2033 Louisville Sluggers Preview

[bcslouck]

Normally we give a quick preview of what the team did in the previous year, but who cares. I honestly don't remember what they did and don't care to look it up. I'm sure the Genius will claim he did something great like win the Landis or something, but I doubt he did. Let's get right into the previews.

Notable Players Lost:
*OF Leon Sandcastle
*SP Mario Gonzalez
*SP Jon Chandler

Notabl Players Added:
*DH Ed Curry
*CL Alan Domínguez

Future Hall of Famer Leon Sandcastle was shipped to Jacksonville for a couple solid prospects. While he's still a good player, Louisville was starting to get into some cap issues and have solid OF options we will highlight further down the preview. Speaking of salary issues, it's why he also traded Gonzalez and Chandler to Brooklyn for basically nothing. Again, we'll get into the replacements later, but he seems to have multiple ML ready arms to replace the production.

Domínguez is still a good bullpen arm who will help stabilize a very young but talented bullpen. Curry adds a ton of power into an already power middle of the order, providing more depth and line up protection.

Lineup:
Jaime Ramirez is a solid option at SS, but I'm not sure how I feel about him as a leadoff hitter. Sean Maguire is a good 3B who should continue providing solid production. 3 through 7, Louisville probably boast some of the most power in the BBA. Fernando Cruz, Ed Curry, Gabriel Talamante, Shag Hopkins, and Ramiro Marino could potentially combine for 200 HR's on their own. You could do worse than Mike Barnett in RF, though his defense has been declining. William Gelinas may not be the best bat, but he won't embarrass himself while providing good defense at a premium position.

Pitching:
Long time ace Anastasio Quintana leads a rotation that includes Abe Colbert, Jr., Ramon Garza, Felipe Murillo, Kevin Morales, Mario Villarreal. Besides Quintana, the other options are under 30. Villarreal is probably the odd man out, but not for lack of talent. He'll be the first option from AAA if someone goes down. That is, if Murillo is kept as a SP. Someone who has always been viewed as a SP option, he's been in the 'pen for the majority of his career and has done that well. If Stu decides to stick him back there, Villarreal should make the Opening Day rotation. It's a good rotation with a ton of talent, but it could take some time for them to gel with some of the youth. It certainly could be one of the top in the Frick.

The bullpen is kind of the same story as the rotation: a lot of talent but young. We've already highlighted the addition of Dominguez. Abel Gibson is set to stay the teams closer (at least as of Spring Traning). He's proven to be a good 'pen arm and could also be a SP down the line. Pepe Jamarillo is an arm to watch. He's a kid with a ton of talent who is also a future SP and may be starting the year in the bullpen to get ML experience. Some other notable big time young arms are Marcos Diaz, Aldo Hes, Rogerio Vazquez, and Carlos Rosa. A ton of talent but may take some time to get going. Again, I could see it being toward the top of the Frick.

Defense:
The defense should be one of the tops in the league. The biggest weakness is Gelinas in RF, but every other position is strong.

Overview:
It should be another strong team in Louisville. The biggest weakness is the team's youth. They may have one of the more 27 man rosters in the league, but also one of the youngest. He has a ton of young pitching depth that with the flexibility to have guys start or come in and dominate batter with their stuff playing up in shorter stints. If the team starts slow, they probably won't capture the division but will be back in the playoffs. Getting the young guys to figure stuff out quick and start fast will be key to getting the division again. Conservatively, this is a 90 win team in a strong division. They'll probably be more like a 95+ win team and among the favorites for winning the Landis.

[felipe]

What a great preview

What a great team

Unbeatable combi

[cheekimonk]

You know, I don’t think I’ve ever done a deal with The Genius in all our years in the league. Think he feels sorry for me...and I’m good with that.