Leading the Generals

[CecilCooper]

There are some very good dynasties out there to read, I am sure this one will not be one of the best (there are some great writers out there), but I feel like adding another to masses. At the very least it will help me chronicle what I know about my team and league as I know it and it will help me keep my notes straight. If you follow along, thank you, and I hope you enjoy it.

First some housekeeping...
I am using SkyDogs/Ronco's modifiers. I simmed the first 20 years, deleted the history and simmed 17 more. I had simmed 15, but no team was REALLY bad, if they had a bad record they had a top 10 farm system. So I simmed 2 more years and somehow a few teams really fell apart. Boston was the worst of them all. They were 66-96 and have the 22nd overall farm system (out of 24). One league with DH, one without. Sometimes I like the DH sometimes I don't, I am in one of my 'don't ' phases so I wanted a non-DH team.
Financials are default. I have 2 feeder leagues going, and I recall coming across some issues early in the first 20 years where some feeder kids were turning past age after the draft but before the new season and having to sit out a year, so I moved the draft to Dec 25th. I figure it can be Christmas for the GMs on ...well.... Christmas.



NEWSFLASH

- Boston, MA

Generals Pick New.....General!
So hear I am in my office reading about myself. It feels very surreal to be reading about myself. It is official though, the beat writers are not that impressed with the hire. Can I really blame them though, the only way I got this job is because the owner is an off the wall lunatic and "he just might give me a chance," were the last words I recall hearing until I got the most improbable call of my life...

[CecilCooper]

Knowing the history of the Generals, I know it can't get much worse. The best record in terms of wins was 2037 when the Generals won 79 games but they still finished in 4th place. Their best placement was 2031 (year 3) when they won 78 games and finished 3rd. They have finished 6th 7 times including the last two years when they won 64 and 66 games. The Generals have lost 100+ games 3 times, 107 is the team low in 2035. In 17 years they have a .425 winning percentage, easily the worst in the Continental Baseball Association.

The next closest team to the Generals are the Seattle Klondikes. Like the Generals, they also have only finished 3rd once and that was in the year 1. They have finished 6th 4 times. They have a .447 winning percentage. There are 5 teams that have yet to make the playoffs. In addition to Boston and Seattle the others are the Charlotte Racers, San Diego Admirals and the Vancouver Loggers.

On the other end of the spectrum, the top 2 teams in terms of championships won are the New York Protectors and the Hollywood Stars. The Protectors have won 4 Championships out of their 7 times in the playoffs. The Stars have won 3 in their 9 postseason trips. The NL had won 13 of the first 15 Continental Series, however the AL has won the last 2 to make the leage total 13-4. The Pheonix Firebirds have won 3 as well, however they have only had 5 trips to October. Finally, the Capital City Ambassadors have been postseason regular with 8 trips, however they have only won a single championship.

Outstanding Batter Award to get new name!!!
By looking at the below can you tell who the award will be named for?


Yes that is right, Pat Mayes, he has been named the Outstanding Hitter 8 times so far. As soon as he calls it a career he will have the award named for him.

[CecilCooper]

Time to look at the team as it is currently set.

Starting Pitching

Joaquin Alonso 10-16 5.35 - In 3 years he is 29-38. My scout who seems to be decent, thinks this guy is best suited in the minor leagues. Right now, I am inclined to agree with him. He was a 20th round pick (out of 20) and made the majors, that should be something to tell his kids. Let's hope there are better options out there for the Generals.

Joseph Bentley 4-12 6.01 - My scout also thinks this Joseph is best suited in the minors. Opponents hit .303 off of him last year. Prior to this year he spent the last 3 years in AAA and went 38-27 with an ERA around 3.80. So maybe he could be a stop gap or injury replacement. Who knows.

Walter Hines 1-3 11.12 - I am beginning to think my scout is very pessimistic. Hines shouldn't be in pro ball at this point next year according to him. He is 27 years old and was rushed through the system. Had a great Rookie ball campaign in 2042 before jumping to both AA and AAA in 2043.

Doug Randolf 8-6 3.24 between SF and SEA - This guy is 26 and finally a player my scout approves of having some sort of talent. This guy was just traded for by the prior GM and given up was our former starting catcher who hit .286-6-45 and a Rookie League CF who hit .122-0-2 this past season. Overall, doesn't seem to be a bad trade and I think I have at least someone to keep around! This is Dougs first year on a ML roster so I get him for a while on the cheap.

