Even if the Jokers are not in post-season, their GM had find a way to bring them back on media radar. All started before game 7 between Kansas-City and Maple. Many fans were on twitter talking about the game and it became obvious that K-C fans were not confident at all because Maple was starting Maurice Gould. Las vegas GM, Francois Neveu, put oïl on fire when he tweeted that Gould will choke like he always did in game 7. After that, the twitosphere became on fire, everyone had something to say on Gould's past performances. Even Gould agent, Scott Boras, fire back at GM Neveu saying that if Gould had receive a better defense, the Jokers could have won 2 or 3 pennants. In fact, during the next two hours #gouldwillchoke became the hottest subject on twitter.
Finally, the Marauders loose, Gould conceided 7 points and all Gould's haters had fun that night. The next day, when media asked him his taught about all this, he simply said that he could not understand why a GM on vacancy attack him. "I did my best when i was in Vegas and probably been the best player the franchise had in their history".
GM Neveu tried to calm down everything, saying that he was just relating the fact that Gould loose the most important game ever in Vegas when they were knocked out in 7 by Notthinghamshire. After that, he quickly change the subject and start talking about the season recap of the Jokers.
Maple organisation didn't make any comment to date on that "incident". Many Maple fans were shocked that a Canadian GM takes side of one of his american rivals instead of rooting for Maple. One thing is sure, if GM Neveu plan to go near Toronto, he won't be welcome there. He quicky become the punching ball for the frustration of many Marauders fans who believed that Maple would go to the final after Eureka fall.
Las Vegas Jokers ABL team
samedi 10 janvier 2015
lundi 14 juillet 2014
Season recap.
The Jokers finished the year 3 games behind the KC Tornadoes. Better then last year but in fact, the team won 5 less games then the year before, so it's difficult to say that it's a real progress. The 83-79 records is a bit disapointing in fact. So what to remember in that 2019 year.
Starter
Lou Latulippe won 4 less game in 2019 from his 2018 record but he pitched real good. His stats are pretty similar to 2018 when he won the Cy Young. Jose Serrano did better with 16 victories and a better era. That's the good news... the bad ones where the injury to Bob MaGee who didn't pitch a single inning in the season. We'll see how he'll return but management are pessimistic. This kind of injury could diminu the efficiency of the player. The other disapointement came from Buddy Wills performance. With only 7 wins and an era over 6.00, the 2019 year was hard on him when management expect better results. Will he be able to deliver and became a reliable #3 starter? Right now, there's many doubt about him. For the future, Austin Burnett did really well in A and AA. He will start 2020 in AAA but he seems to develop in a solid starter. Not an ace but a usefull SP. Finally, in international complex, scouting director find Boy Scout Goddier, a good prospect. We'll see how he develop but it's a real long term option.
Relief
Management spend a lot of money to be better in relief. Roy Cole was a complete burst. He's injury now and it's probably better for the club. He showed in bad shape with a shitty attitude in training camp and that doesn't help at all a Young staff. The other newcomer, Peter Klein, does a good job but he had attitude problem too, wanting the closer job that Yamashita had. Yamashita was one of the few bright spot in relief. He did a good job, recolting 38 saves.
Hitters
Hitting is never a problem in Vegas but the 2019 year was one of few surprises and some deception. On the bright side: Mitch Lyon continu his good job belting 41 homers and 134 RBI. The Young Roy Nash was a pleasant surprise with a .365 average and an OBP of .414 Yamamoto come back strong of an ordinary year with a .326 average and 113 RBI. Masaki Baba was good but he can do more.
On the deception, Valentin Alverado had a difficult year. He injuried himself in april ad never really find his eye back on his return. He finished the year with a .243 average and 17 HR, a huge decrease compare to the .295 and 45 the year before. Phillip Smith was the other huge deception but at 31, it's probably not much a surprise to see a catcher declining. His average drop from .354 to .251 a huge blow for the team. That rush a little bit the young Julio Segura in major. He did well with a .299 average but he need to upgrade his overall skills.
