Starting Staff:
Three “A” starters, two with Z’s and three B-Z’s make up the Sound’s rotation. All six are on the major league roster so you have to assume some sort of a modified six-man rotation has been planned. Alex Cobb (166 IP) and Jake Arrieta (156 IP) are the A-Z’s. Jacob de Grom A-No Z 140 IP is next followed by the trio of B-Z’s; Julio Teheran (221 IP), Drew Smyly (153 IP) and Anibal Sanchez (126 IP). Except for Teheran they are all a little light on innings so some sort of staggered order is in the works.
Jake Odorizzi C-No Z will pick up the garbage innings. Down on the farm are a duo of C-No Z’s; Kyle Gibson and Gerrit Cole. Un-carded Matt Harvey, re-habbing from TJ surgery, will join them.
Bullpen:
Wade Davis A&B*-No Z is the highest graded bull-penner but without the Z he probably will not be asked to close. Mark Melancon or Darren O’Day will do the “saving”, both are A&C*-Z’s. Set up roles are assigned to Burke Badenhop and Hector Rondon, both A*-Z’s. Shawn Tolleson A*-No Z rounds out this strong group. In the minors is B(A*)-No Z Drew Pomeranz.
Catchers:
Buster Posey C-8 1B-3 is a star with his .854 OPS. Mike Zunino C-8 is the back up, as the Sound will wait for his bat to come around.
Infield:
The infield is led by the slugging Cuban rookie of the year, Jose Abreu 1B-4. Robinson Cano 2B-8 and his OPS of .836 is the key-stoner. His double-play partner is Jose Reyes SS-8 who is more than adequate with his speed and a .726 OPS. Nolan Arenado 3B-5, .828 OPS completes this elite ensemble. Marcus Semien backs up everywhere in the infield with his 2B-6 3B-3 and < SS-7. The minors are brimming with potential, led by Maikel Franco 3B-3, Dilson Herrera 2B-6, Chris Taylor SS-7 and Un-Carded prospects in Devon Travis, D.J.Peterson, Greg Bird and Carlos Correa. Joining them is Tommy La Stella 2B-7, although losing his luster as a prospect, he still may provide value as a utility man.
Outfield:
Yasiel Puig OF-2 .862 OPS, has all the talent in the world, and if he matures the ceiling is un-limited. Flanking him is A.J.Pollock OF-3 .851 OPS, who had a great season albeit in just 265 at bats. OF-3 Starling Marte, another +.800 OPS, completes the starting outfield trio. Lorenzo Cain OF-3, a solid fly chaser, is unable to crack the lineup but will see lots of action with Pollock’s limited at bats. Marcell Ozuna OF-2 will see most if not all of his playing time as the DH. Down on the farm is the # 1 pick of this years draft, Jorge Soler OF-2, he only has 89 at bats but the Sound paid a “pretty penny” to move up to grab him. He will be joined by OF-3 Desmond Jennings, cut loose by USMC during the draft and Jake Marisnick OF-2, acquired via the trade route during the off season.
Draft Analysis:
In the 1st they gave up a veritable “sh__ load” to land Soler, although he does look like the real deal. They had two 2nd round selections and they were not wasted as de Grom and Cain will now proudly wear the lavender and mauve uniforms of the Memphis Sound. No 3rd, but with their two 4th rounders they grabbed Davis, an A&B*-No Z with 72 IP and Hector Rondon. They didn’t pick again until the 7th where they added un-carded Devon Travis and in the 8th they chose Dilson Herrera, both are second basemen. Some bullpen depth arrived in the 9th in Tolleson. SS Chris Taylor was taken in the 10th to satisfy ZSABL requirements, although he does have some upside. In the 11th, un-carded D.J.Peterson, a top prospect, was added. The 12th saw them scoop up Jennings. The 13th gave them Broxton who was later released when the hectic “going on’s” of the day gave them 41 players, one over the limit. Their final pick in the 14th was Yankee farm hand un-carded Greg Bird.
