Suicide Squeeze – Sudden Impact (Part 1)
March 5, 2011
featuring Serenity Summers, A.K & Nelly
Sudden Impact (Part 1 of 2)
2011 Season Right Around the Corner!
Serenity
It’s that time of the year again, folks. Spring is in the air and hope is eternal. We’re about to open up another great baseball season! And there’s no more fitting way to begin a new season than to bring you a brand new edition of the Suicide Squeeze! This edition will be a two-parter that chronicles the 10 highest-impact acquisitions of the offseason. These are the moves that will change or retain the balance of power in the PEBA! Without further adieu, here is part one.
LF Jon Wood (
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It is appropriate that we begin our coverage with the reigning champions, the Charleston Statesmen. Last season,
A.K.
This is why
Just as Matos solidified the pitching staff last season, Wood will solidify the lineup. This guy is one of the purest hitters in the game and I expect Charleston’s winning atmosphere will cause him to step up his game another notch. A two-time All-Star, Wood joins former Royal Raker Vicente Bernal and All-Stars Jeff Wilson and Jeffrey Graham to form a devastating lineup.
Wood’s presence will help both the pitching and offense. Charleston pitchers can relax a little bit on the mound knowing that Wood and company will score runs even if the team is down early. Offensively, Wood’s stick will help relieve some pressure from the other hitters. Guys like Graham and Yong-zhan Hu should see their batting averages rebound.
Nelly
There is no doubt that Wood is one of the best hitters in baseball. The problem I see with Wood is his inability to stay healthy. He does not fall apart like Mr. Potato Head, but he has had his shares of nicks and freak injuries. So this is definitely a fragile $10 million investment. It also remains to be seen if Charleston will resign him. Expenses are starting to creep high in
Wood’s presence also begs the question: who plays in the outfield, and where? Charleston lacks a true center fielder. Jeff Wilson, who has limited range, is expected to move into the DH slot. We could see Wood in left, corner outfielder Bernal in center, and Chris Allen in right. That’s probably not the ideal defensive alignment, but hey, you gotta find ways to put star players into the lineup.
SP Cedric Mosley (
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Staying in the division, the Florida Featherheads acquired a pitcher they have coveted for over a year now – former Hitman Cedric Mosley. Last season’s Dixie Division winners experienced a disappointing postseason collapse as Charleston’s pitching staff overpowered the Featherheads. Determined to fix this, Florida acquired one the most talented pitchers in all of baseball.
A.K.
This is an interesting move, baby! Mosley was an All-Star closer on New Jersey’s championship team in 2007. With 134 career saves, Mosley is one of the better closers in the biz, baby! It has been widely known on the East Coast that Mosley has expressed a desire to start. Last season Mosley made 8 starts, including 3 consecutive starts to close out September. In September, Mosley went 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 3 starts. So the potential is definitely there,, baby! But how will he fare as a starter for a full season? Give me a watch, baby, because only time will tell!
If Mosley can establish himself as an ace, it would bode very well for
On top of this, did anyone check out Mosley’s career playoff record?!? It is flat out studly, baby! The guy has 15 saves and a 0.00 ERA in 17 postseason games. Mosley’s championship pedigree is much needed in the youthful and inexperienced Florida clubhouse.
Nelly
Notwithstanding A.K.’s Kool-Aid drinking, I’m with the rest of the baseball world: let’s wait and see. Sure, GM Kevin Lewis will look like a genius if this starting experiment works out. But the truth of the matter is that no one truly knows how Mosley will perform as a full-time starter. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but Mosley has shown a bit of a downtrend since his 2007 All-Star campaign. His 4.40 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 2010 are far cries from his early years. His hits per 9 innings have also risen from 6 hits per game in 2007 to over 9 hits per game in 2010!
Maybe you can blame his decline on his dissatisfaction with his pitching role. But if that is the case, is this the type of player you want on your team? New Jersey is one of the best franchises in baseball, making 3 consecutive postseason appearances between 2007 and 2009. If you can’t shove aside your ego and put the team’s interest ahead of your own, then I don’t want you on my team.
Bottom line is that Mosley has yet to show he is durable enough to withstand the 200 innings of pitching required from a starter. Aces are expected to be workhorses in the rotation. They are the guys that are supposed to take the ball and pitch 7+ innings, saving your bullpen after a short outing from the #5 guy. Can Mosley do that? With pitchers like the oft-injured Saunders and reliever-turned-starter Dustin Moyer, Florida desperately needs a workhorse or else it will be a long season for the bullpen.
1B Rubén Cruz (San Antonio)
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Let’s keep our focus on the Dixie Division. Last season, San Antonio surprised the baseball world with its unexpected playoff run. The Calzones are led by one of the most creative minds in baseball, GM Matt Higgins, who always finds ways to improve his team. Last offseason, Higgins acquired superstar slugger Octávio Pexego from Tempe. This offseason, Higgins hopes to have repeated his magic by acquiring another potential Royal Raker in Rubén Cruz.
