Players Report to Camp
(54 players report to Apalachicola for big league camp)
The Brooklyn Robins will attempt to continue their successful 2035 campaign with relatively the same roster intact. The big addition this season will be another wave of decent, yet unspectacular prospects debuting all throughout the season. With all the attention on the pitching side lately, Let's take a look at the offensive side and try to figure out how it will shape up....
Catchers
Sean Smith (6/7/7/5/5 Ratings)
Carlos Flores (6/6/6/5/7 Ratings)
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Bill Peterson (5/5/6/4/7 Ratings)
Smith and Flores are locked in as Brooklyn's catching platoon. The duo combined for 3.8 War last season. A repeat of that success should be attainable. On top of decent offensive production, Smith is one of the top game callers and pitch handlers in the BBA. With a young staff, this is super important.
Peterson give the Robins a third catcher in spring training. He is not a serious contender to make the team, but is probably the first of several not horrible options to bring up in case of an injury.
1B/DH
Fernando Cruz (9/7/10/7/9 Ratings)
Cisco Guerrero (8/7/8/5/8 Ratings)
Juan Fernandez (8/7/4/6/10 Ratings)
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Orlando Medrano (6/6/2/8/6 Ratings)
Antonio Rodriguez (7/7/2/3/10 Ratings)
The Robins are going rotate Nightmare and Cruz between 1B/DH at a near 50/50 rate to keep them fresh this season and limiting the number of days off needed. Nightmare will play first when better defense is needed.
Juan Fernandez is a recent minor league signing. While he is no threat to the incumbent duo of sluggers, he could get a serious look as a bench bat. The Robins boast a plethora of versatile defenders and high stamina pitchers. So using a roster spot on an exclusive pinch hitter isn't as cumbersome as it would be to another team.
Medrano is a sentimental favorite, though likely to spend the year in AAA. Rodriguez is an interesting young bat that Brooklyn may have seriously considered, if they had not signed Fernande, who is simply a better version of Rodriguez.
INF
Chris Workman (6/7/5/9/6 Ratings)
Tony Gustafsen (7/5/1/4/8 Ratings)
Sam Wade (6/8/5/7/8 Ratings)
Javier Francisco (6/6/2/3/8 Ratings)
Clarence Kirkpatrick (6/7/7/5/5 Ratings)
Arief Alatas (5/6/5/4/7 Ratings)
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Albert Ayala (6/9/5/5/7 Ratings)
Moromao Hirose (6/6/3/3/8 Ratings)
Juan Diaz (5/6/3/5/5 Ratings)
Horacio Manuel (6/6/4/5/6 Ratings)
Jose Lopez (5/5/3/5/7 Ratings)
The rest of the infield is a bit of a clust F. Not in a bad way though. Workman looks to be the only lock, but even that may not ring true. Brooklyn would love to cut some salary and Workman is one of two guys they'd like to move. They may give him the Juan Hernandez treatment and waive him during bad matchups and to see if there are any takers. But for now, Workman is our 2B with Wade likely subbing in against lefties.
Francisco is probably the key to where the dominos fall. Right now he is penciled in to platoon with Gustafsen at SS. Though there is an equal chance he may be kept in the minors. Alatas' roster spot hinges on what happens with Francisco and how many spots are left when the dust settles.
Brooklyn purged themselves of nearly every 3B option they had this winter and started over. Earl Jackson was a bust and Raul Miranda got too pricey. In dire need of some cost savings, the Robins jettisoned both of them, along with Ricardo Guerra who left via free agency. Heck, even makeshift 3B Ricardo Guzman was let go.
Wade is the lone holdover and favorite to win the job. The former first round pick was supposed to have taken a hold of this position two years ago, but has lumped a bit and struggled even more. Clarence Kirkpatrick is expected to step in against LHP and push Wade to 3B. We could win the job outright. He could lose his spot to AAA if he struggles. The Robins might also look to whoever signs Dave Wilfer. Brooklyn sees him as a great fit, but can't seem to find enough change in the couch to get a deal done.
Manual, Hirose, and Ayala could also be players, though not ideal. The good part is that everyone has options. So maybe the hottest hand plays. If the infield offense turns out to suck, Brooklyn could just bring up Jose Lopez. He could be the best defensive SS in the league and can at least hit a little. Probably not much of a drop off from the rest of the current infielders.
OF
Harold Smith (7/8/7/4/8 Ratings)
Mario Balderas (7/5/8/6/10 Ratings)
William Belcham (7/7/2/3/8 Ratings)
Michael MacCrain (6/5/6/4/7 Ratings)
Jose Zuniga (7/9/6/4/7 Ratings)
Jose Campos (5/7/4/5/5 Ratings)
Carlos Alonso (6/9/3/4/8 Ratings)
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Herve Billy (5/6/4/4/8 Ratings)
Antony Henderson (5/7/5/6/7 Ratings)
Fred Carrier (6/6/6/5/8 Ratings)
Cameron Bentley (6/7/4/4/8 Ratings)
Bart Scott (5/5/3/5/6 Ratings)
With Alfredo Salazar playing about 100 exits down the Garden State Parkway, it looks like Harold Smith and Mario Balderas will move back to their respective corner spots and William Belcham and Michael MacCrain will platoon in CF. But wait... Jose Zuniga is developing fast. Brooklyn could be faced with the offense vs defense dilemma. Zuniga is blocked at 1B/DH. He could play LF. Or at least stand there with a glove in his hand and watch fly ball after flyball drop to his left and right. Putting Zuniga in left would mean Balderas moving back to CF. I mean, Brooklyn made this work last year and almost made it to the dance. So anything is possible.
Honestly, I could see Brooklyn trading something away here. Zuniga could be the centerpiece that nets something big. Harold Smith has good some solid value as well. If Brooklyn traded one or both of them, then we'd see a Belcham/Alonso platoon in LF and a Campos/MacCrain duo in CF. That would be a dynamic defense that would probably amass just enough offense to justify it. Especially if it brings back a superstar at another position.
Herve Billy and Anthony Hernandez are expected to serve on the taxi squad and give injury relief when needed. Both players are solid defenders and can cover most of the diamond if needed. Billy is expected to be cross trained this year in AAA and come September, he should be affluent in all 3 outfield positions, and most of the infield.
Carrier and Bentley are serviceable AAAA type players ready to step in if catastrophe happens. Both players have that high avoid K type approach that has seemed to work in Brooklyn. Carrier put up a .310/.397/.513 line in AAA last season while Bentley shinned in the WCB this spring. Both players are also relatively young. They are nothing to get excited about, but it's a good feeling to have backup plans to the backup plans. Just in case.
Bart Scott probably didn't earn the right to be in camp. His one redeeming quality is that he is the only Robins International find in the past decade to make it past single A. Ok, I just made that up. It might not be accurate, but sadly it probably is.
So there it is folks. I may or may not get to the pitchers. Maybe it's better to keep that a mystery though. Seeing the headers... Opener, Low Leverage Bulk, High Leverage Bulk, Specialist, and Stopper rather then the traditional SP/RP/CL might be too much for the brain to take anyway.