Synopsis:
According to the Baseball, Today and Tomorrow publication, the Sound are shooting for their first Western Division pennant. (E.N. How soon they forget, the Crawfords captured the pennant in 2001.)On paper it looks like all the right moves were in place. There was a mortgage of the future some what as their 1st, 3rd,5th and 6th draft picks next year were moved to assemble this years squad. The rotation is solid, maybe not on a par with Norfolk’s and Pensacola’s, with the light innings, but more than enough coupled with the best offense in the West and a very, very deep bull pen. It’s hard to find an Achilles Heel with this club other than some bad rolling and/or some questionable managerial moves. Nearly all the simulations had them capturing the flag. Now they have to go do it on the field.
Starting Staff:
If you cannot have Clayton Kershaw, A-Z Adam Wainwright is probably the next best thing. He of course is the “Ace”. A-Z Jordan Zimmermann gives them a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. A-No-Z Lance Lynn is their # 3 guy. B-Z Rick Porcello, who has finally blossomed, is next, with B-No Z Chris Tillman as the 5th starter. In the minors is A-No Z 38 IP Taijuan Walker and three C-No-Z’s who are capable of come back seasons in Matt Cain, Justin Verlander and Shelby Miller. It is a very deep group. There is also a trio of un-carded prospects waiting their turn in Mark Appel, Alex Meyer and Jameson Taillon.
Bullpen:
A&B*-Z Aaron Sanchez with his 33 innings is the highest graded reliever here. The Neptunes also have three A&C*-Z’s in Jake McGee, Luke Gregorson and Santiago Casilla which gives them plenty of options on who will close. A&C*-No-Z Dominic Leone and fire-balling A*-No-Z Aroldis Chapman will pitch the no-pressure innings. In the minors is Trevor Rosenthal B*-W.
Catchers:
C-7 Yan Gomes is the starter; he was a C-8 last year. Andrew Susac, C-7 88 at bats and a SF Giant will be the back up. In the minors is Wilson Ramos C-7. All three are relatively young.
Infield:
1B-5 Justin Morneau will start at first despite a 0 for 23 performance in their opening series. A tandem of 2B-7’S in Joe Panik and Kolten Wong will cover second base. 3B-5 Manny Machado will handle the hot corner duties. Brandon Crawford SS-9 is the starter at short. A couple of other infielders will probably do the DH honors in Adam Lind 1B-3 and Ryan Zimmerman 3B-3 OF-1. Wilmer Flores, SS-8 2B-7 <3B-3 will be the reserve. He will be the NY Mets starting SS this year. In the minors are 1B-3 C.J.Cron, who the Neps are very high on and 3B-4 Jake Lamb, who could get the starting gig in Arizona if Yasmany Tomas is moved to the outfield. Un-Carded Francisco Lindor joins them as he waits for his Big League shot.
Outfield:
OF-2 Giancarlo Stanton is the headliner here with his .950 OPS, production tails off after him. OF-3 Ryan Braun and OF-2 Charles Blackmon will be the other starters with OF-2 Ben Revere in reserve. Ryan Zimmerman could also be employed here in the cow pastures sparingly as he is defensively challenged with his OF-1. Down on the farm is the oft-injured OF-3 Carlos Gonzalez and OF-2 Avisail Garcia. Un-Carded Byron Buxton hopes to make his MLB debut this season.
Draft Anaylsis:
They did not shock the APBA world with their 1st round pick this year as they got exactly what everybody knew they taking and that was 2B Joe Panik although Un-Carded Corey Seager was considered. Their 2nd round selection was C.J.Cron, IMHO a little too high a pick. In the 3rd they got Sanchez, an A&B*-Z 33IP, if used in the right situations, which the Neptune skipper will do, is a very valuable commodity. Flores arrived in the 4th, although rated a SS-8, the experts do question his fielding holding up all year. Casilla was picked in the 5th, in the words of their manager, “I got to do it”. Another SF Giant Andrew Susac was chosen in the 6th as the Neptunes capitalized on their plethora of scouts in the Bay City area. Lamb was their 7th round pick and with Arizona’s Yasmany Tomas apparently not doing the job in the field at third base, it looks like he will be the starter there. Leone was their 8th round pick and in the 9th they went to the “cookie jar” for the first time in Un-Carded Alex Meyer. They bided their time for a couple of rounds but then pounced on Aroldis Chapman in the 12th when he was released by Brooklyn.
