MLB Comes to the Plains of North Dakota (OOTP 13)

[GoBlue2419]

Major League Baseball to Expand Again

NEW YORK, New York (February 8th, 2012) - Commissioner Bud Selig announced today in a press conference that MLB has rescinded its plan to move the Houston Astros to the American League for the 2013 season, and will instead add two new expansion teams to the American League. This move evens out the number of teams in each league at 16 teams each. Selig announced that Portland, Oregon will be one of the entrants, and Minot, North Dakota will receive the second team.

“Portland is a city that has deserved Major League Baseball for a number of years, so there was never really a doubt that it would be one of the cities included when we did decide on another round of expansion,” Selig stated in his announcement.

“I’m sure Minot, North Dakota is a city that will surprise many folks, but this is a city that has had tremendous growth over the last several years, due to primarily the oil boom in North Dakota. There is a strong financial presence in place now, and with the successful relocation of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL last season to Minot, we feel this is a location that can be successful for Major League Baseball,” Selig continued. “North Dakota, the Dakotas in general really, is a region that has not had much, if any, of a presence in professional sports until the NHL last season, so it is a population base hungry for Major League Baseball.”

Selig announced that the ownership group for the Portland franchise is led by Brennan Brown, a 54 year old Portland businessman, while the Minot franchise will be owned primarily by Collin Reid, the 65 year old founder/owner of Minot-based Erickson Technologies.

Both teams will begin play in the 2013 season, with Minot joining the AL Central division, and Portland joining the AL West division.

While Portland has long been a staple of the Pacific Coast League and minor league baseball, and its baseball history is fairly well-known, Minot may be more of a mystery to all but the residents of Minot and the select few knowledgeable in Minot baseball history. This will not be the first time Minot has seen major league talent within its city limits, as it does have a rich baseball history. Its strongest point was in the 1950’s and early 60’s. The Minot Mallards were a team in the ManDak League, which operated from 1950-1957. The ManDak league was a haven for many former Negro League stars, including Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, Lymon Bostock, Frazer Robinson, and Baseball Hall of Famers Willie Wells, Ray Dandridge, Leon Day, along with former Mallards players Satchell Paige, Marion “Sugar” Cain, and Willard Brown. In all, seventeen Minot Mallards players had or would gain Major League experience.

Following the folding of the ManDak League after the 1957 season, the Minot Mallards joined the Northern League, which was a Class C minor league at that time. The Mallards were affiliates of the Cleveland Indians from 1958-1962, and amongst the players who appeared for the Mallards in this time frame was Max Alvis.

[GoBlue2419]

This dynasty will quite obviously be a hybrid of fictional-reality, in that in reality, while Minot, and North Dakota itself has seen a bit of a boom as a result of oil, it is still only a town of 40,000 or so. I’m imaging a fantastical boom in which it was grown to the size of a major league-caliber city, able to support professional sports. This OOTP dynasty will be part of a multi-sport dynasty I am doing where Minot will gain a franchise in each of the 5 major U.S. sports: MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS.

Why Minot, you might be asking? Well, my parents are both from a small town near Minot, and as a kid growing up in Michigan we would visit my grandparents, who had moved to Minot at that point. Being the nostalgic fella I tend to be, Minot has always had a special interest for me. Plus the idea of major professional sports in North Dakota is almost humorous. I had gone back and forth on whether to do a dynasty using a completely fictional city, but would like to do one in the near future with a completely fictional country and its league, so for this one I decided to use a real city as a base, but fictionalize it considerably.

The dynasty will primarily follow the Minot franchise as it seeks to go from new team to an established team. I will be acting as GM for the team, but may occassionally play "God" within the league in other areas (though not to give Minot any sort of advantage).

[GoBlue2419]

MLB Expansion Teams Announce Team Names

NEW YORK, New York (February 29th, 2012) - The 2013 MLB expansion teams have each announced their official names, Major League Baseball has announced in a press release today. The Portland franchise will be known as the Portland Pioneers, while the Minot franchise will be known as the Minot Mallards.

"From the feedback we have received from the residents of Minot, it was clear to us that there was great desire to bring back the Mallards name that has such a fond place in Minot history," Minot General Manager Timothy Sorenson commented. "As this is the city's team, not mine," owner Collin Reid continued, "how could we do anything but listen to the fans?"

Also announced in the press release were plans for the building of a permanent home for the Portland Pioneers. The Pioneers will begin play at 20,000 seat PGE Park for 2013, but a new stadium will be built in the area north of Portland's Rose Quarters. Construction will begin this summer, and should be ready for the 2015 season.

Reid's, along with the city of Minot's, gamble that 'build a stadium and Major League Baseball will come' paid off as Minot will begin play in its new stadium, Erickson Park, in its inaugural season. The 39,875 seat stadium will be completed by the end of 2012.

[GoBlue2419]

MLB Expansion Draft Complete

NEW YORK, NY (November 29, 2012) - The MLB 2013 Expansion Draft took place yesterday, and the Minot Mallards and Portland Pioneers began the process of assembling their rosters and looking to build a foundation for future success. With existing teams able to protect 23 players, and lose no more than 4 players each in the 35 round draft, Minot had the first pick, selecting pitcher Eulogio De La Cruz from the Chicago Cubs. Portland's first selection was pitcher Matt Harrison from the Texas Rangers.

"Time will tell if we have selected any future cornerstones of our franchise, but we have built some needed depth at the very least," Mallards GM Timothy Sorenson remarked after the draft concluded.

Time will tell indeed, but it's hard to imagine too many Mallards fans running around the city wearing "De La Cruz" jerseys.

Players Selected by Minot:

Pitchers
Eulogio De La Cruz
Junichi Tazawa
Zach Stewart
Taylor Stanton
John Ely
Michael Kirkman
Charlie Furbush
Brad Mills
Ryan Vogelsong
Scott Diamond

C
Josh Donaldson
Jesus Flores
Michael McKenry
Bobby Wilson

2B
Luis Valbuena
Blake Dewitt
Jonathan Herrera
Corban Joseph

SS
Robi Estrada

3B
Scott Sizemore
Adam Rosales
Kyle Shelton
Chris Nelson

OF
Craig Gentry
Jonathan Greene
Ryan Sweeney
Ezequiel Carrera
Stephen Vogt
Willie Cabrera
Jaff Decker
Ollie Linton
Kyle Hudson
Grant Hogue
Kevin Mattison
Collin Cowgill

Editor's Note: For better or worse, I generally just went with my scouting director's recommendation for each pick.

[Young Drachma]

Nice work go mallards!

[GoBlue2419]

Wright Signs with Expansion Team

MINOT, ND (12/6/12) - Minot, North Dakota is known as the Magic City, a name that originated from the city's rapid growth in the late 1800s and early 1900s. That name has rung true within the last years given the city's amazing transformation from progressive prairie city to busy plains metropolis as a result of the oil boom the state of North Dakota is currently under. And now that nickname appears to hold true for its new Major League club as the Mallards fire the first salvo in the 2013 free agent scramble, signing 3B David Wright to a 5 year contract this morning. Wright will earn $16,390,000 a season for each of the five years of the contract, along with incentive clauses of $460,000 for winning the Most Outstanding Hitter award and an additional $120,000 bonus for making the All-Star team.

Collin Reid, the Mallards owner, promised to be a player from a financial standpoint, and he certainly proved that to be the case here. The Mallards have a number of holes to fill as they look to fill the organizational roster, so Mr. Reid will have plenty of opportunities to open his wallet.

The signing of Wright clearly shows the Mallards mean business, and may show other free agents that this team wants to win quickly.

"We're not going to go out and just sign popular names," Minot GM Timothy Sorenson has shared in regards to the team's free agent strategy. "There is a plan here, and it would not make sense for us to spend big on players who are on the downside of their career, but we are looking to build a core that will be here for a number of years yet, as we look to build a foundation which allows us to make success the norm," he offered further.

Wright is coming off of a disappointing season for the Mets in 2012, in which he batted .237 with 13 home runs while knocking in 61 runners, but ended the year strong. The Mallards will certainly be hoping that strong finish carries over into a great start to 2013.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Nice work go mallards!

Thanks Dark Cloud! I appreciate that, as your dynasties are some of my favorites!

[Young Drachma]

How'd you setup the expansion draft?

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

How'd you setup the expansion draft?

I set up so that teams could protect 23 players, players with 3 years or less of experience not eligible, and 4 maximum per team.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Sign Another Free Agent

MINOT, ND (12/7/12) - Choosing not to sit on the success of the David Wright signing, Mallards GM Timothy Sorenson has scooped up another big name for the infant club, signing Ian Kinsler this afternoon. Contract details for the second baseman were revealed as 6 years for a total of $69,000,000, with a player option in the sixth year.

"We've added a couple quality bats to our lineup, but we need to address our starting rotation as well, and I expect to be focusing heavily on bringing in some arms to provide some experience for our rotation," Sorenson revealed when discussing next steps for the offseason. Based on players selected in the expansion draft, Ryan Vogelsong projects to potentially be the #1 starter, which surely must be addressed.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Sign Free Agent Pitcher

MINOT, ND (12/19/12) - Mallards General Manager Timothy Sorenson promised to address the starting rotation, and showed he is a man of his word as the team announced the signing of Ervin Santana today. The 30 year old put pen to paper on a three year deal for $5,500,000 a season. Santana is coming off of a hard-luck season with the Angels in which he tallied a 4.01 ERA, but had a disappointing 7-18 record to show for it.

