More roster moves
Lee (7-5, 2.89), who finished last season as a player/pitching coach, will be a Veteran, according to Frontier League roster rules. A Vet is the one player on the roster who can exceed the FL's 27-year-old age limit.
The newcomers are right-handed pitcher Cole Brand and lefty Matt Phillips.
Brand spent three seasons at the rookie-league level in the St. Louis Cardinals system. Last summer, he had a 2.97 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. I've written before that you shouldn't put much stock in rookie-league statistics because they don't transfer well to a player's potential in the Frontier League. However, what I like about Brand's numbers is that in 78 innings of pro ball he has issued only 16 walks and allowed just two home runs. Another plus is he has pro experience and is only 20 years old, which means he's still a Rookie by roster standards. Brand was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school in the 42nd round in 2010.
"Cole showed a lot of promise in his time with the Cardinals organization and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do in Washington," Wild Things assistant general manager Steve Zavacky said in a press release.
Phillips was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an undrafted player out of Cal State-Dominguez Hills in 2010. He played rookie ball that year and went 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA in 12 games, but missed all of the 2011 seasons because of an injury. Last year, he was signed by Abilene of the independent North American Baseball League and pitched in one unforgettable game. He went 2/3 of an inning and allowed four hits and four walks.
"(Phillips) comes highly recommended from the Red Sox organization and has been a strikeout pitcher in both college and his year in the Gulf Coast Rookie League," said Wild Things bench coach Bart Zeller.
The Wild Things also announced today that infielder Brad Agustin has been placed on the retired list. Agustin was one of the players acquired at midseason in a trade with London.
After reading the Wild Things' statements on these roster moves, one thing comes to mind: Why hasn't manager Chris Bando been quoted in any of the press releases?
Labels: A.J. Nunziato, Anthony Collazo, Brad Agustin, Cole Brand, Darian Sandford, Gary Lee, Gus Benusa, Matt Phillips, Shain Stoner, Shawn Smith
posted by Chris Dugan at
8:15 AM
5 Comments:
@ Chris Dugan: How would you compare the overall roster now compared to last year?
In reference to Mr. Bando, one would think that he is not returning to the Wildthings. I would suspect an announcement very soon on the naming of a new manager.
I'd rate this year's team a little ahead of last year's at this point, simply because of several R2 players -- Nunziato, Heck, Devereaux, Stoner -- already signed. There was a serious problem with a lack of R1 and R2 players last year. The starting pitching is probably a little behind last year, but that's one of the two easiest positions in which to pick up experienced players after minor-league spring training.
Nunziato is the only solid one in the group, and that's only when he gets his bat going. Heck doesn't have a real position he can play the field. Devereaux doesn't either, because he can't throw anyone out at catcher, and there's better first basemen out there. He tries to pull everything and turned into Bad Chris Sidick from a few years ago. Stoner REALLY can't play the field, but every once in a while he'll run into one and launch it 500 feet foul.
I enjoyed this quote... What he said: "Cole showed a lot of promise in his time with the Cardinals organization and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do in Washington," Wild Things assistant general manager Steve Zavacky said in a press release.
What he meant: "I know little to nothing about evaluating talent, and I'm only in this position because my owner is too lazy to find a real GM." Wild Things assistant general manager Steve Zavacky said in a press release.
Asst. Flunky
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