Re: Calzones Corner - A baseball blog
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:09 am
Calzones Corner July 25th
Part 1
The only bright spot this week was Pedro Hernandez notching yet another win a 6-2 victory over the Trendsetters to start the week. For the 6th time in his 7 starts on the season, Hernandez allowed 2 or less earned runs. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowing 8 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K. He is now 4-2, 2.64 on the season.
Less promising was an offense that was shut out 3 times in 5 games, and 4 times in 7 games since the all-star break. If you were to look up the word pathetic in a dictionary, you would probably find it holding a bat and wearing bordello red.
The big news out of Laredo this week was the signing of Closer Bernardo Valle to what many around the league have criticized as a completely insane $36 million dollar contract. Valle does give the Calzones a potent left hander to solidify the bullpen, but is he worth $36 milllion over 3 years? He immediately becomes the highest paid reliever in the league, and the 6th highest paid pitcher overall.
Calzones GM Matt Higgins was quick to shrug off the criticism. "Look" he told us, "we did our homework here. We brought in a top notch left hander reliever, likely to be one of the five best lefty relievers in the league over the next few seasons. He's just coming into his prime. He gives us a weapon at the back of the bullpen that few teams in the league can claim. Did we overpay? Sure, but not by as much as some would think. Valle's agent threw a stupidly low number on the table. I'm sure some GM's in the league wet thier pants with excitement over the low number. We figured Valle was worth at least 8 mil a season if he was worth a dime. And with the trouble we have had signing free agents the last few seasons, we tacked on a few dollars to make sure we topped any and all offers. It's not like we couldn't afford it. We have almost nothing on the books the next few years, and we just improved the team."
After speaking with the Calzones GM, we remained skeptical, so we did our own homework.
Around the league, these are the relief pitchers who are making 7 million or more per season. (We excluded pitchers presently exiled to the bullpen because of poor performance in the rotation.)
Arlington Closer Juan Romero, 10.5 mil age 31
Auroro MR Francisco Garza (L) 8.3 mil age 34
Crystal Lake CL Merlin Peters 8.725 mil age 34
Kentucky CL Jorge Aguilar (L) 7.08 mil age 32
Kentucky CL Ricardo Diaz 8.3 mil age 33
Arlington Closer Matsuro Sato (L) 8.0 mil, age 35
Fargo Cl Raul Pinto 7.17 mil, age 31
Gloucester CL Andrew Sepkiechler 7.1 mil, age 35
NJ MR Nelson Ortiz (L) 7.0 mil, age 24
Omaha CL Juan Suarez, 7.0 mil, age 37
Now, Valle will earn a full 1/3 more than the majority of those presently being paid top dollar in PEBA as relievers. Keep in mind, Valle, at 28 yrs old, is younger than all but Ortiz, and while those players are either fading or nearing the point where they will begin to fade, Valle is just coming into his prime.
Next, compare the 3 year stat lines for Valle as opposed to the above group. While Valle has less innings pitched, (the Alianza plays a 110 game season), the rest of the numbers compare quite favorably. Also, keep in mind that the Alianza is a much more offense oriented league, as the league wide ERA over the last 3 seasons has averaged 4.41 compared to 3.95 in the IL.
