Call to the Post - 2036 Season Updates

[Thoroughbreds]

It has been another slow start for Kentucky in 2036. They started first week losing both series they played, one against Arlington and the other against Florida, finishing the week at 2-5.
Kentucky rebounded somewhat in week two, winning 3 of 4 against Arlington before losing their 3rd series of the year, this time it was San Antonio doing the damage. Put it all together and they are 6-8. Things do not get any easier as they face red hot West Virginia 4 games next week. 4 of Kentucky's first 14 games have gone into extra innings, with the Thoroughbreds going 2-2 in those games, but they are 1-4 in one run games. Closer Matt Brown has been part of the problem early on with 2 blown saves, 3 losses and an ERA of 6.16.

Davis Watch

Father time doesn't seem to be having any effect on Brad Davis . Davis is hitting .341 with 5 doubles on the season and is still firmly entrenched in the middle of the Kentucky lineup. He is playing a lot more DH this year than he is used to, but he still does get some time in at first base. His 5 doubles now mean he has hit 87 more two-baggers than anyone else in league history. More importantly he is only 22 hits away from the magical 3000. If he stays on his current pace he should reach the mark sometime next month.
WIth guys like Bermudez, Kowalski, Mu and Mesegue struggling, Davis has helped pick up the offensive slack at a time when he is facing all the pressure of history on his back.

A tale of two young pitchers

With the trade of Michael Doyle in the offseason, Kentucky management has put a lot a faith in 2 young starters, Valke Petiet and Luis Jimenez. Early on they are off to completely different starts. Jimenez has continued where he left off last season. His first start was against the powerhouse Farstriders and he pitched 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and no earned runs. In his second game he went the distance, giving up 2 runs and picking up the win against Arlington. Jimenez continues to pass every test put in front of him and the fanbase is getting more and more excited each time he goes to the mound. "He pitches like a veteran, he just doesn't get rattled. Doesn't matter the situation or who he is playing against he refuses to let his nerves get to him" said head coach Paul Connor.
Early on the same can't be said for Valke Petiet. Petiet, the team's top pitching prospect gave up 11 earned runs in his first 2 starts which both resulted in losses. He was looking good in his last start - he pitched 4 scoreless innings but had to be pulled for precautionary reasons because of a mild hamstring strain. He is on pace to make his next start and hoping to build off of his last performance. If he struggles again he may have to be sent down to get his game back on track.

Minor League News

After getting injured in preseason, top prospect Robert Hayes is expected to make his debut in AAA with Jefferson County this week. The talented outfielder was the main piece coming over in the Michael Doyle deal. He has never played above A ball, so this will be a huge test for him. He made some huge strides in the offseason and there is even talk that he could make his way onto Kentucky's roster by seasons end. If the rumour is true could one of the current outfielders be on the trade block?
Third Base prospect Kanai Aliimalu is starting his second full season with Jefferson County. The 22 year old was drafted 5 years ago and has slowly and steadily been climbing the ranks. He is knocking on the door to make the PEBA, but is there room on Kentucky for him?
This is a big year for starter Edward Anderson. At 23 years old he is not quite ready for the big leagues and he has to show that he can take that final step. He definitely has the stuff, but he has always struggled finding the strike zone. He will also be starting out in Jefferson County as the team's number 1 starter.

[Thoroughbreds]

A 9 game winning streak has turned Kentucky's slow start around. Sweeps of Amsterdam and Charleston helped improve the Thoroughbreds record to 18-15, which puts them 2nd place in the Dixie Division and 3rd overall in the fight for the WIldcard. Kentucky continues to play the big guns tough, sporting a 5-5 overall record against the league's top 2 teams, Florida and West Virginia. Kentucky's next 13 games are all against teams who are below .500 so now is the time for them to gain some ground and move up in the standings. Their next opponent however is the suddenly hot Trendsetters who have won 6 straight games.
Despite Kentucky going 9-1 in their last 10 there are some concerning early season trends - especially on offence.

