2037 North Carolina Aviators News & Notes

[Chappy]

Aviators Enjoy Offseason as Management Shuffles Players Around

To make room for the 9 new Aviator draftees and International Complex importee Eiichi Fujita, the Aviators had to let go of a few players. 

Catcher Luis Zamora was the first to be released.  The 31-year-old had spent 11 years in the organization, hitting .262-40-174 in 445 games between R, A, AA and AAA.  Most recently,  he hit .250 for the Raleigh Explorers, but he only appeared in 15 games during the course of the season.

First Baseman Joe Arroyo was the second to receive the bad news.  Arroyo was drafted in the 7th round 3 years ago, and after not appearing in a game in his first year as a pro, he went on to play in 128 games for Delray Beach over the next two seasons.  The highlight of his career was a walk off grand slam vs Pensacola on May 30th of 2036; one of his 3 career home runs.

24-year-old outfielder Crocodile Burgos was also cut.  Burgos was known for his speed, but he never made it above AA in his 8 seasons in the system.  His career numbers: .257-8-58 with 104 stolen bases.

Ivan Rodriguez, a reliever who was originally part of the NY organization before being released and claimed by NC, was also let go after posting a 5.63 ERA in AA this season.  Hos career 24-15 record with 11 saves and a 3.74 ERA wasn't terrible, but it had become clear that he was never going to have the control necessary to compete above AA baseball.

Finally, international import Cisco Delgado was cut loose after 3 seasons in Delray Beach.  He is 22 and scouts feel he has maxed out his abilities in rookie ball.

North Carolina has announced assignments for their 9 draft picks:

Round 1 - 4.5-star RP prospect Chris May will report to Delray Beach (R)
Round 2 - 4-star RF prospect Edmund Collins will report to OBX (A)
Round 3 - 2-star LF prospect Tim Funk will report to Delray Beach
Round 4 - 1.5-star RF prospect Curt Crosby will report to Delray Beach
Round 4 - 2.5-star RP prospect Ron Walters will report to Delray Beach
Round 5 - 1.5-star RP prospect Derek Boyd will report to Delray Beach
Round 6 - 2-star RP prospect Alex Austin will report to Delray Beach
Round 7 - 2.5-star C prospect Cy Hawkins will report to Delray Beach
Round 8 - 0.5-star SP prospect Loren Cochran will report to Delray Beach
International - 0.5-star 1B prospect Eiichi Fujita will report to Delray Beach

North Carolina now has a full organizational chart, with 25 players assigned to the big league roster and 35 players on each of the 4 minor-league rosters.  There are also 7 players listed in the international complex, with one, Bob Booth, nearing 19 years of age and a promotion or release.

[Chappy]

Draft History Update
North Carolina finding success on field despite recent rash of first round busts

You have to go back 8 drafts to find a 1st round pick made by North Carolina who is currently suiting up for the Aviators.  The 2029 draft yielded 3 current Aviators; 1B Shane Schute (round 1), and pitchers Rob Williams (round 3) and Dean Edwards (round 4).  But of the boatload (57 to be exact) players drafted SINCE that 2029 draft, only 1 - 2030 2nd round pick Luis Aragon - is playing in the bigs.

Here's a look at our last 7 1st round picks and where they are today:

2030 - Don Ray - 11th Overall
Don Ray, originally drafted as a starting pitcher, is now a bullpen prospect, but at age 24 time is running out.  Currently rated 1.0/2.0 stars, Ray still has the stuff (7/9) and the movement (8/8) that made him a first round pick.  But his control, which scouts once thought would max out at 7, is 4/4 right now, and that, as evidenced by his 9 walks in 8 IP this season in AAA Raleigh, is what is keeping him in the minors.  The odds are good that Ray will make the big league pen in September, but his odds of sticking with the team are very low unless he can get a bump in control.

2031 - Jim O'Brien - 8th Overall
This 23-year-old slugger is actually on pace from a development standpoint, but he's run into a crowded outfield in North Carolina.  Jim actually made his big league debut last fall to much fanfare after a .384-54-126 campaign in AAA Raleigh, but he struggled to a .160-2-6 line in 15 games.  He was the starting left fielder for the first half of spring training this year, but a sub-.200 average led to him starting the year in AAA.  Currently 2.0/3.5 stars, Jim might not be top 10 in the draft material, but he's definitely not a bust (yet, anyway).  Look for him to lead the Aviators in HR as early as next season. 

