Emilo Morin hits the 60-day DL, Former 2nd Overall Pick gets the call up

EL PASO, TEXAS -- The Panthers lost their 8th game out of their last 10 today to the 12-19 Diablos, but still won the series after two straight sweeps to Fullerton and Jersey Shore. 

Already down about the losing streak, fans were dealt another blow when news surfaced that CF Emilo Morin will be out for 3 months after tearing his meniscus in a game against Jersey Shore. Fans are extremely disappointed. This will be the second straight season with Morin out for a huge chunk of it. Last year Morin played in only 92 games but still managed to hit 22 HR and knock in 73 RBI, showing hints of his former self when he hit 40 HR and batted .333 for the Phoenix Sun-devils before the VBL draft that sent him to Vista. Panther fans were anticipating this to be a comeback year for the slugger but instead have been disappointed once again by his injury. GM Jordan Calhoun was asked if he's worried about Morin's injury problems and if he regrets signing him to a 3-year $37.5 million contract and he said "to completely honest, yes, Emilio has become a good friend of mine. I just went to his nieces Quinceañera. He came to Vegas with us for my birthday during spring training. But I thought his injury days were over. I knew it was somewhat of a risk, so, luckily $6 million of his contract was a bonus for plate appearances, and he wont reach that being out this long. I hate to say that I regret extending the contract of such a close friend, but this is a business." When asked if these statements will effect the friendship, Morin responded over a phone interview from his home in Encinitas -- "In day-to-day life, Jordan and I are friends. In baseball, he's my boss. He put a lot of faith in me to work on my strength and conditioning and I let him down. I can be upset about his comments."

Who will be called up to fill the void?

The answer is former 2nd overall pick John Doby. When announced at last nights post game press conference this decision stirred up a lot of questions. Many expected Wilson Ortiz to get the call up with his .354 AVG and 7 HR in 130 ABs to Doby's .275 and 3 in 120. Manager Pedro Alvarado praised Ortiz but also may have offended him by saying that Ortiz has already reached his ceiling, and lacks the athletic profile that fits in with Vista's style of play. He acknowledged that Doby is still a little more raw than Ortiz but also said that Doby is a far superior athlete who possesses the tools to be a star player one day. "If John can find his way on base as the big league level then he'll stay, otherwise we'll let him see some action for a few weeks. With Morin out, this gives us the flexibility to do this. Morin was a huge contributor but we have 3 other Outfielders performing at a high level in Perkins, Wilson and Warrilow all hitting at or above a .292/.417/.448 slash line. Butch Hogan, Rich Campbell and Ivan Rosales are all swinging the bat well too from the infield, so we didn't feel the pressure to bring in another bat. We wanted an athlete, and we wanted to give such a highly touted young guy the chance to make the show. He works hard, he deserves it. 

When asked about the call-up Doby had this to say "I'm speechless. This is what you work for. This is what you dream about since little league. I'm glad this organization drafted me and has believed in me. I hope I can prove to the fans that I can one day be everything they're expecting from me. Jordan has stressed to me that there is no pressure and that he wont be disappointed if i'm not ready. That really changes my approach. I've got a lot of good guys to look up to who were in my position a few years ago. I'm 23. Butch, Sam Phil, Tony, are all 26. Roger is 25. Everyone on this roster started young. Vista is a young team. That's why I was so happy to be drafted here. Our team is more than just a ball club, we're all good friends  too. When I was down in San Diego, Sam (Treadway) and I would meet up a lot to hang out while he was in Santa Monica. We are both from New York. I played against him a few tmes back in high school. He was a senior when I was a freshman so he was much better than me back then, but now I think I may be able to out hit him."

Doby will come off the bench in pinch hit situations, but will also get the opportunity to start too. "He's already been bugging me about starting the entire Jackonsville series so his buddies from (the University of) Tennesse can drive down and see him play and make a road trip out of it. Doby was one of those frat guys or something. Sig something I don't know."

Doby is already really popular with Vista fans and has been since he was selected 2nd overall in 2010's draft out of Tennessee. Doby was named the 14th top prospect for 2011. 

Panthers Win 5 Straight!

Current Record: 14-5 Power Ranking:#1 AVG: .300 ERA 3.85

VISTA,CA -- The Panthers bats are still rolling as the team rides a 5 game win streak into this weekends series finale against Kansas City. It's still early, but so far this years edition of the Vista Panthers is winning in very different ways than last year -- they are finally playing offense. Time will tell if this is just an early season hot streak or proof of improvement but the Panthers find themselves leading the Trillian League in On-Base Percentage (.380), Slugging (.483), On-Base + Slugging (.862), Runs Scored (117), Hits (199), Extra-Base Hits (71) and Stolen Bases (30). The squad is also 3rd in home runs (22) and 2nd in walks (80) and batting average (.300). The pitching isn't too far off either. Lead by a strong bullpen performance (2.43 ERA, 3rd in TL), the staff is ranked 4th overall in the Trillian League.

--Veteran CF Wilbert Perkins continues to impress Panther fans with his standout play. In 49 at-bats he's ended up on-base almost half the time (.492 OBP).

--Last year's team MVP, 2B Ivan Rosales, is continuing last years stellar play with a slash line of .381/.423/.698. Rosales is 2nd on the team in RBI (13), and has only struck out twice in 63 ABs.

-- Phil Ingilby and Butch Hogan both have 11 SBs so far, putting them both on pace to swipe 94 by the end of the year. Phil hasn't been caught stealing at all this year while Butch has only been caught twice.

--Set-up man Joe Cameron and Closer Miguel Flores have been a solid force closing out games with a 0.93 ERA in 19.2 IP

--Through 4 starts, SP Julio Lopez has a 16/1 K/BB

Upcoming games:

4/21 vs. Kansas City - Carlos Castillo (2-1, 6.10)
4/23 @ Pittsburgh - Julio Lopez (2-1, 4.38)
4/24 @ Pittsburgh - Warren Piniella (3-0, 4.25)
4/25 @ Pittsburgh - Tim Welply (1-2, 3.86)