Last time I realized too late that I forgot to post about the Desert League! This month I did remember, so here it is:
May 1947 - Desert League Report
East
San Antonio Armadillos (28-16; 16-8 in May; +2 pos)
The Armadillos revamped rotation has quietly become the best north of the border. Former ULN pitchers Ben Lintner, Carlos Macías and Félix Alemán have turned San Antonio into contenders in the East. Their 28 wins is already 5 more than they won all year last year. Their hitters have struggled to score runs compared to the rest of the league, averaging just over 3 per game. However, those 3 runs per game are more than enough when their rotation is allowing just 2. Will they be able to keep it up and make it to their first Desert Series?
Rotation:
Ben Lintner - 8-2, 86.2 IP, 2.28 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 30 BB, 52 K
Carlos Macías - 5-3, 74.2 IP, 1.93 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 18 BB, 34 K
Félix Alemán - 3-5, 62 IP, 4.06 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 11 BB, 26 K
Justin Docken - 5-1, 68.2 IP, 2.49 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 28 BB, 30 K
AJ Parillo - 3-1, 58.1 IP, 2.31 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 22 BB, 24 K
Closer Pedro Avilla - 1-0, 12 SV, 20 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 2 BB, 14 K
Top hitters:
1B David Pizarro - .313/.354/.466, 10 2B, 5 HR, 30 RBI
LF Dennis Miller - .345/.415/.454, 8 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 2 SB
CF Manuel Escobedo - .322/.375/.460, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB
3B Kyle Wiles - .270/.316/.340, 4 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB
SS Matt Miller - .268/.310/.356, 7 2B, 2 HR, 19 RBI
El Paso Coyotes (25-19; 14-10 in May; -1 pos)
After last year's trip to the Desert Series and the signing of Tampico's Rich Faircloth, the Coyotes were favorites in the East once again. Their pitching is maintaining last year's level, but the bats have cooled off and they're one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Together with San Antonio's rise, El Paso is now doing the chasing with a month and a half left in the regular season.
Rotation:
Rich Faircloth - 4-4, 80.2 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 14 BB, 20 K
Mike Castillo - 3-3, 78.2 IP, 3.43 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 19 BB, 37 K
Manuel Jiménez - 4-3, 60 IP, 3.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 14 BB, 31 K
Steve Ziegler - 2-2, 47.2 IP, 3.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 11 BB, 14 K
Bill Pergola - 3-3, 61.2 IP, 2.92 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 27 BB, 23 K
Closer Tyler Miller - 5-3, 8 SV, 37.1 IP, 3.13 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 11 BB, 14 K
Top hitters:
1B James Hansen - .321/.424/.469, 12 2B, 4 HR, 24 RBI
RF Ruben Herrera - .284/.330/.426, 6 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 2 SB
SS José Parra - .230/.292/.273, 4 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB
C Robert Delgado - .234/.265/.299, 7 2B, 1 HR, 18 RBI
2B Mike Rickel - .225/.296/.284, 6 2B, 2 3B, 14 RBI
Dallas Mustangs (24-20; 13-11 in May; -1 pos)
The only improvement to Dallas' roster was 1B Héctor Ramírez, but is his bat good enough to justify leaking runs? His 3 errors so far make him the 2nd worst 1B in the league. Their rotation continues to dominate, and they're still mashing but it seems like they've gotten some unlucky losses. 6 of their 11 losses last month were just by one run. Their pitching seems like it'll continue to roll on despite losing Michael Classen early this month and for the rest of the year. They're just 4 games back right now but they have the talent to close down the gap.
Rotation:
Walter Thompson - 4-2, 77.1 IP, 2.44 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 14 BB, 39 K
Harold Sorensen - 7-2, 69 IP, 2.87 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 10 BB, 28 K
Tomas Ortega - 2-4, 68.1 IP, 2.77 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 16 BB, 27 K
Osvaldo Márquez - 4-3, 55.1 IP, 3.74 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 25 BB, 14 K
Cory Hodge - 1-0, 14 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 5 BB, 4 K
Closer Joaquín Cuestas - 3-2, 11 SV, 42.2 IP, 2.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 13 BB 23 K
Top hitters:
SS Franklin Reyes - .347/.390/.453, 13 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 4 SB
CF Bill Soffa - .328/.358/.503, 12 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 6 SB
C Jay King - .274/.391/.444, 7 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 3 SB
2B Mike McNew - .231/.294/.361, 8 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 2 SB
1B Héctor Ramírez - .279/.342/.404, 6 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 1 SB
Fort Worth Horned Frogs (22-19; 12-9 in May; No movement)
This is why the Desert East is as tough as it is. 4 teams with winning records, all within 5 games of each other. The Horned Frogs are an offense-first club, leading the league in batting average despite middling scoring numbers. Their rotation could be better, but 41 year old Matt McGuill is having a career year after joining from León this past winter. June will prove if they're for real, as they face San Antonio twice, Dallas, El Paso and Tucson.
