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So, since I've been eliminated from the playoffs since about week one, I've started to already think about my line-up for next year... how about you guys?
Starting Line-Up
C: Joe Lavadie- He's been a real drag for the Kodiaks since coming over, but he has a 'six' contact potential and if he can reach that in the off-season I think he can be a solid addition to the line-up.
1B: Robby Shannon- Shannon has done nothing but hit since he returned from his fractured finger, since returning from his injury, the 24 year old has hit, .359/.423/.641 with 4 homers and 14 RBI's in just 64 at bats. Shannon will move into the #3 spot in our line-up next year with Alberto Grandon dropping to the #5 spot.
2B: Mark Steward- Steward has been quite the find for the Kodiaks hitting .320 with 27HR'S and 67RBI's while posting a 45.1 VORP in a short amount of time. He should return to the #4 spot and see his RBI totals continue to grow with the star in the making Shannon hitting in front of him.
3B: Alberto Grandon- Grandon has been all that we paid for when signing him to a five year deal. Hitting .287/23/92 from the #3 spot we couldn't be happier. His ratings though, do not match Shannon's and soon, I suspect his performance won't either. He'll move to the #5 spot and hopefully have a ton of RBI's with Shannon and Steward on base.
SS: Lucio Mendez- Mendez is my Ozzie Smith. While he's hitting for a lower average than I had hoped for, he's one of the top, if not THE top SS in all of the BLB. Having only made two errors in 946 innings he has posted a fielding % of .996 as well as a range of 4.88. He makes the plays, and he gets to a lot of ground balls. He's got a decent amount of pop putting up seven homers, but he strikes out a ton. He'll be back at the #8 spot in our line-up.
LF: Jose Compres (RHP)/Brooks George (LHP)- One of my platoon spots in the line-up... Compres and George make for a decent tandem against LHP/RHP pitching. While neither seems to drive in many runs, they both hit in the .280's against their pitchers they face. Probably hitting in the #6-#7 spot.
CF: Francois Dupuis- Dupuis is an interesting player. He doesn't hit very well, but he hits for a ton of XBH, walks, and steals bases. I don't like hitting him at the top of the line-up, but he's happy there and I don't know where else to hit him. If he changes his mind on what type of player he is, he'll slide into the #6 spot, if not, he'll be hitting #1/#2 all season long.
RF: ? (Odilio Farelo, Owen Gilbertson, FA signing/trade) Not sure what I'll be doing with this spot. Farelo started out hot for me, but he hit .200 in August and I'm not sure I'll pick up his two million dollar option for '86. Gilbertson is most likely a AAAA type player who hits for a ton of doubles but hasn't shown much power or plate discipline. This spot will most likely hit #2/#7 depending on who fills it.
Starting Pitching (No order)
SP- Ryan O'Connors
SP- Joe Toapanta
SP- Elieis Vizcarra
SP- Oswaldo Escarcaga
SP- ?
I love my starting pitching, even if the game doesn't. None of these guys have hit their prime yet, and they all offer a good amount of potential.
- O'Connors who has posted a 3.62 ERA in 336 IP is only 25 and is rounding into a solid starter with a VORP over 50 in just two seasons.
- Toapanta is an interesting case. Despite having one of the worst BABIP in all of the BLB, he's still trying to fight through it, and appears as if he may be doing so by posting a 2.41 ERA in August. He's third in the BLB in K/9 with an 8.8 and if not for bad luck would be a lock for ten wins this year. I expect next year will be much more kind to him.
- Vizcarra has had a decent sophomore year when not on the DL. He hasn't matched his rookie year (most likely his high point) but he's been solid. Unfortunately, he's been injured quite often and his ratings have suffered for it. I'm expecting to plug 'Viz' into the #4/#5 spot next year.
- Escarcaga is quietly putting together one of the best seasons in the IL for a starting pitcher. Leading the league in starts, Escarcaga has been the model of consistency taking the ball every fifth day and doing his job. Posting a rock solid 43.8 VORP combined with a 70% QS, and Escarcaga will certainly be back as the anchor of the Kodiaks rotation.
