Current Standing: 4th in Frick League Pacific Division
Last 10 Games: 4-6
The immortal words of Sylvester Stallone, spoken through the ages in Rocky Balboa seems to hold true for Seattle this season.
"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows"
Indeed Mr. Stallone, indeed you're right...
Bullpen Update:
Despite the early pitching woes, Adrian Nelson has emerged as a dominant figure in the pen' so far. Nelson took over as closer after the collapse of Gerrit Strijik, who previously held the position at the start of the 2007 season. Nelson presented mediocre numbers last season working predominantly as a setup man, but has managed to overcome and return to his previous form. As of now, Nelson's ERA rests slightly below the one-run mark at 0.96 with a 0.96 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings. Granted, this is certainly not a large sample-size, but when a team struggles as it has, any bright spot is looked upon favorably.
Player Of The Sim: Adrian Nelson
Francisco Rodriguez Award (Worst Reliever): Martin VonTirpitz
Rotation Update:
Somewhere around now, I had anticipated that the Seattle starting rotation would've at least regained some sort of decency and managed to improve on it's dismal beginnings. That assumption was dead wrong. Through the first month of regular-season play, the Storm currently showcases a 7.04 team ERA (12th in FL), .328 Opponent batting average (12th in FL), and has issued 133 free-passes, ranking 11th in the Frick League. On the flip side, the offensive production has been somewhat satisfactory up until now, ranking near the median in most categories. A recent injury to lead-off hitter Will Simmons certainly hasn't helped the situation either.
Seattle's so called 'ace', Cedric Ayers, continues to struggle having allowed five or more earned-runs in five of his last six starts, most recently surrendering six in 6.1 innings in a loss to the Atlantic City Gamblers. The rest of the rotation hasn't been much better.
Top Performance: Morgan "The Tornado" Ackerman
- Ackerman did struggle in his two starts against Calgary and Las Vegas, however, managed to toss eight shutout innings in his latest outing, resulting in a victory over Atlantic City.
Jeff Suppan Award (Worst Starter): Cedric Ayers
Offensive Update:
Back to looking at the offensive end...remember earlier in the month when I discussed the struggles of rookie catcher Ron Lipp? Yeah...not so much anymore. Over the last eighteen games, Lipp's batting average improved to .333 in 96 at-bats, potentially earning him rookie of the month honors (let's hope). His batting average on the year ranks second only to SS Silvio Garcia, who's currently batting .337 with a .384 OBP. Behind the plate, Lipp has thrown out 27.0% of base-runners through April.
Top Performance: Ron Lipp
Yuni Betancourt Award (Worst Batter): Michael Kern
Roster Changes:
- C Sean Wilder was called-up to replace the injured Will Simmons on the 27-man active roster.
Minor League Report:
Top Organization: Lake City Limes(Charlie Pegler League)
Record: 14-5
Top Prospect:
- Esteban Benitez #10 Prospect in MBWBA (A): 8 Games, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 Innings, 6 Strikeouts, 1.06 WHIP