Warrior Beat: Duluth Times Blog

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Warrior Beat: Duluth Times Blog

#1 Post by DrewV »

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Mandy Scott, Staff Writer
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Boy, that was quick.

I’ve never seen a sea evaporate in fast-motion, but if I had, I might be better prepared for waking up to our city’s hopes and dreams drift heavenward in the form of a loaded trade block:

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New outsider GM Ricky McCoy made no secret about the team’s financial pickle, telling KWAR’s Dean Alexander that the Warriors “bet the farm” after 2026 and “lost big time.” This, to the surprise of virtually no one but Ricky McCoy, did not resonate well with the fanbase. However the Colonel meant the interview to go, he woke up to a militarized social media battalion with blood in their eyes. As the old Irving Berlin tune goes, “Gee, I wish I was back in the Army.”

But let’s be honest, Duluth. We can’t keep Donny. Sitting at 4th in the Great Lakes, the 2nd-priciest team in baseball is losing hand over fist in ticket sales. So much, in fact, that so far the new 10,000 seats are used mostly as target practice by the migrating gaggles.

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Plenty of ink’s been spilled on how to solve the financial problem—and at every realistic turn, the already-overpriced Mercer has to go, regardless of is slugging percentage. And I think McCoy’s strategy is to tempt a richer team into salary-swapping for a lesser version of Don Mercer.

But Lopez? Arguably the best closer in the Division? 11 Mil is a lot less than 33, and he’s in arbitration. Bedell? His Slider could take the eyebrows off a tree frog. Thomas makes the most sense—you don’t pitch 6.75 ERA for $25 Million.

It’s a reality, folks—we are in full rebuild mode. A current estimate of $72 Million in the hole, should the team not trim the fat, must have the Bong family setting the rooms on fire behind those closed double-oak doors.
Crunching the numbers, The Warriors have only $14 Million worth of salaries due for negotiation this year (Read: Goodbye Phil Burns) and $37.8 Million growing upward into arbitration. There’s been some speculation that McCoy will impose the ole’ “no-arbitration” austerity measures of ‘25, but so far nothing official’s come out of that. (With Mercer leaving, giving up Pratt would ensure the Warriors never score more than 2 runs per game ever again).

A keen reporter might also observe that Ricky McCoy isn’t just concerned with money—he’s signaling a culture shift. Reliable rumors of a trade for Shin Seiki’s Vincente Medina (unconfirmed) coalign with McCoy’s dialogue of “culture” and “honesty” in the clubhouse . After all, it’s no secret that this particular clubhouse is a morale dumpster fire.

Can McCoy balance the books, draw fresh talent, and redesign the player dynamic? Probably not. But he’s certainly trying. And he shouldn’t expect a warm reception from a fanbase who can still see game seven of 2026 when we close our collective eyes. We’re a cold breed, after all. And we refuse to tolerate two things: Wisconsin, and strangers who trash-talk our Warriors. Do us all a favor and chill out.

Welcome to Minnesota, Colonel McCoy.
Last edited by DrewV on Tue Mar 12, 2019 11:57 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Warrior Beat: Duluth Times Blog

#2 Post by Fishermen »

Excellant piece Drew, you've certainly hit the ground running. I gave Bedell his PEBA debut when I was at London, he was always a good workhorse in the rotation. Never a star but a reliable lower half of the rotation guy you could rely on, good to see him still soldering on .

(though not that good that I'd want to trade for him lol)
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#3 Post by DrewV »

Thanks Nigel! Enjoying things so far.
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#4 Post by Sandgnats »

:clap:
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#5 Post by DrewV »

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Dr. Joe Larsen, MD, Contributor
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Grumpy Joe's Tuesday Grumbles:
Grumpy Joe Larsen's Hot and Cold Review

Here’s a fun fact about me: there were always rumors growing up that my pappy was a prisoner of war in World War II.
Of course, I’ve never confirmed this; but as I watched the Warriors slink from the dugouts after their 15-1 annihilation by the Sandgnats on July 20th, I know I’d only seen that look on one other man in my long life.

See, you young “Championship Warriors” Buckos don’t remember those pre-McKenzie days like us old fogies. 4th in the GL used to be a cause for toasting down the St. Louis river.

Ah, dear children; the sparse survivors of the baseball apocalypse that is 2028 in Minnesota; you've crawled out of the sun like prisoners of war. It’s ain’t pretty, but we’re still alive. All these young folks at the Times yabber on about finances—like we didn’t cut $50 million last season—and run for the hills at the first sign of a 100-loss year.

Anyway, all this to say that the Warriors can survive a bad year. Heck, old fogies like me survived a farmer’s dozen before we even made the playoffs!

