Yellow Springs, OH – General Manager Rob McMonigal held a press conference as the team prepared to move north to begin the season.
McMonigal: "Thank you all for coming, I don't have a lot of time, but I thought it might be nice to discuss a few items with you before we start the season. I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me about our plans for the 40th/80th anniversary season.
Valerie Davies, Yellow Springs World: "Yes: Are you rebuilding?"
McMonigal: "No. Next question."
Davies: "So the Hernandez deal wasn't the start of blowing up the House that Ron Built?"
McMonigal: "Did my mike stop working? We are not rebuilding at this time. I saw an opportunity to give ourselves financial flexibility to improve the team, as a matter of fact, since we already have five amazing starters in David Lee, Alejandro Morin, Reece Newsome, Sergio Herrera, and Mathis Gerard. I believe strongly that 2052 may have gone differently for this team had Newsome been given a chance to shine sooner."
Nes Lessman, Yellow Springs Journal: "Plante, despite reports saying he's a non-prospect, is ranked highly by the independent scouting agency OSA and will actually be considered your "best" prospect going into 2053, since Newsome and Morin look poised to make the jump. Is that a condemnation of league-wide talent or the Nine's inability to create a quality farm system?"
McMonigal: I take issue with the idea that Plante is a non-prospect. He's only 22 and showing signs of improvement. Part of why he looks "bad" is because people have become used to seeing every single pitcher get off to a monster start or every batter mashing anything in front of them. Plante is taking a little longer. And I have a feeling that's going to be typical across the league sooner rather than later."
Lessman: "What about the reports he's lazy and greedy and hard to teach?"
McMonigal: "Rumors, Nes? Really? I was told you were better than that. Can I get back to your question now?"
Lessman: "It's your conference."
McMonigal: "Yes, it is. Now to your second point. Despite what people think, the Nine have a lot of first and second round picks either on the team now or about be there. Newsome was a first rounder. Pfiffer is in our bullpen, ready to work on some things and help us when we need extra starts. But our depth is much greater. Morin was a 14th round pickup. Herrera wasn't even drafted – our scouts grabbed him. We have a good minor league pipeline and that's going to continue."
Erwin Wardman, Yellow Springs Journal: "Why isn't Jordan with you today? Is he ashamed of his choice to be General Manager?"
McMonigal: "No, Erwin, he's not. We talk constantly. He's given me the go-ahead to pick up any player I like with the funds I have remaining. The reason he's not here today is that he's taking his regular shift delivering meals to elderly shut ins. He's an amazing man and I am so proud to be working for him."
Wardman: "So who are your going to spend that money on?"
McMonigal: "Now that wouldn't be fair to the players involved or the team itself. After all, anything I say here might cause an agent to up their offer, right? This is what I feel comfortable telling you: We're looking at complementary pieces that can shift existing players into roles that fit them better, giving the team a greater chance to win."
Davies: "So you're referring to things like left/right splits or defensive replacements in close games?"
McMonigal: "Perhaps. Again, I don't want to give up too much strategy here. Next question, please."
Lessman: "You were not very active in the international free agent pool this year, signing just two players, starting pitcher Manuel Valdez and catcher Na'il Ghassen. Why not more and why those two players specifically?"
McMonigal: "As you know, there's a penalty for overspending. I did not see any players worth going over the five million cap for, though obviously several of my peers felt differently. If I had seen a superstar in the mix, I'd have spent whatever was needed and taking the hit for future groups of players. As it was, we targeted Valdez because of his amazing pitch arsenal and the fact that everyone who knows him says he's a hard worker. Ghassen has some pop in his bat and if you can develop that at the catcher position, it's a win-win. We won't know for nearly a decade if they'll come to anything, but it's fun to speculate."
Patti Burns, CBS affiliate: "You mentioned complementary pieces above, but I'm told you're nearly twenty million under the cap. Are you still thinking of role players here or –"
McMonigal: "I am not going to speak to individual players."
Wardman: "What about players who signed elsewhere? Did you consider signing anyone who ended up going elsewhere? Is there anyone who "got away?"
