2009 Season Review: Arlington Warriors

Finishing dead last in the EHCC, the Arlington Warriors season might well be characterized as an embarrassment. Speaking with General Manager Matt Skinner, however, finds a strong overtone of pride and a great deal of optimism about the club’s future.

2009 Season Review: Arlington Warriors
By: Matt Skinner; Owner Arlington Warriors

"This franchise embarked on its current course early in 2008. I’ve already established for the record exactly where this team is heading and I readily acknowledged that the journey might be a rough one. A couple months into 2008, we realized that despite coming off a league championship in 2007 that our team as it was constructed not only held little hope to repeat but was ill equipped to consistently contend. With that realization, we established a three year plan for rebuilding the franchise from the minor league system up. If you look at the league history those teams that consistently contend started with a strong young base of talent and sustained that tradition through strong drafts and a strong minor league system. We set out to copy that model, and as a result we fielded a very young inexperienced team this past season." - GM Matt Skinner.

Arlington’s front office backed their word in 2009 with the youth movement driving their every roster consideration and strongly encroaching upon every facet of their game. Their fans certainly saw this as trade after trade brought in fresh baby faces.

· On December 9, 2008, closer Jose Valverde was shipped to the Golden Gryphons (GLD) for Michael Bowden, Quebec City’s (QC) 3^rd Round Major Draft Pick (MaDP), and Golden’s 2^nd Round Minor Draft Pick (MiDP). The 2^nd Round MiDP received from Golden would eventually be used to draft the promising power bat of C Derek Norris.

· Arlington later packed that QC 3^rd Round MaDP, along with it’s own 2^nd Round MiDP in a Februrary 12, 2009 trade with the Tijuana Hispanics (TIJ) that would bring a new closer to town, Mike Gonzalez along with young starter Sean Marshall.

· Arlington was not a silent participant in the 2009 Major Draft, connecting with Tijuana once again to exchange a bevy of draft picks. Trading their own 1^st Round MaDP, along with a 1^st Round MiDP obtained from QC, Arlington brought home QC’s 1^st Round MaDP, TIJ’s 1^st Rd Supplemental MaDP, and TIJ’s 2010 1^st Rd. MiDP. The slew of new picks brought in SP Derek Holland, OF Jordan Schafer, and secured additional lottery chips for this upcoming year’s minor league draft.

· April 9, 2009 saw Arlington ship recently drafted OF Ryan Spilborghs to QC in exchange for a 2010 6^th round MaDP.

· It was with great regret, on July 2, 2009, that Arlington parted ways with SS Derek Jeter. The star had been a rock up the middle for Arlington since it’s championship season of 2007, but fell far outside the organization’s youth movement. Shipped to the Tokyo Omyoujis (TKO), Jeter netted the Warriors OF Jeff Francoeur, minor league SS/3B Mike Moustakas, and TKO’s 2009 2^nd Round MiDP. Exciting young SP Jake Arrieta was selected with that pick, and hopes to break camp with the big league club this spring.

· Parting paths with familiar faces became a trend when old timers SP John Smoltz and utility man Mark DeRosa were moved to the Las Vegas Doggs (LV) at the trade deadline, July 30, 2009 for OF Michael Saunders, SP Vin Mazzaro and LV’s 2010 2^nd Round MaDP.

While Arlington made moves with their various trades, Skinner turns most profuse about the team’s drafts and especially regarding its minor leaguers. Arlington’s Major Draft brought to the franchise multiple players Skinner sees as key to the team’s youth movement and future success. Arguably, the most immediate success found by a 2009 Arlington draftee was by SP Derek Holland, chosen 10^th overall. Success may be a relative term, as his surface numbers profile as 7 Wins, 12 Losses, 6.12 ERA and 107K’s in 138IP. A closer examination however, reveals peripheral numbers that bespeak a brighter future with BB/9 of 3.12 and K/9 of 7.16.

Splitting time at 1B and LF, Kyle Blanks saw limited action with the Warriors but in stretches flashed the powerful bat and keen batting eye that prompted his selection. In only 148AB, Blanks mashed ten homeruns, compiling a .514SLG. His 10.4% walk rate drew rave reviews from Skinner, who also admitted “his strikeout rate was disappointingly high, but the expectation is that those numbers will fall back much closer to his past performance of 18%-25%.”

