Hartford Colonials: 2028

[pkelly491]

So I simmed 13 years and we are now in the post-2027 season offseason. I have decided to start an expansion franchise in Hartford. Here is my dynasty:

On January 1st 2028, Major League Baseball expanded for the first time in about 30 years...awarding franchises to Hartford, CT and San Antonio, TX. Since building a minor league stadium in 2016, baseball in Hartford has been booming, and the league hopes it can get enough converts of Yankee, Mets, and Red Sox fans from the area.

A 35-round expansion draft was held on January 3, 2028 to help Hartford and San Antonio in building their roster. Hartford will join the NL East, which expands to 6 teams, while San Antonio will join both its fellow Texas teams in the AL West.

A brief history of the past 13 years:
World Series Champions:
NYY (4)
CIN (2)
STL (2)
PHI (2)
PIT (1)
MIA (1)
KCR (1)

League Evolution:
2014 Offseason: Active roster to 26 players
2016 Offseason: DL shortened to 13 games
2017 Offseason: Mound lowered in effort to generate offense
2018 Offseason: AL loses DH
2023 Offseason: No more right to decline minor league assignment

36 year old Patrick Kelly, a local Greater Hartford business man, will serve as the GM for Hartford. Ron Barnes, a 50 year old multibillionaire residing in Tolland, CT will have a majority interest in the team.

Minor League affiliates for 2028 for Hartford:
PCL (AAA): Winnipeg Border Cats
TX (AA): Amarillo Indians
FSL (A+): Boca Raton Pelicans
NWL (A-SS): Portland Scrappers
PIO (RK): Honolulu Cardinals
AZL (RK): AZL Colonials

No regular A ball for now, I am filling up A+ through AAA with MLFAs.

[pgjocki]

Nice, did you do manual league evolution?

[pkelly491]

Spring Training Update

Projected 2028 Hartford Colonials Roster

Starting Lineup

1. 2B Victor Martinez - 31 Years Old - Cartagena, Colombia
How Acquired: Free Agent Signing, 1/22/2028
2027 Stats (with SF): .219/.319/.301, 6 HR, 51 RBI, in 150 G

Victor was a former top prospect (as high as #7 in baseball back in 2019), who has had a unspectacular, albeit solid, career so far. After breaking into the bigs in 2020, Victor was traded to Baltimore in 2023, where he had his best season (and only All Star appearance), in 2024. Victor is a very smart player, with good instincts and plate discipline, but limited range at his positions of 2B and 3B.

2. 3B Wladimir Galindo - 31 Years Old - Maracay, Venezuela
How Acquired: Expansion Draft from WAS (2nd Round)
2027 Stats (with MIL): .234/.277/.412, 20 HR, 63 RBI, 4 SB in 145 G

Galindo was the 2024 rookie of the year as a late blooming 27 year old with the Colorado Rockies, but hasn't been more than an average corner IF since. He spent one year with the Brewers in 2027, before being dealt to Washington on Christmas Eve, where he would never play a game before going unprotected and selected in the expansion draft. Galindo can play three IF positions and brings good pop to the lineup.

3. CF Austin Meadows - 32 Years Old - Grayson HS (Loganville, GA)
How Acquired: Free Agent Signing 2/10/2028 (2 yr, 17.7 mil)
2027 Stats (with BOS): .229/.297/.411, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 16 SB in 139 G

Meadows was the Colonials classic buy low free agent signing this offseason. He is a four time all star and four time Gold Glove winner, who is coming off a horrendous year in which he strugged to rebound from the torn ACL he suffered which forced him to miss most of 2026. The Colonials hope that he can come back 100% from that knee injury, and that last year's numbers are not a sign of his decline.

4. LF Sid Lott - 29 Years Old - Philadelphia, PA (Villanova University)
How Acquired: Free Agent Signing 1/17/2028 (4 yr, 32 mil)
2027 Stats (with TEX): .264/.366/.432, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 0 SB in 44 G

Sid Lott was the Rangers 1st round pick out of Villanova in 2020, and he burst onto the scene in 2022 as a rookie, making the all-star game and winning the ROTY, hitting 34 HR with a .876 OPS. Lott continued to be a solid power hitting outfielder (though he never could match the success of his rookie season), until an ankle injury in 2027 ended his season early, and caused the Rangers to part ways.

