Time to play catch up so here's a mega-long version of The Call-Up!
Claude Michaud RHP Twin Cities River MonstersAge: 23
Height: 6'2" Weight: 205
Nationality: Canadian
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 4, Pick 16, 115th overall pick) by the Twin Cities River Monsters.
POT: 12/8/3 PIT: FB (11), CB (9) VEL: 98-100 STA: 8 TYPE: EX GB
Personality: He is intelligent on and off the field.
He was on fire in AAA, saving 12 games in 15 appearances with a 1.69 ERA. Obviously the stuff and movement will play and the control is going to be the difference in his career. He was averaging about 4.5 walks per nine during his time in AAA (between this year and last) and if he can sustain that at the big league level he'll be a force.
Victorio Contreras LHP Madison WolvesAge: 22
Height: 6'3" Weight: 200
Nationality: Dominican
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 9, Pick 22, 261st overall pick) by the Madison Wolves.
POT: 5/6/4 PIT: CUT (8), SIN (7), CU (1) VEL: 97-99 STA: 8 TYPE: EX GB
Personality: Contreras puts in long hours.
His ceiling doesn't move the needle at all, but his performance this year in AAA (19 G, 1.83 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) was enough to get him a look at the big league level. Surprisingly, though, the Wolves decided to use him as an opener- not a bad idea in concept but the results were predictably horrendous (3 GS, 4 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6.75 ERA, 3.50 WHIP). Yuck.
Jose Ortega 1B Des Moines KernelsAge: 21
Bats: L Throws: L
Height: 6'6" Weight: 220
Nationality: Dominican
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 13, Pick 7, 358th overall pick) by the Des Moines Kernels.
POT: 6/7/6/5/6
Personality: Plain-spoken, even blunt.
Ortega has hit everywhere he's played throughout his high school and minor league career. He was absolutely destroying AAA pitching this year and deserved a shot. He's your classic lefty bat who can't play a lick of defense, and that's just fine. In the early going the bat has translated to the big league level, however without the home run power. Again, I doubt Ed is complaining about a .841 OPS from a 13th round pick.
Alberto Rivera 1B Charm City JimmiesAge: 21
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6'4" Weight: 210
Nationality: Guatemalan
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 3, Pick 21, 88th overall pick) by the Charm City Jimmies.
POT: 6/6/7/7/6
Personality: Not a bad teammate.
He's like the opposite of Ortega. A higher draft choice, from a storied High School pedigree as a high performer, with FOUR Florida Prospect League seasons already under his belt, a good teammate, a good fielding first baseman, and......RIGHTY. Too bad. HE can hit lefties a little, but has yet to collect his first BBA hit against a RHP.
Ghi-cheng Kum RHP Des Moines Kernels
Age: 23
Height: 6'10" Weight: 225
Nationality: Taiwanese
Acquired: 04/17/2032-Signed a minor league contract with the Des Moines Kernels organization.
POT: 6/5/6 PIT: FB (8), CU (7), SPL (8) VEL: 97-99 STA: 6 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: He has great knowledge of the game.
I for one find Kum extremely interesting as a test subject. Can a guy with three outstanding pitches and good velocity overcome a perceived lack of core ratings? The journey is interesting as well, from an undrafted college free agent working his way through seven seasons in the minors and finally earning a shot at the big leagues. How unlikely was it for this guy to be in the majors, much less being highly successful as a starting pitcher? And not only all that, the dude is 6 foot ten!!! Just for the story, I hope it lasts.
Vincent "Volt" Vanderhugen 1B Seattle StormAge: 21
Bats: S Throws: R
Height: 6'3" Weight: 190
Nationality: Canadian
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 13, 13th overall pick) by the Seattle Storm.
POT: 8/9/7/6/7
Personality: Vanderhugen has good leadership skills.
Another ballyhooed prospect with bloodlines who seems like a sure thing. Most Storm fans thought he'd be their right fielder of the future, which would have brought enough pressure, but now he's the guy who has to be the Storm first baseman AFTER Juan Escobar. No pressure, rookie. Early returns are encouraging, despite his low average he's made up for it with walks and power. Future looks good for this second-gen BBA'er.
Thomas Rodriguez RHP Valencia StarsAge: 21
Height: 6'2" Weight: 180
Nationality: Puerto Rican
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 2, Pick 2, 36th overall pick) by the Valencia Stars.
POT: 7/6/6 PIT: FB (8), SLI (6), CB (7), CU (8) VEL: 95-97 STA: 7 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: Rodríguez has very little loyalty and has very little hustle.
