The Mallards

[Muskies]

Neither Alan Gilbert nor Dave Hansen accepted arbitration.

Madison Wins
LF – Steve Shaffer awarded $2 million, player asked for $2.1 million
LF – John Benson awarded $2.2 million, player asked for $2.7 million
MR – Juan Rios awarded $800k, player asked for $1 million
SP – Arthur Jennings awarded $1.9 million, player asked for $2.3 million
LF – John Thomas awarded $900k, player asked for $1.1 million


Madison Loses
LF – Gerado Martinez awarded $7.5 million, team offered $6.3, not really a surprise

[Muskies]

Free Agent’s File

Today is the day ABL free agents file. Many fans enjoy this offseason maneuvering just as much as the regular season as they watch to see how the face fo their teamchanges over the next several months. Biggest names on the market this year include:

James Smith, 34 year-old center fielder
Logan Threlfall, 28 year-old third baseman
Richie Pope, 36 year-old shortstop
Pedro Vega, 27 year-old right fielder
Bryan Smith, 35 year-old starting pitcher
Antonio Lara, 33 year-old right fielder
Jose Garcia, 31 year-old first baseman
Larry Wagner, 30 year-old second baseman
Won-ho Song, 30 year-old second baseman
Jorge Sanchez, 39 year-old left fielder

Other Offseason Moves
- SS Robert thompson signed a 2 year deal for $8.4 million
- 41 year old Closer James Kaufmann signed a 2 year deal at $6.5 million per year
- SS Travis Callahan signed a 2 year deal to make $9.1 million

11/26 - Los Angeles signed 28 year old 3B Logan Threlfall to 5 yrs at $16 million per year; life time he is a .285 hitter with 85 home runs
11/27 - Washington signed 31 year SP Jorge Lopez to a 5 year deal worth $79 million; life time he is 116-80 with a 3.73 ERA
11/29 - Detroit signed 30 year old 1B Ryan Ward to 6 year deal worth $103 million; lifetime he is a .260 hitter with 301 home runs
12/1- Washington signed 28 year old 2B Minoru Hayashida to a 6 years $67 million

[Muskies]

Rule 5 Draft Moves
- The 40 man roster currently sits a 31 players, I have some flexibil
- AAA SP Vincent Houston was placed on the 40 man roster, he was the only minor league player who wasn’t protected but needed to be. That puts my forty man roster at 32, which gives me flexibility, however, the payroll continues to pose an issue.

Rule 5 Draft
- Madison has the 29th selection in the Rule 5 draft
- Bob Stone 26 year old AAA catcher was selected by Boston in the Rule 5 draft
- Maurilio Fidadero 26 year AA First Baseman was selected by Boston in the Rule 5 draft
- Steven Williams 26 year old AA Middle Reliever was selected by Boston in the Rule 5 draft

Madison did not select anyone in the Rule 5 draft

[Muskies]

12/1 - Washington signed Minoru Hayashida (2B) to a 6 year / $67.8 million contract
12/1 - Offered contracts to Mike Howell and Alan Gilbert, both were looking for less than $1 million per year

12/5 - Nashville signed CL Carlos Moran to a two year extension at $15.3 million
12/5 - Kansas City resigned LF Antonio Lara to a two year extension at $15 million per year.
12/5 - Charlotte signed SP Bryan Smith to a 3 year at $48 million. For his career Smith is 169-134 with a 3.61 ERA.
12/7 - Fresno signed 29 year old C Jeff O’Halloran to a 2 year $13.4 million deal. Last year O’Halloran hit .303 with 26 home runs
12/8 - Offered a 3 year contract to MR Lowell Bishop, third year is a team option.
12/15 - Tampa Bay signed 39 year old Catcher Stephen Anderson to a two year deal at $30.4 million per year.
12/16 - Mallards signed veteran reliever Mike Howell to a one year contract at $900,000. Howell spent all of his career with Madison, until last season, he signed with San Jose, going 4-2, 3.55 in 76 innings of work. For his career he is 41-38, 2.94 ERA and 195 saves. He gives me another left handed pitcher out of the bullpen.
12/21 - Columbus signed SP Vernon Holcumb to 5 year extension worth $82 million.
1 / 8 - Mallards signed MR Lowell Bishop to a 3 year $7.2 million contract, with the third year being a team option. Bishop is rated 3.5* out of 4.5*, last year going 6-2, 3.72 in 84.2 innings of work. Bishop fills a big hole that Madison has in its bullpen.

1/22 - Peters found a lead in Puerto Rico; 17 year old SP Alejandro Perez
1/27 - Former Mallard SP Jeremy Wilder signed a 4 year contract with Long Beach for $32 million. Last year Wilder went 12-12, 3.90 in 226.1 IP, he is classified as wrecked.



Winter Meetings
No moves of significance and no moves by the Mallards.

[Muskies]

Off Season Analysis

In all it was a pretty slow off season for the Mallards, we were able to keep our starting rotation intact and our offense. Our real weakness from last season was the bullpen, I think with the additions of Howell and Bishop and the development of the AAA staff our bullpen should see some improvement over last year.


Pre-Season Begins

Pre-season begins, now is the time of the year to set the budgets for player development and scouting. Our scouting budget is currently set at $10 million, with the league average at $7.2 million. Our player development budget is set at $8 million with the league average at $4.8 million. Our overall budget for the year is $142 million with a player payroll of $112 million, we have $1 million available for Free Agents and $5.7 million available for extensions.

Our payroll came in at $112 million, higher than I would have liked, but I signed some Bishop and Howell in an effort to strengthen the bullpen. Last year the Stuarts were able to take $19 million out of the organization, that should be able to support them for the year, it would have nice if they could have left some of that in the organization and increase payroll some more.

2/13 - Tampa Bay MR Christian Flores was suspended for 10 games for violation of the leagues illegal drug policy.
2/26 - Wesley Peters is spending a lot time in Puerto Rico, he found another prospect in 16 year shortstop Leonardo Condaro. Who was placed on our international development squad.

