Starscreams | Division-Leading Stars Set to Take Their Act on the Road, pt. 2 (51.03)

[mragland]

Starscreams: A Valencia Stars Baseball Blog

Division-Leading Stars Set to Take Their Act on the Road, pt. 2

4/15/2051
Brianna Robles, Starscreams contributor

The question most on the minds of Stars fans today is whether they should be genuinely excited about the team's performance, or is this a false dawn? The easy answer is maybe. Maybe the team really is at least 80% as good as it looks now, and maybe the 2051 Stars will follow the 2050 team's path right down the tubes. At the moment, the former seems more likely.

Let's take a look at who's performing at a high level and whether it's probable they can sustain the effort, starting with a trio of returning sluggers making the case that rumors of their demise may have been premature.

Donald Miller looked to be toast after last season's anemic 92 OPS+ performance. He managed to put up career lows in nearly every offensive category (he was in good company, wallowing in the mire of a career nadir). In thirteen games he has come roaring back to life to the tune of a .368/.478/.763 slash line. His 224 OPS+ is best in the Frick, and third in the association as a whole. Fans are right to be delighted with what they're seeing, but the odds that Miller is going to have his best season, after his worst season (so far), in his age thirty season, seem low. Can he at least get back to his old .850 OPS self this year? Seems entirely possible.

Another bounce back performer is Kenan Reis. His 107 OPS+ last season wasn't a career low, but definitely off the pace he had set the previous two years. Currently, he's slashing .348/.412/.543. Also in his age 30 season, Reis doesn't seem poised to have the best season of his life, but it certainly seems like getting back to his 130-140 OPS+ production of '48 and '49 isn't that unrealistic, given where he is now.

We're a little more guarded about the run Juan Mateo has had in his first twenty-four plate appearances. The sample size is smaller than for the other two, but his slash line of .318/.375/.545 has to be a little encouraging. Less encouraging is the fact that at this time last season he still had a .908 OPS and looked like he would have a pretty good year. He ended up with a .574 OPS. He's played sparingly so far, though will see some more action soon with Lee Stone serving a suspension. Will he be able to hit his way back into the lineup?

It's worth noting that none of these guys was awful wire to wire. They all started out pretty well and tanked later in the season. We're mostly glad that they did not pick up where they left off.

In the next installment, we take a look at the new guys, and look ahead to Carlton Day's return to the mound with … anticipation? Anxiety? Anxipation?

[Jwalk100]

Constipation!

[Dington]

Constipation!

Will he shit the bed? Or is he simply “the shit?”

[CTBrewCrew]

Im so confused