So the 2020 will probably see pretty much the same team on the field so it will be interesting to see if Magee, Wills and Alverado could comeback stronger. If yes, Las Vegas could surprise. If no, it may be a year of change for this group of players.
Starter
Lou Latulippe won 4 less game in 2019 from his 2018 record but he pitched real good. His stats are pretty similar to 2018 when he won the Cy Young. Jose Serrano did better with 16 victories and a better era. That's the good news... the bad ones where the injury to Bob MaGee who didn't pitch a single inning in the season. We'll see how he'll return but management are pessimistic. This kind of injury could diminu the efficiency of the player. The other disapointement came from Buddy Wills performance. With only 7 wins and an era over 6.00, the 2019 year was hard on him when management expect better results. Will he be able to deliver and became a reliable #3 starter? Right now, there's many doubt about him. For the future, Austin Burnett did really well in A and AA. He will start 2020 in AAA but he seems to develop in a solid starter. Not an ace but a usefull SP. Finally, in international complex, scouting director find Boy Scout Goddier, a good prospect. We'll see how he develop but it's a real long term option.
Relief
Management spend a lot of money to be better in relief. Roy Cole was a complete burst. He's injury now and it's probably better for the club. He showed in bad shape with a shitty attitude in training camp and that doesn't help at all a Young staff. The other newcomer, Peter Klein, does a good job but he had attitude problem too, wanting the closer job that Yamashita had. Yamashita was one of the few bright spot in relief. He did a good job, recolting 38 saves.
Hitters
Hitting is never a problem in Vegas but the 2019 year was one of few surprises and some deception. On the bright side: Mitch Lyon continu his good job belting 41 homers and 134 RBI. The Young Roy Nash was a pleasant surprise with a .365 average and an OBP of .414 Yamamoto come back strong of an ordinary year with a .326 average and 113 RBI. Masaki Baba was good but he can do more.
On the deception, Valentin Alverado had a difficult year. He injuried himself in april ad never really find his eye back on his return. He finished the year with a .243 average and 17 HR, a huge decrease compare to the .295 and 45 the year before. Phillip Smith was the other huge deception but at 31, it's probably not much a surprise to see a catcher declining. His average drop from .354 to .251 a huge blow for the team. That rush a little bit the young Julio Segura in major. He did well with a .299 average but he need to upgrade his overall skills.
So the 2020 will probably see pretty much the same team on the field so it will be interesting to see if Magee, Wills and Alverado could comeback stronger. If yes, Las Vegas could surprise. If no, it may be a year of change for this group of players.
dimanche 1 juin 2014
The new Jokers
7th of june 2019, the ABL draft. This year, the Jokers had the 16th pick and the 25th because of the signing of Colin St.John by Maple. The draft was depth enough and the scouting team was optimistic to select one or two players who could perform in the Jokers starting lineup in a near future.
For the first pick, the team decide to go with a pitcher. 3 names got their attention: Ramanathan, Burnett and Ubriani. Ramanathan was pick in 15th spot, so this push the decision between the others two. Our scout see them in a same range, a little bit more stuff for Ubriani but better movement and control for Burnett. The two have low stamina. Difficult decision but Ubriani told the scout that he would be reluctant to come in Vegas and signing him would be extremely hard. So the management decide to go with Austin Burnett. Will see what will be the futur impact of this decision. Burnett will never be a Cy Young winner but he could be a good #3 SP or an excellent middle reliever.
For the 25th pick, some good contact hitters were still available. The team spotted 3 guys they like very much: Rivera (2B), Henderson (CF) and Jones (LF). Rivera was picked by Montréal with the 24th pick. Again, management had to make decision between the two others. Our scout saw Henderson with a 19 contact potential, so the organisation decide to go with him. Jones was taken on the next pick by Seattle. The organisation are very happy to have Jeffrey Henderson. He was ranked #3 on our batter prospect list.
