SID/Web Editor
kyleg@hawaiiwinterbaseball.com
With the trade deadline now less than 24 hours away, this is the time for teams to make the necessary moves to bolster their rosters--both for the near and distant futures.
The wheeling and dealing can drive fans nuts, whether they are cheering for a contender or pretender. It's up to general managers to decide whether to pick up an experienced veteran with the baggage of a usually hefty contract, or stockpile prospects with the hopes of them maturing within the next five years.
As an Atlanta Braves fan, I love the idea of getting Mark Teixeira to fill the lack of production at first base. But is it really worth giving up Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Elvis Andrus, the top two prospects in the organization? This is the eternal dilemma faced by organizations: gamble now with the hope of making a championship run, or play it safe and stockpile talent for years to come.
Some 2006 HWB alumni have changed addresses as a result of recent deals. Last week, Joe Thatcher--the winning pitcher for the North Shore Honu in the 2006 HWB Championship Game--was sent to San Diego by Milwaukee in a bullpen swap. Thatcher has already reaped the benefits of the trade, advancing to the major league club to fill a hole in the bullpen.
And today, another pair of former
Honu in Drew Butera and Dustin Martin were sent from the New York Mets
organization to
Although the results of these deals and those to come in the following hours may not be seen for months or even years, it is definitely an interesting time to be a baseball fan. Hopefully your favorite team will make the right moves to get or stay on the winning track...as long as they don't get in the way of the Braves!
Posted under - Players | 3 comments
Very rarely does a player garner such attention in
That is the case, however, as rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain continues to impress in pinstripes. Less than a year ago, he manned the mound as a West Oahu CaneFire; now he does the same in Yankee Stadium.
It seems like every time I tune into SportsCenter, some anchor or analyst is touting Joba's blistering fastball, or baffling slider--both of which have perplexed nearly every major league hitter he's come across. How important is this guy to the Yankees organization? The team has imposed restrictions on the young hurler which include not pitching in back-to-back games or entering a game in the middle of the inning to limit both physical and mental strain.
While the 21-year-old isn't expected to join the Yankees'
starting rotation until next year, it's clear that Joba "The Hut"--as he was
dubbed in college at
As the regular season winds down and playoff races heat up,
it will be interesting to see how Joba factors into
Posted under - Players | 12 comments
Thanks to the expansion of team rosters to 40, the number of 2006 HWB alumni to see major league action has been growing, seemingly by the day. Here's a quick look at those currently on major league rosters (and if you know of/see more in action please let me know!).
-Rick VandenHurk (Florida Marlins, Starting Pitcher)
-Nate Schierholtz (San Francisco Giants, Outfielder)
-Joe Thatcher (San Diego Padres, Relief Pitcher)
-Joba Chamberlain (New York Yankees, Relief Pitcher)
-Ian Kennedy (New York Yankees, Starting Pitcher)
-Nyjer Morgan (Pittsburgh Pirates, Outfielder)
-Jeff Clement (Seattle Mariners, Catcher)
I believe Brian Bixler will get a shot soon with the Pirates as well...
Kyle
Posted under - Players | 13 comments
When I received the news that Matt Wieters, the No. 5 overall pick from the 2007 draft, is coming to HWB, I had to do a double-take.
This guy is an absolute beast who is not only a 6-5, 230-pound catcher, but also switch-hits for power, and can even pitch if necessary. Fans will no doubt be treated to quite a display when they check him out at Hans L'Orange Park on a daily basis.
His Hawaii experience will no doubt be memorable because it marks the first rung on his professional baseball ladder. When he mentioned to me that he was happy that he had signed a deal that included a $6 million signing bonus, he remarked that he was rewarded with a "fair market value."
If he is worth that record-setting bonus, then we are in store for quite a show.
Posted under - Players | 10 comments
Former Honolulu Shark Nyjer Morgan got a chance to showcase his talents with the Pittsburgh Pirates this past September, and he continues to impress as a member of the Arizona Fall League's Phoenix Desert Dogs.
