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Post by perfeckt on Oct 14, 2013 22:21:45 GMT 10
Are they all staying for the full season or......?
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 15, 2013 7:51:38 GMT 10
Unless their EBA has changed, I'd suggest that once again, the players will be going home towards the end of December again.
I was interested to note this on the 'net over the weekend in regards Japanese team, Hanshin Tigers:
The Tigers are planning to send Akira Iwamoto and Hiroaki Saiuchi to the Winter Leagues in Taiwan next month. The Australian Winter League was also an option, but the organization had some reservations about sending inexperienced players to the league based on prior cases.
"They do not play a lot of games in Australia. Only players with a strong sense of responsibility should go. It would be better just to have them work out in Japan," a team official said.
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Post by moose on Oct 15, 2013 8:01:26 GMT 10
Waste of time and its high time that the experiment is dropped IMHO. What happens if we were to uncover a real match winner only to see them go home in December (Kameai season 1)? I am really over it and I suspect that many here are also. Better to give their spots to upcoming talent than some second rate hacks, be they Japanese or whatever
Neil W
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 15, 2013 21:30:11 GMT 10
The Los Angeles Dodgers have sent four of their minor leaguers out to the Adelaide Bite for the coming ABL season.
James Campbell’s name came out a fortnight ago, however the other three players only became evident when the Bite released them yesterday.
First baseman Chris Jacobs was selected by the Dodgers in the 17th Round of the 2007 draft as a teenager, and it took him until his fourth year in the organisation to get out of Rookie Ball.
A 6’5” right handed hitter, Jacobs split time between Advanced A Rancho Cucamonga and AA Chattanooga in 2013, however his time at AA was relatively brief (29 games .182-3-12-0), with his Rancho Cucamonga numbers .286-14-40-3 about on par with his numbers with the Quakes in 2012.
The ABL looms as a potential make or break time for Jacobs career. He has an easy, yet powerful swing, though he attempts to pull nearly everything that is thrown in his general direction, and strikes out over a hundred points above his batting average. He’ll need good numbers with the Bite to start at AA, and indeed could end up like Calvin Anderson a couple of years ago, and be released not long after his time with the Bite comes to an end.
A fourth round selection by the Dodgers in 2010, much was expected out of outfielder James Baldwin, who, like Jacobs, was drafted out of High School, and he has made some progress, albeit slowly, after two years at Rookie level and two years at Class A Great Lakes.
Through four seasons, Baldwin is hitting just .235 in the minors, and is coming off a .238-7-49-42 season with the Class A Loons.
While his bat still needs plenty of refinement, his speed is excellent, having stolen 134 bases in the minors at a success rate of over 83%. His approach at the plate is something scouts seem to feel is a negative as his pitch selection is often frowned upon, and he often doesn’t use his hips enough. While his minor league average is .235, he strikes out at a rate of .392, and that level is over .400 at his time at Class A.
The third player, Blake Smith, will be an interesting player to watch as the Bite’s season unfolds.
The Dodgers thought enough of the outfielder in 2009 that they spent their second round selection on the University of California product, and much was expected out of him after a solid .267-13-65-3 year at AA Chattanooga in 2012.
Something however went amiss, and Smith’s numbers were down to .233-6-28-3 part way through the 2013 when the organisation tinkered with the idea of turning Smith into a pitcher to take advantage of his strong throwing arm, and after one session in the bullpen, they decided to make the switch to the hill with Smith.
In 21 games, Smith struggled somewhat, usually being used in late relief, and his end of season record read 1-1 7-78era 1.93whip 12k/19bb in 19.2ip, but the Dodgers will be patient with him. Their major league outfield is incredibly strong when healthy, and the club converted two other position players to the pitchers mound in 2013 in an attempt to get the most out of their players.
Smith did pitch in college, which helped the Dodgers make their decision, and the parent club will be hoping that his time with the Bite will help his transition to becoming the next Kenley Jansen.
