Jimmy Hurst isn’t coming to Lancaster.
The designated hitter was traded by the Barnstormers to the Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League in exchange for two players to be named later.
That was one of two transactions completed by the Barnstormers Friday. They also agreed to terms with relief pitcher Lance Odom.
The Barnstormers attempted to sign Hurst to serve as the team’s DH, but the two sides couldn’t agree on a contract. Hurst said Lancaster offered him $2,400 a month, a significant paycut from what he was previously making in the Northern League.
“I really wanted to come back there, too,” said Hurst, referring to the Atlantic League. “It’s sad. I really can’t play for that type of money.”
Head of baseball operations Adam Gladstone would neither confirm nor deny the financial offer to Hurst. The team doesn’t discuss contract details in the media.
“It was (Hurst’s) decision not to come,“ Gladstone said. “He obviously had the ability to talk to other clubs and make more money. We weren’t going to stand in the way for him to do that.”
There were other issues at play here. Hurst has been openly critical of the Atlantic League in the past for not paying veterans enough. The slugger is also dealing with back spasms and a wrist injury that he said required a cortizone shot.
This transaction ended a three-day merry-go-round for Hurst, who was dealt from the Winnipeg Goldeyes to the Barnstormers on Wednesday. According to the Winnipeg Sun, Hurst was expected to sign with Schaumburg today.
Hurst was hitting .236 with four homers and 20 RBIs in 32 games with Winnipeg, which was a sharp decline from his 2006 production — when he batted .307 with 18 homers in 94 games.
Instead of signing Hurst, the Barnstormers — or BASA, to be more accurate — used the DH as a trading chip to acquire two players from Schaumburg. One of them is a starting pitcher ticketed for Lancaster after he clears waivers. The other is a player who will be assigned to one of BASA’s four teams: Lancaster, York, Camden or Bridgeport.
While all of this was unfolding, the Barnstormers agreed to terms with Odom, who they hope will upgrade the right side of their bullpen.
Odom, 28, hasn’t played professionally since 2005 and has never pitched more than 28 innings in a season. The 6-1, 210-pound righthander has a career 6.08 ERA in 70 games — all in relief.
Sounds like Odom is another Clayton Andrews. Hopefully he will work out. Is the BASA going to hold a lottery for that “Player To Be Named Later”. What does the bidding start at, the worst record of the four?
Also, doesnt the Norhern League “Schaumburg Flyers” owe us another player for the Delgado trade or is that why we, or the BASA is getting two players.
So basicaly, Lancaster gets screwed again. If my addition is right we (Lancaster) should be getting three players from Schamburg; 1 player for Dario and 2 players for Hurst. Now we are only really getting one.
Someone needs to go back to Basic Math 101.
I like how you use PTBNL. Fits better on the back of a jersey.
Any buzz on the new starting pitcher? Good or bad? Does he actually exist?
Well, there is BASA for you again. I did not think we would get Hurst. I just felt he did not want to come back to the AL. With his back problems I don’t think he would have put up great numbers but I sure would have like to hear what he would say about the AL and BASA each day. I wonder who these two players BASA is getting. We get a starting pitcher (not sure if he will be any good) and I will bet right now the other player goes to Camden. I am not impressed at all about Odem. Those few stats you posted sure does not look good. Has not played since 2005 with a career ERA of 6.08 does not get me excited. Also he does not pitch much. I hope I am wrong with Odom and he does great here. It is better than nothing.
Jason.. I don’t know if this could be done but I am wondering (I bet others would like to know also) how much other Indy leagues pay. We hear AL is the top indy league (I do think they still are the top league just not as much as in the past) but I also hear and read all the time about players taking a pay cut to come to this league from other Indy leagues. I know other leagues have a slot system. If you are a Veteran you can get between so much money and then goes done from there. I also hear the AL has not changed the max someone can get in 10 years.
It would be great the see what other Indy leagues pay. This is probably not easy to find out (if it can even be found out) but it would be nice to know.
I may be wrong but I think his name is Ryan Harris (RHP) They just released him. Not sure about his numbers this year (If this is the guy) but he did put of good numbers in 03 and 06 and ok numbers in 05. The problem is he played in the United league (Texas) and they are at the bottom of the Indy Leagues. Ok League but not great. AL is a lot tougher league.
From what I’ve been told, other leagues balance their payrolls by signing young players really cheap. So a Northern League team might have some guys making very little, which allows them to pay guys like Hurst a lot more.
Hurst told me he made around $3,500 a month, plus housing and use of a car last season.
I agree that the level of play has dropped off this season, although Atlantic League execs would dispute that notion to the bitter end.
Look at the Barnstormers. They don’t have a single position player who spent significant time above Double-A. They only signed one position player who was in affiliated spring training (Quincy Foster) and haven’t signed ANY players released by affiliated clubs during the season.
I’ve been a huge proponent of the Atlantic League both privately and in the paper, but some of these Lancaster-York or Lancaster-Road Warriors games have been brutal to watch this season. You can’t bill yourself as a Double-A or Triple-A league and then have a shortage of players who reached those levels.
