New York Daily Post

[mstreeter06]

Great stuff!

[BaseballAddict32]

Twin Towers Add Help

For years one of the things that has plagued the New York Twin Towers has been a constant struggle to finish games with a bullpen that had more questions than answers, more problems than solutions. Bolstered by the run to the playoffs and a good showing in the first round, New York decided the time was now to solve this long standing issue.

Yesterday, in two trades with Ohio and Idaho, New York made a statement about its intention to compete and its intention to strengthen its ability to contend for a title. New York sent a young minor league reliever in Ed Walker to Ohio for Brit Fisher, a well respected reliever with ample experience and success. Fisher recorded 37 saves with a 2.5 ERA last season. From Idaho New York received another established closer in Bradford Perron (24 saves, 2.55 ERA last season) and another talented reliever and consummate professional in Virgil Roberts (3.99 ERA in 88 IP in 2023) for which they sent two picks (including the 13th overall) and minor league 3B Steve Atherton.

"The chance to get 3 proven relievers, who still each have plenty of quality years left in them, was an opportunity we felt we had to take," New York owner Matthew Katz said at the team's press conference. "We felt like all 3 of these guys know what it takes to win and are guys that have shown that they are capable of delivering positive results. We dealt a chance to take a young reliever we had tabbed, along with some other good young talent, but we felt like our chance to take that next step is here and this chance we too important to pass on. We look forward to adding them to a group that includes Steve Paige, Pete Frank and Dave Stroud. We believe this gives us the most formidable bullpen we have had since I have been here."

New York is rumored to still be looking for other upgrades this offseason that it believes can help going into the 2024 season. In the meantime, there is a feeling of excitement among the fans that the Twin Towers are building towards what they hope will be an even stronger club next season.

[BaseballAddict32]

Twin Towers Make Big Move

In the heat of a playoff chase, bolstered by last year's playoff run, the New York Twin Towers decided to step up and become buyers this season in an attempt to get into the playoffs and hope for more success than last year's first round exit. So amid a heated division and wild card race that sees New York currently stand 6 games back of Patriot League North division leader Pennsylvania and 8 games ahead of Maryland in the wild card race, the Twin Towers made what they hope will be an important move for the franchise this season and beyond.

Coming to New York are star hitter Tim Francis, whose hitting .365 with an OBP of .425 this season. He has scored 46 runs, stole 17 bases and drove in 16 runs leading off for Texas this season. For his career he is a .301 hitter with 543 stolen bases and has scored 648 runs to date. Joining Francis in the trip to New York is left handed starting pitcher Stan Lawson. Lawson has a 2.92 ERA this season with a WHIP of 1.08. Lawson, who is in middle of a career best season ERA wise has been a consistent and quality starter for years. Both Lawson and Francis are in their 20's and people within the organization believe both could be long term contributors for the Twin Towers.

Additionally, New York will get left handed reliever Joe Heyward. Heyward has been pitching in a set up role for Texas this year and he has 2.88 ERA and has struck out 33 in 34.1 innings. At 36, he has had a long and successful career and been part of many great Texas teams. New York sends two prospets in Arturo Ramirez and Thad Hurley along with two first round picks and a second round pick.

"Obviously in terms of the future, we had to part with a lot of value, but we feel what we are getting is more than worth that. We have a team that is primed and ready to compete right now," New York owner Matthew Katz said at the press conference announcing the trade. "We know New York fans waited years for a competitive team and now that we have a chance to compete we did not think our best move was to wait on the fruition of those prospects and picks. We were able to acquire three very talented players that can help us try to have a special season. Our bullpen moves this past offseason have paid off and now our bullpen is even better for the acquisition of Joe Heyward."

"Our line up has molded together well, we feel like because our guys up and down the line up are good at putting the ball in play and each guy is a tough out. Tim Francis is a guy with a lot of success under his belt already and he is 27. So we know he can contribute now and for a long time. He will add to that formula of being tough outs and picking each other up. Contact and speed keeps pressure on the defense."

"Additionally our starting rotation has been the best we've had in our time here but as we saw last year when we tried to bring back tired pitchers on short rest in the post season, there is no such thing as too many quality starters on a team. Stan Lawson is a really good pitcher and a guy who knows how to win. We are excited to have him join our team and rotation."

New York is obviously serious about competing and have put up a lot to get the players they did and show their team and fans the commitment they to being a winning ball club.

Stay tuned for all of the latest in Twin Tower news.

