WHIV 2001 Vol 3.- Roster cutdowns

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General Manager Matt Rectenwald had some tough decisions to make in cutting the Las Vegas Hustlers active roster to 25 men at the conclusion of Spring Training.

Out, 1st Cut:
P Lawrence Ryman, P Nicolas Coll, P Martin Brown, P Mark Hill, P Ratt Mectenwald, C Jorge Sanchez, 1B Martin Athey, SS Silvio Garcia, RF Juan Dolezal.
Out of this group, the two biggest surprises were Sanchez and Dolezal. Sanchez lost his spot when Riley Hinson was signed, so the Hustlers decided to get him some playing time in the minors. Last years Rule 5 pick Dolezal needs regular playing time to continue his development. Coll is making his way back from a major injury. Mectenwald continues to struggle with control issues. Garcia needs to focus on consistency. Ryman, Brown, Hill, and Athey were making their first Spring Training appearances with the club and all opened some eyes, even with uneven performances. Athey in particular smacked the ball (.400).

Out, Final Cut:P Timothy Devinney, P David Crocker, P Norbert Rich, 1B Ethan Burns.
While the club was expected to demote Crocker (continue his development on control), and Burns (hopeful that he might be a big power bat against LHP in the future), the cuts of Devinney and Rich were hard, especially given their performances. However, this means the Hustlers are deep in pitching and both have a strong future in Vegas.

Which Bubble Guys Made the Club?
- P Eric Sweet made the team in spite of his horrid 2000 and subpar spring due to lack of options. He'll be in the bullpen to start the year. There was some trade interest in him but nothing solid ever materialized.
- With a 1.99 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, one-time Calgary starter Francis Linares locked down a job as the teams' top right handed setup man.
- Is that C/1B Nicolas "Goldie" Kuffrey we see on the Opening Day roster? You bet! After signing a minor league deal with the Hustlers last May, he made his way back to the big club in September and his .878 OPS this Spring in a pinch hitting/reserve role ensured that he stayed here.
- 1B/OF Wilfredo "Cowboy" Escudero continued to struggle with the bat (.200) but made the team and earned the short half of the first base platoon for now, but could be pushed out by Kuffrey later on. The Hustlers will have to make room for reliever Ernest Nilson in mid-May and will likely go to 12 pitchers then, if not sooner. At that point either Kuffrey or Escudero would be the top candidates to be removed from the roster, assuming Riley Hinson wouldn't take assignment to the minors, which he's shown no interest in doing.