Morgan spent the fall of 2006 with us here in Hawaii where the speedy lefthander set the league stolen base record of 20 thefts. Not bad for a guy who spent four years in Canada playing professional hockey...and THEN turned himself into a starting center fielder for the Pirates.
Through 21 games with Phoenix in the AFL, Morgan has compiled a .266 batting average to go along with two doubles, two triples and 10 stolen bases and a .370 on-base percentage. It's looking like Morgan will be back patrolling center field for Pittsburgh next season, possibly from the onset of the 2008 campaign.
The 2006 HWB all-star's impressive play has helped the Desert Dogs clinch the AFL's East Division, and the club will challenge the West Division champ in the league title game on Saturday, Nov. 17. Good luck to Nyjer and all the other former HWB stars working hard to solidify jobs at the major league level!
Posted under - Players | 5 comments
Brett Sinkbeil, a right handed starter for the North Shore Honu in 2007, has been invited to participate in Florida's Spring Training, according to a report today on mlb.com by Joe Frisaro.
While the move does not guarantee the 23-year-old a spot on the Marlins' roster, it proves that the club is high on the prospect who compiled a 6-4 record at High-A Jupiter last season to go along with a 3.42 ERA. As a member of North Shore's dominant starting rotation, Sinkbeil finished the campaign with a 3-1 mark through seven starts in which he notched a 1.64 ERA and 24 strikeouts through 33 innings.
Sinkbeil was selected by the Marlins as the 19th overall pick in the 2006 draft. The Tulsa, OK native attended Missouri State University and is rated the No. 2 prospect in the Marlins organization by Baseball America.
Stay tuned as more players receive invites/promotions, and if you hear of any former HWB player(s) in the news, please pitch me an email: kyle@hawaiiwinterbaseball.com.
Posted under - Players | 0 comments
Just as players come to Hawaii Winter Baseball to hone their skills and get some extra work in, others flock south of the border to spice up their offseasons with a dash of baseball in the Caribbean.
Three Winter Leagues operate yearly in the Central American region: the Dominican Winter League, Venezualan Winter League, and the Mexican Pacific League. The three nations along with Colombia and Nicaragua make up the Caribbean Federation. Each league sends its champion (as well as the Dominican League's runner-up) to the Caribbean Series, a six-game round-robin tournament held this year in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The team with the best record throughout the tourney is declared champion.
So, if you ever wonder why more players of Latin descent don't make the trek to Hawaii during the winter, it's because many choose to stay closer to home with the hopes of vying for the prestigious Caribbean Series crown.
Guest blogger Chris Lentine, Senior Manager of Stats Operations for Major League Baseball Advanced Media (and faithful supporter of Hawaii Winter Baseball), recently jotted down his thoughts about the "other" Winter League, and some of its Iron Men in the rough.
Lentine writes:
We all know Cal Ripken Jr. is the Iron Man of baseball.
And well he should be playing 2,632 consecutive games spanning 16 seasons. But fans of Latin American baseball, especially the Mexican Baseball League, know about a few Iron Men of their own.
Heading into the 2008 Season there are no less than 127 players who played in the Mexican League last season and played this past winter in the Caribbean Leagues at some point.
This is truly the "modern" definition of an Iron Man.
Many of these players -- while admittedly playing to make extra money -- are also playing for the love of the game and the love of their country.
Take the odd journey of Nelson Figueroa, who went 9 1/3 innings of one run ball for Mexico on Sunday in an eventual 2-1 loss to Licey of the Dominican Republic.
Only two weeks earlier Figueroa shut down Licey while a member of the Eagles of the Dominican League in their league championship series. But because Figueroa only played for the Eagles in the playoffs he was not eligible to play for them in the Caribbean Series but was eligible to play for Mexico.
