The Mallards

[Muskies]

2012 Division Series

Madison Mallards (93-69) vs. Baltimore Pinnacles (92-70)
Game 3 (Kenny Campbell vs. Albert Higgins) _ teammates from 2009

Key Moment: Baltimore showed up the ballpark… Madison took the lead in the bottom of the second but that evaporated by the fifth inning and Baltimore never looked back.

BAL 8, MAD 2
WP: A. Higgins (1-0, 2.84), K. Campbell (0-1, 9.00)
HR: C. Malone (1), L. Davis (1), J. Davis (1), K. Nishikawa (2)
POG: J. Davis 2-3, R, 2 RBI, HR

Baltimore wins the Series 3-0

Other Games
Dallas defeats Columbus 7-1 (Dallas leads series 2-1)
Ft. Worth defeats Cleveland 5-0 (Ft. Worth leads series 2-1)
Indianapolis defeats San Jose 11-7 (Indianapolis leads series 2-1)

[Muskies]

Dallas defeats Cleveland

The Dallas Harpies are the best team in the American Baseball League!

They did it by knocking off the Cleveland Venturers 3-0 today at Venturers Stadium to win the World Series 4-1.

It was Dallas’ first championship.

“This team’s got a lot of heart,” the champs manager said. “We worked really hard. We just beat a very, very good team, an excellent team. We had to do the little things.”

Dallas wrapped up the regular season with an 88-74 record and finished first in the National League Western Division.

Dallas clinched the division on the last game of the season, without which they wouldn’t have even mad the playoffs. Their chances were buoyed when All-Star third basemen Tomas “Big Stick” Allenade was ejected and suspended for four games after the first game for arguing a call with the ref.

[Muskies]

We ended up meeting the owners expectations of making the playoff’s this year. On top of that we were able to provide the Stuarts with a profit of $3.6 million, far short of the previous season, but we lost a significant amount of playoff revenue by getting swept out of the playoffs.

Our starting pitching really came up short in the postseason. They went into the playoffs ranked second in the National League in ERA and runs allowed, but they couldn’t slow down the offense powerhouse of Baltimore. The Starters really had a difficult time making it deep into the games, thus placing a higher reliance on the bullpen, which performed as needed. With the exception of Game 3 we scored runs, but just came up short.

I guess it is time to take a short vacation, since I didn’t get one last year and watch the rest of the playoff’s before diving into the offseason and the 2013 season.

[Muskies]

Overall, a solid season, I don’t really have complaints. I continue to struggle putting together a bullpen that I can rely on to finish the game. We did see some improvement at the end of the year with L. Bishop and A. Garcia, both are already under contract for the next couple of years. Another bright spot in the bullpen is M. Huporkorny.

Mallard Minor Leagues
- Moreno Valley wins the Single A championship defeating Riverside 4 games to 0
- Minneapolis wins the Rookie league championship defeating Ft. Payne 4 games to 3
- Moreno Valley (A) players Ignaty Gailish (CF) and Roger Dillard (RF) have decided to retire

Around the League

The end of the season brings changes to many organizations:

- Jacksonville (70-92) has let go GM Marc Bailey
- Tampa (72-90) released Manager Kerry Robertson
- Memphis (79-83) fired manager Rafael Jiminez
- Joe Haney was fired as the GM of Queens (68-94)
- Nashville (79-83) has released GM Juan Zamora
- Houston (83-79) has fired GM Robinson Espinoza
- Jim Key has been fired as manager of Oklahoma City (67-95)
- San Antonio (76-86) fires GM Blake Young
- Ramiro Chavez has fired as manager of San Antonio (76-86)
- Los Angeles (84-78) has fired manager Manny Garcia

[Muskies]

The 2012 postseason is over and the baseball landscape is silent. But beneath this veneer of serenity tension is building. American Baseball League clubs are preparing for a long offseason of trades, speculation, contract negotiations and preparations for next year. While it won’t be baseball, exactly, onlookers will grudgingly take it as a substitute until teams head into preseason camps.

My To Do List

- Address open coaching positions
- Arbitration
- Roster Analysis
- Rule 5 Draft
- Winter Meetings and Free Agents

Open Coaching positions

We have had the following personnel retire at the end of their seasons:

- Moreno Valley (A) pitching coach Greg Hogan has decided to retire
- Minneapolis pitching coach Harry Oliver has decided to retire
- North Berwick pitching coach Cesar Ortiz has decided to retire
- Louisville (AAA) manager Mauro Ojeda has decided to retire

Offered the AA Pitching Coach role to 50 year old Javier Robles (3 yrs @ $190,000), declined the position. Offered the job to 45 year old Todd Gibbons (3 yrs @ $190,000), he subsequently signed the offer
Offered the A pitching coach role to 50 year old Travis Fuller (3 yrs @ $150,000), subsequently signed the deal.
Offered the R pitching coach role to 45 year old Bill Monroe (2 yrs at $100,000), subsequently signed the deal
Offered the AAA Manager role to 45 year old Antan Morbey ( 3 yrs @ $520,000), subsequently signed the deal.