5. 1B Joey Perkins - 29 Year Old - Foothill Farms, CA (Florida Int'l)
How Acquired: Expansion Draft (From CHW), 8th Round
2027 Stats (with CHA (AAA)): .263/.329/.476, 22 HR, 70 RBI, 0 SB in 107 G

Perkins never really got his chance to shine with the White Sox, who drafted him in the Sandwich round in 2020, as he became seemingly a quality AAAA player. He did see short stints in the big leagues in parts of 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2027 with limited success. The Colonials are hoping he can hit for similar power he showed in AAA over the full season at the big league level.

6. C Dave Hollander - 24 Years Old - Noblesville HS (Noblesville, IN)
How Acquired: Minor League Free Agent (2/27/2028)
2027 Stats (with BRA (A+)) .319/.409/.507 16 HR, 53 RBI, 1 SB in 105 G

The ultimate underdog, Hollander spent a year bagging groceries and playing in the local amateur league in Indiana after going undrafted out of High School in 2021. The Pirates caught onto his talent and signed him in 2023, where he was a quality minor league catcher for them for four years before being let go. The Colonials scouting staff love this kid and think his very good power and discipline can translate into a quality big league hitter.

7. RF Ze Min Chin - 26 Years Old - Baoding, China
How Acquired: Expansion Draft from BOS (4th Round)
2027 Stats: (With COL): .263/.391/.342, 1 HR 12 RBI, 1 SB in 36 G

Chin moved to Austin, TX from China when he was in middle school, and quickly developed into a elite baseball player, attending UT-Austin and getting drafted in the 10th round by the Rockies. He has plus defense and plus plate discipline, the only question is his ability to hit at the big league level.

8. SS Jacob Abbott - 29 Year Old - Lexington, KY (USC)
How Acquired: Expansion Draft from SEA (3rd Round)
2027 Stats: (with TAC (AAA)): .254/.290/.360, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 6 SB in 61 G

After a bunch of years as a defense-first infielder with the Oakland A's, Abbott spent 2027 as a minor league free agent in the Mariners system, never getting to the big leagues with them. Abbott is a plus defender at 2B and SS, and can also play 3B, and his big league experience should help this young lineup.

Bench Candidates

C Sean Burns - 29 Years Old - Lynwood, CA (Long Beach St.)

33rd Round pick in the Expansion Draft, Burns has been the longtime catcher for the AAA Columbus Clippers, and had stints in the big leagues with Cleveland in 2026 and 2027.

OF Joe Krantz - 28 Years Old - Warren, MI (Lincoln HS)

Krantz was the 10th Round pick in the expansion draft, and has made a living as a light hitting back-up outfielder for the San Diego Padres. He hit .234/.297/.344 in 192 AB in 2027.

IF Bo Bichette - 30 Years Old - Tierra Verde, FL (Lakewood HS)

Bichette has bounced up and down from AAA to the big leagues since being called up by the Brewers in 2019 as a 21 year old. He brings a quality glove at 3B, SS and 2B, with plus plate discipline and limited power. Could be teams utility infielder off the bench.

OF Jon Moore - 28 Years Old - Columbia Heights, MN (Georgia Tech)

Moore is an excellent defensive centerfielder who can play all three OF positions and a little 3B. He rarely strikes out but has minimal home run power. He has spent the last five seasons as a backup OF for the Angels and Giants and should serve the same role with the Colonials after being drafted in the 14th round of the expansion.

IF Angelo Vigil - 22 Years Old - Santiago, Dominican Republic

Vigil is a young middle infielder with no major league experience who the Colonials took in the 16th round in the expansion draft. He has a shot to make the opening day roster due to his blazing speed, and decent contact ability.

IF Don Reyes - 26 Years Old - Passaic, NJ (William Paterson University)

Pure 2B who has served in a backup role with the Reds in 2025, 2026 and 2027. He has solid gap power and good range at 2B, but his lack of versalitity could hurt his chances of making the team.

OF/IF Jose Bueno - 26 Years Old - Santiago, Dominican Republic

Another expansion draft pick, whose versatility could earn him a spot on the squad. Bueno made his big league debut as a September call-up in 2027 with the Astros after two solid seasons in Oklahoma City.

Next: The Pitching Staff

[pkelly491]

Originally Posted by pgjocki

Nice, did you do manual league evolution?