Rotation:
Matt McGuill - 4-2, 66 IP, 1.91 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 18 BB, 19 K
Clyde Henson - 4-3, 71.2 IP, 3.77 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 26 BB, 29 K
Jason Batchelder - 3-2, 62 IP, 2.90 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 13 BB, 20 K
Vernon Salazar - 2-2, 51 IP, 4.59 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 12 BB, 28 K
Mario Jiménez - 1-2, 50 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 18 BB, 18 K
Closer Arthur Barclay - 1-2, 5 SV, 25.2 IP, 2.10 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 8 BB, 15 K
Top hitters:
2B Ehécatl Cócom - .297/.329/.405, 5 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 2 SB
RF John Bodiford - .316/.376/.374, 8 2B, 1 3B, 18 RBI, 4 SB
3B Gerardo Duran - .306/.354/.405, 11 2B, 2 HR, 20 RBI
SS Victor Huerta - .298/.342/.340, 6 2B, 13 RBI
1B Jose Garcia - .275/.302/.356, 4 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI
Houston Longhorns (19-25; 13-11 in May; No movement)
After just missing out on the Desert Series last year, Houston acquired six-time Teyaotlani at 1B Mario Morales, SS Rubén Riviera and 10 year ULN veteran pitcher Israel Pastrana. They were ready to compete for the East title once again, but then their pitching simply didn't work. Rubén Riviera broke his elbow last month, missing the rest of the season. This is still a very dangerous team, 2nd in runs scored, but the rough start with only 6 wins in April will be hard to overcome.
Rotation:
Colby Orman - 4-3, 60 IP, 3.30 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 22 BB, 20 K
Justin Milton - 3-5, 77 IP, 3.51 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 32 BB, 29 K
Steve Cooper - 3-6, 61.2 IP, 2.92 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 25 BB, 28 K
Israel Pastrana - 3-3, 65 IP, 4.57 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 10 BB, 26 K
Joel Coleman - 2-2, 32.1 IP, 3.34 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 10 BB, 14 K
Reliever - Kody Kaiser - 1-2, 5 SV, 23.1 IP, 4.63 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 12 BB, 14 K
Top hitters:
CF Ryan Daubenspeck - .328/.392/.503, 15 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 3 SB
1B Mario Morales - .311/.389/.472, 6 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 34 RBI
LF Dan O'Farrell - .310/.393/.353, 2 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI
3B Jimmy Vinson - .256/.350/.429, 10 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 21 RBI
LF Mike Mullally - .207/.286/.297, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 19 SB
West
Tucson Saguaros (27-17; 15-9 in May; +1 pos)
Early this month, the Saguaros took the lead in the West and haven't taken their foot off the gas so far. They boast a powerful offense that's 3rd in runs scored in the entire league, with solid enough defense backing up a decent rotation now with Israel Álvarez. After a shoddy May, Los Angeles will mount the pressure on Tucson, but the Arizona club is in control for now.
Rotation:
Jayden Taylor - 6-1, 69.1 IP, 1.69 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 23 BB, 28 K
Israel Álvarez - 4-4, 65 IP, 2.91 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 16 BB, 34 K
Chris Bradley - 4-1, 64.1 IP, 3.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 14 BB, 28 K
Bobby Wolford - 3-2, 54 IP, 2.50 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 14 BB, 26 K
Manuel Espinoza - 2-5, 46.1 IP, 6.22 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 35 BB, 16 K
Reliever - Jonathan González - 2-0, 2 SV, 15 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 3 BB, 4 K
Top hitters:
3B Mikael Janssen - .358/.388/.561, 9 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 3 SB
1B Kevin Page - .305/.343/.430, 5 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 1 SB
C Lukasz Jedrzejewski - .256/.354/.474, 6 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 26 RBI
SS Javier Zayas - .254/.318/.366, 7 2B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 1 SB
LF Justin Lyons - .310/.333/.457, 13 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 8 SB
Los Angeles Condors (23-21; 9-15 in May; -1 pos)
The defending champions remain the most talented squad in the league. However, the back end of their rotation has disappointed, particularly in May. They also lost 2B Aaron Gannon due to a fractured thumb, but he should be able to return in July. They're chasing but have the firepower on both sides of the ball to flip the table once again.
