Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

[Borealis]

Disastrous July Puts Borealis in Hole
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

July 31, 2039: Yuma, Arizona – June came to a close with Aurora winning 2 of 3 at Okinawa - starting with a taut 2-1 win in which Armando Batista took a Raul Munoz 1st-inning, 2-run homer and ran with it - finishing the month with a meh 14-13 record, following an equally meh May (at 15-13), and a 44-35 mark - 4.5 games behind Reno, 4-games back of Tempe, and a half game ahead of Toyama for the 2nd WC. Aurora was treading water, but aside from the 50-30 Ghosts the entirety of the SL contenders seemed to be mostly doing just that - treading water.

Then July came and all hell broke loose.

It began promising enough - a 3-game sweep of the Badgers at Northern Lights - Kzoo scoring all of 1-run as Martin Gutierrez made his first start in Brian Clark's spot (and Anthony MacDonald shipped back to Thornton) handheld the Badgers to a pair of hits and no runs over 5.2 IP - and the 'pen doing the rest; 'Lanza' was the starter that day for Kalamazoo, taking the loss - then it was Clymo nearly going the distance in game 2, allowing just a run, then Perfection, as Armando Batista not only no-hit the Badgers - he threw a perfect game!

It was all downhill from there.

The Ghost swept three from the Borealis - giving Aurora a 2-7 record against a probable playoff foe (if the Borealis were to get that far) - and then their lost a fourth straight game to Crystal lake, before heading into the All-Star game with a pair of 1-run wins over the 'Gnats - Batista's 3rd straight win - and second in which Aurora scored all they would in the 1st and let the big Cuban ride it to the end; and a late Munoz RBI single in the rubber match gave Aurora a 49-39 mark - dropping to 6 GB of Reno.

The All-Star Break seemed to come at a good time - the SL winning 7-4 in Niihama, with Angel Silva going 1-2 with a hit and a run; Raul Ortega getting 2 AB - earning a walk in one; and Kichida faced two batters cleanly.

But as has been the case in recent years, the All-Star Break does nothing but break Aurora's back.

Three games with Neo-Tokyo, 2-losses, including a game in which they allowed 15-runs to the woeful Akira. That was followed by a devastating (to the standings and wild card) 4-game sweep at Toyama - whom Aurora is 1-6 against, and a result that left Aurora 50-45 and 7.5 GB of Reno and suddenly 8-games behind Toyama and out of the WC standings.

Aurora got a reprieve, with Yuma on the schedule - Martin Gutierrez earring his 2nd win in his 4th start - a 4-0, 3-hitter, but after a 2-win pause to the slide, critical series losses to Tempe and Palm Springs. Those losses left Aurora 10-15 for July and 54-50 overall and a whopping 11-games back of Reno - who have opened a 9-game bulge over 2nd place Tempe - and the surging Codgers just 5.5 behind Aurora. The Borealis are just as close to the 5th place Bears as they are to first place as the Trade Deadline has arrived. The good news - a silver lining if you would, is Tempe, just 2-games ahead of Aurora, are the third wild card - so despite the doom and gloom, Aurora still has a chance.

But for the Borealis to take advantage of that chance, they will need to do better. During the past 5-week stretch, Aurora's Opponents Win % has been the lowest in all the SL - and look what that's done for them.

So here we are - at the trade deadline, where last year David Simmons was shipped off to Manchester for Pedro Macias. Aurora is in a spot where they could make a big move or they could blow it up. Will Topham has continued to express his frustration over the club's composition - his own doing, of course, but it's hard to pinpoint where and why things are going sideways.

Start with a tale as old as time - or so it seems - power. Last year Aurora broke out of their power funk and hit 162 - and with primarily the same squad, it was hopeful they'd repeat that. Thus for the have 61 in 104-game - a pace sure to finish under 100. They had 89 in 2037, and at this point that even looks like a stretch! The biggest disappointment has been Claudio Hernandez, who has just 6 on the year - after 123 the previous four seasons for Aurora and has been benched v. RHP for his .216 average - despite his .320 OBP. Rocky Kowalski has hit 9 - after having 31 in his first season on The Front Range, and is hitting .229 - and for those who count, a -0.7 WAR after a 2.8 last year. Rocky has been benched v. LHP for his .205 average - not that his .238 v. RHP is knocking folks socks off, but at least 8 of his 9 HR have come against righties.

Despite having the 4th best average, Aurora has scored just the 6th most runs - in a large part to the lack of power - they are 8th in doubles and ditto triples - something they normally excel at - and a lack of taking a walk, where they sit 15th in the SL. Sure, they have the fewest K and the most SB - but that illustrates how hard this team has to work to score runs - and it's clearly showing.

As of this moment the one member of the club hitting above their norm is Ruben Ortega, who is hitting .317 with 11 HR (2nd on the team), 42 RBI (3rd) and 35 SB (2nd). Add Juan Rodriguez to this storyline as the back-up infielder is hitting .325 and has yet to commit an error with plenty of playing time at all four infield positions.

All of which is too bad, for the pitching - though shaky at times, has the 4th best overall ERA and has allowed the fewest runs, fewest hits, fewest homers and has struck out the 3rd most hitters. Their lone concerning spots are walks (9th in the SL) and opponents average on balls in play - 12th, at .291 - which probably reflects the range Macias and Ortega bring to the infield - much less Arundale and Kowalski in the outfield.

The range issue may not improve much as Aurora has announced that that OF Mashimachi Daikawa has been demoted to AAA (with a .245 average after hitting .329 last year) and Hideki Nishikawa has been recalled after he hit .307 thus far with 8 HR, in an attempt to improve the offense. It's expected he will split time in the outfield and at DH in platoons with 'Matchbox' and Kowalski. 'Smitty' has also stolen 45 bases while with the Sun Dogs.

What's on Tap
August brings Yuma to Aurora and and then it's off to Bakersfield to open the month that is all Desert Hills, aside from an August 8-11 four game set in Japan with The Evil Evas, who lurk behind Aurora in the wild card chase. What changes may come for the Borealis with the Trade Deadline a Meer hours away, but if Aurora is to make a serious push at a playoff spot - and winning the division seems unlikely at this time, especially with just four-late September games with the Zephyrs on the schedule - but aside the four with Shin Seiki and four with Reno, they have 7-games with Tempe and three at Kalamazoo amongst the playoff contenders left on the schedule. Doing the math, of the 58 games left, only 18 of the 58 games left are against contenders. It's worth noting that Aurora continues to have the softest remaining schedule by win % - the opportunity is there, but can this team that is 5-4 v. BAK, 3-3 v. NT, 3-3 v. PS, 4-7 v. REN and 2-6 v. TEM, play with enough gumption and consistency to get the job done.

[Borealis]

Trade Deadline Brings Future Help?
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

August 1, 2039: Yuma, Arizona – In the past, the month of July leading to the deadline has brought the likes of Pedro Macias, Barry Rodriguez and Claudio Hernandez - and it was a question whether the Borealis were going to to be active buyers or blow things up. The typically tight-lipped Will Topham and been signaling that the latter was a distinct possibility. Instead, Aurora did indeed make a move - but one that has future implications, not present.

Late in the evening of the deadline, Aurora worked a deal with the budget-constrained Okinawa Shisa, sending the Rising Sun club $3,500,000 and Aurora's 4th round pick in next year's draft in exchange for a pair of minor league relievers on big league contracts - arbitration-eligible Roman Salinas (current salary $2.6M - Aurora on the hook for $906K) and Kaong Chao ($1.84M, with $673K due), who will be a free agent after the season. Although Salinas, at age 24, may be worth holding on to, both players were instantly placed on the waiver/DFA wire - if for no other reason than to park them at AAA, where they were at the time of the trade.

The big reason for the deal was that in exchange for the cash and the responsibility of another $2.5M in salary (barring someone claiming either or both), is Aurora receives from the Shisa Okinawa's 2nd and 3rd round picks as well as Duluth's 2nd round pick - acquired in their July 18th trade of Shirai Mori to the Warriors. The pickup is huge from the standpoint that Aurora's system is thin - not a prospect in the PEBA Top 100, and a system ranked 29th - just ahead of Duluth, Amsterdam and Havana - the other lone team without a top 100 player.

Slug Off DL
Brian Clark has finally been cleared to pitch after his 8-week recovery from a minor (is it ever really minor) bone spur removal in his elbow, and has been set to pitch at least two rehab starts at Thornton - and then he will be re-evaluated. Clark had been Aurora's top starter at the time of his May 28 injury, and had posted a 1.50 ERA in 10-starts, with a 6-2 record. He had barely missed a start over the previous 6-seasons since tear his UCL in his rookie campaign in which he was 8-6 with a 2.13 ERA in 20-starts. He rebounded and led the SL in ERA the following season (at 1.81) and has been a reliable arms ever since. The plan is for him to start v. The Evil Evas if all goes well.

[Borealis]

Dog Days Spelling Doom
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

August 18, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – Things are certainly not looking good on The Front Range.

