The Sunshine Chronicles

[Totalshock]

Preamble

This is a diary chronicling the existence of the San Diego Sunshine, an expansion team in 2017 in the Federal Baseball League. It uses the popular FBL quickstart for OOTP. If you don't want to see how some of the players from the 2012 quickstart CAN and MAY play out five years or more into the future, be advised.

10/22/2016

The Vancouver Blizzard won the FBL Championship Series today, beating the 2014 champions the Toronto Gold Sox (the first team to ever win a league twice in the FBL’s five-year history) 12-3 in the sixth game.

As well as being history for that reason, it was momentous for me for another reason – with the eyes off the Trans-Canada Championship Series (as it was called in the media), the eyes were turning onto me and my team, as well as the team up the road in Seattle.

After five successful years in the big-league baseball business, the Federal Baseball League was expanding, introducing the Seattle Steelheads and my San Diego Sunshine. Just over a year ago, I was assistant GM of the Toronto Gold Sox, serving under the legendary Johnny Moore. But then, on the heels of the 2015 season, I got a call from Joe Adams, the owner of the newly-awarded San Diego baseball franchise. He wanted to talk about maybe working together to build the new team. We met, and we got along well from the start. I liked that he was interested in putting together a winner, but that his idea on how to do so was to build a great team of baseball people, support them, and let them do their thing. After a couple more interviews, he offered me the job.

I remember going to Johnny with the proposition. It was tough to do. He’d been a father to me for so long, it felt like I was betraying him. But he looked up at me over his glasses and said simply, “Look, Mike, I’m not giving up this office for quite some time. Going to a new franchise isn’t going to be easy. It’s not going to be playoff contention every year like it is here. But you’ll have a chance to really make your mark on this game. You have to decide for yourself, is it better to serve in heaven, or reign in hell?”

It was his gentle way of saying “Go take the job!” And I did. Giving up Toronto for San Diego isn’t a bad trade – particularly from October through April. And I was excited for a chance to build something from the ground up.

For most of the last year, I’ve been on the road with Colt Davis, my expert head of scouting, scouring ballparks from the Fed to high schools, getting a look at every player we could, getting ready the expansion draft that would follow the season. And now we were suddenly less than a short month away from that happening.

We had our plans. But now it depended on who the other teams chose to protect. And who my colleague Lee Cole, the GM up in Seattle, chose to draft. It was almost time to make it happen.

[Totalshock]

10/25/2016

I’d never got along with Miguel Angel Mireles, the man who Joe had picked to be our first pitching coach. I didn’t think he had what it took to be the kind of coach that we wanted, or needed, with what was likely to be a young and impressionable ball club. I let Joe know it, too. I was sure he’d do an okay job of handling the pitchers. But could he really teach? I wasn’t sure. And I let Joe know. Finally, he made me the offer I’d been hoping for – if I had a better candidate, I was welcome to reliever Miguel of his duties and replace him.
It just so happened that I did.

39-year-old pitcher Mark Long had retired from baseball earlier this month. He’s a guy I watched pitch in Boston in 2014 and 2015. And I’d heard the stories about how was sort of a de facto assistant pitching coach there, even then. He had a knack, it appeared, for teaching pitching, and especially loved to work with younger pitchers. He’d tired to make a comeback this year down in AAA Oklahoma City. It hadn’t gone well, but a phone call to some contacts in the know down there confirmed what I’d heard – Mark may not have added much to the team with his pitching this year, but he sure made a difference with some of the kids down there.

I knew right away this was the guy I wanted for the job – and even through he cost me a hearty $420,000 a year to have him, I was glad to have him as the first ever pitching coach for the San Diego Sunshine.

[Totalshock]

11/21/2016

It’s Draft Day!

To say the team and I were nervous is an understatement, as we huddled around the war room table in a decent hotel in Seattle. (Yeah... they’d won the rights to host the expansion draft.)

About an hour before draft time, we heard from the league.... we’d won the coin toss, so we got to choose first pick, or next two picks after first. This was a no-brainer. Based on the protection lists we’d been pouring over for the last 24 hours, we wanted first pick. And we knew exactly who that first pick was.

Round 1, Pick 1 (first overall): Pete Williams, SP, Vancouver Blizzard

We couldn’t believe this guy went un-protected. The 26-year-old right hander was a top prospect for years, and just completed his first season for Vancouver, going 11-12 with a 3.37 ERA over 189.2 innings of work, striking out 194 and walking just 56. Here’s a guy who’s under team control for a long time, and already looks like a staff ace. He proved his mettle in the playoffs last year, going 8.1 innings in the deciding game six, won by Vancouver. He gives up a few too many hits and a few too many homers, but he still looks like an ace, and he should be improving.

With their first and second picks, Seattle takes a pair of pitchers – Cisco Baez and Mark Herring. Neither were guys we’d ranked this high, although we’d thought about either as a lower-in-the-rotation spot, or as lefties out of the ‘pen. But what this means is that our number-two and number-three guys were still available. High fives around the table.

Round 2, Pick 2: Raul Gonzalez, 1B, Phoenix Coyotes

Having completed nearly two full seasons in Phoenix, the left-handed hitting Gonzalez has a .279/.341/.455 line, with 55 doubles and 39 homers. He’s just 22 and still developing, and we think he’ll hit for a higher average and take more walks eventually, and probably develop a bit more longball power. Even if he stays as-is, he’s a very capable middle-of-the-order batter. Two knocks against him: he’s very slow, and he’s not a great fielder. Part of that may be because Phoenix for some reason spent most of last season trying him as a catcher. Gonzalez hits and fields left-handed, so I’m not sure what that’s all about.

