OOPS I did it again

[gehrig38]

Close out with 1 at home vs the Jets, then to Pittsburgh for 3 before a Friday off day, then home to host Vegas. Nothing set in stone but I'll be using current offensive stats vs LHP/RHP to realign the lineup using the 'hot hands'
Finishing the series with Washington Monday, to Pittsburgh Tue-Thu, off day then home vs Las Vegas
RUNS SCORED: 114 (t-9th)
RUNS AGAINST: 130 (15th)
OBP: .322 (4)
STARTERS ERA: 4.40 (12)
RELIEVERS ERA:3.95 (5)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .676 (11)
ZONE RATING: -6.1 (13)

RESULTS
Revamped batting order this week.
0-1 vs Washington 2-1 @ Pittsburgh vs 0-2 Las Vegas
4/24- CIP 5 WAS 4 (12) Stachowski walk off 1B Danny Floyd (ND) 1 ER 6 K 6 IP 'Pen 6 IP 4 H 1 ER Nate Gross BS (2) on Matson's 4th error 2 unearned runs.
4/25- WAS 6 CIP 3 Andy Powers (L) 1-1 5.65 4 ER 4 BB 6 H 6 IP Wilfredo Diaz gives up 2 on 4 hits in the 9th to remove any chance of a comeback. Stachowski hits his 2nd HR. I mention that because in talks around the league he's drawing quite a bit of interest right now.
4/26- PIT 5 CIP 1 3 more errors, 2 by White in LF. Robles (L) 1-3 2.67 7 IP 5 R 2 ER 6 K Frank Abbott leads off 0-4 3K
Garcia comes back tomorrow and will slide back into his leadoff spot vs RHP and cleanup vs LHP.
4/27- CIP 9 PIT 6 Stachowski moves to the 2 hole Grand Slam 4 RBI (12) Wynn drops to the 5 slot 2-3 2 BB HR (1) SB (4) Mendoza SV (7) Hawkins struggles for his 1st win 6.2 IP 9 H 4 ER
4/28- CIP 5 PIT 0 Bobby Guinjosa 7 IP 6 H 1 BB 6 K (W) 3-2 3.34 Krieg 2-4 (.353). Justin came out of the game late, tweaked his knee apparently but at first blush it appears to be a short term DtD thing.
4/29- OFF DAY
4/30- LV 6 CIP 3 Danny Floyd walks 4 straight in the third. 2.1 IP 3 ER 5 BB (L) 1-1 3.49 Jesse Roberts HR (3)

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- SS Justin Toney (PHI) 15-27 HR 5 RBI
NL POTW- CF Tony McGlinn (LA) 8-21 3 HR 7 RBI

On Tuesday Dallas Driller Jabari Durham threw a 1-hitter in a 1-0 win over Brooklyn, he's 4-1 1.78. Jabari led the league with 33 GS last year. A Colin Courtright 1st inning 2B was the lone hit while Dallas walked it off on a Sean Martin 2B.

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After a 5-1 loss to the Miners on Tuesday backup catcher and 7 year veteran Jon Miller knocked on the door.....
“It feels like you don't want me to be a part of the starting lineup. I am not really a role player. Never have been. If you give me the at-bats I'll prove that”.
That was how the meeting started off. I knew what was coming because his agent called about an hour before.
The guy has never started more than 72 games in his 7+ year career and he's sitting on a career OPS of .618 with an OBP of .286. I was clear when I signed him to the 2 year deal he was here to mentor and back up Brian Stachowski\. Who by the way is hitting .333-2-8 and quite honestly may be one of the very few players on this roster that could still be here when we get good. No, there is no everyday role for Jonathan here and I hated to say it but I had to. I've told the players “You'll never play for someone that cares more about you than I do, but do NOT ask me a question you don't want a truthful answer to because I won't lie to you.”
The bigger issue is Millers presence in the clubhouse is huge, his teammates love him. If this doesn't become a thing we're fine. If it does?
Another issue is he's one of two left-handed bats on the entire 27 man roster.

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AL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- LF Andrew Jacobi (SJ) .444-6-29
NL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- 1B Ricky Ramirez (JAX) .323-9-22
AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Brian Myers (CLE) 4-0 4 Saves 1.98
NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Bob Parra (NE) 4-0 2.27
AL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- LF Kyle Griffin (SJ) .333-2-14
NL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- 2B Hank Dini (LV) .329-3-17

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH- Brian Stachowski .343/.405/.507 3 HR 12 RBI
PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Mario Mendoza 0-0 7 Saves 1.17 ERA

I am not sure I feel one way or the other about April. This first month wasn't a disaster, so that's good, and honestly this is a better team than I expected. Cespedes had a horrible month and then you add the off the field stuff and it adds up to phone calls around the league to see how soon I can move him. Players are unhappy and team chemistry feels shaky at best. Certainly aware of the fact that to create something meaningful the rules have to apply to every one. Jaje has a horrible month as did LaPierra. That signing isn't close to working out. Nate Gross, Joey Morris, and Becker have been outstanding setting up for Mendoza. The elephant in the room is that no expansion team, no bottom half club, needs a 31 year old closer. However, recognizing how demoralizing late losses are and knowing for a fact that the deadline, almost every year, is about teams looking to solidify or find an answer at the back end of their bullpens. His value, as long as he stays healthy, will increase. I am going to very quietly call around but I think the price will only go up the longer I can hold onto him
Regardless I need to answer the Cespedes issue sooner rather than later and I really only have 1 LHP in the pen I could ask the Skipper to trust. I'll be looking around for answers on that one. Ideally we keep the young arms we sent down in AAA all year long.
The most glaring and obvious hole, gaping hole, is defense. We finished the week 13th in ZR and 11th in efficiency. 20 errors rank 14th. That's a hole I can only address going forward. I will pay more attention than maybe normal to the defensive ability/liability in players I have flexibility on/with. Most assuredly it will be a factor in the draft and in any significant trades, but there is little I can do about it now except to make sure the guys are playing in the most optimal place they can be played.

