The Millionaire, The Dreamer, and The Long Shot (OOTP 11)

[PilotMan]

Three young men, 3 baseball lives, 3 hopes, 3 dreams.


The Millionaire

John “Bullet Jack” Washington


At 20 years old, John Washington has the expectations of a franchise to carry on his shoulders. Picked as the third pick overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 2010, he was rewarded with a signing bonus that exceeded 9 million dollars (9.4 mil to be exact.) He is the Millionaire.


Bullet Jack hails from a suburb of Wilmington, Delaware, just down the road from Philadelphia and about a 90 minute drive from the HQ of the team that picked him. He went to school at Wilmington Charter High School, a private charter school that is recognized as one of the best in the US by US News and World Report and he proved to be a leader right away. Constantly pushing others to be better, and staying putting in extra hours of skills work. While not as gifted academically it was clear that his baseball skills were special.


He finished his senior year batting .544 with 12 homeruns and 41 RBI's in 22 games. He also stole 11 bases and posted an OPS 1.711. After he was signed he was sent to Rookie Ball in Bluefield then to the GCL Orioles. He struggled in 8 games in all batting .154. However, all 4 of his hits went for extra bases and he posted a .423 OBP. He finished in Low A ball in Aberdeen, where his only hit was a HR.


In 2011 he was chosen as the Baseball America #1 ranked baseball prospect in MLB. He started the year in Aberdeen and progressed to the Delmarva Shorebirds (A) and finally finishing with the Fredrick Keys (A). He hit .329 early on at Aberdeen and moved up after only 9 games. He struggled for most of the season helping Fredrick to a 3^rd place 69-71 record. He batted .221 with an OPS of .612 only hitting 4 HR in 82 games played. By far his worst year.


He is starting 2012 playing A-ball with the Fredrick Keys, just 2 hours from where he went to high school. Once again the pressures of a 9 million dollar bonus and the expectations of being ranked the #3 prospect by Baseball America will be on him.

[PilotMan]

The Dreamer


Ernesto Diaz


When you look at Ernesto Diaz one of the last things you think about is baseball pitcher. Standing 5 foot 8 inches tall and packing on 215 pounds of muscle running back or weight lifter come to mind first.


Diaz, only 19 years old, is the son California missionaries who worked in Mexico. Born in Villahermosa, Tabasco, a state capitol and tourist area situated close to the Yucatan, the thought of playing professional baseball seemed a far off dream. His parents moved back to California when he was just 5 and he spent the rest of his youth in Santa Cruz, in northern California. Diaz attended Monte Vista Christian school an small, elite private school with a weak baseball reputation. He took to baseball at an early age, and his achievements on the diamond came fast. He excelled in school and on the field, putting in extra hours, but doing it on his own, never as a part of the team.


Diaz was blessed with command and a heavy sinker and cutter. By his senior year his fastball was in the low 90's, but it was the junk that batters hated. He started 16 games his senior year, and his record was 12-0. Posting a 1.33 ERA in 129 innings of work , striking out 153, walking only 13. Excitement lead to disappointment as Ernesto was bypassed in the MLB draft. In fact, no team even approached him to sign at all.


Eventually Ernesto was approached by an independent league based on the West Coast called Golden Baseball League. They made him an offer to be part of the amateur selection process for filling their teams. The pay wouldn't be much, but he would be playing baseball. He was the #1 selection of the Tijuana Cimarrones in 2011 and quickly became rated as the #1 prospect in all of the GBL.


He slotted right in as the #1 starter on the team and dominated his way to a 12-1 record in 21 starts. He lead in nearly ever pitching category on the team and was selected to the All-Star team. Tijuana ended up 63-25 and were favored in the playoffs. But they would fall to Edmonton in the championship.


Diaz earned $4,500 last year, and stands to make the same this year. Living in the area hasn't been a hard adjustment. He is still relatively close to home and his he speaks Spanish very well. He is hoping that his success continues and that Major League Baseball is in his future. He is the Dreamer.

[PilotMan]

The Long Shot


Manny Moreno


Somewhere in between the pressures of baseball stardom and the dreams of baseball glory you will find Manny Moreno. Moreno was drafted in the 4^th round by the LA Dodgers in 2010 and signed a very lucrative $420,000 signing bonus. More money than he was likely to earn outside of baseball in 10 years. But by the fall of 2011, the Dodgers had seen enough of young Manny, and cut him loose. He is the Long Shot.


Moreno was born across the bay from San Juan in Catano, Puerto Rico. Manny moved to Alabama early in high school. Playing baseball in Puerto Rico is practically religion and Moreno was a school yard god. Bigger than most of the boys he was gifted a hard fastball and a good splitter. It was effortless.


Moreno transferred to Lowndes Academy in Lowndesboro, Alabama when his parents relocated. The change of scenery was good. His schooling took some getting used to, but it was the baseball that he loved the most. Tipping the scales at 6'2” and 200 pounds his fastball was a freight train for high schoolers. He finished his senior year with a 6-3 record in 12 starts and a 2.19 ERA. Throwing 95 innings, striking out 108 batters. Manny was also an accomplished hitter batting .417, hitting 3 HR's and stealing 17 bases in only 7 games.


There wasn't a better feeling in the world for a small town kid from Puerto Rico to get paid that kind of money and be drafted by the LA Dodgers. He started 11 games in rookie ball between Ogden and the AZL Dodgers, posting a 2-5 record with a 3.33 ERA in 81 innings. His 2011 campaign started back in rookie ball where his lack of development was obviously a concern. Baseball had always come easy and now his dedication was being put to the test.


Another complete year in rookie ball and a 2-5 record with a 2.99 ERA in 84 innings. He got one start at Inland Empire (A) where he was shelled in one start giving up 7 in just over 6 innings. That was it. Something was wrong and the Dodgers were done with him. Instead of waiting around for another job he signed on with the first team that made him an offer.


Moreno traveled way up north to Gary, Indiana where he quickly joined the Gary Southshore RailCats of the independent Northern League. He made 4 starts in September, posting a a 1-1 record with a 6.23 ERA. His control was flagging walking 16 in 26 innings. But he was also the youngest kid on the team. At the start of the season he is projected as the #2 starter for the team. Moreno was also chosen as the #1 prospect in the Northern League. His salary only $4,500 for the year, that's a far cry from the 450k that he was paid when he joined the Dodgers. Only the Long Shot knows for sure if he can make the adjustments he needs in Gary and make it back to The Show.

[PilotMan]

With baseball season closing in, I have a tendency to get the itch rather early. I am playing OOTP 11, using a mod that features a damn near complete baseball world. The mod started in 2010 and I simmed ahead until 2012.

I looked hard to find some young, interesting fictional players that I could focus on. So often I find myself lost in the minutiae of the world and I want to tell all of it. Instead of that I picked these 3 players to follow.

I have no idea how their lives are going to fill out. With some luck, it will turn into an interesting and entertaining read.

[kingfc22]

Love the intro and looking forward to seeing what happens.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Love the intro and looking forward to seeing what happens.

Thanks kingfc, me too!



June 2012

The Millionaire


Washington started the year in Fredrick playing SS. Washington does have the skills to play really any of the IF positions, and this was the position that he played in high school. After 25 games he was hitting .306 with 4 HR and 16 RBI. Opening day he went 3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, and he had a 4-6, 1HR, 3RBI game in the middle of the month. The Orioles transferred him to the Delmarvia team in the first part of May.


He's been in a bit of a slump since the move, hitting .203 with 0 HR, and 1 RBI in 19 games. Delmarvia also moved him to 3B since he came over. Last game he was playing in Savannah and got into it with the umpire over a called third strike in the 3^rd innning. The ump tossed him and he went on a rampage that got him on Sportcenter for all the wrong reasons. The league suspended him for 6 games. Yeah, I'm sure the Orioles are proud of that!









The Dreamer


Ernesto Diaz has made 2 starts as the GBL starts later than the MLB. He is 0-2 with a 4.61. He hasn't been bad though, his WHIP is only 1.17 and opponents are only hitting .231 against him.






The Long Shot


Manny Moreno has made 1 start in this early season for Gary. He lost the game but pitched a complete game, allowing 2 unearned runs, walking 5, striking out 4. Opponents only hit .133 in the game.

Not really sure why Diaz's jersey is messed up but I'm not that worried about it.

[PilotMan]

August 2012

The Millionaire


The time off was good for Bullet Jack as he responded from his suspension with a great run of offense. Washington became a fixture in the Delmarvia offense hitting .307 with 6 HR and 38 RBI's. Just after the 4^th of July Washington suffered a slight abdominal injury that kept him out for the better part of two weeks.


The Orioles made a couple of pretty major moves in July, both potentially affect Washington's path to the majors. First off, the Orioles sent promising starter Brad Bergesen to the Washington Nationals for All-Star first basemen Justin Morneau. That move paved the way for the next deal that sent the team's top 1B prospect Elvin Polanco to the Phillies for closer Bobby Jenks. Polanco had been killing the ball in AAA, but the addition of Morneau made moving him to pick up the closer a smart deal. The Orioles are in first place in the East. A game and a half up on Red Sox and 3 up on the Yankees.


About that same time Washington got the call to pack his bags and head to Bowie, Maryland. Bowie is the home of the Orioles AA club, the Bowie Bay Sox. Just outside of Baltimore, and again only 2 hours from his hometown. Washington has been hitting 5^th and playing 3^rd for the Bay Sox. In his 3 games he is 3-7. A nice start to a new level.


So far so good for The Millionaire.






The Dreamer


Ernesto Diaz has slipped to the #3 spot in the rotation, but he is still much younger than the other pitchers on the team (41-year old Bronswell Patrick is the oldest.) His numbers are solid, 4-6 with a 3.57 ERA. He has thrown 2 complete games in 12 starts and his BB/K ratio is much better this year than it was last year.


Tijuana is currently in second place in their division, 5 games behind the Hawaiian team and in danger of not repeating their playoff run from last year. The playoffs begin in one month.

The Long Shot


What goes up most certainly comes down, and it's never quite sure just where it will end at. Manny Moreno, the #1 prospect in the Northern League, has pitched well enough for the Gary South Shore RailCats, but that hasn't kept him from being on the outs with the team.


Moreno is 1-2 in 5 starts this year with an ERA of 3.22 in 36 innings. He was set to anchor the starting rotation, but his attitude may have done him in. Moreno was exiled to the reserve roster for the team, and would love to be brought back in bullpen. But for now he is going to have to train, and watch from the stands.

[rjolley]

I'm following along. Moreno is playing for my hometown team, so I hope he does well.

[PilotMan]

October 2012


The Millionaire


John Washington, for now, is living up to the hype. Nearing the completion of the season he has seen steady progress as he made his way up the minor league ladder.


His season in Bowie didn't last long either. Playing there until late in August, Bullet Jack started 29 games at 3^rd base, batted .288 with 2 HR, and 17 RBI. There was excitement and rumors abounding. Everyone knew that roster expansion was coming. A guy in Washington's position, having been a former first round pick, gets looked at quite a lot. With one week left until then Washington packed his bags again. This time he headed to Norfolk, home of the Orioles AAA baseball club.


There was only 4 games left in the season when he got to Norfolk, and he started every one. With 3 of those at 1B, which was better for him to heal his slightly swollen ankle. He managed only 3 hits, but got on base regularly. After that, the season was over.....in the minors.


The Millionaire got the call to The Show. His debut came on September 7^th, in a game where the Orioles lost their starting SS, and Washington was called on to replace him. He would play rarely in September but on the 23^rd, leading off the top of the 5^th inning, on a 2-0 count against Clay Bucholtz, John Washington would get his first major league hit. It's the only hit he has gotten, but a new the $400,000 salary, plus the perks of the major league, it won't bother him too much. All of his playing time has been at SS.


In that time, the Orioles were going backward. From first place at the trade deadline to last place at the end of September. Ten and a half games behind the Yankees and nearly as far behind in the wild card, they have no hope to make the playoffs. Washington is currently situated as the #1 backup behind Morneau, a place that he may hold for a long time. He is also getting a start every 7^th game at SS. He's feeling good about his life heading into the offseason.






The Dreamer


Tijuana finished the season in 3^rd place with a 43-45 record. Pitching was a weakness for the Cimmarones, and Diaz did not have anywhere near the same result that he had the previous year.


Diaz pitched 121 innings, and posted a record of 5-10 with a 4.67 ERA. His WHIP was a career worst 1.48 and opponents batted .279 against him. So a decision was in front of him. The team had put an offer to extend his deal in the GBL for another year, or he could take his chances on something else coming up.


The pros were weighed. The cons were weighed. A $4,500 salary doesn't pay all of the bills, and even some of the other independent leagues pay better than that. Some pay worse too.


He decided to take a chance and let his contract expire. He didn't have to wait long to find another home. The Toronto Blue Jays came calling and Diaz jumped at the chance to sign with a Major League club. The club sent him to Dunedin, Florida, a class-A team a long way from Tijuana and California.


