Gone-zalez
April 6, 2008 by Jason Guarente
The Barnstormers are in the market for a shortstop.
Danny Gonzalez’s on-again, off-again courtship with the Mexican league is on again. The Atlantic League All-Star has decided to play south of the border this summer.
Gonzalez is one of the top position players in the Barnstormers’ brief history. He played parts of three seasons in Lancaster, first joining the team after being released by the Reading Phillies in 2005. Last season was arguably his best as a professional. He batted .292 with 16 homers and 67 RBIs in 122 games.
“Danny made a tremendous impact,” said head of baseball operations Keith Lupton. “We got him in ‘05 and he really helped turn us around. Last year he had a tremendous year both offensively and defensively.”
While it’s disappointing to lose a key player so close to the start of spring training, the Barnstormers have already begun searching for a replacement. They’ve been in contact with two players with big-league time. One has played in the Atlantic League before.
Jason,
Did you see this coming? Was Danny being paid the maximum?
I didn’t see it coming. Gonzalez signed with Quintana Roo in January, then changed his mind and wanted to play here. Then he apparently changed his mind again. I don’t know what team he is with now. I just know it’s in the Mexican League.
I also don’t know what Gonzalez makes, but I’m sure it’s not the maximum.
I doubt that any of the Barnstormers make the maximum. I am sure that none of any of the past Barnstormers made the maximum salary in the 3 now 4 years of this team.
I could care less. This drama with the Mexican League is getting old. I’m quite sick of it. Let’em play in Mexico and good riddance. This is disgusting.
Send In The Clowns
Darn, well at least he did it before the season started. My bet he is playing with Quincy.
Too bad. I’m starting to agree with #4 above, however….it’s getting pretty old. Maybe Danny can go play for Long Island later this year.
Gonzalez played three seasons in the Atlantic League. That’s a lot. I think he’s a good player, probably the best SS in the league last season, but at some point it’s good for a player and an organization to move forward.
The Barnstormers are going to be fine. I talked with Von Hayes for a while about the club today. The rest of the roster will be announced soon — starting Monday morning — and I don’t think anyone will be complaining about the lineup. I know I won’t.
Way to go Booby! Enough Said!
Your right too, Mark. Any team that comes from New York can buy any player. It’s kind of funny about the Ducks. All the good players that they have every year that they have only won one ATL Championship in ten years.
Agreed, and I was thinking the same about Foster. Sure, I’ll miss not seeing him in left field but he obviously wasn’t happy here last year so it’s probably a good time for him to move on. Gonzalez just kind of irks me because he had “signed up” enough to have announced that he signed up, and THEN he decides to leave. Now let’s see if he (and others) comes back in August looking for something to do.
Of course, the other side of the coin is that this is a lot more “normal” for minor league baseball than what Lancaster has had for the past three years. At least the minor league baseball I’ve always known.
Von seems to be coming through. This year might be more interesting than I was expecting it to be.
Oh yeah….a tip of the hat your way, Jason. Looks like the Cards smacked down the Nats. I knew it was inevitable, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be the Cards just because.
The Cards are playing well. I came into this season with low expectations, but I’m encouraged through six games. Ankiel is going to be a big-time star. People just don’t realize it yet. Pujols is already a baseball deity. Although they’re pitching out of their minds right now and that won’t continue, it’s still nice to see them at 5-1.
Lancaster could easily afford to pay a few players the “max” salary…. I hate that Lancaster’s gate is helping Southern Maryland pay their bills.
Here’s one from the Nats/Cards game in Florida for ya: http://www.phlog.net/entry/805649&page=40
Your son has great taste in baseball teams. Always pick the 10-time world champs ahead of the former Expos.
Well, when you think about it, it’s not like Gonzalez or Foster went to play for Long Island, they went to Mexico. So it doesn’t really matter who is financing who and where the money goes *in that regard*, apparently no one will put out what it takes to keep the likes of those two in the AL. And that may not be a bad thing. I’ve stated a bunch of times that the more new blood I see, the happier I’ll be. Now they get to pick one more.
