Call to the Post - 2037 Season Updates

[Thoroughbreds]

It has been a quick start to the season for the Thoroughbreds, coming out of the gate with a 9-4 record. For the first time in a long time they hold down first place in the Dixie division, thanks in large part to Florida's uncharacteristically slow start. It may not last long but the fans are enjoying it while they can.

Petiet flashing his potential

What a difference year makes. As a rookie Valke Petiet made the starting rotation last season but after struggling he was sent down after a handful of starts and spent the bulk of the season in the minors. In his first 3 starts this season, Petiet in 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA. In all three starts he has gone at least 8 innings and has only given up 1 earned run in each start. Last week he pitched his first career compete game against New Orleans. 5 days later he was a little miffed that he was pulled after 8 innings and only 89 pitches. "It is hard to go the distance in this league and it would have been cool to have back to back complete games'" explained Petiet " I like to finish what I start. I do understand the decision though, I have to remember it is a long season and the championship is not won in April."
Petiet is 23 years old and was born in Castricum, Holland. He was a first round (39 overall) draft pick in 2031. Kentucky is hoping that Petiet along with 26 year old Luis Jiminez can be fixtures in the starting rotation for several seasons to come.

Old friend comes back to haunt the Thoroughbreds

Chris Brown was extremely disappointed when he wasn't offered a contract by Kentucky this offseason. He is a rags to riches story who spent almost his entire career in the Kentucky organization. After being released from the Havana organization as a 17 year old, Brown signed a minor league contract with the Thoroughbreds. 4 years later he had developed into a top 70 PEBA prospect. He spent his first 7 years in the bullpen before being converted to a starter for his last 3 seasons, 2 of which he was named to the all-star team. So after 15 plus years within the Thoroughbred organization it is understandable that he was a little upset at not getting resigned or being even offered a contract.
For most It was strange seeing him in a San Antonio uniform - the team he signed a 6 year, 116 million dollar contract with this offseason. On Saturday he got a small measure of revenge as he held his old team to 2 runs over 7 innings in picking up the win.
Since Brown signed with San Antonio that means he will likely be facing the Thoroughbreds several times over the next few seasons - Kentucky will be hoping for better results than the one on Saturday.

Speed and Defence are the keys early on

After 13 games Kentucky sits 2nd in the league with 28 stolen bases. Shu-de Mu leads the way with 8 followed by Juan Carlos Cruz and Pedro Bermudez who each have 5. They also have a respectable SB percentage of almost 76 percent. "We wanted to get back to being aggressive on the bases" said coach Paul Connor. "This puts pressure on the defence and is a distraction the the opposing pitcher."
In recent seasons Kentucky has always been somewhere near the top in stolen bases, but what they haven't been known for is their team defence. Granted it is early but after 2 weeks they are ranked 4th in defensive efficiency in the league. Shortstop Naomi Honma has made the biggest difference as he ranks near the top of many categories and Bermudez is one of the PEBA's better defensive centerfields. Having those 2 in key defensive positions, has made a big difference so far early in the season. It will be interesting to see if Kentucky can stay in the upper echelon in defence as the season continues.

[Thoroughbreds]

After the first month of the season, the Kentucky Thoroughbreds sit at 20 wins and 6 losses which is the best record in the entire PEBA. They have a slim 2.5 game lead over Florida as they head into the beginning of May. This month will be a real test for Florida as they play 10 of the next 16 games against West Virginia and Florida. Both teams are hot with W.V. winning 10 of 12 and Florida taking 11 of their last 14.

