WXYT Dombrowski 4 year deal

[MrStrunz]

Great News for tigers!!

[Tyrus]

Goodie, goodie goodie.

Man, I am stoked that DD will finally be able to really build a team long-term -- and that team is THE DETROIT TIGERS!!!!!!

Great news.

[JonBenke]

GREAT NEWS .. now lets get to work, Dave.

[Tyrus]

One more thing: I think DD is scheduled to appear on the Stoney & Wojo show today on 1130, but I'm not sure exactly what time. He probably won't say anything of consequence, since he usually keeps things close to the vest. But in the off-season, any crumb is like a steak.

[Oblong]

4 year deal with an option on any 3 of Ilitch's granddaughters when they turn 17.

[west-side]

This is fantastic news. It warmed up my day as the snow falls here in West Michigan.

[LeFlorean]

He's not replacing Dorf -- I mean Lesson -- on Golf?

[tigersfandm]

WOOHOO.. Where's the champagne to celebrate for this one? :)

[Tyrus]

4 year deal with an option on any 3 of Ilitch's granddaughters when they turn 17.


Have you seen DD's wife? He's got all the woman he can handle!!! :grin:

[Sparks4Ever]

Also on Gage's blog:

http://info.detnews.com/tigersblog/index.cfm

Now signed through 2011.

[tiger337]

awesome

[zimm]

horray beer!

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Great! That means 777 will be around longer as well!

[Yoda]

I wonder how Rob Parker feels about this?

[tigerkid23]

I wonder how Rob Parker feels about this?

Over/under 1 day until Rob Parker writes about how the Tigers made a huge mistake.

[redshark63]

I wonder how Rob Parker feels about this?

As part of the deal, DD got a 4 year restraining order on Rob where he has to stay at least 25 feet away from him at all times.

[estrepe1]

I think this is the most important move of the offseason. It had to happen.

[Yoda]

As part of the deal, DD got a 4 year restraining order on Rob where he has to stay at least 25 feet away from him at all times.

Do his peeps have to stay away as well?

[jadefalcon]

Over/under 1 day until Rob Parker writes about how the Tigers made a huge mistake.

Over/under 10 minutes after that article is published that we start a thread talking about how stupid, unprofessional, and incompetent Rob Parker is.

Oh, and this is fantastic news. This is what quality, winning organizations do.

[Yoda]

I think this is the most important move of the offseason. It had to happen.

Absolutely. Although signing Bonderman will be right up there.

[tigerkid23]

Absolutely. Although signing Bonderman will be right up there.

Yeah, I was just about to say the same thing. I think Carlos will get an extension as well, which will be just as vital to this team's success. Though, Carlos might get his during the season when he proves he can stay healthy and play at a really high level.

[mckibbka]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[estrepe1]

Absolutely. Although signing Bonderman will be right up there.

But according to Lynn Henning they are going to trade him.

[Big Toe]

Well with Chad Durbin around, why wouldn't we?

[Oblong]

Have you seen DD's wife? He's got all the woman he can handle!!! :grin:

Yes, I ogled her at Tigerfest right before he walked up and got her.

But she's like 40is now. A man like DD has to keep them young.

[Biff Mayhem]

Since reading this, I've got a chubby.

[Tyrus]

FYI, DD was on 1270 just now. Among the things he said:

* IxNay any idea about a Bonderman/Texiera trade. At least, that's what DD said. The radio host asked DD point-blank: Are you going to trade Bonderman for Texiera? DD answered, "we really like Bonderman and we're going to do whatever we can to keep him." He also said he'd like to sign Bondo to a long-term deal.

* He said the same goes for the rest of the starting pitching staff: "You can never say never, but right now we're not looking to trade any of our starting pitchers. Good starting pitching is the most valuable commodity in baseball, and we're not looking to trade it away."

* DD said he would like to strengthen the offense. But he said he's looking toward free agency to do that.

That's about all I remember from the interview. The main thing I took from it is that Bonderman doesn't seem to be going anywhere -- at least from what Dombrowski said.

Of course, we all know DD isn't going to play his hand. But at least the organization is coming flat out and saying "we don't want to trade Bonderman."

That sounds a whole lot better than an answer like, "well, we'll just have to see."

[Tyrus]

Yes, I ogled her at Tigerfest right before he walked up and got her.