Round 3, Pick 1: Rajil Mirajkar, C, Phoenix Coyotes

Here’s a guy with nearly unlimited potential. Mirajkar got into just 132 games for 240 at bats, but hit .338/.370/.604, with 15 doubles and 15 homers. We think we’ll double those numbers if he’s given a chance to hit every day – which he will be. We expect the average to dip a bit, though. Rajil’s got decent speed for a catcher, and he’s a great fielder and pretty good thrower. His only weaknesses are his complete inability to take a walk, and his (likely connected) tendency to strike out too much.

Seattle takes outfielder Morris Strickland, who we had seriously looked at taking with our next pick, and third baseman Ken Davis, who was a little further down our rankings.

Round 4, Pick 2: Iemitsu Nakamura, 3B, Phoenix Coyotes

We continue to raid Phoenix, this time for 22-year-old switch-hitting Japanese import Nakamura. In two seasons (171 games) in the Fed, he’s got a .279/.343/.427 line, with 28 doubles, five triples, and 16 homers. We think that’s about representative, although we think the power numbers could come up a little bit as he matures as a player. He’s got average speed, but knows how to use it well, and is an acceptable third baseman – lacking in range, but he’s got a great arm and doesn’t make many errors.

Round 5, Pick 1: Jesus Lopez, OF, Boston Bombers

Our first pick who makes more than the league minimum, the 29-year-old is owed $2.0 million in 2017. A good contact hitter with a great eye, and good power to the gaps, Lopez’ problem is that he plays left and right (fairly well) but has almost no home run power. He’s a career .293/.404/.414 hitter, and can look pretty good in either left or right. He’s got average speed probably the one thing keeping him from being a top-of-the-lineup kind of guy, although he might get a look up there for us. He’s a switch-hitter.

Seattle takes pitcher Jerry Caldwell (a 25-year-old non-prospect not even on our radar) and center fielder Victory Rodriguez (a 22-year-old outfielder very much on our radar and a very good prospect.)

Round 6, Pick 2: Carlos Rocha, 2B, Monterrey Amigos

Getting Carlos this low is a coup for us. More high-fives all around. The 26-year-old right-handed hitter has a career .284/.374/.383 line, and has played at least 152 games each of the last three seasons. Only eight career homers, but 117 career doubles and 23 career triples. Rocha has very good (but not great) speed, and is an excellent defender. We’re going to go ahead and just pencil him in at the top of the lineup. Our most expensive pick to date, pocketing $4.8 million next year.

Round 7, Pick 1: Willard Hedley, RF, Boston Bombers

A bit of a risky pick. Hedley’s got the skills – the left-handed-hitting 24-year-old has a .279/.326/.409 line in 120 career games over two seasons. He’s got plus speed, and a great arm in the outfield. But he’s only a mediocre defender in the outfield. And he’s still recovering from a broken kneecap suffered in May. Still, if he can overcome that, we think he’s got tremendous potential, particularly if he can add the homer to his game just a little bit.

Seattle takes outfielder Lawrence Hill, a left-handed-hitting 25-year-old with home run power to spare, and a gut we’d had our eye on for a while, and 21-year-old pitching prospect Mateo Oolbekkink, with whom we are less eneamoured.

Round 8, Pick 2: Edwin Ross, SS, Chicago Yellow Jackets

We’re very happy to get the right-handed-hitting Ross this low. Just 25, he owns a .271/.333/.405 line in parts of two seasons with Vancouver and Chicago. We think that’s about in line with what we expect. He might hit ten homers a year. He’s got very good speed, and is pretty good at swiping sacks. And he’s a great defender at second, third or short, although his arm isn’t his strongest asset. We expect him to hit lower in the order. He’s a notoriously tough guy to K.

Round 9, Pick 1: Lionel Tournier, SP, San Jose White Caps

Our first bona fide veteran. Lionel is a 32-year-old lefty with a 43-43 career record and a 4.43 ERA over 194 games, 112 starts with Indianapolis and San Jose. He’s one of those guys who’s just seemingly never put all that talent together. We hope he can for us. And if he doesn’t, we think he’ll make a very solid lefty out of the ‘pen. He’s owed $4.04 million in 2017, and will be a free agent at the end of the season, so it’s a low-risk situation.

The Steelheads take second baseman Gustavo Soto, a guy we had our eye on for a backup position, and pitcher Josh O’Herlihy, who we did not.

Round 10, Pick 2: Ed Ash, SP, Columbus Chiefs

Ash is just coming off his first year in the Fed, in which he was 11-7 with a 4.70 mark. He’s just 26, and we like his stuff (143 Ks in 168.2 innings), and his control (just 40 walks). But he surrendered 30 homers in as many starts, and he lacks the stamina to go deep in games. Still, for a third starter (at best) on an expansion team, he’ll look very good.

[Totalshock]

Round 11, Pick 1: Aurelio Macias, SP, Mexico City Aztecs

At 36 years old, this righty is our reigning veteran player. He looks a lot like Ash – he’s still got wicked stuff that he throws at about 99 miles per hour. And he’s still got pretty good control. But he gives up too many homers. We’re counting on him to be a solid number-four starter, and to help mentor Williams and Ash, who are a lot like him. For his career, 62-52 with a 3.80 ERA in 188 games, 135 starts, with 924 strikeouts in just 895.1 innings.