Synopsis:
A lights out bullpen coupled with a pair of A-Z starters usually guarantees a playoff berth. Not so this season with nearly every body having a star-studded pitching corp. Offense is the name of the game and by the methodology employed by this Office the Neptunes are tied for fourth best in the West with San Diego. The lineup seems a little devoid of power except for Stanton. With all the high graded pitchers in the league stringing several hits in a row will be a chore where as the long ball can not be stopped and gives instant gratification. Although dead even with the 76er’s line up wise, the Neptunes have a clear advantage in the pitching department. Most feel the Western Division is wide open. It is, but the “Sea-gods” appear to have enough to make a good run to the post season but it will not be without more than several “veiled threats” to visit the Chiques Rock Area.
Starting Staff:
Although pitching this year is relative, a staff with an A-Z and four B-Z’s is an ample enough quantity. Doug Fister is the A-Z; his 164 IP is the lowest total on the staff. The quartet of B-Z’s are Alfredo Simon, Wei-Lin Chen, Scott Feldman and Jason Hammel. In the minors is a pair of B-No Z’s in Hector Santiago and Francisco Liriano. C-No Z Jeff Locke will join them.
Bullpen:
Kelvin Herrera is an A&C*-No Z, the lack of the control letter will keep him out of high leverage situations. Those duties will fall to Mike Morin, Jeremy Affeltd and Sam Dyson, they are all A*-Z’s. Danny Farquhar A*-No Z and B*-Z Francisco Rodriguez will probably be the first ones to answer the bullpen phone early in the game. As usual the Scouts farm system is loaded with “arms”. Kevin Jepsen and Al Alburquerque, both A*-No Z’s, will no doubt be the first in line to join the parent club once the innings for the
current pen members are depleted. Of course the supply of relievers does not end there. Joining them are B*-Z’s Chris Hatcher and Fernando Salas, B*-No Z’s Aaron Loup and Steve Cishek and even a couple of C*-Z’s in Ryan Webb and Casey Fien. If all 138 of the Scouts contests went 15 innings they would still have a surplus. To quote Mike Showalter, a charter member of the ZSABL, “You can never have enough arms”.
Catchers:
Rene Rivera C-7 <1B-2 294 AB’s has the higher OPS but Brayan Pena C-8 1B-4 has seen all the early action. Jose Lobaton C-7 will start the year in the minors.
Infield:
Josh Donaldson 3B-5 will man the hot corner. Dee Gordon 2B-7 will team up with Alexei Ramirez SS-8 to form the Scouts DP combo. Garret Jones 1B-3 <OF-1 has played the bulk of early season games at first with 1B-2 3B-3 Juan Francisco, providing his usual all or nothing swings, spelling him occasionally. Although employed in the outfield, 1st round draft pick Josh Harrison is the back up infielder with his 2B-8 3B-4 OF-2 <SS-7. Nelson R.Cruz OF-1 will be the DH with his double “1’s”. In the minors are Aaron Hill 2B-8 <3B-4, Chris Johnson 3B-3 <1B-3 and Gordon Beckham 2B-7 3B-3 <SS-6.
Outfield:
Michael Cuddyer 1B-3 OF-2 <3B-3 has a .955 OPS but is limited to just 190 AB’s, so OF-2 Curtis Granderson will be one starter and as mentioned earlier, Josh Harrison will play every day here in the outfield also, leaving the final slot to be filled by OF-2’s Alexis Rios and Angel Pagan with Cuddyer getting rotated in on occasions. OF-3 Gregor Blanco will provide late inning defense. They have no fly chasers in the minors.
Draft Anaylsis:
With the 2nd pick of the draft they grabbed the versatile Josh Harrison, no one can argue that selection. They had no 2nd but in the 3rd Hammel B-Z filled a void in their rotation. They had no 4th but in the 5th there was still a B-Z starter available in Feldman, which gave the Scouts a nice solid starting staff of an A-Z, and four B-Z’s. The next five rounds, the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th they added an array of relievers in Morin, Affeltd, Dyson, Farquhar and Jepsen. The Scouts had an extra 10th rounder so they did what comes naturally to them they added another reliever in Alburquerque. They then went for some offense although it was slim pickings this late in the draft. Garret Jones was their 11th round selection and Blanco arrived in the 12th. Rene Rivera was an excellent choice in the 13th, when surprisingly he was still available. It was back to their standard method of operations in the 14th and 15th when two more relievers in Hatcher and Salas were announced. They have not drafted an un-carded player since they took Alex Gonzalez back in 1998.
