Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog
Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:13 pm
All-Star Break Overview
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger
July 7, 2013: Aurora, Colorado – And so, the first half of the 2013 season comes to a brief respite as the Stars of the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance take center stage. Aurora pulls over to the curb in familiar territory: leading the Desert Hills, leading the Sovereign League, leading ALL of PEBA with a 64-25 record, and they have done so very much as they did last season - start slowly, spot Tempe a lead, and then with impressive play in May and June, take hold of the division. Going into the break, and before the Borealis open the second half with three games in Tempe, Aurora leads the Knights by 7 games and the Bears by 8, and Crystal Lake by 5 for top spot in the SL.
Aurora opened the season going 16-11 through April, a month that showed the promise this season had in store for them. Starting the season with an outfield that featured veteran RF John Knight, seeking redemption after a sub-par 2012, and two young players after Aurora failed to tender Aaron Turner and Chris Weaver contract extensions, there were many questions about this part of the team for the first time in memory. Cory Pierce, the freshly minted 2012 Royal Raker in his 'rookie' campaign, was still a question mark: Could he repeat the amazing season he produced in 2012. CF was going to be handed to 23 year old En-guo Guao, and how the rookie would respond was yet another question. Cory Pierce may never hit .385 again, but the .323 he posted in April would be sufficient, and En-guo was equally impressive with a .333, scoring nearly a run a game.
If there has been an earmark trend since the Rodriguez family sold the club to the Topham clan prior to the 2011 season, it is that the Topham's have not been afraid to take advantage of the deep farm system that they inherited. In 2011, it was Bill Bradley, Bryant Burris, and Miguel Garcia who came up, many by necessity due to injuries, and then it was the prospects that were dealt in the Pexego deal. In 2012, Cory Pierce exploded on the scene, and in 2013 not only has En-guo made his mark, but with the trade of Alex Poirier, Al Edwards got the call, and the versatile 3B hit .365 to begin his big league career.
Guao and Edwards are not the only rookies making a mark thus far as Bob Keller won the back-up catcher job over Ernie Card in spring training and Francisco Chavez has finally earned a stay, in part due to Garcia's career ending arm issues, but also from improved work as the season has moved forward. Recently Jamie Johnston was dealt to San Antonio, opening a spot on the staff for Jeff Marable, not necessarily the unproven rookie like his preceding rookie mates as Marable showed in 2012 that he was more than ready. That is a full 1/3 of the roster turned over since the purchase of the team 2 and a half years ago.
Tempe, as they did in 2012, jumped out to a fast start, 19-8, and an early 3 game lead, but as the calendar turned from April to May, things began to change, and it was a 5 game losing streak at the hands of Aurora and Bakersfield that swung the fortunes of the Knights who struggled to a 14-13 record for the month as they saw the Borealis speed past them at the tune of a 21-6 record and a 4 game lead. May saw the fortunes of the Borealis move from the Rookies to that of the Old Vets. Aurora got catcher Wilson Berry back from his season opening stint on the DL and began his season on fire, hitting .390 with 7 2B and 6 HR, while driving in 23 in his 22 games. May also saw the emergence of one of the original members of the Borealis: Steve McDonald. McDonald began a 21 game hitting streak, and a stretch of games that has seen him raise his average to a Sovereign League leading .350 at the break. John Knight, not to be left out hit .330 with an impressive .620 SLG.
May also was a time where the pitching staff began to gel. A group that collectively was looked upon as the weakest link for Aurora in 2013 has, instead, looked very solid; and that solidity began in May. The most telling statistic may very well be that old bug-a-boo from 2012: the base on ball. Cutting the walks down by 1/3 and pitchers instead relying on their defense, saw the staff's WHIP, OAVG, and BABIP all drop by 20+ points. Nowhere was this more evident than with Slappy Bradley, who walked 1/3 of the hitters he did in April, in 6 more innings. Artie Tillman picked up where he left off in 2012 and has continued to pitch extremely well, perhaps even earning All-Star honors this year. Rookie Francisco Chavez, who's ERA for April, 5.40, dropped to 2.85, mostly due to opponents hitting a measly .201 against him in May (.259 in April). Of course perhaps the biggest surprise has been Jose Reyes, whose 2.35 ERA and OAVG of .191 went a long way to keeping the team in games. Although he won only 2 of his 5 starts for May, Aurora did win 4 of the 5 starts, the lone loss being a 2-1 nipping by Canton.
