Kitty Litter - The RGV Ocelots Blog

[Matt]

AAA Joplin rolled to a 5-2 record this past week, pushing them to 49-27 on the season, 8 games up on Namuko. Luis Reyes led the pitching staff, posting wins in both starts, allowing 2 ER in 15 innings of work, walking 2, striking out 14, allowing just 10 hits along the way. A nice way for Reyes to start at AAA, after having gone 7-2 2.47 in 12 starts at AA this season. The 22 yr old right hander is quickly becoming a candidate for next year's rotation in RGV, though he might have to take a trip to winter ball and maybe lose the curveball and sharpen his focus on another pitch or two. Catcher Eisuku Koizumi led the offense with a .320 avg, 3 HR and 6 RBI.

AA Medicine Hat suffered some major carnage this week, going 1-6 to fall to 40-35 on the season, 1.5 games back of Pyongyang. Outside of Dan Field, who posted the only win of the week, the pitching staff was absolutely hammered to the tune of a 7.78 ERA. The offense did quite well for the week, with Kawaguchi, Kawakami, and Walden each hitting 2 HR on the week.

A Nogales lost all 4 games coming out of the AS break, falling to 33-29 on the season, 2.5 games back.

SSA Homer was 3-3 on the week to move to 8-4 on the season and a tie for first place. 17 yr old lefthander Peter Scammell has impressed over his first 5 appearances, allowing just 1 run in 9 innings, not walking a batter, and punching out 5. 20 yr old 1b Gary Leclair has batted .387 with 2 doubles, a HR, and 12 rbi over the first 8 games of the season.

[Matt]

The Ocelots have addressed the loss of 2b John Dickson by calling up shortstop Min-u Yi. Yi will likely split time between shortstop and second base for the remainder of the season.

To address the loss of LF Brandon Meade, the Ocelots have called up CF Clarence Allison. Allison was a 4th round pick of Charleston back in 2019, but was recently released by the Statesmen before signing a minor league deal with the Ocelots. Allison has always put a very solid on base percentage, in fact .430 against right handers in his career. Scouts aren't really impressed by him, but what do they know? The numbers say this kid needs a look, and at least for the moment he'll slide into left field against right handers.

[Matt]

The Ocelots have released LF Brandon Meade. With him being eligible for arbitration, and likely to receive at least 5 million in the process, the Ocelots chose to let Meade go now. The Ocelots had been prepared to non-tender Meade after the season, but his injury hastened the process. With his potential salary arbitration award counted against the team by PEBA bean counters, his release will free up that future money to be used for extensions or to possibly sign a free agent to a multiple year contract.

[Matt]

Repeat after me -

The Ocelots are not this good.

The Ocelots are not this good.

The Ocelots are not this good.

(I am as stunned as anyone about how well things are going the last month or so of the season.)

[Matt]

Nobuhito Karube has been recalled and will get a spot start against Charleston. Karube is 1-0 3.75 in two previous starts for RGV this season. The move was made to back up lefty Dave Parkinson a few days, with the Ocelots preferring to match up their lefties Parkinson and Gaivo in the series with Marseille next week.

Also called up to join the bullpen for a few days is veteran pitcher Craig Hampton, signed to a minor league deal this past week. Hampton will work the long relief role in the series against Charleston.

Clarence Allison did a nice job in the 3 game series with Florida, filling in at LF. He was 4 for 10 with 3 runs scored, a double, 2 walks, and a stolen base. But for the moment he will go back to AAA and Takahiro Fujihara will be called up to man left field in the Charleston series. Fujihara is batting .308/.375 with 2 doubles, 4 triples, 2 HR, 11 rbi, and 5 sb in 32 games for Texarkana this season. Fujihara has done two stints on the DL at Texarkana this season. With the Ocelots slated to face three left handed pitchers in the series against Charleston, Fujihara provides a better matchup for the Ocelots. But the shuffling in the outfield after the loss of Meade for the season is likely to continue in the short term. The organization is pondering calling up Trevor Powell when he returns from the DL next week, and putting him in centerfield and moving Reyes to right field. Shane Reynolds could also continue to ride the Texarkana shuttle and see sporadic duty with the Ocelots.

