3/24/2011: Laredo, TX – Continuing our Calzones Season Preview, we now resume our discussion with the Calzones brain trust: GM Matt Higgins; Manager Manny Aguilar; and Head Scout Héctor Nieves.

CC: Alright gentleman, let’s move on to the outfield.  Two of the three starting outfielders from last season return, but defensive wizard Martin Griffin was traded to Manchester in exchange for right fielder Roger Jordan.  In addition, the Calzones gave up two bright young pitching prospects in the deal as well.  Why was it so important to bring Roger Jordan in?  We’ll start with GM Higgins.  Tell us your thought process here.

Higgins: Our biggest concern going into the winter was improving the top of our lineup.  We needed more consistency out of the top two spots in our lineup.  Griffin did an okay job with the bat and a sensational job with the glove.  We will miss what he brought to the table day in and day out, but landing a player like Jordan, who is just coming into his prime, gives us one of the better 2-hole hitters in the league.  His on-base percentages the last two years are .396 and .421.  He drew over 100 walks last year.  He’ll take pitches and work the pitcher, giving our leadoff hitter a chance to work out a stolen base.  He won’t hit a lot of home runs, but that’s not his job.  He will crack some doubles occasionally.  We think he is just scratching the surface of what he might do.  We had to give up a couple of quality arms to land Jordan, but it should be worth it.

CC: You have placed a lot of faith in Jordan and have already rewarded him with a 3-year contract extension worth nearly $17.5 million, but how much do you think the outfield defense might suffer without Griffin?

Higgins: We weighed everything before making this deal.  The outfield defense drops a small notch, but Jordan is no slouch at the corner outfield spots.  Miyata is still well above-average in center, and Madrigal is a defensive stud in left.

CC: Héctor Nieves, give us the scoop on our new right fielder.  Is he everything your GM says he is?

Nieves:  Jordan is a terrific bat just coming into his own.  He has one of the best batting eyes in the game, possibly second only to his teammate Miyata.  It’s not unreasonable to expect him to reach 130 walks this season.  His eye is that good.  Defensively, he is a bit above-average.  The range is good for a corner outfielder and his arm is a tick above-average.  He’s not a natural athlete in the field but he works hard to overcome his shortcomings.  When it comes to what we expect from Jordan this season, splits of .300/.430 seem reasonable, with about 130 walks, maybe 30 or 35 doubles.  Look for his RBI totals to bump up slightly, maybe pushing to near 60.

CC: Manny Aguilar, you make out the lineup cards.  Where do you see Jordan batting this season?

Aguilar: He’s the number two hitter.  That’s what he has been brought in to do.  He’ll play right field most days.  He will get a day off here and there against some of the tougher southpaws.

CC: Let’s talk about the Calzones’ highest paid player, Yoshino Miyata.  Signed to the richest contract in Calzones history, Miyata is obviously the heart and soul of this offense.  Recently there were rumors that Miyata’s name had come up in trade talks.  GM Higgins, is there any truth to that rumor?

Higgins: His name comes up all the time in trade talks, but it is not brought up by us.  We have labeled him untouchable.  We have our 2 through 5 hitters locked up long-term and none of them are going anywhere.

CC: Manager Aguilar, do you ever have any difficulty in deciding where to bat Miyata in the batting order?

Aguilar: No, not really.  We had some issues last year with where we wanted to bat some guys, but Miyata is always the perfect fit in the three-hole.  He’s the best pure hitter on the team; that’s his spot.  It’s not even up for debate.

CC: Okay, Héctor, over to you.  Is there anything you can tell us about Yoshino Miyata that we might not know?

Nieves: You mean other than the fact that he was not selected to the All-Star team by myopic voters during the 2009 campaign?  Which was arguably his best year?  Other than that, we maybe saw Yoshino feel more pressure to drive in runs last season to justify that big contract.  I think he will be more at ease this season and stay within himself a little better.  Look for the walk totals to climb back up.  He’s still very much in his prime, so totals around his career averages would seem reasonable.  Maybe .315/.440, maybe 50 doubles in our ballpark, 110 runs scored, 130 walks.

