From the Archives: May 20

Three major stories of interest to pass along before we wax nostalgic.

• ESPN has a very long story about the challenges MLB faces with its plan. The upshot: unless entire teams are quarantined with each positive test as experts recommend, the plan will fall apart like Karen at Red Lobster on Mother’s Day
• This segues like Leatherpants to FanGraphs deconstructing the chimera that MLB will lose $4B even if they play without fans. It should come as no surprise that these claims wither under closer scrutiny, even with the opaque nature of MLB’s finances.
• Finally, Sports Illustrated passes along its survey of minor-league owners and it should come as no surprise that MLB is content to do nothing. The article echoes what I’ve written previously—”Coronavirus basically undermined everything minor league baseball could have done to fight this.”—and I stick to my contention that MLB will take advantage and buy out as many teams as they possibly can before the next PBA is signed.

Syracuse 8 Toledo 5 – 2012
• Wang (ND) 5⅔ IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 6K, HR
• Wilkie (SV, 3) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, K
• Hoffpauir 3-5, 2R, 2RBI
• Bynum 2-5, R, 2B, RBI

A four-run 8th turned a 5-4 deficit into an 8-5 lead as Syracuse defeated Toledo. Chien-Ming Wang, making what appears to be his final start before heading to DC, was touched for four runs on seven hits and three walks over five and 2/3rds innings. Atahualpa Severino, who stranded both runners he inherited from Wang but gave up the go-ahead run in the 7th, got the win while Pat Lehman and Josh Wilkie each turned in a scoreless inning for the hold and save, respectively. Jarrett Hoffpauir led the 10-hit Chiefs’ attack with a 3-for-5, 2RBI night. Unfortunately, by the end of that month Wilkie’s pro career would essentially come to an end following a suspension for a “drug of abuse.” He would join an embarrassingly long list of Nats minor-leaguers.

Harrisburg 3 New Britain 1, 7 inn. – 2011
• Perez, O (W, 1-0) 5+ IP 1H 1R 0ER 2BB 3K
• VanAllen (H, 3) ⅔ IP 1H 0R 0B 0K
• H. Pena (S, 2) 1⅓ IP 1H 0R 0B 0K
• Gilbert 2-3, R, SB, RBI
• Lombardozzi 1-3, R, SB
• Norris 1-2, 2B, BB

Oliver Perez made his season debut with five-plus innings of work in the first game of a would-be doubleheader as the Sens won, 3-1. The erstwhile LHP allowed one unearned run on one hit and two walks with three strikeouts. Cory VanAllen and Hassan Pena combined for the final two innings, earning the hold and save respectively. Archie Gilbert paced the offense with two of the seven hits. After a 3:31 delay, the second game of the doubleheader was postponed. No word yet as to when/where the game will be made up. Cory VanAllen’s affiliated career ended two months later with a labrum injury that required surgery. He returned to pitch for two seasons for the Sugar Land Skeeters before retiring in 2015 at the age of 30. He went back to school at the Univ. of Houston and has been a manager and director of player development for the Cougars’ baseball program.

Lynchburg 11 Potomac 7 – 2017
• Estevez (L, 2-3) 5IP, 9H, 7R, 7ER, 4BB, 3K, HR
• Rivera 2IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 4K
• Robles 4-5, 3B, HR, 3RBI
• Gutierrez 2-4, 2R, 2B, RBI
• Davidson 2-5, R, 3B

SSDL in Lynchburg as Potomac scored all seven runs in its final four “ups,” but fell short 11-7. Wirkin “For the Weekend” made it through five but let in seven on nine hits and four walks while striking out three for his third loss. Victor Robles celebrated his 20th birthday with a 4-for-5 night including a triple, a homer, and three RBI to lead the P-Nats attack. Estevez would eventually get the bump to Harrisburg the following month but stalled at AA, going 5-5 with a 3.95 ERA over 22 appearances (21 starts). He was released in August of 2018, made one start for the Independent Kansas City T-Bones, then finished his pro career with four starts for Puebla in the 2018 Fall Mexican League.

Hagerstown 7 Greensboro 2 – 2015
• Rodriguez (W, 1-3) 6IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 4K
• Mooneyham (H, 1) 2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 0K
• Masters 2-3, 2R, BB
• Dent 2-4, 3RBI, OF assist at HP
• Reistetter 2-5, 2R, RBI

The Suns broke open a 3-1 game with a four-run 7th and cruised to a 7-2 win over Greensboro. The win was Hagerstown’s third straight and got them back to .500 for the first time since April 21. Jefry Rodriguez gave up just an unearned run on four hits over six innings for his first win and first quality start of 2015. Brett Mooneyham (2IP) and Sam Johns (1IP) closed it out. David Masters, Cody Dent, and Matt Reistetter each had a pair of singles as the Suns racked up 10 hits total. 2015 was the second of three seasons Cody Dent spent bouncing between Low-A and High-A, where the legacy pick was severely overmatched – going 5-for-81 in 28 games for the P-Nats.