Seattle takes first baseman Mike Smith – our backup plan had Gonzalez been taken before we got the chance – and shortstop Harlan Edgeworth, our second choice behind Ross.

Round 12, Pick 2: Willie Rottschaefer, SP, Tampa Wild Cats

A 26-year-old righty, Rottschaefer is a different animal to our other starters. He’s not a hard-thrower, but doesn’t give up many homers, and has pretty good control. We think he’s still improving, and really like him for a fifth starter. He’s 10-15 with a 4.69 mark in 52 career games, 36 starts.

Round 13, Pick 1: David Middleton, RP, Santo Domingo Parrots

We love what he’s got in terms of talents, but a 5.11 career ERA in 186 games for Sacramento and Santo Domingo. He’s only 27, and he’s still developing, and we’re hoping for a big improvement here.

Seattle takes starter Claudio Ledezma and reliever Jake Cameron. Cameron was a potential bullpen pick, but not this early.

Round 14, Pick 2: Alberto Chavez, RP, Indianapolis Dusters

Another young-ish (26) right-hander. Chavez is 7-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 81 career games over two seasons. We see him as a middle relief kind of guy, but he could challenge for a better spot.

Round 15, Pick 1, Carlos Velez, RP, Portland Cascades

Almost identical to Chavez – a few years younger (24) and yet more established, with parts of four seasons with Portland. 12-8 with a 3.79 in 198 career games. In much the same spot – could challenge for a better slot, but likely a middle reliever.

Seattle takes pitcher Arthur White, and lefty Cedric Bianchi – a guy we had looked at as a lefty out of the ‘pen, but decided against because of his $5.9 million price tag. We can get guys who will be just as good for much less.

Round 16, Pick 2: Luis Morales, RP, Columbus Chiefs

Just 21 years old, the lefty has only made it into 44 games. It was probably too early, as his control is still developing, and he got tagged for nine homers in 38.2 innings. But we believe he’ll be a top guy in our bullpen in the years to come, so he’s worth a try.

Round 17, Pick 1: William Taylor, RP, San Antonio Drillers

A potential swingman, the 26-year-old lefty is unremarkable in terms of skills, but has a 3.17 ERA in 25 games (13 starts) with the Drillers over two seasons. At worst, a decent LOOGY. At best, a potential fourth or fifth starter.

Seattle takes catcher Rafael Castro, who we had thought of as a backup to Rajil, but for his lackluster defense, and Edward Davis, a reliever in whom we were not particularly interested.

Round 18, Pick 2: Job Stolk, 1B, Monterrey Amigos

This is a big pick for us. Job is just 21, and is a potential star at first base – a first-rate hitter on all fronts. He should hit for average, for gap and homer power. Everything but his inability to take walks is in place. But he’s completely unable to play anywhere but first base, and that could be a problem. Still, too tempting to leave him there – even though he may be traded away in short order to help build out the team.

Round 19, Pick 1: Lucas Lansdale, C, Las Vegas Aces

A 25-year-old switch hitter, Lansdale made his FBL debut in 2016, getting into 80 games and hitting .241/.297/.303. He’s got potential to do most everything except hit homers, and he’s a good defender. Still, behind Rajil, he’s likely to be used sparingly.

Seattle takes right-hander Tsuruki Maeda and reliever Mauro Morales.

Round 20, Pick 2: Don Bell, Everything, Texas Lonestars

Bell plays every position but catcher and pitcher, and plays most of them well. He’s not a remarkable hitter, but has a respectable .272/.292/.380 career line, and will can literally fill in most anywhere.

[Totalshock]

Round 21, Pick 1: Antonio Ramirez, OF, New York City Avengers

This 24-year-old is likely to be a backup outfielder for us – will hit for a decent average and find the gaps, but not a lot to talk about otherwise. Pretty good speed, and excellent defense on either corner outfield position.

Seattle takes right Francisco Rangel and catcher Fernando Marquez, who we had interest in, but decided on Lansdale first.

Round 22, Pick 2: Keisuke Ando, RP, Tampa Wild Cats

A 24-year-old lefty out of Japan, probably primarily a LOOGY, but our scouting team is his on him. A 3.76 ERA in 20 career games, making his debut last year.

Round 23, Pick 1: Jose Marin, RP, Carolina Flight

26 years old and a veteran of four FBL campaigns, Marin’s another guy who’s got all the tools, but has never put them together 13-9 with 26 saves anda 4.28 ERA in 225 career games. A solid middle reliever, but not likely anything else.

Seattle takes outfielders German Rea and Juan Luis Aragon.

Round 24, Pick 2: Tom Blaquiere, 3B, Sacramento Gold

Our first “top prospect” pick, a 21-year-old left-handed hitter with a high ceiling.

Round 25, Pick 1: Bill Cragg, SS, Indianapolis Dusters

Similar to Blaquiere, a prospect pick. Great speed, and shocking power potential for a middle infielder. One to watch develop.

Seattle takes infielder Alfredo Goyce and outfielder Jeff Stanley

Round 26, Pick 2: Manuel Gonzalez, 2B, Monterrey Amigos

Another top prospect, another 21-year-old. Great speed, great fielding, great power to the gap, could be an impact player sooner than later.

Round 27, Pick 1: Steven Hardy, IF, Toronto Gold Sox

I’m surprised he lasted this long. Hardy’s a very good hitter, a left-handed bat who’s excellent at all three infield positions. A career .277/.306/.474 line. Likely to be a utility infielder along with Bell.

Seattle takes infielder Kichibei Yamada, and second baseman Tom Ellis.

