2032 Phoenix Talons

[felipe]

What's wrong with Phoenix?

Brother, let me count the ways...

It all boils down to precious ducats, or the lack of them...

What do you win with a budget of a lousy $98 million?

At least expansion has brought a BBA team back to the desert for the past four seasons. But apart from giving the mighty Sluggers another hapless team to beat up on, it's done very little for the general Phoenix populace.

Sure, the fans were ecstatic when the expansion Talons returned, over 3 million baseball starved fans paid good money to watch a 75 win team in 2029. But the number of fans fell to a little over 2 million the very next year, as losing baseball (65 wins) proved no substitute for no baseball.

The good people of Phoenix stayed home and did what they did for all those years that they had no team, dialed up their Big League Pass and cheered on the mighty Louisville Sluggers from the comfort of their own living rooms. And they continued to stay away in 2031, as the Talons almost achieved their first ever winning season, breaking even at season's end at 81-81.

The Talons enter 2032, poised to fall short again of their first ever winning season, but conscientiously stockpiling popular players to bring back the fans, and their bumper crop of four years of high drafting, mostly still a couple of years away from hitting the big league stage.

Toxin Deortez (2031), is big time ready to debut as a big league star at DH or 1B, while other high draft picks, Duck Marin (2030), Bob Corrigan (2030), and Amadou Mollet (2029), look to need more seasoning.

Catcher

The base any good team is built on. Phoenix has twenty-six year-old, former Rule V steal, Andres Martinez, pencilled in as their every day starter. Andres has been slowly cooking on the Phoenix bench for three seasons, and has been handed the tools of ignorance full-time for 2032, in a desperate bid to push him to finally achieve his lofty potential.

Ramon Rios is presumably the team's pipeline to getting good young Cuban international free-agents. There's no other reason for his presence on a big league squad. He hit a stunning .600 OPS in AA last season. Still, its doubtful he can do too much damage in 100 or so at-bats.

First base

Compact little fire hydrant shaped, Alex Gordon, can mash the righties, and 6'3'' Englishman, Frank Bud, would appear to have the parts to smash the lefties. But his career marks in AAA, do not overly inspire. Still, if Bud can produce an .800 OPS against a steady diet of lefties, I'm sure Phoenix will take it.

Second base

Thirty-three year-old Oliver Medrano, is on paper, a poor man's Brian Clough. But in reality, he's got a career .720 OPS. He's inexplicably popular across the BBA, which must be a result of all those national telecasts on Sunday nights, when the Cuban manned shortstop for Brooklyn.

Third base

Twenty-nine year-old Englishman, Carlton Winson, is not the most popular player on this team. It must be his bad British teeth. He is a true superstar, who would look exceedingly good in red pinstripes.

Shortstop

Gilberto Keating is an anonymous Latin American middle infielder. All glove, no hit.

Utility

The presence of Cabrera and Rodriguez makes all true BBA fans pray for an injury free season for the Talon infield starters.

Outfield

Center-fielder Felix Avila is a very fine second baseman, right-fielder Tuna Baca almost bankrupted the Yellow Springs organization, left-fielder Luis Tejeda was the Louisville Sluggers worst ever free-agent signing. Illhazul Valdeveviro would be a wonderful depth outfielder for a contender, as is Ned Breur.

Designated hitter

I'd have to imagine that Phoenix is hoping that Beer barrel Valencia has some magic left in his bat, but are msotly hoping he takes a half season of at-bats from Deortz, so they protect an additional year of player control. There's guys like Jaso and Murray waiting for a chance in AAA too.

Starting pitching

The feared and popular combo of lefty soft-tossing Ugandan Ssempa and long time righty Havana star, Dominican Igncio Rodriguez sit atop the rotation. These two give Phoenix fans an excuse to dream of the playoffs. Australian lefty Harry Considine is the third man, and a long time BBA veteran who never reached the heights he was expected to because of various injuries; still, he's a solid pro. Jose Cisneros is a mediocre number four, and Floyd Carter is an interesting soft-tossing knuckleballer who has apparently beat out swingman Josh Rosser for the fifth spot in the rotation.

Bullpen

Russian Bakitski won the reliever of the year award in 2031, and finished third in rookie of the year voting. So, he's probably decent enough. Righty Jason Olson throws hard, as does lefty Germao Real, so they may be just the thing to get a couple of guys out each, before giving the ball to Bakitski. Morgan and Bonnin are pretty interesting guys too. Morgan is the number 7 starter, which gives Phoenix decent depth at starter, as long as the injuries that occur aren't to either of the top two.

Skip Glendenning still has uses other than just his ability to sell jerseys. He's a wiley old lefty which is always nice to have around.

Outlook

It looks to this observer that Phoenix is caught in two minds. They've put together a nice little pitching staff, and a not at all bad lineup. They've done it on a budget too. But there's no depth, and a lot of crossed fingers that everything works out, and players are being played in positions that wouldn't appear to be the most advantageous. Moving some pieces around, and staying injury free could result in a few games over .500 and perhaps a playoff spot. But, a couple of injuries to key guys, and some bad luck, and this club would easily be ten games under .500.

At the very least, they've got some very nice, easily flippable pieces, that would garner them some stud prospects.

No matter what happens in 2032, Phoenix looks set to compete HARD in 2035. And the guy's handle that is leading this team happens to be Hopkins...which never hurts.

[RonCo]

Fun read.