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 17, 2013 12:06:49 GMT 10
The Aces have just announced Lewis Thorpe will be in uniform for the club this season. At the end of the press release, they added the following line:
"With Thorpe waiting in the wings to throw this Australian Baseball season, the Aces are thrilled for their hometown native to make his debut."
Thorpe actually made his debut last season.
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Post by bobby on Oct 17, 2013 16:11:22 GMT 10
Nice that they have announced Lewis, but I seriously doubt he would be available for the entire season.
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 17, 2013 21:08:08 GMT 10
Word out of ABL circles today is the move of Canberra pitcher John Holdzkom to the Adelaide Bite for the coming season.
A former fourth round draft pick of the New York Mets in 2006, Holdzkom struggled throughout his minor league career, eventually being released by first the Mets and then the Reds who had a very quick look before releasing him as well.
Having qualified for New Zealand and playing for the Diamondblacks in the WBC, Holdzkom, who doesn’t qualify as an import in the ABL, was picked up by Canberra, who were recruiting anyone with an American accent last season, and was used as the Sunday or fourth starter for the season by the Cavalry.
True to his career form, Holdzkom had his erratic days, and averaged under five innings per start for the season, and while his bad days were bad (five starts of four runs or more including a start of eight runs in a third of an innings), when he was on song, he was close to untouchable (four starts of six innings or more for no earned runs).
Back in the States, Holdzkom spent the 2013 season in the American Association, where he spent time in relief for the Amarillo Sox (with former Aces player Jason Hirsh) and put up numbers of 1-1 4.10era 1.64whip 48k in 46.1ip, but also managed to walk 43 hitters in those 46.1 innings. He was traded to Sioux City, where he found a bit more control (15k/5bb in 7.2ip) at the end of the season.
Given he does not count as an import, it could be that the Bite do not feature a single Australian starting pitcher this year as it is rumoured what Dushan Ruzic and Paul Mildren may not be suiting up for the Bite this season.
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Post by Goblin on Oct 17, 2013 21:24:38 GMT 10
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 18, 2013 7:38:31 GMT 10
The website does look good. It's across the board ABL wise, but a different look is refreshing. Doesn't appear that the box scores from historic games have survived however.
Aces have noted on social media they are hoping to announce a 35-man roster this weekend.
What the club refuse to say however is anything regarding any pre-season matches. Three times I asked on social media yesterday and all have been ignored - hopefully a fourth effort today is answered.
On September 30th the club tweeted in response to a question regarding pre-season matches: "Still finalising dates and times. we will announce shortly"
The best part of three weeks later and nothing. Why is it that I'm starting to get the feeling a significant majority of the effort has gone into off field bells and whistles and very little into the on-field?
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 18, 2013 14:56:08 GMT 10
New Adelaide manager Charlie Aliano today let slip in the media that the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely sending a catcher over to the Bite for the coming ABL season.
That catcher looks likely to be John Cannon, the Dodgers 29th Round selection of 2012 out of the University of Houston.
The 23 year old went to Rookie ball after signing and won the starting catcher role there, largely down to his experience in a collegiate wooden bat league. He hit just .225-1-11-1 there, but did enough to progress past Class A ball and go straight to Advanced A Rancho Cucamonga, where he his .286 in seven games before succumbing to injury.
Considered to have improved behind the plate from his Rookie time to the Advanced A level, Cannon (great name for a catcher by the way) is touted as being tough to run on. The Dodgers will certainly be hoping he proves his worth and gets back up to speed having missed so much of 2013.
The Melbourne Aces hope to announce their 35-man roster this weekend, with around twenty of those names still yet to be announced. One player that the club will likely announce tomorrow is former Brisbane Bandits closer Justin Erasmus, who is making the move down to Melbourne to play with the Aces this season.