Synopsis:
As the B.T. and T. publication stated, the Scouts “fortuitous rolling of the dice” will impact where they finish. The rotation is set and of course the bullpen is well stocked. Offense is the key and where on paper they seem to trail most of their Western Division opponents they do not trail Pensacola, Norfolk and San Diego by much. A few well-placed taps of the shaker on their can of Pabst can quickly turn a two run deficit into a one run lead. Seattle has seemed to eschew the old “Woody Ball” tactic of squeezing home tallies by delivering more “long balls”. In key situations there is nothing more demoralizing than the Scout’s home run call after a dice roll when skipper Kleinhaus simply says, “Gone”.
Starting Staff:
The Ace of course is Clayton Kershaw (A&C-Z) and (A-Z) Dallas Kuechel will follow him. Next in line will be three (B-Z’s) in Kyle Lohse, Hiroki Kuroda and Jason Vargas.
It is probably the best starting rotation in the West based on innings and control. In the minors are B-Z Josh Collmenter and C-Z’s Bartolo Colon and Danny Haren. Un-carded Ian Clarkin and Kyle Freeland seem a year or two away.
Bullpen:
The closer will be chosen from a pair of (A&C*-Z’s). Either Dellin Betances or Jared Hughes will fill that role. A*-Z Tommy Hunter and A*-No Z Brandon League gives them depth while B*-ZZ Joakim Soria adds another weapon to their arsenal. In the minors are B(A*)-No Z Tom Wilhelmsen and B*-Z Brad Ziegler.
Catchers:
C-8 Kurt Suzuki was anointed the starter although John Jaso C-7 has a higher OPS. In the minors is Dioner Navarro C-8.
Infield:
They dealt away a lot of power to obtain more contact hitters. That may not play out so well in this “year of the pitcher”. At 1B is Adrian Gonzalez 1B-5, re-gaining his 22-0 is huge. 1B-4 Mike Napoli is the DH with his 0-0-1, a big drop off from the traded Edwin Encarnacion. 3B-4 2B-7 Luis Valbuena was added via the draft and he will be used exclusively at the keystone bag. 3B-4 <OF-1 Matt Carpenter will be the third baseman. Not much “pop” here for a corner infielder. SS-8 2B-8 OF-2 Ben Zobrist will start at shortstop. Jordy Mercer SS-9 will spell him defensively. The other reserve infielder is Marwin Gonzalez SS-8 2B-7 3B-3 <OF-1 1B-2, who gives them some flexibility if they want to move Zobrist around the diamond. Down on the farm is Yangervis Solarte 3B-3 2B-7 <SS-6 OF-1, the slimmed down 1B-3 Ryan Howard and a pair of SS-8’s in Evereth Cabrera and Adeiny Hechavarria.
Outfield:
OF-2 Chris Coghlan is one starter. Cal Crawford OF-2 is another. The third spot will be filled by Scott Van Slyke OF-2 1B-2 and OF-3 Mike Saunders. The latter two are the only members of the starting group with any power. OF-3 Kevin Kiermaier is the reserve along with Pensacola’s obligatory “hatchet card” in OF-1 Jake Smolinski. In the bushes is OF-2 Khris Davis, OF-1 Oswaldo Arcia and OF-2 Michael A.Taylor not to be confused with the recently retired player of the same name who was a big part in the Roy Halladay deal of a few years ago when the Phillies sent him, Travis D’Arnaud and Kyle Drabek to Toronto for the “Doc”.
Draft Anaylsis:
A pair of first rounders netted them Kuechel and Betances. They tip the scales to give the “Fish” the best staff in the division. The 2nd saw them address the offense with the selection of Valbuena to play 2B, a nice, solid pick. In the 3rd Coghlan and Hughes were added, both add to the team’s makeup. Kermaier arrived in the 4th and Marwin Gonzalez in the 5th, was a worthwhile addition with his versatility. Suzuki in the 6th was a player they talked a lot about pre-draft. They had a trio of 7th round picks and here they selected Wilhelmsen, Soria and Michael A.Taylor. Which was a nice haul for that late in the draft. No 8th but the 9th gave them their “hatchet card” in Smolinski. Solarte in the 10th was a gamble of little consequence. In the 11th, un-carded Freeland was added and in the 12th, with A*’s still abounding, they chose League. In the 13th Un-Carded Clarkin was their final pick.
