Just basic transactions news to report here:
-- Former Somerset Patriot Jeff Nettles has re-signed with the Kansas City Royals, who signed the third baseman after five seasons in the Atlantic League. Nettles hit .267 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs in 58 games at Double-A, but told me last season he hoped to start 2008 in Triple-A.
-- Former Patriot catcher Michel Hernandez has joined the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the best catcher in the league both offensively and defensively before the Tampa Bay Devil Rays snatched him in June and stuck him in Triple-A. Hernandez hit .276 and only struck out 13 times in 170 at-bats, numbers good enough for the Pirates but not the D-Rays, apparently.
-- Former J.P. Stevens High School, Rutgers University and Newark Bears standout Bobby Brownlie has signed with the Washington Nationals, his third professional organization. The former first-round pick of the Chicago Cubs was masterful in half of a season with the Bears, catching the Cleveland Indians' attention. The right-hander was 1-2 with a 3.17 earned-run average in 48 1/3 innings at Double-A, but got roughed up in the final game of the Eastern League Championship Series won by the Trenton Thunder, a Yankees' affiliate.
Hopefully I'll have some quotes from Nettles and Brownlie to run in the newspaper soon.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
BASA breakup
If case this blog is your only source of Atlantic League news, you probably do not know that Baseball and Sports Associates is no longer what we have come to know it to be.
Before you start using negativity, remember BASA was not all bad. It saved teams lots of money on worker's compensation and was effective in business operations of minor-league baseball.
But the on-field aspect of BASA -- which handled player acquisitions for half the league last season -- is what drew ire from fans, writers and coaches alike this season, and that effectively ended last month when the leaders of BASA went their separate ways.
Adam Gladstone will now handle such responsibilities for the York Revolution, David Keller for the Camden Riversharks and Keith Lupton for the Lancaster Barnstormers.
It should be the end of shady trades, loading up one team for a playoff run while weakening another, on and on, so forth and so forth.
Sure, these three guys are still friends and will be wheeling and dealing, but they are competitive by nature and nobody wants to come up with the short end of a trade or look bad relative to the other two. It is worth noting that all three teams will be in the same division competing for two playoff spots next season thanks to realignment.
Expect this to a be a very, very good thing for the Atlantic League as it takes another step toward hashing out its self-created problems.
New Southern Maryland manager Butch Hobson is expected to handle the player procurement for his team while the other BASA-run team, Bridgeport, has a new general manager but still no clue who will do player procurement.
Before you start using negativity, remember BASA was not all bad. It saved teams lots of money on worker's compensation and was effective in business operations of minor-league baseball.
But the on-field aspect of BASA -- which handled player acquisitions for half the league last season -- is what drew ire from fans, writers and coaches alike this season, and that effectively ended last month when the leaders of BASA went their separate ways.
Adam Gladstone will now handle such responsibilities for the York Revolution, David Keller for the Camden Riversharks and Keith Lupton for the Lancaster Barnstormers.
It should be the end of shady trades, loading up one team for a playoff run while weakening another, on and on, so forth and so forth.
Sure, these three guys are still friends and will be wheeling and dealing, but they are competitive by nature and nobody wants to come up with the short end of a trade or look bad relative to the other two. It is worth noting that all three teams will be in the same division competing for two playoff spots next season thanks to realignment.
Expect this to a be a very, very good thing for the Atlantic League as it takes another step toward hashing out its self-created problems.
New Southern Maryland manager Butch Hobson is expected to handle the player procurement for his team while the other BASA-run team, Bridgeport, has a new general manager but still no clue who will do player procurement.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Managerial moves
Finally, something for me to write about as we transition from my summer job covering the Atlantic League to my winter job covering high school girls basketball.
The Lancaster Barnstormers hired former Philadelphia Phillie Von Hayes after an intense interview process that included high-profile candidates such as Gary Carter, Butch Hobson and Wally Backman. The part that truly is shocking to me is that Hayes got the job over Tom Herr, who managed the Barnstormers first-ever game and led them to the 2006 championship. I thought he was a lock to be rehired considering he is from the Lancaster area and is a known commodity to the fans.
“I can’t imagine a better place than Lancaster to manage in minor league baseball,” Hayes said. “The facilities and the organization are first class, and I am truly excited to be back in the Philly area. I’m looking forward to working with the veteran professionals in the Atlantic League and giving them every opportunity to get back to Major League Baseball. Our coaches & players will be as committed to winning as our front office for our loyal fans whose support and enthusiasm I have heard so much about.”
Hayes has been a Manager of the Year at Single-A and Double-A.
Unlike the other passed over candidates, Hobson's interview did not go totally fruitless. He landed the managerial position with the expansion Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after eight seasons at the helm of the Nashua Pride. The Pride won the 2000 Atlantic League title and returned to the championship series twice more after that prior to their 2006 departure for the independent Can-Am League.
Hobson spent eight years in the majors as a player and is the only Atlantic League manager with past major-league managing experience, having made a name for himself with the Boston Red Sox from 1992-94. During his first Atlantic League stint, he often was called the best tactical manager, a title which irks his friend and rival, Sparky Lyle.
The Blue Crabs also interviewed Carter, Backman, Cecil Fielder and Ryan Minor.
What is interesting about this hire is that it was widely assumed for years Minor was going to get this job. He spent on a season on the road as a coach with the Road Warriors and then another in the league preparing to be a manager. It sounds like he got a raw deal.
Also worth mentioning: Nashua is eight hours from Southern Maryland. I've made the joke several times that if the Pride had not left the league, the Atlantic League would have its first plane-worthy road trip. I guess Hobson has to move.
The Lancaster Barnstormers hired former Philadelphia Phillie Von Hayes after an intense interview process that included high-profile candidates such as Gary Carter, Butch Hobson and Wally Backman. The part that truly is shocking to me is that Hayes got the job over Tom Herr, who managed the Barnstormers first-ever game and led them to the 2006 championship. I thought he was a lock to be rehired considering he is from the Lancaster area and is a known commodity to the fans.
“I can’t imagine a better place than Lancaster to manage in minor league baseball,” Hayes said. “The facilities and the organization are first class, and I am truly excited to be back in the Philly area. I’m looking forward to working with the veteran professionals in the Atlantic League and giving them every opportunity to get back to Major League Baseball. Our coaches & players will be as committed to winning as our front office for our loyal fans whose support and enthusiasm I have heard so much about.”
Hayes has been a Manager of the Year at Single-A and Double-A.
Unlike the other passed over candidates, Hobson's interview did not go totally fruitless. He landed the managerial position with the expansion Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after eight seasons at the helm of the Nashua Pride. The Pride won the 2000 Atlantic League title and returned to the championship series twice more after that prior to their 2006 departure for the independent Can-Am League.
Hobson spent eight years in the majors as a player and is the only Atlantic League manager with past major-league managing experience, having made a name for himself with the Boston Red Sox from 1992-94. During his first Atlantic League stint, he often was called the best tactical manager, a title which irks his friend and rival, Sparky Lyle.
The Blue Crabs also interviewed Carter, Backman, Cecil Fielder and Ryan Minor.
What is interesting about this hire is that it was widely assumed for years Minor was going to get this job. He spent on a season on the road as a coach with the Road Warriors and then another in the league preparing to be a manager. It sounds like he got a raw deal.
Also worth mentioning: Nashua is eight hours from Southern Maryland. I've made the joke several times that if the Pride had not left the league, the Atlantic League would have its first plane-worthy road trip. I guess Hobson has to move.
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