A starter his entire professional career, Rodriguez was called up as a relief arm and after faring badly in two appearances is now back in AAA. He is unlikely to be a starter long term because he simply can't get lefties out. ROOGY, anyone? Also might benefit from a RP conversion.
Luis "Viper" Gonzalez RHP Omaha HawksAge: 22
Height: 6'0" Weight: 170
Nationality: Costa Rican
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 8, Pick 8, 219th overall pick) by the Omaha Hawks.
POT: 7/6/3 PIT: CB (6), CU (10), CUT (6) VEL: 96-98 STA: 8 TYPE: GB
Personality: Solid teammate, likeable.
At first glance he looks like an organizational guy. But that 10 changeup has me intrigued, despite his control issues. Already back to AAA, but there's a slight chance he could be an ok reliever for a while.
Wilson Ford CF Long Beach SurfersBats: L Throws: L
Age: 21
Height: 6'0 Weight: 179
Nationality: American
Acquired: Drafted in the 2036 first-year player draft (Supplemental Round 2, Pick 3, 80th overall pick) by the Long Beach Surfers.
POT: 6/6/2/5/7
Personality: Forms tentative opinions, reserving judgment.
Here's another player who may not look like much at first glance, but dig a little deeper and you'll see there's a big leaguer here. Ford is a lefty bat with decent ball-in-play skills but no power. His calling card is his premier center field defense. With that defense the bat can and will play in the BBA.
Jim Armstrong RHP New Orleans CrawdadsAge: 21
Height: 6'1" Weight: 175
Nationality: Puerto Rican
Acquired: 06/24/2036- Was traded by the Rockville Pikemen to the New Orleans Crawdads, along with SP André Georges, 2B Valeri Kharlamov, SP Pedro Méndez, in exchange for SP Dave Martin, RF Arthur Norris.
POT: 12/6/6 PIT: FB (11), CB (11), CU (10) VEL: 99-101 STA: 6 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: Armstrong never shows any lack of effort.
So everyone knows the story here. Yes, Armstrong should have been in the big leagues a long time ago. Some people are OUTRAGED that it took this long to bring him up, just to preserve more service time. But those decisions don't come without potential consequences, and in this case there were some for New Orleans as Armstrong's control lumped while he was probably mad as hell to still be in the minors. He should still be a pretty good one, and now we can finally find out just how good.
Jose "Frankenstein" Rangel RHP Nashville GoatsAge: 22
Height: 6'5" Weight: 195
Nationality: Panamanian
Acquired: 07/14/2037- Was traded by the California Crusaders to the Nashville Goats, along with SP Heinrich Peithner, SP Knud Zeitler, RP Arturo Ornelas, in exchange for 1B Luis Galindo, RP Ronald Stewart, RF David Simpson, SP Miguel Ayala.
POT: 8/5/5 PIT: SLI (7), CU (8), CUT (8) VEL: 98-100 STA: 6 TYPE: GB
Personality: Good-natured with a zest for life.
If you're Nashville you were really hoping for him to be a BBA starting pitcher. Doesn't look like that's going to be the case, but credit to Brett here for realizing relief will be his quickest path to the BBA and going with it. Rangel might still be a disappointment for a prospect of his caliber but has a really good chance to be a key reliever.
Tommy Cochran 1B Huntsville PhantomsBats: R Throws: R
Age: 21
Height: 6'2" Weight: 200
Nationality: Canadian
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 4, 4th overall pick) by the Huntsville Phantoms.
POT: 9/9/9/5/7
Personality: He has a good head on his shoulders.
He's a prototypical right handed slugger- something Huntsville's previous GM despised, yet somehow drafted him 4th overall anyway. He appeared in just one game, walking in his only plate appearance before spraining his ankle and landing on the DL. New GM Vic Caleca should be happy to have him. After all, if nothing else you can trade him to Calgary!
Jose Jaramillo 3B Des Moines KernelsBats: R Throws: R
Age: 21
Height: 6'3" Weight: 190
Nationality: Nicaraguan
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 3, Pick 7, 74th overall pick) by the Des Moines Kernels.
POT: 4/6/7/3/6
Personality: Not the life of the party.
He's a premier defensive third baseman who has hit some homers in the upper levels of the minors. I just don't see him hitting enough to be a factor in the BBA long term.
Teegan Nyland C Nashville GoatsBats: R Throws: R
Age: 22
Height: 6'2" Weight: 185
Nationality: Irish
Acquired: 07/01/2036- Was traded by the Huntsville Phantoms to the Nashville Goats, along with LF Ignacio Castillo, RP Trystão Bolo, in exchange for SP Erhard Linder, SP Esteban Ortíz.