Patrick Shaw 8-6 13 Sv 4.22 - Tank Shaw is 31 and was in 41 games last year starting 20. The scout says he has very good control and should be a mid-mid rotation starter. So I am inclined to keep him in that position. He just signed a 4 year deal for 12 million + per year. I have $37.1 million committed for 2046 and he has 1/3 of it. On the bright side only 6 people are making more than 500k.

Bullpen

Bill Davis 7-3 3 Sv 3.30 at Austin (AAA) - After the season some trades were made by the previous GM and through it all Bill Davis was added to the current roster. He spent 2044 in Boston and went 1-3 6.07, and was sent to AAA for all of 2045. He had a good year in the majors the year before that with Vancouver and Miami. He seems to have decent stuff, but lacks control and movement. He might be good for a year or as an injury replacement.

Ramon Lopez 1-0 11.17 - Ramon is 32 and has been up and down between Boston and Austin the past 3 seasons. He had a decent season in 2044 going 3-2 3.74 but couldn't keep it going this season. The scout is not impressed with him.

Antonio Martinez 0-1 5.63 - Antonio is 38 and near the end of the line I think. He has 1 more year left on his contract. At AAA he went 2-1 8 Sv 3.67 last year. I would be surprised if he is in baseball after this next year.

Julio Vargas 2-1 4.57 - Julio is 28 and spent parts of last season between AAA and Boston. In AAA he was 5-2 2 Sv 3.41, and the year prior he was in Boston the entire year and was 5-8 4.50 in 73 games. He has a problem walking guys and like the others in the bullpen the scout thinks he is best used in mop-up duty.

Juan Ybarra 2-4 1 Sv 5.69 - Juan, 34, has some control issues and has had some decent success in prior stops in the bigs. He might be losing his stuff though because the scout thinks he should be our janitor. He has one year left making $2.2 million!

Lorenzo Zambrano 3-3 4.85 between St.L and SF - Lorenzo is only 23 years old and is well traveled. He was just received in a trade for 2 minor leaguers who have not done anything in the minors. He has very good movement but that is the only positive pitching attribute he has.

Edison Austin 1-1 1 Sv 3.81 - Edison saw 63 games of duty last season and now is slated for the closer role. He is 31 years old and has 2 years left making $1.45 million per year. Scout seems to think he is a slightly below average reliever.

That does it for the current active pitching staff. There better be a lot of hope in the minors (oh yeah minors are ranked #22 out of 24) or in free agency.

[CecilCooper]

Let's hope the position players have a little more hope!

Position Players

C Pedro Castro .308-9-77 - Pedro spent time between C and 1B last year. He has won a Gold Glove in a previous year at Catcher and just signed a 2 year extension worth almost 5 million per year. He is 31 years old and is definitely a keeper considering my options that I have for this team as a whole.

C Luke Case .279-0-8 - Luke only had 86 at-bats with the Generals last season. He is 27 years old and is basically a body for the bench right now. He had just about as many at-bats in AA and AAA and really knocked the ball around there so maybe there is hope for him. He hit .379 in 86 at-bats in AA and .386 in 120 at-bats in AAA.

C Doug Lynn .313-5-74 in AAA El Paso - Doug is a Rule 5 draftee from the prior GM. I am not sure this was a wise decision, but I will see how he fits in. He seems to be a good defensive catcher but that's about it. The scout thinks he will be an average to below average hitter.

1B Henry Hansen .119-1-4 - Henry spent most of the season in AAA and hit .259-11-36 there. The scout is not sure what to think about the 26 year old Henry. He thinks he can be very good, but Henry seems to have a problem translating that to the bigs. He is a former first round pick of the Phoenix Firebirds.

2B Frank McDonald .232-1-13 with Chicago - Frank just came over from the Chicago Blue Sox in a trade prior to my hire. He is 29 years old and has decent speed. He is just ok in every aspect of the game. He would be best used as a backup.

3B Pablo Rodriguez .226-9-60 - Pablo is 28 years old and had an off year last year. He has been an everyday player for Boston for 3 seasons and this past season was his worst. He hit .330-17-80 his first year, and .241-16-69 in his second. Let's hope the trend reverses itself. Our scout tends to think he will be an average player but that he has above average speed.

