We Got Wood - 42.11 - Spring Recap 1

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Spring training sim number 1 is in the books in Tempe for the Porltand Lumberjacks and it wasn't a bad one. The club went 6-8 overall, highlighted by a 5-4 over the Chicago Black Sox, and didn't see any serious injuries. The only injury was to COF Masamichi Kubo who will likely miss the rest of Spring Training with a torn thumb ligament that will sideline him for 4 more weeks. For Kubo, the injury could cost him a spot on the opening day roster as the Lumberjacks are trying to sort through the herd of outfielders currently at spring training.

Portland invited a team record 48 guys to spring training, the most ever under a Wilson GM'd team. Wilson commented on the number "we have a lot of guys we wanted to take a look at this spring, moreso than most other years I've been a GM. We invited a lot of young guys like Francisco Franco, our number 1 pick from last year, just to have him be around the big league guys and get a taste of big league action. He probably won't make the club this season, but we hope he gains some valuable experience by being here and can be ready to go as soon as 2043."

Aside from the solid record and lack of injuries, Wilson commented that the initial spring sim didn't help make many decisions any easier heading into the second half of spring training and towards opening day.

"Clearly we have to get the roster down to 27 guys before opening day. This first run of games didn't really help us make any big decisions. Clearly we can't carry 13 outfielders on our roster so we need to trim that down quite a bit. We have a couple of guys that are locks, like Jorge Lopez for example and Miguel Cortez who we think will be a solid choice for a gold glove this year in CF if he stays healthy. But then deciding between some of the other guys is going to be really tough. We may end up sending some guys down who are ready for the big leagues now, like a Matt Normore or a Rodrigo Barbosa because they have options. We really don't know just yet. And then there are the half a dozen other OFs who can lay claim to a platoon spot as well."

So I guess it remains to be seen exactly what Portland will enter the start of the season with as many questions still remain surrounding the roster. But one thing was answered that sim: Ernie Kinney is still a bum even as an RP conversion!