Synopsis:
Pensacola management does not think they are contenders. It is hard, even with the depth of pitching around the league, to downplay their strong cast of pitchers. It is true they are lacking in speed except for Crawford and power save for Gonzalez and Valbuena but if they can manufacture some runs or the singular “run”, that pitching may produce enough victories for a trip to the play offs. Anyhow with the parity in the West it would not be prescient to rule them out. If pitching is relative, as it has been mentioned many times in this analysis then offense is the “key” and it looks like the Piranha’s are a little short.
Anchoring this staff is B-ZZ Phil Hughes. # 2 is B-Z Tanner Roark, after that there is a big drop off. Wily Peralta and Tyson Ross are B-No Z’s while B-Z Bret Anderson with his 43 innings completes the rotation. In the minors is B-No Z Chris Archer who will be re-called as soon as Anderson uses up his inning allotment. Joining him is a pair of C-Z’s in Mike Leake and Bret Oberholtzer.
Bullpen:
The bullpen all lack the “Z” control rating except for A*-Z Sean Doolittle so he will be the default closer. A&C*-No Z Neil Ramirez is the highest graded of the rest of these no control artists. A*-No Z’s Tyler Clippard, Fernando Rodney and Brad Boxberger round out the major league pen. Down on the farm are some more A*-No Z’s in Pedro Strop and Bret Cecil.
Catchers:
They have no back stopper with a OPS of at least .700. C-8 <1B-2 Alex Avila and C-8 Welington Castillo come in at .686 and .685 so they can choose their “poison”. The minors are where the receiving corp shines. Although both are un-carded, Peter O’Brien has shown tremendous power potential and Kyle Schwarber was the Cubs # 1 pick in the draft and posted a 1.061 OPS across three levels of “A-Ball” last year.
Infield:
The infield is a little better offensively but they have no one with a OPS of at least .800 except for 1B-3 Ben Paulsen who will be sent down as soon as his 63 at bats are done. The second baseman will be Ian Kinsler 2B-9, Pedro “All or Nothing” Alvarez, 3B-3 1B-3, as he is fondly called by skipper Smith, will be the third sacker. 1B-5 Eric Hosmer, who had a down year, will be at first base. SS-8 Erick Aybar completes the infield starters. The bench includes Rougned Odor 2B-6, David Wright 3B-4 and Didi Gregorius SS-8 2B-6 3B-3. Again the minor leagues are where the future stars “shine”. They gave up two 1st rounder picks to acquire him, but Kris Bryant looks like he cannot miss. Another homerun hitting machine is Joey Gallo, just a year younger than Bryant at 22. Both of course are un-carded. 2B-6 SS-7 Javier Baez, who is still trying to figure it out, although he has shown flashes of power will join them. 3B-3 SS-8 Xander Bogaerts is another star in the making as he is the starting shortstop for the Red Sox. 3B-3 Nick Castellanos, only 23 years old, seems to be on the cusp of breaking out. 1B-2 Ken Vargas, who will be summoned to the Big League club as soon as Paulsen’s at bats run out, could be a force in Minnesota this year.
Outfield:
OF-2 Dave Peralta has the highest OPS of this group although he may be employed as the DH. OF-3 Christian Yelich, just signed to a long-term deal in Florida, will play everyday. Completing the trio of fly chasers are OF-3’s Jacoby Ellsbury and Josh Reddick. Colby Rasmus OF-2 is the reserve, Again the minors show a lot of promise in Gregory Polanco OF-2 who got off to a fast start before cooling off and Yankee un-carded farm hand Aaron Judge,
Draft Anaylsis:
They traded two first round picks to acquire Kris Bryant but with their one remaining they got whom they targeted in B-ZZ Phil Hughes. They had no 2nd but in the 3rd they grabbed Schwarber. Two 4th round selections netted them Vargas and Peralta, if the latter does not get squeezed out by Yasmany Tomas in Arizona, they are solid choices. They added two un-cards in the 5th in O’Brien and Judge, both highly regarded. In the 6th Peralta bolsters their staff and in the 7th they took a gamble on Paulsen, 28 years old and already sent to the minors in spring training, but he may work out. The 8th and 9th addressed the bullpen with Boxberger and Ramirez. The 10th saw them roll the dice with the oft-injured Bret Anderson. In the 11th and 12th more bullpen was added in Rodney and Strop. Other ZSABL members eagerly gathered up their released players during the draft process. Desmond Jennings, Jorge Alforo and Dylan Bundy were scooped up immediately.
