He Who Walks Behind Rows. Spring Training
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2021 11:42 am
Hugh Mangrouthormone came over to the Kernels in the Lucio De La Cruztrade. Almost an afterthought in that trade, Mangrouthormone spent the offseason bulking up and improving his swing hoping to show the Kernels fanbase that he’ll be more than an “at least we got something back in that trade” kind of player. If he lives up to this new potential, the Kernels will want to extend him.
The CF/LF situation needs to be sorted out. Dave Dempsey will likely win the CF spot, mainly because he’s a liability everywhere else. Man-keung Sui would be the better fit here defensively, but with a lack of LF’s on this roster, he’ll likely slide over there. The fourth OF spot will come down to Grady Eaton or Juan Santana. Both players could easily spend time in AAA this season but the veteran Santana will likely refuse that assignment. Santana’s contract expires this year, so he may be tradeable for a team that wants to add depth, but that will depend on what he does at the plate. If it’s a repeat of last season, he’ll likely be stuck counting his money on the bench in Des Moines…or possibly released. Grady Eaton won’t do anything at the plate but at least he will save a few runs in the outfield. Since he’s got options left, he’ll likely start the season in AAA.
The last minor question mark is how many pitchers the Kernels break camp with. It’s likely that Des Moines will want to sacrifice a fielder for an extra arm in the bullpen. The club isn’t expected to be very competitive in 2046 and the name of the game will be improving the young talent while protecting arms for 2047 and beyond.