SS Bartolomeau Arruante .222-0-4 - Bartolomeau spent most of the season in Austin (AAA) and hit .288-1-42 and had 28 SBs. He has hit rather well in all of his minor league stops. He is 26 years old and was drafted in the 4th round out of UCLA. With UCLA he won 2 college championships. He has never hit more than 2 HRs in a pro season. The scout seems to think only his speed tranlates to the majors, but we will see.

SS Matt Arrington .274-10-33 - Matt played in 96 games this past season and seems to be a very good fielder. He was having a great season in 2045 and was named to the All-Star Team and then tore a groin muscle and went on the DL for the rest of the season. He has above average speed as well and might steal 20 bases a season. He is 28 years old and hopefully can stay healthy.

LF Orlando Navarro .184-6-27 - Orlando seems to have been a main substitution in previous years. He has routinely played in 120+ games but only gets about 300 ABs. In 2044 he hit .273-9-48. He seems like he might still put it all together but hitting for average is not going to be his strong suit and at 27 he might be running out of time.

LF Rafael Mendez .260-10-28 with Dallas and Las Vegas - Rafael is 29 and grades out to an above average power hitter. The trade that sent him over also sent the best pitcher Boston had over to Las Vegas. Boston also got a power hitting minor league 1B in the deal.

CF Bart Evans .240-22-92 - Bart is one of the few established power hitters on the team. He is 27 years old and has been a CBA regular for 2 seasons. Bart will strike out 100+ times in a season and is very average defensively but he is one of the very few power options I currently have. His job is very safe.

RF Craig Gill .265-15-65 - Craig is 27 years old and was rushed through the system. In his first year of pro ball he was in A, AA and AAA. He only had 92 games of experience above A ball before making it to Boston. He will walk as much as he strikes out. In 2045 that was over 100 times each. The scout likes him to hit 20 HR a year. He is a former 1st round pick and was an All-Star in 2044.

RF Mike Cook .233-1-24 - Mike Cook is 27 (it seems everyone on the team is) and he seems to be one of those AAAA players. He hits for a very high average in AAA (.353 in 111 games in 2044) but just can't get it going in Boston. When he gets the bat on the ball, he tends to find holes, but he is inconsistent in making contact. With the other outfielders we have I am not sure he will stick around.

So that is the current state of the Boston Generals. As you can see I have my work cut out for me. I can use upgrades all over the field. My pitching is in shambles and the only bright spots seem to be at SS and OF. I seem to have outfield depth which is nice and Pedro Castro at catcher should get me through a year or two.

[CecilCooper]

Minor Leagues

AAA Austin Red Dogs
There is not much in the pitching department to help out the parent club. Only 3 players even have a shot at the majors according to the scout.

RP Tatsui Nii 3-2 11 Sv 2.70 - Tatsui has a shot a being a serviceable bullpen member.
SP Martin Mercado 8-7 5.28 - Martin is inconsistent and walks as many as he strikes out. I think I am in trouble if I need him with Boston.
SP Joe Wade 7-10 4.63 - Joe projects to a 5th starter and his big issue is control. He has average pitches and movement.

Batting isn't that much better either. No major players sitting here.
1B John Lynch .247-15-71 - John hit .308-2-6 in 26 AB with Boston this past season. He has some pop doesn't seem to be able to hit for much average. He might get a shot at a backup spot with Boston this season.
IF Brian Pitts .310-6-40 - Brian can play all 4 infield spots well and that is a nice attribute for him. He can hit for average a little but doesn't have much pop or speed.

Looks like there might be a few players who could help out in a pinch, but nothing in the way of future starters or the type of players I would think would be on a decent team.


AA Savannah Sun Kings

Savannah won the Southern League Inland title lost to New Orleans in the First Round of the Playoffs.

SP Max Bernier 17-5 3.64 - Max was named the AA Southern League's Pitcher of the Year. Unfortunately he doesn't grade out as being any better than this. In fact, he is currently on Austin's roster and I didn't pay attention to him.

RP Yasukazu Suzuki 2-2 2 Sv 2.59 at Omaha (A) - Yasukazu might make it as a fringe bullpen member at some point in his career. He isn't destined for stardom. He is 24 and has a little bit of time to work on things in AA and AAA.