Kentucky on an 8 game winning streak

Kentucky finished April with a sweep over London and then started May with a 4 game sweep of Gloucester which improved their overall record to 20-6. Fans wished Kentucky could have played like that against London in the playoffs over the past couple of years. Second baseman Dale Spencer who is known more for his bat than his glove went 8 for 12 with 3 doubles, 1 Home Run and 5 RBI against the Underground. "I can't remember a time I was seeing the ball so well. It was nice to step up and take the pressure off some of the other guys in the lineup" said Spencer. Thanks to his superb play early in the season, Spencer has solidified himself as an everyday player in the lineup.
Another lesser known Thoroughbred, Takeo Miyagi had 5 hits over the last 2 games against Gloucester. Miyagi was questionable on whether he would make the roster this season but early on he is hitting .375 with 3 homers in 35 at bats. He is earning more and more playing time, especially against left handed pitching.

He just can't seem to lose

People keep underestimating Jose Mora and he continues to impress - he is 21-2 over his last 23 decisions. After barely making the rotation in 2035 he finished the season red hot and wound up with a record of 16-6 with a 3.28 ERA. He suffered a major arm injury in spring training of 2036 and missed most of the season. Since coming back from the injury he is 7-0. Mora won his last 3 decisions of 2036 and is 4-0 to start the season this year. His last start was a complete game 5 hit shutout against Gloucester. Mora is a leader in the clubhouse and has turned into one of their most reliable starters. "It is a good environment to pitch in" said Mora, "I know I just have to keep my team in the game and they will usually come through for me. I just have to make sure not to beat myself".
If he continues like this, he won't be underestimated for much longer.

Could there be a move on the Horizon?

Even with their fast start, there have been some rumblings that Kentucky could be working on a trade. With their high payroll there is speculation that Rocky Kowalski or Antonio Canseco could be moved during the season. Both are long time Thoroughbreds and both are very productive but both are getting close to free agency and will be looking for some more money, With Robert Hayes, Kyle Ferguson and Yataro Takaki looking like they could all be adequate replacements in the outfield there is no surprise that some rumours have popped up considering all 3 are younger and less expensive.
It is no secret that Kentucky wants to add another arm to the bullpen and more depth to their farm system.

[Thoroughbreds]

May was the worst month in recent history for the Kentucky Thoroughbreds. They went 12-16 overall and struggled in almost every facet of the game. They now cling to the 2nd wild card spot by only a half game over London and New Jersey. Besides a showdown against the Scottish in a couple of weeks, June should be an easier month schedule wise for Kentucky and they will be looking to open up some breathing room on their competition.

Thoroughbreds go pitching heavy in the draft

Even though they didn't have a pick at the top end of the first round, Kentucky had 4 picks at the end of the first round and the used all 4 to grab pitching prospects. With the 30th pick overall they took Canadian Dave Sherman. Sherman who is 18 years old who was ranked 15th overall in the central scouting prospect rankings. Sherman features an above average forkball, fastball, slider and cutter. With the 33rd pick they went with another 18 year old, Jae-Hoon Li from South Korea. Hoon is not hard thrower but he has pinpoint accuracy and great movement on his pitches. He was ranked as the #21 prospect and some were surprised that he was still around at 33.
With the 38th pick, Kentucky grabbed another top 20 prospect this time going the college route drafting Cristobal Ayala out of Jacksonville Florida. Ayala is a pure power pitcher with a live arm.
Finally with the 39th pick Kentucky went back to the high school route drafting 6'4 Bobby Jackson from Greenwood Village Colorado. Jackson is the most raw of the 4 pitchers taken but he has the talent to one day be in the rotation.
It may be too much to ask that all 4 of these pitchers will make the PEBA and the Kentucky rotation but I think Kentucky would consider this a successful draft if 2 of the 4 went on to make it into the rotation.

Santos early season struggles

Antonio Santos was one of the prize off season free agents. Kentucky was thrilled to add him to the roster and there was optimism that he would be the piece that helped Kentucky take it to the next level. While it is much to early to panic, Santos has really struggled early on hitting .183 which is almost 100 points lower than last season. His .161 average with runners in scoring position has him on pace for only 60 RBI's this season. With 5+ more years on his contract Kentucky is desperately hoping this is a minor blip and not a deterioration of skills due to age. With a easier schedule this month there will be lots of eyes of Santos to see if he can pick it up.

