the deal of the century," acknowledged the Expos, "but we think it will improve the direction of both teams."


--

Spinning the wheel of fortune. OSA has Kazemd, which name is a nightmare, as a 2.5/3* third baseman with a lot of contract potential and above average defensive ratings, and he is a hard worker with good adaptability to new situations, aand that means he will be competing for a backup infield job as he can play 2B/3B/SS. Still very young and raw, but maybe the 2nd rounder from 2018 has something extra in him.

Lange was intersting as the 21-year old lefty is rated a 3* potential starter by Dave G., albeit with 50 stamina, and he is a solid groundball pitcher, while Ramirez was a throw-in that worked for them as he is deemed fragile… throwing 95-97 at age 19 may do that to you.

The rest of the Winter Meeting proved to be… slow and unfruitful. We tried to trade Ryan Rasbach but nobody was interested… ****

2022 Rule 5 Draft and WoL Results
 

Rule 5 Draft Arrives
stadiumreport.bbn For the average fan, the Rule 5 draft may mean very little. To executives and managers around the league, it's a chance to find a hidden treasure.

The Rule 5 draft allows clubs to grab a player who has been languishing in another team's minor leagues and give them the chance to spend the season in the bigs.

"The Rule 5 is never going to produce a ton of top level ballplayers", said Portland Bears manager Joe Robinson. "But if an opportunity comes up to just grab a single guy that would be a good fit, it is well worth the time and the effort to scour the available list."

We had some 2.5* players up for grabs in this one that were stashed in AAA for depth, so the question was… would we lose someone?

Before that was decided… we ended up adding someone as the San José Killer Whales left RHRP Melvin Hernandez(29, 3*, 3-0 4.59 55K 49IP 1.1WAR) up for grabs. He is earning $1.74M, but many regard him as a good reliever, and we made the call to get him.

On the other hand, those Kansas City Royals selected 2B/SS Joe Hawk(23, 2.5*, .254-12-44 .761OPS 2.3WAR A/AA/AAA) from us. Not a great defender but a decent hitter, we tried to smuggle him through… bad luck.

--

News:
January 2nd – The New York Mets have claimed LF/RF Brian Oatley(28, 2.5*) off waivers from the Montreal Expos. The backup outfielder has hit .289-1-8 .728OPS 0.5WAR in 27 games last season before going down with injury. Im fine with that.

January 8th – 3B Randy Dworkin(27, 2.5*, .277-13-66 .755OPS 144G 2.6WAR AA/AAA) and 2B Josh Donald(27, 2.5*, .212-11-40 .598OPS 111G 0.5WAR) signed minor league deals for us.

January 26th – After long and drawn out negotiations, we were able to sign SS Manny Ramirez(16, 5*) from the international free agent pool for $7.7M, our whole budget. The 16-year old has elite power potential and is decently rated defensively, tho his future may just be third or first base.

February 2nd – The biggest name left in free agency has signed. 2B/3B/SS/RF Tim Aguilar(34, 4*, .320-26-89 .974OPS 4.7WAR) signed a 4y/$117.2M contract with the Boston Aeros with year four being a vesting option.

February 5th – The Cincinnati Eagles added two big arms as SP J.R. Heilman(34, 3.5*, 10-11 4.19 175K 32GS 3.2WAR) agreed to a 5y/$67.5M contract AND SP Ramon Ruedas(33 ,4*, 11-10 3.14 169K 33G 4.1WAR) for 4y/$113M with year four being a vesting option.

February 9th – Resigning with the Oakland Oaks will be SP Frank Galaz(29, 3.5*). Coming off a 8-9 4.38 192K 33G 3.4WAR season, Galaz stays with his team for 6y/$134.6M.

February 11th – The 2x Silver Slugger 2B John Foley(29, 3.5*) signed a 2y/$45.2M contract with the Memphis Bolts. The switch-hitter is coming off a .243-2-8 .746OPS year in 19 games as he went down with a ruptured ACL and is out for 3-4 more months.