Hey, I share your concern. Based on the difficulty the Barnstormers are having in procuring players, I’m wondering if the league can find the players to field 8 quality teams next year.
I agree in that I am not sure if the league can field 8 quality teams for next season. Veterans are leaving the league. You hear it has to do with money or just AL in general. The league needs to make some big changes for the next year. Not all the changes has to do with money but there needs to be changes.
Baseball leagues become less entertaining when you’re able to start thinking thoughts like “hmm, maybe if I start working out I could play in the Atlantic league next year? Hell I was pretty good in high school!”
Are guys bailing on the Atlantic League more as Keystone Baseball’s influence grows? Camden in 2004, Lancaster in 2005, York ‘07, Southern Maryland in 2008(?) – coincidence? or trend?
I just look this up and this is interesting. I went to each indy league web site and look up all the players pick up by affiliated teams. Here is the break down
AL 12
American 7
CanAm 7
Frontier 2
Golden (Web site did not list them)
Northern 2
South Coast 0
United 1
AL still leads but if my memory is right then this is the closes it has ever been. I know there is still lot of the season to play but usually AL is so far ahead of everyone else it is not close.
Also when I was looking this up I saw something else funny. Not sure how many because I was not keeping count but I saw a lot of player released from other Indy leagues that is now in the AL. If the AL is the top of all Indy leagues then why is the league taking players that are being let go from lesser leagues. Also what made it funny is most of these players are ending up with BASA teams. I may later go back and look and get exect numbers on how many players are coming in from lesser leagues (Where they were cut) and also how many end up with BASA teams.
BS…You may be on to something there
If you take $2000 a month, divide it by 4 weeks, divide that by a 50 hour work week (figure they’re spending at least that much time, between working out, travelling, practice, etc) – they get paid $10/hour
$10/hour!!
There’s interns in my office making that much.
Minimum wage isn’t much less than that.
Granted – there are some players making more. Some making less. And they are getting paid to play a game that we all…. blahblahblah.
Fact still remains that they’ve got to eat food, pay for gas, buy clothes, etc.
$10/hour 10 years ago, not too shabby.
$10/hour today, ridiculous
Don’t mean to change the subject but if the Road Warrior beat Long Island today, they would have have taken 2 out of 3 from Bridgeport, Lancaster, and Long Island in the last three series. They are being pain in the butt to teams right now. It’s funny and I am pulling for them to be Long Island today.
BS – I’d think coincidence now.
I’ve never been a conspiracy theorist. But it is an interesting trend to look at, nonetheless.
I can’t type today. Suppose to say “beat Long Island”
Good for them!
That rotten life spent in busses and hotel rooms hasn’t gotten to them! I’m cheering for them too! GO RW!!
…although it STILL wasn’t nice of them to beat us…
I don’t think it’s just a coincidence that the level of play has dropped off. The fewer people you have finding players, the fewer talented players you’ll find. It’s that simple.
In 2005 there were eight baseball operations directors/managers filling out the rosters. They were all focused on one specific team. Now there are four: Long Island, Somerset, Newark and BASA. Guys like Jeff Ball at Atlantic City or Butch Hobson in Nashua or Charlie Dowd in Bridgeport aren’t procuring players any longer. I think that has something to do with a lower level of play.
UPDATED: I neglected to mention Somerset originally.
You had Somerset, forgot the RW’s
I don’t really count the Road Warriors because they’re basically a farm team for the rest of the league.
Keith Lupton had a passion for “his” team – Lancaster. I think that showed, as year one’s team improved thru the season and then, obviously, when last year’s team came together.
People will take this as an indictment of Adam Gladstone or David Keller at BASA, but it’s really not. I think they’re spread too thin and the entire arrangement is flawed.
If I had to write four different stories for four papers each day, those stories wouldn’t be nearly as good as writing one for the New Era.
Maybe the AL should incorporate a “Team Monopoly” policy so this ridiculousness ends?
You are right Jason…BASA IS stretched too thin….and thats why the arrangement doesnt work. There is too much conflict of interest…how can they possibly distribute the players fairly to 2 different teams? We are seeing how it is working this year…not fairly at all! The fact that the teams all have the same owner…well that doesnt work as well either. It looks like, in an effort to try and save money by having one group find players for all teams well it has stretched them way beyond their capabilities.
I can’t help but think that even though right now it might make some AL suit and ties wallets fat, that in the end the league is going to suffer immensely because BASA is just not pulling it off.
AA – Isnt BASA working for 3 teams? BS/RS/Rvs
I think the whole arrangement is set to that teams can colaberate on engineering information and share the cost of going to the wind-tunnel.
Plus, drivers get to compare notes of different tracks, which will – in the end, prove of benefit to all teams under the same ownership umbrella.
Scottie –
YES! Puzzle solved!
oh, wait…
Here is a question. If BASA/ODP is hurting the AL (Which it looks like it may be doing). Could Frank Boulton, Joe Klein and AL just say enough with BASA/ODP and kick out the ODP/BASA teams. Not saying kicking out the BASA teams would fix all the problems but AL may think that. I not sure how tied in BASA/ODP is with the AL
For what “we” may think these guys are doing to the league, fact is – they are helping to build really nice ballparks and keeping the AL going. Frank & Joe would be in pretty sad shape without Peter Kirk and his pals.