But Figueroa's journey started well before that as the Mexican Baseball League's Chihuahua Dorados gave him a chance when he was out of baseball. He went 8-6 for Chihuahua before his Caribbean League duties.
His winter league numbers will surely land him a shot in spring training this March and if nothing comes from that then certainly another shot in the Mexican League.
Figueroa's journey is not unique, but it pails in comparison to some of the real Latin American Iron Men in baseball. Take super star Miguel Tejada or Major League veteran Julian Tavarez, both of whom insist on playing in the Winter Leagues and make sure that is part of their contracts with their Major League clubs.
But the Mexican League's true Iron Man is Monterrey favorite Mendy Lopez. Currently Lopez is holding down first base in the Caribbean Series for the Eagles and it hitting close to .500 for the series.
Lopez, who hit .304 for the defending champs from Monterrey, has been playing every season dating back 1992, or at least when he turned professional in 1992. Just do the math that is 16 seasons of playing baseball 11 months a year.
Lopez shows no signs of letting up and will again be a mainstay for the Sultans. He is far from alone as Erubiel Durazo, his teammate for most of last season at Monterrey and who looks to be joining him again this season. Durazo had a brief stint with Scranton-Wilkes Barre of the International League and then also played most of the winter in Mexico.
Durazo, a native of Hermosiilo, has been playing professionally since the 1997 season when he broke in with Monterrey. While not quiet up to Lopez in terms of years, you can expect to see Durazo working his way towards that same type of longevity as Lopez.
These are just a few of the "Iron Men" of the Mexican Baseball League, something for fans of the Mexican League to be very proud of.
Posted under - Players | 6 comments
The wait is finally over.
Spring Training rolling into gear as teams work their way back into shape in either muggy Florida or steamy Arizona.
While we don't know for sure which members of the 2007 HWB crop will make it to the Bigs this season, HWB will do its best to keep you in the loop. I, along with Kurt Zwald, will scour the box scores and post updates daily--especially if one of the guys has a day to remember (as Tyler Flowers did today with a home run against the Dodgers).
Check out "Daily HWB Alumni Update" on the home page for the latest news and notes, both now and through the end of the season. Also, as fans, your passion and dedication to baseball and your favorite players are key to our league. If you see or hear anything interesting or newsworthy and pass it on to me, I'll post it (Thanks Lance!!).
I hope to see your comments, and please support the great bunch of former HWB players gunning for The Show!
Posted under - Players | 4 comments
Matt Wieters leads the Baltimore High-A affiliate, the Frederick Keys, with a .538 batting average and is making a great case that yes indeed, baseball fans should believe the hype.
Many wondered if the switch-hitting catcher out of Georgia Tech was worth the $6 million signing bonus Baltimore awarded him as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2007 draft. After spending the fall in Hawaii as a member of the Honolulu Sharks in the 2007 edition of Hawaii Winter Baseball, Wieters began his journey through the Orioles' minor league system in Frederick.
Through the team's first six games, Wieters notched a double, two home runs and a team-high six RBIs to go along with a stellar .632 on-base percentage. Fellow Sharks teammates Brandon Snyder (.333) and Miguel Abreu (.304) rank second and fourth on the squad, respectively, in batting average.
Hopefully these HWB alumni can keep up their strong performances, and climb the organization's ladder swiftly. And, don't be surprised if Wieters is wearing an Orioles uniform to end the 2008 campaign.
Posted under - Players | 0 comments
Good news for a quartet of HWB alumni who were named to the Texas League (Double-A) All-Star team on Friday.
>Dexter Fowler (Waikiki BeachBoys, 2006) is on pace to be playing center field for the Colorado Rockies by 2010, but for now, he's honing his skills with the Tulsa Drillers. Interestingly, 2007 BeachBoys hitting coach Dave Hajek is also stationed in Tulsa, and relayed me a message that all of the former HWB guys there are doing great, and representing the league well. Fowler is slated to start for the Northern Division.