[Muskies]

- As I expected K. Campbell voided the final year of his contract to test free agency
- S. Hubbard executed the final year of his contract

The following players are arbitration eligible:

MR – Alejandro Garcia (4-5, 7 SV, 2.95 ERA, 79.1 IP) – Current Salary $700,000 Team Offers $850,000, to receive $900,000
CL – Albert Davila (2-2, 7.78 ERA, 39.1 IP) – Current Salary $402,000, Withdrew arbitration, he hasn’t seen much time over the last two years and I don’t see a future for him on the Mallards
CL – Manual Farias (5-4, 1 SV, 3.88 ERA, 69.2 IP) Current Salary $402,000 Team Offers $850,000 (Super 2 case) to received $850,000
C – Roberto Menenders (.235/.307/.380, 4 HR) Current Salary $402,000 Team Offers (Super 2 case), to receive $850,000
SS – John Benson (.248/.301/.358, 8 HR, 3 SB) Current Salary $2.2 million, Team Offers $2.6 million, to received $2.6 million
SS – Christian Ryan (.289/.331/.448, 12 HR, 16 SB) Current Salary $402,000, Team Offers $3 million, to receive $3.9 million
LF – Gerardo Martinez (.307/.349/.511 28 HR, 23 SB) Current Salary $7.5 million, Team offers $10 million. Signed him to a three year deal at $18 million per year. Expensive, but worth the investment and with the Campbell contract coming off the books we have the room. Fan interest increased.
LF – John Thomas – did not get an at bat, we will withdraw arbitration
RF – Steve Shaffer (.281/.333/.369, 4 HR, 25 RBI) Current Salary $2 million, Team Offers $3 million, to receive $3 million

The following two players are Free Agency Eligible

Kenny Campbell (18-10, 3.16) Current Salary $12.7 million and compensation eligible, Campbell voided the last year of his contract to test free agency.
Miguel Ruiz (.269/.328/.442, 23 HR) Current Salary $13.9 million – not compensation eligible, looking for 5 years at $11.5 million, I offered 3 years at $9/$9.5/$10 million with the third year the team option. He can still be a productive player and defensively is solid. He agreed to the deal and fan interest increased because of it.
Kansas City signed RF Alex Bruno to a 7 year $128 million contract, last year he hit .282/.372/.527 with 19 HR, and 92 RBI. Seems like a stretch…


After arbitration our payroll comes in at $111 million, allowing me $3 million for free agents and $24 million for contract extensions.

[Muskies]

NL Gold Glove Wizards

Pitcher: D. Magnusson (San Francisco)_(1x)
Catcher: D. Browning (Phoenix)_(1x)
First Base: P. Ramos (Memphis)_(2x)
Second Base: D. Perez (Memphis)_(2x)
Third Base: M. Snyder (Memphis)_(2x)
Short Stop: F. Rivera (Memphis)_(2x)
Left Field: M. Rivera (Charlotte)_(1x)
Center Field: C. Patterson (Mesa)_(1x)
Right Field: C. Malone (Baltimore)_(1x)

- The entire infield of Memphis won gold gloves, yet the team went 79-83 and their manager was fired.

AL Gold Glove Wizards

Pitcher: R. Martinez (Cleveland)_(1x)
Catcher: B. Snow (Long Beach)_(1x)
First Base: M. Colon (Boston)_(3x)
Second Base: W. Song (Indianapolis)_(2x)
Third Base: R. Buenvenida (Long Beach)_(1x)
Short Stop: L. Wagner (Nashville)_(2x)
Left Field: J. Sanders (Oklahoma City)_(1x)
Center Field: G. Flowers (Los Angeles)_(2x)
Right Field: J. Gallegos (Oklahoma City)_(1x)

I don't generally get involved in voting for the awards, but these feel a little out of whack I will pay closer attention next year.

Rookie of the Year
NL – Ross Richards (JAC) - .287, 20 HR, 82 RBI, 76 R
AL – R. Holland (HOU) - .290, 15 HR, 84 RBI, 119 R

Manager of the Year
NL – E. McCarthy (DAL) (1x)
AL – J. Ruiz (SJ) (1x)

Pitcher of the Year
NL – J. Conway (MES) – 20-7, 2.93 ERA (1x)
AL – J. Alfonso (IND) – 18-5, 2.98 (2x)

Outstanding Hitter
NL – B. Lane (DET) - .300, 53 HR, 135 RBI, 126 R (1x)
AL – A. Waddingham (HOU) - .353, 27 HR, 117 RBI, 133 R (1x)


Minneapolis SP Will Harmon won the Outstanding Pitcher Award (7-2, 1.96 ERA)

[Muskies]

I have just decided upon your budget for the upcoming season. You will have $144 million available for the total team expenses. I have also set the suggest budget for the first year player draft at $6.8 million. You may spend more than that in the draft, but the additional costs will be deducted from your money you have available for signing free agents or contract extensions.

You time until the end of the pre-season to set your scouting and player development budget.

Good Luck!
Chad Stuart Jr.

The budget is up $2 million from last year. Our current payroll budget is at $105 million and I have an outstanding contract offer to Miguel Ruiz for $9 million. I will look to move S. Hubbard this offseason and rely on R. Menenders, he is the better defensive option. I am hoping to keep the payroll around the $110 million mark, where it was last year. That will allow me to keep the same budget for scouting and player development while breaking even.

[Muskies]

Starting Pitching

With the departure of K. Campbell our starting rotation looks to be J. Polledo, P. Juarez, A. Johnson, V. Houston, and B. Salazar. The top three starters combined for 35 wins and all had an ERA of under 4.00

Closer
L. Bishop will go into the offseason as the closer.

Relievers

J. Tavarea and M. Farias will be the setup men in the 7th and 8th innings.

The rest of the bullpen will consist of the M. Huporkorny, A. Garcia and M. Hinton.

