BRASSball Farm System Rankings - Part III

Parkland's Julio Teheran

The BFSR rankings have been updated to reflect some recent changes to the system. I realized that highly-ranked prospects were being penalized too severely when advancing to the majors. The original theory of "a top prospect advancing to the majors is no surprise and shouldn't be awarded a significant amount of progression points" didn't make sense to me anymore.

In my previous post, I used Julio Teheran (Parkland) as an example. Teheran, in the old system, was being punished for being Atlanta's consensus top organizational prospect both last year and this year. I've now adjusted how points are awarded for players like Teheran, and Parkland has deservedly moved up the BRASS system ranking as a result.

However, I still wanted to make sure that my system remained focused on the theme of player progression. Therefore, arguably the top prospect, Bryce Harper (Metropolis), continues to only receive a minimal amount of points. The reason for this is because players that we draft that ultimately make it to the major leagues are more rewarded in this system. When (and not if) Harper is called up, he will then be most likely promoted to the top of the entire list because of all the factors involved over the past couple of years. This would then probably vault Metropolis up to the very top of the BRASS team ranking list as well.

Now that I'm satisfied with all of the various formulas, I have some ideas for some new lists. In January, look for some new pages like "Top Overall Progression Prospects" and "Top Prospects that Reached the Majors in 2011." I'll also put up a list of prospects drafted in the upcoming 2012 BRASSball Draft, and see how they compare to my rankings.

I'm still waiting for a handful of prospect ranking sheets to be completed before I start posting the individual BRASS team reports. Some MLB teams are well represented, while others are not. I want to make sure there's a decent balance of information available before I begin the final breakdowns.

California Roadrunners Unveil New Team Logo, Bullpen Coach

The California Roadrunners are pleased to announce they have a new team logo and color scheme beginning with the 2012 season. The new logo will be used in all future BRASSball publications.

The color scheme for the Roadrunners has also been modified for the upcoming season. The former "powder blue" and white has been replaced with navy blue, orange, and white. The new logo will also appear on the front of player caps, replacing what fans called "The Tick" logo from 2011.

Home uniforms will remain white, with blue lettering across the chest and player number in orange on the front. Lettering and numbering on the back will also be in navy blue. Road uniforms will be gray, with dark orange lettering across the chest and player number in blue on the front. Lettering and numbering on the back will be in navy blue. A thin orange stripe will also be present on both home and road uniforms.

Management is also pleased to announce the addition of bullpen pitching coach Kenny Powers. Powers will be solely responsible for the development of the Roadrunner relievers beginning in 2012. The former big leaguer appeared in 208 games during his career, saving 49 games as a rookie with Atlanta back in 2002. Powers, also known as The People's Champion, The Shelby Sensation, The Reverse Apache Master, The Man with the Golden Dick, Doctor Cock and Balls, La Flama Blanca, and The Bulletproof Tiger, will be called upon to provide leadership and guidance for a completely revamped Roadrunner bullpen. Powers also spent time with The Charros of the Mexican League, and California hopes that his diverse experience will enable him to sensitively work with pitchers on a cultural, political, and possibly even a spiritual level. 

BRASSball Farm System Rankings - Part II

Simi Valley's Freddie Freeman

I received quite a bit of feedback on my initial post about the BRASSball Farm System Rankings. Most of the response was positive, but almost everyone that contacted me wanted more details on how I arrived at assigning a score to each team. Before I get into individual BRASS team breakdowns, I thought I would share a little more about my analytic process that I applied, and provide some examples.

First of all, I want to make it clear that this list is never-ending, in a way. I mean, there are always prospect lists and updates being churned out. They're being revamped all the time with new information, updates due to Arizona Fall League performance, injuries, trades, and general change of opinion by the author(s). We fellow BRASS managers just can't seem to leave our rosters alone either.

For these reasons, I've decided to keep a dedicated page for the rankings for everyone's reference. I will post the last time the list was updated, and if there was a change to the team's overall points.

With every list, there needs to be a reason why one player is ranked above the other. As I stated in my previous post, most lists rely on opinions and educational guesses. I tried to put together a system that ranks prospects and young players based on statistics and "fact." However, I would argue with myself that my system is also about opinion because of how I chose to put it together.

Player Progression

Player progression is the number one contributor when assigning a score and rank to a BRASSball team. This doesn't mean that the individual player's low score makes him any more or less desirable, or indicates that the player will be a five-tool stud or a bust. In my mind, it's simply a measurement of a prospect's value when compared to what they were projected to do: make it to the major leagues. 

A player will score higher if they were ranked as a "top prospect" prior to the previous season and advanced to the major leagues in a way that removed the player as a "prospect." The removal is based on the player's appearance on annual top prospect lists and rankings.

Here's an example of three players from Atlanta, and how they scored in this system in terms of progression: Freddie Freeman (Simi Valley), Julio Teheran (Parkland), and J.J. Hoover (North Georgia).

Freeman was awarded a significant amount of "Progression Factor" (PF) points because he had an average 2011 prospect rank of 2 and advanced to the majors in 2011. Teheran is currently the #1 prospect in the Braves' system, but he was also the #1 prospect last year. While Teheran did advance to the majors with 19 2/3 innings pitched, his appearance on every prospect ranking list in the country hurt his PF score this year. Basically, yes, he's a top prospect and is projected to be great, so his advancement to the majors in 2011 (while being highly ranked in 2011 and 2012) is not that surprising. However, he will have a significant PF score next season if he is called up at any point in 2012 and plays himself away from the "prospect" label.

In fact, if Teheran does plays enough to no longer be considered a prospect, he'll be awarded more PF points than Freeman received this year. This is because a higher-ranked prospect that makes the majors is more-likely to contribute value to his team than a lower-ranked prospect.

Hoover's ranking, on the other hand, actually declined slightly and was not called up to Atlanta to pitch last season. Therefore, he actually lost PF points. This doesn't mean Hoover isn't a prospect or won't get called up. In some cases, a MLB organization strengthened itself at the top through trades or the draft. All it means is the prospect hasn't yet contributed a positive value to the long-term outlook of the BRASSball team.

Currently, Parkland's overall score is lower than you might think. What makes my system different than your traditional organizational ranking scheme is that I'm emphasizing more of what a prospect has done recently than solely on what a prospect is proposed to do. This has value in a Strat-O-Matic league where we speculate, manage, and play in two worlds: the previous and the current Major League Baseball seasons.

BRASSball Farm System Rankings

Fleetwood's Mike Trout

I'm a Baseball prospect junkie. I'm also a stats geek. I both love and hate Microsoft Excel. Put all of that together, and you get what I call the BRASSball Farm System Rankings (BFSR). I always ask myself if I enjoy Baseball and Strat-O-Matic more this time of year than during the actual MLB season. I think I can admit that I probably enjoy them at least equally.

While the Hot Stoves are burning this time of year, the various publications and online sources publish their prospect rankings for the upcoming year. These rankings come in various forms: by organization, position, and overall. Some of the lists include grades, while others include projected WARs, and some are based solely off production and projections. Sprinkle in some opinions and a dash of politics, and you have your lists. 

Sure, these lists are great when you're up in the draft and the clock is ticking away. You don't know what you're doing so you start scanning the top prospects by organization alphabetically until you find Billy Hamilton from Cincinnati available (D'oh! Wait, that was me). But how do you weigh one source's opinion over the other? How much "opinion" or infatuation about a player influences a player's position on a list? This is where my system comes into play.

What I did was take what I consider to be the most reputable sources and combine all of these lists into one, massive ranking system. Then, I decided to award bonus points if the player showed up with other types of ranking attributes such as grades, stars, tools, etc. I also gave additional points to players that ranked higher when compared against each other at a position or overall ranking regardless of the organization.

I also put a huge emphasis on player progression. If a player was considered a prospect of some kind in 2011, and advanced to the majors to any degree, they received a substantial number of "progression points." That's what it's all about, getting to the BIGs, right? All in all, it looks like chaos, but it makes sense to me and my whacked out brain.

Now on to the good stuff: the actual list for BRASSball. I'll admit that that this list is not 100% complete, but just about every player I consider to be eligible has been factored in one way or another. Also: no hard feelings either way as this list is automatically generated from the data.