On the Farm

A couple of names that are knocking at the PEBA door are Yatoro Takaki and Dan Gore. Takaki was acquired in a trade from West Virginia to potentially be the team's 4th outfielder. He was beat out by fellow prospect Robert Hayes. Still only 23, Takaki is still very much in the Thoroughbred plans. Takaki is a very good defensive outfielder and he has been working on the corner outfield positions in AAA this season. He is hitting .282 with 8 homers and 32 RBI early on and he is 2nd on Jefferson County with a 2.0 WAR.
First Baseman Dan Gore had a great spring training but Kentucky has yet to find him a position that he can play effectively, They have been trying him at 1b, but he hasn't shown much improvement. At this point the most they can hope for is a part time DH / pinch hitter. Gore is hitting .279 with 7 homers in AAA so far this season.

[Thoroughbreds]

The Kentucky Thoroughbreds hit the all-star break with a record of 54-35 which has them leading the wildcard by one game over New Jersey and 5.5 games over Amsterdam. Once again they are out of the division race, already 14.5 games behind Florida. Despite the good record things haven't been as smooth for Kentucky as they were last season. The Thouroughbreds have relied too many times on late inning heroics to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Three of their most reliable starters (Jeminez, Soutar and Mora) all have ERA's well north of 4 and in the case of Mora and Jimenez it is approaching 5. Jimenez was an all-star starter last year and 2nd in the Golden Arm voting, so his season is particularly concerning to Kentucky fans.
Kentucky also has an extremely tough schedule coming up with 12 of their next 22 games against Florida and West Virginia. Will they be able to hang on to a wild card spot over the next month?

Mesegue and Honma selected to the All-star team

For the second straight season Antonio Mesegue has been named to the IL all start team. Mesegue, now 31, was acquired in a trade 2 and half season ago with the Malts, which will probably go done as one of the better trades in franchise history. " I have felt comfortable since I joined the team" said Mesegue " there is a good vibe in the locker room. I never expected to make back to back all-star appearance, but I will take it!" Mesegue is hitting .283 with 13 homers on the season.
Shortstop Naomi Honma joined the team on a massive 6 year, 126 million dollar contract in the offseason. This will be his 6th all-star appearance, 3 with the IL and 3 with the SL.
After a very quick start to the season, Honma has struggled a bit of late but his defence at short has remained top notch.
Most people thought OF Shu-de Mu would make the all-star team as he currently is on pace for a career high in average (.326) and OBP (.416). He also has 17 homers, 43 stolen bases and his name is scattered throughout many of the IL 's offensive leaderboards. Unfortunately he didn't make it, but he has to be ecstatic with the season he has going.

Dan Gore hits the ground running

It was the opinion of most the first baseman Dan Gore was going to be a fringe player at best. There is not generally a roster spot available for a young player who can't play defence at an adequate level. After a couple of solid season in AAA and a good spring training the Thoroughbreds decided to bring Gore up to try and get his bat in the lineup. In 9 games he is hitting .385 with 2 homers a 10 RBI's. Obviously the team will have to see a lot more from him, but the early results are promising. Could Gore make the current DH Rocky Kowalski expendable? Kowalski's contract is up at the end of the season and he will be in line for a raise. He has averaged over 30 homers and 110 RBI over the past 3 seasons, so he will be tough for Kentucky to walk away from.

Kentucky trades away Yei

Former Kentucky minor league player of the year, Hwui-ning Yei was traded to the Hartford Harpoon for a third round draft pick and a minor league reliever this past Sunday. Yei is a solid prospect and with his power and ability to get on base he could be able to carve out a nice PEBA career. Kentucky has a plethera of solid young OF's so the path the the big leagues for Yei would have been tough in this organization. Hartford is getting a very solid player for basically a 3rd round pick so it could end up being a nice piece of business for them.
Considering Yei was a former 10th round pick and he didn't look to have much of a future in Kentucky, the Thoroughbreds are happy they could acquire a 3rd round pick for him.