1. Where oh where has the offense gone

Currently the reds offense ranks 23rd overall in the PEBA and much of that has to do with the fact they are 22nd overall in home runs. Considering they were among the league leaders in homeruns hit last season this has been a bit of a surprise. Some of the struggles can be attributed to a early season schedule that has seen them play 30 percent of their games against the 2 juggernauts of the IL. As far as individuals go, Rocky Kowalski has been a big culprit this year. Last season he hit 32 homers and his 114 RBI led the IL. After 32 games this year he is on pace for 15 long balls and 49 RBI. The season is still early but those numbers are alarming to the Kentucky faithful, especially considering his productivity is at less then half of what it was last year. Kowalski is 29, so many are predicting he will turn it around but others are predicting an early demise for the Canadian. Either way the Thoroughbreds need a lot more from their DH spot. Antonio Canseco's drop off hasn't been as pronounced as Kowalski's but after hitting a career high 40 homers last season, Canseco has hit only 5 this year and is on pace for 25 total. Ruben Ortega chipped in with 12 homers and 55 RBI last season, but so far this year his has yet to hit a home run and he has only managed to drive in 8 runs.
Is it a good sign that Kentucky is in the playoff hunt despite some of the offensive struggles or is this a more disturbing trend that could continue all season long?

2. Chris Brown finding his stuff

Chris Brown isn't used to struggling, at least not over the past 3 seasons. He was an all-star reliever in 2033 with an ERA of 1.64. Over the past 2 seasons as a starter he has gone 35-17 and made the all-star team on both occasions. Over his first 3 starts this season he was 0-3 with a 6.19 ERA and was getting knocked all over the park. "I was really struggling to throw my splitter" said Brown. I couldn't located it at all and was bouncing everyone in the dirt so teams were loading up on my fastball. I changed my grip a little and with the warmer weather I have had a better feel for it". Whether it has been a better splitter or something else, Brown's last 2 starts have been much better. He has won both of them, giving up at total of 3 earned runs over 14 innings pitched. With Michael Doyle pitching well in Diluth, there is much scrutiny on Brown as it was widely reported that they were both on the trade block in the offseason, but management was only willing to deal one of them. Kentucky ended up putting their trust in Brown to lead the staff this season and shipped Doyle away.

3. Kentucky looking for bullpen depth

Kentucky is seemingly happy with their high leverage guys in the bullpen. Brown, Benitez, Yasuda and Taguchi have all done a solid job, but after those 4 the talent drops off. With Valke Petiet's struggles in the starting rotation, word is that the coaching staff really wants to put Taguchi in the starting rotation and get Petiet some much needed work in the minors. Unfortunately that would leave the bullpen too thin with nobody in the minors ready to step up. Also if an injury happens to any of the top guys in the pen Kentucky will be in dire straits. Look for the Thoroughbreds to be proactive in solving the problem before it becomes too late.

[Thoroughbreds]

The month of May will not be forgotten for a coon's age for Thoroughbred fans. A 23-4 month that included both a 9 and a 13 game winning streak. This red hot streak has propelled Kentucky to a 4.5 game lead in the wild card and has kept them 4.5 games back of the division leading Florida Farstriders. July could be a much different story as the schedule gets much tougher, starting immediately with a date with those dominant Farstriders.

Big Series in June??

Everyone is feeling good and riding high in Kentucky baseball land these days but that could all come crashing to a quick halt as they are faced with the prospect of playing the next three games against the PEBA's best team. They have played Florida tough over the past 2 seasons and if they can continue their hot streak and win this series they will be right there neck and neck with Florida. If Kentucky wants to be considered a contender, this is when they are going to have to step up. Kentucky has the right people on the mound - Chris Brown , Ju-Hyung Park and Luis Jimenez are slated to start in this series. That trio was a combined 12-0 in the month of May. If Jimenez continues as he has, he should be a consideration to start in the all-star game. Of course they will be up against van Dam, Tse and Acosta who are three of the very best in the league. Going into Florida is never fun, but the Kentucky faithful are hoping to get a positive result to keep this division race going for at least a little bit longer.

New faces help already strong bullpen

Kentucky is 12-6 in one run games and those 12 wins are tied for the most in the PEBA. Many people think there is some luck involved with that and soon things will even out. The Kentucky coaching staff doesn't think it is luck and the bullpen is the first place they will point to for their late inning heroics and success in close games. In 18 innings pitched Kunisada Yasuda has an ERA of 0.96. The former 3rd round pick has been great in the pen the past 2 seasons, but so far this year he has taken it to a new level. After a slow start closer Matt Brown is second in the IL with 12 saves and he posted an ERA of 0.82 in the month of May. In 26 innings pitched, veteran Nelson Alvarado has an ERA of 1.93. Rookie Esteban Benitez has also been very solid in some key moments for the Thoroughbreds. If those 4 weren't enough Kentucky went out and added 2 more good arms to help out. Veteran Ken Wells was excellent in Tempe last season and he has continued his late career rejuvenation early on this year. Ramiro Perez is the arm that most people are really excited about. Seen as a surplus in West Virginia, Perez will slide into a setup role along side Yasuda.
With 6 good reliable arms in the bullpen, Kentucky is expecting to come out on top of many more close games.