POT: 4/7/5/6/5
Personality: Nyland often shows a lack of effort and is unthinking.
Other than his bad intangibles, Nyland is the definition of a backup catcher. Righty bat with some pop, better against LHP, with good skills behind the dish and a borderline premier throwing arm. He'll be one of these guys who stick around for a decade in anonymity.
Jay "Flash" Garrick SS Seattle StormBats: S Throws: R
Age: 21
Height: 6'3" Weight: 190
Nationality: American
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 4, Pick 13, 112nd overall pick) by the Seattle Storm.
POT: 5/6/5/6/3
Personality: He is an extremely hard worker.
Garrick is a prospect who is destined to frustrate his GM. You see that elite defense, and then Raider-like speed and think to yourself "I've got a player here!" So you call him up and put him into your lineup. 54 at-bats later he's batting .148 and you're wondering what you were thinking to even call him up in the first place. But don't worry, because his two tantalizing skills will continue to intrigue the league, no doubt.
Valke Kiene RHP San Fernando BearsAge: 22
Height: 6'0" Weight: 175
Nationality: Aruban
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 10, Pick 17, 284th overall pick) by the Havana Sugar Kings.
POT: 7/4/6 PIT: FB (7), CB (10), CU (1) VEL: 91-93 STA: 6 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: Fishes in the offseason.
Always nice to see a 10th rounder make it to the big leagues. He acquitted himself nicely as he moved through the minors and though his movement isn't ideal, it's easy to see him sticking around for a while.
Mezyan Bile LHP San Fernando BearsAge: 24
Height: 6'0" Weight: 170
Nationality: Ivorian
Acquired: Drafted in the 2031 first-year player draft (Round 8, Pick 7, 220th overall pick) by the Havana Sugar Kings.
POT: 4/6/5 PIT: FB (7), SPL (6) VEL: 90-92 STA: 3 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: A good head on his shoulders.
A nice story- making it to the big leagues in his eighth year with the organization and all. He's never been a big "stuff" guy, relying instead on a combination of movement and control (or smoke and mirrors, if you prefer). He isn't the type of pitcher that Randy normally employs, but the results don't lie. He's simply gotten batters out at every level of the minors and been extremely consistent in doing so.
Jim Fox C San Fernando BearsBats: R Throws: R
Age: 25
Height: 5'9" Weight: 200
Nationality: American
Acquired: 04/02/2035- Signed a 1-year minor league contract
POT: 4/7/3/4/5
Personality: What you see is what you get.
The personality blurb sums it up nicely. Nothing to see here.
Tim Saslove LHP Omaha HawksAge: 20
Height: 6'9" Weight: 220
Nationality: Canadian
Acquired: Drafted in the 2038 first-year player draft (Round 9, Pick 26, 292nd overall pick) by the Omaha Hawks.
POT: 5/4/6 PIT: FB (6), SL (7), CB (7), CU (7), FK (6) VEL: 90-92 STA: 9 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: Other players look up to Saslove.
Just a couple weeks after being drafted, Saslove was called up by Omaha to make a spot start. He's interesting because he's left-handed and does have the interesting five pitch arsenal. Still he's a high floor, low-low ceiling kind of guy. Pretty neat that he got called up so quickly.
Akihisa Oka LHP Boise SpudsAge: 26
Height: 6'1" Weight: 190
Nationality: Japanese
Acquired: 04/09/2037- Signed a minor league contract with the Boise Spuds organization.
POT: 5/8/4 PIT: FB (9), SL (7), CU (7) VEL: 97-99 STA: 6 TYPE: EX GB
Personality: Akihisa is a good teammate who never misses a chance to golf.
There's a place for a guy like this in the big leagues, but it's clearly not as a starting pitcher. Really good candidate for a RP conversion to then be used as a LOOGY.
Alberto Alberro RF Rockville PikemenBats: S Throws: R
Age: 22
Height: 6'3" Weight: 190
Nationality: Mexican
Acquired: Drafted in the 2035 first-year player draft (Round 11, Pick 20, 339th overall pick) by the Rockville Pikemen.
POT: 4/4/5/6/4
Personality: Alberro is not loyal to the team and has very little hustle.
It's tough to establish yourself as a long term big leaguer when your only plus tool is defense and you're not positionally flexible because you haven't ever played anywhere but right field. Add to that no speed and really bad intangibles and you've summed up this guy.
Jorge Reyes 3B Rockville PikemenBats: L Throws: R
Age: 21
Height: 6'3" Weight: 195
Nationality: Chilean
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 4, Pick 10, 109th overall pick) by the Rockville Pikemen.