Wall of Legends Results

Right fielder Jeff Jewell started his career with the Montreal Expos, playing three strong seasons from 2000-2002, yet they failed to resign him and Portland took the chance in free agency and never looked back. 2x MvP, 3x Gold Glover, 9x All-Star 7x Silver Slugger, he was the king of walks with an .415 OBP and led the League in OBP in five seasons.

Lefty starter Matt Brightt was inducted with his first team, the Memphis Bolts, but had dominant seasons with Seattle during four strong seasons. A 3x Pitcher of the Year and 8x All-Star, he was a fringe selection for me with a career ERA of 3.79.

Development Camp Results:
A LHSP Brett Asselin(22, 2/4*) ->> Improved his changeup SUCCESSFUL
NMLB 1B Cody Kerzner(26, 2.5/3*) ->> FAILED to generate more batspeed
AAA SS Julian Hernandez(22, 2/4*) ->> Quality of Contact improvement SUCCESSFUL
NMLB RF Ian Messer(25, 2.5/3*) ->> FAILED to generate more quality of contact
NMLB CF Vicente Rodiguez(23, 2.5*) ->> FAILED to improve his plate discipline
R CF Tyler Dean(18, 1/5*) ->> FAILED to generate more batspeed

Not as good as last year, but some improvement. Brett Asselin and Julian Hernandez are key parts here.

Next up: SPRING TRAINING, FINAL OPENING DAY ROSTER AND FIRST PITCH

2022 Spring Training
 

Pre-Spring Situation:
We got into the spring with some position battles ongoing here as we had

Various Infield Spots: 2B Dave Quiros, 2B Robby Weltzer, 2B Franklin Reyes, 2B Fernando Perez, 3B Orlando Gonzalez, 3B Mitku Kazemd, SS Jose Robles, SS Julian Hernandez
Corner Outfield: Karl Ferguson, Ignacio Benavides, Ian Messer, Huai-yu Mah

And of course the whole bullpen as usual. We got some bad news earlier this season… as our scouts told us that Ryan Rasbach has dropped two miles on his fastball and is down to a 3* reliever… guess that is why nobody wanted him in the offseason.

As for Dan Hinton, he should join us during spring training and we really hope that he can be ready and healthy on opening day.

Injury Report:
3B Orlando Gonzalez hamstring strain 4 weeks

Spring Battles:

Spring Training Pitcher of the Month:
SP Sam Griffin 3-1 1.77 17K 4BB 20.1IP

Spring Training MvP:
3B Mitku Kazemd .346/.370/.588 2HR 8RBI’s 28G/22GS 54PA

Spring Training Dud:
SS Jose Robles .093/.184/.140 0HR 4RBIs 28G 2GS 49PA

There will be surprises, Aaron McCreery said, before spring training. He was right. The (thankfully without injury concerns) starting pitching battles were resolved quickly apart from the decision ’winless’ Hilscher versus Roland Morris, where we decided to go with the lefty in Morris and had to waive and DFA Adrian Hilscher. We have Cesar Alvarado and Chris Ball, who can also start, on the 40-man and two more options in Matt Bernstein and Mike Quiroz in AAA, so if Hilscher gets claimed… we’ll live.

We were greeted by a scouting report saying that Ryan Rasbach dropped 2 miles on his fastball and is now a solid bullpen contributor, but no closer material anymore. Now, I know why nobody wanted him in the winter… Instead, McCreery ran 22-year old rookie Kevin Cowden for closer in spring… with a 5.73ERA. He still holds firm to that plan… oh boy. In addition to that, lefty Joe Herzer made the cut and will join Cowden as our second rookie reliever with upside. That also means that the likes of Chris Ball, Tim Thrower and Rich Nelson were banished to AAA.

As for the position players, Rodriguez, Messer, Craddock, Ferguson, Weltzer and Robles saved their bacon (somehow) and will be on the lineup card for opening day.

Who won’t be an everyday starter… is Cody Kerzner. The 23-year old left handed Dave Grochowski has shot up to #68 prospect and hit .356-1-4 .844OPS in 24 games in spring, and McCreery thinks he is ready to rumble. Grochowski was a 9th rounder in 2017 which we did not want to lose in the Rule 5 Draft, and it seems the call was the right one as Dave G. rated his potential up to 3.5*.