The others pick were more longshot. Hu "Stone" Situ is a kind of player Las Vegas organisation miss. High potential in contact, eye and avoid K. Many hitters in Vegas have power but base on ball are a concept they don't know. Situ could put a presence on the base and with a .521 and a .446 OBP in minor league, he could score many runs. But will he be able to translate that in ABL? Will see... Another pick Bai-Luo See-Too. This youngster surely can play defense but will he be able to hit in major? The challenge will be to develop his offensive skill if he want to play everyday. But there's a good chance that "C2" become at least, an utlity infielder in Vegas in two or three years.
So the job is now try to sign everyone. The offers are already send and since Vegas have enough money, they don't believe problem to have all of them in minor system soon.
For the first pick, the team decide to go with a pitcher. 3 names got their attention: Ramanathan, Burnett and Ubriani. Ramanathan was pick in 15th spot, so this push the decision between the others two. Our scout see them in a same range, a little bit more stuff for Ubriani but better movement and control for Burnett. The two have low stamina. Difficult decision but Ubriani told the scout that he would be reluctant to come in Vegas and signing him would be extremely hard. So the management decide to go with Austin Burnett. Will see what will be the futur impact of this decision. Burnett will never be a Cy Young winner but he could be a good #3 SP or an excellent middle reliever.
For the 25th pick, some good contact hitters were still available. The team spotted 3 guys they like very much: Rivera (2B), Henderson (CF) and Jones (LF). Rivera was picked by Montréal with the 24th pick. Again, management had to make decision between the two others. Our scout saw Henderson with a 19 contact potential, so the organisation decide to go with him. Jones was taken on the next pick by Seattle. The organisation are very happy to have Jeffrey Henderson. He was ranked #3 on our batter prospect list.
The others pick were more longshot. Hu "Stone" Situ is a kind of player Las Vegas organisation miss. High potential in contact, eye and avoid K. Many hitters in Vegas have power but base on ball are a concept they don't know. Situ could put a presence on the base and with a .521 and a .446 OBP in minor league, he could score many runs. But will he be able to translate that in ABL? Will see... Another pick Bai-Luo See-Too. This youngster surely can play defense but will he be able to hit in major? The challenge will be to develop his offensive skill if he want to play everyday. But there's a good chance that "C2" become at least, an utlity infielder in Vegas in two or three years.
So the job is now try to sign everyone. The offers are already send and since Vegas have enough money, they don't believe problem to have all of them in minor system soon.
samedi 24 mai 2014
Tribute to Colin St.John
On march 31 2019, Colin St.John signed a contract with Maple organisation. This put and end to an era in Las Vegas. St.John and Maurice Gould were the first two superstars of the team, players that lead the Jokers to two TML championship. Now there both gone.
St.John, two times batter of the year and 5 times all-star was one of the best hitter in the league during his 7 years stint in Vegas. A discussion with Jokers gm let us believe the team tried to sign St.John before the winter. But his demand were too high, more then 20 millions for 4 years. With all the youngsters in the minors, the organisation was not willing to spend all this money on a 37 years old vet.
The decision make sense in term of performance on the field. But it's clear the management underestimate the quiet leadership he bring to a team.
- St.John always leads by exemple. He was the first one in batting practice and help all of us by his pertinent advice. said Bruce Joyner.
Without St.John, the Jokers struggle a lot. Their record of 11-21 is one of the worst in the league and even if some key players are injuried, it's clear that many young players (Latulippe, Joyner) are not performing well. Maybe it's because they lost their "older" brother, St.John. None of the players make a direct link between the present record of the team and the lost of St.John but they all insist of how appreciate St.John was. The Vegas GM admit: if we could have reach the kind of agrement he finally accept (1 year; 10 millions) at the end of last season, we probably had him back this year in a Jokers uniform.
