Bronze League Number Retirements

Those few CBA fans that tuned into Andre Drummond’s jersey retirement in Detroit may have seen a familiar face courtside. That’s right, it was the Indy Hawks great Tony Falcon, fresh off his first season as the hitting coach for the Motors RES team in Flint. Falcon is a season ticket holder for the Pistons, much like he was for the Pacers in Indianapolis. Seeing a number being retired and something of a folk hero to the fans in Indy got me thinking – who would the first number to be retired for each CBA franchise? Criteria is simple: there is none. This can be any player that spent time on any CBA roster – heck, it will be someone still playing for most teams, so let’s dive in.

 

Boston Rogers

Jeremy England 96

The most obvious choice here is SP Jeremy England. I know, I know, he just had a huge season in Houston, and yes, good eye, Houston and Boston are two different places. But England is remembered as a Roger. He led them to promotion. He has over 20 WAR over his time there. A sub 3 ERA in 104 career starts. After not being there for more than a season, he is still their all time leader in W, ERA, CG, SO, SH, IP, and… did I mention his WAR? The starter is about to turn 35, so he may hang his cleats up soon. But when he does, make no mistake that his number 96 will be immortalized in Beantown.

 

San Diego Skylarks

Jake Quick 27

This pick is much more difficult than the last for two reasons: One is that no one who plays in San Diego seems to be there for very long, and two is that no one seems to be very good while they are there. So I’m going out on a limb, as the first number retired in the city settled by the Germans and named Whale’s Vagina will be 23 year old first baseman Jake Quick. Yep, the same Quick family that produced LA Kings great Jonathan Quick. Coming off a rookie season where he slashed .256/.372/.450, he is a young hitter who has power to the gaps and walks more than he strikes out. He is perfect for the cavernous Big Lot’s Big Lot (nope, didn’t make that name up). The closest part of the fence is 360 feet away, and no, I didn’t make that up either. Quick will be hitting gaps for a long time there and I think that if he grows even more patient in time and stays in SD then he will be the last player to wear number 27 for the Skylarks.

 

Carolina Aces

Chris Anderson 21

The Carolina Aces lead the entire CBA in one category: First overall picks. They were the first team to “earn” the first pick from the CBA’s second division. That being said, I’m a firm believer that they finally hit on one of those high picks. That would be with the ASU product, a hard throwing right hander named Chris Anderson. He is one of the few Aces with PL experience after a loan to Florida. He wasn’t outstanding there but then you remember he was a 23 year old rookie at the time. As he matures, if he can stay healthy, and he stays in Carolina there is really nothing that stands in his way of years of dominance in Carolina. With 6 unique pitches and the ability to step it up a notch when he gets into trouble, the 6’7 righty has the potential to be the best Carolina Ace we have ever seen.

 

Great Lakes Monsters

Josh Verburg 96

The first Monster to have his number retired is also the greatest player in franchise history and that is 3B Josh Verburg. He is the team’s leader in pretty much every offensive category you can think of.he has a career slash of .311/.420/.410. Yes I know the power isn’t there but that isn’t what he gets paid to do. He slaps the ball all over the place and scores runs and he walks. Boy does he walk. With 396 BBs compared to 191 SOs career the man knows the strike zone better than some umpires. He has an .830 OPS and thats with a higher on base than slugging. Yes I’m gushing but I can’t help it, the more I look into his stats the more I think I’m in love. But I digress, it is a fact that the man they call shoulders will be immortalized by the Monsters and his 96 will be hung somewhere. Dare I say that I foresee a statue or even maybe a street.

 

Wichita Weasels

Craig Tipler 25 Sergio Avena 37

The Weasels most obvious pick is CF Cameron Brasted he leads them in most categories and was their best player for a number of years the only problem is he is in the Bay Area now where it looks like he will play a majority of his career. There is no other clear candidate, so it’s time for another stretch and since I make the rules I can do what I want. I’m going with one of two players. Either Craig Tipler or Sergio Avena. The two are best friends and roommates since they both played DEV-B together as 19 year olds. The similarities between the two are uncanny, they are both 22 years old and this is the year they will both be making the jump from the pen into the rotation. Scouts around the league are gushing about the two. If they continue to grow to their full potential, stay injury free and Wichita is able to hold onto them there really isn’t a reason that the two close friends can’t make up one of the best 1-2 punches the league has ever seen.

