By Scott Plack
12/8/2012: New Orleans, LA – Looking back at 2012 will not be a fun experience for Trendsetters fans. The fairest evaluation of this past season’s performance is to acknowledge that it was terrible in every respect. The Trendsetters ranked last in the Imperial League in team batting average, runs scored and extra base hits. Similarly, they ranked last in every pitching category except strikeouts.
When pitching coach Víctor Macías was approached about how badly the staff performed, he gave a terse, “No comment.” When someone attempted to place the blame on the offense, he replied, “You can’t just blame a season like we went through on any one part of our game, but with the pitchers pressing – trying to make the perfect pitch every time, knowing that if they gave up three runs then the team was probably not going to respond – you better believe it; and its just tough to pitch like that. It’s much easier to just go out there, play catch and let your team pick you up, but if you look at the year some of our guys had, you realize they were pushing themselves. They gave up more walks trying to paint the corners, trying to pitch to no contact rather than to take a chance.”
Hitting coach Steve Fletcher had similar comments about the hitters trying to make something happen rather than just letting the game come to them. However, despite their best efforts, the most common result was losing, and losing makes everything worse. Few fans even bothered to show up to the Trendsetters’ final games.
Shortly after the PEBA post-season was over, Cooper Scott pulled his head out of the ground to tweet this statement: “We will not finish last in those categories two years in a row!” Scott was making a strong overture to fans who don’t like the prospect of watching losing teams throughout a long rebuild of their organization, and he promptly set out to match his actions with his words.
Scott picked up the phone and quickly acquired Aurora’s 1B Alexandre Poirier for outfield prospect Kane “Dingus” Talley. Scott explained: “While I still feel all dirty and oily trading with the ‘Evil Empire’, Poirier is a player that New Orleans has historically tried to acquire. While Poirier may not be a superstar, he will be a valuable member of the Trendsetters offense if he can regain some semblance of his form. He will see full-time action again.” Poirier hits from the left side of the plate and is known for his line drive swing.
Reaction to the Poirier trade around the league was mixed, with the majority of experts agreeing that Talley was simply too much to give up for Poirier.
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Reactions to the trade:
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I didn’t like the move made by Scott to acquire the aging 1B Poirier at all. Poirier has not played a full season of ball since the 2008 season and, in his limited playing time, his numbers have only been getting worse. A guy like Dingus is a very nice commodity to have in your system and is hard to part with, so I would have asked for more in return for the former second round pick; at the least, a younger comparable player could have been gotten for him.
— Martin Diharce, New Jersey Hitmen Director of Scouting
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Well, Tamayo led the Trendsetters in HR and RBI last year with 22 and 78 respectively. Both those numbers would be career highs for Poirier. So if the expectation is for him to outperform Tamayo, then there is likely to be at least some disappointment. Considering that Poirier is two years older and is making four times what the underrated Tamayo is asking for on the free agent market, I would say from a financial standpoint that there will be disappointment. I would consider Tamayo to offer more bang for the buck.
— Matt Higgins, San Antonio Calzones of Laredo GM
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I don’t think Poirier will be a disappointment. Being a disappointment requires some expectations. Poirier has not been good since… well, since New Orleans was good. He’s suffered a few injuries and has yet to get his chance. Aurora has been shopping him for ages, but I still see Poirier with very good bat speed. He appears to have something left in the tank. Judging whether Poirier is a disappointment largely depends on the success of Dingus Talley. If Talley turns out to be good, then Poirier will be a disappointment. If Talley fails to impress, then New Orleans would have been justified to get some short-term pop in the lineup.
— Pablo Durango, Florida Featherheads scout
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Honestly, I think New Orleans’ addition of Poirier is the pickup of the off-season so far. Poirier was constantly overshadowed in Aurora. He was always fighting for playing time, and his role was marginalized by the presence of superstar sluggers like Kuemon Kiyomizu and “El Chupacabra.” People write him off because he hasn’t played much the last couple of seasons, but if you look back to 2010 when he was more or less starting every day, he hit great for Aurora and belted 20 homers.
