Badger Talk - A Kalamazoo blog (2026 #1 - )

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Nigel
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Badger Talk - A Kalamazoo blog (2026 #1 - )

#1 Post by Nigel »

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TALKING ALL THINGS K-ZOO
March 7th, 2026

It’s never easy to take over someone else’s team at any time but especially so close to the start of spring training. The team is always set up with a different aim and it’s sometimes difficult to piece together the direction the team was expected to go in. The Badgers barely missed a wildcard playoff spot last season so the logical first thoughts would be that perhaps they can close that gap with a few small tweaks but the closer you look, the further away those thoughts get.
The team is ageing, many of the 40-man are in their 30’s and some are closer to their 40’s. There are outfielders everywhere you look but few infielders. You have to go right down to Double-A before you find a catcher younger than 30 and again the only players the coaches can recommend to promote are outfielders. The top prospect’s list shows 19 out of 20 are position players and 11 of those 19 are outfielders. One of the few bright spots is that as things stand around $74 million is due to come off the payroll at the end of 2026 with another $26 million in arbitration & team option commitments meaning that Kalamazoo have the ability to shed $100 million and become major players in the free agent market next winter. That really means that there is a lot of players now playing for a new contract going forward into 2027 and given the ages of some of them the chances must be slim. Let’s have a look at some of the problem areas.

Personnel
My early intentions were to allow all the team managers & coaches the same year’s grace, to show me that they are the right fit. 2026 was looking like a complete write-off already before the next problem raised i’s head. More and more of the targets I was hoping to sign to booster the strength in depth were telling me through their agents that they were not interested to joining Kalamazoo because they felt that they would clash personalities with manager Juan Gómez who the franchise had newly acquired from Neo Tokyo. A hard choice had to be made and as the club geared up for spring training I called a meeting of all of the managers in the organisation. I already felt that the minors had been handled shoddily with players held back needlessly, unbalanced rosters and a general devil care less malaise. I didn’t hold back with my criticisms and in the closed confines of my office harsh words were traded. My plan going forward was to let Juan Gómez manage SS-A Ketchikan while their current manager, Scott Dickerson, would be promoted to Double-A Hamilton. Hamilton’s manager, Arnie Clay would be promoted to the Badgers manager after three successful seasons with the Industrialists. Dickerson threw a spike into that by flatly refusing to go anywhere and after a heated row was told to clear his desk immediately. For the time being Clay would swap roles with Triple-A manager Pedro Suárez, Gomez would head for SS-A and we would approach a few candidates who would interview alongside Clay for the now vacant Badgers managers role. With Gomez now no longer in charge of the Badgers we were able to at least offer contracts to the players who had flatly refused to talk to us.

Catchers
24-yr-old Tomás Cisneros was invited to camp as the best of an otherwise aging bunch, 35-yr-old Jeff Richard is slated to be one of the catching duo due to his outstanding defence but several contracts were offered to free agent catchers.

Outfield
Not really a problem other than our cup runth over. Scott Wiggins, Ruben Jimenez and Jose Guillen are slated to be the starting trio but Badgers will have six other OF in camp trying to unseat them or win an outfield backup slot.

Infield
To be fair to someone who likes defence this is a shambles. Many contracts have been offered and it is hoped that the majority of the infield will come from free agency or we are in trouble.

Rotation
The five pitchers that won 67 games for Badgers last year will start as favourites to retain their jobs but others will be challenging them in the first few weeks of camp

Bullpen
A plethora of relievers will be in camp attempting to win a spot with everyone’s job up for grabs. Expect several to be tried in the closer, setup & stopper roles


Conclusions

2026 whatever happens will most likely be a year of change for Kalamazoo. The on-field success of the Badgers will largely depend on the franchise’s ability to sign a number of the few remaining free agents that offer value. Most contracts offered will be one-year deals to tide the squad over until the rebuilding starts in earnest in 2027 with most of the big earners gone. In the meantime the organisation will spend 2026 restructuring and rebuilding the farm attempting to get more bona fide prospects into and through the system, attempting to balance the rosters and look to the future success.
Nigel Laverick

GM San Antonio Calzones de Laredo 2035 - . . .

Former Commish, PEBA & LRS GM

nigel3123@gmail.com
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2026 -2

#2 Post by Nigel »

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BADGERS REBUILD STARTS AS STAR SHORTSTOP ARRIVES
New GM Laverick wasted no time in making his first move. Just days into his tenure projected #1 starter 32-yr-old Kazuhiko Nishiyama was shipped to Duluth for 29-yr-old shortstop Juan Hernandez, an exchange of minor leaguers was also included, Hernandez comes with five years of a mega contract but only three are guaranteed and with around $70 million coming off the payroll in 2027 Badgers aren't short of salary room.

