We're pretty sure that the Rocky Mountain Media Guide will feature left fielder Max Sharperson (7.1 WAR) and first baseman Malik bin Mazin (7.3 WAR) on the cover. What's less certain is whether either or both will be on the team's roster by the end of the year.
The Oysters made a valiant, but eventually failed, run for the postseason in 2061.
They have the offensive horses to make a bit of one this year, but the omens would seem to have to line up just right. The club's lineup is fairly solid after the top two. Agatone Louganis and Lucio Guevera make a slick enough double play combo, and both can hit a little. On wonders if they'll try to Unem Polid it at third and slot in fellow 24-year-old Reynaldo Marroquin, who is a natural first sacker, but what the hell? Catcher looks ugly going into the spring, but 21-year-old Ed Henderson looks like maybe he can hit a bit. We'll see if a move happens. Right field looks to be Shane Holmes, who, at 27 is growing short of time to develop into his ratings. If it happens, He Will Bash.
Center field is a toss-up.
None of the guys in camp look like they'll hit much, so the question seems to come down to whether the team will go with Fareed bin Sa'eed, a journeyman minor leaguer who has the best glove of the group, but who will be as close to an automatic out as one can probably get at the major league level.
Still, in that park, the Oysters should score a few runs.
Okay...let's turn to the pitching.
Oh my! Sweet Baby Jeebus let's not.
I suppose it's not really the front office's fault, per se. I mean, (now 35-year-old) Steve Flannery was brought in last year to be the Staff Ace and he proceeded to drop four miles an hour from his fastball, which cut into the Stuff. And now he's lost a point of control. What remains is a viable back of the rotation guy and four more years of a contract that will pay him $17 million a pop. Ya puts your money down and ya takes your chances.
Ken Steele and Slobodan Omeragic will join Flannery to round out the top three in the rotation. I'm sure they are fine people, but fans are not kind to what's going to happen. Rumors are that the team is investigating the cost of private security.
Yes, I'm being a little sharp. Each of these guys can be good on any given day, but they can also be not so good on the next given day. To make matters "worse," the strategy for the late innings seems to be Bullpen by Committee, meaning I don't see a serious arm back there you can just give the ball to every other day or two and be pretty sure things are going to work out well enough.
The minors, too, seem somewhat barren.
What I'm saying is that I'm a little worried for Rocky Mountain. GM Brandon Slouck took the team and has successfully run it on fumes for a bit, and that's all been good. But to my eyes, those fumes might well be going dry now and in a declining financial economy that 86-win season might not be matched for quite a while.
Especially not if bin Mazin of Sharperson get moved.
Which right now I'm predicting they will.
