Last season: (2059): 67-95
seventh in the FL Pacific
721 runs, 796 runs against
RF Tommy 'Twinkletoes' Harrison (age 24) leads a very young capable offense that also features the strong backbone of Minhas and Mahdi as middle infielders and Bigalow at center, flanked by Schultz (age 25) at first, Perez (age 23) at third, Garcia (22) in left, and Hall (24) as designated hitter. This will be an exciting offense to watch in 2060 and for many years. The pitching is led by free-agent signee John Dawson, London-import Ielemia Faletose, and Morgan Tomsett, who gets better each season, with Bullock and Dunstone in the pen.
DETAILS
The San Fernando Bear's lf-dh José Romero (1.6 war) retired in November after hitting 25 home runs for the team and 507 for the BBA, number 54 on the all-time list. The Bears also lost third baseman Roberto Rivera (1.4 WAR) to free agency, where he still sits. These two guys were fourth and fifth on the team in WAR for batters. Reliver Toshikuni Kubo (2.67 ERA in 34 games) also walked.
According to the game the Bears have acquired nine players for 5.7 WAR, so their sum is +1.4 WAR gained, which is 7th in the whole BBA. Division leaders SAC dropped 13 WAR so we'll see what happens. The biggest signees for the Bears include infielder Niaz Minhas (.269-24-75, 2.7 WAR), who will shift from short to second this year in San Fernando. He won the Golden Bat Award at short last season; maybe he can do that at second this season, where he seems better suited as a defender. Pairing with him will be veteran shortstopper Qutuz Mahdi, who came over from MTL last season and hit .294. His overall WAR was 3.3 (.293-4-24) in just 90 starts. That's a decent duo up the middle.
24-year-old José Pérez (5/7/7) should play at third full time in 2060. He was the first round pick for the Bears in 2053. And he replaces outgoing Roberto Rivera (.234-18-59), who was scooped up by San Antonio after the Bears voided his option year. Big bat Michael Schultz (5/8/7(8))(.249-31-95) returns at firstbase. His 162-game average is 42 homers and 3.0 WAR. Chris Hall (5/6/9) adds offensive punch as the expected dh. He was a big Bear grab in the deal that sent starter Cantrell to LV. The Bears hope Hall can return to the form he had from 2056-58, when he hit 30 homers per season.
Sonny Bigalow (4/6/8) returns as another big bat and a defensive asset in center. He bounced back from an April injury last season for 22 home runs and a 2.3 WAR. But it's the El Paso native Tommy 'Twinkletoes' Harrison (7/6/5, def 9) who deserves even more attention. Called the "unquestionable star of the San Fernando roster," Harrison led the team with a 4.4 WAR and was a FL All-Star selection. He hit career-high 47 doubles, 29 home runs, and 98 rbis. He is no slouch in RF, with 14 outfield assists and a 7.5 ZR. Starting over in left will be Hector Garcia (6/6/8), another powerful hitter who demolished minor league pitching in 2059 and also features a great glove. He's an exciting young player.
Augusto Annis (6/5/4) also crunched minor-league pitching a year ago and then hit .302 in 44 starts for the Bears. Rated 8 at catcher he features 9 blocking and framing. He will be paired with Dale Odds (5/5/5). Substitute hitters and fielders in general include Cristobal Cruz (5/6/6), Tynan Rose (5/6/6), Mike Scott (5/3/5), and Takeichi Suzuki (6/5/5).
PITCHING
Last year, rookie Ben Weaver (7-11, 4.30, 1.35 Whip); Morgan Tomsett (14-12, 3.79); Rubén bin Majid al Din (5-10, 5.39); Rick Marriott (4-11, 5.11); and Fernando Ferretti (5-8) accounted for 121 of the Bears starts. Bin Majid is now a Zombie (not sure if that is literally or not) and Ferretti is with Sacramento.
In 2060, Ielemia Faletose, the American Somoan who has pitched amazingly well for GBC London the past five seasons, with a 1.21 WHIP in 191 GBC starts, is expected to be the frontman for the Bears. He features a curveball, cutter, change-up repertoire. Eyes will be on him to see if he can have the same success in the BBA. He will be joined by returnees John Dawson (9/6/6) who was a RP the last four years), Tomsett, Marriott, Weaver, with Bear vet Alexander 'Mr. Clean' Swanson, who throws six pitches, ready to step in.
The bullpen is less settled. Swingman Richard Bullock (1.33 whip, 7.3 K/9) will start in the pen. He is paired with southpaw free agent signee Hughie Dunstone (8/6/5). Morris Chapa (6/67) appeared in 57 games last season. Bob Butler is a POT 8/7/7 waiting for a breakout season. For more info on the expected pen, see the Bears self-report.
The Bears finished below expectations with their 67 wins in 2059. In 2060, we can expect an upswing in wins, closer to the 81 of 2058. Newcomers Madhi at second and Faletose on the mound are quality acquisitions. Harrison is one of the game's most exciting players. Garcia (.875 OPS) will be a fun watch in left. The defense should be better up the middle.
