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ayaghmour2 · 06-12-2024, 05:10 PM

Weekly Record: 4-3
Seasonal Record: 8-5 (2nd, 0.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Skipper Schneider : 25 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .440 AVG, 1.222 OPS
Red Bond : 10 AB, 5 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.543 OPS
Sal Pestilli : 27 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .296 AVG, .937 OPS

Schedule
4-23: Win vs Kings (3-9)
4-24: Loss vs Kings (12-7)
4-25: Win vs Kings (1-5)
4-26: Loss at Stars (5-9)
4-27: Win at Stars (9-3)
4-28: Loss vs Saints (5-2)
4-29: Win vs Saints (4-5): 10 innings

Recap
Sure, we're no longer in first place, but there were tons of exciting signs from week two. And no, I'm not just talking about two more Leo Mitchell steals to match his season total from last year, but we took the series with the Kings, split with the Stars in New York, and after reversing the script and pulling off a one-run walk-off win against the Saints in the 10th to finish the week, we are now able to win that series with Jim Morrison (1-1, 2.57, 4) set to take on Ted Coffin (1-0, 2.51, 7). Morrison greatly improved this week, an unearned run was the lone blemish in 8 innings of 6 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeout play, while Sal Pestilli launched two out of the park and the offense actually started scoring runs. Heck, John Moss went 7-for-23 with 7 runs and is now hitting .292/.382/.417 (113 OPS+) with 7 walks, one of each extra base hit, and a 126 WRC+

Vindication!!!!!!!

Overall, the pitching was good, but both Donnie Jones and David Molina blew up. Jones got hit hard by the Stars, as the "Extreme Groundball" pitcher allowed three homers in 5.1 innings, finishing with 11 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks, and just 1 strikeout. Molina was awful in the 12-2 loss to the Kings, allowing 2 homers of his own off 3 hits, 2 walks, and 6 runs (5 earned), recording just one out. He then allowed 3 hits, 2 runs (another homer...), and a walk with 2 strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Another extreme groundballer with three homers! Thankfully he fixed things in the 5-4 extra inning win, tossing 2 scoreless innings, but his 10.12 ERA (41 ERA+), 10.15 FIP (241 FIP-), 2.25 WHIP, and 0.2 K/BB are just awful. I'm not sure what happened here, but maybe that means he's not going to allow a run for the next 15 innings??? Please????

Otherwise errors seemed to do in our guys, as Pap and Johnnie had 4 and 6 unearned runs respectively, as for a team with the best defensive efficiency (.736) and third best zone rating (+10.4), our 16 errors are tied for worst in the league. The errors cost Johnnie one of his starts, while Pap won and loss despite of the errors, as our 2 and 3 have ERAs of 1.80 (231 ERA+) and 1.64 (254 ERA+) that don't even add up to Donnie's inflated 4.22 ERA (98 ERA+). That measure is remarkably almost average, while the other four members of the rotation have an ERA+ of 162 or higher. Love this staff!

The offense had a major power surge, as not only did Sal hit two homers, and go for 8-for-27 with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, 8 runs, 2 walks, and 3 steals, but Chubby Hall hit two out of the park too. With a lot of lefties he played a bunch, going 5-for-17 with a triple, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, 4 runs, and 3 walks. Red Bond hit one out too, as did John Moss, with Bond an even 5-for-10 with 4 walks, 4 RBIs, and 3 runs while Moss was 7-for-23 with a double, 4 RBIs, 5 walks, and 7 runs. The last homer went to Skipper Schneider, who had an excellent 11-for-25 week with a double, 2 triples, 5 RBIs, 8 runs, and 3 steals. We're stealing a ton this season, leading the CA with 13, and it's not just because we're stealing every chance we get. Sure, it's more then the other seven teams, but our 76.5 SB% is just over a point shy of the association leader, meaning we're picking our times well. Aside from Sal, and George Sutterfield who hasn't attempted a steal yet, we don't really have any fleet-footed base stealers, so I'm curious to see if this trend holds.

Last notes are on waivers, as all three of our guys cleared. I was really hoping we'd get Marion Boismenu, who the Sailors surprisingly waived, but him and Ed Reyes will instead continue their careers in Toronto. Winners of the last six batting titles, the Sailors decided to part way with the vets in favor of some younger bench players, though it hasn't stopped them from going 8-4. Among our players, I knew Bill Ballantine would clear, but I'm very happy Joe Quade cleared. He's not overly talented, but he's an excellent depth option to eat innings, and he'll hang out in the minors. His innings may come out of the pen, though for now he's starting in Milwaukee, as we have a lot of younger guys that need the innings more. he's the perfect guy if a starter goes down for a short period and I don't want to burn an option, though we may see AA starters Dixie Gaines and Bob Allen at some point if someone goes down for longer. Allen could spot start, though I'd prefer not bouncing him around. Unfortunately I did have to cut Frank Davis, though I hope he'll come back on a minor league deal.