 

Philadelphia Liberty

Henri Morrati 23

My pick for the Liberty isn’t necessarily the best player they have ever had but he is one of their fan bases favorites. Henri Morrati is the definition of a crafty lefty, at his best he may have just grazed 92 miles an hour but that didn’t stop him from being very productive for the Liberty over his 4 years in the rotation. Never having seen the DL he pitched every 5th day never missing a start over those four years. It was this consistency that endeared the Italian to the Philly faithful. It was also for that reason he is the clubs leader in W, GS, CG, and SO. After spending all but one start at the RES level a year ago it looks like the end of the road for Morrati but Philly may bring him back for a spot start just to sell a ticket or two and pay tribute to both a clubhouse and fan favorite. The man deserves to have his number on the wall and teammates and fans alike would love to see it there.

 

Indianapolis Hawks

Tony Falcon 97

This is the moment we have all been waiting for there is only one man for this spot and he is Tony “Expert” Falcon. The man is the team’s all time leader in RBIs after only playing a single season there but boy was it a season. He missed only 1 game at 35 years old, slashed  .303/.374/.605 had an OBP of .980. He had 188 hits and 88 were for extra bases 49 were long balls. His team scored 774 runs and he either scored or batted in 300 of those, that comes out to just under 39%. The worst offensive team in the league Bay Area only scored 494. Is that cause Falcon was good or the Pandas were bad … i think it’s a lot of both. I know it is only one season but it isn’t Falcons fault he has 35 when the league first began. He is still the best Hawk to ever play and a fan favorite in Indiana and he deserves the recognition that comes with a number retirement.

 

Iowa Predators

Tony Baires 30

Remember this is the first number to be retired so age plays a factor. It’s for this reason that my pick for Iowa is SP Tony Baires. The 34 year old has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the CBA’s 3rd division. Never having been on the DL and hasn’t missed a start for the Preds, he has also been very good during that time. He has a 2.42 Career ERA in the BL. He is a local fan favorite and has been described as a captain by both his manager and teammates many times over. This season may be his swan song. He will turn 35 during the upcoming season and father time is undefeated. Baires has expressed the desire to not drag on his career and has hinted that this season may be his last so if he decides to hang up his cleats his number should be hung up soon thereafter.

 

Salt Lake City Snappers

Dave Schieber 14

My pick for the Snappers comes down to a race for the finish line between two players 1B Jeremy Costanzo and OF Dave Schieber. In the end I think they both have a case but I’m going to have to go with Schieber. For one he has never played anywhere else. When he has been healthy he has always been effective. Yes his numbers are inflated because of the shoebox that SLC calls home. He is their all time leader in H, 2Bs, RBIs and is third in HRs. He has also been a great defender having earned a +40 career ZR over his time in Salt Lake City. Schieber will be 37 this upcoming season and it looks like he will start to slow down but there is nothing that says he can’t extend his lead in some of those categories and end up as one of their best players to wear the Snapper uniform.

 

Austin Outlaws

Alex Valdivia 24

Austin is another tough team to pick because nobody really jumps off the page when you look, they have been a revolving door with good players coming and going. My pick is actually a player who headed west in a deal a year ago. Closer Alex Valdivia was sent to Sacramento a year ago and no one in Texas seemed to be very happy about it. Not the fans and especially not the clubhouse. After being the end of game guy in Austin since their inception the hard throwing left hander leads Austin in G, ERA, S and games finished. He is 5th in IP as a reliever who hasn’t been there in a year. Fans in both Texas and California were saddened when he snapped his UCL in a meaningless game, ending his season and the next one before it even started. Everyone across the league is wishing the lefty a speedy recovery post surgery. I think he has done enough to be immortalized in Austin when his career is finally over.

 

Yes I know that some of these players may not have the time out in for a traditional jersey ceremony. But these players are unique these players launched franchises and helped get a league off the ground and that should count for something and deserves to be recognized.

Silver League and Prem League to follow