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Calzones Corner: Winter Farm Report - Monterey (AA) |
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Written by Salvatore “Nacho” Jimenez
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 09:43 |
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by staff sport writer Salvatore “Nacho” Jimenez, Laredo Midday News
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Rotation
José Márquez – Left – 23 – Acquired in trade with Tempe Knights, 12-9-10.
This 23-year-old southpaw will start next season heading up the Sea Lions rotation. A former 14th round selection, Márquez shows signs of possibly turning into a serviceable pitcher someday. He began 2010 by going posting a 3-4 record with a 3.61 ERA in 8 starts at Single-A Drumright. He was called up to AA Monterey out of necessity and, all things considered, he pitched reasonably well. While his W/L record was just 3-8 in 14 games (12 of them starts), he posted a 3.67 ERA and struck out 75 batters in 76 innings. Márquez has a 4-pitch repertoire, and induces a lot of ground balls. He has the ability to work a lot of innings. If someone could ever light a fire under the young southpaw, there is a chance he could become a productive pitcher. Márquez seems to have the arm for it, but the Calzones organization doubts he has the mental makeup that is needed to make it to the next level. Over the last 5 seasons, including his time in the college ranks, he sports a 16-52 W/L record. He gets a pass in the rotation for now thanks to his arm, but his head may be better suited for eventual duty in a bullpen. With already a half of season’s experience at the AA level, Márquez should be primed to show considerable improvement this season.
Terry Jones – Right – 23 – Acquired in trade with Tempe Knights, 4-24-11.
Jones was another pitcher rushed prematurely to AA as the Calzones fought a losing battle to stem the hemorrhaging caused by the inordinate amount of injuries to the organizations young pitchers in 2010. For his part, Jones held up reasonably well at AA. He stumbled to a 2-8 W/L record in 15 starts, but managed to post a reasonable 3.90 ERA. The big right-hander can bring heat in the low 90s and is an extreme ground ball pitcher. Jones has five pitches, but his changeup is still in its infancy. He has good stamina and can work a lot of innings, but much like his teammate Márquez, there are considerable questions about his mental makeup. He remains in the Sea Lions rotation for now, and with some AA experience already under his belt, the Calzones are hoping Jones will take a big step forward this season.
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Written by Lupin Cliff Hangers
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 20:10 |
September 29, 2011
Bob Forsheim, Baseball Travelers Daily
This article focuses on the financial dimension of a player’s contribution. The VORP statistic is a good indication of how well a player has contributed to a team. It can be used to compare a pitcher’s performance to that of a position player. It is a good overall indicator of player performance for that reason. If we rate that performance by the player’s salary, we get a good indication of the bang for the buck. The players of the LRS were ranked by a measure of VORP per million dollars salary (VORP/$mil). The results are highlighted in this article.
A listing of the players with the highest VORP/$mil from each team is presented below.
- Kuwana Steel Dragons: 24-year-old CF Kudo, Taro – 941.94 VORP/$mil, 43.8 VORP, $46,500
- Edo Battousai: 21-year-old SP Hernández, Domingo – 922.58 VORP/$mil, 42.9 VORP, $46,500
- Shin Seiki Evas: 30-year-old LF Chikafuji, Sotaro – 677.42 VORP/$mil, 31.5 VORP, $46,500
- Naha Shisa: 27-year-old SP Koike, Tetsunori – 640.86 VORP/$mil, 29.8 VORP, $46,500
- Neo-Tokyo Akira: 23-year-old SP Ueno, Rikiya – 593.55 VORP/$mil, 27.6 VORP, $46,500
- Niihama-shi Ghosts: 28-year-old 1B Samuels, Ron – 524.73 VORP/$mil, 24.4 VORP, $46,500
- Kure Arsenal: 24-year-old LF Watanabe, Tomiji – 507.53 VORP/$mil, 23.6 VORP, $46,500
- Fushigi Yugi Celestial Warriors: 20-year-old CL Sai, Akio – 372.04 VORP/$mil, 17.3 VORP, $46,500
- Hyakujuu Shinkansen: 31-year-old MR Yano, Ryuichi – 339.78 VORP/$mil, 15.8 VORP, $46,500
- Lupin Cliff Hangers: 30-year-old LF Yoshikawa, Akihiro – 329.03 VORP/$mil, 15.3 VORP, $46,500
- Kawaguchi Transmitters: 29-year-old 1B Konishi, Soshu – 320.43 VORP/$mil, 14.9 VORP, $46,500
- Seoul Crushers: 27-year-old SS Takata, Ogai – 307.53 VORP/$mil, 14.3 VORP, $46,500
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VORP for the Buck Revisited |
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Written by Lupin Cliff Hangers
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 11:09 |
September 28, 2011
Bob Forsheim, Baseball Travelers Daily
  The article “VORP for the Buck” appeared in yesterday's publication, but the author was somewhat disappointed with the breadth of information provided. This follow-up article will hopefully fill in some of the missing data that was initially slated for inclusion.
