2057.13 Nes Lessman Scouts the Spartans

[Trebro]

Editor's note: Our amazing, award-winning farm reporter, Nes Lessman, wrote some amazing work about the Yellow Springs Nine 2056 minor league seasons, the first in which the organization under GM Rob McMonigal reached that achievement. Unfortunately, they got lost in our offices until recently and are presented here for our readers to see just how good Lessman is at evaluating talent.

This team really baffles me. It never seems to have great players (though it's about to get some) and yet it continues to win. They never sniff a championship, but hey, that's a long-standing Nine tradition. Here's what I thought about the 2056 soldiers at Santa Cruz...

The Heroes:

Starters:

Ron McLish. 25. A minor league free agent signing in 2056 that got a healthy 6-figure bonus, McLish didn't disappoint, garnering 4 WAR by going 14-10 in 182.2 IP. There are still some concerns about his WHIP (1.41) and his k/9 is lower than McMonigal typically likes (5.8) but his .3 HR/9 and FIP- of 84 are solid numbers that should get him moved to AAA in 2057. He's almost certainly going to move to the bullpen, either now or later.

Mauro Pena. 26. A 10th round pick from 2051, Pena went 10-9 in 143 innings pitched, which is weird because all his stamina work on his off days shows a player who can throw deep into games. It was still good for a 2.9 WAR and FIP- of 87. He has a pedestrian 1.35 WHIP, but some potential.

Relievers:

None. Nothing against the players who filled bullpen roles but at this time, I don't see anyone here who is making a strong case to be in the conversation. Given AAA is already stacked with pitchers, it's unlikely anyone from this group, unless they've aged out, will move to Indianapolis.

Position Players:

1B (sort of)/DH Mike Woodruff. 26. This is Woodruff's second turn in the Yellow Springs organization, having spent 2055 outside of it. He came back with a vengeance, hitting .362 with a WAR of 4.2 and an OPS of .983. Mike had 54 extra base hits, almost 1/3 of his total hits of 168.The problem is his inability to even modestly play first base. His only career path is as a DH and while he hits a lot of doubles, which can sometimes indicate more long balls upcoming, they aren't the type that turn into fence-clearing ones. That's part of why he was released originally, I suspect. At 26, it's time for him to move to AAA, but is there any room for him there?

OF (sort of) Phil Tatham. 21. Unlike Woodruff, Tatham, an 8th round pick in 2052, the last draft of the Ron Collins era, has time to fix some of the issues that plague him as a fielder, where he is a net negative. Moved to Santa Cruz after 2 middling years with the Tarpons, Tatham exploded from an OPS of .679 in 2055 to .898 in 2056 against stiffer competition. This is likely due to his highly-praised work ethic, and all the time I've seen him remain in the gym or on the field taking extra batting practice is paying off. Now can he move forward with the glove? I'm skeptical, to be honest, based on what I've seen. But I wouldn't put it past him. At his young age, I expect another year at AA in 2057.

The Zeroes:

Honestly? No one. That's the weird circumstance the Santa Cruz Spartans found themselves in over the course of 2056. They didn't really have much in the way of standouts, some players passed through as a test, like Bob English, and honestly, even the heroes above are long-ish shots to be more than filler at the BBA level. Yet the team once again had a winning record for the third time out of the past four years. They're not flashy, but they win. They hit for average and don't give up huge piles of runs. It's like an entire team made up of 4th starters and 4th outfielders. Winning as they do simply makes no sense to me. I don't know what An is doing to make this happen, since he won't talk to anyone, but it's working. And given the talent coming his way, there's a huge chance he'll be going to the playoffs, possibly as early as this coming season.