But the show must go on and right now, it seem that there's a void in leadership in Vegas while maple are at 17-15... maybe there's a little bit of St.John behind this.
St.John, two times batter of the year and 5 times all-star was one of the best hitter in the league during his 7 years stint in Vegas. A discussion with Jokers gm let us believe the team tried to sign St.John before the winter. But his demand were too high, more then 20 millions for 4 years. With all the youngsters in the minors, the organisation was not willing to spend all this money on a 37 years old vet.
The decision make sense in term of performance on the field. But it's clear the management underestimate the quiet leadership he bring to a team.
- St.John always leads by exemple. He was the first one in batting practice and help all of us by his pertinent advice. said Bruce Joyner.
Without St.John, the Jokers struggle a lot. Their record of 11-21 is one of the worst in the league and even if some key players are injuried, it's clear that many young players (Latulippe, Joyner) are not performing well. Maybe it's because they lost their "older" brother, St.John. None of the players make a direct link between the present record of the team and the lost of St.John but they all insist of how appreciate St.John was. The Vegas GM admit: if we could have reach the kind of agrement he finally accept (1 year; 10 millions) at the end of last season, we probably had him back this year in a Jokers uniform.
But the show must go on and right now, it seem that there's a void in leadership in Vegas while maple are at 17-15... maybe there's a little bit of St.John behind this.
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| Colin St.John, one of the two true superstars of Las vegas organisation |
mercredi 14 mai 2014
Playball!
A new season will start tomorrow. What to expect from the Jokers? Fans want nothing less then a playoff appereance but will they be able to realise that? We'll probably need 162 games to know the answer. So what's new for the 2019 season in Vegas?
Starter: Last year, the starter did very well. Lou Latulippe prove he can win Cy Young like Maurice Gould. At only 24 years old, he will probably win some more in a near future. Jose Serrano finish well after a horrible start. He seems to finally master the difficult Lucky 7 ballpark. If he can prove himself like a good number #2, the rotation should be ok. Bob Magee did very well last year but he injured himself in training camp and will miss all 2019 year. It will be a big blow for the teams. With not much depth, the others starters (Scott, Wills and Welch) will need to give a little more then what they offered last year. Buddy Wills is the one with the better upside and showed flash of brillance last year but will he be able to doing it more consistenly, that will be the question
Relief: If there's a position that need to be upgrade, it's the relief. The team loose many games after the 6 first innings. So the GM spend money on two arms: Roy Cole and Peter Klein. Two vets who will have to teach and calm down all the others youngsters. Yamashita finished last year with 33 saves but 7 looses and an era over 4.50 He need to do more to provide a solid closer. At 25, he continue to learn. Lavio, after an excellent stint in 2018, deceived last year. Is it because he was asked too much? With the arrival of two excellents vets, he will rest more and management wish he could perform like two years ago. Adams, Hoskins and Fernandez complete the bullpen. All of them could dominate time to time but there's still to much inconstancy.
Infield: Pretty much the same infield then last year. Phillip Smith start behind the plate. With a .354 average, he showed the form that made him one of the best catcher in the league three years ago. Mitch Lyon will start on first. With 43 hr and 139 RBI, we can't ask more from him. At second, the surprise of 2018, Valentin Alverado. We all knows that the kid have many Tools to succeed but with 45 HR and 119 RBI in his rookie season, he surprises everyone. The question now, will he be able to repeat it? Adrian Brown and Veton Zhugli complete the infield. They both offers good defense.
Outfield: Masaki Baba is the better hitter in Vegas. A complete package who can hit for average or power, dépends on the situation. He will be the Anchor of the Vegas powerfull attack. Yamamoto will continu to offer 40HR and more then 130 RBI. Finally, Bruce Joyner will play in CF. He provide average and good defense in this key position.
Finally, will all this be enough to finish ahead of Kansas City? Probably not but if the players can stay away from disable list, the team should compete for the second best.
