Drunk and Lonely Musings: 1995 #4 - Rise of the Empire

[ronzonie7]

Roman Empire is one hell of a pedigree. Fresh out of the 1995 draft, where he was the second overall pick, he was placed in the Top-10 of all prospects in the entire MBBA. He then went straight to A ball, and started his big league career 9 for 20, while playing flawlessly in the field.

News of his success in A ball have spread up to the big league club, and the team has reported a huge spike in Moonshiner/Empire related merchandise. Already, the team is planning 'Gladiator' themed days for 1996, hoping to build a local relationship between the big club and the young hitter, who represents a major piece of the future of the team.

Now, it is up to the team to figure out where to put him in 1996; does he go straight to AAA, to test his feet against some quality arms? Should he dominate AA a bit, first? We tend to push our prospects, when we have them, so AAA is the logical bet, at this point. Another change will almost certainly be a permanent shift to SS, where we think he could become even more valuable. The SS picture might appear to be cloudy, at the big league level, but things will likely shake out over the offseason to bring clarity. Jake Urban looks to be our 1996 staring SS, thanks to Leroy Lane wanting over 13 million a year. Talks have basically broken down, after Lane dismissed an incentive laden 9 million dollar contract. Since then, he's upped his demands from 11 to 13 million a year, and wants a 4 year term. He'll be lucky to get that in the FA market, which is where he is headed.

When Empire is ready, look for Urban to shift over to 3rd, giving us one hell of a young offensive left side of the infield. We are stoked just thinking about that. Shiner fans will probably be waiting until 1997 before that comes to fruition, but we can certainly dream now!

[recte44]

I would def move him to AA next season and let him dominate there first, at least for the 1st half.