Looking for a flash

Once upon a time in the long long ago, the Mile High Mustangs were a team with an identity and a bright future.  A big part of that started with the 15th pick of the 7th round in the inaugural draft.  The Mustangs picked up 26 year old center fielder Eric "Flash" Black.  At the time it was really only about his defense and his speed as no exciting offensive outfielders were available.  Black played three years for the squad.  No one was more surprised and pleased with his progression than Mustangs management.  His VORP progressed over his career from 2.3 to 32.7 to 62.3!  All the while he retained his elite defensive status posting a 71.3 zone rating over his three year career.

It can be argued that no player at the time represented his teams identity more than Flash.  In a park and team built on defense and speed he was the epitome of both.  There is no arguing he was the absolute catalyst of the offense.  Even now, five years later and despite playing only three seasons, Black still appears on the Mustang career leaders in all of these categories: 
#3 Batting Average
#1 On Base Percentage
#2 Slugging Percentage
#2 OPS
#5 Runs
#7 Hits
#7 Doubles
#2 Triples
#6 Home Runs
#8 RBI
#6 Walks
#1 Stolen Bases
#2 IBB
#3 HBP
#5 Extra Base Hits
#7 Total Bases
#4 VORP

The Mustangs were neck and neck with the Jokers for the division title with 10 games to go when disaster struck.  Flash slammed his head on the outfield wall while making one of his patented diving catches.  The resulting concussion caused him to hang up the cleats, never to play again.  The impact was immediate.  The Mustangs struggled down the stretch, losing the division to Vegas and barely holding on to the wild card spot.  The Flashless team put up a token resistance in the first round of the playoffs, losing 4-1 to Cabo in a series that really wasn't that close.

Since then the downward spiral has continued to the point that the Mustangs pick #1 overall in this years draft.  It has been an organization desperately looking for the quick fix and in the process, struggling to retain their identity.

But hold on one second.  What was that about the first pick?  Well it just so happens that the Mustangs have their eye on a guy that looks suspiciously Flashish.  Rumors have it that the Mustangs have been feeling out center fielder Elvis McNeil.  That speed a defense look pretty familiar.  Could he possess the offensive prowess to compliment it, ascend through the minors and become the catalyst the Mustangs have been missing so long?  Could the Flash be on the way back?

Only time will tell.

Go Mustangs!

Mustang 2018 review

The 2018 Mustangs were able to manage 3 more wins than the 2017 group.  Still the season was an important step in the right direction.  However you have to look at different numbers to see the team's real progress.  Terrible financial decisions led to a bleak outlook for 2018.  The multi million dollar deficit led to virtually no scouting and player development budgets and blocked the team from really making any significant moves.  They were able to get out from all but one bad contract.  For 2019 the owner has raised the budget by $18 million to a reasonably competitive $112.  While the Mustangs attendance was still the worse in the league, it did increase by over 30% and we are able to start the season with the full 20 million in cash.  We will be able to invest heavily in scouting and player development and commit fully to rebuilding.

2018 was also the season the Mustangs fully committed to tailoring a line up to fit their park.  The results were certainly mixed at best.  The stolen bases and extra base hits were definitely there.  It unfortunately did not lead to many runs.  The defense was all it was supposed to be and more with an impressive 55.1 zone rating.  22 points higher than the number two team.  Despite all of that help, the pitching staff was still able to finish only in the middle of the pack.  This is obviously a point of major concern that will have to be addressed.

The day may be coming that the grand defense and speed experiment gets thrown out the door in favor of a more standard ball park and roster, but now that the finances are in place to rebuild we are going to give it a couple more seasons before building a new park and starting all over again.

Something to be excited about in Mile High

Sometimes it is tough to find excitement when your team is rolling with a .357 winning percentage and 18 games out of the division lead in June.  But the Mustangs are generating a ton of local buzz this week.

Second overall draft pick Dayne Reagan will suit up tonight in Mustang orange and blue when division foe Eureka comes to town.  Negotiations were quick and painless and no sooner had the ink dried before Dayne was given a jersey and a plane ticket to Denver.  The team will waste no time inserting him into the starting lineup as the #2 batter.

22 year old Reagan, affectionately known to his fans as "Cruel Shoes", was all smiles when he talked to the press.  "I feel totally ready for this.  Playing in the ABL is a dream come true.  Ever since my dad bought me my first glove I have been pretending I was a major leaguer."  Reagan grew up in Wichita Kansas and fondly remembers attending dozens of Tornado games as a youngster.  When asked how he felt about playing for the rival Mustangs he responded.  "Sure, as a kid I was a Tornado fan but now they are the bad guys."  The Mustangs have three games in Kansas City in the latter part of the week.  "Man, it just couldn't be more perfect" he observed when asked how it will feel to be on the field at KC so quickly after his signing.  "I hope I can give the fans something to remember".

By all accounts the Mustang fans response to the signing of Reagan has been "amazing".