[Thoroughbreds]

Kentucky has come out of the all-star break on fire, winning 8 in a row before losing 2 close ones to West Virginia. The hot streak has given them a 2 game lead in the wild card and more importantly a 9.5 game lead on the 3rd place Lions. With 3 of their next 7 series against Florida, the Thoroughbreds are going to need all the cushion they can get in order to remain safely in a playoff spot.

Starting Rotation tryout

With the rotation struggling a little bit, manager Paul Conner has decided to shake things up. Rory Soutar has been moved to the bullpen, which is place he is familiar with having saved 25 games for Kentucky in 2035. After going 17-8 with a 2.96 ERA last year as a starter, Soutar has struggled this season - mostly with his inability to keep the ball in the park. He has given up 19 homers, which is 3rd most in the PEBA. Nelson Alvarado was the first beneficiary of Soutar's struggles. Alvarado was a full time starter in 2033 but since then he has pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen. In his first start, Alvarado went 6.2 innings and gave up only 1 earned run in picking up the win vs the always tough Alleghenies. I think it is safe to say that he has earned himself another start or 2. Kunisada Yasuda will also see his first starting assignment in many years as he is slated to get the call this Tuesday vs New Orleans. He last start was in 2034 and since then he has been an extremely important piece of the Kentucky bullpen. Yasuda is a free agent at the end of the year and reports are coming in saying he is asking for a big raise. It is not a surprise that manager Paul Connor wants to see what he has in Yasuda as starter before anything contract wise is decided.
"You will probably see us experiment with the rotation a little more down the stretch" said Connor. "We need to find out what our best combination is before we head into the post season. Just because Soutar is out now doesn't mean he won't be back in at some point. When it comes to the playoffs it will be whomever is pitching well at that time."

Who stays and who goes?

As the season winds down, Kentucky finds themselves with 3 key players unsigned and slated to be unrestricted free agents for 2038. The aforementioned Kunisada Yasuda and Outfielders Antonio Canseco and Rocky Kowalski . All 3 players are probably going to want multi year deals north of 10 million dollars a season and in the case of Canseco and Kowalski it could be over 15 million. Can Kentucky sign all 3 of these guys? Do they want to? Kowalski has been rumoured to be on the trade block all season long, but he has been on fire lately, raising his average to .304 - he has on pace for 31 homers and 109 RBI. Those are pretty tough numbers to replace. Canseco's average is a little lower than Kowalski's but he his also on pace to hit 31 homers this season and he is more valuable defensively.
Yasuda has been great in the pen but with Kentucky recently adding more young arms to the bullpen, do they need to pay him? It is also possible that Kentucky potentially could receive some compensatory picks for these guys. Something they used last draft to help restock their farm system. Whatever Kentucky decides to do these next few months should be interesting.

On the farm

In the draft this season, the Throroughbreds took 4 pitchers in the first round. Dave 'ox' Sherman was the first one selected. After going 3-0 in rookie ball with Hobart he was quickly moved up in single A where he is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA. He is currently ranked as the team's number 2 prospect and 94th in the PEBA. Jae-Hoon Li was Kentucky's 2nd pick. in 3 starts in rookie ball Li had a 1.65 ERA and he too was moved up to single A. So far With Fort Wayne he is 3-0 with a 3.50 ERA and is ranked as the Thoroughbred's # 4 prospect. Cristobal Ayala was the 3rd pick and because of his age (21) he had to start in single A. Despite struggling mightily so far (0-2 7.05 ERA) he is ranked as the team's top prospect and #70 in the PEBA. Finally there is 17 year old Bobby Jackson who is seen as more of a project than the other 3. Jackson has spent all of his time with Hobart in the rookie league, going 204 with a 5.29 ERA - he is the #8 prospect in the organization

[Thoroughbreds]

There is a lot happening in Kentucky land as far as baseball goes including a blockbuster trade, a key resigning and a red hot team. The Thoroughbreds have won 6 straight and are 7-1 in the month of August. They have a 3 game lead over New Jersey in the wild card standings and have opened up a 11 game lead on the 2nd wild card spot. Kentucky is half way through a 13 game road trip, with a trip to Havana up next followed by a 3 game set in Hartford.