The tough call on Antonio Mesegue

Last season Kentucky needed to shore up their catching position, so the traded prospect Adam Lawrence and a 2nd round pick to Madison for catcher Antonio Mesegue . So far the deal has worked out well for Kentucky, along with his high work ethic and leadership Mesegue has also produced offensively, hitting .311 this season. He should be on pace to make his first all-star appearance. Along with all of his other qualities he is also very solid defensively and he has a good rapport with the entire pitching staff.
The problem is Mesegue is a free agent at the end of the season and all of this success is going to come with a high price tag. Kentucky's payroll is already high and there isn't much room if any in the budget for another large contract. Mesegue is also 30 years old - do the Thoroughbreds want to sign an aging catcher to a long term high price contract?
On the other hand if they let Mesegue walk it will leave a big hole on their team in a position where they don't have much depth or prospects in the organization. It will be very interesting to see which direction Kentucky goes on this.

[Borealis]

Kentucky continues to just play impressive ball. Here's to an exciting summer run! A September with just a handful separating the T-breds from the F-heads would be awesome!!

[Thoroughbreds]

SInce being swept at the beginning of June by Florida, Kentucky has rebounded to go 14-2 in the last 16 games and are currently riding a 7 game winning streak. Now at 48-23 the Thoroughbreds have opened up at 6 game lead in the wildcard, but still remain 7.5 back of Florida. This upcoming week sees the return of Brad Davis from the DL and his quest for 3000 hits. Kentucky's schedule is extremely tough over the next month or so - They play 2 series against both London and Scottish and 1 series against Florida, so it is nice that they have a cushion in the wild card.

A tough decision on Mu

After a slow start to the season Shu-de Mu has been on fire. He hit .361 with an OPS of 1.090 in May and so far in June he is hitting .319 with on OPS of 1.042. He has put himself firmly in the discussion for an all-star spot this year. In 2021 MU was signed out of China as an International free agent and in 2030 he was ranked as the #3 prospect in the PEBA. This is his 7th season and he has been a productive player, finishing wit a WAR of 4.0 or better in 4 of his first 6 years and 2036 looks like it will be his best season yet - good timing as he is a free agent at the end of the season
He hits leadoff and is arguably their most valuable offensive player so why has there been no contract signed yet? Mu is 31 and this is his one shot at free agency. Reports are he wants to get paid and get paid for the long term. The Thoroughbreds do have some big contracts coming off the books, but do they want to commit to big money for a guy entering the twilight of his career? The more he plays like he has, the tougher the decision gets.

Shigenobu Taguchi flourishes as starter

When Jose Mora went down with an injury and rookie Valke Petiet struggled early the Thoroughbreds needed some help in the rotation so they turned to 34 year old Shigenobu Taguchi . Taguchi, a former 6th overall pick and top 20 prospect was drafted by New Jersey and later traded to Kentucky. He has never fulfilled his early promise, but he has been a serviceable PEBA player. He was a starter for Kentucky in his first 6+ years in the league where he posted solid, but not spectacular numbers. In 2034 he made the switch to the bullpen where he has been ever since. In 7 starts since being put back in the rotation, Taguchi is 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA and has been particularly impressive in his last 6 outings. Taguchi is a free agent at the end of the season and he is in the process of earning a decent contract.
Suddenly Kentucky has a plethora of starting pitching at their disposal. Petiet is pitching well in the minors and while Mora is a about 2 months away he will want his starting spot back. Kunisada Yoshida , who has been great in the bullpen the last 3 seasons, really feels he deserves to be a starter as well. All these options are a nice problem to have for Kentucky and it will keep the current starting 5 on their toes. Could we see a 6 man rotation? Could Rory Soutar, whose ERA has creeped over 4.00 be sent to the pen wher some think he is better suited?

Rough Draft

This year could be a complete bust as far as the draft goes for Kentucky. They made a surprise pick in the first round of SP Arthur Garnier. Most people think he will be a solid reliever at best and that is if everything goes well. To make matters worse, Garnier is asking for a huge signing bonus and it is beginning to look like Kentucky may not sign him at all. Considering Kentucky didn't have a pick after Garnier until the 6th round it is looking like a total wasted year. Potentially having no picks in the top 5 rounds of a deep draft join the organization will be a tough pill to swallow. Expect Kentucky to hold on to most of their picks next season and try to accumulate a few more in an effort to make up for this past draft.