Starter: Last year, the starter did very well. Lou Latulippe prove he can win Cy Young like Maurice Gould. At only 24 years old, he will probably win some more in a near future. Jose Serrano finish well after a horrible start. He seems to finally master the difficult Lucky 7 ballpark. If he can prove himself like a good number #2, the rotation should be ok. Bob Magee did very well last year but he injured himself in training camp and will miss all 2019 year. It will be a big blow for the teams. With not much depth, the others starters (Scott, Wills and Welch) will need to give a little more then what they offered last year. Buddy Wills is the one with the better upside and showed flash of brillance last year but will he be able to doing it more consistenly, that will be the question
Relief: If there's a position that need to be upgrade, it's the relief. The team loose many games after the 6 first innings. So the GM spend money on two arms: Roy Cole and Peter Klein. Two vets who will have to teach and calm down all the others youngsters. Yamashita finished last year with 33 saves but 7 looses and an era over 4.50 He need to do more to provide a solid closer. At 25, he continue to learn. Lavio, after an excellent stint in 2018, deceived last year. Is it because he was asked too much? With the arrival of two excellents vets, he will rest more and management wish he could perform like two years ago. Adams, Hoskins and Fernandez complete the bullpen. All of them could dominate time to time but there's still to much inconstancy.
Infield: Pretty much the same infield then last year. Phillip Smith start behind the plate. With a .354 average, he showed the form that made him one of the best catcher in the league three years ago. Mitch Lyon will start on first. With 43 hr and 139 RBI, we can't ask more from him. At second, the surprise of 2018, Valentin Alverado. We all knows that the kid have many Tools to succeed but with 45 HR and 119 RBI in his rookie season, he surprises everyone. The question now, will he be able to repeat it? Adrian Brown and Veton Zhugli complete the infield. They both offers good defense.
Outfield: Masaki Baba is the better hitter in Vegas. A complete package who can hit for average or power, dépends on the situation. He will be the Anchor of the Vegas powerfull attack. Yamamoto will continu to offer 40HR and more then 130 RBI. Finally, Bruce Joyner will play in CF. He provide average and good defense in this key position.
Finally, will all this be enough to finish ahead of Kansas City? Probably not but if the players can stay away from disable list, the team should compete for the second best.
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| Roy Cole |
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| Peter Klein |
samedi 12 avril 2014
Closer but not there yet....
The Jokers finish the year with a record of 88-74. They achieved their goal to be competitive all year long but fall 4 games short to gain a playoff spot. Next year, fans will put pressure to be back in October dance.
But there's a lot of positive around the team this year. First of all, the starting rotation. Led by a young Lou Latulippe who finish at 19-4, the team was 5 in the TM league for era. That's way better of what the team did habitually. Of course, the Lucky Seven ballpark are clearly hitter friendly so that's a great show-up by the starter. Jose Serrano and Bob Magee have both made many quality starts. So for the first time, the starter will not be a problem in Vegas next year.
Relief will. Vegas pen suffer a lot this year. Of course, it,s important to notice that a bunch of youngster were thrown into action. The closer, Yamashita, had some up and down but he manage to save 33 games, not bad. Weldon Hoskins pitched more then 100 innings and finish with an era under 4.00. Robinson Fernandez and Pancho Romero showed good things too. Of course adding one good arms could help next year. On the negative side, Sixto Lavio, who pitched extremely well in 2017, had a difficult year, loosing 7 games and posting an 5.03 ERA. Another who had a difficult year is JR Adams. The kid show promises but need time to develop.
On the offense, Phillip Smith had a great year, finishing third in the league for batting average with .354 It was a nice surprise by this vet who come back strong after two difficult years. The team finish second in the league for batting average and home run. In that departement, Valentin Alverado who hit 45 was the biggest surprise of the year. He join a terrific attack who finish with 5 guys over 100 rbi (Lyons, 139; Yamamoto, 130; St.John 123; Alverado 119 and Baba 118) and 3 with more then 40 hr. So offense is not a clearly not a problem.