RANK	TEAM	BFSR POINTS
1	San Jose	214.53
2	Fleetwood	200.63
3	Metropolis	196.91
4	Portsmouth	194.07
5	California	161.74
6	Fremont	148.22
7	Santa Barbara	146.33
8	Cook County	140.32
9	Brew City	132.69
10	Parkland	117.32
11	North Georgia	94.26
12	Hessville	93.92
13	Superior	90.10
14	Plaza	89.30
15	Tinley	83.09
16	Florence	82.71
17	SoCal	82.28
18	Simi Valley	78.52
19	Glen Allen	74.18
20	Lancaster	73.79
21	Springfield	64.30
22	Brooklyn	51.84
23	Palm Harbor	42.06
24	Latrobe	27.89

Why did I do this? Well, I needed to satisfy the Baseball stats nerd in me, but ideally, this list can help all of us. The goal was to provide some meaningful number that would allow each team to take stock in their amateurs, minor leaguers, and young stars. It should give each team a sense of how competitive they'll be for the long-term. The rankings are not meant to project how a team will perform during the upcoming or current season. 

In future blog posts, I'm going to provide more details team-by-team, so you can see those numbers somewhat justified. I will also post updates to the list as players are traded and more prospect information rolls in during the off-season.

Aramis Returns to California, Signs New Four-Year Deal

The 2011 BRASSball Free Agency period is well underway. With hopes low for adding any new players to the roster, the California Roadrunners opted to re-sign their only restricted free agent, Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez returns to the Roadrunners with a four-year contract worth $14.26M.

In 2010, Ramirez had a down year to say the least. He hit .210 with 19 home runs and 69 RBI. He was also a defensive liability at third. So why re-sign him to this long-term deal? Obviously, the club feels strongly that a huge season is right in front of him, but Ramirez factors into the team's long-term plans as well.

Aramis will be eligible to play in about 157 games, which means he will be the team's full-time third baseman in 2011. Being able to plug in a guy at a position and know that you can run him out there every day of the season and be productive is quite a luxury. A luxury the Roadrunners were able to afford.

Ramirez's eligible usage is second only to Carlos Lee, the team's full-time DH. However, Lee is only under contract for 2012, and will be an unrestricted free agent after next season. This opens up the DH spot for Ramirez for the final three years of his deal, while Brett Lawrie and/or Scott Sizemore take over at third base.

The other factor is that California is gambling on winning the AL West next season. Sure, Santa Barbara pulled away down the stretch and is currently participating in the World Series against Springfield. However, it makes sense to return arguably the top third baseman on the free agent market to the fold. Ramirez will be expected to hit cleanup in most lineup variations, somewhere between or around Josh Hamilton, Torii Hunter, and Carlos Lee.

Setting Up for a Roadrunners Run in 2012

There have been twenty-three trades in BRASSball this off-season. I don't know if that's a league record or not, but it's the most I can ever remember in all of my years playing Strat-O-Matic. All of these players, picks, and cash moving around makes me a little nervous. I wonder about the uncertainty of all this change and how it will affect teams in the long run. You have to hope that every trade made will end up helping both teams equally, but you and I both know that's never the case. Why would you make a trade if you didn't feel that you were getting some kind of edge in the deal?

California ignited the BRASSball Hot Stove when we dealt Jose Bautista to Metropolis, and Plaza turned up the heat when Justin Verlander was moved to Latrobe. Since those two deals, BRASSball has seen the following exchanged:

• 71 players, including Matt Kemp, Roy Halladay, Alex Rodriguez, Chase Utley, Jeremy Hellickson, Trevor Bauer, Michael Pineda, and Kevin Youkilis
• 17 draft picks, including one #1, two #2s, and three #3s
• $7,433,333 cash, almost half of which spent by San Jose to acquire Jurikson Profar from Cook County

Cook County and San Jose each made seven trades (so far) between October 2011 and November 2011. The California Roadrunners were the next most active club with six. We've already broken down the Jose Bautista deal, so here's a rundown of the other five deals.

California trades Chris Volstad to Frisco for GAU #6 (2012)

This was simply a move to give Frisco (now San Jose) some cheap innings pitched, with some moderate potential for Volstad to finally break out. The Roadrunners had given up on Volstad and were considering his release as an open roster spot looked more appealing.

Springfield trades Sean Marshall to California for CAL #3 (2012)

This deal was pretty much about ego. Sean Marshall was dealt to Springfield prior to the 2011 season in the Gerrit Cole deal. While California is still pleased to have Cole in their amateur system, moving Marshall as part of the deal left some regret. During the entire 2011 MLB season, Marshall was observed, and the club wanted him back as part of their 2012 squad. California has a handful of goals for 2012. One of those goals is having one of the top bullpens in the AL. Marshall will hopefully help achieve that goal.

Latrobe trades Roy Halladay, Yorvit Torrealba to California for Ivan Nova, Christian Friedrich, CAL #2 (2012), CAL #4 (2012)

This. Was. The. Big. One. Dealing Bautista was difficult, but necessary. The couple of trades that followed were nice, but not game-changers. Adding long-time BRASSball ace Roy Halladay has, on paper, upset the balance of the AL West. Having to move Nova and Friedrich along with two high draft picks may appear to be costly for the future of the franchise, but Halladay is under contract for both 2012 and 2013. Nova was penciled in as the #4 starter behind Kennedy, Beckett, and Norris. Friedrich projected as a "Cliff Lee type," but didn't look like he was going to be ready for full-time action for another two years. Not to be forgotten in the deal is Torrealba. He gives the team a starting catcher after entering the off-season with zero plate appearances from behind the dish.

Lancaster trades Torii Hunter to California for Julio Borbon, Chris Valaika

Now that Doc Halladay was in the fold, there was some internal pressure to make sure the Roadrunners were in a position to win. Win NOW, I should say. When Lancaster put Torii Hunter on the block, California reacted and struck first. Hunter is tied up with an expensive contract (he'll be on the second year of a three-year, $12.99M deal), but his offense and defense is actually a significant upgrade. The only other real offensive threat under contract is Josh Hamilton, and he has injury concerns entering 2012. Hunter, while expensive, brings some pop, some glove, and a lot of stability to the roster.

Cook County trades Matt Thornton to California for CAL #6 (2012), $350k

The Roadrunners picked up lefty Matt Thornton as sort of a last-minute, impulse-buy-kind-of deal. When putting together a playoff-caliber bullpen, you want to have a lefty specialist that you can whip out in the 7th or 8th inning with the game on the line. The Roadrunners now have two of those after picking up Thornton to go alongside Sean Marshall. With two sixth-round picks in the 2012 draft, moving one of them was not an issue. Cook County loves him some cash in a trade, so the $350K keeps him happy.

All in all, it was a busy off-season for California. Many a draft-pick were dealt away, as was about $10M in money spent on contracts. The Roadrunners, basically, looked at it as two free agency signing periods, and didn't mind spending some of it's hard-earned coin on some players that are poised to play key roles in what hopes to be a fun and exciting 2012 season. 

BOOM HEY OUTTA HERE

I fully blame our illustrious Commissioner, Brian, for this now being stuck in my head:

And the reference to the "BOOM HEY OUTTA HERE" gloss:

And now that this is stuck in your head, we can consider it part of the formal BRASSball lore.

A Tweet By Torii Hunter, Illustrated

Via Fangraphs at http://www.fangraphs.com/not/index.php/a-tweet-by-torii-hunter-illustrated/

Bautista Dealt to Metropolis for Four Players

There comes a time when you need to make the tough decisions in hopes to make your team better for the longer term. That day arrived courtesy of a trade with the Metropolis Avengers. Will it upset fans hoping for another offensive outburst in California in 2012? Yeah, probably. Did the Roadrunners deal away a potential top 3 AL MVP candidate in Jose Bautista? Most certainly.

In a major off-season move, the California Roadrunners sent slugger and OPS monster Jose Bautista to the Metropolis Avengers in exchange for Josh Beckett, Mitch Moreland, Jason Motte, and Jarrod Parker. Roadrunners' GM Brendan Conrad held a press conference this week to try and explain the organization's position in trading arguably one of the best BRASSball players.

"Listen: we were about to enter the off-season free agency period with only 2 1/2 legitimate starting pitchers, no DH or first baseman, no catcher, and no bullpen. With one trade, we were able to get a 30-game starter, an actual glove at first base (no offense, El Caballo), a closer, and a top pitching prospect. I don't know where else we would be able to secure upgrades in all of those spots without having to spend our entire bank account in the free agent market.

Jose had a great year for us, but he was only under contract for one more season and he expressed interest in exploring other opportunities. Yes, he let us know that he was not interested in signing with California after 2012. That played a huge factor in our decision to move him now. We feel that he'll have an outstanding opportunity to play for Drew and Metropolis."

