Grade The Trade: Peoria/Arlington

In a recent blockbuster trade, the Peoria Cardinals sent their entire starting middle infield, plus an arm and multiple picks to Arlington for long sought after SP Jon Lester and a couple of bats. Both teams are currently very much alive in this years push for the playoffs. How do you think each team fared with this transaction?

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New for the 2011 season, the Peoria Free Press is launching a new section called, "Grade The Trade", which will highlight all of the major (and not so major depending on how busy the market is) trades throughout the year in the EHCC. First up is the recent trade between the Las Vegas Doggs and Peoria Cardinals.

Needing to fill a hole left behind by Rafael Soriano's sudden refusal to close games, the Cardinals have locked up one of the most dominant closers in the game in Carlos Marmol, while also swapping two OF's hoping that a change of scenery can rejuvenate their young, but established careers.

So. How do YOU grade this trade?

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Peoria Acquires SP Dan Haren

Haren Introduced To Peoria

Peoria, Ill. – Today the Peoria Cardinals introduced its newest acquisition, SP Dan Haren, to the media. After winning its first ever Division Championship and making their first postseason appearance last season, many experts believe that the Cardinals are once again poised to make a run at the Division crown. On Wednesday evening, after weeks of back and forth negotiating with Weymouth GM Yukon Cornelius, the Cardinals pulled the trigger on a deal sending away youngsters Pablo Sandoval, Max Scherzer, and a 2nd Round Draft Pick for pitching ace, Dan Haren.

“It’s not good enough just to win a Division title. After several losing seasons of course it’s nice to finally make the playoffs last year, but this year we plan on being one of the last two teams standing come Fall. We felt like last year our offense was a powerhouse, but our pitching was lacking something. It sucks that we had to deal the Kung-Fu Panda, but gaining a pitcher the caliber of Dan Haren we feel really puts us over the top. Between Wainwright, Lee and Haren we really feel like we have a three headed monster at the front of our rotation that will be tough to match. This is the most confident I have been in our team since it’s inception”, said GM Dave Grubb regarding the latest trade.

While some critics say this trade could easily turn into a regrettable one if Sandoval and Scherzer go on to become elite players in a few years, the Cardinals have made it clear that they are looking to win, and win now. Peoria fans should be excited headed into the season. There is little doubt that the Cardinals will be making more noise in 2010!

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Peoria Free Press: A Matt Kemp Interview

Catching Up With Matt Kemp, A Handful On & Off The Field




The countdown is on. The Peoria Cardinals run to back-to-back Eastern Division titles begins in only nine weeks. With the countdown officially underway, we thought it would be a good time to sit down with one of 2009’s through breakout stars, OF Matt Kemp.
The last time we saw Matt Kemp he was helping lead the Cardinals to a division crown while stuffing the scorebook in every major offensive category. Kemp, who doesn’t turn 26 until the end of the season should continue to see his already impressive stats grow. With a ferocious combination of speed, power and athleticism, Kemp should be a serious contender for the MVP award in 2010.
So how does a young superstar spend his time staying in shape in the offseason? We caught up with Matt Kemp on vacation in Tijuana over the weekend.

Rey Bingo: Thanks for sitting down with me today, Matt.

Matt Kemp: No problem, always a good thing to give exposure to our team.

RB: Let’s start off with last season, how surprised were you to capture the Eastern
Division crown?

MK: Honestly, the team had high hopes coming into the season, but we quickly floundered. At first I was concerned that it was going to be another long season in the Peoria clubhouse.

RB: Is there a signature win that you can point to when you and the rest of the team realized that this team might actually be onto something?

MK: Well actually, it was a loss that got things turned around. Right after the All-Star Break we had pulled to .500 ball and were riding high, winning 4 of our last 5. We went into a series with Quebec City with some swagger, but left completely embarrassed. QC absolutely destroyed us which prompted Broyo (Bronson Arroyo) to call a team meeting. In what has got to me the most unconventional team meeting in the history of baseball, Arroyo simply picked up his guitar and did his very own rendition of Europe’s “The Final Countdown”, reminding everyone in the room that if we were to make a run, our ‘playoffs’ so to speak needed to start immediately, the following week in Golden. We went on to win 8 of our next 9 series and the rest you can say is history.

RB: Certainly a rags to riches story in 2009, but with success comes expectations. What do you foresee for the 2010 Peoria Cardinals?

MK: Well there’s absolutely no doubt that our days of sneaking up on other teams is over. I really feel like with the makeup of our roster there is absolutely no way this team doesn’t compete for the EHCC Title this season. I think our lack of experience showed in our Semi-Finals matchup with Golden last year. I think gaining that playoff experience, as well as having a lot of players that are just now coming into their prime, should only serve to improve our standing this season.

