by Nes Lessman for the Yellow Springs Journal
December 3, 2053
You know from my previous reports how little I thought of the Tarpons, which was for a while one of the worst teams in all of minor league baseball. Okay, maybe not, but it sure felt like it trying to follow their (lack of progress) through the first few months of the year. They got better, mostly because GM Rob McMonigal started adding people who could actually play their positions, but it still made for a lot of bad baseball at one of the key stages of development. At 50-90, there weren't a lot of bright spots, but we'll hit the highlights, such as they were, here:
Starting Pitching:
The obvious leader here was Ken Plante, who has been, as expected, added to the 40 man roster. Plante will be forever infamous because of the trade that brought him to the Nine, and living up to those expectations is going to be hard. But he did show signs of improvement despite the team's inability to field, with a .337 BABIP, He increased his k/9 to 8 from 7.1, but his walks did tick up to a dangerous 4.1/9, making his WHIP an unappealing 1.57. He had an injury that slowed him down a bit as well, but the biggest issue is still consistency, often going 7 or 8 innings of 2 run ball one night, then getting blasted in the next start. He's just 23, and so there's plenty of time for him to develop into the star GM McMonigal was hoping for. He'll move to AA ball and then we'll have a much better idea of whether this was a good trade or a horrible one. My money's still inclined to the latter.
None of the other starters were amazing who finished the year in A ball. Mauro Pena, a 10th round pick in 2050, had a similar WHIP (1.54) and was let down often by the fielders, sporting a .355 BABIP. Soichiro Ito (a 2046 scouting discovery) had a 4.34 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and k/9 of 7.1. Doug McLaughlin, another scouting find from 2048, bombed at A ball with a 9.00 ERA in 5 starts and just 22 innings pitched. There's really no hope in the pitching ranks right now at this level, at least for those looking to take the mound at the start of the game.
Bullpen:
It's not any better in the relief pitching department. No one here stands out as a future BBA regular. The best of the group is likely Candrin Ruchika, a 24 year old who played in 35 games, starting 2. He had an ERA of 3.74, one of the best on the squad, with a k/9 of 9.2 and bb/9 of 2.1. Lyndon Grisham came up from Short A mid-season and played solidly, 3.86 ERA in 13 games, continuing his improvement since moving out of a starting pitching role. At just 20, the former 5th round pick from 2050 has some potential, but he's likely going to start at the Tarpons again in 2054.
At first blush, it looks like left hander Jeremy Smith is the best of the bunch, with a 2.76 ERA in 23 games (5 starts), but that's because he got very lucky, with a .257 BABIP. His Whip was still 1.56 and he has an ungodly 5.5 bb/9. The 2045 scouting discovery is good organizational filler, but nothing more.
Starting Players:
The next bad word I hear about OF Timm Meyers as a person will the be the first. He's a nose to the grindstone type of guy. Salt of the earth. Works his ass off. But…Can't hit for power. Appears to play the outfield from the cheap seats, with negative range at every position he's tried. Strikes out way too much despite some scouts saying he's better than average at avoiding the whiff. Probably no future but will likely get a chance at AA to straighten things out. He'll need to either beef up or get better defensively to ever see the BBA, at least with the nine.
Cesar Avia is the left-handed version of Meyers. Can't field, either, but does a little better at getting on base. His being a lefty might get him a bit more opportunities, but not much.
No one else, barring a miracle, has a prayer of getting to the BBA. Hell, making it to AA might be only because they have to ensure a full roster and I expect McMonigal would bring in AAAA players to cover holes at Indianapolis before going to the likes of Jonah McMurray (.567 OPS) or Kevin Kennedy (.650). This team is a big black hole of no talent right now.
Overall, what I wrote just a moment ago is the bottom line: The Tarpons didn't have a great 2053, and while it will be better in 2054 because of some help from Short A, it's going to take awhile before this team is a winner again, unless McMonigal finds some diamonds among the indie leagues.
