Trail Droppings 2042-7 Calgary Outfield Competition

[indiansfan]

Calgary Outfield Competition

On the surface it should be simply. The three guys that started last season come back and start again. All were great bats and helped the team to one of its best win-loss records in team history. However, there has been a lot of talk about going defense in center field and that could shake things up.

LF - Juan Karyabwite - The future 3000 hit guy will once again roam left field, where he has won 5 Zimmer Awards. Some wonder why the team doesn’t move him to CF and all you need to look at is 2039. He played CF that year and posted a -8.6 ZR, so it is better to keep him in LF where he excels.

RF - Francisco Medina - The slugger only gets better. He hit 39 HR his rookie year, 46 the next, then 48 and last year 51. Incredibly never an All Star, it just goes to show the power and outfield depth in the league. So this is our second lock in the outfield.

CF? - Jose Figueroa - Here is where the problems start. Figueroa is a lock to make the team unless he gets dealt. However, he may be a player without a position. Another option is for him to play CF, but get an early hook for a defensive replacement. Instead of improving on his fielding from his rookie year, he regressed. He showed up to training camp and looked even worse in early drills. Ideally another team will come calling and he can move to a corner outfield position where he belongs. Sawyer Slizz? Yeah don’t remind us.

LF/DH - Martin Marin - Marin was signed to a one year contract to hit lefties in a platoon at DH and provide some depth in case of injury. So he has a spot on the team regardless of what else happens in the outfield.

Now it gets interesting. Will there be room for another outfielder or will one of the utility infielders also cover the 5th outfield spot? Will the team trade Figueroa and go with a platoon in CF? Will they platoon Figueroa and find room for another outfielder? Let’s look at the options starting with CF where the team has no less than 5 center fielders in camp in addition to Figueroa.

CF - Man-keung Sui - He saw limited action after coming over from Brooklyn in the Lynch deal. He has a good, but not elite glove and kills left handed hitting. So he would be a decent platoon with Figueroa if the team went that route, but his glove still needs a little work. The team had to keep him on the roster last year as he was a Rule 5 guy. With 3 options, he is almost certainly going to St. Paul.

CF - Marcos Gonzales - A natural leader who spent all of last year in AAA, Gonzales is probably destined there again. He is similar to Sui, but with less of a bat and only an above average glove. The team felt he earned an invite, but it would take a miracle for him to make the team this year.

CF - Juan Valverde - He came over in the Puckett deal and has the glove to play CF. He has some power and hit well at AAA last year and he hits doubles! If the team decides to go glove in CF he will be one of the guys that is in the hunt. His has options left which puts him at a disadvantage versus the Rule 5 guys.

CF - Tashfin Modupe - The first of the Rule 5 guys, he has the glove and is a lefty that hits RHP. He would make a nice platoon with Sui. Has always hit better than his scouting reports, but also has a reputation of being a braggart that hasn’t paid his dues. The team will try to make a spot for him, either as a starter or on the bench.

CF - Yi-ke Zang - The second Rule 5 guy is similar to Modupe. Lefty that has a great glove, but unlike Modupe he can steal bases. An odd Rule 5 player, with 9 BBA seasons under his belt and a career .286 average. So do you go with the 31 year old vet or the youngster?

LF - Steve Rogers - The Bionic Man namesake is ready for his BBA debut. He riddled AAA pitchers at a .331 clip last year with a .950 OPS. He worked on making the transition from 1B to OF. He kills RHP, but can stay in the lineup as against lefties. He has the speed to be a lead off hitter. He will end up in AAA once again, only because there is no place for him to play at this point. If there is an injury watch how fast he gets to Calgary.

2B/OF - Pierre Lemaire - Primarily invited to camp as an ego boost, Lemaire is a lefty bat with some versatility and good legs. However, he had a big setback last season when he hit .178 at AAA after being added to the 40 man roster. He will go back to St. Paul to build him confidence back this year.


Most Likely Outcome - Karyabwite, Medina, Figueroa, Marin, Modupe
AAA - Sui. Gonzales. Valverde, Rogers, Lemaire
Returned - Zang