[mikezone13]

Nice one, may the neighbourly battle continue

[BaseballAddict32]

Nice one, may the neighbourly battle continue

Thanks Mike. It is nice to make that battle respectable. It has taken a lot of patience and work to get to a point of being competitive so it definitely feels good that the plan came together.

[BaseballAddict32]

New York Wins Title

For the first time in American Federation Baseball League history, the title has been brought home to New York. The Twin Towers pulled off an incredible playoff run that required the wild card team to go through three of the league's perenial powers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Colorado, the defending champions, ultimately to win the title. It was a historic win for a franchise that had been long mired in futility.

It was a long road to get to this point. When owner Matthew Katz took over the franchise he promised success to fans hungry, starving even, for it. The team in that first off season pulled off a succession of moves meant to rehabilitate the team and move in a new direction. Ultimately that did not happen and the struggles that season led to the dismantling of the immediate future for what was promised to be the long rebuild to a team that could win and give the fans something to cheer about. That process began going into the 2018 season. It meant some trades, mostly drafting players that fit the big picture and slowly you could see an image coming together.

For a long time one move seemed like it could be a fatal error, the deal that sent Sam Campbell as part of a package to get Steve Baker. The team anticipated Baker would give a long term solution at second base. For years Baker struggled. Now as he has emerged as one of the stars of the team, he proved to be a vital part of the title team. Federation Cup Series Florante Marrald was a player added into a deal as an add on asked for to go with fellow starter Jimmy Williams. Marrald's last 4 playoff starts saw him give up just 2 runs in 22 1/3 innings pitched.

It was a process, a plan. One that slowly came together even as fans wondered if the Twin Towers day would ever come. "It was understandable," Katz said in a recent interview with the New York Daily Post. "Patience is something you can ask for but for so long and then results are necessary. The big step for us was last year making the playoffs for the first time in history. Our team had been struggling but when they got hot and we made the playoffs, the doubts that were there faded."

"When we pushed Pennsylvania to 7, a team most thought we had no business competing with, it was a signal to us that we needed to get serious about winning now. Last off season we knew two areas of concern were the bullpen and third base. We got Bradford Perron, Virgil Roberts and Brit Fisher. The results were noticable. Our team saw our commitment to them and the ability to hold a lead and finish a game was critical. We spent a lot of last off season discussing deals for third basemen but our director of scouting assured us David Ross was ready. So we opted ultimately to seek our answer at third from within and he had a fantastic rookie campaign hitting over .300, stealing more than 40 bases, driving in 80, scoring 89 times and even nearly got to 200 hits."

"The pieces were coming together. When we made that trade before the deadline, it showed how serious we were about this team's ability to win now. Tim Francis is a fantastic hitter. Stan Lawson was a big addition to our rotation and Joe Heyward gave us another much needed reliable late inning reliever. We were convinced we were ready to compete and wanted to put a team out there that could bring home the title. When we struggled down the stretch it was a gut check time but I think internally we knew what this group was capable of and now... its hard to express the joy over this moment."

"This means so much to us and to New York. It has meant so much to bring this back to the burroughs, to the heart of New York. We look forward to celebrating with the fans in the Canyon of Heroes."

As the New York owner had the trophy presentation done on the field, in front of the fans, instead of in the locker room, the celebration was a sight to behold. Stay tuned for more on the celebration and what is next for the Twin Towers as they look to build on this success.

[mstreeter06]

I always enjoy these. Congrats again!

[BaseballAddict32]

Appreciate it, Matt. Thank you.

[mikezone13]

Nice one. It's really satisfying when you make that big push for pieces and they bring home the bacon. Hopefully this shows other teams, as has been AFBL trend, the best teams in the reguler season don't often win the title, making a push IS WORTH IT!

I will admit I wasn't certain about your trade with Texas given the relative strength of PA, WV and NJ in just the Patriot League let alone Colorado and Indiana in 'that other league'. But in hindsight, it has masterstroke written all over it.

May the neighbourly rivalry continue and perhaps one day we can meet in the playoffs and give both sets of fans something to scream about.

[BaseballAddict32]

Thank you Mike. Given how good you are in this I appreciate that quite a bit. Yeah it was definitely a risk. I felt a little better since I knew Francis and Lawson could give me several years of production even if it didn't pay off this year. It was the level of talent on those teams that drove me to take this chance because I knew I needed more if I could have a chance against those clubs. I had been looking for a hitter with pop but Francis actually fit this line up so well as its built on contact and speed.

