[Westheim]

First things first: I got another score of 1. So, now we can get the ball moving here and will move to October 31 with this update only for we will then analyze our current situation more thoroughly.

Last year’s budget: $12.6M; this year’s budget: $12.7M; since I want to play young guys anyway, that won’t hurt me as much.

Billy Mitchell was the AAA Batter of the Year, going .334 with 43 HR and 121 RBI in 470 AB.

We need a new scouting director (Charles Hutchinson was outstanding in regards to minor league players, but his scouting of major league personnel leaves much to be desired), a new pitching coach, a bench coach, and one or two positions in the minors. Things started to go wrong already here, with no phenomenal scouts available, and all the old famous pitchers wanted to play manager and were asking for ridiculous money to endure the indignity of being a pitching coach. I also looked at a switch for the head trainer, who is a legend in keeping Daniel Hall’s spinal column in one piece, but his only a decent arm healer. But there were no really better options available. He is in the last year of his contract now.

We have a bunch of arbitration / free agent cases:

INF Winston Thompson, INF Steve Walker, and OF Armando Sanchez are bound for free agency. Walker was a filler, hit .217 and won’t be retained. Sanchez will be left to walk away to clear his salary from the books, but his god damn horrible second half of the season dropped him from a type A to a type B free agent. Thanks. Thompson is critical, since we really need his defense and his OBP (.362) make him a good poor man’s leadoff batter. I expect to fill both those roles with youngsters, a description the 34-yr old doesn’t necessarily fit. He is a type B free agent, and we are very thankful we had him the last six years (and he is certainly thankful we gave him a career; he is the guy I picked off the pile of free agents before the 1983 season with all of 27 AB’s to his credit), but we are making cuts here. I also think that at a $230k arbitration estimate he becomes a bit overpaid. All three will be left to walk.

There were seven arbitration cases (player, stats, current salary (minimum=$79k), arb. estimate):
SP Jerry Ackerman (4-6, 4.46 ERA) – minimum - $118,500
SP Carlos Gonzalez (5-14, 5.35 ERA) - $250,000 - $288,750
SP Alejandro Venegas (9-12, 4.52 ERA) – minimum - $118,500 *super-2 case
MR Jason Bentley (64.1 IP, 4.62 ERA) – minimum - $118,500
MR Dirk Campbell (65.1 IP, 3.31 ERA) - $124,425 - $136,868
C Sam Dadswell (.280, 14 HR) - $310,000 - $400,000
OF Kelly Weber (.264, 2 HR) – minimum - $118,500

Here we have some mess. First, regardless of the ongoing rebuilding process, the bullpen needs to be removed, since it sucked the life out of everything last year. Bentley pitched in the low 3’s the last three seasons, and never found his mojo last year. Campbell was decent, but will be 35 next July. Both will be retained, and Bentley has options left.

The rotation. Phew. Evans and Saito are set, along with Wade. Evans may well miss the start of the season and can not be traded anyway. Saito is the closest to an ace that we have, and Wade is here for cheap and here to stay. That makes at least two slots in the rotation to fill, possibly with the three guys in arbitration above.

I have the most doubt in Gonzalez, really. Looks like he is forked up. At 26, he has a history of inflammation in both elbow and shoulder that could fill a 3-volume book. He’s been hurt every single year. Last year, he spent less time on the DL, but was outright awful when he pitched. I think about cutting losses here.

Ackerman and Venegas meanwhile can not both be in the rotation. That would give us four lefties and I don’t want that. Right handed batters can be mean, too. Neither has options. Venegas has three well-developed pitches, while Ackerman has four, but no great out pitch. They are the same age, same ERA, same record (adjusted for innings pitched). It’s like picking among identical twins.

Dadswell is high on my trade list. The final decision revolves a bit around a scouting report of the new scout on David Vinson, whose batting is inferior to Dadswell’s so far. Dadswell was once intended as franchise cornerstone, and he still can be (he’s 28 now). Either one will be our primary catcher for years to come, since we don’t really have anybody in our system.

Weber has been used as pinch hitter or spot starter in center the last few years. Glenn Johnston may be his replacement. But much depends on who will fill third base (which in turn depends on whether we will go through the agony to convert Ben O’Morrissey to a second baseman). I don’t want to play Mark Dawson playing right field next year. If he still does go there, there’s no room for Weber among Johnston, Dumont, and Quintanilla, the latter of which is the weakest batter, but the only righty we have closely available (but there are *some* options at AAA, still).

So, all will get offers. We will offer the estimate for all except for: Gonzalez ($250k), Campbell ($125k), and Weber ($125k).

October 3 – WAS LF Jeffery Brown (.362, 28 HR, 109 RBI) and POR 1B Tetsu Osanai (.350, 25 HR, 109 RBI) win the league’s batting titles.
October 24 – The ABL president’s office announces a reduction of the height of the pitcher’s mound in order to increase offense in the league.
October 24 – The Rebels acquire INF Shawn Sherman, a 28-yr old .253 hitter with power, for INF Scott Spivey and a minor leaguer, who are sent to Charlotte. Spivey has 1,159 career hits at age 31.
October 27 – The Raccoons trade 1B Billy Mitchell (43 HR in AAA last year) to the Capitals for INF Antonio Gonzalez, a young .247 hitter, and two minor league outfielder in Randy Powers and Rex Sherman.

On October 25, the Capitals approached us with a trade proposal for Billy Mitchell, offering INF Antonio Gonzalez, a 26-yr old Puerto Rican, slick fielder, but only a .250 bat, and while he had hit 20+ dingers every year in the minors, he had shown little power in the majors so far. (Maybe a home run park could help?) But he had options and would earn the minimum next year.

Between Osanai and Mitchell, one had to go. Mitchell was killing AAA pitching, but I was not going to carry two first basemen on the roster. Since Mitchell had no potential to hit .330 at the big league level, I would rather trade him, despite all our rebuilding crap that was going one. Since Osanai will be only 30 next year, he has many more years ahead of him (which is not the case for a certain third baseman we have). Also, fans love him and shower him with pink underwear after every game, how can you trade him. Mitchell is inferior in every aspect to Osanai (as are maybe all first basemen), and was expendable.

The Gold Sox have already approached us with a trade for Kelly Weber, which would give us an experienced left-handed reliever at the top of his game in Nate Goodman, 30. The offer is pending!

Next: evaluation of players by roster category.