APRIL MINOR LEAGUE RECAP
MINOR LEAGUE HITTER OF THE MONTH- Juan Ayala (AAA) .435/.500/.857 9 HR 26 RBI
MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Tony Mejia (AAA) 3-0 1.35 (see below)
Mejia also took home AAA pitcher of the month going 3-0 1.35. In 26.2 IP he allowed 20 H punched out 14 and walked 5. He was signed as a minor league FA.
New Orleans went 10-8 and is in 1st
Milwaukee went 11-7 and is tied for 1st
Albuquerque went 13-5 and is in 1st place

[gehrig38]

With salaries around the 10 million mark, on average, for the leagues stars, here's a few guys breaking the mold.
20,800,000 SP (PHIL) Kosuke Matsumoto (26) Entered the league in 2007 from Japan. Signed the largest deal in IBL history for a pitcher when he inked a 7 year 130 million dollar deal prior to 2008. Was an all-star in 2009, won the gold glove last year but to date he's 31-33 3.18 over 96 starts. His peripherals are everything you want them to be. 657 IP 670 K 164 BB and 565 H for a 1.11 WHIP. Led the league in both WAR (6.8) and K's (243) in 2009 when he was 13-10 2.65, finishing 2nd in the Koufax voting. Our scouts consider his 5 pitch arsenal among the top 2-3 in the game.
15,800,000 CL (NY) Tony Zuniga (32) Signed out of independent ball in 2000 with the Columbus Black Knights in their 1st season in the league. Rejected their QO in 2007, entered Free-Agency and signed a 4 year 58 million dollar deal with Atlanta. The following winter he was dealt to NY for a pair of low minors prospects. From '01 to '03 he was the Black Knights closer. Saving 80 games to the tune of a 4.17 ERA, fanning 183 in 180 innings. In 2004 he would suffer a torn tricep and miss the seasons final three months and the playoffs after entering the rotation that spring and making 13 starts. He was 4-4 5.35 over 70.2 IP but still got his ring when they won the world series. 2005 saw him lead the league with 19 wins going 19-7 3.52 over 209 innings. He's 86-67 with 112 career saves and a 3.91 ERA. He's back in the closers role this year, going 2-0 with 5 Saves and a 0.93 in April.
15,400,000 SP (CLE) Sam Burns (36) The first, and only player ever drafted out of Limestone U. in Gaffney, SC. Taken 264th overall by the New York Punishers. A 2-time all star and 2010 world champion with Jacksonville. Finished second in the Koufax voting in 2008 when he went 16-9 2.62 over 209 IP. His stuff is as unhittable as it gets but his control has always been a concern. Led the league in K's in 2004, and again in 2009. Led the league in HR allowed in 2004 as well, and in 2008 led the league with a career high 84 walks. His 1.25 WHIP is made even more amazing by the fact he's walked 672 hitters in 1814 innings, with 1809 K's. Led the league 5 times in K/9 as well. Career he's 111-104 3.95. Two years left on his deal.
15,400,000 1B (DEN) Oscar Aviles (31) Signed out of the Dominican in 1996 the IBL's highest paid position player. An 8 time all-star, 4 time silver slugger (3 at SS and last year at 2B), and last years NL MVP when he hit a league record .380-33-120 leading the league in hits (200) average, OBP (.451), SLG% (.676) OPS (1.127) and WAR (8.8) in one of the most prolific seasons ever. Signed a 6-year 92.4 million dollar deal with the Saints this past winter. Won back to back titles in New England in 2006-7. The final year of his deal is a 15.4 million dollar vesting option. Has a limited no-trade clause with just 6 teams on it (BRK, CLE, JAX, LV, NE, SI). One of the “faces” of the IBL.
14,600,000 2B (POR) Hirohito Takemoto (26) Entered the league from Japan the season prior to Matsumoto. Signed an 8 year 113.5 million dollar contract in 2007. Then proceeded to win the 2007 Jackie Robinson award as the leagues best rookie when he hit .280/.359/.537 with 42 2B, 33 HR, driving in 105 and scoring 96 times. Led the league with 74 XBH the following year and hasn't really come close to that year since. Has won 3 Silver Sluggers at 2B, and is a 2 time all-star. Had his worst year in 2010 hitting .250/.319/.402 with a career low 13 HR. Off to a very slow start this year hitting .195 through April with 1 HR. Enormously popular in Portland.

[gehrig38]

League sources report that the Utah Mammoth have sent 26 year old P Nate Draper and 3B Anthony Trip as well as their 2011 2nd round draft pick (36) to the Chicago Iron Pigs for 3B Jorge Cespedes and reliever Brian Jaje and the Iron Pigs 2011 4th round pick (1). GM Curt Schilling could not be reached for comment but an Iron Pigs player, speaking on the condition of anonymity stated “He couldn't be gone soon enough.”
When asked about the comment Cespedes, who struggled in April hitting .198 with 2 HR's replied “whatever, I should still be in Fresno”. Cespedes was born and raised in Bakersfield and rumors around the expansion draft were he had told both teams not to draft him as he would not report.