After winning 103 games last season and playing in the SL Alliance Tournament the last two seasons (losing both times to Toyama), Aurora is on pace for one of their largest drop-offs - year-to-year, in club history. After beginning August on pace for a dismal 84-wins - which would have otherwise been a 3rd place finish in the Desert Hills, 10-games back of Reno (and 22 ahead of 4th place Bakersfield), Aurora raced through the first half of August at a blistering 8-8 - losing 3 of 4 to The Evil Evas (who are also struggling to stay in the wild card hunt), splitting 6 with Yuma while taking three-game series from Palm Springs and Bakersfield - dropping a game to both. The stretch has dropped Aurora out of wild card position (4 GB of Kzoo and Okinawa), further behind 1st place Reno and 2nd place Tempe, and staring at a real, stark reality that for the first time in the PEBA's 32-year history, Aurora may finish under .500. The 2031 model finished a dismal 85-77 - a .525 clip - which was both 6-games behind Bakersfield and the division crown and Kzoo and the 2nd wild card spot (at a time when there were only two spots).

The worst year-to-year drop in Aurora history was in the 2014 season, but this is deceptive as Aurora won 104 games - finishing 2nd behind 106-win Bakersfield but beating the Bears in the Alliance Tournament - only to get swept by Charleston in the PEC. The year before (2013) Aurora won 126-games - a record that held for 23-years before the current iteration of F-heads topped that mark. That Aurora team - that would fall 22-games in 2014, would be topped in the playoffs by a Tempe team that featured McCullough and 'Fireworks' - despite Aurora having three pitchers in the top four wins in the SL (the 'TillerMan' who led the league with 22, Kojima who won 21 and Francisco Chavez who won 19) and well as three of the top four hitters (Al Edwards who led the SL, Cory Pierce who was second, and John Knight who was 4th and won the Royal Raker - AND, En-guo Guao, the Wunderkind for the SL).

The next largest drop was in 2017, where the Borealis dropped 18-games from 2016's 106-game winner that won the DH, but lost to Crystal Lake, to an 88-74 team who finished 8-games out and in 3rd and 3 GB of Duluth for the 2nd WC. Of course that club was a blend of the early Aurora contending teams and the club that two years later would hoist the Rodriguez Cup.

Of course there was the drop the following year - the break in Aurora's 4-titles in 5-seasons - and in 2020 they Borealis dropped 17-games to 90-72 (from their PEC winning 107-games) - finishing in 4th place in perhaps the tightest Desert Hills finish - four-games behind 1st place Yuma, as the Bulldozers would earn their first - and only, trip to the PEC. Both Bakersfield and Reno, 2 GB of Yuma and 2-games ahead of Aurora, would make the post-season as wild cards.

Which brings us to the now - with two-weeks left before the September 1 roster expansion. The team has seen it slid downward in the key team stats - dropping in average, runs scored, XBH, and ERA - be it starter or 'pen. Of course their HR total is pathetic, with only Macias even intimating to some consistency with the long ball - though he looks to fall well short of his total from last season. Claudio Hernandez has only 6 HR after popping 27 last season - and he's been abysmal against RHP.

There has been some positive news on the roster front. For starters, a roster crunch led to 'Haggis' Uige being place on waivers - and getting claimed by New Orleans - a loss to a 'pen whose consistency has been shaky. But the team did sign three pitchers to contract extensions - starting with 3-time Shutdown Reliever winner Hector Gutierrez as 'Machete' signed a 4-year deal that made next seasons $13M salary guaranteed, with 2041 ($13M) and 2042 ($10.4M) - with team options for the '43 and '44 seasons. It's been a weird year for 'Machete', with most notably 4 blown saves by now - tied for most in his career.

The team then signed 'Slug' - Brian Clark, to a 3-year guaranteed $48M deal, with a mutual option, with a 5th year team option. Clark, who suffered a midseason elbow issue that cost him 8-weeks, has been the best starter on the team thus far - he's 9-5 with a 2.53 ERA. Aurora also signed - finally - Brenden Clymo to a 3-year guaranteed $54M with a pair of player options in '43 and '44. Clymo had a rough start, and has settled, but still has had moments during his 11-11 record over 30 GS, posting a 3.28 ERA - with a team high 24 HRA.

It's believed that the team is also negotiating with Henry Cluett as well. Such a deal would leave only 'Chattahoochee' Fujii without a contract of the players expected back.

Down on the Farm
While the season for the Sun Dogs and Balloonists have been long over, The Rapidos Blancos have made the playoffs with time to spare and are slated to face long post-season rival Rosarito. At Short A the Oceanic have pulled away from the pack after a slow start with a 13-4 August, and although it's likely too late to catch Ewa Beach (FLA), they look a shoe-in to be the top wild card. Montserrat is in the midst of a horrid season and hoping to not finish last in the Paradise League.

What's on Tap
With the playoffs beginning to look out of reach, the Borealis can hope to only finish ahead of a much improved Palm Springs club, perhaps catch Tempe, and not finish under .500. To that end it is those Codgers and those Apollos and Bakersfield on the agenda to end August.

[Borealis]

A September to Remember?
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

September 1, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – It'll be hard to explain this season as we look back in time, the poor play, the bickering in the press and the fighting in the dugout (as we have begun to see this past week), the finger pointing. As the end of summer neared, the tensions within the team increased - yet not a soul on the club can tell you why; why has this team disintegrated so completely that on September 1st - with rosters expanding, that the Aurora Borealis at 67-66 - fighting off, desperately, a sub-.500 season, they sit virtually closer to last place Yuma (35 GB) that to 1st place Reno (17 GB).

Over the past fortnight, as Aurora finished 5-8 - losing four of those games by a run (two in extra innings - both 3-2 - to the Codgers and two - both 4-3 to Bakersfield - by falling behind early - something that has become an all too common occurrence) and losing another 3-games in the standings, the players would stare out at the reporters post game and shrug. Depressed and angry - anger being the dominant emotion night after night. The coaches - be it hitting coach Mike Britt, bench coach Paul Carlisle or manager 'Train Arollin'' - all stare in confused ways; why does this team so frequently just pound the ball into the ground? Why has this team lost the power stroke they discovered last season that drove them to the SL championship game 7?

No one seems to know the answer.

Certainly GM Will Topham doesn't know the answer. But he does know that getting behind has been a bad plan of attack for the Borealis this year. "We are 12-24 if we fall behind right out the gate - and if we are still behind by the end of the 5th, we are 9-56 - and there are no late game heroics for us. We've won one-game out of 71 when losing in the 8th and we are 0-72 down in the 9th." shaking his head he continued, "How can it be that bad? Whereas if we are ahead in the 5th, we're 55-8 - and we are better than .500 in tied games. Yet we've fallen into this rut of getting behind early."

Statistically, the numbers make no sense - offensively they struggled the most against Palm Springs - lowest average vs an opponent and lowest OPS, and yet their top 7 averages vs an opponent include Kzoo, Okinawa, Duluth, Reno and Toyama - and ditto OPS. But they struggle with The Evil Evas (who like Aurora, are struggling to stay ahead of .500), Bakersfield, and Crystal Lake.

So here comes September - and instead of a September to Remember with playoff dreams, the Borealis who are 6 GB in the wild card and clearly going nowhere, they are trying to avoid a very different - very ugly memory that will linger for eternity in the record books: their first losing season in the club's 33-year history.

On the Farm
While Thornton and Gatineu finish out another pair of dismal seasons, San Luis Rio Colorado has already clinched the 2nd NAFTA BCL wild card as all three wild card teams will come out of the Mexican Division as Mexicall (FLA) has a significant lead over Rosarito (WV) and has clinched the division, while The Monjas del Vuelo have a big bulge on the Rapids Blancos, while they, in turn, have a big edge over Ensenada (NO). To illustrate how uneven the BCL is, only 6 of the 16 teams have finished over .500 - and four are in the Mexican League.

Mokule'ia has been on fire after a 12-18 start and over July and August are 38-17 and if not for Ewa Beach's (FLA) 21-9 start, the Oceanic might still be within striking distance - instead they sit 15 GB (and 2 GB of Waimalu (GLO) and with the 5th best Hawaiian League record and a 4-game edge in the WC.

Montserrat has struggled all season, but of note, Aurora's top pick in the draft - CL Ron Lucas (in the 3rd round, 96 overall) has had a stellar first pro year with a 1.72 ERA and 10 saves for a club with just 23-wins (and 43 defeats - dead last in the Paradise League).

What's on Tap
Roster Expansion and a chance to see some new faces. The most notable one for Aurora fans will be 1B Mark Newton, who hit .303 for Thornton this year, with 70 SB 35-2B, 8-3B and just 3 HR (not his bag - shocking, I know) - but 64 RBI and with 50 BB, a .367 OBP. He primarily hit leadoff - or 4th; he had near equal AB, with near equal results. The 2036 3rd round pick (7-th overall) is expected to mostly hit out of the DH role for now, replacing Claudio Hernandez, whose failures on the season have fans so irate, they have even stopped calling him 'Matchbox' (one social media post called him 'moldy kindling'). Gijsbert Verboven will also be joining the big club - and his playing time will depend on rotation on the infield and how the club fares - I'd suspect that if Aurora struggles through September to stay above water, Verboven's AB will be minor. Masamichi Daikawa will be recalled and share outfield time as Hideki Nishikawa was previously promoted - as will Anthony MacDonald and Tekle-Mariam Louahla will be recalled. Lastly Rafael Ruiz - a right-handed swing man, will make his PEBA debut after posting a 3.62 at AAA with 130 K in 97 IP - he also had a .329 OAVG, so it may be cringeworthy.

