Trail Droppings 2042-11 Puckett Deal Rocks Calgary
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 12:21 pm
Puckett Deal Rocks Calgary
Fans are still coming to grips with the trade of Chip Puckett to the San Antonio Outlaws for a group of prospects. Puckett, one of the best shortstops in the BBA, was a fan favorite in Calgary. He was part of a pair of deals in 2039, along with the trade for Bobby Lynch that lifted the Pioneers to the Frick League Championship before losing in the Landis to Jacksonville.
Puckett is of course the son of one of the greatest players in BBA history Charles Puckett. While coming as a shock to the fans, it had been widely rumored that the team needed to move one of it’s high dollar players even after releasing Pioneer Great Cristobal Hernandez.
“We really had no choice,” GM Kevin Dickson said. “We needed to move either Chip or Jose Rios and we had more callers about Chip. Sometimes the money side of this game is cruel, but we had to clear the cap space for 2043 in order to negotiate extensions with some of our other players. We are happy with what we got in return.”
The main player coming back in the deal is SP prospect Ernie Allen, a former 1st round pick. The 21 year old lefty has 3 good pitches, but needs to work on his velocity and control. He projects to be a back end starter if the team can coach him up.
Two players with big league experience included in the deal are OF Juan Valverde and 1B Mahdi Kojo. The Pioneers are looking to upgrade their CF defense and Valverde fits the bill. However, a weak performance in training camp has landed him back in AAA for the second straight season. Kojo, a 6’ 9” giant, is a big right handed power bat the team was looking for. He has been up at San Antonio for the past 4 seasons with limited success. Unfortunately at the same time the Pioneers dealt for him they also signed a more proven right handed power hitter in Martin Marin.
“Yeah I guess we needed a little more in house communication,” Dickson said. “While I was negotiating this deal, my Ass GM went out and signed Marin. I thought we had put those negotiations on hold, but I guess he didn’t get the message.”
The final piece of the deal may turn out to be the gem when all is said and done. Luis PerezLuis Perez was signed out of Puerto Rico by the Outlaws in May. Viewed a bit as a project, the Pioneers see him as a potential starter down the road. The 17 year old still has a long way to go, but with 4 pitches and already some decent movement on the ball the team is optimistic.
“Jorge tipped us off about him after scouting him last year,” Dickson said. Jorge Jimenez, the former Pioneer hurler, is the team’s Short Season manager in Havana.
In his 3 seasons in Calgary, Puckett helped the team make the playoffs each year. The team made it to the Landis in 2039 and the Cartwright this past year. Puckett hit .280 with the team, scored 240 runs, stole 117 bases and was an All Star.
The team barely gave up anything for him when they acquired him from Rockville for pitchers Lee Morgan and Jorge Perez. Morgan went 3-12 since the trade, but hasn’t played in BBA since 2040.Perez has been a free agent twice since then, but has been a solid reliever.
Fans are still coming to grips with the trade of Chip Puckett to the San Antonio Outlaws for a group of prospects. Puckett, one of the best shortstops in the BBA, was a fan favorite in Calgary. He was part of a pair of deals in 2039, along with the trade for Bobby Lynch that lifted the Pioneers to the Frick League Championship before losing in the Landis to Jacksonville.
Puckett is of course the son of one of the greatest players in BBA history Charles Puckett. While coming as a shock to the fans, it had been widely rumored that the team needed to move one of it’s high dollar players even after releasing Pioneer Great Cristobal Hernandez.
“We really had no choice,” GM Kevin Dickson said. “We needed to move either Chip or Jose Rios and we had more callers about Chip. Sometimes the money side of this game is cruel, but we had to clear the cap space for 2043 in order to negotiate extensions with some of our other players. We are happy with what we got in return.”
The main player coming back in the deal is SP prospect Ernie Allen, a former 1st round pick. The 21 year old lefty has 3 good pitches, but needs to work on his velocity and control. He projects to be a back end starter if the team can coach him up.
Two players with big league experience included in the deal are OF Juan Valverde and 1B Mahdi Kojo. The Pioneers are looking to upgrade their CF defense and Valverde fits the bill. However, a weak performance in training camp has landed him back in AAA for the second straight season. Kojo, a 6’ 9” giant, is a big right handed power bat the team was looking for. He has been up at San Antonio for the past 4 seasons with limited success. Unfortunately at the same time the Pioneers dealt for him they also signed a more proven right handed power hitter in Martin Marin.
“Yeah I guess we needed a little more in house communication,” Dickson said. “While I was negotiating this deal, my Ass GM went out and signed Marin. I thought we had put those negotiations on hold, but I guess he didn’t get the message.”
The final piece of the deal may turn out to be the gem when all is said and done. Luis PerezLuis Perez was signed out of Puerto Rico by the Outlaws in May. Viewed a bit as a project, the Pioneers see him as a potential starter down the road. The 17 year old still has a long way to go, but with 4 pitches and already some decent movement on the ball the team is optimistic.
“Jorge tipped us off about him after scouting him last year,” Dickson said. Jorge Jimenez, the former Pioneer hurler, is the team’s Short Season manager in Havana.
In his 3 seasons in Calgary, Puckett helped the team make the playoffs each year. The team made it to the Landis in 2039 and the Cartwright this past year. Puckett hit .280 with the team, scored 240 runs, stole 117 bases and was an All Star.
The team barely gave up anything for him when they acquired him from Rockville for pitchers Lee Morgan and Jorge Perez. Morgan went 3-12 since the trade, but hasn’t played in BBA since 2040.Perez has been a free agent twice since then, but has been a solid reliever.