Aberdeen Front Office expresses uncertainty

ABERDEEN- Though the 'Birds are happy to have 2 picks within the top 10 there is a great deal of unrest in the front office which players to add to the roster. Several players are of interest but with only two picks they must fit into the teams long term goals. "It is always a difficult position when you are forced to pick the player to win for this year or for the future. It just sends the wrong message to the team, but we are in a fortunate position of even discussing this problem. We have a number of good parts and will look to have a healthy team and ready to compete next season" said Owner Jeremy Byrd.

Who will the 'Birds select? It is a question unknown to many.

Long Live the TBA

Yep, it's true... The Hello Kitty Cup made its appearance at the Strat-O-Matic 50th Anniversary Celebration albeit in photographic form.

Now, let's face it— the HKC is an impressive piece of hardware. Impressive enough to gather the praise of none other than Hal Richmond the creator of Strat-O-Matic Baseball.

Hal was kind enough to sign our HKC photo. I thought I'd share with the rest of the league his proclamation, "Long Live the TBA!"

Draft Preview Part II: Picks 11-20

The top 10 picks came out yesterday but if you missed them check here. Here's a quick recap:

1) Jayson Heyward, Napa

2) Buster Posey, Napa

3) Mike Stanton, Halifax

4) Carlos Santana, Brighton

5) Steven Strasburg, Aberdeen

6) Pedro Alvarez, Old Bridge

7) Colby Lewis, Oregon

8) Starlin Castro, Aberdeen

9) Austin Jackson, Nassau

10) Dan Hudson, Helena

(Note: There are rumors of a Napa/Brighton swap of the 2nd and 4th picks. Even with this knowledge, the same players should be taken in the spots I have them, Posey 2nd and Santana 4th)

On to that other half of the first round...

11) Jeremy Hellickson (Halifax)

Already having added Stanton to the fold, Halifax has a number of opportunities here. They can go with the most potential left on the board (Hellickson or Domonic Brown) or go with someone who can help their playoff push (Ike Davis or a reliever). Halifax certainly doesn't want to sacrifice their future so Hellickson is the best bet to get picked here.

12) Ike Davis (Halifax)

With the potential ace already added, Davis is not a bad pick here. He is a bit of a reach but with Hellickson and Stanton on board this pick is pretty easy to make.

13) Jaime Garcia (London)

London loves good pitching and the recent trade of Johan Santana has left a spot open in their rotation. After the first round, good starting pitchers will be hard to find so this pick is the spot to get one. The only question is which one. Garcia put up good numbers in St. Louis and while it can certainly be argued that Madison Bumgarner, Jhoulys Chacin, or Ian Kennedy should be here instead I think Garcia gets the call. The other option is going with Neil Walker and waiting on the pitcher until pick 19.

14) Domonic Brown (Bowling Green)

Bowling Green's outfield is getting old fast as Ryan Ludwick and Nate McLouth struggled this past season. Even with the addition of Cameron Maybin, adding Brown could go a long way to solving their outfield solution in the coming years.

15) Jhoulys Chacin (Oahu)

Oahu is another team that needs starting pitching. Chacin has great strikeout numbers, something this rotation lacks. Bumgarner may be the bigger name but if Chacin can cut down on his walks while striking out the same he could be very good for a long time.

16) Logan Morrison (Helena)

Morrison's defense really hurts him this year but despite the lack of power he has great offensive numbers. They definitely need another bat in the outfield and Morrison should still be on the board at 16.

17) Justin Smoak (San Antonio)

The Alamos need a 1B with Berkman headed to the outfield and James Loney traded to Evanston. With Ike Davis off the board, Smoak could be their best option. He didn't play well his first time around but with a full season in one place he should improve in 2011.

18) Neil Walker (Helena)

If they do decide to go with Morrison, Walker is the perfect pick here. Clint Barmes and Adam Kennedy are the only second baseman on the roster and both struggled this past season. Walker would significantly upgrade the position. Whether he can continue the success he had this year is a question mark but one that Helena should be willing to gamble on.

