Dawsonville 2017 Season Preview

Dawsonville, GA – With a sour taste still lingering in the mouths of 9er fans after last season’s poor showing, the management of the club went into the Free Agent draft looking to plug some serious holes. Given the lack of pitching talent in the draft, team owner Gray Ulery focused on upgrading at first base, second base, and right field. Two picks and a trade later, and we have the opening day roster of the Dawsonville Highway 9ers.

C – Donnie Atkinson

Will this be the season that Atkinson lives up to his hype? We certainly hope so. Donnie hit .242 with 10 homers while platooning behind the plate. He get’s the starting nod again this season, and again it is his to lose.

1B – Adrian Gonzalez

Hit .297 last season with 27 home runs. Three reliable predictions have him posting similar numbers this year. The “upgrade” at first base is the move of Gonzalez from DH to the field. While Gonzalez will never win a gold glove, his offense is enough better than Casey Kotchman’s to offset any errors he may make.

2B – George Collins

Immediately after Collins was selected at the end of the first round of the Free Agent draft, Ulery was on the phone with Atlantic City owner Andrew Eismont about a trade. Collins hit .264 with 10 HR in 2016, but is projected as a .300 hitter with an OPS pushing .900.

3B – Nathan Nicholson

Another product of a trade with Atlantic City, Nicholson will start his third season in Dawsonville. Nathan led the 9ers last year in batting average, home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, and OPS. Look for .285 with 25-30 HR.

SS – Snake Miller

One of St Charles’ biggest offensive threats last season, Miller logged a .291 average with 27 HR and 17 SB in 2016. Miller is a slight upgrade in defense at short, and is projected to hit right around .300 again this year with 30-34 HR.

LF – Steve Cozart

2015′s Rookie of the Year hopes to bounce back from a disappointing sophomore season in which he hit .276 with 11 home runs. He’s projected to see those 2015 numbers again, with an average close to .300 and 30+ HR. His speed makes him a threat on the basepath’s as well which could set up his teammates quite nicely.

CF – Louis Shears

Signed out of the Orlando organization, Shears is an slight upgrade at center. He didn’t play for Orlando last season, but his ability to make contact projects him out with an average in the .310 range. He’ll hit home runs just due to the number of times he’ll put the ball in play, and can even snag a base or two now and then.

RF – Brian Rike

Rike should make a serious run at rookie of the year contention. Projected as a .285 hitter with about 20 HR and good speed, Brian joins Steve Cozart the pair of young guns that will be the heart of the Dawsonville lineup for the next few years.

DH – Clint Barmes

Not expected to still be in Dawsonville this season, Barmes will get the chance to do what he does best – hit. By taking him out of the field, the team should save a few more opposing runs while maintaining his hitting production. Clint had an off year compared to 2014 and 2015, and is projected to bounce right back up to a .290 / 25 HR season in 2017.

Bench – C John Buck

The other half of last season’s catching platoon, ready to step in again if Atkinson doesn’t cut it. Won’t be a big threat offensively, but is much better at defense.

Bench – 1B Casey Kotchman

Still available as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement.

Bench – 2B Jeff Keppinger

Picked up out of the Memphis organization. Keppinger saw very little action last season. He projects out at .290 / 15 hr in a platoon situation, so he may see some playing time at 1B or 2B if needed.

Bench – CF Keiunta Span

At 33, he’s still the fastest guy on the team. Likely used as a pinch runner, and may get sent to AAA if the team decides to carry another pitcher.

Bench – RF Brian Anderson

Slightly below average season in 2016. Projections on him are all over the place (average between .211 and .291). He’s a fourth outfielder, available to spell any of the three starters as needed.

SP1 – David Tinsley

Missed 11 starts in 2016 due to injury, but sill posted the best ERA on the team. The new league rules that favor offense will likely hurt his stats, but he will still put up numbers better than league average.

SP2 – David Price

15-12 with a 3.94 ERA in 2016. Projections have him being average at best, but a nice strength increase and a much better changeup should help his stats quite a bit.

SP3 – John Maine

Came over in a deal with New England last season. Maine spent 2016 at AAA Chattanooga, but will be making his big league debut this year. He improved on all of his pitches and picked up a bunch of arm strength this spring.

SP4 – Chris Capuano

It was a disappointing rookie year in 2016 for Chris. 6-11, 5.38 is enough of an incentive to spend the offseason working hard. Because he’s not the hardest thrower out there, Capuano worked on perfecting his cut fastball and slider.

SP5 – Gregory Miller

Gregory quietly had a decent season for the 9ers in 2016. He started seven games and pitched in relief in 22 more. The loss of Jack Blair and Sap Pfeffer to Free Agency moves Miller into the starting rotation.

CL – Ryan Franklin

Some said that Franklin was called up too early. They may have been right, based on the stats he put up last season. This year, he boasts a much stronger arm and three greatly improved pitches. He might not be a lights-out closer, but he shouldn’t be a pushover either.

LR – Jack Ewoldt

Free Agent from Phoenix. No stats or projection, so we’re taking a shot on an aging veteran.

