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Coming off their first winning season since 1987, the Carolina Tobs are hoping to take the next step in 1996 and make the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
The Lineup
C- Eron Deleon- The former #1 pick struggled a bit in his rookie season, but should be ready to take a big step forward. Deleon’s progression is right on track according to scouts, and he could be one of the breakout players in the BLB in 1996.
1B- Ismael Reyes- Entering his fourth season as the Tobs’ starting first baseman, Reyes needs to rebound from a somewhat disappointing 95 campaign. His power saw a substantial drop, though he still hit 23 HRs and drove in 92 runs.
2B- Adrian Romero- Romero had a huge season in 1995, putting up an OPS+ of 137 with a 56.8 VORP. While he may not be able to duplicate those numbers, Romero has established himself as one of the top second basemen in the BLB.
3B- Masaoki Matsumoto-The slap-hitting third-baseman from Japan returns for a 3rd season as a starter. While he lacks power for the position, Carolina thinks he’s capable of putting up a big season with his contact ability. Probably the toughest player to strike out in the BLB.
SS- Joe Reyes- The only new starter in the lineup this season. Reyes has seen plenty of action as the team’s utility man over the past couple seasons. He can do a solid job defending any position on the infield, will take some walks and has a little pop. The weak link in the lineup.
LF- Jose Guzman- Easily the oldest member of the Tobs, Guzman still has plenty left in the tank at 38. Coming off of an .831 OPS, Carolina’s scout doesn’t think he’s dropped off a bit and he still plays a reliable left field. The most popular member on the team, showing that the fans in Carolina don’t care about home grown talent.
CF- Pat Faulkner- Given the starting CF job before the 1994 season, Faulkner just needs to stay on the field in 96. The team’s scout believes that Faulkner has taken his game up a notch in the offseason, particularly in the contact department. An outstanding fielder in CF, Faulkner also could be the Tobs’ greatest base running threat.
RF- Al Hamilton- The star that the lineup revolves around. Hamilton lived up to the hype in 1995, posting a .955 OPS and a 75.5 VORP, good for 4th in the BLB. Just 24 years old, Hamilton is set to be the face of the Tobs franchise for the foreseeable future.
The Bench
C- Wes Fitzpatrick- A terrific defensive catcher, though he’s never been much at the plate.
1B- Victoriano Rincon- An organizational player who appeared destined for a career in AAA until he put up huge numbers in Winston-Salem last season (.364/.457/.605).
Util- Sekien Meshizuka- Another guy who’s been in the system for a while. He can play any spot on the infield reasonably well and has put up solid numbers in AAA.
OF- Chan-koo Kim- A sandwich pick in 1989, Kim has looked like a bust ever since. However, his skills saw dramatic improvement in the past year and now he’ll see some time as the 4<sup>th</sup> outfielder.
The Rotation
Manny Mendez- The biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason in Carolina. Mendez didn’t start a game last season, but the team scout says he can. If so, it could be huge for the Tobs. Mendez was an elite starter until 1994 in Indianapolis.
Doug Howe- The only remaining piece from the much criticized trade with Virginia in 1992. Howe is coming off of a very good season in which he won 12 games and posted a 3.21 ERA. He was named the Pitcher of the Month for August.
Alex Rivas- He’s seemingly regressed since coming over from Syracuse early in the 1994 campaign. However, Rivas still won 15 games last year and has terrific control.
Val Aparicio- Still just 22 years old, Aparicio needs to continue to develop his control after taking a step backwards in that department in 95. He should strike out plenty of people and won’t give up many HRs, there’s still plenty of time for him to become an elite starter.
Ivan Vazquez- Came over from Indianapolis to provide an innings-eater for the rotation. He had the best season of his career in terms of ERA (4.15) last season and Carolina’s scout thinks he’s capable of a bit more than that.
Loren Washington- Another free agent signing for the Tobs. Washington wore out his welcome in New Orleans, but he has good movement and control. The Tobs think he’ll bounce back from a tough 95.
The Bullpen
Raul Reyes- Acquired via trade with the Kodiaks, Reyes is the first legitimate closer that Carolina has had in a years. He’s got great stuff, throwing 5 plus pitches and reaching triple digits with the fastball.
Raul Frayo- Frayo moves from the rotation to the bullpen after the baseball gods determined that he could no longer start in the offseason. He should do well in his new role.
Turi Soto- A steady presence in the pen since 1991. Nothing spectacular, but solid production that Carolina has been able to count on.