During the offseason the Mallards lost WAR of 1.0, ranked 17th in the ABL. As mentioned we didn’t have big changes in the offseason. Our Biggest losses were RF Dave Hanson and MR Alan Gilbert, with the biggest additions being MR’s Bishop and Howell.

RF Dave Hanson remains unemployed with an annual contract demand of $9.5 million, he ended up signing a one year deal with Chicago for $5 million

Top WAR earners in the offseason were:

1. Long Beach - 11.7
2. Detroit - 5.2
3. New York - 3.8
4. Tampa Bay - 3.7
5. Nashville - 3.4

Top WAR losers in the offseason were:

1. Boston - (10.3)
2. Charlotte - (9.0)
3. Phoenix - (8.8)
4. Sacramento - (6.1)
5. Mesa - (5.6)

The Mallards fan interest remains at 100, there were no mood swings either up or down based upon the changes, or lack thereof, in the offseason.

[Muskies]

Mallards went 18-6 in the preseason, with no significant injuries, both Shaffer and Nishikawa had 3 and 4 day injuries respectively. Shaffer will miss the first three days of the season with a viral infection.

Campbell went 4-0 with an ERA of 2.81 in 4 starts
Polledo went 0-1 with an ERA of 8.59 in 4 starts
Juarez went 2-0 with an ERA of 0.69 in 4 starts
Tavares had 8 saves and an ERA of 6.00
Chamings hit .410/.486/.689
Benson hit .400/.463/.556
Nishikawa hit .274/.375/.726 and 8 home runs

We had a few tough decisions, but for the most part the team fell into place, there were a couple of demotions that I might not have done, but I had a couple players that were out of minor league options.

Ended up with a last minute trade MR Juan Rios to Cleveland for two low level prospects. Rios has been rated a four star pitcher, but hasn’t really come through. In the preseason he pitched two innings with an 18.00 ERA.
We were forced to waive LF John Thomas to get the roster down to 25.
Knocked the Rookie league down to 25 players in preparation for the draft.

[Muskies]

Owner Expectations for the upcoming season

Kage,

I have now decided on the goal for the upcoming season. After evaluating several factors, I have come to the conclusion that the Mallards should at least reach the playoff’s!

Good Luck
Chad Stuart Jr.

Top 100 Prospect List Published

The Mallards minor leagues are ranked 16th out of 32, this is of some alarm, I would certainly like to see this head in the other direction. Top ranked Mallard prospects include:

22nd - 1B Allan Stephans (A)
45th - SP Vincent Houston (AAA)
58th - SP Bartolo Salazar (AAA)

Preseason Predictions

The sports writers have weighed in and they have predicted that the Mallards will finish first in the NL Central with a record of 95-67.

The expected World Series match up is Washington (96-66) vs. Ft. Worth Lords (101-61)

Top Players for Madison include:

Batters
#2 - Katai Nishikawa (1B/DH)
#15 - Matsuo Kouno (2B)

We have no pitchers listed in the top 20 of the ABL

Opening Day 2012

SP - Jose Polledo

RF - Nick Schaefer
CF - David Chamings
LF - Gerardo Martinez
DH - Katai Nishikawa
2B - Matsuo Kouno
3B - Miguel Ruiz
SS - Christian Ryan
C - Roberto Menenders
1B - John Benson

[Muskies]

Record: 5-3
Position: 2nd (1 GB Columbus)
OBP: .337 (7th in NL)
Starter ERA: 4.64 (10th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 5.14 (14th in NL)
Defense: .721 (4th in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Ecstatic
Power Ranking: 113.5 (11th ABL)

Week: 5-3 (2-1 vs. Phoenix), (2-1 vs. New York), (1-1 vs. Baltimore)

4/1 - MAD 7, PHO 2
WP: J. Polledo (1-0, 2.25), LP: R. McGinnity (0-1, 1.13)
HR: Benson (1), Nishikawa (1), Browning (1)
POG: Polledo 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6K

4/2 - PHO 17, MAD 3
WP: Romo (1-0, 3.52), LP: Juarez (0-1, 9.53)
HR: Adams (1)
POG: Cabrera 3-4, 2 R, 3 H, 4 RBI
- Not a great start for the Mallard bullpen

4/3 - MAD 5, PHO 5
WP: Davila (1-0, 7.36), LP: Lopes (0-1, 7.11), SV: Tavares (1)
HR: Crow (1)
POG: Davila 3.1 IP, 2, H, K
- Kenny Campbell was injured in the 3rd inning while pitching, diagnosed with shoulder soreness out for 4 days.

4/4 - MAD 5, NY 2
WP: Hinton (1-0, 0.00), LP: Potter (0-1, 5.14), SV: Tavares (2)
HR: Schaefer (1)
POG: Nolan Schaefer 2-3, 2 R, RBI, HR
- Steve Shaffer was injured running the bases, day to day with knee tendinitis

4/5 - NY 9, MAD 5
WP: Austin (1-0, 2.84), Jennings (0-1, 8.44)
HR: Williams (1), Ryan (1)
POG: Christian Ryan 3-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR

4/6 - MAD 3, NY 1
WP: Farias (1-0, 9.00), LP: Myers (0-1, 2.87), SV: Tavares (3)
POG: Polledo 6.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 3 K

4/7 - MAD 12, BAL 1
WP: Juarez (1-1, 5.25), LP: Leon (1-1, 9.00)
HR: Ryan (2), Kouno 2 (2), Chamings (1)
POG: Kouno 2-2, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 Bb, 2 HR

4/8 - BAL 6, MAD 5
WP: Miller (0-1, 2.25), Tavares (0-1, 2.08)
HR: Shaffer (1), Benson (2), Martinez (1), Vallejo (2), Davis (2)
POG: Vallejo 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, HR

Around the league
- 4/2 - Brian Murray (BAL) hit streak is up to 25 games
- 4/3 - Baltimore lost 5* shortstop Brian Murray for three weeks with a herniated disc
- 4/6 - San Antonio RF Dennis Hanna 4* is out for 6 to 7 months with a fractured elbow.
- 4/7 - Detroit has lost SS Felix Sobrano 4.5* for 5-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain
- 4/8 - Columbus’ Jim Hayes hit his 400th home run, which puts him at 15th on the all time list