Erasmus has played for the Bandits in each of the three seasons, and has been dominant out of the pen, combining for a 2-3 5sv 1.08era 1.10whip 31k/15bb in 41.1ip record over the past two ABL seasons. Having been released by Boston during the 2012 season following a poor start at Class A Greenville, he linked with the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League, before being traded in mid-August to the Gateway Grizzlies, who were in the midst of a pennant run. Erasmus was a combined 4-2 20sv 1.57era 0.97whip 26k/13bb with the two clubs, though did not conceded a hit or a run in his six appearances for the Grizzlies. With Joliet, he also spent time with new Aces teammates Corey Kimes and Brett Zawacki, two of the players the Aces signed from the inaugural ABL draft last month.
South African born and having represented his country of birth and at the World Baseball Classic (2009) and at the 2011 World Cup for Australia, Erasmus will likely take on the role of closer for the team this season. The Sydney Blue Sox announced somewhat of a coup today when they released word that Trent Oeltjen would be playing for the club this season.
Oeltjen has played for the Blue Sox previously, having played two games in the leagues inaugural season, but his commitment to the Blue Sox for the entire season is a boost for the ABL, and is a massive leg-up for the Blue Sox who have made the playoffs in all three ABL seasons but are yet to make a Championship series.
The left-handed hitting outfielder had his ups and downs in his first year in the Angels organisation, and ended his season with Salt Lake at AAA with .255-14-49-21 numbers, though they were boosted by a .405 batting average after the All-Star break. His numbers were also slightly skewed for a left-handed hitter, as he hit nearly one hundred points better against left handed pitching (.329) as he did against right handers (.232).
With an outfield of Oeltjen, Keon Broxton (Diamondbacks) and Jacob May (White Sox), the Blue Sox now arguably possess the best starting outfield in the ABL.
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 19, 2013 8:19:58 GMT 10
While Alex Kaminsky has been linked with the Brisbane Bandits, two of his fellow pitchers in the Frontier League also look like they could be spending time with the Bandits having linked with a local club in the Brisbane competition.
Casey Barnes is a 6’0” right hander who was undrafted out of college, but after joining the Washington Wild Things in 2011, his performances (5-5 2.34era 1.11whip) caught the attention of the Philadelphia Phillies. Having signed as an undrafted free agent, Barnes spent time with the Phillies at Rookie and Short-Season A Ball but was released at the end of the season.
Barnes was back with the Wild Things in 2012 and enjoyed a solid season, before being traded to the River City Rascals between seasons. Following a slow start with River City, Barnes won five of his last six decisions and threw a complete game and seven innings in his last two starts of the season as he showed strong durability, finishing the season 7-3 3.68era 1.40whip 66k/29bb in 120ip.
With a ¾ arm action, Barnes throws a fastball at 83-85, curve at 65 and change-up at 67.
Joining Barnes is fellow River City pitcher Craig Goodman, who was also undrafted out of college, despite going 10-0 2.00era at Tusculum College.
Goodman was the only player from the NCAA DII All-American team who wasn’t drafted, which appears to be down to his relatively low velocity on his fastball (84mph).
The 6’1” right hander was 7-3 3.81era 1.22whip 77k/26bb with the Rascals in 2013, though he gave up fourteen home runs, the equal most in the Western Division Frontier League. The other pitcher who gave up fourteen home runs? Casey Barnes.
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emdeem
Junior Member
Posts: 32
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Post by emdeem on Oct 19, 2013 16:27:22 GMT 10
Aces announced today a scrimmage game against the Essendon Baseball Club this coming Friday 25/10 at 7:05.
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 21, 2013 10:33:10 GMT 10
And well done to the Essendon Baseball Club for stepping up for a game against the Aces. A couple of other states have Club vs. ABL team games going on, and it's good to see the team won;t be going into the season 'cold' against the defending champions.
While we're handing out gold stars, well done to the Aces on Saturday. They did everything that could have been expected of the club on the day. Those players and coaches in attendance were very giving of their time - well done to them.
A real positive, perhaps albeit inadvertent was the posting of the 35man roster, though I don't think too many people would have seen it. Hopefully it gets released in the next couple of days as it contains a couple of surprises (IMHO).