And with that, I’ll leave you pesky loiterers with this week’s Hot and Colds.

HOT: THE LEFT FIELDERS FROM OUTER SPACE

Holy Harry Truman, 39 Homers from the team’s Left Fielders. That’s a hell of a number when you consider that none of them were from Joe Kenny (See: Cold). Don Mercer sure is giving the downtowners one heck of a farewell tour. Both Mercer and Prat are in the Top 10 for the Sovereign League in Home Runs. So long, and thanks for all the RBIs.

HOT: GALVAN, THE CUBANO THAT CAN

On the 21st, Carlos Galvan was awarded Player of the Game honors, despite us losing to Toyama 9-10. The man hit .295, with two doubles and 4 RBI. Then the 5’11" spitfire hit a homer and tripled against Toyama on the 23rd. Looks like someone started paying attention to GM Ricky McCoy’s budget cuts!

NOT: JULIAN THOMAS, SNOWCONE OF THE YEAR

Holy Moses, what happened here? There are easier ways to get vested, Julian. I'm calling it now, folks--the Rainmaker's days are over.

And while we're on the topic--our boys are pitching like garbage. How can you be tied in the Division for batting average and be struggling to stay in 4th Place? By having the lowest ERA+, that's how.
We were 5 runs up on Crystal Lake when deadbeat Davis Sutherland opened up a scoring vortex in the ninth inning. Perhaps it's time for young buck Ricky McCoy to put his money on the table and send Rintaro Inoue on permanent leave.

But let me say this: The real trouble isn't in the frontmen--look at the box scores, for example, from our heartbreaking defeat after having 5 runs on Crystal Lake on the 18th:

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Sure, Esquivel gave up two runs. But like a professional, he calmed down and pitched a great game--and the boys had his back. And then Kijiro Yoshida sent the whole damn relief bench through, one miserable run after the other.

This really leaves only one question: What does the stamina of our relief bench look like?

Orlando Trujillo: Excellent
Henry Carter: Great
Caleb Garret: Decent
Phil Burns: Decent
Julian Thomas: Decent

Felipe Soriano: Garbage
Davis Sutherland: Garbage


As you can see, our relievers need work. With Mendoza's excellent stamina (see below), the strategy from the front office starts to make some sense (right along with the Lopez-Medina swap; Medina may have low stamina, but he is a closing monster with the leadership Lopez lacked). Perhaps McCoy's end-game is to reinvigorate the Relief bench. One would hope so, anyway.

HOT: JEFFREY MENDOZA, AAA

Here's some good news: Mendoza's temporary demotion is over, and he's been dusting off his trousers in AAA this July. Looks like they're at least trying to do something about this harrowing summer of junior varsity pitching (See above).

NOT: JOE KENNY--MY KINGDOM FOR A BASE HIT

At some point, you have to accept the platooning ain't working. .192 against lefties this year, .200 against righties. If this guy can't hit the ball, why are we subbing out Prat, who's almost caught up to Mercer in homers this year?

CONCLUSION

Until this organization can reinvigorate it's relief team with some much-needed leadership and long-relief safe men, we will continue to lose games in the 8th and 9th inning. Our starters are doing just fine. And our batters are holding it down. Sure, we could improve on infield defense--but we know our greatness weakness, for crying out loud. Who do I have to pay to do something about it?

Dr. Joe Larsen is a retired Proctologist and full-time grumbler.
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#6 Post by DrewV »

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#7 Post by Borealis »

Hmmmmmm... could altitude have anything to do with it??
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#8 Post by DrewV »

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Mandy Scott, Staff Writer
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Bye Bye, Jasper
Donny's got a plane to catch.

24 July 2028

Well, at least it's over.

Today, Eight-time all-star and All-Leather Left Fielder Don"Jasper" Mercer stood beside Warriors owner Jason Bong and rookie GM Ricky McCoy to announce he would be headed for The Castle to fight for the Scottish Claymores. I hope he likes plaid.

In return, the Warriors receive popular South Korean lefty Yeong-hun Kim, a popular .224 hitter with a great glove. He's no Don Mercer--he strikes out way too much for an 8-year starter--but he brings fresh skill to a desperate infield. Don't expect Kim to wow you on the field. And unlike Donny, this guy will definitely need a platoon strategy.

Likewise, Duluth picks up Eitoku Tamura, an above-average middle reliever who had a 2.8 career ERA before walking into the worst season of his life (3 separate small injuries). Still, he's got a killer fastball and plenty of stamina, which should at least make Grumpy Joe here at the Times happy.