So the long offseason begins for The Dreamer. Big changes are on the horizon for him and next year could be the start of a new life for him.






The Long Shot


Manny Moreno was on the outs with Gary by the end of July, but has since returned to the playing roster. The RailCats finished in 6^th place with a record of 44-52. Moreno finished the season as the #5 starter on the RailCats, although he would be much happier if he was coming out of the 'pen.


Moreno only started 10 games this year, posting a 2-4 record with a very good 3.76 ERA. He was disappointed only getting 67 innings of work. His WHIP was a rough 1.51. It was his control that was a source of contention this season.

The filing deadline for free agents in the Northern League is next week. His options are on the table.

[BYU 14]

Good Stuff PM, following along.

[PilotMan]

April 2013, the start of the new season.


The Millionaire


Coming off of a season of high expectations where he came through with flying colors. The Millionaire has raised some high goals for himself. Once you get the taste of The Show, it's hard to want anything less.


For now, he has earned a place on the Orioles 40-man roster, but not on the team. Washington will start the year playing for AAA Norfolk. He had a good spring hitting 5-18 with a HR and a .816 OPS, but he is just too far down the depth chart of the team. In his mind though, he is an Oriole, and that is where he deserves to play. Plus, he gets another year of being a top prospect in the majors. Baseball America picked Bullet Jack as the #2 prospect in the league. The third year in a row that he has been, 1, 2, or 3.


First base is his best position, but for now that is filled with Justin Morneau is in his prime but the O's are his 5^th team in 3 years. Backing him up is Josh Bell, not only a 2011 and 2012 All Star, but the 2011 AL ROY. Bell lost his starting job at 3^rd to Chris Davis, another 2012 All Star who had fallen out of favor with the Rays and was claimed off waivers by the O's.


That pretty much only leaves 2^nd base and SS. Second is held down by the aging Brian Roberts, a 3-time All Star in his own right. SS is Todd Frazier. Frazier hasn't started full time since 2011 with the Reds and Pirates. He was a bench player for the Royals last year. Backing them both up is Justin Turner, and utility infielder who has bounced from Norfolk and Baltimore and has 1 option year left.


In Norfolk, Washington is playing 3^rd but you have to look at the other guys and see who has the best chance at getting the call. At SS, the team has two guys who are both light hitting, defensive wizards. I mean total wizards. First has a 27-year old who could be in the Majors as well. He was only the International League (AAA) MVP last year. Second has Tyler Green, who spent the last 2 years starting at SS for the Orioles. He still has one option year left too, so you have to think he gets the call before Washington does.


SS looks to be the best chance for Washington to break in with the team. His pedigree is also starting to show with the team. He was known as a workhorse and a real team player, and is considered a very strong leadership presence in the locker room. Still while Washington thinks he ought to be in the majors, he is only hitting 7^th for the Tides. And AAA is a long way from A ball where he started last year.







The Dreamer


Ernesto Diaz spent the offseason preparing for his first year with a Major League ball club. The Blue Jays had assigned him to class A Dunedin, but he has now been moved to start the year with class A, Lansing in the Midwest league.


Diaz had a great offseason. If you can believe it, he put on another 5 lbs and now tips the scales at 220. He added a couple MPH on his pitches, but the big question this year will be his control. His three best pitches are the sinker, cutter and forkball. He also features a slider and a below average changeup. All his pitches have really good movement, but can he hit the strikezone when he needs too? With his assortment of pitches he gets about 75% of his outs via groundball. A phenomenally high number for a starter. He really needs a good infield behind him.


Diaz is a long way from being ready to move up, but he is projected as the #1 starter with the Lugnuts.


The Long Shot


The choice was there. Resign with the RailCats, or take his talented but underachieving butt somewhere else? Manny Moreno considered his choices and resigned for the RailCats. One year, $4,500 for Moreno, and hopefully a chance to prove that he can be as good as he once thought that he was.


Moreno is going to start the season as the team's #4 starting pitcher. His offseason development wasn't bad. He is a standard 4-pitch pitcher, with his fastball being evenly used with his changeup and splitter. He also features a curveball, but that is still progressing. His control seems to be a bit sharper and his overall development looks better too. Again like last year, Moreno is considered the top prospect in the Northern League.


He will be working with pitching coach Jamie Bennett, a 40-year old coach with 16 years of experience. He isn't considered anything special as coaches go, so Manny is going have to work hard on his own.


Ahead of Moreno for now is the expected ace of the staff, former major league pitcher, Virgil Vasquez. Vasquez has been a career minor league pitcher for the most part. Although he did spend some time with the Pirates back in '09 as a spot starter. He spent the last 2 years playing in the Atlantic league for 2 different clubs. He averaged 170 IP, had a 26-9 record and a ERA around 2.60.


The other two pitchers were with the club last year. Manny is still the youngest player on the team so he has some time before he will be considered a minor league washout.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by rjolley

I'm following along. Moreno is playing for my hometown team, so I hope he does well.

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Good Stuff PM, following along.

Thanks guys, hope you enjoy it!

[PilotMan]

June 2013


The Millionaire


As much as last year was a time of growth for young John Washington, this year could be just the same. Only in the other direction. Washington came out of the gate a little slow. After a month he was hitting .202, with 3 HR and 13 RBI. His OPB was a low .296. In the field he was solid at 3^rd. One error in 59 total chances.


It didn't take long for the call to come though. He would be making a return trip to Bowie and take over the 3^rd base duties there. So the rest of May he played in Bowie. But he's only hitting .198 with 0 HR's and 10 RBI's. He is getting on base better though with 29 walks in 27 games.


It's tough to say how things are going to go from here. That's a pretty long slump for anyone to endure, and a player of his quality can't stay down for much longer. At least that is what he would like to think.







The stadium where the Bay Sox play is called Prince George's Stadium. It seats 10,000 people.



The Dreamer


The Blue Jays have been moving Diaz back and forth between Dunedin and Lansing. Seeing as how Diaz is more used to the head I'm sure that Dunedin would be more like home. I can't see Lansing being the place that young, California baseball players are dying to go.


The Dreamer is getting plenty of playing time. He already has 10 starts, 5 on each team. He has thrown 70 innings, posted a 4-3 record, with a 3.21 ERA. He has allowed 1 HR in those 70 innings which is his M.O as a groundball pitcher.


He is currently in Lansing, where he is still the #1 pitcher on the team. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are the Blue Jays AA squad. No question he is pitching quality innings in A ball. Could AA be far off?


The Long Shot


The Northern League starts at the end of May so the team has only been playing for a couple of weeks. The Long Shot, coming back to Gary after an up and down year. So far so good this year with Morris. After a couple starts he is 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA. He has 12 K's in 13 innings of work. Opponents are have only hit .164 against him.


On a side note about Gary. Gary, Indiana must be the place where old, left-handed first basemen go to play! First off is Randall Simon. He is now 38. The former big league ball player spent time in Rockford, York, and was actually a teammate of The Dreamer, Ernesto Diaz in Tijuana. In Tijuana he won the Gold Glove at first, was an All-Star and won the MVP in 2011! Next is Aubrey Huff. Huff is now 36 and splits time at first and DH. His last year in the Bigs was 2011 with the Diamondbacks and Cubs. Since then he played in the Atlantic League with Newark. Last is 15-year Chiba Lotte vet and 37 year old, left-handed hitting first basemen Kazuya Fukuura. Fukuura was a career .290 hitter with over 1700 career hits at Chiba Lotte.

[PilotMan]

August 2013


The Millionaire


John Washington is a consummate professional. This has not been the year of his dreams by any stretch of the imagination, but he is such a team player and leader that no matter where he ends up at he puts his own desires on the shelf and dives right into the team.


If you have even spent any time on the road you can appreciate what a baseball player goes through. It's a non-stop travel extravaganza where rest is never quite right until you crawl into your own bed. What happens when your home keeps moving? John Washington knows. He knows it sucks.


Washington fully expected Bowie to be his last stop on the way down. He played 60 games at the class – AA team, playing mostly at third, and a few games at first. Hitting .255 with 2 HR's and 20 RBI's. He got on base consistently with 56 walks in those 60 games resulting in a .426 OBP. It wasn't enough though, on July 10^th he got his walking papers to Delmarva, and then he was sent to low-A Aberdeen, and then he was sent back to Delmarva, and then he went to Fredrick. It's enough to make your head spin. Aberdeen is a long way away from Baltimore. Quite the humbling experience.


Yet, the Millionaire pushes on. His numbers have been solid, but not what you would expect from a guy with his first major league hit under his belt. So he finds himself back in A ball with another big ladder to climb. One month until the end of the minor league season and September call-ups. I would think that at his age he might get passed on this year, but who knows.






Harry Grove Stadium where the Fredrick Keys play ball.



The Dreamer


Ernesto Diaz has been a solid reliable starter for Lansing over the past couple of months. Still the ace of the staff Diaz leads the team with 17 starts, 13 of which have been quality starts, including 2 complete games and a shutout. His record of 7-5 isn't that hot but he is only getting 3.71 runs of support vs. his 3.38 ERA in his starts. So he's really having quite a solid year.


His 150 innings of work are a career high, the same with his 116 K's. Diaz was also selected to the Midwest League All-Star team, pitching one perfect inning. Over the last month though he has had a couple of rough outings. On July 6^th he was roughed up for 8 runs in 4 1/3. On July 15^th he lasted 3 2/3 innings giving up 6 runs, and on the 31^st he only made it 2 1/3, giving up 5 runs. That accounts for 3 of his 4 non-quality starts right there.


The Lugnuts are currently in 3^rd place with a 50-52 record. They are a whopping 21 games behind Ft. Wayne (71-31).


Diaz isn't much of a clubhouse guy. He doesn't go out, doesn't rock the boat, doesn't lead. But what he does do is work hard, study the game, and push himself as hard as he can. His biggest challenge has been trying to find good Mexican food in Lansing.


The Long Shot


When Gary signed the former Los Angeles Dodger pitcher they knew they were getting a talented player, but what they weren't sure of, was whether or not he was a head case who would be able to keep it all together. Last year was the first test and it didn't pan out so well. It's a good thing that they stuck with him though, because he has been paying back in spades this year.


The RailCats are in second place, the lead in the wild card that would get them to the playoffs, and they have done it with the #1 pitching staff in the Norther League. Morris Moreno has been a big, big part of that.


He leads the league in wins, with 9. He is second in ERA with a 2.61. He is currently the consensus #2 in the Top Pitcher award, behind his teammate Virgil Vasquez. Vasquez has been another smart move by the RailCats. He is currently 6-3 with a 2.27 ERA, and a 0.92 WHIP in 100 innings of work.


Moreno's control has been up and down, nearly 40 walks in 93 innings, but when he only has allowed 66 hits, he can still dominate. Opponents have only hit .194 against him this year, and even his BAIP is a miniscule .217. Gary has moved Moreno up to the #2 starting role on the team, and he has a good month of playing time left. With some luck he will lead the team into the playoffs.

[Big Six]

I'm really enjoying this, PilotMan. I've seen several games in all the stadiums John Washington has visited along his route to Baltimore (and back), so it's especially fun to follow his progress.

[kingfc22]

Interesting to see what happens next for The Millionaire.

[PilotMan]

October 2013


The Millionaire


Right now, John Washington is sitting at home. This was one of those character building years for the young ball player, and after the thrill of last fall, this must be a bitter disappointment. Right now, home is a long way from getting your first major league hit. I think that Washington was still holding out hope that he would get the call when the rosters expanded, but given the way his season ended up, his age, and that he lost an option year last year, it's probably for the best that he just pack it in this year and hope for the spring.


He missed the last couple weeks of the year with some shoulder soreness, and again he was back with Delmarva in Class A ball. Here is the breakdown of how his 2013 season played out:


Low A Aberdeen – 9 games, played 1B (1E in 100 TC), .300, 2HR, 10 RBI, .349 OBP, .550 SLG
A Delmarva – 10 games, 3B - 9 games (0E/24 TC), 1B – 1G (0E/4 TC), .286, 1HR, 5 RBI, .317 OBP, .400 SLG
A Fredrick – 15 games, SS – 13G (0E/53 TC), 1B – 2G (0E/16 TC), .315, 2HR, 12 RBI, .500 OBP, .463 SLG
AA Bowie – 60 games, 3B – 52G (5E/ 141 TC), 1B – 8G (0E/58 TC), .255, 2HR, 20 RBI, .426 OBP, .355 SLG
AAA Norfolk – 25 games, 3B – 25G (1E/59 TC), .202, 3HR, 13 RBI, .296 OBP, .383 SLG


He played the bulk of his games at third, and he did a damn fine job of it. In fact, he was solid at all 3 positions that he played. Offensively, he clearly excelled more at the lower levels, and he got on base regularly too. It was the real struggle that he had in Norfolk, and the not so great hitting numbers in Bowie that really did him in.