BACKROOM CHATTER
Ya, he was a problem. Multiple players made it clear inside the clubhouse how elated they were to be rid of him. I didn't think it would fester like that and certainly not that soon.
Tripp, a switch hitter, was a 13th round pick out of Idaho City HS in 2007. He slots as a corner IF with gap power and very good contact skills. Fanned just 45 times in 320 PA at Lexington last year.
He'll be added to the roster and be inserted to play third likely hitting 9th vs RHP and 7th vs LHP.
Draper, 26, signed with Utah out of independent ball in 2008 and in April he was ranked as the 49th best prospect. His biggest upside is in starting, but he was out of the pen in Utah before being sent back and starting in Lexington. He'll take Jaje's spot and be an emergency SP option for now.
Brian Jaje had a horrible April sporting a 7.90 ERA allowing 20 H in 13.2 IP. Still hate trading a 24 year old arm, especially a kid that's 6'4” and coming off a great 2010 in Staten Island (2.73 over 33 IP). But to get the pick it was an add we had to make. The draft pick exchange nets us the 77th overall pick in addition to the 1st and 45th. The 4th rounder we sent there is the 114th overall selection.

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On the heels of their deal with Utah, Chicago Iron Pigs GM Curt Schilling announced a 2nd deal. This time sending 39-year-old P Chris LaPierre, 20-year-old minor league P Ron Alexander, and their 2011th 6th round draft pick to the Indianapolis Lynx for former all-star Closer Justin Anderson. Anderson, a 2010 NL All-Star, is in his final season before reaching Free Agency. The club made it clear they wanted to retain him, but they were at loggerheads over his role. The Lynx have made no qualms about their rebuild mentality and their desire to get 22-year-old Ron “Bluto” Knaack to the back end of their bullpen. Knaack features some of the best pure stuff in the game, though many think shoving him into the closer's role is a mistake. Bill Belifiore has informed me that he'll use the 28-year-old Anderson in a late-inning role, along with Chris Becker, and that in his mind, he has 3 legitimate options to close a game right now.

BACKROOM CHATTER
LaPierre was worth literally nothing in our situation, and that they took him and his contract is a great thing. The pick and the minor league arm, who our scouts are ambivalent on, made the deal. This is another arm that will absolutely hold big value come the trade deadline. I'm actually going to see if I can't manage to get him to sign a deal, as under valued as I can make it. If possible that sky rockets potential returns. Hate losing any picks but with the extra 2nd I'm exactly where I was to start the year in # of picks.

Also, I do not like, nor want to, publicly throw names out as “available” or “on the block”. From experience I know that affects players no matter what they say. Also remembering, and few GM's do, that for the most part every player has a family and those “rumors” impact far more than just your player, and/or his teammates. But having said all that I am making calls, I have a plethora of very good arms in the bullpen between Morris, Gross, Anderson, Becker and Mendoza and multiple closing options. I am going to desperately try not to be too aggressive in shopping but I need to make sure I don't “miss” something that could be out there.

[gehrig38]

Acquiring picks and veteran arms that will hopefully garner more picks. There's a clear path to achieving our goals and it starts with a solid and deep minor league system.

[gehrig38]

finish up the Vegas series then to OKC for 3 and back home to see San Francisco
RUNS SCORED: 144 (t-8)
RUNS AGAINST: 155 (13)
OBP: .332 (2)
STARTERS ERA: 4.19 (8)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.93 (8)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .692 (4)
ZONE RATING: -2.5 (12)

RESULTS
0-1 vs Las Vegas 1-2 @ Oklahoma City 1-1 vs San Francisco
5/1- LV 14 CIP 5 Andy Powers bombed. 7 H 3 HR 10 R 7 earned in 4.2 IP. Becker follows walking 3 giving up 4 hits and 4 ER in 2/3rds of an inning. Anderson 1st appearance 2 scoreless.
5/2- LV 5 IP 3 Robles needs 116 pitches to get into the 5th. 4.1 IP 4 BB 5 H 5 R 4 ER (1-4 3.38). 2 more errors Abbott (3) Krieg (3). Krieg 2-4 2B (8) HR (2) 3 RBI (18).
With the Anderson trade I now have the top two pitchers in the NL in Saves. Eddie Cook has a 9 game hitting streak as of today.
5/3- CIP 4 OKC 0 Matt Hawkins 7 IP 3 H 7 K (2-3 3.96) Abbott 3 RBI's (5) Wilfredo Diaz throws a pitch and grimaces, sprained elbow. He's dtd for at least a few weeks. The pen was wiped before the game, so he'll head to the DL. Luke Artino will be recalled.
5/4- OKC 8 CIP 3 Bobby Guijosa walks 5 on 101 pitches in just 5 innings, 5 hits, 5 runs (3-3 4.15) Stachowski 0-3 3K
Josh Benjamin (OKC) 7 IP 11 K (1-0 2.57)
5/5- OKC 7 CIP 5 Danny Floyd 6 H 3 HR 6 ER 5.2 IP (1-2 4.50) Krieg 3H 2B (10) 2R Stachowski HR (4) 3 RBI (15). Russell Matson pulled up in the 1st and had to come out. No word at nights end.
5/6- CIP 2 SF 0 Andy Powers sets an Iron Pig record fanning 14 in 8.1 innings of 1-hit baseball. He also set a record fanning 7 straight hitters from the 4th to the 6th. A 1 out walk ended his day and Mendoza came in for a 2 out save (8). Matson has a contusion on this throwing elbow and will be dtd for a week.
5/7-SF 4 CIP 2 Alex Robles walks 5, K's 4 in 4.1 IP and the pen sucks up 4.2 innings. Gross allows both of Anderson's runners to score in the 8th breaking a 2-2 tie. Staff walks 7.

