The Hawaii Tropics head into the 2044 Season looking to continue on their success. The Tropics took a wild card position out of the Frick League and then won the Geoghegan Round Series 3-1 over the Chicago Black Sox. They were knocked out in the Doubleday Series 4-1 by the Yellow Springs Nine.
In the off season, the Tropics lost 1B Manuel Aguilar, Jr. (Long Beach Surfers), RP Luis Torres (Montreal Blazers AAA) and RP Maxime Manceau (Sacramento Mad Popes).
The Tropics stayed out of the free agent market and filled in form their minor leagues.
The 2044 Hawaii Tropics Opening Day Roster:
Starters:
C Ron Shiplack- Shiplack will get the bulk of the starts behind the plate. He made a big improvement in his defense from 2042 to 43 and worked hard on these skills during the spring.
1B Gary Allen- Allen played 3B for the Tropics since 2041 but agreed to move to 1B with the departure of Manuel Aguilar, Jr. Allen never played 1B before professionally and dove right in during spring training. He committed just 1 error in over 70 innings of work in the field.
2B Jack “Junkyard” Nichols- Nichols isn an on base machine and can play average defense. He didn’t get as many at bats last season due to a slump but looks to get back to being an everyday player.
3B Miguel Rodriguez- Rodriguez is not your typical 3B but he provides good defense at multiple positions. He had another 2.5 WAR season in 2043 and was on base at a .375 clip.
SS Fernando Rodriguez- the young Rodriguez was supplanted last season as the starter at short but will receive another shot this season. He did steal 58 bases in 2042 but he needs to improve his defense and get on base more often to take advantage of his speed.
LF Bastiao Fardos- Everything seemed to come together for Fardos last season as he posted career highs of hits, triples, homers, RBI, SB, and average. He is a below average fielder but has improved the last few seasons. He posted a 4.6 WAR last season.
CF Ronnie Hubbard- Hubbard joined the Tropics early in the 2043 season and stabilized the Hawaii outfield. After he settled in, he put up 22 homers, stole 25 bases and had a 3.2 WAR in a Hawaii uniform.
RF Mike Campbell had a good year but he felt that it was a down year. He hit 40 homers and drove in 121 runs. His walks and OBP were down but he still posted a 3.5 WAR.
DH Ernest McBride- McBride put up HUGE numbers last season for Hawaii and brought home the Frick League Sawyer Silk. He blasted 60 homers, drove in 161 runs and scored 128 runs. He slugged .707 and posted an OPS of 1.100. Everyone expects more of the same from McBride.
Backups:
Backup C Enrique Dominguez]- Dominguez played most of last season at AAA Death Valley. Before the arrival of Shiplack he shared the job with C Steffen Peterson. Dominguez can control the running game and provide some rest for Shiplack over the season.
2B/SSPer Bakhuis- Bakhuis is a scouting discovery from The Netherlands getting his first shot in the BBA. Bakhuis plays great defense and the Tropics will pick their spots to use him.
LF Jose Camacho- makes the most of his limited opportunities. He has hit 25 homers in 419 at bats over 3 seasons and posted a combined 3.2 WAR in the same time frame.
LF Pierangelo Ferri- Ferri has worked his way through the Tropics system and is getting a shot as a pinch hitter, pinch runner and defensive replacement.
CF Manny Garcia- Garcia started last season in Hawaii but was sent down to get some reps at RF. He picked it up quickly and was brought back up to the big club. He saw limited action last year and will probably see a bit more this season.
CF Michel Noel- another defensive replacement that offers no offensive ability. He has struggled to get on base and is just in Hawaii for defense and pinch running.
Pitching Staff:
SP Alaric Wullenweber- Alaric is the Ace of the Staff. Last season he pitched a career high 229 1/3 innings going 13-12 with a 3.65 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He stuck out 10 batters per 9 innings and lowered his walks and HR allowed.
SP Zak Johnson - Johnson made a big improvement last season as dropped his walk rate from 3.5 per/9 to 1.3 per/9. He has become a solid #2 or #3.
SP Jesus Gonzalez- has become a consistent starter over a full season but has his ups in downs from start to start.
SP Niccolo “Notorious” Destefani- Destefani has emerged as a solid starter for the Tropics. The team has full confidence that he can get the job done.
Bullpen:
SP/RP Stephen Taub- Taub can start and can eat innings in relief.
RP Luis Santiago- Santiago struggled a bit at times last season but is still a good option late out of the ‘pen.
RP Felipe Lopez- Lopez has struggled giving up the long ball. Management is optimistic that he will drop his HR rate.
RP Douglas Wils- Wils had a heavier workload last season but performed well under the pressure. He will also need to lower that HR rate.
RP Juan “Rash” Hernandez- Hernandez had a cup of coffee with the Tropics last season. He pitched 13 1/3 innings and posted a 4.05 ERA. He will see time against both righties and lefties.
RP Raymond Ortiz- Ortiz was a starter in the minors but will work out of the ‘pen for the Tropics.
RP Norm McConnell- McConnell has 216 save over a 6 year span. He has seen his K/9 drop but is still getting the key outs.
