Hold My Log - 55.08 - What To Watch For This Spring; Part 2

[7teen]

The big 3 are still in tact. Though there are plenty of concerns about their age and dwindling abilities and stats over the last year or two, expect to see Chris Thompson, Ken Sparks, and Steve Warren (who the new game really hates) as your 1-2- and 3 starters in Portland in 2055. But who will be the guys at the back end of the 2055 rotation?

"Well, we have some old guys to look at" said GM Chris Wilson, "some new guys to take a look and see. And then we have some old, new faces as well we want to give a shot this spring to see. We've brought in some guys who will all be likely fighting it out for a spot in the rotation and/or the bullpen. Odds are, you'll likely see any name mentioned in this article making relief appearances and starts at various points this season as we try and find the hot hands."

As to who those guys are competing for the bottom of the rotation, let's start with the familiar faces.

Randolph Marable is a likely choice considering he has made 170 starts in Portland over the last 7 seasons. Despite only starting 10 games in 2053, he came back last year and started 27 games. However, the lefty has fallen on hard times the last two years and posted a -0.3 WAR and -0.8 WAR leaving many to wonder if his time has passed. Next is Rafael Gomez. Known by many hardcore Lumberjacks fans as the guy we wouldn't trade for Felix Roman, Gomez has never materialized as a big league starter. He does have 48 career starts and made a career high 22 starts in 2053 with a career best 1.8 WAR. Nonetheless, only having one above average pitch leaves him at a disadvantage for being named one of the 5 starters in the rotation.

That leaves us with the new faces. Nolan Lee hasn't started a game since 2052 with Calgary, and that was only on 4 occasions. He struggles with control at times, but does keep the ball down in the zone. With the Lumberjacks improved defensive mindset, that could be a blessing for a low ball pitcher like Lee. The same cannot be said about Adam Barber. Barber's starting experience comes mainly in the GBC with Bucharest, Sao Paulo, and Tokyo. He had some success there but has only started 2 games in the BBA and only appeared in 4 games total with Phoenix. He's a fly ball guy which wasn't a good thing in homer happy Phoenix. He looked good coming out of the pen in the first spring sim.

Then, there is the old new face in Gusby Pinkerton. Pinkerton has had a nice career. He's started 293 of his 299 appearances in the BBA. He was a former rookie of the year runner up with Portland way back in 2044 and was the 2nd overall pick in the 2041 draft. The 32 year old veteran southpaw had some success in San Fernando after being traded and was outstanding in Single-A last season (insert evil grin). He's another ground ball guy, much like Lee. He has high movement despite not being overpowering. Truth be told, he's my sentimental pick to have a good spring and earn a spot at the end of the rotation.

So 5 guys competing for the bottom two spots in the rotation. The other 3 will likely fall in line in the bullpen and await their turn to make a start.

[BaseClogger]

I'll be pulling for Gusby. I had to finally stick a fork in him because I didn't have the infield defense but it wouldn't surprise me if he has another crafty year or two left in him.

[ae37jr]

I almost signed Gusby to work out of our bullpen. He was next on my list if I missed out on others. Should be a steal on a minor league deal.

Don't like him as a starter at this point though. He lost a point of stuff in 2050 and results have suffered since. Hell still do well against lefty power lineups. But will get lit up by a righty contact heavy team like California. i'd try to avoid that matchup whenever possible.