I definitely would encourage others to take a calculated shot and make the push. It's not an easy choice to make risking first rounders and all but difference makers won't come cheap. Just gotta figure out the move you feel most comfortable with and go for it. Winning a title is a lot of fun. Even the journey deeper into the playoffs is fun.

Would be cool to meet in the playoffs, especially the LCS.

[BaseballAddict32]

Dave Ross Named Rookie of the Year

Dave Ross, New York's 2021 first round pick, the 4th overall of that draft, has been named the AFBL 2024 rookie of the year. The former high school All American, enjoyed a rapid move through the Twin Towers' farm system. Normally high school players take longer than college players to develop into big league players, Ross exhibited an extremely high work ethic and a great ability to quickly learn at each level. Just two seasons after being drafted, he made his first September call up, enjoying a cup of coffee with the Twin Towers late in 2023.

At the time it was a struggle to face a level of pitching unlike anything Ross had dealt with before. New York, for their part, thought Ross might still be a ways off from producing. They admittedly had spent most of last off season seeking out a stop gap option until Ross was ready to man the hot corner for the long term. After failing to find a trade partner, New York put the job in Ross's hands this past spring and what happened next would help shape a great season for Ross and the team.

Ross went 14 for 43 (.326), driving in 5 and scoring 6. It was enough to show he could be ready to hit at the level and the decision was made to give him a roster spot. The rest, as they say, is history. Now Ross, has been named the rookie of the year. He hit .312, stole 41 bases, drove in 80, scored 89 times, recorded nearly 200 hits. He also homered 8 times and recorded 8 triples, as well. An impressive season for a rookie, but what came next might have been even more impressive.

Ross is the front runner to win the 2024 post season MVP award. In his first post season, he hit .424/.426/.667. He homered once, drove in 11 runs, scored 13 runs, doubled 5 times and tripled 4 times. His three triples in the Patriot League playoffs set a new league record. His bat was so hot, that for the championship series against Colorado, he was moved up to the third spot in the order. That spot had belonged all season to star hitter Pat Gordon.

"Its been an amazing journey, but its just beginning. I am so excited to be part of baseball in New York and to be part of the Twin Towers organization," Ross said. "This honor is definitely awesome and means a lot to me. The special part to me though is the season we had as a team though. Awards are great but to win a title as a team is why you play. Looking forward to getting back to work next season to build on what we have going."

New York owner Matthew Katz recalls the decision to draft Ross. "We had some guys of interest and there were internal debates as there are in any draft room, especially when you are picking high and trying to find those guys who will be stars for you one day. That we needed a third baseman was a big factor but when we did our homework on Dave, everything we learned, everyone we talked to, it all added up. Not only did he have the tools to be great but he had the drive and focus to make the most of his potential. We are fortunate to have Dave as part of our organization. He will be our guy at third for many years to come."

As New York celebrates its title and moves towards the future, Ross figures to be an integral part of that future.

[BaseballAddict32]

New York Opens Season With Celebration

New York opened its season with a pre game celebration where the rings were given out for last year's championship victory. There was fan fare and the crowd was electric going into the game. The results of the day did not disappoint either, with the Twin Towers winning 11-3. They swept their opening series from Ontario despite the need to adjust on the fly as they will have to do without starting second baseman Steve Baker for the entire season.

Third baseman Dave Ross also has been struck with an illness and will miss a few days. But the main issue on the minds of the New York management is if the need to make a move to replace Baker will become necessary. Sources tell us at the moment they are working on a number of scenarios to utilize roster flexibility to adjust to the reality of life without Baker. One scenario, one we saw in the first few games is playing Ed Chapman at first base and sliding Tim Francis over to second base. Chapman has shown a good bat in spelling starting catcher Robby Pollock as well as in the spring this year where he split time between catcher and designated hitter. This inspired the move to keep a third catcher on roster to free up Chapman to play first.

A couple of other "in house" solutions could include Bernardo Duarte returning to the starting line up and Pat Gordon moving back to first base, where he began his career with the Twin Towers. The other, much simpler move, would be to start Dave Chapman and slide Francis back to first. New York is also currently considering possible trade scenarios, though may be reserved with how much they would part with for a single season hold over until Baker is back. One thing is clear, with the options New York has, it does change the dynamic of the speed game some, however will increase the power and add another RBI guy into the mix.

New York owner Matthew Katz, while clearly frustrated with the nature of Baker's off the field injury, refused to comment on it or the organization's feelings regarding it and its consequences for the season. Much is still expected of New York, who will try to compete again with the top teams in the league to prove itself a contender once again.