Looking Ahead
One more with the Saints, who sit half a game behind us and a game behind the first place Sailors. The rubber match will see veteran southpaw Jim Morrison (1-1, 2.57, 4) take on rookie southpaw Ted Coffin (1-0, 2.51, 7) in what could be an exciting battle at Cougars Park. Montreal is now tied for 2nd in runs scored (69) despite the worst batting average (.230) in the association, and we'll face the starter with the best ERA on the third worst staff in terms of runs allowed (63). The pen has helped, as stopper Lee Richardson (2-1, 2, 1.86, 5) has done a great job late in games, so we'll have to get to Coffin before seeing him. Early on the offense has been led by Otis O'Keefe (.320, 1, 6) and Luke Weaver (.300, 2, 10

, though it's catcher Jess Garman (.206, 3, 7) who's provided the most slug. Regardless, I like our chances here, and I think after getting bested by Coffin in Montreal, our sluggers will send a few of his pitches over the fence, making the day of a few Cougar fans seated in the outfield.

Our long homestand then continues with the Sailors, who are off to start the week and have the fewest losses in the association. The series can be for first, and for the first time in seemingly forever we'll face the Sailors without Reyes and Boismenu. The new third basemen is Rip Lee (.189, 2, 4), as Les Cunha (.370, 1, 6) is taking short, as Joe Scott's (.169, 1, 8, 1) move from the outfield to first allows Cotton Dillon (.282, 1, 3, 1) to return to right field. I still don't like the move, I certainly would have sent a prospect to the Sailors for Boismenu, and I think someone would have made the move for Reyes, but considering how well they're playing perhaps moving on had a positive effect on the rest of the team? Granted, I don't buy this small sample success, this isn't really a good team, but that doesn't mean they can't give us trouble. Billy Forbes (.263, 2, 4) is well on his way to becoming a star, George Rutter (.280, 1, 9) could be one too, and perhaps Cunha has regained his form from when he was a first-year starter. I'm hoping we're the ones who end their early season success.

Finishing off the week is three with the Cleveland Foresters, who at 5-8 have the worst winning percentage (.385) in our association. Believe it or not, they have a slugger who has the same amount of homers as wins, as new center fielder Frenchy Sonntag (.296, 5, 11) has reached half of his home run total from last year where he appeared in 55 games as a rookie. I didn't understand the move, he entered the season as a slightly below average defensive center fielder, but somehow has a 4.5 zone rating and 1.105 efficiency in a tiny 115.1 inning sample. Full disclosure, I was fully expecting to talk about how poor his defense was, so I'm quite surprised he's been beyond elite. I thought Sherry Doyal (.377, 2, 4) was the superior fielder, and he's been great in right (1.9, 1.074), so if Sonntag's newfound range is legit, this outfield is going to be insane. That's because #4 prospect Joe Wood (.293, 2, 6) is extremely talented too, and is off to an excellent start to his young career. An outfield like that can make up for what may be a one or two man pitching staff, as I don't trust any of their SPs that aren't Adrian Czerwinski (1-2, 3.33, 13), even if Larry Beebe (0-1, 1.31, 6) could be a stud and Ducky Davis (0-1, 5.16, 9) is reliable, if unspectacular. We might have got them at the right time, as the fabled World Championship Series hangover is in full effect.

Minor League Report
RHP Cliff Wallace (AA Little Rock Governors): Remember how Cliff Wallace threw a bunch of shutouts last year? Well, he's back at it again!

It took just one start for Cliff Wallace to throw a shutout, as he allowed just 3 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts. Last season, Wallace had five shutouts, going an impressive 17-7 with a 2.57 ERA (155 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, and 114 strikeouts. You might be thinking, "why wouldn't he be in AAA," but we have a ton of of arms in Milwaukee that deserve starts. That being said, Wallace isn't finishing in Little Rock, at least as long as he stays healthy, and the borderline top 500 prospect has managed to hang on to his starting role even when he wasn't ranked. Currently 47th in our system and 485th overall, he's the second to last member of ours in the top 500, as he's still working out his arsenal. The pitches are good enough to face minor leaguers, but his side armed slider only works against righties, and even then it's nowhere near as good as his change. The fastball is decent, jumped up from 88-90 to 90-92 over the offseason, as the 6'5'' righty keeps adding speed to the hard stuff. He's the guy we'd be calling on if we were a rebuilding team in need of an arm, but unfortunately his best chance to pitch as a Cougar is as a low leverage reliever.