I don't think that anyone is worried that he is suddenly a bust, but when you catch a glimpse of the future and then have it taken away just as fast it can cause your spirit to crack. Just a little.



Ahh, minor league baseball.

The Dreamer


Ernesto Diaz is sitting at home too, but for a totally different reason. Yes, this year he was in a Major League organization. Yes, he was eligible to be called up. There was a little problem though. On August 23^rd, pitching against Ft Wayne, he suffered a major arm injury and left the game. He didn't return the rest of the year. The official diagnosis was a fractured elbow (guessing he got hit by a batted ball).


While we are talking about getting hit. Diaz is a wicked groundball pitcher. In one game he faced 32 batters and recorded 17 GB outs. In another, he recorded 13 GB outs against 1 FB out. He does have one major flaw there. He is a pathetic fielder. In 42 total chances all year he committed 7 errors. I guess when you are built like a body builder flexibility and grace just go completely out the window.


Diaz did put the cap on a successful year though. He started in Dunedin, but finished in Lansing. The Blue Jays were nice to let him stay there for the bulk of the year. He was selected to the All Star game. He led the team in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. While he wasn't among the league leaders in those categories, they were still solid.


Lansing finished the year in 3^rd in their division. Two games under .500, and 25.5 games back.


Diaz posted career highs in innings, games started, strikeouts and so on. Here is what his final line looked like this year:


12-7, 3.25 ERA, 27 GP, 26 GS, 177 IP, 181 H, 7 HR, 51 BB, 135 K, 1.31 WHIP, .261 OAVG


He will be back at 100% when the spring rolls around, provided the Blue Jays keep him. Given those numbers he should be back, but you never can tell with these teams.



Yep, It's broken.

The Long Shot


Manny Moreno stumbled a little toward the finish line but still had a very good year. Along with Moreno stumbling, the Gary SouthShore RailCats did too. The RailCats finished in 3^rd with a 53-43 record, but 2 games behind the Winnipeg Goldeyes, who interestingly enough went on the win the Northern League.


Moreno also finished #3 in the rotation, but it wasn't because of his performance. The RailCats signed former Mexican League All Star Juan Delgadillo at the end of the year. He promptly went out, pitched 14 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. The RailCats certainly look around for talent.


Here is how the 2013 season came to a close for the Long Shot.


10-8, 3.12 ERA, 20 G, 20 GS, 141.1 IP, 116 H, 13 HR, 60 BB, 97 K's, 1.25 WHIP, .221 OAVG


Moreno is possibly a free agent again this year. He put together a nice year at an independent league. Will it be enough for him to get on with a Major League team? If not, will he consider going overseas to play ball and make money? Will he be back with the RailCats for a 3^rd season?



Baseball in Asia couldn't be ALL bad, right?

[Young Drachma]

Shaping up to be a nice story here.

[PilotMan]

Thanks for the encouraging words guys!

Quick End-of-Season Review


The New York Mets are the 2013 World Series Champions. They beat the Boston Red Sox in 6 games in a rematch of the 1986 Series. They did it by winning the Wild Card, then beating the Pirates, Rockies and finally the Red Sox.


The team was not a great one, but, well they won didn't they. They were lead by an offense that was 5^th in runs scored, but 8^th in AVG. The pitching was terrible. They were 11^th in ERA and 15th in runs allowed. While their numbers were pretty poor for a champion, the players were not.


The Mets top 5 highest paid players were Greinke, Jason Bay, Matt Kemp, Rafael Soriano, and Josh Beckett. They had 2 players who batted over .280 (Jemile Weeks .298, Josh Thole .281), 1 player with at least 20 HR's (Bay, 21), and no players with even 80 RBI's. Bay played hurt, Kemp played horrible, and Soriano ended up on the DL, so this team had to play through a lot of adversity.



As for pitching, Stephen Stasburg was the best until he pinched a nerve and missed the last half of the year (12-4, 2.90). Greinke (15-11, 4.12) and Beckett (13-14, 4.58) looked awesome on paper but were really only just a smidgen above average.


The Red Sox were also a wild card team. The Red Sox have paid big money for foreign stars in the past and this last off season the Sox did it again. The Red Sox pulled in a second baseman by the name Seiichi Uchikawa. Uchikawa played for the Yokohama Bay Stars for 12 years. In that time he batted .323 with over 1300 career hits, and 124 HR's. He was selected to the last 3 All-Star games, and just before coming over to the US, he won the award given to the MVP in Japan. His previous contract was 1.1M. His new contract with the Sox was a 3 year deal worth 73.5M. Cha-fucking-Ching!


Uchikawa did not disappoint. He posted career highs in AB's (591), hits (203), doubles (40), homeruns (23), RBI's (111) and runs scored (103). He lead the Red Sox in AVG hitting .343, and he has to be a shoo-in for ROY.


Alright, enough of that. We have an off-season to get through.

[PilotMan]

April 2014, The Start of another year.


The Millionaire


If there was anything to learn from last year for John Washington it's that perseverance pays off in the end. Another off season of hard work and effort for the bonus baby and another year where the experts at Baseball America voted him as a top 10 prospect in baseball. This year though, only #8, but out of literally hundreds of ball players the weight of the world could be squarely on his shoulders. The expectations of a franchise too, and the calls on talk radio whisper about maybe this being the year the The Bullet Jack breaks out and call Baltimore home for good.


At the tender age of 22 the scouts say he could probably hold a roster spot, but the Orioles are in no rush to hurry the young man into playing time. They aren't giving up on him yet.


This spring, Washington batted .276 and showed better plate discipline, getting on base over 40% of the time. That success prompted the club to again start him with the Norfolk Tides of the International League. They intend to start him at 3B again, the position that he has been playing the most lately. They also have him batting 5^th in the lineup.


The Orioles still have some good players ahead of him in Baltimore. First and third are still held down by lefty sluggers Morneau and Davis. Second base was filled via a deadline deal last year that brought Chinese second baseman Chin-Sheng Lin over from the White Sox for a couple of minor leaguers. Lin won a Gold Glove at second in 2012, but more than that, he found some measure of superstar inside and had a huge, breakout year hitting .339 with 32 HR and 107 RBI between both clubs last year. Sheng has 2 years left on his deal with a player option for a third, so it doesn't look like second will be opening anytime soon. Davis will be eligible for arbitration in the off season, and Morneau would be a free agent. Short stop is filled by Chris Valaika, who was a Reds prospect who was traded to St Louis and started there for 2 years before being aquired by the Orioles last year for their AAA first base prospect Brandon Waring. The Orioles still own his rights for at least one more year.


Behind those starters are utility guys Todd Frazier and Justin Turner. Turner is a homegrown Orioles player who hasn't broken into a starting job, but hits .272. Frazier was a big prospect at one point for the Reds, but 3 trades and 4 teams later he's still trying for that starting job, despite having .270/15/70 potential.


Since Washington failed to make The Show last year he lost his big league contract, but I'm sure that he can still sleep comfortably at night. He is The Millionaire after all.






Harbor Park is the home of the Norfolk Tides.



The Dreamer


Dream big and realize your greatest desires could be something that you might find on a fortune cookie but for Ernesto Diaz it might be the mantra for his baseball career. Diaz had another solid year last year, his first with a major league club, and he again added weight in the off season. Tipping the scales at a rock solid 225 now he looks really short on the mound. He doesn't even through a fastball, it's all junk. Junk that moves. Heavy, heavy junk. His cutter regularly hits 95 MPH, and it only serves to make his sinker look deadly.


Scouts overall are still not sold on this short, thickset player, but the numbers don't lie so far. He shows some solid potential, and at 21 still has a few years of maturity to work on. He is one of the hardest workers on the field and is really easy to get along with. He isn't a leader exactly but he is a student of the game and someone that can be a quiet force in the clubhouse.


The Blue Jays have decided to let Diaz start the year at AA New Hampshire. He is planned as the #1 starter for the club, and the youngest pitcher on the roster. The player on the team with the most big league experience is Kelvin De la Cruz. Cruz is out of option years, having been up for 3 cups with the Jays. His 0-3 record and 7.07 ERA are the most likely reason he didn't get the chance to stay there.


Double A seems to be a great step for Diaz, and it might still seem like he has a long way to go, but it's really the dividing line between development and prospect. These guys all have great skill, but here is where some guys make it into something more and others fall. One more step and he is knocking on the door to his dreams, but first he has to give the scouts a reason to change their minds about how good he is and how good he could possibly be.






The Long Shot


We know that the long road back to the top sometimes takes you to places you never expected to go, and Morris Moreno really gets that. Gary, Indiana probably wasn't on his road map to success. Instead it was probably straight to Los Angeles where he would follow in Kershaw's footsteps of pitching dominance at such a young age. Moreno didn't take long to make his decision. He left Gary in the rear view mirror and packed his bags for better opportunities.


Those opportunities took him over the water to Asia. To Japan to be more exact. It wasn't for the money that much is clear. His minor league deal isn't going to pay him very much at all, but the chance to make it to some pro league somewhere where the pay might be more than $50,000 a year needed to go here. The MLB wasn't ready to bring him back, but Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters were willing to.


The Fighters have former MLB players Miguel Olivo (Catcher), Javy Guerra (P), and Pat Misch (P). They are also the team of Yu Darvish who won the 2010 and 2011 Outstanding Pitcher Award. Moreno is playing for the Fighters AAA squad the Kamayaga Fighters, and he is currently the #2 pitcher on the team.


Moreno spent his winter break adding some velocity and regularly hitting 95 on the gun. His pitches look a little meaner too. The other thing is he worked really hard on a 4^th pitch. He has been primarily a fastball/curve/splitter, but from his work this year his changeup has become fearsome. His new complement of pitches might just be what it takes to get things really going this year.


The NPB started playing games for real a few weeks ago so Moreno has already gotten a taste of Japan and how the season is going to go. In 2 starts, Moreno is 0-2, but don't let that fool you, Moreno has been solid in 2 starts. The team as a whole is 0-8 and nobody is happy about that, especially the 21 year old pitcher who has already thrown a 17.2 innings and only given up 2 earned runs. His WHIP is a 0.91 and opponents batting average are only .177. If he keeps this up he is going to have a very nice year, provided his team can find some runs to support him with.


The Long Shot takes one more step towards the improbability of returning to Major League Baseball. So far, this is a good second step.

[PilotMan]

June 2014


The Millionaire


Just as the season was beginning it was put on hold. Not one week into the season and the Millionaire is put on the shelf to let a broken hand heal. That kept him out until the middle of May, and then some elbow tenderness hindered his performance. Still, he didn't let off the gas too much moving up the batting order to #3 and starting to see some playing time at first base. His more natural position.


The Orioles brought him up for just a couple of days to cover a roster spot, and then he was sent back. Doesn't sound like much, but it burns another option year on his contract for this year. That means, that as long as he keeps playing well his chances of seeing more pro time, especially at roster expansion look good for this year.


Ultimately, it also means, that once he is out of option year, and the club decides to force him to clear waivers he may end up with another team, or start that slow road to being a marginal ballplayer.


When he has played he has been effective. All of his time has been at the corners and he hasn't made an error yet this year. He's batting a solid .303 with 1 HR and 10 RBI's. He has shown some growth at the plate, more discipline, better judgment. Washington has helped the team into first place but he's missed over half the team's games so far.




Broken hand put the brakes on the start of the season for Bullet Jack.



The Dreamer


Diaz started the year in New Hampshire and it was a rough start. However, he soon found his groove to the tune of 4 complete games and 2 shutouts in his next 8 starts. He's still keeping the ball down and getting plenty of strikeouts. Over 10 starts his record was 5-1 with 71 innings of work and 59 K's.


His last game with New Hampshire was on the 19^th of May, after a 6-2 win over Harrisburgh. He packed his bags and headed back out west. West to Las Vegas to be exact. Vegas is the AAA home of the 51's and the top minor league team of the Blue Jays. Diaz has already taken over the top spot in the rotation.


In his 2 starts with the 51's he's 0-2. But his performance hasn't been bad. He lost the first one 5-2 and the next 4-1.


The Jays brought him up for 3 days to fill a roster spot and sent him back to Las Vegas last week. That puts him just a stone's throw from the majors right now, and a $400,000 salary for the year. That is a huge payoff, but his first Major League game will be the bigger deal.


The Blue Jays aren't burning the house down and neither is their staff. The starters have an ERA of nearly 5. The team is lead by ace Doug Fister (30 yo, waiver claim from Seattle, 10-15 career record), Henderson Alvarez (24 yo, homegrown prospect, 33-28 career record), Erik Bedard (35 yo, played in Japan last year, 90-92 career record), Hector Rondon (26 yo, former Indians prospect acquired in trade, 24-34 career record), and Scott Elbert (28 yo, waiver claim from the Dodgers, 20-24 career record).


Certainly plenty of room for improvement, and if Diaz keeps playing at a high level he might see his first big league innings this year.





Las Vegas 51's logo.


