A Rookie Per Team- April 2038

[recte44]

Rookies are fun to keep an eye on, but in all of OOTP's greatness they don't have a good report such as a "Rookie Watch". So I took the leap of digging through rosters to pick one current rookie per team to feature to start the 2038 season. Without further ado, let's dig in!

JL Atlantic Division
Pedro Diaz 3B Rockville
Diaz had an impressive albeit brief cup of coffee for the Pikemen last year, and he’s earned the starting third baseman role against righties. Should anything happen to Chip Puckett, he's an outstanding shortstop by trade.

Jassiem Dukuzumuremyi LF Montreal
This guy has an MVP name, but a bench bat future. The real hype should arrive soon in the form of Kevin McKeith, as their new power outfield bat is ready to unleash the fury- just waiting on the call.

Millard Younger CF Atlantic City
After starting the season in the minors, the Gamblers were quick to promote their top prospect and insert him in the 3-hole as their starting center fielder. Atlantic City badly needs Younger to bloom into their offensive star.

Takanori Goto SP Charm City
Service manipulation be damned! Goto was clearly one of the Jimmies’ best five starters and broke camp in the rotation, completely skipping the AAA level in the process.

Douglas Wils SP Brooklyn
Acquired in the offseason from Louisville, Wils is slotted as the #1 starter in the “Brooklyn Cyclone”. Can he limit the longball and be effective as a BBA starter?

JL Southeast Division
Sean Gardner SP Louisville
Gardner won the Sluggers’ fifth starter job to start the year. He’s starred at the Triple-A level the last two years to earn this shot.

Scotts “Dale” Joe RP Nashville
Great makeup, outstanding movement. A groundball reliever whose control (or lack thereof) will make or break his big league career.

Cris Gonzales 2B New Orleans
Still no Jim Armstrong, huh? Anyways….Gonzales is off to a hot start as the Crawdads’ new second baseman. Jim and New Orleans seem to have a never ending trickle of good young players.

Vito Reyes SP Huntsville
The Phantoms’ injuries in spring forced them to rush Reyes to the big leagues as their fifth starter, and so far it hasn’t gone that well.

Jacksonville- NONE
No rookies right now, but stay tuned for Rocky Allen to debut sometime soon.

JL Sun Belt Division
Sancho Castillo 3B Las Vegas
The Hustlers recently called up Castillo and handed him the keys to the hot corner. Expect great defense, decent plate discipline, and some gap power.

Charlie Iron-Knife SP Phoenix
Through three starts he hasn’t given up a run yet, but has walked nine in eleven innings. The BBA has been interested in seeing how the knuckleballer turns out for years- now’s the time.

Tony Hernandez 1B San Antonio
Mike’s Outlaws badly needed some good luck, and got it in this studly IFA signing. He should be a force in the middle of their lineup for years to come.

Dan Flores CF Mexico City
Who needs Willard Gagne anyways? Certainly not the Aztecs, who have seen Flores step right in as their center fielder and more than hold his own.

Jorge Rincon CF Wichita
Yet another young center fielder, Rincon is a defense first prospect who earns his money while in the field. At the plate he completely lacks power and can’t hit lefties a lick, but should provide acceptable production against righties.

FL Heartland Division
Dan Clapper C Omaha
The Hawks are hoping (like Montreal before them) that Clapper can step in and be an acceptable starting catcher. It’s early, but so far they are finding (like Montreal before them) that he simply cannot hit a lick.

Jose Machado RF Yellow Springs
Ron is a GM who loves his platoons, and Machado fits precisely with that preference. He’s off to a nice start as the primary right fielder and over time should produce some power as well as above average defense.

Twin Cities- NONE
The River Monsters aren’t carrying any rookies on their veteran laden roster. When they need pitching help, Manuel Gonzalez should be ready to come up this year.

Jose Castro CL Des Moines
It’s not often a rookie steps into the closer role right away, but that’s what Castro is being asked to do with the Kernels. He certainly has the talent to do the job, but expect growing pains along the way.

Madison- NONE
No rookies on the current Wolves squad. Some thought Pedro Salduar would earn a rotation spot but he was sent back to AAA for more seasoning. Expect him to be up at some point.

FL Pacific Division
Long Beach- NONE
No surprise as Stephen’s Surfer squads are usually heavy on veterans, and this year is no different. Given the way they use relievers to their strengths, a guy like Rodolfo Medina could be of help to their bullpen when needed.

Ellis Curran 1B Valencia
Curran, after repeating AAA last season, earned the first base position for the Stars this year. He’s a good but not great bat who like most lefties hits RHP better. Could be one of those “sneaky good” players.

California- NONE
No rookies now, but the already stacked Crusaders have young starter Marco Vitalle ready and waiting to join the pitching staff at the next callup.

Jose Ramos RP San Fernando
Randy, I drafted Jon Reed. I know Jon Reed. Jon Reed was a friend of mine. Randy, Ramos is no Jon Reed. Seriously, though….how many walks will this guy have?

Mike Campbell RF Hawaii
Why did the Tropics let Michael Durham go? Well, here’s the main answer to that question. Campbell is not only a hard worker, but a quality right-handed bat in their rebuilding plan.

Calgary- NONE
It shouldn’t be long before Mike Bragg joins the pitching staff. The big righty has four plus pitches, high endurance, throws up to 97 mph and is an extreme groundballer.

