Gould trade: a look on the trade

Last year, the Jokers traded the best pitcher in ABL history; Maurice Gould. Las Vegas GM received some criticism for the trade. Now, if we take a look at all of this, what can we say about it?

Maurice Gould; age 32; salary 20,000,000  7-4; 3,06 SO 145  WAR  5.7  VS  Lou Latulippe; age 23, salary 500,000 9-1; 2,86 SO 87; WAR 3.2

If we look the WAR of the two pitchers, Maurice Gould is still a true all-star. With 145 KO, an ERA near 3,00 he delivers like he always did. But he's 32 and bring a huge contract with him. Lou Latulippe became quickly a true number 1 in Las Vegas. At 23, he still improve and show a 9-1 records an a very good ERA of 2,86. So if we look at the number, Latulippe do a good job, not as good as Gould but pretty close.

Rich Barrett, age 30, salary 4,850,000 2-2, save 1 ERA 8,63  WAR - 0,6  VS  Masaki Baba, age 24, salary 6,825,000  average .345; OBP .409 11 HR; 51 RBI and a WAR 2.1 and Valentin Alverado, age 24; salary 500,000; average .286; OBP .321  24 HR, 61 RBI and a WAR 3.1

With Gould, the Jokers gave Rich Barrett. He really struggle in Montréal with a huge ERA and a negative WAR. Masaki Baba gave another big bat in Vegas. His average is over .340 and he post a 2,1 WAR. He's one of the reason the Jokers still have one of the best attack in TML. Valentin Alverado was the Joker in this trade. A youngster with a lot of potential, could he fulfill it?  Right now, he's leading the league in home run and play extremely well in defense. With a WAR of 3.1, he really open the eyes of Las Vegas fans this year.

So even if Maurice Gould is clearly the best player of the transaction, Latulippe, Baba and Alverado give Las Vegas a solid trio who will Anchor the franchise for many years to come. So, one year after the trade, we can said that Las Vegas receive a good value for their ace.

Lou Latulippe is probably going to All Star game

Playbal... the 2018 edition of Las Vegas Jokers

2017 was a difficult year. The Jokers wish to rebound in 2018. The owner target a .500 ball club but management believe the team could win a little bit more games then 82. Will it be enough to going back in playoff, nobody knows but players will try to stay competitive all year long, even if Eureka and K-C are now two powerhouse.

Pitching: The rotation did very well in spring training. Jose Serrano posted a 4-0; 2,25 era in march. Everybody wish he could bring this excellence to the real season. Lou Latulippe will continu to develop but he's already a solid #2. Bob Magee and Derrick Scott will occupy spot #3 and 4 and finally, Buddy Wills will take the last spot. He had some difficult showing in spring trainning but management believe he have more upside then Brent Welsh. So he will start on the rotation and we'll see if he can stay there. Is number one start will be against the reigning champion; Kansas City. A good test. Wills started 3 times in 2017 and did well with a 2.21 era.

In relief, there's a lot of improvement needed. Last year, the team could'nt get the job done in last inning. So with Sixto Lavio and Yamashita, we expect a better ending. Yamashita had a strong training camp with 9 saves and a 2.79 era. Last year, he played yo-yo between starter and closer and that did not help him. This year, he will stay in bullpen, no mather what happen in the starting rotation. He won the job in front of Robinson Fernandez, who did very well but will be back in AAA to gain more experience. But don't be surprise if he's call-up sooner then later. The others relievers, Solis, Hoskins and Fox need to upgrade their play. If they can pitch like they did in spring training, the team could surprise if the relief do a good job.

Infield: Only one change in the infield, the young Valentin Alverado will take the 2B job. He still could improve at bat but his defense will be an upgrade over Sasaki. Philip Smith, Mitch Lyon, Adrian Brown and Veton Zhugli will complete the infield. Management expect a better defense this year, that's why they sacrifice a bit of offense to obtain it.

Outfield: Probably the strenght of the team with Yamamoto and Babi. The two players will hit many homers and drive a lot of run. Each year, Las vegas attack is one of the best in TML. In center field, Bruce Joyner will take #1 spot on the lineup. He need to continu his good work. Finally, Colin St.John will take the DH spot. At 36, he's still one of the best hitter in the league. The management will have to decide if they offer him another contract or not.

So everyone he's ready in Vegas. PLAYBALL! 

Review of a difficult year- part 1

For the second time in their history, the Jokers did not make the playoff. They weren't even close to do it. So the management made a big splash in trading the best player in ABL history Maurice Gould. The decision was tough but with the performance of Latulippe, Baba and Alverado, the decision was a good one. The fans in Vegas still love Gould so they don't cheer when he got hammered by SoCal in the playoff this year. But the Gould trade was not the only move in Vegas, Jose Serrano came in Vegas in a big trade with New-York. Serrano is not Gould but he will provide a number 1 SP in Vegas. Let's look how Vegas players performed this year.