Valle, 126.1 ip, 103 hits, 35 er, 11 hr, 32 bb, 126 k (2.49 era, 1.07 whip)
Romero 163 ip, 133 h, 42 er, 1 HR, 30 bb, 170 k (2.32 era, 1.00 whip)
Garza 179 ip, 171 h, 69 er, 32 bb, 158 k ( 3.47 era, 1.13)
Peters 172.2 ip, 136 hits, 44 er, 8 hr, 40 bb, 197 k ( 2.29 era, 1.02 whip)
Aguilar 226.2 ip, 190 hits, 56 er, 17 hr, 63 bb, 190 k ( 2.22 era 1.17 whip)
Diaz 179 ip, 160 h, 55 er, 11 hr, 46 bb, 153 k ( 2.77 era, 1.15 whip)
Sato 196.1, 148 h, 43 er, 6 hr, 39 bb, 216 k ( 1.97 era, 0.95 whip)
Pinto 173 ip, 148 h, 48 er, 19 hr, 24 bb, 171 k (2.50, 0.99 whip)
Sepkiechler 176.2 ip, 157 h, 50 er, 15 hr, 43 bb, 182 k ( 2.55 era, 1.13 whip)
Ortiz 176ip, 157 h, 65 er, 13 hr, 57 bb, 164 k (3.32 era, 1.22 whip)
Suarez 172 ip, 147 h, 45 er, 9 hr, 42 bb, 155 k ( 2.35 era, 1.10 whip)
It's easy to say that Valle's numbers compare quite favorably to this group. But the question remains, can Valle duplicate his success in the PEBA? The Calzones GM has wagered $36 million that he will. Only time will tell.
With the acquisition of Valle, the Calzones have shuffled both the rotation and the bullpen. John Miller will go back to the bullpen, where he been much more effective than he has been as a starter. Luis Rodriguez will slide into the rotation for his first PEBA start on July 30 against Gloucester. Zheng-xin Tai has been called up to join the bullpen, and he could see a start or two down the line as the Calzones continue to look towards the future. TO make room for Tai and Valle on the roster, Jose Ocasio and Takahiro Masuda were optioned back to AAA Joplin. The Calzones are now carrying 6 southpaws on the roster, 2 in the rotation and 4 in the bullpen. Look for Tai and Miller to join Yep in the middle innings, with Valle and Mitchell setting up for the closer Rosado. Left hander Antonio Estronza remains in the mopup role.
On the offensive side of things, the Calzones have recalled OF Fernando Flores and he will go back into left field for now. Felix Mendez was optioned to AAA to make room for Flores. Flores bat has really come alive at AAA, he just had a 24 game hitting streak ended. The Calzones are hoping he can return to Laredo with a little magic still in the bat and provide a spark to an offense that has been about as exciting as wet bread.
3b Rich Gilligan, who was the team's hottest hitter when he went on the DL a month ago, is eligible to come off the DL, but won't be activated for about another week. Gilligan has resumed baseball related activities, but the team feels he needs a few more days to get back to full speed. Expect him back in the lineup next Friday when the Calzones host London. Either Angel Gonzalez or Luis Gonglas will be optioned to AAA to make room for Gilligan at that time. Roberto Ortiz, recently claimed off waivers from Arlington, will continue to get a long look from the Calzones as he has barely a 100 PEBA at bats under his belt to this point and the team would like to see what he can do. Ortiz projects to have more power than either Gonzalez or Gonglas, and plays solid enough defense to remain the utility infielder if he can show anything at all with the bat. SS Luis Renteria remains out for at least 3 more weeks. The Calzones are still hopeful that Danny Hendricks will return in mid September. The team would like to get Hendricks as many as 5 starts down the stretch to let him shake off the rust and give him some innings to build on for next season, when he is expected to play a major role in the rotation.
The Calzones have played 43 home dates to this point in the season, and are just 2.5 million dollars from matching last season's gate revenue. Merchandising has been almost as brisk, as the team is just 5.5 million from matching last season's merchandising revenue. The Calzones play 14 of their next 17 games at home, and should easily eclipse last years numbers in both categories over the next 2.5 weeks. The Calzones have averaged 36, 052 per game at home this season, and are on a pace to break their attendance record for a season, set in 2007 when the team drew just over 2.8 million fans. At present pace, the team would draw 2.92 million this season. We are told the team will continue to aggressively market and they aren't giving up on possibly breaking the 3 million barrier. The top 10 teams in attendance per game this season.