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 21, 2013 21:19:16 GMT 10
Alongside their announcement of the signing of Justin Erasmus, the Melbourne Aces also announced that RHP Trevor Holder would be in Aces colours this season.
An alumni of the Georgia Bulldogs and having pitched in the collegiate World Series, Holder was considered by some as a surprise third round choice by the Washington Nationals in 2009, a year after being a tenth round selection by the Florida Marlins.
Holder was the third pitcher selected by the Nationals in the 2009 draft, whose draft was headlined by highly touted phenom Stephen Strasburg (8-3 3.00era for Washington in 2013) and Drew Storen (4-2 4.62era with Washington in 2013), both of whom were first round selections.
Considered good enough to skip Rookie level and move straight to Class A ball, and never pitched at Rookie level aside from a short stint in his third season in the minor leagues. Having thrown 400 minor league innings through 2012, Holder had perhaps found some of his best success at AA Harrisburg in 2012 where he was 4-3 3.78era 1.28whip and had started 2013 with good numbers (0-1 2.89era 1.07whip 13k/4bb in 18.2ip) before being somewhat surprisingly released by the organisation. Said Nationals director of player development Doug Harris of the move “It is never easy to make these decisions, particularly with a player who has conducted himself with such class.”
Within a week, Holder had been snapped-up by the San Diego Padres, who assigned him to Advanced A Lake Elsinore where he went 4-7 6.39era 1.74whip 55k/35bb in 100ip. As a starter (16 starts) his ERA was a full three runs lower than his ERA as a reliever.
At Lake Elsinore, he was a teammate of the Aces own John Hussey (2-3 6.49era 1.74whip 32k/24bb in 59.2 with the Storm), and the teammates may find themselves as members of the Aces starting rotation during the 2013-14 ABL season.
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 22, 2013 21:17:20 GMT 10
The Brisbane Bandits this evening finally released the names of the four Tampa Bay Rays players they will be hosting this season. Partick Leonard and Tyler Goeddel have been mentioned earlier, however Joey Rickard and Justin O’Conner, while suspected of being the other two players, have only today been confirmed.
In 2010, O’Conner became the first ever catcher drafted in the first round by the Rays, though he technically wasn’t a catcher at the time of the draft.
A High School pitcher who could throw 93-95mph, O’Conner could also play infield and effectively dabbled in catching, but once word got out that he was happy to catch in organised baseball, his draft stock rose, and he fell to the Rays with the 31st pick of the 2010 draft, the Rays second selection for the draft.
After two years at Rookie Level and one at Short-Season A, O’Conner was promoted to Class A Bowling Green where he hit .233-14-56-5 in 2013, though he did strike out 111 times (with just 31 walks). He’s still a .213 hitter in the minors with 100 more strike outs than he has hits, and is another whose average decreases as his power improves. At the plate, he’s an aggressive pull-hitter, and does seem to take an extra split-second to pick up the pitch. Has a wide stance, much like Jeff Bagwell, just without the excessive crouch.
What he can do is throw, and he nailed 56% of runners in 2013, the highest percentage of any catcher in the Midwest League, however his 22 passed balls also led the league.
The Rays still believe in him as a catcher, but they’ll be looking for some improvement out of him soon, though a conversion to the mound may happen sometime in the next year or two.
Outfielder Joey Rickard was a ninth round selection by the Rays in the 2012 draft and skipped rookie ball altogether and went straight to Short Season A to finish off the season. He did well enough there to earn promotion to Bowling Green, where he put up solid .270-8-63-30 numbers and while he struck out 98 times, he did work 78 walks, showing some solid plate discipline.
Drafted as a centre fielder, Rickard played all three outfield positions with the Hot Rods in 2013, though he predominantly played in right field. While he possesses excellent speed, he’s yet to learn how to master reading a pitcher, especially left handed ones, who caught Rickard stealing more than Rickard swiped bags off them, while he lives for pitches up in the zone. Pitchers who keep the ball low in the zone should have good days against him.