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 1B Jordan Johnson (UT) 10-24 3 HR 7 RBI
NL POTW- 2B Trevor Cooper (OKC) 11-25 2 HR 7 RBI

Washington SS Danny Dearman, a 3 time all-star and 2 time gold glove winner (2B, and 3B) announced this will be his final season
The 2011 Draft Combine started Saturday. We've got our scouts following our top pitching prospects, a couple of catchers and a slew of middle infielders, mainly shortstops. I'll always lean towards a potential ace unless the bat available is too good to pass up.

MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Checking in on New Orleans on Monday. Both Dan Ferguson and Brian Pennington were sent down to get starts and innings.
Ferguson has made 2 starts going 15 innings allowing 11 hits to 1 walk and 10 K's with a 1.20 ERA while Pennington has made 4 starts going 2-1 3.62. In 27.1 IP he's allowed 24 hits, walked just 3 and fanned 11 for a 0.99 WHIP.
Also, as of the start of the week top 3B prospect Jose Nieves is hitting .333-7-19 in 18 games fanning 10 times and walking 10. His defensive has been atrocious so not only will we focus on that but he'll likely be asked to go to our Instructional league to hone his craft.

[gehrig38]

The Boston Colonials have sent 26 year old P Adrian Nicol and their 2011 4th round draft pick (13th) to the Iron Pigs for P Jamie Bent and a 2011 5th round draft choice (2nd). Bent is 49-55 4.27 over his 7 year career. Nicol, Boston's 10th pick in 2002 (281st overall) has just 17 IBL innings but was working out of the bullpen on the parent club.

BACKROOM CHATTER
Jamie Bent was a veteran we thought would be a part of the rotation this year. Once we got through camp our people soured on him. Great makeup, quiet guy, but his stuff was nowhere near what we'd seen in the past. Our guys really like Nicol as a starter and he'll take Bent's rotation spot in New Orleans. Get him stretched out and see where it takes us. The pick swap was another move up in the draft.

[gehrig38]

1 vs San Francisco 3 @ San Diego with Thursday off and then home for 2 vs LA.
RUNS SCORED: 165 (9)
RUNS AGAINST: 182 (15)
OBP: .332 (3)
STARTERS ERA: 4.39 (11)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.95 (10)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .689 (6)
ZONE RATING: -2.3 (12)

RESULTS 18-20 1 GB
1-0 vs San Francisco 2-1 @ San Diego 1-1 vs Los Angeles
5/8- CIP 11 SF 1 Krieg 3H Jesse Roberts 3-3 HR (4) 3 R 3 RBI (10) 2 BB Stachowski HR (5) 2 RBI Anthony Tripp Grand Slam (1) 4 RBI. Xavier Wynn went 2-2 but pulled up lame. No word yet. Hawkins 5.1 IP 2 H 0 R 2 K 0 BB (3-3 3.48)
Conley (SF) 9 ER 2.1 IP his 55K's lead the NL. Led the NL with 99 walks last year.
Xavier Wynn has plantar fascitis. Xavier Evans says “minimum 5 weeks”. 27 year old OF Elijah Jones will be recalled. He's on the 40 man already. Jones will serve as the 5th OF. Eddie Cook will slide into the LH lineup as the DH,
5/9- CIP 8 SD 3 Guijosa W (4-3 4.08) 5 IP 2 ER 103 pitches Krieg 3H 2B (11) RBI (leading the NL at .368 w/ 21 RBI) Jesse Roberts 3H 3B (2) Juan Chavez 2H HR (1) 3 RBI (11) Stachowski HR (6).
Another injury. Nate Gross gets 2 outs before coming out holding his arm. No word yet.
5/10- SD 8 CIP 4 Danny Floyd enters the 7th up 5-3, it's 8-5 after he and Luis Artino give up 5. Another error, another unearned run. Russell Matson has a bruised wrist and will be dtd for 3-4 days.
5/11- CIP 5 SD 4 (11) Juan Chavez HR (2) GW 1B 2 RBI (13) Mike White HR (3) 3 RBI (14) Krieg 2H (.366) Andy Powers 4.1 IP 6 H 4 BB 3 ER 106 pitches, 'pen goes 6.2 IP 2 H 1 R Draper (W).
Nate Gross has a lower back strain. 15 day DL for him. Melvin Lozoya will be recalled and handle mop up duties.
5/12- OFF DAY
5/13- CIP 3 LA 2 Mike White walk-off 2R HR (4) Robles led 1-0 into the 8th, Bick comes in to get the lefty, BB, Anderson in with the bases loaded 2R 1B. Robles ND 7.2 IP 2 ER 5 H 5 BB Morris W (3-0)
5/14- LA 10 CIP 1 Hawkins 5 ER 8 H 3 IP Lozoya 5 ER 2 HR 3 H 2/3rds of an inning. Russell Matson 3H Krieg HR (3)
Bob Wells (LA) 7.2 IP 4 H 0 R 7 K (W) 1-3 2.70

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 2B Jordan Macias (AUS) 13-25 3 HR 6 RBI
NL POTW- CF Jordan Martinez (OKC) 10-23 3 HR 6 RBI

Pittsburgh Miners 20 year old Adam Sharpe twirled the 1st no-hitter in club history on Friday vs Jacksonville. He fanned 5 and walked 1 to move to 4-0 with an NL leading 1.73 ERA. He's the 29th ranked prospect.