[collegesportsfanms]

good stuff! I was going to do the same thing, keep Houston in the NL and add 2 new teams for the AL, then make it NFL style. 4 divisions in each league, 4 teams each. 4 division winners and 2 wild cards in the playoffs.

How did you set up your minor leagues? I'm using AAA, AA, and A in my created game. Did you just let the AI handle that, as far as what minor league teams got placed where? Or did you set it up yourself? That's the only thing I'm trying to figure out

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by collegesportsfanms

good stuff! I was going to do the same thing, keep Houston in the NL and add 2 new teams for the AL, then make it NFL style. 4 divisions in each league, 4 teams each. 4 division winners and 2 wild cards in the playoffs.

How did you set up your minor leagues? I'm using AAA, AA, and A in my created game. Did you just let the AI handle that, as far as what minor league teams got placed where? Or did you set it up yourself? That's the only thing I'm trying to figure out

Thanks collegesportsfanms!

I'm using the MLB Quickstart, so everything was already set up for the 30 original teams. For Portland and Minot what I did is let the AI place them as far as leagues at each level, and then I changed the locations for the Minot teams at least to cities that made more sense given the league. For example, the Single A team was placed in the California League, but the AI placed the team on the East Coast. So I changed the location of the team to Monterey, CA.

I'll have a post soon announcing the locations/teams of the Minot minor league affiliates.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Sign Three Free Agents

MINOT, ND (12/28/12) - The Minot Mallards have announced a trio of additions to its pitching staff today with the signings of starting pitcher Gavin Floyd, along with relievers Chad Qualls and Jonathan Broxton.

Floyd, who signed a 5 year deal, is fresh off of a 10-13 season combined with the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres, racking up a 4.23 ERA along the way.

Qualls signed a 3 year deal, with an option on the 3rd year, and is coming off of a season with Philadelphia which saw him go 4-3, with 5 saves to go witha 3.65 ERA, pitching out of the Phillies bullpen.

Broxton pitched for Kansas City in 2012, going 6-4 with a 3.70 ERA.

"Broxton has been a closer, and Qualls could do it as well, so hopefully one of these guys nails down that role in spring training," Minot GM Timothy Sorenson shared, almost sounding more wishful than anything to the attentive ear. "We're bound to have some young guys in the bullpen, and the experience Broxton and Qualls bring should be very beneficial for the youngsters," he continued.

There are rumors Minot is in the mix on Brandon McCarthy, and Francisco Liriano is still out there too among free agents, so it remains to be seen if another starter will be brought in to add some depth.

[GoBlue2419]

A Legend Says Good-bye in New York

NEW YORK, NY (12/28/12) - It's the end of an era in New York as Yankee great Derek Jeter announced his retirement today after 18 years as the Yankee shortstop. "I still feel like I have something to give to the game, but not at the level I have come to expect from myself," he shared at the press conference today.

Jeter finishes his Hall of Fame career with a .311 lifetime average, he is the Yankees all-time leader in hits (3230), games played (2556), stolen bases (351), and at bats (10383). He also hit 247 home runs, knocked in 1246 RBI, and scored 1833 runs.

The Yankees drafted Jeter out of high school in 1992, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. The following year, he became the Yankees' starting shortstop, won the Rookie of the Year Award, and helped the team win the 1996 World Series. Jeter continued to contribute during the team's championship seasons of 1998–2000; he finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1998, recorded multiple career-high numbers in 1999, and won both the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP Awards in 2000. He has consistently placed among the AL leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years, and since 2003 has served as the Yankees' team captain.

Jeter was a 12 time all-star, won the Gold Glove 5 times, and is the all-time major leagues leader in hits by a shortstop.

With Jeter's retirement, along with the decision not to re-sign Mariano Rivera, the Yankee clubhouse will have a vastly different feel in the 2013 season and beyond.

Jeter joins a list of players who have retired this offseason, including Omar Vizquel, Jamie Moyer, Derek Lowe, Jason Giambi, and Eric Hinske.

[GoBlue2419]

Major League Baseball Announces Major Realignment

NEW YORK, NY (12/29/12) - Major League Baseball ended the 2012 year with a bombshell announcement on this New Year's Eve today, effectively ending the one year trial of a second wildcard team, but of even greater impact completely restructuring both leagues.

Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the American and National Leagues would both be shedding their Divisional structures, and instead moving to a one table format, with the top five teams in each league making the playoffs. Selig also announced that as a result of this shift, and the move to a balanced schedule in both leagues, interleague play would be ended.

"We have historically had an unbalanced situation in certain divisions, which has not always led to the best teams reaching the postseason, and given the situation we saw last year where without a five game winning streak in the final five games, we could have seen the Dodgers win the NL West with a losing record," Selig offered. "With the addition of the Portland and Minot ball clubs this season, the League felt like this would be a perfect time to move forward with the restructuring of Major League Baseball."

"As for interleague play," he continued, "we have been very pleased with the positive impacts it has had on the game, but in order to make a balanced schedule work with interleague play, we would have been forced to schedule even more interleague games. In spite of some of these changes, we wanted to hang on to the historical integrity of the division between the American and National Leagues, and keep the significance of the two leagues battling in the World Series," Selig commented further. The ending of interleague play appears to be a complete about-face for Selig, based on his public statements in the past regarding the success of it.

This is a major development for Major League Baseball, one that is sure to have its share of proponents and naysayers. To me, this seems to be a good blend for traditionalists and baseball progressives. It returns baseball to the pre-Divisional format that was ended in 1969, but keeps the excitement of playoff baseball that has been generated by the addition of first the Divisional Series and then the addition of the Wildcard Series.

Once again Selig has shown that he is unafraid to make changes to Major League Baseball that he feels are in the best interest of the game. I have not always been his biggest fan, but one cannot really argue that MLB is as popular and successful as it has ever been.

[GoBlue2419]

The Minot Mallards announced their minor league affiliates for the 2013 today. The Mallards minor league system will consist of:

AAA - El Paso Mavericks (Pacific Coast League)
AA - Baton Rouge River Bats (Southern League)
A - Monterey Sea Lions (California League)
S A - Kelowna Timber Rattlers (Northwest League)
Rookie - AZL (Minot 1) Mallards
Rookie - AZL (Minot 2) Mallards

Editor's Note: As I stated in reply to collegesportsfanms's post earlier, I let the AI place the Portland and Minot minor league affiliates into leagues, and then I just changed the location of those teams to places that made more sense given the league. One note with this is it placed 2 Minot rookie league teams in the Arizona League, so at least for now I left them both there.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Sign Free Agents Samardzija, Huff

MINOT, ND (1/13/13) - The Minot Mallards announced the signing of two more free agents today, with Jeff Samardzija signing a 2 year deal at $2,250,000 a season and Aubrey Huff signed a 2 year deal worth $3,000,000 a season.

The Samardzija deal seems like a reasonable deal, as he looks to step into the rotation and add some more experience to go along with Santana and Floyd. Mallards GM Timothy Sorenson also joked with reporters that given his shaved head look, he was looking to live vicariously through Samardzija's hair.

But the Huff deal is extremely questionable, both from a dollars standpoint and from a length of contract perspective. He is coming off a solid season from a numbers perspective, hitting .348 with 7 home runs and 42 RBI for the Giants, but only played in 85 games. He is 36 years old as well. Huff is certain to be the club's Designated Hitter, as his days in the field are well past him, but questions will remain as to whether he will fall apart physically before this contract runs out.

[GoBlue2419]

The Minot Mallards have announced their broadcasting teams for the 2013 season. The television crew will consist of Jerry Mathers doing play-by-play, with Geoff Zahn doing color commentary. The radio team will be Michael Broadmor on play-by-play, and he will be joined by Ray Knight.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Continue to Add to Roster

MINOT, ND (2/3/13) - The Minot Mallards continue their busy offseason, adding two more players to their inaugural roster. Signing with the club today were left fielder Delmon Young, signed to a one year contract for $1,500,000, and right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, who despite his age, at 39 years old, gets a three year deal from the Mallards for $2,410,000 each season.

Suzuki has not shown any real signs of slowing down yet, coming off of a season with Seattle where he compiled a .292 batting average, along with a .340 on base percentage. Of course he will be 42 by the end of this contract, and it is hard to imagine his legs remaining as strong at that age.

Young seems to be a relatively inexpensive gamble for the Mallards for one season, at least compared to the alternatives on the roster currently. Young's 2012 season with the World Series winning Tigers was fairly typical for Young's career, batting .269 with 15 home runs and 64 RBI in 112 games. He figures to play some left field as well as DH for the Mallards.

[GoBlue2419]

Key Freee Agent Signings Around MLB:
- Lance Berkman - San Francisco, $35.2 million over 2 years
- Jeremy Guthrie - Portland, $26.1 million over 2 years
- Dan Haren - Milwaukee, $34.8 million over 2 years
- Robinson Cano - Detroit, $135 million over 7 years
- Brandon League - LA Angels, $22.8 million over 3 years
- Michael Bourn - Portland, $13.64 million over 3 years
- B.J. Upton - Seattle, $79 million over 5 years
- Mike Napoli - LA Angels, $65.2 million over 4 years
- Russell Martin - Philadelphia, $ 118.2 million over 6 years
- Scott Rolen - LA Angels, $29.2 million over 2 years
- Andre Ethier - Texas, $75.2 million over 4 years
- Brandon McCarthy, ChiSox, $73.4 million over 6 years
- Mariano Rivera, Portland, $12.2 million for 1 year
- Huston Street, Colorado, $23.4 million over 3 years

[GoBlue2419]

Spring Training Opens Tomorrow

MESA, AZ (3/3/13) - One of the most exciting times of the year for baseball fans begins tomorrow. Spring Training always brings excitement, optimism, hope, visions of 'this is finally the year' for Cubs fans,and for the new teams this season, Portland and Minot, they will experience all of that for the first time.