It’s hard to say which teams BASA is really boosting. I mean, how good is Camden? Could that team hold a candle to the Lancaster or Bridgeport teams of 2006? I don’t think so. It goes back to the general drop-off in level of play across the board.
The only teams I think are clearly above average this season are Long Island and Bridgeport. The Bluefish have slipped a little lately because of the losses of Boyd and Figueroa.
Yeah – sometimes you’ve got to take a step back and look at the big picture. New ballparks in smaller cities that bring professional (sort of) ball to the community.
that being said….
It’s when you start stepping closer that you realize that some things are rotten (or, at the very least, not run the way we’re accustomed to seeing them run in baseball). And when you have a league and team structure that aren’t very forthcoming with information while, at the same time, seemingly playing favorites – it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
BS…You may be right but I am not sure. ODP has made it easier on the AL bacause they don’t have to work so hard at keeping team or finding new teams bacause of ODP starting up teams and bring them into the AL. I may be 100% wrong on this but I think AL would be find and maybe stronger (They just have to work a little bit harder) without ODP
Scottie… I agree
Sorry guys for my bad typing. I am the world’s worst speller but I am not usually this bad at typing. I am making it hard to read my post.
Does ODP and their new teams have anything to do with the loss of 2 franchises over the past few years?
Atlantic City last season, Nashua the year before that
Do any NFL fans remember BLESTO-V?
This was a combined scouting arrangement Bengals, Lions, Eagles, Steelers, ?, ? – Vikings that teams used in an effort to save money. I don’t really remember if this was the 60’s or 70’s but as an Eagles fan I was confused with the concept. How do you scout for all the teams if everyone needs a running back? This only lasted a few years and then was disbanded. As a fan you can always blame the scouts but trying to get the owners to admit they are wrong ….. BASA is the same thing, only worse. Are people other then the ones who visit this site aware of this arrangement? If Jason can’t blow the whistle, we could always write letter to the editor and see what happens. What is a team in the Atlantic League valued at? Maybe we can start a search for someone who can save us!
I been wondering that also. I really don’t know but I will guess that ODP did not have anything to do with both teams leaving. I heard Atlantic City was not drawing good and this move would overall cost less and save the team from going under. I not sure why Nashua left.
I think every year they hope that they can eliminate the need for the Road Warriors by having 8 stadiums. The last two years, with those teams dropping out, that hasn’t been possible – luckily, a new team has been ready to start up in the vacancy. Maybe next year if the Crabs come in, the RW really can go away.
I read somewhere were the AL was looking into a team around the Boston area for next year or the year after that. That would give them 9 team. In the past I had read about a team that fell though and never happen but this one is one I never heard of before I read about them. Also, I thought I read that the AL would like to have at least 10 teams overall sometime.
I suppose the RW will come and go to keep the league at an even number – be it 8 or 10 or whatever.
I’m not suggesting Nashua and AC were forced out by ODP or the league. But perhaps they weren’t given as much attention (by way of promotion, money, scouting, players, etc) as other teams have.
If you’re sitting in the office upstairs at the Clip, you’re feeling pretty good about your position in the league. Because without ODP’s 2 teams in the past 3 years, the league would be down to 6. Really, the AL owes ODP for keeping the league viable.
I don’t remember where I read the story it but I found something on it in the Wikipedia. It is in Leominster, Massachusetts and the Wikipedia say that they would possibly start in 2008. It had no other information so maybe it did not work out. If I can remember where I read the story I will post it here.
Just search for the AL in the Wikipedia and it list them as a future team.
the Xanadu Project fell threw thats in the area of the old New Your Rangers Hockey Complex
here is a old link to it http://www.teterboro-online.com/xanadu/index.shtml
Each team is really “Every man for himself” as far as $$, promo, players, etc goes. The league governs them, but doesn’t do (really) all that much else. Keystone Baseball DOES know how to run a profitable team – at least, so far, in the Atlantic League.
DUDE! I grew up in Leominster Mass! That was my home town for 16 years! (not that anyone cares) but I can’t believe it! that’s where I claimed my first card shop and where I discovered the game of spin the bottle! Man if they get a team I’ll be torn who to root for.
Mr. B… Did you every go to any Cape Cod League baseball game. I am looking into going up there this year with the Wife. Me for baseball and her for sight seeing. I may get a little site seeing in. LOL!! When it comes to baseball I been just about everywhere but I never been up there to see a game. I seen or played (more seen) a baseball game of some level in every state but one (Alaska) and even seen two games in Mexico but I always wanted to catch a cape cod league game for awhile
I wish I could say I’ve been to a Cape Cod game but I haven’t. I have heard that the Harwitch Mariners has the nicest stadium though. Make sure you bring a good fishing rod to fish off the beach!
I don’t leave home without my fishing rods.
Hey Jason, what does the person that gets the 100,000 hit. Bosco?