No I just let it sim. Not sure I love the lowering of the mound and removal of DH in back-to-back years...but it's ok.

[pkelly491]

Starting Rotation

SP1: RHP Sang-Seung Kwon - 27 Years Old - Goyang, South Korea
How Acquired: FA Signing (1/22/2028, 6 yr 53.7 mil)
Last Season: No Stats to Report (Int'l FA)

The Colonials seem to think they found there ace in Kwon, who comes over from the South Korean league as a highly touted international free agent. Kwon throws six different at least average pitches, and is mid to high 90s with his FB. If he can command his vast array of pitches he will have success at this level.

SP2: RHP Claude Roy - 27 Years Old - Mission Hills, CA (Nipomo HS)
How Acquired: Expansion Draft (1st Round from CHC)
Last Season: 9-6, 5.14 ERA, 126 K, 1.44 WHIP, in 108.2 IP, 66 G, 9 GS

Roy has electric stuff, as shown by his K/BB ratio, but struggled a bit in three big league seasons as a reliever for the Cubs. His breaking ball is a true plus pitch, and he also throws an excellent screwball. The Colonials hope Roy will have success where he is more comfortable, in the rotation, where he was excellent in the minors as a prospect.

SP3: RHP Jake Esch - 37 Years Old - St. Paul, MN (Georgia Tech)
How Acquired: Free Agent Signing 1/18/2028 ( 1 yr, 2 mil)
Last Season: 1-5, 3.73 ERA, 33 K, 1.23 WHIP, in 60.1 IP, 9 G, 9 GS

The Colonials signed Esch to be the veteran presence in their young rotation. He has been a solid back-of-the-rotation guy for a long time in the big leagues where he has compiled 97 career wins since debuting in 2017. He is a sinkerballer, with minimal stuff but good movement and control.

SP4: LHP Steve Burns - 26 Years Old - El Paso, TX (Long Beach St.)
How Acquired: Expansion Draft (7th Round)
Last Season: 6-16, 4.10 ERA, 144 K, 1.20 WHIP in 199.2 IP, 31 G, 31 GS

Burns had a disappointing, though not terrible, first full season in the Washington Nationals rotation in 2027. He split time between the bullpen and rotation with the Nats in 2026, and was actually the guy traded to the Brewers for Wladimir Galinto after the 2027 season. Burns is a lefty with four decent pitches including a very good changeup.

SP5: RHP Mike Jobling - 28 Year Old - Dumas, AR (South Carolina)
How Acquired: Expansion Draft (5th Round)
Last Season: 14-12, 4.92 ERA, 185 K, 1.31 WHIP in 195.2 IP, 35 G, 35 GS

Jobling came up with the Indians in 2025, and was a mainstay in their rotation by 2027. He was the 13th overall pick as a Senior out of South Carolina in 2022. He features a plus fastball and plus curveball with good control, but can get hit hard when his pitches stay too flat.

CL: RHP Anthony Holubecki - 30 Year Old - Elburn, IL (IMG Academy (FL))
How Acquired: FA Signing (1/28/2028) 4 yr 22mil
Last Season: 3-9, 3.74 ERA, 66 K, 1.55 WHIP, 40 SV, in 74.2 IP, 74 G, 0 GS

The Colonials signed a proven closer in Holubecki during the offseason. He will anchor the back end of the bullpen with his mid to high 90s sinker ball.

SU: RHP Jamie Gross - 26 Year Old - Milwaukee, WI (Stanford)
How Acquired: Expansion Draft (30th Round)

Gross is a sinkerball pitcher who has been in the big leagues now since midway through the 2026 season. He has yet to put together a great season at the big league level, but the Colonials have faith in his ability to drive hitters into the ground with the movement on his sinker.

SU: LHP Alex McGee - 31 Years Old - Dallas, TX (Miami (FL))
How Acquired: Expansion Draft (12th Round)

McGee will be the lefty specialist for the Colonials, a role he served for the Yankees for four years. McGee has a special curveball, and can hit mid 90s with his fastball, but control has been a concern over the years.

