by Valerie Davies
Every year, players come and go. When a team loses 103 games, that's especially true. In addition to the outright releases earlier in the off-season, these players won't be returning to the Nine for 2062:
RP Rolf Reinhardt The 35 year old was a pretty good signing for Yellow Springs prior to the 2060 season, pitching 61 and 62 games respectively the past two seasons, with a 3.92 and 3.60 ERA and WAR of .6 and .7. Those may not seem like huge numbers, but given the lack of quality in the Nine's bullpen recently, Reinhardt stood out as a guy who could get the team from the starter to whomever was serving as a closer at the time. I asked why another year wasn't discussed, and as always, GM Rob McMonigal was open and honest with me.
"I wanted to bring Rolf back, but we couldn't agree on a figure," said McMonigal. "He wanted closer money, over five million, and with respect to him, he's not a closer. Only Long Beach used him that way. I was also concerned about the fact that he lost velocity as the season went on. I think he might believe he's a bit better than he actually is. That's not a knock, but it might impact on where he plays in 2062."
IF Tristan Colenutt Was it only just a few seasons ago where it looked like Colenutt would be the shortstop of the future with the Nine, when he hit .243 with 1.5 WAR and solid defense? That dream evaporated like Lousiville playoff chances. Colenutt dropped to .201 in 2060 and just .184 in 2061, making it almost impossible for him to start. Well into his arbitration time, there was no way McMonigal was going to pay what he'd receive, even if the club won the hearing. He'll likely get a chance elsewhere, given his defense is still good.
RP Kazuma Yoshida This was an odd one. I thought McMonigal would keep him on board since he pitched so well in a brief cameo after an extended injury, but he was cut loose instead. His 2060 numbers were just okay (4.73 ERA, 90 ERA+, .4 WAR) so that may have factored in. I asked about him, too.
"This was a numbers game, Valerie," said McMonigal. "I felt that we already had similar players on the roster. And yes, the injury did factor into my thinking. We'll talk to him once we start working with free agents."
IF Kevin Maze Like his last name, this young man is a puzzle. Just 26, the Nine was his fourth team and now he's headed to his fifth. He gets scouts excited by doing all the right things in demo videos and by hitting well in the minors, but despite 87 games to show the Nine he was worth keeping despite defensive issues, Maze hit .218 again with just 4 home runs for an unacceptable at corner infield .606 OPS. He'll have to figure out a new path to the majors with some other organization.
SP Bill Williams Williams is the pitching version of Maze. 27 with an elite curveball backed by a solid fastball and changeup that just don't seem to get anyone out on a consistent basis. Williams started 17 games for the Nine in 2061 for a putrid 5.93 ERA and ERA+ of 71. His BABIP was .324, which is a tad on the high side but not outrageous. You'd think he could strike out more people, but his k/9 is just 6.66 and maybe that's the issue! With a BBA career ERA of 5.02, it may be time for Williams to think about a new line of work.
RP Josh Miller Sometimes things don't work out like they should. Miller was a solid pitcher for Montreal for 2 years before heading south to Ohio, but it looks as if it was BABIP smoke and mirrors. After getting lucky with the Blazers and having a BABIP of .222 and .237, his BABIP in Yellow Springs of .309 in 12 games brought him back down to earth. A dozen appearances doesn't form a true pattern, but it also doesn't justify a new contract.
With the exception of Reinhardt, this isn't a group fans will miss much, and with the exception of Colenutt, they didn't even have jerseys for sale in the stadium store. They'll be replaced by a new crop of pitchers and fielders and the Nine will try to improve on their stats. Looking this over, that shouldn't be too hard.