McCreery also decided that a.) Ignacio Benavides is our best corner outfielder and should start every day, and that b.) Karl Ferguson will be our every day DH to keep his bat in the lineup, another decision that went against Cody Kerzner.

The final battle was third base, and a glowing white spring by Mitku Kazemd(the name will kill me eventually) and the Gonzalez injury resulted in the somewhat surprising decision that Kazemd will get the first look at 3B with Gonzalez being the backup infielder… that can switch quickly tho.

As for shortstop, Julian Hernandez got a good long look, batted .273-1-3 .710OPS in 28 games at shortstop as a starter, and was sent down to AAA with a heavy heart as he need a LITTLE bit more polishing in our opinion. He is still 22 and one of our most coverted assets, and he will get his role on the big club soon.

Baseball America announced their Top 100 prospect list:
#1 LF Jason Barlett, 22, San Francisco Red Devils(AA)(+-0)
#2 CF Tyler Dean, 19, Montreal Expos (R)(NEW)
#3 3B Tony Rodriguez, 18, Denver Seahawks (INT)(+22)
#4 CF Aaron Levine, 23, Memphis Bolts (S A)(+19)
#5 LF Paul Hodge, 22, Memphis Bolts (S A)(NEW)
#6 LF Benito Morfin, 22, Vancouver Canadians (A)(NEW)
#7 LHSP Brett Asselin, 22, Montreal Expos (AA)(+-0)
#8 RHSP B.J. Posada, 22, Cincinnati Eagles(AAA)(+7)
#9 RHSP Brian Gick, 22, Seattle Mariners (AAA)(+47)
#10 RHSP John Flannery, 21, Las Vegas Gamblers(S A)(+14)

Expos further on that list:
#17 SS Manny Ramirez, 17, DNP, (NEW) (IFA signing)
#20 SS Julian Hernandez, 22, .227-11-45 .608OPS 107G 0.4WAR in AAA, AAA (-16) (IFA signing)
#21 RHSP Alejandro Corral, 21, 8-8 1.48 153K 146.1IP 26GS 4.5WAR in R, A, (NEW) (4th rounder 2019)
#43 LF Santiago Rodriguez, 21, .221-14-32 .683OPS 91G 3.8WAR in R, A, (NEW), (Trade WSH)
#68 1B Dave Grochowski, 23, .262-14-57 .745OPS 125G 2.8WAR in AA, MLB (NEW) (9th rounder 2027)
#79 1B Joe Townsend, 21, .250-3-5 .790OPS 12G 0.6WAR in R, A (-11) (Trade SLC)

Unranked, yet promising:
A total of seven players with a 3* potential with 1B Matt Talbert(24, AAA) and 2B Fernando Perez(22, AAA) being the most likely ones to see some real action soon, followed by #101 prospect RHSP Ed Shaulis(23, AA).

Overall, we do have the top minor league system in front of Las Vegas and Memphis and I have to hand some praise for that to the former GM and leadership group, Hernandez, Asselin, Grochowski, Corral and Ed Shaulis were their draft picks and finds, even though I feel like our emphasis on player development and good minor league coaches helped tremendously here.

2022 Preseason Prediction
 

Preseason Prediction:
79-83, 2nd in EL Northeast, 11G behind New York Mets

Predicted Top Players:
RHSP Austin Roy 12-7 2.73 160K 184.2IP

That is a predicted 10-win improvement predicted compared to our 69-93 season and would be our best season since 2018. All of that with the predicted 3rd best ERA in the EL and the second lowest runs scored in the EL… similar to last year. We need impact bats…

The huge questions going into 2022 are:
Will Dan Hinton stay healthy and stay productive?
Will the youth movement in the rotation (Morris & Miranda), bullpen (Cowden & Herzer) and batting (Grochowski, Kazemd & Benavides) crash and burn, or thrive?
When will Julian Hernandez join the big club?
How will our prospects fare in the minor leagues?
How will our First Year Player Draft go?

