Galaxy Gas 2059.12 – Stars Spring Training Report - The Bats

[DugoutDesperado]

Valencia finished Spring Training by winning 6 out of their last 10 games. The overall record this season ended at 12-18. With 20 of the players packing up to make their return trips to the minors, here are some of the hot starts and barely starts for the players that are remaining in Valencia to start the season.

From the plate there were five players that hit over .300 this spring with two players hitting 4 homers in less than 60 at-bats. Without further rambling, let’s go over the players that drew the most attention:

Hot List
RF Jose Vargas – Jose hit .431 going 22 for 51 this spring. He also showed some patience at the plate getting 7 free passes which resulted in an on-base percentage of .492. The speedster swiped 5 bases in 7 attempts which bodes well for Jose since those close to the front office knows how thy are addicted to speed on the basepaths.
1B Sterling Kennedy – After having a short stint in the bigs last season, Sterling followed up with a .382 batting clip this spring while knocking out 4 HRs in 34 at bats. This was enough of a performance to keep his name on the BBA roster to see if his 40-ish HR power potential can prove out over the whole season without his 4 contact rating getting in the way of the major league pitching that he will see.
LF Qadir bin Gamal – Qadir had a good spring hitting .340 while also going yard 4 times in 53 official trips to the plate. The Valencia faithful are hoping that he has returned to form after missing 3 months last season with a ruptured tendon in his finger.
2B Miller Shed - Along with playing some graceful and efficient defense up the middle, Miller was also getting it done at the plate this spring hitting .340/.413 between going 18 for 53 while garnering 8 walks.
C Rafael Elias – The lone free agent signing this off-season is making his case for a starting position/platoon slot by hitting .311 with 2 dingers this spring. While his defense isn’t quite as strong as Luis Gonzales’ defense, it is still adequate.

Not-so-hot List
C Luis Gonzales – Although he is defensive genius behind the plate, Luis hit .185 this spring with a homer in 54 times at the plate. This isn’t too far from in 2058 production so be looking for some juggling between Luis and Rafael Elias.
3B Tim Barlett – Tim is another one that did not fair that well this spring hitting .213 although he did have 3 homers in 61 at bats. Tim’s range and rocket-arm at third base will likely have some overlook that anemic production for a while though.
1B Kenny Blackwell - Kenny hit .228 this spring but also provides a very good glove at the other corner. He has been pretty much a .270 hitter over the last several years so the front office is assuming that the average will increase over time.
1B Vincente Rivera – Maybe the person on the bubble at this point when the Stars need to bring up another arm, but Vincente had a mediocre spring hitting .261 with 2 homers in 46 attempts. Those close to the front office could see this one going either way over the course of the season.