But she's like 40is now. A man like DD has to keep them young.


Wash your mouth. I like 'em when they're in their 40s!!!! :lick:

[estrepe1]

Tigers extend Dombrowski's contract
Four-year deal keeps executive in Detroit through 2011 season
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Dave Dombrowski has the opportunity to do what circumstances wouldn't allow a decade ago. Now, he'll have the chance to build upon his World Series team well beyond next year.

The Tigers' historic comeback from 119 losses to the Fall Classic in three years will mean a long stay for Dombrowski, who agreed on Thursday to a four-year contract extension to remain with the Tigers through 2011. Terms were not disclosed, but Dombrowski was already the highest-paid GM in baseball with an annual salary of $2 million.

The deal had been expected on the heels of the success from this year, which was expected to be an important year for Dombrowski's tenure as the team's CEO, president and general manager. The Tigers ended a 12-year streak of losing records with their best season since their 1984 World Series championship, making Dombrowski's stay an afterthought.

An extension had been in the works since late in the season, but Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch waited until after the season to make the announcement.

"I am thrilled that Dave has agreed continue to lead the Detroit Tigers in this capacity," Ilitch said in a statement. "Dave is a great leader and a great baseball guy who is bright, hard-working and committed to success. He is clearly the top executive in baseball today and unmatched in terms of his ability to oversee this club both on and off the field. I am confident that we will continue to make the same great strides in the years ahead that we did this season under his strong leadership."

Dombrowski had another year remaining on the contract he signed when he joined the club after the 2001 season, having served as president and GM with the Florida Marlins since 1991. He won a World Series in Florida in 1997, then had to dismantle much of the roster the next year, denying the team a chance to repeat.

He won't have to worry about taking apart his club this time around.

"We've been building here for a while," Dombrowski said. "We're not done by any means, but now we're at a point where we have a solid organization."

Dombrowski came to Detroit in 2001 just before the series of franchise sales that changed Marlins ownership from John Henry to Jeffrey Loria. Part of Dombrowski's attraction to the Tigers was the enticement of overseeing just about every aspect of the team, a challenge he compared to being as close as he could get to ownership without buying a club. When he added on GM duties upon dismissing Randy Smith a week into the 2002 season, he took on the day-to-day responsibility of rebuilding the on-field product, a process that began in earnest later that summer.

The Tigers lost 106 games in 2002 and set the AL record for losses the next season while putting a core group of young players in place. A series of free agent signings followed, from Ivan Rodriguez in 2004 to Magglio Ordonez the following year, then Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones last winter. The idea was to put the team in a position to contend, but the Tigers' historic rise from five straight 90-loss seasons through 2005 to 95 wins this year caught even the front office by surprise.

If Dombrowski serves out the entire contract with the general manager title, he will have the club's second-longest tenure for a GM since World War II, second only to Jim Campbell from 1962-83. Though speculation has included Dombrowski possibly handing off GM duties someday to one of his assistants, he said that he plans to remain in his multi-faceted role for the length of his contract.

"I signed with the idea of doing my present job the way we're currently set up," he said.

He has been able to handle both jobs with help from his assistants, many of whom have been around the organization almost as long as he has. Many of them, too, were rewarded with contract extensions of various lengths, including vice presidents Al Avila, John Westhoff, Scott Reid and David Chadd.

Minor League operations director Dan Lunetta and player operations director Glenn Ezell also agreed to contract extensions, as did the Major League scouting staff -- Scott Bream, Dick Egan, Al Hargesheimer, Mike Russell and Greg Smith.

"All of these individuals are quality baseball people and have been extremely important to the organization," Dombrowski said. "All of them have done an outstanding job, and it is great to have this group committed to the Tigers organization for years to come."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061102&content_id=1729719&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det

[monkeynuts]

This is GREAT news!!!!

[detroitdan]

awesome news...now he has to get to work to make sure we have another few Octobers to look forward to

[irishmick79]

Absolutely wonderful news. It would have been a disaster if DD had decided to leave.

[Domino]

FYI, DD was on 1270 just now. Among the things he said:

* IxNay any idea about a Bonderman/Texiera trade. At least, that's what DD said. The radio host asked DD point-blank: Are you going to trade Bonderman for Texiera? DD answered, "we really like Bonderman and we're going to do whatever we can to keep him." He also said he'd like to sign Bondo to a long-term deal.

