WHIV 2045.6- Checking The Locks: Starting Pitchers

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WHIV 2045.6- Checking The Locks: Starting Pitchers

Sure Fire Locks (4):
Drees Geestman (R)
Chris Kelly (R)
Dan Forsyth (R)
Brian King (L)

The Hustlers starting pitching was a huge weakness last year, so the front office went about to address the issue, and did so in a big way. Geestman is already the Hustlers ace, and pitched quite well last year. Kelly and Forsyth were both added in free agency on reasonable deals. The hope is that they will bridge the gap until the top youngsters are ready to take the ball on a regular basis. Acquired from Twin Cities in the Huber trade, King is perhaps the key to the rotation. The folks over at BNN sure seem to like him. The feeling is mutual.

Near Locks (1):
Gerald Abbott (L)

With the top four already set, it seems that Abbott is likely to be the fifth starter, at least to start the season. He requires a sharp defense behind him and the Hustlers have made some strides to provide that, though they aren't there yet.

Trying To Break In (1):
Ivan Ruiz (R)

Ruiz is the #64 prospect in the BBA, and should be knocking on the door this spring. Will the Hustlers pull out an old page from the playbook and work him in as a reliever first, ala legendary Hustlers like Gary Estes and Manny Bautista did (among others)? It's certainly a possibility.

Breaking In The Back Door (2)
Stan Cyr (R)
Nathaniel Davis (L)

The hard-throwing Cyr has been showing marked improvement over the past year, and is now the #8 overall prospect in the BBA. He has a huge future in Las Vegas. The same question that was asked of Ruiz will be asked of Cyr times a hundred. There is already pressure from some within the Hustlers organization to have Cyr open the year in the big league bullpen. It's more likely that cooler heads prevail and Cyr gets some more minor league time, as he only has eight starts at the Double-A level (and they didn't go particularly well). Davis is the #96 prospect in the BBA. Vegas loves their lefties, and Davis has the potential to be a good one. He could factor in later in the year, however he hasn't yet pitched above Class-A ball.