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Old 11-09-2017, 07:33 AM   #11
GoBlue2419
High School JV
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Arlington Heights, IL
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
If tomorrow was Opening Day, our starting rotation would probably consist of:

* Tim Adleman (3-9, 7.41 ERA, 12 GS, 79 IP, 1.81 WHIP, -1.3 WAR last year)
* Matt Bowman (0-0, 3.24 ERA, 0 GS, 8.1 IP, 1.56 WHIP, 0.2 WAR last year)
* Robbie Erlin (2-5, 6.75 ERA, 8 GS, 38.2 IP, 1.68 WHIP, -0.2 WAR last year)
* Tyler Wilson (4-2, 4.47 ERA, 9 GS, 50.1 IP, 1.37 WHIP, 0.6 WAR last year)
* Roenis Elias (0-0, 8.31 ERA, 0 GS, 8.2 IP, 2.19 WHIP, -0.2 WAR last year)

Having said that, Adleman, Wilson, Erlin, and Jaime Schultz are the only pitchers who started a game in the majors last year. And Adleman was the only one with double digit starts (12). Clearly we need to add to this group. Adleman is 30 years old, and the oldest of the group, but none of them should be #3 starters, let alone #1 or #2. But such is the nature of being an expansion team. Jaime Schultz is another possibility from the internal candidates. He started 3 games last year for the Seals. Would like to slot him into the bullpen for later innings though.

Bullpen
Currently slotting Corey Knebel into the closer role. Last year he picked up 34 saves with a 2.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP for the Seattle Pilots. Feel pretty good about him. Also feel good about Sean Doolittle. He pitched well for the A's last year. Doolittle appeared in 71 games, with a 1.03 WHIP, while striking out 107 in 74.2 innings. I mentioned Schultz above, and other candidates include Adam Plutko, Jaron Long, Mike Clevinger, and Brad Keller. Knebel, Doolittle, and Schultz are the only ones who pitched in the majors last season. Also would like to add a couple more lefties, as Doolittle is currently the only one.

Fielders
Catcher
Hopeful about the potential of Reese McGuire, who we drafted from the Blue Jays, but he is really raw. The 22-year-old played at High A last year, so would be making a huge jump if we were to keep him with the big club, but we're hopeful we could be a long-term answer behind the plate. Strong defensively, with a cannon of an arm. Andrew Susac is really the only other option at catcher currently on the roster. Susac appeared in 18 games for the Pilots last year, batting .213 with a .664 OPS. The 27-year-old is about average defensively, but possesses some good leadership skills. 24-year-old Sicnarf Loopstok is someone who could make some impact in another year or two. I would like to sign a cheaper catcher with experience to provide some leadership to the ball club.

Infield

Nick Franklin would be our starter at 1B at this point. Last year for the Pilots the 26 year old started 94 games, appeared in 115, and finished with a .265 avg, .823 OPS, 1.6 WAR. Would feel alright with him right now.

Joey Wendle would currently be slated to be our starter at 2B. Wendle, who is 27, appeared in 54 games for the Athletics last year, batting .302, with an .838 OPS and 1.4 WAR. Defensively he's solid to above average. Would feel okay going with him come opening day.

At SS, Richard Urena would be the guy at this point. Just 21, he played at AA last year, so would be a jump for him, but he's got good potential, so we may go with it and see how he handles it. Of course, don't want to put him in over his head and stunt his growth, so we'll have to watch this over the offseason and in spring training.

3B we will be looking at either Hernan Perez or Matt Davidson at this point. Perez saw action in 119 games last year between the Pilots and the Marlins. Davidson played in 99 games for the White Sox last year. Neither are much of a long-term answer, but might be serviceable.

Probably looking at Cristhian Adames as our utility guy. He can play 2B, 3B, or SS. Saw action in 29 games with Colorado last year. Not a lot of power, but makes contact, and is solid defensively.

Outfield
Looking at some combination of Christian Walker, Cory Spangenberg, James Ramsey, Matt Szczur, and Tyler Austin. All saw action in the bigs last year, with Spangenberg getting the most. Cory played in 87 games for the San Francisco Seals, starting 83, but struggled at the plate. Walker appeared in 80 games for Arizona, starting 50, batting .284 with an .816 OPS, and Szczur saw action in 84 games, starting 54, for the Cubs. In a bench role, he played fairly well, but not sure we can limit him to a bench role unless we sign another outfielder or two.

Free Agent Thoughts
We have some holes we could try to fill slightly at least through free agency, but Mr. Sullivan is being conservative financially. At least at this point, he has authorized a budget of $3.8 million for free agent signings. Obviously that is not going to get us too much. Ideally, I would like to add another starting pitcher or two, along with a couple more arms in the bullpen, especially lefthanders, an experienced catcher to probably fill a back-up role, and perhaps another outfielder or two.

From a starting pitcher standpoint, Darvish, Arrieta, or Tanaka don't really make sense for us to pursue, even if we had the budget, given their ages and salary expectations. It would be nice to sign a mid-range starter a bit on the older side to help our young pitchers out, but also perhaps be trade material come trade deadline time for some contender looking to add some depth to their rotation.

A couple intriguing bullpen possibilities from the international pool are Sergio Correa, from Cuba, and Xiao-wei Lian from Taiwan. Both have great stuff and movement on their pitches. Both are right-handed though, so don't address the lefty desire. Lefty options that might not command too much money could be Robbie Ross Jr., Jayson Aquino, or Brian Duensing.

For fielders, my free agent wish list would include an experienced catcher, and another outfielder or two. Catchers available that might fit the bill include Alex Avila, Chris Iannetta, or Miguel Montero, depending on their demands. Todd Frazier might be a short-term solution at 3B, or perhaps Christian Villanueva. Outfield possibilities might be Marwin Gonzalez, Cameron Maybin, or Colby Rasmus. None of these guys are franchise cornerstones, but would provide some upgrades over what we currently have. The joys of being an expansion team . . . .
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