Kentucky grabs Dong Hak Yi in major deal

Just minutes before the trade deadline Kentucky pulled off a major deal with the Shin Sheiki Evas in which the Thoroughbreds landed 24 year old starter Dong Hak Yi in exchange for 5 drafts picks including their 1st round pick as well as 3 minor league prospects. It was an eye popping amount to give up for a pitcher who has struggled mightily this season with a 5.43 ERA. He had been sent to the minors prior to the deal so that he could work on some issues. Despite the numbers the Thoroughbreds could not pass up on the potential that Yi possesses. He has been a top 20 PEBA prospect since he joined the league and has won multiple minor league awards. He throws over 100 MPH and is only one season removed from going 17-9 in the PEBA as a 23 year old.
" We are really excited to add a talent like Yi to our staff" said assistant GM Mitsuharu Samurakami. "We believe in his talent and think that he will be in the top half of our rotation for years to come. Many people think that we mortgaged a bit of our future by trading away most of our draft and some quality prospects but I think the opposite and that Yi is definitely worth the gamble. We want to win now but we also have an eye on the future. With Jiminez, Petiet and now Yi we have 3 quality starters under the age of 26. In addition we have Mora who at 27 years old is 11-5 for us this season. We also drafted 4 starters in the first round last draft all of whom have shown promise early on in their careers. I am hoping we have set ourselves up to have a solid rotation for a long time to come."
Is it worth the gamble? If Yi continues to struggle this trade is one that management may want to erase from their memory bank, but if Yi finds his form I am sure they will be happy with this deal.

In other trade news, Kentucky managed to get out from under the contract of Brian Gutierrez who was owed over 30 million dollars over the next 2+ seasons. They had to part with a 3rd round draft pick and a minor league player to do so, but this will definitely help give the Thoroughbreds some financial flexibility over the next couple of years. Gutierrez was a former 1st round pick and top prospect in the Kentucky organization who had a very good start to his career. A ruptured ulnar collateral ligament in 2035 derailed his progress and he hasn't been the same since.

Kentucky manages rare sweep of rival Florida

Up until last weak Florida had toyed with Kentucky so far this season. Florida held an 8-3 advantage and many of those 8 wins were not even close as Florida had a +38 run advantage in those 11 games. Considering that if Kentucky wants to make any noise in the playoffs, they will likely have to go up against Florida at some point, this did not instill confidence in the Thoroughbred faithful. It wasn't easy and against heavy odds, Kentucky managed to go into Florida and pull off the unlikely 3 game sweep. In game one Luis Jiminez finally showed glimpses of his 2036 self, going 7.1 innings, giving up 6 hits and no runs. Kentucky only managed 3 hits on the day, but one of them was a solo homer by Pedro Bermudez in the 6th inning. That was all Kentucky needed as they held on for the 1-0 win.
In game 2 in took 10 innings but Kentucky managed to score 2 in the top half of the 10th to win 7-5. Florida lead most of the game 5-1, but an 8th inning grand slam by Antonio Canseco turned the game around for Kentucky.
After spotting the Farstriders 2 runs in the 1st inning of game 3, the Thoroughbreds would outscore them 6-1 the rest of the way to secure a 6-3 win. Bermudez paced the offence again with a homer and 2 RBI, while reliever Nelson Alvarado pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.
Just over a week from now Kentucky faces Florida for the last time this season, will Florida extract some revenge or can Kentucky keep the momentum going?

