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2038.02 - It's a New Day!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:24 am
by mikeb41
It's a new day, yes it is! The Hawaii Tropics are headed to spring training for the first time under the watchful eye of their new General Manager.

The off-season was a busy one, "borderline overwhelming" as described by one executive within the organization.

The off-season began with several players on the trade block, with three being shipped elsewhere in an effort to collect more youthful depth within the organization.

Out: SP Juan Trujillo, 2B Fernando Martinez, P Lee Morgan, P Charlie Iron-Knife

In: 2B Jack Nichols, 2B Hugh Powell, 3B Francisco Cortez, P Nobuo Jouda, P Enrico Morales, RF Doeke Soethout, SP Sancho Torres and RF Daniel Serrano

"We turned three young players and a pending free agent into a small collection of young prospects we were interested in. I think everybody got what they wanted out of the three deals we made" Asst GM Carlos Garcia explained.

The Tropics also went deep into the Rule 5 draft:

Drafted 2B Norberto Lozano in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 3, 3rd overall Pick), from the Twin Cities River Monsters.
Drafted 2B Robinson González in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 2, Pick 3, 33rd overall Pick), from the Yellow Springs Nine.
Drafted C Dan Calhoun in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 3, Pick 3, 63rd overall Pick), from the Rockville Pikemen.
Drafted CF Matt Clark in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 4, Pick 3, 93rd overall Pick), from the San Antonio Outlaws.
Drafted LF Harry Scott in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 5, Pick 3, 123rd overall Pick), from the Omaha Hawks.
Drafted 3B Mário Gorjo in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 6, Pick 3, 153rd overall Pick), from the Twin Cities River Monsters.
Drafted 3B Ed Howell in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 7, Pick 3, 183rd overall Pick), from the Valencia Stars.
Drafted SP Jorge Aguilar in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 8, Pick 3, 213rd overall Pick), from the California Crusaders.
Drafted SP Ghi-cheng Kum in the 2037 Rule 5 Draft (Round 9, Pick 3, 243rd overall Pick), from the Des Moines Kernels.

"Our thought process here was, we can be a 60 win team with the roster we have - or maybe we can find less than expensive alternatives that make us better than many expect," he went on to explain.

The last big move they made was a total overhaul of their coaches. "We wanted guys who had something to prove, but also fit our style that will hopefully help build a culture here long term," said Garcia.

The Tropics are entering spring with almost every job up for grabs and a lot of players they are excited to see on the field. They have invited 68 players to spring training, and manager Aurelien Guerin made it clear on the first day that almost every spot is up for grabs.

"You know Buchanan behind the dish, Aguilar at first, Tallent at second, and Allen in left are probably the only guys who have a spot secured no matter the performance here. That leaves a lot of opportunity not only for starting roles, but bench and utility spots as well."

When asked about who he was excited to see Guerin had no hesitation.

"Leonard Jones for sure. The kid was told he is a center fielder, but he's got tremendous talent at second and short. He's going to get a chance to be an everyday SS. I'm curious to see if Campbell can grab a roster spot here. He might need another year in AAA, but he's eager to prove himself. I want to see if Campbell's presence here pushes de Best to be the outfielder we expect him to be."

As for pitchers, your guess is as good as ours and Guerin's.

"We invited 33 arms here because I'll be honest, there is a lot to figure out with this pitching staff. "McConnell, Taub, and Torres are probably the only guys coming here with a big league job guaranteed. I wanna see what kids like Johnson and Trinidad have. Those would be the two kids I'm most excited to see. But we have a lot of arms who have similar talent, and seeing who steps up when given a chance will probably play a major role in deciding who stays and who goes down."

The Tropics are projected to win between 70-77 games by most experts. That would be an improvement over last year. Should be an interesting year in Hawaii for sure!

Re: 2038.02 - It's a New Day!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:05 am
by bcslouck
mikeb41 wrote:
Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:24 am
It's a new day, yes it is!
Image

Re: 2038.02 - It's a New Day!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:13 am
by usnspecialist
As a fan I'm excited to see what Hawaii can develop into. As a division rival not so much.