Phil Mcswain- The top lefty in the pen for Carolina, Mcswain needs to bounce back to his 93 & 94 form. Still, he was better than his ERA would indicate last season and he should be fine in what might be his last season in Carolina.
Pancho Valentin- Carolina’s 2nd round pick in 1993 and one of the better relief prospects in the league, Valentin will see his first full season of BLB action in 1996. He’s got top-notch stuff, but needs to continue working on his control.
Ivan Gutierrez- He could be in the rotation, but he’ll begin the season as a left-handed option out of the pen. He struck out 53 batters in 45 innings as a reliever last season. If someone in the rotation goes down, either him or Adrian Iturriaga will step in. Iturriaga deserves to be on the BLB squad, but he still had option years left, so down he went.
Trevor Broomfield- Picked up off the free agent scrapheap in the middle of the 94 season, Broomfield has proved to be a solid starter and reliever for Carolina. His charitable deeds around Raleigh have made him one of the most popular players on the team.
The Expectations
Tobs' management has said that they believe this team can win the Bock. The lineup is talented, the rotation has depth and the bullpen looks solid. After getting off to a disastrous start in 1995, the Tobs rebounded to win 83 games and make the Wildcard and Bock races interesting down the stretch. The offseason brought much needed help to the pitching staff and the youngsters in the lineup are a year older and wiser. In a perfect world, Eron Deleon will become another star caliber player and Carolina’s lineup will score runs with anyone in the BLB outside of Virginia. Despite offering seemingly everything they feasibly could, the Tobs failed to land the #1 starter they so desperately wanted. However, the pitching staff still looks to be at least decent. Assuming this team has reasonable health, making the playoffs is a reasonable expectation.
Beyond that, relievers Phil Mcswain and Trevor Broomfield are the only free agents to-be on the Tobs opening day roster. Carolina has money to spend in the next few years and the farm system ranks 4th in the league at the moment so a big move isn’t out of the question. Hopefully, 1996 is just the start of some fun times in Carolina.
Offseason Recap
Key Additions- CL Raul Reyes, SP Manny Mendez, SP Loren Washington, SP Ivan Vazquez, C Wes Fitzpatrick
Key Losses- RP Don Blanche, 3B Manny Rivera, C Artie Ward, SS Howard Haydon
The Lineup
C- Eron Deleon- The former #1 pick struggled a bit in his rookie season, but should be ready to take a big step forward. Deleon’s progression is right on track according to scouts, and he could be one of the breakout players in the BLB in 1996.
1B- Ismael Reyes- Entering his fourth season as the Tobs’ starting first baseman, Reyes needs to rebound from a somewhat disappointing 95 campaign. His power saw a substantial drop, though he still hit 23 HRs and drove in 92 runs.
2B- Adrian Romero- Romero had a huge season in 1995, putting up an OPS+ of 137 with a 56.8 VORP. While he may not be able to duplicate those numbers, Romero has established himself as one of the top second basemen in the BLB.
3B- Masaoki Matsumoto-The slap-hitting third-baseman from Japan returns for a 3rd season as a starter. While he lacks power for the position, Carolina thinks he’s capable of putting up a big season with his contact ability. Probably the toughest player to strike out in the BLB.
SS- Joe Reyes- The only new starter in the lineup this season. Reyes has seen plenty of action as the team’s utility man over the past couple seasons. He can do a solid job defending any position on the infield, will take some walks and has a little pop. The weak link in the lineup.
LF- Jose Guzman- Easily the oldest member of the Tobs, Guzman still has plenty left in the tank at 38. Coming off of an .831 OPS, Carolina’s scout doesn’t think he’s dropped off a bit and he still plays a reliable left field. The most popular member on the team, showing that the fans in Carolina don’t care about home grown talent.
CF- Pat Faulkner- Given the starting CF job before the 1994 season, Faulkner just needs to stay on the field in 96. The team’s scout believes that Faulkner has taken his game up a notch in the offseason, particularly in the contact department. An outstanding fielder in CF, Faulkner also could be the Tobs’ greatest base running threat.
RF- Al Hamilton- The star that the lineup revolves around. Hamilton lived up to the hype in 1995, posting a .955 OPS and a 75.5 VORP, good for 4th in the BLB. Just 24 years old, Hamilton is set to be the face of the Tobs franchise for the foreseeable future.
The Bench
C- Wes Fitzpatrick- A terrific defensive catcher, though he’s never been much at the plate.