Now he’s finally going to be the everyday guy, and I think the Trendsetters are going to benefit from giving him this opportunity. There’s this feeling that Poirier’s been around forever. Yeah, he’ll be 31 next year, but bear in mind he got a late start to pro ball. This is only going to be his sixth pro season. I’ve always felt he had one of the most natural, level swings in the league.
— Nate Manuel of American Baseball Perspective
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Poirier’s former GM Will Topham made this statement regarding the first baseman: “He offered inconsistent play while being outplayed by others – in this case, Quiñones and Rivera. His inflexibility defensively also contributed to his lack of playing time and made him expendable.”
Scott was quick to dismiss Topham’s comments as the usual management versus player rivalry. “No one ever is going to step up to the podium and declare they just gave something of value away. I’ve been on the other side of the table and I try to avoid doing it as much as I can. It’s always the same, though; a player is highly valued when shopped for a trade. Talley is a kid with exceptional upside, but we found it more valuable to acquire Poirier… I hope Dingus does have a good career. I mean, I am fond of all the players I have been honored to have on my rosters; I always hope for the best when we part ways.”
Poirier responded to Topham’s statements as well. “I wear a Trendsetters uniform now; what other GMs might or might not think of me isn’t a concern. Scott and I have talked on the phone several times about what he wants me to do, and I am excited about the possibilities this team has to make great strides. Yeah, all those years of watching and helping Aurora win were fun, but no one wants to just ride the bench. I want to be the guy who the team looks to when a big hit, a rally or a solid defensive play is needed. In New Orleans, I will get that chance.” When asked if he was bitter to be leaving Aurora, he simply said, “No, but it is a little bittersweet.”
Scott was not content to just bring in Poirier; instead he quickly made it known that a slew of high draft picks were available for the right deal. That deal was found with interdivision rival Florida. Scott traded two 1st round draft picks (the 2nd and 17th overall) and a 2nd round pick to the Featherheads, receiving 30-year-old starting pitcher Franklin “Sticky” Browne, 25-year-old minor league starting pitcher Danny Williams, 24-year-old minor league centerfielder Roberto Holguín and 22-year-old minor league shortstop Carlton Wilson in return.
Williams pitched in 44 innings and never quite got a handle on the strike zone, bouncing back from AAA in order to fill in for injuries. He is a tall, lanky southpaw who can hit about 93 MPH on the gun and throws five pitches (fastball, change, cutter, curve, splitter) with proficiency. Macías will be tasked with helping Williams find the strike zone and setting a good flow for his pitch selection. All indications are that it will be on-the-job training for Williams. Holguín hit .308/.353/.346 in limited playing time with the Featherheads. Sources around the league agree he has good bat speed and is able to make contact with just about anything.
Franklin Browne is a season removed from being an All-Star for the Featherheads, though many believe it is mostly downhill from here. Browne is in every sense of his game just average, but sources say that the most missed part of his contribution in Florida will be his quiet, steady leadership. Wilson projects to be a decent defensive shortstop who will hit for high average, producing more doubles and triples than home runs. Scott indicated the Trendsetters were willing to be patient with Wilson, as they have Martin and Monasterio slated to start up the middle for a few more years.
“Holguín and Williams were really the keys to this trade. Florida was overstocked at those particular positions and we needed an infusion of talent and youth… well, everywhere, but perhaps nowhere more than in pitching. Sticky is simply a pitcher who pitches beyond his scouting expectation. He’s a leader. Florida was looking to clear out a starter and we agreed we could find a place for him. Wilson was sort of tossed in at the end; we really wanted to get either Martin or Hickman, but Florida held onto those guys. But hey, Wilson is no slouch, either. All in all both teams got value as good as they gave,” said Scott.
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Trade thoughts:
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This trade is harder to gauge at first because you need to take into account the direction of the club. Cooper Scott seems to be trying to upgrade more for the now rather than the future, and in that sense this deal makes a bit more sense, although one is always skeptical when you give up the 2nd overall pick in the first two rounds of the draft.