Bautista put on quite and offensive performance for California in 2011. However, there was a segment of the front office that felt that he actually underachieved. Bautista put up 44 home runs and 126 RBI. However, he struck out 132 times and ended the season with only a .244 batting average. A 55-homer season, and a .260+ average would have probably put California in the post-season. The club led the AL in one-run victories with 32, and 16 extra-inning wins. However, Bautista and the team fell apart in September, as they stumbled towards the finish line with an 11-11 record. The Roadunners missed the wild card by three games, and many blamed Bautista for not living up to the hype.

While many were surprised by the move as the Roadrunners were all set to return a formidable offense for 2012, it's time to move on and take a look at the new members of the team and where they might contribute next season and beyond.

Josh Beckett, SP
Beckett did not perform well during an injury-plagued 2011 with the Avengers. An 8-14, 5.44 season does not look good on paper. However, Beckett has a solid track record, and is ready to rebound for California in 2012. He will be penciled in for 30 starts as the #2 starter behind Ian Kennedy. This will push Bud Norris to the third spot, and Ivan Nova to the four.

 Mitch Moreland, 1B
Moreland played sparingly for Metropolis in 2011, batting only .224 in 143 at-bats. His 7 home runs project well, but is most likely to settle in somewhere around the 15-20 range for a full season. Moreland bats left, and his splits work out nicely and compliment John Mayberry, Jr. In essence, California now has its first-baseman with this platoon.

Jason Motte, RP
Motte threw well in the Avengers bullpen, tossing 52 solid innings in relief with a 3.44 ERA in 2011. But there's more to Motte than just his nice beard. He also picked up a couple of saves, showing that he can finish games if need be. That's exactly what California needs. After a falling out with closer Brandon Lyon, Motte will be asked to close out games in 2012.

Jarrod Parker, SP
Parker was drafted third overall by Metropolis in the 2011 BRASSball draft. He will be signed to a minor league contract for 2012, but is expected to begin starting for California in 2013. There will be high expectations for Parker, who will join Gerrit Cole and Christian Freidrich as the top starting pitching prospects in the organization.

Down the Stretch 2011 - Florence at California

With one home series left to go, California was running out of hope. The Roadrunners sat a full game behind Plaza in the AL Wild Card standings, but had played eight more games than the Lions. There wasn't much we could do about that, but we could try to win our final home series. Florence came into town on a hot, musty September afternoon to try and knock off the Roadrunners for good in 2011.

Game 1: Florence 7, California 4

The first game of the series matched up Bruce Chen (2-4, 3.10 in only two games started) against September call-up Bud Norris (2-7, 4.76). The two threw like aces through three, despite three warning track blasts by the home team. In the top of the fourth, the bad luck continued as Jack Cust hit a seemingly routine fly ball that Jose Bautista lost. This allowed Cust to advance to second, and he later scored on a single by Daric Barton to give the River Bats a 1-0 lead. Taking advantage of a frustrated starting pitcher, Will Venable then smashed a two-run home run to deep center field to extend the lead to 3-0.

In the sixth, Bautista's troubles in left field continued as he just missed a line drive by Barton. It was ruled a double, and the inning continued. Norris struggled to gain his composure yet again, and walked Venable putting runners at first and second. Bautista, clearly distracted then allowed a bloop single to Xavier Paul that scored Barton to make it 4-0. Ryan Perry then relieved Norris, but couldn't change the bad luck California was having. Paul stole second despite several pick-off attempts, opening up first base for Pedro Feliz. Opting to pitch to Feliz, he countered with a swinging bunt back to Perry. Surprised, Perry took forever getting off the mound to field the ball, and Feliz was safe at first on an infield hit. This scored Venable to put Florence up 5-0.

The Roadrunners finally solved Chen in the bottom half of the sixth. Chris Valaika led off with a single, and shortstop Paul Janish took Chen deep to left-center for his fourth home run of the year. With the score now 5-2, Carlos Lee singled and advanced to second after Aramis Ramirez grounded out. With two outs, Julio Borbon rocked Chen for a double that scored Lee from second cutting the lead back down to two runs at 5-3. Sam Lecure was then called in from the bullpen to relieve a tired Bruce Chen. Lecure struck out pinch-hitter Casper Wells to end the inning.

Now sensing a comeback, the Roadrunners called on Will Ohman to face Martin Prado with a runner on first (and a slew of lefties to follow). Prado took the first pitch he saw and planted it securely in the rocks in left-center. Florence now held a 7-3 lead in the seventh inning. Ohman was left in and took the Roadrunners to the ninth without allowing a run. Lecure shut down the California offense until the bottom of the ninth when Rod Barajas hit his 20th homer of the season. But it was too little, too late as Lecure got Rafael Furcal to ground out to short to end the game.

Game 2: California 5, Florence 4

The pressure was now on for California. The current standings had them a game and a half behind Plaza, which meant they would have to win out in order to have any kind of chance at making the post-season. On paper, the second game of the series was going to be a tough match up for California as Florence sent 11-8 Gio Gonzalez and his 3.46 ERA to the hill. Seven-game winner (and 12-game loser) John Lackey took the ball to represent California.

All was quiet until the bottom of the third inning. Gonzalez was cruising along until Kosuke Fukudome launched his 12th home run of the year deep into right field to give the Roadrunners an early 1-0 lead. California was clinging to that one-run lead until the top of the sixth. Starlin Castro lead off the inning with a double, and Jack Cust followed with a laser beam single into right to tie the game at one. The River Bats ended up loading the bases, but reliever Matt Guerrier was able to get Pedro Feliz to ground out to third to end the inning with the score tied 1-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, lefty September call-up Jarrod Dyson was called on to pinch hit against Plaza's Todd Wellemeyer. It looked like the perfect time for a pitching change, but Dyson was pitched to instead, and promptly launched a bomb into deep center to give the home team a 2-1 lead. David Hernandez was then called in to pitch (one batter too late, maybe). Hernandez was out of control, throwing three walks and two wild pitches (one of which scored Bengie Molina from third).

With the score 3-1 in the ninth, the Roadrunners called on their closer, Brandon Lyon, to end the game. He ended up loading the bases with two outs, and was faced with Martin Prado, arguably Florence's best hitter (.304-22-89 entering the at-bat). The Roadrunners' pitching coach, Kenny Powers, visited Lyon on the mound to see if he could talk Lyon into getting Prado out. We don't know what Powers said to Lyon, but Lyon was visibly shaken. Prado singled, and Coco Crisp walked, and the game was tied at 3. Powers then stormed the mound and started taking swings at Lyon. Powers needed to be restrained by the coaching staff, and Lyon was removed from the game. Jeff Suppan needed to be woken up from his season-long nap to replace Lyon, still with the bases loaded. Suppan was able to get Will Venable to ground out to end the inning, and the Roadrunners came to bat.

With California failing to get the winning run home in the ninth, the River Bats capitalized on the second chance. With two outs in the tenth, Nick Hundley singled, and Carlos Guillen knocked him in with a double to take the lead 4-3. Ivan Nova was called in to get the final out of the inning, and things were looking very bleak. Now, down to their final out in the bottom of the tenth, Wilson Valdez scooted a single past Castro, keeping hope alive. With everything on the line, the Roadrunners sent up Manny Ramirez against Derek Holland. Ramirez took a chance and hit one deep to center off the wall, scoring Valdez all the way from first, tying the game up 4-4. Holland got out of the inning by pitching around Rod Barajas, and getting Fukudome to ground out.

Both clubs made it another inning, and we were on to the twelfth. Tenth-inning heroes Valdez and MAN-RAM were at it again. Valdez led the inning off with a double, and Ramirez followed up with a double to score Valdez and win it for California, 5-4. While it was a disappointing season for Manny Ramirez, he may have kept the Roadrunner playoff hopes alive, and brought momentum back for California.

Game 3: California 9, Florence 8

Game three looked like another mismatch on paper as Florence was set with hard-luck starter Fausto Carmona (9-14, 3.61). California had its own underachiever ready to go in Livan Hernandez (12-15, 4.85). The River Bats' best players showed up with something to prove and got things going early. Starlin Castro lead off the game with a double, and Martin Prado doubled him in to take a 1-0 lead in the first. Xavier Paul then hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that scored Prado. Pedro Feliz kept things moving along with a single that scored Daric Barton, but the rally ended there, as Reggie Willits flew out to right with the bases loaded. Hernandez spotted the River Bats three runs before Mike Aviles stepped up to lead things off for California.

