Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

[Borealis]

Toro Shocks Team With Departure
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 2, 2013: Aurora, Colorado – Manager Juan Toro shocked much of the PEBA world with his sudden and cryptic departure from the Borealis. At yesterday's press conference the elder statesman of the team got up to the podium to discuss the season and after a brief acknowledgement of the teams efforts launched into one of his circuitous, rambling stories - this one about an armadillo. Then he simply left the stage and the conference with GM Will Topham following in his foot steps. See Francis Ferry's article in today's Northern Lights News for more details on the press conference.

Where Aurora goes from here is anyones guess. The likely options within the organization include Thornton manager Kata Hayagawa or coach Luis Gonzalez. Aurora Bench coach Ken Crouch or Hitting coach Don James are other options. Either way, Aurora will be looking to hire a new coach of some variety to fill the void left by Toro's departure, and it may be that they directly hire a new manager and leave the coaching staff intact.

Aurora Players of the Year
Recently we looked at the players of the year for Aurora's minor league affiliates, so now lets turn our attentions to the major league choices.

Hitter of the Year - So many choices. 2012 Royal Raker Cory Pierce who hit .345 with 27 HR? John Knight, he of the .333 with 44 2B and 49 SB? We're going with Al Edwards as this years winner. Getting his first full season at Aurora, thanks to the Alex Poirier trade, Edwards hit .350 with a PEBA leading 208 H. 42 2B, 18 HR and 104 RBI. Playing mostly 3B, Edwards committed only 4 errors in 332 chances. Edwards batted in various spots in the line-up: 2-6, but where ever he hit, the man just raked, proving his minor league numbers were anything but a fluke.

Pitcher of the Year - Another difficult choice from a staff that exceeded expectations by a large margin. Franky Chavez, 19-4, 3.06, was lights out the second half of the season, nearly pitching two no-hitters this year. Artie Tillman had a league best 22 wins (22-3) with a 2.81 ERA, but this years Pitcher of the Year is Kojima. 21-4 with a team leading 2.64 ERA, 164 K and a starters low 15 HR (discounting Bradley). Two seasons ago Kojima was feared to be on his way to a has been, but now he may be coming off his best season ever, complete with 3 shut-outs and 7 complete games - more than Markus Hancock! These three figure to form the foundation of Aurora's rotation, along with Bill Bradley, for at least another 3 to 4 years. Bradley may be viewed as the teams Ace, but if that's so, Kojima is Ace 1a.

[Borealis]

Post-Season Moves a Plus and Minus for Aurora
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 12, 2013: Aurora, Colorado – The Aurora Borealis began their post-season maneuvering in preparation for the 2014 season by first addressing their coaching vacancies. The sudden retirement of Juan Toro and SLRC manager Jorge Morales left two managerial positions open. It's believed that the Borealis offered the SLRC position to hitting coach Kunimichi Kato who opted to take the hitting coach position in Kalamazoo. There is no word on who they have in mind for the Aurora position - be it internal or external.

Organizational Staff Retained
Aurora tendered extensions to numerous staff members throughout the organization. Head Scout Joe Horn signed a four-year extension. Pitching coaches Takesi Rin (Thornton (AAA), a four year deal), Roldao Bednell (Gatineau (AA), a three year deal) and Francisco Gonzalez (SLRC (A), a three year deal) all signed new deals to continue their work with the Borealis farm arms. Hitting coaches Luis Gonzalez (Thornton, 3 years), Ai-de Fen (Gatineau, 3 years), and Rodrigo Gomez (Mokule'ia (SA), 4 years) also signed deals to continue to coaching hitters within the organization. Thornton manager Kata Hayagawa also signed a three-year extension.

Those moves leave Aurora with the Borealis manager and the Rapidos Blancos manager positions as the only open spots left to be filled. It is expected that Aurora will have the Borealis position filled before free-agents file so that the entire major league hierarchy can discuss the options out there.

