Louisville Legend 1.02 - Pitching Pickups
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 9:48 pm
By Josh Raleigh, unofficial blogger of the Louisville Sluggers
Major moves in Louisville for a team (and fans) desperate for pitching help for a staff that ranked last in the MBBA with a team ERA of 5.68. They fared at or near the bottom of the league in nearly every other pitching category as well. Louisville has brought in 3 new arms, let 2 walk, and resigned another as the Sluggers capped an active first few weeks of the offseason with their biggest move yet.
At a press conference yesterday, General Manager Rob Starke announced the signing of starting pitcher Mike Rebhan, formerly of the Phoenix Talons. The 31 year old was signed to a 5 year deal worth $27,520,00 to hopefully provide an anchor to the rotation for years to come. Rebhan brings a solid reputation as a consistent starter with excellent control. While he may not be the ace that fans have clamored for, he has posted 14 wins each of the last 2 years and a sub 4.00 ERA as well.
"Mike is a great veteran pitcher, a guy we can pencil in every 5th day and not worry about it for a second," Starke said.
Also announced at the press conference was the addition of starter Ray Weighill. Weighill agreed to a 2 year deal worth $1.2 million a season. Coming off of a tough season for Greenville which saw an ugly 5.33 ERA and 1.55 WHIP en route to a 6-11 record, Weighill is one year removed from a solid 2000 season where he went 15-6 with a 3.84 WHIP. He is expected to compete for a spot in the back of the rotation for the Sluggers, and hopefully replace departed starter Scott Piippo who was not offered a contract from the team and promptly signed with Omaha.
Earlier in the week, the new front office also showed an ability to tap into the international market by signing reliever Jiao-long Lam out of the Taiwanese league. Lam projects as a middle reliever with plus movement and stuff, however will be a 32 year old rookie this year.
In a brief statement, it was also confirmed that the team had resigned pitcher Ramon Cisneros and let go of pitcher Candy Kanaio who had made 76 starts for the club in the last 3 years.
Major moves in Louisville for a team (and fans) desperate for pitching help for a staff that ranked last in the MBBA with a team ERA of 5.68. They fared at or near the bottom of the league in nearly every other pitching category as well. Louisville has brought in 3 new arms, let 2 walk, and resigned another as the Sluggers capped an active first few weeks of the offseason with their biggest move yet.
At a press conference yesterday, General Manager Rob Starke announced the signing of starting pitcher Mike Rebhan, formerly of the Phoenix Talons. The 31 year old was signed to a 5 year deal worth $27,520,00 to hopefully provide an anchor to the rotation for years to come. Rebhan brings a solid reputation as a consistent starter with excellent control. While he may not be the ace that fans have clamored for, he has posted 14 wins each of the last 2 years and a sub 4.00 ERA as well.
"Mike is a great veteran pitcher, a guy we can pencil in every 5th day and not worry about it for a second," Starke said.
Also announced at the press conference was the addition of starter Ray Weighill. Weighill agreed to a 2 year deal worth $1.2 million a season. Coming off of a tough season for Greenville which saw an ugly 5.33 ERA and 1.55 WHIP en route to a 6-11 record, Weighill is one year removed from a solid 2000 season where he went 15-6 with a 3.84 WHIP. He is expected to compete for a spot in the back of the rotation for the Sluggers, and hopefully replace departed starter Scott Piippo who was not offered a contract from the team and promptly signed with Omaha.
Earlier in the week, the new front office also showed an ability to tap into the international market by signing reliever Jiao-long Lam out of the Taiwanese league. Lam projects as a middle reliever with plus movement and stuff, however will be a 32 year old rookie this year.
In a brief statement, it was also confirmed that the team had resigned pitcher Ramon Cisneros and let go of pitcher Candy Kanaio who had made 76 starts for the club in the last 3 years.