[Thoroughbreds]

The season is moving along nicely for the Kentucky Thoroughbreds as they are on pace for the franchises 4th 100 win season and they even have decent chance of matching their all time win mark of 110. At 71-32 they are still 9.5 games back of Florida with no chance of catching them but they have a 10.5 game lead in the wildcard. What that means is with still over 50 games left in the season, Kentucky has virtually nothing to play for, they are locked into their position. Expect the Thoroughbreds to rest players as much as possible down the stretch in an effort to remain rested an healthy.

Davis becomes the all-time leader in hits

A few weeks after he eclipsed the 3000 hit mark, Brad Davis has become the PEBA's all time hit leader, passing hall of famer Rob Rains. Hit number 3027 fittingly came against his old team, West Virginia - The team and place where he has spent most of his time and did most of his offensive damage. The game was in West Virginia in front of 51,000 plus fans. Davis received a 3 minute standing ovation from the crowd after the hit. "It was amazing" said Davis "These fans were always great to me, I couldn't have picked a better spot to have this happen".
The question now is, how many more hits will Davis get and where will he play next season? Davis turns 41 later this year but he can clearly still hit. His 137 OPS+ is second on a very good offensive team. Rumour has it Davis wants a multi year deal and Kentucky is holding off at the moment. At this stage of his career Davis is clearly best suited as a DH and the Thoroughbreds are not sure they to sign him to more than a 1 year deal. Whatever happens, the way he is still contributing, Davis should find a spot somewhere next year, where he can continue to rack up more hits.

Kentucky trades Ortega

In a bit of a surprise move, Kentucky traded starting 2b Ruben Ortega to Aurora Borealis for a 4th round pick and minor leaguer Miguel Moran. Ortega has been the team's starting 2nd baseman for the last 3 and a half years and has been a solid contributor to the Kentucky's success. Teams generally don't trade 26 year old starting position players in the midst of an extremely successful season without getting a roster player back. Ortega has stole almost 80 bases in each of the past 2 seasons and was up to 27 this year.
Word is the team prefers the better fielding Dale Spencer to Ortega. Spencer, a former first round pick does not have the offensive capabilities or speed that Ortega has, but he should be a definite upgrade in the field.
The move also could save the Thoroughbreds about 5 million is salary. With potentially another 48 million come off the books, with Davis, Mu, Taguchi and Diaz coming of the books at the end of the season, Kentucky is positioning themselves to be a big player in Free Agency over the next couple of years.
This trade may also allow the team to call up one of their prospects in either Kanai Aliimalu or Alfredo Romero , both of whom are chomping at the bit to join the big club.

[Thoroughbreds]

The dog days of summer have really set in for Kentucky. With nothing much to play for they have had a subpar 2 weeks by their standards - going 6-7 over their last 13. The trick for manager Paul Conner and the rest of the coaching staff will be trying to keep this team motivated and ready for the playoffs when they finally roll around. The Thoroughbreds play their next 15 games against teams well below .500 and out of the playoff picture so it could be an opportunity to get on a roll.

Jimenez continues an impressive start to his career

Starter Luis Jimenez burst onto the scene last season as a rookie. In 12 starts he went 8-3 with a 1.93 ERA and then 1-1 with a 2.20 ERA in the postseason and he came ever so close to winning game 5 and sending the Thoroughbreds onto the next round. In his first full season in the PEBA he has continued his success, going 14-4 with a 2.05 ERA and was selected as the Imperial League's starting pitcher for the all-star game. After having his worst outing of the year against Florida on August 6th in which he gave up a season high 5 earned runs, Jimenez did not give up a run in 17 innings over his next and most recent 2 outings.
Jimenez is 25 years old and hails from California. He was drafted 14th overall in 2029 by Kentucky after playing his high school ball in Palm Beach. At this point in the season Jimenez has to be considered a frontrunner, if not the frontrunner to win the Golden Arm in the Imperial League. Among other things he leads the league in Era, ERA+, Complete games and FIP. He has done all this while pitching the second most amount of innings in the IL. It will be interesting to see if Jimenez tires down the stretch and into the playoffs as he has pitched more than he ever has in his life. The way things have gone so far in his career I wouldn't bet on him struggling too much.

