The Johnson Atlantic – A Preview
Brooklyn Looks To Be Overwhelming Favorite
by Caitlen Sullivan
Halifax Chronicle Herald Sports Editor
March 1, 2024
Here’s our take on the Johnson League Atlantic Division race:
Halifax Hawks
We will review the home town boys position-by-position in a separate article. For now it is fairly safe to say that
- Bo Jordan will be monsterous
- Elroy Hinson will excel behind the plate and at the bat.
- The bullpen will most likely suck.
- IF starting pitcher Sancho Delgado stays healthy, and
- (Ditto) IF starting pitcher Domingo Castillo stay healthy, and
- IF new acquisition Gilberto Pacheco reaches his unrealized potential, and
- IF Eric Hardy can hit for a respectable average, and
- IF several more players including Edgar Jones, Lúcio Gutiérrez, and José Rivera perform as well as hoped . . .
Brooklyn Robins
Brooklyn looks like a shoo-in for the Atlantic title. Make them 1-5 favorites. With Salvador Barron, Joey Budding, and Rick Ward, the Robins have three top notch starters, and Kenny Hill may well be a fourth. They have six catchers on their major league roster, most of whom could challenge for a major league job. Of those, Benjy O’Rorke looks like a defensive genius and a potential stud They are solid at every infield position, and outfielder/DH Brian Whitten led the league in hitting last season. With Whitten at DH, as is likely, the outfield is a little thin after Jose Escarceja, so a lot there depends on how highly (over)paid EBA transfer Victor Talboom performs. While the bullpen is not top notch, all-in-all, Brooklyn looks like the class of the division, and the Robins should cruise to the title.
Greenville Moonshiners
The Moonshiners should have respectable pitching at the top with Angel Ramirez, Domingo Hernandez, and maybe Esteban Benitez providing reliable starts while Ernie von Schledorn excels as the closer after Manuel Guerra and Pascal Escobar do the set-up work. Beyond them, however, there may be troubles on the mound. On the position player side, Maxwell Weiss is a superb offensive catcher and Juan Alvarado is a reliable if defensively challenged backup. Beyond that the closest thing to a star is outfielder Vicente Marin and he hit a disappointing .194 last season. Offense is going to be a problem in Greenville
Louisville Sluggers
Louisville has five quality position players:
- Paul Scholes is a catching genius who should also hit
- Boone Carlyle is a star at third base and will be a force if he can stay healthy
- Martin Felix will play right field and he can hit with the best of them
- Englishman Brian Clough will hit well over .300 and provide reliable defense IF he stays off the disabled list
- First baseman Jorge Caballero should hit .300 and hit 30+ home runs
BOTTOM LINE
Brooklyn romps to the division title.
Halifax battles for and achieves second place without wild card success.
Louisville comes third in this weak division.
Greenville brings up the rear.
That Cardinal is mean looking. Meaner even than my Hawk. And a pleasant happy robin will destroy us both. Greenville really needs a bird logo in the bird-centric JL Atlantic. Or maybe adopt the bird dog logo from