Big Papi headed to Twin Cities.
The deal was a shocker. The players involved were as follows;
San Antonio Gets
$8 million cash
1B Herkermer Homolka
RF Juan Peralta
CF Dennis Armitage
3B Jack Acheson
SP Dave Horton
Twin Cities Gets
1B Majid 'Big Papi' bin Husam (SA retains 50%)
The Outlaws pulled the trigger on a huge deal this week sending their veteran leader to the River Monsters for a cache of prospects and younger players. The fans were shocked by the deal as Big Papi was a favorite and had been with the team since the late 40’s. He was 10th in games played at 1,287 and 8th in atbats with 4,700. He is 7th in runs, hits, homeruns and RBI’s. Long story short he was a huge part of the last 10 years for the Outlaws and he will not be easily replaced.
Dennis Armitage
The player that the fans will see almost immediately will be CF Dennis Armitage. The 22 year old 2nd year player has had experience with Twin Cities big league squad the last two years earning part time duty in the outfield, mainly center and right. He will be slotted as the Outlaw’s full time centerfielder the remainder of this year as hothead Lee McIntyre has been demoted to AAA due to some clubhouse conflicts with teammates. Armitage is fully developed and while he will not wow anyone at the plate he should be a plus defender at center and get to a ton of balls with his speed and defensive abilities. Expected arrival date: Next sim.
Juan Peralta
The 2nd player highlighted is very interesting. Juan Peralta is a 24 year old outfielder that was once traded between college teams back in 2053. The River Monsters drafted Peralta this year in the 3rd round and started in Single A Billings, batting .264 with 7 homers and 29 RBI’s over 47 games. I am sure what drew Alan’s eye was that he was fully developed and ready to try to move up the ladder in the minors. He is a platoon player that hits righties better than lefties and above average in the field. While he will not be the best corner outfielder at the plate he has a chance to be a good defender. He will likely be a platoon starter and defensive fill in. Expected arrival date: 2059
Nutball Acheson
The most intriguing player in the deal could possibly be current 3B Jack “Nutball” Acheson. Nutball signed a minor league deal with Twin Cities this past offseason after working his way through the Buenos Aires farm system. He hit in the mid .300’s in AA but struggled a bit in AAA while in the GBC. He did decent in AA St Joseph this year for Twin Cities so his skills may transfer over to the Monty. He is essentially fully developed and will see time at both 3B and also SS while with the Outlaws to see where his true defensive position could be. His intangibles could help the 23 year old grow a bit with the team. Expected arrival date: 2059
Black Hole Horton
The only pitcher thrown into the deal was Dave “Black Hole” Horton, an 18 year old prospect who wa s drafted by Twin Cities in the 8th round in 2056. He has shown some increases in talent and while he is still very raw he could be a long term project that works out. He has decent stuff and average movement and control with some really good pitches. His high velocity and stamina are huge plusses and hint that he may be a future big leaguer. Expected arrival date: 2063
Sesame Cake Homolka
The youngest player that the Outlaws received back is a huge project and will not see the big leagues for quite some time, if he ever does. Sesame Cake Homolka is strictly a DH candidate and at 16 years old has time to grow. He was a 2nd round pick in the 2057 draft and hit 31 homers over 2 years as a high schooler. He hit 7 homers in Cheyenne, Twin Cities’ rookie league team, so he has shown some pop on his bat. The team is hopeful that he grows into a basher. Expected arrival date: 2062.
The new Outlaws are scheduled for their team photos in the coming weeks and fans should start to get familiar with their faces and stats as they review how the various teams in the system are doing the rest of the year. The money exchanged helps to offset the retained salary but will certainly be a short term benefit to get through the end of this year and help to get the finances in order.