June brought Aurora the longest month of the year, a stretch where they had a singular off day. Aurora's response? a 22-7 run that saw them take 6 of 8 from Bakersfield and 2 of 3 from Tempe, Crystal Lake and a then hot Omaha team. The only real blemish on the month was losing 2 of 3 to a Fargo team that has been playing much better ball of late. Tempe lost 9 and Bakersfield dropped 11 as Aurora stretched their lead further. June was a Hybrid month; part April's shining rookies, part May's Old corp rising to the top. Augusto Quinones missed some time on the DL, but came back on fire, hitting .439 in 10 games with 5 HR and 15 RBI. En-guo, who struggled in May as pitchers worked on his weaknesses, got back on track and hit .396 in 13 games, before he went down with a shoulder problem. This was really unfortunate for Guao, who should be back in a couple of weeks, because during that stretch he had 13 steals in 16 attempts, and had put himself in position not only to garner All-Star recognition, but also he found himself threatening the all-time single season steal record.
Young and Old. That was the mantra in June. Mark Richardson played a steady SS, although his defense is a little off, his bat still manages to drive in runs as he hit .324 with 8 2B and 8 HR and 21 RBI. Al Edwards, who quietly has put himself in En-guo's company in the Wunderkind of the Year conversation. Edwards hit .385 and drove in 20 runs to solidify his spot at 3B. And lest we forget Artie Tillman. Tillerman had 6 starts and walked off the mound all six times with the W, pitching 8 innings in 2 of those 6 starts and into the 9th in 2 others, with a 1.60 ERA, allowing only 8 runs. This all earned Artie Pitcher of the Month honors for June.
And so, onto July, where Aurora opened 5-1 v. Reno and Yuma. With three games with Tempe and Crystal Lake, as well as three with a fading Omaha, this a chance for Aurora to build their lead a bit more. As of today, Aurora is hitting .305 as a team, and that's with a disappointing showing thus far from El Chupacabra. If Pexego can turn it on (.281, with only 10 HR and 48 RBI), and if Guao and Edwards continue their stellar rookie campaigns, then a return to the SL championship may be in Aurora's Future. It's also worth noting that Aurora has made a concentrated effort to improve in the stolen base category this season, and thus far, with a 117, they are already 30 steals above last seasons total and 28 shy of 2011. Whether they reach the club record 230 in 2010 is a question, but some would argue that with 42 CS so far (3 more than Tempe as tops in PEBA), they may be too aggressive. If that's the only complaint thus far, then it must be a good season as we sit at the All-Star break.
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger
July 7, 2013: Aurora, Colorado – And so, the first half of the 2013 season comes to a brief respite as the Stars of the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance take center stage. Aurora pulls over to the curb in familiar territory: leading the Desert Hills, leading the Sovereign League, leading ALL of PEBA with a 64-25 record, and they have done so very much as they did last season - start slowly, spot Tempe a lead, and then with impressive play in May and June, take hold of the division. Going into the break, and before the Borealis open the second half with three games in Tempe, Aurora leads the Knights by 7 games and the Bears by 8, and Crystal Lake by 5 for top spot in the SL.
Aurora opened the season going 16-11 through April, a month that showed the promise this season had in store for them. Starting the season with an outfield that featured veteran RF John Knight, seeking redemption after a sub-par 2012, and two young players after Aurora failed to tender Aaron Turner and Chris Weaver contract extensions, there were many questions about this part of the team for the first time in memory. Cory Pierce, the freshly minted 2012 Royal Raker in his 'rookie' campaign, was still a question mark: Could he repeat the amazing season he produced in 2012. CF was going to be handed to 23 year old En-guo Guao, and how the rookie would respond was yet another question. Cory Pierce may never hit .385 again, but the .323 he posted in April would be sufficient, and En-guo was equally impressive with a .333, scoring nearly a run a game.
If there has been an earmark trend since the Rodriguez family sold the club to the Topham clan prior to the 2011 season, it is that the Topham's have not been afraid to take advantage of the deep farm system that they inherited. In 2011, it was Bill Bradley, Bryant Burris, and Miguel Garcia who came up, many by necessity due to injuries, and then it was the prospects that were dealt in the Pexego deal. In 2012, Cory Pierce exploded on the scene, and in 2013 not only has En-guo made his mark, but with the trade of Alex Poirier, Al Edwards got the call, and the versatile 3B hit .365 to begin his big league career.
Guao and Edwards are not the only rookies making a mark thus far as Bob Keller won the back-up catcher job over Ernie Card in spring training and Francisco Chavez has finally earned a stay, in part due to Garcia's career ending arm issues, but also from improved work as the season has moved forward. Recently Jamie Johnston was dealt to San Antonio, opening a spot on the staff for Jeff Marable, not necessarily the unproven rookie like his preceding rookie mates as Marable showed in 2012 that he was more than ready. That is a full 1/3 of the roster turned over since the purchase of the team 2 and a half years ago.