In the finale of the Florida series, Richie Norman was a late addition to the lineup in place of regular DH Esteban Miranda in order to give him a day off. Norman usually sits against left handed pitching, but it was time to get Miranda a day off. Norman responded by hitting two HR and driving in 5 runs as the Ocelots completed a sweep of Florida. Norman had 3 HR in the series. Norman is now batting .320/.362 with 19 HR and 49 rbi on the season.

While the Ocelots failed to land any of the top free agents recently released by their Mexican League teams, the team did land a number of players who add to their depth at AAA. Pitchers Nick Ball, Craig Hampton, Javier Sousa, Fernando Rios, Luis Vazquez, Preston Bell, and Roberto Reyes add solid AAAA type depth to the organization. Another interesting minor league free agent signee could be catcher Darwin Boyer, a 28 yr old left handed hitter who has plus defensive skills. The native of Odessa, Texas offers a little pop from the left side, and could soon see an opportunity at RGV. He hasn't taken a professional at bat since 2015, so he will get a few at bats at AAA before he gets a shot at RGV.

In winning 12 of the last 13 games, the Ocelots pitching staff has been unreal. In those 13 games, the Ocelots pitchers have allowed a total of 20 runs, and thrown 3 shutouts over that time. Only once has the team allowed more than 3 runs, and that was 5 runs in the lone loss over that stretch. The recent hot stretch has the Ocelots up to 4th in the IL in runs allowed.

Left hander Carlos Rodriguez has continued dominating hitters since his promotion to AAA. He has 17 strikeouts in 7.2 innings. It is still questionable as to whether his questionable control will ever allow him to achieve success at the PEBA level. Rodriguez, who has been used in relief almost exclusively in his minor league career, will move into the Texarkana rotation as the Ocelots try to give him a longer look over the second half of the season. With Rodriguez out of options next year, decision time is coming quickly.

Oft injured Nogales pitcher Eric Christopher has pitched 13.1 innings this season, his most in 5 years. He had totaled 35.1 innings over his last 4 seasons combined, leading to Manchester releasing the slightly talented but heavily injured Christopher in July of last year. In 2018, a torn rotator cuff put him out for 8 months. In 2019, shoulder inflammation took him out for 4 months. In 2020, radial nerve decompression surgery put him on the shelf for 5 months. In 2021, Tommy John surgery put him out for nearly a year. It's rumored that the only reason the Ocelots front office keep him around is a morbid curiosity as to how many innings he can pitch this season before coming up lame.

[Matt]

AAA Texarkana has a 51-28 record and an 8 game lead in the division. But the record is a bit deceiving. Despite an abundance of 4A type talent, the Bandits have been anything but dominating in the stats department. The team is just 8th in the AML in runs scored, and a very weak 14th in HR. The pitching staff is just 5th in runs allowed. A 17-7 record in one run games likely has a lot to do with the Bandits success this season.

[Matt]

A 4-2 week, which saw the Ocelots sweep Florida, then lose 2 of 3 to Charleston. The sweep of Florida allowed the Ocelots to end the week with a 1.5 game lead in the Dixie.

Pitcher of the Week:
Iwane Sato, who pitched 8.2 innings of shutout ball in a 4-0 shutout of Florida. Sato allowed 4 hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out 5. After starting the season 2-6, Sato has won his last 4 starts, allowing 4 ER over 28.2 innings. Sato is 6-6 3.84 on the season.

Honorable mention:
Xi-peng Li, who pitched 8.2 innings, allowing 2 ER on 2 hits, 4 walks, and 4 k's in a 5-3 win over Charleston. Li is 2-0 3.04 in 12 appearances, 4 of them starts, on the season.

Pitching Goat of the Week:
Brooks Wallace, who came on in the 7th inning of a 3-3 game and proceeded to give up 4 runs in the next 1.2 innings, allowing the Statesmen to cruise to a 10-3 rout.

Hitter of the Week:
Richie Norman, who batted .455 with 3 HR and 7 rbi, with all the damage being done in the series with Florida, Facing a trio of lefthanders, he sat out the series against Charleston. Norman is batting .320 with 19 HR and 49 RBI on the season.

Honorable mention:
Leslie McDonald, who batted .529 for the week, with 2 doubles, a HR, 4 rbi, a stolen base, and a team high 5 runs scored for the week. The streaky McDonald raised his average to .230 with 13 HR and 37 RBI on the season.

