Big Time Off-Season

New Orleans, La - The Pelicans made their first big time off-season splash under the management of RDS. Benny Alfonseca was some how convinced to suit up for one of the worst franchises in the league. However, Benny has played on one of the best franchises and said in his press conference, "I have played for a true winner and me coming to New Orleans is not about money. I know from past experience what it takes to win and this team has it!" It goes without saying that Benny spent a lot of time in the French Quarter and he will probably sober up at some point this season and demand a trade. Alfonseca will play 3B in New Orleans and will bat 3rd or 4th depending on the pitching matchup. Management feels confident that even at 32 Alfonseca will be able to earn his paycheck for the next 3 seasons in New Orleans.

Additional Moves - New Orleans let go a number of FA and arbitration eligible players that played a role in getting the Pelicans in the playoffs for the 1st time ever back in Season 9. Also, Christopher Flynn was signed to play 1B and a number of rookies will be expected to play major roles this season. A number of spots are up for grabs this spring including RF, LF, SS, all the starting pitching spots and to a lesser extent 1B. However, Flynn is expected to be the opening day 1B and play the majority of the season there.

Predicting the Future

We have been saying down here in New Orleans that winning is right around the corner and there is reason to believe that this is really true. Over the next couple of weeks I will take a look into the future to see what the starting lineup may look like in 3 seasons:

1. Dan Franco - 2B - Franco is 25 now and will be in his prime in 3 seasons. Franco should be anchored in the leadoff spot for years to come with a great eye and excellent speed.

2. Al Duran - CF - Duran is a defensive wizard in CF and at 24 is probably still one year away from the show. Duran will never hit for avg. or power but should have a high OBP and steal a lot of bases. Duran may be more suited for the leadoff spot, especially if his OBP translates to the Bigs. If his OBP translates then Franco should either drive Duran in or move him into scoring position on a regular basis.

3. Don Lee - SS (2B) - Lee has the making of true superstar and should hit for both power and avg. The major concern is that Lee won't reach his fielding potential and will be force to a corner OF position or 2B. Offensively Lee will be ready for the Show in one season but his glove may keep him down, unless he is moved to another position.

4. TBD - April 1st

Half Way Home!

After a rocky start and piss poor 1st quarter we are slowly fumbling our way past the halfway mark but are amazingly in 1st place! The Pelicans are two games up but still one game under .500. New Orleans is fighting it out and hopes to be the least worst team in the worst division in baseball once again. There are not many highlights up to this point and this seasons draft was less than spectacular. With not much to report on we will recap the draft, off-season moves, and look at some top prospects.

Ranking the Off-season Moves in the Big Easy

1. Acquiring Chance Edmonds via trade - Edmonds was acquired in exchange for a pitching prospect. Edmonds was penciled in at 3B and has performed better than expect with 16 HR, 41 RBI, and a .290 AVG while turning in solid defense at 3rd.

2. Not getting caught up in FA and cutting bait with a number of players that wanted bigger contracts than they deserved.

3. Morgan Shipley signed as a backup catcher. Nothing spectacular here but Morgan has filled the role nicely and provides a strong defensive catcher that can hit a little.

Draft Recap

1. Jorel Holmes - Holmes projects as a solid bullpen guy in the future. Overall this was a weak draft but several players that were drafted after Holmes will probably end up having better big league careers.

2. Clem Wells - Wells projects out as a solid long reliever and appears to be a decent value for this portion of the 2nd rd. Wells will have to really work on his control to effective at the big league level.

3. A bunch of trash!

Top Prospects Review

1. Fausto Rivera -

2. Don Lee -

3. Trace Roberston -

4. Tito Petersen -

5. Stretch Perez -

6. Juan Marquez -

7. Melvin Ono -

8. B.J. Campbell -

9. Orber Amaro -

10. Brandon Radmanovich -

The Recipe - How They Did It!

Here is an overview of the players and transactions that help propel New Orleans out of the cellar and into their 1st ever playoff appearance.