Round 28, Pick 2: Don Munroe, OF, Portland Cascades

At 24, kind of a prospect that never happened. But he’s solid in all three outfield positions, and has fantastic speed. Should hit for an okay average, but is a slap hitter without much of an eye.

Round 29, Pick 1: Juan Navarro, OF, Havana Bandits

25-years old, he hit well in 2014 and 2015, but struggled in 2016. A left-handed bat who does most anything well, will likely compete for an outfield (or bench outfield) spot on the team.

Seattle takes third baseman Gregorio Serrano and shortstop Jorge Saenz.

Round 30, Pick 2: Alexandre Girard, RP, Las Vegas Aces

A roll of the dice. At 25, he’s a “prospect that never was” in many regards, and he’s on the disabled list for at least half of next year recovering from a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. But if he comes back, he has top-of-the-food-chart relief potential, albeit questionable (at best) control.

Round 31 Pick 1: Matt Peacock, RP, Santo Domingo Parrots

At 24, Peacock’s another reliever with a lot of tools but not a lot of record. He’s 13-10 with 16 saves and a 4.54 ERA in 163 career games over three seasons. He’s a guy who could start in a pinch, but we’d prefer to keep him in the bullpen.

Seattle takes reliever George Mitchell and starter Armando Costello, a guy we’d been looking at.

Round 32, Pick 2: Xavier Torrez, RP, Los Angeles Strippers

A 21-year-old prospect who’s still developing. Almost surely, likely to start the season in AAA, but could have a bright future.

Round 33, Pick 1: George Swanson, RP, Portland Cascades

Swanson’s been a shortstop prospect for some time, but just converted to the mound, and has good stuff. We’ll give him a look in the minors, and see if he can contribute.

Seattle takes starters Garry Bernard and Luis Corona.

Round 34, Pick 2: Sidney Alberink, RP, Florida Cobras

At 21, a decent prospect, but still very raw and a fair ways off competing for a big-league position.

Round 35, Pick 1: Jose Encarnacion, RP, San Antonio Drillers

A 22-year-old right-hander who’s a pretty good prospect, he’s still developing his command, but everything else about his game looks pretty good. Will probably get a look in Spring Training.

Seattle, with its last draft pick, picks up first baseman Brian Ryan.

And with that, the expansion draft is over. But I think our day is probably not yet done.The phone is already ringing, and we’re looking to keep it ringing a bit more.

[Totalshock]

We trade 2B Manuel Gonzalez to Vancouver for outfielder Baldassare Tarquini.

Manuel is a top prospect, and we hate to lose him, but in Baldassare, we solve an immediate need, an outfielder with some pop in his bat. Just 26 years old, Tarquini hit 37 homers in 127 games in AAA this year, and 11 homers in just 28 games with Vancouver. A left-handed hitter with good speed, he’s a good fielder on either corner outfield position, and can fill in in center if need be. He’ll likely hit in the middle of the lineup.

[Totalshock]

We trade 1B Job Stolk to the Los Angeles Strippers for outfielder Clark Johnson

We give up big power, in exchange for a 25-year-old speedy left-handed hitting outfielder who can’t hit for power, but will hit for a high average, get on base a lot, and has excellent speed. He’s likely to lead off and play center, although he’s better in right field, where his cannon of an arm can help a lot.

[Totalshock]

We trade Steven Hardy, Antonio Ramirez, Tom Blaquiere, Bill Cragg, and Ed Ash to Mexico City for pitcher Mario Vargas

And here’s the jaw-dropper. This all came together very quickly. Just yesterday, Vargas, one of the best young pitchers in the game, was suspended ten games for a drug offense. The papers aren’t saying what drugs, but word is he was caught with marijuana. And that made him a liability in Mexico City, which is under pressure from the U.S. government to crack down on drug-runners. In light of that, Vargas pretty much had to get out of Mexico City, so we put together a package with a very capable starter to replace Vargas in Ash, an excellent infeidler in Hardy, and three very good prospects in Ramirez, Cragg and Blaquiere.

It’s a coup for us. In four seasons with Mexico City, the 26-year-old lefty is 43.28 with a 2.67 ERA in 119 games, 93 starts. He has a career .231 opponents’ average and a 1.11 WHIP. In short, he’s got everything. And we have him locked up for four years, with salaries between $7.5 million this year, and $11 million in 2020.

With that move, we’ve gone from an expansion team, to a potential contender. What an exciting day at the office! Now, we’ll start looking at free agents to round out the team, particularly in the bullpen.

[Totalshock]

11/24/2016

Seattle put a bunch of players out on waivers immediately after the draft, and we pick up two. Catcher Fernando Marquez and infielder Gustavo Soto. Soto will be a capable backup at second, third or short. And Marquez, while probably not ready for the big leagues yet, will be a very capable backup and probably won’t get a lot of playing time. This will probably mean that Lucas Lansdale, who had been penciled in as backup catcher, will start the season in AAA.

[Totalshock]

12/1/2016

In the Rule Five Draft, we pick up 26-year-old infielder Dalton Gaines. Although a little old for a prospect, he was recently ranked number 26 prospect. He’s got decent speed, and is a very good infielder at second, third, or short. He doesnt’ have much in the way of home run power, but can definitely hit the gaps, and should hit for an okay average. But he’s been on the disabled list since July 29th with post-concussion syndrome, and will likely stay on the disabled list until at least June or July.

When he comes back, we’ll have to decide whether to return him to San Francisco, or return Soto to Seattle. Either way, not a bad position to be in.