Hitting Goat of the Week:
Min-u Yi, 0 for 16. And a ticket back to AAA. Love the defense, but you have to hit something.

Nobuhito Karube, who was up from AAA making his 3rd spot start for the Ocelots, was lost for the season with shoulder inflammation. He left his start with 2 outs in the 5th inning.

Pitchers Atilio Gaivo and Dave Parkinson will be recalled this week to start against Marseille. Karube goes to the DL, while Craig Hampton is waived and placed on DFA after refusing a demotion to AAA.

Min-u Yi has been sent back to AAA, and recently signed Mariano Hernandez has been called up to help out on the infield. Trevor Veeneman was also recalled yet again, and Hubert Lee was waived and designated for assignment. The middle infield has become a real circus since losing Dickson for the season. Also, Takahiro Fujihara has been demoted to AAA, and CF Trevor Powell, a left handed bat with plus speed and great defensive skills, recalled from AAA. Rumors abound that the Ocelots are scouring the trade market to fill the voids left by the losses of 2b Dickson and LF Meade. Left handed pitching prospect Naoki Hayashi's name has reportedly come up the discussions, though the Ocelots deny the rumors.


AAA Texarkana was 3-3 on the week, moving the season record to 52-30, with an 8 game lead on Namuko. Veteran infielder Bruce Roland led the offense, batting .455 with 2 doubles, 2 HR, and 5 rbi. The pitching was highlighted by Rintaro Yamasaki going 8.1 innings, 1 run. He is 8-1 2.23 on the season. Luis Reyes also picked up his 3rd win in 3 starts since his promotion from AA, allowing 3 runs in 6.1 innings. He is 3-0 2.11 for Texarkana after going 7-2 2.47 for AA Medicine Hat earlier this season.

AA Medicine Hat was 2-4 for the week to fall to 42-39, 4.5 back in the Asian division. Highlighting the offense was 3b Kwan-cheol Kang, who batted .250 with 2 HR and 4 rbi. The pitching was highlighted by Preston Bell pitching 5.2 innings of shutout ball, getting credited for a complete game in a 1-0 victory called due to weather.

A Nogales was 4-3 for the week bringing the Coyotes to 37-32 on the season, 1/2 game back in the Mexican Division. The pitching was highlighted by recent draftee Elvis Carter notching wins in both his starts, though it wasn't entirely pretty as he allowed 6 runs in 10.1 innings. Still, he is 2-0 3.68 in his professional starts since being drafted in the 6th round of the most recent draft. The hitting was highlighted by Juan Valle batting .423 with 2 doubles, a triple, a HR, and 9 rbi.

SSA Homer was 5-2 for the week, bring the Wallbangers record to 13-6 on the season, 1 game back in the Samurai division. The hitters were led by Dave Vaughn, who batted .379 for the week with a double, triple, 2 HR, 8 runs scored, 8 driven in, and 3 stolen bags. The 19 yr old Vaughn, a 2nd yr pro, is batting .338 on the season with 2 HR and 11 rbi, and 5 stolen bags. Bob Lacy, a 10th round draft pick this season, picked up his 3rd win in 4 starts, allowing 2 runs in 5.2 innings. Lacy is 3-1 3.68 since turning pro. The Wallbangers lost 17 yr old lefthander Pete Scammell for the season with a ruptured disk in his back. A graduate of the teams international complex, the lanky young lefthander showed some promise, and had compiled an 0.77 ERA in 7 appearances, allowing 1 run in 11.2 innings, walking 1 and punching out 7. His loss creates an opening for international signee Sang-hyun Pak, an 18 yr old right hander signed to a 450k bonus this week by the Ocelots. Pak will join the Wallbanger rotation this week.

The Ocelots signed 10 players in the international free agent signing period, though inside sources tell us the Ocelots front office was somewhat stunned at how fast these kids signed contracts. Our source tells us the Ocelots has expected more in the way of bidding wars for these players, but of the 34 free agents in this class of international amateurs, only 5 remain unsigned 4 days into the signing period. Rumor has it that owner Isabel Padilla was none too pleased that the Ocelots exceed the cap, and accused her GM of totally misreading the market. "Chairs flew" said our source. "The discussion was short but loud."