19) Danny Valencia (London)

London is hoping Walker will fall to them here with only Michael Cuddyer rated to play third. With no picks in the second round they need a 3B here unless they plan on Cuddyer full-time. Danny Valencia is the pick if that's the route they choose to go.

20) Madison Bumgarner (San Antonio)

After last year where the Alamos could not get a starting pitcher in the first round they will not make the same mistake again. Luckily for them, Bumgarner is a real possibility to fall to them here. If not, Jose Tabata could be the choice with JD Drew and Jason Bay aging and injury prone.

Notable Players Dropping out of the 1st Round:

Ian Kennedy

Billy Wagner

Jonny Venters

Jose Tabata

John Jaso

Draft Preview: 2011 Edition

Finally it's here. With the draft a week away teams are finishing up their preparation and ready to get started. After long deliberation here are the TBA Blog's predicted top 10 picks of 2011.


1) Jason Heyward (Napa)

Napa made bold trades in the off-season not only getting the first overall pick but the second overall as well. The J-Hey kid was reportedly untouchable from the Halifax camp but Napa found a way to get a deal done to bring the stud out to California.

2) Buster Posey (Napa)

The only catcher currently on the Napa roster is Ramon Castro. Ouch... Enter Buster Posey. Posey excelled in his first season in MLB and if he can continue to put up offensive numbers behind the dish as he did this year he will easily be a perennial all-star. Behind Heyward and Posey (and newcomer Dexter Fowler) Napa has a great base to build upon for the future.

3)  Mike Stanton (Halifax)

As everyone knows, Halifax traded out of the number one spot, thereby missing out on Heyward. Despite that they are still getting a great young outfielder. Stanton has tremendous power potential and is a potential all-star in rightfield. If the other players in the deal work out well for Halifax that trade could end up working heavily in Halifax's favor.

4) Carlos Santana (Brighton)

Brighton management has "a rabid man crush on Santana." Victor Martinez reincarnated, Santana could be a huge offensive force behind the dish, if he stays there. Health and defense are the only negatives (although big ones) on Santana dropping him to number 4 overall.

5) Stephen Strasburg (Aberdeen)

The first pick that is a real question mark at this point. Aberdeen has plenty of holes to fill and Strasburg has the opportunity to be the best left on the board, perhaps best in the entire draft. If Strasburg recovers from Tommy John Surgery successfully, this could be the steal of the draft.

6) Pedro Alvarez (Old Bridge)

An excellent September from Alvarez gets him rated much higher than he would have before then. His power potential is high and already crushes righties. His defense is a question mark but even if he moves to 1B his offense should still be good enough to plug into the lineup everyday.

7) Colby Lewis (Oregon)

With only two starting pitchers on the roster, Oregon is clearly targeting a pitcher here. Lewis is the best rookie with full starter innings available. While Hudson or Hellickson could have a higher peak, Oregon needs a guy now and Lewis fits the bill.

8) Starlin Castro (Aberdeen)

Any young shortstop that hits like Castro did is a highly sought after prospect. Unless Old Bridge picks him up, he could fall all the way down to the eight spot though as a high BABIP and only an average fielding rating drop him down a bit. He is still the top talent on the board though so even with Asdrubal Cabrera on the roster Aberdeen shouldn't let him slip any further.

9) Austin Jackson (Nassau)

Nassau had a rough season in 2010, finishing 59-103. The did a nice job importing some talent so far this off-season, already adding Corey Hart, Matt Garza, and David Aardsma. While their pitching should be much improved the offense still needs a little help. Along with Hart, Jackson can add to Franklin Gutierrez to form a pretty nice outfield for the next few years.

10) Dan Hudson (Helena)

Missing an outfielder, Helena would love to have the chance to draft Jackson if he falls to number 10. The other outfield help for this year, Logan Morrison and Jose Tabata, are reaches here so it's possible they go another direction entirely. While their rotation seems to be set, Hudson had an outstanding season and despite limited innings could help push them into the playoffs this season.

Stay tuned for the rest of the first round. It will be out before the end of the week.

SOM 50th Anniversary Celebration

The registration line went out the door.

The presentation hall (aka church)

The seven TBAers at the event (Left to right): Bob Boyd, Eddie Ortiz, Steve Garafalo, Jim Froelick, Todd Hallee and John Garcia. Not pictured— Donnie Hastings.