The Grand Experiment Continues

Apparently having a super pitcher friendly ball park and fielding a team to succeed in it is harder than it first might appear.  Mustangs management are taking last years disastrous season as a learning experience and moving on.  A flurry of trades have given the team a complete makeover both financially and on the field.

Finances got destroyed last year and the owner rightfully put the kibosh on that crap by yanking 26 million out of the budget.  That is going to take awhile to rebuild but the ship got pointed quickly back in the right direction by sending DH Eric McSwan and his $23 million salary to Minnesota along with starting pitcher Scott Wilson.  Wilson will be sorely missed but it was worth the price to get back into the black.  This was truly a deal that should be good for both teams.  Expect McSwan to flourish away from the deep Mile High fences.

The Mustangs completed terms on 7 other trades.  (9 if you include the Delhaye and McCreary moves just before the trade deadline last season).  Several players were not extended arbitration offers or were outright released.  Also, the Mustangs were pretty active in the Rule V draft and were able to find three players they hope can be major contributors right now.  The 2018 opening day Mustangs barely resemble the group that took the field opening day just a season ago.  Mashashi Kogawa stands as the one and only player that was in the starting lineup up 365 days ago.  That's right, the Mustangs lineup features 8 new batters from a year ago.

Infield

2B Sosa Mizuno got himself injured in the preseason so we won't get to see the Mustangs top prospect in action for a month or two.  Heydar Botsvade had a pretty solid season last year and will fill in in the interim.  At short stop, Thomas Blanchard will get the starting nod.  Mustangs found him in the Rule V draft.  His strong defensive capabilities make him a nice fit.  23 year old Hiroya Aoki was obtained from the Bombers and will start at 3B.  Rounding out the group is previously mentioned Mashashi Kogawa at 1B.  Francisco Morales will stick around as the utility guy.

Outfield

CF Jim Richter was selected in the second round of the 2013 draft.  Expectations were sky high for this speedster to replace Eric Flash Black after his CEI.  His development has been slow and he does not appear to be the super star Flash was turning into.  But his speed and defense look pretty great and he'll suffice nicely.  Time will tell if he will ever develop the OBP consistency he needs to be a viable lead off guy though. In LF we will see a ton of Jeff Kent who joined the roster as a piece of the Delhaye trade last year.  This is a downgrade in batting prowess but an upgrade in defense and speed.  In right field we'll use Harold Poole.  He led the Mustangs last season with a .278 batting average and can cover a ton of ground in the field.  Raymundo Gaias and Alan Blanchard will complete the unit and sub in where needed.

Catchers

For the first six seasons the Mustangs featured two amazing defensive catchers almost exclusively.  Neither were invited back to training camp this year.  25 year old Shane Bunch has been progressing through the minor leagues and is ready to be the main guy.  Orlando Hernandez will handle the LHP side of the platoon.  He is a home grown Mustang as well.  Both catchers are previous 6th round Mustang picks.

Starting Pitchers

Kevin Landry, Cliff Stevens and Manuel Ruiz all return from last years rotation.  The hope is that a better defense behind them and improved strategy settings will help them regain pre 2017 form.  Masahide Memoto was added via Rule V.  He had a shaky spring and a shaky history.  He gets a shot because the rotation desperately needs a lefty.  Fifth starter duties will be filled by Arturo Gonzalez, a 2017 waiver find.

Bullpen

Closer David Reynolds is stuck on the roster for contractual reasons.  He'll get first dibs at the closer role but is on a short leash.  Eagerly awaited Andy Smithey finally is breaking into the majors.  We love the 26 year old as a set up guy.  We are also excited about the third of the Rule V finds, Pancho Vargas providing left handed relief.  Leon King excelled last season as a specialist against lefties.  His role gets expanded.   Finally Marty Garrison and Colby Hoffman will hold down the fort until better options become available.

So that's your Mustang run down.  Detractors claim that the ball park is the biggest disadvantage.  We are still not ready to bail on the idea of making it our biggest advantage.  A bunch of brand new faces and completely updated strategy settings guarantee one thing.  If we are going to suck again, we are going to suck in a completely new way.

Go Mustangs.

2017 Report

Infield

The Mile High infield faced much instability and never really got settled into a groove.  For five years you could count on Callum Ritchie at short and super star Jeff Wade at second.  The loss of Wade to free agency was certainly felt and Ritchie finally got himself benched at the all star break.  It looks like the Mustangs won't exercise Ritchie's team option marking the end of an era.

One of the few bright spots for the season was Mashashi Kogawa's play at first base.  He was the only Mustang with 600 at bats and led the team with 90 RBI.  Previous unanimous vote all star Francisco Morales had a disappointing year as he bounced around between all infield positions and never really got comfortable.  Heydar Botsvade and Randy Bingham battled back and forth for playing time.  It is yet to be determined if either can be a long term option.

Watch out for stud 2B prospect Sosa Mizuno to break through and be an impact player in the next couple of years.

