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Mounts At It Again
3/2/2075
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
General Manager John Mounts, known for getting trade happy at times, has swung another deal, this one a real head-scratcher. Hard hitting Mark Francis and two minor leaguers were traded to Washington in exchange for a somewhat highly touted relief pitching prospect and a mediocre 1B prospect. Mounts spoke frankly: “Our infield is getting crowded, and Mark Francis, while still a good player, is in mid-30s now and making a little more money than we would like. The situation has improved here in Denver, but we still have to pay very close attention to who we’re giving money to, and how much we’re giving them. We felt it was time to move in a different direction. The reliever, Leo Salguero, has excellent stuff, and is close to the big leagues. Herbert Lin adds some solid depth to the organization at first base where we felt we were lacking.”
Francis was disappointed at being traded. "Denver was the first team to really give me a shot at playing, and I was glad to be a part of the turnaround here. I'm going to miss these guys."
Another Year, Another Playoff Defeat for Denver
11/10/2075
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
Denver failed to win the division this year, but their 92 wins were good enough for a playoff spot. Unfortunately, they still haven’t been able take that next step forward. They defeated Memphis in 7 games in the first round, but fell to Knoxville in 7 games in the ALCS. Denver was led by the usual names: John Dear hit 50 homers and drove in 138, Ellis Bolling hit 43 and drove in 141, Lee Chappel hit .325 with 33 HR and 103 RBI, Mark Bakke hit 32 HR and stole 38 bases, Samuel Mendosa hit .328 with 18 HR and 35 steals. Second year player Tomas Sato hit .304 with 22 steals, Asbel Fuentez hit .306 with 52 steals, and Alexis Vazquez enjoyed a breakout year, hitting .319 with 15 HR. The pitching staff was erratic, but Kenneth Retzlaff and Arden Hawthorn stepped forward, winning 17 and 15 games respectively, and pitching very solidly. Former ace Carmelo Fort returned from injury to win 14 games, though he struggled quite a bit at times. He did pitch very well in the postseason, winning three games with a 3.33 ERA, so perhaps there is hope for a rebound next year.
Manager John Wilkerson was visibly frustrated with the postseason loss: “This team is good. These guys, they know that they are good. But then you run up against a team that’s got both the Hitter of the Year and the Pitcher of the Year on their roster, it’s like running into a brick wall. I don’t know that Knoxville was a better overall team than us, but right then, in Game Seven... they were. We split the season series dead even. For six playoff games, we split ‘em dead even. And we lose Game Seven. They go to the World Series, and we’re out on the golf courses. Me, I know what it’s like to win a World Series. I won a bunch as a player with Miami. But these men, these guys, they don’t know that feeling. I want them to know that feeling. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
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