There was hope, until the Barons came back to town. The
team continues to lose close games, so there’s no clear answer to the
problem. Now, I’m fully aware that the minor leagues are not
necessarily about winning and losing. But, as a season ticket holder,
it’s not fun at all to endure a miserable season. 2006 was bad, except
for guys like Micah Schnurstein. 2007 was awful, except for guys like
Gio Gonzalez and Victor Mercedes. I’m a big fan of several players on
this year’s squad, but that’s not enough to ease the losing.
Being a season ticket holder, I hear things. I pass them on to the
White Sox online community regardless of the content because some may
find it interesting. Sometimes it is second hand information, but it’s
from people I know and trust. When I hear that one of the Barons
players who shall remain nameless say “the Barons suck…we don’t hit,
we don’t pitch, we don’t do anything,” that is not a good sign.
Winston-Salem second basemen Drew Garcia already has 21
RBI on the season. I seriously doubt that the combination of Dale
Mollenhauer, Greg Paiml and Justin Fuller would manage that many RBI for
the entire 2010 season. They’re all hitting under .200 so far.
Although I’m starting to see that Fuller can drive the ball fairly deep,
which may lead to homeruns on the road. Maybe if he wasn’t built like a
tall skateboarder, he’d be more productive.
Now Cole Armstrong is on the DL. Cole never really hits
for a high average, but he still provided the Barons with some pop and
experience from playing at AAA. Not to mention he was in a position to
be the unofficial captain of the team. But, leadership and power hitting
are not what the Barons are lacking, even though some could say that
power is seriously lacking. It’s as simple as I’ve stated before, no
clutch hits and LOB.
It’s strange to long for players like Robbie Hudson, who
is currently playing well for Charlotte. He may only be a .250 hitter
over an entire season, but he is definitely a clutch hitter. But, he
deserves to be in Charlotte and I wish him well. If the Barons had one
single clutch hitter in the lineup, could it make a difference? I think
so. Of course, I always dig deep for optimism about the Barons. What I
wouldn’t give to hear the special sound of a David Cook homerun, Corpus
Christi isn’t that far of a drive. Or to see Victor Mercedes come up
in the bottom of the 9th, an almost guaranteed homerun, I’m not going
anywhere near Mexico though. I’m running out of room to dig, folks.
At this point, I can only hope for changes in the second
half. I’m hoping to see some players from the epic Winston-Salem
offense get promoted. Of course, that will probably occur only after
they clinch a first half title and a spot in the playoffs. Seth Loman,
Justin Greene, Jason Bour and Drew Garcia would be nice additions. But,
if they send Kenny Williams Jr. to Birmingham, I might vomit. Until
next time…
Cheers,
JPN
P.S. Chicago natives The Bucket Boys were fun to watch this past
Saturday night.