The Future of the Panthers

THE FUTURE OF THE PANTHERS

A season that started out with a bang has ended up being  a disappointment for Vista fans. A city that was in the thick of the playoff race till the end of the season in 2012 saw it's team fall apart in 2013 just to be lead on at the beginning of this season where they now find themselves hovering below .500. 

But that's just what everyone sees on the field. The Panthers front office has been hard at work to get the team out of a financial jam that started all the way back in 2012 when the team spent over $20 million more than it made. The team spent even more in '13. A bad contract to former fan favorites  Emilo Morin & Ivan Rosales in addition to several players raping and pillaging the team in arby made it difficult to keep star players. The team was suddenly in rebuild mode. A team which once looked like it had a bright future no longer had one. Fan interest dropped. Attendance dropped. GM Jordan Calhoun had to find a way to turn things back around. 

The Panthers ended 2013 $30,000,000 in the red with John Doby being the only name anyone had ever heard of on the roster and the only true lock to be on the team for years to come. 

Let's take a look at the players who have joined him as part of the core for the Vista future. 

1. Cesar Torres

http://www.thebaseballstars.org/players/player_9119.html

Cesar Torres was on the team at the end of the last season, but with only 48 games in the bigs Panther fans weren't quite sold yet and neither was the front office.

Torres has come out his sophomore year with no slump and rumor has it the team plans on working on a deal with him this offseason to try and avoid arbitration. Torres has handled the leadoff role pretty well with a .306 avg and solid +4.7 ZR in Center and Right which is needed for the large outfield they have at BlackBerry Field.

2. Cipriano Montanez

http://www.thebaseballstars.org/players/player_5455.html

Cipriano was acquired in a trade with the Madison Bombers back in June. Many people scratched their heads at this deal which looked like a rental but Montanez was brought in for the long term. After shedding salary last year the Panthers have been leading the league in cost efficiency. Although the teams winning percentage is down, attendance has been up and the team is making money and had a projected future budget of $30 million. The Panthers saw this as an opportunity to add a much needed ace for the long term to pair up with the up with John Doby as the faces of the franchise. Cipriano hasn't skipped a beat since coming over from the Bombers. He's improved his WHIP from 1.36 to 1.28, H/9 from 9.97 to 8.96, K/9 from 6.40 to 7.36 and FIP from 4.29 to 3.17. He seems to be liking his new contact and new home ballpark. 

3. Michael Hoffmeyer

http://www.thebaseballstars.org/players/player_8909.html

Hoffmeyer came to Vista last year from LA in the Warrilow/Piniella Deal. Panthers didn't expect much from him last season as he probably should have stayed at AAA but was given the chance at the big league level due to holes in the Panther rotation. Hoffmeyer started out this year pretty poorly giving up 7 hrs in 21.2 IP with a 5.40 era in April. He kept the HRs low in May but saw his era rise to 6.48.  His frustration with his performance was obvious so the Panthers sent him to AAA to help him gain some confidence. Hoffmeyer posted a 2.42 ERA in 22.1 IP giving up only 1 HR and striking out 21 in April for the Santa Monica Bruins. Hoffmeyer returned to Vista in July and is having his best month yet with a 1.78 era in 35.1 IP and a 1.25 whip. These numbers aren't the result of poor competition either. Hoffmeyers best two games of the season have come against two teams known for their bats: Madison (7IP 7K 1ER) & Boston (7.2IP 0ER 5K).  If he can keep this up Hoffmeyer will be a solid middle of the rotation guy for the Panthers. What makes Hoffmeyer even more impressive is his sexy $800k 4 year deal. Thanks LA :)

Prospects Panther fans should expect to see joining the Vista core in the future:

SP Sam MacIntyre

http://www.thebaseballstars.org/players/player_10053.html

2013 CWS Champion from the Connecticut Huskies. Lead all pitchers in school history with 43 games started, 251 IP, 2.0 BB/9, 291K, 5.2 K/BB & 1.15 WHIP. With no 3rd pitch the Panthers found MacIntyre waiting for them in the 4th round  as the #106 overall pick in 2013. The Panthers had him skip single A to pair him up with the much better pitching coach to try and learn a new pitch and to see if he was truly as solid as his college stats implied. Sam has been pretty solid so far in the Northwestern League improving his WHIP from 1.56 last season to 1.35 this one. If Sam can master the new pitch he's working on with coach Domingo Moran, he might find himself as a solid option for the #5 spot in Vista within the next couple of years.

