by Nes Lessmman, for the Journal
Unfortunately for fans of the Spartans, the team is now getting filled up by players from the god-awful Tarpons. That means the 2054 edition is unlikely to have a winning record, let alone compete. There's very little star material down here, as you'll soon see. Let's cruise our way into more details…
Santa Cruz Spartans, 14-19, 4th place, 6.5 games back
The Spartans are strange because they're very uneven. The team isn't bad in terms of getting on base (6th in average, 8th in OPS), but just 11th in runs scored and has a combined WAR of 3.1 among the batters. Meanwhile, pitching is strikingly worse from last year, ranked 12 in starter ERA and 11th in the bullpen. But they can strike out like no one's business, with the team ranked third. Which is good, because the 13th ranked defense is allowing far too many hits, just like it did when many of these players were in A-ball.
How does this break down on an individual basis? Not great, as you'll soon see.
Starting Pitching
Ken Plante leads the staff and his numbers in AA are similar to what they were with the Tarpons. He's hurt big time by BABIP, at .348, even higher than the .337 it was in A-ball. But he hurts himself with walks, holding a 4.9 bb/9, which makes his 12.7 k/9 really look less than it is, because he's still got a WHIP of 1.46. He's on pace for over 240 strikeouts, but the underlying numbers aren't going to be good enough to hold down a BBA job as a starter. The trade looks like a big L for GM Rob McMonigal.
John Jenson, a subject of trade rumours because of the backlog of starting pitchers in the Nine's system, however, is holding his own despite the rest of the team. He's 2-2, with a 4.19 ERA, but his whip is 1.31 and his bb/9 is 2.6 against a k/9 of 8.9, which is as good as his days as a starter in high school. Just 18, the young man has a lot of potential and probably will spend all year in AA, moving to AAA in 2055, since he's not even close to Rule 5 eligible and needs time to really hone his stuff and movement. Scouts like him a lot, and so do rival GMs, with good reason.
Bullpen
Miguel Dias, a second round pick in 2049, is in his second year at Santa Cruz, with a 3.72 ERA, .93 WHIP, and 5 saves as the team's closer. His 14 k/9 and just 2.8 bb/9 are good lines to have, and the only knock is that his sinker/slider combo makes him vulnerable to the longball, making him a bit of a danger in high pressure situations. Still, Dias looks poised to push someone out of Indy sooner rather than later, either by promotion or DFA.
Juan Rivas, the Tarpons' former closer, has had a rough introduction to AA, but that's largely due to an insane .426 BABIP in the first 11 games he's played in. His ERA is an ugly 5.19, and his walk rate 5.7/9 alongside a 1.96 WHIP have got to get better fast or he'll fall off the team's radar.
Ali Bin Noori, a scrap heap pick up in 2053 who did well in 11 games in single A has continued to shine for an uneven bullpen. He has a 1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched, using his 4 pitches well, even if scouts rate them on the low side. He's known for his smarts and a balanced approach and at 25, could still be talking his way into the future conversations of the bullpen. We'll see.
Position Players
Outfielder Timm Meyers continues to hit well, batting .323 so far in 2054 with an OPS of .842, which is good enough to do two things: 1) Get him into Indianapolis, who have nothing going on in the outfield and 2) Potentially get him a corner outfielder job in the BBA – if he can field better. Fielding is Meyers's issue, and it's surprising the team has only gotten him 7 starts in right field so far. He needs to be showing what he can do with the glove, because a .300 hitting DH with 8-12 home rums isn't going to work on a successful Nine team – or any other squad.
Outfielder Taysir Saleem has been getting the bulk of the starts in right, and his range is limited, but he has a zone rating of 1 and an efficiency of 1.010 so there's that. He also has 5 home runs already with a .267 batting average, so the former scouting discovery has a shot at being a corner outfielder backup in the majors if nothing else. Like Meyers, he's likely to end up in AAA before too long. There's nothing blocking him.
Catcher Yeon-hun Kok is batting .277, right around his typical .270 range from year to year. He frames pitches decently and isn't a liability at the plate, so he likely will slot into a backup catcher role in the majors, if he makes it that far.
There's really no one else who's viable at this time, but we'll see what May brings. The infield feels like a black hole of players.
The Bottom Line
It's going to be a long year for Spartan fans. This team doesn't look like it's going anywhere fast.