MR: RHP Sammy Arnold - 25 Years Old - Lancaster, CA (Desert Christian HS)
How Acquired: Free Agent Signing (1/17/2018) 1 yr 1.8 mil

Arnold has never pitched in the big leagues but the Colonials management liked him enough to give him a big league contract in the offseason to pitch for them. He had a good year as the closer for the Memphis Redbirds in 2027, finishing with 25 saves, a 3.09 ERA and a 10.5 K/9 rate.

MR: RHP Jesus Roman - 31 Years Old - New York City, NY
How Acquired: Expansion Draft (19th Round)

Roman was a good find for the Tigers, who picked him up as a minor league FA in 2023, where he was one of their best relievers in 2025 and 2026. After a bad 2027, where he posted a 6.36 ERA in 46 IP, Roman was left unprotected and will get another chance with the Colonials.

MR: RHP Tim Black - 28 Years Old - North Bend, OR (Oregon State)

Black had a ton of success as a starter with El Paso, but the Padres made him a big league reliever, where he has been up and down since getting the call in 2025. He has a good cutter, and can rack up strike outs.

LR: RHP Cisco Anaya - 31 Years Old - San Juan, PR (Texas Christian)

Anaya was the California League most outstanding pitcher in 2021, and continued his career to get a call up with the Astros in 2024 where he was a solid reliever for them since. He has a plus, plus changeup which can be a big strikeout pitch.

Other pitchers competing:

RHP Leon Hahn - 25 Years Old - Baltimore, MD (Patterson HS)

Pitched out of the Mariners bullpen all of 2027. Relies on high 90s fastball, but is developing a solid curveball.

RHP Jose Guerrero - 28 Years Old - Santiago, Dominican Republic

Expansion draft pick who could start or relieve, at the major league or AAA level. Had an excellent 2027 as a starter for the Fresno Grizzlies, and was solid after a call-up to the Giants bullpen.

LHP Clayton Kwiatkowski - 29 Years Old

Has been dominant in AAA Durham bullpen, but has struggled in off and on appearances with the Rays in the bigs. Was actually a very solid reliever for the Rays in 2023 and 2024, but has been in AAAA limbo since.

RHP Saturnino Santa Cruz - 31 Years Old

Signed as a free agent for 1.2 mil right before Spring Training, and should have a good chance of making the team. He has been a big league reliever since 2018 and was an all-star as a closer for the Mariners in 2021.

[pkelly491]

Breaking News:

March 6, 2028

The Hartford Colonials signed another key lefty piece for their bullpen, as the agreed to a 1 year 1.9 million dollar deal with 31 year old LHP Addison Albright. Albright was the closer for Cubs and Indians before having a solid year as a lefty set up guy for the Oakland Athletics in 2027. He should be a 7th or 8th inning guy for the Colonials in 2028.

[pkelly491]

Opening Day Rosters are Official:

Some notes from Spring Training:

A couple of injuries - 2B Victor Martinez will be out 2-3 months with a severe concussion, OF Joe Krantz will be out 1 week with a sprained elbow.

RHP Sang Seung Kwon was outstanding 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a .163 AVG in 6 starts

OF Austin Meadows slashed .342/.415/.562, 1B Joey Perkins and 1B/3B Wladimir Galinto were impressive as well.

Krantz's injury opens the door for speedy OF Manolo Hernandez to make the team although Hernandez went 0-for-17 in spring training.

Colonials will open up against the San Francisco Giants: RHP Sang Seung Kwon vs. RHP Justin Hooper (12-14, 3.91 ERA in 2027)

[pkelly491]

Predicted standings:

Owner expects to play .500 ball. Pitching is expected to be good, need to find some offense!.

[baseballonly]

Phillies won 2 world series in 13 years? were you starting with current rosters? If so, I'd like some tips from the AI.

[pkelly491]

Originally Posted by baseballonly

Phillies won 2 world series in 13 years? were you starting with current rosters? If so, I'd like some tips from the AI.

Yes haha, they were dominant for a couple years from like 2018-2020, won in 2019. Kelly Dugan had a borderline HOF career, and they had Strasburg in his prime.

Then they won again in 2025, barely made they playoffs as the 2nd wild card and got hot.

[pkelly491]

First week of games (4/1/2028 - 4/9/2028)

April 1st, 2014 - at San Francisco

Hartford 4
San Francisco 3
WP: Kwon (1-0), LP: Hooper (0-1), SV: Albright (1)
HR: None

Jon Moore had three hits and Sang-Seung Kwon was solid over 6 IP to give Hartford their first win in franchise history!

