Farkes is from University of Conneticut and is coming off Tommy John surgery in 2006 that limited his production during his 2007 season. Zavada is lefthander who was drafted in 2006 and had a great rookie season in the Diamondbacks organization, but took the 2007 season off due to family issues. Arnett and McMurran are two members of the 2007 NBC World Series Champion Havasu Heat. The NBC World Series is an amateur tournament held in Wichita, Kansas, every summer. The Miners have picked several players off that championship team this off-season.
The Gateway Grizzlies announced that 1st basemen Mike Breyman. The 2008 season will be his 5th with the Grizzlies for the All-Star. Another big signing for the Grizzlies will be outfielder Michael Campbell, who played last year with the Fort Wayne Wizards. Campbell, like most of the Gateway hitters, swings left-handed and will be sure to enjoy the cozy confines of GCS ballpark. The Grizzlies have also resigned All-Star outfielder Stephen Holdren catcher Carlie Lisk, and pitchers Jason Herman and Justin Staatz. Catcher Eric Beck and pitcher Brandon Kellbach announced their retirement.
Downstate rival Kalamazoo Kings have resigned infielders Joe Ramos and Kyle Kmiecik, outfielders Simon Williams and Brandon Anderson, and pitcher Sam Mann. 1B/3B Rick Owens, who played with the Amarillo Dillas of the United League in 2007, has also signed with the Kings. Owens is a right-handed power hitter would should enjoy the King's short porch in left field.
For a complete list of recent Frontier League transactions, check out http://www.frontierleague.com/transactions.php.
2 comments:
I like he way you build this team every year Jason. I think up the middle is the way to go with Vetrans and L1s. Catcher, Second, Short and CF. Corner Outfielders can be rookies, usually easier to find in my opinion. Pitching is more difficult. Guys with a great secondary pitch would be hard to find otherwise theyd be in affiliated ball. Im guessing maybe small college guys with good arms and a couple guys with some frontier league expierience. Keep up the great work. I think this years squad is filling out nicely. Great Job.
Thanks for the kind words, Mark. You're right - defense and experience up the middle is my priority. Most places can rely on corner outfielders and infielders for a little more pop in the lineup, but since we play in the spacious Wuerfel Park, we have to make sure we can get some outfielders that can run the ball down, too. Other than that, the basic idea is to maximize the pro experience for what the roster rules will allow. Sometimes you can find relievers, like Jared Locke, who have been playing pro ball for 2-3 years and still classify as a rookie. Since 12/24 players have to be rookies, this is a huge help.
We're very excited about what we have on paper at this point, plus we should still be able to get 4-6 quality players out of spring training to fill the holes. If we can avoid the injuries that killed us last year, I am very optimistic about our chances. Thanks again for following the blog, and GO BEACH BUMS!
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