In the second inning, Jose Bautista decided to start chipping away at the three-run lead and hit a solo home run (his 41st) out to left field. That was all the home offense could muster, but the visiting team tacked on three more runs in the top of the third, knocking starter Hernandez out of the game. Hernandez was met with boos as he walked off the mound for what is most likely his last start for California, and possibly in BRASSball forever. The River Bats added two more runs in the top of the fourth to put the game out of reach at 8-1.

Things got interesting in the bottom of the eighth. With the score 8-2, the Roadrunners managed to score five thanks in part to Carlos Lee and his three-run home run. Then with one out, Mark Ellis walked against Matt Reynolds. Todd Wellemeyer was called in to face the pinch-hitter, Chris Valaika. The Roadrunners countered, however, with Kosuke Fukudome instead. Fukudome then hit one squarely over the right-field wall for a two-run home run, and a 9-8 lead.

Brandon Lyon was called on to finish this one, and finish it he did. California was victorious, 9-8, with a seven-run eighth inning! For Lyon, he picked up his 35th save of the year. Nate Robertson (4-0, 2.41) was the winner in relief. Todd Wellemeyer took the loss (even though Gil Meche surrendered 4 earned runs without allowing a hit, and Matt Reynolds gave up two runs in 1/3 of an inning). It was on to game four to see if California could keep up their magic.

Game 4: Florence 4, California 0

The two teams were now set for the final game of the regular season at California. Florence readied Wade LeBlanc (5-10, 5.33) for the showdown, while California called up Trevor Bell (1-2, 7.63) to see if he could prove to the club that he is worth of a spot on the team in 2012.

The River Bats jumped on top 1-0 in the third as the Roadrunners traded two outs with a double play for a run. They struck again in the top of the fifth when Will Venable singled, stole second and third, and scored when Osvaldo Martinez doubled. Florence extended their lead to 3-0 when Daric Barton singled off of Bell to score Martinez. Not wanting the game to get too far out of hand, Bell was replaced by the veteran Will Ohman, and Ohman got the team out of the jam.

LeBlanc was cruising along and pitched very well through six-plus innings. David Hernandez relieved LeBlanc in the seventh to extinguish a Roadrunner rally. In the top of the eighth, the River Bats added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly by Xavier Paul.

The River Bats closed things out as the California put on a lackluster performance in their season-ending home game. The series was split two-two, which was a disappointment for the home team. Needing every win they could possibly get to catch Plaza for the playoffs, California fell to 9-10 for the month of September. With all the excitement of this series, a lull of frustration and disappointment fell over the entire franchise as they sat a full game back of Plaza, with three games left to play (and Plaza with fifteen games left).

Down the Stretch 2011 - Superior at California

After losing 3-out-of-4 to the visiting Simi Valley Vikings, the California Roadrunners welcomed the fellow AL Wild Card-chasing Superior Blues for a three-game series. Only one game separated the two teams in the playoff standings, but Plaza still held a significant lead on both clubs for the final post-season spot.

Game 1: California 9, Superior 3

The first game featured struggling Roadrunner starter Livan Hernandez (8-13, 5.06) against the Blues' Bronson Arroyo (11-5, 2.98). Superior got things going early, scoring in the top of the second inning. Jose Tabata doubled and came around home when Travis Ishikawa doubled. Kurt Suzuki followed with a single that plated Ishikawa to give Superior a 2-0 lead. Having watched his opponent take batting practice off of Hernandez, Rod Barajas cut the lead in half with one swing, belting his 17th home run of the year. Arroyo, clearly shaken by the blast, walked the next batter, Carlos Lee. After Aramis Ramirez popped out, Mark Ellis stepped up and hit a 2-run bomb to left-center, his 3rd of the season. The Roadrunners tried to make some additional noise, but settled for a 3-2 lead after two innings.

Jose Bautista then cranked his 36th home run to lead off the bottom of the 3rd to extend the lead to 4-2. In the bottom of the 5th, it was Carlos Lee's turn. He blasted a two-run home run to right-center that scored Barajas, giving California a 6-2 advantage. California was all business so far in this game, showing off the power that made them a contender early on in the season.

However, the game was delayed before the top of the 6th inning. The Roadrunners took the field, but Livan Hernandez was nowhere to be found. Rumors were flying around that authorities had infiltrated the Roadrunner clubhouse, attempting to question Hernandez about his role in a case involving a drug kingpin from Puerto Rico. It turns out that Hernandez was just hungry, and was trying to finish his meatball sandwich. Barajas ran into the clubhouse, demanded that Hernandez put the sandwich down, and reminded him that he was still in the game and needed to pitch in the top of the sixth.

Superior was able to add a run in the top of the 7th, but it was handed right back to the Roadrunners, courtesy of another home run: Carlos Lee's second of the game. Aramis Ramirez then doubled, and went to third after Evan Longoria muffed a ground ball by Ellis. Ramirez scored when Blake DeWitt couldn't turn two against the speedy Julio Borbon, and California took an 8-3 lead after 7 innings. Pinch-hitter Paul Janish picked up the 16th team hit, and 9th run of the game, knocking in Bautista from second.

Hernandez ended up completing the game and picked up his 9th victory. Afterwards, reporters wanted to know more about his absence in the middle of the game. "Yes, it's true: I was hungry out there. Sure, hungry to beat a tough opponent in Superior, but also straight-up hungry for that sandwich," Hernandez explained.

Game 2: California 6, Superior 5

The game tells us that "it's a lousy night for baseball" as the Blues and Roadrunners square off in game two of the series. However, the Roadrunner fans were witness to an exciting, come-from-behind victory by the home team. The underrated Anibal Sanchez (7-7, 2.84) gets the call for Superior, while Ian Kennedy (9-8, 3.96) seems rested enough to go for California.

Superior got things going early again as Jose Tabata led off the top of the 2nd with a triple. Cliff Pennington knocked him in with a double, and the Blues were on the board with the first run of the game. Superior picked up their second run with an Evan Longoria solo home run in the top of the 4th. Kennedy then walked Tabata, who was able to advance all the way to third after an attempted steal and a Bengie Molina throwing error. Pennington roped a single to center, picking up his second RBI of the game as Tabata scored. Kurt Suzuki kept the fun rolling along with a two-out single that scored Pennington from third (after advancing from first via a fielder's choice and wild pitch).

Superior led 4-0 going into the bottom half of the inning. It seems with every game of Strat-O-Matic, once one team scores, the opposition's bats magically wake up. Josh Hamilton walked and then scored when Carlos Lee hit a bomb into the rocks in left-center for his 21st home run of the year. The Roadrunners cut the lead in half as the score was now 4-2 after four complete.

Not satisfied with the four runs he had already given up, Ian Kennedy walked Michael Bourn to start off the fifth inning. Bourn, just traded to Cook County along with $3 million in cold, hard cash, stole second and scored on a single by Longoria. Kennedy got out of the inning, but the Blues now held a 5-2 lead. California played some small-ball and were able to get the run back. Mike Aviles singled, stole second, and then advanced to third on a Rafael Furcal sacrifice. Josh Hamilton hit a deep fly to center that scored Aviles, and the score was now 5-3.

Sergio Romo relieved Sanchez in the bottom of the 7th and kindly hit Molina between the numbers. Clearly there was some bad blood between the two, but nobody could understand Molina as he yelled to himself while trotting to first. Knowing that this might be their shot to get some runs, California then pinch hit for Paul Janish with Kosuke Fukudome. The struggling Fukudome (hitting .175 on the year entering the game) singled to right, advancing Molina to third. Aviles struck out, and the Blues countered with Nick Masset to face Furcal with one out. Raffy hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Molina, cutting Superior's lead to just one run.

Sensing victory, the Blues brought in Carlos Zambrano. Typically known for being an emotional starting pitcher, Zambrano had no trouble whatsoever with the eighth-inning California lineup. In the bottom of the ninth, however, the defense behind Big Z let him down. Julio Borbon led off the inning with a single to right. Molina then sacrificed Borbon to second. With two outs, Aviles hit a slow ground ball to second, but Blake DeWitt stumbled as he reached for the ball and fell over into the grass. Borbon scored and the game was tied 5-5. Zambrano was furious and blew three straight heaters by Furcal to end the inning.

The Roadrunners had new life as the game went into extras. In the bottom of the 10th, Hamilton doubled to get things going. It looked like Superior was going to leave Zambrano in the game to see if he could earn his paycheck... so he could pay for all the gatorade barrels he smashed between innings. However, it was Carlos Lee and Aramis Ramirez that made him pay. Lee singled to move Hamilton to third, and Ramirez hit a sac fly to right to score Hamilton. The Roadrunners kept chipping away at Superior's emotions and it paid off with a 6-5 home victory.

