Catcher: Maxwell Weiss, Jr.
Weiss was the Hustlers’ unquestioned top free-agent acquisition, as he received a 3 year, 37.5 million dollar contract. For that money, the Hustlers are expecting Weiss to contribute in a big way, but it’s unclear how reasonable those expectations are. While no one questions Weiss’s talent, his performances over the last three years have left something to be desired. Las Vegas hopes that Weiss can play as well as he did in 2014, when he put up 4.4 WAR. If he can come close to that, then Las Vegas will be satisfied with its investment.
First Base: Lucio Vazquez
In this author’s humble opinion, Matt could have been arrested for highway robbery for his trade that brought Vazquez to Vegas. So far in two full seasons in Vegas, Vazquez has put up two nearly identical seasons: he walks a ton, and when he swings, the ball travels. Expect more of the same this season, as Vazquez remains a constant presence in the middle of Vegas’ potent lineup.
Second Base: Ernie Stauffer
Last year Stauffer signed a massive contract before the 2017 season, and he immediately set about earning every last dollar. Stauffer put up his best season since his rookie year, as his .847 OPS led to an impressive 5.8 WAR. Although scouts doubt that Stauffer can have the same kind of fantastic season in 2018, there is no reason to doubt the value he brings to the team, and Vegas is justified in expecting Stauffer to be an excellent contributor once again.
Shortstop: Edward Allen
In Allen’s first season in the majors, in 2016, he produced slightly below average offensive numbers, but relied on his superior defense and consistency to accumulate 3.0 WAR. Last year, as his offense progressed, Allen’s value increased accordingly. Now, in his third full season, Allen appears entrenched as one of the more valuable shortstops in the game. As a rule, shortstops who can field well are valuable, and those who can field while also contributing offensively are worth their weight in gold. Allen can do both, and he’s still on his rookie contract. Expect another good year from him.
Third Base: Keith Young
After years shuffling between the minors and the majors, and looking for a position to call his own, Young appears to have arrived as the Hustlers’ starting third baseman. There are questions about whether or not Young can hit enough to justify an everyday spot in the lineup, but there don’t appear to be any issues with his glove. With the talent that Vegas has around Young, Young can do just fine providing steady defense and the occasional home run.
Left Field: Daniel Labrie, Jr.
With their first round pick in the 2016 draft, the Hustlers seem to have selected a superstar who will be with the team for a very long time. Although Labrie might not have one “signature” skill that makes scouts drop what they’re doing, there is no question that Labrie can simply hit the ball like few other people on earth. Last year Labrie put up a .947 OPS and 7.3 WAR in only his second full season in the majors. Although some of Vegas’ competitors might optimistically hope for some type of regression, it’s unclear how reasonable that is; Labrie might just be this good. Only time will tell, but in the meantime, expect Labrie to continue to terrorize opposing pitchers.Center Field: Emory Sharp
Sharp is another former first round pick of the Hustlers who is now making good. He was taken in the first round in 2013, and since getting his first cup of coffee in 2015, he has only improved. Sharp brings excellent defense, blinding speed, and a very solid bat to the table. Nitpickers might say that a leadoff hitter should take a few more walks than Sharp currently does, but if that’s the biggest complaint anyone can muster (and that appears to be the case), then you know that Sharp is a pretty good player.
Right Field: Gilberto Pacheco
/ Taken in the second round of the 2013 draft, after Emory Sharp, Pacheco is quietly developing into a very good player in his own right. While Sharp’s offense is the biggest part of his game, Pacheco is, unquestionably, a defensive specialist. He won the Diamond Glove Award for right field last season, and the advanced stats back up the empirical observation: Pacheco can play right field like few others. Last year PAcheco put up below average offensive numbers, but still produced 2.7 WAR. Expect more of the same this season, with any offense he provides being viewed as a bonus.