- ?. I'm expecting this spot to go to 22 year old Victoro Diaz who was a solid starter for my AAA club this year, but this spot will be decided in ST. The other candidate is 29 year old Xalbador Santos who has been decent in his five starts this year with the Kodiaks. Also in the mix will be veteran Mack McMurdo who has been solid, but nothing spectacular.
Bullpen
MR- Wayne Smith
MR- Jake Fredrick
MR- Ernesto Guzma
MR- Paul Scott
SU- Román Magueu
CL- Bing-de She
The pen is my strength and I only expect it to get better next year.
- Smith is my work horse. As a 20 year old in 1984, Smith pitched in 74 games putting up a 4.71 ERA with a 6.6 VORP, as a 21 year old, Smith has pitched in 65 games putting up a 2.48 ERA with a VORP of 28. Hopefully next year he will only continue to get better.
- Fredrick, only 23, will be back as a long relief, spot starter, middle relief type pitcher. He's the best bet to fall off in the group as his '3' stuff rating makes his an easy target for big innings if he's not on. Posting a solid 3.00 ERA in 35 appearances, Fredrick is one of my favorite players as he also was part of my first ever trade in the BLB.
- Guzma, who was a beast last year has been angry all year after signing a two year/8 million dollar deal. He doesn't fit into our plans, but at 4 a year, I haven't been able to move him.
- Scott, can close, and has when de She has been injured. He took a couple rating hits this year when he went down for eight weeks with an injury and has been wild since returning. Another fringe player.
- Magueu, who is only 23, has settled into a excellent set up man. In 57 games he has posted a 2.97 ERA and has struck out 72 in just 66 innings. Young, cheap, and does his job. A perfect set-up man.
-Bing-de She, one of the better up and coming closers in the BLB just recently returned from a torn hamstring and came up with two quick saves last sim. Only 23, She continues to get better as he ages. Last year he struck out 82 in 69 innings, and this year, while his K rate is way down, his WHIP is also lower and he's been lights out since June.
Hopefully with a little luck we'll be able to contend next year, but I'm thinking 1987 is a more accurate goal.
Thoughts?
Starting Line-Up
C: Joe Lavadie- He's been a real drag for the Kodiaks since coming over, but he has a 'six' contact potential and if he can reach that in the off-season I think he can be a solid addition to the line-up.
1B: Robby Shannon- Shannon has done nothing but hit since he returned from his fractured finger, since returning from his injury, the 24 year old has hit, .359/.423/.641 with 4 homers and 14 RBI's in just 64 at bats. Shannon will move into the #3 spot in our line-up next year with Alberto Grandon dropping to the #5 spot.
2B: Mark Steward- Steward has been quite the find for the Kodiaks hitting .320 with 27HR'S and 67RBI's while posting a 45.1 VORP in a short amount of time. He should return to the #4 spot and see his RBI totals continue to grow with the star in the making Shannon hitting in front of him.
3B: Alberto Grandon- Grandon has been all that we paid for when signing him to a five year deal. Hitting .287/23/92 from the #3 spot we couldn't be happier. His ratings though, do not match Shannon's and soon, I suspect his performance won't either. He'll move to the #5 spot and hopefully have a ton of RBI's with Shannon and Steward on base.
SS: Lucio Mendez- Mendez is my Ozzie Smith. While he's hitting for a lower average than I had hoped for, he's one of the top, if not THE top SS in all of the BLB. Having only made two errors in 946 innings he has posted a fielding % of .996 as well as a range of 4.88. He makes the plays, and he gets to a lot of ground balls. He's got a decent amount of pop putting up seven homers, but he strikes out a ton. He'll be back at the #8 spot in our line-up.
LF: Jose Compres (RHP)/Brooks George (LHP)- One of my platoon spots in the line-up... Compres and George make for a decent tandem against LHP/RHP pitching. While neither seems to drive in many runs, they both hit in the .280's against their pitchers they face. Probably hitting in the #6-#7 spot.