The Mallards will train in Mesa, Arizona, sharing HoHoKam Park with the Cubs until the Cubs open their new Spring Training facility next spring. The Pioneers will train in Scottsdale, Arizona, sharing Scottsdale Stadium with the San Francisco Giants.

For the two expansion teams, a number of young players will be looking to earn their ticket to the bigs, afforded an opportunity they may not have had with their previous clubs. The Mallards have a number of questions they will be looking to answer this spring, such as who will start at catcher, first base, shortstop, center field, and solidifying the 5th starter spot in the rotation along with identifying the bullpen.

The battle at catcher appears to be between Josh Donaldson and Jesus Flores, both picked up in the Expansion Draft for the Mallards. The 27 year old Donaldson played in 69 games for Oakland last season, and appears to have the inside shot. He is a hard worker, and has shown good command of pitching staffs in his limited opportunities.

First base looks like it will be Aubrey Huff unless a youngster surprises this spring and earns some playing time. Huff is the veteran amongst the list of potential candidates, and certainly the more known quantity.

Shortstop appears to be Adam Rosales's to lose, given he is the best fielder of the candidates. Chris Nelson has the better bat, but is a weaker shortstop defensively. Rosales's most extensive playing time came in the 2010 season for Oakland, when he played 80 games for the A's. Nelson had a very good offensive season for the Rockies, putting together an .831 OPS in his 63 games.

Fighting it out for center field looks to be a three-way battle between Ezequiel Carrera, Craig Gentry, and veteran Ryan Sweeney.

Amongst the candidates for the 5th spot in rotation are Eulogio De La Cruz, Junichi Tazawa, Zach Stewart, and John Ely. If none of those show enough to nail down a spot, the Mallards could sign a veteran free agent as well.

As for the bullpen, four spots are essentially locked down at this point. Veterans Jonathan Broxton and Chad Qualls are all but assured spots, and Rule 5 draftees Phillipe Aumont and Nate Jones will open the season in the bullpen unless they are returned to their former teams. That leaves two spots theoretically open, with any of the losers from the 5th spot in the mix, along with Michael Kirkman, Brad Mills, Taylor Stanton, and a whole host of other names few know anything about.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Sign Free Agent Pitcher Liriano

MINOT, ND (3/10/13) - Minot owner Collin Reid opened his checkbook once more, this time signing pitcher Francisco Liriano to a two year contract worth $2.87 million a season. Liriano finished 2012 a disappointing 8-16, with a 4.86 ERA for the Minnesota Twins, but the Mallards will be counting on Liriano to fulfill the tremendous potential he has shown glimpses of through out his career.

"Early projections for Francisco had him signing for around $11 million a season," Mallards GM Timothy Sorenson commented, "so for just under $3,000,000, we feel like we are getting a tremendous bargain."

With the signing of Liriano, the starting rotation appears to be set for the Mallards, but with opening day still 3 weeks away or so, things may change. The rotation currently appears to be:
1. Gavin Floyd
2. Ervin Santana
3. Francisco Liriano
4. Jeff Samardzija
5. Ryan Vogelsong

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Head North for the Season

MINOT, ND (3/30/13) - The Minot Mallards have concluded the first Spring Training in the club's history, and the fans back in Minot anxiously await the arrival of their new heroes for the start of the 2013 season. General Manager Timothy Sorenson and rookie Manager Bob Wolcott have had plenty of meetings, informal conversations, agreements, and disagreements regarding the Opening Day roster, and have ultimately determined who will head north with the big club for their initial season.

Wolcott announced last week that Gavin Floyd will get the opening day start, and the rest of the rotation will be Ervin Santana, Francisco Liriano, Jeff Samardzija, and Ryan Vogelsong.

The bullpen will consist of Jonathan Broxton as the closer, Chad Qualls and Phillippe Aumont as the set up men, Nate Jones, Eulogio De La Cruz, and the lone lefty, Michael Kirkman.

The Mallards will open the season with Josh Donaldson and Ronny Paulino at catcher.

Infielders will be Corban Joseph, Aubrey Huff, Ian Kinsler, Adam Rosales, Chris Nelson, David Wright, and Scott Sizemore.

The outfielders will be Delmon Young, Ezequiel Carrera, Craig Gentry, Ryan Sweeney, and Ichiro Suzuki.

[MizzouRah]

Should be an interesting season, go Mallards!

What do the uniforms look like, I might have to buy one!

[GoBlue2419]

Opening Day is Here

MINOT, ND (4/3/13) - The day has arrived. The day Mallards fans have been counting down to since the moment Bud Selig announced Major League Baseball would be coming to Minot. The area around Erickson Park has been a bevy of activity for the last week as shops, restaurants, and bars in the surrounding area prepare for the onrush of excitement about to take place.

Buddy's, one of the more popular bars on 1st Avenue NW near the ball park, has stated they are hopeful their business will triple once the season starts. "I'm even hoping that is a conservative estimate," Buddy's owner Jerry Nabors shared. "We want to be the pre-game and post-game destination for fans attending Mallards games, as well as THE spot for fans who don't have tickets but want to be part of the game day experience."

Totino's Trattoria, one of the top Italian restaurants in the city, shared that they have been booked solid with reservations for tonight for two months now. "People just want to be a part of this historic day in Minot, whether they are going to the game or not," owner/chef Anthony Totino commented.

Making tonight's opener even more special is the fact that the Mallards will be playing the World Champion Detroit Tigers. "It really can't get much more exciting than the first opening day in club and city history, taking the field against the defending World Series winners," general manager Timothy Sorenson shared with me yesterday in an interview.

Tonight's game will see Gavin Floyd take the mound for Minot, while Justin Verlander takes the ball for the Champion Tigers. Verlander, who won the Cy Young in 2011, is coming off of a 2012 season in which many felt he should have won the award again. His outstanding season last year resulted in a 21-11 record, along with a 3.41 ERA. Floyd, meanwhile, had a 5-5 record last season, with a 3.49 ERA in 14 starts.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Should be an interesting season, go Mallards!

What do the uniforms look like, I might have to buy one!

Here is the team's logo:


Here is Eulogio De La Cruz sporting his Mallards uniform:


Replica jersey's have been a hot item for fan purchases, so they may be a little difficult to find, but the team would love to have your support!

[GoBlue2419]

As the 2013 season is about to kick off, here are the predictions for the American and National League standings:

American League:

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Runs	AVG	HR	SB	Runs against	ERA	K	BB
Tampa Bay Rays	101	61	.623	-	768	.255	163	151	604	3.36	1247	469
Boston Red Sox	93	69	.574	8	834	.266	169	118	704	4.05	1061	493
Seattle Mariners	90	72	.556	11	830	.257	160	113	714	4.01	1042	440
Detroit Tigers	88	74	.543	13	740	.268	149	106	656	3.72	1152	456
Minot Mallards	87	75	.537	14	803	.272	168	107	786	4.38	1094	587
Texas Rangers	85	77	.525	16	855	.279	194	78	831	4.69	1218	553
Los Angeles Angels	82	80	.506	19	795	.262	159	141	747	4.23	1109	514
Kansas City Royals	81	81	.500	20	777	.276	130	132	787	4.45	1195	642
Toronto Blue Jays	80	82	.494	21	727	.257	201	62	776	4.44	1126	509
New York Yankees	80	82	.494	21	748	.254	176	147	761	4.41	1195	511
Baltimore Orioles	77	85	.475	24	720	.251	182	83	823	4.66	933	562
Cleveland Indians	74	88	.457	27	760	.254	173	56	785	4.47	1091	563
Chicago White Sox	73	89	.451	28	703	.261	183	49	791	4.52	1159	517
Oakland Athletics	71	91	.438	30	684	.250	113	111	733	4.15	1115	568
Minnesota Twins	70	92	.432	31	718	.266	115	93	824	4.76	1003	521
Portland Pioneers	69	93	.426	32	679	.260	107	159	816	4.59	1004	598

National League:

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Runs	AVG	HR	SB	Runs against	ERA	K	BB
Cincinnati Reds	94	68	.580	-	781	.255	217	62	678	3.82	1160	557
St. Louis Cardinals	92	70	.568	2	751	.259	146	58	662	3.68	1258	544
San Francisco Giants	90	72	.556	4	713	.257	118	119	639	3.50	1245	553
Milwaukee Brewers	89	73	.549	5	725	.253	167	112	689	3.89	1308	525
Washington Nationals	88	74	.543	6	693	.253	170	52	618	3.43	1242	497
Philadelphia Phillies	88	74	.543	6	753	.261	131	122	700	3.88	1239	439
Atlanta Braves	86	76	.531	8	689	.245	186	53	632	3.62	1278	530
Chicago Cubs	85	77	.525	9	737	.259	163	74	701	4.04	1209	573
Colorado Rockies	84	78	.519	10	790	.265	188	106	747	4.28	1212	569
Miami Marlins	80	82	.494	14	727	.245	177	145	747	4.18	1168	520
Los Angeles Dodgers	75	87	.463	19	700	.245	135	119	728	4.13	1229	586
Arizona Diamondbacks	75	87	.463	19	762	.255	213	41	834	4.82	1198	599
New York Mets	73	89	.451	21	681	.247	153	37	730	4.09	1149	535
Pittsburgh Pirates	68	94	.420	26	635	.254	91	100	733	4.10	1187	606
San Diego Padres	66	96	.407	28	613	.233	135	143	725	4.00	984	529
Houston Astros	66	96	.407	28	649	.249	111	93	834	4.70	1170	568

I don't really see the Mallards actually finishing in the 5th and final AL playoff spot, but would be pleasantly surprised obviously.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by GoBlue2419

Here is the team's logo:


Here is Eulogio De La Cruz sporting his Mallards uniform:


Replica jersey's have been a hot item for fan purchases, so they may be a little difficult to find, but the team would love to have your support!