[Totalshock]

12/6/2016

Our first free agent signing, 35-year-old left-handed reliever Sam Gilbert. A former closer, Gilbert no longer has closer stuff, but is still a valuable lefty. He just came off a career-best 3.35 ERA in 37.2 innings of work, but we’re hopeful he can be a decent left-handed setup option. It’s just a one-year $1.0 million deal, so if he doesn’t work out, it’s not a big deal for us financially.

[Totalshock]

1/5/2017

Some bad news today – Willard Hedley’s broken kneecap isn’t healing well, and he’s opted to call it a day on his career. Hate to see someone so young with so much talent end their career so early. But Hedley was largely off the depth charts at this point for us.

[Totalshock]

1/12/2017

We went in hard on veteran closer Eric Cloarec, but we decided to call it off when negotiations with the right-handed reliever reached nearly $10.0 million. As a consolation, we pick up 30-year-old righty Toshikazu Yamauchi on a two-year deal at $2.0 million per year. In 380 career games, he’s 29-6 with 93 saves and a 3.81 ERA in 380 games, striking out 427 in 395.0 innings. At the very least, he’s a setup man. At most, he’s our closer. But we’re not out of the hunt for big relievers as of yet.

[Totalshock]

2/10/2017

We signed our closer, getting 31-year-old righty Serge Legrand for a two-year deal at $7.5 million per year. Legrand is 21-27 with 141 saves and a 3.15 ERA in 299 games. In 303.1 career innings, he has struck out 316 batters, and has held opponents to a 1.36 WHIP and a .213 opponents’ average. But his control has always been a problem, with 175 walks in those 303.1 career innings.

[Totalshock]

2/25/2017

A surprise signing, we get 31-year-old outfielder Xie-Li Lou for a two-year deal at $2.6 million per. This is a big one for us. Xie-Li is an excellent outfielder with great speed, and pretty good power. He doesn’t take a lot of walks, and strikes out a lot, but other than that, he’s a total package. He has a career .265/.327/.475 line, with 108 doubles, 24 triples, and 99 homers in 530 career games. We expect him to compete for the last outfield spot in Spring Training with Jesus Lopez. If Lou wins, expect him to play center, pushing Clark Johnson to his preferred spot in right. We can’t help but view this as a great deal, given Lou’s skills, and the relatively low price tag.

With that deal done, we’re just about set up heading into Spring Training. With these moves, the bolstered bullpen, and adding Mario Vargas, there’s some talk that we could be a contender in the Western League South.

[Totalshock]

3/1/2017

With Spring Training starting tomorrow, the predictions for 2012 are out. They have us finishing 88-74, three games back of the Monterrey Amigos. Interestingly, if their prediction holds true, we would claim the Wild Card position.

They’re predicting a big year for Raul Gonzalez (.326/.392/.517) as the number-two hitter inthe league, and also big things from Mario Vargas (14-6, 2.10, 8.05 K/9) as the number-two pitcher in the league.

They have us with a .266 average, 135 homers and 172 stolen bases, scoring 763 runs. On the other side, we’re expected to have a 3.91 ERA, with 452 walks against 1,214 strikeouts, giving up 696 runs.

[Totalshock]

3/2/2017

San Diego Sunshine 10, Vancouver Blizzard 5

That was a tight game through six innings. And then all hell broke loose. We scored two in the seventh on a Xie-Li Lou homer, but then Toshikazu Yamauchi gave up two homers for three runs in the top of the eighth. But then we scored four in the bottom of the same frame, capped by Fernando Marquez’ pinch-hit two-run homer. On the mound, Mario Vargas looked good, striking out eight through four innings. We got scoreless relief from Jose Encarnacion, Luis Morales, Matt Peacock, and Keisuke Ando. Morales struck ou the side in order in his inning. Among our hitters, Clark Johnson, Carlos Rocha, Raul Gonzalez, Baldassare Tarquini, and Lou all had two hits.

3/3/2017

San Diego Sunshine 3, Portland Cascades 1

A tightly played affair. We score pair in the first, one on a Fernando Marquez double, and the other cRashing in Marquez on a Jesus Lopez single. Marquez gets another RBI in the fifth, cashing in Soto on a sac fly. Portland scored only one run, an unearned run in the fifth. Pete Williams goes four, striking out three, giving up two hits and two walks. Alberto Chavez gave us two scoreless innings of relief, and we got one each from Carlos Velez, Jose Marin, and Serge Legrand, the latter of whom earned his first save of the spring. On offense, Soto led the way with three hits including a double. Both Soto and Don Munroe stole a pair of bases. Lucas Lonsdale was the only other Sunshine batter with more than one base hit.

3/4/2017

San Francisco Samurai 9, San Diego Sunshine 8 (10 innings)

A slugfest. We fell behind 3-0 and 4-1 earl, but then took a 5-4 lead, and coughed that up. They scored three in the sixth to take a 8-5 lead, but we scored two in the eighth and tied it up on Edwin Ross’ pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the ninth. Alas, Jose Valdez took Luis Morales deep in the top of the tenth, and we didn’t have another comeback in us. David Middleton got shelled in an inning of relief, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk, although he did strike out two. Lionel Tournier gave up give up on six hits and two walks in his four innings, striking out six. But we got solid relief from Xavier Torrez, Sam Gilbert, Jose Encarnacion, and Matt Peacock. On offence, Don Bell and Rajil Mirajkar each had three hits. Carlos Rocha, Raul Gonzalez, Xie-Li Lou, and Baldassare Tarquini each had two hits. Gonzlaez, along with Ross, went yard.