2032 - Dan Curry - 14th Overall
Curry may well be a big league catcher soon, but he'll still be a disappointment after the early promise he showed.  Curry hit .271-24-84 in rookie ball after being drafted 14th overall, and followed that up with a .322-25-114 campaign in his 2nd year in rookie ball.  His 3rd year as a pro, he began the year in A ball and hit .350-10-57 and was promoted directly to AAA where he hit .295-5-25 to finish the season.  After 3 pro seasons, he had been named an All-Star 3 times and won 2 gold gloves.  However, during his 4th season, scouts inexplicably dropped their predictions on Curry's ceiling, even though he hit .366-20-85 for AAA Raleigh that year.  He now is rated 2.0/2.0 stars, and scouts think he has reached his maximum potential.  He's off to a .447-4-22 start this year, so maybe he'll prove them wrong.

2033 - Eddie Wheeler - 19th Overall
Wheeler, now 24, is still one of our top prospects, but like Curry, his potential ratings have taken a beating.  Currently rated 3.5/4.5 stars, Wheeler is coming off a .340-15-86 season for AAA Raleigh.  He is currently the #34 prospect in the AFBL, up from #52 last year and #62 the year before.  Wheeler is an amazing defensive SS and has blazing speed and ability on the basepaths, but he's already suffered a pair of notable injuries.  He made his big league debut last fall and struggled to a .133-1-1 line in 9 games.  Look for him back in an Aviators uniform soon.

2034 - Jose Medrano - 14th Overall
Potentially one of the biggest busts in Aviators draft history.  We really missed on this guy, who is now rated 0.5/1.5 stars and is still in rookie ball to start his 3rd pro season.  Medrano has hit okay; .306-19-90 his first year and .313-12-76 his second.  But, he has developed slowly and his projections have fallen mightily.  Once projected to be an 8/6/5 hitter, he now looks to be a 5/5/2 hitter.  Additionally, he has struggled in the field.  He was only 16 years old when drafted, so he does have time on his side.  But right now Medrano needs to focus on making it to A ball before he can worry about making it to the bigs.

2035 - Cal Yarn - 15th Overall
Cal looks to be on pace to be a big league starter.  He's rated 0.5/4.0 stars, and has 8/7/6 potentials as a pitcher.  He skipped rookie ball and was 12-11 with a 3.66 ERA in 30 starts for A OBX last season.  3 starts into his second year, which he began in AA Greensboro, he looks comfortable and has a 2-1 record despite an inflated 4.80 ERA. 

2036 - Chris May - 17th Overall
Chris has made his pro debut for the Delray Beach Grasshoppers, posting a 1.80 ERA in his first 5 appearances.  He still is rated at 0.5/4.5 stars and scouts still like him, but he seems to be upset with the team's chemistry.  The Grasshoppers are off to a 3-9 start, so there's probably a lot of misery in the clubhouse. 

[stevee]

Nice, I love stuff like the draft history.

[Chappy]

Aviators Re-Vamp Lineup
North Carolina in search of consistency; brings Ridley back into starting lineup.

While North Carolina is off to a solid start this season, so are the rest of the teams in the PL South division.  Maryland sits atop the division at 30-20, followed by Georgia at 29-21 and NC at 28-22.  Virginia is 4th, 3 games back, with a 27-23 record.

