As the Valencia front office looks to the future, whether it be 2063 or beyond, the AAA outfield in Mars has a lot of options. At this point some of the locals are wondering if every single outfielder currently in Valencia will be gone in 2063.
The current Valencia roster has Mark Kimball in left, Koray Kapkin in center and Ryan Cason in right with Altair Tableriou. Utilityman Irfan Umayr is also adept in all three outfield spots. The issue with this crew is that none of them are projected to have a WAR above 1.0 season and only Koray Kapkin has a WAR above 0.1.
Bring on the crew in AAA.
Santiago Dieguez: Overall Rating 60/Potential Rating 60
Santiago was the first-round pick in this past draft. His Contact/Power/Eye ratings of 5/7/6 are promising and his defense is well above average with a Range of 7. Santiago should also be able to move around the bases with Speed and Steal ratings of 8. After spending two weeks in AA where he slashed .321/.429, Santiago was promoted to AAA a week ago at the tender age of 20.
Bill Nesbitt: Overall Rating 50/Potential Rating 50
Bill was also a first-round pick when he was selected in the 2061 draft. The 21 year-old has similar Contact/Power/Eye as Santiago coming in at 6/7/5. Bill has a range of 6 in the field and adequate speed on the basepaths with Speed and Steal ratings of 6 and 7. After spending most of last season in AAA, Bill has returned with a vengeance hitting .376/.431 while smashing 22 homers and stealing 10 bases on his way to a projected WAR of 6.8.
Ed Bush: Overall Rating 45/Potential Rating 50
Ed was drafted in the second round of the 2061 draft and has Contact/Power/Eye ratings 6/7/4. The 21 year-old plays similar defense to that of Santiago with a Range of 7. Ed lacks the speed on the bases only measuring in at a Speed of 4 and a Stealing aggressive of 2. Ed likewise has enjoyed some success in AAA this year hitting .327/.383 with 6 home runs so far this season.
Ismael Ramirez: Overall Rating 45/Potential Rating 55
Although a little older (22 years) and being a lower pick (7th round in the 2060 draft), Ismael has developed pretty well with a Contact/Power/Eye set of ratings weighing in at 6/7/6. Ismael is probably the least agile in the field with a Range of 5, Speed of 1 and a Stealing Aggressiveness of 3. However, Ismael is proving that he could survive with his skill at the plate with a .355 average to go along with a .433 on-base percentage and 18 home runs. He is on pace for a 5.3 WAR season in AAA.
Tony Munyiga: Overall Rating 40/Potential Rating 40
To top things off, the 26 year-old outfielder has been getting on base and stealing bases. Although his ratings are not eye-popping, Tony could be in the mix during a rebuilding season as he has been hitting .322/.342 with 20 stolen bases in 143 at bats.
Also waiting in the wings in AA is leftfielder Luis Vela. Picked in the supplemental portion of the second round, the 21 year-old has an overall current rating of 45 with a potential of 55. Luis' 6/7/5 Contact/Power/Eye rating could translate into some decent numbers at the plate as so far in AA he is hitting .310/.360 with 9 homers. Like Ramirez, Luis is lacking in the outfield range (4) and speed/steals (2 and 1).
The Valencia has socked some serious draft capital into these positions over the last 3 drafts. Time will tell whether or not that was capital well-spent.
