The Farm Report for April 2053: Indianapolis Downforce
by Nes Lessman, Yellow Springs Journal
Greetings, Gardeners! As we roll into the second month of the minor league season, it's time once again to take a look at the minor league system for the struggling Yellow Springs Nine. Is there help on the way? The short answer is: Probably not.
The overall rating of the minors slipped from second to third, but as noted last month, I'm not convinced those numbers are in any way correct. And since two of the top players should be considered non-prospects shortly (Reece and Morin), I expect the ranking to crash quickly.
Speaking of crashes, let's look at the Downforce and their continued struggles that should make anyone who's a fan of the team extremely concerned.
Indianapolis Downforce, 22-42, 5th place, 13 games back.Other than it's pitching staff being middle of the road in strikeouts (7th), there is absolutely nothing good going on with this team. Not a darn thing. How bad it is? Their expected leader in runs batted in is on pace for 59 Logan Bannon(Logan Bannon, a total non-prospect at 26, playing 3rd with no power or defense and unlikely to be back in 2054 even at a league minimum salary). The home run "king" is 1B Anil DasriAnil Dasri, on pace for 27. No pitcher is projected to make 10 wins. There are some players who might make their way into the Nine's plans on the pitching side, but the offense looks to be nothing but backups.
The real issue here is that there's no one who stands out. As noted, that's a product of drafting lower, but it also means that the lower picks aren't hitting like they should. Because you can't say it's a general lowering of talent among those the BBA will be evaluating – that's league-wide. So this is just a matter of whiffing too often on folks like "2B" Evan Walburn (2nd round 2047, barely able to hit at .267 in AAA with 0 home runs and cannot field anything as extensively covered elsewhere) or OF Arnold Campos (2048 round 1 pick, currently batting .224 in 55 games with 7 hr and OPS of .648). Drafting is hard and unpredictable, but the Nine seem to have struggled mightily starting in the later part of the 2040s and it's hurting them badly now, as the main team needs reinforcements that just aren't there.
In the words of one scout, "Who's hot? Nobody?"
It will get better when more players from AA arrive, but they're probably not until the end of this season, depending on how things go. But here's where it stands right now:
Harvested:
IF Bernie Mulholland. The 21 year old 5th round pick from 2052 came up when the team took a double hit, losing both its starting middle infielders. He was batting a decent .266 with 5 HR and 25 RBIs and is likely only there until one or both recover. Being on the shuttle team list is likely his ceiling, as he's purely defensive filler right now.
P Brian Groves. After recovering from a lengthy injured list stint, a sparking 8 games with Indianapolis got him the call to aid an area of weakness for the main team that should have been an area of strength. He gave up only 3 earned runs in 10.2 innings in the rehab assignment, with 9 stirkeouts to 2 walks, and should be a candidate to remain up for good.
P Adamnan Maryadi. After being one of the options available casualties, Maryadi was added after the bullpen basically exploded, leaving GM McMonigal no choice but to let a former first rounder go in P Frances Pfiffer (now a member of the Surfers and looking like the first round pick he should have been, leading to speculation the Nine's pitching coach may not be long for this world). Maryadi has been far worse. Despite solid numbers in Indy (3 runs in 14 innings, k/9 of 9, 3.2 bb/9), he's got a 13.50 ERA in 4 games, managing only 3.1 innings. It's a huge regression since getting to the big leagues and he may not remain for long.
P Phillippe Doumont. A minor league free agent in 2044(!), this casualty of having an option wasn't doing great at Indy, but got promoted anyway. So far, so good, as he's got a 3.18 ERA in 5.2 innings pitched. Exactly the kind of stability the team was lacking.
Re-Seeded:
OF Carl Maitland. Like Mulholland, Maitland is going to be a shuffleboard player, ready to go when a player is injured. His 2 hits in 13 at bats with the Nine this year mean that if a longer-term injury occurs he's likely to not even warrant that. The former international free agent signing isn't a bad player in a pinch, but not someone you want as a regular, coming up only to spell Brisset while he recovered from a nagging injury.
P Bartolo Romero. Part of the bad bullpen, Romero was sent out to get more seasoning. Unfortunately, he's not just bland, he's bitter. After a 6.61 ERA in Ohio, he's got a 5.19 one in Indiana, with an insane 7 walks to match 7 strikeouts. A 10th round pick who's probably overachieved, it's unlikely he sticks unless something radically changes and gets back to his 2.52 Nine numbers of a 3.80 ERA, 6.2 k/9 and WHIP of 1.24. (His whip is 1.85 in Indy right now.)
Notable New Seedlings:
SP Dave O'Reilly. After doing well in AA once returned in the R5 draft, O'Reilly got the call to AAA in anticipation of a roster addition this fall. He's...not done great. 1-1 in 4 starts with a gaudy 5.03 ERA, but that's tempered by an insane .421 BABIP. His 9.6 k/9 and only 1.8 bb/9 are more important stats, especially given how many Nine minor leaguers have stone hands. His last game he gave up 10 hits but only allowed 1 run, striking out 8. He's definitely still a player to watch.
Water Them:
Utility Man Damon Zorn is batting .311 and can play all the infield positions (not always well but can play them) as well as right field and should get a chance to show he can be a backup in the big leagues.
SP Benjamin Broadbent remains about the same as he's been, a pitcher with a great k/9 (9.5 at last look) good walk ratio (1.99/9) and a ton of keeping people off the base paths (on pace for another 200Ks), but a mediocre overall ERA in the 4.50 range. He's definitely ready to be called upon but is likely blocked by the aging rapidly Lee.
P Joe Davis (2047 first round pick) is handling a swingman role fairly well, with a 3.38 ERA and a 10.1 k/9, but his bb/9 is 5.9. That's going to hold him back.
P Matt Spears (2051 first round pick) is still in the bullpen, with a 3.15 ERA, 9.9 k/9 and a much better 1.8 bb/9. The only main reason to keep him in Indy is his contract clock, which doesn't need to be started until the end of the season. Unless the Nine are thinking of a playoff push, it might make sense to keep him here at Indy.
P Chris Lacey (2045 3rd round pick) is most likely to get the next call up, as he's already on the 40 man. His stats aren't as stellar, but 7.00 k/9, 2.0 bb/9, 1 HR in over 18 at bats, and a 3.92 ERA could be enticing.
The Bottom Line: If Nine fans are hoping Indy has players who can make a significant impact on the main team, they can forget it. I maintain my position that many of the players on the field can and will be swapped out for out of work former major leaguers. There's just no prospects of note on the offense and losing any of them wouldn't hurt the main team long-term. The only hope is on the pitching side, and even that's mostly unproven and likely to be filling out the pen in 2054, since major changes have to be on the way there, sooner rather than later.