LF Harry Austin (AA Little Rock Governors): If you reach all the way back to last summer, Harry Austin has recorded a hit in 25 consecutive Dixie League games. Just four of those came this season, where he's off to a 6-for-17 start with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. That's good for a .353/.333/.471 (115 OPS+) -- yes, he has a sacrifice and no walks -- with a similar 114 WRC+. He's added 2 runs, 2 doubles, and 3 RBIs, heling the defending champs get off to a 5-0 start. What could hurt his streak is the fact that him and Roxy Hilts platoon, so there's always the chance that he loses his streak on a pinch hit opportunity. In fact, he came in as a defensive replacement on Opening Day, but since he didn't get an at bat the streak continued. I'm not going to stop the platoon in favor of the streak, I need Hilts to get reps too, but I'm really hoping former King, Keystone, and Dynamo Buck Sargent leaves him on the bench when he doesn't start.

Do it for the streak!

CF Phil Boyes (B San Jose Cougars): Entering the season, Phil Boyes was at risk of losing his playing time. So how would he respond?

Well with a Player of the Week of course!

The former 5th Rounder started his season about as good as you could, going 8-for-16 with 3 runs, 3 doubles, a triple, 2 RBIs, and 5 walks. This equates to an elite .500/.619/.812 (306 OPS+) batting line that looks like something you'd only get if you played The Show on Rookie mode. Considering he's 23 at in Class B for the fourth time, it's a little less impressive, but for a guy who hit .245/.348/.344 (84 OPS+) last year even this tiny sample of offense is exciting. Now the regular center fielder, Boyes will look to rebuild the value he once had as a top 200 prospects, and he's now completely outside the top 200. Dixie has soured on him as well, and he used to be a big fan, while OSA thinks his best case is as a fourth outfielder. That's probably what his future always held, as we have so many talented outfielders, and Boyes will now need to do whatever he can to hold off all the other talented youngsters we have and will continue to add.