CL Mike 'Grin' Fisher

http://www.thebaseballstars.org/players/player_9887.html

Mike's nickname is perfect for the face he gives Panther fans. One look at his scouting report and you can do nothing but Grin. Mike had some of the best rated stuff by both OSA and Vista scouts in the entire draft and his senior year stats for the Washington State Cougars back it up. The formed 2nd round pick of the Quebec Les Capitales failed to sign so he came back and pitched as if he was angry that he wasn't worth the price. He dominated the Pac-12  as a closer with a 0.94 whip 191 ERA+ and 62K's in 37.1 IP. The Panthers hope he can be ready soon to fill the closer role that Evan Brown, who is probably better off as a MR currently has and relieve the pain of losing the much popular Hiroshigie Yamada in the Montanez deal. 

2B Nick Bowman

http://www.thebaseballstars.org/players/player_10127.html

Nick Bowman was the 1st rounder for Vista in 2013 after an impressive season for Ohio State. Bowman had an OPS of 1.219, 17 HR and 66 RBI in 228 ABs for the Buckeyes. Numbers like these had the Panthers thinking he was ready to go straight to AA but Nick was pretty unimpressive batting .149 in 228 ABs. While a demotion was probably the best option, GM Jordan Calhoun did not want to discourage Nick who has such a humble, and introverted personality for a guy listed on the top 100 prospect list. Bowman returned the favor and has increased his average by 100 points, knocked in 16 HRs and is on track to steal 53 bases for AA Santa Monica this season. If Bowman can keep it up in AAA next year he may find himself as the 2B for the future in Vista.

  

Panthers Marketing Department Designs Desktop Background for Fans

The Vista Panthers rarely play the LA Bruins, but when they do they are serious about it. Often labeled as So Cal's "other team" in the BSA's "other league", the Panthers look to upset the much hated Bruins during a 3-game home series at BlackBerry Field. To get fans pumped up the team has released this desktop background.

Montanez Mania

ESPN Insider - Panthers Sharpen Their Claws

 It was his 11th major league inning and for some reason he got the call for the struggling Vista Panthers in the bottom of the 7th with a 5-3 league over the division leading Pocatello Boccabellas. A team that is the only CL West rival the Panthers have never minded losing to. Maybe it's the fact that GM Jordan Calhoun has a great trading relationship with Pocatello GM Alan Jengehino. Maybe it's the fact that Pocatello's GM isn't named Kevin. Or Bill. Or Travis. Or Mike. But for whatever reason, Angel Gomez didn't feel the drive on this night. Called up out of desperation, Gomez was quickly thrown into the fire for a Vista Panther team that many expected to finish poorly and win around 60-68 games. Instead the Panthers jumped out to 1st place in the CL West with a hot start and then traded the lead with Seattle and Pocatello before going on awful 3-14 run. Now, with the chance to finally get another win in the books the Panthers throw a guy with only 10 major league innings into the fire with only 2 runs of cushion. Gomez quickly blows the lead. Giving up 3 runs before earning an out. The game is lost. And the struggle continues.

The away clubhouse was silent after the loss. This youthful team that started off so well was deep into it's toughest test and was failing. Morale had fallen. This team has only won games on Wednesdays since June started. This team has lost it's hard working and rising fan favorite lead off hitter Ceasar Torres to injury for 2 more weeks, gone 2 weeks already.

Everyone in San Diego felt the pitching was too good to be true. But hope was always there, and hope has remained. Prior to the losing streak, it was well known that the Vista organization was looking to improve the roster with a legit starter and left handed reliever. Rumors started surfacing within the organization that St. Louis's Sancho Valdez might be coming to town. During the weekend of April 12th, St. Louis GM Bill Chan was spotted at bars in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego with Calhoun. He was spotted again in Indio, California at the Coachella festival with Calhoun and several other former UCLA colleagues of the two young GMs. Rumor was they were trying to work a deal to send Valdez to Cali but nothing ever got past that. Later it became known to Vista fans that the team reached out to St. Charles GM Glenn Polyn to acquire Gilberto Montano but New Orleans won that sweepstakes. 

Fans began to lose hope. Calhoun reassured fans that moves would be made to fix the pitching problem but nothing surfaced until Madison Bombers Cipriano Montanez become available but fans refused to believe it. If a deal couldn't be worked out for Montano or Valdez how would they bring Montanez into town? He definitely has more experience with winning than the other two pitchers and was most likely going to be the top free agent pitcher this off season. 