Hartford (2-0): 3
San Francisco (0-2): 1
WP: C. Roy (1-0), LP: J. Moreno (0-1), SV: A. Albright (2)

Claude Roy dominated this game in all facets. He went 2-for-4 with a 2B and 2 RBI at the plate, and went 8 IP giving up 7 H, 1 BB, 1 R and 10 K.

Hartford (3-0): 3
San Francisco (0-3): 0
WP: S. Burns (1-0), LP: L. Jackson (0-1), SV: A. Holubecki (1)

Brilliant effort by Steve Burns, who scattered 7 hits over 7 shutout innings. No extra base hits for either team in this one.

St. Louis Cardinals (1-3): 7
Hartford Colonials (3-1): `1
WP: D. Estaco (1-0), LP: J. Esch (0-1)
HR: A. Meadows (1)

Cardinals spoiled Colonials home opener. Ken Osborne got the start at catcher for Hartford and had 3 hits.

St. Louis (1-4): 3
Hartford (4-1): 4
WP: M. Jobling (1-0), LP: T. Megill (0-1), SV: A. Albright (3)
HARTFORD HR: A. Meadows (2)

Austin Meadows broke up the shutout with a grand slam in the 8th inning to give Hartford a 4-3 lead, which Addison Albright closed out for his 3rd save.

St. Louis (2-4): 7
Hartford (4-2): 6
WP: C. Andritsos (1-1), LP: S. Kwon (1-1), SV: S. Langley (1)
HARTFORD HR: D. Reyes (1), J. Abbott (1), J. Perkins (1)

Kwon took a 4-1 lead into the 8th but the Cardinals exploded in that inning for 4 runs and grabbed 2 more in the 9th to finish with a 7-6 lead.

Chicago (4-3): 1
Hartford (5-2): 2
WP: S. Santa Cruz (1-0), LP: C. Lopez (0-1), SV: A. Albright (4)
HARTFORD HR: A. Meadows (3)

Austin Meadows with the heroics for the 2nd game in the last three, hitting a HR in the bottom of the 8th to break a 1-1 tie and give Hartford the victory. Another good outing for Claude Roy (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 7 K).

Chicago (4-4): 1
Hartford (6-2): 2
WP: S. Burns (2-0), LP: P. Reed (1-1), SV: A. Albright (5)
HR: A. Meadows (4)

Meadows does it again! Gives the Colonials the lead in the 6th inning with a 2 run shot. Another outstanding outing from Burns, and Albright picks up his 5th save in the first 7 games.

Chicago (4-5): 4
Hartford (7-2): 6
WP: J. Esch (1-1), LP: D. Thompson (1-1), SV: J. Gross (1)
HR: D. Hollander (1), A. Meadows (5)

1st career HR for the underdog story that is Dave Hollander, Meadows stays hot with HR #5, and newly acquired IF David Chabut goes 3-for-4.

Transactions of Note:

Monday 4/3/2028: Signed 21 yr old LHP Mike Napoli Jr. to a minor league deal and assigned him to A-SS Portland

Tuesday 4/4/2028: Signed 31 year old SS David Chabut to a minor league deal and assigned him to AAA Winnipeg

Friday 4/7/2028: Purchased contract of IF David Chabut from Winnipeg
Demoted IF/OF Jose Dieste to AAA Winnipeg

[pkelly491]

The wheels completely came off for the Colonials after a good 5-2 start:

4/10 - 4/12

Hartford (7-3): 2
Philadelphia (8-2): 3

WP: Ed Hayes (2-0), LP: Mike Jobling (1-1), SV: Jeremy Reed (3)
HR: Joey Perkins (2)

Hartford (7-4): 1
Philadelphia (9-2): 2

WP: Ernesto Marrero (2-0), LP: Sang Seung Kwon (1-2), SV: Jeremy Reed (4)
HR: Don Reyes (2)

Hartford (7-5): 2
Philadelphia (10-2): 3

WP: Joel Clark (2-0), LP: Claude Roy (1-1), SV: Jose Urbina (2)
HR: Bo Bichette (1)

Tough series for the Colonials, getting swept in 3 straight one run games against a very good pitching staff in the Phillies. Hartford's pitching continued to be good, but not quite good enough.

