In the race to be the first to break the news, eight teams made announcements about their rosters on Tuesday, October 1st. At the end of the day, 26 players (including 6 rookies) were involved in the moves made public on Facebook from midnight through the early afternoon. Many teams also included mention of continuing talks with players, although none named names, to fill their final roster slots.
In case you blinked, here's a recap of what you missed.
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The Belgian Wiffles didn't make any moves on the free agency market. Rather, they capitalized on the trademarked expertise of their newly named captain, Carl Coffee, in signing rookie Wiffleball talent. Carl has been doing it for years, though this time he used Facebook and Twitter instead of Craigslist, and it fits in well with the culture of new blood that David Buhr had created for the franchise. In his Facebook statement, Coffee revealed, "in a rebuilding year it is important to sign young talent, and we are excited about what (they) can offer to the team." He also provided insight via hashtag: #stillnotdone, #newCJandSkinner, #wehaveouronetwopunch. If this Belgian rookie class - Stephen Farkas, Travis Strojny, and Josh Ratliff - come in anything like that alluded-to-by-hashtag 2012 Belgian class, then this franchise could be poised for a nice bounce back season.
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Like Belgian, King Friday did not make any real free agent moves. Their signings were all about "bringing the band back together." Rich Hurd is bringing 6 players from his 2012 Dangerfield runner-up roster back into WSEM for a remarkably efficient total of 7 stars in 7 players. The sense here seems to be both "let's have fun," and "Dangerfield Championship or bust!" That said, Tristan Birotte did show some good potential on the mound in 2012, and who knows what using the black bats could do for all of their offensive production.
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El Diablos had the most daunting task of the offseason: having to release players to get under the cap. Chandler Phillips handled the tough decisions well in his first duty as captain, and explains his re-signings and releases with this quote, "although I took in many opinions, I ultimately made the decision that I feel will give the team the best chance to not only win, but win at a lower cost as well." He referenced keeping reigning Clown Shu, Craig Skinner, as, "the easiest decision,." For Kyle Tomlinson, the reigning MVP, Chandler said simply, "I need Kyle on this team," citing his crucial role in both offensive production and groundskeeping. Dakota LaDouceur was the first player to announce his signing, doing so right at 12:00am. Chandler praised Dakota as, "your ideal 3 hitter," and everything you can ask for in a team player. El Diablos still have one roster spot to fill and are "scouting some rookies to fill the void." Read the full press release from El Diablos HQ here.
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Holy Balls lost a 5-star player, David Castle, and a two-time Diamond Digit winner, Ryan Bullard, to free agency, but countered with the signing of 2013 Country Strong HR King Dennis Pearson. Having witnessed (on a few occasions) last season Pearson's ability to hit any pitch out of the park, Chris Paquin was locked on Pearson as the Balls' primary target this offseason. With Dennis now landed, they still have 5 stars to play with under the cap. That's a lot of room while only needing to fill one more roster slot. Likely targets for that spot seemingly include another productive bat to plug into the lineup.
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When Michael Sessions announced he'd be bringing back the Flying Squirrels franchise, you knew he'd really dig into the numbers when approaching his roster. So, it's no surprise that he's put together as close to a perfect cap era team can be done. Sessions targeted every need and spent economically without skimping. Two members of the 2012 Squirrels, Ryan Alexia and Ryan Bullard, return as the basis for a strong defense on the left-side of the field. While those two get on base at a good clip, John Sharlow will be a big bat in the lineup, able to hit to all fields with extra-base power. Jason Hewlett also comes off a big production year, but he and Adam Cosby were targeted for their capabilities on the mound. To round out his eight-man roster, Sessions identified and locked down two rookies: Mike D'Agnese and Kevin Doby. In their tryouts this weekend, D'Agnese impressed with a pair of home runs, while Doby put himself in the early RotY discussion with a great performance on the mound and 2 home runs of his own. Read the full press release from the Flying Squirrels here.
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| Jason Hollister also assembled a damn near perfect cap era roster for the expansion Wolfpack franchise. Mark Brannan and Nicco Lollio may be an even more potent 1-2 lefty punch than Hatt/Shore for Westside. Greg Brannan, famous for his defensive exploits, and Andrew Piasecki also swing good sticks from the correct side of the plate. With deceptive pop in his bat, a great attitude and good eye Matt Dancza is a solid pick-up at 1 star, as well. If there is a hole in the Pack's roster, it may be on the pitching staff. "If" and "may" are key words here, though. Mark will be the ace of the staff, while Greg, Andrew, and Nicco will all have a shot to land the number-two job. |
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The Wicked Aces didn't make any roster moves, but did announce in a Facebook post that the core four players will be returning, "RJ Fisher, Austin Bischoff, and Evan Bischoff will return to defend their 2013 WSEM championship... Also, Joel Crozier will be back in an Aces uniform." The Aces went on to mention that how they use their remaining 5 or 11 stars to fill the final two roster spots will be discussed, which leaves a whole lot open-ended. Will they play above or below the soft cap? Are they talking to rookies? Re-signing 2012 players? Maybe even eying a big name or two? We'll wait and see, because for now, the info's flowing out like a Detroit Lions press conference.
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While most teams strategically added and dropped players to be at or under 21 stars, Alex Shore went all in for 2014 and will play at 23 stars. Westside went 16-12 in 2013 and got swept in the 1st round of the playoffs in both of their previous seasons. Tired of being slightly above average, Alex went after the most expensive free agents on the market. His biggest signing? 2012 MVP, Evan Bortmas. Bortmas chased and won a title with the Wicked Aces in 2013, and expressed he wanted to play with former Manchester Punchout teammate Sam Hatt this upcoming season. Not every team had the room for both of them, but Westside made it happen. Hatt will return to the team he helped take to the playoffs; Sam is slated as the Westside ace. Westside also signed All-Star OF/P, David Castle. Castle had an outstanding 2013 season with the Ducks and Holy Balls, which earned him a 5-star rating. Castle is a very committed wiffler and gives Westside deep pitching depth. Read Shore's take on each of his offseason signings in this Facebook album.
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