The cost was steep but Panther fans got their man who should be arriving in Vista in time to face the mighty Pittsburgh Swag. In a phone interview after the trade, Cipriano mentioned that extensions have already been discussed to keep him in Vista as the ace as many years as Doby signed to stay as the main slugger. Montanez hasn't signed yet but mentioned that he doesn't see himself turning down the 5 year 53 million dollar deal offered to him by Calhoun. "This team has a nice core of young talent. I like the direction we are headed. Doby is balling and I don't see that changing. Bojo's improved a lot over last season. Cee's should contribute when he comes back from the DL and even though they sent some young guys to get me, there's still a few guys we expect to come up and help contribute very soon. I believe in this team and after seeing who they gave up to get me, and receiving this contract extension, I know they believe in me and I will do my best to help this team win as many ballgames as possible," Montanez stated over the phone.

Only time will tell what will happen for Panther fans but everyone is getting excited in So Cal with Montanez Mania.  

Vista April PR [1/4]

Vista has been the surprise team to start 2014 to many but no one is surprised within the Panthers organization.

Sure, GM Jordan Calhoun did not expect his Panthers squad to have the hot start that they did, but according to the young GM "to believe that your team performing well is a surprise is to say that you do not believe in your team." A hot start is nothing new to a Vista organization that had a similarly successful April back in 2011 when the team finished 85-77. But that team is not the same Vista team that is playing at BlackBerry Field today. That team was lead by a 26 year old Ivan Rosales who was batting .300, an injured Emilo Morin in his last hurrah who hit 22 HRs in 92 games, ace Julio Lopez and 19 game winner Warren Piniella.

The only players that remain from that Vista team are Rosales, Cal Rhodes, Sok-man-Yu, Roger Anderson and Butch Hogan who was re-acquired the night before opening day from Los Angeles (Hogan hopped on a red eye from LAX to make it to Reno in time for the first game... also probably why he went 0-5).

It's not only the players who are different. Calhoun even made some changes in the coaching staff. After re-evaluating the roster, the GM made a decision to demote former manager Pedro Alvarado to bench coach in favor of Angel Zavala who seemed to have  better views on how to manage a game with the talent that was available. It's also rumored that Zavala had a better way of connecting with the players, especially the rookies.

A new manager and 20 new faces have been brought in to bring Vista back to their winning ways and these 20 new faces are exactly what Hogan felt Vista needed to spark a culture of winning for the Panthers.

"I was really sad to get traded last year. Vista is the team that drafted me and even though Los Angeles meant a bigger stage and more winning I felt like my job in Vista was left unfinished. Luckily I was only a 90 minute drive up the 5 and 405 so I could still follow my boys. It broke my heart to see the team fall apart the way they did last year but I believed in them and now that I'm back I believe in us. I was here when (John) Doby got drafted and it's been amazing to see him work his way through the minors to being one of the stars on the team. Some would say he's even a star in the league already. I sure think he is one."

The Panthers believe in Doby too - they signed him to a 4 year extension to try and avoid what most likely would have been an expensive arbitration decision for the talented outfielder.

Doby has lead the youthful Vista Panthers to a 10-2 start going 5-1 against division rivals Reno, sweeping the star-studded D-bags in Jersey and going 2-1 against rivals St. Luis at home.

Unlike Vista teams in the past who relied on 1 or 2 guys for most of the offensive production, this years team has multiple players who have been producing at a high level to support John Doby who has hit 3 HRs, picked up 11 walks, 6 2Bs and OPSing 1.193.

1B/DH Roberto Bojorquez has been off to a hot start hitting .340 with a pair of HRs, 14 runs and 11 RBI.

CF Kent Hall, who was acquired last year in a trade that sent fan favorites Piniella and Tony Warrilow up the freeway, is above .300 as well with a HR, 11 RBI and stellar defense.

RF Cesar Torres came over at the deadline last year in the deal that sent Lopz to Baffin Island and has picked up right where he left off, rounding out the talented and young Vista outfield and also contributing a  + .300 average.

Suddenly a team that struggled to score runs against any and every team last season is finding themselves crossing the plate at a rapid pace. The weakness has shifted to Starting Pitching. The addition of SP John Stricker from Toronto should help, but this could be the downfall to the Panthers hot start. If the Vista rotation can keep it together, or get improved somehow, Vista expects to be competitive all season long.