* He said the same goes for the rest of the starting pitching staff: "You can never say never, but right now we're not looking to trade any of our starting pitchers. Good starting pitching is the most valuable commodity in baseball, and we're not looking to trade it away."

* DD said he would like to strengthen the offense. But he said he's looking toward free agency to do that.

That's about all I remember from the interview. The main thing I took from it is that Bonderman doesn't seem to be going anywhere -- at least from what Dombrowski said.

Of course, we all know DD isn't going to play his hand. But at least the organization is coming flat out and saying "we don't want to trade Bonderman."

That sounds a whole lot better than an answer like, "well, we'll just have to see."

This is even better news than the DD extension to me. Pitchers win games.

[chasfh]

I am definitely OK with this. The Cubs can go hack off.

[Yoda]

I am definitely OK with this. The Cubs can go hack off.

You left off the w.

[Tyrus]

Another thing DD said on the 1270 interview was that, while he is from Chicago, he felt really comfortable here. "When you find a situation where the owner treats you so well, you want to stay," he said (or something to that effect).

So, score one for Mike Ilitch. Because he treated DD so well, the best GM in baseball is locked up for many years. Thanks, Mike!!!

Wait a minute. Did I just say that?????

[redshark63]

Another thing DD said on the 1270 interview was that, while he is from Chicago, he felt really comfortable here. "When you find a situation where the owner treats you so well, you want to stay," he said (or something to that effect).

So, score one for Mike Ilitch. Because he treated DD so well, the best GM in baseball is locked up for many years. Thanks, Mike!!!

Wait a minute. Did I just say that?????

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH TYRUS!!!

[Yoda]

Dave has built 3 very good baseball teams. It's hard to not consider him one of the top 5 GM's in the game. I think this offseason may push him to either side of that line. It'll be interesting to see what he does.

[JonBenke]

This is even better news than the DD extension to me. Pitchers win games.
Give me a break .. like he's going to say Nate Robertson or Jeremy Bonderman, or whomever .. is on the block. Come on, think a little here.

That's not saying there isn't a little truth to what he said, but, come on.

[estrepe1]

Give me a break .. like he's going to say Nate Robertson or Jeremy Bonderman, or whomever .. is on the block. Come on, think a little here.

That's not saying there isn't a little truth to what he said, but, come on.

I think his statement about Bonderman was more definite.

"we really like Bonderman and we're going to do whatever we can to keep him." He also said he'd like to sign Bondo to a long-term deal.


He is usually cryptic... that is definite.

[JonBenke]

We'll see...

[thewave84]

I think there is a lot of truth to what DD said. It makes more sense to pursue bats via FA than by trades. Hopefully there won't be any Tiger trades this offseason - I'd be happy with that.

[estrepe1]

We'll see...

I understand where you are coming from and I agree they won't say someone is on the block because that forces you to trade them. However I think the only way that Bonderman is moved in a deal is if an extension can not be worked out or someone offers them something that they can not refuse.

Teixeira would not be enough more than likely.

[Tyrus]

Who's to say we still won't land Teixeira in a trade?

All DD said is that he doesn't plan to trade any of the starting pitchers on the big league club. I can see where we could trade a package of minor league arms, and maybe a Zach Minor for Sexy Texy.

[thewave84]

All DD said is that he doesn't plan to trade any of the starting pitchers on the big league club. I can see where we could trade a package of minor league arms, and maybe a Zach Minor for Sexy Texy.

Good grief, you think the Rangers' GM is a total moron, don't you.

[tiger337]

Actually, DD has done pretty much what he said he would do the last couple of off-seasons. Last year, he said, he wanted a starting pitcher, a reliever and left-handed bat. He was unable to land the left-handed bat but I assume he tried hard. Even the previous two years went pretty much as planned. He never gets into details but he usually sticks to his overall winter plan. The only move that deviated from his stated plan in a big way was Pudge.

[Tyrus]

Good grief, you think the Rangers' GM is a total moron, don't you.

You don't think three quality minor league pitching prospects and a pitcher who had success in the majors would entice him?

Texieria is good -- damn good. But I think a lot of people are overrating him.