Players of the Week
NL - Bryan Lane (DET) .462, 3 HR, 7 RBI (3x)
AL - Paul Polk (Ft.W) 12-28, 2 HR, 10 RBI


Which Rookie is leading the ABL in weighted on-base avg.
David Johnson, NY, .441
Gustavo Reyes, SJ, .382
Ross Richards, JAC, .367
Miguel Perez, NY, .326
Juan Montoya, LB, .319


Kage’s Journal

I had a long meeting today with Ortiz and Robles (Pitching Coach) to discuss the starting rotation and the bullpen. My struggles with the bullpen has been well documented and continues to remain unresolved. Our meeting today was to discuss the starting rotation. I did not make any moves in the offseason to beef up the rotation, primarily because I am locked in on expensive contracts for both Hubbard and Chamings, until one or both of those contracts come off, I am rather pinched to sign a big pitching contract. The other reason for not messing with the rotationwas that they did just win us a title.

However, in the current rotation we do not have that "Ace" we have decent rotation of 2-4 starters. Our current number one starter Polledo, is performing well, but neither the staff nor Peters see Polledo as anything more than a middle to bottom rotation guy. The one player everyone agrees can be a true number one starter is Abraham Johnson. As a result we decided moved Pancho Juarez the teams second starter into the bullpen and moved up and comer Abraham Johnson into 5th spot in the rotation. Juarez ratings has a starter have really begun to fall off and was most recently rated at ½ star. Johnson is rated at 3 of 4 stars, one of my concerns with Johnson is that he only has three pitches compared to Juarez’s four, but he is strong in all three, rather than average in four pitches.

The move of Juarez to a reliever increased is current rating from 1/2 star to 4 stars, this should strengthen the rotation and the bullpen.

[Muskies]

Record: 9-5, .643
Position: 2nd (2 GB Columbus)
OBP: .334 (6th in NL)
Starter ERA: 5.26 (10th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 4.44 (13th in NL)
Defense: .700 (5th in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Ecstatic
Power Ranking: 118.7 (7th in ABL)

Week: 4-2 1-0 vs Baltimore, 2-1 vs. Tampa, 1-1 vs. Dallas

4/9 - MAD 7, BAL 6 (10)
WP: Tavares (1-1, 1.42), Miller (1-1, 4.77)
HR: Nishikawa (2), Malone (2)
POG: Chamings 3-6, 3 RBI,

4/10 - MAD 8, TAM 5
WP: Jennings (1-1, 6.94), LP: Lane (0-2, 11.57), SV: Bishop (1)
HR: Morrison (1), Chamings (2), Nishikawa (3), Martinez (2)
POG: Morrison 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR

4/11 - MAD 6, TAM 5
WP: Juarez (2-1, 4.85), LP: Flores (0-1, 10.80)
HR: Ray 2 (2), Benson (3), Martinez (3)
POG: Ray 3-4, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR

4/12 - TAM 5, MAD 2
WP: Wright (2-1, 7.16), LP: Campbell (0-1, 6.75), SV: Flores (1)
HR: Lee (1)
POG: Wright 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 9 K

4/14 - DAL 8, MAD 3
WP: Crespo (3-0, 2.25), LP: MacFadden (0-1, 7.07)
HR: Diaz (2)
POG - Diaz 1-4, R, 4 RBI, HR, GRAND SLAM that broke open a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning, the Mallards couldn’t recover

4/15 - MAD 5, DAL 4
WP: Bishop (1-0, 4.50), LP: Martinez (0-1, 2.45), SV: Tavares (4)
POG: Hubbard 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B
Johnson’s first outing as a Major league starter, he went 5 IP allowing 3 earned runs, striking out 3 and walking 8. He clearly needs some work on his control.

Next Week: 1 @ Dallas (9-5), 3 vs. Mesa (6-8), 3 @ Austin (4-10)

Players of the Week
NL - Dave Parrish (COL) 11-19, 9 RBI
AL - Juan Gomez (LA) 8-14, 4 HR, 7 RBI

Around the League:
No News

Who leads the ABL in WAR
Kyle Holland, LB, 1.2
Bryan Lane, DET, 1.2
Greg Flowers, LA, 1.1
Roberto Zavala, PHI, 1.1
Desi Love, CLE, 1.1



Kage’s Journal

As a continuation of last week's theme we are going to move Jennings into the bullpen and move George Davis into the number 5 spot and Johnson into the Number 4 spot. I am putting all of my faith into Ortiz and Robles (PC), but they did lead me to a World Series title last year so I have no reason to doubt their judgement.

[Muskies]

Record: 13-8, .619
Position: 2nd (1 GB behind Columbus)
OBP: .333 (7th in ABL)
Starter ERA: 4.45 (9th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 4.11 (11th in NL)
Defense: .715 (2nd in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Ecstatic
Power Ranking: 110.4 (8th in the ABL)

Week: 4-3 - 1-0 vs. Dallas, 1-2 vs. Mesa, 2-1 vs. Austin

4/16: MAD 12, DAL 3
WP: Davis (1-0, 3.18), Graves (1-1, 3.52)
HR: Ryan (3), Cochran (3), Hampton (1)
POG: Chamings 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2B, 3B (one HR from the cycle)

4/17: MES 5, MAD 4
WP: Bravo (2-1, 4.74), LP: Polledo (1-1, 2.15), SV: Salazar (3)
POG: Ryan 3-4, 2 R, RBI

4/18: MAD 5, MES 3
WP: Campbell (1-1, 5.40), LP: Aquino (0-1, 7.04), SV: Tavares (5)
HR: Wilson (1), Kouno (3)
POG: Kouno 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR
Kouno hit a 3 run home run in the bottom of the eight to put the Mallards ahead.