Outfield

Lots of experimenting happened in the outfield as well.  24 year old Harold Poole was another bright spot.  He put in time in all three outfield positions and ended up with a positive zone rating everywhere.  He also managed a .278 batting average which is like .380 if you are not a Mustang.  Long awaited Jim Richter finally made his major league debut with marginal success.  If nothing else his speed and defense should keep him around.  Jeff Kent who was obtained in the Tim McCreary trade looks like a good asset as well.  Josuke Sato has proved to be more of a DH on a team that doesn't need another one.  His future as a Mustang is in jeopardy.

Watch out for stud prospects Manuel Aguilar, Tetsuo Chikuda and Mitch Wolf.

Catcher

Defensive studs Len Brewer and Randy Gibson have seen the lions share of the playing time over the first 6 seasons.  Neither are likely to be a part of the organization next season.  25 year old Shane Bunch broke into the majors this season and looks like he might know which end of the bat to hold on to.  He is not quite as good at stopping the ball but trying to run on him is still pretty risky.  Orlando Hernandez is likely to get the starting nod.  He has been screaming for playing time for a couple of years and next season will get his chance.

Starting Pitchers

The Mustang starters ranked 9th in the TML with an ugly 5.13 ERA.  A good chunk of the problems may be chalked up to a young GM that is still learning the ins and outs of the system.  At least four members of the rotation should return in the hopes that better coaching decisions result in improved performance.  Manuel Ruiz, Scott Wilson, Cliff Stevens and Kevin Landry have all been given a free pass on a forgettable season.

Bullpen

Contracts will force the Mustangs hand and keep David Reynolds and Joe Russell around.  Young stud Leon King was the third of three bright spots in the 2017 season.  We'll be happy to keep him around.  The rest is too be determined at the moment.

The pressure is really on now with the Tornadoes winning it all.  How long does it take to go worst to first?  I like our chances in 2020.  Here come the Mustangs!

Is this nightmare season almost done yet?

We would love to blame it on injuries or bad luck.  The unfortunate reality is the Mustangs are just plain awful.  There was a time where we were competitive.  Looking back it is fun to reminisce about the glory days.  (Yes the glory days were a wild card berth and a first round loss where Cabo kind of kicked our ass).  Since then the organization has made bad decision after bad decision that has left us playing the role of pathetic loser doormat.  We currently rank dead last in the TML in all but two offensive categories.  That was sustainable when the pitching and defense shouldered the load.  Unfortunately the defensive sacrifices we made as an organization in the interest of finding some offense left us ranking in the lower half of virtually all pitching rankings as well.

The Ramirez/McSwan signings turned out to be about the worse moves imaginable.  It turns out that power hitters don't do well in a pitchers park.  Who knew?  Well, likely many of you did but apparently I needed to learn the hard way.  To make matters worse, the financial plan to sustain these signings required a leap of faith that attendance would improve.  The pitiful performance on the field has had the predictably opposite result as fans are staying away in droves.  The Mustangs stand to lose upwards of 20 million dollars this year.  With one more year of financial obligations things look pretty bleak for next season too.

The only bright side we can find is some cherry draft picks over the next couple of years should help to infuse some talent into the minor leagues.

The lesson here is to embrace the suck!  It has been painfully drilled into the Mustang consciousness that try as we might, we won't be slugging the ball out of McNichols stadium.  We are getting back to our roots and reembarking on a new campaign to shut every one down.  That's right.  If we don't score no one does!

It is a ugly, smelly, awful pit of hideous awfulness this sixth ABL season finds us in.  But you heard it here first.  Mustangs aren't going away.  Give us four years and we'll be back on top!  (Even if the top is a wild card one and done playoff team).

Mustangs out.

Fire Sale is on

The Mustangs have exhausted all of their rationalizations and denials.  The evidence is in.  We are awful.  The rebuilding period officially starts now.  All players are available for prospects.  Here are a few highlights but no players are untouchable.

25 year old stud starting pitcher Scott Wilson.  Career 3.26 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.  He is under team control for three more seasons.  This guy should be able to find a spot on anyone's rotation.

29 year old infielder Francisco Morales.  All around solid utility player and two time all star selection.  Signed to a super team friendly contract.

27 year old middle infielder Tim McCreary.  Arguably the Mustangs best player.  He looks primed to break out.

26 year old starting pitcher Cliff Stevens.  Only 1 year, 6 days major league service time.  Looks like everything is pointing to a long, productive career.

30 year old lefty Joe Russell.  Averaged 80 innings pitched over the last 4 years.  3.24 career ERA.  Finished 2016 with a 296 ERA+.  He is under contract for one more year with a very reasonable 3.6 million salary.

30 year old bullpen staple Antonio Rodriguez.  Another guy that will give you a ton of quality innings in relief.  He still has two years of arbitration left.

33 year old catcher Randy Gibson.  Elite defensively.  Perfect for a platoon situation where he can take the duty against lefties.

27 year old late blooming third baseman Mashashi Kogawa.  A new zip code is probably just what he needs to kick start his career.

Like I said, everyone is up for discussions.  Bring your prospects to the table and lets make a deal!