Aurora 44,695
Charleston 43,889
Arlington 41,551
Bakersfield 38,517
Gloucester 36,252
Florida 36,065
San Antonio 36,052
Manchester 34,871
Kentucky 34,520
Canton 34,156
Part 1
The only bright spot this week was Pedro Hernandez notching yet another win a 6-2 victory over the Trendsetters to start the week. For the 6th time in his 7 starts on the season, Hernandez allowed 2 or less earned runs. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowing 8 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K. He is now 4-2, 2.64 on the season.
Less promising was an offense that was shut out 3 times in 5 games, and 4 times in 7 games since the all-star break. If you were to look up the word pathetic in a dictionary, you would probably find it holding a bat and wearing bordello red.
The big news out of Laredo this week was the signing of Closer Bernardo Valle to what many around the league have criticized as a completely insane $36 million dollar contract. Valle does give the Calzones a potent left hander to solidify the bullpen, but is he worth $36 milllion over 3 years? He immediately becomes the highest paid reliever in the league, and the 6th highest paid pitcher overall.
Calzones GM Matt Higgins was quick to shrug off the criticism. "Look" he told us, "we did our homework here. We brought in a top notch left hander reliever, likely to be one of the five best lefty relievers in the league over the next few seasons. He's just coming into his prime. He gives us a weapon at the back of the bullpen that few teams in the league can claim. Did we overpay? Sure, but not by as much as some would think. Valle's agent threw a stupidly low number on the table. I'm sure some GM's in the league wet thier pants with excitement over the low number. We figured Valle was worth at least 8 mil a season if he was worth a dime. And with the trouble we have had signing free agents the last few seasons, we tacked on a few dollars to make sure we topped any and all offers. It's not like we couldn't afford it. We have almost nothing on the books the next few years, and we just improved the team."
After speaking with the Calzones GM, we remained skeptical, so we did our own homework.
Around the league, these are the relief pitchers who are making 7 million or more per season. (We excluded pitchers presently exiled to the bullpen because of poor performance in the rotation.)
Arlington Closer Juan Romero, 10.5 mil age 31
Auroro MR Francisco Garza (L) 8.3 mil age 34
Crystal Lake CL Merlin Peters 8.725 mil age 34
Kentucky CL Jorge Aguilar (L) 7.08 mil age 32
Kentucky CL Ricardo Diaz 8.3 mil age 33
Arlington Closer Matsuro Sato (L) 8.0 mil, age 35
Fargo Cl Raul Pinto 7.17 mil, age 31
Gloucester CL Andrew Sepkiechler 7.1 mil, age 35
NJ MR Nelson Ortiz (L) 7.0 mil, age 24
Omaha CL Juan Suarez, 7.0 mil, age 37
Now, Valle will earn a full 1/3 more than the majority of those presently being paid top dollar in PEBA as relievers. Keep in mind, Valle, at 28 yrs old, is younger than all but Ortiz, and while those players are either fading or nearing the point where they will begin to fade, Valle is just coming into his prime.
Next, compare the 3 year stat lines for Valle as opposed to the above group. While Valle has less innings pitched, (the Alianza plays a 110 game season), the rest of the numbers compare quite favorably. Also, keep in mind that the Alianza is a much more offense oriented league, as the league wide ERA over the last 3 seasons has averaged 4.41 compared to 3.95 in the IL.