06-12-2024, 05:10 PM	#1446
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,127	Week 2: April 23rd-April 29th Weekly Record: 4-3 Seasonal Record: 8-5 (2nd, 0.5 GB) Stars of the Week Skipper Schneider : 25 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .440 AVG, 1.222 OPS Red Bond : 10 AB, 5 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.543 OPS Sal Pestilli : 27 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .296 AVG, .937 OPS Schedule 4-23: Win vs Kings (3-9) 4-24: Loss vs Kings (12-7) 4-25: Win vs Kings (1-5) 4-26: Loss at Stars (5-9) 4-27: Win at Stars (9-3) 4-28: Loss vs Saints (5-2) 4-29: Win vs Saints (4-5): 10 innings Recap Sure, we're no longer in first place, but there were tons of exciting signs from week two. And no, I'm not just talking about two more Leo Mitchell steals to match his season total from last year, but we took the series with the Kings, split with the Stars in New York, and after reversing the script and pulling off a one-run walk-off win against the Saints in the 10th to finish the week, we are now able to win that series with Jim Morrison (1-1, 2.57, 4) set to take on Ted Coffin (1-0, 2.51, 7). Morrison greatly improved this week, an unearned run was the lone blemish in 8 innings of 6 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeout play, while Sal Pestilli launched two out of the park and the offense actually started scoring runs. Heck, John Moss went 7-for-23 with 7 runs and is now hitting .292/.382/.417 (113 OPS+) with 7 walks, one of each extra base hit, and a 126 WRC+ Vindication!!!!!!! Overall, the pitching was good, but both Donnie Jones and David Molina blew up. Jones got hit hard by the Stars, as the "Extreme Groundball" pitcher allowed three homers in 5.1 innings, finishing with 11 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks, and just 1 strikeout. Molina was awful in the 12-2 loss to the Kings, allowing 2 homers of his own off 3 hits, 2 walks, and 6 runs (5 earned), recording just one out. He then allowed 3 hits, 2 runs (another homer...), and a walk with 2 strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Another extreme groundballer with three homers! Thankfully he fixed things in the 5-4 extra inning win, tossing 2 scoreless innings, but his 10.12 ERA (41 ERA+), 10.15 FIP (241 FIP-), 2.25 WHIP, and 0.2 K/BB are just awful. I'm not sure what happened here, but maybe that means he's not going to allow a run for the next 15 innings??? Please???? Otherwise errors seemed to do in our guys, as Pap and Johnnie had 4 and 6 unearned runs respectively, as for a team with the best defensive efficiency (.736) and third best zone rating (+10.4), our 16 errors are tied for worst in the league. The errors cost Johnnie one of his starts, while Pap won and loss despite of the errors, as our 2 and 3 have ERAs of 1.80 (231 ERA+) and 1.64 (254 ERA+) that don't even add up to Donnie's inflated 4.22 ERA (98 ERA+). That measure is remarkably almost average, while the other four members of the rotation have an ERA+ of 162 or higher. Love this staff! The offense had a major power surge, as not only did Sal hit two homers, and go for 8-for-27 with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, 8 runs, 2 walks, and 3 steals, but Chubby Hall hit two out of the park too. With a lot of lefties he played a bunch, going 5-for-17 with a triple, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, 4 runs, and 3 walks. Red Bond hit one out too, as did John Moss, with Bond an even 5-for-10 with 4 walks, 4 RBIs, and 3 runs while Moss was 7-for-23 with a double, 4 RBIs, 5 walks, and 7 runs. The last homer went to Skipper Schneider, who had an excellent 11-for-25 week with a double, 2 triples, 5 RBIs, 8 runs, and 3 steals. We're stealing a ton this season, leading the CA with 13, and it's not just because we're stealing every chance we get. Sure, it's more then the other seven teams, but our 76.5 SB% is just over a point shy of the association leader, meaning we're picking our times well. Aside from Sal, and George Sutterfield who hasn't attempted a steal yet, we don't really have any fleet-footed base stealers, so I'm curious to see if this trend holds. Last notes are on waivers, as all three of our guys cleared. I was really hoping we'd get Marion Boismenu, who the Sailors surprisingly waived, but him and Ed Reyes will instead continue their careers in Toronto. Winners of the last six batting titles, the Sailors decided to part way with the vets in favor of some younger bench players, though it hasn't stopped them from going 8-4. Among our players, I knew Bill Ballantine would clear, but I'm very happy Joe Quade cleared. He's not overly talented, but he's an excellent depth option to eat innings, and he'll hang out in the minors. His innings may come out of the pen, though for now he's starting in Milwaukee, as we have a lot of younger guys that need the innings more. he's the perfect guy if a starter goes down for a short period and I don't want to burn an option, though we may see AA starters Dixie Gaines and Bob Allen at some point if someone goes down for longer. Allen could spot start, though I'd prefer not bouncing him around. Unfortunately I did have to cut Frank Davis, though I hope he'll come back on a minor league deal. Looking Ahead One more with the Saints, who sit half a game behind us and a game behind the first place Sailors. The rubber match will see veteran southpaw Jim Morrison (1-1, 2.57, 4) take on rookie southpaw Ted Coffin (1-0, 2.51, 7) in what could be an exciting battle at Cougars Park. Montreal is now tied for 2nd in runs scored (69) despite the worst batting average (.230) in the association, and we'll face the starter with the best ERA on the third worst staff in terms of runs allowed (63). The pen has helped, as stopper Lee Richardson (2-1, 2, 1.86, 5) has done a great job late in games, so we'll have to get to Coffin before seeing him. Early on the offense has been led by Otis O'Keefe (.320, 1, 6) and Luke Weaver (.300, 2, 10, though it's catcher Jess Garman (.206, 3, 7) who's provided the most slug. Regardless, I like our chances here, and I think