2063.08 Nine Notes 2063 Internal Review: Shortstop

[Trebro]

Bo, as per your request, I am reviewing the entire 2063 team in depth. I am not sure how much this will help, but here we go. So we'll start with an internal review of the various positions. I'll note that I'm going to be listing people where they played the most for the Nine. I could probably have skipped shortstop for obvious reasons, but I don't give a damn...

Grade Guide:
A = Totally comfortable with what I have
B = Pretty comfortable with what I have
C = I'm okay with what I have
D = I really need to upgrade
F = I cannot go into next season like this

2063 Shortstop for the Nine:

Leslie Hartman, 21 (1st rd pick 2060) - .269 AVE, 9 HR, .716 OPS, wRC+ 94, 3.6 WAR
Arkakara Sammeta, 24 (International free agent 2055) - .164 Ave, 0 HR, .400 OPS, wRC+ 9, -0.4 WAR

Overall Position Grade in 2063: A-

I mean, come on. How else was going to grade this one, other than in the A range? Hartman, one of the most coveted players not currently on the trade market, had a very good rookie season, though I suspect that he underperformed some of the expectations people had for him. Which is weird to say when you have 3.6 WAR, a 13.4 ZR, 1.080 efficiency, and still batted a rather nice for a shortstop .269. And yet there's that wRC+ that's under 100 and the OPS is a bit lower than one might expect. There were, I think, some dreams of an All Star appearance, being a contender for Newcomer of the Year, and taking home the first of many Zimmers, the latter of which surprised one of my fellow GMs when it turned out he wasn't even in the running.

But none of that happened. Which maybe shouldn't be all that surprising. Despite at one point being the #29 prospect per the BBA scouts (who are admittedly often wrong), Hartman has no serious minor league hardware. He was a Batter of the Month once, in AA, and also was named to the Futures game last season, but that's it. Now part of it was moving up three levels in the same year (2061) but still, the lack of anything in College, R ball, or AAA is surprising. It may be that Hartman is just a Really Good Player and not insanely talented.

Or it could just be he's 21 and still learning the league. He was also used more than he had been in the past, and looks to have run out of gas in September, when he batted only .224. As with other players, I need to better manage that in 2064. But man, he's still pretty special, even if a bit of the shine might have worn off. I'm positive that many, many GMs would be happy to have him, and I certainly am.

Sammeta was a huge disappointment. He looked just about fully developed at AA, so I brought him up, hoping he could hit decently enough to give Hartman a bit more rest, since Gui wasn't going to be starting any games for me at shortstop if I could help it. But he batted just .211, so I sent him down to Indianapolis, where he batted .219. Ugh! I wasn't expecting miracles, but then he batted .146 in September when I brought him back to the Nine. Yikes! That's going to be a problem if it continues. I'm hoping he'll do better in the spring and can be my actual fifth or sixth infielder. His BBA level defense was top notch, getting 1.1 ZR at shortstop in limited action.

What's on Tap?

Stop me if you've heard this before: No one immediately. I thought Sammeta might be a person who could be useful, but he's kinda shunted to the side right now. So that means Martin Ortega has a chance to be a backup, especially given his ZR last year in Santa Cruz was 18.6. But he struggles with the bat as well. But the real one to watch is Sancho Garcia. He's going to be playing somewhere in the BBA very soon. The question is what position and for whom? It's awesome that he's versatile enough that I can plug him in wherever he's needed. I also like what I'm seeing from Hanbal bin Khaldunm but he's a baby and won't be in the mix for a long while yet.

What's the Plan?

Get Hartman some help so he can get more breathers during the season. That could be Sammeta if he improves or a free agent. I'd prefer the person to be able to hit .230 or so/have a wRC+ at least in the 70s, but but that's probably too much to ask. Just like how Inkster asked a bit too much out of Hartman in terms of starting games.

Current Verdict: I need Hartman to stay the course/get a bit better. If he regresses like a certain center fielder we'll be getting to eventually, I'm in big trouble.

Bo's Notes: Yeah, don't f this one up. Let the man cook. He'll get those awards in time. And don't even think about trading him or I'll kill you.

[jiminyhopkins]

Sounds like Hartman is the Costco Hot Dog of shortstops!

[Trebro]

Sounds like Hartman is the Costco Hot Dog of shortstops!

You mean extremely popular and the price to get him isn't changing?

[BaseClogger]

Hit a lot of doubles for a guy with 5 gap power. I’d expect a higher average but lower isoP. I figured he was the clear best defensive shortstop in the BBA.

[jiminyhopkins]

Sounds like Hartman is the Costco Hot Dog of shortstops!

You mean extremely popular and the price to get him isn't changing?

I was referencing the fact that the former Costco CEO told one of his VPs years ago that if he raised the price of the hot dog, he would kill him!

[Trebro]

Sounds like Hartman is the Costco Hot Dog of shortstops!

You mean extremely popular and the price to get him isn't changing?

I was referencing the fact that the former Costco CEO told one of his VPs years ago that if he raised the price of the hot dog, he would kill him!

Hahaha! I absolutely love that Costco has that line in the sand. And that they have such a delicious hot dog.