31-year-old Mark Calkins is a two-time all-star, a 2005 world champion, and in that 2005 run, he won the ALCS and World Series MVP awards. Long recognized as a premier defender, the Iron Pigs reportedly targeted Mark on day one of free agency and never let up. Calkins garnered a 4-year, $32.5 million contract, the largest in the Iron Pigs' short history. Calkins was selected in 3rd round of the 2004 draft by Utah and has spent his 7-year career there. He's a career .285/.321/.409 hitter over 991 games with 307 2B's, 37 3B's, and 43 HR's with 399 RBI's. He's 70-99 career in SB. He led the league in 2B's in 2007 (52) and 3B's in 2010 (8).
BACKROOM CHATTER
We never let up. It got dicey in December as three or four teams jumped into the bidding and his ask shot up. I think this team is going to compete in 2012, and to do so, we need to strengthen the middle. We have that now at both SS and CF with Dietz now patrolling. Calkins is a well-known commodity and very popular around the league, and fans were ecstatic at the signing.
NEWS FROM THE FRONT OFFICE
- Fan interest has hit 100. Our 2012 ticket prices were raised before the signing to $14.00, and we are now seeing projected season ticket sales up 32%, with attendance jumping 28% and per-game revenue projected to be up over 50%. All great signs of a healthy club on the rise. Our payroll as of mid-January is 24.6 million, 30th in the league.
- With arbitration projections, our 2013 payroll jumps just 2 million as of today, to 35 million plus in 2014. I expect our budget to grow as well so we'll see how that plays out.
That's it for the moves (I think, but don't hold me to it!), our roster is set. Our pitching did not get the upgrade I worked to get but Rome was not built in a day. We'll go to camp with a ton of competition in the rotation but a pretty stable infield and an outfield full of talent.