Despite whatever drama might be playing out in the Ocelots front office over the recently signed international free agents, fans have to be happy about the additional talent brought into the organization.

The prize piece was Brandon 'Crayon' Vale, who our source tells us the Ocelots never expected to sign despite their offer of 2.801 million. "Totally shocked" our source in the front office tells us. "GM Higgins believed there would be a higher bid or at least a bidding war for Vale. When Vale's agent faxed in the signed contract, there was almost complete panic in the front office." Vale is a right hander out of England, a tall lanky 16 yr old right hander who already throws in the low 90's, can keep the ball down in the zone, and hitters off balance with a plus changeup. The question mark about Vale is whether he can work deep enough into games to be a useful starter someday. He'll need to work on keeping his pitch counts down and getting stretched out over the next few years.

Sang-hyun Pak might be the next best signing of the period for the Ocelots, as the 18 yr old signed for 450k. At 18, he is advanced enough that the Ocelots are already sending him to short season Homer to begin his professional career. A tall right hander out of South Korea, he has 4 average pitches and can hit 91 on the gun. If he can add a foot to the fastball, he could someday be a middle of the rotation starter

Kyu-Cheol Na is another South Korean pitcher, 16 yrs old, signed to a 660k contract. Na is a control specialist, and only throws in the high 80's. He's another guy, who if you project out and he can add a few mph, he could be an effective pitcher.

En-guo Lian is a 16 yr old lefthander out of Taiwan. The 4th and final pitcher in the group, he also signed for 660k. He only throws in the upper 80's, but if he adds 2-3 mph in the next few years he is another guy who might someday see time in a rotation.

The hitters signed by the Ocelots are less exciting, but they do give the Ocelots some players to work with. LF Jaime Diaz is probably better suited to first base, but he shows some power and signed for 150k.

18 yr old C Dean Sweet signed for 75k out of England. The Ocelots plan to convert him to a relief pitcher, where he has 4 slightly below average pitches that need a lot of work.

18 yr old SS Carlos Chavez looks like he has the skills to play anywhere on the diamond, but his bat may hold him back. He signed for the bargain price of 43k.

17 yr old CF Ramiro Rodriguez is another guy who can play multiple positions, he looks like he could be a decent third basemen given the chance. Again, the questions surround his hitting skills. He signed for 80k.

CF Alberto Moran is a long shot to ever make it as a ballplayer. But he gives the Ocelots some depth in the international complex if they ever need a warm body. He signed for 49k.

17 yr old C Sung-Hwan Chong is a catcher out of South Korea with plus defensive skills and possibly some decent plate discipline, but his hitting skills have a long way to go. He signed for 85k.


Coming up this week for the Ocelots, 3 games at Marseille, followed by an off day Thursday, then 3 at home versus New Orleans heading into the All Star break.

[Matt]

The loss of 3b Josh Shaffer for the next 6 weeks further complicates matters on our infield after the previous loss of 2b Dickson for the season. I just no longer trust McDonald or Watson with their diminishing skills in the field. Shaffer being lost could have repercussions up and down the lineup as well as the organization. Offensively its getting harder to paper over the losses of Meade and Dickson, our run scoring is way down since they left the lineup. If we bring in another glove first guy in the infield, we may have to look at putting Miranda back in right field and calling up C Koizumi to replace Ash in order to generate some offense. The trade market is an option, but not a good one as I have no inclination to give up a top asset for a mediocre short term solution. A good long term solution maybe, a mediocre short term solution no. Going to be interesting sorting this out as we head towards the trade deadline.

[Matt]

3-3 for the week for the Ocelots, brining the season record to 49-39, amazingly 1.5 games up on Florida as we head into the AS break. The week featured the Ocelots dropping 2 of 3 at Marseille before returning home to take 2 of 3 from New Orleans heading into the break. After a torrid finish to a 19-9 month of June, the Ocelots are just 4-5 so far in July.