I like them! I'll have to find a player I like first, then purchase!

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Fall to Tigers in Opening Day Loss

MINOT, ND (4/4/13) - Opening Day at Erickson Park was filled with jubiliant fans, all with thoughts of 'this is our year', despite the fact that for Mallards fans it was their first year. But hope springs anew on Opening Day, from Cubs fans to Yankees fans, and now including Mallards fans. Reality quickly crashed through those optimistic thoughts last night as the World Series winner Detroit Tigers were the first ever opponent for the Minot Mallards, and quickly showed they do not intend to let up this season. Gavin Floyd received the honor of the Opening Day start for Minot, and it was not a start he nor Manager Bob Wolcott nor the city of Minot envisioned. Austin Jackson started things off quickly for the Champs by doubling into left center for the first hit in Erickson Park history. He moved over to third on Casey Kotchman's ground out to second baseman Ian Kinsler, and promptly trotted home thanks to the mammoth home run struck by Miguel Cabrera, the first home run in Erickson Park history. With the score now 2-0, Floyd was then able to get Robinson Cano to ground out to first base. Alex Avila then singled, followed by a single from Matt Joyce, which moved Avila to third. Andy Dirks then nearly matched Cabrera's home run distance with a three-run homer of his own, sending Floyd to an early shower in the process, finishing with 2/3 of an inning pitched and 5 runs given up.

Detroit scored two more in the second inning behind solo home runs from Jackson and another from Cabrera, both off of Michael Kirkman, before he settled down and pitched pretty well after that.

Minot could not muster much against Justin Verlander for 8 innings. The Mallards tallied just 4 hits for the first 8 innings, before the bats awakened slightly in the bottom of the ninth behind a double from David Wright, a triple from Delmon Young, and then the first home run in Minot Mallards history, courtesy of Ian Kinsler.

Detroit scored their 11 runs behind 5 home runs, two from Cabrera, and one each from Dirks, Avila, and Jackson.

[MizzouRah]

Ouch...

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Set to Meet the Athletics in Oakland Starting Tonight

OAKLAND, CA (4/6/13) - The Mallards open their three game set tonight at Oakland, fresh off of losing 2 out of 3 to the Tigers. Minot and Oakland begin this series with identical 1-2 records, as Oakland lost 2 out of 3 to Texas to begin their season.

In the Mallards opening series against the Tigers, Detroit won game 1 11-3 behind a strong outing from Verlander.

Game Two was another strong pitching performance for the Tigers, this time from Max Scherzer, who pitched 8 innings of shutout ball. The Mallards managed one run in the ninth off of Daniel Schlereth, but the game was well in hand at that point, ending with a 9-1 victory for Detroit. Scherzer got the win, and Ervin Santana took the loss. Santana started strong, but ran into trouble in the 6th inning, and his final numbers were 5.1 innings, 9 hits, 5 runs given up. Pitching coach Fernando Morin has some work ahead of him as Mallards pitchers walked 9 batters, including 4 by closer Jonathan Broxton.

The Mallards earned the first victory in franchise history in the 3rd game of the series as the bats finally seemed to work in this game. The Mallards defeated the Tigers 10-5, primarily through the means of the small ball. Mallards shortstop Adam Rosales hit his first home run of the season, a 2 run shot, but the rest of the runs were scored by stringing together a number of hits and advancing baserunners. Rosales went 3-4 on the night, with 4 RBI, and centerfielder Ryan Sweeney continued his strong start by going 2-4 with 3 RBI. Picking up the win for Minot was starter Francisco Liriano, who didn't pitch a masterpiece, but won this one courtesy of the Mallards bats. Liriano went 6.2 innings, giving up 8 hits and 5 runs. Nate Jones, the Rule 5 draftee, pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball in relief. Taking the loss for Detroit was Doug Fister, who gave up 8 runs in 4.2 innings.

The pitching matchups for the Oakland series are slated as:
4/6 - Vogelsong (Minot) vs. Gray (Oakland)
4/7 - Samardzija (Minot) vs. Peacock (Oakland)
4/8 - Floyd, 0-1 (Minot) vs. Anderson, 1-0 (Oakland)

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Wrap Up Oakland Series, Welcome the Yankees

MINOT, ND (4/9/13) - The Mallards won their first series in franchise history, taking 2 out of three from Oakland in Oakland. The team returns home now to face the Yankees with a record of 3-3.

Game 1 of the Oakland series saw the Mallards on the wrong side of another lopsided score, this time a 9-2 loss. Ryan Vogelsong continued the streak of poor starts for the Mallards rotation, lasting just 2 2/3 innings in this one, giving up 6 runs, 5 earned, on 8 hits. Michael Taylor fueled the A's lineup, going 4-4 with a double and 3 singles, and Jeff Keppinger added a home run in the 6th inning, his first of the year. David Wright hit his first home run in a Mallards uniform, a solo shot in the 1st inning, which gave the Mallards an early 1-0 lead. Getting the win was Oakland starter Sonny Gray, moving to 1-0 on the season, while Vogelsong fell to 0-1, taking the loss for Minot.

Game 2 was a 8-5 win for Minot, and saw the Mallards finally get at least a decent outing from a starter, with Jeff Samardzija going 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs in that span. He walked 5 batters though as wildness continued to plague Minot pitchers. Minot catcher Josh Donaldson paced the offense, going 4-5, while Ezequiel Carrera and Delmon Young both went 3-5. Samardzija picked up his first win of the season, while Jonathan Broxton picked up his first save, pitching the final two outs in the ninth. Brad Peacock took the loss for Oakland.

Minot picked up another win in the 3rd game of the series, this time defeating the Athletics 9-1. Josh Donaldson's hot bat continued as he went 3-4, and Adam Rosales, Delmon Young, Ian Kinsler all picked up 2 hits each. Scott Sizemore, the DH for this game, hit his first home run of the season, and Kinsler smacked his 2nd of the season, a 3 run shot in the first inning. Gavin Floyd gave Minot its first outstanding pitching effort, pitching a complete game gem, allowing just the solo run. He struck out 4 while walking none to even his record at 1-1. Brett Anderson took the loss for Oakland, also moving his record to 1-1 as he gave up 6 runs in 3 2/3 innings pitched.

The pitching matchups for the Yankees series are:
4/9 - Pineda, 1-0 (NYY) vs. Santana, 0-1 (Minot)
4/10 - Banuelos, 1-0 (NYY) vs. Liriano, 1-0 (Minot)
4/11 - Hughes, 1-0 (NYY) vs. Vogelsong, 0-1 (Minot)

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 4/14/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 2 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. The Mallards ended week 2 of the season, and their history, with a solid 5-2 record for the week, giving them a 6-5 record overall. This is particularly encouraging given that 5 of the 7 games were against the Yankees and Rangers, two of the top teams in the AL.

4/7 - beat Oakland 8-5 (W-Samardzija, 1-0, S-Broxton (1), L-Peacock, 0-1)
4/8 - beat Oakland 9-1 (W-Floyd, 1-1, L-Anderson, 1-1)
4/9 - beat New York 8-2 (W-Santana, 1-1, L-Pineda) Mallard HR - Rosales (2)
4/10 - loss to New York 5-0 (W-Banuelos,2-0,L-Liriano, 1-1)
4/11 - loss to New York 2-1 (W-Soriano,1-0,S-Chamberlain (2), L-Qualls, 0-1)
4/12 - beat Texas 6-2 (W-Samardzija, 2-0, S-Broxton (2), L-Vargas, 0-1)
4/13 - beat Texas 6-4 (W-Floyd, 2-1, S-Broxton (3), L-Holland, 0-3) Mallards HR - Sizemore (2), Kinsler (3)

Hot Hitters (Season Stats)
J. Donaldson (.367/.412/.400), 0 HR, 1 RBI
I. Kinsler (.350/.426/.600), 3 HR, 11 RBI
D. Young (.348/.367/.457), 0 HR, 10 RBI
A. Rosales (.342/.375/.605), 2 HR, 8 RBI

Cold Hitters (Season Stats)
C. Joseph (.237/.326/.263), 0 HR, 2 RBI
D. Wright (.222/.440/.389), 1 HR, 4 RBI - slightly deceptive stats as he has walked 14 times thus far to boost his OBP
R. Sweeney (.220/256/.341), 0 HR, 6 RBI
E. Carrera (.200/.259/.240)

Hitting Notes
- Bob Wolcott has started Joseph in every game but one at first base. They are paying Aubrey Huff $3 million, and it is not like Joseph is lighting up the diamond with his bat, so Huff at least deserves a little more plate time.
- David Wright has struck out 11 times already, and walked 14 times, to go with 1 home run.
- Josh Donaldson and Adam Rosales have both pleasantly surprised thus far, looking like they really want to lock down the catcher and shortstop positions.