RB: What have you been doing personally to ensure that you continue to progress heading into 2010?

MK: Well, I have a new lady friend that keeps me pretty busy. Thank God Chris Brown is such a psycho because Rihanna has ensured that I will definitely be heading into 2010 in the best cardio shape of my career. Surprisingly, I have never been a huge free weights guy. I’m into yoga and finding my inner strength, with some workouts thrown in. That’s why I like to come down here and float around on my boat. Just get away from the world, find tranquility and be completely as peace going into Spring Training. Plus, I think it’s funny that Tijuana GM Peter Kantor has continued to send me chocolates, flowers, even transvestite hookers… yea, I’m not sure what he is getting at with that gift, but I continue the process of return to sender. Tijuana is a nice place to play from November – February, but I wouldn’t like an extended stay during the Spring and Summer months.

RB: Interesting. Well that is all the time we have, anything you’d like to say to the fans?

MK: Be ready for more fireworks this year. We have our whole cast coming back, as well as getting Grady (Sizemore) on the field for a full season. Definitely get your tickets now because unlike season’s past I am sure the stadium will be filled with more than just family and give-aways.

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2009 PEORIA CARDINALS POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE

Peoria Cardinals Media Relations Department has released its first ever Postseason Media Guide. The Cardinals are set to take on the Golden Gryphons in 2009 EHCC Semifinals.

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PEORIA CARDINALS CLINCH FIRST EVER PLAYOFF BERTH!!

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Peoria Free Press: A First For the Cardinals

3.5 Seasons Later, Peoria Makes It's First Ever Minor League Draft Pick




For years, the front office staff in Peoria has used the All-Star break as an opportunity to plan family trips, interview for new careers, or simply bum around in their pajamas for three days. Heading into this season's all-star break it looked to be another opportunity for the Cardinals to save on the office's electric bill and take a few days off. Then, out of nowhere, GM Dave Grubb started blowing up the phone lines, taking an odd interest in jumping into the 2009 Minor League Draft process. But why??

I was able to catch up to the GM of the Cardinals this afternoon and asked him that very question. "Well, we have never really been fully content with our EHCC roster, so in the past it made sense to try and trade out of the Minor League Draft and acquire young talent that was a gaurantee. We took over an absolutely abismal team when we bought out the Plymouth Bells and are just now getting to a point where we feel we can compete on the field AND now start to think about how we can grow talent down on the farm for success in the future. When I took over for this franchise, I made it clear that winning at the big league level was top priority. I believe we have our finest team in the history of this franchise blossoming in Peoria, and it is about time we start to turn the Cyclones into a franchise to be proud of as well", stated the GM.

While it was widely known that the Cardinals were in discussions with several teams in hopes to move up high enough to draft C Buster Posey, the team seems more than happy with the addition of SP Jeremy Hellickson. Scouts around the league were slow to warm to Hellickson because of his smaller stature (6'1, 185 lbs), but the Cardinals believe this 22 year-old righty has a big future on their staff. In 2008, Hellickson ranked 2nd in all of the minor leagues with an 8.1 K/BB ration, while racking up 162 K's while walking only 20, in 152 innings. Thus far, Hellickson has backed up his 2008 numbers with just as impressive 2009 numbers (through 44 innings he has racked up 53 K's, with an ERA of 2.45).

After making his first ever minor league selection, GM Dave Grubb felt so excited over it he turned around and made another trade to acquire Greg Halman. Halman, a virtual unknown is seen more of a project than a prospect. With great power and speed, the question on Halman is if he will ever develop enough play discipline and contact to ever make his mark on the Peoria club. After posting a 29 HR, 33 SB campaign in 08, Halman has followed up with a Double-Eh leading 20 HR in the first half of 2009. If the team can get this guy to increase his contact and decrease his K's, he could end up patrolling the OF in Peoria with fellow youngsters Jay Bruce and Matt Kemp for years to come.

Nobody can question the approach the Cardinals have taken. Over the past 3.5 years, fans have seen the team go from the laughing stock of the league, to a legitamite playoff contender as we head down the stretch in 2009. It looks as though the team is finally beginning phase 2 in turning Peoria into a quality franchise from top to bottom that can eventually compete with the likes of Quebec City and Las Vegas. Stay tuned folks.

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Peoria Free Press, May 2009

After a disappointing start to the 2009 season, the Cardinals are starting to show signs of life, led by their top draft pick Raul Ibanez.











Raul Ibanez - "Who's Laughing Now?"
By: Rey Bringo

It was EHCC Draft Day 2009, and to nobody's surprise youngsters were flying off the board in the first round. The Peoria Cardinals, lacking a first round pick in the draft, had set their sites on improving the ball club immediately. With a very young nucleus to the EHCC squad, GM Dave Grubb felt as though 2009 was the year that the Cards would finally break into postseason baseball.