Does possess a pretty cool twitter tag: @rags2rickard
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 24, 2013 14:55:07 GMT 10
Perth have officially announced Mike Ekstrom as an import for the coming season.
I see that Perth-based people are suggesting that Ekstrom was on the free agent list that the league had and clubs were free to talk to him.
It would be of benefit to the Aces supporters to hear from the club as to what approach, if any, was made to a former MLB pitcher, and if there was none, indeed, why was no approach made?
I've mentioned many times on this forum, the Aces need to be ruthless. I only hope they at least tried to be in this instance.
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 24, 2013 15:33:11 GMT 10
web.theabl.com.au/news/article.jsp?ymd=20131023&content_id=63254500&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t4067&sid=t4067While not yet on the front page of the clubs website, the Aces have announced their preliminary 35-man roster for the coming season. There are some more familiar names on the list (Andrew Russell, Travis Blackley and James Beresford) who may not be around for all or much of the season, there are some names whose absence from the list is sure to raise an eyebrow or two. Elliot Biddle, who led the local contingent in batting average (.292), was equal with Brad Harman and Carlo Testa for most home runs (6) and led the club in RBI (26) is not on the roster, nor is veteran left handed pitcher Adam Blackley, who has been a mainstay of the pitching staff for the past three seasons. Also off the roster is Andy Mann, who led the Aces in pitching appearances in season two, and was third in the same category last season. Dan McGrath's name isn't on the roster following his stellar season in the Boston organisation, while the clubs leader in saves, Cameron Forbes, is another to have been overlooked. Another to have pitched in each of the first three seasons, Shane Lindsay, is also off the roster (I hear due to injury), whicl leaves only Blake Cunningham and Travis Blackley as pitchers on the 35-man roster announced today who have thrown in each of the first three seasons. Sydney has also announced a roster, theirs being a 40-man, which includes five developmental players. What the rules are per these players, is anyones guess, but they have been announced anyway: www.theabl.com.au/news/article.jsp?ymd=20131023&content_id=63253226&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t4069&sid=t4069Brisbane last night played a game against local side Windsor, and unveiled RHP pitcher Andrew Aizenstatd, who is from the Philadelphia organisation, and pitched a handful of innings for Class A Lakewood Blue Claws (0-0 8.38era) this season. Canberra has included local Sam Thornton, who has been playing college ball in the US, Mike Morgan and former Cleveland and Colorado farmhand Casey Frawley, a middle infielder who had a tough time in the minors with a few ailments. Adelaide has snuck in a former MLB pitcher from some reports. No name released as yet, though I understand he used to be with the Detroit Tigers.
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Post by texasleaguer on Oct 24, 2013 19:52:33 GMT 10
Sorry I have not posted on here much lately, just a tad busy with local junior/senior baseball and website issues last few months I have read a lot of the Forum though, I must say reading Stuart Capel's insight into ABL players is 2nd to none... .. NO ....Best in Country I would say and ABL should recognise that media talent and insight into ABL players. Stu of course is a most welcome addition to our Bandits TV Stream Team when ACES play in Brisbane. RE: Bandits Streaming, new crew on board in the Bandits Management Roles but I am confident we will have some very high quality streaming of games over the season after a testing period for the 1st series V BITE and some hardware/software issues are bedded down. Cheers Glen
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 24, 2013 21:06:42 GMT 10
From the players mentioned today…
Brisbane’s Andrew Aizenstadt is a 6’5” right handed reliever who was unsigned out of college but joined the American Association’s Wichita Wingnuts, and pitched well enough to catch the eye of the Philadelphia Phillies, who signed him in July last year.
His numbers between two stops (1-0 2sv 2.60era 1.12whip 25k/6bb in 27.2ip) at Short Season A and Advanced A, saw him retained for the 2013 season, but following a rough start (0-0 8.38era 2.07whip), he was released and ended up back with Wichita, where he finished the year 1-1 1sv 2.67era 1.25whip 23k/17bb in 30.1ip.
Aizenstadt can throw four pitches (fast, curve, slider and change-up), and pitched in a Little League World Series. However he isn’t the only ABL pitcher to have played in a LLWS. Fans of the old ABL’s Waverley/Melbourne Reds may recall another one.
Middle infielder Casey Frawley will join the Canberra Cavalry, having enjoyed somewhat different minor league career between the Cleveland and Colorado organisations.
Signed by the Indians in the 19th Round of the 2009 draft, and enjoyed a fine season in 2010 at Class A Lake County, where he hit .262-13-74-8, however in 2011 he developed some eye trouble which caused him to have some significant troubles at the plate and in the field as he fell to .215-11-59-7 numbers at Advanced A Kinston, where he hurt his knee in the playoffs.
At spring training the following year he was hit in the head by a pitched ball on the first day of live pitching and was later released, picked up by the Can-Am League New Jersey Jackals, who he never played for before getting a cup of coffee with the Colorado organisation where he hit .158-1-5-0 in eight games at Advanced A Modesto, however three bad games at the end of that tenure saw him released.
With Kody Hightower not returning having sustained a shoulder injury back in the US, Frawley looks to have the inside running on the shortstop job for the Cavalry.
As far as a pedigree goes, the best however belongs to Adelaide’s likely pick-up, former MLB pitcher Fu-Te Ni, who spent time with Detroit in 2009 and 2010.
A left handed reliever, Ni came to the notice of MLB teams on the back of a five innings effort for Chinese Taipei in the 2008 Olympics against Canada, and ended up signing with the Tigers for the 2009 season.
He debuted later that year and put up solid numbers 0-0 2.61era 1.00whip 21k/11bb in 31ip, and started 2010 with the Tigers, however he didn’t enjoy the same success, losing some of his control and was 0-1 6.65era 2.00whip 22k/19bb in 23ip before being sent down to AAA Toledo, where he spent the rest of the year, all of 2011 and the early stages of 2012 before he was released.
Ni was 88-91mph with an a***nal of fastball, curveball and change-up, and did spot start towards the end of his time with the Tigers, so could be used as a starter or out of the pen for the Bite.
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 24, 2013 21:10:07 GMT 10
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Post by moose on Oct 25, 2013 6:31:54 GMT 10
So what is Biddle's story? Is he a victim of his success in the USA or just resting for a return later in the season?
Just won't be the same without the "Biddle it just a little bit" chants from the Hangar this season.
So Stu can we expect your summation of the Aces chances this season at any stage prior to the season?
Neil W
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 25, 2013 23:06:47 GMT 10
Not the greatest night out at MBP weather wise this evening, but the Aces-Essendon game would have more than served the purpose on and off the field for the club. Well done to Essendon and a handful of lads from a couple of other clubs for putting their hands up to play tonight.
For the record, the Aces won 2-0, or 4-0 if you include the home teams half of the ninth that was played, technically after a result had been reached. It was one of those typical hard nights to hit at MBP when the wind chill is biting, and several of the Aces imports were hours/a couple of days off the plane and would have used the game to shake off some ring rust.
John Hussey pitched five for Essendon against the Aces, stretching his stint out to 64 pitches, which suggests he will be in the rotation next week in Canberra, while the American arms used by the Aces threw 46 (Burns), 41 (Zawacki) and 34 (Kimes) each.
The new look line-up, with the Aces second highest RBI producer over the past three years, Josh Davies, in the eight hole, looked like it would be a tough one to mess with as the season wears on, while the pitchers walked just three and gave up only the four hits, all of which were singles.
Aces 4 runs on 9 hits Essendon 0 runs on 4 hits
Aces Hits: 3 – Josh Davies (inc double and 2x RBI). 2 – Tyler Massey (run, RBI). 1 – Justin Trapp (run), Ryan Casteel, Jared Schlehuber (run), Darryl George (run).