One of the guest panels.

Me with my new buddy Hal Richman.

The Commish Smoozes with Hal Richman son, Adam.

Napa Winers- blown up

There is mass hysteria in Napa over the ongoing overhaul of the Napa Winers. Less than one offseason removed from a playoff birth, the Napa management team has completely dismantled the roster bringing in draft picks (youth), and athleticism. Napa has changed its offensive philosophy. The Winers will no longer be the "pray for a 3-run HR" team it was last year. It is bringing in players who can take an extra base, who can steal, and for the most part players that are not entering the twilight of their careers.

Gone are fan favorites Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Tim Lincecum. In are promising youngsters Dexter Fowler, Howie Kendrick, and Mike Aviles. Gone are base cloggers David Ortiz and Vlad Guerrero. In are fleet footed base stealers Rajai Davis and Juan Pierre.

Also added to a team that previously held 0, yes Z-E-R-O, first round picks are the first and second overall picks in the upcoming draft.

What is the thought process that preceded this apparent chaos? It can be summed up in one word, opportunity.

"What we had was a tremendous opportunity to use the talent that we had to secure some pieces that we believe are pivotal to our long term success. The team was aging, slow, and pretty much one dimensional. Our team lived and died by the homer last season. If we could hit a couple, then we did great. If we were held in the park, then the offense had trouble creating scoring opportunities. We believe that we have already found our centerfielder for the next 10 years in Dexter Fowler, along with a highly talented 2nd baseman we believe is ready to start living up to the hype in Howie Kendrick. Plus, with those 2 draft picks, we have a chance to draft 2 players who will form the heart of this lineup for the next 15 years. We saw ourselves with an opportunity to be aggressive in building a future for this team. There are a couple of players that we felt we had a shot at if we could make a move to acquire the picks. It cost us big, but we feel it is going to pay off. There were some very tough decisions, unpopular decisions, made but in the end they will turn out to be the right decisions."

The roster is currently made up of the following players:

SP's- Clayton Richard, Justin Masterson, and Kevin Slowey
RP's- Evan Meek, Tyler Clippard, J.J. Putz, Brian Fuentes, and Kris Medlen
C- Ramon Castro
1B- Carlos Lee
2B- Howie Kendrick
SS- Jimmy Rollins
3B- Johnny Peralta
INF's- Jeff Keppinger, Mike Aviles
OF's- Dexter Fowler, Juan Pierre, Rajai Davis, Ryan Raburn, Aaron Cunningham

"As anyone can see from the roster, we definitely still have some work to do. We need to get some help for our rotation. We also need to find our full time catcher. Jimmy is getting older and we could use another youngster in the outfield. We also need to find a closer of the future. The first two picks in the draft should help us out tremendously and we may still have a couple of minor moves made once the draft starts."

Will there be more trades? Who is going to be drafted with those picks? As with all re-build's, there are still many unanswered questions. One thing can be said though, the management team decided to overhaul and boy did they go for it!!!

Aberdeen GM happy to be back

After leaving the baseball world for a year the previous Aberdeen GM took his skills to the happiest place on earth and endured a long year of a professional management internship at Hollywood Studios theme park. The experience was incredible, amazing people were met, THE mickey mouse joined him in dinner a few times and the summers were blazingly hot which fits his needs well. However, throughout those long hours was an empty feeling as if something was missing. That something, he now realizes, was the TBA League which Mr. Byrd has always held as one of his favorite leagues. The magical experience ended, and Jeremy returned back to Pennsylvania.

During his long train ride home, actually right as he was passing the beautiful city of Baltimore, Mr. Byrd realized that he would, once again, bring Aberdeen back to the TBA. Last week, this dream once again became reality.

Mr. Byrd quickly hired his staff even including a public relations department simply to keep the press up to date on the many trades that would come. This department will also be handling the task to rebuild the teams reputation for abandoning the city in hopes of rebuilding the relations it once enjoyed.

