This is one area where the Kernels are in good shape. Juan Mateo is a solid bat, since making his BBA debut with Phoenix in 2041, Mateo has had a WRC+ north of 100 every season. He’s also decent with the glove too, normally possessing a positive ZR and EFF above 1. Unfortunately, this year, he’s a little off his game, but lets face it, nobody is motivated the Hawkeye State these days.
Normally platooning with Mateo, is Hector 'Dominator' Cruz. Dominator was normally the 1B on days when a lefty was on the dish since Mateo normally struggles against southpaws. This season has seen him watching from the IR since May 30th after he somehow broke a kneecap legging out a double.
Prior to going on IR, Cruz was doing his bit, posting a 1.066 OPS when in against lefties. Against righties, this dropped to .684, so expect this platoon to be a staple of Des Moines’ future plans.
2B
2B is very solidly Chua-kah Yang's domain. The 25-year old projects to be an All Star-level player if he can stop swinging at garbage. Yang is 3rd in K’s in the BBA today and could easily be #1 before the season’s out. If he can’t get that under control and if he can’t get better fielding, he might not get to be a part of Des Moines’ playoff plans. (PLAYOFFS?!). Another knock on Yang, is his inability to play any other position other than 2B.
SS
This position for Des Moines for the past 3 season might as well have been manned by a scarecrow, mannequin or an inanimate carbon rod, because nothing could be worse than the schleps who have showed up on the lines up at this position.
Backing up Cruz is Bill Kemp. Kemp’s role is strictly to fill in when injuries happen, but due to a long stint on the IR by Yang, Kemp saw a lot of time at SS. Its clear that he should not see a lot of time at SS (-7.7 ZR).
3B
Anastasio Guillen has emerged as Des Moines everyday third baseman…for now. Guillen was promoted to the role after Kiichi Suzuki and his 6-year, $73,500,000 contract were show the door halfway through the 2043 season. (This is another fun contract that will weigh the organization down for quite some time).
Guillen struggles against righties, is decent against lefties and his glove isn’t complete trash, so he’s likely to hold down this spot for a while ($500,000 contract is a bonus too).
C
Luis Barrera is the cagey vet that every young organization needs. At age 36, He certainly doesn’t fit into the organization’s long-term plans, but prior to the 2043 season, Catcher was a black hole. He’s the classic “good enough at the plate for a catcher” type player. While no defensive genius at this stage of his career, he could be a lot worse. It also helps that he brings fans to the seats.
Backing up Barrera, is Patrick Faber. Not much to say here since he’s the consummate back up catcher.
The overall assessment of this crew is mixed. 1B, 3B and C are looking good for now. SS continues to drag this organization down and 2B depends solely on how Yang develops. What’s good, is that for the most part this crew is young (Barrera, notwithstanding) but its doubtful that it will remain intact through this rebuild.