By all accounts this looks to be a stronger group than we had in place last year

Infield

Catcher – At this time this will continue to be the tag team of R. Menenders and S. Hubbard. I will continue to actively shop Hubbard to get my payroll down to a more appropriate level. While Hubbard has the better bat, Menenders it far better defensively.

First Base – K. Nishikawa(.269/.342/.548, 41 HR, 129 RBI) will be the starting first baseman. Not the best defensively, but a bat we have to have in the lineup.

Second Base – M Kouno (.263/.359/.453, 23 HR, 76 RBI) – Kouno has a strong bat and is rock solid defensively.

Third Base – M. Ruiz (.269/.328/.442, 23 HR, 82 RBI) – played himself into a contract extension in the second half of the season. Strong defensively at thirdbase.

Short Stop – C. Ryan (.289/.331/.448, 12 HR, 87 RBI, 16 SB) – Strong defensive shortstop who has developed into a solid contact hitter. Fits nicely into the number 2 slot.

Utility
John Benson (.248/.301/.358, 8 HR, 37 RBI) saw action in 129 games last season and can play all of the infield positions

Thomas Lee – another infielder who can play all of the infield positions, saw limited action in 41 games hitting .202

Outfield
Left Field – G. Martinez (.307/.349/.511, 28 HR, 112 RBI, 23 SB) perennial All Star who we just signed to a three year deal at $18 million per year. He is currently 24 years old, and this will buy out his last year of arbitration and two more years.

Center Field – D. Chamings (.310/.386/.456, 19 HR, 81 RBI) had one of his best season last year and saw action in 154 games tying his career high.

Right Field – S. Shaffer (.281/.333/.369, 4 HR, 49 RBI, 25 SB) – S. Shaffer has gold glove potential, but doesn’t give you the traditional power associated with position

Utility
N. Schaefer – plays all the outfield positions and provides solid contact at the plate.

J. Osorio – provides depth the right and left fields, could have a solid career but not spectacular

[Muskies]

Free Agent Signings

• K. Campbell signed a 5 year $76 million with Detroit; if I could have picked one team for him not to go to that would have been it. Detroit finished 5 games behind us in the division and the Wild Card race.
• Detroit also signed SP Leland Lee (34/L/4.5*) - (19-8, 5.19) – Detroit is putting themselves in a pretty good position to make a run at the Wildcard.
• Fresno signed 3B J. Harding signs to a 7 year $97 million deal and 1B S. Davis to a 5 year $93 million deal, those two players now account for 25% of their payroll.
• Dave Hansen signed a 5 year $70 million contract with Austin. He finally got his deal.

Scouting Finds:

Wesley Peters had a busy offseason traveling the globe. He identified the following prospects:

- 16 year old catcher Matt Reardon in Canada
- 16 year old starting pitcher Kiyomitsu Terada in Japan
- 16 year old starting pitcher Shusui Kato in Japan
- 16 year old 1B, Luis Salazar in Puerto Rico
- 16 year old SP, Santiago Gonzalez in the Dominican Republic
- 16 year old SP, Pablo Rivas in Mexico
- 16 year old CF, Everton Sherston from Aruba
-

[Muskies]

At this point we have 24 men slated in on the 25 man roster and 38 men on the 40 man roster. We have room to pick up a player in the rule 5 draft if there is one we like, we have a number of players unprotected, but non whom I see have a significant future on the ML roster.

We did not select any players in the Rule 5 draft. We did loose AA Catcher Cipriano Santos and AAA SP George Davis in the draft. Neither had a significant future within the Mallard organization.

[Muskies]

What I am missing in the organization is a number one pitcher. I have had some middle rotation pitchers, Polledo, Johnson, Juarez outperform their expectations. K. Campbell was close but he was still a solid number 2. I don’t traditionally make a lot of moves in the offseason and the Winter Meetings, but I am really looking for that ace. The closest we have is a 17 year old from Japan who recently went from the international pool to the rookie league.

There are two available through Free Agency:

- Stu Myers (37/R/5*/WAR 5.1) – (15-15, 3.96) – He is looking for a two year deal at $17 million per year. He is not prone to injury and looks to have a couple of years left in him. Signed a 2 yr $32 million deal on December 3rd.
- Jeff Campbell (33/R/4.5*/WAR 5.5) – (14-6, 3.72) – He is injury prone and is looking for a two year deal at $19 million per year. Signed a 2 year $32 million deal with NY on December 15th.

Trades are a possibility, but the offensive sacrifice would likely have to include either Nishikawa or Martinez, who at this point are the cornerstones of the organization.

With our current staff I think we can remain competitive, but a playoff run would be a stretch. I am continuing to struggle with the S. Hubbard contract. I have successfully angered him through shopping various deals and the only trades are for like contracts, which leaves me right where I am at. I could take on the contract and hope to recoup the loss through a potential playoff run, or I take my chances with the current roster and get a fresh start next year when his contract comes off the payroll. Next year I have S. Hubbard come off the payroll, D. Chamings $17 million is a team option. The only contract expiring is P. Juarez, who is looking at 4 years $11.5 per year.

December 4, 2012
Madison, Jacksonville Trade Stars

Madison announced a major trade of marquee ballplayers with the Jacksonville Claymores. Though the Mallards must part with 34 year old catcher Scotty Hubbard, the will received in exchange 30 year old starting pitcher Jose Souza. The Madison GM told reporters that this trade would make them a better ballclub.

Hubbard has played in 1279 games and is hitting .274 lifetime with 766 RBIs, 1281 hits, 252 doubles, 16 triples and 203 home runs. He has scored 686 and 1 stolen base.

Thus far in his career, Souza has worked 2060 innings with 2019 strikeouts en route to 128-113 record. The 30 year old also has a 3.46 ERA.

This gives me the arm that I was looking for at the top of the rotation. Souza has three years remaining on his contract at $15.5 million per year, with the last year being a player option. Let’s hope that he pitches will enough to void the final year of the contract. It puts this year payroll at $111 million for 2013 and $106.5 million for 2014. No impact to fan support, as both are extremely popular players. This leaves us a catcher short at the major league level. Our top prospect is Jim Bell who will begin season at AAA Louisville. We also have G. Lucero at the AAA level who already expects to be in the ABL. I will look to add another AAA pitcher to compete for the back up spot behind R. Menenders.

[Muskies]

The big news for the Mallards in the off season was the trade of S. Hubbard to Jacksonville for SP Jose Souza. S. Hubbard was a contract that I had been looking to unload for quite some time. I did pick up an additional two years of payroll at $15 million, and I certainly hope that it will be money well spent, but only time will tell.

The Big Movers in the offseason were by WAR gained/lost:
1. Austin +13.4
2. Fresno +12.0
3. San Francisco +8.4
4. Cleveland +5.7
5. Long Bearch +5.6
28. Ft. Worth Lords – (7.4)
29. Baltimore – (7.6)
30. San Antonio – (8.9)
31. Indianapolis – (10.7)
32. Memphis – (10.9)

Mallards came in at #8 with a WAR gained of +1.6

Mallards big gains and losses included:

Gains
SP Jose Souza 6.1

Losses
SP Kenny Campbell 5.2 WAR
C Scotty Hubbard 0.8 WAR
MR George Davis 0.3 WAR

Top Prospects (we have the 4th ranked minor league system)

#2 SP Kiyomasu Fujita (R) – 18 year old
#17 1B - Allan Stephans (AAA) - 21 year old
#18 SS – Trevor Carlson (A) – 20 year old

[Muskies]

Spring Training Begins

- The Mallards went 20-4 during Spring Trainings
- J. Polledo sustained a minor injury and was sidelined for a week, but will be ready for opening day
- D. Chamings hit .361 with 6 HR and 24 RBI
- C. Ryan hit .339
- K. Nishikawa had 6 home runs but only hit .242
- V. Houston was 3-0, 1.80 ERA
- J. Souza was 2-0, 3.26 ERA
- L. Bishop had 8 saves and 0.77 ERA


Season Expectations
I have now decided the goal for the coming season. After evaluating several factors, I have come to the conclusion that the team should at least reach the playoffs!

Good Luck!
Chad Stuart, Jr.


Preseason Predictions

NL East – Washington (89-73)
NL Central – Madison (94-68)
NL West – Austin (92-70)
WC – tie between Kansas City and Dallas (90-72)

Top Hitters
#1 K. Nishikawa
#8 G. Martinez

Top Pitchers
#1 J. Souza
#9 J. Polledo

AL East – Philadelphia (99-63)
AL Central – Ft. Worth (93-69)
NL West – San Jose (100-62)
WC – Los Angeles (89-73)

Opening Day Line Up

2013 2012
SP – J. Souza J. Polledo

LF – S. Shaffer RF – N. Shaefer
SS – C. Ryan CF – D. Chamings
RF – G. Martinez LF – G. Martinez
1B – K. Nishikawa DH – K. Nishikawa
2B – M. Kouno 2B – M. Kouno
CF – D. Chamings 3B – M. Ruiz
3B – M. Ruiz SS – C. Ryan
C – R. Meneders C – R. Menenders
DH – J. Osorio 1B – J. Benson


First Week Schedule:

- 3 @ Dallas, 3 vs. New York, 1 @ Charlotte

Around the League
- Right Fielder C. Lee (IND) has his career ended by a torn labrum

[Muskies]

Week 1

Record: 4-3, .571, 1 GB
Position: 4th (behind Tampa, Columbus,
Runs Scored: 38 (7th in NL)
Runs Against: 34 (t-8th in NL)
Defense: .742 (1st in NL)
Owner Mood / Fan Interest: Delighted / 100
Power Ranking: 105.9 ++ / 11th in ABL

Week (4-3) : 1-2 vs. Dallas, 2-1 vs. New York, 1-0 vs. Charlotte

4/1: MAD 6, DAL 3
WP: J. Souza (1-0, 2.25), LP: P. Fisher (0-1, 4.91)
HR: M. Kouno (1), S. Shaffer 2 (2)
POG: S. Shaffer 3-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR
C. Ryan was injured in the 3rd inning and had to leave the game. Out for 2-3 weeks with an intercostal strain. He will go on the 15 day DL and we will call up 2B C. Garcia from AAA
Dallas had the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth with one out, but only managed to get one run across.

4/2: DAL 6, MAD 5 (10)
WP: J. McCoy (1-0, 0.00), LP: L. Bishop (0-1, 9.00)
HR: K. Nishikawa (1), D. Chamings (1)
POG: D. Chamings 2-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
D. Chamings was injured on a defensive play. He will be out for 3 week with a strained back. He will go on 15 day disabled list. We will call up LF S. Morales from AAA and S. Shaffer will slide into center and N. Schaefer will move into left field

- An ominous start for the 2013 Mallards having two players go on the DL in the first two games.