To ensure this relationship improves Mr. Byrd quickly announced his new staff:

President: Bill Ripken

Manager: Chris Hoiles

Bench Coach: Ben McDonald

Base Coaches: Mike Devereaux & Sam Horn

Pitching Coach: Gregg Olsen

Trainer: Brady Anderson

With the announce of the new staff Byrd and Ripken got down to business and started to dissect the team and began making moves immediately. Clearly the biggest problem with the team was the pitching staff and since the 'birds have added Ervin Santana, Joel Pineiro, Bud Norris, Armando Galaragga which will fight for rotation sports with Jason Vargas, JA Happ, and Brad Bergeson. Chris Narveson will be moved to the bullpen which he is reportedly very unhappy with.

C- Torrealba

1B- Morneau

2B- Pedroia

3B- C Jones

SS- A. Cabrera

LF- Rios

CF-

RF- Pence

Draft Wise, the 'Birds will pick 5th and 8th overall and then will enjoy a nice break until round 7!

"We are so very happy to be back and thank the commish for allowing us a return into one of the better and most active leagues around" said owner Jeremy Byrd.

Cuts expected around 11:58 PM EST.

Flurry of Trades Put New Look On Draft

Back in November, the Albert Pujols trade immediately sent shock waves throughout the league with Pujols and Colorado Springs quickly becoming the face of the off-season. Other trades that saw Washington re-loading with Tim Hudson, Andrew McCutchen going to San Antonio, Carl Crawford getting dealt once again, and Matt Holliday and Dan Uggla going for Shin-Soo Choo all became background noise to the Pujols deal.

Well maybe we were too quick to anoint this the Pujols off-season after-all.

In the past nine days twelve 1st round picks were traded that totally changed the face of this draft and the off-season alike. This doesn't even include the other three 1st round picks that were dealt in January for the likes of Johan Santana, Tim Lincecum, and Cole Hamels.

This has become the new story and quite possibly the more important one.

Passing on the opportunity to grab the most-heralded MLB rookie since Joe Mauer, the Mooseheads were able to bring in young outfielders Adam Jones and Jacoby Ellsbury while only moving down to the 4th spot in the draft AND adding the 11th overall pick.

Not only did this deal give Napa the first overall pick and the rights to Jason Heyward but it gave them the first two picks in the entire draft! Napa had added the second overall by dealing Lincecum away just four days earlier. 

Kansas City kept to their promise that Alex Avila is the catcher of the future and traded their 3rd overall pick to add Clay Buchholz to the top of their rotation. They would have been all but assured of either Buster Posey or Carlos Santana if they kept the pick.

Halifax saw an opportunity to take that 3rd spot to make sure they get the guy they want, swapping 3rd and 4th overall picks with Brighton while lefty reliever Hong-Chih Kuo heads to Brighton's bullpen.

Napa, apparently content with the first two picks of the draft, were more than willing to deal their original first rounder. They were able to turn that pick and infielder Clint Barmes and Cliff Pennington into three veteran infielders, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jimmy Rollins, and Carlos Pena.

Amidst all the action Helena was able to sneak a first round pick in from Nassau in exchange for Matt Garza.

Confused yet? All this came before trade happy owner Jeremy Byrd took over his second installment of the Aberdeen Iron Birds.

Byrd, owner of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th overall picks in last year's draft, took part in three different deals involving four 1st round picks.

His first move involved unloading three picks (including the 20th overall) over to who else but Napa. Napa sent back pitcher Ervin Santana and a first round pick of their own.

Just a day later Napa owner Eamonn Dymer sends the 20th pick back to Aberdeen along with the previously aquired Asdrubal Cabrera for Dexter Fowler, who predictably had joined the Aberdeen roster earlier this off-season when the team was still in Los Angeles.

Byrd really doesn't like that 20th overall pick though and once again it gets dealt for the third time in four days, this time for starting pitcher Joel Pineiro.

And so ends the off-season of the 1st round pick, or we are led to believe. With only hours left on the clock most teams have already submitted their 20-man rosters, un-officially ending their off-season.

A whole new landscape of the draft has been laid out. The TBA Blog will come out with a mock draft in the coming days, after having ripped up their completed but unpublished predicted top 10 picks just two weeks earlier.