Burris Arbitration Avoided
Aurora avoided arbitration with reliever Bryant Burris by signing him to a 4 year, $12.8M contract that will take the young arm into his free agency years. It's widely felt that Burris will take over the position of closer in the 2015 season. Current closer, 2013 Shutdown Reliever of the Year, Juan Suarez executed his option for 2014 and is expected to be allowed to walk after the season and become a free agent. Burris was 10-5 with a 2.92 ERA out of the bullpen, striking out 123 batters in 89 IP. Opponents hit .195 against Burris in 2013.

The team is also negotiating with starting pitcher Bill Bradley, also arbitration eligible for the first time. It's expected that Slappy is slated to earn $4M in arbitration, but there has been no word as to what number has been put on the table with the young star's agent. One of the issues with Bradley, the only pitcher in the PEBA to have two professional no-hitters, is the injury bug. Slappy's 2013 season was cut short with arm problems, the second time in three years. He also suffered a couple of other minor aches that cut the number of starts down in 2013. The young right-hander set a PEBA record 324 strikeouts in 2102 and is generally considered the ace of the staff. Aurora is hopeful to have a deal in place before the free agent season begins so that they have a clear idea of what the teams budget will look like.

The team is also expected to begin negotiations with Cory Pierce after the start of the pre-season. Pierce, eligible for arbitration after the 2014 season is expected to sign for a figure similar to Luis Torres of Florida.

[Borealis]

Early Post-Season Moves Focus on Coaching
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 12, 2013: Aurora, Colorado – The Aurora Borealis began their post-season maneuvering in preparation for the 2014 season by first addressing their coaching vacancies. The sudden retirement of Juan Toro and SLRC manager Jorge Morales left two managerial positions open. It's believed that the Borealis offered the SLRC position to hitting coach Kunimichi Kato who opted to take the hitting coach position in Kalamazoo. There is no word on who they have in mind for the Aurora position - be it internal or external.

Organizational Staff Retained
Aurora tendered extensions to numerous staff members throughout the organization. Head Scout Joe Horn signed a four-year extension. Pitching coaches Takesi Rin (Thornton (AAA), a four year deal), Roldao Bednell (Gatineau (AA), a three year deal) and Francisco Gonzalez (SLRC (A), a three year deal) all signed new deals to continue their work with the Borealis farm arms. Hitting coaches Luis Gonzalez (Thornton, 3 years), Ai-de Fen (Gatineau, 3 years), and Rodrigo Gomez (Mokule'ia (SA), 4 years) also signed deals to continue to coaching hitters within the organization. Thornton manager Kata Hayagawa also signed a three-year extension.

Those moves leave Aurora with the Borealis manager and the Rapidos Blancos manager positions as the only open spots left to be filled. It is expected that Aurora will have the Borealis position filled before free-agents file so that the entire major league hierarchy can discuss the options out there.

Burris Arbitration Avoided
Aurora avoided arbitration with reliever Bryant Burris by signing him to a 4 year, $12.8M contract that will take the young arm into his free agency years. It's widely felt that Burris will take over the position of closer in the 2015 season. Current closer, 2013 Shutdown Reliever of the Year, Juan Suarez executed his option for 2014 and is expected to be allowed to walk after the season and become a free agent. Burris was 10-5 with a 2.92 ERA out of the bullpen, striking out 123 batters in 89 IP. Opponents hit .195 against Burris in 2013.

The team is also negotiating with starting pitcher Bill Bradley, also arbitration eligible for the first time. It's expected that Slappy is slated to earn $4M in arbitration, but there has been no word as to what number has been put on the table with the young star's agent. One of the issues with Bradley, the only pitcher in the PEBA to have two professional no-hitters, is the injury bug. Slappy's 2013 season was cut short with arm problems, the second time in three years. He also suffered a couple of other minor aches that cut the number of starts down in 2013. The young right-hander set a PEBA record 324 strikeouts in 2102 and is generally considered the ace of the staff. Aurora is hopeful to have a deal in place before the free agent season begins so that they have a clear idea of what the teams budget will look like.