Browne has been a winner in Florida and should help out the Trendsetters’ rotation with his solid veteran presence. The other pitcher in the deal, Danny Williams, we will have to keep an eye on. The kid has been stunning in the minors and in college but had his hiccups when he was brought up for Florida last year. Still young at 25, though, this kid should hopefully mature nicely and help anchor the rotation for years to come.
My two favorite pieces of this trade are Holguín and Wilson. Holguín has been solid plowing through Florida’s minor league system with great speed the past two seasons. The young kid is great in the field at all three outfield spots and has shown decent patience at the plate. The only thing I think he is missing is some speed, but he I see him as a staple in New Orleans for a long time.
Finally we have shortstop Carlton Wilson. A former second round pick in a very talented 2011 draft field, Wilson will need at least another year probably before he is ready to showcase his talents at the major league level. I really like this kid; I can see him averaging well into the .300s during his career.
Any time you give up a lot of early picks, you can only wait to see what happens, but for the immediate future, New Orleans really helped themselves out by picking up some very good young talent that should help them for a long time.
— Diharce
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The deal for Holguín, Williams, Wilson and Browne is pretty good. A lot of talent comes over to New Orleans. Where I am left a bit skeptical is: Where’s the plan? I asked Scott about this recently during a chance meeting, and he mumbled something about “smoking a corncob” as he trudged away glassy-eyed.
But really, where’s the plan? They trade away a decent young player (albeit a platoon player) in António Medina for a draft pick and some younger talent. Then they trade away young talent for a one-year rental in Poirier. Then, in this deal, they get a couple of players who will help the team now (Holguín and Williams), a player who won’t be ready for at least two more seasons in Wilson, and Browne, a pitcher who had one breakout season and is on the backside of 30. Then they trade off a couple of prime draft picks to bring in José Montaño, who is a decent young player.
So are they trying to win now, two years from now or five years from now? In part, it looks like they are trying to have their cake and eat it, too. While they have made some decent moves and maybe one questionable one, when you look at the whole body of work this off-season, you just question whether their compass is pointed to magnetic north, if you know what I mean.
— Higgins
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I’m hopeful this deal works out for both teams. For New Orleans, they get instant help and some security in knowing what they acquired. New Orleans has lost a lot of money in recent years and I would have to assume this also went into consideration while making the trade. With the pending new collective bargaining agreement, draftees are allowed to ask for signing bonuses. Our team had some redundant players who needed an opportunity to play in the big leagues, so we got a chance to replenish our lower-level farm systems. It’s a win-win situation, I think, but of course we won’t know until five years from now.
— Kevin Lewis, Florida Featherheads GM
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“I thought the Florida-New Orleans trade made sense for both sides. It seems like fans writing in to the magazine tend to like Florida’s side of the deal more, but I think that’s because of the mystique of draft picks. It’s this big, blank canvas that they can project hopes and dreams on. I say, ‘Don’t discount the bird in the hand.’
“Danny Williams is the guy Trendsetters fans should be most excited about. He’s a great get for New Orleans: a 6’3” left-hander whose fastball sits around 91 MPH and can touch 94-95 MPH. He had a 10.84 K/9 ratio between AA and AAA. His control is still a bit raw. Right now, I see him as a #3 starter with #2 upside.
“Franklin “Sticky” Browne is a quality innings-eater who pitched a bit over his head in 2011. He’ll do a fine job at the back end of the Trendsetters’ rotation. Holguín should serve as a decent enough fourth outfielder. Carlton Wilson would have perhaps the highest upside of any of the players New Orleans received if scouts were confident he could handle playing shortstop. His bat-to-ball ability is second to none amongst PEBA prospects.
— Manuel
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Most experts agree, however, that despite the active off-season so far, the Trendsetters faithful are still in for a long season. Scott has indicated that he is certainly not finished with his tweaking of the roster. “It’s early yet, but even if I did stop here, this team is substantially different. With Roberto probably holding down the leadoff spot – the first true leadoff hitter the Trendsetters have had since Hansen – you have several tough outs. Santana, easily one of the most underrated hitters in the PEBA, Poirier, Watts, Montaño and Martin are all capable of hurting you and taking advantage of mistakes that pitchers make. Will it be enough? Who knows? It’s way too early to tell.”