Rotation:
Rafael Moreno - 4-2, 71 IP, 2.15 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 20 BB, 45 K
Salvatore Rossi - 5-2, 78 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 15 BB, 38 K
Mark Ummel - 4-4, 82.1 IP, 2.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 25 BB, 43 K
Billy Vega - 5-3, 51.1 IP, 5.08 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 13 BB, 18 K
José Bustillos - 1-3, 32.2 IP, 6.89 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 15 BB, 9 K
Reliever Eric Johnson - 1-1, 15 IP, 1.80 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 2 BB, 8 K
Top hitters:
SS Jack O'Reilly - .280/.365/.411, 6 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 28 RBI, 6 SB
3B Jason White - .299/.389/.372, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 12 SB
C Bobby Taylor - .243/.303/.327, 3 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI
RF Mark Freeman - .281/.389/.398, 6 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 19 RBI
1B David de la Rosa - .303/.382/.414, 9 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 23 RBI
Phoenix Scorpions (19-22; 8-13 in May; No movement)
The Phoenix Scorpions added Faustino Campos and Roy McAllister, two ULN champions and one Atlatl Award in the case of Campos. This makes their rotation... 7th best in the Desert League. They're also struggling to score runs and have a tough schedule ahead in June. They have 2 more years to build around RF Ricky Hammack before the craziness of the first Desert League free agency.
Rotation:
Anthony Vega - 5-3, 70.2 IP, 3.95 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 12 BB, 30 K
Sam Heise - 4-2, 70.1 IP, 1.79 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 15 BB, 16 K
Faustino Campos - 2-4, 49.1 IP, 3.10 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 10 BB, 21 K
Roy McAllister - 1-5, 50.2 IP, 5.33 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 10 BB, 21 K
Alejandro Guzmán - 2-1, 18.1 IP, 7.36 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, 10 BB, 7 K
Closer Danny Spohn - 4-1, 7 SV, 31.1 IP, 2.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 6 BB, 13 K
Top hitters:
LF Nick Carney - .311/.361/.449, 11 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 4 SB
SS Mark Eley - .366/.409/.394, 4 2B, 13 RBI, 3 SB
RF Ricky Hammack - .252/.305/.483, 3 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 23 RBI, 3 SB
1B Emilio Castillo - .297/.360/.451, 11 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI
3B Justin Henry - .318/.373/.378, 6 2B, 1 HR, 17 RBI
Albuquerque Roadrunners (19-25; 10-14 in May; No movement)
This offseason, Albuquerque added "bust" Rogelio Hernández after he bounced around between Tampico, Puebla, Guadalajara and Jaguares. It doesn't seem like the change of scenery or the pay rise helped him find his better self. Meanwhile, Javier García is continuing to improve after a 1945 season where he did win the title with Jaguares albeit with an ERA north of 4. The hitting department isn't doing too well either, so the Roadrunners sit comfortably in 4th place within a stagnant West division.
Rotation:
Josh Borek - 4-4, 74 IP, 3.04 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 23 BB, 30 K
Doug Orton - 5-4, 66.1 IP, 3.93 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 9 BB, 14 K
Rogelio Hernández - 1-5, 63.2 IP, 3.82 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 24 BB, 31 K
Javier García - 3-4, 55.1 IP, 2.93 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 25 BB, 20 K
Nathan Wright - 1-0, 13 IP, 2.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 1 BB, 4 K
Closer Luis Aguilar - 0-2, 8 SV, 14.1 IP, 1.88 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 2 BB, 3 K
Top hitters:
2B Joe Hercules - .265/.307/.381, 5 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 5 SB
1B José Mesa - .311/.367/.400, 6 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 5 SB
CF Josh Garren - .342/.390/.429, 11 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 1 SB
LF Cole Chambless - .297/.354/.384, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 1 SB
RF Jason Potter - .233/.297/.358, 6 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 7 SB
San Diego Barracudas (11-33; 7-17 in May; No movement)
After last year's last place finish, few people expected San Diego to have an even worst year in 1947. Their offense is nonexistent, hitting barely over .200 as a team. Their rotation can barely keep their ERAs under 4. Studs John Caruso and Leo Navarro are probably frustrated after staying in San Diego after the trade deadline.
Rotation:
Otto Schneider - 2-5, 68.1 IP, 3.95 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 18 BB, 41 K
Wayne Chafin - 3-6, 56.1 IP, 4.47 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 15 BB, 25 K
Jonathan Estrada - 4-3, 51.2 IP, 3.66 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 15 BB, 22 K
Nate Phillips - 1-4, 47 IP, 3.64 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 19 BB, 15 K
Clark de Santos - 1-5, 49.1 IP, 5.84 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 32 BB, 22 K
Reliever Andy Williams - 15 IP, 2.40 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 8 BB, 9 K
Top hitters:
C Henry Morales - .263/.299/.365, 5 2B, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 2 SB
LF John Caruso - .295/.366/.434, 13 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 23 SB
2B Jeff Scelza - .238/.321/.323, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB
3B Antonio Morin - .236/.262/.376, 5 2B, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 4 SB
RF Jim Kluge - .174/.236/.264, 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 18 SB