Game 3: California 4, Superior 2

Superior was now looking to salvage the series after dropping the first two games and looked to the ancient Jamie Moyer (2-1, 3.16) to right the ship. Moyer was supposed to be finishing is career in California after signing a two-year free agent contract with the club, but he was left unprotected in the 2011 BRASSball draft. Superior snatched him up in round 4 of the draft and has pitched well for the Blues in five starts so far this season. If the Roadrunners have an ace, it's Chris Volstad (9-6, 3.27). Volstad will take the mound, facing off against a man 24 years older than him in Moyer.

Rafael Furcal was brought to California for the final two months of the season to do two things: get on base and run. He knew nothing of Moyer as a teammate, but saw a pitch he liked and sent it into the rocks to get the Roadrunners on the board in the first.Blake DeWitt showed off his lack of range once again, allowing Bengie Molina to single past him, scoring Julio Borbon in the bottom of the second inning. This put the Roadrunners up 2-0, and they weren't done nickeling and diming Moyer.

In the bottom of the third, Mark Ellis led off with a single. Moyer, very deliberate with his windup out of the stretch allowed Ellis to steal second easily. Furcal then bunted, moving Ellis to third. Kosuke Fukudome then singled up the middle scoring Ellis to make it 3-0. Moyer was starting to show his age out there and wanted nothing to do with Jose Bautista. He pitched around Bautista, and then allowed a base hit to Carlos Lee that scored Fukudome. Aramis Ramirez hit into an inning-ending double play, but the damage was already done, and California led 4-0.

Superior finally got something going in the fourth with a lead-off walk by Michael Bourn, followed by an Adam Jones single. The Roadrunners then traded two outs for a run as Bourn scored to make it 4-1. Superior finally got to Volstad in the top of the sixth, by California reliever Ryan Perry was able to get the final out, keeping the lead intact. Perry pitched well, but was replaced by Chan Ho Park in the 8th. Park served one up to Evan Longoria, who drove one over the wall in right (his 16th of the year). Park then took out his frustrations (both on and off the field with rumors of him being dealt to Simi Valley for September) by beaning Jose Tabata. California had seen enough, and opted to bring in closer Brandon Lyon. Lyon struck out Cliff Pennington to end the inning. Lyon, dominant for California all season, took care of Superior with a 1-2-3 9th inning, ending the game 4-2, and picking up his 27th save.

Down the Stretch 2011 - Hessville at California

For the final two months of the season, I will be providing game-by-game recaps on the series that matter the most to the BRASSball playoff races. The California Roadrunners entered August only two games back of Superior and Plaza for the final AL wild card spot. First up is the Hessville Everreadys, three games behind the Roadrunners, and five games back for a playoff berth.

Game 1: California 7, Hessville 2

After being benched all of July for usage reasons, Mike Aviles returned to the top of the Roadrunner lineup and smashed a lead-off home run to put the home club up 1-0. Then with two outs in the first, starter Derek Lowe served up a fat one to Jose Bautista (his league-leading 33rd home run), giving California a 2-0 lead. The power surge continued in the bottom of the second, when Bengie Molina hit a 2-run home run to straightaway center, scoring Julio Borbon, and extending the lead to 4-0. Newly-acquired Rafael Furcal doubled and scored in the 3rd inning to add another run against Lowe.

The E-Readys got on the board in the 5th when catcher Gregg Zaun homered off of starter Ian Kennedy to make the score 5-1, but the Roadrunners responded in the bottom-half of the inning. Bautista singled home Aviles, making it 6-1, but Lowe was able to get out of trouble and limit California to the one run. Lowe actually settled down and didn't allow a run in the 6th and 7th. Reliever Brian Moehler was called in to face California in the 8th. He began the inning by walking Bautista, who scored his BRASSball-leading 88th run after Carlos Lee moved him to third with a single, followed up by a fielder's choice double play off the bat of Manny Ramirez. Moehler got out of the inning, but the score was now 7-1. Bautista's walk was his 74th, currently tops in the league.

Kennedy was left in to try and complete the game, but surrendered a home run to Chris Young to start the 9th. He got into more trouble after Kevin Kouzmanoff singled and Orlando Hudson walked. Kennedy was left in to face Zaun who had homered earlier in the game. Zaun hit a bullet between first and second, but defensive-replacement Mark Ellis was there scoop it up and get the final out at first. The complete game by Kennedy was his sixth, the most of any California starter, and sixth-best in the league (Hessville's Jeremy Guthrie leads all of BRASSball with 9 complete games).

Game 2: California 5, Hessville 0

The second game of the series featured California's top starting pitcher, Chris Volstad (8-6, 3.52), and 11-game winner Clayton Richard for Hessville. Both starters were having no trouble getting through their opponent's batting order until the 3rd inning. Paul Janish singled for California, and Mark Ellis took the next pitch from Richard and hit it over center fielder Chris Young. Young recovered, though, and threw Janish out at home. Ellis moved to third, but Rafael Furcal struck out to end the inning. The Hessvile bench coaches had some words for Young as he ran into the dugout, though, talking to him about his outfield positioning. Young seemed to shrug them off, clearly upset with the criticism.

It was three up and three down for the Roadrunners in the 4th, but the fireworks were busted out in the 5th, courtesy of Josh Hamilton. BRASSball's leading hitter got into the mix with a two-run home run, scoring Aramis Ramirez who had led off the inning with a walk. Richard was out of sorts after the big hit, and allowed singles to Bengie Molina and Mark Ellis. Then, Furcal scooted a dribbler past a diving Orlando Hudson that scored Molina from third. With runners on first and third and one out, Richard was sent to the clubhouse, and in stepped Jamey Wright. While Wright was busy getting settled, Furcal swiped second. It didn't matter, though, as Kosuke Fukudome struck out, and Jose Bautista flied out to center to end the inning. After five complete, California had a 3-0 lead on Hessville.

Volstad was on cruise control for the entire game until the 7th. With one out, Chris Young doubled to deep center, just missing a home run. Ian Stewart stepped up, due for a hit that would most likely score the speedy Young from second. However, Young had other ideas and attempted to steal third. He was nailed by the catcher Molina, out by a mile. The Hessville bench erupted, not because of a poor call by the umpire, but because of the decision on Young's part to ignore the third base coach's signs. Even Stewart was caught barking something profane back to Young, reminding him that the team is in a playoff race. After things cooled off, Stewart, of course, roped a single into center. Delmon Young grounded out to third to end the inning.

Knowing Hessville was not mentally in the game any longer, California was ready to put the game away in the 8th. The familiar Brian Moehler was brought in to face Jose Bautista. Bautista hit a rocket to first baseman Gaby Sanchez, but Sanchez couldn't handle it and was charged with an error. Carlos Lee stepped up and laced a single into the outfield. Aramis Ramirez followed with a single of his own, scoring Bautista. Josh Hamilton then hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Lee from third. Moehler was then able to get Molina to ground into an inning-ending double play, but not before the Roadrunners took a 5-0 lead in the game.

The Everreadys were able to get a couple of hits off of Volstad in the 9th (including a double by Young), but Stewart flied out to end the game. It will be interesting to see Hessville's mental state in game three of the series after many of Chris Young's teammates were visibly irate with his selfish base running. For Volstad, the shutout was his first of the year, and the 5th for a Roadrunner starting pitcher. He lowered his ERA to a team-best 3.27. The Everreadys are now in a must-win situation if they want to stay in the playoff race.

Game 3: Hessville 5, California 0

With the series on the line, the Everreadys asked Jeremy Guthrie to right the ship. Arguably their best starting pitcher (2.61 ERA and a 9-9 record), he took the mound to face off against the struggling and underachieving John Lackey (6-8, 4.82).

The Everready offense came out with something to prove, and prove it they did. In the top of the second inning, Chris Young lead off with a walk. Listening to his first base coach, he held up to see if his teammates could drive him in. With one out, Delmon Young then doubled to right-center. Both Youngs scored when Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a ground ball single into center. Lackey was able to get two more outs to put out the fire, but the damage had already been done, and Hessville was leading 2-0.

The offense kept rolling along in the third with J-Roll. Jimmy Rollins doubled. Ryan Kalish was then walked by Lackey, making it first and second with nobody out for Hessville's main man Gaby Sanchez. Sanchez flied out to right, but the runners held. Chris Young was next and slapped a single to right, scoring Rollins to take a 3-0 lead. Ian Stewart grounded out to first to end the inning. Young ran over to Stewart and yelled, "Let's go!" in hopes of firing up his teammate. Stewart walked back to the bench shaking his head.