The end for St.John?
One of the greatest hitter in ABL history, Colin St.John may be on his way out. The near 37 vet ask for a long term contract, something the team doesn't want to agree. Right now, both side stay on their position what could push St.John on free agent market. It could be a big lost for the Jokers but 2 or 3 youngsters are ready to step up, Joe Kennedy is the one who will probably play regular in left field if the team can't keep his veterant.
So we wont expect many move in the off season for the Jokers. But with this nexus, the expectation will be higher next year. Fans will clearly want a playoff spot.
But there's a lot of positive around the team this year. First of all, the starting rotation. Led by a young Lou Latulippe who finish at 19-4, the team was 5 in the TM league for era. That's way better of what the team did habitually. Of course, the Lucky Seven ballpark are clearly hitter friendly so that's a great show-up by the starter. Jose Serrano and Bob Magee have both made many quality starts. So for the first time, the starter will not be a problem in Vegas next year.
Relief will. Vegas pen suffer a lot this year. Of course, it,s important to notice that a bunch of youngster were thrown into action. The closer, Yamashita, had some up and down but he manage to save 33 games, not bad. Weldon Hoskins pitched more then 100 innings and finish with an era under 4.00. Robinson Fernandez and Pancho Romero showed good things too. Of course adding one good arms could help next year. On the negative side, Sixto Lavio, who pitched extremely well in 2017, had a difficult year, loosing 7 games and posting an 5.03 ERA. Another who had a difficult year is JR Adams. The kid show promises but need time to develop.
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| Valentin Alvarado; 45 HR 119 RBI |
The end for St.John?
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| Colin St.John |
So we wont expect many move in the off season for the Jokers. But with this nexus, the expectation will be higher next year. Fans will clearly want a playoff spot.
lundi 31 mars 2014
Las Vegas fight for a playoff spot
The main goal for Vegas this year was to contend for a playoff spot and it's exactly what happen. The team are just 3 games back for the wildcard spot, even if they're coming from 2 straights bad weeks. What cause this turn around? Attack? yes the attack is good, very good. It's still number 1 in TML in most categories. But the biggest improvement came from pitching staff where the starters pass from 11th to 4 in TML ERA. Lou Latulippe is now the undisputed number 1 of the team with a 15-3 records. Jose Serrano, after an horrible start, pitch very well now. Bob Magee and Derrick Scott continu their good work and Buddy Wills had some good showing.
The attack is good, the starting pitcher are very good, where's the problem? Relief need to improve. They are last in TML ERA. It's not a big surprise because many youngsters made their debut; Fernandez, Adams, Romero and Yamachita in his first full year as closer. They will improve but GM will need to obtain some help there in the future if the team want to step up in standing.
But for now, everyone is happy in Vegas and fans wishes that the team will now put a victory straight to clinch a playoff spot.
A youngster to Watch : Joe Kennedy. With the injury of Dave Lewis (CF), the organisation recall Joe Kennedy. A good defensive fielder, he can boost an attack. He hit 30 HR in AAA in 109 games and he will probably get one outfielder spot next year. He will be in audition for the job this september...
The attack is good, the starting pitcher are very good, where's the problem? Relief need to improve. They are last in TML ERA. It's not a big surprise because many youngsters made their debut; Fernandez, Adams, Romero and Yamachita in his first full year as closer. They will improve but GM will need to obtain some help there in the future if the team want to step up in standing.
But for now, everyone is happy in Vegas and fans wishes that the team will now put a victory straight to clinch a playoff spot.
A youngster to Watch : Joe Kennedy. With the injury of Dave Lewis (CF), the organisation recall Joe Kennedy. A good defensive fielder, he can boost an attack. He hit 30 HR in AAA in 109 games and he will probably get one outfielder spot next year. He will be in audition for the job this september...
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| Joe Kennedy, the next Vegas superstar? |
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