[thewave84]

You don't think three quality minor league pitching prospects and a pitcher who had success in the majors would entice him?


No, not unless the minor leaguers include Miller and Maybin.

(Dang it, I told myself I was going to stay out of trade talk this offseason because I find the proposals to be preposterous. I need to stick to my guns).

[keglerv]

Give me a break .. like he's going to say Nate Robertson or Jeremy Bonderman, or whomever .. is on the block. Come on, think a little here.

That's not saying there isn't a little truth to what he said, but, come on.

Exactly right. If anything has been proven in the past it is that anyone is available for the right price from Babe Ruth to Wayne Gretzky to A Rod. I am sure he is being truthful when he says he likes Bionderman and wants him here, who wouldn't mind having. That said if the right deal comes about he will pull the trigger.

[estrepe1]

Exactly right. If anything has been proven in the past it is that anyone is available for the right price from Babe Ruth to Wayne Gretzky to A Rod. I am sure he is being truthful when he says he likes Bionderman and wants him here, who wouldn't mind having. That said if the right deal comes about he will pull the trigger.


The right deal for Bonderman would likely cost the other team too much for it to be likely to happen.

I mean anyone can be had for the right deal. Even Verlander, but what makes a player untouchable is the value of the deal gets so high that it wouldn't make sense for a team to try it.

[DTownDave22]

Just thought this was kind of funny.

Tigers still not getting enough respect.

ESPN puts up this lousy article on their homepage.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2647242

Two errors, though not both pertaining directly to the Tigers, but still. The wrtier must have been running on near empty or something.

Glad to hear the news though.

[Chaz]

Outstanding!!! I am also happy to see the other guys get extensions also..

[zachcadillac]

Just thought this was kind of funny.

Tigers still not getting enough respect.

ESPN puts up this lousy article on their homepage.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2647242

Two errors, though not both pertaining directly to the Tigers, but still. The wrtier must have been running on near empty or something.

Glad to hear the news though.

What are the errors? I didn't read it closely.

This is an Associated Press article, so ESPN didn't really have anything to do with it beyond posting it on their site.

[zachcadillac]

I think there is a lot of truth to what DD said. It makes more sense to pursue bats via FA than by trades. Hopefully there won't be any Tiger trades this offseason - I'd be happy with that.

I'd rather see a trade than a signing of Soriano or Lee.

[Timberwolf]

That is great not only for the Tigers, but for baseball in general. There was a hot air rumor coming out of Chicago about him running the Cubs. I got a laugh out of it. Why would he leave a great team for a franchise that has no clue how to win not to mention zero interest in winning? He makes his home over there. Tigers got great ownership, great prospects, and great core players for years to come. The Cubs have nothing to offer. I still wonder why Lou Piniella even took that job in the first place.

I am glad he is there. Tigers fans deserve this.

[thewave84]

I'd rather see a trade than a signing of Soriano or Lee.

I'll agree with you there - depending on who is in the trade. Mistakes could be made through either avenue.

[Tyrus]

I'm confused: There were conflicting reports as to whether Al Avila also got an extension. I think he's a great right-hand man for DD, and I hope the Tigers retain him, also.

[zachcadillac]

I'm confused: There were conflicting reports as to whether Al Avila also got an extension. I think he's a great right-hand man for DD, and I hope the Tigers retain him, also.

Henning was the only one who reported that no extensions had been announced. The Associated Press and John Paul Morosi both write that most of the key baseball staff did indeed receive extensions. Choose who you like, I guess.

[dt35456884]

I wish Glen Ezell hadn't had his contract extended.

Also, what has Greg Smith done since being made head scout of the Pacific Rim? He got his contract extended, but I still see no discernible presence from the Tigers in Asia.

[Tyrus]

I checked, and Henning kind of hedged it. His story said no extensions had been announced. So it looks like the Tigers announced it after he finished his story.

Either way, that's good news. The consensus on Avila is that he's an astute baseball man, who's good enough to be a GM for most other teams. So it's great having someone like that on our team for the long-term.

This Dombrowski re-up might just turn out to be the best news of the off-season, no matter who we end up signing or trading for. I hold DD in very high regard, and I feel good about the long-term prospects of the Tigers with him at the helm, and guys like Avila on the team.