Pitching Notes
- Samardzija has pitched well thus far, winning his first 2 starts of the season, with the lowest ERA among the starting pitchers (3.00)
- Rule V draftee Nate Jones has been great, with 5 appearances, and has yet to give up a run in 5 innings.
- Broxton's control has to raise serious concerns with the Mallards front office so far. He was walked 9 batters in 4.2 innings. Despite that he is 3 for 3 in save opportunities.
- Eulogio De La Cruz has been a big disappointment thus far. His 43.22 ERA in 1.2 innings pitched over 3 appearances is ugly.

Other Team Notes
- David Wright has 4 errors already.
- Ichiro Suzuki left the 4/11 Yankee game with an ankle injury. He is expected to be out around 6 days. GM Timothy Sorenson said he doesn't expect to make any roster moves as a result.

Next Week's Schedule
- Final game of the Texas series
- 3 games at the Blue Jays
- 2 games vs the White Sox

Standings Notes
- The Mallards are currently 7th in the AL, 2 games back of the leading Yankees and Mariners, both at 8-3.
- San Francisco leads in the NL with a 9-2 record, followed by the Mets and Diamondbacks at 8-3.
- San Francisco is #1 in the Team Power Rankings, followed by Seattle and the Yankees. Minot is currently ranked #15, one spot behind their expansion brothers in Portland.

Around the League
- Ben Zobrist picked up AL Player of the Week honors, batting .500 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI on the week for the Rays.
- Lucas Duda picked up NL Player of the Week honors, batting .524 with 4 home runs and 10 RBI on the week for the Mets.

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 4/21/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 3 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. In Week 3 the Mallards went 2-4 to give them an 8-9 record overall.

4/14 - loss to Texas 9-3 (W-Perez, 1-1, L-Santana, 1-2) - another error for Wright (3 total for Minot), along with 2 more strike outs.
4/16 - loss to Toronto 10-1 (W-Morrow, 2-1, L-Liriano, 1-2) - Mallards manage only 1 hit in this game, and Wright had another error and 2 strikeouts.
4/17 - loss to Toronto 6-2 (W-Alvarez, 1-2, L-Vogelsong, 0-2) - despite the loss, the bullpen pitches 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball (Qualls, De La Cruz, Jones, Aumont). No errors or strikeouts for
Wright.
4/18 - beat Toronto 7-6 (W-Broxton, 1-0, L-Farquhar, 0-1) - Home runs from Joseph (1) and Kinsler (4). Three RBI for Kinsler. Joseph goes 4-5. Another error for Wright.
4/19 - beat ChiSox 8-4 (W-Santana, 2-2, S-Kirkman (1), L-Peavy, 0-3) - 3 stolen bases for Carrera, and Wright steals his third of the season. Carrera goes 3-4.
4/20 - loss to ChiSox 3-1 (W-McCarthy, 1-2, S-Thornton (2), L-Samardzija, 2-1) - Home run from Wright (2).

Hot Hitters (Season Stats)
Kinsler (.328/.408/.590), 4 HR, 15 RBI
Donaldson (.326/.362/.349), 0 HR, 1 RBI
Young (.319/.360/.420), 0 HR, 13 RBI

Cold Hitters (Season Stats)
Sweeney (.234/.279/.328), 0 HR, 6 RBI

Hitting Notes
- Joseph had a solid week, raising his average to .258.
- Wright raised his average to .250. He has 2 HR now and 6 RBI. But has struck out 15 times.
- Centerfield continues to be a trouble spot offensively. Between Sweeney, Carrera, and Craig Gentry, Sweeney's .270 OBP is the highest.

Pitching Notes
- Nate Jones gave up his first runs of the season, but still has a 2.45 ERA in 8 appearances.
- Floyd, Santana, and Samardzija lead the staff in wins, all with 2.
- Broxton continues to be wild, walking 3 more batters this week in 3 innings pitched.
- De La Cruz settled down a little bit, lowering his ERA to 10.29 on the season.

Other Team Notes
- Suzuki has been cleared to play again. He currently has a .296 average, with a .310 OPB.
Next Week's Schedule
- Final game of ChiSox series
- 3 games at Boston
- 3 games vs. Seattle

Standings Notes
- Seattle leads the AL with a 12-5 record, followed by Tampa, New York, and Boston at 11-6. Minot is currently 9th, 4 games back of Seattle.
- San Francisco continues to lead the NL with a 12-5 record, tied with Arizona.
- The White Sox and San Diego have the worst records in the league, both at 4-13.
- Seattle is #1 in Team Power Rankings, followed by San Francisco and Boston. Minot falls to #23.

Around the League
- Reigning AL Cy Young winner Josh Beckett has been ruled out for 4-5 months with bone spurs in his elbow. He is 3-0 on the season with a 1.93 ERA.
- Milwaukee's big free agent signing Dan Haren goes down with a torn rotator cuff, and will miss 12 months.
- Miguel Cabrera named AL Player of the Week, batting .421 with 5 home runs and 12 RBI.
- Troy Tulowitzki named NL Player of the Week, batting .391 with 5 home runs and 9 RBI.

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 4/21/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 4 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. In Week 4 the Mallards were simply awful, going 0-7. Six of the seven games were against Seattle and Boston, two of the top teams in the AL, but certainly they could have won one of those games, not to mention playing the team with the worst record in the AL in the White Sox. The overall record now stands at 8-16.

4/21 - loss to Chicago 8-5 (W-Danks, 2-2, L-Liriano, 1-3)
4/22 - loss to Boston 5-3 (W-Buchholz, 2-1, S-Bailey (7), L-Vogelsong, 0-3)
4/23 - loss to Boston 7-4 (W-Bowden, 1-0, S-Bailey (8), L-Kirkman, 0-1) - home run by Rosales (3), 4 hits total from him.
4/24 - loss to Boston 3-2 (W-Lester, 2-2, S-Kroenke (1), L-Santana, 2-3) - 4th steal of the season for Carrera.
4/25 - loss to Seattle 8-6 (W-Beavan, 2-1, S-Uehara (5), L-Samardzija, 2-2) - Home runs from Young (1) and Joseph (2).
4/26 - loss to Seattle 7-1 (W-Blanton, 2-1, L-Liriano, 1-4) - Home run from Kinsler (5).
4/27 - loss to Seattle 3-2 in 10 (W-Uehara, 3-1, L-Broxton, 1-1) - Home runs from Sweeney (1) and Huff (1). Vogelsong leaves game with injury in 2nd inning.

Hot Hitters (Season Stats)
Kinsler (.329/.411/.622), 5 HR, 17 RBI
Donaldson (.333/.368/.429), 0 HR, 6 RBI
Sizemore (.303/.378/.576), 2 HR, 7 RBI

Cold Hitters (Season Stats)
Sweeney (.205/.268/.307), 1 HR, 10 RBI
Suzuki (.204/.231/.245), 0 HR, 3 RBI
Carrera (.209/.254/.239), 0 HR, 3 RBI

Hitting Notes
- Joseph had another solid week, raising his average to .266.
- Wright raised his average to .254, but struck out 5 more times.
- Something is going to have to happen with centerfield.
- Delmon Young is slumping now, seeing his average drop to .255.

Pitching Notes
- Sorenson added another lefty to the pen by signing Hong-chih Kuo. Kuo had a 1.93 ERA for the Mets last year in 53 appearances.
- The five starters have ERAs of 5.20 (Floyd), 4.06 (Santana), 6.07 (Liriano), 7.71 (Vogelsong), and 4.00 (Samardzija). Liriano has been particularly disappointing thus far.
- Broxton has not had a lot of save oppotunities, but he clearly has not been closer-caliber. His ERA is 5.59, and he has 14 walks in 9.2 innings. He has struck out 12 batters in that time though. But perhaps Qualls is worth a look.

Other Team Notes
- General Manager Timothy Sorenson made the first roster moves of the season as he signed Hong-chih Kuo to a one-year deal. To make room for him on the roster, outfielder Craig Gentry was optioned to El Paso.
- Vogelsong was diagnosed with a dead arm, and should miss just 3 days or so.

Next Week's Schedule
- 3 games at LA Angels
- 3 games vs. Kansas City

Standings Notes
- Seattle continues to lead the AL, with a 17-7 record, followed by Boston at 16-8. Tampa, Minnesota, and Detroit are all at 15-9. Minot is currently 14th, 9 games back of Seattle.
- San Francisco, Arizona, and now Milwaukee lead the NL with a 15-9 record.
- Toronto now has the worst record in the AL, at 7-17, while San Diego has the worst record in the NL at 5-19.
- Seattle is #1 in Team Power Rankings, followed by Boston and Detroit. Minot falls to #29.

Around the League
- Chris Getz will be out 7-8 months with a torn rotator cuff.
- Jesus Montero named AL Player of the Week, batting .455 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI for Seattle.
- Brandon Boggs named NL Player of the Week, batting .667 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI for Pittsburgh.

[Young Drachma]

Will the Mallards deal their big deals for prospects if things go slow too far out of the gate?

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Will the Mallards deal their big deals for prospects if things go slow too far out of the gate?

I think we may see at least a couple of the bigger contracts try to be moved if things don't improve greatly.

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 5/5/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 5 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. Week 5 saw the Mallards go 3-3 to move their record to 11-19.