It'll be Tempe for four, then a trip to the Great Lakes with Crystal Lake and Fargo on the docket, leaving Aurora with just one road trip - to Kalamazoo - amongst the final six series. Is it time to close your eye's and pray? Perhaps.

[Borealis]

So... You're Saying There's A Chance
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

September 16, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – The Borealis began September in perilous place - 67-66, staring .500 square in the face, and a seemingly unlikely chance of picking up the 4.5 games that they and The Evil Evas have between them and Okinawa for the last wild card spot - with half-game back Kalamazoo in their way. Oh - and they were 6-games behind Tempe for a 2nd place Desert Hills finish. But, with four games to start the month with the Apollos and the Badgers on the agenda later on in the month - as dire as it looked, a sudden hot spell could at least make it an interesting month.

Well then Aurora split their four games with Tempe to stand-pat in the division - four-, 1-run games that helped not at all in the wild card, losing 1.5 games as Okinawa swept four from Fargo.

It was then off to the road and a trip to Crystal Lake, and the 'Gnats were not kind: a comeback win in game 1 and their young, promising starter Leon Vega shut the Borealis down as Crystal Lake took 2 of 3 from Aurora, and by the time they finished an off-day workout at Jurassic Park, they had fallen 7 games behind Tempe in the DH and 5.5 games back in the wild card - with both the Badgers and Evas in the way. Worst of all, for the second time in 3-days, the club sat at .500 - 70-70.

Things were about to change as the Borealis would face two of the worst teams in the SL - Fargo and Neo-Tokyo - and after blowing a 5-run lead in game 1 at Fargo, Aurora would post a 5-spot in the 13th, thanks to a Lan Qing grand slam -and from there Aurora found themselves on a roll - sweeping the Dinosaurs and Akira; a 6-game win streak - their longest of the season since a mid-April 8-game streak. Thanks to the efforts of Qing, Macias and rookie call-up Mark Newton (9-20, 2B, 3B, 6 R) and rookie swingman Martin Gutierrez (1-0, 1.74 ERA in 2 GS), the Borealis moved upward in the standings to 4 GB of Tempe in the DH and tied with Kzoo at 76-70 - 3.5 GB of Okinawa and four behind the Apollos.

So... You're Saying There's A Chance....

Now the attention turns to those Badgers and the 'Gnats, with division foes Reno, Bakersfield and Palm Springs lurking as the season winds to an end. It certainly won't be easy, but have Aurora suddenly found that hot streak? Time will quickly tell...

Down on the Farm
The Rapids Blancos, who were 5-4 on the season against Rosarito, came back from a 1-2 deficit in the wild card round of the NAFTA playoffs to beat the Flying Nuns 3-2 and advance to face the El Cajon Virus. 'Rufino' Tamayo, who went 6 IP, allowing 3 H and a run with 9 K in a game 1 win, rode a 6-0 lead - in thanks in part to 2038 top pick 'Vowels' Ueda's two doubles, with another 6-innings, allowing 4 H and 2 R, while striking out 8. The two win performance earned Tamayo the series MVP award.

Yesterday SLRC began their series with El Cajon with an exciting 8-4 win - a 4-run top of the 9th being the difference. It was once again Ueda with a pair of doubles - in the 8th and 9th, that drove in 3-runs that clinched the game. Today's game 2 has Dae-hyun Pak - who split time between A and Short A (5-1, 1.51 in 11 GS with Mokule'ia; 4-1, 1.01 with SLRC) on the mound against the virus.

[Borealis]

And Then It Was Done
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

September 26, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – On Sunday the 25th of September - not the 21st of September, though the writing was certainly on the wall - the Aurora Borealis defeated the Reno Zephyrs, splitting their 4-game series, 9-3. Martin Gutierrez would get the win to even his record at 6-6 with 6-innings of 1-hit ball, while Rocky Kowalski, who has awaken too late, had three doubles and a triple. An outstanding game to end the season series with Reno.

A little too late...

The Borealis awake today - an off day - to find their season all but finished. Sitting 7-games out of the wild card with 6-games to play, all they have left for the year is personal pride and a minimum of three wins against Bakersfield and Palm Springs. Those three wins would put Aurora at 82-80 - above .500, but the worst season in Aurora history. Even a sweep of the last week will only give Aurora 85-wins - and still finishing with the worst record in team history - tied with the 2031 model of the Borealis.

While Tempe went 5-1 this past week to cement their standing, and Okinawa did a bare minimum 3-3, the Borealis metered into the last week getting shut out twice by Crystal Lake (with Brian Clark returning the favor in game 3), getting swept in their last road series - at Kzoo - and losing three 1-run games, including a 1-0, third shut out in four games, to a bullpen game; ruining a fine outing by Cluett. Aurora had leads in each of the following games - but that matters not, as by the time the Borealis lost 6-2 to Reno in the opener of their series Aurora was still sitting at 7.5 games back - but the lack of gaining ground meant that the clock was ticking closer to the inevitable.

Qing and 'Litterbug' would support another fine effort by Clark in game 2 - doubles in a 3-run 4th that were all Aurora would get or need - 'Slug winning his 10th game and an ERA at 2.58 - assured of finishing below 3.00 for the first time since 2035. Clark has had an outstanding career and sits at 94-wins and an ERA of 2.82 as he completes his 8th year - and with a contract extension that still has wet ink on it, he's guaranteed another three seasons. Brian Clark sits 7th All-Time for Aurora in ERA and he is 9th in club wins - just one win behind Anastasio Lopez (95) - with one start left on the year against Bakersfield, and he's three-wins behind 'King' George Thompson - then it would be another 16 wins - probably a 2041 accomplishment, before he catches 'Sawmill' - currently tied with Henry Cluett, who can pass the pitching legend with his last start against the Codgers. If 'Slug' can play out the full five years of his contract with Aurora, he could joins some rare air and sit just behind Aurora's Hall of Fame pair.

But that's getting way ahead of ourselves. With 20 more losses, Clark would catch Provost for most in club history - but that will have been surpassed long ago as Cluett sits just a loss behind Provost, and it's a mark 'Professor Plum' would rather put off to next season. We will refrain from commenting much on his setting the home run allowed mark this season, passing the Tillerman, Kojima and his manager on the way.

Down on the Farm
Mokule'ia continues their hectic pace - 9-1 over their past 10 and 20-3 in September - yet still 15 GB of Ewa Beach (FA), who have played at that kind of clip all season. The Oceanic have clinched a wild card and have a 3-game edge over Waimalu (GLO) - their postseason 1st round opponent.

Of note was the no-hitter tossed by Toshimichi Ohayashi on the 22nd against Lana'i City. He allowed just a solo walk while striking out 13 K. The win puts the former 3rd round pick at 8-4 and a 3.28 ERA over 21 GS, with 117 K in 118 IP.

In the NAFTA, the Rapidos Blancos held 2-0 and 3-1 leads in their series with El Cajon, only to see the Virus edge past SLRC by 1-run in games 5 & 6 to force a game 7. El Cajon scored an unearned run in the 5th to take a 1-0 lead, but in the 6th Henry Bojorquez drove a 2-out single through the infield, driving in the go ahead run - and winning run, as the Rapidos Blancos took the series 4-3, and move on to face Mexicali - who swept Ensenada.

The sweep allowed Mexicali to reset their rotation, and thus it was Ken Marshall, the 58th overall pick in the 2035 draft, who was 16-1 on the year with a 1.46 ERA, before finishing the year at AA Beaufort. Marshall went 8-innings and allowed 3-hits - the same total the Shmoes got off SLRC pitchers (1 each off Tamayo, Takai and Douglas). Game 1 went to the 9th as a 0-0 game and after Ariel Martinez doubled and moved to third on fly out - Young-chul Hwang struck out - strike three got past Bojorquez - Cliff Douglass unleashing a wild pitch, Martinez scoring and giving Mexicali a 1-0 win.

[Borealis]

Woeful Season Ends With Something
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

October 3, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – As the 2039 season came to a close there was at least a glimmer of something positive.

The Aurora Borealis finished above .500.

As a matter of fact, they ended the 33rd PEBA campaign with an 84-78 record - tied with Kalamazoo and The Evil Evas in the SL-wide standings; and throw in Hartford for good measure. Good enough for 3rd in the Desert Hills, 11 GB of Reno who struggle down the stretch - losers of 11 of their last 16 and 11-18 overall after September 1.

But for the Borealis, it was an 'At Least' finish to the year, as in 'at least we finished above .500 - a feat they've never accomplished. And when you look at their strong finish post-September 1, they had a .586 win % - and if they had played that way in July and August (they were 23-31), Aurora would have finished in 2nd, 3 GB and would have finished as the second wild card.

Oh... the shoulda-coulda-woulda's...

So Aurora finished up taking two of three from Bakersfield and sweeping what has become a pesky Codgers club. In defeating the Bears, Clymo went 5-innings and allowed a solo homer and Barry Rodriguez, in relief followed suit to give Bakersfield a 2-1 lead - but Jose Aleman was the hero of the day, with a 2-out, 2-run double to seal a 3-2 win. In game 2 it was a masterful game from Armando Batista, who had a 3-hit shutout after 8 IP, but Provost pulled his starter so that the crowd could serenade the man who was perfect earlier in the season, and allowing 'Machete' to pick up his 36th save.