Hernandez at only 29 can see the Badgers' infield through their rebuild with his stellar defense, he has two All-Leather awards at SS and is not too shabby with the bat having a PEBA career average of .284 as well of course as a PEC Ring from his time in Crystal Lake. The loss of Kazuhiko will undoubtedly hurt the rotation but obviously the fear was that the team could lose him anyway to free agency in 2027 as they would be reluctant to give him a contract of the $$$/years that he would demand.

Also in the deal one of K-Zoo's surplus of outfielders, 24-yr-old Mike Rose, was swapped with 25-yr-old third baseman Yakamochi Kobayashi. Playing the last two years in Triple-A Kobayashi has picked up 236 hits and posted 3.1 WAR last year. He is slated to arrive in Spring camp chasing a backup 3B role helped by the fact he can play passable defense at 2B and even take a few innings at short. All that could change if he has a good camp and Badgers fail to land a starting 3B, in those circumstances he has a chance to break camp patrolling the hot corner in his first taste of PEBA action.

K-Zoo's spring opens with a clash against Yuma today. It is expected that minor league players auditioning for roles will dominate the Badgers lineups but several star players might feature late on and sixth year K-Zoo veteran Kazuo Ishihara will start on the mound. In the final year of his contract Ishihara may well end up as the Badgers #1 for 2026 at least.
Nigel Laverick

GM San Antonio Calzones de Laredo 2035 - . . .

Former Commish, PEBA & LRS GM

nigel3123@gmail.com
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2026 - 3

#3 Post by Nigel »

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Talking all things K-Zoo
Monday, March 16, 2026

Wanting to get a look at as many players as possible K-Zoo went into Spring with 41 in camp. By the end of the first week following a trade, some free agent signings and the return to minor league camps of some young prospects the Badgers ended up with 45 in camp.

The trade with Duluth is one that quite possibly end up helping both teams. Nishiyama, in his contract year & at 32, was not certain to be offered an extension given what he would likely ask for and I didn’t really feel with our makeshift infield his numbers would be enough to give us a real pennant shot. I felt we probably had someone who could step up and give us some of his numbers while the addition of 29-yr-old Hernandez, abet with a huge contract, would give us a sure-handed infield leader for the years of reshaping the infield defence. He’s a player I know well having had him in the farm system in London and having signed him during my brief stint in Duluth, he doesn’t always put up the numbers his talent should do but will be a solid contributor for at least the three guaranteed years of his contract. Outfielder Mike Rose was a reasonable prospect but down the list of the log-jam of prospective Badger outfielders so it was worth flipping him for a potential back-up infielder in Kobyashi. He at least had the bonus of being able to play all round the diamond although we will primarily be looking at him in his best position at the hot corner. Yet to make his PEBA debut he has the chance to force his way into the 25-man roster, he made a good start launching his first AB over the fences but since then has just a walk to show for his efforts. Hernandez meanwhile, as a guaranteed starter had an easy first week and will now step it up with a few more week two starts.
With the best of the K-Zoo minor leaguers mainly starting I was relatively pleased with our 3-4 record after week one. Kazuo Ishihara had two strong outings giving up just one run and no walks showing me he is ready to challenge for the role of Badgers’ Ace, his reward will be a rest in week two. Seu Tong on the other hand was lifted after just two innings of his start having already shipped six runs, he will have to impress in the next week if he doesn’t want his place to come under pressure. Donald Edwards may be 35 and have only two PEBA relief appearances to his credit but he looked locked-in in his start, giving up just two hits and no runs or walks in his four innings, he could be a surprise contender for the vacant rotation spot if he keeps his form up. A far more likely contender arrived at the end of the week though as K-Zoo acquired Erwin Callahan on a year’s $1,200 deal with a team option of a further year. I drafted him for London in the first round of the 2016 draft and watched him through the minors. His rookie season ended with the 2019 IL Wunderkind Award but never really lived up to his start. At thirty now, coming off a 9-9 season in Canton I hope he can rekindle the spark that made him an integral part of the London rotation at the turn of the decade.

