The big name, I guess, is 1B Ricardo Norman, who was released outright rather than paid his first year of arbitration. Iirc, Norman wanted $3mm or 4mm, and that wasn't gonna fly. Not for a guy who hit 19 homers and hit .284. That was a 3.4 WAR, but some of that included his defense prowess (1.054 Eff and 3.9 ZR, .996 Fld%). With the salary cap tightened to $110mm, and first basemen not being all that rare, JR decided Norman wasn't up to snuff. His home run number halved from 38 the previous, playoff, season (2060), when he accumulated an .819 OPS. We viewed him as a mediocre player. And that's how he's performed with Madison, if mediocre includes his -1.2 WAR in 125 starts for the voracious Wolves. Now Norman is angry that he's not starting. Despite his ROY '58 status and 38 homers two seasons ago, its seems like was an overachiever with Des Moines. Norman has also suffered a string of aggravating injuries this season.
P Greg 'Speedy' Shaw (3-4-1, 6.31) was released by the DMO on 10/21 after he had been on waivers for weeks. Seems like no one wanted to pick up his ~$14mm contract (iirc), and neither did the Kernels. So we ate that money and that's one of the reasons for our projected loss of more than $20mm this fiscal year. The Kernels had decided to go for the playoffs this season, with the probable last season of SP Arnold Cantrell in Des Moines. Shaw, meanwhile, has spent most the season in the Outlaws bullpen, on a one-year $3.8mm contract.
This was probably our most reluctant cut. P Leland 'Griz' Rogers (10-15, 4.78. 1.42 WHIP) was a SP/RP for two years in Des Moines. He came over in the deal that sent Cano, Jr to San Antonio. The DMO cut him on 11/12/61. His previous two arby years were $1,464,000 and $1,800,000. I don't remember what his arby for '62 was expected to be, but it was enough to send him packing. He probably could have been an asset to our struggling bullpen the first half of this season. Rogers remains a middling sort of pitcher, nothing spectacular.
We cut our favorite back-up catcher, 32-y.o. Cecil Clarke on 4/17/62 after we had "signed [him to] a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $14,640,000" the previous August. So, plans change. Meanwhile, we decided to save cap space and go with Rule 5 pick Dan Davidson (who is seven years younger) as our back-up catcher. Clarke's contract is another source of our being over budget this season. I personally hired this guy in Spring '59, and he performed well as a second stringer. He hit over .300 the past two seasons (combined 2.9 WAR). Clarke has hit .240 in 63 starts for ATC and has taken over the starting catcher job for the Gamblers. Not a bad choice for this reliable, almost never injured, high WE player, who can also play first.
In addition, a trio of familiar (to JR) relievers of Des Moines, Dave Lachance, Adam Barber, and Brick Pollitt were dropped or not re-signed. All are pitching in 2062 but not in the BBA.
