2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

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2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by bcslouck » Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:20 pm

2030
The 2030 season was a not a good year for the Kraken at all. Finishing 53-109, it was the worst season in the franchises history. They weren't very good on offense or defense, scoring under 4 runs per game (3.9) while allowing well over 5 earned runs per game (5.35 ERA). Realizing it was time to jump start a rebuild, they decided to trade one of the franchises cornerstone players, Billy 'Chip' Chapel, Jr., to division rival Jacksonville in mid-June. While it wasn't necessarily the return he may of been looking for, they got back a couple solid prospects in Andre Georges and Byung-doo Yi. It also moved a fairly hefty contract off the books to create some future financial flexibility. While the season went bad fairly quick, there are some things to like looking at the team to think that they'll be better in 2031.

Acquisitions of Note
Valeri 'The Ankle' Kharlamov
Omar Aparicio
Aaron Campbell

The Kraken really shored up their infield this offseason. Players who were listed as 2B or SS for the 2030 team combined for a -1.7 WAR. Kharlamov and Aparicio combined for 6.9. Needed to say that is a huge upgrade. 'The Ankle' can do it all. He's a plus defender with a great bat. You can put him at the top of the lineup and he'll get on base and provide some pop. He can also bat in the middle of the order, providing lineup protection to go along with his pop. He's a great asset for any team. It was odd to see Carolina pick him up, but with the cap space to heavily front load his contract, they're hoping he can keep butts in he seats while the kids get a little more seasoning. As for Aparicio, his value comes from his glove. Probably the best defensive SS in the league, he's worth putting at the bottom of a lineup for that. He won't provide much with the bat, but man, the glove is awesome. With those signings, Carolina has to now be in the conversation for best infield combo in the league.

As for Campbell, he's shown some dominance at the AAA level despite some walk issues. In 2030 however, he seemed to be mismanaged by Twin Cities along with suffering some shoulder inflammation and missing 6 months. It was still a surprise to see the talented RP was not protected for the Rule 5 Draft and Carolina pounced. He probably won't see too much high leverage action this year. But the kid has closer potential down the road.

Losses of Note

Looking over the transaction logs, I'm not seeing any huge losses. A lot of minor league filler. The ML players they lost are actually net positives for the team.

Lineup
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The lineup doesn't look too bad. It should be better than last year if some of the youngsters manage to start living up to their potentials, along with the addition of 'The Ankle'. The lineup is still anchored by longtime Kraken vet Frank Thomas III. Some were surprised he was also not shipped out last season, but he comes back with a little more lineup protection. Look for Chris Klein to bounce back and have a solid year. If he can't do it hitting between Thomas III and 'The Ankle', than he probably isn't a ML option moving forward. I do think he will be better though. Also, keep an eye on Alberto Padilla. He probably will never hit more than .240-.250ish, but he has some potential pop and an ability to get on base. Him having a solid season will go a long way for the team. A full season of Chet Gabriel should also help and Jorge Vargas is a very solid hitter. CF Jin-song Xuan is also on the horizon, though rumors have been abound that he may repeat AAA to see some action as SS. Personally, I'd have Xuan on the team in CF, with Gabriel in RF and Vargas in LF. Santiago Baez would be my 4th OF. But, I can see the value in holding him back to get some more position flexibility and delaying his debut to get the extra year of team control. They also have Gabriel Delgado at AAA who isn't too far away either. It certainly is a good problem to have. Overall, the lineup should be better and at least league average.

