Projected Starter: Alonso OlvereThis is a series that I have stolen from the Jackrabbits, where we will evaluate each position leading into and during the early stages of Spring Training. Only players currently on the 40 man roster will be included in this series as prospects will be looked at in upcoming weeks. This is the ninth of eleven positions that will be posted. In this part, we will take a look at the designated hitter position.
Backup: Tyler Moore, Gerardo Lopez, Luis Miguel Carrillo?
Alonso Olvere was brought in as another piece in the Hank Brewer deal with Montreal and Olvere should figure to slot right in as the clubs designated hitter. His presence should be a big improvement over the spot for Omaha in 2037.
Last season, the club used Jose Olivarez who had a nice ability to get on base, and run to second after getting to first however he realistically couldn’t hit the ball past 2nd base. Olivarez was still young enough that he could have matured into a decent hitter, but he was never going to be able to handle the outfield on a regular basis and with very little power, the club felt the need to move on. Olvere should change that and could be looking at a 25+ home run season if things go well for Olvere, who is actually quite a few years younger than Olivarez was.
Look for Tyler Moore & Carillo to be the primary backups as it is looking likely that Lopez will not make the roster. The club could use a better hitting 2nd designated hitter on the roster, so with spring training wrapping up, look for them to maybe make a surge at one of the remaining guys out there on a 1 year deal at a discounted rate.
