[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-2
Overall Record: 19-14 (1 GB)

Camp Begins to Thin: With just three games left in the spring, we made our first set of large scale cuts. Most of the guys going down are non-roster guys, but some of the younger 40-man players were set down. This includes Ron Berry (2-0, 5.52, 19), Mike Bordes (.000), Al Clement (.000), Elmer Grace (.235, 1, 1), and Jimmy Hairston (.200). This leaves us with 35 players in camp, with two non-roster players in camp. Both are pitchers, as Bob Hobbs (0-3, 2, 1.54, 12) and Chet Williams (1-1, 3.27, 11) have both really impressed. I still don't expect either to make it, but they'll fight till the end against Zane Kelley (2-1, 1, 1.42, 16), Harry Carter (2-0, 2.38, 3), Jim Kenny (0.00, 3), Charlie Kelsey (4, 1.29, 8), and Ken Matson (0.00, 7). Harry MacRae has secured the first of four pen spots, as the former 7th Rounder has thrown 11 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts and just 2 hits and 1 walk. Frank Sartori (2-1, 1, 5.62, 11) is hanging around for extra depth, but he'll start in Milwaukee. And while the bench only has 40-man members, there's a lot up in the air, with six more cuts left to be made.

The Best Rotation in Baseball: There are some who believe the Pioneers have the best staff in the game. And they're allowed to believe that. But OSA (has our three ahead of their three) disagrees, and while I understand that their top three is great, I don't see how Dick Long is on the level of Johnnie Jones or even George Oddo. Regardless, our three headed monster of Pete Papenfus, Donnie Jones, and Duke Bybee is as good as it gets, and the trio each threw their 6th start of the spring this week. As has been the case, Donnie was dominant, allowing just a single hit and walk with three more strikeouts in 4 more shutout innings. They also threw nearly identical innings, with Pap getting 26.1, Donnie an even 26, and Duke at 25.2. In total, the 2nd, 6th, and 11th ranked starting pitchers (The 3-Hs are 4th, 8th, and 13th) hurled 78 innings, allowing just 54 hits, 18 walks, and 16 runs with 85 strikeouts. That all totals up to a 1.85 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with a stellar 4.7 K/BB, as our co-aces were already in midseason form. While Donnie was superb, none of the three guys had an ERA or WHIP above 2.45 and 1.18, a BB/9 above 2.4, or a K/9 below 8.7. Obviously spring starts don't mean too much, but when you have good pitchers, you always want them pitching well. And that's what these guys should do. They say pitching and defense wins championships, and since we do both of those extremely well, maybe one of these years the old adage will ring true. But for now, we just have to hope that our pitchers continue to retire.

Even when you zoom out from the top three, the staff has been amazing. If you take out George Oddo's 5 run outing, he threw 18 innings with 14 hits, 4 runs, and 4 walks with 23 strikeouts. That's pretty much what the other three were doing. Then there's Johnnie Jones, the most overqualified 4th starter, who has a 1.17 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 17 hits and 22 strikeouts. And you know those walk problems he usually has? Just 5 so far! And then there's the six starter, two Howard starts and three Kelley starts. The backup catcher did get a pair of innings out of relief, and when including those he had 12.1 scoreless innings with 8 hits, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Kelley has allowed runs, but in 19 innings split between three starts and relief outings, he's got a tiny 1.42 ERA and 0.5 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and just 3 walks. No matter who has toed the rubber this spring, they've excelled, and we should once again lead all of baseball in runs allowed.

The Outfield Remains Crowded: After a brutal 0-for-13 start to the spring, Hal Sharp has responded by going 8-for-20 (.400) with a pair of doubles, more-or-less securing at bats against righties to open the season. Otherwise, very few have done much to separate, which has opened the door for 24-year-old Ducky Cole. He quietly had an excellent season in Milwaukee last year, slashing .345/.396/.497 (132 OPS+) in just shy of 500 PAs with 34 doubles, 8 homers, and 70 RBIs. He walked (37) just as often as he struck out (37), and he picked up 5 triples and 62 runs while worth an impressive 3.8 WAR in 110 games. Cole has managed an even better .389/.450/.556 in his 20 opportunities so far, and again he' walked (2) just as often as he's struck out (2). Ducky's even homered and scored four times, while his 164 WRC+ trails only the resurgent Ray Ford (265), who has earned another season, potentially even regaining at bats against lefties at first base.

Another guy who's done well is Luke Berry. The former Miner has hit .278/.381/.389 with a triple in 21 trips to the plate. He's going to be on the team one way or another, but it's looking like he may get a chance against lefties. First, left, and right all need filling, and in limited time with us last season he produced a 133 WRC+ with 6 doubles and a homer. With Johnny Peters (.250, 1, 4) cooling down and middling production from Chubby Hall (.244, 1, 4) and Leo Mitchell (.238, 2, 8). And as good as Carlos Montes' glove is, a .182/.262/.345 line isn't enough to make up for it. Don Lee's (.179, 1, 3) hitting his way to his first optional assignment since 1944 so at least one of the eight outfielders left won't break camp with the team. Carrying seven outfielders may be tough, and there's already an extra spot with Billy Hunter (.364, 5, 1) still recovering. He'll be eligible to return for Opening Day, but there's a chance he won't be healthy by then. Since he plays the outfield as well, there's less reason to keep extra. There is still a little time left to make an impact, but I don't think Johnny Peters is ready to play everyday and I can use the start of the minor league season to get him more comfortable in the corners.