4/29 - beat Los Angeles 9-8 (W-Jones, 1-0, L-Walden, 0-1) - home runs from Donaldson (1), Kinsler (6). Three hits apiece from Carrera, Wright, and Donaldson.
4/30 - beat Los Angeles 6-4 (W-Santana, 3-3, S-Broxton (4), L-Wilson, 1-3) - Wright walks 4 times in this game.
5/1 - loss to Los Angeles 6-2 (W-Kuroda, 2-2, S-Walden (8), L-Liriano, 1-5)
5/2 - beat Kansas City 16-9 (W-Vogelsong, 1-3, L-Odorizzi, 2-3) - Home runs from Carrera (1), Wright (3). Suzuki has a 5 hit game to raise his average to .261. Four hits from Young.
5/3 - loss to Kansas City 5-4 (W-Lamb, 3-0, S-Herrera (2), L-Samardzija, 2-3) - Carrera steals his 5th base.
5/4 - loss to Kansas City 8-7 (W-Coleman, 2-0, S-Holland (8), L-Floyd, 2-2) - Home runs from Sizemore (3), 2 from Wright (5). Wright finishes with 6 RBI on the night.

Hot Hitters
Kinsler (.320/.425/.610), 6 HR, 21 RBI
Donaldson (.318/.359/.435), 1 HR, 10 RBI
Sizemore (.302/.400/.605), 3 HR, 9 RBI
Joseph (.297/.366/.416), 2 HR, 12 RBI
Wright (.265/.419/.490), 5 HR, 16 RBI

Cold Hitters
Sweeney (.215/.280/.308), 1 HR, 14 RBI
Carrera (.222/.271/.278), 1 HR, 7 RBI

Hitting Notes
- Not that there are alot of tradeable commodities, but something needs to be done about the outfield situation. Particularly centerfield. The Mallards are getting no production from that position. There are not really any options at AAA at this point.
- Wright is really starting to heat up, and look like he could potentially live up to that contract.

Pitching Notes
- Santana now leads the team in wins with 3.
- Both Rule V draftees, Nate Jones and Phillipe Aumont, have been pitching very well for the Mallards. Jones has a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 innings, while Aumont has a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings.
- Not pitching so well continue to be De La Cruz, with a 9.45 ERA in the bullpen, while Floyd and Vogelsong are struggling in the rotation. Floyd is 2-2 with a 7.08 ERA, and Vogelsong is 1-3 with a 7.67 ERA.
- Francisco Liriano is tied for the Major League high with 5 losses.

Other Team Notes
- Chad Qualls came out in the press this week, saying he wanted the closer role, and would like to be traded if he was not going to be used in that role. He's never really been a closer, but as far as i'm concerned the Mallards have nothing to lose.
Next Week's Schedule
- 3 games at Tampa
- 3 games vs. Baltimore

Standings Notes
- Seattle and Detroit tied for 1st in AL with a 20-10 record. Minot currently 14th, 9 games back.
- Arizona leads the NL at 20-10. San Fran and Milwaukee are both 19-11.
- San Diego and Baltimore tied for worst records overall at 8-22.
- Arizona moves to #1 in Team Power Rankings, followed by Milwaukee and then Detroit. Minot now finds itself in 30th.

Around the Minor League System
- Pitcher Zach Stewart is 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA at AAA El Paso.
- Pitcher John Ely is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA at AAA El Paso.
- Catcher Jose Montes has 6 home runs at AA Baton Rouge.
- Right fielder Jonathan Greene is batting .304 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI at AA Baton Rouge. He may be due soon for a promotion to AAA.
- Pitcher Matt Weston is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA at Monterey (A).

Around the League
- Arizona's Daniel Hudson out 11 months with torn ulnar collateral ligament.
- Miguel Cabrera named AL Batter of the Month, with a .330 average, 10 home runs, 31 RBI.
- Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs named NL Batter of the Month, with a .333 average, 8 home runs, and 26 RBI.
- Justin Verlander named AL Pitcher of the Month, going 5-1 with a 2.67 ERA.
- Mat Latos of Cincinnati named NL Pitcher of the Month, going 5-0 with a 2.74 ERA.
- Seattle's Nick Franklin named AL Rookie of the Month, batting .289 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI.
- Bryce Harper named NL Rookie of the Month, batting .297 with 4 home runs and 20 RBI.
- Alex Avila of Detroit suspended 2 games for making an obscene gesture towards an umpire.
- Jason Kipnis of Cleveland was named AL Player of the Week, batting .409 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.
- Houston's Jimmy Paredes was named NL Player of the Week, batting .381 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI.
- St. Louis loses Chris Carpenter again, this time for 3-4 months.
- Atlanta's Jason Heyward leads the Majors with a .394 average
- Miguel Cabrera leads the Majors with 12 home runs, and also in RBI with 38.
- Bumbarner, Greinke, Halladay, and Verlander lead the Majors in Wins with 6 apiece.
- St. Louis's Jaime Garcia has the lowest ERA, at 1.46.
- Sergio Romo (SF) leads the Majors in Saves with 15.
- Tim Lincecum leads the Majors with 65 strikeouts.

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 5/12/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 6 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. Another dismal week for the Mallards saw them lose all 6 games, bringing the losing streak to 8 games now. The overall record stands at 11-25.

5/5 - loss to Tampa 6-2 (W-Hellickson, 3-1, L-Santana, 3-4) - home run by Kinsler (7). Tampa's Shelby, Jr. and Miranda hit 2 home runs each.
5/6 - loss to Tampa 10-3 (W-Moore, 3-3, L-Liriano, 1-6) - home run by Wright (6).
5/7 - loss to Tampa 5-4 (W-McGee, 1-0, L-Aumont, 0-1) - home run by Young (2).
5/8 - loss to Baltimore 4-2 (W-Patton, 1-1, S-Lindstrom (7), L-Vogelsong, 1-4)
5/9 - loss to Baltimore 7-5 (W-Eyre, 1-0, S-Hunter (1), L-Qualls, 0-2) - home run by Kinsler (8)
5/10 - loss to Baltimore 4-2 (W-Wada, 2-4, S-Lindstrom (8), L-Santana, 3-5)

Hot Hitters
Donaldson (.317/.352/.436), 1 HR, 11 RBI
Kinsler (.306/.400/.597), 8 HR, 24 RBI
Sizemore (.281/.364/.544), 3 HR, 12 RBI

Cold Hitters
Sweeney (.222/.281/.333), 1 HR, 16 RBI

Hitting Notes
- Kinsler leads the team in home runs (8) and RBI (24)
- Wright has 6 home runs
- Delmon Young has 21 RBI
- Manager Bob Wolcott has moved Suzuki out of the lead-off spot, at least against righthanders, moving him to 2nd. Carrera has been leading off, but is not really an improvement.

Pitching Notes
- Liriano falls to 1-6, with an 8.27 ERA. He signed for much less than original projections, but this is not looking like a bargain at this point.
- Kuo is struggling so far - 13.50 ERA in 6.2 innings.

Other Team Notes
- David Wright is listed as day-to-day with a bruised elbow after being hit by a pitch in the 5/6 Tampa game, but has played every game since.
- In a recent list of the heaviest players in the the Majors, Broxton shown as 2nd heaviest at 279 pounds.

Next Week's Schedule
- 3 games vs Cleveland
- 3 games at Portland
- First of a 3 game series vs Minnesota

Standings Notes
- Detroit leads the AL with a 24-12 record, followed by Tampa at 23-13. Minot is 15th.
- Arizona and San Francisco are tied for the lead in the NL, at 23-13.
- San Diego still has the worst record in the Majors, at 9-27.
- Washington takes over the #1 Team Power Ranking, followed by Arizona and the Yankees. Minot lingers in 31st.

Around the League
- Houston's Jason Castro had his 23 game hitting streak snapped.
- Minnesota's Josh Willingham and Detroit's Jacob Turner each suspended 5 games for fighting in their 5/6 game.
- Tampa's John Shelby, Jr. named AL Player of the Week, hitting .542 with 5 home runs and 13 RBI.
- Chase Utley named NL Player of the Week, hitting .522 with 1 home run and 8 RBI.

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 5/19/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 7 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. A week on the positive side for the Mallards, going 4-3 to raise their overall record to 15-28.

5/12 - beat Cleveland 7-4 (W-Liriano, 2-6, S-Qualls (1), L-Jimenez, 3-3) - home run from Sweeney (2), Suzuki goes 2-3.
5/13 - beat Cleveland 12-0 (W-Samardzija, 3-3, L-Huff, 1-6) - home run from Chris Nelson (1). Six doubles from Mallards hitters.
5/14 - loss to Cleveland 12-3 (W-Masterson, 3-4, L-Floyd, 2-3)
5/15 - beat Portland 7-4 (W-De La Cruz, 1-0, S-Qualls (2), L-Cecil, 2-4) - De La Cruz takes Vogelsong's start and gets the win. Kinsler goes 3-5. Four double plays turned by Minot.
5/16 - loss to Portland 4-3 (W-Ruffin, 2-0, L-Qualls, 0-3) - Portland scores winning run in bottom of the ninth.
5/17 - loss to Portland 5-3 (W-Guthrie, 3-2, S-Rivera (7), L-Liriano, 2-7) - Wright goes 3-4 with 2 RBI in the loss.
5/18 - beat Minnesota 11-3 (W-Samardzija, 4-3, L-Hendriks, 1-7) - Two home runs from Kinsler (10), along with 4 RBI. Sweeney goes 3-5, with 3 RBI.

