[Westheim]

Short update here to accommodate for the draft and the Crusaders series around it before the team will hit the road from June 18 to July 1. Rob Pickett returned from the DL and I restructured the lineup a bit to go as follows: LF Cox – RF Pickett – SS Simon – 3B Sullivan – 1B Johnston – CF Zuniga – C Maloney – 2B Costa. Lawson caught against lefties or when Maloney otherwise needed rest and batted behind Costa. Simon to #3 was the biggest change in there. He was striking out in raw amounts and his unclutchness was well feared by those waiting on the bases. Sullivan and Johnston were much better in that regard. (Still, Simon had the most RBIs with 36 on the team)

Much like the Raccoons, the Crusaders wondered what had hit them. At 28-37 they were miles behind the Indians, who led the division by nine, as did the Cyclones in the FL East. The Crusaders were not scoring as much as the last two seasons and their pitching was also only average. Of course, the Raccoons would find ways do get swept over the 4-game series. At 19-44 we had already committed to last place and a 100-losses season, there was no question about either “feat”. With the tradeline still six weeks ahead there was no need for a firesale now, but I would be looking at options to grab promising youngsters. I really loved how Wyatt Johnston and Ed Sullivan were producing. But they were 37 and 34, respectively.

The Raccoons led 7-3 against the Crusaders in game 1. Ned Ray was shaky and had two wild pitches, hit a batter, scattered a few walks without a single K. That was nothing against what the bullpen did in the final 3.1 innings. There, the Crusaders scored eight and tore through the Raccoons relievers for an 11-7 win. Frank O’Rearden was sent back to AAA for blowing open the game in the top 8th, and we got back Bill Baker. Game 2. Morris and Jenkins combined for eight scoreless innings (how they did that must still be analyzed thoroughly – they were still both not sharp and the infield got a ton of good plays), before Hatfield failed to close the game. Justice came on to face lefty Bill Byrd with the bags loaded, the Raccoons up 2-1, and two outs. Byrd worked to a full count before Justice struck him out for the 2-1 win. This was the first June game (on June 15) in which the Raccoons didn’t score at least three runs.

Now it was time for the draft. The 1979 draft class is definitely pitcher-heavy. There are about ten players in there that scream “take me”, and seven or eight of them are pitchers. The Raccoons will pick #4, then #39 and every 24th pick from there. So we will get at least one high talent pitcher, but I’m torn between a top starter and a top closer. Maybe the starter would make more sense. They’re hard to come by on the trade market.

I ranked only the top eight prospects. The first six were pitchers, so we’d get one off that list. I intended to focus on pitching this time, since there wasn’t much promising talent in our system.

Our top 3 ranked talents were Grant West, Pepe Acevedo, and Jim Durden; Acevedo was a starter, the other two potential closers. The first overall pick was Wilson Martinez, who was drafted by the Denver Gold Sox. Martinez, a starter, had also been on my short list, number four among starters. Leland Lewis and Pedro Romero were taken next, also starting pitchers, and #6 and #5 on my list, respectively.

Our first pick was thus Grant West, who was 22, born in Portland (hometown boy!) and also had the additional pro of signing for slot. Strangely, Acevedo remained in the pool until we got our next pick at #39. Was he not as good as our scouts considered him? OSA rated him a bit lower than my scouts, but I still took him. No ranked prospectes remained past round 2. Our last shortlisted player was taken at #149 by the Scorpions, the last four picks were scrubs for sure.

All of the Portland draftees:

Round 1: #1 MR Grant West, 22, Portland, OR; superb ratings for stuff and movement, could be closer or setup guy.
Round 2: #2 SP Pepe Acevedo, 17, Calexico, CA; killer stuff and control with strong movement projected.
Round 3: MR Fletcher Kelley, 20, Edmonston, MD; very good numbers across the board with a deadly screwball, has also closer potential.
Round 4: LF/RF Gary Carter, 22, Grand Island, NE; good contact and fielding, but no power.
Round 5: C Dave Stewart, 18, New York, NY; average throughout, but his batting could actually get him forward with a bit of power in the mix.
Round 6: CL Gilberto Soto, 17, Brooklyn, NY; he is not well suited for a closer with numbers similar to those of our Wally Gaston, but he might due well in relief.
Round 7: LF/RF/CF Malcolm Whitaker, 21, Kansas City, MO; versatile outfielder, sub par at the plate.
Round 8: RF/LF/1B Javier Reyes, 22, Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep.; versatile outfielder, weak batting.
Round 9: LF/RF Andrew Clement, 22, Edinburg, TX; no features worth mentioning.
Round 10: MR Vance White, 17, Wyandotte, MI; good stuff, but that won’t be enough.

Assignments were as follows: West, Kelley, and Carter were assigned to AA, the rest landed at the A level. In addition, Kenny Powell and Allen Potts, two A relievers, were moved up to AA along with them, and AA closer Gary Simmons was promoted to AAA.

It was a good draft as far as pitching was concerned, but whether any of the five fielders would make a splash, remained to be seen.

What else were the Raccoons up to? We still tried to trade for Jeff Thompson without giving up on Cameron Green. It was more or less futile.

Game 3 against the Crusaders was started by Juan Berrios, but he left with an injury after giving up two runs in the first inning. Bill Baker was injured in his first game back with the Raccoons. The bullpen could not withstand that strain and broke apart, losing the game 8-6. The series ended with a 3-1 loss. Powell went 7.2 innings with his usual shaky style. The game ended an 18-game hitting streak for Ed Sullivan.