By Nes Lessman, for the Yellow Springs Journal
Well my friendly farmers, the 2054 minor league seasons are underway and your humble, award-winning reporter, Nes Lessman is here and ready to start talking with you about them! Last year wasn't kind to the Nine's farm clubs as a general rule, save the rookie team, and so far, 2054 is off to a bit of a rough start as well. The team is ranked 22nd in the Brewster overall for their minors and they only have 3 players in the top 200, all three of which are pitchers. The pitching logjam was so bad at AAA level that GM Rob McMonigal had a massive wave of DFAs just to keep the Indianapolis pitching roster to a still bloated 14-man staff.
So speaking of Indianapolis, just how are they doing? Let's take a look, shall we?
Indianapolis Downforce, 13-20, 5th place, 12 games back.
Stop me if you've heard this before: The Nine's AAA team isn't very good. After a 10-14 start that gave the fans, and probably the management, a bit of encouragement, the team promptly dropped 4 of its last five games. While the pitching is between good and decent, there's just no offense (the highest ranking is home runs, where the team is 12th) and the defense remains poor (10th in defensive efficiency). There will be players advocating to go up to the big league squad, especially if certain pitchers or backups remain unable to hit/throw, but there's not a lot of help on the way.
As we did with the year end report, I'll solely be focused on the actual prospects.
Starting Pitching:
Benjamin Broadbent looked ready in Spring, and looks ready now. 3-1 on a losing team, he has a 3.57 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 9.2 k/9 vs 2.1 bb/9. He's on pace for 179Ks in AAA, but won't get there because he's a certain September call up, if not earlier. His production could prompt a trade, with either he or another player going out the door. At just 24, he's got a promising career ahead.
Dave O'Reilly at 25 is a slightly older version of Broadbent, with similar numbers (2-3, 3.40 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 10.2 k/9, 2.5 bb/9, on pace for a 183Ks. He throws insanely hard and is also just about ready for the majors, but there's a blockage at starter right now. Another candidate to either be traded or who will find his way on the Nine staff before too long because of trade.
Ricardo Martinez is on the bubble as a prospect. He's got great K numbers (10/9, on pace for 200 whiffs), but his bb/9 is 4.6 this year, which is better than 5.8 in 2053 but still probably too high to make him a BBA regular and with a 1.7 million dollar price tag, he's an expensive experiment. He's got 3 great pitches but can't keep a handle on them. Probably his final year at Indy and possibly the Nine.
Bullpen:
Matt Spears had a down year in 2053, more than doubling his era (to 5.95) ad watching his WHIP explode to 1.81. He almost was released in the Great Designation, per my sources, but his potential movement ability kept him alive. So far, so good – a 2.08 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in limited duty puts him back in the mix for a September call up, which he did not receive in 53. But with fierce competition coming up, he's got to work fast. The former #1 draft pick really needs to show something, or he'll join others that McMonigal has jettisoned.
Jesus Ruiz was a scrap heap pick up last July, but he pitched well in AA (2.33 ERA in 11 games, 1.07 WHIP) and is picking that pace up at AAA, where he has a 3.07 ERA in 7 games and a .89 WHIP. He has 4 pitches in his arsenal and works his ass off. It might pay off here soon with a trip to Yellow Springs.
Jason Drew is running out of time to prove himself, despite being a second round pick in 2050. He was lousy as a starter in 2053, so they're trying him as a middle reliever, with mixed results so far (3.97 ERA, but a concerning 1.50 WHIP, down only slightly from 1.61 last year.
Position Players
Infielder Arthur Cole has a powerful swing (25 HR in 52, 6 HR in 53) for his position, but he's not the best in the field. They're trying him at second, short, and third right now, and while the results are still short, it does appear he's been able to improve at second, with a .7 zone rating and a 1.058 efficiently. He's even got 5.35 range, which would be good for third in the BBA right now. So while scouts still aren't seeing a lot in Cole, if he can pick his batting average up to around .250 and maintain the home run swing, there might be a chance Cole takes over for Thum.
Infielder Damon Zorn has a solid bat for average (.274 this year, career .266 at AAA) and can play all the infield positions, including 3rd, where Pickens appears to be talented but fragile. In a salary cap league, that's a valuable skill and he might finally get a chance to show what he can do, depending on how things go with the big league club.
Outfielder Arnold Campos is another former first round pick that looks likely to be a bust. As he ages (he's now 26), Campos should be drilling AAA pitching. Instead, his average keeps going down (.252, .221. and now .227), with a decrease in power. With a zone rating of around zero and range under 2, there's not a lot to like about Campos and he's almost certainly a 40-man roster casualty in waiting.
The Bottom Line
The Downforce remain on the downswing, and unless there's a major trade (unlikely given how GM are holding on to their good minor-league players), it's likely more of the same for another few years.