MINOR LEAGUE HAPPENINGS
On Saturday 26 year old Tyler Arrant threw a 2-hitter striking out 10 in a 5-0 win over AA Reno. He was 4-1 3.31 before being called up to AAA New Orleans after the game.

[gehrig38]

1 vs Los Angeles 3 vs New York then to El Paso for 3
RUNS SCORED: 196 (8)
RUNS AGAINST: 234 (16)
OBP: .326 (3)
STARTERS ERA: 4.88 (16)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.37 (12)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .688 (7)
ZONE RATING: -2.6 (11)

RESULTS (19-26 4 GB)
0-1 vs LA 1-2 vs NY 0-3 @ El Paso
5/15- LA 8 CIP 2 Bobby Guijosa (pronounced “Wee-Josah” 5 ER 4.2 IP (L) 4-4 4.67 Artino 3 ER 1.1 IP 7.71 ERA
Pierce Benner (LA) 7.2 IP ER 4 K (W) 5-2 4.10 Roberto Castaneda (LA) 3-3 2B HR 3 RBI
5/16- CIP 9 NY 0 First CG SHO in franchise history. Danny Floyd fans 12 in a 2-hitter getting the final out on pitch 130. Gus Garcia HR (4) 3 RBI (11) Jason Roberts 2H 2B (3) 3 R BB
5/17- NY 13 CIP 11 (10) SS Juan Chavez 4-5 3 HR's (5) 5 RBI (18) Miller (3) Roberts (5) also homer. 8-6 after 4. Mendoza's 13 game scoreless streak ends
5/18- NY 10 CIP 1 5 NY HR's Robles 5 ER 3 IP (1-5 3.99) Cook 2H HR (1)
Wilfredo Diaz is eligible to come off the IR and he'll go right onto the active roster. Righty Melvin Lozoya (8.53 ERA) will head back to New Orleans.
5/19- EP 5 CIP 3 2 more errors 2 more unearned runs. Hawkins walks 4 fans 1 in 5 needing 110 pitches. Mike White (5) and Russ Matson (2) homer.
5/20- EP 8 CIP 2 Guijosa blows up, walking 6 and giving up 7 runs (6 earned) in 3 innings (4-5 5.51).
DJ Groff (EP) Grand slam 5 RBI (25)
5/21- EP 8 CIP 3 Wilfredo Diaz 3 ER 3 H 2/3rds of an inning. Floyd ND 5 IP 6 H 3 ER Eddie Cook 2-4 HR (2) 2 RBI (11) hitting .353, Justin Krieg goes 0-5 to drop to .345 (2nd in the NL behind Andy Peterson's .358.

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 2B Colin Courtright (BRK) 11-33 5 HR 12 RBI 9 R
NL POTW- RF Ruben Romo (SD) 10-23 4 HR 9 RBI 8 R

11-time All-Star and 2000 Hank Aaron Award winner Andy Peterson of Phoenix hit his 400th carrer HR on Wednesday. The 34 year old has spent all 15 seasons of his IBL career in Phoenix. He is a lifetime .316/.383/.542 hitter with 585 2B's (7th all-time) 400 HR's (16th all-time) and 1504 RBI's (8th all-time) will be just a few numbers that will be on his plaque when he enters the IBL Hall of Fame.
San Diego RF Ruben Romo hit 3 HR's and drove in 7 in a 16-0 pasting of Atlanta. The 29 year old led the league with 200K's last year. He's hit 193 career HR's. Romor was the 1st overall pick in the 2003 draft.
Speaking of 1st round picks, the Patriots learned 25 year old ace in the making Luke Lankford will undergo shoulder surgery and miss at least the next 9 months. Taken 4th overall in 2009 out of Georgia State U, the right-hander 8-13 4.23 in 35 career starts. Philadelphia trails 1st place Brooklyn by 2 games in the AL East.
At weeks end Chicago is filling up the bottom of the power rankings. The Chicago Iron Pigs are 31st while the Chicago Hitmen are 32nd.

MINOR LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AA 2B Maros Olea went 11-21 HR 5 RBI to win POTW honors. The 25 year old was signed as a minor league FA and a “mentor” given his makeup.

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3 vs Indianapolis off day 3 @ Atlanta