4/3: DAL 5, MAD 2
WP: T. Kennedy (1-0, 2.70), LP: P. Juarez (0-1, 9.64), SV: A. Canales (1)
HR: S. Chavez (1), D. Hansen (1)
POG: S. Chavez 2-4, R, 2 RBI

4/4: MAD 8, NY 5
WP: A. Johnson (1-0, 4.50), LP: H. Young (0-1, 10.80), SV: L. Bishop (1)
POG: R. Menenders 2-3, 2 R, RBI

4/5: NY 9, MAD 4
WP: A. Austin (1-0, 3.68), LP: V. Houston (0-1, 12.60)
HR: J. Lopez (1), L. Stevenson (1), D. Johnson (1), C. Phillips (1), M. Ruiz (1), K. Nishikawa 2 (3)
POG: K. Nishikawa 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI

4/6: MAD 2, NY 1
WP: M Farias (1-0, 1.93), LP: P. Wilson (0-1, 4.50)
HR: J. Lopez (2)
POG: J. Lopez 3-4, R, RBI, 2B, HR

4/7: MAD 11, CHA 5
WP: B. Salazar (1-0, 2.84), F. McCord (1-1, 6.00)
HR: D. Hall (1)
POG: S. Shaffer 4-5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B
J. Polledo was injured pitching in the bottom of the 1st inning, listed as day to day with a mild oblique strain.

Next Week: 2 @ Charlotte (1-6), 3 vs. Detroit (0-7), 1 @ Mesa (4-3)

Players of Week:
NL – J. Settles 13-30, 3 HR, 10 RBI (2x)
AL – L. Threlfall 17-35, 3 HR, 9 RBI, (5x)

Who are the active leaders in the ABL in career home runs:
Hollis Lee, WAS, 522
Hector Dominguez, SP, 481
Jim Hayes, SF, 438
Carl Stevenson, SF, 409
Jorge Sanchez, WAS, 399

Mallard News
- W. Peters finds 16 year SP Jose Flores in Mexico

Around the League
- SP Stu Myers (LA) is out for 4 months with a forearm inflammation (dodged a bullet there…)
- E. West (MEM) earned win #200 of his career
- V. Valentin (MES) got the 2000th hit of his career
- A. Limon (COL) earned his 400th save
- RF J. Sanchez (WAS) will miss 8 months with a torn ACL
- RF C. Kelley (CLE) will miss 4 weeks with a strained oblique
- SP M. Hernandez (KC) will be out 4 weeks with a strained hamstring
-

[Muskies]

Record: 8-5, .615, 1 GB
Position: t-2nd with Memphis, behind Tampa
Runs Scored: 68 (6th in NL)
Runs Against: 61 (t-8th in NL)
Defense: .690 (4th in NL)
Owner Mood / Fan Interest: Very Happy / 100
Power Ranking: 115.8 ++ (8th in ABL)

Week (4-2) – 1-1 vs. Charlotte, 2-1 vs. Detroit, 1-0 vs. Mesa

4/8: MAD 5, CHA 3
WP: P. Juarez (1-1, 6.35), LP: T. Oglethorpe (0-2, 5.84), SV: L. Bishop (2)
HR: A. Maddox (3)
POG: S. Shaffer 2-5, R, 2 RBI

4/9: CHA 4, MAD 2
SSWP: J. Johnston (1-0, 5.73), LP: A. Johnson (1-1, 5.11), SV: M. Cruz (2)
HR: C. Conley 2 (6)
POG: C. Conley 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR

4/10: MAD 9, DET 6
WP: V. Houston (1-1, 10.80), LP: J. Stonehouse (0-2, 15.43), SV: L. Bishop (3)
HR: R. Ward (2), M. Ruiz (2), G. Martinez (1)
POG: R. Ward 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR
V. Houston loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the 4th and struck out the next three batters

4/11: MAD 7, DET 6
WP: M. Huporkorny (1-0, 2.57), LP: N. Reeves (0-1, 15.43), SV: L. Bishop (3)
HR: R. Alexander (2), G. Martinez (2), J. Osoria (1)
POG: G. Martinez 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR in the seventh inning to put the Mallards ahead
First game against former Mallard K. Campbell. It was a hyped a showdown between K. Campbell and J. Souza, both pitched ok, but neither earned the decision.

4/12: DET 6, MAD 3
WP: L. Lee (1-2, 7.07), LP: J. Polledo (0-1, 5.93), SV: R. Rivera (2)
HR: J. Osorio (2)
POG: R. Crus 4-4, 3 R, RBI, 3B
J. Benson was injured in a collision at a base. He will miss 4 weeks with an injured finger. We have a hole to fill for the 5 days until C. Ryan returns from his injury. We will give AAA 1B M. Fiadeiro a few days in the majors, slide M. Ruiz to shortstop and put T. Lee at 3B. The number of injuries are becoming troublesome.