A.K.
My, oh my, the Dixie Division is loaded with talent, baby! Cruz joins Pexego and Yoshino Miyata to form a deadly triple threat combination! Opposing pitchers will feel as if they are staring at Medusa, because these sluggers will surely turn any pitcher into a helpless statue!
A two-time All-Star, Cruz had a down year last season. For the record, though, a Cruz down season is a great season for most ballplayers. Last season Cruz failed to collect 100+ RBI for the first time in his career, but he is not to be blamed for this.
Nelly
This is what I call putting a square peg in a round hole. San Antonio already has a first baseman slugger in Pexego. Cruz is redundant! Yeah, you can flip-flop either one at the first base and the DH positions, but really, is this necessary? Doesn’t San Antonio have better things to do with its money? Cruz is owed $51 million over the next 4 years! In contrast, Pexego is owed close to $30 million over the next 3 years. I just don’t get this at all.
Sure, a majority of San Antonio’s contracts will leave the books after this season, but then what? More holes will need to be filled. Sure, the Calzones can sign more free agents or trade for the talent, but sooner or later the cash and farm system will run dry. As a child, my mom always told me that the eyes are always hungrier than the stomach. This is the case with San Antonio. They convinced themselves that they need Cruz despite already having nice appetizers with Miyata and Pexego. Save some room for the main course and dessert… in this case the pitching and farm system.
SP Oscar Holloway (San Antonio)
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Joining Cruz to help bring San Antonio back to the playoffs will be fellow former Hitman Oscar Holloway. Known as an offensive team, San Antonio has brought Holloway in to lead a revamped Calzones’ pitching rotation that includes Mike Buck and Jeff Cobb.
A.K.
The New Jersey fire sale continues to help Dixie division teams. When I look at Holloway, I think of a cagey veteran. The guy is like a scrappy boxer, baby! San Antonio sorely needs an established veteran presence in their rotation and they just got one in Holloway! At 31 years of age, Holloway just continues to get better: just like fine wine, baby! Last season was his finest one yet, with a 2.93 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. An all-around pitcher, Holloway’s strongest asset is his pinpoint control. Over his career, he carries a 3.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. This ranks 19th all-time.
An experienced top-of-the-rotation pitcher, Holloway should bring stability to an otherwise unproven pitching staff. His intelligence and knowledge of the game will help young pitchers such as Buck and Cobb. Here’s a fun fact for you, dudes and dudettes: if you look at
I expect Holloway to make a sudden impact on the team. Matt has done a wonderful job reshaping the pitching staff. Holloway’s acquisition might very well prove to be the missing piece needed to bring the Calzones back to the playoffs. Oddly enough, it’s not farfetched to say that the Holloway addition makes San Antonio’s pitching the team’s strength.
Nelly
As much as I shake my head on the Cruz deal, there’s not much to shake on the Holloway deal. The only caution is whether his fine 2010 season is a sign of things to come or just an aberration. He’s not an old guy, but 31 years is no spring chicken either. If you look at his strikeouts per nine innings rate (K/9), it has been steadily declining. In 2007, it was 8.46 K/9. By 2010, it had dropped to 6.67 K/9. I would not be surprised if 2010 was just a blip on radar and he may be headed for a stumble.
Another thing I would question is if Holloway is truly ace material. He’s in the same salary range as Conan McCullough and John Roach. And although he’s considered one of the better pitchers in the game, Holloway has never made an All-Star game, nor has he ever won 15+ games in a season. Heck, his career winning percentage is just a hair above 50%. So it remains to be seen if Holloway can live up to his paycheck.
SP Chandler Davis (Connecticut)
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Connecticut hopes the Davis acquisition will prove more fruitful than did the ill-fated Rafael Hernández trade. Formally a Trendsetter, Davis has had the luxury of pitching with McCullough, Alberto Semblano and Edward Coleman. Now in Connecticut, Davis will be looked to as a key upgrade for a pitching staff that ranked near the bottom of all major Imperial League pitching categories last season.
A.K.
Just like McDonald’s, I’m lovin’ it, baby! Chandler Davis is a proven winner. He’s won a championship with New Orleans and has a career 63% winning percentage! The addition of Davis gives Connecticut a talented group of pitchers that potentially can turn Connecticut into one of the better starting rotations in the league. The former highly touted prospect Adrián Reséndez hopes this is the year he can place his injuries behind him. Similar to Reséndez, António Cruz is a young and immensely talented pitcher who is looking to rebound from the nagging injuries of last season. Former All-Star Hamilton Cole is a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.
Look out, baby, because I think
I expect a solid year from
Nelly
The move to get
The only question I have for Chandler Davis is if he can win without Jeff Cline, McCullough and the rest of