By Scott Plack
12/13/2012: New Orleans, LA – Looking back at 2012 will not be a fun experience for Trendsetters fans. The fairest evaluation of this past season’s performance is to acknowledge that it was terrible in every respect. The Trendsetters ranked last in the Imperial League in team batting average, runs scored and extra base hits. Similarly, they ranked last in every pitching category except strikeouts.
When pitching coach Víctor Macías was approached about how badly the staff performed, he gave a terse, “No comment.” When someone attempted to place the blame on the offense, he replied, “You can’t just blame a season like we went through on any one part of our game, but with the pitchers pressing – trying to make the perfect pitch every time, knowing that if they gave up three runs then the team was probably not going to respond – you better believe it; and its just tough to pitch like that. It’s much easier to just go out there, play catch and let your team pick you up, but if you look at the year some of our guys had, you realize they were pushing themselves. They gave up more walks trying to paint the corners, trying to pitch to no contact rather than to take a chance.”
Hitting coach Steve Fletcher had similar comments about the hitters trying to make something happen rather than just letting the game come to them. However, despite their best efforts, the most common result was losing, and losing makes everything worse. Few fans even bothered to show up to the Trendsetters’ final games.
Shortly after the PEBA post-season was over, cooper Scott pulled his head out of the ground to tweet this statement: “We will not finish last in those categories two years in a row!” Scott was making a strong overture to fans who don’t like the prospect of watching losing teams throughout a long rebuild of their organization, and he promptly set out to match his actions with his words.
Scott picked up the phone and quickly acquired Aurora’s 1B Alexandre Poirier for outfield prospect Kane “Dingus” Talley. Scott explained: “While I still feel all dirty and oily trading with the ‘Evil Empire’, Poirier is a player that New Orleans has historically tried to acquire. While Poirier may not be a superstar, he will be a valuable member of the Trendsetters offense if he can regain some semblance of his form. He will see full-time action again.” Poirier hits from the left side of the plate and is known for his line drive swing.
Reaction to the Poirier trade around the league was mixed, with the majority of experts agreeing that Talley was simply too much to give up for Poirier.
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Reactions to the trade:
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I didn’t like the move made by Scott to acquire the aging 1B Poirier at all. Poirier has not played a full season of ball since the 2008 season and, in his limited playing time, his numbers have only been getting worse. A guy like Dingus is a very nice commodity to have in your system and is hard to part with, so I would have asked for more in return for the former second round pick; at the least, a younger comparable player could have been gotten for him.
— Martin Diharce, New Jersey Hitmen Director of Scouting
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Well, Tamayo led the Trendsetters in HR and RBI last year with 22 and 78 respectively. Both those numbers would be career highs for Poirier. So if the expectation is for him to outperform Tamayo, then there is likely to be at least some disappointment. Considering that Poirier is two years older and is making four times what the underrated Tamayo is asking for on the free agent market, I would say from a financial standpoint that there will be disappointment. I would consider Tamayo to offer more bang for the buck.
— Matt Higgins, San Antonio Calzones of Laredo GM
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I don’t think Poirier will be a disappointment. Being a disappointment requires some expectations. Poirier has not been good since… well, since New Orleans was good. He’s suffered a few injuries and has yet to get his chance. Aurora has been shopping him for ages, but I still see Poirier with very good bat speed. He appears to have something left in the tank. Judging whether Poirier is a disappointment largely depends on the success of Dingus Talley. If Talley turns out to be good, then Poirier will be a disappointment. If Talley fails to impress, then New Orleans would have been justified to get some short-term pop in the lineup.
— Pablo Durango, Florida Featherheads scout
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Honestly, I think New Orleans’ addition of Poirier is the pickup of the off-season so far. Poirier was constantly overshadowed in Aurora. He was always fighting for playing time, and his role was marginalized by the presence of superstar sluggers like Kuemon Kiyomizu and “El Chupacabra.” People write him off because he hasn’t played much the last couple of seasons, but if you look back to 2010 when he was more or less starting every day, he hit great for Aurora and belted 20 homers.