The Long Shot


Manny Moreno went all the way to Japan in the hopes of continuing to rebuild his career, and after a good start he continues to impress. He started 11 games so far this year with a 5-5 record, but posting a 2.83 ERA, and his 2 complete games lead the team. He leads the team in wins, ERA and strikeouts.


Moreno has been lobbying for a shot with the major league club and I'm afraid his frustration is starting to show a little. As long as it doesn't spill into his performance they might start to listen to him. The starters ahead of him aren't deep enough to really keep him down for too long.


The Hokkaido-Nippon pitchers are 3^rd in ERA with a 4.29. The team is lead by team ace Pat Misch (32 yo, 2012-2013 JPL All Star, 30-26 career record), Kyle Cofield (27 yo, former Braves prospect and Arizona League-R Top Pitcher, 5-3 career record), Naoya Okamoto (30 yo, former Mexican League All Star who recently returned to Japan, 25-34 career record), Keisaku Itokazo (29 yo, one time top 10 JPL prospect with Hakkaido-Nippon, actually disliked by fans, 28-34 career record), Yu Darvish (27 yo, 2010-2011 All Star and Outstanding Pitcher in JPL, 127-63 career record). Sounds like the kind of class that the Moreno could fit right in with. You can see that even if he was called up tomorrow he would be the youngest pitcher on the squad by 6 years. He may still need some seasoning.


The Long Shot was recognized as pitcher of the month for April and he was selected to the AAA All Star game. The season is still relatively young with the Fighters finding themselves in 5^th place, but with a 20-24 record.





Hyogo Fighters Stadium, not exactly a field of dreams by ML standards is it?

[PilotMan]

August 2014; The trade deadline


The Millionaire


Following a game in Norfolk on the 12^th of June John Washington was called up to the Orioles. He was called up due to injuries to middle infielders Chris Valaika and Justin Turner. On the 13^th he started at second base and batted 9^th. He got his secon career hit, an RBI and scored a run. That marked a 2-week run with the team that saw most of his game played against National League teams during inter-league play. He started 4 games at second, and 2 at SS. July 8 was the end of his latest stint with the O's.


Over that time he hit .167 in 24 at bats, got his first extra-base hit (a double on a 1-1 pitch from Jason Vargas), and played in 11 games. You can't call that a great success, but it certainly lends itself to a better chance come roster expansion in one month.


It also looks like Washington might be losing the next shot at utility infielder (and possibly 1B after Morneau leaves) with the club. Mychal Givens has been coming up within the club. He started all year at SS for Bowie (.285, 10HR, 60 RBI) last year, and his progress has been enough for the O's to send Brandon Wood (utility IF, career .265 hitter) to the Padres for first base prospect Ryan Wheeler (.295 hitter with a great eye). Between Givens and Wheeler all the infield positions can be covered behind the starters, and those two seem to be favored right now. Of course, Bullet Jack is only 22.


For now he is back in Norfolk, batting 3^rd, and playing 3^rd. His year so far is much better than last year. Even though he has missed a lot of time between the majors and injury he is still #2 on the team in HR, with 10. His batting average is a 3yr-high .288 and would lead the team if he qualified, and with his SLG being near .500, his OPS is .868. Of his 64 hits, 25 have been extra-base, and 37 RBI's are 5^th on the team. One month until the minor league season ends, and he would be available for the ML roster during expansion.





US Navy parachute team jumping over Harbor Park just before a game.



The Dreamer


Las Vegas hasn't been the dream that Diaz had intended. While he is still considered the squad's #1 starter, his numbers have suffered with the step up in competition. He's gotten 12 starts with the new club and pitched 70 innings with a record of 3-6 and an ERA of 5.66. His control has been an issue as he has walked 35 causing his WHIP to soar to 1.60. Additionally, he typically keeps the ball down very well, but he is closing in on his career high for homeruns allowed with 6 in those 70 innings.


The Blue Jays have been forced to shuffle their starters as well. The team lost Fister (8-4, 5.04) for the rest of this year and at least half of next year to an elbow injury. Hector Rondon (1-5, 7.08) broke a rib and he's been out as well, although due to return shortly. Erik Bedard (8-7, 4.46) was dealt to the Marlins for Blake DeWitt, a minor leaguer and a 3 million cash. The Blue Jays went out and aquired Ryan Rowland-Smith (31yo, 5^th team in 5 years, 49-52 career record) who is 1-0 with a 6.64 ERA. The Jays have also called up Travis Wood (27yo, bounced between TOR and LV over the last 4 years, 6-8 career record), and called up former first round pick and top the current #15 prospect in all of MLB, Mike Gyeong-Eun. Eun is only 21 and might be rushed a bit. So far in his 2 stints with the Jays he is 0-6, with a 9.33 ERA. Still a good chance for Diaz to get a look next month.






Cashman Field is the home of the Las Vegas 51's AAA farm club.



The Long Shot


They say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. That chance may have passed for Moreno in the MLB, but in Japan, that was still something that was in the cards. And when you think of first impressions and second chances there isn't too may ways that are better than the impression that The Long Shot left when he took the mound on June 25^th.


He had been cruising right along in AAA, with a 7-6 record and a 2.34 ERA in 107 innings of work. Batters had only managed 77 hits off of him for a .205 BAA. But we have to go back one week earlier in Hokkaido to give you the full story.


On June 15^th Kevin Cofield (6-5, 4.99) started suffering some shoulder problems, and at first it didn't look like a big deal, but upon further review it looks like Cofield is going to miss some extended time. The Fighters called up Javy Guerra (4-2, 2.34 ERA @ Kamayaga), another former MLB player, and player in the Dodgers minor league system. Guerra has been a staple in Japan for 4 seasons now, quality at times, pedestrian others. Fast forward to a week later when the Fighters trade him to the last place Seibu Lions for a player who would become their starting catcher. Once that trade was completed, it opened the door for Moreno to get his shot at major league baseball, at least some form of it.


So June 25^th, Moreno makes his NPB debut against those same Seibu Lions. He got plenty of run support which was something that was missing at Kamayaga. The team scored 10 runs for him, but it was his dominance that night that he will remember the most. He went all 9 innings, allowed 7 hits, 2 runs, and struck out 15 batters. In that one instant he lodged himself into the record books not only as the most K's in one game for a Hokkaido player, but he tied the single game strikeout mark for the Pacific League. He becomes only the 3^rd player to reach that total.


He's madea total of 7 starts this year for Hokkaido, earning him a 3-3 record, but an eye catching 2.43 ERA. The team is going to be without Cofield for the rest of the regular season, and the team is just 4 games back of a playoff spot. There are 7 weeks left in the regular season and that is plenty of time for Moreno to get some more work in. The Fighters currently have him as the #2 starter on the team, pitching right behind team ace, Pat Misch (13-6, 2.11). Misch is earning a cool million this year, while Moreno just got himself a pay raise to 50k by making the ballclub. It's more than 10 times what he was making if he had stayed in Gary playing for the RailCats. So far so good for the Long Shot. Playing in Japan is suiting him just fine.

[PilotMan]

October 2014


The Millionaire




The Orioles are completely out of the playoff race this year. They are a full 9 games above .500, but they reside behind the Red Sox and Rays in the East. The season is over in Norfolk as well. The Tides were worst at 55-89 on the year.


John Washington's year was much better than last year. Here is his line at Norfolk:


.286, 14 HR, 55 RBI, 44/74 BB/K, 332 AB, 3 SB, .370 OBP, .491 SLG


His time ended up being split between first and third with at least 40 games at each position. He was great committing only 6 errors all season long. His skills in the field at the corners especially are far above average. He wouldn't be a liability there at all.


As expected, the Millionaire was called up during September. This year he has already gotten almost 3 times the playing time he did last year. Also, the Orioles have been using him to start regularly at third against lefthanders, and seeing looks at short, and used as a defensive replacement at first.


Washington is still only hitting .227 in 75 AB's, and he is still looking for that elusive first career homerun. He's got 6 doubles, and 7 RBI's. The highlight fo the season came on September 6^th against the Blue Jays. Washington went 2 for 4 with a bases loaded double in the 4^th inning that cleared the bases. That was just a glimpse of his potential. He's not been lighting the world on fire at this point, and given that his year at Norfolk wasn't just over the top dominating, the pundits are starting to wonder if maybe the Millionaire wasn't worth the price they paid for him.





This is Camden Yard, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. When you look back at some of the other parks Washington has played in, this looks really impressive.


The Dreamer




This year, the Dreamer made part of his dreams come true. Ernesto Diaz made his major league debut on September 3^rd in an 8-5 win over the Red Sox. Diaz would have gotten the win, but the bull pen let him down. Now, in all fairness, it wasn't his best outing. He found himself in trouble for most of the game, getting his pitch count up to 120 midway through the 6^th when he was pulled.


His first professional out was recorded against James Loney, who was leading off for the Red Sox. His first strikeout came against Doug Lee in the third. Diaz not only struck out Lee, he struck out the whole side. His final line for the day was:


5.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 121 TP 74 S, 6 GO, 4 FO, 3.38 ERA


Following the game, Diaz took the ball home, numbered it, and put it away for safe keeping. That debut could just be the start for him, but for now, it looks like that's the only taste he is going to get in the majors. The Blue Jays are still auditioning starters with 2 Korean pitchers getting the next look from the team. He's been available to come out of the pen, but with the expanded roster, just hasn't been needed.


He finished up a crappy campaign in Vegas before the call up, finishing with a 5-10 record and a 5.65 ERA. Over the course of the year, across all levels he threw 186 innings with a 10-11 record. He gave up 185 hits, 7 HR, 78 BB, and 125 K's with a 4.55 ERA.


This season has been a huge overall accomplishment for the Dreamer. He is the youngest player on the Blue Jays roster, and although he was marginal for a lot of the year the fact that he is here, his second year a Major League club, and 2 years removed from playing in the independent, Golden League.


I wonder if he'll put on more weight this off-season?







The Long Shot



The other two men had important, career defining years this year, but neither of them can hold a candle to what Manny Moreno was able to do this year. Moreno was a fixture from the day he started with Hakkaido, and he has been a lynchpin for the team, and a big reason why the Fighters won the division, and are in the playoffs.


Moreno finished second on the team with 9 wins, and 3^rd in K's with 111. Not bad for a guy who only played half the year for the Fighters. He was 9-6 with a 2.96 ERA. In his 18 starts he managed to compile 140 innings of work. That's an average start of better than 7 2/3 innings per start. That's quite impressive, and a lot of innings.


Speaking of innings, between Kamayaga and Nippon his total numbers on the year were very impressive:


16-12, 32 GS, 7 CG, 1 SHO, 247.2 IP, 201 H, 18 HR, 83 BB, 198 K, 2.69 ERA


That is some heavy lifting for a 21 yo pitcher and sets the bar very high for next year.





The Sapporo Dome is the home of the Hakkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. It opened in 2001 and hosted 3 World Cup games during the 2002 World Cup.

[kingfc22]

Go Moreno, go!

[PilotMan]

2014 Wrap Up


The Florida Marlins are the World Series champs for the second time in three years, and make their 3^rd appearance in the last 4! As the #3 team in the NL, they knocked off the Cubs, the defending champion Mets, and then took out the returning AL Champion Red Sox in 7 games. Game 7 was a slugfest with the Marlins winning it 10-9 in Boston.


The NL Champions have either been the Mets or Marlins for the last 5 years. The Red Sox were the #2 team in the AL, behind the Twins who won 104 games.


The top players for the Marlins were Hanley Ramirez (.300, 29 HR, 112 RBI, 17SB) and Chris Volstad (11-15, 4.45 ERA, 192 IP, 37 HRA, 156 K, 1.31 WHIP).

The top players for the Red Sox were AL-MVP, Seiichi Uchikawa (.332, 25 HR, 102 RBI) and Clay Buchholz (14-8, 4.10 ERA, 204 IP, 178 K, 1.41 WHIP).


The real story of the postseason though was in Japan. The Long Shot was a big part of the Hakkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters making the playoffs, and in the playoffs he was easily the top pitcher for the team.


The Fighters were in a fight in the first round of the playoffs against Tohku. The pitching staff had let them down and they needed Moreno to win games 2 and 5, while the team went on to win the series 4-3. That sent the Fighters to the championship against the Yomiuri Giants.


Moreno was given the ball for the first game of the series, and he helped the team to 10-8 win. The Fighters dropped the next 3, and Moreno was given the ball in game 5 on the verge of being eliminated. Despite all his magic in the postseason up to this point, he wasn't on in this one and was touched for 3 HR, and 7 ER in 5.2 innings of work. Needless to say, that wasn't enough to get it done and the Fighters were defeated 4 games to 1.


Moreno was great in the postseason though. His final line looked like this:


3-1, 5.14 ERA, 28 IP, 34 H, 6 HR, 9 BB, 21 K, 1.54 WHIP


Knowing that he was really roughed up in the last game, you get an idea of how reliable he was in the rest of the games. In contrast Pat Misch, the team ace, who won 18 games with a 2.25 ERA was only able to go 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in the postseason.