RP James O'Halloran 4-4 25 Sv 2.98 at Omaha (A) - James should be able to make it to the Boston at some point in his career. He may not be the dominant closer he was at Omaha this past season, but he should get up there for more than a cup of coffee.

OF Baden Colenutt .242-1-12 - Baden has great speed and some scouts think he can be a very good player. My scout is not on that list though. He has stolen 40+ bases each of the past 3 seasons and is very good defensively. If he can get his batting straight he could have a chance. At 25 though, he needs to get it going soon.

RF Julio Lopez .327-3-54 at Omaha (A) - Julio is only 19 years old and has very high potential. He should be a cornerstone for the franchise once he puts it all together. My scout projects him to be a good contact hitter with lots of power.

There seems to be one very high potential player for me to keep my eye on. A couple others that could turn into something, overall it is a lot better than what I have in Austin.

[CecilCooper]

Minor Leagues Part II

A Portland Sailfish

The A level team finished 4 games out this past season. No picthing help is around, but there are some intriguing hitters.

IF Bob Howell .348-15-63 - Bob is a great defensive firstbasemen and can play the other 3 infield spots. Was part of the trade with Rafael Mendez. Might be a backup at some point. 24 years old.

LF Reid Davis .239-0-14 - Reid a former first round pick and 24 years old, is still on the scout's radar. The scout seems to think he has star potential, so let's see if Reid can prove him right. He hit .321-4-11 in Rookie ball prior to his promotion for the end of the season.

LF Steve MacNayer .238-7-23 - Steve might have a shot at the bigs at some point, but he needs to work on his average. He has a lot of power and speed and is pretty good defensively. Only his batting average, or lack of, would keep him from advancing up the ranks quickly. He is 25 years old.

CF Constant Esposito .292-4-22 - Constant was the 2nd overall pick last season. He might be the highest Italian ever drafted. He was a part of 3 All-Star Games with the TCU Horned Frogs and won 1 NCAA Championship with them. He is 23 years old and the scout thinks he has a huge upside. Let's hope Constant can keep working at improving his game.



Rookie Glendale Turtles

Glendale won the Cactus Division this past season and lost to Cocoa in the first round of the playoffs. Of course, no pitching help.

1B Brian Torres .216-2-19 - Brian is the only member of the organization that is on the top 100 prospect list. He is ranked 56th. He was the 2nd round pick of the St. Louis Bluebirds and was traded to us for a CBA relief pitcher. This guy is an interesting player, he must have had a beef with his HS coach because he never played for his HS team, yet he was a 2nd round pick. My scout thinks he has future star written all over him. The OSA seems to agree if he is the best prospect in our system. He is only 20 years old.

CF Artie Phillips .254-3-40 - Artie projects to being a starter in the CBA. The scout thinks he can mature into hitting 20 HR a year and he is a threat on the basepaths. His one area to watch will be his contact. He grades out well defensively but is 24 years old and will be moved up to A ball and will have to start making his move up the chain. He is a 2nd round pick from 2 seasons ago.

RF Pat Keller .285-9-33 - Pat could make it to Boston also. He doesn't have as much upside as the others, but he could be a decent reserve player. He grades out as above average in all facets of the game. Like Artie, he is 24 and will need to start testing himself against better pitchers.

Well, there is my entire minor league system and the possible CBA talent that I have. It looks like I will need to focus on developing pitching and infielders as most everyone that looks like a player anywhere in the organization seems to play the outfield. At least that will give me some flexibility for trades.

Luckily Christmas is coming up and with that the draft, that will be the first big test of my career.

[CecilCooper]

First Year Player Draft

I had the 2nd overall pick. I guess I lost a good free agent and ended up with the 19th overall pick from the San Diego Admirals, I searched their team and could not find the deal.

Round 1 CF Sy-Ing Er - Univesity of Georgia - I went with my scouts' recommendation. Sy-Ing was listed as the #2 person by OSA also. He won the NCAA Outstanding Hitter Award in 2044 when he hit .418-15-42 and was also selected to the 2045 NCAA All-Star Game. Our scout expects this player to be a franchise player to build the team around. He can play all 3 outfield positions, but is not stellar with the glove. He hit .314-14-42 this past season.