After a shaky last outing by 'Slug' - one of only 3 in his 20 GS in which he allowed more than 4 R, Henry Cluett earned his 9th win - with a 7-inning, 5 H, 1 R outing against the Codgers (Gutierrez earning his 37 save) - in a 3-2 win that saw Kowalski hit his 17th homer (a 2-run shot - where were these all this time) and a Jose Aleman homer, which would turn out to be the winner in a 3-2 game. October came and it was poor rookie Sergio Melendres pitching for the Codgers - his 4th career start, allowing just 2 H and a R, but it was Aurora's rookie pitcher, Martin Gutierrez who did him better - pitching a shut out into the 7th - and earning his 7th win with a little help from 'Werewolf' and 'Machete'. There will be more to come about Martin Gutierrez, as he was one of the bright surprises on the year.

The year came to a close on a full circle note. Brenden Clymo pitched Opening Day when he had an abbreviated start, left with a 3-1 lead - only to see Tempe win that started a 1-5 beginning to the season. On this day, Aurora would win 5-1, with Clymo earning his 12th win (12-11), with the help of 2-out doubles by Macias, Aleman and Arundale, and 2.2 IP of relief by 'Chattahoochee' Fujii - whose 1 H, 3 K outing may be his last in Aurora Blue.

There will be much to come as we digest the season - the highs and lows and top performances, but from this humble bloggers perspective - that god this season has come to a close. Anguish & Frustration - that should be the title of the 2039 highlight reel.

On the Farm
For San Luis Rio Colorado in the BCL championship, at least it was quick. Painless might be another thing. Bottom line: Mexicali stomped the Rapidos Blancos - 1-0, 8-1, 4-2, and 5-0.

For Mokule'ia, who finished September with a 22-3 record and 8-straight wins, the Waimalu Nene have proven a tough foe. Ohayashi went 6-innings and allowed just a hit - a solo homer and top pick in this years draft, RP Ron Lucas (promoted from Rookie Ball for the playoffs) repeated that feat in 2 IP, but the Oceanic jumped all over Nene starter Jaime Encarnacion for 5 R to take a 7-2 win in the opener.

Marcos Segura allowed just a run in his 5.1 IP - a solo homer, but Cristian Castillo and the 'pen held the Oceanic to just 2-hits in game 2 for a 2-0 win. Game 3 was a disappointment as Mokule'ia had a chance to put the Nene on the ropes, leading 4-1, but Marcos Gutierrez imploded to allow the game to be tied in the 8th (Arthur Rijsdijk 3-run homer) and then Marshland allowed another 3-runs in the 12th (Kaz Ojima with a 3-run homer) as the Nene are flexing their muscles in the series. It was an unfortunate turn of events for starter Ken Berrios, who was making just his 3rd start of the season and the one run he allowed in the 3rd was the only run in 15-innings as a starter he's allowed.

Game 4 was the Oceanics turn to do some flexing as Brad Davis, Roger Miller, Josh Whiskin and Gerry Schwer all homered as part of an 8-2 win that sets up a crucial game 5. Marcos Ramos would get the win with 5-innings of 4-hit, 1 run ball. It will be a rematch in game 5 of Ohayashi and Encarnacion - the game 1 starters. The winner moves on to face the Kauai Monsters.

[Borealis]

Aurora Drops Legends Like Lead Balloons
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

October 8, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – It did not take long for the Borealis to begin cleaning house and prepping for the 2040 season. With the bulk of the roster under contract for next season, the Borealis quickly dropped two names who will not be part of the squad.

The 2039 season was still steaming like fresh manure when they made their first move - and that was simply releasing Christian Webb, who had completed his 1-year contract and was to be a free agent. There was really no reason to hold on as the 40-year old infielder was not going to be brought back. Webb provided some leadership to a fractured clubhouse that the front office has done little to resolve, but he managed to appear in just 60-games while hitting a disappointing .239. He committed 3-errors on the year for a .972 fielding percentage.

The bigger news came a few days later - when Claudio Hernandez was released - an extra $1.2M in his pocket for cab fare out of town, after GM Will Topham met with the President & CEO of the team - and not so much a teeny-bopper any more, Lyonne Jaeger Topham. While making the announcement the GM formerly known as the 'Boy Wonder' and now being questioned from all angles stated that it was Jaeger Topham's firm decision to cut 'Matchbox' and give him his buyout now, than wait until the end of the PEC and formerly decline the team's option.

Remarkably the fan base has been on fire in the social media posts and on the radio waves - criticizing the move, despite Hernandez' steep fall in production - a .244 average - better than last year, but with just 6 HR and 37 RBI - and the second highest SO% of his career, finally getting benched down the stretch while the Borealis promoted Mark Newton and let him show his stuff in a 2040 audition (Newton hit .298, but with no HR and 7 RBI in 25 games - though typically out of the leadoff spot or 2nd hole.

The very soon-to-be 38-year old came to Aurora in a deal with Okinawa that saw Aurora send five players, a 2nd round pick and $1M to the Shisa. 'Matchbox' provided what Aurora needed - a high on-base percentage and HR power, and that will now be hard to replace as there is no obvious answer in the minors. That will but added pressure on Pedro Macias and Rocky Kowalski.

[Borealis]

Offseason Opens with Action
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 8, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – While parade plans get a yawning 'again' out in northern Florida, and The Biggest Little City cheers on their Zephyrs after a fine year, the Aurora Borealis are left trying to decide where they are and what they can do to keep up with their Desert Hills rivals - much less the SL powers in the Rising Sun. But if the first day is any indication, Aurora is going to at least look towards building a future.

Deal Struck with Bureaucrats
Having walked away with a deadline deal with Okinawa that left Aurora holding a pair of nobody relievers but a nice trove of draft picks (two 2nds and a 3rd) for a $3.5M investment and a 4th, Aurora traded one of those relievers (Roman Salinas) and an A Ball 1B they ironically got from Okinawa in the Richard Neely/Paul de Kook trades: Jose Carlos Sanchez, for 1B Vicente Gallardo and more importantly: Arlington's 2nd round pick - the first in the second round.

Aurora took on Salinas (and RP Kaong Chao) as part of the 'money' paid to the Shisa for the three picks. While Chao is to be a free agent, Salinas had $2.8M on his contract for 2040. That's $2.8M saved. Sanchez, on the other hand has a lot of promise and might well have been promoted to AAA for the coming year. Arlington acquired Gallardo in trade from Palm Springs and is arbitration eligible, with an estimated $9M ask. You can be sure Aurora will simply release Vicente - he, like Sanchez, is a redundant piece with Raul Munoz, rookie Mark Newton, and a cast of others who can play first.

Simply put - the motivation was draft capital - and Aurora got a chunk of change.

Options, Options
Aurora had just two players with options on their contracts - team options, and they were Stewart Arundale and RP Tekle-Mariam Louahla. 'Litterbug' just finished his 10th season with Aurora - amazingly so. He hit .262 last year as he platooned about the outfield - still managing 420 AB, with 24-2B and 26 SB. The former Supplemental pick in 2028 has appeared in over 1,000 games, has 1,208 H and has a career .281 average. The Borealis hold a team option next year at the same salary and with young 'Vowels' Ueda rising fast in the system, it will be interesting to see if the 33-year old gets a 12th year with Aurora.

Louahla originally signed with Amsterdam in 2030, but in late 2037 he was allowed to walk from the Lions system - despite finishing 3rd in the 2034 IBS Top Reliever voting and being a 2037 NAFTA All-Star. Aurora signed the 26-year old South African to a 4-year contract in January of last year - $14.84M worth of contract, but with a pair of team options - and the option for 2040 carries a $4M salary. He had 21 appearances with the Borealis his season after 14 with AAA Thornton. With the Borealis he was 1-1 with 2 saves and a 2.17 ERA, striking out 39 in 37.1 IP. He also allowed 4 HR. He will likely be a member of the bullpen this coming season.

'Rufino' Signs
Xisto 'Rufino' Tamayo - the youngster with heavy stuff that is mostly straight was to be a minor league free agent, seeking a big league contract - and after some tense discussions, he got just that as Aurora signed him to a $620K deal for 2040. Tamayo has bounced back and forth between levels as he's struggled to find some consistency, but in 2039, he seemed to settle into a spot. With the Rapidos Blancos he was 9-7 with a 3.63 ERA in 25 starts. He worked 134 IP and struck out 167 while walking just 55 - and allowing only 11 HR. He was the MVP of SLRC wild card upset win over Rosarito (not the first time those words have been spoken) winning two games, allowing just 3 R and striking out 17, walking none in 12 IP. Hw would throw an 8-inning 1-hitter against El Cajon in the divisional round for a 3rd playoff win, but would earn a no decision in the BCL finals against Mexicali - allowing just a hit, but walking 6 in a 1-0 loss in game 1.

It's expected the 25-year old Brazilian will skip AA and begin the year with the Sun Dogs. He no doubt will continue to start, despite his likely future with Aurora is likely in the 'pen.