It's worth pointing out the Ocelots pitching staff is presently papering over the huge loss of Dickson and Meade to the offense. The Ocelots have scored just 28 runs in 9 games in July, slightly more than 3 runs per game. Even during the run that saw RGV win 12 of the final 13 games in the month of June, the offense only scored 52 runs in those 13 games, or 4 runs per game. Only 3 times in the last 14 games of June did the Ocelots score more than 4 runs in a game. This is worrisome, because there is no doubting that the Ocelots pitching staff has performed well over their heads so far this season. With the offense struggling, when the pitching staff finally begins to falter it could get ugly fast.

Pitcher of the Week: Did I say the pitching staff was over performing? Exhibit A - Justin Barton, skips a turn in the rotation, comes back to pitch a complete game shutout of New Orleans, allowing 4 hits, 4 walks, and striking out 8 in a 4-0 whitewashing of the Trendsetters. Barton is now 8-1 3.03 on the season, no doubt being aided by a .252 babip. He has made just 10 starts and 2 relief appearances for RGV this season, but he has made them count.

Honorable Mention: Iwane Sato, who goes 8 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, walking 2, and striking out 5, while picking up the victory in a 2-0 shutout of Marseille. Sato has given up 1 earned run in his last 4 starts, covering 31.2 innings pitched, picking up wins in all 4 starts. After starting the season 2-6 5.03, 5 straight wins have Sato sitting at 7-6 on the season, with a 3.53 ERA.

Pitching Goat of the Week:
Marcos Gonzalez. 1 win, 1 save, 2 losses and way too much drama in his 4 appearances. His grasp on the closer role is getting precarious.

Hitter of the Week: Orlando Reyes, .316/.409 for the week, with 3 doubles, 2 HR, 2 RBI, and 4 runs scored. Reyes is batting .286 with 11 HR and 37 rbi in 48 games since signing with the Ocelots.

Honorable mention: Esteban Miranda, .348 with a HR and 3 rbi. Miranda is batting .286 with 15 HR and 47 RBI in 68 games for the Ocelots.

Hitting Goat of the Week:
Trevor Veeneman, 1 for 14 for the week.

Juggling the lineup - Last week Darwin Boyer was called up to be part of the catching corps, and this week Eisuke Koisumi gets recalled from AAA to join the corps, with defensive specialist Ash being designated and waived for assignment. While the Ocelots loved Ash's glove, the recent drop in offense after losing Dickson and Meade has meant the Ocelots have to look for offense elsewhere. The left handed hitting Boyer hit .294 with a HR and 2 rbi in his first week with the Ocelots. He offers a solid glove, and a little bit of pop from the left side while hitting at the bottom of the order. Koizumi, who's batting style resembles a shy boy getting his first kiss, close your eyes and hope to hit paydirt, was batting .290 with 11 HR and 27 RBI at Texarkana in 38 games. In 35 games with RGV to start the season, he batted .206 with 5 HR and 16 rbi. Both players are skilled behind the plate, but with the bats in their hands they are likely to offer pretty much the same thing, a low average but some occasional lightning in the form of the longball from the 9 hole in the order.

36 yr old infielder Mariano Hernandez also joined the roster last week, posting a .353 obp in 5 games. Hernandez still offers a pretty slick glove, and bats from the left side. Hernandez last appeared in PEBA in 2016 with Palm Springs. The fact that he can still flash the leather on the infield has him stealing some at bats from 2b McDonald.

With the Ocelots losing Josh Shaffer for the next 6 weeks, the team is turning to 25 yr old 3b Manuel Rivera to fill the void. A former 2nd round pick of the London Underground, who released him in 2021, he was recently released by the Niihama-shi Ghosts. The Ocelots, as they often do, went past the scouting reports and looked at the numbers, and .275, 17 HR and 44 RBI in 68 games at AAA this season suggest Rivera may have 30 HR power. Which falls in line with his .296/.364 30 HR 111 RBI marks of his career 162 game avg. He bats from the left side, and his decent glove will likely have him stealing some of Watson's at bats at 3b at least until Shaffer returns.

The final move of the week has Takahiro Fujihara coming up from AAA to replace Juan Rosa. Rosa has been designated for assignment, as a recent slump, iffy outfield range, and poor work habits contributed to his downfall. Fujihara gives the Ocelots better speed, better defense, and someone who can fill in at all three outfield positions.

The Ocelots roster now has 8 left handed bats, all of whom could start at the same time on some days.