Michinaga Narita 2B Vancouver
Francisco Guilamo 3B Vancouver
Two role players are on the Mounties bench rather than developing into utility players by learning more positions in the minors. Neither one of them is impactful enough for it to matter that much, though. The bigger question is: Why isn’t Jose Arellano in the big league rotation?

Yi-ke Hsiao 2B Edmonton
The centerpiece return for Maxime Manceau from Phoenix, Hsaio was the Jackrabbits’ starter at second base from the moment the ink dried on that trade agreement. He has been everything that Chris had hoped for and possibly more.

Dave Walsh RP Boise
Walsh is the type of player that is perfect for a rebuilding team like the Spuds. He’s a risky prospect because of his movement but the stuff is so good you just have to give him a shot. And by putting him in relief rather than a starting role it seems to be working out just fine. Kudos to Jeff on his strategy here.

Jeremy Underwood C Seattle
Not much to see here, just a backup catcher who doesn’t particularly catch that well and can’t hit for any power whatsoever. Fans of the Storm are calling for Nathan to call Vincent Vanderhugen to the show. He’s certainly ready. Don’t really see the logic behind him repeating Triple-A when Pat Crum continues to be a pile of human excrement.

[Ted]

I really wish Vitale would finish off his change up. I think even if he does, he may be marginal as a starter. It's only a 4. If he doesn't, he'll be one of the best relievers in the league. I suppose I could still get 120+ innings out of him that way, but it's less exciting.

[GoldenOne]

Scotts Joe was a nice little minor league signee after Vancouver gave up on him after 3 years. Low Control numbers but his 13 Ks to 4 Walks so far is easy to take. Blown a couple of saves opps already but seems like most of the bullpen is having issues here in Nashville. Love his peripherals though - they were a big plus in bringing him into the fold.

[Ted]

Scotts Joe was a nice little minor league signee after Vancouver gave up on him after 3 years. Low Control numbers but his 13 Ks to 4 Walks so far is easy to take. Blown a couple of saves opps already but seems like most of the bullpen is having issues here in Nashville. Love his peripherals though - they were a big plus in bringing him into the fold.

Who was in charge of Vancouver for that draft? Did Joe draft himself?

[agrudez]

Reyes has had a weird start to the season. A sub-5 FIP is pretty alright for an underdeveloped rookie, but the ERA is sky high. In his 5 games he had 1 true clunker (his first start), 2 poor games and 2 pretty elite games. It's no secret that I'm looking to add a SP, but, honestly, Reyes wouldn't be the guy I'm looking to replace at this point.

[Ted]

Reyes has had a weird start to the season. A sub-5 FIP is pretty alright for an underdeveloped rookie, but the ERA is sky high. In his 5 games he had 1 true clunker (his first start), 2 poor games and 2 pretty elite games. It's no secret that I'm looking to add a SP, but, honestly, Reyes wouldn't be the guy I'm looking to replace at this point.

I hope he works out for you. If he fills out his motion and control, he'll still not be good against righties, but he'll likely be at least serviceable. Almost assuredly mediocre enough that his ability to absolutely lock down lefties will carry him. Right now he's just weak against RHB because the stuff is so poor.

[Fat Nige]

No sooner than you pick Sean Gardner, his 1-4 record is enough to get him sent back to Missouri. In his place though another rookie, Sluggers top pitching prospect Augusto Sanchez whose 5-game September cup of coffee brought a 3-2 record, a 12/3 K/BB ratio and a 1.19 WHIP

[RonCo]

I like this.

[bcslouck]

Goto has been a nice surprise. I expect some regression but if it's to his 4.25 FIP, I'll take that out of him this year.

[GoldenOne]

Scotts Joe was a nice little minor league signee after Vancouver gave up on him after 3 years. Low Control numbers but his 13 Ks to 4 Walks so far is easy to take. Blown a couple of saves opps already but seems like most of the bullpen is having issues here in Nashville. Love his peripherals though - they were a big plus in bringing him into the fold.

Who was in charge of Vancouver for that draft? Did Joe draft himself?

Wasnt me.....

[Lane]

Fun!

how quickly you've forgotten that my veteran heavy squad has won 3 of the last 9 Gillstrom awards

[bcslouck]

Also have another Rookie doing really well. Mario Rodríguez has batting .300 with a .758 OPS right now and holding his own in CF, not his natural position. His split so far has been pretty even though I think he's probably a nice utility player with weak side platoon starts in the future. Made the jump from A ball too, which I don't normally do. Given his development, solid 2nd half of ST, and lack of CF, he was the guy. Pleasantly surprised so far.

[RonCo]

Interesting jump for Rodriguez.

[bcslouck]

Interesting jump for Rodriguez.

Yeah he didn't look great there either. He was ticketed for AA after a strong FPL showing though. It wasn't ideal but I didn't have much choice and he's making me look decent at the moment.

[7teen]

Scotts Joe was a nice little minor league signee after Vancouver gave up on him after 3 years. Low Control numbers but his 13 Ks to 4 Walks so far is easy to take. Blown a couple of saves opps already but seems like most of the bullpen is having issues here in Nashville. Love his peripherals though - they were a big plus in bringing him into the fold.

Who was in charge of Vancouver for that draft? Did Joe draft himself?

I think Brett drafted him.