Slugger Shavings 2045.02 - Spring Training Decisions - Rotation Contenders

GM: Brian Pinnell

Moderator: RT60

sjshaw
Ex-GM
Posts: 587
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2019 4:09 pm
Has thanked: 292 times
Been thanked: 105 times

Slugger Shavings 2045.02 - Spring Training Decisions - Rotation Contenders

Post by sjshaw » Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:30 pm

In the previous Shavings installment, we looked at three rotation locks coming into Spring Training. We also acknowledged that two of those three might miss a game or two somewhere along the way, or have a recovery go sideways. This has been the reality in Louisville for quite a while. Famously, in our 2043 championship run, we lost SP after SP during the season, and were only saved by Playoff Stan Palacios and James Browning's miraculous Willis Reed-type recovery in the last few weeks of the season.

That experience was scarring enough that we doubled down on our in-progress efforts to improve our SP depth (that didn’t involve overpaying geriatric SP in free agency).

Through a combination of trading, drafting, and microscopic-level examination of the waiver wire and minor league free agency, we think we've succeeded. Part of that effort included these guys, all of whom are easily good enough to pitch every 5th day for us or anybody else. At least two of them will be doing so on Opening Day, and the other two will be "next man up" during the season.



Image

SP Juan García - Acquired in the infamous Omaha trade-a-palooza of 2043, Juan has enough of a track record that we know what he is. And that is a solid #4 SP type. He's going to put up an ERA and FIP in the low 4s, strike out 8-10 batters per 9 IP, and give up a metric assload (equivalent to an imperial shit-ton) of HR. He's always an option to swing to the pen and be an outstanding K-focused RP.


Image

SP Andrés Salinas - Here is an example of drafting occasionally paying off. Taken 24th overall in 2041, Salinas leapt up the org ladder, before being traded to Omaha, and then traded back to Louisville in, yes, the infamous Omaha trade-a-palooza of 2043. He didn't impress in 2043 when pressed into duty during our injury apocalypse, but we chalk that up to his not being ready. He got three starts last season and impressed, putting up a 3.86 ERA and 3.11 FIP despite a .328 BABIP. We will be watching him closely in Spring to see whether he can build on those successful starts.


Image

SP Mike MacRobb - This is a fascinating player. We pulled him off the minor league free agency scrap heap in 2042 as a 6/5/7 SP, hoping he would make a good RHP specialist after a RP conversion. Then, he lumped to 7/4/6 in 2044, completely failing during his cup of coffee (4 GS, 5+ ERA and FIP), and we pretty much wrote him off. Then he tore his labrum.

Now, he's the god you see above. I LOVE OOTP! All is not unicorns shitting rainbows, though. He's fragile; which, c'mon... he wouldn't be a LOU pitcher otherwise. He also throws sidearm, so he is far from a sure thing as a SP. But we hope beyond hope that he can put it all together.


Image

SP Edward Crutcher - Another example of how I like to build my teams. I found him on the mLFA scrap heap (sound familiar) in 2040 after he went undrafted. He was a 4/2/3 SP. The he was a 5/2/4 SP. Then he was a 6/4/6 SP. Then he was a 7/5/8. And now he is the man you see before you. We have upheld his honor in many trade talks during this process, and he is ready to be deflowered by the Heartland. We want to keep him in AAA as injury/performance insurance, but if his Spring performance is undeniable, it may be proverbial prom night sooner than expected.
GM, Louisville Sluggers, end of 2038 - current

Image

Return to “Louisville Sluggers”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests