Tweet
Rebuilding on the Fly
What's New? Not Much
The Bulldogs have made the playoffs for the last five seasons. How many times have they made it past their first opponent? Zero. With that level of playoff futility, other more prudent GM's would likely blow it all up and start a complete rebuild. Unfortunately for Baltimore fans, their favorite team's GM isn't like other GM's.
After completely dropping the ball in preparation for the 2017 BLB expansion, the GM had to pay dearly in the form of a future first round pick to brink back local favorite, Malik Roberson. He also had to scramble to replace Robby Scriber (CL), who was also lost in the draft due to poor preparation. Now in the end, the GM looks like a genius as the loss prompted him to sign Fred Evers (CL), who went on to have the best season of his career as a closer and win the 2017 IL Last Call Award.
Fast forward to 2018 and the Bulldogs haven't changed much. It is the worst kept secret in the BLB that the Bulldogs have been desperate to resign former team captain and future Hall-of-Fame catcher, Abraham Santana. However, Santana has recently been seen in New York with the original team that drafted him and a team that has a ton of free cash to bring back the seemingly, ageless star.
The Bulldogs have signed two right handed relievers in R.J. Green (MR) and South-Korea born hurler, Chong-sik Kym. Green is being signed after a productive career in Syracuse while Kym had his first good season in Pawtucket in 2017. Both veterans are expected to give more reliability to a bullpen that went 25-32 in one-run games and 5-8 in extra innings games.
But the question is, SHOULD the Bulldogs change much? They had a Top 3 finalist for every major award in the IL with Fred Evers, as mentioned above, winning the IL Last Call Award. In 2017, they also posted the (by far) best ERA in team history in 2017. They finished Top 4 in nearly every offensive stat in the IL with their best hitter, 2X IL Stout Slugger, Ricky Murillo spending extended time on the DL.
Calling Card? Home Field Dominance
Most years, the Bulldogs are pretty tough to beat at home and 2017 was no different. Their 57 home wins in Phillips Field was 3rd most in the BLB last year. With Gosser, Roberson, and oft-injured Ricky Murillo combining for nearly 90 home runs, it is expected that the Bulldogs will continue to use that home field advantage to win a good chunk of games.
Kryptonite? Road Woes and an Aging Pitching Staff
As spectacular as the Bulldogs were at home in 2017, they were equally amazing in how they found ways to lose on the road. Their -7 PYT tells part of the story, but the Bulldogs need to find more ways to score on the road or they could likely expect to see the same results in 2018.
Also, the Bulldogs have a nagging issue with age creep on their pitching staff. 9 of the 12 guys projected to make up the staff are over the age of 30, while 6 of those 9 are over the age of 33. This could be prove to be problematic later in the season when some of these older guys can't maintain their performance levels or get hurt because their bodies have so many miles on them. A six-man rotation will be crucial in keeping these guys rested.
In the System? Under the Radar Stars
The Bulldogs usually like to adjust their roster on the fly rather than tear it all down and rebuild. The last two years, they have had success promoting young talent as shown by D.J. Gosser (1B) and D.J. LaRossa (3B), who both finished 2nd in IL New Brew Voting in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Gosser went on to top his 2016 campaign with a sophomore season that saw him win the 2017 IL Designated Driver for 1B and finish 2nd in Stout Slugger voting.
Now that's not to say Gosser performance was under the radar expectation. However, the performances by LaRossa and fellow 2017 rookies, J.P. Katz (C) and Dave Garner (2B) were great additions and were just enough to keep the Bulldogs in the playoff picture.
This year, the Bulldogs hope to see infield rookie Pat Bryant (2B) continue their streak of having an IL New Brew finalist. Bryant showed a lot of potential in his 2017 Septemeber call up with a 181+ OPS in 23 at-bats. He's got the makeup to be a very good second baseman and will get his chance to show and prove in 2018.
Position Battle to Watch? None
As the Bulldogs return many of the same starters, there aren't many position battles to speak of. There will be quite a bit more platoon action at catcher with Santana and the 22 year old, Katz.
Also the return of Dave Southerland (OF) following a devastating knee injury will allow Ricky Murillo to spend more time on the bench vs. LHP. Rookie Pat Bryant and sophomore infielder Dave Garner will likely share the workload at second base.
There may be a battle for the 5th outfielder position between 25 year old Jared Farrow (OF), 24 year old Shamar Bryant (OF) and 23 year old, Joey Conroy (OF) but people close to the selection process have said it is Farrow's position to lose.
Magic 8-Ball Answers:
Will the Bulldogs make the playoffs?
Likely, but can they make it out of the 1st round?
Prediction: 93-69, 2nd in the Stout
The Bulldogs are one of the most consistent teams when it comes to regular season performance. Their Achilles heel has been playoff performance and only time can tell if this is a year where they can coalesce into a group that gets big performances when it counts the most.