Webb Calls It Quits
7,856 AB, 2,129 H, three PEC titles and a PEC MVP later, Christian Webb hangs up the spikes for a new chapter in his book. Aurora - long, long seeking Webb's services, finally signed him to a 1-year deal this season as Aurora hoped he'd provide some leadership to a team desperate for some, and some offensive pop. Leadership is an ephemeral thing, but stats aren't and he would mange just 60 games and 163 AB, hitting .239.

It shall be interesting to see if any club comes calling to see if Webb would like to join the coaching ranks. We suspect that will be the case.

[Borealis]

Borealis Ink Three to Extensions
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 15, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – The offseason began with a trade and by week's end contracts were signed, negotiations in the air, trade discussions being had and a pair of players were shown the door.

Aleman, Relievers Sign Deals
As is not unusual, the Borealis are busy negotiating contracts with their players who will otherwise face the arbiter, and thus far three signed new contracts. Relievers Abay Icharia and the 'Werewolf' both signed 1-year deals - $1M and $1.2M, respectively to continue to anchor the heart of the late innings. For Kichida, he was 3-3 with 6 saves and a 2.84 ERA, while 'Fivespot' was 5-1 with a save and a 2.45 ERA. The pair combined for 27 holds.

More importantly, Jose Aleman - who would have been a FA after the coming season, signed a 5-year deal worth $68M, that will pay him a guaranteed $11M, $13M and $14M over the next three seasons, with team options for 2043 and 2044 - both worth $15M, taking the slick fielding Cuban infielder through his age 32 season. Jose hit .261 - a point better than 2038, with 36-2B, 7-3B and 4 HR, and was successful with 39 of 46 SB attempts. He played the entire season at strictly short for the first time since his rookie season - spending time at 2B and 3B the past three seasons.

Chit Chatting
Aurora has come to an agreement with 3B Pedro Macias - in principle, on a 2-year, $14M deal - they are awaiting his signature, while the club's two catchers - All-Leather to be, Lan-quing Qing and back-up Pedro de la Cruz broke off negotiations and seem content to go to arbitration. For de la Cruz, he may be in his last year with the Borealis, as he'll be eligible for free agency after the 2040 season, while for Qing, he will have one more year available.

The last arbitration-eligible player is Anthony MacDonald, and the club seems content on allowing him to go that route - particularly there are rumors that they may be a deal in the works that could see the swingman leave The Front Range. That of course is TBD.

Adios
Not getting an arbitration offer and just let go are RP Kaong Chao and 1B Vicente Gallardo. Chao was acquired at the trade deadline from Okinawa as part of a deal that brought Aurora a pair of 2nd round picks and a 3rd, while Gallardo came from Arlington as part of last weeks deal for their 2nd. Unfortunately for the pair, they obviously were just pawns in Aurora's deeper rebuilding plans.

Coaching Extensions
Aurora reached agreements for manager Michel Provost, A Ball manager Mark Richardson, A Ball hitting coach Pedro Ferringo and team trainer Dennis Mason. 'Train Arollin''s deal comes in at $600K a year over the next 5-seasons, while his A Ball counterpart, 'Ice Cold' will check in at $45K for three seasons. Ferringo's 5-year deal trickles in at $35K and Mason - widely recognized as one of the best, will make $280K for the next five-years.

[Borealis]

The Cost of Winning, Rebuild
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

December 8, 2039: Aurora, Colorado – We've seen the slide, insidiously so - despite being competitive, despite winning divisions, the writing has been on the wall as this - the third generation of Borealis lore, begins to look rough around the edges, with no title to show, and a squeaked past .500 season under their belt, and now with Reno looking tough and Tempe having risen from the ashes, it appears that time has come to begin considering the changing of the guard on The Front Range. But at what cost does that happen?

The Cost of Arbitration
Uncharacteristically, Aurora had three players sit before the arbiter and all three got pay raises greater than the team had hoped for. Catcher Pedro de la Cruz was granted a salary of $1.4M to back up starting catcher and Sovereign League All-Leather winner Lan-quing Qing - who was granted a hefty pay raise to $6.127M. For de la Cruz, it was his last arbitration year and will be a free agent next season, while Qing has one more arbitration year before he becomes a free agent. Aurora doesn't have a sure fire catching replacement for either player in the minors - though Henry Bojorquez (at SLRC) and Vicente Carvajal (at Mokule'ia) both will be looking to move up the food chain as possible options in 2041-42, as both feel close to maturity - if not PEBA ready. Then there is Luis Pagan (at Montserrat), who will be entering his 2nd full season with Aurora and after a year-and-change with the Mystique (with results which mystify), and moving up to Short A with plenty to prove. Aurora also has an 18-year old catcher in their IC - Roberto Fuentes, who has a lot of promise, but so did Carvajal as he came out of Aurora's international complex.

One might imagine that a catcher will be on Will Topham's draft wish list.

Also receiving a nice pay day is pitcher Anthony McDonald, whom the arbiter felt did enough in his unimpressive split time between the Borealis and Sun Dogs to warrant more pay ($2.486M) than Aurora wished to give. We'd have more to say about MacDonald, but that will come later.


The Cost of Drafting
Once you have drawn your cupboard bare as you trade pieces to maintain relevancy, you turn to your draft picks - either trading them (as in the case of Pedro Macias, Brenden Clymo or the departed Claudio Hernandez) or allowing them to vanish in thin air as one signs top-end free agents (Ramon Gonzalez and Rocky Kowalski come time mind) - and it's those picks in the first few rounds that make the difference. Last season, no 1 or 2. No one in '38, though they had a pair of 2's (Yataro Sugano and 'Vowels' Ueda). They had a one in '37, but '34-'36 saw Aurora drafting from the 2nd or 3rd round to begin with.

This year, Aurora has their first, their second and their third - having shipped their fourth to Okinawa. What Aurora also has is more exciting - but it is the cost - the real cost, of those assets that gives one pause. As of Sunday, Aurora will have their 1st, five 2nd round picks and two 3rd round picks - a total of 8 picks (and counting? Subtracting?). To review:

- Duluth's 2nd, Okinawa's 2nd & 3rd: At the trade deadline last season Aurora picked up those three picks at the cost of their 4th, $3.5 M and the remaining salaries of Roman Salinas and Kaong Chao - approximately $1.5M, for a combined cost of $5M for those picks.

- Arlington's 2nd: Aurora passed on Salinas' $2.8M owed in 2040 - what turns out to be a greater savings than originally estimated, along with 1B prospect Juan Carlos Sanchez - who had been leap frogged by Mark Newton on the 1B depth chart. In exchange, Aurora took on arbitration-eligible 1B Vicente Gallardo (who was not offered a contract and let go) and the Bureaucrats 2nd round pick. This came at the tune of a net $2.8M savings - bringing the overall cost of three 2nd round picks and a 3rd down to $2.2M.

Which brings us to the big news of the week - and the real risk, which puts all the pressure on The Boy Wonder GM to make this all work in an All-In draft day bonanza to kick start Aurora's much needed farm system influx of talent that will be the cornerstone of the 4th generation of Aurora Borealis talent...

- Yuma's 2nd: It was shocking news that we woke up to Sunday morning that had the Borealis trading MacDonald (and that $2.486M), OF Eugene Hamilton (A) and IC pitcher Alejandro Elizondo to the Arroyos for their 2nd round pick and 33-year old infielder JCG: Juan Carlos Gutierrez. Oh - and the 2030 SL Wunderkind runner-up (to Joe Arnold) has a $20M price tag left on his 4-year, $77M contract he signed with Yuma in 2037.

Oh - and he was originally with Aurora as a scouting find from Chile, then traded to Crystal Lake in for one-time reliever Dan Feld. You remember Dan Feld. I didn't think so. JCG has gone on to play 11-seasons - 4.5 of which were with The Evil Evas, and finally finds him back where his pro career began.

That brings us to the total line. Four 2nd round picks and a 3rd acquired for the vast majority of Gutierrez the III's salary, approximately $19.75M - a salary which instantly is the largest on the team - edging ahead of Clymo and Clark. That also boosts this years salary from $171M to $191M - and for a club coming off a poor season - on the field and on the balance sheet (Aurora lost $17.8M last seasons) - Gutierrez' salary becomes a frightening piece in this puzzle, and should Aurora not turn things around, they may well look at falling into the PEBA's financial penalty dungeon - a place they can not afford to land in.

Then again, the GM has been clear - it's better to keep money flowing through the payroll line than to let it pass through other elements and allow the salary budget line shrink. But this is a huge risk.

How big a risk? The career .218 hitter is coming off a .193 year all his key averages dropped (as would be expected), though despite that, he still managed to post a positive WAR. Where this move may help Aurora on the field is his outstanding defense across the infield - which coupled with that of Juan Rodriguez, allows Aurora the option of defensive substitutions at 3B and 2B, as well as another option platoon and rest-wise. He also provides another excellent pinch-running option. The bottom-line for JCG is this: his playing time will depend on how he plays. Ask Christian Webb, who was disappointed last year. If coming to Aurora rejuvenates Aurora's third Gutierrez, he could be well worth the expense. In 2038 he hit .246 with 18 HR and 40 SB. Aurora would be more than happy to take that rate of return - regardless of the number of games he ends up playing.

