Thanksgiving Surprises
November 25th, 2011, 11:54 PM
Jacksonville, Florida
All-Star Closer, Powell Traded
In a shocker, word has leaked out that Florida has traded two relievers to the Omaha Cyclones. Florida’s all-time saves leader, Jesse Powell, is the principle player in the deal. A fan favorite, the two-time All-Star is the team leader in career saves, games pitched, ERA and several other key pitching categories. The other reliever included in the deal is 27-year-old, François Bernard. Bernard, who just recently went through arbitration with the club, has pitched with the Featherheads for two seasons and holds a career 3.59 ERA. Florida will receive Omaha’s first round 2012 draft pick in exchange.
This certainly is a surprising deal. All in all, GM Kevin Lewis has traded away three big league-caliber pitchers within a month. In return, the team has received nothing but future draft picks. Considering that the team is just coming off a championship season, it is peculiar to see the front office quickly shake up one of the league’s best bullpens.
Powell’s departure is particularly surprising. The 25-year-old was an inaugural draft pick of the Featherheads. One of the originals, Powell has been nothing short of spectacular for the franchise. A consistent arm at the end of the game, Powell has been a key member in the bullpen and the Jacksonville community. His departure will surely upset the fans, and it will be a big blow to the stellar bullpen. His bullpen-mates have always raved about Powell’s infectious work ethic and willingness to teach the game to others.
Thus far, Kevin Lewis has been unavailable to comment. This certainly leads some speculation as to the reasoning of the trade. It was no secret that Powell struggled mightily in the PEC. While Powell struggled, relievers Takanobu Murata and Carlos Ávila shined. It’s too early to speculate, but one would think both pitchers would be early candidates for the sudden vacant closer role.
Arbitration Hearing Results
It was confirmed earlier tonight that the team did not offer arbitration to shortstop Roberto Merán. Signed last June, Merán was the team’s starting shortstop after Naoaki Kichida was traded to San Antonio. The 34-year-old fizzled down the playoff stretch but was an instrumental contributor during the regular season. He batted .268 with 8 home runs and 38 RBI. The team’s non-tender offer has been expected for quite some time. It appears that the team was looking to turn to a younger and longer-term solution at shortstop. The 25-year-old Ricardo Gabriel, who struggled in his rookie season, will be part of the mix in auditioning for the full time gig.
Taisuke Endo, Tu-an Sima and François Bernard all wrapped up their arbitration hearings. Bernard, who lost his arbitration case, was promptly traded to Omaha. PEC hero Endo will earn $875K this upcoming season.
Meanwhile, PEC Game 7 hero Tu-an Sima will get a lofty pay rise. Sima won his arbitration case and will earn $5 million next season. This is quite a bit of coin, considering Sima was making the league minimum this past season.
It has been confirmed that both pending free agents, Michael Kelly and Manuel González, have been offered arbitration, and it remains to be seen if either will accept before free agents file on te 27th. Osamu Kohara was not offered arbitration and will become a free agent on Sunday. With the departure of Kohara, Bernard and Powell, Florida certainly has some bullpen holes that need to be filled.
Florida Announces Organizational Awards
Earlier this morning, Florida announced its organizational awards. The 2011 Most Improved Player of the Year deservedly goes to Franklin Browne. Browne fought through years of adversity to find himself a 20-game winner and All-Star this season. He topped off his amazing season with a pivotal Game 6 start. The Michigan native pitched eight strong innings to help Florida force the eventual Game 7 clincher. Browne, who went 20-6 with a 3.06 ERA, finished third in the Golden Arm balloting.
The 2011 Minor League Player of the Year was a highly debated choice. The nominees were whittled down to a pair of 2009 draft pitchers. Both Danny Williams and Michael Smallbridge had phenomenal seasons.
Williams was selected to the AA Great Northern League All-Star Game. The former fifth rounder showcased an impressive 2.07 ERA and 12.09 K/9 ratio while pitching for the AA Beaufort Loggerdoggers. He finished his season in AAA, where he maintained a 3.10 ERA and 10.91 K/9 ratio.
No minor league pitcher pitched as well as Williams, with possibly the exception of Michael Smallbridge. Drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft, Smallbridge – like Williams – was also a minor league All-Star this past season. The nasty reliever was one of the best pitchers in the Global Baseball Brotherhood. He finished his AAA season with a record of 8-2 while securing 16 saves along with a stingy 1.36 ERA. His most impressive feat was not yielding an earned run in 20 consecutive appearances, which spanned close to 30 innings of work. He successfully saved 16 out of 17 games, which amounts to a 94.1% save percentage. His model of consistency led to the organization to pick Smallbridge as Florida’s 2011 Minor League Player of the Year.
The Player of the Year Award race was equally as tight. Ace starter Cedric Mosley edged out Royal Raker Tsumemasa Morimoto. Acquired from the Hitmen last offseason, Mosley gave Florida exactly what the team expected and much more. Lewis acquired Mosley with visions of turning one of the best closers in the game into one of the best starters in the game. Mosley fulfilled Lewis’s vision by dominating opposing lineups to the tune of a 18-5 record and 2.59 ERA. Mosley provided stability at the top of the rotation. His dominating performances often spurred his teammates to put on similar performances. Franklin Browne and António Rivera greatly benefited from Mosley’s presence in the rotation. Although his playoff outings were shaky, Mosley’s consistent regular season helped Florida capture the Dixie Division crown and eventually the Rodríguez Cup.