Aces Pitching:
Joe Burns 3ip 1h 0r 0er 0bb 3k Brett Zawacki 2ip 3h 0r 0er 1bb 3k Corey Kimes 2ip 0h 0r 0er 1bb 5k John Kennedy 1ip 0h 0r 0er 0bb 1k Justin Erasmus 1ip 0h 0r 0er 1bb 2k
Aces who pitched for Essendon:
John Hussey 5ip 6h 2r 1er 1bb 6k Luke Abels 1ip 0h 0r 0er 0bb 1k Trevor Holder (well, we think it was) 1ip 0h 0r 0er 0bb 2k
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 26, 2013 19:28:55 GMT 10
A few extra imports are starting to have their names become known as the ABL season inches ever closer. Four of those players come from the Canberra Cavalry currently has fifteen known overseas players on their roster, with another four players added to the roster recently.
With Jack Murphy and Robbie Perkins likely to see all of the catching duties, 30 year-old Matt Blazynski, whose professional experience is limited to a cup of coffee with Quebec in the Can-Am League in 2011, looks likely to be a back-up at best for the Cavalry this season.
28 year-old RHP Nick Pugliese would be a name hardcore followers of the 2013 WBC may remember, as he was the Italian pitcher who threw the eighth innings against Mexico before a muffed fly allowed the Italians to take the lead and then win the game in the 9th innings. At the WBC, he was 1-0 4.50era 1.50whip.
Initially, Pugliese was an undrafted free agent pick up by the Los Angeles Angels in 2008 and pitched through until 2011 when a 7.27era at Advanced A Inland Empire was the catalyst to his being released.
From there, Pugliese moved to Bologna in the Italian League and spent parts of the past three seasons pitching for the local Fortitudo, with his 2012 numbers of 1-0 6sv 1.06era being his best.
Despite not possessing the best college record, Jeff Lyman was considered an excellent pitching prospect and was drafted in the second round of the 2005 MLB draft, a draft in which the Braves also drafted Cole McCurry, a former Perth Heat import, in Round 31.
Lyman was with the Braves until 2010 and was on Atlanta’s 40-man roster in 2009. He pitched as high as AAA before being picked up on waivers by Oakland, and then having been released at during 2011, with the Cardinals, before being released by St Louis at the end of 2011.
In 2012, he linked with the Long Island Ducks, pitching in the same team as the Aces Bubbie Buzachero and Adam Rowe and former Adelaide and Perth outfielder James McOwen, however he only threw in nine games, recording a 12.96era before being released.
Following stints with the Amarillo Sox in the American Association and San Angelo Colts in 2013, where he combined for a 8.53era and 2.21whip, the 26 year-old, who possesses a fast ball, curve and power change, will be hoping for some better luck in the ABL.
The third pitcher the Cavalry has recently acquired is Ethan Cole, who was an undrafted free agent pick-up by the Cardinals in 2011.
Cole spent two years with the Cards, and even after posting 4-1 1sv 1.98era 1.21whip 65k/19bb in 77.1ip numbers with Class A Quad Cities in 2012, he was released by the organisation.
The Texas native then found a home with the Kansas City T-Bones, the American Association team from which the Cavalry have picked up Sean Toler, Dustin Loggins, Brian Grening (Kody Hightower played for the T-Bones this season). Cole had a tough year in KC, with an 0-8 1sv 6.30era 1.73whip, and like Lyman, the 24 year-old will be hoping for a change of fortunes with the Cavalry.
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Post by stuartcapel on Oct 27, 2013 19:02:09 GMT 10
Brisbane’s roster keeps forming, and another import to add to it is RHP Mickey Jannis, a 25 year-old, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 44th Round of the 2010 draft.
Jannis posted good numbers at Rookie level in 2010 (3-1 3sv 2.52era) but was released at the end of 2011, with his low draft position and a failed short audition for Advanced A Charlotte likely to have been the contributing factors behind his parting ways with the club.