4/19: MES 8, MAD 5 (10)
WP: Salazar (1-0, 1.08), LP: Farias (1-1, 2.77)
HR: Montoya (4), Thomas (4), Shaffer (2)
POG: Thomas 2-5, R, 3 RBI, HR
MacFadden only lasted 3 ⅓ innings…

4/20: MAD 6, AUS 2
WP: Juarez (3-1, 4.76), LP: Duke (1-2, 11.25)
HR: Ramsey (1)
POG: Moore 7 IP, 5 H, R, BB, 8 K (No Decision)
Moore shut down the Mallards for 7 innings, but we scored 5 in the top of the ninth for the come from behind win.

4/21: MAD 4, AUS 2
WP: Juarez (4-1, 4.50), Ramirez (0-1, 6.48), SV: Tavares (6)
HR: Ayala (4), Boucard (4)
POG: Chamings 4-5, R

4/22: AUS 4, MAD 3
WP: Garcia (1-0, 0.93), LP: Tavares (1-2, 3.18)
HR: Lee (2), Hubbard (1), Ramsey (2), Adams (2)
POG: Adams 3-4, R, 2 RBI, 3B

Next Week: 3 vs. Charlotte (12-9), 3 vs. Washington (8-13)


Players of the Week
NL - Anthony Maddox (CHA) - 11-23, 2 HR, 6 RBI
AL - Nick Buck (SA) - 15-33, 3 HR, 9 RBI


Around the League

Who has the richest contracts in the ABL
Wesley Mills, AUS, $28,600,000
Tom Cooley, SF, $23,600,000
Tyson Walker, FRE, $22,100,000
Jim Hayes, SF, $21,000,000
Logan Turner, COL, $20,850,000

[Muskies]

Record: 17-10, .630
Position: 2nd (1 GB behind Columbus)
OBP: .344 (2nd in NL)
Starter ERA: 4.00 (5th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 4.00 (10th in NL)
Defense: .722 (2nd in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Ecstatic
Power Ranking: 114.3 (5th in ABL)

Week: (4-2) - 2-1 vs. Charlotte, 2-1 vs. Washington

4/23 MAD 4, CHA 0
WP: Campbell (2-1, 3.72), LP: Clark (2-2, 4.26)
HR: Benson (4)
POG: Campbell 9.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 9 K,

4/24: CHA 5, MAD 4
WP: Hernandez (2-1, 4.70), LP: MacFadden (0-2, 8.34), SV: Peterson (8)
HR: Rivera (7), Hall (6), Ferguson 2 (4), Martinez (4)
POG: Martinez 3-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR

4/25: MAD 10, CHA 3
WP: Johnson (1-0, 3.32), LP: Mejia (2-2, 6.48),
HR: Rivera (8), Ruiz (1), Kouno (4), Nishikawa (4), Martinez (5)
POG: Rivera 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR

4/27: MAD 7, WAS 4
WP: Davis (2-0, 2.96), MacGruder (1-2, 5.48)
HR: Davis (6), Ruiz 2 (3), Kouno (5), Nishikawa (5)
POG: Ruiz 4-4, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR
Brian Murray (BAL) hit streak has hit 30 games

4/28: MAD 4, WAS 3 (11)
WP: Bishop (2-0, 3.86), LP: Kaufman (0-1, 1.13)
HR: Ruiz (4)
POG: Polledo 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K

4/29: WAS 3, MAD 2
WP: Hunter (3-3, 4.46), LP: Campbell (2-2, 3.72), SV: Mason (7)
HR: Sanchez (4)
POG: Sanchez 1-3, R, 3 RBI, HR

Next Week: 3 @ Detroit, 3 vs. Columbus, 1 @ Kansas City

Players of the Week:
NL: Roberto Feliciano (TB) - 10-17, 2 HR, 7 RBI (1x)
AL: Logan Threlfall (LA) 15-25, 5 HR, 12 RBI

Around the League:
Brian Murray (BAL) hot streak ended at 31 games. (League Record is 35 games by Aki Nishikawa (LA) in 1998.

Who is the active leader in the ABL in career slugging percentage:
Claude Boucard, AUS, .565
Jorge Lucero, CLE, .559
Jim Hayes, SF, .552
David Garcia, LA, .547
Katai Nishikawa, MIL, .540

[Muskies]

Record: 17-17, .500
Position: 4th (6 GB, behind Colubus, Kansas City, Detroit)
OBP: .338 (3rd in NL)
Starter ERA: 4.29 (5th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 5.01 (13th in NL)
Defense: .706 (4th in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Happy
Power Ranking: 76.0-- (23rd in ABL)

Week: (0-7, 0-3 vs. Detroit, 0-3 vs. Columbus, 0-1 vs. Kansas City)

4/30: DET 5, MAD 3
WP: Bly (3-3, 3.3), LP: Hinton (1-1), SV: Santoya (6)
HR: Nishikawa (6), Caine (4)
POG: Caine 2-3, R, 3 RBI, HR

5/1: DET 3, MAD 2
WP: Oyama (3-1, 4.43), LP: Johnson (1-1, 3.29), SV: Santoya (7)
POG: Shaffer 4-5, R

5/2: DET 17, MAD 6
WP: Martin (3-4, 4.33), LP: Davis (2-1, 4.33),
HR: Nishikawa (7), Donovan (3), Ward 2 (9)
POG: Ward 2-4, 4 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR

5/3: COL 8, MAD 5
WP: Castro (5-1, 4.01), LP: Polledo (1-2, 2.88), SV: Limon (10)
HR: Holliday (6), Arguz (1), Ryan (4), Kouno (6)
POG: Colon 7 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, BB, 4 K

5/4: COL 4, MAD 1
WP: Lucas (3-1, 1.39), LP: Campbell (2-3, 4.10), SV: Limon (11)
HR: Martinez (6)
POG: Lucas 8.1 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 K

5/5: COL 2, MAD 0
WP: Holcumb (4-2, 1.79), LP: Johnson (1-2, 2.88), SV: Gonzalez (3)
POG: Holcumb 7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K

5/6: KC 7, MAD 2
WP: Williams (2-1, 2.63), LP: MacFadden (0-3, 7.16)
POG: Williams 8IP, 8 H, ER, 6 K