Starting pitcher Ross Detwiler may have been the biggest disappoint of them all, but even in the greyest of clouds Skinner manages to find a silver lining. “Certainly Ross floundered, we would have liked to have seen stronger peripherals in the K/9 and BB/9 (5.11 and 3.93 respectively), but his FIP was substantially lower than his actual ERA, indicating that with some better defensive player and maybe a little better luck, we could see some improved performances from him in the future.”

Also drafted were outfielders Jordan Schafer and Ryan Spilborghs. When questioned about the failure of the draft with these two selections, Skinner remained evasive. “Failure is a strong word. Schafer, after his injury, became expendable; the necessity of rostering players who could actually play and develop was a top priority for the team. As for Spilborghs, we faced roster decisions and had the opportunity to move him for a pick in this upcoming Major draft. We always have an eye on the future, and the extra draft pick gives our team the flexibility we want to improve our team.”

In July’s Minor Draft, Arlington flashed that flexibility, making not only its own draft picks but two additional picks it had accumulated through trade. Arlington’s picks drew a degree of criticism, as several draftees were seen as high risk prospects. Skinner would say,

"We honestly picked players we thought were the best available, defining that as players with high upside and who have performed to some degree. Carlos (Santana), Jake (Arrieta), and Jhoulys (Chacin) all have the pedigree demanded by their draft slots. If I had to be completely honest however, Derek (Norris) was a bit of a gamble. I really liked the brilliance he’d flash, and realizing his inconsistent performance I still thought the high upside he’d shown warranted a late draft pick, so shoot me."

The team’s assessment of catcher Carlos Santana appears to be spot on. Highly touted, and ranked by many to be one of the top five prospects in the game, Santana’s bat loudly sang his praises. A glimpse at his numbers shows a stat line of 428AB, 23HR, 91RBI, and a triple slash of .290/.413/.530. Santana may quickly rise through the Arlington farm system, but questions of where he’ll fit on the big club are raised considering young blue chip prospect Matt Weiters currently mans the dish.

Jake Arrieta flashed a season of mixed results, dominating early in the season, but struggling later on as more advanced hitters seem to figure out his stuff. Over his first 59IP, Arrieta flashed a 2.59ERA (3.08FIP) while striking out seventy and walking only twenty-three. The final 91.2IP saw those numbers slip, slightly, with a 3.93ERA (4.15FIP) and only 78K’s and 33BB. Regardless, Arlington sees him as a strong middle of the rotation starter with his mid-90’s fastball, slider, curve and changeup.

Jhoulys Chacin continued to make strides exhibiting the strong propensity to lure groundballs that has been characteristic of his success in the minor leagues. At 59.6% Chacin really sets himself apart from other prospects.

Praise shouldn’t be reserved for the Warriors moves or drafts alone. Several young stars made headway for the big league club. Especially encouraging for fans was the promotion and successes of 2008 draftees SP Brett Anderson, SP Brett Cecil and C Matt Weiters. Brett Anderson proved, by far, to be the most consistent of the trio and provided the Warriors with a strong 175 innings pitches. Winning eleven games, Anderson’s ERA and WHIP were 4.06 and 1.28 respectively and he managed to whiff 150 opponents. Anderson’s success was widely recognized, culminating in being awarded the EHCC Rookie of the Year award. Cecil’s success came in spurts, spurts that must increase in duration and frequency if he is to endure as a member of the big club. Catcher Matt Weiters came into the 2009 season touted as the best prospect in the game. It’s a valid question whether or not those expectations were realistic and just how Weiters could have been expected to live up to them. Weiters inaugural season realistically shouldn’t be described as a failure however, as the young receiver managed to cobble together a .288 batting average with 9 homers and 43RBI in only 354 at-bats.

When asked to sum the organizations thoughts on the past season, GM Skinner thoughtfully opined,

"I’m very proud of this team, we saw a number o f players take big steps forward, and flashes of brilliance from others; we’re excited about the future. Regarding that future, in the short term we’ll continue to build a strong youthful base this off-season with an eye to contend no later than 2011. Optimistically, we think this team can make a strong showing this coming season and depending on how things develop, possibly make a run of it."