3/5/2017
San Diego Sunshine 5, Monterrey Amigos 0

We give up seven hits and four walks, but they can’t push any across the plate. Aurelio Macias went four, giving up four hits anda walk, but striking out five. Jose Marin, Keisuke Ando, Toshikazu Yamauchi, Carlos Velez, and Serge Legrand each pitched in a scoreless inning of relief. On offense, we got homers from Juan Navarro and Lucas Lansdale. Navarro drove in three with his 2/4 day at the plate. Lansdale and Iemitsu Nakamura also had two hits.

On the bad news side, Gustavo Soto made a nice play in the bottom of the first, but then had to leave the game with an apparent injury. We’re still waiting on a diagnosis.

[Totalshock]

3/6/2017

San Diego Sunshine 2, Mexico City Aztecs 1

We manage just four hits – but that’s okay, because two of them are homers – a first-inning solo shot by Rajil Mirajkar, and a second-inning solo shot by Edwin Ross, his second of the young Spring season. Pinch hitters Juan Navarro and Fernando Marquez had our two other hits. Navarro’s was a double. Mirajkar also took two of the four walks we received on the day. They got only one run – on back-to-back doubles by Antonio Ramirez and Andres Gutierrez in the fourth off starter Willie Rottschaefer. Willie gave up just one run on four hits, striking out two. We got scoreless relief help from Xavier Torrez, Sam Gilbert, David Middleton, Luis Morales, and Alberto Chavez, who notched his first save of the spring.

3/7/2017

San Diego Sunshine 6, Las Vegas Aces 4

A back-and-forth affair. William Taylor wasn’t good, giving up three on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out four in four innings of work, and Matt Peacock got in trouble in the fifth, walking three and giving up a hit for a run, but was got solid relief from Jose Marin, Jose Encarnacion, Carlos Velez, and Serge Legrand, who notched his second save. On offence, Fernando Marquez drove in four with a three-run homer in the first inning, and a sac fly in the third. Our other two runs came on a Baldassare Tarquini homer, his first, a solo shot, and a two-out RBI single by Carlos Rocha, scoring Clark Johnson.

3/8/2017

San Diego Sunshine 8, Salt Lake City Bisons 6

We gave up three homers, and got outhit 13-9, but still managed to hold on for the win. Jesus Lopez and Don Bell led the attack with two RBI each. Lopez was 3/4 with a double and also scored a pair, while Bell was 1/2 with a double. Don Munroe was 2/2 with a walk, driving in one. Mario Vargas went four, giving up just three hits and striking out six. David Middleton had a three-up-three-down fifth with two strikeouts, but after that, it was bad. Keisuke Ando and Xavier Torrez each gave up a run in an inning of work, and Sam Gilbert and Toshikazu Yamauchi each gave up a pair in their inning of work. We managed to take 11 walks, while only doling out two ourselves – that may well have been the difference in the game.

After the game, we learned that Gustavo Soto will miss at least two weeks with a strained oblique. He’s off to the disabled list.

3/9/2017

San Diego Sunshine 14, Sacramento Gold 3

Bombs away! We get homers from Xie-Li Lou, Raul Gonzalez, Baldassare Tarquini (inside the park, no less!) and Fernando Marquez. Tarquini leads the attack with a 3/5 day, scoring three and driving in two. Clark Johnson, Gaul Gonzalez, Edwin Ross and Don Bell both had two-hit days. Marquez drove in three, Tarquini, Rajil Mirajkrar, Lou, and Juan Navarro each drove in two. Pete Williams gave up a run, but it was unearned due to a Carlos Rocha error. He gave up three hits and struck out four over four innings, running his springtime record to 2-0. Jose Encarnacion gave up a pair in his inning, but we got scoreless relief from Carlos Velez, Jose Marin, Luis Morales, and Alberto Chavez.

3/10/2017

San Diego Sunshine 8, San Antonio Drillers 3

The eighth was the big inning today – TWICE we hit bases-clearing doubles – both Fernando Marquez and Rajil Mirajkar doubled with the bases loaded, leading to six runs scoring. That redeemed Lionel Tournier, who had a second straight bad outing, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks in his four innings of work. But after that, we got near-flawless work from Xavier Torrez, Matt Peacock, Toshikazu Yamauchi (who earns the win), David Middleton and Keisuke Ando.

3/11/2017

San Diego Sunshine 16, Phoenix Coyotes 12

A bad night to be a pitcher. Rajil Mirajkar goes 5/5 with a homer and two triples, scoring four and drving in five. Jesus Lopez goes 2/4, scoring four. Raul Gonzalez 2/4 with a double, two scored and one driven in. Carlos Rocha 2/3 with a double, a tripe and a run scored. Sid Lang drove in a pair with a single. Edwin Ross drove in a pair. Baldassare Tarquini hit his third homer, a two-run shot. Juan Navarro drove in a pair. Aurelio Macias got torched for eight earned on six hits, including three homers, and three walks, but struck out five. All four runs the bullpen gave up were unearned, thanks to errors by Gonzalez and Ross. All in all, a wild game. At various points, we were down 6-0, 6-5, 8-5, 8-7, 11-7, and 11-10, and then we scored six in the bottom of the eighth to go ahead.

