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timmyw3 · 09-16-2005, 02:41 PM

2004 Salt Lake City Speed Preview

We’re just a few days away from starting the season and it’s an exciting time in Salt Lake City. The Speed has revamped their pitching staff to hopefully complement what was already a potent offense and look to make a return to the playoffs after a disappointing 2003 season.

In previous posts, I’ve introduced our 25-man roster in some form or another but here’s where our best laid out plans are put together.

Position Players

Catchers
For the 3rd straight season, Arch Stanton will handle the catching duties. Just 25, Stanton will be entering his 3rd full season in the majors and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that he’ll give us an All-Star caliber year. We signed veteran David Gates as the backup. While he doesn’t swing the bat very well, he calls an excellent game and is very steady defensively.

Infielders
3 of the 4 infield positions are all spoken for and the leader of the group is SS Robert Cowen. Cowen has had at least 30 homers, 30 steals, 100 runs scored, and 100 walks in each of his first 4 seasons. He hit in the leadoff spot last season but we’re initially slotting him in the #3 hole to start this year.

At 3B, Paul King enters his 4th year as the starter. He had a breakout year in 2002 but regressed slightly last year. Still, he has been and should continue to be a productive player for us.

We failed to sign a free agent 2B and with prospect Abel Castellanos not quite ready, we traded with Las Vegas for David Cardenas. While his OBP is horrendous and his plate discipline leaves a lot to be desired, he should provide some more pop in the bottom half of our lineup. His defense is excellent as well. Richard Smith, formerly of DC, was signed to be our utility man but if one of the 3 starters gets hurt, we may be in some trouble.

At 1B we have a competition between veteran Joshua Travis and youngster Eloy Medina. Travis is a career .330 hitter but has little power and hit below .300 for the first time last year. Medina tore up AAA last season but was overwhelmed in a late season call-up and does not have the full trust of team management as far as being an everyday player. Both are left-handed hitters so a platoon is unlikely. They should get even playing time initially until one proves to be the better option.

Outfielders
The CF and RF positions will have very familiar faces. Earl Dement patrols CF and is the team’s highest paid player. He’s hit at least 40 homers in each of his 1st 4 seasons, the only player in league history to do so. He’ll drop from his customary #3 batting slot to the cleanup spot where we expect more of the same. Age may be a factor though as Earl will turn 37 in July. He’s also a free agent after the season but if he proves to still be effective as ever, the Speed will make every attempt to resign him.

Michael Prowell will be out in RF again. We can count on about 30 homers with 100 RBI and a high on-base percentage as he has one of the best batting eyes in the league and is not afraid to take a walk. His production against left handed pitching is awful though and he should see more days off against lefties than in the past.

Rookie Jose Magana will get the nod as the starting left fielder and will hit leadoff. He hit .317 with 22 homers and 32 steals last season in AAA and plays a Gold Glove caliber left field. If it turns out that we are asking too much of him the LF duties will fall to Mark Pendleton and/or George Swatzell. Pendleton can play all 3 OF positions and has a cannon for an arm and Swatzell covers a ton of ground and is a dangerous base stealer.

09-16-2005, 02:41 PM	#25
timmyw3 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD	2004 Salt Lake City Speed Preview We’re just a few days away from starting the season and it’s an exciting time in Salt Lake City. The Speed has revamped their pitching staff to hopefully complement what was already a potent offense and look to make a return to the playoffs after a disappointing 2003 season. In previous posts, I’ve introduced our 25-man roster in some form or another but here’s where our best laid out plans are put together. Position Players Catchers For the 3rd straight season, Arch Stanton will handle the catching duties. Just 25, Stanton will be entering his 3rd full season in the majors and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that he’ll give us an All-Star caliber year. We signed veteran David Gates as the backup. While he doesn’t swing the bat very well, he calls an excellent game and is very steady defensively. Infielders 3 of the 4 infield positions are all spoken for and the leader of the group is SS Robert Cowen. Cowen has had at least 30 homers, 30 steals, 100 runs scored, and 100 walks in each of his first 4 seasons. He hit in the leadoff spot last season but we’re initially slotting him in the #3 hole to start this year. At 3B, Paul King enters his 4th year as the starter. He had a breakout year in 2002 but regressed slightly last year. Still, he has been and should continue to be a productive player for us. We failed to sign a free agent 2B and with prospect Abel Castellanos not quite ready, we traded with Las Vegas for David Cardenas. While his OBP is horrendous and his plate discipline leaves a lot to be desired, he should provide some more pop in the bottom half of our lineup. His defense is excellent as well. Richard Smith, formerly of DC, was signed to be our utility man but if one of the 3 starters gets hurt, we may be in some trouble. At 1B we have a competition between veteran Joshua Travis and youngster Eloy Medina. Travis is a career .330 hitter but has little power and hit below .300 for the first time last year. Medina tore up AAA last season but was overwhelmed in a late season call-up and does not have the full trust of team management as far as being an everyday player. Both are left-handed hitters so a platoon is unlikely. They should get even playing time initially until one proves to be the better option. Outfielders The CF and RF positions will have very familiar faces. Earl Dement patrols CF and is the team’s highest paid player. He’s hit at least 40 homers in each of his 1st 4 seasons, the only player in league history to do so. He’ll drop from his customary #3 batting slot to the cleanup spot where we expect more of the same. Age may be a factor though as Earl will turn 37 in July. He’s also a free agent after the season but if he proves to still be effective as ever, the Speed will make every attempt to resign him. Michael Prowell will be out in RF again. We can count on about 30 homers with 100 RBI and a high on-base percentage as he has one of the best batting eyes in the league and is not afraid to take a walk. His production against left handed pitching is awful though and he should see more days off against lefties than in the past. Rookie Jose Magana will get the nod as the starting left fielder and will hit leadoff. He hit .317 with 22 homers and 32 steals last season in AAA and plays a Gold Glove caliber left field. If it turns out that we are asking too much of him the LF duties will fall to Mark Pendleton and/or George Swatzell. Pendleton can play all 3 OF positions and has a cannon for an arm and Swatzell covers a ton of ground and is a dangerous base stealer. Last edited by timmyw3 : 09-16-2005 at 02:43 PM.