Valle, 126.1 ip, 103 hits, 35 er, 11 hr, 32 bb, 126 k (2.49 era, 1.07 whip)
Romero 163 ip, 133 h, 42 er, 1 HR, 30 bb, 170 k (2.32 era, 1.00 whip)
Garza 179 ip, 171 h, 69 er, 32 bb, 158 k ( 3.47 era, 1.13)
Peters 172.2 ip, 136 hits, 44 er, 8 hr, 40 bb, 197 k ( 2.29 era, 1.02 whip)
Aguilar 226.2 ip, 190 hits, 56 er, 17 hr, 63 bb, 190 k ( 2.22 era 1.17 whip)
Diaz 179 ip, 160 h, 55 er, 11 hr, 46 bb, 153 k ( 2.77 era, 1.15 whip)
Sato 196.1, 148 h, 43 er, 6 hr, 39 bb, 216 k ( 1.97 era, 0.95 whip)
Pinto 173 ip, 148 h, 48 er, 19 hr, 24 bb, 171 k (2.50, 0.99 whip)
Sepkiechler 176.2 ip, 157 h, 50 er, 15 hr, 43 bb, 182 k ( 2.55 era, 1.13 whip)
Ortiz 176ip, 157 h, 65 er, 13 hr, 57 bb, 164 k (3.32 era, 1.22 whip)
Suarez 172 ip, 147 h, 45 er, 9 hr, 42 bb, 155 k ( 2.35 era, 1.10 whip)
It's easy to say that Valle's numbers compare quite favorably to this group. But the question remains, can Valle duplicate his success in the PEBA? The Calzones GM has wagered $36 million that he will. Only time will tell.
With the acquisition of Valle, the Calzones have shuffled both the rotation and the bullpen. John Miller will go back to the bullpen, where he been much more effective than he has been as a starter. Luis Rodriguez will slide into the rotation for his first PEBA start on July 30 against Gloucester. Zheng-xin Tai has been called up to join the bullpen, and he could see a start or two down the line as the Calzones continue to look towards the future. TO make room for Tai and Valle on the roster, Jose Ocasio and Takahiro Masuda were optioned back to AAA Joplin. The Calzones are now carrying 6 southpaws on the roster, 2 in the rotation and 4 in the bullpen. Look for Tai and Miller to join Yep in the middle innings, with Valle and Mitchell setting up for the closer Rosado. Left hander Antonio Estronza remains in the mopup role.
On the offensive side of things, the Calzones have recalled OF Fernando Flores and he will go back into left field for now. Felix Mendez was optioned to AAA to make room for Flores. Flores bat has really come alive at AAA, he just had a 24 game hitting streak ended. The Calzones are hoping he can return to Laredo with a little magic still in the bat and provide a spark to an offense that has been about as exciting as wet bread.
3b Rich Gilligan, who was the team's hottest hitter when he went on the DL a month ago, is eligible to come off the DL, but won't be activated for about another week. Gilligan has resumed baseball related activities, but the team feels he needs a few more days to get back to full speed. Expect him back in the lineup next Friday when the Calzones host London. Either Angel Gonzalez or Luis Gonglas will be optioned to AAA to make room for Gilligan at that time. Roberto Ortiz, recently claimed off waivers from Arlington, will continue to get a long look from the Calzones as he has barely a 100 PEBA at bats under his belt to this point and the team would like to see what he can do. Ortiz projects to have more power than either Gonzalez or Gonglas, and plays solid enough defense to remain the utility infielder if he can show anything at all with the bat. SS Luis Renteria remains out for at least 3 more weeks. The Calzones are still hopeful that Danny Hendricks will return in mid September. The team would like to get Hendricks as many as 5 starts down the stretch to let him shake off the rust and give him some innings to build on for next season, when he is expected to play a major role in the rotation.
The Calzones have played 43 home dates to this point in the season, and are just 2.5 million dollars from matching last season's gate revenue. Merchandising has been almost as brisk, as the team is just 5.5 million from matching last season's merchandising revenue. The Calzones play 14 of their next 17 games at home, and should easily eclipse last years numbers in both categories over the next 2.5 weeks. The Calzones have averaged 36, 052 per game at home this season, and are on a pace to break their attendance record for a season, set in 2007 when the team drew just over 2.8 million fans. At present pace, the team would draw 2.92 million this season. We are told the team will continue to aggressively market and they aren't giving up on possibly breaking the 3 million barrier. The top 10 teams in attendance per game this season.
Aurora 44,695
Charleston 43,889
Arlington 41,551
Bakersfield 38,517
Gloucester 36,252
Florida 36,065
San Antonio 36,052
Manchester 34,871
Kentucky 34,520
Canton 34,156