Ruben Hernandez will be the teams only All Star representative, and as such he will be backed up in the rotation to start the final game of the series with Hartford after the break. We'll come out of the break with our two hottest pitchers, Sato and Barton starting, followed by Li getting a spot start, and then Hernandez. Parkinson takes a short trip to the bullpen, but should be back in the rotation at some point next week.

On the trade front, the Ocelots are continuing to keep their powder dry as outside of one misguided owner, there is little belief that this bunch of over achievers is a playoff team. While their is some interest in trying to bring in a young infielder, it's also possible RGV could still sell off a few assets as we get closer to the trade deadline.

AAA Texarkana was 4-3 for the week, moving to 56-33 on the season, 8 games up on Namuko in the Far East division. The offense was led by recently signed center fielder Bob Foster, who batted .390 with 3 HR and 8 RBI on the week. The 28 yr old journeyman was recently released by Neo-Tokyo. C Koizumi also had 3 HR and 7 rbi on the week, and is now back in RGV. The pitching staff was led by Luis Reyes, who allowed 2 runs over 7 innings. He has now won all four starts since his promotion from AA, and is opening eyes about getting into the Ocelots plans for 2023. Reyes is 4-0 2.22 in 4 starts, after going 7-2 2.47 at AA this season. Also impressing this week was Carlos Rodriguez, who is stretching out as a starter. In his second start for Texarkana, he allowed 1 run on 2 hits over 7 innings, walking 3 and punching out 4. He is now 3-0, 1.80, in 11 games, 2 of them starts, for the Bandits.

AA Medicine Hat was 2-5 on the week, tumbling to 44-44 on the season, 9 games back of Pyongyang. Jerome Browning picked up both wins in relief appearances. Dean Walden his .304 for the week with 3 doubles.

A Nogales was 2-4 for the week, falling to 39-36 on the season, 3.5 games back. 8th round draft pick Jon Dalton ran his record to 2-0 2.29 in 3 starts by allowing 3 runs in 6 innings in a win over Ensenada. Yoshitoshi Shibata (which sounds more like a drinking game than a proper name) is batting .333/.429 with 5 HR and 19 RBI on the season.

SSA Homer was 3-2 on the week, improving to 16-8 on the season, but falling a half game back of the Swamp Dragons in the division. International signee Sang-hyuk Pak was hit hard in his first start, allowing 8 hits and walking 2 over 4.2 innings, but he managed to give up just 3 runs. 1b Gary Leclair is batting .315 with 3 HR and 18 rbi on the season.

Upcoming, a 4 game set at home with Hartford after the AS break.

[Matt]

Making do...

The Ocelots roster currently contains 6 position players signed as minor league free agents, 5 of them this season. This doesn't even take into consideration a number that have played roles at some point this season for the Ocelots, this is just the bunch presently on the roster.

C Darwin Boyer
3b Manuel Rivera
SS Mariano Hernandez
SS Trevor Veeneman - last year
LF Russell Wright
CF Trevor Powell

In addition, Juan Rosa, presently headed to waivers, was originally a waiver claim.

While the pitching staff doesn't presently have any pitchers who were signed as minor league free agents, a couple have appeared this year.

Dave Parkinson, who has been a solid contributor, was also a waiver claim.

[Matt]

The Ocelots go 3-1 coming out of the break, taking 3 of 4 from Hartford. The Ocelots lead in the Dixie was trimmed to a mere half game as Florida won all 4 games coming out of the break.

A rainout of the Thursday game saw the teams play a doubleheader on Friday.

Hitter of the Week:
3b Bobby Watson, .417/.500 with a double, triple, HR, and 3 rbi. Watson is batting .292/.340 on the season, with 8 HR and 38 RBI.

Honorable mention:
2b Leslie McDonald, .500 for the week with a HR and an RBI. The streaky McDonald is batting .438 with 3 doubles, 2 HR, and 5 RBI in the month of July, and is now batting .243 with 14 HR and 38 RBI on the season.

Hitting Goat of the week:
Takahiro Fujihara, 1 for 9 on the week.

Pitcher of the Week:
Ruben Hernandez, who allows 1 run on 2 hits over 7 innings in picking up his 10th win of the season. Hernandez is 10-3 2.82 on the season.