RESULTS (21-31 7 GB)
0-3 vs Indianapolis 1-2 @ Atlanta 0-1 vs Phoenix
5/22- IND 3 CIP 2 Andy Powers 5 BB (30 in 52 IP) 3 ER 6.1 IP (L) Mike White 3H Elijah Jones 0-4 4K
5/23- IND 7 CIP 2 Robles 11 H 6 ER 4.2 IP (1-6 4.64)
There is no remedy in the organization. Going to have to tolerate and hope for the SP to just get “better” somehow.
5/24- IND 12 CIP 1 Matt Hawkins 5 ER 100 pitches 5.1 IP (L) Luis Artino 6 ER 1.1 IP 3 BB
Diego Garcia (IND) CG 3 H 5 K 0 BB 0 ER (4-2 4.45)
Nate Gross comes off the IR and Luis Artino is optioned back to New Orleans after this horrific performance. OF Mike White is hurt early in the game, no word yet.
5/25- OFF DAY White has a sore hamstring and should be fine in a day or two.
5/26- ATL 5 CIP 5 5-2 lead after 7. Gross 2 ER Anderson 2 ER in 1.2 IP with a crucial error by Russell Matson in the 8th. Guijosa ND 6.2 IP 113 pitches 2 ER 9 K Justin Krieg 3H RBI
5/27- CIP 6 ATL 4 Danny Floyd (3-3 3.90) 6 IP 4 H 1 R 4 BB 3 K Mendoza SV (9) Russell Matson 3H Roberts 2H HR (6)
5/28- CIP 9 ATL 0 Andy Powers CG 2-hitter, fans 8 walks 1. (3-3 5.40) Justin Krieg 4H HR (4) 3 RBI (29) Juan Chavez 3H 2B, HR (6) RBI (19) Matson 3H HR (3) 2 RBI (15)
We were 1-9 coming into the last 2 days so this was a nice finish to the week. Nowhere near good enough overall but gotta find the silver lining.

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- LF Joe Davis (CHA) 8-19 4 HR 7 RBI
NL POTW- 2B Eric Eastman (LV) 10-22 HR 8 RBI

On Friday 1st place Brooklyn lost SP Mike Mitchell to a torn labrum. They're saying 4 months, but I don't see it.

MINOR LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
CF Jimmy Young of Albuquerque is tearing up single A pitching. On Wednesday he went 5-5 hitting his league leading 17th HR in an 11-9 win. In 35 games he's slashing .320/.420/.789 with 47 RBI's. He's just 19 and the urge to move him up is placated by the organizational approach of patience with the young talent. He was a minor league FA signing and not someone our scouts rate as a top prospect, giving him a 2-star potential. Would like to be shocked on this one.

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Juan Chavez had an outstanding day at Iron Pigs field. He hammered 3 HR's and drove in 5. In the end it was not enough as the Punishers won it in the 10th.
“Baseball is a funny game” Chavez said, “You can't dwell on the reasons for the loss, I'm sure there will be days when I go 0'fer and we win, these things tend to even out.
Chavez had an RBI single in the 1st, a 2R HR off Sean Whittaker in the 3rd, a solo shot off Kevin Lenza in the 6th and finished it off with a solo HR off Tim Edgar in the 8th. He fanned with the tying run on 3rdf to end the game. Chavez is hitting .302-5-18 with 10 Runs and a .353 OBP.

BACKROOM CHATTER
Juan Chavez is everything we love in a player. Selfless, versatile, consistent. Manager Bill Belfiore told the media Chavez will get the nod at SS now vs RHP and will handle 3B vs LHP on an every day basis. The 21 year old was one of the first minor league free-agents we signed on day 1 of my tenure here.

[gehrig38]

A 1st inning base running mishap will find Gus Garcia of the Iron Pigs back on the DL. The 22 year old infielder got wrapped up in a collision at 2B and word out of Chicago is he tore ligaments in his thumb and will miss the next 4-6 weeks. Garcia was unavailable for comment but Manager Bill Belfiore was not shy in his disappointment at the situation and praise for Garcia, “Gus is pretty much the spark that lights this offense and as solid in the field as they come. His versatility is enormously important. I know we aren't thinking 2011 IBL World Series but competing and winning as many games as we can is a goal that will not change.”

BACKROOM CHATTER
(for the record I have injury proneness OFF in the display, so I don't see it)
If you remember he missed a couple weeks in early April with an oblique strain. This is just his 3rd DL stint though so maybe it's just a coincidence. No sense in fretting, “Next man up” as they say. Garcia is likely out at least 4 weeks. There's temptation to call up top prospect Jose Nieves but his defense is nowhere near IBL ready. Middle IF Juan Ayala, already on the 40 man, will be recalled to backup up the middle. Had to move some players around in the minors to fill middle infield roles and also tendered a split contract to a veteran middle IF for the New Orleans club.