4/14: MAD 4, MES 2
WP: P. Juarez (2-1, 4.91), LP: A. Johnston (0-1, 3.86), SV: L. Bishop
HR: M. Kouno (2), R. Debach (2)
POG: R. Debach 3-4, 2 R, RBI, HR

Next Week: 3 @ Mesa (7-6), 3 vs. Austin (6-7), 2 @ Phoenix (8-5)

Players of the Week:
NL – B. Lane (DET) 9-15, 2 HR, 6 RBI (4x)
AL – S. Davis (FRE) 13-30, 3 HR, 11 RBI (3x)

Who are the tallest players in the ABL:
Ivan Castro, COL, 6’11”
Boyd Parks, KC, 6’9”
Steve Parslow, LA, 6’8”
Bob Marsh, SAC, 6’8”
Frank Adams, JAC, 6’8”

Around the League
- MR Alan Gilbert (CLE) will miss 6 to 7 months with a torn labrum
- LF Shuichi Takeuchi (BAL) will miss 7 to 8 months with a ruptured MCL
- SS F. Soberano (WAS) will miss three weeks with an intercostal strain
- MR Perry Davis (AUS) will miss 4 to 5 months with a torn rotator cuff.
- Andrew “Cookie” Lynch (SJ) (26/R/4.5 of 5*) pitched a 2 hit shutout against Indianapolis
- 2012 Outstanding Hitter B. Lane (DET) will miss 6 to 7 weeks due to a quad strain.

[Muskies]

Record: 14-6, .700, 1 GB
Position: 2nd behind Tampa
Runs Scored: 113 (2nd in NL)
Runs Against: 86 (5th in NL)
Defense: .687 (5th in NL)
Owner Mood / Fan Interest: Very Happy / 100
Power Ranking: 134.0 ++ (4th in ABL)

- In an interesting turn of events 20 games in the season my starters have an ERA of 4.95 (11th in NL) and my bullpen has an ERA of 2.47 (1st in NL). Complete flip flop of the last few seasons.

Week (6-1) – 2-0 vs. Mesa, 2-1 vs. Austin, 2-0 vs. Phoenix

4/15: MAD 15, MES 2
WP: A. Johnson (2-1, 3.98), LP: W. Jackson (1-1, 4.11)
HR: M. Ruiz 2 (4)
POG: M. Ruiz 4-5, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2B, 2 HR / A. Johnson 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K
- C. Ryan is eligible to come off of the disabled list the question is whether to send M. Fiadeiro or C. Garcia back down to the minors. M. Fiadeiro in one game hit .800 after one game; C. Garcia is hitting .200 after 6 games and 10 at bats. C. Garcia can play all the infield position while M. Fiadeiro can only play first base but plays it well. This would allow me to put Fiadeiro at first base and allow K. Nishikawa to be a DH. We already have both M. Ruiz and T. Lee who can play all the infield positions and C. Ryan can play all but first base. M. Fiadeiro will remain in the ABL and C. Garcia will go back to AAA, however, with the recent rash of injuries it will likely be a short stint.

4/16: MAD 4, MES 3
WP: M. Farias (2-0, 0.93), LP: J. Conway (1-3, 4.82), SV: L. Bishop (6)
HR: M. Fiadeiro (1), M. Kouno (3)
POG: M. Fiadeiro 3-4, R, 2 RBI, HR
- I look pretty smart right now, not likely to continue.
- V. Houston was injured while pitching in the first inning, diagnosis pending.

4/17: MAD 6, AUS 3
WP: J. Souza (2-0, 2.67), LP: J. McKay (1-1, 5.68), SV: L. Bishop (7)
HR: D. Groves (2), R. Menenders (1)
POG: D. Groves 3-5, R, 2 RBI, HR

4/18: MAD 6, AUS 2
WP: J. Polledo (1-1, 4.64), LP: C. Barnes (1-2, 5.96), SV: M. Hinton (1)
HR: M. Fiadeiro (2)
POG: M. Fiadeiro 1-3, R, 4 RBI – GRAND SLAM!! Wow!!
- V. Houston has been diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon and will be out 6 to 7 months, in his elbow. My scouts are telling me that J. Jackson is ready for promotion from AAA. My option appear to be him or C. Blankenship who I picked up to fill out the AAA roster. J. Jackson has two years of options left and C. Blankenship has none. I will give J. Jackson a shot and if it doesn’t work I can send him back down. I left the rotation up to my pitching coach and he opted to move P. Juarez back into the set up role. Interesting choice. My rotation is now: J. Souza, J. Polledo, A. Johnson, J. Jackson and B. Salazar. I won’t second guess at this time, but I bet it won’t be long until P. Juarez is back in the rotation.

4/19: AUS 7, MAD 1
WP: S. Vaughn (2-1, 3.99), LP: A. Johnson (2-2, 5.84)
HR: J. Gomez (2)
POG: S. Vaughn 7.1 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K

4/20: MAD 8, PHO 7
WP: M. Farias (3-0, 1.32), LP: R. Amestoy (1-1, 5.23), SV: L. Bishop (8)
HR: T. Lee (1), K. Nishikawa (4), G. Martinez (3)
POG: G. Martinez 3-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR
- Tough first outing for J. Jackson, he lasted 3.1 innings allowing 6 hits and 3 earned runs.