Next Week: 2 @ Kansas City, 3 vs. Jacksonville, 1 @ Memphis

Players of the Week
NL - Israel Colon (COL) 13-26, 4 HR, 10 RBI
AL - Robert Alvarez (Ft.W) 14-28, 3 HR, 11 RBI

Around the League
4/30 - Mario Gonzalez (NY) earned his 400th save, places him tied for 10th on the all time list

Who is the active leader in the ABL in career runs:
Hollis Lee, NAS, 1525
John Lee, -, 1429
Jarrod Caine, DET, 1358
Hector Dominguez, -, 1330
Tyson Walker, FRE, 1292

Players of the Month

Batter of the Month
NL - Chris Campbell (BAL) - .336, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 16 R
AL - Jorge Lucero (CLE) - .355, 11 HR, 31 RBI, 32 R

Pitcher of the Month
NL - Alfonso Limon (COL) 9 SV, 3-0, 0.56 ERA
AL - Don Daly (HOU) - 5-0, 1.89 ERA

Rookie of the Month
NL - Roberto Feliciano (TAM) - .447, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 12 H
AL - Jonathon Byrd (PHI) - .343, 4 HR, 13 RBI,

Minor League News
- Moreno Valley - Harry Dunn (SP) went 4-0 with an ERA of 0.93

Kage’s Notes

Miguel Ruiz contacted me to let me know that his contract is up and he would like to stay within the Mallard organization. Ruiz is looking for a 3 year deal for $16.5 million dollars. To be determined toward the end of the season.

[Muskies]

It was learned today that Hoyt Miller, the owner of the Ft. Worth Lords, had passed away. No cause of death was announced. The elder Miller has been suffering health problems for the last few years and had already turned over much of the team operation to his son, Hoyt Miller Jr.. Speaking for the family, the Ft. Worth general manager said that Hoyt would assume the club presidency and handle day-to-day operations. The younger Miller Jr. is reputed to be controlling in fiscal matters and understanding in personnel relationships.

[Muskies]

Record: 22-18, .550, 5 GB
Position: 2nd (behind Columbus)
OBP: .337 (5th in NL)
Starter ERA: 4.21 (5th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 5.11 (14th in NL)
Defense: .706 (5th in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Good (down from Happy)
Power Ranking: 104++ (8th in ABL)

Week: 5-1 (1-1 vs. Kansas City, 3-0 vs. Jacksonville, 1-0 vs. Memphis)

5/7: KC 15, MAD 1
WP: Hernandez (2-3, 3.48), Davis (2-2, 5.57)
HR: Chamings (3), Gross (7), Murphy (3), Liu (2), Lara (6), Chavez (7)
POG: Gross 3-6, 2 R, 5 RBI, 3B, HR
Two really poor outings in a row for George Davis, Howell and Jennings, almost a mirror of the 17 to 6 drubbing that they took a week ago. His leash is going to get very short, very quickly.

5/8: MAD 7, KC 4
WP: Polledo (2-2, 3.10), LP: Campbell (2-2, 5.52), SV: Tavares (7)
HR: Smith (4)
POG: Smith 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR

5/10: MAD 5, JAC 1
WP: Campbell (3-3, 3.55), LP: Melanson (1-3, 4.59)
HR: Richards (3), Nishikawa (8)
POG: Campbell 9.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 8 K

5/11: MAD 4, JAC 1
WP: Johnson (2-2, 2.55), LP: Lee (2-3, 6.62), SV: Tavares (8)
HR: Nishikawa (9), Martinez (7)
POG: Johnson 8 IP, ER, BB, 10K

5/12: MAD 3, JAC 1
WP: MacFadden (1-3, 6.39), LP: Souza (3-3, 3.34), SV: Tavares (9)
HR: Chamings 2 (5)
POG: Chamings 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI

5/13: MAD 11, MEM 4
WP: Davis (3-2, 5.49), LP: West (2-7, 5.34)
HR: Nishikawa (10), Ortiz (5), Gardner 2 (6)
POG: Nishikawa 3-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, BB

Players of the Week
NL - Lawrence Davis (BAL) - 14-26, 2 HR, 11 RBI (2x)
AL - Jose Pena (NAS) - 9-17, 4 RBI

Who are the top five hitters in the ABL with Home Runs, while batting behind in the count
Steve Bender, IND, 5
Jonathon Byrd, PHI, 5
Roberto Estrada, CLE 5
Marcos Flores, DET, 5
Chris Campbell, BAL, 4

Mallard News
5/14 - AA - Sergio Morales (LF) - Player of the Week hitting .381, with 6 home runs and 13 RBI
North Berwick Marsupials are Number 1 in AA power rankings, they currently have a record of 25-7.

[Muskies]

Record: 28-19, .596, 3 GB
Position: 2nd (behind Columbus)
OBP: .336 (6th in NL)
Starter ERA: 3.92 (5th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 5.10 (13th in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Happy
Power Ranking: 121.22++ (2nd in ABL)

Week: 6-1, (1-1 vs. Memphis, 3-0 vs. San Francisco, 2-0 vs. Phoenix)

5/14: MEM 12, MAD 1
WP: Warren (2-4, 4.91), LP: Polledo (2-3, 3.13)
HR: Ortiz (6), Bruno (13)
POG: Bruno 2-3, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR
Polledo only lasted ⅓ of inning, he gave up 4 earned runs and was quickly pulled from the game, he did not go down with an injury.