Hot Hitters
Donaldson (.322/.367/.458), 1 HR, 14 RBI
Kinsler (.307/.403/.613), 10 HR, 32 RBI
Suzuki (.288/.318/.312), 0 HR, 15 RBI
Wright (.285/.437/.493), 6 HR, 23 RBI
Rosales (.278/.345/.414), 3 HR, 19 RBI

Cold Hitters
Carrera (.217/.271/.258), 1 HR, 8 RBI

Hitting Notes
- Sweeney has a good week, raising his average to .240.

Pitching Notes
- The move of Qualls to closer seems to work as he picks up 2 saves. He does give up the winning run against Portland though.
- Samardzija lowers his ERA to 3.27.

Other Team Notes
- The Mallards have sent down Ezequiel Carrera, calling up outfielder Craig Gentry to take his place.

Next Week's Schedule
- The final 2 games of the Minnesota series
- 3 games at Detroit
- First game of Oakland series

Standings Notes
- Detroit opens up a 3 game lead over Boston. Detroit is 29-14. Minot is tied for 15th with Chicago.
- Arizona leads the NL at 29-14, followed by St. Louis at 28-15.
- Arizona is #1 in Team Power Ranking, followed by Detroit and then St. Louis. Minot moves up to 29th.

Around the League
- Alex Rodriguez's 23 game hitting streak comes to an end.
- Todd Helton gets his 2500th career hit for Colorado against Philadelphia.
- Jose Bautista hit 3 home runs against Kansas City on 5/18.
- Atlanta signed Brian McCann to a 5 year extension for $85,000,000.
- Albert Pujols was named AL Player of the Week, batting .519 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI
- Joey Votto was named NL Player of the Week, batting .500 with 6 home runs and 13 RBI

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 5/26/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 8 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. The Mallards go 2-4 this week, bringing their overall record to 17-32.

5/19 - beat Minnesota 5-3 (W-Broxton, 2-1, S-Qualls (3), L-Duensing, 3-3) - home runs from Young (3), Sizemore (4). Young goes 4-4.
5/20 - loss to Minnesota 9-4 (W-Chapman, 1-0, L-Kirkman, 0-2) - home runs from Rosales (4), Sweeney (3). Another decent start from De La Cruz.
5/21 - loss to Detroit 5-3 (W-Fister, 4-3, S-Schlereth (8), L-Santana, 3-6) - Santana left game with sore ankle, listed DTD. Home run from Wright (7)
5/22 - loss to Detroit 6-3 (W-Verlander, 8-1, S-Schlereth (9), L-Liriano, 2-8) - home run from Huff (2)
5/23 - loss to Detroit 9-8 (W-Madson, 1-1, L-Qualls, 0-4) - home run from Young (4).
5/25 - beat Oakland 12-2 (W-Floyd, 3-3, L-Anderson, 5-4) - home runs from Sizemore (5) and Wright (8). Wright goes 4-5 with 5 RBI. Sizemore is 3-5 with 3 RBI. Kinsler and Sweeney also get 3 hits each.

Hot Hitters
Kinsler (.314/.415/.598), 10 HR, 36 RBI
Donaldson (.309/.358/.434), 1 HR, 14 RBI
Wright (.296/.441/.531), 8 HR, 30 RBI
Sizemore (.272/.352/.533), 5 HR, 19 RBI

Cold Hitters
Huff (.189/.214/.321), 2 HR, 3 RBI

Hitting Notes
- David Wright is on fire now, shaking off the early season rust. The only negative at this time is the 40 times he has struck out.

Pitching Notes
- Samardzija leads the staff in Wins with 4.
- Liriano continues to struggle mightily. He is now 2-8 with a 7.10 ERA. Not sure any team would take him at this point, but it might be worth seeing if there would be any takers.
- Phillipe Aumont continues to pitch very well. In 19 appearances he has compiled a 2.37 ERA.

Other Team Notes
- Michael Kirkman has been sent down to AAA. His ERA had climbed to 6.18 over 27.2 innings pitched. Scott Diamond has been called up to take his place as a lefty in the bullpen.

Next Week's Schedule
- Final 2 games of Oakland series
- 3 games at New York
- 1st 2 games of Texas series

Standings Notes
- Detroit leads the AL with a 33-16 record, followed by Boston, 3 games back. Minot is in 15th place.
- Arizona leads the NL with a 32-16 record, followed by Washington 1 game back.
- Detroit is #1 on the Team Power Ranking, followed by Boston and then St. Louis. Minot falls to 32nd.

Around the League
- Milwaukee's Kerry Wood expected to miss 5-6 months due to radial nerve compression
- LA's Clayton Kershaw and Philly's Marlon Byrd suspended 6 games for their roles in a brawl in the Dodgers-Phillies game on 5/22.
- Miguel Cabrera again AL Player of the Week. He hit .650, with 3 home runs and 8 RBI.
- Jay Bruce named NL Player of the Week. He hit .600 with 1 home run and 3 RBI.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Trade Santana to Seattle

MINOT, ND (5/31/13) - Minot Mallards General Manager Timothy Sorenson has made his first trade, trading away struggling starter Francisco Liriano to Seattle for first baseman Justin Smoak and 22-year-old centerfield prospect Jamal Austin today. Liriano has struggled mightily for the Mallards, going 2-8 on the season thus far, with a 7.10 ERA. The Mallards receive the 26-year-old Smoak, who is batting .275 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI on the season, and Austin, who has compiled a .284 average, with .383 OBP, to go along with 7 home runs and 38 RBI at AA.

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 6/2/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 9 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. The Mallards go 4-3 this week, bringing their overall record to 21-35.

5/26 - loss to Oakland 8-7 (W-Blevins, 2-3, S-Valverde (8), L-Aumont, 0-2) - 3 hits from Kinsler.
5/27 - beat Oakland 16-6 (W-Jones, 2-0, L-Braden, 6-2) - home runs from Smoak (11) and Sizemore (6). Smoak had 6 RBI, making the Liriano trade look good thus far. Three hits from Young, Smoak, and Sizemore. Sizemore also had 4 RBI.
5/28 - loss to New York 11-4 (W-Banuelos, 5-1, L-Samardzija, 4-4) - home run from Sizemore (7).
5/29 - beat New York 6-3 (W-Vogelsong, 2-4, S-Qualls (4), L-Nova (4-4) - 2 home runs from Smoak (13) and one from Kinsler (11). 5 RBI for Smoak.
5/30 - loss to New York 8-2 (W-Sabathia, 6-4, S-Soriano (3), L-Floyd, 3-4) - home run from Smoak (14).
5/31 - beat Texas 6-3 (W-Santana, 4-6, S-Qualls (5), L-Holland, 5-5) - home runs from Gentry (1), Sizemore (8), and Sweeney (4). Gentry goes 4-4.
6/1 - beat Texas 11-6 (W-De La Cruz, 2-0, L-Vargas, 5-3) - home runs from Rosales (5) and Donaldson (2). Three hits from Gentry, Sizemore, and Donaldson.

Hitting Notes
- Recently acquired Justin Smoak was smoking in his first week as a Mallard. The first baseman hit 4 home runs, knocked in 13 runs, averaged .333, and had an .815 slugging percentage for the week.
- Scott Sizemore continues to sizzle as well. He has raised his average to .306 to go along with 8 home runs and 30 RBI.
- Ichiro is slumping once again. His average has fallen to .257, and his on base percentage is only .289.

Pitching Notes
- Eulogio De La Cruz has pitched pretty well as a starter. He is 2-0 in his 4 starts thus far.

Other Team News
- Jeff Samardzija suspended 5 games for his part in a scuffle with the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez also received a 5 game suspension.

Standings Notes
- Detroit still leads the AL, one game ahead of Tampa and Boston. Minot remains in 15th, 2 games ahead of Chicago.
- Washington and Arizona are tied for the NL lead, one game ahead of St. Louis.
- Washington is now #1 on Team Power Ranking, followed by Arizona, and then Boston. Minot moves up to 29th.

Around the League
- Adam Dunn hit his 400th career home run on 5/28.
- Miguel Cabrera named AL Player of the Month. For the month he hit .364 with 9 home runs and 28 RBIs.
- Boston's Andrew Bailey named AL Pitcher of the Month. He had a 3-0 record, 9 saves, and a 1.10 ERA for the month.
- Colorado's Daniel Alvarez named NL Player of the Month. He batted .378 with 7 home runs and 25 RBIs.
- Stephen Strasburg named NL Pitcher of the Month. He was 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA in the month of May.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Prepare for MLB Draft

MINOT, ND (6/5/13) - The Major League First-Year Player Draft will be held tomorrow. Minot holds the first overall pick, followed by fellow expansion team Portland, and then Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Houston. Minot is expected to take one of the following players with the #1 overall pick:

1. Yoann Bouet - a 21-year-old Canadian pitcher, the right-handed Bouet combines great stuff with a fierce tenacity out on the mound. He has tremendous movement on his pitches, yet outstanding control.
2. Dean Jackson - At 18 years old, Jackson is a fairly local kid, coming from Sisseton, South Dakota. The right fielder projects as a +.300 hitter with tremendous power potential. He has a great eye at the plate, rarely swinging at bad pitches. Not an outstanding fielder, but will not hurt you too much out in the field.
3. Lorne Parker - Parker is a 19 year old starting pitcher who hails from Joliet Catholic High School in Joliet, Illinois. He has nice stuff, good control, but needs to work on consistency, and needs to develop more of a killer instinct out on the mound.
4. Doug Gore - 21 year old college pitcher from the University of Michigan, Gore is very similar to Bouet in make-up and stuff. Gore is from Glendale, California. He is very intelligent as well, and is a real student of the game. His college manager has said that he expects Gore to be a manager when he finishes his playing career.