Round 1 1B Michael Charles - Hokes Bluff HS - Another scout pick, I only overruled him a couple of times, I figure this is why I pay him his salary. Michael must have had an issue with his HS coach, he never got to play in HS. He grades out to being a very good contact and power hitter.

Round 2 SP Raul Aguirre - Calallen HS - This is one of the times I overruled the scout. He wanted me to take another 1B I believe. I thought I needed a pitcher. The scout thinks this guy can be an ace in the making, but he didn't show it the last year of HS. He went 2-2 6.71 his Senior year. He was 8-3 with a 3.60 ERA the 2 years prior.

Round 3 2B Juliano Calderinha - Dunedin HS - He hasn't had much experience the past 2 seasons, but as a sophomore he hit .386-4-28 and the scout likes his ability.

Round 4 CL Bill Smith - Bishop Gorman HS - He has been his teams closer for 2 years. This past season he had 2 wins, 2 losses and 6 saves with a 3.42 ERA. My scout likes his chances at being a CBA setup man or closer. He was in the 2043 HS All-Star Game.

Round 5 CL John Shepherd - Stockdale HS - Also a member of the 2043 HS All-Star Game, John Sheperd has saved 36 games in his 3 years on varsity. This past season he had 9 saves while posting a 3.26 ERA and a 4/18 BB/K ratio.

Those were my top 5 rounds of the draft.

In other offseason news, it turns out I have a whopping $4.0 million dollars to offer to free agents for the rest of the offseason. This isn't looking good for a major overhauling of the team. I am scared for this next season.

[CecilCooper]

OFFSEASON

The remainder of the offseason with my limited funds was not too eventful. I did make a couple of signings though.

We signed SP Travis Roberts to a 1 year $640,000 contract. Travis is 35 and went 3-7 5.08 last year with the Atlanta Kings. For his career he is 91-98 4.96 and I think he is a big upgrade over the back end of the current rotation.

Signed 2B Jorge Rodriguez to a 1 year $700,000 contract. Jorge is a three-time All-Star and this past season hit .277-0-14 in limited duty. I think he provides a good deal of depth and will fight Frank McDonald for the 2nd base spot.

Signed SP Jose Franco to a 1 year $1,500,000 contract. Went a bit higher with this than I had wanted, but due to a bidding war, it had to be done. I couldn't go into the season with the 5 starting pitchers that were slated to be there. Jose is 37 and was 5-2 3.39 with the Cincinnati Steamboats last year.

To make room on the 25 man roster for these players, C Luke Case and SP Walter Hines were demoted and SP Joseph Bentley was released. I would have liked to have kept Bentley around, but the DFA time crept up on me and I had to make room for Jose Franco so I had to cut someone loose. I might try and get him back for minor league help during spring training once I see how my team is shaping up.

On the bright side, I was informed by the league that 2 of my Free Agents were worth compensation and so I could potentially have 3 picks in the first round of the draft after this season.

[CecilCooper]

Spring Training Pt 1

If the first 1/3 of the Spring Training Schedule is any indication, this is going to be the longest season of my life. After 8 games of practice ball, the Boston Generals are 1-7. Besides the 1 win, only 1 game was a 1 run loss and only 1 game was a 4 run loss the others were worse.

In the 7 losses the Generals have been outscored 65-18. We have given up 11 runs twice and 12 runs twice.

So far Doug Randolf has been one of the few decent players this spring training. Through 2 starts he has allowed 8 hits in 9 innings and has a 4.00 ERA.

Bill Davis has allowed 6 hits in 6 innings and has a 4.50 ERA.

Lorenzo Zambrano has allowed 1 hit in 3 innings of work and has not yet allowed a run.

Among the many on the bad side is Joaquin Alonso who has allowed 11 runs in 3.2 innings. (22.09 ERA).

2B Frank McDonald has hit .429 with 2 HR and 4 RBI.

C Pedro Castro is hitting .333 with 2 RBI.

CF Bart Evans is hitting .357 with 3 RBI.

The other problem is this team is HORRIBLE at fielding. The Generals have 10 errors in the 8 games.

Let's hope these next 8 games go better!

[CecilCooper]

Spring Training Pt 2

Things went a little bit better over the next 8 games. The Generals were a lot more competitive, but things still are not going their way. We went 1-7 over games 9-16 to bring the Spring record to 2-14.