The team is also expected to begin negotiations with Cory Pierce after the start of the pre-season. Pierce, eligible for arbitration after the 2014 season is expected to sign for a figure similar to Luis Torres of Florida.

[Borealis]

Knight Sky Shines For Borealis
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 12, 2013: Aurora, Colorado – It took two and a half seasons, but John Knight finally has his Royal Raker. In voting results released the other night John Knight edged teammate and reigning Royal Raker Cory Pierce to win the 2013 award, giving Aurora their third straight winner (Mark Richardson won in 2011). This after GM Will Topham stated that he "voted for Al Edwards", who came in a distant fourth.

Bakersfield won the award the leagues first four years, Pat Lily earning three of those, so in an interesting twist of symmetry, Aurora looks to make it four straight in 2014.

Knight took home 11 first place ballots to Pierces 10, but it was the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place votes that were the difference. Pierce garnered 10 5th place ballots to Knights 1, but Knight outdistanced Pierce 4-2, 5-2, and 6-2 in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place votes. Omaha catcher Manuel Gonzalez finished 3rd with 17 2nd place votes.

The Aurora outfielder was the hottest player in the league during the first part of 2011, flirting with the .400 mark, before fading after the All-Star game then missing 6 weeks with a Lat strain, before finishing the year at .312. An early season injury in 2012 prevented John from getting off to a good start and from there he never found his timing as he hit .270 and saw a big drop in his power numbers. He came to camp in 2013 with a renewed vigor, which paid off.

His numbers for 2013: .333, 21 HR, 103 RBI, 122 R, 44 2B, to name a few, were all either career best, such as his 49 SB, or near best (his .407 OBP was shy of his 2011 .415). Prior to the season he signed a three year deal worth $9.1M a year, so clearly he repaid Aurora's faith in him with his outstanding year. Amongst the highlights for the 2013 was Knights being selected to his second All-Star team and a 20-game hitting streak. Teams didn't hold Knight down for long as he only had 6 streaks of 2 or more games without a hit: 2 4-game, 1 3-game and 1-4 game streaks. It's fair to say that Knight was lights out for most of the season.

Knight was contacted through his agent in South Beach, Florida where he's vacationing and he stated that he was "Proud of the achievement" and thanked "his teammates for supporting him and being on base in front of him or driving him home". Batting anywhere from leadoff to fourth in the line-up, Knight was either scoring runs or driving them in and with Wunderkind winner En-guo Guao they formed one of the top 1-2 stolen base threats in the PEBA.

[Borealis]

Aurora Thinks Outside The Box, Tabs Rosado As Manager
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 18, 2013: Aurora, Colorado – Juan Toro left some mighty big shoes to fill when he retired after the conclusion of the PEC, and the Aurora Borealis hope they have found just the replacement in 60 year old Roberto Rosado. The native San Franciscan may not be unfamiliar to the Topham family who hail from the City by the Bay, but his lack of experience may be a point of controversy in Aurora. Known as a players coach from past experience, most recently in Connecticut in 2007, there is a perception in Aurora that the team almost can run itself. For the Borealis' sake, let's hope that's true.

Rosado has a history of coaching in the San Francisco region, coaching high school at Lincoln High in San Francisco, then moving on to positions at San Francisco State University, Santa Clara University, and finally Stanford. He coached a few years in the Oakland system from 2001 until the demise of MLB, before joining the Nutmeggers in 2007.

Rosado is considered more of an offensive mind as compared to his predecessor, and a manager who favors strong pitching over offense. This may be a sound signing when you consider the changes to the roster and team strategy, as Rosado is a fan of a speedy line-up over the power-laden one that Aurora has featured in the past. With Aurora's shift in emphasis towards the stolen base last season, this may be a positive move. If past experience is worth anything, Rosado uses the whole roster, not afraid to pinch hit and showing little tolerance when a pitcher struggles.

