The next edition of my offseason reviews is up with the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti...I slanted the Sliders up since they have a home field this year (Oestrike Stadium at Eastern Michigan University) and they also have a collection of players from all classifications, not just rookies this year...The next team I will preview is another 2008 playoff team, the Southern Illinois Miners...Enjoy the look at Midwest...
Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti
Manager: Eric Coleman
Second Season (29-67)
After spending the entire 2008 season on the road, the Sliders finally have a home, albeit a temporary one in Eastern Michigan’s Oestrike Stadium, but still, four months on the road will wear on any team. Eric Coleman, in his second season as manager, kept a lot of the key players who went through the ups and downs a year ago, and will have a more complete roster to work with in 2009 as they look to establish the future for this third Michigan franchise.
Returning
RHP – James Albury (Rookie-2)
28G, 2 GS, 2-2, 6.28 ERA, 1 SV, 53 IP, 54 K
LHP – Kyle Kearcher (LS-1)
19G, 19 GS, 7-7, 4.35 ERA, 1 CG, 113.2 IP, 107 K
RHP – Earl Oakes (LS-1)
38G, 5-2, 3.94 ERA, 14 SV, 45.2 IP, 64 K
C/RHP – Ben Barrone (LS-1)
Was released by Windy City early in the season, rebounded with Midwest…Stats are combined.
50G, .188, 7 HR, 24 RBI
3G, 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 3 IP, 2K
C – Dom Lombardi (LS-1)
54G, .263, 7 HR, 36 RBI
C – Sean Snell (Rookie-2)
22G, .272, 2 HR, 14 RBI
2B – Sam DeLuca (LS-1)
67G, .250, 5 HR, 23 RBI
OF – Jonnie Knoble (LS-1)
80G, .257, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 26 SB
OF – Zack Pace (Veteran)
88G, .252, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 26 SB
Newcomers (All Stats from 2008 unless Otherwise Noted)
C – Kevin Carkeek (Astros System -- LS-1)
Chosen by the Astros in the 25th round of the 2007 draft…Reached High-A but was also guided by Beach Bums Manager Gregg Langbehn at Lexington in 2008 for 13 games…Stats are from his time at Salem in (High-A)…
44G, .222, 1 HR, 12 RBI
IF – Jason Acevedo (True Rookie from Carthage College)
Transferred to one of the most successful Division III programs from Division I Bradley University…
.464, 13 HR, 66 RBI
IF – Kyle Albright (True Rookie from Embry-Riddle University)
One of the leading hitters on a team that won 44 games last year…
61G, .362, 14 HR, 56 RBI
IF – Jimmy Baker (River City Rascals -- Rookie-2)
Well traveled in both his college and pro career…Played at five different colleges including two Division I programs and split time last year with Wichita of the American Association and River City…Stats are from River City…
22G, .260, 2 HR, 8 RBI
IF – Brett Cant (True Rookie from King College)
Australian spent time in the New South Wales Majors…Played at NAIA King College in Tennessee…
48G, .273, 1 HR, 26 RBI
IF – Jonathan Castro (Edmonton Cracker Cats -- Veteran)
Picked up in a trade for Matt Dahlin
The everyday shortstop for Edmonton in 2008 but also saw significant time at second base…Signed after being released from the Nationals system where he had played since signing as a free agent in 2003…Reached as high as Class-A Advanced…
78G, .314, 3 HR, 45 RBI
IF – Maikel De La Rosa (True Rookie from Kean University)
Was the starting shortstop for a team that advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series in 2008 and won the national title in 2007…
45G, .366, 0 HR, 23 RBI
IF - Jonas Fester (Ft. Worth Cats -- Rookie-2)
Spent time in the American Association after his college career at Johns Hopkins where his team advanced to the Division III championship game…Hit over .400 at Johns Hopkins as a senior…
18G, .121, 0 HR, 3 RBI
IF – Gil Zayas (Worcester Tornadoes -- LS-1)
Acquired in a trade with Worcester of the Can-Am League in exchange for Miguel Magrass…
Posted 231 at bats for Atlantic City in the Can-Am League out of St. John’s…Atlantic City folded and he was signed by Worcester before being dealt…Played in 54 games last season in the Big East…