4/21: MAD 5, PHO 1
WP: B. Salazar (2-0, 1.98), LP: M. Warren (1-3, 2.45)
POG: B. Salazar 7.1 IP, H, ER, 4 BB, 3 K

Next Week: 1 @ Phoenix (10-10), 3 vs. Baltimore (13-7), 2 vs. Washington (6-14 )

Players of Week:
NL – M. Fiadeiro (MAD) 13-24, 2 HR, 10 RBI (1x)
AL – J. Pena (NAS) 7-17, 4 HR, 10 RBI (2x)

Who holds the single season ABL record for ISO:
Alberto Garza, FW, .3699, 2012
Alan Johnson, -, .3607, 1994
Jay Miller, -, .3517, 1992
Ryan Sharpe, -, .3434, 1995
Landon Boyd, .3396, 1997

Mallard News:
- AAA MR V. Martin (23/R/.5 of 2*) is being sent back down to AA. He currently has 2 SV and an ERA of 2.25, however his WHIP is 3.00 and BABIP is .400.
- A MR F. Valdominos (25/R/.5 of 1*) will move up to AAA to take his spot. He is 1-1, 2.70 ERA will be promoted to AA
- AA MR E. Webb (24/R/.5*) will be demoted to A. He is 0-1, 7.71 ERA in 7 innings pitched.
- AA SP P. Sweeney (22/R/.5*) will be promoted to AAA to fill the role of J. Jackson who was promoted to the majors with the V. Houston injury.
- A SP E. Koch (23/R/.5 of 1.5*) will be promoted to AA
- R. Herrera 18 year old Catcher was promoted out of international development into the Rookie League

Around the League
- S. Davis (FRE) is out for at least 4 weeks with a strained groin muscle. A lot of top notch players going down with injuries
- Vincente Hinojosa (PHI) pitched a 2 hit shutout striking out 8 players
- Tampa First Basement Brit Watts will miss 8 months with Torn PCL

[Muskies]

Record: 15-11, .577, 1 GB
Position: t2nd with Memphis and Columubs, behind Tampa
Runs Scored: 148 (1st in NL)
Runs Against: 126 (t-8th in NL)
Defense: .686 (7th in NL)
Owner Mood / Fan Interest: Happy / 100
Power Ranking: 100.8 – (12th in ABL)

Week (1-5) – 0-1 vs. Phoenix, 0-3 vs. Baltimore, 1-1 vs. Washington

- A pretty dismal week, starting pitching which has been the Mallard forte, is really letting us down. The starters can’t keep enough runs off the books to hand it to the bullpen, which is lights out. J. Suarez who started the first couple of games like an ace is getting banged all around the ball park; He has an ERA of 4.84 and leads the starting pitching. There could also be a correlation between decline in the defense and the increase in ERA.


4/22: PHO 10, MAD 7
WP: J. Murphy (1-1, 4.76), LP: M. Farias (3-1, 3.00), SV: R. Amestoy (7)
HR: I. Aldaz (2), B. Gibbs (1), D. Rassmussen (1)
POG: M. Ruiz 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B
- J. Suarez only lasted 1 1/3 innings allowing 6 hits and 5 earned runs
- D. Chamings is ready to come off the disabled list, S. Morales will be sent back down to AAA

4/23: BAL 5, MAD 4
WP: J. MacNamara (3-0, 4.50), LP: J. Polledo (1-2, 5.47), SV: J. Santos (1)
HR: C. Rosario (1), C. Malone (4), G. Martinez (4), C. Ryan (1)
POG: C. Ryan 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR
- Our starting pitching can’t last long enough to hand it to the bullpen.

4/24: BAL 6, MAD 5
WP: A. Franco (1-0, 5.19), LP: A. Johnson (2-3, 6.53), SV: R. Woods (9)
HR: B. Murray (3), C. Campbell (7)
POG: B. Murray 3-4, R, 5 RBI, HR

4/25: BAL 6, MAD 5
WP: R. Rin (2-0, 3.14), LP: J. Jackson (0-1, 5.06), SV: R. Woods (10)
HR: O. Allen (1), R. Menenders (2)
POG: J. Andrews 2-4, 3 RBI, 2B
- Better outing for J. Jackson 7.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. Give him no more than two more outings before placing him back in the pen for Juarez. My patience with letting pitching coach F. Robles run the show is wearing thin. The bullpen is on fire, but the rotation has fallen to 14th in the ABL.

4/27: MAD 8, WAS 5
WP: B. Salazar (3-0, 2.66), LP: R. Stewart (0-5, 8.31), SV: L. Bishop (9)
HR: M. Silva (1), M. Shiroi (3), M. Ruiz (5), D. Chamings (2), M. Kouno (4), K. Nishikawa 2 (6)
POG: K. Nishikawa 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR

4/28: WAS 8, MAD 6 (11)
WP: J. Mason (2-2, 7.88), LP: J. Tavares (0-1, 4.50), J. Julio (1)
HR: M. Parker (2), K. Nishikawa 2 (8)
POG: K. Nishikawa 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI

Next Week: 1 vs. Washington (9-17), 3 @ Columbus (15-11), 3 vs. Kansas City (12-14)

Players of the Week:
NL – J. Thomas (MES) - 9-22, 2 HR, 8 RBI (3x)
AL – D. Hanna (SA) – 15-25, 3 HR, 7 RBI (4x)

Which rookie starting pitchers lead the league in ground ball percentage?
Bob Stephens, HOU, 62.5
Andres Patino, TAM, 60.8
Lorenzo Hurtado, IND, 59.8
Chris Faulkner, NAS, 56.9

Mallard News
- AA North Berwick is number one in the power rankings
-

Around the League
- Jorge “Skipper” Lopez (WAS) will be out for 12 months diagnosed with Torn UCL. He is “wrecked” and in the second year of a five year $80 million contract.
- SP I. Colon (COL) will be suspended 6 games for a brawl with S. Vaughn (AUS)
- A. Simons (LB) will miss 4 months with bone chips in his elbow
- C. Malone (BAL) will miss 6 weeks with a fractured finger
- Cleveland LF B. Brown (30/R/4.5*) – Career .321/.377/.438, 51 HR, 361 RBI signed 6 year extension worth $90 million. Brown has a history of injuries and is listed as fragile.
- Indianapolis has lost MR Jorge “Matador” Suarez (33/R/4.5*) for 11-12 months for Tommy John surgery

[Muskies]

Editor’s Note: I continue to be inspired by all the great dynasties in the forum. Recently I have been reading the Real Time approach OOTPRealtime to slow it down and try taking it day by day. I decided to try and incorporate into my current Mallard Dynasty as I am engaged in the game and the players. I have played out a couple of weeks and as OOTPRealTime mentioned, it has taken my enjoyment of the game to a whole new level. What I don’t know is given work and family obligations is if I can maintain this pace of play.