Things were very quiet after the third inning. Both Guthrie and Lackey had really settled in as neither of them let the opposing team get anything going. That is, until the 9th inning. With three hits already in the game, Delmon Young raked a triple into left-center. The Roadrunner infield was brought in to try and keep Young from scoring. Kevin Kouzmanoff took notice and promptly singled over the head of shortstop Rafael Furcal. Having seen enough, Lackey was then replaced with reliever Ryan Perry to face three straight Hessville switch-hitters. With one out, Gregg Zaun doubled to center, moving Kouzmanoff to third. Perry then put one in the dirt that got past catcher Rod Barajas, allowed Kouzmanoff to score, and Zaun to move up to third. After two pop outs, the Everreadys were retired, but only after giving Jeremy Guthrie a couple extra insurance runs.

Guthrie responded in kind with a one-two-three ninth inning, finishing the complete game shutout. For Guthrie, it was his BRASSball-leading tenth complete game and BRASSball-leading fourth shutout. He lowered his ERA to 2.46, now good for third best in all of BRASSball. Despite losing in game three, the Roadrunners were able to pick up a half game on Superior and Plaza, while the Everreadys fell back behind Lancaster in the AL Wild Card standings.

June 2011 Recap

The Roadrunners faced BRASSball's toughest division in June, the American League Central. The club finished the month at home with an 8-6 record, their first winning month this season. Even though California was outscored 67-63 in 14 games, it was playing well when it mattered most, going 4-1 in one-run games, improving their overall record in one-run games to 16-8. The Roadrunner bullpen deserved most of the credit, going 5-1 with 4 saves.

Roadrunners Defeat Maulers in 19-Inning Affair

In one of the most nerve-racking Strat-O-Matic games I've played in a long time, the California Roadrunners edged out the Cook County Maulers 7-6 in 19 innings.

California held a 5-4 lead going into the 7th inning, but the bullpen was unable to hold the lead for starter Chris Volstad. Ryan Perry surrendered a game-tying home run to Vladimir Guerrero, then walked Prince Fielder, and gave up a single to Alex Rodriguez. Will Ohman was called in to face Luke Scott, who was walked. A wild pitch plated Fielder, and the Roadrunners got out of the jam by getting Ramon Hernandez to fly out, with Alex Rodriguez getting thrown out at home to end the inning.

The Maulers decided to leave their starter, Adam Wainwright, in the game. After Alex Cora grounded out, Mike Aviles homered to tie the game at 6-6. Wainwright went on to pitch into the 10th inning, while the Roadrunners had already used three members of their bullpen. There were no real threats from either club until the bottom of the 16th inning.

Both teams had stellar relief as both Evan Meek and Matt Guerrier threw 3 innings each, completely shutting down the opposition. However, Guerrier was fatigued, and couldn't complete the 15th inning. The last Roadrunner reliever, Chan Ho Park, was called on to face Guerrero; Vlad grounded out to end the inning. Cook County brought in Brian Sanches and got Jose Bautista, Josh Hamilton, and Bengie Molina to fly out for a 1-2-3- inning. For Park, it would be a different story.

In the bottom of the 16th, Park would face the heart of the Mauler lineup, and must have let the pressure get to him. He walked Fielder, Rodriguez, and Andruw Jones (who was brought in as a defensive substitution in the 12th). With the bases loaded, it appeared all but over for California. However, with Strat-O-Matic, things are never what they seem. Hernandez once again was a double-play victim, this time lining out to third, doubling up Fielder. Jim Edmonds then flew out to end the inning, leaving the Roadrunners with a chance to win it.

However, all was quiet again as Sanches and Park meandered through each others' lineup until Sanches could throw no more. On to the bottom of the 19th, where we saw Miguel Batista enter the game for Cook County. Mark Ellis lead off the inning with a single, and Aramis Ramirez followed up with a strike out. Manny Ramirez looped a single that moved Ellis to third. With one out, and the winning run 90 feet away, Jose Bautista returned to the plate for the eighth time. He smacked a single -- his fourth hit of the game -- right up the middle, scoring Ellis in a walk-off win.

BOXSCORE: 2011 Cook County Maulers At 2011 California Roadrunners   6/11/2011
 
  Maulers            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Roadrunners        AB  R  H RBI AVG
  B.Zobrist 2B        8  0  1  0 .265     M.Aviles 2B         5  1  2  1 .319  
  D.Murphy RF         9  1  1  2 .240   F-A.Ramirez PH,3B     2  0  0  0 .229  
  V.Guerrero DH       9  2  3  1 .298     M.Ramirez DH        7  1  1  0 .162  
  P.Fielder 1B        7  2  3  2 .275     J.Bautista 3B,1B    7  2  4  2 .248  
  A.Rodriguez 3B      7  0  1  0 .225     J.Hamilton RF,LF    8  1  2  3 .377  
  L.Scott LF          4  0  0  0 .319     C.Lee LF            3  0  2  1 .226  
C-C.Utley PR          0  0  0  0 .234   A-B.Molina C          5  0  2  0 .265  
D-A.Jones LF          2  0  0  0 .226     R.Barajas C         3  0  0  0 .255  
  R.Hernandez C       7  0  1  0 .364   B-K.Fukudome RF       5  0  0  0 .194  
  J.Edmonds CF        8  0  1  0 .271     J.Borbon CF         7  0  0  0 .198  
  J.Uribe SS          6  1  1  0 .245     W.Valdez SS         8  0  1  0 .237  
                                          A.Cora 1B           6  1  1  0 .261  
                                        E-M.Ellis PH,2B       2  1  1  0 .331  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      67  6 12  5                 Totals      68  7 16  7
 
A-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Lee In 7th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (RF) For Barajas In 7th Inning
C-Pinch Ran For Scott In 12th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Utley In 12th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Cora In 17th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Aviles In 17th Inning
 
Maulers......... 2 0 2  0 0 0  2 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 -  6 12  0
Roadrunners..... 1 0 4  0 0 0  1 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  1 -  7 16  0
 
Maulers (40-19)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
A.Wainwright              9 2/3  10   6   6   2  11   2   4.53  A1 E4
J.Hanrahan                1 1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   3.18  E5 E8
E.Meek                    3       2   0   0   1   1   0   5.76  E9 G2
B.Sanches                 2       0   0   0   0   0   0   2.55  G3 G8
M.Thornton                2       1   0   0   2   2   0   2.95  G9 H8
M.Batista LOSS(0-1)       0 1/3   3   1   1   0   1   0  10.80  H9
Totals                   18 1/3  16   7   7   5  16   2
 
Roadrunners (37-28)      IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
C.Volstad                 6       6   4   4   4   3   2   2.78  A1 D1
R.Perry BS(1st)           0 1/3   2   2   2   1   0   1   4.76  D2 D5
W.Ohman                   3       2   0   0   1   2   0   2.51  D6 E7
N.Robertson               1       1   0   0   0   0   0   2.00  E8 F2
B.Lyon                    1 1/3   0   0   0   3   0   0   1.21  F3 F9
M.Guerrier                3       1   0   0   1   4   0   3.75  G1 H2
C.Park WIN(1-0)           4 1/3   0   0   0   3   3   0   4.43  H3
Totals                   19      12   6   6  13  12   3
 
ATTENDANCE- 41,734 DATE- Thursday, June 11th 2011 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good
UMPIRES- Tim McClelland, Larry Vanover, Mike Everitt, Mike Dimuro
T- 6:28
LEFT ON BASE- Maulers:17  Roadrunners:12
DOUBLE PLAYS- Maulers: 1  Roadrunners: 2
DOUBLES- J.Hamilton(18th)
HOME RUNS- D.Murphy(6th), V.Guerrero(8th), P.Fielder(10th), M.Aviles(5th),
           J.Bautista(22nd)
STOLEN BASES- J.Uribe(1st), M.Aviles-2(12th)
SACRIFICE HITS- M.Aviles, J.Borbon
WALKS- B.Zobrist, P.Fielder-2, A.Rodriguez-2, L.Scott-2, A.Jones, R.Hernandez-2,
       J.Edmonds, J.Uribe-2, M.Aviles, M.Ramirez-2, J.Bautista-2
STRIKE OUTS- B.Zobrist, D.Murphy, V.Guerrero, A.Rodriguez, L.Scott, A.Jones-2,
             R.Hernandez, J.Edmonds-3, J.Uribe, M.Aviles-2, A.Ramirez,
             M.Ramirez-2, J.Hamilton-3, R.Barajas, K.Fukudome-2, J.Borbon-3,
             W.Valdez-2
GIDP- C.Lee
WILD PITCHES- W.Ohman
2-out RBI- P.Fielder-2, J.Bautista
 
Third baseman Jose Bautista had 4 hits and 2 RBI as the California Roadrunners
defeated the Cook County Maulers in 19 innings 7 to 6 at Angels Stadium.
 