POT: 6/6/2/5/7
Personality: Reyes lacks drive and is thick-headed.
Another bad personality guy who is a bench guy at best. Reyes has more to offer than Alberro and that's an understatement. At least he's a lefty bat with some ball in play skills and great speed. Another elite defender at third base and good enough at shortstop, but once again I wonder why he hasn't ever gotten exposure to second base where he'd be elite.
Ramon Sanchez RHP San Antonio OutlawsAge: 21
Height: 6'5" Weight: 195
Nationality: Mexican
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 10, Pick 12, 279th overall pick) by the San Antonio Outlaws.
POT: 9/7/7 PIT: FB (9), CB (9), CU (10) VEL: 94-96 STA: 6 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: He puts in long hours.
A really nice prospect here in Sanchez, and a long-term bumper at that! After pitching well at AAA the second half of this year and the beginning of this season, the Outlaws decided to bring him up to the BBA but as a reliever. In fact, he's serving in a high-leverage setup role- and thriving! If (and of course it's a BIG if) that changeup should ever fill out he could be a frontline starter. For now, Mike has to be thrilled with what he's become.
Ismael Rivera LHP Huntsville PhantomsAge: 21
Height: 6'3" Weight: 195
Nationality: Nicaraguan
Acquired: 07/28/2037- Was traded by the Charm City Jimmies to the Huntsville Phantoms, along with C Luis Miguel Carrillo, in exchange for RF Adam Parrish.
POT: 4/7/5 PIT: FB (8), SL (6), CC (6) VEL: 95-97 STA: 7 TYPE: GB
Personality: You won't find him in the middle of the clubhouse card games, but he won't cause any problems, either.
Huntsville has always kept a thin minor league system and sometimes that comes up to bite them. Rivera is an overachiever and probably miscast as a big league SP, but perhaps he could fill a bullpen slot. He's kind of a warm body.
Luis Lucero 3B California CrusadersBats: S Throws: R
Age: 20
Height: 6'1" Weight: 185
Nationality: American
Acquired: Drafted in the 2036 first-year player draft (Round 2, Pick 32, 73rd overall pick) by the California Crusaders.
POT: 6/7/7/5/6
Personality: Focused, but frustrates easily.
SHINO ("Switch Hitter In Name Only") who can hit righties with some pop but keep him away from lefties. Great glove at third base. While he "frustrates easily" I'm sure his GM is frustrated with his .130 average.
Alejandro Lopez RHP Phoenix TalonsAge: 21
Height: 6'5" Weight: 185
Nationality: Costa Rican
Acquired: Drafted in the 2034 first-year player draft (Round 5, Pick 5, 132nd overall pick) by the Phoenix Talons.
POT: 9/7/5 PIT: FB (9), SL (9), CB (9) VEL: 96-98 STA: 9 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: Doesn't demand a lot of attention and often goes unnoticed.
Lopez is a nice looking prospect who may be able to start games for Phoenix long term but at minimum should be a good reliever. Unfortunately none of his three potentially great pitches have developed yet and therefore he's getting lit up a bit at the BBA level. Too soon, Sean!
Bryan Sykes LHP Charm City JimmiesAge: 24
Height: 6'0" Weight: 190
Nationality: American
Acquired: Drafted in the 2033 first-year player draft (Round 5, Pick 21, 158th overall pick) by the Charm City Jimmies.
POT: 6/5/4 PIT: FB (6), SL (5), CU (2), CUT (7), FK (7) VEL: 91-93 STA: 11 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: Sykes puts in long hours.
I enjoy deep rebuilds. I really do. Why? Because you can see under the radar guys emerge and surprise the hell out of you. Sykes is the type of player that really makes you question the whole ratings vs stats thought process. He's ALWAYS pitched well. Every year, every level. Now here he is at the BBA, and has already made three starts (two of them effective). Another thought- how much better are starters with five plus pitches? They always seem to outperform their core ratings- maybe it's just my perception and not reality.
Po-sin Shi CF California Crusaders
Bats: L Throws: R
Age: 22
Height: 6'1" Weight: 185
Nationality: Canadian
Acquired: 07/08/2038- Was traded by the Brooklyn Robins to the California Crusaders in exchange for 3B Nico Eijpe, RP Carlos Ramírez, SP Félix Rodríguez, SP Ricardo Galindo.
POT: 6/6/4/7/8
Personality: Always gives an honest effort each day.