The value of a player to a ballclub is not restricted to performance on the field; it also includes the cost of the player to the team. VORP is a handy indicator of performance that may be used comparatively between pitchers and batters. This article will focus on VORP per million dollars (VORP/$mil) as an indication of a players overall value to a team’s long-term health.
The prior article on this issue included only those players earning the league minimum salary. Those players represent the best values because of their low expense. However, it is rare that a team is composed of only league-minimum salary players. Successful teams will employ more pricey players. For that reason, this article will break the VORP/$mil rankings down into salary groups, including some of the more expensive players.
The most exciting group of players is certainly the superstars. They are the ones who draw the most attention, contribute the most to team wins, and also carry the highest price tag. The first group reviewed will be those earning $15,000,000or more:
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Written by Connecticut Nutmeggers
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 19:47 |
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9/27/2011: Bridgeport, CT – Well, with six games to go, in order for the Nutmeggers to reach .500 for the season, they have to win the rest of their games, as they are currently sitting at 75-81. This kind of pressure is never easy to overcome, though this pressure is nothing like being on the playoff bubble, something the Nutmeggers haven't worried about at all.
 The Nutmegger brass are hopeful the team can muster up a bit of enthusiasm for the last few games to pull out a .500 season. Finishing .500 was actually the goal set by the owner of the team before the season started. The goal was hampered by a sub-par offense and only kept alive by strong performances from each of the starting pitchers.
One of the recent roster expansion call-ups, Christian Thomas, has proved to be as pleasant a surprise as the rest of the young guns on the Nutmeggers' staff. By the way, it is worth noting that Christian was born in Land O' Lakes, FL, a town that probably isn't known for cheese. Interesting... or not. Thomas was called up and has gone 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 15.1 innings, only allowing 8 hits and 3 walks, and striking out 15.
The addition of Thomas leave the Nutmeggers stacked at the starting pitcher position. A smart idea might be to flip one of the starters for a reliable setup man or middle reliever, as that is an area where the Nutmeggers have had some trouble this season. Too many late innings losses.
Let's hope the offseason brings good things for the Nutmeggers squad. Better luck next year, right? |
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Written by Lupin Cliff Hangers
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Monday, 08 March 2010 00:56 |
September 27, 2011
Bob Forsheim, Baseball Travelers Daily
  While the on-field performance of individual players is of utmost importance in winning games, being able to win in a cost-effective manner is of utmost importance to the long-term success of a team. This article was written in hopes of revealing those individual players who help their team win games in a cost-effective manner. The measure chosen to indicate this value for price is the VORP per million dollars (VORP/$mil).
The top players in this measure are likely to be players putting up league leading-type statistics at the league minimum salary. That is certainly true of the leading PEBA players in this measure.
26-year-old DH Sok-man Yi of the Crystal Lake Sandgnats leads all players with a 161.75 VORP/$mil, resulting from a 64.7 VORP at the league minimum $400,000. The 2010 SL Wunderkind awardee has not disappointed in his second season. 33 HR, 95 RBI and a .411 OBP are statistics every General Manager would love to have at the league minimum salary. This slugger is definitely part of the equation that puts Crystal Lake at the top of their division.
26-year-old 1B Rob Raines of the Arlington Bureaucrats is the second overall player. He has a 145.25 VORP/$mil, resulting from a 58.1 VORP at the league minimum $400,000. Rob, who was named the #8 prospect of the PEBA in April, has proved worthy of that ranking, or better. Rob has 31 HR and 28 doubles on top of a .437 OBP.