Honorable mention: Justin Barton, who lost for just the 2nd time this season, despite allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned, over 8 innings of quality work. He is now 8-2 2.84 on the season.

Pitching Goat of the Week:
Marcos Gonzalez, who gave up 5 runs in 3 appearances, getting one save, blowing another, and allowing Hartford to pull away late in a one run game in another outing. Gonzalez is 6-6 with 19 saves, 5 blown saves, and a 4.35 ERA on the season. He has also just lost the closer gig to John Miller, who is 0-3 2.86 on the season.

The only shuffling this week comes with Xiao-peng Li being waived and designated for assignment to make room for the return of Atilio Gaivo to the roster. After the doubleheader on Friday, the rotation will need to be shuffled back a bit, with Parkinson rejoining the rotation to start on Monday, with Gaivo being placed in the rotation to pitch on Tuesday. Saito, who picked up his 6th straight win this past week, allowing 2 runs over 6 innings, will pitch Wednesday, followed by Barton and Hernandez in the rotation.

AAA Texarkana runs off a 5-1 week, moving their record to 61-34 on the season, 10 games up on Namuko. The pitching staff was led by red hot Luis Reyes, who won both starts, allowing 3 runs over 15.1 innings. He has now won all 6 starts since his promotion to AAA, posting a 6-0 2.06 mark in those 6 starts. C Jose Olivas batted .357 for the week with 3 doubles, 2 hr and 3 rbi.

AA Medicine Hat was 3-2 on the week, bringing the Drillers record to 47-46 on the season, 10.5 games back of Pyongyang. Matabei Kawaguchi batted .400 for the week with a triple, HR, and 4 rbi. Kawaguchi is batting .282 with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 10 HR, 46 RBI, and 14 stolen bases on the season.

A Nogales was 4-3 on the week, bringing the record to 43-39, 4.5 games back in the Mexican Division. 2022 6th rd draft pick Elvis Carter allowed 1 run on 6 hits over 8 innings, walking none and striking out 8, in picking up his 3rd victory against just one loss in his 5 starts since being drafted. He has posted a 2.83 ERA over those 5 starts. Dan Collins led the offense, batting .393 with 2 RH and 5 rbi. Collins is batting .287/.361 with 10 HR and 42 rbi on the season.

SSA Homer was 5-3 on the week, bringing the season mark to 21-11 and a 2 game lead in the Samurai. The offense was led by ss Jose Suarez, 4 doubles, a triple, and 11 rbi, as well as LF Clyde Johnson, .448 with 3 HR and 8 RBI.


Next up for the Ocelots, a 3 game trip to New Jersey, before coming home to play 4 with West Virginia.

[Matt]

Negotiations between the Ocelots and outfielder Russell Wright came to a dramatic end today with Ocelots GM Matt Higgins heard leaving the room muttering language unprintable in this blog. Sources say the negotiations came to an impasse over the number of years, as Wright was unwilling to accept a two year deal. Sources say Wright wouldn't budge off his demand for 3 years, and the Ocelots were not inclined to give Wright nearly 9 million a season under PEBA contract rules. The two sides had actually come to an agreement on the dollar amount, but Wright's refusal to come down on the number of years brought the negotiations to a heated ending.

[roncollins]

Pesky PEBA rules.

[Matt]

Pesky PEBA rules.

Yeah. And I can contrast Wright's situation against Ruben Hernandez, with whom we were able to work out an 8 year agreement in principle that almost nailed the PEBA contract rules. I think I had to bump up the first free agency year by 1.75 mil, otherwise all the other seasons were right on the money (pun intended). He was also agreeable to letting us make the last two years team options. So in the end when he signs it's 8 years at about 50 mil, which in guaranteed money is 6 years, 32 million. He is one of the few pre-arbitration eligible guys who has been willing to talk long term deal. Usually those guys come back with 1 year offers and won't go any further.

[Borealis]

He is one of the few pre-arbitration eligible guys who has been willing to talk long term deal. Usually those guys come back with 1 year offers and won't go any further.

yeah... We've had luck in the past with those type of guys, but this year they sure are being pissy about long-term deals. At least we were able to get Ferringo to go 1-year at $700K when his arby estimate was $3M...