The score was tied at 6 after nine.  California won it in the 19th inning.
Mark Ellis ripped a base-knock.  Aramis Ramirez struck out, unable to help
the rally.  Manny Ramirez then stroked a base-hit.  Bautista was up next and
he banged out a single giving California the win much to the delight of the
home town crowd.  Overall California out-hit Cook County 16 to 12.  
 
Chan Ho Park(1-0) got credit for the victory, pitching 4 and 1/3 innings and
allowing no runs. Miguel Batista(0-1) took the loss in relief.  

May 2011 Home Players of the Month

It was another 7-7 month for the California Roadrunners at home in May, matching their 7-7 home record for April.

Overall, the offense continued to carry the team, batting .283 with 13 home runs. The middle of the Roadrunner lineup struggled at the plate this month. Jose Bautista, Carlos Lee, and Aramis Ramirez combined to hit only .212 with 6 home runs in 132 at-bats. Wilson Valdez (.364), Ronny Cedeno (.333), and Mark Aviles (.314) picked up the slack at the top and bottom of the order.

The pitching staff was decent, posting a 4.32 ERA. Two complete games were thrown, including a shutout by Ian Kennedy. Despite his first loss (and the team's first loss in extra innings), Brandon Lyon continued his stellar season as the team's closer going 3-for-3 in save opportunities. John Lackey rebounded a bit this month, with two victories and 15 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. Nate Robertson did not allow an earned run in 6 1/3 relief innings.

Home Hitter of the Month - Josh Hamilton
Josh Hamilton missed 3 games at home, but still managed to carry the team's offense. He posted an impressive .606 average, with two home runs and 6 RBI in 11 games. Both of his home runs came in one game against right-handed pitching. In 29 at-bats against RHP, Hamilton hit .621 with an .862 slugging percentage. At one point during the May homestand, he had a hit in seven consecutive at-bats. Hamilton is now starting to put up MVP-like numbers, boosting his offensive totals to .376-12-36 with an OPS of 1.044 in 53 games.

Home Pitcher of the Month - Chris Volstad
The surprise pitcher of the month was Chris Volstad, edging out John Lackey and Brandon Lyon. Volstad was undefeated at home in three starts, including one complete game, and 8 1/3 innings pitched in another start. While he did walk 10 batters in 25 2/3 innings, he managed to keep those runners on base somehow. Volstad's 1.75 ERA was unexpected considering his card, as was his one home run allowed. Volstad has now emerged as the club's top starting pitcher, improving his overall record to 5-3, while lowering his ERA to 2.51.

Prospect Preview: Tony Sanchez, C

Tony Sanchez is part of the California Roadrunners' amateur system, but could be called on to make an impact behind the plate sooner than later. Sanchez was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (fourth overall) back in 2009. In 2010, he was selected to the Futures Game All-Star team, but had his season shortened when he was hit in the face with a fastball in June.

Now having gone through a full recovery of a broken jaw, and some LASIK surgery in January of this year, Sanchez is back and ready to prove that he belongs with the big league club.

Sanchez was invited to spring training in 2011, but was only able to get one hit (a double) in two at-bats before being sent down to AA Altoona. He is currently hitting .299-1-9 overall, but is hitting .344 with an OBP of .500 in his last 10 games. In 2009, Sanchez hit .309 with 7 home runs in 178 at-bats. Prior to his facial injury in 2010, Sanchez was hitting .314 in 250 at-bats.

Projected to be a great defender behind the plate, Sanchez would be a great candidate to handle a young pitching staff. He has great framing technique, and a "borderline" plus arm. It will be his offense, though, that will make or break his chances at becoming a perennial all-star. His power numbers are there, and is projected to hit 10-15 home runs per season if he can remain healthy.

Sanchez is currently targeted to make the Pirates' roster in 2012. Looking at the current catching situation for Pittsburgh, it is likely that they will trade one or both of the catchers they currently have on their roster (Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit), and hope that Sanchez can open next season behind the dish.

Tony Sanchez is the catcher of the future for the California Roadrunners. There's no question that he will be getting regular at-bats for us within a year or two. However, the team has pressing needs at that position with Rod Barajas playing in the last year of his contract, and Bengie Molina sitting at home on his couch waiting for the Red Sox to dial his number. This will push up Sanchez's timetable, but the Roadrunners hope to acquire a catcher or three through some other means so that Sanchez is not rushed.

Official 2011 Outlook
Remain under contract in the CAL Amateur League System.

April 2011 Results - Fast Start or Beginner's Luck?

The California Roadrunners opened their inaugural BRASSball season in 2011 with a strong 16-12 record in the month of April. At home, the club managed to finish at .500, going 7-7 at home. The "road" for the Roadrunners was more favorable, as we posted a 9-6 record. Despite an average (at best) starting rotation, and a very questionable bullpen, the Roadrunners were 5-0 in extra-inning games in April.

2011 Draft Analysis

Now that the 2011 BRASSball draft has concluded, it's time to take a look back at the players selected by the California Roadrunners.

California had all of their picks, except the first-round pick (dealt to Springfield in the Garret Cole trade) and their sixth-round pick (dealt to Santa Barbara prior to 2011). They also had an additional compensatory pick at the end of round 1.

Our overall strategy entering the draft was to diversify the roster with youth, fill out the amateur system for the long term, and add speed. In general, those goals were accomplished. Obviously, time will tell if this approach paid off.

Let's take a look back, pick by pick, and the Roadrunner selections.

Billy Hamilton, OF (Reds)
Round 1 - RFA Comp A (#26)
The philosophy behind the Roadrunners' draft was to obtain speed. What we got were some fast wheels in future leadoff man Billy Hamilton. The only trouble here is we don't know what position he'll end up in: Center? Second? Shortstop? All are possibilities, but one thing is certain: we want him at the top of our lineup.

The other unknown is when Hamilton will be called up. There are rumors that he could see time as early as this season in September, or as late as 2014. Whenever he arrives, though, he is projected to give pitchers nightmares when he gets on base.

Grade: B+
2011 Outlook: CAL Amateur System
Long-Term Speculation: Leadoff Hitter, Shortstop

Ivan Nova, SP (Yankees)
Round 2 (#36)
After Hamilton was chosen with the team's first pick, it was time to look at the current starting rotation. Well, that was quick as there's not much to look at. Livan Hernandez (36) and John Lackey (32) sit atop the current rotation, which makes us nervous for the future. Enter 24-year old Ivan Nova, who will join the current roster as part of the bullpen from the right side.

Nova quietly (although nothing's quiet in New York) made the Yankees' rotation and is penciled in as the #4 starter when the 2011 season opens. He is currently 2-0, with a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings this Spring.

Grade: B+
2011 Outlook: Middle Reliever
Long-Term Speculation: #3 Starter

Jerry Sands, OF (Dodgers)
Round 3 (#63)
The next spot California was ready to focus on was first base. With Brandon Belt arguably the only real first base prospect ready to make an impact on a club in the near future, the team looked to Sands as a high-risk, moderate reward pick.

Sands' 2011 Spring stats currently sit at .308-2-5 in 26 at-bats. Not bad, but probably not overwhelming enough to make the Dodgers opening day roster. The other issue plaguing Sands (other than his high strikeout totals), is that he's blocked at first and in the outfield. He could wind up at third if Casey Blake misses time or is dealt/retires within the next year or two.

Grade: B-
2011 Outlook: CAL Amateur System
Long-Term Speculation: #6 Hitter, First Base.

Will Ohman, RP (White Sox)
Round 4 (#102)
In every draft, there is a run on relief pitching. Year to year, you're never quite sure who is going to step up and have that breakout, low ERA and WHIP, high strikeout total season. When you get these stats from a lefty, you have to jump at selecting them. In the fourth round, however, all of those relievers are gone, and you're forced to take the next best available guy.

That's exactly where the Roadrunners found lefty specialist Will Ohman. Desperate for some left-handed pitching, Ohman will enter the 2011 season along with Nate Robertson as a middle relief pitcher from the left side.