The roster I will want to have for Opening Day is starting to take shape. Let's take a look at what I know so far and we will start with the easier decisions, the position players.

Catcher is set with Pedro Castro and Doug Lynn (the Rule 5 guy). Luke Case will be sent down shortly.

1B starter will be Henry Hansen he is hitting .304-2-9 in the spring.

2B starter will be Frank McDonald .379-2-5

3B starter will most likely be Pablo Rodriguez even though he is having a bad Spring .125-0-1.

SS starter will be Matt Arrington .281-0-2

OF will include these 4 players...
Rafael Mendez .364-1-2
Bart Evans .323-1-8
Mike Cook .333-0-4
Craig Gill .107-0-1

Thatis 10 of the position players set. I will most likely keep 12 or 13, as I will definitely need the pitching depth.

FA acquisition 2B Jorge Rodriguez is in a battle with IF Roberto Silva, Brent Wells who can play the corner IF and all 3 OF positions, IF Brian Pitts, OF Caleb Newsome and OF Orlando Navarro. All the other position players would really have to make a push these last 8 games to get into the discussion.

Pitching is still a tough one to forecast. I do not have a SP that has a opp batting avg lower than .300. I am pretty sure 4 of the spots will be Patrick Shaw, Travis Roberts (FA pickup), Jose Franco (FA pickup) and Doug Randolf. That lost spot is still up in the air between Steve Carpenter, Joaquin Alonso and Walter Hines. Walter and Joaquin finally had good outings the last time out and are back in the race.

3 relief spots are sown up with Edison Austin (1.80 ERA in 5 IP), Bill Davis (4.50 in 10 IP) and Lorenzo Zambrano (3.60 in 5 IP). I might keep a 6th SP since I am thinking I will need the long relief help.

This will be a long year for the pitchers and pitching coach.

[CecilCooper]

Spring Training Pt 3

The last 8 games went pretty well defensively. We still had a rough go of it in terms of wins and losses though. The last 6 games went 4-1 loss, 3-1 loss, 8-0 loss where it was 0-0 after 6, 9-4 loss, then a 6-5 win and a 9-2 win to finish the Spring slate 4-20.

Decisions were made and the Opening Day Roster was set. We made one roster move from the Major League Roster and that was releasing 38 year old RP Antonio Martinez after he didn't accept his assignment.

Towards the end of Spring Training my scout found a player sitting in Free Agency who he thinks can be a great player. C Norm Williams was signed and will be placed at either A ball or Rookie Ball, not quite sure yet. He is 21 years old and could be a star.

[CecilCooper]

Opening Day

What a great day, the fresh-cut grass, the birds are singing and everyone's hopes are up as everyone starts the season 0-0 with playoff chances dancing in their heads.

Opening Day Lineup (Spring Stats)
SS Matt Arrington .226-0-2
2B Frank McDonald .378-2-5
1B Henry Hansen .375-2-15 also had 4 3B to rank among CBA leaders
CF Bart Evans .261-2-10
LF Rafael Mendez .367-2-5
C Pedro Castro .244-0-4
3B Brent Wells .286-1-2
RF Craig Gill .125-0-1
P Patrick Shaw 18 IP, 32 H 7.50 ERA

The rest of the Starting Rotation will be ...
Jose Franco 20 IP, 23 H, 4.95 ERA
Doug Randolf 19.1 IP, 23 H, 6.05 ERA
Walter Hines 13.2 IP, 16 H, 5.27 ERA
Travis Roberts 17.1 IP, 27 H, 7.27 ERA

The Bullpen will consist of...
Joaquin Alonso 10.2 IP, 16 H, 9.28 who will be the long reliever and showed some decent outings towards the end of Spring.
Bill Davis 16 IP, 11 H, 2.81 ERA Along with Alonso are my only RH Relievers
Cisco Saldana 15 IP, 19 H, 3.60 ERA
Julio Vargas 13 IP, 11 H, 4.15 ERA
Juan Ybarra 9.1 IP, 12 H, 10.61 ERA
Lorenzo Zambrano 7.2 IP, 11 H, 9.39 ERA
Edison Austin 7.1 IP, 3 H, 1.23 ERA will be my closer.

