Dana Sorensen Praises Korbe Otis and Talks Some Blaze Draft Strategy
Every returning team in the AUSL wishes they could have protected more players up front. With that of course came some tough decisions, and of course it is nothing personal. It is just the nature of reality.
One player in particular that I had circled on my list of possible protects was Blaze’s Korbe Otis. Otis had a great rookie season where she was solid at the plate and made her share of great plays in left field.
I mentioned solid at the plate, as she slashed .346/.422/.500 with six doubles, eight RBIs, two home runs, and was third on the team with 39 total bases.
Today, I had a chance to ask Blaze General Manager Dana Sorensen about Otis and if she is near or at the top of her list to get back.
“Absolutely. I mean, if I could protect all of them, I would have, and the right answer is, I do not want to lose any of them,” said Sorensen.
Dana went on to praise Otis’ wide open motor and the fearlessness and confidence she displays on the field of play.
“I mean, is there a more confident, secure athlete on the field than Korbe Otis? Like, in this league, you have to be confident, and she has it. She has that intangible, no amount of failure gets to her. She is as real and resilient as they come.”
Otis is known for being an outfielder that will go and get the ball. She also hardly makes any mistakes, which is a very underrated trait for outfielders. Everything is not a can of corn.
This past season, Otis logged a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 48 putouts and two assists, and her arm strength makes you think twice about getting too far off base on a fly ball. She will throw you out.
“I kind of jokingly called her a bull in a china shop, because she will run through four walls to get to a ball. She will run through people to get to a ball. I would absolutely love it if Korbe Otis could stay on our team,” Sorensen stated.
In the process, there will of course be some gamesmanship in the draft, as Sorensen stated. What will the Spark and Cascade do with their picks after the first five? What ways will they use them? That will determine a lot in how current teams decide their moves. Chess not checkers, right.
“You know, what is their positional needs and what do we anticipate they are gonna get. So, you know, if they go get three pitchers out of their first five, do I think they are gonna go get a fourth pitcher? Probably not. So then that will kind of direct me a little bit in where I think I am gonna go.”
“If they get one pitcher, because, I mean, let us all be honest, if you look at my roster after the five protects, Korbe Otis, McKenzie Clark, and pitchers. So I think that is gonna sort of guide me more. I do not want to lose any of them, but I have to be strategic in trying to figure out what the other teams are gonna do with their selections.”
After Dana Sorensen and Kara Dill’s balanced approach at protects, she is left with an abundance of pitchers who are still technically on the roster. Carley Hoover, Emma Lemley, Aleshia Ocasio, Devyn Netz who is a true two way player, and Alana Vawter.
With Keilani Ricketts being the only pitcher protected, the Blaze should be in position to get some arms back, such as a Carley Hoover, Netz or others, as well as look into the collegiate draft. Devyn Netz is an interesting one for me, due to her help in the batter’s box and her ability to play first base, she would be a great target in my opinion.
Also, if the Spark or Cascade are looking for someone who can contribute in more ways than one, I would think she will be a popular target. Last season, she hit .254 with three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBIs, and 27 total bases. In the circle, Netz pitched to a 2-2 record with 10 strikeouts and a .293 opponent batting average across 19.2 innings of work as a rookie out of Arizona.
“That is what I think puts us in an interesting position, because we are so heavy with pitchers in our non protected group. I think, hopefully, it gives me a little bit of an advantage to kind of predict what might happen in the rounds going forward,” she said.
Sorensen mentioned that she will look for someone who can complement Ricketts and build a diverse pitching staff. With so many elite hitters in the game, you have to be able to throw some different stuff at them. It all cannot be the same.
“Like, how can I get a pitcher to complement that of a Keilani Ricketts, or you know, that of a Carley Hoover, if she stays on our roster, right. So that we are giving a different look at a time in the lineup that is really important in terms of the turn of the game. You know, so I certainly see Keilani as a major, major contributor, but I do not want to not do my due diligence and complement her with as many pieces I can in the pitching rotation.”
It will be interesting to see what Sorensen and the Blaze get next Monday December 1 at 7:00 PM ET, as the draft will be televised live on ESPNU. My main outlooks for this team are Korbe Otis and what type of pitching staff they can assemble around Ricketts. Tune in.