3/12/2017

San Diego Sunshine 7, Los Angeles Strippers 2

Willie Rottschaefer looked good, giving up just one run on two hits and a walk and striking out three, and the bats tit their part – most notably Iemitsu Nakamura, who had a double and a homer, scoring twice and driving in two. Rottschaefer helped himself out with a double and an RBI on a sac fly. Don Bell was 2/3 with a pair of walks, and scored a pair. And we stole a lot of bases. Xie-Li Lou, Bell, and Clark Johnson each swiped two, while Don Munroe and Juan Navarro each had one steal. Out of the bullpen, only Keisuke Ando ran into any sort of trouble, giving up a run on three hits. But Jose Encarnacion, Toshikazu Yamaucihi, Jose Marin and Matt Peacock each pitched strong innings – Peacook K’ed a pair in his.

[Totalshock]

3/13/2017

San Diego Sunshine 11, Texas Lone Stars 7

This game was close until the sixth, when we scored eight runs. The big blows were a grand slam by Baldassare Tarquini, followed by a solo shot by Rajil Mirajkar. Juan Navarro chipped in a two-run single, part of a four-RBI game for Juan. After that, we were firmly in control, despite our bullpen running into problems. David Middleton, Xavier Torrez, and Serge Legrand each gave up at least two runs. On the plus side, Sam Gilbert and Alberto Chavez looked good, and William Taylor gave up just one hit and two walks, striking out five during his four innings of work. We reach the half-way day off with a mind-boggling 11-1 record on the spring.

3/15/2017

San Diego Sunshine 2, Seattle Steelheads 1

A remarkably tight and well-pitched game from both sides. We manage just seven hits and two walks. They get just three hits and one walk. Both of our runs come in the bottom of the second. Juan Navarro singles to open the inning, and then Iemitsu Nakamura walks. A double steal is on, setting up a two-run single by Edwin Ross. They get their only run in the fifth, as Toshikazu Yamauchi serves up yet another homer. But that’s all. Mario Vargas runs his record to 3-0 in three starts, giving up just one hit and a walk in his four innings, and striking out nine! Keisuke Ando, Matt Peacock, Carlos Velez and Jose Marin finish things up, with Marin earning his first save of the spring.

3/16/2017

San Diego Sunshine 3, Vancouver Blizzard 2

We got outhit 10 to 7, but still squeak out the victory. Manuel Gonzalez, who we traded to Vancouver, drvies in both Blizzard runs with a double for a 2-0 lead. But we tie it up in the seventh when Juan Navarro singles home Baldassare Tarquini and Iemitsu Nakamura, and take the lead in the eighth, as Xie-Li Lou singles home Raul Gonzalez. Pete Williams gave up three hits and struck out three in his four innings, and still hasn’t given up an earned run this spring. Both of their runs come of Jose Encarnacion, but we get good relief from Luis Morales, Xavier Torrez (who earns the win), Sam Gilbert, and Serge Legrand, who nails down his third save of the spring.

3/17/2017

San Diego Sunshine 6, Portland Cascades 4

This team just refuses to lose this spring. Down 4-2 through four, and 4-3 until the eighth, Baldassare Tarquini steps in and hits a three-run jack, his fifth, to put us over the top. Lionel Tournier continues to struggle, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk, but striking out four in his four innings of work. The bullpen – David Middleton, Keisuke Ando, Alberto Chavez, Carlos Velez, and Jose Marin – provides five innings of scoreless relief to set the pace for the comeboack. Velez earns the win, while Marin takes his second save.

3/18/2017

San Diego Sunshine 11, San Francisco Samurai 6

A slow start, but six in the sixth and four in the seventh really put us over the top. We seem to do a lot of our scoring against the kinds of pitchers who are just going to be around in the spring. Jose Encarnacion (a relief pitcher) got a rare at-bat, and came through with a double with the bases loaded, for three RBI. Baldassare Tarquini also drove in three, with a pair of doubles. Jesus Lopez had a 3/6 day, driving in a pair, and Rajil Mirajkar went 4/5 with a double, scoring three runs. On the mound, Aurelio Macias gave up three on six hits and a walk in his four innings. Toshikazu Yamauchi gave up another homer. And Luis Morales got stung for a pair in the eighth, But we got solid reliever from Encarnacion – who worked around three walks in his inning but didn’t give up a run – Xavier Torrez, and Matt Peacock.

3/19/2017

San Diego Sunshine 2, Monterrey Amigos 1

We gave up just five hits, and might have had a shutout were it not for a home run ball to Neil McCarty thrown by Willie Rottschaefer. Rott looked great, though, giving up just three hits over four innings, and striking out four as he won his third start of the spring. David Middleton, Carlos Velez, Sam Gilbert, Jose Marin, and Serge Legrand each threw a scoreless inning, with Legrand notching his fourth save. On offence, we had seven hits, but it was enough. Edwin Ross singled home Don Bell, and an inning later, Bell singled home Don Munroe. And that would be all the scoring on this night. Xie-Li Lou made a fantastic play in center to save us a run in the eighth, but strained a hamstring in so doing. He’s expected to miss two weeks, so he’ll be out for the remainder of training camp, and may miss the first game or two of the regular season.

[Totalshock]

3/20/2017

San Diego Sunshine 14, Mexico City Aztecs 6

It was the Raul Gonzalez show, as our first baseman had three hits including a double and drove in six runs. Baldassare Tarquini also had three hits, including a double and his sixth homer, and scored five runs. Don Bell went 2/5 with a homer, two driven in and two scored. Carlos Rocha took three walks. Rajil Mirajkar went 2/5 with one driven in and a pair of runs scored. Iemitsu Nakamura went 1/2 with two walks, an RBI, and three scored. Rocha, Nakamura and Clark Johnson each stole two bases. Tarquini and Bell stole one each. William Taylor looked pretty good, giving up one run on three hits and two walks over four innings, striking out three. Xavier Torrez and Matt Peacock each gave up a run in their inning of relief. The previously-perfect Alberto Chavez got beat up for three. Keisuke Ando and Toshikazu Yamauchi each had scoreless innings – Yamauchi struck out the side around a hit and a walk in the eighth.