The Division:

The Toronto Blue Jays(87-75) overperformed their predictions last season and won the division with a decent year, a sign of the apparent weakness of the division. They have high hopes in OF Mario Lopez(3.5/4*, .272-28-71 .850OPS 1.6WAR), a sophomore they signed as an international amateur and in the trio of 2019 MvP 2B Mike Massie(28, 3.5/4*, .294-37-101 .875OPS 3.1WAR), SS Ryan LaRiviere(29, 3.5*, .271-24-85 .806OPS 3.4WAR) and 2B Oscar Cabrera(31, 3*, .276-31-88 .857OPS 4.8WAR)… we will see.

Philadelphia(79-83) is expected to tread water once again with a 76-86 year, yet they await the breakthrough of LF Alejandro Cano(22, 3.5/4.5*, .262-28-87 .813OPS 1.3WAR) and hope for a repeat from SP Ruben Torrez(22, 4.5/5*, 17-8 3.10 251K 34GS 7.0WAR) and Alberto Cordoba(26, 4*, 14-9 3.95 195K 32GS 4.7WAR)… their frontline players are pretty strong.

The Boston Aeros (80-82) were predicted to win the division in 2021 and ultimately fell short and 2022 is now expected to be 78-84 in the end. Their rotation crashed and burned down to the ground last season and the personal is the same. Their leader is 34-year old veteran and 2015 EL MvP RF Tim Aguilar(34, 4*, .320-26-89 .974OPS 4.7WAR) who is under contract till 2025 for $29.6M p.a. with the final year being a vesting option. They look forward for the young blood of 2B Ruben Barrales(24, 3.5*, .327-22-57 .947 4.6WAR) and 1B Paul Beals(23, 3/3.5*, .210-28-56 .789OPS 1.6WAR).


A division winner in 2020 with 96 wins, the New York Mets(77-85) are expected to come back strong with 4x All-Star SP Joel Gaspar(35, 3.5*, 1-1 5.82 21K 0.4WAR) returning from elbow surgery, batting champ 3B Bernie Castillo(25, 3.5*, .332-15-69 .856OPS 5.3WAR) and C Mario Toscano(25, 5*, .293-21-62 .930OPS 6.8WAR) returning strong… and a mediocre division for them to beat up.

Top Pitcher

Next Up: OPENING DAY ROSTER AND FIRST PITCH

2022 Opening Day Roster
 

Your 2022 Montreal Expos:

Starting Pitching

RHSP Sam Griffin(28, 2.5*) 9-11 3.97 119K 33GS 188IP 4.0WAR // 43-45 4.12 438K 171G/100GS 688.1IP 11.9WAR (career)
The 2x All-Star was our best starter in 2021 and really has been a fan favorite for his hard work and dedicaton. He is a control artist by trait, generating a lot of groundballs by hitting the perfect pitch despite little speed on his sinker. Our scouting department thinks he is only a tad bit better than replacement level and that 2021 was a career year, but he collected 10.3WAR in the last three years as mostly a starter. Acquired in the 9th round, 263rd overall in the 2014 draft.

RHSP Dan Hinton(22, 4/5*) 4-0 1.93 38K 7GS 1.7WAR) // 4-6 4.47 82K 17GS 1.9WAR(career) #9 SP
An extreme groundballer with mid 90’s zip on his sinking fastball, and a good slider and changeup with a still developing curveball, the biggest question is not if he can dominate, but if he can stay healthy, having only stared a total of 26 games in the last two years. His seven starts in 2021 were dynamite, so please light a candle. On minimum contract, first rounder in 2017. Opening day starter in 2022.

RHSP Juan Miranda(24, 2.5/3*) 11-8 3.94 131K 31G/27GS 2.8 WAR AAA // DNP (career)
A right handed arm that is well liked by our scouting department, Miranda can go deep into games with his strong curveball, but tends to be average in every thing else. Average control and movement, and average to above average pitches with a 93-95mph fastball. We still hope for a solid debut season from the kid. 4th round selection in the 2016 draft.