Lastly, JCG should be good for the clubhouse, as the culture on The Front Range has gotten very toxic - and that toxicity may well have played into the poor showing in 2039. Juan Carlos is a huge risk - but this is a risk that may pay off nicely this season, and beyond.

Chattahoochee Bye-Bye
In what was a difficult move, one of the hearts and souls of the bullpen was let go as Orinosuke Fujii was allowed to walk without a contract offer - apparently asking too much - more than the club was willing to put out there. Despite hs best strikeout numbers in 4-years and fewest walks in five, it was a sudden jump in his BABIP that scared the club away - for now. This may end up being a case of refusing to pay the big salary increase and negotiating outside the clubhouse when there is less pressure on all parties.

In what may be a more telling tale, Aurora made their first of a series of roster moves that will shape the 40-man roster heading into the Rule 5 draft, as they promoted pitcher Xisto 'Rufino' Tamayo, with the full intention of his winning a spot on the opening day roster. Tamayo has a blazing fastball and a huge-breaking curve - not to mention a tough change. Xisto's problem is those three high potential pitches lack the kind of major league quality - and the control, to be a dominant starting pitcher. At this point,, he will be given a chance, and may well compete with Jung Yi and Martin Gutierrez for the 5th rotation spot.

Also promoted to the 40-man roster - also sporting an overpowering fastball and curve, is 2035 2nd round pick Ken Berrios, who may well see some spring innings as the team decides how far up the system he will jump from his two-seasons with the Oceanic. The conservative guess is AA Gatineau.

[Borealis]

Quiet Offseason Leads Into Quiet Spring
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

February 25, 2040: Grand Junction, Colorado – Sure - there's been a number of minor signings - guys who will likely not see beyond AAA or AA, in an attempt to improve clubhouse morale. One even has a PEBA pedigree worth mentioning - former-2nd round pick Ogai Ono, who spent 5-seasons with Kzoo, two with Crystal Lake and was 4-22 with a 6.74 ERA at Neo-Tokyo last year. A 22-game loser... but word is he's great in the clubhouse. Cool...

But aside from those minor additions and the JCG signing, the extent of the early 2040 campaign has been locking up key players for the next year (2041). Three relievers inked extensions for 2041 on the 8th of the month: Toshikuni Kichida, Barry Rodriguez and Abay Icharia. For the 'Werewolf' it was a 1-year deal worth $2.4M - doubling his 2040 salary of $1.2M, guaranteeing his salary into his last arbitration year (2042). You can expect a longer deal coming after the 2041 season. The same is true for Barry Rodriguez - who signed for $2.8M in 2041 (an $800K pay raise over 2040), leaving him just his last arbitration year. Abay signed a 2-year extension that will consume his last two arbitration years at $1.4M and $1.8M, with him becoming a FA after the 2042 season. This gives Aurora the knowledge they have the key late innings covered ahead of 'Machete's closer innings (Hector Gutierrez is signed through the 2044 season if the club so wants. With 209 saves in his first 6-years, Gutierrez is 2nd all-time for Aurora and by the time his contract expires he may pass Bryant Burris' team record of 383 - which is 7th all-time in the PEBA.

The next day the club agreed to a $9M extension with All-Leather catcher Lan-quing Qing, which effectively gives him a 50% pay-raise in 2041 over his $6.127M arbitration salary in 2040. Qing is not the most offensive of position players - he's hit .248 in his four-years with the big league club with a somewhat respectable .662 OPS, but in a market where there is a large hole in the catcher talent pool - as exhibited by the $28M the Codgers forked over to Claudio Perez, it pays to pay for the best defensive and arguably the best catcher in baseball. Qing is rumored to be looking long-term at a salary commiserate with Perez, so the 2041 season should be an interesting one from the extension perspective.

Then Wednesday Aurora announced that another key player - Angel Silva, signed a 1-year extension that will pay 'Otter' $14M in 2041 - a $6M pay raise, and take him into free agency. The Borealis CF is one of the top base-stealers in the PEBA, and after hitting over .300 in his first three-seasons at Aurora, he hit .290 last year - with his SB total dropping from the 101 that lead the league in 2038 to just 67 last year.

Like Qing, Silva is seeking a big pay day, and with this wave of signings, Aurora has pushed the envelope on this core group of players - as far as their 'team-control' years are concerned. Only three players on the major league roster do not have a contract for 2041: Juan Carlos Gutierrez, who will not be offered a contract unless he improves his play and takes a significant pay cut; Pedro de la Cruz, and Juan Rodriguez.

Pedro once had been expected to be the starter - and for a while he was, and then the catcher spot was a classic Aurora 2-headed platoon, and now it's Lan-quing's job to lose. Meanwhile the soon-to-be 31-year old wants a salary in the same scope as Qing, and has broken off discussions with the Borealis. It is for this exact reason we may see a lot of 2038 7th round pick Henry Bojorquez this spring. Bojo had a successful 2039, splitting time between SLRC and Gatineau with very equivalent effect. He is scheduled to begin 2040 at Thornton, and he if performs well, de la Cruz may find himself expendable come the trade deadline.

Rodriguez, whom Aurora picked up from Neo-Tokyo in a 2034 trade (for Roy Duke and a 5th round pick), is coming off his best season in his active role as roving infield back-up. He hit .286 with a .666 OPS and 0.8 WAR - all career highs - though he played the fewest games in his four-full big league seasons. Juan will turn 33 before opening day and word is he's amiable to coming back for the same salary, but Aurora has a cluster of young infielders that they want to give a shot to: Gijsbert Verboven, Fernando Rodriguez and Mark Newton.

There's another reason that pinning down the 2041 roster is critical - three key players have opt-outs after this season: Henry Cluett, Armando Batista and Rocky Kowalski. While Aurora has the depth to cover the loss of Rocky (who would be opting out of two-team option years at $10M per) - if not the power, Armando and 'Professor Plum' would be another thing. Cluett would opt out of a year at his 2040 salary of $16.2M (a year Aurora also caries and option), while Batista would to out of two years that Aurora holds options at $10M each. While Cluett's last four seasons have been rough (a combined ERA ~4.25), he has been consistent - hasn't missed a start and has provided the club with 188 IP per year. Batista has been equally dependable, and arguably the best pitcher over the past 7-years - forming a fantastic duo with 'Slug'.

Aurora is in position, should any or all three of those players leave, to know exactly their need and exactly how much money they will have to spend - or take on this year, as trades to fill holes to come (thanks to those team options) may be a trade deadline option.

One thing for sure - as we head into another spring training with very few questions about the roster, this is going to be a perhaps the most critical season in Aurora history. If last season's trend continues, they look to be in financial trouble. A bounce back year and a playoff-push - or better yet, appearance, will set them up nicely when it comes to the 2040-41 free agent pool.

[Borealis]

Spring Challenges Not Expected
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

March 4, 2040: Grand Junction, Colorado – It's been a chilly, snowy week leading towards the opening games of the 2040 spring training schedule - as PEBA enters it's 5th decade of baseball, but the meteorologists assure us that the snow has likely to have ended (at least for the next couple of weeks), and by the end of the week temperatures will reach the low 60's - as they have been known to do.

What is there to expect this spring? With Claudio Hernandez gone ('Matchbox' signed a 1-year deal with Niihama), Aurora can return to having 5-, full-time outfielders. They have 6 on the roster. There are 7-infielders on the roster - and the club expects to carry 6. There are 12-pitchers on the pitching staff - the departure of 'Chattahoochee' Fujii, who has signed with Kzoo, with three-minor league arms vying for that spot.

That's it - in typical Aurora fashion, they headed to their Grand Junction spring site with little on the line.

The Known
Qing and de la Cruz behind the plate. What once was the older de la Cruz' position has evolved into Qings - thanks to an offensively poor year for Pedro vLHP - which is where he had his lone edge. Meanwhile, Qing's defensive skill set has risen to the top of the PEBA catching heap, rewarded with the All-Leather award last year. The end effect was a total 3.6 WAR difference between the two - the largest gap between them in the four seasons they've been on the roster together.

Munoz, Ortega, Aleman and Macias around the horn. Heading into the offseason it seemed clear that Mark Newton had made the team, and it was a matter of will Verboven or Fernando Rodriguez beat out the older Juan Rodriguez. With those two having options left, everything felt calm. Then came JCG (and his $20M contract that still causes heads to shake) and suddenly not only is a roster spot for Verboven and the Rodriguez' in question, but so is Mark Newton's.

Angel Silva. Aurora's offensive minded-defensively skilled, speedy CF is penciled in. Beyond that? It's anyones guess. Kowalski had a strong 2038, but was mostly absent in 2039. 'Litterbug' has had a renascence the past couple of seasons and has mostly earned extended ABs. This looks to be a spot where platooning may be the rule - especially as we move into June and the trends begin to set in.

The rotation is primarily set - Clymo, Batista, Clark, and Cluett. Who will be the 5th starter is where the competition begins. As for the bullpen, Aurora has one of the top closers in the game with 'Machete' - a 3-time Shutdown Reliever, with Icharia, Kichida and Barry Rodriguez in-line for the set-up innings, with - at minimum, 'Hyena' taking a share of the middle-innings and filling in later in the game.