SP

Lou Latulippe: At 22, the Young Latulippe meet the expectation management had in him when they traded Gould to obtain his service. A 12-5 records with a very good 3,73 era was clearly the kind of pitching management expect from him. He still need to develop a bit more and gain experience but he will Anchor the rotation sooner then expected.  We give him an A for last season.

Jose Serrano: At the beginning of the year, everyone in Vegas know that the starter position need to be upgraded. In july, the team finally decide to trade a big bat to obtain some good arms. Serrano was the key man of the trade. His arrival in Vegas was not easy. A 3-4 record with a huge 6.05 ERA, not the kind of stats we expect from a number 1 pitcher. But he arrive in a team a bit demotivated by the way the season goes so it will be interresting to see if he could put better number next year. For his stint in Vegas, we gave him a D

Bob Magee: He arrive with a lot of confidence in training camp and everyone expect big thing from the righty. The key word from him is inconstancy. Very good some nights, pretty bad some others. Overall he finished with a 10-11 4.93 record. He need to have more good days next year.  C

Derrick Scott: For a number 4 starter, he put reasonable numbers on the table. A 13-13 record with a 4.58 era is exactly what we can expect from a bottom of rotation starter. He will never be a star but he's doing a ok job. We give him a B-

Buddy Wills: The team recall him in september and he did well. He posted a very good 2.21 era with a record of 1-2. Of course, three starts is not enough to get hyper excited but that could be enough to earn him a spot in next year rotation. It will be interesting to see what he could do over a whole year.  For he's 3 starts, we give him an A

Brent Welch: The 27 years old southpaw grab the 5th spot in the rotation. He was not the worse pitcher but didn't impress either. So his post is in danger. If Wills have a strong training camp, he will go back in bullpen or in AAA.  D

Relief

The relief was a pain in the ... all year long. It seems that every reliever had a bad year in the same time. Many games were lost in the last innings were the pitching staff could'nt do a good job. But there's some ray of light for next year.

Sixto Lavio: Obtain in New-York trade, Lavio was the best pitcher in Vegas in the last two months. He posted an 1.93 Era with a record of 4-1. He trully emerge as the set-up man the team was looking for. For what he did in Vegas, we give him an A.

Nobuhisa Yamashita: The Young pitcher was at time a starter, at time the closer. This yo-yo between the two affectations did not pay. It seems to have mixed-up the young pitcher. So next year, he will be in the bullpen and it will be interesting to see what he could do all year in a closer role. He finished the year with 11 saves, even if he started 17 times. So he have a lot to give and we didn't see the best right now. C-

Nick Fox: The righty had an off year. In fact, the problem seem to be the homer he concede. He allowed 10 more then his previous years. If Vegas saw him in a closer role at the beginning of the year, it seem quite clear now that he won't be the permanent answer here. He really need to cut the number of bomb he concede to be back on a important role in relief.  D

Javier Solis: The vet obtain in Serrano trade seems to be on a steady decline. The last two years was very difficult for him and like Fox, he conceed to many homers. A problem that could become a huge handicap in a hitter friendly park. Solis was not effective in the last two months, posting a huge 7.20 era. It will be interesting to see if management will void the last year of his contract.  E

Weldon Hoskins: Habitually a steady middle man in relief, Hoskins was innefective last year. A 6.26 era was quite the double of what he gave habitually. I don't think management give-up in his case but he will need to be back on track quickly. If not, he could be on the move.  D-

Matt Messer: After having a very good 2016 season, Messer dissapoint in 2017. A 2-4, 5.13 era was not what management expected from him. He seem to have lost a little something during the last year. So he's clearly in danger to be demoted. He need to be better. D

Tom Wagner: A mop-up or a long relief specialist. He had a difficult year but expectation were very low in his case. He had a good 2016 years but it could be more luck then anything else.  D-

Prospect

Of course, Robinson Fernandez is a huge prospect. He could have seen some time in major if not a big injury late in the season. For sure, he will compete for a job in the bullpen.

Another big Trade in Las Vegas

The Las Vegas GM annonce another big trade, 3 pitchers are coming to Vegas against 3 prospects... Jose Serrano, Javier Solis and Sixto Lavio arrives in the gambling city. Why this move?