after getting bested by Coffin in Montreal, our sluggers will send a few of his pitches over the fence, making the day of a few Cougar fans seated in the outfield. Our long homestand then continues with the Sailors, who are off to start the week and have the fewest losses in the association. The series can be for first, and for the first time in seemingly forever we'll face the Sailors without Reyes and Boismenu. The new third basemen is Rip Lee (.189, 2, 4), as Les Cunha (.370, 1, 6) is taking short, as Joe Scott's (.169, 1, 8, 1) move from the outfield to first allows Cotton Dillon (.282, 1, 3, 1) to return to right field. I still don't like the move, I certainly would have sent a prospect to the Sailors for Boismenu, and I think someone would have made the move for Reyes, but considering how well they're playing perhaps moving on had a positive effect on the rest of the team? Granted, I don't buy this small sample success, this isn't really a good team, but that doesn't mean they can't give us trouble. Billy Forbes (.263, 2, 4) is well on his way to becoming a star, George Rutter (.280, 1, 9) could be one too, and perhaps Cunha has regained his form from when he was a first-year starter. I'm hoping we're the ones who end their early season success. Finishing off the week is three with the Cleveland Foresters, who at 5-8 have the worst winning percentage (.385) in our association. Believe it or not, they have a slugger who has the same amount of homers as wins, as new center fielder Frenchy Sonntag (.296, 5, 11) has reached half of his home run total from last year where he appeared in 55 games as a rookie. I didn't understand the move, he entered the season as a slightly below average defensive center fielder, but somehow has a 4.5 zone rating and 1.105 efficiency in a tiny 115.1 inning sample. Full disclosure, I was fully expecting to talk about how poor his defense was, so I'm quite surprised he's been beyond elite. I thought Sherry Doyal (.377, 2, 4) was the superior fielder, and he's been great in right (1.9, 1.074), so if Sonntag's newfound range is legit, this outfield is going to be insane. That's because #4 prospect Joe Wood (.293, 2, 6) is extremely talented too, and is off to an excellent start to his young career. An outfield like that can make up for what may be a one or two man pitching staff, as I don't trust any of their SPs that aren't Adrian Czerwinski (1-2, 3.33, 13), even if Larry Beebe (0-1, 1.31, 6) could be a stud and Ducky Davis (0-1, 5.16, 9) is reliable, if unspectacular. We might have got them at the right time, as the fabled World Championship Series hangover is in full effect. Minor League Report RHP Cliff Wallace (AA Little Rock Governors): Remember how Cliff Wallace threw a bunch of shutouts last year? Well, he's back at it again! It took just one start for Cliff Wallace to throw a shutout, as he allowed just 3 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts. Last season, Wallace had five shutouts, going an impressive 17-7 with a 2.57 ERA (155 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, and 114 strikeouts. You might be thinking, "why wouldn't he be in AAA," but we have a ton of of arms in Milwaukee that deserve starts. That being said, Wallace isn't finishing in Little Rock, at least as long as he stays healthy, and the borderline top 500 prospect has managed to hang on to his starting role even when he wasn't ranked. Currently 47th in our system and 485th overall, he's the second to last member of ours in the top 500, as he's still working out his arsenal. The pitches are good enough to face minor leaguers, but his side armed slider only works against righties, and even then it's nowhere near as good as his change. The fastball is decent, jumped up from 88-90 to 90-92 over the offseason, as the 6'5'' righty keeps adding speed to the hard stuff. He's the guy we'd be calling on if we were a rebuilding team in need of an arm, but unfortunately his best chance to pitch as a Cougar is as a low leverage reliever. LF Harry Austin (AA Little Rock Governors): If you reach all the way back to last summer, Harry Austin has recorded a hit in 25 consecutive Dixie League games. Just four of those came this season, where he's off to a 6-for-17 start with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. That's good for a .353/.333/.471 (115 OPS+) -- yes, he has a sacrifice and no walks -- with a similar 114 WRC+. He's added 2 runs, 2 doubles, and 3 RBIs, heling the defending champs get off to a 5-0 start. What could hurt his streak is the fact that him and Roxy Hilts platoon, so there's always the chance that he loses his streak on a pinch hit opportunity. In fact, he came in as a defensive replacement on Opening Day, but since he didn't get an at bat the streak continued. I'm not going to stop the platoon in favor of the streak, I need Hilts to get reps too, but I'm really hoping former King, Keystone, and Dynamo Buck Sargent leaves him on the bench when he doesn't start. Do it for the streak! CF Phil Boyes (B San Jose Cougars): Entering the season, Phil Boyes was at risk of losing his playing time. So how would he respond? Well with a Player of the Week of course! The former 5th Rounder started his season about as good as you could, going 8-for-16 with 3 runs, 3 doubles, a triple, 2 RBIs, and 5 walks. This equates to an elite .500/.619/.812 (306 OPS+) batting line that looks like something you'd only get if you played The Show on Rookie mode. Considering he's 23 at in Class B for the fourth time, it's a little less impressive, but for a guy who hit .245/.348/.344 (84 OPS+) last year even this tiny sample of offense is exciting. Now the regular center fielder, Boyes will look to rebuild the value he once had as a top 200 prospects, and he's now completely outside the top 200. Dixie has soured on him as well, and he used to be a big fan, while OSA thinks his best case is as a fourth outfielder. That's probably what his future always held, as we have so many talented outfielders, and Boyes will now need to do whatever he can to hold off all the other talented youngsters we have and will continue to add.