The Positional Bench includes...
C Doug Lynn (Rule 5) .273-0-1
2B Jorge Rodriguez .176-0-2
IF Roberto Silva .324-0-2
3B Pablo Rodriguez .114-0-1
OF Mike Cook .302-0-5

So the first game had the Generals taking on the Brooklyn Knights. The momentum of the last 2 Spring Training games must have given these boys some confidence as the Generals played a great game.



The 12 million dollar man Tank Shaw led the way with a 5 hit CG shutout of the Brooklyn Knights. He struck out 6 in going the distance. He took league-wide #1 star honors for Opening Day. CF Bart Evans was the #2 star of the day going 3-4 with 2 2B, HR, BB and 4 RBI on the day. I am not sure there will be a better game than this one all year long. There were many smiling faces after the game in the locker room, let's hope they can stick around for 161 more games!

[CecilCooper]

April Part 1

We just finished up our 5th series of the season and things are looking alright. If we had just a couple of thigns go our way we could very well be in first or knocking on the door.

Opening Series at Brooklyn Knights
We ended up winning the first game (chronicled above) with a great pitching performance from Patrick 'Tank' Shaw.
The middle game was a 5-4 loss in a game we never led and in the finale...
we scored 8 runs during the 7th and 8th to come back and claim a 9-7 win and take the series. Doug Randolf got the win despite giving up 6 runs in 6 innings. Mike Cook went 3-4 with a solo HR and 1 RBI. Pedro Castro went 2-4 with a 3B and 2 RBI.

Record 2-1

vs Las Vegas Aces
In the home opener Walter Hines gave up 5 runs in 6 innings and we just couldn't get it going in a 5-2 loss.
The Generals just couldn't get the big hit when they needed it in game 2 and strand 15 people on base in a 6-1 loss. Travis Roberts has what I am starting to call the "Generals Pitching Line" giving up 5 runs in 6 innings. Mike Cook and Bart Evans both go 3-5.
The Aces complete the sweep with a 9-1 pasting of the Generals. Tank Shaw got knocked around in his 2nd start giving up 6 runs in 5 innings. Roberto Estrada gave up 3 hits in 7 innings for the Aces and gets the win.

Record 2-4

vs Hollywood Stars
The loss streak hits 4 games when the Stars come to town and hand us a 7-3 loss. Jose Franco gives up 7 runs in 5 innings. Brad Davis and Julio Vargas give 4 innings of great bullpen help but the offense just couldn't get it going in the later innings to try and get back in it.
Doug Randolf is the recipient of another slugfest win. He gives up 5 runs in 6 innings and with the support of the hitters we end the skid and win 10-8. Frank McDonald went 3-3 with a 2B and 3 RBI.
Walter Hines gets trounced and his spot in the rotation is starting to get questioned as he gives up 9 runs in 4 innings including 3 HRs. Ryan Davis of the Stars was the big hitter with a 3-4 day and 1 HR with 3 RBI.

Record 3-6

at Chicago Blue Sox
Chicago came into the series in first place with a 7-1 record that goes to 8-1 with a 9-3 win against the Generals. Travis Roberts gives up 6 runs in 6 innings. Bart Evans goes 2-4 with a 3B, HR and 2 RBI. 1B Jin-u Yu of the Blue Sox has a monster day hitting 4-5 with 1 HR, 3 2B and 6 RBI! SP Pavlov Sharifov went 7.1 innings and gave up 2 runs for the win.
Tank Shaw helps get the Generals on the right track again with a 4 hit-1 run performance over 7 innings. Bart Evans and Henry Hansen both homer in the 4-2 win. Closer Edison Austin goes 1.1 innings for his 2nd save.
Jose Franco gives up 3 runs in 6 innings and the bats again are doing their part in a 7-3 win. Frank McDonald, Bart Evans and Pablo Rodriquez all get 3 hits, and a host of others had 2 hits each as the Generals still strand 11 on base. Pablo Rodriguez (2) and Bart Evand (4) each homer in the game.
Doug Randolf gives up 3 in the first inning and then shuts the door and gets to 3-0 on the season. Mike Cook hit his 2nd solo HR of the year and Edison Austin gets the save in a 4-3 win to take 3 of 4 from the Blue Sox.