3/21/2017

Las Vegas Aces 3, San Diego Sunshine 2 (10 innings)

The epic winning streak is over. Dave Weaver looked untouchable against us, giving up just one hit and striking out four in his four innings. Mario Vargas was good, but not great, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, although he struck out six. They scored both their early runs on a two-run single by Matt MacNeill in the fourth. We clawed back with a Jesus Lopez RBI single in the fifth, scoring Sid Lang. And we tied it in the top of the eighth, when Don Munroe doubled home Rajil Mirajkar. We loaded the bases in the top of the tenth with no one out, but couldn’t get a run in, and Jose Vargo singled home a Santiago Madrid double in the bottom of the tenth for the walkoff victory against Jose Marin – the first run Marin has given up this spring. We got scoreless relief work from Jose Encarnacion, David Middleton, Luis Morales, Sam Gilbert, and Serge Legrand.

3/22/2017

San Diego Sunshine 13, Salt Lake City Bisons 7

We were down 4-0 and 7-2. And then we scored eight in the bottom of the sixth and three more in the bottom of the seventh to make it a wipeout. Iemitsu Nakamura led the attack with a pinch-hit grand slam. Edwin Ross was 2/4 with a double, two scored, and three driven in. Lucas Lansdale had a two-run pinch-hit single. Pete Williams, who hadn’t given up an earned run in his first three springtime starts, gave up four before getting an out, but then settled down and didn’t give up any more through four innings. And Xavier Torrez got thrashed again for three runs in an inning of work, but earned his second springtime win when we came back for eight runs immediately afterwards. Keisuke Ando, Carlos Velez (who still hasn’t given up an earnie this spring), Matt Peacock, and Toshikazu Yamauchi each provided a scoreless inning of relief.

3/23/2017

San Diego Sunshine 5, Sacramento Gold 3 (10 innings)

Lionel Tournier had a great start, giving up just one hit and a hit batter, and striking out a pair. We built up a three-run lead on a solo shot by Baldassare Tarquini (his seventh), a Clark Johnson single scoring Carlos Rocha, and two innings later, a Don Munroe single scoring Johnson. But Luis Morales gave it all back in the bottom of the fifith, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk in an inning of work. It remained deadlocked at three until the tenth. Pitcher Sam Gilbert (our bench was empty) walked. Don Munroe singled. Rajil Mirajkar singled to load the bases. Gilbert came home on a Sid Lang fly ball. Juan Navarro singled home Munroe. After Morales, the bullpen (David Middleton, Alberto Chavez, Jose Encarnacion, Sam Gilbert, and Serge Legrand) gave up just one baserunner over the next five innings. Gilbert earns the win, and Legrand his fifth save of the spring.

3/24/2017

San Diego Sunshine 15, San Antonio Drillers 0

The good news is that was a masterful performance on both sides of the diamonds. We had a 16-hit, seven-walk onslaught. Raul Gonzalez went deep twice, driving in four. Don Munroe added his first homer, driving in three. And Iemitsu Nakamura went 3/4 with three driven in and two scored. On the other side, we gave up just two baserunners. Starter Aurelio Macias walked Steffen Sellers, and Bernard Winston singled off Carlos Velez. Other than that, our pitching – Macias, Jose Marin, Velez, Matt Peacock, Keisuke Ando, Xavier Torrez, and Toshikazu Yamauchi were perfect.

The bad news is that Macias had to leave after the third inning. Macias has shoulder inflammation, and will be placed on the disabled list. He’s likely to miss four months – perhaps almost five with rehab, so we’re not likely to have him in the rotation until late August or so. With Mario Vargas having to sit the first ten games of the season, William Taylor will likely take his place in the rotation, as had been the plan all along. Matt Peacock is likely to take a turn or two in the rotation now, in Macias’ spot. When Vargas is ready to go, it will likely depend who’s looked the better as to who sticks in the rotation.

3/25/2017

Phoenix Coyotes 8, San Diego Sunshine 5

Willie Rottschaefer got roughed up for seven runs on ten hits in just four innings of work, giving up two longballs, and they added a run in the fifth against Jose Encarnacion. On the plus side, Raul Gonzalez went 2/3 with a double and a pair of RBIs, Jesus Lopez went 1/2 with a double, a walk and two runs scored, and we got solid relief from Alberto Chavez, Sam Gilbert, and Serge Legrand.

3/26/2017

San Diego Sunshine 10, Los Angeles Strippers 4

William Taylor stiffened up due to a rain delay after giving up four runs in the third, and didn’t come out for the fourth. But the bullpen did great work, with almost everyone getting an out or two. Rajil Mirajkar emptied the bases with a bases-loaded double, Fernando Marquez went 2/5 with a pair of RBIs, and Clark Johnson, Sid Lang, and Edwin Ross each scored a pair of runs.

Lucas Lansdale was injured sliding into second, we’re waiting for a diagnosis on him, but he’s likely headed for AAA anyway, since Rajil is our starting catcher, and Fernando has to stay on the bench or be offered back to Seattle.