LHSP Roland Morris(23, 2.5*) 3-9 5.58 97K 101.2IP 18GS 1.2WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
Morris is Aaron McCreery’s favorite and both Dave G. and I were surprised when our manager insisted in having him on the opening day roster. The 23-year old has a strong 96-98mph heater with a good slider and three more solid pitches, but has a weakness when it comes to controlling his pitches. The personality portraited by the lefty is not exactly blue collar, but he is a lefty starter, something we haven’t seen last year. 15th rounder in 2017.

RHSP Austin Roy(24, 3.5/4*) 8-17 4.69 172K 199.2IP 33GS 1.2WAR // 35-42 3.93 573K 607IP 99GS 13.0WAR (career)
A 2x All-Star, similar to Sam Griffin, Roy on the one had struggled in 2021 and was not able to replicate the WL leading 2.98ERA from 2020, on the other hand, the scouting reports citing a great assortment of pitches including a newly developed cutter, above average movement and control, and a good clubhouse personality make him an attractive asset. He signed a 6y/$71M contract this winter and was acquired in June 2021 in the Vinny Roman deal.

Relief Pitching:

RHRP Kevin Cowden(22, 3*) 3-7 32SV 4.09 65K 50.2IP 52G -0.3WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
Have I mentioned that Aaron McCreery better got his evaluations right? Kevin Cowden is slated to be the fireballing, 99-101mph fastball throwing closer of this bunch at age 22… with his 3.9BB/9. Control is an issue, and some say he lacks the eccentricity of a closer, but the stuff IS really good… I would’ve chosen somebody else as closer tho. Acquired in December 2020 from Calgary.

RHRP Melvin Hernandez(30, 3*) 3-0 1SV 4.59 55K 49IP 50G 1.1WAR (SJ) // 9-11 10SV 4.36 252K 199G 212.2IP 2.7WAR (career)
At age 30, the righty that spent his whole career with the San Jose Killer Whales was demoted to become a Rule 5 draftee… sad for him. Yet, our scouting department sees a strong fastball with a good sinking fastball in him, and they love his clubhouse presence, describing him as a bullpen leader with a good work ethic and someone that generates great respect from his teammates. He now ‘only’ has to show performance on the field.

LHRP Joe Herzer(24, 3*) 3-3 27SV 2.85 67K 60IP 47G 1.9WAR AA // DNP (career)
The other kid from the minors, Joe Herzer was the AA closer in 2021 by destroying hitters with a devastating slider and a sinking fastball. Groundballs are his weapon of choice, and apart from a little work on his control, he is pretty much a finished product. McCreery has him penciled in as 7th inning setup man, and similar to Cowden… we hope this works out.

LHRP John Mannino(22, 2.5*) 2-1 0.89 18K 20.1IP 17G 0.6WAR (NY/MON) // 2-1 0.89 18K 20.1IP 17G 0.6WAR (career)
Mannino was a gamble in August 2021 when we claimed him off waivers from the New York Mets and did not allow a run in 12.2IP with us last season. Expecting that for 2022 would be a strech, but nevertheless, his 98-100mph fastball and a good curveball have worked last season, and he still has room for some growth. Not a stud pitcher, but he beat out Rich Nelson and Bill Costa for the second lefty job.

RHRP Glen McKeen(22, 2.5*) 3-1 1SV 3.19 36K 42.1IP 38G 0.7WAR (DEN/MON) // 3-1 1SV 3.19 36K 42.1IP 38G 0.7WAR (career)
Another waiver wire claim, McKeen was let go by the Denver Seahawks and ended up with a 3.08ERA with us in 34 games. At age 22, he still has a long career in front of him (hopefully), but consistent success depends on him making the final steps of development on his fastball and changeup. He is a clever, adaptable kid, so we are confident that he can be a solid part of our bullpen for this year and maybe beyond.

RHRP Ryan Rasbach(30, 2.5*) 6-7 30SV 3.43 85K 60.1IP 56G -0.3WAR // 21-28 136SV 3.18 435K 273G 291.1IP 8.3WAR (Career)
If one wants to be unfair, you could say, he got the 3y/12.3M deal, pitched a -0.3WAR closer season in 2021, and then got out of shape. Aaron McCreery took him away from the closer role as his fastball lost a lot of zip and with his control and movement not being more than average (at best), Rasbach went from closer to random dude in our bullpen. Minor league free agent signing in 2016.