CC: Let’s turn our attention now to the other corner outfielder, Carlos Madrigal.  Carlos had his finest season in the PEBA last year after coming over from Manchester in a trade.  It has been rumored that Madrigal recently turned down a contract extension and has since been on the trade block.  Where are we at with Carlos?  GM Higgins?

Higgins: We did make Carlos an offer that we felt was more than fair.  In fact, we offered to give him exactly what he asked for.  His agent, Richard Bonedus, however, pointed out the recent contract given to Bob Jefferson and decided that Madrigal could get more on the open market after the season.  We are hoping Carlos will change his mind.  But yeah, he has been shopped.  We like Carlos, but if he doesn’t care to be in our long-term plans, it might be best to see if there is a deal out there that can help our team.

CC: Héctor, give us the scouting report.  What is there to like about Carlos?

Nieves: Carlos is a bit of a free swinger at the plate, making him a good fit in the lower part of a batting order.  In a typical year he will strike out 150 times, but when he makes contact he hits the ball hard.  In each of the three seasons in which he has been healthy he has cracked 40 plus doubles.  Not a big power threat, but if you miss over the plate he will make you pay.  Typically you can expect 15-20 HR and 75-80 RBI.  He is a decent run producer but far from the superstar level that would justify the type of contract he is looking for.  He is now in a contract year, however, so we think this might be his best season yet, especially with the batting order in front of him.  There should be more than ample RBI opportunities.  Defensively, this guy is as good as it gets at a corner outfield spot.  Great range, good hands and a scary strong arm.  Runners just don’t take liberties on this guy.

CC: Give us the splits.  What type of numbers should we expect from Carlos this year?

Nieves: I would look for .275/.350, with 20 HR and 90 RBI, but don’t be surprised if it’s even a tad better than that.  Contract years tend to motivate players.

CC: A couple of new faces will be coming off the bench in the outfield this season.  Let’s start with Orlando Valadez.  Despite having three solid outfielders in place, you chose to bring in yet another outfielder who expects to start.  GM Higgins, what was behind the decision to sign Valadez?

Higgins: We were looking for depth.  Valadez was sort of undervalued after several lackluster seasons in Canton.  Our scouts felt Valadez, dollar for dollar, was the best available.  We think he could step into a starting role and be productive if we were to suffer an injury, so we add some really good depth and a good bat off the bench.  We also realized we were looking at possibly losing Madrigal after the season, and in that case we are hopeful we can convince Valadez to pick up his option and stick around and fill the void next season.

CC: Manny Aguilar, it is well documented that Valadez feels like he can start.  How do you plan to keep him happy?

Aguilar: It won’t be easy.  We hope to use Valadez once a week at each of the outfield positions to give our regulars a day off.  We could also slip him into the DH spot twice a month to spell one of our big boys against a tough left-hander.  We are going to try to find him 400 at bats.  It will be a challenge, but hopefully it will be enough to keep him happy.

CC: Héctor, your turn.  Give us the vitals on Valadez.

Nieves: His drop in production has been a bit baffling.  We think he has all the tools to be a more productive player than what he has shown in Canton the last couple of years.  We are hoping the change of scenery helps him.  He is just turning 28, so he is in his prime and there is nothing that would indicate he is slowing down.  As a role player, it’s hard to really project numbers, but we would be happy with .270/.330 and a little pop off the bench.

CC: Lastly, rounding out the outfield will be Shannon Davis, another acquisition from Manchester.  How do we see Davis’ role this season?  Manny Aguilar, we turn that question over to you.

Aguilar: Davis gives us some right-handed pop off the bench.  With all the lefties we have in the lineup, we need Davis to give us that pop from the right side in a pinch hitting role.  We expect he will get more than a few opportunities against southpaws this season.

CC: Okay gentleman, before moving on to the pitching staff, let’s change gears for just a moment.  The Dixie Division is without a doubt the toughest division in the PEBA.  Let’s talk a bit about the moves other teams in the Dixie have made this offseason.  Let’s start with acquisitions.  In the Dixie, which acquisitions caught your attention, and why?  GM Higgins, let’s start with you here.

