2057.17 Lessman Speeds Through the 2056 Road Runners

[Trebro]

Lessman Speeds Through the 2056 Road Runners

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.

The Road Runners have been McMonigal's best minor league team since he took over, winning a Championship (a rare feat for any Nine team!) and staying in the thick of the playoffs year in and year out. How did that 2056 team fare when I sort out the Heroes and Zeroes? Let's see!

Heroes:

Starters:

Bortolo Borquez. 21. This hard-throwing second round pick in 2056 was off to a promising start when he injured his hamstring and ended his season. His 4-1 record, 1.74 ERA, .66 (Not a typo) WHIP and 2.2 WAR in just 6 games showed just how much promise he has, and why his signing bonus was so high (3.8 million). Hist first two games as a profession were shutouts, with 2 and 3 hits only respectively! The dude finished third in pitcher of the year voting despite missing almost the entire season. I'm sure McMonigal is on pins and needles hoping this young man recovers and can pitch to great success in Short A this coming season. Fun fact: Borquez was a teammate of the Nine's first round pick, Hans Schwarzacher. 3M was nearly unstoppable with these two as their 1-2 punch. I'm sure Nine fans are dreaming of the same coming up next decade.

RP Javier Diaz. 20. 2056's fourth round pick veered from McMonigal's typical pattern of taking starting pitching until the later rounds, but it paid off, at least so far. Stepping into the closer's shoes he was 2-5 with 21 saves in 30 games. His WHIP of 1.23 was not bad for his first year, but will need to be improved on if he wants to keep going up the ladder. Especially since he's only a 2 pitch guy who isn't a fireballer. I could go either way on if he plays another year in Rookie ball. Typically McMonigal promotes if they do well, but it wasn't like he was lights out.

Position Players:

If Dennis Rollins. 18. Just 18, this 6th round pick from 2055 got a chance to show his stuff and played well at second, with a zone rating of 6.3 and range of 5.48. With an .841 OPS and 2.7 WAR, he'll enter the conversations as a player with potential. He also racked up the 2056 best glove and best bat awards at his position, which is a rarity at any level. He's young enough to stay in Rookie, but that would be a third year and it's unlikely McMonigal will do that. I'll pencil him in as at least a spot starter with Cat Island in 2057.

OF George Wethington. 21. 2056's third round pick for the Nine spent time all across the outfield, proving strong defense at all three positions, even center field, where he'd been just okay in college. His 4.7 ZR in right field was definitely his strongest suit, however. He doesn't have a lot of room to grow on offense but if he can his around his 2056's .293/.357/.432 along with his glove skills, Wethington has a strong future ahead of him. Plus, I think everyone wants to see that mustache in the Journal more often. He'll be in Short A for sure in 2057.

Zeroes:

OF Jorge Ramirez. 20. Ramirez was added to the Nine organization in mid-2055, with scouts high on his potential. He'd failed to sign with Nashville, who drafted him, and McMonigal kicked the tires. Well, the tires may have a definite flat. I've heard people around the team mutter that Ramirez doesn't try to improve himself, which is why the BBA national scouts think he's going to be great and the results just aren't there. He got a chance to work full time and hit just .226, with only 2 home runs and and OPS of a backup catcher-level .567, which was good for a negative WAR of -.9. He might stick around but is likely a post-draft roster casualty, either for the Road Runners or the Pirates.

OF Lufti Alican. 20. An international scouting discovery in 2053, Alican probably Alican't. He was signed to play in Cuba by McMonigal's team because he has great defensive potential at all three outfield positions, but there were some concerns about his bat and the young man's ability to try hard enough to improve it. While he did well in centerfield as Wethington's backup, he batted just .138 with an OPS of .327. That's nearly impossible to do much worse and not be outright released. I have a feeling Alican will be shown the door sooner rather than later, but his flashes with the leather might give him a fleeting shot at sticking as organization filler.