Ritch's Report Card

Two prospects, an All-Star, three backups and 70 homers changed hands between the two division rivals before the first game of the 2004 season.  One player had come from another team already, another would head back out before even being fitted for a uniform.  And when all the dust settled, both teams came out better in the end for it.

Richmond sent its All-Star center fielder J.C. Antwerp, third baseman John Mowery, reliever Alan Lybarger, outfielder Jed Tillett and its 2005 first round pick to Orlando in exchange for outfielders Jimmy Silverberg, Mario Romano, and Roger Sheen and prospects George Phillips and Ambrose Williamson.  This trade was huge for both teams in so many ways.

Richmond gets in Sheen a top of the order hitter who is a moderately good fielder.  They had the same in Antwerp, but Sheen is a far more capable hitter, who's stroke will work well in the spacious Verizon.  While they may put up similar numbers, Sheen's presence helps out Richmond in more ways than one, and will be a welcome addition to the lineup.  Already he is hitting very well, with a .310 average and has been a big catalyst to Richmond's resurgence in the Atlantic.  Silverberg did not stay long in Richmond as he was shipped to Portland for a pair of players, one of them Joel Arana, who is a slick fielding first basemen, allowing David Smith to move to DH where he is far more comfortable.  The addition of the prospects only bolsters the teams now third ranked farm system.

Orlando's gain in the trade is far harder to see.  Mowery has the potential to be one of the top slugging third sackers in the entire league.  But he had the unfortunate luck of being picked by the Richmond franchise initially, to play in one of the most extreme parks in the league.  Verizon is built for small ball and pitching.  Games are won and lost by singles and walks, and homers are nearly irrelevant.  Mowery was molded by Nighthawks coaching to have a cleaner, shorter stroke, to use all fields and attempt to become more of a average/OBP guy.  This experiment didn't fail, but it did seriously hurt his power numbers and cause him some frustration on the field.  And while he isn't blowing anyone away so far in Orlando, one can see he is regaining his old form and taking advantage of his natural skills.  And while the team has little use for Antwerp (who is currently in AAA) the team did pick up one major key to a successful future, Richmond's 2005 first round pick.  This will help to restock a mediocre farm system, pushing the team in the direction it needs to go.

The one small flaw on Orlando's part is the trading of Sheen.  It rid the team of the one true leadoff type hitter that the team needed to increase its offense.  Would the presence of Sheen have changed the 12-27 start the team has gotten off to?  Maybe by a game or two, but not significantly enough to make a difference.

Orlando Grade: B+     Richmond Grade: A-     Portland Grade: A-

The Jazz are a team in trouble.  They have a decent system, but it is filled with average arms and nothing more.  Unfortunate thing about pitching prospects is that they fail more than anything on the planet.  They don't have a lot of hitting, with one of the worst offensive team in the league, and none from the farm that are coming up anytime soon to change that.  They have fixed the money hemorrhaging problem, and now actually look to turn a profit this season.  With all that said, they choose to ship off two prospects and cash, both of which they are in need of, for two average outfielders in Tom Foster and Carlos Aybar.  Only one has any major league experience, and both were nothing more than adequate hitters in AAA., which equates to mediocre or worse big league hitters.

So Richmond gets rid of salary, picks up two prospects, and gets some cash on top of it.  Looks like the Nighthawks got the better end of that deal.

New Orleans Grade: D     Richmond Grade: A+