Vancouver Mounties
2062: 89-73 (3rd, Frick League Pacific)
GM: Aaron Wharram
Current Fan Interest: 74
2062 saw the Mounties go 89-73 finishing 3rd in the Pacific. A big improvement from their 2061 campaign where they finished 8th with a 70-92 record.
Key Additions:
CF Bob Hills acquired via trade with the Boise Spuds
CF Joel Woodroffe acquired via trade with Twin Cities
RP Patrick Klerk acquired via trade with the Boise Spuds
2B Colby Triska free agent signing after spending 6 seasons with the devil
Key Departures:
CF Amphibian Johnson (traded to Boise)
SP Alberto Gonzalez (Lost in Rule 5 draft to the Brooklyn Robins and later officially traded)
Starting rotation
Vancouver employs a strict 5-man rotation strategy led by the big left-hander Dirk Bessi. Bessi signed a 6-year contract worth just north of $100 million. The two-time All Star and former Pitcher of the year utilizes three solid pitches (slider, change-up, sinker) with great effectiveness. There were some concerns amongst the league regarding his health and durability, but Bessi squashed those murmurs after successfully completing training to improve his strength and conditioning this offseason.
In the #2 spot is Juan Garcia, Garcia is a solid groundball pitcher with six decent pitches. He gets incredible movement on the ball and has good control which makes him one of the best number 2 starters in the league. He could probably anchor a rotation for many teams.
In the middle of the rotation is Motka Beteev. The Lithuanian born Beteev struck out 118 batters in the BBA last season. His three-pitch mix includes a splitter, a decent slider, and a decent cutter. He also walked 70 batters so he will need to improve his control to be more effective in the 2063 campaign.
Kinzo Iwamoto Iwamoto is a former 18-game winner and All-Star who continues to crank out positive WAR seasons. This Iron Man can be counted on to eat up a ton of innings each year. In his last six seasons, he only had more losses than wins once. But father time is undefeated, and this soon to be 39-year-old is running for his life. Does he have one more good season in him before the sun sets on his career and he finds himself in Tokyo?
At the back end of the Mounties rotation is Alfredo Anaya.
Acquired in a trade from the YS9 last season, Anaya is a durable pitcher with off the charts Stuff, but his movement is lacking. Mounties GM Aaron Wharram tried to address this in the offseason training program, but Anaya couldn't quite make the necessary improvements to move the needle.
Bullpen
RP Adamnan "Sledgehammer" Maryadi The Sledgehammer is a fan favorite in Vancouver and would be the closer on most teams. But with Elovsky & Garcia battling for the closer role, he will most likely have setup duties
RP Sam Fisher is a 6'2" lefty and team leader
RP Will Ritter comes over in a minor trade deal with TWC
RP Tom Miller Miller is another vocal leader in the mounties clubhouse. He has a solid fastball and a wicked screwball that helped him fan 60 batters last season
RP Rusty Miller employs five solid pitches, but struggles a bit with his control
RP Geoffrey Greening. Greening has off the charts Stuff and an absolutely filthy fastball/sinker combo. Greening also struggles with control but can still be an asset to this already solid bullpen.
Closers
There was an intense battle for the closer role in spring training between Jesus Garcia & Serge Elovsky.
In the blue corner: Jesus Garcia. Garcia stats are well above average. Good stuff & movement to go along with good control is sometimes hard to find. Throw in a 99mph fastball and he could really shine as the closer for the Mounties. His drawback is that he is sometimes lazy and doesn't work as hard as he should which could cost him the role of closer to Elovsky.
In the red corner: Serge Elovksy. Serge Elovsky has the potential to be one of the best relievers in the BBA. He has an elite fastball that can top out at 100mph, and a sinker/curve combo that is lethal.
His stats are even better than Garcia's, but at the end of the day he is just a 21-year-old kid who may not be ready for the closer role on one of the BBA's top teams.
Wharram still hasn't declared the winner as of yet, but having to choose between these two is a luxury many BBA GMs would covet
Infielders
Colby Triska. Drafted as a second baseman, Triska was moved around in Nashville and ultimately settled in at 1B and drew a league high 93 walks in 2061. He will also start at 1B for the Mounties this season and should continue to be able to get on base often either by hit or walk.
2B Fadeuka Hadanov started 106 games for the Mounties last season. His solid range and defense make him one of the more sure-handed second basemen in the division, if not the league.
(Lojdahl)SS Showcases one of the best defensive shortstops in the league in Oskar Lojdahl. Lojdahl locks down the middle infield for the Mounties with great range and can turn two as good as any shortstop in the league. He committed only 6 errors last season.
3B Sergio Mendoza Mendoza plays decent defense but nothing to write home about. His defense is good enough for the corner though and the Mounties will mainly be counting on his offense this season.
Catcher Mitchell Goater. 2062 All-Star Mitchell Goater will be back behind the plate for Vancouver this season. He provides solid defense and should be effective with the bat as well. Marcos Cordova is more than a capable backup for Goater
Outfielders
Greg Clover will start the season in Left after spending sprint training at second base. He should be a solid starter for the Mounties in 2063.
Zhi Li has good contact and gap power as he finished last season with a .303 batting average and looks like he picked up where he left off in spring training.
Hector Ruiz will get the start in center field this season after beating out Bob Hills who was recently acquired in a trade with Boise. Hills will now serve as the backup to Ruiz as well as Clover & Li.
DH
(Hinkle)Royce Hinkle
Hinkle hit 32 home runs and drove in 116 RBIs last season while flirting with a .300 batting avg. Hinkle can easily bat cleanup for the Mounties in 2063
2063 Outlook for Vancouver
Early projection models show them going 85-77. The big questions for the 2063 Vancouver Mounties are how much the Amphibian Johnson trade will affect the defense. Ruiz and Johnson are similar in ground covered, but the frog man has a little bit surer glove than Ruiz. Ruiz however has a much better arm and a lot more power than Johnson. Next, Can Bessi stay healthy? This is the big one. If he can stay healthy and with a solid defense behind him, the Mounties have a good shot to return to the playoffs again this season.
Prediction
88-74 (2nd in the Pacific)
The Mounties have the rotation and defense to compete for the Pacific Division Title. I believe they finish behind Hawaii for the division, but edge out the Krill, Lumberjacks, Bears, and Popes for 2nd place in the Pacific and secure a Wild Card in the playoffs.
