09.05: OMA SPs Rife w/ 1st Round Pedigree of Varying Success

[agrudez]

’02 #2 overall: Clarence Murray
Murray was drafted out of college where he posted an impressive stretch of 3 straight seasons under a 2.75 ERA (including a 2.05 ERA in his senior year) with a (rare for a draftee) guaranteed ML contract. Once selected, the right-hander rocketed through Chicago’s system, reaching AAA at age 23 and the majors at age 25. In his rookie season, Murray posted an astounding 171 ERA+ in 215 IP in the MBBA, solidifying himself as one of the brightest young stars in the league – well worth his draft position and drafting team’s investment.

As quickly as he had found himself on top of the world; however, he found himself on the bottom… posting miserably ERA+’s of 91 and 86 in his sophomore and junior seasons in the majors. By the ’08 season (while throwing a 105 ERA+), Chicago had seen enough from, arguably, the most disappointing prospect in their team history – sending him to the Barnstormers midseason. In the second half of the ’08 season, the biting Nebraska air seemed to re-invigorate the now 29 year old hurler, as he finished his shortened campaign in Omaha with a 117 ERA+ in 17 starts. While Barnstormer nation attempts to contain their wildest fantasies (that Murray ‘figures it out’ once more and returns to his ace form of ’05), the more rationale amongst them recognize Murray as a respectable #3/4 heading into the ’09 season.

’01 #4 overall: Luis Luna
Luna had only spent one (struggling) season in HS (where he posted a 5.66 ERA in 9 starts) before being selected by Chicago as the 4th overall player taken in the 2001 amateur draft. While his pedigree certainly did not warrant being selected at such a position, Luna was the definition of a ‘toolsy’ arm – and scouts league wide salivated at the thought of selecting this hard-throwing Southpaw with his naturally sinking stuff. Before he could even sign an apartment lease; however, Luna was traded to Greenville during the ’01 offseason and again moved, this time on to Las Vegas, midseason of ’04.

While he had been given cups of coffee in both ’03 and ’04, Luna’s first true taste of the majors didn’t come until ’05, where he played the role of #6/LR for LV, posting a 3.38 ERA in 85.1 IP and earning the right to appear in the defending champ’s opening day rotation in ’06 – where he didn’t disappoint. By the end of that campaign, Luna had compiled a 16-5 record and 117 ERA+ in 31 starts, earning a trip to the ASG in the process. After being dog-housed early in ’07, Luna found himself traded once again to Omaha before the start of the ’08 season. Given another chance to prove himself a starter, Luna again did not disappoint – compiling an almost identical ERA and WHIP as in ’06 while capturing a 2nd ASG honor as the Barnstormers’ ace of the present – and future.

’07 #4 overall: Allen Kennedy
After an impressive collegiate career (rivaling that of Murray’s – with a 1.49 ERA in his senior season), Kennedy was drafted by Carolina and found himself already in AAA by the end of the season (with a 2.28 ERA in 4 starts). Anxious to see what they had in their 4th overall pick, Kennedy was thrust into the Kraken rotation to start the ’08 season, but quickly pulled back to AAA after a mere 2 starts. With confidence shaken (in both player and management), Kennedy found himself traded to Omaha midseason – where he struggled mightily both in AAA (10 starts, 6.91 ERA) and the majors (4 starts, 8.24 ERA). Entering the ’08 season, Barnstormer brass has already assured both Kennedy and the fanbase that their top prospect will begin (and most likely end) the ’09 season in AAA – granting all parties involved a respite from the insanity of the 23 year old’s ’08 season. Still, as one of the top pitching prospects in the league no doubt expectations will begin to ramp up once more, particularly if he repeats his ’07 AAA performance to kick off the year.

’97 #5 overall: Vicente Martinez
After posting a .54 ERA in 13 starts at age 18 in HS, few were surprised when the young Martinez’s name was called 5th overall by the Des Moines Kernels. By age 21 the right-hander was knocking on the door of AAA and was eventually traded to the Barnstormers midseason. Over the next 3 seasons, Omaha gave Martinez varying sizes of coffee cupfuls of the majors; however, his first full season wasn’t until the ’03 season where he posted a 124 ERA+ in 34 starts. Through his career thus far, Martinez has compiled a 116 ERA+ and 83-61 record in 199 starts – making him the grizzled veteran ace (at 30 years old) of the Omaha staff. Heading into the ’09 season, though, questions still remain about the right-handers ability to fully return to his ’03-’07 form after a disappointing ’08 campaign returning from elbow surgery in 8/07.