Tempe, as they did in 2012, jumped out to a fast start, 19-8, and an early 3 game lead, but as the calendar turned from April to May, things began to change, and it was a 5 game losing streak at the hands of Aurora and Bakersfield that swung the fortunes of the Knights who struggled to a 14-13 record for the month as they saw the Borealis speed past them at the tune of a 21-6 record and a 4 game lead. May saw the fortunes of the Borealis move from the Rookies to that of the Old Vets. Aurora got catcher Wilson Berry back from his season opening stint on the DL and began his season on fire, hitting .390 with 7 2B and 6 HR, while driving in 23 in his 22 games. May also saw the emergence of one of the original members of the Borealis: Steve McDonald. McDonald began a 21 game hitting streak, and a stretch of games that has seen him raise his average to a Sovereign League leading .350 at the break. John Knight, not to be left out hit .330 with an impressive .620 SLG.
May also was a time where the pitching staff began to gel. A group that collectively was looked upon as the weakest link for Aurora in 2013 has, instead, looked very solid; and that solidity began in May. The most telling statistic may very well be that old bug-a-boo from 2012: the base on ball. Cutting the walks down by 1/3 and pitchers instead relying on their defense, saw the staff's WHIP, OAVG, and BABIP all drop by 20+ points. Nowhere was this more evident than with Slappy Bradley, who walked 1/3 of the hitters he did in April, in 6 more innings. Artie Tillman picked up where he left off in 2012 and has continued to pitch extremely well, perhaps even earning All-Star honors this year. Rookie Francisco Chavez, who's ERA for April, 5.40, dropped to 2.85, mostly due to opponents hitting a measly .201 against him in May (.259 in April). Of course perhaps the biggest surprise has been Jose Reyes, whose 2.35 ERA and OAVG of .191 went a long way to keeping the team in games. Although he won only 2 of his 5 starts for May, Aurora did win 4 of the 5 starts, the lone loss being a 2-1 nipping by Canton.
June brought Aurora the longest month of the year, a stretch where they had a singular off day. Aurora's response? a 22-7 run that saw them take 6 of 8 from Bakersfield and 2 of 3 from Tempe, Crystal Lake and a then hot Omaha team. The only real blemish on the month was losing 2 of 3 to a Fargo team that has been playing much better ball of late. Tempe lost 9 and Bakersfield dropped 11 as Aurora stretched their lead further. June was a Hybrid month; part April's shining rookies, part May's Old corp rising to the top. Augusto Quinones missed some time on the DL, but came back on fire, hitting .439 in 10 games with 5 HR and 15 RBI. En-guo, who struggled in May as pitchers worked on his weaknesses, got back on track and hit .396 in 13 games, before he went down with a shoulder problem. This was really unfortunate for Guao, who should be back in a couple of weeks, because during that stretch he had 13 steals in 16 attempts, and had put himself in position not only to garner All-Star recognition, but also he found himself threatening the all-time single season steal record.
Young and Old. That was the mantra in June. Mark Richardson played a steady SS, although his defense is a little off, his bat still manages to drive in runs as he hit .324 with 8 2B and 8 HR and 21 RBI. Al Edwards, who quietly has put himself in En-guo's company in the Wunderkind of the Year conversation. Edwards hit .385 and drove in 20 runs to solidify his spot at 3B. And lest we forget Artie Tillman. Tillerman had 6 starts and walked off the mound all six times with the W, pitching 8 innings in 2 of those 6 starts and into the 9th in 2 others, with a 1.60 ERA, allowing only 8 runs. This all earned Artie Pitcher of the Month honors for June.
And so, onto July, where Aurora opened 5-1 v. Reno and Yuma. With three games with Tempe and Crystal Lake, as well as three with a fading Omaha, this a chance for Aurora to build their lead a bit more. As of today, Aurora is hitting .305 as a team, and that's with a disappointing showing thus far from El Chupacabra. If Pexego can turn it on (.281, with only 10 HR and 48 RBI), and if Guao and Edwards continue their stellar rookie campaigns, then a return to the SL championship may be in Aurora's Future. It's also worth noting that Aurora has made a concentrated effort to improve in the stolen base category this season, and thus far, with a 117, they are already 30 steals above last seasons total and 28 shy of 2011. Whether they reach the club record 230 in 2010 is a question, but some would argue that with 42 CS so far (3 more than Tempe as tops in PEBA), they may be too aggressive. If that's the only complaint thus far, then it must be a good season as we sit at the All-Star break.