[PilotMan]

Just a note:


Just to flesh out the leagues a little bit, here is a bit more information about the leagues. For the most part players tend to follow the money, but there is some loyalty and I'm sure the desire to stay where a player is successful (at least that's what I tell myself). To give you an idea of the game world, here is how the leagues tend to break down in order from most desirable to least according to the median salary of the top 25 stars in each league.


Major League Baseball - $27,100,000
Nippon Professional Baseball - $2,700,000
Korean Baseball Organization - $487,000
Chinese Professional Baseball - $244,000
Mexican League - $62,000
Atlantic League (Ind) - $45,000
Golden League (Ind) - $37,000
Northern League (Ind) - $36,500
American Association (Ind) - $24,800
Can-Am Association (Ind) - $15,000
United League (Ind) - $1,500
Frontier League (Ind) - $1,200
Continental Baseball (Ind) - $700

[PilotMan]

April 2015; the time of Great Expectations


The Millionaire


John Washington's offseason workout was a vigorous ordeal. Keeping in shape was his primary goal, but also, knowing that the Orioles had an opening at first base and third base, gave him the motivation to work even harder. He managed to keep his 6 foot frame solid, while adding some muscle to his upper body and keeping his fat total low. From a power standpoint, this is the biggest that Washington has looked since he broke into baseball, and at 23 years of age, he is still young, but now nearly 5 years removed from being drafted he believes that it's his time to step up.


The last couple of springs weren't anything to get excited about for Washington. The weight of endlessly being one of the top prospects in baseball (yes, again Baseball America picked him as the #4 prospect in baseball) doesn't seem to be having much impact as well, but you have to wonder how a man with one option year left and little MLB experience to show for that time will approach this year.


So far so good. Washington had a great spring. In 17 games, he batted .371 with 13 hits, 13 RBI and a HR. The team still lists him as a SS, but that may change soon enough. Well, until that injury that he sustained heals that is. What you say? Yes, for Bullet Jack, once again, it's 2 steps forward and one step back. The last week of the spring Washington left a game early after a collision at second base. He left holding his side. It was an oblique injury that the trainers say has a 4-week healing period. So out of commission once again, and another spring of mixed blessings.


The good news though. Washington made the Orioles! They put him on the active roster, and put him on the DL. This is his last option year if things don't go well, it may be the last chance he has, or perhaps he finds himself elsewhere if things don't go right, or maybe he starts to live up to that fantastic potential that he has been blessed with.


Looking ahead the Orioles have had some changes in the starting lineup. Justin Morneau batted cleanup for the last 3 years for Baltimore, but he was not resigned. He still sits as a free agent waiting for the right deal to come along. Third base was manned by Chris Davis who left for the Cleveland Indians in the offseason. The Orioles will start Allan Dykstra at first to start the year. Dykstra, a 3 year starter with the Pirates was an All-Star last year. He's a career .318 hitter with an OBP .403 and a SLG of .495. He is only 27 and set to bat 7^th in the lineup. Chin Sheng-Lin continues to start at second base. They can still expect 20 HR and 80 RBI out of him. He'll bat 5^th to start. Third base also has a new face. Acquired in a winter meeting trade, Ryan Zimmerman was a 3-time Gold Glove winner at third base and an All-Star in '09. The last 2 years he played in Oakland. His productivity has been pretty average, hitting about .265 with 25 HR total over both years. His defense is stellar and he is a clubhouse leader. The last infield position is at short where Chris Valaika still is scheduled to start. His defense is average, his .223 AVG terrible and his 101 K's in 381 AB's doesn't help anyone out.


As for the bench, another new face is set to back up first. Hubert LaFontaine, a Rule 5 pick from the Marlins in the offseason, was a 37^th round pick of the Royals back in 2010. He was the PCL (AAA) MVP last year (.333, 13 HR, 80 RBI), and going back to 2011, the Carolina League (A) MVP then as well. Although is already 27, he has yet to make his major league debut. He is primarily a contact hitter with a career .304 AVG in the minors. The other IF positions are backed up by Nick Noonan. Noonan has been the utility guy for the Giants for the last couple years. Second base is his more natural position, but he can playe 3^rd and SS as well. He's a career .266 hitter with 14 career homeruns in just under 600 at bats.


So the Orioles were very busy, actively trading for new men at the corners, trading for a utility infielder and drafting a 4A type player in the Rule 5 draft. Is there room in there for The Millionaire? Time will tell, as always. But first, injuries must heal.




Probably the only view that the Millionaire is going to see for a month.



The Dreamer


Some springs are good, and some are dreadfully bad. Diaz came back to the Blue Jays camp looking good. There was a lot of talk early on about the improvement of his control and the chances that he might make the club, especially considering how weak the staff was last year. Those discussions were tempered as the spring ran on. Simply put, Diaz struggled.


In 4 starts, he made it 14.2 innings. He gave up 25 hits and 13 ER's. That brought his ERA to 7.98 and his WHIP to nearly 2.00. His 1-3 record can be overlooked as unimportant but his lack of general effectiveness can't. When you add how he struggled at Las Vegas last year you might conclude that he might not be ready for The Show. The Blue Jays management thought the same.


Ernesto Diaz starts the year in Vegas again, but as the ace. The top pitcher at AAA in the organization and possibly the first person called up if there happens to be an opening. He's already making the league minimum and the team has used up his second year of options this year making a call-up all the more likely.


The Jays staff is similar to last year's, but with some promise and no ace. The team is headed by the closest thing, Brett Cecil (28 yo, 2012 All Star, 58-39 career record). Cecil is coming off of an elbow injury where he missed most of the year. Behind him is Henderson Alvarez (24 yo, workhorse, 205 IP last year, 41-38 career record) an inning eater with an ERA of 5.15. Next is Ryan Rowland-Smith (32 yo, well traveled journeyman, Jays are his 5^th ML team, 44-57 career record) who was brought in from the Braves last year. He struggled to a 7.00 ERA in 14 starts with the Jays. Mike Gyeong-Eun (22 yo, former first round pick, #14 prospect in MLB, 2-7 career record) dominated spring training with 38 K's in 22 IP. Many think he is the next big thing. Last is Scott Elbert (29 yo, career high 142 IP last year and 138 K's, 27-29 career record) he bounced from the rotation to the bullpen last year and along with Cecil and Smith is the 3^rd LHP in the rotation. The only other player in the bullpen who might get a start is David Huff (30 yo, 78 starts in 176 GP, Jays are his 4^th team, 23-43 career record) who somehow got a $4.8 Mil contract through arbitration in the offseason.


It doesn't look like it needs to go too deep to get to Diaz. The biggest thing for The Dreamer is being better than he was last year.






Perfect examples of how Diaz spent his spring training.



The Long Shot


Gratitude is defined in the dictionary as the quality of feeling of being grateful or thankful. Reward is defined as something given or received in return of service or merit. After last year, Manny Moreno kind of figured that he had earned at least one of those two things. His pitching helped the Nippon Fighters win the division and it was his pitching that carried them to the Championship. He expectations were such that all through the offseason he was preparing for a full season of baseball in Nippon and looking for a more permanent living situation. The man who had come so far, was rightfully upset when the team sent him packing to Kamayaga, again.


Not only would he not be getting the better contract, with the better pay. Playing in the better stadium where fans would go crazy for him and hopefully MLB scouts would see that they had erred in letting him go. But his hard work over the break would be missed. His pitches were sharper than they had ever been. And his control had made the biggest jump since he left high school.


Yes, he has to bide his time. Show that once again, he can dominate at the AAA level, in the hopes that the team finds an opening in the rotation, a need for a live arm like his. A couple of the pitchers that he is behind are familiar to him and a couple are new. Cutting ahead of him in line like a 3^rd grader going to lunch. Nippon still has Pat Misch (33 yo, 2014 Top Pitcher, 42-31 career record) as the stopper. Number 2, which was held down by Moreno for most of the second half of last year has now been filled by a guy who just may be an even bigger long shot than Moreno himself. Angel Rodriguez (26, earned 24k in the Atlantic League last year, 55-42 career record) at one time was the top prospect in the tiny Frontier League. He has played in the American Association as well as the Atlantic League. The last two years with Lancaster he won 25 games and averaged over 200 IP in just 29 starts. He is under contract to make 446k this year alone. Third is Naoya Okamoto (31 yo, excellent curve and slider, 31-42 career record) he was 8-13 with a 5.02 ERA in his first full year starting with Nippon. Fourth is Kenzaburo Yamaguchi (25 yo, acquired from Hiroshima in the off-season, 26-27 career record) a somewhat lazy pitcher with mediocre pitches. The number 5 starter is Keisaku Itokazu (30 yo, more walks than strikeouts last year, 35-42 career record) who for some reason is universally disliked by the fans. There are 2 players in the bullpen who could see starts this year. One is Yu Darvish (28 yo, exceptionally popular former 2-time pitcher of the year, 130-66 career record) who for some reason can't hold down a full time starting job. And the other is Nobukazu Ono (22 yo, former first round draft pick and top prospect in NPB, 0-1 career record) who is coming off of a major shoulder injury.


It's unclear is that staff will be enough to get the offensively minded Fighters back to the Championship game. One thing is for sure though, the Long Shot still has a lot to prove to other people, even if he thinks he's proven it to himself already.





That Fighters mascot is popular with the girls.

[Icy]

Awesome read, loving it!

[PilotMan]

June 2015


The Millionaire


Injuries heal and sometimes they test the meddle of a man. A young man, coming into the prime of his life should be able to shake off such things. He should know where he came from and he should be able to understand that thess things that test us when we don't want to be tested are the things that supposedly make us stronger. We can look the other way the succumb to the stress, the failure or the expectation or we can take what is given and make a new road with no expectation besides what we make of it. Until someone gives you a million bucks and tells you that this is your year to shine. Maybe...


He started his first game back at first base. His second game came was at third, and his third game, he started at short stop. I guess he needed a good look, and the starters needed a breather. His first hit was a double off of Tigers pitching prospect Armando Pena. Pena went on to the win, and Bullet Jack had his first hit of the year. Within a few days of coming off the DL, Washington was thrust right into the starting job at first base when an injury sidelined Allan Dykstra with Plantar Fascitis for 3 weeks.


He went 2-for-4, with an RBI on the 28^th of April, and then on the 1^st of May, he went 3-for-4, with a double, an RBI, and a walk. Even then, it only rose his average to .240. From May 6 to May 13^th he had a 7-game hitting streak, and on May 17^th he went 0-for-5 with 3 strikeouts.


On the 18^th, in the bottom of the 3^rd, he fell behind 0-2 to the Royals, Steve Watkins. Washington worked the count to 8 pitches and drew a walk. The next batter up was the catcher, Tony Sanchez. He knocked a 2-0 pitch to third, who then winged it to the second basemen. Washington went in hard, and there was a big collision. The double play was broken up and the next batter, Adam Jones, cracked a 2-run homer. The damage was done though. Washington had left the game with a leg injury. It was only later that he had strained his hamstring pretty badly. On the 19^th, Washington was put on the 60-day DL. A crushing blow. Two days after that, Allan Dykstra came back off the DL, almost as if he planned it that way.


Washington's stats so far look like this:


21 games, .208 AVG, 4 2B, 3 RBI, 6BB/18K


For his career now, 164 at bats, and a .213 batting average.


It's clear now, he is going to miss a very large part of this season. It's really the first big set back of his career. Even more than making it to The Show one year, and finding himself in A-ball the next. This one isn't about playing time, it's about how the brain tests itself and challenges the body into thinking that maybe there really is something wrong, when really there might not be.






Just doing his job, but the costs are the bulk of the season.



The Dreamer


Ernesto Diaz's first game of the summer came on the 9^th of April. Starting for AAA Las Vegas, he threw 116 pitches, 70 for strikes. He worked 8 innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 3 while striking out 7, getting the win in a strong start to the year.


When the season started Diaz didn't appear to be that far off of making the Blue Jays. The pitching staff was a little thin on the front line and he started the season as the #1 pitcher in Las Vegas. The first pitcher to go down was setup man, Doug Slaten on April 28. Slaten went down with some shoulder tenderness. His replacement was Rich Thompson. A guy who played for the Angels from 07-09, spent all of 2010 in AAA, ended up in the Northern League in 2011, and was picked up by Toronto in 2012. He has a career 7.13 ERA in the majors.


The next pitcher to drop was closer Scott Patterson on the 24^th of May to a leg injury. The team called up starter Eric Arnett, a 27-yo pitcher with exactly 1 IP in the majors, 5 years earlier in Milwaukee. Arnett was 5-2 with a 3.09 ERA in Vegas before the call up.