Cincinnati (8-5): 4
Hartford (7-6): 1
(14 innings)
WP: Joe Weeks (1-0), LP: Jordan Gross (0-1)
HR: Don Reyes (3)

Cincinnati (9-5): 11
Hartford (7-7): 7
WP: Bob Phillips (1-0), LP: Jake Esch (1-2)
HR: David Chabut (1)

Cincinnati (10-5): 4
Hartford (7-8): 3
WP: Jake Godfrey (3-0), LP: Sang Seung Kwon (1-3), SV: Adam Jamison Garcia (1)
HR: Dave Hollander (2), Austin Meadows (6)

Hartford gets swept at home against a strong Cincinnati team, including a 14 inning loss and a one run loss. In the last game, lefty specialist Alex McGee was ejected and suspended four games for his role in a brawl with Reds star 1B Mike Adams. McGee has struggled so far this year, giving up 5 ER in 4.2 IP.

No major Hartford transactions to note.

Hartford now sits in 5th (out of 6) in the NL East, 3.5 games back of the Phillies. Hartford is 1.5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card at the moment.

[pkelly491]

So-so week for the Colonials:

4/17 - 4/19

Hartford (8-8): 4
Miami (6-10): 0

WP: Claude Roy (2-1), LP: Mauro Cerda (0-3)

Hartford (8-9): 2
Miami (7-10): 12

WP: Juan Ruiz (1-2), LP: Mike Jobling (1-2)

Hartford (9-9): 8
Miami (7-11): 4
WP: Jesus Roman (1-0), LP: Ron Lee (1-2)
HR: Wladimir Galindo (1)

Nice to go and win 2-of-3 against a pretty week Miami team. Outstanding effort from Claude Roy in game one, Wladimir Galindo finally started to get going with the bat, hitting a HR in game 3.

4/20 - 4/22

LA Dodgers (6-13): 6
Hartford (9-10): 2
WP: Raul Ordonez (2-1), LP: Jake Esch (1-3)

LA Dodgers (6-14): 4
Hartford (10-10): 12
WP: Sang Seung Kwon (2-3), LP: Hugh Beach (0-1)
HR: Sid Lott (1), Austin Meadows (7)

LA Dodgers (7-14): 5
Hartford (10-11): 0
WP: Justus Sheffield (2-3), LP: Claude Roy (2-2)

The Dodgers were expected to win the NL West, so they are better than their record. It still would have been nice to win 2 of 3. Nice offensive outbreak in game two, with HRs from the stars, Sid Lott and Austin Meadows.

Major Transactions:
IF David Chabut was placed on the 15 day DL (will miss 2-3 weeks Fractured Foot)

Purchased contract of IF Giambattista Marisco, a 26 year old minor league FA who was playing in AAA Winnipeg. Marisco is from Italy, and came up with the Yankees organization. He made his big league debut with the Colonials this week.

Potential story to watch:
Former journeyman reliever, 29 year old Gregory Veliz was drafted by Hartford and converted to a 3B. Veliz has 5 HR through the 1st 11 games for AA Amarillo and has not made an error at 3B. Veliz had pitched in the big leagues in parts of 2024, 2025 and 2026, and spent 2027 in the rotation for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

[pkelly491]

April 23-25

Hartford Colonials (10-12): 2
Arizona Diamondbacks (10-12): 3
WP: Jake Hershman (3-1), LP: Mike Jobling (1-3), SV: Raul Luna (7)
HR: Wladimir Galindo (3)

Hartford (10-13): 6
Arizona (11-12): 10
WP: Chris Huber (3-1), LP: Jamie Gross (0-2)
HR: Jacob Abbott (2)

Hartford (10-14): 2
Arizona (12-12): 5
WP: Shane Marvel (2-0), LP: Jake Esch (1-4), SV: Raul Luna (8)
HR: Sid Lott (2)

Tough sweep against the Diamondbacks

4/27 - 4/29
Colorado (11-14): 2
Hartford (11-14): 3
WP: Addison Albright (1-0), LP: Pepe Saucedo (1-2)

Colorado (12-14): 4
Hartford (11-15): 3
WP: Kohl Stewart (3-2), LP: Claude Roy (2-3)

Colorado (13-14): 5
Hartford (11-16): 1
WP: Brandon Murray (3-1), LP: Steve Burns (2-1)

4/30

Pittsburgh (16-12): 2
Hartford (11-17): 1
WP: Ken Paredes (2-0), LP: Alex McGee (0-1), SV: Steve Jensen (6)

No Major Transactions This Week:

Monthly Update to Come

[pkelly491]

A rough, as expected, month of April for the expansion team. Austin Meadows has been the teams offensive star, while Sid Lott and Wladimir Gallinto have been major disappointments offensively. The one guy hitting the ball well, IF David Chabut, got injured right in the middle of his hot streak.