Now he’s finally going to be the everyday guy, and I think the Trendsetters are going to benefit from giving him this opportunity. There’s this feeling that Poirier’s been around forever. Yeah, he’ll be 31 next year, but bear in mind he got a late start to pro ball. This is only going to be his sixth pro season. I’ve always felt he had one of the most natural, level swings in the league.
— Nate Manuel of American Baseball Perspective
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Poirier’s former GM Will Topham made this statement regarding the first baseman: “He offered inconsistent play while being outplayed by others – in this case, Quiñones and Rivera. His inflexibility defensively also contributed to his lack of playing time and made him expendable.”
Scott was quick to dismiss Topham’s comments as the usual management versus player rivalry. “No one ever is going to step up to the podium and declare they just gave something of value away. I’ve been on the other side of the table and I try to avoid doing it as much as I can. It’s always the same, though; a player is highly valued when shopped for a trade. Talley is a kid with exceptional upside, but we found it more valuable to acquire Poirier… I hope Dingus does have a good career. I mean, I am fond of all the players I have been honored to have on my rosters; I always hope for the best when we part ways.”
Poirier responded to Topham’s statements as well. “I wear a Trendsetters uniform now; what other GMs might or might not think of me isn’t a concern. Scott and I have talked on the phone several times about what he wants me to do, and I am excited about the possibilities this team has to make great strides. Yeah, all those years of watching and helping Aurora win were fun, but no one wants to just ride the bench. I want to be the guy who the team looks to when a big hit, a rally or a solid defensive play is needed. In New Orleans, I will get that chance.” When asked if he was bitter to be leaving Aurora, he simply said, “No, but it is a little bittersweet.”
Scott was not content to just bring in Poirier; instead he quickly made it known that a slew of high draft picks were available for the right deal. That deal was found with interdivision rival Florida. Scott traded two 1st round draft picks (the 2nd and 17th overall) and a 2nd round pick to the Featherheads, receiving 30-year-old starting pitcher Franklin “Sticky” Browne, 25-year-old minor league starting pitcher Danny Williams, 24-year-old minor league centerfielder Roberto Holguín and 22-year-old minor league shortstop Carlton Wilson in return.
Williams pitched in 44 innings and never quite got a handle on the strike zone, bouncing back from AAA in order to fill in for injuries. He is a tall, lanky southpaw who can hit about 93 MPH on the gun and throws five pitches (fastball, change, cutter, curve, splitter) with proficiency. Macías will be tasked with helping Williams find the strike zone and setting a good flow for his pitch selection. All indications are that it will be on-the-job training for Williams. Holguín hit .308/.353/.346 in limited playing time with the Featherheads. Sources around the league agree he has good bat speed and is able to make contact with just about anything.
Franklin Browne is a season removed from being an All-Star for the Featherheads, though many believe it is mostly downhill from here. Browne is in every sense of his game just average, but sources say that the most missed part of his contribution in Florida will be his quiet, steady leadership. Wilson projects to be a decent defensive shortstop who will hit for high average, producing more doubles and triples than home runs. Scott indicated the Trendsetters were willing to be patient with Wilson, as they have Martin and Monasterio slated to start up the middle for a few more years.
“Holguín and Williams were really the keys to this trade. Florida was overstocked at those particular positions and we needed an infusion of talent and youth… well, everywhere, but perhaps nowhere more than in pitching. Sticky is simply a pitcher who pitches beyond his scouting expectation. He’s a leader. Florida was looking to clear out a starter and we agreed we could find a place for him. Wilson was sort of tossed in at the end; we really wanted to get either Martin or Hickman, but Florida held onto those guys. But hey, Wilson is no slouch, either. All in all both teams got value as good as they gave,” said Scott.
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Trade thoughts:
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This trade is harder to gauge at first because you need to take into account the direction of the club. Cooper Scott seems to be trying to upgrade more for the now rather than the future, and in that sense this deal makes a bit more sense, although one is always skeptical when you give up the 2nd overall pick in the first two rounds of the draft.
