The River City Rascals have been busy this off-season locking down many key members of last year's squad and making a few moves which will greatly improve their defense. With the improvements in River City and in Evansville and the addition of Windy City and Rockford, look for the West Division to be very competitive this season.
Here is how the Rascals are looking at this point this off-season:
Key Additions:
OF Luke Bargainer - Bargainer makes his return to the Frontier League after playing the 2007 season in the South Coast League where he hit .292 with 15 doubles, 9 triples, and 7 home runs. Bargainer also swings left-handed and should have a fun time with the Rascal's short porch in right field.
RHP Jason Baca - The Rascals picked up Baca from the Riverhawks after the season to complete the deal that sent Andrew Sweet to Rockford for the playoff run. Baca was one of the better bullpen arms in the Frontier League last year, going 4-2 with a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings with 19 walks, 25 strikeouts, and 8 saves.
RHP Josh Regits - Regits attended Central Michigan University before transferring to Madonna College to finish his career, where he was a teammate of former Beach Bum Ben Ramsey. Regits was traded to River City from Joliet in the off-season, where he spent his rookie season in 2007, pitching 41.1 innings with a 2-4 record and 6.10 ERA.
1B/DH Bobby Mosby - River City traded Mosby to Joliet shortly following the All-Star break last year and he stilled finished 5th in the Frontier League with 19 home runs. "Big Mo" will once again be one of the premier power hitters in the league in 2008.
OF Phil Laurent - Laurent started the 2007 season with the Rascals, but was signed by the Padres after hitting .341 with 14 doubles, 4 triples, and 12 home runs in just 57 games. Laurent got nothing short of screwed by the Padres, who put him in rookie ball and got him just 31 at-bats before releasing him this off-season. Laurent will once again enjoy getting fed fastballs while hitting in front of Bobby Mosby in 2008.
SS Greg Stone - Veteran shortstop Greg Stone comes to the Rascals after playing the past two seasons in Florence. Stone is a very solid player in the field and at the plate. Last year he hit .271 with a .348 on-base percentage while fielding .963 at shortstop.
LHP Scott Fogelson - Fogelson also comes over to River City via a trade with Florence. Fogelson pitched for Kalamazoo last year before being traded to Florence. Overall, he had a 6-7 record, 3.90 ERA, 92.1 innings pitched, 47 walks, and 69 strikeouts.
UTL Andrew Sweet - Sweet returns to the Rascals after being "lent" to the Rockford Riverhawks for the playoff run - Sweet was traded for a player to be named and the player to be named was Sweet - the league has since make rules stopping teams from making these kinds of deals. Between Rockford and River City in 2007, Sweet hit .282 with 17 doubles and 5 home runs.
Key Losses:
RHP Steven Brook - Brook pitched every year of his pro career for River City and aged out following the 2007 season. He was 11-7 with a 5.27 ERA last season and will take over as the Rascals' pitching coach in 2008.
2B Jeff Landry - The Rascals traded Landry to Florence just recently. Landry is a solid ball player that will do well for the Freedom. Last year he hit .291 with 18 doubles and 4 home runs, his first in professional baseball.
OF Trey Hendricks - Hendricks played in all 96 games for the Rascals last year, hitting .258 with 10 doubles and 10 home runs. He aged out following the season.
Key Returners:
INF Brad Hough - Hough played most his games at SS last year, but I expect him to move to 3B with the addition of SS Greg Stone. Hough had a very solid year for the Rascals last summer, hitting .285 with 25 doubles and 10 home runs.
DH Andy Bettis - Bettis broke into the Frontier League with a very productive rookie season. He hit .274 with 16 doubles and 9 home runs in just 67 games last summer. With Mosby at 1B, you can expect Bettis to be a full time DH.
OF Jeff Miller - Miller signed with the Rascals out of college with just 38 games to play, but he made them count, hitting .307 with 11 doubles and 7 home runs in only 140 at-bats.
SP Chris Clem - Clem didn't have a very good win-loss record last season, but he will be a key part of the Rascals' pitching staff if they plan to make a run for the playoffs this coming season. Last year he pitched 126 innings with 92 strikeouts, however he surrendered 154 hits and 14 home runs.
The Rascals have a very tough lineup from top to bottom, but the big question mark will be their pitching staff. The additions of Jason Baca and Scott Fogelson will help, and if they can get a couple more pitchers out of spring training, they could give Windy City, Gateway, and Rockford a run for their money in the West. As I mentioned earlier, Evansville will be much improved, and I will give you my run down on Southern Illinois tomorrow, who will be led by the return of 1B power threat Tim Dorn.
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