December 15^th, 2014
by Serenity Summers

Asheville, North Carolina – Welcome to a new edition of Tribe Nation!  We kick off our first 2015 edition by chronicling the Featherheads during the Winter Meetings.  I have spent the last few days right in the thick of things.  During the meetings, Florida made two deals – one with Omaha and another with Yuma.

The first deal had Florida sending 27-year-old shortstop Ben “Jackrabbit” McGinnity and 33-year-old pitcher António “Crayon” Rivera along with a fifth round draft choice in exchange for Omaha’s top three picks.  In a homecoming of sorts, Rivera finds himself back in Omaha, where he spent the first 2 ½ years of his big league career.  The consensus was that the Featherheads received great value in the deal.  Omaha GM Jason Warnke even admitted that the deal was a hard one to swallow.  Florida’s Kevin Lewis was quite happy with the deal, himself.

Despite this fact, Jacksonville fans have been less enthusiastic with the deal.  Both Nelly and A.K. have received numerous phone calls on their radio show from fans expressing disappointment.  The general feeling in the Jacksonville community is that this move severely cuts into Florida’s depth and that it did nothing to help Florida win in 2015.  Both Jackrabbit and Crayon were fan favorites.  Rivera was the longest tenured starting pitcher on the Florida’s roster and has been a vocal leader in the clubhouse.  Lewis paired up Rivera with Cedric Mosley to help bring the Featherheads a championship back in 2011.  On several occasions, Lewis openly stated that trading for Rivera was the move that pushed Florida towards relevancy.  The trade comes on the heels of a season where the team used 10 starting pitchers.

Jackrabbit had his best season in 2014.  Starting the year as a utility infielder, McGinnity fully took advantage of his opportunity once Kevin McNeill was lost for the season. He reached career highs in batting average (.294), doubles (42), stolen bases (38), and games played (125).  As much as McGinnity contributed with his bat, he equally showed his value and versatility on the field.  He played 26 games at 1B, 49 at 2B, five at 3B, and 41 at SS.  With McNeill still rehabbing his knee, it was rather peculiar that Lewis rolled the dice to ship out Jackrabbit.  Lewis defended the deal in saying that it was just too hard to pass up.  With both Todd Hanna and McNeill on the roster, there was some uncertainty over whether McGinnity would start or play in a reserve role.  According to Lewis, McGinnity deserved to start and he will get his chance in Omaha.

With Jackrabbit off to the Midwest, Steve Scherer, a former first round draft pick, became the most sensible candidate to replace McGinnity’s role for the upcoming season.  But that option quickly closed with Scherer involved in the Yuma deal.  Florida sent Scherer and 20-year-old, hard-throwing southpaw Phil Burns as principle players in return for the 21-year-old shortstop Robert Robinson and reliever Kevin Mack.

Robinson was drafted 10^th overall in the 2014 amateur draft. The former Indiana Big Daddy is considered one of the league’s future stars.  A five-tool player, Robinson offers a mixture of power, defense and speed – very reminiscent of a former Florida shortstop.  Mack was a recent Rule 5 draftee by Yuma from New Orleans.  Mack’s selection was quite the head-scratcher by baseball experts. New Orleans had recently acquired Mack in a deal with New Jersey.  For inexplicable reasons, Mack was left unprotected by the Trendsetters.

According to Nelly and A.K., the fan base has been split down the middle by the Yuma deal.  Some fans are excited to see Robinson join the organization.  Fans are ecstatic about Robinson’s potential to blossom into a star in the league.  The arrival of Mack helps replace the departed Carlos Ávila.

While fans are jubilant over the Robinson acquisition, there are those who feel torn on the departures of Scherer and Burns.  In their eyes, both were moved before having a chance to blossom.  Scherer was a perennial collegiate All-Star for Arizona State.  He was a highly coveted player in the 2012 draft, gaining interest from teams like Yuma, Aurora, and Palm Springs.  There still is a possibility that Scherer will be just as a good as Robinson as their careers play out.  Whereas Scherer was considered a highly polished “can’t miss” prospect, Burns was considered a project when Lewis selected him in the sandwich round of the 2013 draft.  The lefty throws a mid-90s fastball along with a 12-to-6 curveball.  Scouts find it hard of where to project Burns.  He has the tools to become a #2-type yet could still conceivably end up as a back-end starter.

Like Tribe fans, Lewis had mixed emotions on the Yuma deal.  “It’s always hard to see someone leave your organization,” Lewis stated to the press while departing the premises.  “We have watched Scherer, Burns, and José Martínez develop in our system.  On the other hand, it is also exciting to see new people join our family.  We excited to have both Mack and Robinson under the Florida red and blue.”

While there is no doubt that Scherer will become a quality player in the big leagues, Lewis admitted that part of Robinson’s appeal was his potential to become one of the elite players at his position.  “We’re always looking to find the next Rafael Suárez or Ronald Lowry.”  With McNeill’s contract ending this upcoming season and his long-term status uncertain, Robinson’s presence will help solidify the middle infield down the road.

Lewis was extremely pleased to acquire Mack.  He cited that Mack would help the team immediately and offers the bullpen some versatility. There are rumors that Dave Phelps will replace Rivera in the rotation.  If Phelps ends up in the rotation, Mack will complement the dependable Takanobu Murata in the mid-relief role.

When asked if he was completely satisfied with the outcome of the meetings, Lewis responded, “I’m somewhat happy, but there’s always more work to be done.”  There has been a lot of scrutiny of the team’s direction for the upcoming 2015 season.  The fans have yet to see Florida make significant attempts to bolster the major league club while losing Rivera, McGinnity, Avila, and Yoshino Miyata.

Despite the losses, fans remain hopeful that Lewis has a move or two up his sleeve for the upcoming season.  While the pitching remains quite strong, there are still many question marks around the offense.  Miyata will no longer be hitting in the three-hole.  There is no guarantee McNeill will return to his All-Star form of years past.  There’s also uncertainty around the bats of Tsumemasa Morimoto and Brock Brett – both of whom would admit to having embarrassing performances this past season.

The team could stand to use another bat as insurance next season.  The fans recognize this, and Lewis certainly recognizes the fact, too.  Florida does hold the rights to two first round draft picks in the 2015 amateur draft along with prospects such as Javier Cruz and Albert Oliveira.  It would not be surprising if Lewis parlays these assets into a player that can boost an offense that has historically been one of the league’s most potent.