Serenity Summers: News & Notes
Weekly Edition of 6-7-09

* Hey folks, it's Serenity again with the latest news and notes.  I've been away on a cruise…  But I'm back for another blog entry!  We're a little more than a third of the way through the season and your Florida Featherheads are hovering around the .500 mark.  Some fans are obviously disappointed by the average record, especially considering the hot start at the beginning of the season.  One person who was not disappointed by the record is GM Kevin Lewis.

"I'm not surprised about our record at all.  We did not make too many majors moves last offseason and, with that in mind, I did not expect a remarkable improvement in our record.  I said it before and will say it again: this year is a transition for us and our owner Drew Streets.  This year is being used as an evaluation period for the state of the franchise.  As much as I admit it, this year is a sort of a learning experience for us.  This season is not a waste, though; there's a whole lot of internal development to be gained and lessons to be learned."

* Speaking of internal development, I've been impressed with the growth and maturity of 21-year-old righty Chris Saunders.  He currently is riding a 5-game winning streak.  Starting slow off in April, Saunders really turned it on last month.  In May, Saunders compiled a 5-1 record with an impressive 1.43 ERA.  On the season he is 7-3 with a 2.41 ERA.  He definitely is making a strong bid for a second consecutive trip to the All-Star game.  Since we are approaching the draft, it should be noted that Saunders was drafted in the 14th round with the 332nd overall pick in the 2007 inaugural draft.

Fans have sent in emails asking about another youngster down on the Chesapeake farm.  Folks are wondering if Dan Jamison is gonna get a shot this year.  According to sources close to me, it seems the organization does not feel he is quite ready yet.  Earliest you may see him is in September.  Jamison has all the tools in the making for a great leadoff hitter but just needs more seasoning.  Florida feels he will be a mainstay centerfielder for the big ballclub for years to come.

Everyone should be excited to see that Short Season Class-A ball is right around the corner.  This means it's almost time to get the "Luis Torres Daily Watch" out.  Ranked third overall by Baseball America, fans can surely be anticipating the season debut of Luis "Digger" Torres.  We already have some scouts scoffing at his talent due to his size (5'9" and 185 lbs), but Torres is hoping to prove them all wrong with another strong season.  Continuing the draft theme, Luis Torres was drafted last year with the 8^th overall pick.

* The hottest news coming out of Jacksonville recently is the injury to Miguel Soto.  Soto strained his back while performing a headfirst dive during a double in the top of the third inning during last Thursday's 2-1 loss against Manchester.  As the old saying goes, the baseball always finds the new player who enters the game.  Keith Goslin replaced Soto at shortstop and immediately committed an error in the bottom of the third that lead to Saunders giving up his lone run.

Currently it is unknown how Florida will cope with this loss.  Kevin McNeill was already lost for a month weeks earlier.  Now you can add another shortstop to the DL.  Most likely, Domingo Pérez will be recalled after being demoted earlier in the week for his poor play.

* Recently there were rumors swirling about Florida possibly attempting to land West Virginia’s Bernardo Marín.  This deal made sense considering the Featherheads were desperately looking to replace the offensive production of the injured Kevin McNeill.  At 34 years of age and carrying a decent sized contract, it made for a hard fit for Florida.  GM Lewis has preached patience with this team and hopes they can grow with home-grown talent rather than a quick fix band aid.  It sure is tempting though with Florida still within distance of a wild card berth.

Omaha's Jacques Fillion and Armando Santana are intriguing names also.  Kevin Lewis was not able to be reached for comments regarding those names that have been publicly made available.  Both players are still in the primes of their career and would make an attractive fit with Florida.  Florida fans are hungry for a playoff experience or at least a run at one.  Will flamboyant owner Drew Streets give the fans what they want or stick according to plan?

* The draft is right around the corner.  Florida owns the 12^th and 16^th pick.  Experts project Florida picking up two infielders in Dave Watts and Nick Rose.  This may not be a bad idea considering the rate of Florida infielders falling victim to the injury bug.  Lewis is on record to say he will draft the best player available.  He did indicate that he would love to add another bat, preferably one with slugging potential.  They could certainly use an upgrade at 3B.  David Goode has performed admirably but does not have that corner infield power that all teams salivate over.

Closing Comments: I got a chance to watch Dean O'Monahan up close and personal against Florida last Tuesday.  He did not have a good game by his standard but I must say he is the real deal.  On the season he is a perfect 10-0 with a 1.85 ERA.  Prior to this season, he only had 15 career wins.  He will definitely surpass that total this year alone.  For all you draft nuts out there, he was drafted in the 2^nd round with the 36^th overall pick in the inaugural draft.

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