RP Masruq bin Ihsan
SP Merrill Bonar
If Hector Davila
C Gabriel Herrera
bin Ihsan was a Rule 5 selection who played well in his rookie season, going 3-3 with 3 saves and a 3.98 ERA in 2061 in 39 games and 61 innings pitched. But he struggled to a 6.26 ERA at Silver Springs in 2062 then followed it up with a 6.88 ERA in Indianapolis later last year.
Bonar, who never made it above A-Ball, was a 4th round pick in 2060 by the Nine. He had a career ERA of 3.89 at that level, and was protected as a precaution.
Davila was acquired in a trade with Long Beach, where he struggled with the bat after being selected as a Rule 5 pick from Nashville. He batted only .184 in 75 games with the Spartans in 2062, then had only 1 hit in 23 at bats with the Nine as a September call up.
Herrera was protected after hitting .315 in A-ball in 2061, but batted only .200 in limited time with Santa Cruz in 2062 and only had 1 hit in 16 at bats for the Nine as a September call-up.
"Sometimes you hope things will work out with a player and in the cases of these four young men, it just didn't," said GM Rob McMonigal. "We wish them well in their future careers, though hopefully not when they play against us!"
The Nine also announced they had declined the option of infielder Asil Colasan. Colasan, 37, batted .233 with the team in 2062, with 5 home runs. He played mostly shortstop, with a -4.4 ZR in 66 games.
"We appreciate what Asil was able to do for us, but with Leslie Hartman likely coming on board next year, we'll be moving Cesar Aybar into the primary infield support role. I have no doubt he'll find work elsewhere."
Lastly, the following players were allowed to go to free agency:
OF Bill Bowers
RP Bryant Ratcliffe
RP Heng-zong Tang
SS Quintin Trewartha
Bowers played well for two of the three years of his contract, but slipped from a 2.7 WAR player in 2061 to -.9 in 2062, a year in which he hit just .162 in 107 games.
Ratcliffe joined the team mid-season in 2062 and provided strong middle relief, going 1-3 with 3 saves and a 3.03 ERA.
Tang also joined the team in the middle of the season and had a 9-5 record with a 4.41 ERA.
Trewartha was the Nine's starting shorstop in 2062, designed as a bridge to Leslie Hartman. He batted .223 in 125 games with a ZR of 8.1.
"As we work to get younger, none of these individuals made sense long-term," said McMonigal. But they each contributed in their way, especially Bill, who was a hell of a player for us in 2060 and 2061, before Father Time kicked in last season. They were all solid role players for us and we wish them well, too.
