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.

Don Lee!!!!!

Don Lee is a Pelican! Not since Reggie Bush was drafted #2 overall by the New Orleans Saints has a player generated this much buzz in the Crescent City. The Pelicans dug deep into the banking account but it looked like they were not going to have enough cash to win the Lee sweepstakes. However, management sent one last ditch offer and before you could say, "how much money!?" Lee was on his way to New Orleans.

Another Season in the Dirty

The Pelicans won't be making the playoffs this season but there is reason to believe that things are about to take off in the positive direction. There are four reasons things are starting to look up in New Orleans: Wil Hollins, Craig Bowen, Victor Torres and Julio Izquierdo. All four will make their ML debut at some point this season. Management has a history of playing it overly safe with players but all four will get the call this season depending on how the Pelicans do. A fast start could see Torres and Hollins coming up relatively quickly followed by Bowen and then Izquierdo. Hollins will slide into the primary setup role allowing Rodrigo Seanez to move to the primary long relief role. Seanez was a workhorse out of the pen last season. Torres could factor into the starting rotation or be a useful arm out of the pen. Hope springs eternal on opening day!

A Season in Review

More of the same in New Orleans but reason for optimism... The Pelicans avoided another NL South last place finish and won 70 games - a one game improvement over last season. Season 6 waiver wire claim Michael Woo was the offensive MVP for the Pelicans posting a .310 Avg with 36 HR and 102 RBI. Offensive ROY honors go to Dan "the Franchise" Franco who played in only 62 games but was very impressive posting a .332 Avg with 10 HR, 48 RBI, 27 SB and a .437 OBP.