First of all, we need to get back to the Maurice Gould trade. When Vegas put him on market, they doesn't know what they're gone a receive for him. GM taught he will receive 3 or 4 prospects who will need 2 or 3 years to fully develop. In fact, he receives 3 players, 2 who contribute right now and another one who's very near to shine in the big league. Since their arrival, they play very well and let the GM believe that he could bring Vegas back in a contender role soonner then expected. Lou Latulippe pitch very well since the trade. He's 8-2 in Vegas with a 3,73 ERA. Not the kind of number Gould brings to a rotation but the kind of number who let you believe you have a solid number 1 or 2. Masaki Baba hit for .322 with 12 hr and 55 RBI in 54 games. He add another great bat in a offense powerhouse. Finally, Valentin Alverado have already 12 HR in 54 games in Reno (AAA). So the team were please by what theses Young guns add to the lineup. But the problem of pitching was still there. So when New-York put Serrano on the market, one of the 10 best SP in the league and spot Octavio Garcia, it was an opportunity that GM Neveu don't want to ignore. After some talks, New-York let go 3 good arms, Serrano, Solis and Lavio. 3 players who will help the pitching in Vegas. Serrano will take the #1 spot while Latulippe and Wills still Learning.

Of course, the organisation gave very good prospects in return. Octavio Garcia will become a superstar but with Yamamoto, Baba, Lyon and Manning & Alverado in AAA, the management feel that they could let him go. To receive something good, you need to give something good too. With Garcia leave Richard Rogers, a Young closer who could become a very good player. But the organisation have Fernandez in AAA who done well, so it was another position where we could let a good prospect go. Finally, Pedro Perez. At 16, show a lot of promises but nobody knows how he will develop. If he become an elite starter, New-York will have the edge in this trade but Vegas owner, René Angelil, want a team who can content for the first place of his division. With theses moves, we think next year edition will be able to play good baseball and give a good opposition to Eureka and KC.

José Serrano: The new #1 pitcher in Vegas

Q&A with Vegas GM about the Gould Trade

-By trading Maurice Gould, i'm quite sure that you know you won't be popular in Vegas the next few weeks...

Neveu: Yes i know. But we were going nowhere this year so we need to think about future. Gould have 31 and a huge contrat, we decide to trade him while he's got a good value. I really think that is better to trade a player one year to fast then one year to late...

-Do you have many discussion for Gould?

Neveu: A bit but we had to decide if we wanted quantity or quality. In fact, two teams made pretty good offers. South Carolina offer 3 good pitchers for Gould while Montréal offer two superstars, but only one pitcher. We decide to go with Montréal offer because we think that Latulippe will become a great pitcher. He's young and lefty, a pretty good asset in our stadium. Masaki Baba is already a star, a tremendous hitter who will fit very well in our lineup. And we receive Alvarado, a Young infielder with a lot of power. Our scout like him very well. So we decide to take this direction and really think that we need to move right now. I'm sure Gould will give Montréal 4 or 5 good years and with Barrett make them a threat for the title this year.

- Did the nego was easy with Montréal?

Neveu: No, the team didn't want to trade Latulippe and Baba. They talk about another SP and AU in outfield. Au is a very good hitter but at 26, he's 3 years older then Baba. So we insist to put Latulippe and Baba in the deal, what was not in Montréal plan. The nego really start to become a reality when we add Barrett, who could start or be in bullpen. At this time, Montréal put the name of Latulippe in the deal. I'm suppose that is not easy to trade a family member for the GM but we made it clear, without Latulippe, no deal is possible with Montréal.

- What's next now?

Neveu: We're still looking to upgrade our pitching. We have many good hitter now and we could trade one of our outfielder or a first baseman in a trade. We'll see what team will want a good hitter near the trade deadline and try to obtain something good. We're open to many ideas...

What a shocker: Gould is gone!!!!

What an annoce made today by the team: Maurice Gould is going north.

 

A long season?

A new season who could be long in Vegas. The team decide to give youngsters more opportunities and let some good vets go. Last year it was Ramirez, this year, it was Jeff Wade and Charles O'connor. The GM didn't do anything on free agent or trade market. He filled the hole with youngsters  in the organisation. Right now, the result isn't really bright: a 9-10 records, already 5 games behind K-C and Eureka.

The attack is doing the job being the best in TML for average and homers. But, like always, the problem is the pitching staff who gave more runs then the team scores. But we'll see if the pitching staff, mostly the reliever could turn thing around a little bit and help the team to gain grounds on the leaders of the division. Right now, the bullpen have 7 of the 10 defeats of the team... a good closer would have been a great addition.

But there's bright light in the young players on the team. Particulary in the outfield where Bruce Joyner (CF) play like an all-star. A .361 average with 4 HR and 9 RBI is very good, more then expected. In right field, Nick McBride is playing well too and that gives the opportunities to put Colin St.John DH. St.John who has been injuried many times in last two years is better suited to DH role. In left field, Yamamoto, best rookie last year, continue is excellent job with a .373 average with 7HR (league best) and 21 RBI.

In the infield, Veton Zhugli finally become a regular in third base and lock the hot corner with great defensive skills. Adrian Brown at SS is a nice surprise, hittng .323 with superb defense. He pushed Erik Bennett, former SS, out of Vegas.

Will see if Vegas can turn things a bit and come back in the race or if it will be a transition year. Right now, the second scenario seems the most probable.

Bruce Joyner, a pleasant surprise in CF