Synopsis:
It looks bleak in Union Station but the future is bright. By this analysis’s methodology they have the worst offense in the entire ZSABL. Only one “Z” in the pen will only add to their woes. The young players on the roster bode well for the future, Bryant, Schwarber, Gallo and O’Brien all look like “can’t miss” prospects and Baez, Polanco, Judge and Bogaerts may also blossom in the near future. They will come in last place in the West.
A five-man rotation will be employed by the Hurricanes. Alex Wood A-Z is the Ace followed by two B-Z’s in Tim Hudson and Scott Kazmir. A pair of B-No Z’s form the back end of this average, by this years standards, rotation. They are R.A.Dickey and Miguel Gonzalez. Down on the farm are the enigmatic D-No Z Tim Lincecum, the equally puzzling C-No Z C.J.Wilson and promising B-No Z Jesse Hahn.
Bullpen:
The closer is Jean Machi (A*-Z), he will be aided in key situations by Drew Storen A&B*-Z. A*-Z Junichi Tazawa will help set up while A&C*-No Z Cody Allen and A*-No Z Jake Petricka will do the long relief. In the minors is A*-Z Eric O’Flaherty with just 20 innings. Just 14 pitchers on the Hurricanes roster but what the heck there will be B starters and A relievers left over in the draft next season.
Catchers:
Five catchers grace the Hurricane roster; Chris Iannetta C-9 will start despite his 306 at bats. Batting 9th in the lineup along with his 4 walks and a 42 should be enough to keep him playing fairly regular. C-7 Tyler Flowers is his back up. Down on the farm are Jarrod Saltalamacchia C-7 and Brian McCann C-8 1B-2 as well as C Christian Bethancourt C-7, who will finally show what he’s got in Atlanta this year.
Infield:
1B-3 Lucas Duda will start, backing him up is Mike Morse 1B-3 OF-1. Brian Dozier 2B-8, a nice card with 6-6-1-11 and 5 walks will play second while SS-8 Ian Desmond will be his DP partner. Desmond has 22-8 but is playing in his contract year so big things are expected. 3B-5 Juan Uribe, with his 15-7 , has just 386 at bats. He had a similar number of AB’s last season and batting low in the order helped him get through the season. 3B-3 2B-6 Daniel Murphy will spell him occasionally. The main reserve is Kristopher Negron, 2B-4 2B-7 <OF-1 <SS-7. David “Big Papi” Ortiz will again be the DH. In the bushes are 3B-4 2B-8 OF-2 Martin Prado, 1B-3 OF-1 Tommy Medica, who is having a great spring, SS-8 3B-3 OF-1 <2B-6 Eduardo Nunez, SS-9 Andrelton Simmons and 3B-3 1B-3 <2B-6 OF-1 Kelly Johnson. The B.T.& T. publication alluded to the fact that the Hurricanes should have released some of these, probably Nunez and Johnson or even Medica. The “Cane” management is cogent that utility men of the ilk such as Brock Holt, Ramiro Pena and Don Kelly get drafted each year to satisfy ZSABL requirements. So they opted to keep them.
Outfield:
The only thing wrong with the Hartford outfield are their ages. OF-3 Jayson Werth, OF-2 Jose A.Bautista and OF-3 Coco Crisp are getting along in years but are still productive. Werth and Bautista will start in the Hartford pastures while Crisp who no longer strikes fear into the hearts of their opponents will still be valuable despite being relegated to pinch-running and late game defensive changes. The third starter in the outfield will be OF-2 Seth Smith, four zero’s and five walks. His 443 at bats will be supplemented by OF-2 Kole Calhoun. In the minors is OF-3 Adam Eaton, who barely missed making the 25 man roster.