5/15: MAD 10, MEM 9
WP: Campbell (4-3, 3.68), LP: Mizuno (0-3, 6.41), SV: Tavares (10)
HR: Benson (5), Ortiz (7), Rivera (3)
POG: Ortiz 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
Mallards were up up 10-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth and held on for a 10-9 win

5/16: MAD 4, SF 1
WP: Johnson (3-2, 2.22), LP: Swanson (1-4, 5.67), SV: Bishop (2)
POG: Johnson 6.1 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 6 K

5/17: MAD 3, SF 2
WP: Hinton (2-1, 4.00), LP: Magnusson (1-3, 4.04), SV: Tavares (11)
HR: Henson (5)
POG: Hinton 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 K
Mallards scored 3 runs in the first inning and held on for the win

5/18: MAD 3, SF 1
WP: Davis (4-2, 4.82), LP: Cooley (3-4, 4.84), SV: Tavares (12)
HR: Ruiz (5), Hubbard (2)
POG: Davis 7.1 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 4 K

5/19: MAD 3, PHO 1
WP: Juarez (5-1, 5.70), LP: Lyons (1-3, 6.85), SV: Bishop (3)
HR: Nishikawa (11)
POG: Polledo 7.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 7 K

5/20: MAD 5, PHO 4
WP: Campbell (5-3, 3.56), LP: Cadle (3-5, 5.98), SV: Tavares (13)
HR: Huggins (5), Browning (7), Ruiz (6), Martinez (8)
POG: Martinez 2-3, R, 3 RBI, HR

Next Week: 1 vs. Phoenix (18-29), 3 @ New York (25-22), 2 vs. Baltimore (28-19)

Players of the Week
NL - William Lee (DAL) - 11-31, 4 HR, 11 RBI (3x)
AL - Alan Waddingham (HOU) - 13-26, 3 HR, 10 RBI (1x)

In the News
5/16 - Randall Cochran (DAL) has extended his hit streak to 31 games

Who are the youngest players in the ABL:
Juan Quintana, BOS, 18 years, 128 days
Jeff Young, CHA, 19 years, 324 days
Pablo Punay, KC, 20 years, 55 days
Bartolo Garza , LB, 20 years, 302 days
Luis Bermudez, 21 years, 2 days

Mallard News
5/21 - AA - Sergio Morales (LF) - earned players of the week honors hitting .381, 5 HR and 11 RBI
5/21 - North Berwick leads the AA in the power rankings with 132.6, with a record of 28-10.

[Muskies]

For would be rookies, a list of whom was announced today by the league, the wait to find out whether or not they have been selected is excruciating. It’s tough just getting a scout to notice you, to think you are worth investing an organization’s future in. The draft day arrives and you are snatched up by someone you may not have expected. Some will catch on big; others will be away from home for the first time and will struggle to gain a solid footing in the minors. Still others will battle through, gain that coveted footing and go on to a solid professional career.

League officials have made the information available for all clubs in a new section of the Transaction page. Teams now have a chance to scout the draft pool for 30 days before the draft is held.

The top players available (in no particular order) seems to be:

Rich Johnston, 19 year-old third baseman out of college
Frank Adams, 24 year-old first baseman out of college
Joe Thompson, 20 year-old starting pitcher out of college
Eli Dunn, 20 year-old starting pitcher out of college
Ryan Bell, 20 year-old third baseman out of college
Thom Brown, 20 year-old third baseman out of college
Scott Piper, 19 year-old third baseman out of college
Chris Edwards, 20 year-old center fielder out of college
Michael Coleman, 22 year-old shortstop out of college
Antonio Soto, 22 year-old starting pitcher out of college

Mallards have the 23rd pick in the draft and no supplemental picks. A review of the draft pool reveals that it sucks.

[Muskies]

Record: 31-22, .585, 2 GB
Position: 3rd (behind Columbus & Kansas City)
OBP: .333 (6th in NL)
Starter ERA: 4.01 (5th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 4.97 (13th in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Happy
Power Ranking: 108.3-- (8th in ABL)


Week: (3-3) - 1-0 vs. Phoenix, 1-2 vs. New York, 1-1 vs. Baltimore

5/21: MAD 6, PHO 2
WP: Jennings (2-1, 8.53), LP: Lopes (2-6, 4.17)
HR: Ruiz (7)
POG: Ruiz 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR


5/23: NY 7, MAD 2
WP: Potter (2-5, 4.34), LP: MacFadden (1-4, 6.27)
HR: Ricks (5)
POG: Potter 8.1 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 2 K


5/24: NY 3, MAD 1
WP: Robinson (6-3, 3.18), LP: Davis (4-3, 4.78), SV: Gonzalez (9)
POG: Robinson 7.1 IP, 6 H, ER, BB, 5 K


5/25: MAD 3, NY 1
WP: Polledo (3-3, 2.77), LP: Hinojosa (2-2, 2.69), SV: Tavares (14)
HR: Schaefer (2), Martinez (9)
POG: Polledo 7.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K


5/26: MAD 8, BAL 1
WP: Campbell (6-3, 3.22), LP: Higgins (5-5, 3.93)
HR: Campbell (13), Kuono (7)
POG: K. Campbell 7 IP, 3 H, 5 K


5/27: BAL 12, MAD 6
WP: J. MacNamara (4-4, 6.90), LP: A. Johnson (3-3, 3.28)
HR: L. Davis (7)
POG: S. Takeuchi 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI


Next Week: 1 vs. Baltimore (31-22), 3 @ Tampa (22-31), 1 vs. Dallas (33-20)

Players of the Week
NL - John Powell (PHO) 11-24, HR, 6 RBI (1x)
AL - Mike Palmer (CHI) 11-24, 2 HR, 10 RBI (1x)

In the News
5/23 - Long Beach has fired its Manager Paul Brodrick and GM Harvey Widdess to date Long Beach has a record of 13-35, the writing has been on the wall for a couple weeks.