Kentucky locks up Canseco

After getting the Guttierez contract off the books the Thoroughbreds wasted no time in signing left fielder Antonio Canseco to a 4-year deal. Canseco, now 29, is a 3 time all star who is on pace for 32 homers and 96 RBI this season. In is 6 years in the PEBA he has hit a least 24 homers with a career high of 40 in 2035. Canseco signed a 4 year deal that will pay him 15 million per year for the first 2 years and 16 million a season for the last 2 years with the last year being a player option. It is a tidy piece of business for Kentucky be able to lock up one of their stars for the next 4 years during his prime.
Speculation mounts on whether they will resign Rocky Kowalksi or let him go at the end of the season. With plenty of large contracts and some young talent on the way, he may not garner an extension.

[Thoroughbreds]

The Thoroughbreds were scorching hot during the month of August, going 23-5 and extending their wildcard lead to 7.5 games over New Jersey. The only thing that put a damper on this month was being no hit on the last day of August by Vincente Diaz of San Antonio. At 87-45 Kentucky has the 3rd best record in the PEBA but unfortunately they remain in the same division as the league's best team, the Florida Farstriders, which means once again this season the best they can do is hope to win the wildcard series. Most pundits believe that Florida with all their talent will be a lock to win the division for several years to come. I am not sure if there is any truth to the rumours that Kentucky has petitioned the league to switch divisions.

Dong-Hak Yi showing signs of his potential

The Thoroughbreds made a high risk gamble in trading away at lot of young talent to bring in Dong-Hak Yi just before the deadline. Despite getting knocked around in 2 starts against Florida and their league best offence, Yi has gone 2-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 5 total starts with his new team. He has pitched brilliantly in 3 games against teams that are not named Farstriders, giving up only 3 earned runs in 22 innings pitched. Also in those 3 starts he has only given up 9 hits total and has struck out 25. " I have felt extremely comfortable since coming over" said Yi. "The guys have welcomed me with open arms and they have also played extremely well behind me. I do need to step up my game when facing the tougher competition though." Yi is trending to play a big role in the postseason so hopefully he can keep his momentum going.

Shu-de Mu getting better with age

It is crazy to think that Kentucky was a hair away from letting Shu-de Mu walk last season in Free Agency. At 32 years old Mu is having his best season since he made his debut in 2030 and he has been the team's most valuable offensive player. Mu is on pace for 31 homers and 92 RBI - which is a very impressive RBI total considering he has hit leadoff all season long. He should be very close to beating his career high of 118 runs and considering he has already accumulated a 5.5 WAR he should best his career high of 5.9. His ability to get on base (.395 OBP) and steal bases (56 SB) makes him a constant thorn in the side of opposing pitchers. Considering Mu is locked down to a contract foo 5 more years that pays him 20 million per year, management must be thrilled that not only has he not slowed down but it appears he is still improving. Mu will be an extremely important piece in Kentucky is to have any playoff success this season.

Down on the Farm

Outfielder Sergej Van Den Adel Is looking more and more like a bargain for Kentucky. The Thoroughbreds drafted him in this second round - 69th overall - of this past 2037 draft - he was actually the Thoroughbreds 5th pick in the draft.. Adel has already made his way into AAA where he is currently hitting .240 over his first 8 games. He is an excellent defensive outfielder with great range and ability to track down balls. He also has above average power, which should lead to his fair share of extra base hits. At 21 years old he could challenge as early as next season for a roster spot. Over the next few seasons he will be in a battle with Robert Hayes and Yataro Takaki for playing time in Thoroughbred outfield.
Speaking of Takaki, he recently received a call up to the Thoroughbreds and will most likely remain there until the playoffs. He hit .242 and had a WAR of 2.7 in triple A this season.

Of the 4 pitchers taken in the first round by Kentucky this past draft Jae-Hoon Yi looks to be the early frontrunner for most promising. Yi is 4-1 with a 3.26 ERA in the NAFTA. At 18 years old, the future looks bright for YI.