Catherine Trammell - contributing reporter
Dear Mr. norsk,
Lucky all you Son's of Bitc...Odin fans are WEIRD! This has been your 21st season with the franchise and are currently lined up for a top 5 pick. Fans were delighted to have you move the franchise here after S39 from San Juan and Nashville the season before that; though the franchise under your reign is just 1352-1726 entering this season. That said, the fans are getting excited about the current rebuild you are working on and hoping to claim the franchise's first division title since the one you won your second season in the league, S41. I see the promo material starting already....Ready, Steady, Division Champs after Twenty!
To give the fans a little something to look forward to, let's take a look at what you've built over the years and where you might need some more focused attention. Let's start off with the International market.
International Market
- Us fans would rather see hot dog prices go down than continued funding in the international market. You've quietly been spending $5-8M since S56 but we are afraid its not turning into future major league talent. Your last productive IFA was Akinori Yoshii (DH) and Luigi Gil (SS) back in S44. Majority since have seen 8-10 professional years, with many not cracking the main lineup. The $5-8M is no longer going to cut it in today's market but diving into the deep end or getting out of the pool all together might be the toughest and most important decision that the Austin brass need to decide on.
We've had a top 16 protected pick all but 2 years, the fans are starting to think you love seeing Austin's name in print on the blog and using the blog's scouts for the prospects you sign! First a quick look at those picks over the years.
- S41 - #15 - JO Ontiveros (2B)
- 14 Pro years, 9 in the Majors - all for Austin. Career .263 hitter with 20-25 HR and 10-15 SB.
- S42 - #32 - lost due to signing Alberto Crespo (3B) to a 3/$15.6M deal where he had a .270 batting average but never cracked 12 HR or 12 SB.
- S43 - #12 - Donovan Romano (SS)
- 12 Pro years, 8 in majors. Lasted just 2 years in Austin before being traded for Larry Schultz (CF) and one other piece. Schultz was a .247 hitter, with 10-20 HR and a wide range of 10-25 SB.
- S44 - #14 - Hal Lawton (SP)
- 16 Pro / 8 ML, all with Austin. 262 starts, 76-110 lifetime record with a 1.41 WHIP, 4.76 ERA.
- S45 - #10 - Lou Porzio (RF)
- 14 Pro / 7 ML, all with Austin. .276 hitter, 20-25 HR, 10-15 SB.
- S46 - #7 - Johnny Jay (SP)
- 12 Pro / 9 ML, all with Austin, though he signed a minor league deal for S60 with Philly - Low A. 77-83 lifetime record with a 1.44 WHIP, 4.57 ERA.
- S47 - #7 - Trever Kendrick (SP)
- 12 Pro / 0 ML, retired having never cracked the major league roster.
- S48 - #15 - Ernest Clements (LF)
- 12 Pro / 6 ML and counting - signed through S62. Hitting .247, with 15-20 HR and 20ish SB.
- S49 - #15 - Mark Webster (2B)
- 11 Pro / 7 ML and counting - signed through S63.
- S50 - #10 - Rene Rhodes (SP)
- 10 Pro / 7 ML. Waived after Arb2 and claimed by Colorado Springs. Currently with Montreal. 48-76 lifetime, with 13/20 saves, 1.49 WHIP, and 5.51 ERA.
- S51 - #11 - JD Maness (RF)
- 9 Pro / 1 ML, though not with Austin. Never added to 40-man and claimed in Rule 5 by Mexico City in S55. Hit .234 with 8 HR and 10 SB that season, but was demoted the following year.
- S52 - #9 - Boone Rudolph (2B)
- 8 Pro / 0 ML though still with Austin. Not likely to crack the majors.
- S53 - #12 - Fausto Silverio (P)
- 7 Pro / 1 ML. We traded him S54 for Chris Gore (CF) & Lawrence Hutch (RP). Neither has cracked the ML cllub yetSilverio is currently 6-11, 7/21 in saves with a 1.46 WHIP and 4.99 ERA for Salem after being traded again in S55, then again in S58 to where he is now.
- S54 - #7 - Isaac Monroe (CF)
- 6 Pro / 3 ML, enters Arb2 next season. Hitting .280, and averaging 30 HR with nearly 20 SB. The fans fully expect an extension to be signed next season to avoid him walking in Arb3, but that's on you.
- S55 - #11 - Kane Byrdak (CF)
- 5 Pro / 0 ML. Offers plus upside on the base paths, but might struggle getting on base. Fans are still excited to see him in the lineup one day.
- S56 - #6 - Viosergy Barrett (SS)
- 4 Pro / 0 ML. His glove is slightly below your typical ML shortstop, but like most Odins to crack the ML roster, he offers plus power and speed, though he often struggles against pitchers. His plus range might help make up a little for the limited glove; but even if he gets to the ball will he make the play or cause another error? Might be interesting to see him in CF one day but that requires Monroe to shift elsewhere.
- S57 - #3 - Sammy Bennett (LF)
- 3 Pro / 0 ML. The most progression he's made this year is hitting lefties, though he's just slightly below league average at it. But also his glove, with limit arm strength he'll belong in COF or 1B; though not sure he has starter ratings in those areas; his overall value has a lot to do with his healthy and durability it seems.
- S58 - #7 - Freddy Smith (SS)
- 2 Pro / 0 ML. Freddy 'Freakin' Smith is one name the fans are looking forward to, by the way his comp of Dee Valle is currently on the MVP watch list with the career year he's having, though only slightly better than the S58 year in which Smith was comped to him. Looking back, maybe slightly adjust that comp as Valle has become a near 20/20 guy on a .300 average in recent seasons.
- S59 - #4 - Albert Dykstra (SS)
- 1 Pro / 0 ML. The blog projected him as a league average defensive Shortstop, but that's good news - because he should stick at Short allow Smith to shift his poor range to 2B. Perhaps Mark Webster is dealt for younger talent or an arm which seems to be needed in Austin. At the plate he was projected as a .290ish hitter with 25 HR. Odinians were thrilled with this pick!!
- S60 - #4 - JJ Durham (P)
- 0 Pro / 0 ML. The recent drafts of Austin are looking much better, but like the blog said he's going to have a fantastic first pitch and it just keeps improving; not even through the first full year and it's already rated as an 85. He's slowly become the blog's favorite relief prospect in the game.
Trades
- The fans have noticed the Austin brass often steer away from trades, having only made 8 of them since taking over the franchise, 6 of them being between seasons 46-50; and 4 of the 8 with Atlanta - only the S50 Mark Yang deal was likely beneficial to the team.
Still not easy to rebuild with those 10-15 picks, depending on the quality of the drafts. With limited trades and limited FA signings, you choose to stick with those guys you draft and keep them around - much like Colorado Springs. We appreciate your dedication to the fan favorites! Unlike some retired players, we've noticed a lot of the former Odin's end up staying in Austin and becoming a big part of the community. Once a weird Austinite, always a weird Austinite.
-Go get 'em Son's of Odin!