Who holds the ABL single season record for walks
Shuichi Takeuchi, BAL, 22, 2009
Doyle Ellis, -, 19, 1993
Keith Fisher, -, 19, 1992
Armando Macias, -, 18, 1992
Jay Barnett, -, 18, 2005

Mallard News
5/28: Wesley Peters found a shortstop prospect in Venezuela, Lorenzo Oliveira

Kage’s Notes
After a stretch of 13 games, during which we went 12-1, nearly the opposite of the 12 games prior to that where we went 3-9. Stretches like that sure make it difficult to assess any changes that we may need. Our minor league system has moved up a few spots to the #9 spot, which is promising. My scouts tell me the following players are ready for a promotion:

AAA - SP Bartolo Salazar (4-3, 5.26 ERA, 1.39 WHIP)
AAA - CL Marc Huporkorny (1-2, 9 SV, 6.23 ERA, 1.79 WHIP) -
AA - CL Jose Martinez (1-1, 12 SV, 2.60 ERA, .87 WHIP) -promoted to AAA
A - SP Harry Dunn (6-0, 2.40 ERA, .96 WHIP) - promoted to AA
A - SP Lewis Phillips (4-2, 3.26 ERA, 1.10 WHIP)
A - CL Vivien Martin (1-3, 2.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) - promoted to AA
A - 1B - David Jensen - .429/.500/.500 (14 at bats) - promoted to AA
A - CF - Jason Hester - .271/.361/.659, 12 HR - promoted to AA

The following need to be demoted:
AA - 2B Emilio Munoz - .208/.278/.313, 2 HR - demoted to A

At this point we are not going to make any moves at the Major League roster. It generally takes a lot for me to make external roster moves, especially this early in the season, add to that the run that we have been on lately it is hard to mess with.

Scotty Hubbard is close to reaching 10/5 status which will give him the right to veto a trade, however, given that Menenders looks like he will need some more time before he takes over completely. Hubbard does have one more year on his contract which is a player option, which I would expect him to exercise.

[Muskies]

Record: 36-24, .600
Position: t 1st (w/ Columbus)
OBP: .336 (6th in NL)
Starter ERA: 4.03 (5th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 4.86 (14th in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Very Happy
Power Ranking: 113.0++ (4th in ABL)

Week: (5-2) - 0-1 vs. Baltimore, 3-0 vs. Tampa, 2-1 vs. Dallas

5/28: BAL 9, MAD 4
WP: Leon (7-3, 4.36), LP: MacFadden (1-5, 7.07)
HR: Campbell (14), Brown (6)
POG: C. Campbell 1-5, R, 3 RBI, HR

5/29: MAD 7, TAM 4
WP: Davis (5-3, 4.55), LP: Bonnet (3-4, 3.14)
HR: Nishikawa (12), Ray (3)
POG: Menenders 2-4, 4 RBI, 2B, 3B

5/30: MAD 3, TAM 2
WP: Polledo (4-3, 2.76), LP: Lane (1-5, 4.91), SV: Tavares (15)
HR: J. Owens (3)
POG: J. Owens - 3-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR

5/31: MAD 4, TAM 1
WP: K. Cambpell (7-3, 3.04), LP: Pickett (4-5, 4.40), SV: Tavares (16)
HR: Martinez (10)
POG: K. Campbell 7.1 IP, 5 H, ER, 5 K
Campbell has won his last 5 starts and has pitched through into at least the seventh inning in his last 10 starts.
We have moved MacFadden back into bullpen and place P. Juarez back into the rotation.

6/1: MAD 9, DAL 0
WP: P. Juarez (6-1, 4.54), LP: Crespo (8-3, 3.66)
HR: S. Hubbard (3), G. Martinez (11)
POG: P. Juarez 8 IP, 3 H, 4 K
At least in his first start Juarez was is a considerable upgrade from MacFadden.

6/2: DAL 3, MAD 2
WP: L. Castillo (7-6, 3.34), LP: A. Johnson (3-4, 3.34), J. McCoy (17)
HR: C. Ryan (5), J. Benson (6)
POG: L. Castillo - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K


6/3: MAD 12, DAL 11
WP: A. Davila (2-0, 4.64), LP: T. Steel (0-4, 5.31)
HR: R. Cochran (10), J. Diaz (5), W. Lee (8), M. Kuono (8)
POG: J. Diaz 3-5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 3B, HR
Mallards were down 11-3 going into the bottom of the ninth and came to score 9 runs for the win, Incredible!!
Next week: 3 @ Mesa (33-27), 3 vs. Austin (27-33)


Players of the Week
NL: J. Montoya (MES) - 13-30, 4 HR, 9 RBI (2x)
AL: L. Threlfall (LA) - 13-30, 3 HR, 7 RBI (3x)

In the News
5/30: B. Murray (BAL) 27 year-old shortstop signed a six year $96 million contract. Murray is a .262 hitter with 68 home in six season in the ABL.
5/30: C. Patterson (MES) 30 year-old center fielder signed a six year $81 million contract. Patterson is a .273 hitter with 70 home runs in five ABL seasons. Patterson has been listed a fragile in recent years. Patterson is a 3 time best fielder award winner. I high risk sign into mid 30’s if injured or loses a step.

Which starting pitchers are leading the ABL in K/BB
John Conway, MES, 15.25
Rhett McGinnity, PHO, 7.25
Maximo Hernandez, KC, 6.07
Kenny Campbell, MIL, 5.92
Jose Souza, JAC, 5.41

Mallard News
5/29: A. Vincent Houston (AAA) struck out 16 batters in 7 innings of work
5/31 - AA Centerfielder - S. Morales was the batter of the month hitting .298, 15 HR, and 36 RBI
6/1 - A 3B C. Hinojosa was batter of the month - 14-24, 2 HR< 7 RBI
6/1 - AA North Berwick is number one in the power rankings at 131.5

Kage Notes:
- A. MacFadden & G. Davis - will consider trading to make room for B. Salazar & V. Houston.

Player of the Month Awards

Hitter of the Month
NL - Stanley Davis (WAS) - .328, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 18 R (3x)
AL - Alan Waddingham (HOU) - .416, 7 HR, 29 RBI (1x)

Pitcher of the Month
NL - Vernon Holcum (COL) - 5-1, 41 K in 6 starts (1x)
AL - Jose Lopez (PHI) - 2-0, 11 SV, 20 K in 15 appearances (1x)

Rookie of the Month
NL - Jeff Young (CHA) - .340, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 16 R
AL - Jonathon Byrd (PHI) - .290, 27 H, 13 HR, 26 RBI
________________________________________
ABL NEWS
The Madison Mallards have finished a deal with All-star caliber starting pitcher Jose Polledo that will extend his stay in Madison at least 4 years and will pay out $20 million / $5 million per year.