Murphy's law at second base

Less than one week after Kentucky traded away their starting second baseman Ruben Ortega to Aurora, his replacement Dale Spencer went down with a sprained thumb and will miss 6 weeks. It is a bitter pill for Spencer to swallow as this was his first shot in the PEBA in almost 2 seasons. Spencer was a former 14th overall pick way back in 2030 but he has failed to live up to expectations and his chances have been limited. The Thoroughbreds love his defence and were willing to give him another shot at claiming the starting position. In 53 at-bats this year, he has surprised everyone, hitting at a .340 clip.
With Ortega gone and Spencer on the mend, Kentucky was forced to do a little bit of juggling on the infield. Juan Cruz who has played almost exclusively at 3b during his young career will shift over to 2nd base. Kanai Aliimalu gets his first call from the minors and will start at 3b. Aliimalu has been requesting a shot with the big club for over a year - so now is his chance to prove that he belongs. In 12 games so far he is hitting .225 with 2 homers.

Attendance drops at home games for Kentucky

After having a long stretch of sellouts or near sellouts attendance has dropped by almost 9,000 a game for the past 5 games. The obvious answer is that Kentucky is miles behind Florida in the division but yet have a very comfortable lead in the wild card. Davis has broken the hit record and really there isn't much to play for and any drama left in the regular season. It must be frustrating for management to have a team who sits with a fabulous record of 80-39, winning 2 out of every 3 games and a home record of 47-18, but yet having to deal with a loss of ticket buyers. I am not sure what they will do to rekindle some interest, but a good playoff run may help.

[Thoroughbreds]

It seems like it has been a coon's age since Kentucky has played a meaningful game, but that is all about to change as there is only one week left in the regular season. With 106 wins and a 15 game lead in the Wild Card, the Thoroughbreds have the luxury of resting some players and setting up their rotation for the postseason. Who they will play in the Wildcard matchup is still unknown, but the likely candidates will either be the Scottish Claymores or the Havana Leones. The Leones trail Havana by 1 game in the WC standings heading into the last week. The regular season matchups for Kentucky against both of those teams has been really close. The Thoroughbreds were 5-4 vs Havana and 4-5 vs the Claymores. There is an outside chance that Kentucky could face London in the series, which would set up a rematch of last year's series which London won in 5 games. London has a 3 game lead in their division so they would have to fall for that to happen.

Aliimulu fighting for roster spot in the playoffs

Third baseman Kanai Aliimulu struggled in AAA this season and was not expecting a September call up. A trade and a couple of injuries opened the door for him and he has made the most of his opportunity. In 44 games with the big club, he is hitting .326 with 9 homers and 31 RBI. He has an OPS of .975 and a WAR of 1.3. He has hit so well in fact that the Kentucky coaching staff is considering giving a spot on the roster and maybe even some starts at 3b ahead of Juan Carlos Cruz. Considering the 24 year old Cruz received some all-star votes and has had his best season, this would be a shocker.
"He has come in and hasn't let us take his name out of the starting lineup" said manager Paul Connor. "When someone plays that well for an extended stretch, you can't help but be impressed. We will see what he does here in the final week and then we will make a decision - he sure hasn't made it easy on us." If the 23 year old Aliimulu makes the post season roster it will likely be at the expense of veteran utility man Emilio Diaz .

Jose Mora impresses in his return

It was a devastating blow for the Mora when he injured his shoulder in pre season - an injury that ended up sidelining him for 6 months. In 2035, Mora had a breakout season, going 16-6 with a 2.36 ERA. The future looked bright and Mora was pencilled in near the top of the rotation for the foreseeable future when the injury hit.
He finally returned to action 2 weeks ago, but there were some concerns as his velocity was down. After giving up 4 earned runs in 5 innings against Havana in his first start, he won his next 2 starts, giving up only 1 earned run over his next 12 innings. Overall in 3 starts he is 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA. "It took me a bit, but I am starting to feel more comfortable out there" said Mora after his last start. "I just want to do what I can to get this team over the hump in the playoffs."
The question is will Mora be on the postseason roster? After missing the entire season he probably won't be one of the team's top 4 trusted starters. Does the coaching staff see a role for him in the bullpen?
Either way, Mora is expected to be part of the team's plans and their starting rotation when the 2037 season roles around.

Last chance for Davis to win a championship?

Never say never, but for the 40 year old Davis, could this be his last chance at winning it all? Earlier this season, Davis got his 3000 hit, set the PEBA record for most career hits and his name is scattered all over PEBA leaderboards, but a championship has eluded him. "I would give it all up to win" said Davis. "It would be super sweet if we could pull it off this year". Davis' contract is up at the end of the season and while he is expected to continue playing, one would guess it will be unlikely that at 41 years old he will get picked up by one of the contending teams.
The odds of winning a championship will be stacked against Kentucky and Davis though. The will have to fight through a tough wild card series to start and then somehow manage to get by Florida and West Virginia - 2 of the best teams in PEBA history. If they pull of that miracle that still would only get them to the Extreme Championship series.