62G, .260, 5 HR, 30 RBI
OF – Dennis Jones (True Rookie from Michigan State University)
Struggled as a senior, but led the Spartans in RBI as a junior…
42G, .241, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 SB
OF - Jeremy Jones (True Rookie from North Carolina A&T)
Drafted by the Rockies in the 25th Round of the 2006 draft but opted to stay in college where he earned first-team All-MEAC…Leading hitter and RBI man at North Carolina A&T and tied for the team lead in homers…
59G, .404, 13 HR, 63 RBI
OF - Jamall Kinard (True Rookie from Gardner-Webb University)
Multi-tool threat…
58G, .306, 7 HR, 47 RBI, 9 2B, 7 3B, 26 SB
RHP – Arshwin Asjes (True Rookie from Temple University)
Was chosen in the 34th Round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the Indians but opted to stay in school…Used as a late-inning reliever at Temple in 2008, could pressure for late inning situations…Team’s Most Outstanding Player in 2006…
26G, 0-2, 4.00 ERA, 10 SV, 36 IP, 32 K
RHP - Doug Brooks (Schaumburg Flyers -- LS-1)
Picked up in a trade with Schaumburg of the Northern League for future considerations
Chosen in the 2001 draft by the Indians in the 48th round but opted to stay in college and signed with the Dodgers, reaching the Midwest League (Low-A) with the Great Lakes Loons for the first part of 2007…Struggled at times with his control…
19 G, 1 GS, 1-0, 7.44 ERA, 32.2 IP, 25 K
RHP – Victor Cardona (True Rookie from Laredo Community College)
Stats are tough to find on Junior College kids…
RHP – J.J. Pannell (Rookie-2 from the Giants System)
Twice drafted, Pannell spent two seasons in the Giants system…He was first chosen by the Nationals in the 50th round of the 2006 draft before being selected in the 38th round of the 2007 draft by the Giants…Led the Arizona League in strikeouts per nine innings by a reliever in his first year as a pro…Spent last season in the short season Northwest League…Played college ball at George Mason and was a second team All-CAA Choice in the year he was drafted by the Giants…
16G, 0-0, 9.82 ERA, 1 SV, 25.2 IP, 33 K
RHP – Dan Fyvie (Tigers System -- LS-1)
Fyvie has already been in the Frontier League once, pitching for Kalamazoo in 2007 before being picked up by the Tigers but has not pitched since…Interestingly enough, his first Frontier League start came against the Beach Bums at Kalamazoo, taking the win after throwing six innings and allowing three runs on May 24, 2007…Originally selected by the A’s in the 33rd Round of the 2001 draft, Fyvie spent five years in the A’s system…Stats are from his stint with Kalamazoo in 2007…
4 G, 4 GS, 2-2, 6.87 ERA, 18.1 IP, 9 K
LHP – Kevin Gerard (True Rookie from C.W. Post)
I’ve never heard of C.W. Post before, but after examining the stats he was one of the team’s starters in 2008…
13 G, 11 GS, 5-4, 4.46 ERA, 74.2 IP, 66 K
RHP – George Biddle (Southern Illinois Miners – Rookie-2)
Spent 2007 with three different teams in the Royals system, peaking in the Midwest League with Burlington…Spent time at the back end of the Southern Illinois bullpen in 2008…
6 G, 0-0, 2.89 ERA, 9.1 IP, 6 K
RHP – Mike Penn (Royals System – LS-2)
Another product of the Royals system, spent three years as a starter including with two different teams in 2008…Stats are from Wilmington of the Carolina League, the High-A team with whom he began 2008 and spent the most time with…
13 G, 11 GS, 3-2, 4.04 ERA, 62.1 IP, 41 K
RHP – Chris Rollins (True Rookie from Gloucester State)
The top overall draft choice of the 2009 Frontier League draft…
IF – Ralph Rosas (True Rookie from Lincoln Memorial)
The first pick of the second round in the Frontier League draft…
50G, .347, 6 HR, 47 RBI
LHP – Saul Gonzalez (New Haven Cutters -- Rookie-2)
Pitched in the Can-Am League previously…Could not find any numbers
RHP/OF – Anthony Gressick (Reds System -- LS-2)