Shinichi Seki, a native of Tokyo, has been hired to lead the Rapidos Blancos after signing a four-year deal to manage San Luis Rio Colorado of the NAFTA.

Aurora Reaps Awards
As reported earlier, Aurora outfielder John Knight was the recipient of the 2013 SL Royal Raker, but he was not the only member of the Borealis to receive accolades. En-guo Guao, the rookie CF from Taiwan was name SL 2013 Wunderkind and was the second player from Aurora to be so honored. The 23 year old burst on the scene in 2012 where in 12 games down the stretch he hit .400 before a concussion from a collision with the outfield wall ended his season. At that point, GM Will Topham had already declared En-guo as the starting CF for 2013, and if the young GM had ever been right about a call, this was it.

En-guo started the year hot with the long ball before finishing with 19 HR, 5th best by all rookies. En-guo had the highest average (.321), OPS (.864) hits (175) and runs scored (92) of all rookies in PEBA and he led all SL players with 60 stolen bases. That all, and he missed 5 weeks due to a shoulder injury during the middle of the summer. Lastly, En-guo was named Rookie of the Month for April and May. With Guao flanked by Royal Rakers Knight and Pierce, Aurora may very well have the most talented outfield in the league.

Closer Juan Suarez was named Shutdown Reliever of the Year for the second time on three years as the Vulture set a personal high in saves with 45 as he posted a 5-5 record and a 1.49 ERA in a career best 65 appearances. Suarez blew three saves during the regular season, but it was the blown saves in the post-season the past two years that has team officials up in arms after the stellar seasons he's put forth.

Suarez had a player option for the 2014 season, one which he has executed and thus he is scheduled to make $12.1M for the coming season. The Vulture will be 36 upon the start of the season and it is no secret that this will be his last with Aurora. The team just signed Bryant Burris to a four-year deal and it's believed he will begin 2015 as the closer, with Aurora's other bird, The Stork, on the horizon.

[Steel Dragons]

(Long time reader, first time poster)

To Mr. Ray D. Enzé,

Aurora is coming off of two somewhat disappointing post seasons. Both years they were knocked off by a Tempe team that featured a free agent to be that you might have heard off..... Conan McCullough.

The buzz around Aurora is that it is a foregone conclusion that Conan will end up in the City of the Northern Lights. The Borealis have the largest bank account on earth, an ax to grind with the Knights, and the best pitcher ever to hit the free agent market is available. Yet recently you said this....

Both are known to be asking for salary increases in excess of $18 million and it's been well documented that the Borealis are not interested in carrying salaries of that value on the roster - much less for a 34 year old player in the case of Quinones.

Conan will be 33 next season, so I guess technically, it doesn't apply to him. But it does seem like a bold statement to Mr. McCullough's agent. My question to you is, do you think Aurora is just playing hardball in the early stages of negotiations or is there really no interest? And what would be the repercussions if Conan ended up in Bakersfield, Crystal Lake, Fargo, or Omaha? His presences on any of those teams might make Aurora an underdog for 2014.

Thanks,
Chet (Fort Defiance, Arizona)

[John]

Conan will be 33 next season, so I guess technically, it doesn't apply to him. But it does seem like a bold statement to Mr. McCullough's agent. My question to you is, do you think Aurora is just playing hardball in the early stages of negotiations or is there really no interest? And what would be the repercussions if Conan ended up in Bakersfield, Crystal Lake, Fargo, or Omaha? His presences on any of those teams might make Aurora an underdog for 2014.

Thanks,
Chet (Fort Defiance, Arizona)

Good question. I was wondering the same thing. Given how key Conan has been to thwarting the Borealis in the playoffs, you'd think they'd be ready to open up their wallets for him.