Frontier League team Lake Erie gave Jannis a home in 2012, and he responded well, posting 1-4 6sv 2.53era 1.05whip numbers, which was good enough for Atlantic League team Bridgeport BlueFish to give him a roster spot this season.
Bridgeport sent Jannis back to Lake Erie after a tough start, where he had a 7.56era and 2.16whip, and again Jannis threw well with the Crushers, responding with a 7-2 2sv 2.42era 1.13whip. That’s the kind of form Kevin Jordan will be hoping Jannis can provide to the Bandits this season.
The Adelaide Bite have added a couple of Independent Leaguers, who had differing fortunes in 2013.
Kyle Brueggemann was unsigned out of Cal Poly, and the right hander spent time with the Vallejo Admirals in the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball, where he was 3-1 2.75era. With the Admirals, he was a teammate of Paul Geuy, the sixth round draft selection of the Melbourne Aces.
After the Admirals were banned from finishing the season, Brueggemann joined the Rockford Aviators in the Frontier League and was stunning in his ten appearances, posting a 1.29era with a 0.71whip, fanning nineteen in his fourteen innings.
From an unsigned pitcher who made good in 2013, we go to Brandon Kuter, a 29th Round draft selection in 2012 by the Texas Rangers who put up 0-0 1sv 2.04era 1.41whip numbers at Rookie level, but was released at the end of March this season without getting a chance to test his wares in the regular season at any level.
Kuter ended up in the Pecos League, where pitchers averaged a 6.18era and 1.86whip this season (ironically those figures are down from the 2012 averages of 7.06era and 1.93whip), and bounced between the White Sands Pup Fish and Santa Fe Fuego, and ended the season with a 8.18era and 2.09whip between the two teams. No doubt the Bite will be hoping the 6’7” righty does better than the last Pecos League pitcher they had. Damian Seguen’s ERA last year in a short stint with the Bite was 16.62.
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Post by moose on Oct 28, 2013 6:35:43 GMT 10
As usual a great Job Stu! Just one question though. Is there any Aussies in the ABL?Neil W
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Post by oldracer on Oct 28, 2013 22:31:25 GMT 10
As usual a great Job Stu! Just one question though. Is there any Aussies in the ABL?Neil W Well Moose guess the powers that be determine that these prospects/wannabe's are where the league is at, have no probs with organized ball sending their prospects but the plethora of released minor leaguers and indy ball hasbeens smacks of roster fills at the expense of some local lads
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Post by moose on Oct 29, 2013 6:23:59 GMT 10
A bit like the Last Chance Saloon? Neil W
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Dan
Junior Member
Posts: 33
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Post by Dan on Oct 31, 2013 11:00:35 GMT 10
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Post by moose on Oct 31, 2013 20:55:30 GMT 10
Watched the Season opener from The Fort in Canberra. Sad to say that the performance was not encouraging and our defense of our wooden spoon from last year seems to be on track. 4 errors in the game including dropping a dolly by George on the 2nd - 3rd base line epitomized the teams effort. Of the Japanese import Tanaka, I'll let the commentator best sum him up when he said "he'd get a run in 5th grade". Nothing learned from last season and its sad to think that our season could be over after 1 game with just 45 games more to finish out the formalities. I pray that I am wrong but just gutted tonight. Neil W PS Great to see attendance of 1824 at the game. Well done Canberra.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2013 21:51:26 GMT 10
I think it is juuuust a little too early to make those judgments, moose.
The errors were ugly, though not especially costly (fifteen hits did the real scoring damage).
Hussey gave the side an excellent start (though he stayed in a little too long), the catcher (Casteel) looked OK behind the dish and with the bat, Tanaka only arrived a day or two ago, Massey covered good ground at rightfield and Trapp is a livewire despite fanning three times tonight.
Plenty of quality players have to come into the lineup, though that will need to happen sooner rather than later.
Canberra is clearly a very good side in what will again be a tough competition.
And the crowd? Yep, a fantastic turnout (and a credit to the Cavalry organisation) that the Aces would dearly love to replicate at home.
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