Draft Anaylsis:
They had no first round pick and had their heart set on Mookie Betts in the 2nd round but Maine way laid those plans by grabbing him in the first round. They re-grouped and with their second round selection they took B-Z Kazmir, who they sorely needed. In the 3rd Storen, a valuable A&B*-Z, was added. The 4th made them “mucho contento” as they grabbed Negron, a jack-of-all trades utility man with a powerful bat. The 5th was another pleasant surprise as OF-2 Seth Smith was still on the board. With their other 5th round selection they could not resist the allure of un-carded Atlanta Brave second baseman Jose Peraza. In the 6th, Jesse Hahn came aboard. No 7th round pick but the 8th saw them go for some relief help in Petricka. Their final pick was another 8th rounder and they went for Micah Johnson, who looks like the starting second baseman for the White Sox after a torrid spring. All of their un-carded players on their draft list were gone by the time this draft pick came around. Even though the keystone sack was not a priority since they have Dozier, Murphy and Peraza, they decided to go the San Diego 76er route and take the “best available athlete”.
Synopsis:
Pick a number between two and six. That is where Hartford figures to end up this season. Based on offense, they trail only Memphis. Starting pitching is in the middle of the pack, if not right below it. The bullpen while not very deep is solid. So if the offense clicks, second place is a possibility, if it doesn’t, they still have enough to battle for the last playoff slot. Light at bats for some regulars may pose some additional problems but they are confident in their bench. I see them making the post season after a three-year hiatus.
Starting Staff:
At the top of the rotation is A-Z Cole Hamels. Dependable B-Z Jamie Shields is next. The rest of the starting corp will be a piece meal operation. A-Z 71 IP Mike Fiers and B-No Z 78 IP Shane Greene are currently on the active roster. When their innings are depleted the call to the minors will summon A-No Z 168 IP Garret Richards and B-No Z Kevin Gausman 137 IP. James Paxton B-No Z 74 IP provides additional depth in the system. C-Z Cliff Lee is on the major league roster for “garbage time”. A couple of C-No Z’s in Tommy Milone and Ervin Santana will also bide their time down on the farm. Two un-carded hurlers in Aaron Nola and Noah Syndergaard wait for their turn.
Bullpen:
The closer will be chosen from a triad of A*-Z’s in Koji Uehara, Joe Beimel or Zach Duke although the latter could be employed just as a situational lefty. A-No Z Adam Warren and B*-ZZ Seth Maness give them some more options as set up guys. Nick Vincent B*-Z will also be waiting for the phone to ring as it does often in the San Diego bullpen. In the minors is D(C*)-No Z Carlos E.Martinez. The 76er’s have had a pitcher lead the league in appearances for 14 out of the last 15 years. Rocky Mountain’s Chan Ho Park interrupted the streak in 2009. There is no reason to believe this trend will not continue. It is uncertain whom they designated to do it for this season.
Catchers:
C-6 Evan Gattis provides some long ball pop with C-7 1B-3 OF-1 Stephen Vogt as the back up. In the minors is Miguel Montero C-7. Experts were mildly surprised when they announced George Kottaras was given his un-conditional release, especially with his Greek heritage that is so treasured in “Sixer-Land”. The front office claims that the Lottery Mistress was informed of the decision and gave her approval begrudgingly. The American Hellenic Institute, an advocacy group for Greek-Americans is investigating.
Infield:
2B-7 Jose Altuve starts at the keystone bag, his defensive grade reduction caused much consternation to the San Diego skipper. SS-8 OF-1 Danny Santana, a first round pick, is a candidate for the OF despite his OF-1 because of the Booth’s allegiance to former Philllie SS-9 Jimmy Rollins who looks like the starting shortstop. 3B-4 Trevor Plouffe, another player obtained in the draft, will be at third base. First base may be a revolving door with 1B-4 3B-3 Chris Davis and OF-1 1B-3 Brandon Moss vying for playing time. Vogt can also fill in here. SS-7 Hanley Ramirez will do the DH honors. 2B-7 Omar Infante is the reserve. In the minors are 3B-3 Cody Asche, SS-9 J.J.Hardy and 3B-4 Mike Moustakas.
