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INSIDE THE WAR ROOM
Reprinted with permission from The Rawken Times
Often missing early picks due to trades from the prior season, the Rawken Hawks always try to use unorthodox methods if possible to gain an edge in their drafts. This season’s draft, the Hawks had a couple of wants that have turned out to be important pieces in the hitting line up.
“We knew we had to get a pitcher in the first round and by our pick at number 14 we thought that Chris Bassitt was the guy we liked since he was unlimited and was on par with any of the guys left that lacked innings and we could designate,” said President, General Manager and Manager Ken Harrelson.
“In the second round, we were looking for what we thought was the best bat out there.”
Said hitting coach Andre Dawson, “We liked Danny Santana in the second, he could play every position but catcher, he was a switch hitter, he had pretty good splits both ways .276 against lefties and .286 versus righties and he had excellent power both ways as well. And he could back up all those positions in case of injury as long as we had someone on the bench to step in at third.”
Fortunately for the Hawks, Santana fell to them at pick 7 of the second round, 27th overall. The Hawks were lacking a third round pick and later their 6th, 7th and 8th which meant a lot of talent was going be off the board by their next pick in the ninth.
“Obviously, we would have liked to have more picks , but we were trying to compete in season 31,” said Harrelson. “In the ninth round we thought Willie Calhoun was a good fit for us as our DH versus right handers. Sure he had limited playing time, but he would be unlimited in the playoffs and still had 20 homer potential in the regular season even with his limited plate appearances.”
The team had filled only 5 of their offensive positions by the ninth round and Dawson was a little concerned about one position in particular, centerfield.
“I liked Calhoun in the ninth but I was telling Hawk we needs to look at centerfield,” said Dawson.
But Harrelson had a plan, an ace in his pocket. “I told Hawk to trust me, I had a plan, “ said Harrelson.
“I knew we needed to fit in some pitching picks as well so we were pulling in different directions. We ended up taking McCann at catcher in the eleventh, we had no thirteenth and took our catcher against lefties Phegley in the fourteenth,” said Dawson. “I was waiting for this plan to unfold.”
“I was nervous for the rounds from the tenth onward that I was going to see my centerfielder on the draft board every time results were posted,” said Harrelson. “He wasn't taken and I made my play in the fifteenth.”
Harrelson went for his guy and he got him with the fourteenth pick of the fifteenth round, Victor Reyes, a switch hitting centerfielder with good splits on either side, .292 versus lefties and .309 against righties.
“I had my eye on Reyes from early on, but I sat on him for a few rounds. I had an idea that he wasn’t going to fit a need for most teams. Some had filled the position, even though he could play all three outfield spots, but by this time of the draft teams were filling platoons and Reyes was a complete player with good numbers on both sides. Plus Reyes was limited so a team would need to fill the other 300 plate appearances with another outfielder similar to him or two platoon hitters to complete his position. And most teams had picked the player they were going to make unlimited, but we hadn’t,” was Harrelson’s take on the situation.
So Reyes was the player designated as unlimited and his 292 plate appearances essentially were at least doubled for the intended lead off hitter.
Reyes has delivered for the team so far even to the point of winning Player of the Week from May 1 to May 7 hitting splits of 424/467/788 with a homer, two triples and 5 doubles as well as 10 runs scored. Currently, Reyes leads the team in batting at .316, doubles with 13, triples with 5 and runs scored with 28. Among league leaders, he is third in hits with 54, 3 off the leader in doubles and in second for triples, one behind the leader.
His hitting coach Andre Dawson gushes over him. “He is a huge part of the team, hits the cover off the ball and plays an important position for us in the field and in the batting order.”
“I liked him,” said Harrelson, “but if I knew he was going to do this, I wouldn’t have risked losing him to another team, I would have taken him earlier! He is more than just a table setter for us and to know he’ll be in the line up for well over 600 plate appearances is good to know.”
Reprinted with permission from The Rawken Times
Often missing early picks due to trades from the prior season, the Rawken Hawks always try to use unorthodox methods if possible to gain an edge in their drafts. This season’s draft, the Hawks had a couple of wants that have turned out to be important pieces in the hitting line up.
“We knew we had to get a pitcher in the first round and by our pick at number 14 we thought that Chris Bassitt was the guy we liked since he was unlimited and was on par with any of the guys left that lacked innings and we could designate,” said President, General Manager and Manager Ken Harrelson.
“In the second round, we were looking for what we thought was the best bat out there.”
Said hitting coach Andre Dawson, “We liked Danny Santana in the second, he could play every position but catcher, he was a switch hitter, he had pretty good splits both ways .276 against lefties and .286 versus righties and he had excellent power both ways as well. And he could back up all those positions in case of injury as long as we had someone on the bench to step in at third.”
Fortunately for the Hawks, Santana fell to them at pick 7 of the second round, 27th overall. The Hawks were lacking a third round pick and later their 6th, 7th and 8th which meant a lot of talent was going be off the board by their next pick in the ninth.
“Obviously, we would have liked to have more picks , but we were trying to compete in season 31,” said Harrelson. “In the ninth round we thought Willie Calhoun was a good fit for us as our DH versus right handers. Sure he had limited playing time, but he would be unlimited in the playoffs and still had 20 homer potential in the regular season even with his limited plate appearances.”
The team had filled only 5 of their offensive positions by the ninth round and Dawson was a little concerned about one position in particular, centerfield.
“I liked Calhoun in the ninth but I was telling Hawk we needs to look at centerfield,” said Dawson.
But Harrelson had a plan, an ace in his pocket. “I told Hawk to trust me, I had a plan, “ said Harrelson.
“I knew we needed to fit in some pitching picks as well so we were pulling in different directions. We ended up taking McCann at catcher in the eleventh, we had no thirteenth and took our catcher against lefties Phegley in the fourteenth,” said Dawson. “I was waiting for this plan to unfold.”
“I was nervous for the rounds from the tenth onward that I was going to see my centerfielder on the draft board every time results were posted,” said Harrelson. “He wasn't taken and I made my play in the fifteenth.”
Harrelson went for his guy and he got him with the fourteenth pick of the fifteenth round, Victor Reyes, a switch hitting centerfielder with good splits on either side, .292 versus lefties and .309 against righties.
“I had my eye on Reyes from early on, but I sat on him for a few rounds. I had an idea that he wasn’t going to fit a need for most teams. Some had filled the position, even though he could play all three outfield spots, but by this time of the draft teams were filling platoons and Reyes was a complete player with good numbers on both sides. Plus Reyes was limited so a team would need to fill the other 300 plate appearances with another outfielder similar to him or two platoon hitters to complete his position. And most teams had picked the player they were going to make unlimited, but we hadn’t,” was Harrelson’s take on the situation.
So Reyes was the player designated as unlimited and his 292 plate appearances essentially were at least doubled for the intended lead off hitter.
Reyes has delivered for the team so far even to the point of winning Player of the Week from May 1 to May 7 hitting splits of 424/467/788 with a homer, two triples and 5 doubles as well as 10 runs scored. Currently, Reyes leads the team in batting at .316, doubles with 13, triples with 5 and runs scored with 28. Among league leaders, he is third in hits with 54, 3 off the leader in doubles and in second for triples, one behind the leader.
His hitting coach Andre Dawson gushes over him. “He is a huge part of the team, hits the cover off the ball and plays an important position for us in the field and in the batting order.”
“I liked him,” said Harrelson, “but if I knew he was going to do this, I wouldn’t have risked losing him to another team, I would have taken him earlier! He is more than just a table setter for us and to know he’ll be in the line up for well over 600 plate appearances is good to know.”