Higgins: For immediate impact, I though Charleston’s signing of shortstop José González was interesting.  We looked long and hard at González.  We scouted him all winter.  In the short run, this is a great signing for Charleston.  González is a very good all-around player.  He’s an on-base machine.  Tough to strike out.  He plays very good defense anywhere on the infield.  He’s very much our type of player.  I think he will play a huge role for Charleston this season.  However, he will be 31 before the season starts, so you have to wonder if this contract will look as good when it gets to year 3 and 4 if age starts to catch up with González.

CC: Héctor Nieves, which move caught your attention?

Nieves: I would have to say Kentucky’s signing of reliever Christos Douglass.  This is a bold move for Kentucky, but it’s money well spent.  It’s just a two-year contract at about $3.5 million per, and we’re talking about a guy who has a lifetime ERA of 2.58.  He’s a horse who will work 80 to 90 innings out of the pen.  Sure, he’s 35, but he hasn’t slowed down yet, and for what Kentucky is paying him this just looks like a real great move on their part.

CC: Manny Aguilar, any moves that you thought were particularly noteworthy in the Dixie?

Aguilar: Miguel Lluea coming over to New Orleans in the deal with Connecticut.  Lluea is a decent ballplayer.  He’s been hitting for power and driving in runs, but he is not a great all-around player.  He is coming off his two best years and he still has just a .302 lifetime OBP.  He will turn 31 before the season starts and is surely really close to starting the inevitable backslide, but New Orleans will be paying this guy until he’s 34.  That contract could look very ugly, very soon.

CC: As we all know, the Calzones were in the middle of the trade frenzy all winter long, but lets look around the league at some of the other trades that occurred.  Let’s start with the best deals not involving the Calzones.  GM Higgins, you’re the trade expert; what deal caught your attention?

Higgins: It has to be the deal between Arlington and Bakersfield.  Arlington takes on nearly $13 million in contracts for players who probably made their team worse, not better.  That they actually gave up something to get these guys was jaw-dropping.  Let’s start with Johnstone, the pitcher.  He’s making over $10 milion annually and his RA/9 the last two seasons is 16.29 and 16.54.  At age 33, there is no reason to expect this guy to get better.  In fact, he will probably only get worse before disappearing from the PEBA scene altogether.  The outfielder Lane can hit for some power, but his career OBP is under .290 and he strikes out way too much.  He might be a useful part but he doesn’t have stardom written on him.  He doesn’t even “starter” written on him.  He was maybe worth acquiring alone, but not at the expense of having to take Johnstone’s contract as part of the deal.  The way Johnstone pitches, he’s lucky not to be under indictment for arson.  For this deal to work for Arlington, Lane has to become the next Pat Lilly, and the odds of that happening are miniscule.  This was way too one-sided a deal, especially on the financial end.  This deal is as close as it comes to getting a prostate exam with a chainsaw.

CC: Héctor Nieves, which deal caught your attention?

Nieves: The deal between Tempe and New Orleans was interesting.  Carlos Miranda was a second round pick in 2010, and he gets shipped off to Tempe for a couple of questionable pitchers.  Flores might be a decent part in the bullpen, but could something similar have been picked up in free agency where they wouldn’t have had to give up Miranda?  Maybe.  If Flores helps their pen, at best this is just an okay deal for New Orleans.  But if Miranda lives up to his potential, they could really regret this trade.

CC: Manager Aguilar, take us to our next break with the deal that caught your attention this winter.

Aguilar: I look at the trade between Kalamazoo and Crystal Lake.  The Gnats get the centerfielder Sakai while the Badgers get a pretty good reliever in Hoyt Howard.  In many ways, this was a very equal deal.  Not too much disparity in salary.  Players are about the same age.  Howard had a great season last year and should upgrade the Badgers bullpen.  Sakai had a tough first season adjusting to PEBA pitching, but he did walk over 100 times.  What I wonder is, when looking at the general weakness in the Badgers outfield offensively, was it worth it to give up a guy with a .350 OBP in a bad year for a bullpen pitcher coming off his best year?

CC: Okay gentleman, that takes us to our second break.  When we come back, we’ll talk Calzones pitching.

Part 3 of Calzones Corner Spring Training Preview will run tomorrow.