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The draft is sort of my thing. I love the minutiae. It's where you build something truly long lasting and with depth.
I have about 5-10 reports a day coming in from our scouts trying to get as much insight into the talent this year.
Believe it or not winning the lottery might not have been the boon it looked like. There is so much top end talent this year that I would prefer to have a choice removed rather than everyone available if that makes sense. Every mock draft has us taking HS 1B Mike Johnson. Our scouts, on their 1-20 scale, have hit potential at 18 Contact, 20+ Power, 20+ Gap power and 20+ eye. Literally Frank Thomas. He's 6'5” 220 today, now, as a HS senior. The makeup is good. His only negative tool is speed. He projects to be an above average 1B. He's likely ready for A ball after the draft. He's local, from Belleville, HS right here in Illinois.
The dilemma begins right here. I currently have not one prospect at short in the entire system and the answer isn't on the big league roster. Most scouts, outside of ours, have 18 year old Shortstop Chris Nicholson from Avon, Iowa as the top prospect in the draft. A potential + defender (OSA has him as a 18/16 at 2B/SS and scouting director Chris Romano has him a tick lower at 16/14). A + runner and no one sees the bat as a problem. His Power and Eye Romano has at 20+, the most raw power in the draft. But his hit tool our guys have as a top end 11 and the league does not disagree. So where Johnson will likely be a legitimate .300+ guy every year with an OBP mid .400 or higher, Nicholson will not hit for the average.
But is the position difference an equalizer? I can find a 1B pretty much anywhere. The SS thing is huge, you win up the middle.
There are some other options but those two bats are likely to go at the top.
Then there's the pitching. The OSA has 24 pitchers, starters, rated 4.5 stars or better, our guys have 17.
Our current top choice, and that's not really likely to change, is Chris Andrezejewski, a 22 year old East Carolina pitcher. He's 6'4” 200 pounds with an electric arm. He's probably ready for AA today. He's the 1st pitcher I've ever seen, and the only one in the draft, who our scouts rate all 4 of his pitches as 20+ potential. His stuff is already IBL average with a projection of it being ++, same with his movement. His control can and will improve but he won't be a liability pitch count wise. He sits mid 90s right now and keeps the ball on the ground. He projects to be a triple digit guy in the near future. Got stamina for days. Only drawback is he's an “old” senior, at 22. He's gone 39-4 with 555 K's in 393 innings of college ball with 88 walks allowing just 271 hits allowed. His makeup is a huge plus, as he works to be better even now and he's a fan of the organization apparently. His ask is nothing major.
Rare is the opportunity to fill the top of the rotation with a true 1, and one that can be the guy in October. This is that opportunity.
There are enough arms that I think I could nab one of the bats at 1 and still get a 5 star guy with our 2nd pick. The concern is that there are 38 picks in the 1st round, 6 compensation picks in there and then 5 supplemental picks before round 2. Pittsburgh gets the 1st pick in round 2 so we're at 1 and 45 and then the 2nd pick from Utah is at 79.
Maybe the strategy is taking the generational bat at 1 in Johnson, and then using the next 2 for pitchers. We pick at 86 next, for some reason Austin has a compensation pick that is sandwiched in between Pittsburgh and our 3rd rounders.
Our next pick is 112 in the 4th round.
So in this deep draft we'll have 2 of the top 45 picks, and 4 of the top 86 with a total of 5 of the top 112. Giving us 5 picks in the first 4 rounds. We do not pick in the 5th or 6th rounds.

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Earlier today officials from the Iron Pigs front office and the Fresno Enforcers announced they'd finalized a trade between the two teams. Chicago is sending their closer Mario Mendoza and 25 year old minor league OF'er Andre McAdams to the Enforcers for two minor league pitchers and the Enforcers 2nd round 2011 draft pick.
Chicago will receive 19 year old John Timmerman and 18 year old Alex Espinosa. Timmerman was taken in the 16th round of last years draft from Sabino HS in Tucson, Az while Espinosa was signed out of Venezuela 3 years ago.
Fresno, currently 33-19 and leading the NL West by 5 over the LA Storm and 5.5 over the San Diego Missions. Mendoza joins the NL's top ranked bullpen and will likely be setting up Enforcer closer Tony Zelaya who has 12 saves and a 1.71 ERA.

BACKROOM CHATTER
I said when I acquired Mendoza he was here to bring in assets. Fresno is in win now mode, the 2nd pick was something they were fine dealing, I actually think I jumped too soon. I think I may have been able to get their first.
Anyway, both pitchers I dealt for are young with upside. Espinosa will get as far as his control allows. ++ rated potential stuff (13) and + movement potential (11) but his command is horrid and might not get where it needs to be. He's just 18 so there's time. He will start at Rookie league Milwaukee. Timmerman heads to Class A Albuquerque. He's 6'3”, 19 year old low 90's arm with projection. At best he could be a mid-rotation guy is what our scouts think.
McAdams was an OF'er our folks were fine including and his inclusion got them to give us the pick. The pick was the prize, 77th overall in the 2nd round. So now we're at 1, 45, 77, 79, 86, and 125 in the first four rounds.
We will go short on arms for a couple days to see if a waiver claim gets through on a reliever.
Bill Belfiore wants to move righty Chris Becker into the closers role, and keep Justin Anderson as a setup guy. I don't agree with that but I said early on I'd give him this year to prove himself. Nate Gross joins Anderson as the other setup arm.
Joey Morris (3.77) and Wilfredo Diaz (8.38) are in the middle while Nate Draper (1.69) is the long man and Bick remains the lefty specialist (0.84).
The draft is one week from today, Monday May 30th.

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3 vs Phoenix 3 @ Jacksonville and 1 vs New England.
RUNS SCORED: 263 (t-6)
RUNS AGAINST: 312 (16)
OBP: .322 (4)
STARTERS ERA: 4.73 (16)
RELIEVERS ERA: 5.05 (16)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .686 (7)
ZONE RATING: -2.7 (11)