[Borealis]

Conan will be 33 next season, so I guess technically, it doesn't apply to him. But it does seem like a bold statement to Mr. McCullough's agent. My question to you is, do you think Aurora is just playing hardball in the early stages of negotiations or is there really no interest? And what would be the repercussions if Conan ended up in Bakersfield, Crystal Lake, Fargo, or Omaha? His presences on any of those teams might make Aurora an underdog for 2014.

Thanks,
Chet (Fort Defiance, Arizona)

Good question. I was wondering the same thing. Given how key Conan has been to thwarting the Borealis in the playoffs, you'd think they'd be ready to open up their wallets for him.

Not the least that failing to land Conan in 2011 may very well have cost Aurora at least one and maybe the past three championships!

Ray's response to follow

[Borealis]

(Long time reader, first time poster)

To Mr. Ray D. Enzé,

Aurora is coming off of two somewhat disappointing post seasons. Both years they were knocked off by a Tempe team that featured a free agent to be that you might have heard of..... Conan McCullough.

The buzz around Aurora is that it is a foregone conclusion that Conan will end up in the City of the Northern Lights. The Borealis have the largest bank account on earth, an ax to grind with the Knights, and the best pitcher ever to hit the free agent market is available. Yet recently you said this....

Both are known to be asking for salary increases in excess of $18 million and it's been well documented that the Borealis are not interested in carrying salaries of that value on the roster - much less for a 34 year old player in the case of Quinones.

Conan will be 33 next season, so I guess technically, it doesn't apply to him. But it does seem like a bold statement to Mr. McCullough's agent. My question to you is, do you think Aurora is just playing hardball in the early stages of negotiations or is there really no interest? And what would be the repercussions if Conan ended up in Bakersfield, Crystal Lake, Fargo, or Omaha? His presences on any of those teams might make Aurora an underdog for 2014.

Thanks,
Chet (Fort Defiance, Arizona)

Dear Defiant Chet,

Trust us; Aurora is all to familiar with Conan the Barbarian!

Aurora has long stated that financial stability and maintaining their competitive edge is a paramount goal that is akin to walking a tightrope. The Borealis recognize that for them to succeed they need to be very careful how they deal out the contracts if they plan on staying in the black. Look at the contracts they carry now:

Ice Cold, $15.4 M
McDonald, $9.2 M
Knight, $9.1 M
Berry, $8.5 M

That's $40 M right there. Suarez and White are making $12+ M this year, with that coming off the books next year, but Bradley and Pierce will probably be close to $12 M in 2015, so that's a wash, but now we are up to $64 M for 6 players.

Pexego and Quinones were let go to leave the wiggle room for their top players coming up, be it Bradley and Pierce or En-guo and possibly Coleman 3 years down the line. Aurora is trying to be frugal and yet smart when setting the contracts and roster spots. With the young players coming up, we may see more of the older guys go so as to keep the team salary down and maximize income. Check back in 2015 and lets see what they do with Knight and McDonald, who'll be 28 and 30 respectively when the '15 season starts.

That said, I think you are totally right on - they are sending a message, and that message is: Aurora won't be bidding McCullough's value skyward. I think there is a real interest in Conan pitching in Aurora, and yes, there is a grudge, but the Borealis are confident that they can stand atop the Sovereign League again with out him. Should Conan go to Bakersfield, will they still have Barron? What does Omaha have to compliment Conan? Is last years slide by Crystal Lake a sign of the future until their farm hands age a bit more? Besides, the teams that have the cash to out bid Aurora for Conan's services are all in the IL: Kentucky, New Jersey, Manchester. In the SL, only Duluth have the funds, and I'd suggest that's not a prudent move for the Warriors. In our book, the big threat is Fargo, but if Aurora really wanted Conan, Fargo won't be getting him.

Perhaps Aurora will hold back and wait for Hancock to come on the market in 2015? Aurora will continue to score a ton of runs without Conan, and with Bradley, Kojima, Tillman and now Chavez, coupled with the best bullpen, they feel they have the pitching to match-up with any team carrying Conan McCullough. With Nathan O'Reilly a year away, Aurora's run looks to continue for another number of years.