Drafted just two years ago, he's already on his third organzation. You always wonder about that, kind of like the chicken or the egg question- Is he getting traded all the time because there's something wrong with him, or because he's that much in demand? With Shi it's a little of both, but it seems different with this time around. Ted clearly loves this guy. He was immediately brought up to the BBA and handed the strong half of the Crusaders center field job. He's an ok hitter against RHP, what really stands out his his premier eye. As Moneyball taught us, it's smart to find the undervalued skills and grab them when they're cheap. OBP is certainly one of the undervalued skills right now, which is also strange because players like this are few and far in between. That said, Shi is by no means a star player. He's a decent platoon guy who would be best served as a super-utility player but should do fine in his current role.
Emilio Lugo 1B Huntsville Phantoms
Bats: L Throws: L
Age: 21
Height: 6'7" Weight: 230
Nationality: Venezuelan
Acquired: 07/14/2037- Was traded by the Madison Wolves to the Huntsville Phantoms, along with SP David Bates, in exchange for SP Esteban Sánchez, RP Rafael Suárez.
POT: 7/8/6/5/7
Personality: Doesn't demand a lot of attention and often goes unnoticed.
If Cochran was the non-typical Phantoms batter, Lugo is darn near the prototype. With nothing left to prove at the AAA level, Lugo got the call and right out of the gates has started strong (.290/.405/.500). He's a straight DH- absolutely no defensive skills whatsoever. And that's perfectly fine because his bat will provide value.
Larry Good LHP Brooklyn Robins
Age: 21
Height: 6'5" Weight: 180
Nationality: American
Acquired: 11/07/2037- Was traded by the Edmonton Jackrabbits to the Brooklyn Robins, along with RP Pjotr Eland, SP Juan Rodríguez, RP Ivan Meerkerk, CF Po-sin Shi, $1, in exchange for 1B Fernando Cruz, SP Francisco Ruíz.
POT: 9/6/6 PIT: FB (9), SL (10), CU (1) VEL: 92-94 VEL: 4 TYPE: GB
Personality: Good has great knowledge of the game.
Well, looky here! It's the second coming of Andy Cantrell! Good has been as his name advertised as a key reliever throughout his minor league ascent, and Brooklyn brought him up and placed him in their stopper role. Ironically, he's been far tougher on righties than on lefties thus far, but either way, the results are promising.
Luke Lasalle RHP Brooklyn Robins
Age: 23
Height: 6'3" Weight: 185
Nationality: American
Acquired: Drafted in the 2033 first-year player draft (Round 12, Pick 12, 345th overall pick) by the Brooklyn Robins.
POT: 7/5/3 PIT: FB (9), CB (9), CU (3), CUT (8) VEL: 97-99 STA: 4 TYPE: Neutral
Personality: He has a good head on his shoulders.
Back in 2031 Lasalle won the Fox Mulder Award in college and it looked like this chip might be right off the old block (Hall of Famer Larry Lasalle is his father). Then he suddenly lost his feel and as a result, his control. Despite that the Robins drafted him as a legacy pick. His control hasn't ever come back in the eyes of scouts, but again (stop me if I sound like a broken record) he has annually out-performed his ratings. That coupled with a rebuilding year in Brooklyn led to his call-up, which seemed like a publicity stunt or a nice story at best. Instead, Lasalle keeps doing what he's done throughout his entire professional career, just get the job done. Through his first five starts, he's 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA. Not bad, kid.
Raul Alilea 2B Las Vegas Hustlers
Bats: R Throws: R
Age: 20
Height: 6'0" Weight: 165
Nationality: Puerto Rican
Acquired: Drafted in the 2035 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 27, 27th overall pick) by the Las Vegas Hustlers.
POT: 6/8/5/5/6
Personality: Alilea is considered one of the team leaders, is an extremely hard worker, and is intelligent on and off the field. He is well-respected by his teammates.
Here's what I posted about him after we drafted him:
Off Topic
Book smarts, people skills, and hard work define Alilea. He rates high as a Leader, in Work Ethic and in Intelligence and low in Greed. He has some strikes against him, though. First, he's a right-handed hitter, and one without top notch power. This means that his success or failure will probably lie in his ability to stick at second base, where the Hustlers plan to play him and hope he develops there.
Manny Cleide CF Huntsville Phantoms
Bats: L Throws: L
Age: 22
Height: 6'1" Weight: 185
Nationality: American
Acquired: Drafted in the 2036 first-year player draft (Round 4, Pick 9, 132nd overall pick) by the Huntsville Phantoms.
POT: 6/7/4/5/6
Personality: Shows up on time.
I consider Cleide to be a slightly different version of California's Shi. He won't draw the walks but he's a far superior defensive player and can cause disruption on the basepaths. Like Shi, he didn't hit at first. Unlike Shi, he was sent down to the minors. Don't worry, he'll be back.