Setup man Francis Jayne, 24 (2011 4^th round pick from Stanford) broke his scapula literally one day ago. In his place the Blue Jays called The Dreamer. Diaz hasn't had a chance to make his 2015 debut yet, but chances are he'll get at least 2 starts before the club needs to make a decision on whether or not he'll be the first one sent back down.


His numbers in Vegas were so much better than what he ended up with last year. In 11 starts, he is 3-3 with a 3.93 ERA. In 75 innings, he has 59 K's and a respectable 1.35 WHIP.


So it had to get down to the third man out for Toronto. Will it be first man out for him when players start to get healthy?






Diaz is back in the big time. Playing at the Rogers Center, home of the Blue Jays.



The Long Shot


I don't know if they say that the scenery never changes in Kamayaga, but seeing Manny Moreno there doesn't. The young Puerto Rican born, Alabama educated, Los Angeles cast off, has found a new home in Japan. Not in Nippon where he'd like to be, but in Kamayaga.


He picked up right where he left off last year in the opener. In fact, he went 9 and 2/3 innings, 119 pitches, allowed 1 run, and lost the game. Yep, he lost. No run support, right where he left off last year. In fact, Moreno has been about as close to lights out as you can get. Only once so far has he not seen the end of the 7^th inning during a start. In that game, Kamayaga won 13-3.


On the 23^rd of April, he man handled Seibu to the tune of a 2-hit shut out. Three times this year he has struck out 10 or more batters. His last outing was a 4-hit shut out. His numbers were good enough to get him to the All-Star game where he had the worst game of the season so far. Two-thirds of an inning, 3 hits, 2 BB, and HR allowed. Good thing that game doesn't count.


Moreno's made 9 starts on the year, pitching 74 innings, allowing 52 hits with only 17 walks. His ERA is 1.43 with a WHIP of 0.93. The worst part about all those great numbers is that his record is only 4-3. In 9 starts, he has 9 quality starts, 4 complete games, and those 2 shut outs. I guess his 4.22 RS/PG is just not enough to get the job done.


The team has moved a few players up and down over the year so far, but so far, nothing for Moreno. It's still a long season, and how long can you really deny someone with numbers like that? Not long for the Long Shot, hopefully, not long.





Alright, it's the Nippon-Ham Fighters cheerleaders, and I could have saved this one for later. But doesn't all baseball need more cheerleaders? I wonder if AAA level cheerleaders are subject to call-ups like baseball players?

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Icy

Awesome read, loving it!

Thanks Icy!

[PilotMan]

August 2015, The trade deadline.


The Millionaire


Not to much to report for John Washington, rehab has been going according to plan for him. There have been no setbacks so far, and the trainers say that he has one to two weeks left before he can come back. It's unclear where he is going to play when he does come back, or if he will fill a utility role to start.


One thing for certain is that the Orioles are having a rough year. The team currently sits in last place with a 41-61 record. Any thoughts of the post season should be well behind them at this point.


Chris Valaika leads the team in hitting with a .328 average, while Ryan Zimmerman's 14 HR's and 50 RBI's lead the other big categories. The pitching staff has been horrible with 3 starters with 6 wins leading, and Chris Tillman's 5.86 ERA and 104 K's leading the pitching categories. The lineup reads like a minor league team with platoons at first and catcher, and Chris Valaika splitting time between left and second with two different players. The O's just completed a deadline deal that sent their second basemen for the last 2 years and all around best player, Chih-Sheng Lin (.282, 8, 31) to the Giants for SP Madison Bumgarner (3-6, 5.17 ERA).


The opportunities are there for Washington, and the team has time to find a place for him in the lineup. He should be back to finish the year. For his sake I hope he does well. Otherwise, come spring training, if he doesn't solidify a roster spot he may find himself with a new team.





This is the view of the field from the dugout at Camden. It's all Washington's been looking at for weeks.



The Dreamer


In as much as this has been a year of patience for the Millionaire, it has been a year of gifts for the Dreamer. Called up to a team with some front line holes, and a general lack of competitiveness, Ernesto Diaz was given his chance to shine when injuries created some openings. It looked like it would be a quick trip and the first game didn't give any indication that that would change.


Diaz made his first start of the year in Boston. He gave up a single to the leadoff hitter, then did what he does best and induced a groundball to get the double play. He finished off the inning with strikeout of Takeya Nakamura. The rest of the game didn't go so well as he was chased in the sixth inning after he gave up a bases loaded double that erased the 7-4 lead and made it 7-7.


The next start was even worse as he was pulled in the second inning with some shoulder tenderness that turned out to be rotator cuff tendinitis. That game he only threw 14 pitches, but surrendered 2 runs in less than 2 innings. That kept him out until Independence Day when he returned to the rotation with an 0-1 record and a 12.86 ERA.


He pitched at home on the 4^th against the same Red Sox that had knocked him around in his first game. Eight innings, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts was his line. And the first win of the year.


Each successive game he seemed to build with confidence never throwing less than 8 innings in any start in July. He would have finished the month 5-0 if the bullpen hadn't given up 5 runs in the bottom of the 9^th on his last start, then they gave up a 3-run homer in the 10^th to lose it. Still, the final line for July was:


4-0, 1.93 ERA, 42 IP, 36 H, 2 HRA, 9 BB, 25 K's, 1.07 WHIP


Diaz was voted as the AL Pitcher of the Month for July! The first time that a major award has been given to either of these three players. His 12.86 ERA dropped to 3.49 and it looks like he may have locked down a spot in the rotation for the rest of the year.


As far as the Jays go, the staff has settled out with youth leading the way. Aside from Diaz (4-1, 3.49) fellow call up, Eric Arnett (6-4, 3.81) and top prospect Mike Gyeong-Eun (6-5, 4.69) have been pitching well. The team is getting some surprising mileage out of Ryan Roland-Smith (9-5, 4.94) as well. It's really the offense that has been pacing the team with 5 players in double digit totals for homeruns, and the probably MVP winner, third baseman, Balbino Fuenmayor (.370, 30, 86) totally tearing opposing pitchers to shreds.


All of this has the Jays in first place in the division, 2 game ahead of the Red Sox, with a 58-45 record. The Yankees are right there at 2.5 out.


The Dreamer is doing more than just dreaming this, he seem to have found his groove, and could find himself playing a huge part in getting the team to the postseason.






Do you see that? That is still the last time the Blue Jays went to the playoffs. Diaz might be a part of history.



The Long Shot


It was right around this time last year the Morris Moreno got the call up to Nippon. Roster expansion won't happen in about another month, and right now, it doesn't look like anyone is going to notice the nice season that the Long Shot is putting together. There are a number of higher profile players that are performing well, and that may cause him to be overlooked.


Moreno's 1.63 ERA is good for second in the league. He is tied for 5^th in wins with 7. He is 5^th in innings pitched with 121.2, and he leads all leagues with 3 shutouts on the year. His VORP leads, he is 4^th in K's, and 3^rd in WHIP. He is certainly in the discussion for pitcher of the year. Except there is only one problem. This is AAA, in Japan. And from a big picture point of view, nobody really cares about AAA in Japan.


The parent team is nowhere in contention this year, with a 47-52 record, they are 10 games behind the leader, Tohuku Rakutu Golden Eagles. And the pitching staff has been pretty good. Good enough for 3^rd in ERA and 2^nd in runs allowed. That kind of stability is what's keeping Moreno from the major league team.






So apparently the mascot for the Kamagaya Fighters has his own CD with songs, and accompanying dance moves. He also goes by the name Cubby and signs autographs for fans. And this is 'normal'?

[PilotMan]

October 2015


The Millionaire


Washington ended up missing 3 months of baseball right in the heart of the season. That hamstring just wouldn't heal up. His first game back was August 11, in Minneapolis. Washington started at short, batted 9^th and went 0-4. Not the success that I'm sure he was hoping for.


In fact, he didn't get a hit until his 4^th game when he went 2-4 against the Red Sox. That was on August 15^th. The next day something magical happened. The Orioles were hosting the Rangers and Washington was again given the start at short. This day though he was batting leadoff. A strange spot for a guy who was batting below the Mendoza Line. Randy Wells (5-5, 5.62) was getting the nod for the Rangers.


Washington lead off the first working a walk out of Wells. He moved to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a double. Wells got the better of him in the second inning when he got Washington swinging to end the inning. In the 4^th Washington was the third batter of the inning. The previous batter had just taken Wells over the left field wall, and Bullet Jack stepped in. Washington went first ball swinging and popped a foul ball behind home plate. The next pitch he saw he pulled hard down the left field line and it cleared the wall by 10 feet! His first career homerun! That's one for the mantle back home for Washington!


Two days later the Millionaire hit a double and came up lame pulling into second base. Another hamstring injury, and although it was much less serious it put the brakes on the season for the better part of 3 weeks. He left in the midst of 4 game hitting streak, and came back and hit in 8 straight for a total of 12 in a row. That brought his average all the way up to .246.


His second career homerun didn't happen until late in September. He took Angels reliever Ryan Perry (4-0, 4.00) all of 436-feet on a massive solo shot to left-center.


So far on the season he has made appearances in 51. Fifty of those games he started with his time being split almost evenly at the hot corners. A few games here and there at SS as well. His fielding has been exceptional with only 2 errors committed in 265 chances.


That's really the only high point for him. His season is going horrible. He's got 183 AB's with a whopping 38 hits, 10 extra-base hits, and 11 RBI's. His .208 average isn't eye popping, and his .284 SLG is even less impressive. His numbers are so bad that his VORP, or value over your average replacement player is -12.0. Basically meaning that at this point, he is a waste of money and just about anyone else could do a better job than he is.


He is still playing 3^rd against RHP and 1^st against LHP. And that's after roster expansion. The team is really taking a long look here, and there are only a few days left of the season. Postseason really isn't in the cards for the Orioles. They pretty much have 5^th place locked up.





So Billy Ashley huh? Can't miss home run hitter for the Dodgers who eventually went down as a huge bust. Washington is still young, but there are plenty of guys who are turning some huge numbers, and they were never a top 10 MLB Prospect for years and years.



The Dreamer


Fresh off of his selection for AL Pitcher of the Month in July, Diaz experienced some back muscle tightness in his next start and was forced to leave the game in the third inning without having allowed a hit. His next start was delayed for a couple days to heal but he struggled in his return. Perhaps some lingering effects from the injury?


The rest of his starts in August were unremarkable. He went 2-2 with a 6.61 ERA in a return to some of his pitching from spring training. At the end of the month he was again plagued with another injury, a mild muscle pull in his stomach that forced him from a start against the Angels. He lost that game allowing 7 baserunners in less than 2 innings.


Things didn't stay all bad for Diaz. He became part of a first in the tale of The Millionaire, The Dreamer, and The Long Shot. On September 8, Diaz took the mound against none other than the Baltimore Orioles. Also starting that game was The Millionaire, John Washington. Washington started at third, and this became the first time that any of the three and met head to head in their careers. Washington batted 6^th on this day. Certainly questions had to be lingering about the health and recent performances of Diaz.


Washington came up in the second inning, and by this time Diaz already had 2 strikeouts. Washington was first pitch swinging and fouled the first pitch behind the catcher. 0-1. Next pitch, same result. 0-2. Washington took ball 1 on pitch three, and pulled a grounder between third and short. Ben Fuenmayor grabbed it and threw him out at first. Diaz finished the second with another K.


The O's went down 1-2-3 with another K in the third. The 4^th saw the first 2 batters strike out against Diaz before Chris Valaika knocked a line drive to left for a single. Washington came up next with 2 out and a runner on first. He took the first pitch for a strike and watched another go by for a ball. At 1-1 he fouled off the next 4 pitched behind home plate and hung in there at 1-2. Diaz won the battle again as Washington watched strike 3 go by.


1-2-3 in the 5^th for the O's and another K for Diaz. In the 6^th the score was still 0-0 and the O's weren't threatening at all. Juan Torres worked Diaz 10 pitches before striking out, and Tony Sanchez took a first pitch over the second baseman for a single. Diaz, a hard groundball pitcher, induced a double play to get out of the inning again. In the bottom half, the Blue Jays got 2 to go up 2-0.


Diaz stared the top of 7 with another K, got Chris Valaika to ground out, and Bullet Jack came up for the third time. He wasn't wasting anytime at all. He swung at the first pitch and looped a ball to center field for a hit. With 2 out and a runner on first base, first baseman Allan Dykstra knocked a pitch between first and second for another single. The ball was slow, and short to right field, and Washington isn't slow, but not fast either, and broke for 3^rd. Toronto right fielder Craig Baker has a strong arm, and he threw a bullet to third and gunned down Bullet Jack at third to end the inning. Was that Washington's fault or the third base coach's?


Diaz got the O's 1-2-3 again in the top of the 8^th and continued his dominance. The score stayed 2-0 but Diaz gave way to Francis Jayne, the closer. Jayne served up a homer to cut the score to 2-1 and Chris Valaika struck out to end the game with Washington on deck. Diaz finished with 10 K's in 8 innings, and only allowed 5 baserunners all day, and none past first base. One of the best games he's pitched all year.