Grade: B-
2011 Outlook: Middle Reliever
Long-Term Speculation: Primary Lefty Specialist

John Mayberry, Jr. (Phillies)
Round 5 (#126)
Also in every draft, you need to start taking some fliers on guys that may or may not win a starting job. Or even make a ball club out of Spring training. Mayberry's stock rose quickly on the Roadrunner draft board when Phillies' top prospect Domonic Brown was sent to the disabled list. However, he is still competing with Ben Francisco for the job in right field.

Currently, Mayberry is hitting .302 with 5 home runs, 11 RBI, and 4 stolen bases in 63 at-bats. He's getting a long look this Spring, and has a decent shot of making the roster even if he doesn't start. At 27, he'll need to get a significant number of at-bats this season to be considered a keeper for California.

Grade: B-
2011 Outlook: CAL Minor League System
Long-Term Speculation: Situational Outfielder

Wilson Valdez (Phillies)
Round 7 (#174)
Valdez was another claim by the Roadrunners, and another Phillie that moved up the board after Chase Utley went down with an injury. Since the time Valdez was claimed during the draft, another Roadrunner, Luis Castillo, was picked up by Philadelphia to compete against Valdez for the starting job at second base. Still, with 381 adjusted plate appearances at a 2 rating at shortstop, he was difficult to pass up in round 7.

Known more for his defense than his offense, Valdez will provide positional flexibility at short, second, and even third. He'll be called on to pinch-run and for the occasional sacrifice bunt, but is not considered a long-term keeper. He is having a nice Spring, currently hitting .328 for the Phillies (third-best behind Ross Gload and the aforementioned Ben Francisco).

Grade: C+
2011 Outlook: Starting Shortstop vs. Right-Handers
Long-Term Speculation: Infield Defensive Replacement.

Jarrod Dyson (Royals)
Round 8 (#198)
The selection of Jarrod Dyson in round 8 is probably the one that has the organization the most excited. We think we got a real "steal" here, pun intended. Dyson "flew" under everyone's radar as he is not listed as one of the Royals top prospects. However, he is projected as Kansas City's best base runner and defensive player by Baseball America.

Dyson is currently hitting .375 this Spring, and leads the Royals with 7 stolen bases. He is still on the roster as the team's center fielder, even with Melky Cabrera scheduled to start there on opening day. However, Cabrera could be traded as part of an up-and-coming youth movement that includes Dyson in its plans.

Grade: B
2011 Outlook: CAL Minor League System
Long-Term Speculation: Leadoff Hitter, Centerfield

Rich Hill (Red Sox)
Round 9 (#222)
Hill was another one of those fliers that the team took based on Spring training performance. However, this one didn't work out so well. Hill was reassigned to the Red Sox minor league camp to work on his new throwing angle. It's certainly possible that Hill could get called up once he's had more time to perfect his new throwing motion and get comfortable in his new bullpen role.

Grade: C-
2011 Outlook: CAL Minor League System
Long-Term Speculation: Long Reliever

Brent Lillibridge (White Sox)
Round 10 (#246)
Lillibridge, a former top prospect in the Braves organization, was picked up late in the draft based on his speed and the potential to grab a roster spot on the White Sox. Lillibridge is now out of options and will either make the club or be released. That's basically how the Roadrunners feel about him as he will most likely be signed to a long-term deal or be let go after this season. He's currently hitting .239 this Spring, while his competition, Lastings Milledge, his hitting .315. Not good.

Grade: D+
2011 Outlook: CAL Minor League System
Long-Term Speculation: Utility Infielder and Outfielder.

Chris Valaika (Reds)
Round 11 (#270)
Valaika, a former minor league player of the year for the Reds back in 2008, was picked up with the Roadrunners' final pick in the 2011 BRASSball draft. The team was hopeful that he'd win a spot on the Reds' bench, but, like Hill and Lillibridge, it appears that the gambles the Roadrunners took late in the draft will not pay off. While it's possible that Valaika may get recalled by the Reds after the season starts, it will only be to fill a bench spot. If nothing else, the Reds are going to go with Paul Janish as their opening day shortstop after Valaika was sent down... not that Valaika posed a real threat to Janish.

Grade: D-
2011 Outlook: CAL Minor League System
Long-Term Speculation: Utility Infielder

California Wins Home Opener Against Springfield 2-1 in 12 Innings

Josh Hamilton waited until the 12th inning to get his first hit of 2011. It was clutch as the Roadrunners defeated the Isotopes 2-1 in the first home game for California. The game was highlighted (or low-lighted) by four Roadrunner errors, including a costly one by Ronny Cedeno in the top of the 12th that allowed J.D. Drew to score after his leadoff double.

Hunter Pence then returned the favor by mishandling a ball hit to him by Kosuke Fukudome. After Bengie Molina sacrificed Fukudome to third, Mark Ellis stepped up and delivered a single to tie the game. Clearly shaken up by the error, Chris Perez then walked the next two batters to load the bases. Springfield got the hook out for Perez, and brought in Edward Mujica to try and put out a nasty fire. However, Hamilton came up huge and smacked a game winning single for the victory in extras.

Here's the game summary from Strat-O-Matic:

One run was the difference at Angels Stadium as the California Roadrunners defeated the Springfield Isotopes in 12 innings 2 to 1.

No runners had crossed home plate after the regulation nine.  California won the hard fought contest in the 12th inning.  Kosuke Fukudome started the inning off right when he reached on an error.  Bengie Molina stepped up to the plate and he laid down a sacrifice bunt.  Mark Ellis then delivered a single. Julio Borbon came up and he drew a walk.  Jose Bautista came to the plate and drew a walk to load the bases.  Josh Hamilton extended the rally and laced a base-hit.  California had 8 hits for the night. 

Brandon Lyon (1-0) went 1 inning allowing 1 run for the victory. Chris Perez (0-1) took the loss in relief.  He gave up 2 runs and 1 hit in 1 inning.

When asked about how his players performed in their opening game, Nathan, the co-manager of the Roadrunners, exclaimed,"thanks to your playing and my decisions, we won the game!" Nathan was key in delivering some tough calls, including pulling starter Chris Volstad in the seventh, substituting him for Nate Robertson. Nathan also wanted an intentional walk delivered to Stephen Drew in the 4th, and demanded Trevor Bell pitch the 10th.

Brendan, the Roadrunners' other co-manager was asked after the game what it felt like to relinquish some of the play-calling duties to his fellow manager. "It could have been some beginners luck out there, or it could be a new brand of California Roadrunners Baseball for BRASS. Either way, it was an exciting opening day, and a great experience to share with Nathan."

Roadrunner Sports Cards

I've been an avid collector of Sports Cards and sports memorabilia since I was seven years old. Well, probably more of an obsessed, addicted, die-hard collector at times, but I prefer to be called an "enthusiast" of sports-related item collecting. No matter what you call me, sports and accumulating sports-related items of meaning will always be a hobby of mine.

The last time I bought a pack of Baseball cards was back in 2004. It probably was a whole box, and I probably didn't open it either. That's pretty much what my "collecting" had become: pure economical speculation. It wasn't as much fun as tearing open a pack of cards in search of the rookie card of the guy that was just called up from the minors.

Turn the clock ahead seven years to the present, and I'm back into Strat-O-Matic. I also have a son who is old enough to play Baseball (T-ball for another year, actually), know most of the major league teams by glancing at the logo, and find a little joy in opening a pack of cards.

I picked up a "few" retail packs of 2010 Bowman Sterling and 2011 Topps Series 1. Because I'm me, and they were a little more expensive, I kept the Bowman Sterling for myself. I let my son open and keep the 2011 Topps cards, and he enjoyed looking at the pictures on the front. I showed him the flip side of the card, and how you can sort them by number. I told my wife that this is a great way to teach him some math, and we created sort piles while ignoring her eye rolling.

While I still find some joy in opening a fresh pack of cards, there's a greater joy in watching a child do so, especially for the first time. As his small fingers passed one card for the next, I read the player names and immediately associated them with BRASSball teams.

Interestingly enough, we only got one insert card worth noting: an autographed refractor of Pirates prospect Tony Sanchez, also of the Roadrunners' amateur system. Of all the packs we opened, we found only two other players from the team: Mark Ellis (2011 Topps) and Jose Bautista (2011 Topps Kimball Champions insert). No Josh Hamilton. No John Lackey. Not even a Chris Valaika!

Now that my son has a box of his own to put his 2011 Baseball cards in (along with a few Star Wars: Clone Wars cards), we'll definitely be picking up a pack or three here and there. I'll be on the lookout for members of the California Roadrunners, and cards of players on your team to use as voodoo dolls.