RESULTS (24-35 10 GB)
0-3 vs Phoenix 1-2 @ Jacksonville 1-0 vs New England
5/29- PHX 10 CIP 4 Robles 5 ER 10 K 6 IP (L) 1-7 4.92 Diaz, Morris 5 ER 2 IP Grand Slam in a 5R 9th. White 3R HR in the 9th (6)
Pedro Galdamez (PHX) 7.2 IP 4 H 0 ER 6-1 3.10 Miguel Rodriguez (PHX) 2 HR (5) 5 RBI (15) Jorge Payorga GS (8) 4 RBI (30)
5/30- PHX 11 CIP 8 7-4 lead after 7. Pen implodes for 2nd straight day. Bick, Anderson (BS 3) and Gross give up 7 runs in 1.1 IP walking 3 on 6 hits. Gross gives up 4 in 1/3rd of an inning. Matt Hawkins ND 5.2 IP 5 H 2 K 3 ER Krieg 3H 3B (1) Mike Johnson 3H SB (2) Matson 2 2B (10) and his 6th error.
Brad Rowsey (PHX) 3H 5 RBI
5/31- PHX 5 CIP 4 Guijosa (L) 4-6 5.43 5.2 IP 5 ER 6 K Justin Krieg 2-3 2B (15) 2 RBI (32) leads the NL again at .359 over Andy Peterson (PHX) .356 who was 2-4 today
6/1- CIP 11 JAX 4 15 hits Roberts 3H 2B (6) RBI (15) Chavez 2H 2 RBI (22) Krieg 2H (.360) Floyd 7 IP 3 ER 4 BB 5 K (4-3 3.90)
6/2- JAX 10 CIP 5 Andy Powers 9 H 7 R 5 ER 3.1 IP (3-4 5.80) Anthony Tripp 3 errors. Krieg 3-5 HR (5) SB (8) (.365) Kevin Rogers HR (2)
Xavier Wynn was due off the IR today but had a setback and it's going to be 2 more weeks at least.
6/3- JAX 3 CIP 2 (10) Robles ND 6.2 IP 2 R 1 ER 4 BB Mike Johnson 1st HR
6/4- CIP 3 NE 2 Matt Hawkins 8 IP 4 H 2 ER 0 BB 4 K (4-6 4.44) Becker SV (1)
Washington skipper Aaron Henderson, with his team at 23-35 and 11 GB, blew up today in a classic tirade. In his 14th year, his 3rd managing Washington, the 48 year old has managed just 1 season over .500, and that was in 1999, his first year managing in Detroit when he went 82-80.

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- CF Matt Mancillas (CLE) 13-25 2 HR 10 RBI
NL POTW- LF Lourenco Manhas (SD) 14-28 2 HR 6 RBI

On Monday San Diego learned SP Joaquin Escoto (5-3 2.81) would likely miss the rest of the year. The 34 year old suffered a torn labrum and underwent surgery on Tuesday. In 2005 Escoto led the NL with 19 wins.
“The Other Guys”
The Pittsburgh Miners, the other 2011 expansion club, is off to a fantastic start. They;re 28-25 and led by 20 year old phenom Adam Sharpe. Sharpe, 7-0 1.47 just authored the 1st no-hitter in the Miners history and won Rookie and Pitcher of the month in May. He's made 11 starts, thrown 73.1 innings, allowing 48 hits with 69 K's to 26 BB's and given up just 2 HR's. He's known as “The Anvil”.
Their rotation is middle of the road, featuring a 3.95 ERA which is 7th, but their bullpen sits at 2.97, 1st in the league and best in the game. 34 year old Elijah Barfield has 12 Saves and a 2.08 ERA but recent news has said 29 year old lefty John Wangen is moving into the closers role. 34 year old Angel Rodriguez is 2-0 2 SV 0.98 over 18 innings in a setup role while 35 year old Nick Hilliard sports a 1.80 ERA over 25 innings in the middle.

IRON PIG NEWS
On Wednesday 22 year old RP Rick Mckitrick was claimed off waivers from Washington. The righty was placed on the active roster and will take a spot in middle relief. In 12 innings with Washington he was 1-0 3.00 with 14 K's and 9 walks. Selected by the Jets in the 4th round (122nd overall) of the 2006 draft out of Louisburg HS in Kansas.

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Iron Pigs manager, Bill Belfiore, had some choice words for the Chicago media today. “What happened to journalistic integrity?” The Iron Pigs skipper asked during a live radio interview. “No one cares about reporting facts anymore. It's all about clicks and sensationalism these days. All you guys care about is views, clicks and ad revenue and I'm done, sick of it all.” Belfiore seemed to be referring to recent stories that have suggested the Iron Pigs recent struggles are due to “off-field” distractions.
A recent article accused catcher and one of the teams “leaders” Jonathan Miller of numerous “extracurricular indiscretions”, has been a sore subject for Belfiore. “What these guys do on their own time is their business. Do I wish I had 25 saints? Sure, but this is the real world, and they're grown men. But to read accusations like this with literally zero proof is just wrong in every way.”

BACKROOM CHATTER
9-20 in May and an 0-2 start to June. Losing creates all sorts of 'issues' that have nothing to do with playing the actual game. What I will not tolerate is this stuff seeping into the clubhouse, which to my knowledge, has not happened as of today.
Of more concern to me is hearing news that the coaching staff has been butting heads with each other. That stuff does spill out into the locker room.
In speaking with Skipper he acknowledged there's been some turmoil and that it would be addressed. He also mentioned that there seems to be one guy who is in the midst of every single negative story. Chris Becker is someone the staff universally dislikes. He's a talker, doesn't know when to shut up and that is apparently an issues.

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After Saturday's win vs New England veteran IF Frank Abbott wanted a sit down. “I'm not happy” was the opening line.
He went on to state that he wants to play, and also that he understands why he's here and why we brought him in. He made it clear he does not want to make waves and cause issues in the media, which I appreciated, but that he'd prefer to move on sooner rather than later.
I made zero promises other than telling him I would certainly look to make a move if one presents itself and given our relationship and his work with the younger players I'd do what I could to get him on a contender. The Tennessee native would love a shot to play closer to home. Problem is Columbus is 24-34, Atlanta is 24-34. Charlotte is leading the AL South at 33-24 so I'll make some calls. The draft is just 2 days away and I'd love more draft capital.