Drafted in the 26th Round of the 2006 MLB draft by the Reds…Has both pitched and played outfield in the minors, trying outfield for the first time in 2008…Reached as high as the Class-A Advanced Sarasota Reds of the Florida State League…Three-time All-MAC selection at Ohio University…Stats are from Dayton of the Midwest League last year as a hitter…
19 G, .241, 3 HR, 4 RBI
RHP – Jon Haldis (Traverse City Beach Bums -- Rookie-2)
You may remember Haldis starting last season for the Beach Bums, his stats with Traverse City are below before he retired…He spent three years within the Dodgers system after signing as a free agent…
4 G, 3 GS, 1-3, 14.90 ERA, 9.2 IP, 3 K
LHP – Mike O’Leary (True Rookie from University of Northern Iowa)
Appeared as both a starter and a reliever for the Panthers of the Missouri Valley Conference…
16 G, 4 GS, 2-4, 5.11 ERA, 49.1 IP, 25 K
LHP – Chris Tierney (Southern Illinois Miners -- Veteran)
Initially drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 7th Round of the 2001 MLB Draft, Tierney reached High-a in both the Kansas City and San Diego organization before being let go in 2005…Was a member of the Southern Illinois pitching staff in 2007 but has not thrown since, stats are from that year…
3 G, 3 GS, 1-1, 3.71 ERA, 17 IP, 6K
RHP – P.J. Zocchi (Indians System -- LS-1)
36th Round choice by the Indians in the 2007 draft…Served as a starting pitcher in the New York-Penn League in 2008…
15 G, 15 GS, 3-5, 4.91 ERA, 69.2 IP, 57 K
Departed
OF – Anthony Albano
(Released on April 10)
91G, .258, 8 HR, 52 RBI
1B/3B – Miguel Magrass
(Traded to Worcester of the Can-Am League)
82G, .252, 11 HR, 41 RBI
RHP – Ryan MacFarlane
(Retired; Took an internship with Athletes in Action)
19G, 11 GS, 4-5, 2.92 ERA, 2 CG, 1 SHO, 89.1 IP, 85 K
RHP – Matt Dahlin
(Traded to Edmonton of the Golden League in exchange for Jonathan Castro)
10 G, 5 GS, 1-4, 5.54 ERA, 37.1 IP, 26 K
SS – Dan Bertolini
(Retired; Took a Head Coaching job at a Junior College)
24 G, .186, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Questions
Since most teams have announced their spring training rosters or pretty close to it, I am assuming these players either retired or were released though I couldn’t find them on the league or team transaction wire…
OF – James Kidd
9G, .083, 0 HR, 0 RBI
2B – Eric Reese
45G, .206, 0 HR, 13 RBI
1B – Bryan Vickers
86G, .212, 13 HR, 45 RBI
RHP/OF – Jon Dandridge
38G, 0-5, 4.80 ERA, 2 SV, 54.1 IP, 46 K
RHP – Shawn Ravenscraft
10G, 4 GS, 0-4, 10.55 ERA, 21.1 IP, 10 K
RHP – Chris Rubio
27G, 11 GS, 1-9, 5.38 ERA, 73.2 IP, 49 K
LHP – Mark Suchowiecki
21G, 14 GS, 2-8, 8.00 ERA, 75.1 IP, 61 K
RHP – Shane Sveda
20G, 1-2, 5.15 ERA, 1 SV, 36.2 IP, 32 K
Keep Your Eye On
Infield/Starting Pitching
With only one returning player (Sam DeLuca), the Sliders will have a wide open competition in spring training to fill the infield slots. The pitching staff features just one returning starter in Kyle Kearcher, who developed into a surprise ace, but they will need to get consistent innings from the other starters to really improve. Chris Tierney started three games for Southern Illinois in 2007, but is he healthy??
Trending
Up
Having a home, even a temporary one, will make the Sliders significantly better than their record last season. This is the same team that played 28 games decided by a run but won just seven of those contests. The Sliders also played 12 extra-inning games, more than any other team in the league. Manager Eric Coleman has a lot of players back in addition to having the luxury of veteran players on this year’s squad. On the final 2008 roster, Midwest featured one LS-2 and three LS-1’s with everyone else being rookies. While the playoffs might be a stretch, look for the Sliders to be a big mover in terms of overall wins. I think they may still struggle a bit in the East Division, but an improvement of over 10 games isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
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