The 10-time world champs will most likely beat the former Expos, it’s true, but you’re never so alive as when standing on the brink of death.
If you haven’t seen it, here’s one of Albert at the plate in Florida: http://phlog.net/entry/805647&page=40 The actual picture off the camera is much nicer.
And if you hadn’t seen that:
Here’s Zimmerman having just belted what would become a double: http://phlog.net/entry/805648&page=40
Lastings Millage ex of the Mets firing off one of like four *bowel shaking* foul balls that game: http://phlog.net/entry/806436&page=20
Nick Johnson waiting for something to hit: http://phlog.net/entry/806435&page=20
And Albert at first base: http://phlog.net/entry/805496&page=40
What was funny about poor Pujols is that, for the entire game, some jack^%$ kept yelling at him about steroids. “Better get off the juice, Albert!”…that kind of thing. And Albert’s one of what, six mlb players that aren’t on the juice list? It was humorous and Pujols himself laughed when people would yell at the moron to shut up.
It is simply fascinating to look at Ankiel’s stats and see the pitching and hitting statistics in one player’s profile. I watched the meltdown game live, and to see him come back to do what he is doing is just awesome for me as a baseball fan.
Ankiel is the most gifted baseball player I’ve ever seen. People think I’m exaggerating when I say that, but just look at what he has accomplished. In 2000, at age 20, he posted an ERA of 3.50 (over a run better than league average) and struck out 194 in 175 innings. In 2008, at age 28, he hit 43 home runs in Triple-A and the majors. And in between he hardly played at all, just 400 at-bats and 150 innings pitched in the minors. That’s simply incredible.
My wife was at Fanfest on Saturday and said that everyone doing autographs were in new uniforms. It looks as they are going with the sleeveless jersey and t-shirt with the number on the front. If anyone got a picture of them I would really like to see it.
I believe those uniforms are the new alternate uniforms ..to be worn on the weekends, as per gm Kevin Cummings. Hats will be red for all games.
I only saw the sleveless unis from a distance, but I give them my full endorsement. Hopefully, this is the first step toward the end of the beer-league softball uniform epidemic that has plagued our great game.
I wonder if they’ll have the flat-top hats to accompany the sleveless shirts like the Pirates did in the 80’s. If so, then I think the entire team should all grow a mustache. That would be awesome!
Big ole handlebar mustaches. And run around saying things like “I say Barnaby, strike the orb with your cudgle so that I may progress to the next position!”
hahaha!
Jason,
They now have a picture of them on the Barnstomer website under the Fanfest. Not bad looking.
Those are sharp. That’s old-school, Ted Kluszewski on the 1950s Reds style.
The Barnstormers are establishing themselves as the Atlantic League’s red team and getting away from the red, white and blue theme. Surprisingly, no other AL club has red as its primary color, so it’s a good move. Plus, this is Phillies (and Cardinals) country.
You’re stretching the Cardinals thing now.
I was just looking at the fanfest pictures on the Barnstormer site. Looks like Von is a Mickey Mouse fan….. WE’RE SCREWED!
A little to young to see Ted Kluszewski play, but I remember my Dad saying he wore very short sleeves (if any) to try to intimidate pitchers with his arms. This was also the Pirates look in the 60’s before Three Rivers. Very cool!
#31 — Now I know why Jason wears sleeveless shirts that say “Guns for Hire”. It’s for intimidating other editors.
I’m thinking Danny is getting close to being marked with the Scarlet Letter and never getting another job in the Atlantic League. Quincy too….
The Scarlet “M” for Mexico?
Von was wearing the Mickey Mouse thing as part of the scavinger hunt to win the trip to Disney. You had to find the 10 mickeys which were scattered around the ballpark and write down the location of all of them to be entered in the drawing.
scarlett does seem to match all the red we’re seeing on the uni’s now
#35– thanks mysterious one!