  28-year-old SP Chris Grinnell of the Omaha Cyclones is the leading pitcher, ranked third overall with a 139.75 VORP/$mil, resulting from a 55.9 VORP at the league minimum $400,000. He has amassed 198.2 innings of 2.85 ERA and 1.18 WHIP mastery over 32 games. Surprisingly, he has a losing 11-13 record. A more potent offense could certainly help this player convert games to wins.
Fourth on the overall list is 27-year-old SP Ed Mitchell of the New Orleans Trendsetters with a 125.50 VORP/$mil, resulting from a 50.2 VORP at the league minimum $400,000. Ed has a 3.18 ERA over 201.1 innings, with a 15-8 record. Ed was deservedly selected for the 2011 All-Star Game. This homegrown talent catapulted into the majors, proving he has what it takes after a 2.57 and 1.93 ERA at Double and Triple-A levels, respectively, last season.
Fifth overall is 29-year-old SP Franklin “Sticky” Browne of the Florida Featherheads with a 123.75 VORP/$mil, resulting from a 49.5 VORP at the league minimum $400,000. “Sticky” seems to have had trouble “sticking” in the majors, debuting in 2007 and bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors since then. But Franklin seems to have figured things out this season and earned himself a spot on the All-Star team. He can be proud of his 3.08 ERA over 207.1 innings with a 1.18 WHIP. His 20-6 record this season has certainly rewarded the Featherheads for their commitment to the man. Those twenty wins are crucial to the Florida division lead.
The following are position-by-position leaders not yet mentioned.
 23-year-old 2B Joel Swedlove, Kalamazoo Badgers – 122.75 VORP/$mil, 49.1 VORP, $400,000.- 26-year-old SS Raúl García, Kalamazoo Badgers – 118.25 VORP/$mil, 47.3 VORP, $400,000.
- 25-year-old CF Dan Jamison, Florida Featherheads – 95.0 VORP/$mil, 38.0 VORP, $400,000.
- 28-year-old LF Carlos Martínez, Crystal Lake Sandgnats – 83.75 VORP/$mil, 33.5 VORP, $400,000.
- 24-year-old 3B José Montaño, Connecticut Nutmeggers – 76.00 VORP/$mil, 30.4 VORP, $400,000.
- 25-year-old RF Álex Martínez, Kalamazoo Badgers – 68.00 VORP/$mil, 27.2 VORP, $400,000.
- 25-year-old CA Brock Brett, New Jersey Hitmen – 62.75 VORP/$mil, 25.1 VORP, $400,000.
- 25-year-old CL Jaime “Scruffy” Castillo, Kentucky Thoroughbreds – 56.75 VORP/$mil, 22.7 VORP, $400,000.
- 24-year-old MR Samuel “Country" Davidson, Bakersfield Bears – 49.50 VORP/$mil, 19.8 VORP, $400,000.
Who wouldn’t love to have that double play combination of Kalamazoo? Note they top the list in RF also. How about Crystal Lake with leaders at both DH and LF? |
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Written by Neo-Tokyo Akira
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 18:31 |
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 9/27/2011: Tokyo, Japan – Neo Tokyo owner and General Manager Ron Hiscock has promised change – for the better – for almost two seasons now. How have things changed? Well, so far attendance is down 12% from last season, but the losing remains the same, as a fifth consecutive losing campaign is certain.
Yomiuri Shimbun sportswriter Abe Woo Tword began receiving anonymous tips hinting that all was not on the up and up at Akira headquarters.
Allegations were that ownership is not the least bit concerned with winning a title, but rather with making money. The informant cited moves such as the trading of All Star-caliber players simply to reduce payroll as evidence of the team's lack of interest in winning ballgames.
NeTo finished last year with a $17 million surplus. Where the money has gone seems to be a mystery to some in the organization. Recent acquisitions were merely a cover-up to thwart suspicion, with no effort made to re-sign those players.
Woo Tword decided to investigate those charges, writing several pieces questioning the intent of management. The fans deserved to know, he felt. But he needed hard evidence…
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