The Unknown
What the future brings to the catching spot is to be seen. We know Qing is around for two more seasons, but if de la Cruz continues to balk at contract talks, or continues to expect more than back-up pay (even Aurora back-up pay, which has historically been higher than market-rate), the Borealis will be in the market for a new catcher in the coming offseason. Expect to see plenty of Henry Bojorquez. He is slated to take the second team starts this spring - another hint to what's to come with de la Cruz, and essentially 'Bojo' will be getting a try-out for later this year, or next season for near certainty. Of the other catchers in the organization - at least at AAA and AA, none are expected to make it out of the minor league camp.

After hitting .298 in 25 September games, Mark Newton has shown he's ready for primetime. He has also failed at the experiment of playing short, so Aurora plans on giving him as many innings at 2B and hope he will take to the position. With a $20M contact, Juan Carlos Gutierrez is likely to remain - his clubhouse leadership is something this club desperately needs and tilted the playing field in his favor as Aurora explored conversations with Yuma. Problem - that was why they brought Christian Webb in last year, and that didn't work. Maybe more playing time - from better offensive out-put, will help make the difference there.

The Borealis like both Verboven and Fernando Rodriguez - Gijsbert as the future all-around back-up on the infield, and F-Rodriguez as a possible offense threat at 2B or 3B. The real odd man out in all this is incumbent back-up Juan Rodriguez, who is coming off his best season. He also has a contract that is easily consumed. Barring an offensive explosion by one or more of the non-starters - or an injury, Aurora figures to have a tough decision here.

Stewart Arundale continues to be a serviceable outfielder - even if his first step in the field is a little slow, despite his speed, but he rarely makes a mistake and he's provided enough offense (especially considering his salary) that's Aurora has kept the former supplemental round pick (2028). He will also turn 34 this season Also getting up there in age is Rocky Kowalski - also 33-years of age, and he's coming off a huge let-down season. After hitting .290 (and .300 for most of the year) with 31 HR in 2038, he landed at .239 with 17 HR last year - of which much of that was in the latter 3rd of the season. HIs defense rates out similar to Arundale. Both players have contract's for next season - depending on how options play out. For 'Litterbug', it's simply a team option, for Rocky it's joint options - and with a $1M buyout, should 2040 continue a fall in production, That might be a $1M well spent.

The outfield rounds out with a pair of youngsters - Masamichi Daikawa and Hideki Kishikawa. Daikawa has spent portions of the past three years at Aurora and notably is out of options. He performed well in '37 and '38, but last year he was disappointing, checking in at .237. He plays excellent defense across the outfield and has great speed (97 SB in 269 games), so there is value there. Nishikawa - the former 20th overall pick in 2037, hit .333 in 33 games with Aurora in '38 and saw a drop in production last year in 36-games. 'Smitty' is to be 24 this week, so he's young and certainly hit the fast track. He's a solid corner outfielder with great speed (he was 11-14 in SB last year with the Borealis; 45-59 at AAA) and the club is hopeful to see him show the power he did in a split 2038 season at AA and AAA in which he hit 18 HR.

Destined to get some playing time are Lucas MacHendrie and Declan Ingall. Lucas was slow moving through rookie ball to A, then after hitting .282 at SLRC in '38, he jumped AA and had a decent year with the Sun Dogs: .265, 11 HR, 58 RBI and a .777 OPS. He's 24, and his knowledge of the game has helped him get farther than perhaps his skills suggest he should, but he runs the bases very well and is not lost in the field. This will be a big opportunity to show what he has - considering that the young outfielder stable is somewhat crowded. Declan showed a lot of promise early on after his acquisition in a trade with Yuma - he hit .366 and .315 in his first two seasons at Montserrat, with 24 HR in year two, but it's been a bit of a slide since. He should be expected to be at AAA after spending the past two years at Gatineau.

Two seasons ago, Jung-hyun Yi was 13-3 with a 2.98 ERA and was the darling of the organization after 25 pro starts. Last year he was 9-8, had a 4.94 ERA and lost his starting job to rookie Martin Gutierrez - who began in the 'pen, but finished up with 17 starts and a 7-6 record and 3.14 ERA. It is expected the two will battle it out. A wild card in that regard - and the pitching staff as a whole, is Xisto Tamayo. 'Rufino' has been a starter throughout his minor league career, with mixed results. The coaches love his stuff and dominating pairing of fastball and curveball - and a deceptively nasty change. Problem- they tend towards being a bit flat and his control is erratic. When he is on, he is unhittable. When is isn't... it can be ugly. He will get a shot, if nothing else, at a spot in the 'pen - the loss of Fujii opening up things. Another young name to look for is Ken Berrios, who was 7-1 out of the 'pen primarily - though he did get 3 GS late in the Short A campaign. He posted a 2.41 ERA and had an 11.4/2.4 K/BB ratio and a.232 BABIP. Then again, it was short A.

There are some other names fans may recognize - Carlos Colon and Rafael Ruiz - along with Hyobe Miura, but they don't figure to impact the issues on the pitching end of things. At the end of the day, there is only one open spot on the roster, and manager Michel Provost has indicated it's Tamayo's to lose.

[Borealis]

Despite Ugly Finish, Promise Abounds
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 1, 2040: Grand Junction, Colorado – The spring was trundling along merrily, the Borealis posting a fine spring record - then they dropped their last four games, and five of the final six - including a 15-0 drubbing to Madison to end the spring campaign. Despite crumbling into a 12-12 finish, 4th in the Desert Hills (Tempe finishing 16-8 and a top the division), there were a number of excellent spring performances - many from those whose fate was already determined.

Leading the offensive charge was LF Hideki Nishikawa, who hit .381 with 4 HR, 11 RBI - all leading the team, as well as 6-2B. A roster spot was Nishikawa's to lose, and he did not disappoint, quite probably earning an opening day starting line-up spot. Aside from 10-year vet Stewart Arundale posting a .328 average, six of the top-8 are players who were playing to impress and make the coaches take note. Such as Patrick MacLay, who hit .324 - though the coaches may well have also noted the 10 K in 34 AB. Robert Godefroy, a 3rd round pick in 2035 and an outstanding defensive middle-infielder, hit .303.

Names, familiar to fans, really hoping to catch a break were Fernando Rodriguez and Gijsbert Verboven, both in their 3rd spring, and both with solid springs for the second year in a row - with the Dominican hitting .375 while the Dutchman hit .302, but with 5-2B and a triple.

Position Players
The catching position will pose a slight dilemma. Lan Qing hit .152 and Pedro de la Cruz came in at .214. It was the minor leaguer in camp - 2038 7th round pick Henry Bojorquez who led the way with play that suggests he's close. 'Bojo' hit .256 with 3-2B and 6 RBI. The Kennett Square, PA native will begin the year at AAA - and he'll be up as soon as there's an injury to either incumbents, but what Aurora has learned most this spring about the catching position is that Pedro de la Cruz' days are numbered on The Front Range.

Patrick MacLay may have had an outstanding spring, but the 24-year old native of Houghton-le-Spring in jolly ol' England will open at Thornton. MacLay has performed well in the minors and despite being a serviceable outfielder, he's an outstanding 1B - and can/could play around the horn - though he's grossly out of practice. He would not be a bad option if Aurora found itself in a depth problem. It's the other 1B that folks will be concerned about. Raul Munoz did not swing the bat well, but no one seems too concerned - he has had a habit of starting slow and finishing strong. He will be the opening day 1B. Mark Newton, who had an outstanding September with the Borealis, hit .270 and drove in 7-runs. He also spent the spring playing 2B and the coaches all agrees - 'Señor Siesta' can handle the position well enough to get some regular play there; which may not be good news for Ruben Ortega. The real question is: Will Newton make the opening day roster, or will the roster crunch force him back to AAA.

Ortega hit .259 with one each extra-base type, Pedro Macias has 3-2B while hitting .209, and Jose Aleman hit .268 with 6-2B and a triple to round out the performances by the incumbent starters. Then it get's difficult. Juan Rodriguez, Aurora's utility guy the past four seasons and coming off his best year, hit .239 and Juan Carlos Gutierrez, the escapee from Yuma, clocked in at .229 - but with 2 HR. Factor in Fernando Rodriguez and 'van Gogh' and it's crunch time for the back-up jobs. JR is a known commodity, and his defense around the infield is outstanding. He also is 33 and he is on a 1-year contract worth only $1.3M - a deal easily consumed. Fernando and Gijsbert are on rookie deals - with Verboven's glove work and arm comparable to JR's, though his range more likely to limit him to 3rd or 2B. F-Rod is more suited to the corners. JCG, on the other hand, plays outstanding defense across the infield, but has an albatross of a contract ($20M) that Aurora has inherited. Gutierrez is also a significant force in the clubhouse - one of the factors Aurora considered in make they trade with Yuma.

It's hard to project what Aurora will do here. Raul, Ruben, Jose and Pedro take up four of the six roster spots for the infield, and JCG gets the 5th - by default. Newton, Verboven and Fernando Rodriguez all have options - Juan Rodriguez does not. Mark Newton proved he deserved to be on this team - but JR would need to go - or pass through waivers and accept a demotion. Our bet is on Newton staying while Aurora hopes JR clears waivers.