[Oblong]

Since Avila is a Vice President then I assume that means he's about on par with GM's on other teams so he wouldn't want a GM job elsewhere.

[Sidney_N_OK]

I wish Glen Ezell hadn't had his contract extended.

Also, what has Greg Smith done since being made head scout of the Pacific Rim? He got his contract extended, but I still see no discernible presence from the Tigers in Asia.

Although I agree with you to some extent on Greg Smith and I would like to see more, I think we need to cut him a little slack. If I remember correctly, we had zero presence there and I'm sure there is a lot of non-glorious work to lay a foundation in the area. It isn't like the Dominican Republic where there are already scouts and contacts and facilities. He has only been at it about 15 months or so (IIRC) but there needs to be some progress in the near future. I am personally not a GS fan but it is easy for me to poke holes when I have almost no information (other than his putrid drafts). He did draft Verlander, Zumaya and Granderson.

[estrepe1]

Also, what has Greg Smith done since being made head scout of the Pacific Rim? He got his contract extended, but I still see no discernible presence from the Tigers in Asia.

Is that because he hasn't scouted them or because the team has decided not to invest in the players he has scouted?

[estrepe1]

Since Avila is a Vice President then I assume that means he's about on par with GM's on other teams so he wouldn't want a GM job elsewhere.

This is probably true. I imagine given his title his pay could be right on par with some of the GM's in the league. Given the fact that Dombrowski is the highest paid GM I wouldn't be shocked if Avila is one of the top paid assistants in the league.

If you are comfortable in the team and get enough money to stay I don't know that everyone would want the promotion to be the GM of a team that is a mess.

[dt35456884]

Is that because he hasn't scouted them or because the team has decided not to invest in the players he has scouted?

Either way, what good is he doing?

I'll defer to the front office obviously but at some point we need to see the Tigers have some sort of involvement in acquiring Pacific Rim talent. Otherwise Greg Smith's position is useless, unless he's just serving as an advance scout for how to best exploit the in-game weaknesses of all the Asian talent other MLB teams are accumulating.

[Oblong]

Maybe they've got him over there to look for guys who may be under the radar and he's yet to find any?

It's just speculation at this point as to what his job is. Obviously Dombrowski thinks enough to have kept him around after the Randy purge and to give him an extension. He must be doing something to satisfaction.

[Charles Liston]

I'm thrilled that Dombrowski got that deal. The other guys? Dave gets to pick, so if he's happy I'm happy. I am concerned about Ezell though, based upon this year's Erie results which were disastrous. Double A supposedly is where the men are separated from the boys, and last year's highly-regarded High A players couldn't make the leap. I guess he'd say "silk purse/sow's ear" and talk about all the poor drafts. But on-field instruction has to play a significant role too, and it seems as though this year the disappointing players outnumbered the pleasantly surprising ones.

[tiger337]

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20061103&Category=SPORTS02&ArtNo=611030441&Ref=AR&Profile=1050&MaxW=233&Border=1

[dt35456884]

I'm thrilled that Dombrowski got that deal. The other guys? Dave gets to pick, so if he's happy I'm happy. I am concerned about Ezell though, based upon this year's Erie results which were disastrous. Double A supposedly is where the men are separated from the boys, and last year's highly-regarded High A players couldn't make the leap. I guess he'd say "silk purse/sow's ear" and talk about all the poor drafts. But on-field instruction has to play a significant role too, and it seems as though this year the disappointing players outnumbered the pleasantly surprising ones.

Agreed on all points. I was thrilled that Duffy Dyer was shown the door, but it seems to me that Ezell should have suffered the same fate.

All in all I look at 2006 as a step back for this organization in terms of our farm system. That promising Lakeland class of '05 was catastrophically bad in Erie. We've definitely collected a group of some of the very best top tier players in baseball, between Verlander/Zumaya/Bonderman/Maybin/Miller, but this season once again proved that the depth of our farm system is still pretty poor.

I think the farm system tended to be overlooked this year with the success of the big league club, but compared to '05 it was a disappointing year down on the farm. I don't know if that's because of the players we have or if it goes back to the instruction they are receiving. I'm guessing it's both. Either way, we're a long way away from being an elite farm system, and based on what I've heard about Ezell I'm not sure bringing him back helps the organization achieve that goal.