The outfield battles are going more or less as predicted with last year’s three all looking favourite to start again but the other five outfielders in camp will take centre stage again in week two as they compete for the one, possibly two, back-up slots. We still appear to be no nearer trying down a starting infield though, with the exception of Juan at Shortstop. 37-yr-old Tomohiko Tanaka has done better than I expected, not striking out at all in week one but not hitting much either. He will get a shot at second base in week two. 35-yr-old Austin McKee is not exactly filling me with confidence at first base with bat or ball while third base is still looking a disaster. Kobyashi going 1-12 battled with last year’s Triple-A shotstop Vincent Wilson with new minor league free agent signing Craig Grant entering the mix in week two. 24-yr-old Double-A prospect Tomas Cisneros had a good week one behind the plate, patient during his AB’s and drawing six walks. He will be joined in the second week by new minor league free agent signing, 30-yr-old Antonio Ayala who has 254 career PEBA appearances with San Antonio, Yuma and Amsterdam but hasn’t shown much inclination to hit anywhere. Last year’s starting catcher, 35-yr-old Jeff Richard, who hit .197 in 129 starts but showed solid defence could be Badgers only option.
A diverse bunch pose for the K-Zoo Spring Camp photos
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Nigel Laverick

GM San Antonio Calzones de Laredo 2035 - . . .

Former Commish, PEBA & LRS GM

nigel3123@gmail.com
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2026 - 4

#4 Post by Nigel »

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Talking all things K-Zoo


Monday, March 23rd, 2026

Week two of Spring camp saw K-Zoo lose four out of their six games but in general I feel the team is coming together well and the positional battles are becoming clearer. Minor league free agent signing, Craig Grant, had an impressive first week with the team going 3-8 with a walk in 10 AB’s while Kobyashi reacted well to the competition turning his 1-12 in the first week into a 5-6 with a walk and a homer in 7 AB’s in week two. The third base job will be one of theirs when they break camp, Grant probably having the edge because of Kobyashi’s greater versatility around the diamond. Because of that Kobyashi will get some AB’s at second this week although the second base problem might be solved after 32-yr-old John Foster signed a one-year $4.2 million deal. Aurora. His extra=base hits and power have dropped off in recent years but being just about the best second baseman available in a poor market Badgers are hoping a new park, new team will rekindle his desire.

The first base job looks like it will be split between two mid-thirty somethings, Austin McKee & José Martinez, neither have been particularly decent but they’re all we’ve got. The two catcher’s spots are still up for grabs it seems. The latest minor league FA to have a go, 30-yr-old António Ayala, had a less than stellar first week with the organisation, 24-yr-old Cisneros is doing well but still is probably ticketed to return to the minors for further development while 35-yr-old Jeff Richard needs more work to step up his bid to retain the role. Héctor García has been mainly ensconced in the DH role over recent years but will have to improve on his current showing if he doesn’t want me looking elsewhere.

Having had their head in the first two weeks most of the wanabee outfielders have been returned to minor league affiliates leaving Jake Owen, Marcos Ruiz & Jeremiah Henderson to fight it out for backup roles. 22-yr-old José Barajas almost stuck in K-Zoo after hitting .385/.407/.462 and swiping three bags in the opening two weeks but at such a tender age I feel that at least starting the year back in Double-A will be more beneficial than sitting on Badgers bench.

Minor league free agent Nahuhiko Mizuno blew his big try-out going just 3 2/3 against Crystal Lake giving up 11 runs on seven hits and three walks, he will now head for Grand Rapids. Another loser in the pitching stake is 36-yr-old lefty Curt Roberts, in just 1.2 innings of work this spring he has given up three homers and six runs. We have taken the decision to pay up the final year of his contract to free up the roster spot for someone more deserving. Erwin Callahan didn’t disappoint in his first start for K-Zoo, breezing through his four innings of work allowing just one hit while striking out two. 30-yr-old Kichibei Kamuta has pitched solidly so far and will likely have a third season in the Badgers’ pen. Free agent minor league signing Huo Hao who made 52 appearances for Duluth in his rookie year last year has been a bit wild in walking four batters in 5.1 innings but has only given up three hits.
The management structure has finally been finalised with former Hamilton (AA) manager Arnie Clay being promoted to skipper the Badgers, Juan Gomez will consequently move to Hamilton and the post of manager in Ketchikan (SS-A) will be advertised.


Three battle for the two catcher’s slots, Richard, Cisneros and Ayala

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Nigel Laverick

GM San Antonio Calzones de Laredo 2035 - . . .

