11/19/2007: Arlington, VA – The interview with GM/Owner John “Whitbrenner” Whitacre continues…

“Pitching was the true strength of the team.  We had 4 starting pitchers with 11 or more wins.  We had the 5^th best ERA and the most complete games with 16.  Starting pitchers Víctor Matos and Michael Bender had all star worthy seasons.  Michael Bender would have made a run at rookie of the year if he didn’t get injured.  These two will anchor the rotation for a long time.  Jesús Luna had a great season.  We wish him well in his great payday to come but we have enough starters to try and fill his spot without having to deal with his über-jerk agent Richard Bonedus.  Armando Pineda did well until his injury.  Up until his injury, we were looking at signing him long-term but the whole Luna fiasco took precedence.  If he is healthy for the first half of the season, we will look at locking him up.  Ronald Workman did okay in his 12 starts and will get the first look at the 4^th starting position.

The rest of the rotation and 2 long man spots will be up for grabs.  Crafty veteran Gerbrand Bonne is a solid option for the last spot in the rotation but will be in a battle with rookie stud Tomás Yánez.  Tomás has nothing left to prove and will get the call if he does well in spring training.  Bonne will be the long man or downright split innings with Yánez.  Steve Norris will be the emergency starter and the setup man.  We are not sure his stuff holds up too well for the whole game but he sets up well enough.  Draftees Jason Pugh, Dan Davis, and Iván Cruz will get another year in A-ball to see if their skills can be refined a lot more.

The relief core is good with some ok potential.  Owen Hinton was a good closer and could get a long-term contract relatively soon.  We couldn’t get a contract done before arbitration but that should be completed by the All-Star break.  Might as well wait in case he gets hurt.  Setup guys John Page and Hollis Goodwin did a great job and will be around for a few years.  Jim Jones and Josh Stephenson have a remote shot of making the 25-man roster.  Erik White and Javier Lozano are the prospects worth worrying about.  Both of these guys will be returning to A-ball.

Details on the big Cipriano López trade to follow…