SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGEWith the triumphant (?) return of Joe Lederer back in the general manager's seat, one thing was sure: salary arbitration hearings would be interesting in Boise. Under previous GM Woody Donahue, the team had a policy to "never take any players to arbitration hearings", however that was expected to change once Lederer was tapped as Donahue's replacement. When the self-proclaimed "Master Debater" left Boise after the 2046 season, he had an impressive, if not ruthless, career arbitration case record of 34 "wins" (rulings in favor of the team) and 12 "loses" (rulings in favor of the player).
While the ink was still drying on his new contract, Lederer had to quickly assess the upcoming arb cases facing the ball club, a total of four. When the dust settled, the team had secured three deals in their favor, with the lone contract in favor of the player just $4,000 over the team's demand.
| PLAYER | 2055 SALARY | TEAM OFFER | PLAYER DEMAND |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grzegorz Kubrick | $1,333,000 | $1,333,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Creegan Corney | $1,254,000 | $1,250,000 | $1,254,000 |
| Brian Ioneki | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,761,750 |
| Luis Nunez | $850,000 | $850,000 | $1,075,000 |
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE, PART II
Fans in Boise and across the Brewster were thrilled to learn on November 18 that team legend Dennis French was back with the ball club on a major league deal. French, who spent the 2054 season in Salt Lake City, Boise's AAA affiliate, wanted to make it clear that this wasn't some ceremonious gesture.
"This here is a one-year guaranteed deal, not some 'one-day contract' you sign then announce your retirement," French told reporters via Zoom. "I intend to close out my career in Boise, but as an official and bonafide member of the big league club."
The 37-year-old outfielder spent his first ten seasons as a member of the Spuds, before being traded away Charlotte just months after General Manager Joe Lederer's departure in 2046. The two-time Silk Award winner and six-time Puckett Award winner is a top nearly every offensive category in team history:
| CATEGORY | STAT | ALL-TIME |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | .340 | 1st |
| OBP | .381 | 1st |
| SLG | .572 | 2nd |
| OPS | .954 | 2nd |
| WAR | 61.9 | 2nd |
| R | 1091 | 1st |
| H | 2072 | 1st |
| TB | 3487 | 1st |
| SB | 331 | 1st |
| G | 1489 | 2nd |
| AB | 6092 | 2nd |
* * * * * * * *
STAFF SHUFFLE BEGINS
There is always a cloud of uncertainty that tends to cover an organization in the first few weeks of leadership change, whether it's players and their roles with a new manager or the front office updating their LinkedIn pages as a new owner arrives in town. In the case of a new general manager, both coaches AND players are subject to being on high-alert.
While no coaching firings have taken in the early days of new GM Joe Lederer's second tenure with the club, several openings were made and quickly filled with the result of expiring coaching contracts. One new-ish face in Boise is Frank Fuller, who takes over as the Spuds new bench coach, replacing Lee Barker. Oddly enough, this is Fuller's second stint as the team's bench coach, as he was hiring for the job by Lederer in the ill-fated 2046 season. When Lederer left the club after that year, Fuller was named manager of the club's AAA affiliate, the Salt Lake City Alpines, where he has spent the previous eight seasons. During his time there, Fuller compiled an impressive .568 winning percentage and was named Manager of the Year three times, including last season.
"I hired Frank back in '46 for a reason," Lederer told a pool of reporters. "His stellar record in Salt Lake validates my intuition and with the opening up in Boise, it was a no-brainer for me to bring him back."
Joining Fuller on the Spuds staff is 34-year-old Art O'Bryan, who was tapped as the club's new third base coach. O'Bryan has spent the last five seasons as a minor league hitting coach in the Boise organization, four years with Rookie Ball Mazatlan and last season in Short-Season A Ball Hot Springs. "When I took a look at our personnel in our minors, I was surprised to see Art's name," Lederer recalled. "Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing! It just makes me feel old. I almost drafted him in, what, '39? I think I took a catcher in the second or maybe third round that year. It was between him or Art. I went with the catcher and sure enough, the next player taken was Art," Lederer said with a laugh. "He was one helluva ballplayer in his day and I hated when our team had to face him. I have nothing but respect for him and I'm glad we were able to add such a bright and talented young man to our big league club coaching staff."
O'Bryan played six seasons in the Brewster Baseball Association for the Brooklyn Robins before being unceremoniously waived after hitting just six homers in 2046. The sudden lack of a contract and coming off a down season at the plate messed with O'Bryan's psyche so much that he contemplated retiring. Boise would sign O'Bryan in 2047 to a minor league deal, where he spent the better part of two seasons in Salt Lake City. Ultimately, the two-time All-Star would retire mid-way thru the 2048 season before joining the organization that gave him a second-chance as a coach in 2049.