A couple weeks later Diaz would suffer another injury. He stepped off the mound wrong and sprained his ankle pretty bad. He went on the DL the next day, and is out for the rest of the regular season. The Blue Jays are going to make the playoffs so he could return, but not until the end of October.


He's thrown just over 100 innings in the majors this year. His record is 7-4 with a 4.78 ERA. His numbers are good for a rookie campaign, but it's too bad that his season ended this way.






Blue Jay fans celebrate their first division title in over 20 years.



The Long Shot


The Japanese Baseball League finished up their regular season at the end of September and this year the Nippon Fighters were not in the playoffs. Coincidentally Manny Moreno didn't really factor into the season for the Fighters. Despite having an incredible year in AAA at Kamagaya.


I say didn't really factor in because he did make his debut in Nippon this year. And although he's really happy he got the call, I don't think he'll like the result. And I don't think he'll like the stat line that he'll be saddled with either.


He debuted on the second to last day of the year. He was called up when Pat Misch went down with a shoulder injury. Moreno's start lasted into the 4^th inning when he was pulled. The bullpen didn't help him out and he was left with the loss, allowing 6 runs, 10 baserunners, and a 16.20 ERA. That's how the season ended for the Long Shot.


The bulk of the season he was a stud. Moreno is in the discussion for Outstanding Pitcher of the Ni Gun league. He leads in VORP, only had 20 starts and managed a 1.88 ERA in just over 150 innings of work. Here are some stats to support his case:


He only failed to pitch into the 7^th inning one time. That's 19 quality starts in 20 overall starts. He pitched 5 complete games, and lead the league with 3 shutouts. He averaged 1 full K/9in more this year, and was among the leaders with an 8.24 K/9. His BB/9 dropped from nearly 3 last year to a shade above 2 this year. At the same time his BR/9 dropped to below 9/9in. Opponents only hit .211 against him with a .261 OBP and a .338 SLG.


On the other hand, his detractors will say he was the losing pitcher of record in the All-Star game. And so it goes for the Long Shot. There's always next year!



Well it is a funny name. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

[Izulde]

What an awesome read. Do keep it going.

[PilotMan]

End of the Year Wrap Up




The World Series ended up with a cross country show down between the Yankees and the Padres. The Yankees made their first appearance in the Series in 12 years, while it was 17 years for the Padres. The Padres are the NL first team since '09 that wasn't named Marlins or Mets. The Padres hadn't even posted a winning record since '07.


In the end it was the Padres claiming the title in 6 games after defeating the Pirates in 6 and the Brewers in 5. The Mets did make the playoffs again, but they were swept in 3 by the Pirates in the first round. The Yankees were the wild card in the AL. They swept the Tigers, the the Ernesto Diaz-less Blue Jays in 6 to reach the series.


A couple of really odd things about these two teams. It was a pitching v. hitting battle, and the Padres boasted one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, while the Yankees had an explosive offense to go with solid pitching. Back to the oddities. The Yankees started 10 different starters during the year, with only 2 starting more than 30 games. Only 1 pitcher had double digit wins and that was “ace” Won-joon Jang. Jang is a 30-year old Korean pitcher who signed a 7-year/52 M dollar deal with the Yankees last year. On the other side the Yankees had 3 batters with over 30 HR's and 100 RBI's. And a total of 9 players with double digits in homers. Catcher Jesus Montero lead the team offensively with 36 HR and a .326 AVG.


The odd stat for the Padres was the fact that the team lost their “ace” Juan GeraGuzman to a rotator cuff tear in August. He was 13-3 with a 1.88 ERA at the time and it ended up that the team leader in wins wasn't even a starter. Middle reliever Bruce Moore pitched in 95 games, pitched 95 innings, and finished the year with a 17-5 record, without ever starting a game! The Padres were lead offensively by Christian Leon. A player just 2 years removed from college. Leon only had 11 HR's and 40 RBI's but batted .305 and got on base at a .435 clip. Leon was a #1 overall pick in 2013.


Adrian Gonzalez is heading back to the majors. He spent the last 2 years playing in Japan after falling out of favor and losing his starting job with the Braves. His last year in the majors was 2013, where he had 118 AB's in 101 games, hitting .246 with 3 HR. This year he found his stroke again in Japan where he hit .293 with 41 HR's. His move paid off. His pay had steadily gone from 3-yr/82M deal with the Braves, to a 1-yr/2.1M deal with Tohoku to a 1-yr/.240M deal with Tohoku to his new 4-yr/39M deal with the Twins.


Here are the 2015 OOTP Baseball cards for the Millionaire, the Dreamer, and the Long Shot.

[PilotMan]

April 2016 - Start of the season


The Millionaire


John Washington is starting his 6^th season as a professional baseball player. He is out of options and the team made some moves in the off-season that appear to be paving the way for Washington to leave his mark on the team. If he can stay healthy, this year will be a year where performance will need to meet expectation.


The Orioles are still in rebuilding mode, and they spent a ton of money in free agency to get 1 player. Although, I think you will be shocked when you see who they acquired. The weather was great for baseball in the spring, but the Millionaire didn't take advantage of it. In fact, he kept right on under performing. In 24 games, 50 at bats, he batted .180, 2 HR's and 4 RBI's. The question marks keep right on coming. The Orioles however, are planning on him producing in a big way. Big enough that they have him starting at third against righties, and first against lefties.


So back to the O's offseason. They dropped almost 80M over 3 years on a pitcher. J.P. Howell, becomes the highest paid player on the team. Who, you ask? Yep, J.P. Howell. Howell's a 32yo southpaw who pitched for the Phillies the last 3 years. He was brought on as a full-time starter and the first year he went 8-9 with a 4.05 ERA, pitching just under 200 innings. He was a spot starter the last 2 years, and even last year, spent some time as the closer. So is Howell's payday of 24M per year is worth it for a guy with 113 career starts in 480 games played? A career record of 57-47 with 45 saves? A 4.02 career ERA? Wow, who knows. But first guess has to be it's going to end a great big waste of money.


It's pretty clear that Washington is best suited to play one of the corner positions. First base is where it looked like he would end up, as it is his natural position until the team brought in Allan Dykstra from the Pirates last year. Dykstra (.310, 10HR, 42 RBI, 91 G last year) is still available at first but he is starting the year as the DH. So this year at first will look a little different. Washington is already set to start against lefties, but there is a new face against righties, and he could see considerable playing time.


In a trade that saw Chris Valaika (.298, 16 HR, 79 RBI, in 136 G), last year's prime middle infielder and offensive threat, sent to the NY Yankees. The Orioles acquired 30 yo first baseman Neil Walker (.299, 30HR, 102 RBI, in 137 G), a minor league speed merchant, and 3 million to offset the contract of Walker who had signed a 6-yr/39.3M deal at the end of last season. Rough off-season to get traded after that! Not sure why they feel the need to platoon him, he is a switch hitter. That whole set up might not last long if Washington struggles early on.


Since Valaika left for the Yankees, that opened up a job at second base, and it looked like that might be where Washington would end up, but team went a different direction, promoting utility guy, Nick Noonan (.283, 3HR, 17 RBI, in 46 G) to share time with fellow utility guy, Justin Turner (.303, 3HR, 29 RBI, in 52 G). Last year saw the rise of former first round pick, Juan Torres (.278, 10 HR, 36 RBI in 75 G) to the starting SS role. Torres was rated as the #45 prospect in baseball this year.


Last year Ryan Zimmerman (.270, 18HR, 68 RBI in 136 G) held down the hot corner and picked up his 4^th career Gold Glove. Right now, he is being replaced against right handers by Washington, and will play against lefties.


That's the way it's going to start. Washington is going to get a shot at both corners, but he has stiff competition in Zimmerman and Walker. Short looks solid with Torres, leaving the biggest shot for Washington at second base. If he can't make a big impression he could be heading to the bench. However, with Nick Markasis (.324, 18, 80) and Adam Jones (.305, 28, 91) providing big bats in the outfield and the addition of a young prospect in Rick Lowe (.278, 8, 34) in left. The Orioles could have an powerful lineup top to bottom. That is, if Washington can muster up some offense.






Orioles Opening Day Introductions



The Dreamer


Injuries finished the season for the Dreamer, but he did finish with respectable numbers for a rookie and a solid chance at landing back in the starting rotation. The Blue Jays had one of the weakest rotations in baseball last year, but they managed to make it to the playoffs, making it all the way to the ALCS.
Mostly on the back of AL MVP Balbino Fuenmayor (.368, 49HR, 136 RBI).


The Jays have retooled the staff a bit and are willing to try and press their luck with one of the youngest, but talented staffs now. Eric Arnett (28yo, midseason call up impressed, low 90's fastball, 12-8 career record, 3.78 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) won the hearts of the clubhouse and the coaching staff and will anchor the club. Arnett's steady pitching was a big reason the team advanced. The #2 pitcher will be last season's biggest surprise, Ryan Rowland-Smith. Smith (33yo, career best in wins (17) and IP (196) last season, 61-62 career, 4.64 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) is the oldest among the starters and will need to find the magic again. Mike Gyeong-Eun (23yo, upper 90's cutter, hard throwing strikeout pitcher, 14-17 career record, 5.38 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) is the #3 pitcher. Eun just oozes dominance. He is exceptionally popular and has huge expectations.


That brings us to #4. Ernesto Diaz (23yo, low to mid 90's with a 5-pitch arsenal, 24-15 career record, 4.06 ERA, 1.37 WHIP), the Dreamer, has made it to the starting rotation of a major league ball club. The fulfillment of the Dream? Perhaps. It's a great spot to be in for him, and the $400,000 salary won't hurt either. Even if Toronto is a long, long way from California. Diaz started 3 games in the spring and was terrific. In all he pitched 9 innings, allowed 2 runs, walked 1 and struck out 9. But.....a back injury shortened it, but he is back healthy for the start of the year. The #5 pitcher for the Blue Jays will Shelby Miller. Miller (25yo, low 90's hard fastball, one time Cardinals prospect, Jays last 2 years, ML debut last year, 1-4 career record, 6.10 ERA, 1.69 WHIP) was good in AAA and came up for a cup of coffee late last year. His spring was bad (9.42 ERA) but he still ended up being the choice instead of Doug Fister (32yo, 17-17 career, 4.68 ERA) or David Huff (31yo, 28-47 career, 5.14 ERA).


Diaz still has one option year left so he could conceivably see Vegas again and be alright until next year. On the other hand, if he stays up, stays healthy, and pitches well, he could see his big payday (for an undrafted California kid) by being arbitration eligible.






Fireworks in the SkyDome for Opening Day.



The Long Shot


Manny Moreno had to know that when he came to Japan that he would be here for quite some time. It wasn't a bad choice, but the fact that the clubs own the rights on the players for as long as they do keeps him locked to Nippon for a few years. Barring a trade, he will be here for some time still. He has made 100k total for the last 2 years playing in Japan. It's better money than he would have made if he had stayed playing in Gary, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the 400k that is the minimum guarantee for MLB rookies.


Moreno turned 23 in the off season and showed up at camp not looking particularly good. He was never known as a hard worker. Last year was hard. Moreno dominated last year in AAA, but was passed over for the Outstanding Pitcher Award. He finished the year on the roster but had a rough outing in his one start. Spring training was hard on the Long Shot as well. He managed a 1-4 record in his 5 starts, and his ERA hovered just under 7.00. The high point was getting 20k's in under 20 innings of work.


The Nippon Ham Fighters are really trying to go for the title this year, but given the up and down of Japanese teams it's difficult to try and predict how these things are going to fall. One thing that I do know for sure. Nippon has picked the Long Shot to anchor the pitching staff for the year. So no trips back to Kamagaya, at least for now. On top of that, he gets his 50k salary.


So Moreno (23yo, low to mid 90's and 4 solid pitches, 22-21 career record, 3.63 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) starts the season as the ace of the staff. Pat Misch, the ace of the last 2 years is in AAA to start the year. So Moreno has to feel like he's looking behind him all the time. The number 2 man in the rotation is the only southpaw starter. Steve Garrison (29yo, mid to upper 80's, threw a no-hitter in AA, once involved in a trade for Jose Bautista, 8-14 career, 6.97 ERA, 1.81 WHIP) was absolutely hammered in spring training, but gets his chance. Number 3 in the rotation is Nobukazu Ono (23yo, former 1^st round pick, low 90's, great changeup, rookie last year, 9-14 career, 5.24 ERA, 1.51 WHIP). Ono's work last year is what earned him his chance this year. Keisaku Itokazu (31yo, low mid 90's, still disliked by the fan base, 44-55 career, 4.33 ERA, 1.51 WHIP) is the #4 in the rotation. He's been here a while and there's no reason to expect him to lose that job. The #5 pitcher is Kenzaburo Yamaguchi (26yo, came over in off-season trade with Hiroshima, low 90's, best pitches are curve and slider, 26-30 career, 5.12 ERA, 1.68 WHIP). Yamaguchi is what he is and that's an inning eater.