The Aviators have frequently alternated wins and losses this year, and the team would like to put together a nice winning streak.  In order to do that, the team is altering their starting lineup as follows:

1 - Sal Belcher - LF - .286-7-28, 16 SB
2 - Slappy Orozco - 2B - .268-0-17, 11 SB
3 - Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan - 3B - .281-1-18, 5 SB
4 - Chewie Baca - RF - .304-5-24, 11 SB
5 - Shane Schute - 1B - .252-5-30, 21 walks
6 - Francis Ridley - CF - .237-4-15, 8 SB
7 - Adam Wakeling - C - .239-6-23, thrown out 47.2% of would be base stealers
8 - Jose Martinez - SS - .197-3-13, 9 SB
9 - Jesus Martinez - DH - .247-7-28

The main change here is moving Chewie to RF, allowing Ridley to be the everyday CF again.  He's a huge defensive upgrade there, and hitting should improve with him being in the lineup more consistently.  We had tried rotating 5 outfielders among the 3 positions, but with Cristobal Castillo on the DL for the next few weeks, it was a good time to lock in 3 good outfielders to the positions they are best suited for.  Baca should improve as a RF; he's currently rated just a 1, but has good ratings in range, error and arm for the outfield.

Hopefully Schute will start hitting like he is supposed to.  If not, we may have to return him to the DH role.

[Chappy]

Aviators Lose Belcher for 2 Months
...and also cut OF Orlando Angel

The North Carolina outfield will look a little different when they take the field to face Texas. 

Starting LF and leadoff batter Sal Belcher will miss the next 8-9 weeks due to torn quadriceps.  Sal was batting .282-8-33 with 23 runs scored this season.

In his place, rookie Jim O'Brien will start.  O'Brien exploded onto the scene last year with 54 HR by September 1st in AAA Raleigh.  He was part of NC's expanded roster last September, but struggled to a .160-2-6 line in 15 games.  This year, O'Brien is off to a .360-25-63 start in 58 AAA games.  Hopefully he can handle big league pitchers this time around. 

The Aviators also cut ties with outfielder Orlando Angel and replaced him with AAA outfielder Jim Shepherd.  Angel, a 5th round pick several years ago, just wasn't a good fit in our organization.

[Chappy]

AVIATORS WIN CUP!
Been a long time since the last update, but well worth the wait!

The North Carolina Aviators have finally won the cup, in their 25th season, and their 11th trip to the postseason, and their third trip to the finals.

The 2037 playoffs opened with a sweep of the Maryland Bridegrooms, the defending champions.  Rookie catcher Dan Curry was MVP of that series, which was unexpected because he almost was not on the postseason roster.

The League Championship Series was more dramatic, with the Aviators coming out on top in 7 games.   The road team won each of the first 6 games, setting up a decisive game 7 in Charlotte.  Rookie pitcher Norman Cornell made a name for himself that day with a fantastic pitching performance, leading the Aviators to a 3-2 victory.  1B/DH Shane Schute, who had struggled some in the regular season, was named MVP of the series.

The Aviators would face Kentucky in the best-of-nine Federation Cup Series.  After jumping out to a 4 games to 1 lead, Kentucky won games 6, 7 and 8 to knot up the series at 4 games a piece.  With 20-game winner Ron Carmichael on the mound, the Aviators cruised to a 9-2 win thanks in part to a 7-run 5th inning in which rookie Arturo Gonzalez hit a 3-run HR.

The celebration would last for a week in the Queen city.

So next comes the draft, and the tough decision on who gets booted from the rotation next year when Bertil Aarden returns from an injury which cost him half of the season and an active role in the playoffs.

[Chappy]

2037 Ammy Draft Bios
Aviators finally have the honor of picking last!

We chose a good year to win the cup, because there is a lot of talent in this draft.  Here's a look at who will be joining the North Carolina system:

Round 1, 20th overall - CF Steve Campbell - ****
17-year-old outfielder Steve Campbell is a diverse player, with good defensive abilities (though raw) and better than average speed.  Hit hitting ability is not outstanding in any area, but he does a little bit of everything, and decently.  Like the Aviators, he's coming off a championship season, winning the AFBL High School Cup with the San Francisco Sea Lions.  He hit .328 with 5 HR in 16 postseason games.  Overall in his HS career, Steve hit .322-20-81 with 21 2B in 99 games.

Round 2, 40th overall - CF Turd Newton - ****
The Canadian formerly known as Ron "Turd" Newson, who legally changed his name to Turd Newton just after being drafted, was the second player added to the Aviators system in this draft.  In many ways, Turd is just a left-handed version of 1st round pick and proud righty Steve Campbell.  Like Campbell, Newton is an unpolished yet capable defender, although Campbell clearly has the better arm.  Both players are good on the basepaths and have solid speed, though Newton is better at bunting; both for average and moving guys over.  They look about the same at the plate as well.  Newton finished his HS career with a .376-20-110 line, with 24 2B and 18 steals.  He hit .444-1-4 in 4 postseason games for the Houston Hornets.