CF: Francois Dupuis- Dupuis is an interesting player. He doesn't hit very well, but he hits for a ton of XBH, walks, and steals bases. I don't like hitting him at the top of the line-up, but he's happy there and I don't know where else to hit him. If he changes his mind on what type of player he is, he'll slide into the #6 spot, if not, he'll be hitting #1/#2 all season long.
RF: ? (Odilio Farelo, Owen Gilbertson, FA signing/trade) Not sure what I'll be doing with this spot. Farelo started out hot for me, but he hit .200 in August and I'm not sure I'll pick up his two million dollar option for '86. Gilbertson is most likely a AAAA type player who hits for a ton of doubles but hasn't shown much power or plate discipline. This spot will most likely hit #2/#7 depending on who fills it.
Starting Pitching (No order)
SP- Ryan O'Connors
SP- Joe Toapanta
SP- Elieis Vizcarra
SP- Oswaldo Escarcaga
SP- ?
I love my starting pitching, even if the game doesn't. None of these guys have hit their prime yet, and they all offer a good amount of potential.
- O'Connors who has posted a 3.62 ERA in 336 IP is only 25 and is rounding into a solid starter with a VORP over 50 in just two seasons.
- Toapanta is an interesting case. Despite having one of the worst BABIP in all of the BLB, he's still trying to fight through it, and appears as if he may be doing so by posting a 2.41 ERA in August. He's third in the BLB in K/9 with an 8.8 and if not for bad luck would be a lock for ten wins this year. I expect next year will be much more kind to him.
- Vizcarra has had a decent sophomore year when not on the DL. He hasn't matched his rookie year (most likely his high point) but he's been solid. Unfortunately, he's been injured quite often and his ratings have suffered for it. I'm expecting to plug 'Viz' into the #4/#5 spot next year.
- Escarcaga is quietly putting together one of the best seasons in the IL for a starting pitcher. Leading the league in starts, Escarcaga has been the model of consistency taking the ball every fifth day and doing his job. Posting a rock solid 43.8 VORP combined with a 70% QS, and Escarcaga will certainly be back as the anchor of the Kodiaks rotation.
- ?. I'm expecting this spot to go to 22 year old Victoro Diaz who was a solid starter for my AAA club this year, but this spot will be decided in ST. The other candidate is 29 year old Xalbador Santos who has been decent in his five starts this year with the Kodiaks. Also in the mix will be veteran Mack McMurdo who has been solid, but nothing spectacular.
Bullpen
MR- Wayne Smith
MR- Jake Fredrick
MR- Ernesto Guzma
MR- Paul Scott
SU- Román Magueu
CL- Bing-de She
The pen is my strength and I only expect it to get better next year.
- Smith is my work horse. As a 20 year old in 1984, Smith pitched in 74 games putting up a 4.71 ERA with a 6.6 VORP, as a 21 year old, Smith has pitched in 65 games putting up a 2.48 ERA with a VORP of 28. Hopefully next year he will only continue to get better.
- Fredrick, only 23, will be back as a long relief, spot starter, middle relief type pitcher. He's the best bet to fall off in the group as his '3' stuff rating makes his an easy target for big innings if he's not on. Posting a solid 3.00 ERA in 35 appearances, Fredrick is one of my favorite players as he also was part of my first ever trade in the BLB.
- Guzma, who was a beast last year has been angry all year after signing a two year/8 million dollar deal. He doesn't fit into our plans, but at 4 a year, I haven't been able to move him.
- Scott, can close, and has when de She has been injured. He took a couple rating hits this year when he went down for eight weeks with an injury and has been wild since returning. Another fringe player.
- Magueu, who is only 23, has settled into a excellent set up man. In 57 games he has posted a 2.97 ERA and has struck out 72 in just 66 innings. Young, cheap, and does his job. A perfect set-up man.
-Bing-de She, one of the better up and coming closers in the BLB just recently returned from a torn hamstring and came up with two quick saves last sim. Only 23, She continues to get better as he ages. Last year he struck out 82 in 69 innings, and this year, while his K rate is way down, his WHIP is also lower and he's been lights out since June.
Hopefully with a little luck we'll be able to contend next year, but I'm thinking 1987 is a more accurate goal.
Thoughts?
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