Since the Prickly Pears joined the MDBL third base has been a sore spot for the organization. Third base has seen the likes of Vinny Castilla and Edgardo Alfonzo, but no more, the Prickly Pears had cash to spend this offseason and they decided to spend it on a franchise third baseman.
Alex Rodriguez comes over from many years in the Blue Ox organization and a short rental stop with the Winchester Cannons. Rodriguez is a career .305/.386/.573 hitter that should provide a much need right handed bat and probable clean up hitter. Many have recently been questioning his defense, but if he is able to produce the numbers with the bat everyone will forget about his defensive challenges.
Backing up "ARod" will be a series of utility players including Julio Lugo and BJ Upton.
Rodriguez will be the Prickly Pear third baseman for the next three years, and considering there is no third base assistance in the minors, this is a welcomed change.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Saturday, March 3, 2007
2007 Prickly Pear Preview - Second Base
Last year the Prickly Pear Dealers used their first round pick on second baseman Dan Uggla. This selection was not made because Uggla was a first round talent, but instead because he would be able to help our team immediately. Uggla will be the primary second baseman and is expected to hit in the range of .280/.340/.480. The 26 year old brings a solid bat to Pears lineup.
Backing up Uggla and playing a little bit against lefties will be veteran Mark Ellis. Last year Ellis was the starter at 2nd base where he had a great year hitting .312. After such a strong year it is difficult to understand why Ellis has lost his starting job, but Pear management seems to want to get more power production out of the position.
Backing up Uggla and playing a little bit against lefties will be veteran Mark Ellis. Last year Ellis was the starter at 2nd base where he had a great year hitting .312. After such a strong year it is difficult to understand why Ellis has lost his starting job, but Pear management seems to want to get more power production out of the position.
Friday, March 2, 2007
2007 Prickly Pear Preview - First Base
This is the first in a series of Prickly Pear previews for 2007. In this report we will look at first base. In 2006 first base was handled by a two player platoon of Mike Sweeney and JT Snow. Sweeney had a very strong year hitting .338 with 20 homeruns in 321 plate appearances. This year due to injuries Sweeney will be relegated to back up the position. The other side of the platoon was JT Snow and after a poor 2006 hitting just .225, Snow has decided to hang up the glove and call it a career.
With Sweeney dealing with an injury and Snow retiring the Prickly Pears needed to find a new first baseman to take on 500 plate appearances. Nick Swisher has been asked by the coaching staff to take on this role. Last year Swisher completed his first full season in the MDBL where he only hit .209 with 44 walks and 22 homeruns in 416 at bats. It is expected that Nick will increase all of those numbers in 2007.
With Sweeney dealing with an injury and Snow retiring the Prickly Pears needed to find a new first baseman to take on 500 plate appearances. Nick Swisher has been asked by the coaching staff to take on this role. Last year Swisher completed his first full season in the MDBL where he only hit .209 with 44 walks and 22 homeruns in 416 at bats. It is expected that Nick will increase all of those numbers in 2007.
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