RHRP Adam Rudolph(23, 3*) 3-3 4SV 3.59 84K 77.2IP 49G 0.0WAR // 3-4 4SV 3.92 98K 58G 87.1IP 0.1WAR (career)
Rudolph has a cannon for an arm, firing a 98-100mph cutter with a strong curveball over the plate… mostly. He is an extremely hard worker and while he only has two pitches, he can pitch multiple innings, tho 77.2IP last season was a bit… too much. He would’ve been my pick as a closer, but I’m not the manager, he is the 8th inning man instead. Acquired via trade from Toronto in 2017.

RHRP Freddy Silva(25, 2.5*) 2-3 1SV 5.01 71K 70IP 55G 0.8WAR // 2-3 1SV 5.01 71K 70IP 55G 0.8WAR (career)
Punished with a .372BABIP, Silva was better than his ERA last season and, similar to Adam Rudolph, worked a lot of solid innings in 2021. After a little stint in the minors, Silva picked up his ERA and can be strong with his pinpoint control and four solid pitches. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2015 draft, 321st overall.

Catcher

C Kyle Barr(25, 2.5*) .248/.302/.361 10HR 46RBI 109G 0.5WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
Having won the job in spring over Jordan Chavis, Kyle Barr will be our backup catcher for 2022. A good defensive catcher without a flashy bat, he is nothing too special, and we had a lot of those catchers around. Nothing to see here, move on. Acquired via trade from Jacksonville Patriots in December 2021.

C Kevin Craddock(25, 2.5*) .205/.282/.319 3HR 14RBI 66G 0.1WAR // .205/.282/.319 3HR 14RBI 66G 15R 43H 0.1WAR (career)
Craddock was part of an unusual number of catchers we tried behind the plate in 2021, and his defence would’ve been his calling card… but a 5.03CERA makes this doubtful. He won the job on McCreery’s gut feeling and Dave G.’s scouting ratings… but we are not impressed. 16th rounder in 2017.

Infield

1B Dave Grochowski(23, 2.5/3.5*) .262/.335/.410 14HR 57RBI 125G 2.8WAR AA // DNP (career)
Yep. He beat out Dan Cook for the every day job in spring and that surprised everyone. A strong contact hitter that can avoid a strikeout, his power potential is around 55, so he won’t be a 30HR hitter, but should be productive nonetheless. Defensively, Grochowski should be solid and we wanted another left-handed batter in. Still, poor Cody Kerzner lost his job because of him and Ferguson. 9th rounder in 2017.

1B Cody Kerzner(27, 2.5/3*) .244/.306/.426 20HR 65RBI 129G 0.9WAR (VAN/MON) // .258/.315/.430 20HR 65RBIs 75R 149H 190G 0.9WAR (career)
Cody Kerzner provided a big spark for the first month of his stay here, but his bat cooled off quite a bit over the course of the season. Still, 20HR in 118 games is nothing to sniff at, but McCreery decided to bench him against everything else but right-handers. That he failed his offseason routine may just be his downfall, as this was his last chance. Claimed off waivers from Vancouver in May 2021.

2B Robby Weltzer(25, 2.5*) .217/.254/.310 5HR 26RBI 72G 0.0WAR // .233/.275/.336 11HR 63RBI 65R 138H 165G 1.0WAR (career)
A glove first second baseman that can play all positions in the infield with quality defense, his bat is lacking real oompf, and we have seen that in 2021. His 2020 was better than 2021, but we decided to go with the idea of defence first, hitting second in the middle infield. Acquired via trade from Los Angeles in June 2021.