This year Polledo has recorded a 4-3 mark. In 12 starts he has fanned 55 batters in 81.2 innings with a 2.76 ERA.

Kage’s Reasoning
J. Polledo was going to be entering into his arbitration years, and his estimate for next year was $4.8 million. He is a solid pitcher and I fully expected this number to rise over the next three years. This will lock him at a consistent salary through arbitration and into his first year of free agency.

[Muskies]

Record: 41 - 25, .621, 1 GB
Position: 2nd (behind Columbus)
OBP: .338 (5th in NL)
Starter ERA: 3.88 (3rd in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 4.78 (14th in NL)
Defense: .710 (2nd in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: Delighted / 100 (up from Very Happy)
Power Ranking: 120.9 o (4th in ABL)

Week: (5-1) 2-1 vs. Mesa, 3-0 vs. Austin

6/5: MAD 1, MES 0
WP: J. Polledo (5-3, 2.53), LP: T. Wilson (3-6, 3.17), SV: Tavares (17)
POG: J. Polledo 7.1 IP, H, 4 BB, 8 K (Game Score - 80)

6/6: MAD 6, MES 0
WP: K. Campbell (8-3, 2.76), LP: A. Johnston (5-3, 4.28)
HR: M. Kuono (9)
POG: K. Campbell - 8.0 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K

6/7: MES 9, MAD 6
WP: S. Rivera (2-2, 3.15), LP: Juarez (6-2, 5.61), SV: Salazar (13)
HR: R. Menenders (1), M. Ruiz (8), C. Patterson 2 (10),
POG: C. Patterson 3-5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR
Juarez in his second start only lasted 1 ⅔ innings allowing 6 earned runs, the opposite from his previous start.

6/8: MAD 11, AUS 4
WP: A. Johnson (4-4, 3.14), LP: B. Juarez (0-2, 7.36)
HR: L. Black (1)
POG: A. Johnson 7.0 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 4 K

6/9: MAD 4, AUS 3 (10)
WP: J. Tavares (2-2, 2.30), LP: I. Garcia (3-3, 3.34)
HR: M. Ruiz (9)
POG: M. Ruiz 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR

6/10: MAD 11, AUS 3
WP: Polledo (6-3, 2.59), LP: Lopez (5-4, 4.40)
HR: J. Salazar (1), T. Lee (3), M. Ruiz (10), S. Hubbard (4),
POG: T. Lee 2-4, R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR

Next Week: 3 @ Charlotte (34-32), 3 @ Washington (30-36)

Players of the Week
NL: M. Ruiz (MAD) - 10-23, 3 HR, 10 RBI (3x)
AL: T. Allende (CLE) - 11-23, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 8 R

In the News
6/6: B. Lane (DET) hit his 300th career home run.
6/9: C. Kelley (CHI) get hit number 2000
6/10: E. Jackson (TAM) get his 200th career hit

Who holds the single season record in ABL for isolated power (ISO):
Alan Johnson, -, 3607, 1994
Jay Miller, -, 3517, 1992
Ryan Sharpe, -, 3434, 1995
Landon Boyd, -, 3396, 1997
Mathew Douglas, -, 3298, 1990

[Muskies]

Record: 44-28, .611, 2 GB
Position: 2nd (behind Columbus)
OBP: .335 (4th in the NL)
Starter ERA: 4.00 (6th in NL)
Bullpen ERA: 4.72 (13th in NL)
Fan Interest / Owner Mood: 100 / Very Happy
Power Ranking: (113.0, -) 6th in the ABL

Week: (3-3), 3-2 vs. Charlotte, 1-2 vs. Washington

6/11: MAD 9, CHA 5
WP: K. Campbell (9-3, 2.84), LP: De La Rosa (1-1, 3.91), SV: L. Bishop (4)
HR: K. Nishikawa (13)
POG: K. Nishikawa 2-5, R, 5 RBI, HR

6/12: MAD 9, CHA 6 (11)
WP: M. Farias (2-1, 3.38), LP: L. Peterson (4-3, 1.91)
HR: K. Nishikawa (14), D. Chamings (6), L. Thompson (2)
POG: K. Nishikawa 2-6, R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR

6/13: CHA 3, MAD 2 (11)
WP: J. Lara (1-1, 11.35), LP: A. Davila (2-1, 6.04)
HR: M. Ruiz (11), A. Ojeda (8), J. Lagden (3)
POG: M. Ruiz 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR

6/14: WAS 8, MAD 7 (12)
WP: D. Wade (2-1, 4.41), LP: M. Howell (0-1, 8.55)
HR: C. Ryan 2 (7), M. Ruiz (12), D. Kelly (13)
POG: C. Ryan 2-6, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR
Three extra innings in a row has left my bullpen pretty depleted…

6/15: WAS 8, MAD 2
WP: D. MacGruder (4-5, 3.75), LP: K. Campbell (9-4, 3.02), SV: J. Kaufman (2)
HR: D. Kelly (14), S. Davis (19), J. Sanchez (15)
POG: D. Kelly 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR

6/16: MAD 9, WAS 4
WP: J. Polledo (7-3, 2.74), LP: R. Stewart (2-3, 6.57)
HR: J. Benson (7), M. Ruiz (13), G. Martinez (12), M. Hayashida (9)
POG: G. Martinez (2-3, R, 3 RBI, HR)

Next Week: 3 vs. Detroit, All Star Game, 1 @ Columbus

Players of the Week
NL – Ed Etheridge (PHO) – 12-36, HR, 6 RBI
AL – Hwi-gon Kim (HOU) – 11 hits, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R

Who holds the single season record in the ABL for intentional walks:
Shuichi Takeuchi, BAL, 22, 2009
Doyle Ellis, -, 19, 1993
Keith Fisher, -, 18, 1993
Jay Barnett, -, 18, 2005
Armando Macias, - , 18, 1992

Mallard News
6/17 – North Berwick (AA) is ranked number one in the power rankings (133.9+)