MR – Nich Schmidt / Jorge Collins

These two will either start working out, or they’ll bounce up and down between the bigs and AAA again this year.

SU – Yasuhiko Yabuta / Johnathan Mikrut

Yabuta continues to disappoint and Mikrut has a weak curve that could get him into trouble.

5 Keys to Winning

1. Spring needs to have been good to the pitching staff. Most of them project out at average or worse pitchers under the new league rules. Those predictions were done prior to spring training, so hopefully we’ll see some improvement (esp Price, Maine, and Franklin).

2. Someone needs to step up. The lineup projects out at solid from top to bottom. There are 8 hitters in the lineup capable of putting up .290 / 25 hr. Can a team that is “good” win against teams that have some big names and some nobodys.

3. Bullpen can’t blow too many. Bullpen ERA last year was a 6.20. There are a lot of question marks that could end up hurting the team in the long run.

4. Team Defense. Defensive upgrades at SS and in RF, downgrades at 2B and 1B. Which is more powerful? Does it have an impact on the pitchers?

5. Roster Moves. The hitters in this group are getting old. Can the ownership trade for some pitching that could push them over the top, or will some of the aging hitters find their way to other teams in contention.

Key Additions

2B George Collins (FA)

SS Snake Miller (FA)

CF Louis Shears (FA)

RF Brian Rike (Rookie)

Key Losses

P Jack Blair (FA)

P Sap Pfeffer (FA)

9ers Fill Two More Spots

Dawsonville, GA – In one day owner Gray Ulery filled the last two remaining question marks in the starting lineup of the Season 16 Dawsonville Highway 9ers. Ulery completed a trade with Atlantic City to bring on 2B George Collins just minutes before selecting CF Luis Shears of Orlando with his second round pick in the free agent draft.

To acquire Collins, Ulery traded his 1st round pick in next year’s amateur draft. Along with Collins, the 9ers received Atlantic City’s 2nd round pick in the free agent draft at the end of next season.

Dawsonville’s second round pick this year hinged on the trade negotiations with Atlantic City. “After securing our shortstop and designated hitter in round one, second base was our top priority,” said Ulery. “We were hoping that Collins would have fallen to us in round two, but also had our eye on Joe Hines of Memphis.” By acquiring Collins, Ulery was able to turn his sights on other options for his second round pick. “We took a good look at the pitchers available, and weren’t confident in any of them. Shears, however, is projected to be a .300 hitter at center field.” Center field has been patrolled by Keiunta Span for the last few seasons. Span is expected to be used as a pinch runner and backup outfielder this year.

The addition of Shears and Collins puts players at all spots in the batting order who should be above average hitters, including four or five legitimate threats to bat .300 or better.

Defense is still a concern for Dawsonville management and fans. Snake Miller is an improvement over Clint Barmes at shortstop, but Collins does not have as good a range at second as either Doe Loan or Davey Benton, Dawsonville’s two second basemen currently on the roster.

The pitching staff is the biggest opportunity the team currently has. The team lost starters Jack Blair and Sap Pfeffer to free agency, and did not replace either during the draft. The expectation in Atlanta is that rookies John Maine and Jonathan Mikrut will be on the opening day roster to try and stop the opposing hitters. Also look for the 9ers to look for available pitching all season long.

Miller a 9er

Dawsonville, GA – With the seventh pick of the Free Agent Draft, Dawsonville selected shortstop Snake Miller of St Charles. “We decided to go with Miller because we anticipated losing [SS Clint] Barmes fairly early,” team owner Gray Ulery announced to the Atlanta area reporters covering the draft.

Ulery’s fears were unfounded as pitcher Jack Blair was taken by Aberdeen three picks later allowing the 9ers to retain the power-hitting Barmes. “While we’re sad to see Jack go, we do wish him well in Aberdeen. Keeping Clint in Dawsonville will keep our offense potent,” said Ulery. Barmes had an sub-par season in 2016, mostly due to a lingering injury that hurt his performance for almost two months. He has fully recovered and is projected to post record numbers in 2017. Adding Miller gives the 9ers another top of the order threat and allows Barmes to move to the DH spot.

What Miller’s selection does not address is Dawsonville’s problems on the mound. With only David Tinsley and David Price expected to be solid starters, the rotation is considered weak at best. Yasuhiko Yabuta’s sophmore season and Ryan Franklin’s rookie year were disappointments, leaving major questions about the 9er bullpen. Expect Ulery to look for any viable arm that still remains in round two.

As players continue to be pulled out of the draft at a record pace, the question of what pitchers will be available has to weigh heavily on Ulery’s mind. A specific question he must consider is the future of Sap Pfeffer, if the enigma is still available when the 9ers are once again on the clock. The independent Virtual Players Sporting Group continues to see the screwballer as a top pitcher in the league. Unfortunatly Pfeffer has never lived up to his hype, sporting a 21-43 record and a 5.64 ERA over five seasons, and with the new league rules coming into effect, is expected to have another disappointing year.