3B/SS Orlando Gonzalez(27, 2.5*) .254/.306/.425 11HR 37RBI 89G 1.3WAR // .245/.299/.417 13HR 45RBI 114G 49R 91H 1.4WAR (career)
Coming over as a backup infielder in the 2020 offseason, Gonzalez was a surprise splash in 2021 with more power than expected and some solid hitting, yet still below league average. With him going down with a hamstring strain during spring training, he was not able to compete for a job in spring, and lost it to Kazemd. Acquired via trade from Cincinnati in November 2020.

3B Mitku Kazemd(22, 2.5*) .248/.289/.389 6HR 26RBI 71G 1.4WAR A // .200/.333/.200 0HR 1RBI 1R 3H 5G -0.1WAR (career)
Batting .346 in spring training, the young kid won a job he didn’t know he competed for as he expected to be a backup infielder at best. A solid defender that has a 60 grade potential contact bat, Kazemd is a tireless worker that lacks a third real skill to become something special, but could be a solid piece for the next years. Acquired via trade from Kansas City in December 2021.

SS Jose Robles(27, 2.5*) .218/.269/.351 13HR 52RBI 150G 0.8WAR // .220/.269/.337 24HR 88RBI 90R 229H 316G 1.7WAR (career)
Love him or hate him. There is nothing in between. One the one hand, he hits .218, then he hits 13 home runs somehow, then he plays elite defence. I still think he is not going to last forever in the majors as his bat is just a bit too light, but he gets another crack for 2022. Minor league free agent signed in 2017.

Outfield

LF/RF Ignacio Benavides(25, 3*) .317/.388/.455 3HR 17RBI 33G 0.7WAR // .317/.388/.455 3HR 17RBI 13R 32G 33G 0.7WAR (career)
We made a great deal last offseason here. Benavides came up late last season and was mainly used against left-handed hitters… with great effect. A good contact hitter that can steal a base, he lacks a good throwing arm to become a great defender, and another boost to become a great hitter. We have had a lot of those around last season, so we stay tuned how he performs as a regular. Acquired via trade from Cincinnati in November 2020.

LF/RF Karl Ferguson(27, 2.5/3*) .260/.312/.440 22HR 78RBI 151G 0.5WAR // .270/.347/.79 81HR 250RBI 238R 449H 452G 6.2WAR (career)
After an abysmal 2020, 2021 was better, but not great. His 5.5WAR season in 2019 may have been his career year that netted him an All-Star nomination and the Rookie of the Year Award. McCreery demoted him to the DH slot as his defence in the outfield is suboptimal for our standards, but he is a homegrown guy signed for 5y/$25.4M and we want to give him a chance to show his bat. Drafted in the first round of the 2013 draft, 15th overall.

RF Ian Messer(26, 2.5*) .268/.321/.398 12HR 50RBI 130G 0.9WAR // .276/.333/.428 23HR 103RBI 101R 231H 240G 3.6WAR (career)
Last season, we hoped for Messer to be the big offseason acquisition that could hit .290 with good defence. His 2021 was nothing like that as he underperformed for most of the year and never made the next big step. Yet, we will trust him to patrol right field again in 2021… but this has to work. Acquired via trade from Boston in the 2020 offseason.

CF Vicente Rodriguez(24, 2.5*) .275/.302/.368 1HR 22RBI 129G 2.0WAR // .275/.302/.368 1HR 22RBI 59R 148H 129G 2.0WAR (career)
Elite speed on the basepaths and in the outfield, Rodriguez was a revelation in 2021, playing great defence as we hoped, while batting for a solid clip and scoring some runs for us, as well as stealing 10 bases in 2021. His batting eye and power is below average, and that he has not succeeded in his offseason training is a disappointment. Drafted in the 14th round of the 2016 draft, 430th overall.

CF Brian Schill(27, 2*) .225/.266/.431 7HR 29RBI 50G 0.4WAR// .242/.284/.434 43HR 138RBI 129R 254H 304G 4.3WAR (career)
A 28 home run season in 2020 was clearly a fluke as our scouting department predicted a year ago, but Schill was a solid backup with us in 2021 and there was little competition for the outfield backup job with center field capabilities. Minor league free agent signing.

Dan Hinton(R, 4-0 1.93) - Joel Gaspar(L, 1-1 5.82) as we open up 2022 with the New York Mets!