The AllKnighters were not idle on the days preceding the ammy draft. The
AllKnighters made two deals. The first was trading Prospect Mendy Lopez
and former Outlaw Dan Miceli to Deadwood for third sacker Scott Brosius.
Ann Arbor has been searching for a 3B for a while since dealing
incumbent Shane Andrews to Atlanta. Brosius is a solid bat, great glove
and veteran presence in the clubhouse. The team was excited to add such
a talented and versatile player. Lopez was third on the AllKnighters
depth chart so was expendable.
"I think it was a great move picking up Brosius. We had seem him play
and were excited to add a player of his caliber without risking any of
the teams longterm prospects. Negotions with Deadwood had been dragging
on since Brosius was activated from the DL, " said GM Michael Kennedy.
The second move brought the 1st pick in the second rd of this year's
ammy draft, #29. P Tom Gordon was sent to Binghamton in exchange for the
pick. Gordon had been acquired with stellar bullpen arms John Burke and
Nigel Fernandez in a deal with New Orleans that included John Wasdin and
the #21 pick.
In the draft the AllKnighters took SP Carlos Cotter with the pick
acquired from Atlanta, "Cotter has an awesome arm (96 AS), solid
pitches, and great poise (56CL 50SC). He needs a little work with his
control but at his age will get the oppurtunity. We think at worst we
have an average pitcher with the ability to dominate on occasion, and at
best a pitcher who can slide right in their with Pedro, Scotty (Sanders)
and Paul (Wilson). It was a gamble we really liked, " said field manager
Buddy Bell.
The second pick, acquired days earlier, netted LF Earl Zavaras, "We
trully liked him all along. We thought he was the 2nd best rated OF in
the draft. At his age (only 19) he has great raw ability (36 32 65) and
should be able to lend a hand in a crowded Ann Arbor OF. We were really
excited, We wanted him all-along, but we thought he was a late 1st rd
pick and didn't think he would drop to us. Hats off too the scouting
team, " commented Bell.
The third and fourth pick snared 2b Dick Milligan, speedy and with some
room to improve, and RF Larry Poole, a long shot to make the team.
Trade Note: With the acquisition of Scott Brosius it makes SS Ron Choate
available. Choate has an awesome glove at just about every positon with
99 PH potential and is only 24. If interested inquire.