Sincerely Your Intrepid Blogger,
Ray D. Enzé, NLN

[Bill]

I smell bluff...

[klewis]

Dear Sir Enzé,

I know you work for Aurora, so I appreciate the spin. The most glaring thing I see is fixation on dollar signs. When Aurora looks at McDonald, do they see the best second baseman of all time or do they see a $9 million dollar price tag? Is every Borealis veteran a mere cog? Should En-guo be worried when he hits 28 years old? Should he start looking for a job in the LRS like another famed Borealis player?

Why does management want to be frugal? Why save money if the team refuses to use the money? What is the point of saving money? Is it for the owners to pocket the money themselves? Is it to fund their movie productions? Aurora is one of the most profitable organizations in the PEBA. Does the Borealis play to win or play not to lose?
Without Conan, Aurora will continue to score and win. But as history has shown, Bradley, Kojima, Tillman and Chavez have won nothing. The last time Aurora has won was when Pep and King George were on the hill.

Sincerely,
Pete Franklin

[John]

Dear Sir Enzé,

I know you work for Aurora, so I appreciate the spin. The most glaring thing I see is fixation on dollar signs. When Aurora looks at McDonald, do they see the best second baseman of all time or do they see a $9 million dollar price tag? Is every Borealis veteran a mere cog? Should En-guo be worried when he hits 28 years old? Should he start looking for a job in the LRS like another famed Borealis player?

Why does management want to be frugal? Why save money if the team refuses to use the money? What is the point of saving money? Is it for the owners to pocket the money themselves? Is it to fund their movie productions? Aurora is one of the most profitable organizations in the PEBA. Does the Borealis play to win or play not to lose?
Without Conan, Aurora will continue to score and win. But as history has shown, Bradley, Kojima, Tillman and Chavez have won nothing. The last time Aurora has won was when Pep and King George were on the hill.

Sincerely,
Pete Franklin

Pete,

Point of fact: Kijuro Kojima and Artie Tillman have won something. They each have 2009 PEC rings with Aurora. I'll grant you that Artie wasn't a big part of the 2009 Borealis playoff effort, but let it not be said that he and Koji aren't winners.

We wholeheartedly agree on one thing, though: Aurora should pursue Conan with reckless abandon, cost be damned.

Dennis Oldeman

[Borealis]

Dear Sir Enzé,

I know you work for Aurora, so I appreciate the spin. The most glaring thing I see is fixation on dollar signs. When Aurora looks at McDonald, do they see the best second baseman of all time or do they see a $9 million dollar price tag? Is every Borealis veteran a mere cog? Should En-guo be worried when he hits 28 years old? Should he start looking for a job in the LRS like another famed Borealis player?

Why does management want to be frugal? Why save money if the team refuses to use the money? What is the point of saving money? Is it for the owners to pocket the money themselves? Is it to fund their movie productions? Aurora is one of the most profitable organizations in the PEBA. Does the Borealis play to win or play not to lose?
Without Conan, Aurora will continue to score and win. But as history has shown, Bradley, Kojima, Tillman and Chavez have won nothing. The last time Aurora has won was when Pep and King George were on the hill.

Sincerely,
Pete Franklin

Pete Franklin.... That's just beautiful Kevin... Simply priceless!

[klewis]

Pete Franklin.... That's just beautiful Kevin... Simply priceless!

Ha, I knew you would get the reference Also, glad to see you play along with your fans. The fact that other people are posting on your blog is a testament to Aurora's immersive lore.

[Borealis]

It's all about that of course, but you have to throw some controversy out there, just to have fun...

Truth is, we're not sure if we want or need to get into the Conan sweepstakes. We lost games 1 & 2 by the score of 2-1 and 3-2, so it's not as if Tempe was killing OUR pitching, and we lost game 2 not because of the starter, but because of Suarez. Would having McCullough in the stable be nice? Absolutely no question. Do we need him? Debatable.