’08 #8 overall: Tomas Hill
Drafted after his junior year in college, Hill quickly began to receive criticism for his work ethic; however, he quickly set to work silencing those whom would question him by posting an impressive 184 ERA+ in 10 starts in AA. Then, the 22 year old went a step further and allowed Barnstormer brass to enroll him in a special offseason training regiment to both increase his athleticism and teach him how to work both harder and smarter during his path to the majors. Hill now can look forward to the ’09 season, where he is expected to start in AAA; however, with a solid enough showing there it may not be where he ends.

’97 #14 overall: Mathew Krieger
After a .99 ERA in his only season pitching in HS, Krieger was a hot commodity in the ’97 amateur draft scooped up by Las Vegas. After 2 seasons in the Hustlers’ system, Krieger found himself traded to Omaha in the ’99 season where he quickly found himself reaching the club’s AAA squad at the tender age of 20. For the next 3 seasons, Krieger sleep-walked through AAA batters, posting a 122, 119 and 140 ERA+ respectively at ages 21, 22 and 23. By the start of the ’03 season, the then 24 year old righty finally got his chance to prove his mettle in the majors. After 19 disappointing starts (6.06 ERA, 5-8 record); however, the Barnstormers pulld him back to AAA, where he spent the next 1.5 seasons continuing to sleep-walk through lesser competition (191 and 134 ERA+).

Finally, once again, Krieger got the call to the majors to start the ’05 season. In split time between then bullpen and rotation, the 26 year old posted a respectable 105 ERA, which he then duplicated the next season as well. In the past 2 seasons; however, he posted a 89 and 78 ERA+ respectively and has struggled to define himself as either a starter or reliever. For the start of the ’09 season; however, reports are that Krieger will get another chance (perhaps his last before Kennedy and Hill mature and forever supplant him in Omaha) to solidify a back of the rotation slot.

’07 #14 overall: Charles Brannigan
Drafted out of college by the Barnstormers (after posting a 2.82 ERA in his senior year), the young Southpaw inherited lofty expectations – mostly stemming from a rampant lack of pitching talent at any level in the organization. Despite posting respectable numbers in his young minor league career thus far; however, the 23 year old seems to have been smothered by his role as savior, with reports coming in that his already questionable control had begun to take further hits. This offseason presented a bright spot, though, for the still young lefty, as Omaha decided to invest in hiring a personal pitching instructor to teach Brannigan. That, coupled with his being passed up by Kennedy and Hill (and even Caro, by some) should help the Southpaw simplify his game – and if all things go right, he still has the electric stuff that could easily translate to him ‘figuring it out’.

’07 #40 overall Manny Caro (Caro was actually a 2nd round pick, but he was the first pick, cut the kid some slack!)
Drafted by Chicago just days after his HS graduation, Caro found himself the next season (some say) as the lynchpin of the trade mentioned above that brought Murray to Omaha. After posting a 2.65 FIP in A at age 20, the right-hander has developed considerable interest league wide, but the Barnstormers have been hesitant to give up on the chance to see what he can become.

[felipe]

I was circling around Murray for quite a while before you pulled the trigger on acquiring him!

I really like him, I hope he fills out that potential!

[agrudez]

I was circling around Murray for quite a while before you pulled the trigger on acquiring him!

Oh yeah? I remember Kestu did everything he could barring hypnosis to replace Caro (whom I was actually arguably more interested in acquiring than Murray) with a different prospect in that deal. IIRC, it was actually dead in the water at least once, too bad I just cleaned out my PM box and can't check.

I really like him, I hope he fills out that potential!

I think he is very equivalent to Gavin Floyd at the moment. The Phillies couldn't stop expecting him to become an ace (after being drafted as one) and he struggled, but once he got to a place (Chicago) that saw him for what he was (a #4 that can sometimes play up as a #3) he started to round into form and become consistent. We'll see how the analogy holds up next season, though, haha.

[Manny]

Great write up, looks like you're building up a nice little roster

[7teen]

Great write up, looks like you're building up a nice little roster

Too bad you need a great big roster to compete with Madison!

[agrudez]

Great write up, looks like you're building up a nice little roster

Too bad you need a great big roster to compete with Madison!

Only until the team bus stops in a retirement community. The sound of bingo in the distance will be too much for half of your roster to ignore.

[7teen]

Great write up, looks like you're building up a nice little roster

Too bad you need a great big roster to compete with Madison!

Only until the team bus stops in a retirement community. The sound of bingo in the distance will be too much for half of your roster to ignore.

I'm hoping I have a 3-5 year window still left with Puckett and Kengos. After that, it could get real ugly for Madison.

[kestu]

I was circling around Murray for quite a while before you pulled the trigger on acquiring him!

Oh yeah? I remember Kestu did everything he could barring hypnosis to replace Caro (whom I was actually arguably more interested in acquiring than Murray) with a different prospect in that deal. IIRC, it was actually dead in the water at least once, too bad I just cleaned out my PM box and can't check.

Yeah - the deal almost died a couple times I believe - was thrilled to get Torres out of that deal.