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Eugene Church · 06-09-2009, 09:20 PM

The Islandian Times

March 1, 2004

The Suns Will Not Rise in the IPA in '04

The letter "A" must be for "awful" in the Islandian Pro Alliance. So far Ancona, Arlon and now Arroyo Grande have received less than glowing forecasts for the 2004 IPA season. All of them have been dreadful in the past and the future is not much better.

Manager Jean-Luc Marchand's Arroyo Suns have lost at least 100 games in each of its two seasons in the league, ending up in the TU South basement both times, almost 50 games out of first place. Even if they improve, they will not catch the teams above them. The talent and skill differential is just too great.

Having said that, it appears that the Suns will be improved. They have three rookies that will make the starting line-up - three newcomers with impressive credentials. One of them is being touted as a "super stud". His name is Elliott Borden, a 6'3" center fielder, built like a Greek god, that can run like the wind, catch everything in sight, hit everything out of sight and rarely strikes out. Marchand says Borden is the real McCoy, a splendid ballplayer. "Elliott will be in the running for the rookie of the year award. 25 homers and 100 RBIs are not out of the question." Borden only down side is his age - the gifted rookie is 34 years old and according to sportwriters, he may be past his prime. Marchand countered that argument saying, "He may be old for a rookie, but the talent is still there. Our scouts say he had his best season ever in the company league last year and seems to be getting better and better each year."

Arroyo Grande has two other rookies with potential. Bartolo Tizano will be platooned in right field, giving the Suns another fine defender and a good hitter with decent power. 2B Alberto Ibarra will team with SS Kevin English to give them a strong defense up the middle. Ibarra is an excellent glove man and good contact hitter and can occasionally hit the ball out.

Marchand will go with a five-man rotation early in the season so he can quickly find out his best arms. Norberto Lacasa (8-7 3.26), LHP Ramon Mantilla (6-4 3.36), LHP Miguel Aguilera (4-9 3.76) and LHP Hector Morales (1-3 3.54) will be given a chance to prove themselves along with Alonso Estrada, who is back for a second try after sitting out last season. He was 8-18 with a 5.57 ERA in the club's first season. Estrada will be a spot starter with Luc Juneau (10-17 4.84) and LHP Marty Patino (0-3 5.82).

Arroyo Grande's biggest run producer is last season's sensation, 1B Cristian Avajos, who batted .290 with 23 homers and 59 RBIs in just 77 games. The Suns other top hitters were SS Kevin English with a .319 mark and 5 homers, C Don Holden .311 with 9 home runs in 77 games, 3B Randy Knowles .307 and 11 homers in 77 games and RF Willie Clarke at .302 with two roundtrippers in 97 games.

06-09-2009, 09:20 PM	#996
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	The Islandian Times March 1, 2004 The Suns Will Not Rise in the IPA in '04 The letter "A" must be for "awful" in the Islandian Pro Alliance. So far Ancona, Arlon and now Arroyo Grande have received less than glowing forecasts for the 2004 IPA season. All of them have been dreadful in the past and the future is not much better. Manager Jean-Luc Marchand's Arroyo Suns have lost at least 100 games in each of its two seasons in the league, ending up in the TU South basement both times, almost 50 games out of first place. Even if they improve, they will not catch the teams above them. The talent and skill differential is just too great. Having said that, it appears that the Suns will be improved. They have three rookies that will make the starting line-up - three newcomers with impressive credentials. One of them is being touted as a "super stud". His name is Elliott Borden, a 6'3" center fielder, built like a Greek god, that can run like the wind, catch everything in sight, hit everything out of sight and rarely strikes out. Marchand says Borden is the real McCoy, a splendid ballplayer. "Elliott will be in the running for the rookie of the year award. 25 homers and 100 RBIs are not out of the question." Borden only down side is his age - the gifted rookie is 34 years old and according to sportwriters, he may be past his prime. Marchand countered that argument saying, "He may be old for a rookie, but the talent is still there. Our scouts say he had his best season ever in the company league last year and seems to be getting better and better each year." Arroyo Grande has two other rookies with potential. Bartolo Tizano will be platooned in right field, giving the Suns another fine defender and a good hitter with decent power. 2B Alberto Ibarra will team with SS Kevin English to give them a strong defense up the middle. Ibarra is an excellent glove man and good contact hitter and can occasionally hit the ball out. Marchand will go with a five-man rotation early in the season so he can quickly find out his best arms. Norberto Lacasa (8-7 3.26), LHP Ramon Mantilla (6-4 3.36), LHP Miguel Aguilera (4-9 3.76) and LHP Hector Morales (1-3 3.54) will be given a chance to prove themselves along with Alonso Estrada, who is back for a second try after sitting out last season. He was 8-18 with a 5.57 ERA in the club's first season. Estrada will be a spot starter with Luc Juneau (10-17 4.84) and LHP Marty Patino (0-3 5.82). Arroyo Grande's biggest run producer is last season's sensation, 1B Cristian Avajos, who batted .290 with 23 homers and 59 RBIs in just 77 games. The Suns other top hitters were SS Kevin English with a .319 mark and 5 homers, C Don Holden .311 with 9 home runs in 77 games, 3B Randy Knowles .307 and 11 homers in 77 games and RF Willie Clarke at .302 with two roundtrippers in 97 games.