What's New? Not Much
The Bulldogs have made the playoffs for the last five seasons. How many times have they made it past their first opponent? Zero. With that level of playoff futility, other more prudent GM's would likely blow it all up and start a complete rebuild. Unfortunately for Baltimore fans, their favorite team's GM isn't like other GM's.
After completely dropping the ball in preparation for the 2017 BLB expansion, the GM had to pay dearly in the form of a future first round pick to brink back local favorite, Malik Roberson. He also had to scramble to replace Robby Scriber (CL), who was also lost in the draft due to poor preparation. Now in the end, the GM looks like a genius as the loss prompted him to sign Fred Evers (CL), who went on to have the best season of his career as a closer and win the 2017 IL Last Call Award.
Fast forward to 2018 and the Bulldogs haven't changed much. It is the worst kept secret in the BLB that the Bulldogs have been desperate to resign former team captain and future Hall-of-Fame catcher, Abraham Santana. However, Santana has recently been seen in New York with the original team that drafted him and a team that has a ton of free cash to bring back the seemingly, ageless star.
The Bulldogs have signed two right handed relievers in R.J. Green (MR) and South-Korea born hurler, Chong-sik Kym. Green is being signed after a productive career in Syracuse while Kym had his first good season in Pawtucket in 2017. Both veterans are expected to give more reliability to a bullpen that went 25-32 in one-run games and 5-8 in extra innings games.
But the question is, SHOULD the Bulldogs change much? They had a Top 3 finalist for every major award in the IL with Fred Evers, as mentioned above, winning the IL Last Call Award. In 2017, they also posted the (by far) best ERA in team history in 2017. They finished Top 4 in nearly every offensive stat in the IL with their best hitter, 2X IL Stout Slugger, Ricky Murillo spending extended time on the DL.
Calling Card? Home Field Dominance
Most years, the Bulldogs are pretty tough to beat at home and 2017 was no different. Their 57 home wins in Phillips Field was 3rd most in the BLB last year. With Gosser, Roberson, and oft-injured Ricky Murillo combining for nearly 90 home runs, it is expected that the Bulldogs will continue to use that home field advantage to win a good chunk of games.
Kryptonite? Road Woes and an Aging Pitching Staff
As spectacular as the Bulldogs were at home in 2017, they were equally amazing in how they found ways to lose on the road. Their -7 PYT tells part of the story, but the Bulldogs need to find more ways to score on the road or they could likely expect to see the same results in 2018.
Also, the Bulldogs have a nagging issue with age creep on their pitching staff. 9 of the 12 guys projected to make up the staff are over the age of 30, while 6 of those 9 are over the age of 33. This could be prove to be problematic later in the season when some of these older guys can't maintain their performance levels or get hurt because their bodies have so many miles on them. A six-man rotation will be crucial in keeping these guys rested.
In the System? Under the Radar Stars
The Bulldogs usually like to adjust their roster on the fly rather than tear it all down and rebuild. The last two years, they have had success promoting young talent as shown by D.J. Gosser (1B) and D.J. LaRossa (3B), who both finished 2nd in IL New Brew Voting in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Gosser went on to top his 2016 campaign with a sophomore season that saw him win the 2017 IL Designated Driver for 1B and finish 2nd in Stout Slugger voting.
Now that's not to say Gosser performance was under the radar expectation. However, the performances by LaRossa and fellow 2017 rookies, J.P. Katz (C) and Dave Garner (2B) were great additions and were just enough to keep the Bulldogs in the playoff picture.
This year, the Bulldogs hope to see infield rookie Pat Bryant (2B) continue their streak of having an IL New Brew finalist. Bryant showed a lot of potential in his 2017 Septemeber call up with a 181+ OPS in 23 at-bats. He's got the makeup to be a very good second baseman and will get his chance to show and prove in 2018.
Position Battle to Watch? None
As the Bulldogs return many of the same starters, there aren't many position battles to speak of. There will be quite a bit more platoon action at catcher with Santana and the 22 year old, Katz.
Also the return of Dave Southerland (OF) following a devastating knee injury will allow Ricky Murillo to spend more time on the bench vs. LHP. Rookie Pat Bryant and sophomore infielder Dave Garner will likely share the workload at second base.
There may be a battle for the 5th outfielder position between 25 year old Jared Farrow (OF), 24 year old Shamar Bryant (OF) and 23 year old, Joey Conroy (OF) but people close to the selection process have said it is Farrow's position to lose.
Magic 8-Ball Answers:
Will the Bulldogs make the playoffs?
Likely, but can they make it out of the 1st round?
Prediction: 93-69, 2nd in the Stout
The Bulldogs are one of the most consistent teams when it comes to regular season performance. Their Achilles heel has been playoff performance and only time can tell if this is a year where they can coalesce into a group that gets big performances when it counts the most.
Comment