1B- Victoriano Rincon- An organizational player who appeared destined for a career in AAA until he put up huge numbers in Winston-Salem last season (.364/.457/.605).
Util- Sekien Meshizuka- Another guy who’s been in the system for a while. He can play any spot on the infield reasonably well and has put up solid numbers in AAA.
OF- Chan-koo Kim- A sandwich pick in 1989, Kim has looked like a bust ever since. However, his skills saw dramatic improvement in the past year and now he’ll see some time as the 4<sup>th</sup> outfielder.
The Rotation
Manny Mendez- The biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason in Carolina. Mendez didn’t start a game last season, but the team scout says he can. If so, it could be huge for the Tobs. Mendez was an elite starter until 1994 in Indianapolis.
Doug Howe- The only remaining piece from the much criticized trade with Virginia in 1992. Howe is coming off of a very good season in which he won 12 games and posted a 3.21 ERA. He was named the Pitcher of the Month for August.
Alex Rivas- He’s seemingly regressed since coming over from Syracuse early in the 1994 campaign. However, Rivas still won 15 games last year and has terrific control.
Val Aparicio- Still just 22 years old, Aparicio needs to continue to develop his control after taking a step backwards in that department in 95. He should strike out plenty of people and won’t give up many HRs, there’s still plenty of time for him to become an elite starter.
Ivan Vazquez- Came over from Indianapolis to provide an innings-eater for the rotation. He had the best season of his career in terms of ERA (4.15) last season and Carolina’s scout thinks he’s capable of a bit more than that.
Loren Washington- Another free agent signing for the Tobs. Washington wore out his welcome in New Orleans, but he has good movement and control. The Tobs think he’ll bounce back from a tough 95.
The Bullpen
Raul Reyes- Acquired via trade with the Kodiaks, Reyes is the first legitimate closer that Carolina has had in a years. He’s got great stuff, throwing 5 plus pitches and reaching triple digits with the fastball.
Raul Frayo- Frayo moves from the rotation to the bullpen after the baseball gods determined that he could no longer start in the offseason. He should do well in his new role.
Turi Soto- A steady presence in the pen since 1991. Nothing spectacular, but solid production that Carolina has been able to count on.
Phil Mcswain- The top lefty in the pen for Carolina, Mcswain needs to bounce back to his 93 & 94 form. Still, he was better than his ERA would indicate last season and he should be fine in what might be his last season in Carolina.
Pancho Valentin- Carolina’s 2nd round pick in 1993 and one of the better relief prospects in the league, Valentin will see his first full season of BLB action in 1996. He’s got top-notch stuff, but needs to continue working on his control.
Ivan Gutierrez- He could be in the rotation, but he’ll begin the season as a left-handed option out of the pen. He struck out 53 batters in 45 innings as a reliever last season. If someone in the rotation goes down, either him or Adrian Iturriaga will step in. Iturriaga deserves to be on the BLB squad, but he still had option years left, so down he went.
Trevor Broomfield- Picked up off the free agent scrapheap in the middle of the 94 season, Broomfield has proved to be a solid starter and reliever for Carolina. His charitable deeds around Raleigh have made him one of the most popular players on the team.
The Expectations
Tobs' management has said that they believe this team can win the Bock. The lineup is talented, the rotation has depth and the bullpen looks solid. After getting off to a disastrous start in 1995, the Tobs rebounded to win 83 games and make the Wildcard and Bock races interesting down the stretch. The offseason brought much needed help to the pitching staff and the youngsters in the lineup are a year older and wiser. In a perfect world, Eron Deleon will become another star caliber player and Carolina’s lineup will score runs with anyone in the BLB outside of Virginia. Despite offering seemingly everything they feasibly could, the Tobs failed to land the #1 starter they so desperately wanted. However, the pitching staff still looks to be at least decent. Assuming this team has reasonable health, making the playoffs is a reasonable expectation.
Beyond that, relievers Phil Mcswain and Trevor Broomfield are the only free agents to-be on the Tobs opening day roster. Carolina has money to spend in the next few years and the farm system ranks 4th in the league at the moment so a big move isn’t out of the question. Hopefully, 1996 is just the start of some fun times in Carolina.
Offseason Recap
Key Additions- CL Raul Reyes, SP Manny Mendez, SP Loren Washington, SP Ivan Vazquez, C Wes Fitzpatrick
Key Losses- RP Don Blanche, 3B Manny Rivera, C Artie Ward, SS Howard Haydon
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