The Cardinals, the only team not represented at this years Draft Headquarters, were forced to draft from the war room within their park, the Keystone Bird Cage. All along, the team had Raul Ibanez at the top of their wishlist going into the draft. When the 17th pick finally came around, and it was time for Peoria to make their first selection, the Cardinals wasted no time relaying their pick and wildly celebrating throughout the room that their guy had lasted through the first 16 picks. While Peoria was elated with their pick, it was later leaked that their confidence in Ibanez was not echoed throughout the league.

According to media sources at the draft, "all the other owners had a good laugh when Peoria chose Ibanez as their top choice in the 09 draft." Word of this disrespect wasted no time getting back to the Peoria front office and Raul Ibanez. "That's fine", said the slugger. "To be quite honest with you, I feel like Peoria is the perfect fit for me. There was absolutely no way I would have moved to Mexico, wanted to start fresh with the team in Carolina, or played for a team whose owner is more or less non-existent like the team in Arlington. The Cardinals have improved tremendously over the last few years and I am the missing link to get us over the hump", said Ibanez.

So far, so good for the left handed cleanup hitter. To date, Ibanez leads in 2 out of 3 triple crown categories. He is first in HR (17), average (.352), and only trails by one in RBI (43). Not too bad for somebody skipped by 16 other picks and then mocked for his selection. Not only is Ibanez a sure All-Star starter thus far, but he also has to be the top choice for MVP so far this season.

While the 2009 campaign has been a disappointment for the Cardinals as a whole, Ibanez has added a spark in the lineup and a veteran presence in the clubhouse to keep the young Cardinal players hungry and ready to play everyday. After a disastrous start to the season, it seems as though this years Peoria squad is starting to turn it on and look poised to making a run for the playoffs throughout the summer.

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Peoria Free Press: Lights Out - Cliff Lee

From Castaway To Consistency, Peoria Ace Cliff Lee Has Catapulted Himself Into The Conversation








Lights Out - Cliff Lee
By Rey Bingo, Peoria Free Press

The transformation that is Cliff Lee’s career has been astonishing, even for the Peoria brass. “When we picked him up a few weeks into the season we expected his veteran presence to help our young talent,” said Cardinals GM Dave Grubb. “The comeback season that has ensued is straight out of a Disney movie.”

It was just one year ago that Lee found himself unable to keep up with EHCC lineups, ultimately landing him in the unemployment office. As Peoria entered Spring Training prior to the 2008 season, it was clear that the team was determined to start improving a pitching staff that finished near last in every category in 2007. With the emergence of Edinson Volquez, Chad Billingsley, and Shaun Marcum, the Cardinals pitching staff stormed out of the gate but remained young and inexperienced. The Cardinals front office made the decision to take a chance on Cliff Lee, and have gotten so much more than they could have ever dreamed.

“Initially we thought Lee would be a great asset to our future aces, but we never dreamed the impact road would be a two-way street,” explained Peoria pitching coach Danny Graves. The fact that Lee has been able to ingest the youthful and carefree spirit of Peoria’s young arms has been the key to this Control King’s turnaround. “Prior to this year I felt as though if I wasn’t perfect one night that I would need to go out and prove my abilities the next time out, but being around these youngsters has allowed me to breathe easy and reminds me there’s always tomorrow. I no longer take my last start with me into my next start,” explained Lee on his change in mindset this season.

Throughout the month of July, Lee’s name was swirling in multiple trade rumors. While this distraction may have knocked the Lee Express off course in previous years, the now more at ease Cliff Lee continued rolling; collecting 6 wins with an ERA just over 3 for the month. While GM Dave Grubb insists that Lee was dangled only with intent of dealing him for an overpriced return, he admits that the greatest move this team may have ended up making was actually standing firm and holding onto Peoria’s ace.

With Peoria eliminated from playoff contention yet again, Lee’s magical season has single-handedly kept Peoria fans interested, and the turnstiles moving. Cliff Lee has made it next to impossible for critics, voters, and EHCC fans to ignore his production. With a league best 18 wins, and 2.43 ERA to go along with a freakishly K:BB rate of almost 5.5, Lee has put himself front and center in the discussion for the best SP in the EHCC this season; truly amazing individual stats pitching for a team well under .500.

Lee himself readily admits that the individual accolades are nice. At the age of 29 he has proven to be a late bloomer, but his lengthy path to success continues to be a lesson in humility for young studs such as Edinson Volquez, Chad Billingsley, and company. With a full off season to work with Peoria’s young assets, this organization feels as though the Cardinals will be ready for a playoff push as soon as next season. Cliff Lee has truly helped change the landscape of this teams once atrocious pitching void.

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Peoria Free Press: April 2008

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Peoria Free Press Debut Edition

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