REDONDO BEACH, CA, January 15, 2007 -- Today, the illustrious South Bay Scorpion franchise completed a trade they had been trying to make for over a season. South Bay acquired starting pitcher Troy Nelson from New York in exchange for recently demoted outfielder James Larson. Coïncidentally, both Nelson and Larson were inaugural members of the Stockholm Sluggers.
Nelson pitched for the Sluggers/Manatees/Scorpions franchise for the first six years of his career, before jumping to the Gothams in the winter of 2008. Nelson said, "I am ecstatic to finish my career where I began. Wait. We're not in Stockholm anymore?"
In five games in the Cecil Cup, all starts, Nelson was 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 36.2 innings, including a one-hit masterpiece over Houston in the 2004 Cup. Nelson also pitched the first no-hitter in SDMB league history. This season, he is 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 starts.
Larson ends a disappointing second run with his initial franchise, including a demotion to AAA Arizona Bay this season. "I'm glad I can start again, but I'm sad I won't get to win a ring with South Bay this season," Larson said, through his agent. He batted .148 with one HR and two RBIs in 27 at-bats before being sent down. With the Tools, he rebounded nicely with an OPS of 1.145, giving hope that he will help the Gothams down the stretch this season.
In addition to Nelson, South Bay also acquired young LF Sherman Evanoff, and sent their 4th round pick in the 2010 draft to New York.
"Yes," owner/GM Michael Weintraub said. "We now have seven starters on our roster. With the 8th and 9th innings anchored by Carroll and Cuomo, we now have seven guys to give us seven innings each night. I can't wait until Nelson gets the start in game 4 of the Cecil Cup this October, with the chance to end his career with another sweep in the finals."
Is Weintraub counting his chickens before they hatch, or will his confidence in presetting his postseason rotation win him an unprecedented fifth Cecil Cup championship? Only time will tell.
I'm very pleased with Harris. I don't expect his ERA to remain below 2.10, but, it's not like I won't have options to replace him in the rotation if he does falter.
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