Record 6-7

at Tampa Bay Sun Rays
Someone's streak had to end as we have won 3 in a row and TB has won 6 in a row. Unfortunately, the Sun Rays still had things on their side as they get 3 in the bottom of the 9th to win the game 5-4. I tried to use Edison Austin for the 3rd time in 4 days and he didn't have his stuff working and gets the loss. LF Ivan Calderon goes 1-2 with a HR for TB. On a good note, Walter Hines had a dominating pitching performance by pitching 5 innings of no-hit ball only to have a 2nd inning rain delay of an hour ruin his endurance.
Grit and determination are still on the Sun Rays' side as they again come back late in the game this time with 3 in the bottom of the 8th to win 4-3. Travis Roberts was rolling along until I had him go out for the 8th inning and then the wheels fell off. He ended up getting charged for all 4 runs in 7 innings of work. Craig Gill went 2-3 with a 2B and 2 RBI.
Once again Patrick Shaw turns in a pretty good pitching performance to end a losing streak. He gives up 2 runs in 7 innings and goes to 3-1 on the year in a 9-2 win. Brent Wells went 2-4 hitting a HR (1) with 5 RBI.

Record 7-9

As things stand right now we are 7-9 and in 4th place. Losing those first 2 games to Tampa Bay really sting as with those wins we are I think a game and a half game out of first instead of the 3.5 we currently sit. Tampa Bay is in first with a 10-5 record.

Current Generals on the League Leader Charts
Craig Gill #3 in Avg .432
Craig Gill #3 in OBP+SLG 1.159
Bart Evans #4 in OBP+SLG 1.150
Frank McDonald 12 game hitting streak (#2)
Doug Randolf and Tank Shaw tied for 2nd with 3 wins.

[CecilCooper]

End of April





Things have gone decent the last half of the month.

Monday April 23rd, Craig Gill was named the Player of the Week. He hit .435-2-9 during the week. He is currently batting .346-3-13 this season.

The season seems to be a tale of two types of starters. Patrick Shaw is currently 4-1 with a 3.29 ERA. Doug Randolf is leading the league in wins and is 5-0 5.29 behind probably the best run support in the league. The Generals have scored 43 runs in his 5 starts. The other 3 staters are a combined 0-11.

The Generals have some hitters starting the season off right.
Mike Cook is hitting .391 with 3 HR and 11 RBI.
Bart Evans is batting .300 but leads the team with 4 HR and is 2nd with 18 RBI.
Pedro Castro is leading the team with 19 RBI and has 3 HR and a .300 average.
Frank McDonald is batting .337-2-13.

The highlight of the last half of the month was taking 2 of 3 from the Brooklyn Knights who were in first place when the series started.
Game 1 was a typical Doug Randolf game. Pedro Castro went 4-5 with a HR and 3 RBI in an 11-7 win. Mike Cook went 3-4 with a 3B and 3 RBI.

Game 2 was a 6-2 loss. RF Bob Nunn hit a HR and had 3 RBI for the Knights.

Game 3 was an offensive explosion as the Generals trample the Knights 15-1. Craig Gill, Pedro Castro and Mike Cook all homer. Craig Gill had 4 RBI and a 2B to go with his HR in a 2-5 day. Mike Cook went 4-5 and had 3 RBI and 2 2B with his HR.

Down on the Farm
AAA - Austin
C Luke Case .424-1-4
1B Sergio Chapa .283-4-14
P John Hayes 4-0 3.07 6/33 BB/K

AA - Savannah
RF Vicente Martinez .33-4-14
1B Masakado Sato .337-3-14
3B Bob Meyers .347-2-20
2B Ricardo Gonzales .337-1-20
RF Julio Lopez (#3 CBA Prospect) .317-1-13
P Curt Barker 2-1 4.45 9/24

A - Portland
3B Stefan Rae .365-2-13
LF Reid Davis .294-4-19
P Jorge Alvarado 2-1 1.85 3/11
P Steven O'Feargus 2-1 2.33 9/11
CF Sy-Ing Er (1st Round Pick) .222-0-2 after being promoted (.351-2-9 at Rookie Level)

R - Glendale
CF - Artie Phillips .426-2-12
CF Juan Rodriguez .354-3-9
P Mauro Berrera 1-1 0.34 2/3
P Bill Smith 0-0 0.00 0/7 (in 12 IP)

** Please note I have fixed the Career Batting Leader photo in post #2.