>Adam Bright, one of Fowler's teammates at Tulsa and with the BeachBoys in 2006, was selected as one of the Northern Division pitchers.
>Tommy Manzella (North Shore Honu, 2006) was also named to the All-Star team, and will represent the Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate, the Corpus Christi Hooks. Manzella saw quite a bit of action during Spring Training, and is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on. Manzella will start the game at shortstop for the Southern Division.
>Billy Hart (Honu, 2007) made the Southern Division squad as a reserve outfielder. Interesting fact: while at the University of Southern California, Hart played on the school's football team, and served as backup quarterback to eventual Heisman Trophy winner and Arizona Cardinals gunslinger Matt Leinart.
Posted under - Players | 0 comments
As the Seattle Mariners continue to struggle through an excruciatingly painful 25-47 season, many changes lie ahead for the underachieving organization.
Not only did the Mariners replace general manager Bill Bavasi with Lee Pelekoudas on Sunday, but this morning the franchise axed manager John McLaren in favor of bench coach Jim Riggleman. While a promising season has dwindled into a rebuilding campaign, the team expresses the hope of finishing out the year with as many victories possible while integrating fresh young talent into the mix.
This is great news for 2006 Waikiki BeachBoys catcher Jeff Clement who is back with the Major League team after a successful start at Triple-A Tacoma. It appears as if Clement is now here to stay, and that he will see time behind the plate, as a designated hitter, and possibly even at first base (as soon as the biggest underachiever of the bunch, Richie Sexon, is benched, traded or released). I'm on vacation in Seattle, and had the chance to watch last night's 8-3 loss to Florida in which Clement caught former Tacoma teammate R.A. Dickey and his arsenal of knuckleballs.
In other news from within the Mariners organization, 2007 BeachBoys outfielder Josh Womack was released. The team had basically told him he would be an "organizational player," meaning that he basically had no shot of advancing to the majors, and released him so that Womack could prove himself elsewhere. Josh is a great guy, and his dedication to the sport was made clear during his time in Hawaii and we all wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
Lastly, I'll be attending Saturday's contest between Tacoma and the visiting Portland Beavers (Triple-A, San Diego), so I'll talk to as many former HWB players as I can, including (I hope) top-prospect Will Venable (West Oahu CaneFires, 2006).
Aloha from the Pacific Northwest!
Posted under - Players | 0 comments
The sports media is all over today's trade between the Cleveland Indians and the Milwaukee Brewers which shipped reigning Cy Young Award winner C.C Sabathia to the land of cheese and Miller beer in exchange for a quartet of prospects.
Fortunately (In my opinion), one of those four prospects wasn't 2007 HWB MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, Mat Gamel (North Shore Honu). Sure, Cleveland wanted to scoop up Gamel as part of the package received for dishing one of baseball's most dominant starting pitchers, but they must still be satisfied with the young players they got in Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson and the always interesting "player to be named later."
So where does Gamel fit into the Brew Crew's picture? With LaPorta now out of the way as far as moving up the ladder, Gamel-who will represent the Brewers in next week's All-Star Futures Game in New York-instantly becomes one of the organization's top commodities within the minor league system. The 22-year-old is tearing up Double-A pitching, and owns a .374 average to go with 31 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs and 75 RBIs in 87 games with the Huntsville Stars.
And, when you examine Milwaukee's lineup, both in its current state and looking ahead a few years, the only foreseeable holes to fill are at catcher, where Jason Kendall isn't getting any younger, and at the hot corner where aging veterans Bill Hall and Russell Branyan are doing their best as a platoon. Also, don't forget that slugger Ryan Braun was moved from third base to the outfield in order to create space for another young, power hitter--a role that could be filled at least part-time by Gamel as soon as next season.
It will be interesting to follow Milwaukee in the second half of the season, especially now that they trail the National League Central Division leading Chicago Cubs by just 3 1/2 games.
We shall C.C.
Posted under - Players | 7 comments