Pitching has been quite good, though. Claude Roy and Steve Burns have both been very good, and Korean import S. Kwon has been solid. The back end of the bullpen, with Addison Albright and Anthony Holubecki, has been a plus as well.

[pkelly491]

Going to start going with monthly recaps:

Nice month of May for the Colonials who overcame a slow end to April to play .500 ball in May. On May 2nd, the Colonials made a move to acquire free swinging 24 year old OF Lonnie Brandt off of waivers from the Dodgers. Brandt had been up and down with the Dodgers for three seasons, but he had hit 4 HR in just 16 plate appearances in 2028 before being DFA'd. Lonnie led the offense, which woke up a little bit in the month of may, slashing .330/.333/.538, with 5 HR, 13 RBI and 2 SB.

IF David Chabut came off the DL in mid May and continued where he left off as one of the better hitters in the lineup. OF Austin Meadows, who had been perhaps the best overall player on the team so far, pulled a muscle in his rib cage and missed the last 2 weeks of the month, but will return June 1st.

On May 22nd to make up for the loss of Chabut, and the weak hitting of original starting RF, Ze Min Chen, the Colonials made another waiver claim, acquiring RF Jack Benninghoff from the Braves. Benninghoff was a late bloomer who was an All-Star in 2023 as a 27-year old rookie. He had fallen out of graces in Atlanta, and spent the 2027 season mainly in AAA.

The biggest disappointment of the season so far has by far been OF Sid Lott, who was hovering right around the Mendoza line before fracturing his foot at the end of the month. He will miss most of June. He was replaced on the roster with OF/3B Gregory Veliz, a converted position player who pitched in the big leagues for the Phillies. Veliz hit a HR in his first career game in the lineup.

The Colonials will get the 1st overall pick in the Draft in a week. Expect an update after that.

[pkelly491]

June 6th, 2028. MLB 1st Year Player Draft

With the 1st overall pick in the MLB Draft, the Hartford Colonials selected Brad Rodgers, a C/1B from Pepperdine, who returned to school after being the 1st overall selection in the 2027 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Rodgers is originally from Casa Grande, AZ and hit 20 HR in his Senior season in college. Rodgers is a high-floor college bat who is an average defensive catcher with a lot of power. At 23, he will report right to AA to start his career.

With their 2nd round pick, the Colonials went with a high ceiling high school RHP From New Bedford, MA named Ed Green. Green currently throws high 80s touching low 90s with his FB with a slider and changeup both of which have potential to be plus pitches. He looks like a future bullpen arm down the road, we will see if the Colonials try and stretch him out as a starter. There are some signability issues with Ed Green, though.

The Colonials stuck with the trend of Massachusetts high school arms, drafting RHP Mike McKenzie in the 3rd round. McKenzie is a cutter ball pitcher from Belmont, MA, with potential to have good command with two main pitches, cutter and slider.

In the 4th round the Colonials selected a teammate of Brad Rodgers at Pepperdine, OF Ed White. White is a plus plus defensive outfielder at all three positions with good speed, the question will be whether or not he can hit to get to the big leagues.

In the 5th Round the Colonials selected a super utility player out of UCLA, Dave Black. Black can play all seven positions that are not pitcher or catcher, and should hit enough (with little to no power) to be a utility guy in the big leagues.


