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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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