Posted: May 1, 2016
By: Guy Glintson

CHARLESTON, SC – The Post and Courier has acquired a copy of a letter sent out to all Statesmen season ticket holders.  Here is a full copy.

To the Statesmen Family, I hope this message receives you in good health and fortune.

A month and a half ago, you, the fans, along with management and Mr. Pinckney, allowed me the great opportunity to run this proud franchise.  My plan is to not only maintain the level of success of those before me but to build upon that foundation to take our Statesmen to new heights.  Coming from an accounting background, I have looked at all of our assets, and I plan to maximize those assets that are not being fully utilized.  Right now, our greatest asset is you, the loyal and faithful fans.  I want to engage you and reward your continued support.  Without you, we are nothing.  So I plan on sending out a monthly review of our progress along with an outlook for the coming month.

Review
April comes to a close with our Statesmen exactly where we started the month: at .500 (12–12). I cannot help but be disappointed.  Starting off the year winless in our first seven games was the hardest thing I have ever gone through in my professional life.  It seemed that we were snakebit, but I must say that I am proud of the way our club responded, finishing the month 12-5.

Bullet Points

• Consistency – The team has been playing way too inconsistent for championship baseball right now.  Playing a great game and sloppily losing the next is frustrating to everyone. We will need to change this if we expect to make it to the postseason.
• I must admit, I did not expect to lose Phil Anderson for the first month.  We are expecting great things from him this year. While Alex Rose has filled in great, not having Anderson hurt us.
• Our catching situation needs to be improved.  So as a gift to you, the fan, I am going to break this news to you first.  We have decided to call up Ryan Hartwig and give him a shot as the everyday catcher. We will release Kyle Steward and would like to thank him for his nine years of service.
• I’m sure it is fresh in everybody’s mind that we lost Víctor Matos for three months with shoulder inflammation.  This is a huge loss for the rotation.  The good news is that we will all finally get to see José Patino make his debut.

I know this has been a rough first month, but I think we are starting to make the turn after the horrible start.  We are currently second in runs scored in the IL and third in runs allowed.  If we can become more consistent, then those numbers should yield a better record.

Thank you again for all of your support. I hope you have enjoyed this letter.  As a reward to you, the season ticket holder, please redeem the attached drink coupons at the next Charleston home game.

Sincerely,
Zach Fried