RETOOLED AND HEALTHY, KANSANS MAKE PUSH

Winners of over 200 games the last two seasons, the St. Francis Kansans find themselves in unfamiliar territory entering August in BARB play:  in third place, nearly ten games back behind surprising Brownsville, and on a pace to barely finish above .500.

The St. Francis formula for success in 2013-14, an overwhelming edge in power in a lackluster division, is nowhere in evidence in the 2015 campaign.

The Kansans not only do not have way more 'pop' than rivals, they now toil in the reconfigured Grapefruit Division under new circumstances.

But St. Francis has not been idle.

FREE AGENTS, TRADES, ROOKIES BOLSTER ROSTER

The Kansans, aware that their rotation has question marks, have acquired RHP Michael Wacha from the Worcester Eliminators, sacrificing some of their future minor-league depth as players to be named.


At the same time, St. Francis has moved out expensive veterans like R.A. Dickey, Michael Cuddyer, Jon Niese and others in a series of moves that have opened up tens of millions of dollars in cap room in the second half when most BARB clubs are living at the razor's edge.  That allowed them the freedom to gamble on players that other BARB teams had shown no interest in pursuing.

NOW ADDING....ADAM WAINWRIGHT?

This has allowed Kansans GM Scott Hatfield to acquire a pair of high-performing free agents:  OF Gerardo Parra and injured free agent RHP Adam Wainwright.   Wainwright, recovering from an Achilles injury, is very much a long shot to have any impact in 2015, but signing him gives the club options going into 2016 to go behind Matt Harvey. 

The Kansans ace has been spectacular at times this year, but insiders believe that Harvey's workload may be approaching limits recommended by his doctors. 

"The bottom line is we are attempting to upgrade our rotation," Hatfield said, "and that means 2015 AND 2016.   A rotation that starts with Wainwright, and continues with Matt Harvey and Michael Wacha, is definitely an upgrade on anything we've ever had in the history of this organization.   And we' are going to continue to make moves to put us in position to reach the playoffs for the third year in a row."

As part of that effort, the Kansans have called up a pair of rookies (RHP Aaron Nola and LHP Steven Matz), and expect both to have an impact.

Also coming back:  IF Justin Turner, who had missed nearly three weeks with a leg injury, and rookie reliever Brandon Finnegan, who will fill the roster spot of closer Koji Uehara, lost for the season with a wrist injury.
 

But the biggest surprise was  C Kyle Schwarber:  still very raw behind the dish, "SchwaRBI" has been such a potent bat in the high minors that the Kansans couldn't keep him down on the farm a moment longer.

The early returns were not impressive, as the touted bat had only one HR in his first ten games with the club, but Hatfield was not deterred.  "Possibly the best pure hitter I've ever drafted," enthused the Kansans GM. "Now I just have to find a spot for him to play."



CLUB REMAINS OPTIMISTIC

"Are we going to win 100 games again?"  Hatfield intoned rhetorically to snoozing scribes, giving his best Donald Rumsfeld impersonation. "Probably not.   But is our lineup and rotation younger, healthier and recharged for a push?   Yes.  Is a playoff spot in play?   Very much so, given that there are two wild card teams in each division.   Do we think that the moves we made not only give us a better change of competing in Septermber, but next year?   Absolutely.  You can quote me on that."

TOWERS TAKES THE REINS

COMMISSIONER HAYNES:

  

  

We haven't spoken before, but you may be aware of the fact that I have been engaged as a special assistant to the St. Francis Kansans in player acquisition, and I am authorized to conduct TRADES on behalf of the organization, effective August 20th of this year, following our stockholder's weekend conclave.

"TRADER" JACK...ALL THE WAY BACK!

There is an amusing benediction of sorts, for which any real baseball fan can appreciate the irony: "May you live in interesting times."

So it was that in late June, the St. Francis Friars confirmed that Jack McKeon, who had been serving as defacto GM for the organization, was named not only acting GM, but (in an interesting arrangement) the club's "co-field manager". As part of his increased responsibilities, McKeon will receive no additional salary but, as he assured reporters, "I will be getting an allowance for any additional Havanas I have to light up."


McKeon wasted no time in shaking things up, engaging in the rare 'Challenge Trade' with a team in his own division. Frustrated with the slow learning curve of Pedro Alvarez, "Trader" Jack dealt the second player selected in the 2008 amateur draft to division rival Philadelphia, along with minor-league OF Blake Smith.

In return, the Rebels somewhat curiously parted with a starting pitcher, RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-5, 5.60 in nine starts with the Rebels). Alvarez, attempting to earn playing time with the Friars, had found his route blocked by a pair of versatile (and productive) new starters, 3B/1B Kevin Youkilis and 3B/OF Jose Bautista.

With Youkilis hitting .335 with a league-leading 60 runs scored, and Bautista lead all of BARB with 19 HR, Alvarez found himself riding the bench. The rookie had gone 3-for-12 in brief duty before being sidelined by a minor injury.

"We don't think the kid's ready," said McKeon bluntly. "He's still a work in progress, swings at too many pitcher's pitches when he doesn't have to, still airmails throws on routine plays. He's got a guaranteed major-league contract ready to kick in, though, and it would be hard on the kid to have him up here and basically warm the pine. So, we think this is the best thing for him. He'll go to an organization where the player in front of him---A-Rod----is getting long in the tooth and will likely spend a lot of time in the future as a DH. We think a lot of him, and he's obviously the most talented player in this deal. But you can't make an egg without breaking a few omelettes."

"The big question is," McKeon continued, "is whether getting Nolasco, who has struggled, is going to help us. The sense I get is that Philadelphia thinks he won't help us all that much, because he's underachieved with them, and they would like to clear a roster spot for some talent that they see over the horizon. It's an unusual situation, dealing with a division rival. I asked GM Melkonian whether or not he understood that I was trying to steal his lunch money---which I am----and whether or not it made sense to basically sit down in the cafeteria and have lunch with me. Well, he has a different perspective, in which his organization has the pitching depth to make this deal. So, you know, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. We think having Nolasco helps us, even if he doesn't put up especially good numbers, because he is a young, affordable starting pitcher who can pile up K's in short stretches. If it doesn't work out with him in the rotation, perhaps he can fill a long relief role and we can give Correia more work. The bottom line is that we've had a lot of injuries to our pitching staff, and getting any arm at this point gives us a little breathing room. We'll know more about this trade by August."