The outfield was pretty much set - if not exactly who starts - and whether the DH spot comes from the collection of five players. Outside of Angel Silva and Masamichi Daikawa Aurora's otherwise steady gloved outfield is not the most rangy group - suggesting in games where Daikawa (.333 spring) is not in the lineup, he will get late innings as a defensive replacement. Nishikawa may well have earned a starting role with his excellent spring and his 249 ML AB (73-249, 19-2B, 3 HR nd 21 of 27 in SB). 'Otter' was mostly silent this spring, turning in a .239 stats line and just 3 XBH - but as the old saying goes, speed never sleeps, as he swiped 8 of 9 bases. The biggest question is: will Rocky Kowalski bounce back after a lackluster 2039? He hit .259 and had 6 XBH. The pressure will be on Rocky right out of the gate, as with 'Matchbox' now plying his trade in Niihama, Kowalski will really be depended upon for the home run ball.

Which leads to the Big Offensive Question: Will Aurora hit more than 70 HR this year?

I favor the under...

Pitching Staff
Clymo, Batista, Clark and Cluett were penciled in to the rotation, with 'Slug' having the best ERA of the four (1.50) and Clymo the worst (5.74, with Cluett at 5.03). Three arms vied for the 5th spot - Martin Gutierrez, who ended 2039 in the rotation; Jung Yi who started 2039 in the rotation; and rookie Xisto Tamayo, who has a career 3.97 ERA in 117 minor league starts.

'Rufino' looked strong in his first spring - allowing a run in each of his first appearances, before closing down opponents over the next 7 games before allowing a pair of runs to Reno in a 5-inning start in his last appearance - finishing with a 2.57 ERA with 20 K (and 10 BB) in 14 IP. Yi allowed nothing over his first 7-appearances - including a 4-inning start v. Okinawa, before allowing 3 R (one earned) in the spring closing debacle v. Madison. Yi finished with a 0.64 ERA. Martin Gutierrez began the spring with three starts, allowing 6-, 2-, and 5-runs before finishing with three relief appearances and allowing one more run, closing with a 9.95 ERA.

It's worth mentioning soon-to-be 23-year old Dad-hyun Pak, a 2036 2nd round pick, who had a start and a relief appearance before being sent to the minor league camp after allowing a run on 7-hits over 4.2 IP (the run was a solo HR). Pak has moved upward steadily and has pitched well at every level - finishing last year at SLRC. He will be with the Sun Dogs this season.

As Aurora breaks camp and heads to Northern Lights for a pair of workouts before heading to Bakersfield for the season opener on Wednesday, the Borealis find 14-pitchers on the roster - needing to drop one and four pitchers have an option left: Yi, Tamayo. Louahla and Rafael Ruiz. One might assume Yi will slot into the 5th rotation spot. Ruiz, despite 14 H, 14 R and 9 BB in 9 IP for Aurora last year (five relief appearances), pitched in 11 spring games and allowed 9 H in 10.2 IP, with 2 R and 4 BB - a vast improvement. Louahla was atrocious and may be the odd man out - at least to start the year. The South Africanthrew 9.2-innings and allowed 13-runs on 16-hits for a team worse 12.10 ERA.

Otherwise, the returning bullpen pitched well, with the worst ERA belonging to 'Machete', at 3.86

What's on Tap
Opening Day and everyone is even. For now. The Desert Hills is a changing landscape, and Tempe has creeped upward while Aurora has slid back. Reno continues to look like they've figured it out while Palm Springs has quickly become competitive under new leadership. Is this the year Aurora finally finishes under .500? That they struggle to stay ahead of the Bears and Yumans? Or will the young talent on the crest of PEBAhood make a difference?

The Borealis will open on the road with a pair at the Park formerly-known as YUM! then they come home to face Reno in the home opener and the first of two April series. Also notable in April is three series over three consecutive weekends with the Badgers - the first at Kzoo, the next two on The Front Range.

[Borealis]

Tight Games Open 2040
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 9, 2040: Palm Springs, California – The 2040 season is under way and the first thing we notice is, a) Aurora is off to a 'tight' start, b) they are off and running, and, c) power is not on display.

While our colleague at Northern Lights News has already described in detail the anguish-laden manner in which the Borealis lost the season opener at Bakersfield - a 4-3, 11-inning heartbreak, but Aurora opened 2040 with four consecutive 1-run games and then finished their abbreviated opening week with a 2-0 win to finish an unexpected sweep of the Zephyrs.

After coming back in game 1 to take the lead - only to lose, Aurora took a 2-0 lead in game 2 against Jeff Mendoza, and when the early season pitch count grabbed Armando Batista and dragged him to the showers (after 4.2 IP, he left with that 2-0 lead, having given up 3 H and striking out 8. Martin Gutierrez finished the 5th, but the rookie reliever-turned-starter in 2039 with stellar results had a horrid spring and was thrown back to the 'pen - and his two sixth inning walks followed by a Jose Cruz home run would give Bakersfield the short, two-game sweep. One positive was the 2.1 IP by rookie Xisto Tamayo, who allowed a hit and walked 2, but also struck out 3 and allowed no runs.

The home opener against Reno saw the teams exchange a run in the first - Reno with a small ball run, Aurora seeing Silva and Macias driving doubles, then it was Reno's turn to have a pair of XBH in the second to take a 2-1 lead of Brian Clark, but Aurora answered with three singles a HBP and an error to post three runs for a 4-2 lead off Jorge Pagan. Reno would chase 'Slug' in the 4th, scoring three for a 5-4 lead. That left the Aurora lefty with 3.2 IP, 5-runs on 7-hits - and Rafael Ruiz entering the game. Ruiz has had opportunities the past two seasons - briefly, but this is the first time he's made the squad out of spring training, and he would throw 3.1-innings and allow 3-hits, a walk, with 2 K and more importantly - he held Reno scoreless. Jose Aleman would double with two out in the 7th to tie the game and in the 8th, after Raul Munoz doubled with 1-out, Sozui Kimura would walk three in a row (the first intentionally) to bring home Munoz with the go-ahead run. Barry Rodriguez would pitch a perfect 8th (with two K) and 'Machete' would mirror Rodriguez' effort in the 9th for his first save - giving Aurora an entertaining Opening Day at home win.

Henry Cluett and Carmelo Lamberti squared off in game 2 and aside from a 2-out double by Paul Oglethorpe and a follow-up RBI single by former-Claymore Kenkichi Daikawa, the game moved to the 5th with the Zephyrs up 1-0 - despite both teams having opportunities, including Kowalski being thrown out at the plate in the third. In the 5th, Reno put the pressure on as they linked together 4 singles and scored a pair, increasing the lead to 3-0. That lead was short lived as the Opening Day hero-turned-goat, Lan Qing, hit his second homer of the year (the only Auroran to homer up to this point - making it a 3-1 game. 'Professor Plum' would finish his day with a perfect 6th inning, and leaving it to the bullpen. On this day, it was the 'Hyena' who came on and would keep it close with two perfect innings, with a pair of K's. Meanwhile, as the game moved to the bottom of the 7th, Lamberti was still in the game - and Reno manager Antonio Morales left him in despite getting himself in danger. Pedro Macias led off with a double, and when Nishikawa singled and Qing walked, Lamberti kept eyeing the dugout, but Morales didn't move. Carmelo quickly got Aleman - a one-hopper to third for the force at the plate, but Kowalski followed with an RBI single and Aurora's Daikawa - Masamichi, singled home a pair - to give Aurora the 4-3 lead. In game Gutierrez for the second straight night, and for the second game in a row he was perfect for his 2nd save - and Aurora evened their record at 2-2, with Reno - who split their season opening pair with Tempe, falling to 1-3.

With Aurora looking for a sweep of the defending division champs, Jung-hyun Yi - who earned the 5th starting job during the spring, was on the mound to face Jose Ojeda - who has won the SL Golden Arm over the past three seasons. Neither really disappointed the crowd of 44,417. Yi would go 6-innings and allow only 5-hits and a pair of walks - with 7 K. He would leave the game with a 2-0 lead as Ojeda allowed 9-hits over 7 IP and allowed an unearned run in the 2nd - a Manny Lara throwing error on an Arundale stolen base attempt allowing him to move to third and score on a JCG RBI single - his first hit and RBI for Aurora, and in the bottom of the 6th Hideki Nishikawa hit his first homer of the year - a 424-foot shot to straight away center and into the 'Big Whiskey Beer Garden'. The 'Werewolf' would pitch the 7th and 8th and allow only a HBP, and Barry Rodriguez a perfect 9th (with 2 K) for his first save of the season - giving Aurora a sweep over the team that dominated them last year.

Over the sweep of Reno, the bullpen threw 8-consecutive hitless, scoreless innings with only a HBP, and 13.2-consecutive scoreless innings going back to game 2 of the Bakersfield series.

It's Stewart Arundale who has started the hottest, 7-13 with 3 R and 3-3 on SB, and Angel Silva is 7-20 with a pair of 2B. Qing is 4-13 with the two homers. It's Kowalski, Nishikawa, Aleman, Munoz and Ortega all under the Mendoza line...

What's on Tap
Aurora heads out on the road for a three city venture - a trip to vastly improved Palm Springs (3-2), a struggling Kzoo squad (2-5), and then to The Biggest Little City (1-4) for three. It shall be a good early test as the pitching rotation moves into the second round of starts.