Most prognosticators seem to believe that Minot will take either Bouet or Gore. Gore seems to be the more difficult one to sign, but money would not seem to be a stumbling block for this franchise. Both of them could possibly step right into the starting rotation in Minot, so if either is their pick, it will be interesting to see how patient Minot GM Timothy Sorenson can be. But of course, if they are ready, they are ready.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Select Pitcher With First Overall Pick in MLB Draft

MINOT, ND (6/7/13) - The Minot Mallards selected University of Michigan starting pitcher Doug Gore with the first overall pick in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft yesterday. With the second pick, the Portland Pioneers selected starting pitcher Carlos Carillo. Lorne Parker was selected 3rd overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates, followed by pitcher Matt Hunter, selected by Minnesota. With the 5th overall pick, Houston selected pitcher Yoann Bouet.

The Mallards selected the following players in its first ever MLB Draft (* are high schooler):
1. SP - Doug Gore, Glendale, CA
2. CF - Walt Jackson*, Houston, TX
3. RF - Francisco Sotelo*, Santiago, DR
4. 3B - Jorge Hernandez, Rockford, IL
5. 2B - Jeremy Geoffrey*, Amherst, NS, Canada
6. 2B - Arnold Harris, Greater Carrollwood, FL
7. SS - Brit Sharp*, Jackson, MO
8. SS - Daniel Rodriguez, Dallas, TX
9. SP - Darrell Calhoun, Franconia, VA
10. 1B - Jose Aranda*, Ecatepac, Mexico
11. LF - Juan Martinez*
12. LF - Bill White*
13. SP - Juan Acevedo*
14. RF - Gary Wilson
15. SP - Miguel Lopez
16. 1B - J.R. Knox
17. LF - Rob Nelson
18. LF - Woodrow Taylor
19. 2B - Felipe Lopez
20. RF - Nathan Wallace*
21. SP - Yanick Prigent*
22. SS - Miguel Vargas
23. SP - Shuan-yan Ti*
24. 1B - Jason Milacki*
25. SP - Devin Ware
26. 1B - Allen Gainer
27. SP - Ruben Tejeda*
28. 2B - Hector Rodriguez*
29. Sp - Avery Thompson
30. C - Roberto Gomez*

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 6/9/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 10 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. The Mallards go 2-4 this week, bringing their overall record to 23-39.

6/2 - loss to Texas 8-7 (W-Miller, 2-0, S-Adams (10), L-Aumont, 0-3) - home run from Young (5). Three hits from Suzuki and Wright.
6/3 - loss to Toronto 9-4 (W-Davis, 5-2, L-Floyd, 3-5) - home runs from Smoak (15), Kinsler (12)
6/4 - loss to Toronto 5-2 (W-Drabek, 1-5, S-Santos (9), L-Vogelsong, 2-5)
6/5 - loss to Toronto 5-2 (W-Alvarez, S-Santos (10), L-Santana, 4-7) - home run from Kinsler (13)
6/7 - beat ChiSox 8-4 (W-Samardzija, 5-4, L-Axelrod, 1-1) - home runs from Gentry (2), Kinsler (14). Three hits from Young & Sweeney. Three RBI from Young & Kinsler.
6/8 - beat ChiSox 8-5 (W-Kuo, 1-0, S-Qualls (6), L-Peavy, 2-6) - bullpen pitches 5.1 innings of scoreless ball.

Hitting Notes
- Kinsler homered 3 times this week
- Kinsler batting .320/.415/.591, with 14 HR, 48 RBI
- Smoak batting .295/.400/.549 with 16 HR, 51 RBI
- Scott Sizemore batting .295/.374/.607 with 8 HR, 31 RBI
- Sweeney has his OBP up to .297 now.
- Suzuki also getting his OBP up. Now at .314.

Pitching Notes
- Lowest ERA on the staff belongs to Nate Jones at 4.28. This staff is just ugly. Will be hard to be patient with Gore provided he signs in the near future.
- De La Cruz continues to pitch decently in the rotation. He has lowered his ERA to 5.89 on the season, with a 3-0 record.
- Gavin Floyd, meanwhile, has an ERA of 7.15. This is a free agent signing that may have been a big mistake by GM Timothy Sorenson. But given his contract, he either needs to pitch his way out of his troubles, or pitch his way out of Minot.
- Vogelsong, meanwhile, has not made much of his re-entry into the rotation, and may find his way out again. He is currently 2-5 with a 6.06 ERA.
- Broxton has walked 22 batters in 26 innings, and has expressed unhappiness with his role to the press. He may be potential trade bait for a contender looking for bullpen help.

Other Team News
- Minot's 2nd Round draft pick, CF Walt Jackson, has signed his contract. He received a signing bonus of $750,000.
- The 4th Round pick, 3B Jorge Hernandez, has signed his contract as well. He received a signing bonus of $250,000.

Standings Notes
- Detroit continues to lead the AL, with a 40-23 record. Tampa is 2nd, Boston is 3rd. Minot holds steady at 15th.
- Washington holds the lead in the NL with a 39-24 record. St. Louis and Arizona trail by 1 game.
- Detroit moves to the #1 Team Power Ranking, followed by St. Louis and Washington. Minot climbs to 27th.

Around the League
- The LA Dodgers fired Don Mattingly. LA found themselves in 14th place in the NL with a record of 24-36. Richie Hebner was named as the new manager.
- Portland's Jordan Pacheco named AL Player of the Week, batting .440, with 11 RBI on the week.
- Chicago's Brett Jackson was named NL Player of the Week. He batted .400 with 2 HR and 8 RBI.
- Portland traded their #1 starter, Jeremy Guthrie, to Texas, for 4 minor leaguers. The players received are 19 year-old 2B Luis Marte, Kyle Castro, a 23 year old starting pitcher, CF Zach Cone, and CF Jacob Skole

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by GoBlue2419

Mallards Trade Santana to Seattle

MINOT, ND (5/31/13) - Minot Mallards General Manager Timothy Sorenson has made his first trade, trading away struggling starter Francisco Liriano to Seattle for first baseman Justin Smoak and 22-year-old centerfield prospect Jamal Austin today. Liriano has struggled mightily for the Mallards, going 2-8 on the season thus far, with a 7.10 ERA. The Mallards receive the 26-year-old Smoak, who is batting .275 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI on the season, and Austin, who has compiled a .284 average, with .383 OBP, to go along with 7 home runs and 38 RBI at AA.

Smart deal.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Smart deal.

At least so far, it seems to have worked in favor of the Mallards.

[GoBlue2419]

QuackNotes - 6/16/13

Welcome to the Minot Mallards Week 11 Recap here at the #1 fan blog for the Minot Mallards, QuackNotes. The Mallards go 3-4 this week, bringing their overall record to 26-43.

6/9 - beat ChiSox 3-2 (W-De La Cruz, 3-0, S-Qualls (7), L-Reed, 2-1) - swept Chicago. HR - Smoak (16)
6/10 - loss to Boston 8-1 (W-Lester, 6-4, L-Santana, 4-8)
6/11 - loss to Boston 2-1 (W-Bailey, 5-3, L-Kuo, 1-1)
6/12 - beat Boston 8-4 (W-Floyd, 4-5, S-Diamond (1), L-Lackey, 0-9) - HR - Gentry (3)
6/13 - loss to Seattle 7-2 (W-Hernandez, 6-2, L-Samardzija, 5-5)
6/14 - beat Seattle 8-2 (W-De La Cruz, 4-0, L-Blanton, 4-4) - HR - Young (6), Joseph (3)
6/15 - loss to Seattle 11-1 (W-Hultzen, 4-4, L-Vogelsong, 2-6) - three hits for Young.

Hitting Notes
- Kinsler struggling last week or so. Average down to .304, OBP down to .397. Kinsler is 3rd in AL in RBI however, with 53.
- Suzuki continues to boost his OBP. Now up to .330.

Pitching Notes
- Ervin Santana has sore elbow, expected to miss 4 weeks. Zach Stewart called up to replace him.
- De La Cruz won 2 games this week as starter. Now 4-0 as a starter.
- In last 5 starts, Gavin Floyd has pitched 21 innings, and has given up 24 runs, 22 earned runs.

Other Team News
- Doug Gore signed and was sent to AA to pitch for the Baton Rouge River Bats. Upon his signing, Gore was named as the 9th best prospect in baseball overall, and the 3rd best pitching prospect. He lost his first start, going 7.1 innings, giving up 6 runs on 10 hits. He did strike out 8 batters though.
- Minot also signed 5th round pick Jeremy Geoffrey this week. He was sent to the Arizona Mallards of the Arizona Rookie League.
- Minot signed a number of players to minor league free agent contracts this week. The players signed were Yhency Brazoban, Kyle Davies, J.A. Happ, Nick Blackburn, Greg Golson, and Jeff Larish. All were sent to AAA El Paso.

Standings Notes
- Detroit continues to lead the AL, and has built a 3 game lead on Tampa. Minot remains in 15th.
- Arizona has moved into 1st in the NL, 1 game ahead of Washington.
- Detroit remains #1 on the Team Power Ranking, followed by Arizona and Tampa. Minot falls to 28th.

Around the League
- Josh Hamilton fractured his hand on 6/9, and will be out 8-9 weeks.
- Minnesota's Justin Morneau went 6-6 on 6/16 against Portland.