Mike Zalbensir, Sports Op-Ed Columnist, The Record

July 31, 2019

Reno, Nevada (AP)  –  So this is what it takes? A Sovereign League worst staff ERA of 5.16 is the stimulus to finally get the Canton Longshoremen to make a move?  That was the buzz in the press box of Washoe Field about an hour before the Longshoremen would wrap up a dismal 2-7 road trip with an uninspiring afternoon loss to the home-standing Zephyrs.  Longshoremen Assistant GM Jay Wells was the messenger, telling the traveling press corps that the Longshoremen had dealt 2019 All-Star and fan favorite Carlos Rodríguez to the Kalamazoo Badgers for swingman Marcos González and starting pitching prospect Jorge Jiménez. By the time the deal was announced, C-Rod had already left the premises, en route to Kalamazoo for the Badgers’ evening tilt against Aurora.

Rodriguez had been having a career year, parlaying the first injury-free season of his career to his first All-Star Game selection and a 295/388/403 line at the time of the trade.

Gonzalez and Jimenez, by contrast, had been having down seasons:

– Gonzalez, 28, was mired in the worst season of his career, making 21 starts in which he compiled a 4.38 ERA, one year after posting a breakout season in 2018, making 31 starts in which he put up a 3.34 ERA. The 2012 1^st round draft pick made his PEBA debut in 2015 after only seven starts at AAA Grand Rapids; that year he went 5-7 with a 3.99 ERA in 22 appearances, all starts.  Moved to the bullpen for 2016 and 2017, Gonzalez recorded ERAs of 3.40 and 2.93, respectively, while making 150 appearances over the two seasons.

– Jimenez, 26, has long been a scout’s favorite, with a big arm that has been known to touch triple digits and three plus pitches.  Those measurables, however, have yet to translate to PEBA success. His high water mark for performance was an 11 start cameo in 2017 that saw him go 5-4 in 11 starts for the Badgers after being acquired in a trade from Kentucky.  This season, Jimenez made 4 early starts split by demotions to the bullpen, and then a demotion back to AAA.  In 44.6 PEBA innings in 2019, Jimenez has been hit hard, racking up a 8.26 ERA and a 1-2 record.

The trade was the second in the last week before the trading deadline for the Longshoremen – earlier in the week, Canton had dealt 2020’s 2^nd round pick to Aurora for23-year old starting pitching prospect Carlos Pérez.  Perez was selected #24 overall in the 2017 draft. At the time of the trade, Perez had a 10-4 record and a 3.52 ERA in 20 starts for Aurora’s AAA affiliate, the Thornton FastTraxx.

The departure of C-Rod breaks up the oft-called ‘Rookie Triumvirate’ that debuted for the legendary (for Canton, anyway) 2015 Longshoremen, the only team in franchise history to finish with a winning record.  The Longshoremen reportedly were troubled by C-Rod’s diminished ability to play SS this season – he had moved into a super-utility role for the Longshoremen, playing 38 games at 2B, 55 games at SS, 9 games at 3B, and 2 as a DH.  It appears that Héctor Prado will win back the 2B job by default, and that the lefty-hitting  Terry Rasmussen, 24, and righty Rusty MacCune, 29, will platoon at SS.  Rasmussen, who hit 236/277/365 in 124 games with the Longshoremen last season while filling in for the injured C-Rod, was hitting 266/333/433 for AAA Allentown with 10 HR and 68 RBI when called up.  MacCune was picked up on waivers from London in late May and is hitting 206/269/250 for Canton, but 302/400/395 against lefties. Prado, a touted hitting prospect, has hit 211/267/278 this season.

Strength up the middle? (L to R: Rasmussen, Prado, MacCune)