Things in purple are my thoughts and process throughout a day

Things in blue are reports from my staff

[Muskies]

My starting pitching is starting to worry me. Generally every season has its ups and downs with periods where you feel like you can’t lose and periods where you feel like you can’t win. This losing streak feels different than the other’s. We are scoring the run’s but my starting pitching is getting shelled. The currently have an ERA of 5.55 ranked 14th in the National League.



With the exception of Salazar their BABIP and Whip are just too high. J. Polledo has gone 34 – 7 with ERA’s under 3.50 so far this year he is struggling. A. Johnson last year in his rookie campaign went 10-8, 3.40 ERA with a BABIP of .284. I know J. Jackson has only had two starts but he is getting hit all over the park. The good news K. Campbell is struggling over in Detroit, so I am not beating myself up over that.

First of all, I will give J. Jackson one more start before he goes back to the bull pen, for P. Juarez.

With the current losing streak our attendance has been down and the finance department is telling me that they are projecting a $6 million loss for the year. That is just bad news on top everything else. That really limits my options in trades unless I am willing to trade some high price talent, but that would have the added effect of disappointing the fans and turning them away from the gates.

This afternoon we start three games in Columbus, we have Abraham Johnson on the mound. In his last two starts he hasn’t made it past the 5th inning. Peters has just brought in his report on Columbus:


I took a look at the Columbus, our next opponent in an upcoming 3 game series and here are the results.

Their current record is 15-12, .556 which puts them tied with us and Memphis 2nd in the NL Central, 1.0 game behind Tampa. Their key metrics are as follows:



The projected match ups are:

LHP A. Johnson (2-3, 6.53) vs. LHP J. Lucas (1-3, 7.96)
RHP J. Jackson (0-1, 5.06) vs. RHP T. Lewis (1-2, 7.04)
RHP B. Salazar (2-0, 2.66) vs. RHP S. Booker (3-1, 3.26)

Unfortunately, for the season we are 2-6 against LHP than we go right into J. Jackson followed by an outing against S. Booker a young stud in the ABL.

Their top 5 players are:
C Logan Turner (33, 5 of 5)
CL Alfonso Limon (35, 5 of 5)
SP Sidney Booker (25, 4.5 of 5)
SP Vernon Holcomb (28, 4.5 of 4.5)
SP Ivan Castro (25, 4.5 of 4.5)

I have a few hours before first pitch, I am going to step away to get some food, clean up and head over to the park.


pgraves and tligget are both reporters fro the ABL who will report on games and injuries as the games progress.

@pgraves – Indianapolis MR John Barnwell was pulled from the game with some tightness in his shoulder, doesn’t appear too serious but will be day to day for the next few days.

@pgraves – Los Angeles C Jon Bray has left the game with soreness in his quad. Listed as day to day, but those injuries can be slow to heal.


Too painful to watch, bottom of the first inning, no outs and A. Johnson has already loaded the bases. I am getting too old for this, he managed to escape without allowing a run, strike out followed by a double play.

@tligget – C. Boucard () ties the regular season record for doubles with 3

@pgrave – Baltimore 2B Jose Vazquez left the game with back spasms, listed as day to day

@pgrave – Charlotte C Nathan Ferguson left the game with an injury, looks to be a sore hammy, listed as day to day

We pulled out the win over Columbus 9 to 5. Apart from the 4th inning where he allowed in 4 runs A. Johnson pitched reasonably well, enough to earn the win. I am a little concerned about the pitch counts that Ortiz is allowing. A. Johnson went into the 7th inning with 117 pitches. By the time he was pulled Columbus had two runners on base with the go ahead run at the plate. With the bullpen we have I would expect a shorter leash on the starting pitching. I will have to keep an eye on that.

I am catching the end of the Memphis (15-12) and Detroit (11-16) a NL Central division game. It is going into the top of the 11th tied 4-4, pulling for Detroit on this one. With Tampa losing today we will be in a tie for first in the NL Central.

Memphis just scored 6 runs in the top of 11th. Looks like it will be a three way tie for first in the NL Central tonight.

@tligget – Nashville’s Joe Bass has extended his current hitting streak to 26 games.

@pgrave – Long Beach’s Manual Maldonado has left the game with an injury, looks to be day to day for 3 days with a mild oblique strain.

Mallards beat Columbus 9 -4
by Rick Featherstone

Madison 9, Columbus 4
WP: A. Johnson (3-3, 6.63), LP: J. Lucas (1-4, 8.50), SV: M. Farias (1)
HR: C. Ryan (2)
POG: Christian Ryan 2-3, R, 2 RBI, HR

Todays Top Performers
Miguel Garcia, CLE
8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W

Clancy Gibson, SJ
4-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Carl Curtis, FW
5.2 IP, H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W