Pitching
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This is where things get interesting. The Kraken didn't do much to improve this. It seems they are banking on a combination of "it can't get worse, cant it?" and hoping some of the young guys come through and take the reigns. 3 of the 5 slated for the rotation at this moment have ERA's over 5 last season. Riccardo Pistone didn't pitch in 2030 after have a 6+ ERA in 2029 for Charm City. In fairness to him, his FIP was below 4, so he may of encountered some bad luck. I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a bullpen conversion candidate. André Georges will get some Spring Training starts it appears, but I think he needs some more minor league seasoning. The bullpen was just as bad. Based on the trends of Rafael Mata, he's probably due for a great year. Tim Waler looks like a nice arm, but he got shelled in his first cup of coffee last season. Joey Budding did not earn his money last year, but he started a lot of game. He may be better suited in the 'pen. The addition of Campbell could help too. At this point, I don't think the rotation or bullpen is going to be good. It's hard to be as bad as last year, so there is something to hoping your guys are better. The defense should be better to so that should help as well. I still say this will be a well below average group once again.

Now they do have some good things on the way. Arthur Dempster looks like a future TOR SP. He probably would be better suited for more time in AAA, but a great Spring could see him in the majors. Though would instantly boost the rotation. Juan Perez also has the chance to be a very good ML SP and he's probably about ready. Again, a strong Spring could see him thrown into the fire, and again, a boost. If one of these guys make the rotation they will be better. If both make it, they will be much better. They will go through their lumps, but we know what they have now and it isn't good. With all that said, it may be better to be cautious with them.

Defense
Team defense should be solid. OF looks pretty good, no matter what setup they go with. As stated above, the infield defense will be better. And behind the player, it's solid. All around, I'd think as a unit they will be at least league average.

Prediction
I do think this team is better than last year. It'd be hard not to be, but they made some solid moves and the youth movement is starting already. They should put up more runs and the defense should help their pitching. I just don't think the pitching will help themselves. A lot of room for improvement from the young bats and some young arms on the way. But I think it will be a year or 2 before things come together. And I believe that is the goal for the Kraken. But we will certainly start to see flashes from the young guys who will lead them back to the playoffs in the future. I see them going 65-97 this season. If they decide to push some of their younger prospects, they may get a few more wins.
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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by aaronweiner » Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:33 pm

Next year I want it faster.

Seriously, though, 2 hours between taking the team and writing what amounts to a solid preview is a nice job. I think given the state of my pitching staff that 65 wins seems close to right. Next year's not my target year anyway; I'd have to be delusional.

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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by bcslouck » Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:36 pm

aaronweiner wrote:Next year I want it faster.

Seriously, though, 2 hours between taking the team and writing what amounts to a solid preview is a nice job. I think given the state of my pitching staff that 65 wins seems close to right. Next year's not my target year anyway; I'd have to be delusional.
Yessir :bow:

I had nothing to do while watching the O's game so decided to go ahead and knock it out. The new middle infield may get you an additional 5 wins alone. Should be a pretty quick turnaround though. Just need the young guys to develop and come though.
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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by aaronweiner » Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:38 pm

Yeah. I'm not sure why you're down on Pistone though; I think he's comparable to your Arturo Reyes, and Reyes wasn't bad at all. I don't think I have a #1 starter in Pistone, but I'd be thrilled if he became a card-carrying rotation member.

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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by Ted » Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:40 pm

Way to set the bar! Nice read.
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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by bcslouck » Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:50 pm

aaronweiner wrote:Yeah. I'm not sure why you're down on Pistone though; I think he's comparable to your Arturo Reyes, and Reyes wasn't bad at all. I don't think I have a #1 starter in Pistone, but I'd be thrilled if he became a card-carrying rotation member.
Well, I had him and he was terrible. That's basically it. Well, his results were terrible. He can probably provide solid innings. Your defense is probably better than what I had when he was with us.
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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by aaronweiner » Sun Apr 23, 2017 3:00 pm

Oh yeah. Forgot it was you he skunked out for.

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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by bigmike13 » Sun Apr 23, 2017 3:50 pm

Nice job.
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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by bcslouck » Mon Jul 17, 2017 2:29 pm

You beat my prediction by a game.
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Re: 2031 Carolina Kraken Season Preview

Post by aaronweiner » Mon Jul 17, 2017 2:59 pm

You were right about Pistone, but not for the reasons you gave. :)

I figured you were right. Still a big improvement.

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