We Got Wood - 46.05 - Portland Brings 42 Guys to Spring

[7teen]

Fans and the front office alike are optimistic that 2046 will be the start of brighter days to the Lumberjacks organization. Hopeful that some young arms are ready to break through this season, the front office invited 42 guys to spring training to get a test look at them. The club only has 31 men on the 40-man roster, meaning several of these guys are non-roster invitees, but many have hopes and expectations of being on the 40-man roster after spring, if not on the opening day roster itself.

"Several of these guys will for sure be on the roster" said Kate Fiscus. "We are using spring training as a way to decide which of these guys are worthy of being a Lumberjack on opening day. We have close to 10 rookies who can all make a claim to being on the opening day roster in a few weeks. Some of them will make it, some won't. Those that won't will likely be due to roster space or that player still needs a little development. In some cases, those two decisions go hand in hand."

It appears the main focus is on which pitchers will stick around after spring training. And it is clear pitching has been the focus with the team inviting a whopping 22 arms to spring training. Of those 22, 11 aren't on the 30-man roster at the moment. Of course that means, 11 are. Of the 11 that are, it is obvious a few of those are going to lose a spot on the opening day roster to make room for some younger pieces. Despite a nice job in late season fill-in roles last season, it is unlikely Corbin Valentin makes the opening day squad. Of course the club also has the option to use the available arms they have now and steal some arbitration time from some of it's top arms.

"That's an option for sure" added Fiscus, "especially with guys like Warren and Thompson who we expect to be around with the organization for quite some time. But we also want to start the season hot out of the gate and see what we have in an effort to perhaps compete in the division. Losing 3 weeks of games over service time may not help our cause."

As for the offense, it appears that is all but set in stone. Few, if any, young prospects appear ready to make the leap to Portland in 2046. Alarico Melendez and Matt Garrison were given invites and saw minimal playing time in the first spring sim. Neither were given full, everyday reps, meaning they'll both likely be sent back down. Melendez has little shot at making a roster in the future anyway, though Garrison, a former 2nd round pick, shows some promise at perhaps cracking the Portland lineup one day.