Designated Hitter: Alberto Guzman and Pedro Gomez
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One notable feature of the Hustlers is that they don’t really platoon based on who’s pitching. Eight of the nine starters remain constant; the only exception is at Designated Hitter, where Guzman, who was acquired in a trade last season, continues his career-long habit of mashing righties, while Gomez does the same against lefties. This two-headed monster also provides excellent pinch-hitting options, if Guzman is ever on the bench when a righty comes out of the pen.
PITCHING
Ace: Dieter Hartinger
If you pronounce Hartinger’s name incorrectly, it sounds like you’re describing a person who’s going on a diet. At this point, calling Hartinger fat might be your best shot of hitting him, because nothing else appears to be working. Hartinger has put up two consecutive excellent seasons by relying on his varied repertoire and excellent velocity. While he might not have stuff in the upper echelon of MBWBA pitchers, he throws strike and consistently records outs. He would be near the top of any rotation.
#2: Gary Estes
Estes is yet another successful draft pick from Vegas. Taken in the first round of the 2014 draft, Estes might have the best stuff of anyone on the Vegas staff. Estes throws three very good pitches, and he’s only 23 years old. What should be scary to the rest of the league is that it appears very likely that Estes still has a lot of room to improve; if that’s the case, Estes might surpass Hartinger in the future.
#3: Dave Wren
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Wren is yet another great draft pick from the Hustlers. Wren was taken in the first round of the 2013 draft, and he enters his second full season with a lot of untapped potential. Last year, Wren’s major downfall was the home run. By allowing 33 home runs in 201.2 innings he didn’t allow his fantastic defensive outfielders to do what they do best, which is preventing runs. If he can reduce the amount of home runs he allows, then expect to see his numbers improve accordingly.
#4: Jose Linares
Linares might not be the most talented pitcher on this staff, but he consistently gets results that any team would love out of their fourth pitcher. Linares tends to out-pitch his raw talent by throwing four good pitches and relying on his defense behind him. Expect more of the same from this season.
#5: Manny Bautista
Another fantastically talented starting pitcher who the Hustlers used a first round draft pick on? Of course! Bautista was taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft, and after making his major league debut as a reliever last season, he appears poised to become a key piece of the rotation this season. Bautista throws three very good pitches, and he generates ground balls at an impressive rate. The combination of stuff, control, and ability to generate ground balls makes Bautista one of the more exciting pitching prospects in the league.
BULLPEN
Middle Relief: Mike Clifton and Andrew Chesley
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Chesley was the Hustlers’ first round pick in the 2009 draft, and he has to be the most talented middle reliever in the league. He throws three good pitches, and he could absolutely start on just about every team in the league, but Las Vegas seems to have too many good starting pitchers; that seems to be a good problem to have. Mike Clifton was acquired in a trade with Seattle for Paul Hogan. That was a trade that appears to have worked for both teams, because Clifton is a very talented pitcher that is an asset to the Hustlers’ bullpen.
Set-up: Arturo Jimenez and Patrick O’Malley
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Jimenez and O’Malley are two very different pitches, who both get very good results. Jimenez doesn’t strike out many hitters, but his pitches are incredibly difficult to elevate; last year he only allowed 3 home runs in 78.1 innings, which is a big part of his success last season. This year promises more of the same. O’Malley tends to rely more on his excellent velocity to strike out hitters, as he was moved out of the rotation to the bullpen in 2017.
Closer: Jonathan Sorensen
Sorensen was just acquired in a trade before the season started. Although Sorensen’s getting older, there’s no reason to think that he won’t still be a very valuable pitcher this season. What’s more, with all of the leads that the Hustlers will have this season, expect Sorensen to have quite a few save opportunities.
Overall: The Hustlers won’t be surprising anyone this season, but they won’t need to, either. This is one of the most talented teams in the league, and everyone knows that. There don’t seem to be any other teams in the division who can offer the same combination of depth and talent that Vegas can. Although there is likely to be a lot of competition in the division, expect Vegas to finish with a 96-66 record, and win the division.