The Lineup:
1. Dan Franco - 2B - 21 HR, 64 RBI, 75 SB, .418 OBP, 132 R
2. Chad Mays - CF - .383 OBP vs. RHP, .986 Fld%
3. Javier Servet - 3B - 36 HR, 131 RBI, .307 avg
4. Tony Saitou - LF - 35 HR, 113 RBI, .320 avg
5. Jacob Hansen - C - 36 HR, 80 RBI, .265 avg
6. Andrea Denham - RF - 24 HR, 85 RBI, .286 avg
7. Teddy Simon - SS - 13 HR, 52 RBI, .99+ Fld% including 45 starts at 3B w/o an error
8. Michael Woo - 1B - 16 HR

Contributors:
1. Pascual Tavarez - Utility - .268, 12 HR, 19 SB
2. Rodrigo Rincon - Utility - .990 Fld%, 140 Games

Pitchers:
1. Bryan Dodd - SP1 - 11 Wins, 4.22 ERA, 34 Starts
2. Victor Torres - SP2 - 12 Wins, 3.41 ERA, 1.25 Whip
3. Micah DeJean - SP3 - 10 Wins, 4.60 ERA, 120Ks
4. Jose Alcantara - Bull Pen - 16 Wins, 3.92 ERA
5. Vasco Urbina - Closer - 38 Saves, 2.74 ERA, 0.89 Whip

Transactions:
1. Dan Franco - 1st Rd draft pick Season 4
2. Chad Mays - Acquired via trade from Az for Lazy Hammond in Season 7
3. Javier Servet - Acquired via FA Season 7 - 4 yr $4 M
4. Tony Saitou - Acquired via FA Season 7 - 4 yr $5.5 M
5. Jacob Hansen - Acquired via FA Season 9 - 2 yr $1.8 M
6. Andrea Denham - Acquired via FA Season 7 - 5 yr $4.3 M
7. Teddy Simon - Acquired via Trade with Ismael Leon from Az (then Honolulu) for Trash
8. Michael Woo - Claimed off Waivers Season 6 - Had a down year but has 96 HR and 255 RBI since joining the Pelicans

9. Bryan Dodd - Claimed off Waivers Season 8
10. Victor Torres - Int. FA Season 5 $9.1 M bonus
11. Micah DeJean - Claimed off Waivers Season 8
12. Jose Alcantara - Season 6 Rule 5 selection
13. Vasco Urbina- Int. FA. Season $11.1 M bonus

Finally they Call us Winners!

It was one for the ages in New Orleans as the Pelicans finally broke out of the cellar and advanced to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. New Orleans got off to a fast start and never really looked back and were able to push their lead to 12 games at one point late in the season. Fans got nervous down the stretch as the Pelicans suffered through a couple of long losing streaks and saw their lead shrink to as few as 5 games before finally clinching the division. The early clinch allowed for the Pelicans to rest players and give some younger guys a lot of extra time in the field.

With high hopes the Pelicans advanced to the 1st round of the playoffs and faced a very talented D.C. team. Game 1 had fans near riot level as the Pelicans moved towards their 1st playoff win ever only to see D.C. rally in the 8th and 9th to win Game 1. It appeared that reality was really setting in as Game 2 entered the bottom of the 9th with the Pelicans down by a commanding 10-4 score. What followed will forever be remembered in Pelicans lore as one of the greatest comebacks ever! The bottom of the 9th was one for the ages as the Pelicans sent 9 men to the plate and saw superstar in the making Dan "The Franchise" Franco deliver the gaming winning double. That would be the last of the highlights for the Pelicans as D.C. cruised to the series win after Game 2.

Holy Cow!

Pelicans are in 1st place at the 40 game mark!! New Orleans finds itself in the very unusual spot of being in 1st place with a record of 23-17. The Pelicans have opened up a 5 game lead on 2nd place Louisville. They have been able to build their lead even with Dan Franco not living up to expectations. Franco is hitting under .300 and only has 4 HR but has stolen 18 bases. The biggest surprises so far on offense has been Javier Servet who is on pace for a career type year. Servet is crushing the ball to the tune of .351 with 9 HR and 34 RBI.

Don Lee Update

International superstar Don Lee is getting his hacks in down in Low A. Lee is off to a fast start hitting .380 with 7 HR and 24 RBI. However, he still has a ways to go with his glove work and has made 7 errors in 20 games.