Round 3, 60th overall - CF Steve Larson - ***1/2
In the 3rd round, the Aviators took their 3rd CF and their 2nd Steve of the draft.  Other than being slightly less skilled defensively, he compares pretty favorably to the first two picks, meaning either the Aviators got good value at #60, or they made poor choices at #20 and #40.  Larson is a good small ball player, much like Turd Newton.  He hit .311-35-132 in 98 career high school games for the Riverside Golden Hawks, so he could wind up with the most power of the 3 outfielders selected thus far.  Larson is a clever hitter and a loyal teammate, but some members of the Aviators front office worry he might be a bit selfish.

Round 4, 80th overall - 2B Don Sanford - **1/2
There's a story out there somewhere, but nobody's talking.  Why did Don Sanford, hitting .357-2-20 for the St. Louis High Blues, get released and return home to Columbia, SC just a little more than halfway through the season?  Behavioral problems?  Something else?  Aviators brass did their due diligence and couldn't come up with a reason not to give Sanford a shot, so they drafted him.   A career .362-16-93 line in 112 high school games, Sanford projects to be a capable middle-infielder with the potential for a lot more.  His only weaknesses are his lack of speed and his reluctance to draw walks; he's doesn't strike out often, but he doesn't like to take the free pass.  His 6'5 frame gives him lots of range in the field, and his quickness makes up for his lack of top-end speed.  Sanford has already battled some injuries, which is a concern, but nothing to keep us from taking a chance at him at pick #80.

Round 5, 100th overall - 3B Jose Bautista - ***
Bautista looks a lot like Sanford on the surface.  However, he's clearly better suited for 3B than 2B with his fantastic arm strength.  At the plate, they have the same skills and tendencies, and in a footrace, neither player would win.  There's also a big difference in how their High School careers ended.  While Sanford was inexplicably kicked off the team, Bautista had a career year and was named 2037 AHS PL Outstanding Hitter while also winning a gold glove.  He finished his HS career with a .366-53-168 line in 150 games as a teammate of draftee Steve Larson on the Riverside Golden Hawks.

[Chappy]

Round 6, 120th overall - SS Jesus Reyes - **
We're finally starting to get down to the bottom of the barrel.  16-year-old Venezuelan import Jesus Reyes is not your prototypical shortstop; he's got only average fielding ability and speed, so he's not going to dazzle you with his defensive play.  And he doesn't project to be a good enough hitter to make a big league club with only average defensive ability.  So, right now, this 2-star prospect looks like a long shot.  That said, he's only 16, so maybe after a few years in the Rookie league we'll know more. 

Round 7, 140th overall - 2B Tony Frazier - *
Frazier hit .320-4-52 in 119 career games for Markham High.  We're mainly drafting for infield depth at this point, and Markham looks like a guy worth taking a chance on.  Not only his he a hard worker, but has good gap power and is tough to fan.  He's not going to hit many HR, but mix his gap power with his .300 batting average potential, and you might have the makings of a crafty second baseman.  He's got below average speed on the basepaths, but his quickness gives him good range in the infield, and he's more than capable at turning tough double plays.  Frazier is by no means a lock, but he could wind up being a 7th round steal when all is said and done.

[Chappy]

Round 8, 160th Overall - Mr. Irrelevant - 3B Danny Brewer - *
The Aviators spent their last pick - and the last pick in the draft - on 'veteran' Danny Brewer.  A high character third baseman that can already play the field at the major league level, Brewer will join the single-A OBX Privateer squad rather than the R Delray Beach team with the rest of the new players.  20 years old and the only college player selected by NC, Brewer is coming off a .295-15-51 campaign for San Luis Obispo College, where he was named an All-American this season.  Slow as molasses, Brewer has average hitting ability across the board.  He could wind up as a reserve infielder some day, or he could spend his whole career in A ball.  But that's the kind of uncertainty you get in the last round.