21 February 2008

BayDogs Player Spotlight: Rich Peters

For six of the last seven seasons, Rich Peters has been the heart and soul of the BayDogs offense. First, as a fixture in right field, and now as a slick-fielding first baseman, Peters continues to wield a dangerous bat. He hit .303 in season 7, the second highest average of his career. Moreover, he once again put up the power numbers with 56 homers and 117 RBIs. For his career, Peters has knocked 348 balls out of the parks around the National League and driven in 897 runs. In Season 4, Rich went down with a torn ACL and missed almost the entire year. This injury robbed him of what speed he had and reduced his range in the field, necessitating his move from right field to first base. In an exclusive interview for this article, Peters stated "I am really looking forward to next season and I think some of those young guys we've been hearing about in the minors might be ready to make the jump to the Bigs. Maybe we'll finally make a run for the pennant." At 31 year old and starting the second year of a 3 year contract in season 8, BayDogs management hopes for several more years of top production from their MVP. So do BayDogs fans!!!!

20 February 2008

BayDog Fans Suffer Through Another Losing Season

The Baltimore BayDogs once again stumbled to a last place finish in the NL Eastern Division, losing 103 games. The team signed veteran free agent starters Benji McGee and Jose Vallarta at the beginning of the season, in hopes of stablilizing a shaky rotation. However, McGee went a disappointing 4-16 with an ERA that exceeded 5 runs per game. Vallarta fared slightly better, going 11-13, but could not turn around the BayDogs starting 5. Fortunately, there were a few bright spots for the Dogs which give their faithful fans hope for the future. Perennial team MVP Rich Peters made the transition to 1st Base and put up another excellent season at the bat, hitting .303 with 56 homers and 117 RBIs. Alexander Cox avoided the sophmore jinx by playing a solid second base and hitting .284 with 82 RBIs. Finally, rookie closer Ugueth Espada was brought up from AAA when veteran Paul Brinkley went down with an injury and collected 10 saves in 19 appearances while posting an ERA of 4.15.