How much will these trades affect the draft? Who knows for sure but hopefully all owners are satisfied with their trades and ready to advance to the next step of the off-season, the annual Rookie/Free Agent Draft.

But of course, among the five teams that still haven't yet submitted their rosters yet are Aberdeen and Napa. Perhaps another blockbuster or two are still on the way...

Brighton revamps team. Is it ready for battle?

Brighton took over the franchise last year and endured a long and painful season. Brighton management jettisoned many veterans and limped to the finish line just shy of 100 losses. The off season has been extremely active as well. No one remains from the original inherited team. With all of these moves, has Brighton become elite? Playoff contender? Is mediocrity on the agenda again. Lets take a look at what is:

C- This is the obvious weakness of the Brighton team. Russell Martin returns after suffering through an injury plagued and not very productive season. His throwing has improved slightly, but his defense has suffered. He still manages to get on base, but the power is lacking and his speed has decreased. After many failed attempts to acquire a frontline catcher, Brighton decided to get a defensive compliment to Martin in Humberto Quintero. Facts are facts and fact is that HQ couldn't hit out of a wet paper sack. He was brought in to keep baserunners honest. Neither player should by a home in the area as Brighton intends to solidfy this spot via draft or trade.

1B- This spot is set with team MVP Miguel Cabrera returning. His defense has improved and is an MVP candidate.

2B- Ian Kinsler will be the main 2B. While his power/speed is down, his OBP is elite and his defense is solid. Due to injuries, he will be spelled by Macier Izturis who can hold his own offensively and defensively.

SS- Stephen Drew provides exactly what Brighton loves out of his MI. Good D, good pop, good OBP. His name isn't as sexy as Hanley Ramirez or Derek Jeter, but he is a top quality SS who Brighton is happy to have.

3B- This position is a productive platoon. Ian Stewart will face right handers and has the pop and defense to do well. Casey Blake steps in vs. southpaws and does it very well. Blake will occasionally spell Cabrera at 1B.

LF- The well traveled Carl Crawford steps in and gives Brighton something it has never had.....I legit stolen base threat who can also get on base. That isn't his only talent. His steller defense in LF is a welcome addition.

CF- Last years top draft pick Colby Rasmus returns as the every day CF. Per Brighton requirements, he is solid defensively and gets on base at a good clip. The power is there as well. Once the K's are under control, Brighton will be set for years in CF.

RF- Korean import Shin Soo-Choo was acquired to provide offensive support to the team. His OBP, power, speed, and arm make him a multi-faceted threat and round out a solid OF.

4th OF- Coco Crisp will provide quality AB's vs. LHP relieving all OF at some point. He hist lefties well, runs like the wind, and can catche the ball as well.

SP- Brightons first ever trade brought in its ace pitcher in Jon lester. He was the lone bright spot on a poor Brighton staff last year and will once again be expected to lead the way. Management didn't want Lester to be alone this year so Cole Hamels and Max Scherzer were brought in to fill the #2 and #3 slots. Lefties fare well in the stadium and Scherzer hopes to build upon his solid 2nd half. John Lackey had a poor season, but his 200+ IP will be more than adequate to fill the #5 slot. Management hopes for a rebound.

RP- The hodgepodge of Rodney, Madsen, Troncoso, Rauch were all jettisoned and Joakim Soria was brought in to close the door. He is a top 5 closer and also very consistant. Bridging the gap in the 6-7-8 innings will be lefty Matt Thornton who can also close. RHP Darren O'Day and Matt Guerrier will also be heavily relied upon to get this team to the 9th.

Draft- Brighton traded off a young SP in Buchholz in order to trade into the #3 position and is looking for a building block. Final decisions have yet to be made, but rest assures, this pick will play a pivotal role in the future of this franchise. Brighton has also accumulated 2 second round picks and 3 thrid rounders to help build pitching depth and maybe grab a prospect or 2.


Brighton has high hopes for the season. Management realizes that the evil empire is in it's path and acknowldeges that the Washington franchise is the team to beat. However, the wild card is wide open and management has served notice that it will no longer be the patsy, will no longer roll over, and if you look past them, you may just end up with an L next tou your name in the box score.