Finally, Duluth received Jesus Guerra--a small sweetener--an average late reliever who should have more time to prove himself on a younger Duluth staff. Sources in Edinburgh claim Jesus is well-respected as a solid and hard-working leader in the clubhouse--which continues McCoy's vision of a healed work environment.

The real pickup of this trade is the liberation of $21 Million this year and a potential $135 Million in the next four years. The world will wait in wonder to see if Donny takes that option next year and hangs the cleats up for good (At his current playing level, I doubt it).

"On behalf of the Warriors, I really do wish Jasper the best," Ricky McCoy told reporters, where just a week ago he was introduced by the Bong family. Mr. Bong, for his part, did not seem remotely surprised by the decision, as McCoy hinted at a Mercer salary dump since he put on the green cap. "This guy's an undisputed leader, on and off the field, and no matter where he goes, he'll always be a Warrior."

Responding to McCoy's glowing farewell with a small shrug and a soft smile, Mercer said he was "ready for new opportunities" (read: lifeboat) and "excited to try haggis, whatever that is."

Fun fact: without Mercer's homers, Duluth would be about ten games further down this year. You don't need to be a sabermetric wizard see how the rest of the summer's looking from Warrior Hall.

Goodnight, sweet prince. Or perhaps, to be topical, "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" .

More analysis to follow on the weekly update.


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Mandy Scott is a Staff Writer and Weekly Update correspondent for the Duluth Warriors.
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#9 Post by DrewV »

PEBA Minute
Associated Press
BIG MOVES IN THE DULUTH BULLPEN

Anderson Folly, Independent Correspondent

Duluth Front Office confirms new 5-man-front:

Esquivel
Perkins
Nakamura
Carter
Bedell


Top-15 2027 Prospect Mendoza, recovered from his June injury, was promoted to Duluth just hours after the announced trade of All-Star Don Mercer to the Scottish Claymores. He pitched 1.89 ERA over 22 games in College Ball, 2.81 over 44 in A, and 2.1 over 4 games in A.

Fernando Guzmán, 24, was promoted from Racine to replace Soriano, who was benched after the 1-2 series against the Sandgnats. The Front Office cited his unusually low ERA as justification for the demotion.

"You'll have to ask Ricky McCoy," Manager Kijuro Yoshida told AP reporters this afternoon as he left the field. He did not provide further comments. Calls for Pitching Coach Rintaro Inoue's replacement after Duluth's troubled pitching season were waved off by the front office.

"At this time, the management team has full confidence in Kijuro and his coaches," Jason York, Assistant GM, told AP via teleconference this morning. "to suggest that the GM is planning personnel shifts is simply unbased."

Critics argue Mendoza and Guzmán are not ready for PEBA, but the front office seems confident.

Likewise, RPs Dave Henderson and Felipe Soriano were demoted to AAA.

The move, which reportedly came straight from the office of Ricky McCoy, benches starter Phil Burns. Warrior Hall released the following statement in an email:

"The organization is exploring the tailored talent of PEBA-ready pitchers from Racine. There is no "strategy," other than the pitchers who perform will remain on the 26-man."

The statement implies that under-performing pitchers can and will be demoted this season, and has more than one Warrior slinger worried.

"It's (censored)," Felipe Soriano told AP over the phone. "The guys are freaking out. I earned my spot on the lineup. We shouldn't be punished for just a few bad games."

"Look, the guy threw 9.00 ERA his first year, and he's throwing 5.5 this year," Jason York told AP, when confronted with the players' concerns. "I don't have time to wait around until 2031 for this kid to strike somebody out."
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#10 Post by Vic »

Love the line from your asst. gm that he can't wait around to 2031 for Soriano to strike someone out. Ha!

Just out of curiosity, where did you get the portraits for Mandy and Grumpy Joe? I'd like to get something like that for Hamish (my Edinburgh News reporter). So far he's faceless (although that may be for his own protection).
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#11 Post by DrewV »

Hey Vic, I've just been using Sims 4 avatars via google :D
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#12 Post by Vic »

That’s a genius idea - they look similar in style to OOTP’s facegen images, so they work really well. Leave it to a logistics expert to figure it out!
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#13 Post by DrewV »

;-D
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#14 Post by DrewV »

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Mandy Scott, Staff Writer


WEEK IN REVIEW: 24-31 July, 2028
DEFEAT IN THE SHIN SEIKI FARM TOWN FORMERLY KNOWN AS DULUTH


I hate to say I told you so.