McMonigal: "If we'd wanted them, they'd be wearing a Nine uniform right now."
Wardman: "So you never talked to Pepper?"
McMonigal: "I'm not going to discuss who we considered, Mr. Wardman."
Davies: "Okay, what about the signings you did make, starting pitcher Ricardo Martinez and outfielder Keith Schultz. What do they add to the team?"
McMonigal: Ricardo is a phenomenal young talent with a bright future who unfortunately had the injury bug hit him hard in 2052. He's still rehabbing and likely won't be ready to help this team in 2053, but we will be able to develop him into a regular member of our rotation in the future. It's an investment. On the other hand, Schultz can hit well against left handed pitching and will be able to keep our entire starting outfield rested through the season or start if needed. He'll see a healthy amount of playing time this year. One of the things I noticed was that our team wore down as the season dragged on, so I'm hoping to alleviate that by having quality players on our bench."
Burns: "You're relying heavily on rookie pitching. Does that worry you?"
McMonigal: "I have full faith and confidence in Reece and Alejandro. If I didn't, we would have picked up a starter like Bill Constable, who I think is going to have a great year for the Aztecs."
Lessman: "Speaking of league-wide topics, what's your take on the upcoming draft pool? Some say it's a weak group and that those involved in youth development here in the Americas need to try harder to create a better class of players, ones who can match up to the stars of today. Do you agree?"
McMonigal: "No, I don't. If there's one thing I know from my years of running baseball organizations, which goes back awhile, it's that the quality of the youth players ebbs and flows over time. We get spoiled when there are some years where it feels like you can trip over your next starting third basemen in round five. Then there are times when it's only the second round and you're trying to decide between a pitcher who's a little too wild but has fire in his arm versus the one with multiple pitches, none of which stand out. Quite frankly, I prefer the latter because it means you have to select even more carefully, so your evaluation skills matter more. And then it comes down to having the right coaches and the drive of the individual player. And who knows? Maybe the OSA scouts are just having a rough year personally and are marking down these young kids out of spite. We'll see when they get to the rookie league fields."
Lessman: "Any area you're focusing on for the draft?"
McMonigal: "No, I am firmly in the camp of best player available until you get past the tenth round or so, where positional needs of your rookie team come into play as a balancing factor. You can only start so many catchers after all!"
Davies: "Speaking of best players, though definitely not anymore, what is your plan for Thum?"
McMonigal: "Dong-Po came into spring training in amazing shape and showed it on the field. He was everywhere on the diamond, stole bases and even had a heavier bat than we've seen for awhile, with a nifty OPS of 1.028. Yes, I know it's spring but if he can carry that into the season, with some additional rest (as we've discussed), I can see him being the spark we need to get back to winning again."
Wardman: "What about Brisset and his .164 batting average? If you're happy about Thum you can't be feeling good about his numbers. And there's rumors you're even considering trading him."
McMonigal: "Frederick struggled a lot to get his groove, but he's on the upswing, if you'll pardon the pun. He also hit 6 home runs and with the addition of Schultz, won't be asked to be out there every day, especially against bad match ups. He'll be fine."
Wardman: "Are you trading him?"
McMonigal: "Now why would I tell you that? Get real, Wardman. Next question."
Davies: "You're starting the season on a long road trip and don't play at home until April 12th. Are you worried about getting off to a slow start? That's 10 games in a row away for you."
McMonigal: "Sure we'd have loved to start our 40th season in Yellow Springs in front of the hometown crowd, which we expect to be a sell out. But we also feel like this will be a good test of our ability to show the fans we're ready for them. It also gives us some extra time to prepare for a very special home opener."
Burns: "Anything you care to share about that?"
McMonigal: "Yes, expect at least one new name for the Nine's Hall of Fame, with an appropriate giveaway. And as part of that homestand, we'll also be announcing the first set of Award Cards for fans. This one will be the 2052 winners, but there's more to come. That's all for today, everyone. I have to meet with my staff to go over logistics for the transition out of our spring home. Thanks for coming!"