No way that this staff as it it will carry this team to a title. Moreno could put together with a big year, but there are too many other holes in the staff to keep a good thing going. Manny is right where he needs to be though. He needs to be on that Major League club. He needs to be there if he has any desires on going back to the states to play in the Majors. 2016 could be a very important year.





Nippon Fighters parade to start the year.

[PilotMan]

No, we're not dead yet! Just needed a break.

June 2016


The Millionaire


Washington started the year off slow, just like he ended 2015. His platoon at third and first held on for a little while, and he had his first break out game of 2016 on April 18 in Yankee Stadium. Washington came up for the first time of the game in the second inning. With Ryan Zimmerman working a walk off of starter Woon-joon Jang (4-2, 3.65), Nick Markasis struck out and Washington took a strike, then fouled off 2 pitches. The next pitch he put into the left field stands, 381ft away. Washington finished the game 3-5, with 2 runs and his 2 RBI's in the Orioles 15-5 rout of the Yankees.


Washington didn't get a hit the next 5 games, and then the bat woke up again. Even mired in a slump, the Orioles still had him hitting cleanup and he did his job hitting solo shots in the second and third innings off of Rays rookie Kevin Lawrence (0-1, 6.17, back in AAA now) and helped the O's pull out the 8-7 win. It was his third homerun of the year, and his first multi-homer game of the year. Both homeruns were left field drives that weren't particularly deep. The day wouldn't be all positive though. Washington made a great stop on a ball in the bottom of the third inning and injured his knee. He missed the rest of the game. The next day he made the trip to the DL.


It would be a month before he would be back in the lineup, and he would be right back to his struggling ways. The team has abandon the platoon at first base, instead opting for a balance of their young sluggers. Washington has seen the lions share of time at third, but now he is starting at second base against righties.


In 20 games he is below the Mendoza line at .197. The Orioles' coach doesn't care yet. He is still hitting cleanup. I think they are just waiting for him to blow up. The big change that has been seen in his development has been that he is much more selective at the plate than in the past. His OBP is at .354, which is actually higher than his slugging (.348). He's got 3 dingers and 5 RBI's. Right now, he is probably the least productive hitter in the lineup, but the team is showing great faith in his natural ability. And they figure it's just a matter of time.


As a team the O's are in second place, but they are 10 games behind the Red Sox and only 2 games ahead of the Yankees, who are in last. This team has the talent on offense to contend, but they are way out of it right now.



The scene of John Washington's 2 HR show, Tropicana Field.

{sorry, I was tired on that one.}

The Dreamer


The Dreamer is holding his own as the #4 starter for the Jays. His numbers haven't been great, but he has had some good days. Last year in 17 starts he only had 7 quality starts, but this year in 9, he already has 5. His season debut was in Baltimore against the Orioles, and yes, The Millionaire played. That game marked the second time that our three had matched off against one another.


Washington worked a 5 pitch walk in the first, struck out in the third, worked another walk in the 6^th and scored on a fielders choice 2 batters later. Washington would win the day with a RBI double in the 8^th inning. Diaz would be pulled for the 9^th but he would get the win. It wasn't a great day walking 4 and spreading 7 hits, but it was good enough.


He's had a couple of really rough starts, and a few solid ones. Lately however, he has been bit with a touch of gopher ball, allowing 2 HR's in each of the last 3 starts, and all 8 on the year in the last 5. That has ballooned his ERA to 4.70, and his record is 2-5.



Diaz did get to flash his bat in the Bigs though. He got a start in an interleague game against Washington. He looked good too, going 1-2 with a double! He also scored a run, and drew a walk, while also striking out. His first big league hit came against Nat's rookie, and 22 y/o, former #2 overall pick, 3-time top 10 prospect in MLB, Lowell Peck (1-4, 4.33).



A bit of a weak start to the year, but remember, Diaz is still only 23. If he stays on the roster the entire year he stands to be eligible for arbitration and that could net him over 2 million according to recent estimates. Would he still be the Dreamer at that point? He would be a success.


His line so far?


2-5, 4.70 ERA, 59.1 IP, 66 H, 8 HR, 13 BB, 40 K, 1.33 WHIP



Pie in the face. Something similar happened to Diaz after his first career hit was a double. His career BA is now .500 and his OBP is .667. Bat the man #4!


The Long Shot


Manny Moreno nailed down the top starter spot for big league club Nippon, but his successes have been limited. Some would say and out and out underachiever when you look at the numbers that he has put up previous years while in Japan.


He was absolutely shelled in the season opener. Lasting only 3 2/3 while giving up 7. He served up 4 HR's on April 24^th against Tohoku, and yet got a no decision in the game's 6-5 loss. He went 0-3 in April with a 7.88 ERA.


In May he settled down a little, but he is still leaving the ball up in the strike zone and hitters are still drilling him.


Moreno has the chance to file for arbitration in the offseason if he can stay with the big league club all year. Experts have him at just over 300k for his value if he does. A far cry from the 2M that the Dreamer could earn. Still, it's a nice raise over 50k that he is making now.


Moreno leads the team in strikeouts with 59 in 70 innings of work, but he has allowed 12 HR's and opponents are hitting .304 against him.


His line on the year so far:


2-4, 5.48 ERA, 70.2 IP, 86 H, 12 HR, 19 BB, 59 K, 1.49 WHIP


Another player now ties our Dynasty together. The Fighters picked up 3-time MLB All Star, and former AL MVP, and the former first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, Justin Morneau.


Morneau signed just prior to the start of the year, and his one year deal pays him just a shade under 400k. Morneau has exclusively been the DH for the Fighters, batting cleanup against lefties and righties. Last year he split the year between the Red Sox and finished with the Twins (rightfully so!) His transition to Japan has been rough. He has 6 dingers in 139 AB's, but is hitting a paltry .201 with a pathetic .367 SLG.


The team is solidly in second place with a record of 25-21, 4 games behind Tohoku.



Not every Hakkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters game is a raving sell out. Not every day is pretty. These fans prove that hardcore lives in Japan.

[PilotMan]

August 2016 The Trade Deadline


The Millionaire


Sometimes patience pays off, especially when you are dealing with talent. The Orioles believe that they have a talent in Washington and he has begun to pay back in droves. The team has decided that they would rather play him at SS rather than one of the hot corner spots and while he isn't quite the star at short, he is at least average. His break came as starter Juan Torres (.265, 6 23) suffered a compound fracture of his finger that estimates say will put him out up to 12 weeks.


He is hitting 3^rd regularly right now. As late as mid June he was still hitting below the Mendoza line, and on the 22^nd he was hitting .201. It seems that was the bottom. From there he went on a 7-game hitting streak and had his second 2-homer game of the year on the 30^th. Helping to chase Clayton Kershaw (8-5, 4.72) in the third inning and taking Ramon Troncoso deep in the 6^th. As July ended he made sure that the Orioles weren't going to look to move or replace him as he finished the month by hitting homeruns in 4 straight games.


For once he has been healthy and able to stay in the lineup and contribute on a regular basis. Batting 3^rd against righties and 4^th against lefties (DH Neil Walker slides down). His line right now looks like this:


.262 Avg, .380 OPB, .500 SLG, 16 HR, 43 RBI, 47 BB, 36 K, he has made 5 errors in the filed (4 at SS).


At this point if he continues to play regularly he could be eligible for arbitration and upwards of 3.3 mil in compensation.


As for the Orioles overall, they sit in 3^rd place in the East with a record of 49-48. They are only 5 games behind Toronto and Boston (tied) but only 2 ahead of Tampa (last). The pitching has been horrible with a team ERA of 5.43, good for 14^th in the AL. The O's have lost 2011 Cy Young winner, Brian Matusz (0-3, 14.40)for the year with Tommy John surgery and Madison Baumgarner (6-4, 5.17) to a strained forearm. Leaving the top spots to JP Howell (4-4, 4.43) and Chris Tillman (8-8, 4.82). Offensively, they are 7^th in average and 8^th in runs scored.


The team is still trying to find the right mix of starters on the infield. Outside of Washington, who looks set at short, and Ryan Zimmerman (.297, 10 HR, 29 RBI) at third, the team is still utilizing a weak hitting platoon at second between Nick Noonan (.260, 5 HR, 30 RBI) and Justin Turner (.306, 2 HR, 12 RBI). First has been a mix of Neil Walker and Washington, but the team did make a waiver claim recently and picked up 34 year old Bum-ho Lee (.234, 10 HR 41 RBI) from the Rockies. Now that may not sound interesting, but he has had a pretty good career in Korea (10yrs, .265 avg, 160 HR) and Japan (5yrs, .283 avg, 90 HR), plus is a slick fielder on either corner position. Lee was signed to a league minimum deal in the offseason with the Rockies, but was put on waivers after only hitting .218 with 5 HR. Since his start with the O's he has been hitting .333 with another 5 HR in a fourth the time.


The team may not make the playoffs but I think they have found the big bat in the middle of their lineup!




Washington is a big, right-handed slugger, playing shortstop right now.





The Dreamer


In a season that had the highest hopes between all three players, it has gone from feast to famine. Ernesto Diaz won 4 starts in a row between the middle of June and the first part of July and not without controversy was selected to the All Star game along with most of the Blue Jays pitching staff. Not really sure how those picks were justified, but not only was Diaz selected he started the game for the AL! In that start he allowed 2 hits, 2 runs on a walk and 2 strikeouts in the 2 innings he worked. He didn't take the loss but the team did.


His starts have been solid starts for the most part, but just yesterday in a game in Toronto against the Twins, Diaz was working in the bottom half of the 6^th inning when he came off the mound holding his arm. He was immediately taken out of the game and taken for x-rays where they found a crack in his elbow. Apparently he had taken a line drive to the elbow earlier in the game but wasn't removed and he had aggravated the injury causing a full blown fracture. Effectively ending his season. If you remember this exact same injury cost him a big part of his first season with the Blue Jays team in Dunedin 3 years ago. You have to wonder with all the injuries that he has suffered if he will hold together for a career. He is still expecting to make a full recovery.


His rights will be retained by the team next year and he will not be eligible for arbitration. So it looks like another year of making the league minimum.


His final numbers look like this:


8-6, 4.35 ERA, 128 IP, 88 K's and a 1.43 WHIP and 24.5 VORP.


The Jays are tied for first with the top team in average (.290) and 3^rd in runs scored. Thanks mostly to triple threat MVP Balbino Fuenmayor (.379, 23 HR, 62 RBI). The pitching has been good too, 5^th in team ERA (4.59) and 5^th in runs allowed. Eric Arnett (12-3, 4.16) and Mike Gyeong-Eun (8-5, 3.54) have lead the way. The team also acquired former 2011 first round draft pick, Armando Pena (12-4, 3.12) from the Tigers and Mitchell Boggs (5-7, 5.75) from the Phillies to bolster the strong, young staff. The team is poised for long term competitiveness with the way the roster is built right now.




Pitchers have been targets for years, and the threat from a batted ball is always present.

The Long Shot


Still only 23 and projected as the ace of the staff for the Hakkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters must have felt like too much burden to bear for Manny Moreno. After last year where he was in contention for Minor League Pitcher of the year and looked to be able to accomplish no more in the minors he finds himself back there again.


The move was made on June 12, just a day prior to his next start and just a few days after he went into the 8^th inning, striking out 8, but it wasn't good enough. His 2-5 record and his 5.11 ERA were replaceable. His WHIP of 1.55 and only 33% QS rating also kept him down. And so the long trip back to Kamayaga was made.


Moreno again is the ace of the staff, and he is very unhappy about being totally out of the rotation at Hakkaido. Since his return to the minors he is back to his dominant ways posting a 3-4 record for the first place Fighters. He pitched back to back complete games, including a 6 hit shutout and has struck out 8 or more in 3 of his last 4 starts (also winning 3 of his last 4).


It's quite the spot for him to be in, he sits and waits to see if he will get the call up again. The minor season doesn't end until mid September so he will have a few more chances for success.


The main team is far back in 6^th place with no hope of postseason for the year, and their top pitcher has been Nobukazu Ono (6-6, 3.69), who is only 23 and at one time was considered the #17 prospect in Japan.


Former Oriole and 2006 AL MVP, Justin Morneau is also playing at Kamayaga. Having struggled to a .236 average while hitting 8 HR in 57 games for Nippon. In the minors he is tearing the cover off the ball (.338, 4 HR, 18 RBI) playing first base everyday. You have to wonder how long the 35 year old is going to put up with that!


Current line for Manny Moreno looks like this:


NIP – 2-5, 5.11, 86 IP, 13 HRA, 75 K, 1.55 WHIP, .302 BAA
KAM – 3-4, 2.67, 54 IP, 6 HRA, 46 K, 0.83 WHIP, .194 BAA




Manny Moreno has some issues with consistency at a high level right now.