Cyclones Add 2, Still Need About 22 More

[Jason]

The Omaha Cyclones opened up their pre-season moves with a pair of
signings yesterday. We will break those down and give you an idea of
what to look for from the Cyclones in this Inaugural Season of the
Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance.

The position of Catcher is one of strength for the 'Clones. George
O'Rourke's sensational defensive work will earn him most of the starts
but 4th round selection Jacques Fillion will spell O'Rourke if need be,
moving in from his position of DH. Although O'Rouke is a sub par
hitter, his arm will more than make up for it as teams will be leery of
attempting to swipe a bag on the surpassingly hygienic Illinois native.
Fillion, one of the several Canadian citizens suiting up for Omaha,
looks to be the best right-handed bat the Cyclone lineup has to offer.
"We feel like, with a Canadian and a guy with a very Irish name, we are
set behind the plate." says strikingly handsome Owner/GM/Mascot Bryan
Dobney. "But in all seriousness, we have a strong defender in George
and an even stronger hitter in Jacques"
PEBA Positional rank: 7th

The biggest free agent signing on Omaha history looks to be holding
down the job at 1st Base for a long time to come. Narahiko Imada signed
a deal with Omaha worth an estimated $9 million over the next 3 seasons
which the front office hopes he can honor by striking fear in the
hearts of Omaha's rivals. Jack Price was originally slated to be the
starter and is an above average defender but the Upper Arlington native
will now look at a somewhat reduced role unless Imada struggles to
adjust to American pitching. "We are very excited to have Narahiko as
part of the team." stated that handsome devil Dobney. "Our scouts
project him to be an MVP contender for years to come." Of Price, Dobney
said "Jack is a valuable asset to have. Imada is still a kid and if he
has some adjustment issues it is nice to know we can just plug Jack in
and he can get the job done for us."
PEBA Positional rank: 14th*

Omaha fans may have to focus on Imada at First because the Cyclones
Second Base position is iffy at best. Jose Avila, a dead ringer for
Garcia on Reno 911!, is slated to take the starting role almost by
default. Speedster Michael Harris will challenge for the job but
Avila's superior contact abilities will have him out there for the time
being. “Jose will be a decent option at 2nd and ultimately won out over
Mike because of his superior ability to put the ball in play and makes
things happen. Mike simply needs to cut down on strikeouts and become a
disciplined hitter before he can find his way into a starting role."
quips Dobney.

PEBA Positional rank: 16th

Omaha is staking its hopes of winning games this year largely on the
left side of the infield. Having the top projected 3rd Baseman does not
hurt those hopes in the slightest. Ollie Morris, projected as the #2
position player in a pre-draft ranking, fell to the Cylones at the 6th
pick. "We had Ollie as our top guy on our draft board." Dobney explains
"When we saw our pick several grown men broke down crying because we
weren't sure if we would still have a shot at getting him at 6th. We
are very fortunate that it was a deep draft class and we were able to
take Ollie with our 1st pick." Morris has superstar talent but comes
with only a $6 million per year price tag. "We feel like Ollie can
contend for an MVP award this year because he can do everything on a
baseball field well." says that cleft-chinned rogue Bryan Dobney.
PEBA Positional rank: 1st

Omaha likes their options at shortstop with an established hitter in
Miguel Angel Hernandez and a suitable emergency option in Jose Avila who
would move over from 2nd should something go wrong. Hernandez in an
established contact hitter, has decent speed, and fields his position
well. "We really like having Miguel on our team." says Dobney on the
Nevada native. "We feel like he can adapt to any situation in which he
may find himself and have the team come out on top." Hernandez has the
ability to play any infield position and may see playing time at each
should injuries strike. "So he has worse gap power than our closer...
that does not make him less of a man!!" adds Dobney.
PEBA Positional rank: 13th

The Cyclone outfield should be an adventure to watch this year with 5
players all in contention for the 3 starting spots. Edmond Cliche
should hold off all challengers in Center and is slated to bat leadoff
for Omaha. "Ed has the ability to put the ball in play and hit it to
any part of the park... except for those parts that happen to be over
the fence." says Dobney of the somewhat effeminate Cliche. The Cyclones
2nd round pick, Armando Santana, is projected to come out on top in
Right. "When we came back up in the draft my advisor woke me up and I
picked Armando in somewhat of a stupor. I am glad we got him though as
he is a guy we think has a shot at leading the league in doubles."
explained the raven locked hunk of love that is Bryan Dobney. Last and
definitely least is the Cyclones selection for Left. "We felt like
there was no right pi- or I mean wrong pick here." adds Dobney. Shimpei
Adachi will be in Left on opening day but one slip-up by the speedy but
diminutive Japanese national could spell a starting role for Bryan
McMillan or Javier Martinez.
PEBA Positional rank: 13th (outfield average)

The Cyclones better hope the offense can provide some fireworks because
the opponents’ offenses are sure to. The rotation boasts several #3 type
starters but no real dominators. Antonio "Crayon" Rivera and Juan
"Mauler" Gonzales are both a year or more from being top of the line
starters but the Cyclones will call on them to fake it for the time
being. "No comment," says Dobney about the suspect starting staff he
constructed.
PEBA Positional rank: 20th

The addition of Edgar Rodriguez, the newest member of the Cyclone
franchise, will help to bolster the bullpen. "We like our middle relief
guys. We feel like we have the arms that, if, in theory, our starters
can give a lead to our bullpen we have a good chance at holding it,"
says Dobney. Bright spots include set-up man Grant Mullen, new
acquisition Edgar Rodriguez and AAA call-up Tom West.
PEBA Positional rank: 11th*

Don Nichols will be slamming the door on opponents for the Cyclones
this season. Nichols at 31 is the oldest member of the Cyclones 40-man
roster and the only one 30 or over. He will provide much needed
leadership on an extremely youthful pitching staff. "Having Don at the
end of a game is a great security blanket to have. He is an established
gun who can shut down even the toughest lineups," quoth Dobney. Nichols
is also the highest paid member of the Cyclones, raking in almost $7
million annually.
PEBA Positional ranking: 5th

*calculated before the activation of Rodriguez and Imada.

On the scene in Omaha where the excitement is... exciting. I am Harold Reynolds.