Whether it was the muggy Minnesota weather, the record-low stadium attendance, or the lack of Duluth’s recently-traded top layers, it’s safe to say the Warriors should expect these 1-5 weeks going forward. But, hey, you don’t cut $50 Million from the salary budget, plus demand a $40 Million surplus, without some serious salary dumping from the Front Office. Swinging $90 Million to keep your Owner happy is probably why Jason Bong couldn’t find an experienced Manager within 12 parsecs of Minnesota.

But let’s talk about cash later.

The Warriors suffer one of their worst, though not their most embarrassing (see: last week) weeks of the season. I may be alone here, but I’m surprised Duluth managed to prevent total blowouts in every game this week. Most predicted a total 3-0 devastation against Desert Hills leader Aurora, which instead went 2-1 with three (relatively) close games. Given the most underwhelming batting in PEBA this year, this speaks to what I see as subtle improvements in the team’s ZR. I think we can all agree that Prat, Mercer, and Lopez would have picked up at least two more wins this week—but again, let’s talk about cash later.

Surprisingly, the team performed better in their 1-5 week than their preceding 2-4 week. With a respectable .278/.381/.389 last week, newly-acquired Third Baseman Yeong-Hun Kim hit .300 against 4th-ranked Aurora, who got almost all his strikeouts out of the way in an 0-4 slump in Game 2 (He came back to triple in the third bout). I’d say he’s a solid addition to the team, with some desperately needed infield expertise.

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New 3B Kim earned his spot this week.


Likewise, Front-man Bartolo Esquivel stepped up his game last week, pitching 2.70 ERA over 6 innings. Rumors of a pending deal with none other than Aurora have more from Warrior Nation troubled…but for a third time, let’s talk about cash later. In a surprise performance last week, Cole Middleton had a much-needed power series at .333/.333/.444. Catcher Carlos Galvan continued his streak with two home runs last week, though his average dropped a bit below his .298 standard. With the good stats he's putting up, we can expect a trade at any moment.

And that, friends, is where the good news ends.

Given his recent trade and subsequent promotion, I’d hate to call Orlando Trujillo’s PEBA debut disappointing. His first inning in Minnesota featured a grand slam from Codgers slugger Dave Petersen that turned almost-certain extra innings into a 6-2 blowout in the bottom of the ninth. Now that's a debut to remember. On the bright side, that 18.00 ERA ought to be easy to bring down.

Along the same lines, up-and-comer Starter Henry Carter had a rough go last week, giving up two runs in three innings and allowing five hits. I can’t be certain, but I imagine that somewhere in a barely unpacked Racine apartment, demoted reliever Felipe Soriano is blaring Dashboard Confessional’s Vindicated on repeat. (He pitched a 1.69 over six innings over there, by the way). At least someone can take pleasure in Ricky McCoy’s top prospects falling on their faces this week.

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Recent snapshot of vindicated SP Felipe Soriano

Fading outfielder Joe Kenny begins to show the world his PEBA days are growing dim. In 23 at-bats, the man hit the ball just twice. Combine that with a Defensive ZR of -.08 and an $11.5 Million salary, and you have yourself what we at the Times are starting to call a “Ricky McCoy Torpedo” toward free agency.

When you consider Hitoshi Sugahara failed to hit the ball once in 18 at-bats, and LF Paul Dillworth piddled a .143, it becomes more and more impressive that each of these games this series were not the sort of apocalyptic massacres we saw from the Sandgnats last week. The biggest blowout, 6-2 against Aurora, was a tie-game until Trujillo let Dave Andersen send that slider into outer space.

There were a few powerful moments from the minors last week. AA Southpaw Jose Cintron threw a sizzling 0.6 over 15 innings, and AAA Right Fielder Sean Kirkland had a thrilling .364 average over 22 trips to the plate, knocking out 3 homers for six RBIs. Still, one would expect more all-star moments from the Duluth farm program, where all eyes are turning for any hope of not becoming the new Yuma Bulldozers.

In conclusion, Duluth failed to provide an offense competitive enough to knock out either contender this week. Pedestrian performances from just about everyone at the plate combined with an abnormally cold week in ERA for the front-men. Despite flops from a couple late promotions, the bullpen saw minor improvement this week. However, it wasn’t enough to stem the lack of scoring from the barnyard offense. Expect this sort of pattern all the way into the 100-loss season.

Did I mention ticket sales are down to around 20,000? Or as we call it here in the office, ".02 Mercers."

But more on cash later.

Mandy Scott is a staff writer and weekly contributor to Warrior Beat.

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#15 Post by Vic »

I knew Kim would do well - in fact, he outperformed Mercer, who had a rough debut week in Edinburgh ... either jet lag or the meat pies didn’t agree with him.

By the way, I found a good avatar for Hamish, thanks to your suggestion. Those Sims 4 faces work really well.
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