[Oblong]

Dombrowski said in the Free Press story on this that he didn't get a piece of ownership. He wasn't interested in that. "At this time" of course.

It was always a rumor that he got a piece. I heard it from two sources and would often repeat it here.

[columbus tiger]

I think it is hilarious that both the Free Press and Beck discussed specifically the extensions for all of the rest of the staff and Henning and the News TOTALLY missed it.

Filing early or whatever, that is another black eye for Mr Henning and the Snooze. You know someone over there is getting a talking to today. Kind of funny when you see that. I read the Free Press article first and then had to go back to make sure I didn't read it wrong after I read the News.

[estrepe1]

All in all I look at 2006 as a step back for this organization in terms of our farm system. That promising Lakeland class of '05 was catastrophically bad in Erie. We've definitely collected a group of some of the very best top tier players in baseball, between Verlander/Zumaya/Bonderman/Maybin/Miller, but this season once again proved that the depth of our farm system is still pretty poor.

I think the farm system tended to be overlooked this year with the success of the big league club, but compared to '05 it was a disappointing year down on the farm. I don't know if that's because of the players we have or if it goes back to the instruction they are receiving. I'm guessing it's both. Either way, we're a long way away from being an elite farm system, and based on what I've heard about Ezell I'm not sure bringing him back helps the organization achieve that goal.

Not to be that person.... but I was skeptical of the Lakeland 2005 class before this season. The only one I had had any hope for was Brent Clevlen. The rest of them really are not that good. Blue? Kirkland? When those are the headliners you are not going to be happy with the results in AA. I am not sure how promising they really were....

The farm system is definitely far from elite. Its the top 4-6 depending on your perspective and then the rest. I have some hope for the guys from this draft but thats a question still to be answered.

I do have a problem with how the players are promoted. I think they could move faster than they do at times. But I am not sure how much of that is Ezell and how much that is just a organizational plan.


I think it is hilarious that both the Free Press and Beck discussed specifically the extensions for all of the rest of the staff and Henning and the News TOTALLY missed it.

Filing early or whatever, that is another black eye for Mr Henning and the Snooze. You know someone over there is getting a talking to today. Kind of funny when you see that. I read the Free Press article first and then had to go back to make sure I didn't read it wrong after I read the News.

The Free Press also ran an article the day before that it was possible DD would leave for the Cubs.

[DET Mr Malefic]

I wish Glen Ezell hadn't had his contract extended.


I agree, but otherwise this is a grand day for Tiger fans.

[dt35456884]

Not to be that person.... but I was skeptical of the Lakeland 2005 class before this season. The only one I had had any hope for was Brent Clevlen. The rest of them really are not that good. Blue? Kirkland? When those are the headliners you are not going to be happy with the results in AA. I am not sure how promising they really were....

Kirkland I had hopes for after what seemed to be somewhat of a bounce-back year at Lakeland. I know his make-up and ability to make adjustments at the plate has always been in question but he did show some pop and okay patience in Lakeland.

I also felt like McKinney, Sanchez, and Francia could all be of some organizational value after that '05 season. All of them tanked miserably, along with Clevlen.

[estrepe1]

Kirkland I had hopes for after what seemed to be somewhat of a bounce-back year at Lakeland. I know his make-up and ability to make adjustments at the plate has always been in question but he did show some pop and okay patience in Lakeland.

I also felt like McKinney, Sanchez, and Francia could all be of some organizational value after that '05 season. All of them tanked miserably, along with Clevlen.

I was never on the Kirkland bandwagon. Especially after reading how he hadn't really adjusted his style at the plate. He has a long swing with a ton of power. He could end up being something because that power really is mammoth but he doesn't have much beyond that but a bunch of raw skill at this point. He has never shown a decent eye at the plate.

See I still don't see those as promising prospects. I was intrigued by Sanchez but that was his first good season. Francia and McKinney were alright but again they weren't great prospects.

I just didn't see much there that I would consider promising.

This years Erie team might be somewhat similar in terms of results depending on what they do with the roster. I wouldn't be shocked to see Clevlen in AAA next season even though he really didn't prove much at AA.

I don't know how much of the failure was really Ezell's fault. I didn't mind getting rid of the manager at the AA level but I felt like it was more an exposure of some bad prospects more than bad instruction/development.