Browne has been a winner in Florida and should help out the Trendsetters’ rotation with his solid veteran presence. The other pitcher in the deal, Danny Williams, we will have to keep an eye on. The kid has been stunning in the minors and in college but had his hiccups when he was brought up for Florida last year. Still young at 25, though, this kid should hopefully mature nicely and help anchor the rotation for years to come.
My two favorite pieces of this trade are Holguín and Wilson. Holguín has been solid plowing through Florida’s minor league system with great speed the past two seasons. The young kid is great in the field at all three outfield spots and has shown decent patience at the plate. The only thing I think he is missing is some speed, but he I see him as a staple in New Orleans for a long time.
Finally we have shortstop Carlton Wilson. A former second round pick in a very talented 2011 draft field, Wilson will need at least another year probably before he is ready to showcase his talents at the major league level. I really like this kid; I can see him averaging well into the .300s during his career.
Any time you give up a lot of early picks, you can only wait to see what happens, but for the immediate future, New Orleans really helped themselves out by picking up some very good young talent that should help them for a long time.
— Diharce
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The deal for Holguín, Williams, Wilson and Browne is pretty good. A lot of talent comes over to New Orleans. Where I am left a bit skeptical is: Where’s the plan? I asked Scott about this recently during a chance meeting, and he mumbled something about “smoking a corncob” as he trudged away glassy-eyed.
But really, where’s the plan? They trade away a decent young player (albeit a platoon player) in António Medina for a draft pick and some younger talent. Then they trade away young talent for a one-year rental in Poirier. Then, in this deal, they get a couple of players who will help the team now (Holguín and Williams), a player who won’t be ready for at least two more seasons in Wilson, and Browne, a pitcher who had one breakout season and is on the backside of 30. Then they trade off a couple of prime draft picks to bring in José Montaño, who is a decent young player.
So are they trying to win now, two years from now or five years from now? In part, it looks like they are trying to have their cake and eat it, too. While they have made some decent moves and maybe one questionable one, when you look at the whole body of work this off-season, you just question whether their compass is pointed to magnetic north, if you know what I mean.
— Higgins
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I’m hopeful this deal works out for both teams. For New Orleans, they get instant help and some security in knowing what they acquired. New Orleans has lost a lot of money in recent years and I would have to assume this also went into consideration while making the trade. With the pending new collective bargaining agreement, draftees are allowed to ask for signing bonuses. Our team had some redundant players who needed an opportunity to play in the big leagues, so we got a chance to replenish our lower-level farm systems. It’s a win-win situation, I think, but of course we won’t know until five years from now.
— Kevin Lewis, Florida Featherheads GM
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“I thought the Florida-New Orleans trade made sense for both sides. It seems like fans writing in to the magazine tend to like Florida’s side of the deal more, but I think that’s because of the mystique of draft picks. It’s this big, blank canvas that they can project hopes and dreams on. I say, ‘Don’t discount the bird in the hand.’
“Danny Williams is the guy Trendsetters fans should be most excited about. He’s a great get for New Orleans: a 6’3” left-hander whose fastball sits around 91 MPH and can touch 94-95 MPH. He had a 10.84 K/9 ratio between AA and AAA. His control is still a bit raw. Right now, I see him as a #3 starter with #2 upside.
“Franklin “Sticky” Browne is a quality innings-eater who pitched a bit over his head in 2011. He’ll do a fine job at the back end of the Trendsetters’ rotation. Holguín should serve as a decent enough fourth outfielder. Carlton Wilson would have perhaps the highest upside of any of the players New Orleans received if scouts were confident he could handle playing shortstop. His bat-to-ball ability is second to none amongst PEBA prospects.
— Manuel
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Most experts agree, however, that despite the active off-season so far, the Trendsetters faithful are still in for a long season. Scott has indicated that he is certainly not finished with his tweaking of the roster. “It’s early yet, but even if I did stop here, this team is substantially different. With Roberto probably holding down the leadoff spot – the first true leadoff hitter the Trendsetters have had since Hansen – you have several tough outs. Santana, easily one of the most underrated hitters in the PEBA, Poirier, Watts, Montaño and Martin are all capable of hurting you and taking advantage of mistakes that pitchers make. Will it be enough? Who knows? It’s way too early to tell.”