Here are the top 40 picks in the draft all around:
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1. HAR – Brad Rodgers, C, Pepperdine
2. ARI - Rob Tucker, OF, Cornell
3. SA – Jesus Padilla, RHP, St. Mary HS (Jersey City, NJ)
4. PIT – Bobby Green, OF, Pioneer HS (Whittier, CA)
5. TEX – Dan Perkins, RHP, Cal State Fullerton
6. OAK – Zach Ray, 1B, Gordon College (MA)
7. TB – Willie Green, OF, Abbeville HS (SC)
8. MIN – Tony Hart, OF, Oral Roberts
9. SF- Jerry Barry, C, San Diego
10. SF- Doug Hurst, RHP, Grand Canyon
11. COL- Mike Herman, RHP, Arizona State
12. MIL- Eric Todd, RHP, Wayne HS (Fort Wayne, IN)
13. LAD – Tommy Curtis, RHP, Morehead State
14. SF – Ken Williams, C, South Kingstown HS (RI)
15. NYM – Brad Calhoun, OF, New Miami HS (Hamilton, OH)
16. KCR – Sean Smith, LHP, Oklahoma State
17. TOR – Jim Roberts, C, Rutgers
18. CLE – Jared MacImmey, RHP, Georgetown
19. MIA – Walt Gages, OF, Florida Atlantic
20. BAL – Ric Alexander, LHP, Fairfax HS (Los Angeles, CA)
21. CHC – Lonnie Foster, LHP, Alabama
22. HOU – Brandon Ash, OF, Campolindo HS (Moraga, CA)
23. STL – Bob Elwood, RHP, North Carolina
24. LAA – Mike Jackson, RHP, Cal State Fullerton
25. CHW – Robbie Ward, SS, Illinois – Chicago
26. CIN – Jose Cruz, 1B, Miami (FL)
27. BOS – Jeff Brown, RHP, Edison HS (Huntington Beach, CA)
28. OAK – Josh Steele, OF, Georgetown
29. SEA – Tomas Romero, RHP, Cardinal Gibbons HS (Raleigh, NC)
30. LAD – Chris Cramer, C, Santa Clara (CA)
31. KCR – Danny Keys, OF, Cavalry Christian HS (Ormond Beach, FL)
32. CLE – Micheal Dunlap, OF, O’Bannon HS (Greenville, MS)
33. WAS – Dan Richards, RHP, Mifflinburg HS (PA)
34. BAL – Ron Wiley, OF, Lewiston Porter HS (Youngstown, NY)
35. HOU – Antonio Miranda, RHP, Tufts
36. ATL – Sam Tucker, OF, Missouri
37. CHW – Chad Vodaen, OF, Northwest Cabarrus HS (Concord, NC)
38. NYY – Hsui-Chen Xuan, 1B, Wharton County JC (TX)
39. LAD – Ken Mathews, 1B, Valley HS (West Des Moines, IA)
40. BAL – Cliff Godfrey, 1B, Carthage HS (Kenosha, WI)

[pkelly491]

6/7/2014

Breaking News

The Colonials made their first trade, trading a growingly unhappy RHP Anthony Holubecki to the Giants for three young players. Holubecki was a big free agent signing for the Colonials and had pitched will, but was unhappy with his losing the closer role to Addison Albright in spring training.

The Colonials will receive RHP Eric Huber, 1B Alexy Gabriel and RHP Eddie Gordon who immediately give a boost in the young talent category, which was lacking. Huber, 24, was in his rookie season with the Giants, pitching out of the bullpen, and pitching very well (1.16 ERA in 31 IP). He will replace Holubecki on the big league roster. Gabriel, also 24, is a slugging 1B from Haiti (Via Chokio, MN) who lost his power stroke this season with Fresno (only 2 HR in 39 G), but hit 39 HR the season before in High-A San Jose. He will head to AAA. The Colonials also will get the Giants 10th round pick in 2027, 19 year old pitcher from Baltimore, Eddie Gordon. Gordon shows some good upside as a reliever, sitting low 90s and topping mid 90s, with potential for an above average fastball and slider. He will start in short season A ball.

[pkelly491]

Still working through June, but an interesting bit of news:

Scandalous day in baseball as one of it's best young pitchers, the White Sox LHP Buddy Nixon, was suspended 80 games for a 1st time violation of the PED policy. Nixon worked his way up from a 31st round pick out of HS in 2022 to one of the game's best. One has to wonder, was it just "work" that got him that far.

[pkelly491]

Breaking News:

All-Star Rosters have been released! Representing the Hartford Colonials are SP Sang-Seung Kwon (7-3, 2.76 ERA), and OF Lonnie Brandt (.346/.354/.635, 13 HR, 34 RBI).