Former Commish, PEBA & LRS GM

nigel3123@gmail.com
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2026 - 5

#5 Post by Nigel »

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TALKING ALL THINGS K-ZOO
Monday, March 30, 2026

After the progression of last week, week three felt like a shambles. A 2-4 week for the second week running, Badgers certainly banged out the hits, 61 in six games but precious few were converted into runs – only 23 runs crossed the plate for K-Zoo. The roster was augmented for the final week of spring by the free agent signing of 31-yr-old third baseman José González on a one-year $2.3 million deal, he has played in 276 games over the last three years for Havana hitting .245 after spending most of his career in Liga Dominicana. The roster was reduced to 32 though as the penultimate cuts of spring were made leaving five more cuts to be made at the end of spring training.
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Gonzalez, the third 3B to arrive in Spring
The final place in the rotation is still up for grabs with it seemingly being a shootout between 30-yr-old Simon Jones, who went 10-16 for K-Zoo last year but hasn’t had many innings this spring so far and 35-yr-old Donald Edwards who has performed well in camp but has only two innings of PEBA experience to go with his last three years of winning Triple-A records. The bullpen is still the biggest area of concern with eight pitchers still in the mix and only Kichibei Kamuta & Huo Hao seemingly having confirmed their seats for 2026 so far. Robert Vincent as the only lefty left in camp should probably be safe as well.

António Ayala with eight hits in six appearances last week appears to be leading the pack for the starting catcher’s role but 35-yr-old Jeff Richard could well end up going from 2025’s catcher to being released in 2026. 30-yr-old Rick Heath has never played above Triple-A but he is looking like possibly edging out Austin McKee if McKee’s not careful. A mild calf strain for Héctor Garcia will give young José Barajas a few AB’s at DH in a last attempt to win a backup role with Jake Owen & Jeremiah Henderson looking to be the Badgers outfield backups. Yakamochi Kobyashi spent the third week of camp spending time at second and short as he looks favourite to be the infield utility man due to his versatility while Crag Grant and the newly arrived Gonzalez battle for the hot corner.
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John May in his first managerial job gets a two-year deal in Ketchikan
58-yr-old Jack May completes the organisation’s management structure as he agrees to a two-year deal to manage the Ketchikan Salmon, Badgers SS-A affiliate.
Nigel Laverick

GM San Antonio Calzones de Laredo 2035 - . . .

Former Commish, PEBA & LRS GM

nigel3123@gmail.com
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2026 - 6

#6 Post by Nigel »

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TALKING ALL THINGS K-ZOO
April 5th, 2026

So, my first K-Zoo 25-man roster is complete. I’m not sure it will be good enough for this season but it’s certainly better than the hold-over roster I inherited. Erwin Callahan, if he plays to his level, will be a good addition but perhaps not the ace we need. The lack of a lefty could be a problem, in fact Robert Vincent is the only lefty on the roster which could come back to bite us. My choice of pitchers was stymied to a large extent by the number of veterans that refused to report to Triple-A Grand Rapids, many were in their final year but earning too much to just throw away. I agonised over this but finally decided on the staff that I did mainly due to the thought that we might need these less than favourited guys as injury cover (or fodder).
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Callahan & Hernandez, two important new arrivals for 2026

The position players I have a bit more confidence in. The outfielders are shaping up to be a solid unit, good in defence and providing a decent share of the offence while Juan Hernandez will be a safe pair of hands in an important position. The rest of the infielders could well prove to be a ‘mix & match’ bunch, I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to assess the new guys I brought in to compete for second & third base but I am confident though that they were the best I could have signed out of the limited range I had available to me on the eve of spring training. The good thing about the signings I brought in was they were all on one-year deals (except Callahan who has a team option for a second year) so if they are busts they will be leaving in the off-season along with a lot of the over-paid, over-the-hill veterans who are out of contract.

K-Zoo hasn’t dropped below 78 wins since 2018 but seven of the roster have been here since 2020 and have been growing old in that time. I hope we can reach around that figure this year, but the fans may well have to accept a few fallow years as we re-tool. Our farm system may be ranked 16th overall but it needs a lot of restructuring. I have sat down with our affiliate’s managers and we have agreed to run the system as a progressive unit where the players move in age bands or are released, no players hanging around clogging up the system. Our aim is to use SS-A as 22-yrs-old and below, A-ball as 24-yrs-old and below, Double-A as 26 and below while anyone above that will be Triple-A. It may take a couple of years to be fully compliant and a few players may need exemptions but the resultant system we agree will help produce PEBA ready players
Nigel Laverick

GM San Antonio Calzones de Laredo 2035 - . . .

Former Commish, PEBA & LRS GM

nigel3123@gmail.com
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