Outfield:
OF-3 Carlos Gomez is the star of this group, OF-3 <1B-3 Nick Markakis will flank him on one side with the aforementioned Santana seeing substantial PT in the garden. OF-2 Marlon Byrd will be the 4th outfielder and OF-3 Leonys Martin providing the late inning defense. In the bushes are OF-2 Matt Joyce, OF-3 Anthony Gose, who may get the Tiger starting gig and OF-2 <1B-3 3B-3 Ryan Rua, a Texas Ranger hopeful.
Draft Anaylsis:
Their pick in the 1st round was SS-8 OF-1 Danny Santana, hardly a surprise but not inserting him at shortstop was. They led the league in errors last season and playing him in the outfield is a liability. In their defense they have moved him around some what using him at DH as well as the outfield and occasionally at short. They had no 2nd but in the 3rd they added Fiers. In the 4th they got their starting third baseman in Trevor Plouffe. No 5th but in the 6th they got the lefty Zach Duke. Vogt was taken in the 7th and he provides a lot of versatility. The 8th and 9th addressed the bullpen with Warren and Beimel as selections. In the 10th they took a flier on Rua, likewise in the 11th with Aaron Nola. Shane Greene was picked in the 12th to add some innings to the rotation. Their final pick was Anthony Gose.
Synopsis:
In a wide-open division the 76er’s always remain a threat for the post season. It will be a difficult task this season. The plug and play for their rotation is doable from the innings standpoint but the lack of Z’s except for Hamels, Shields and Fiers 71 IP are a concern. Offensively they are tied for 4th with Norfolk. The monster year of Chris Davis is a distant memory although he has gotten off to a fantastic start this young season. Playing Santana in the outfield and Altuve only getting a 2B-7 are defensive shortcomings. Playing Moss over Markakis would add more pop at the cost of glove work. The bullpen is strong enough to offset the lack of control of some of their starting pitchers. They will have to go to that “well” more often and earlier than they like. It is a competitive division. The 76er’s exceeded last year’s analysis for most of the year before they faded in the stretch. I see the same for this season.
Memphis has by far the best lineup in the division. Their pitching rotation has been planned out via an Excel spreadsheet so that is under control. The bullpen has enough arms to keep the games close. The biggest hurdle right now is the stumbling out of the gate 3-9 start. It is a hole; it can be rectified with a sweep in the next series to get them to .500 and a new start. Barring another series loss, they can right this ship and attain their goal of their first division flag. The competition will be tough; Norfolk and Pensacola both have two A-Z’s at the top of their starting staff with innings, in Pensy’s case they have an A&C-Z in Kershaw. The Sound also have two A-Z’s but with lighter innings. Their offenses trail Memphis considerably. Bullpens are bullpens in this year of the pitcher so the only meaningful consequence will be how the innings are used up. Pensy has the 3rd best lineup in the West and only the lack of power will hamper their post-season dreams. Norfolk always made the playoffs in the simulations and with their solid pitching, both starting and in the pen they cannot be counted out. Hartford has the 2nd best offense and is behind rotation wise both Norfolk and Pensy. Any playoff aspirations by the Hurricanes have to come from their lineup. San Diego appears to be in the middle of the road here. Defense and some control issues with their starters will hold them back. Seattle, loaded in the pen and an all “Z” starting staff, may make some noise with their clutch rolling. They are not that far behind the offenses of Pensy, Norfolk and San Diego.
Union Station is the weak sister of the division. They are last in offense and have only one “Z” in the pen. They will play out the string with this year’s cast as they wait on the arrival of all their “Young Guns”.
So how does all this play out? Memphis should fulfill their goal of a division crown but barely mostly due to their horrendous start. Norfolk is 2nd best, their pitching is just too dominant and skipper Groff has shown he knows what it takes to reach the post season, doing it six straight years, including four pennants. The 3rd place battle is between Hartford and Pensacola. Some opportunistic rolling by the Hurricane lineup will push them past the Piranha’s pitching advantage. Fourth place is another battleground between Seattle and San Diego. They are fairly evenly matched but Seattle’s overall edge in pitching and the Pabst can tapping should be enough. Both of these clubs are in no way out of the playoffs. Hartford and Pensacola can easily under achieve because the discrepancies between the four clubs are miniscule at best. USMC unfortunately has no chance. They were picked for last place in 2014 and ended up next to last. No such chance in 2015.
Disclaimer: