2033 At A Glance
For a team that has failed to win more than 70 games in their short lifespan, 2033 was still a low-water mark when it comes to on-field victories. The Jackrabbits lost 108 games and it really should have been worse. The most concerning bit is that they are last in Season Ticket sales and have sold barely over half of what the 27th team has sold and roughly 1/7th of what the Hustlers have banked. It isn't all doom and gloom though, as a couple of big name prospects are on the horizon and ready to slot into the lineup.
Record: 54-108
Attendance: 2,637,666
Runs Scored/Allowed: 562/849
Batting Leaders:
--AVG: Malcolm Guesne, .275
--OPS: Ruben Flores, .777
--HR: Ruben Flores, 33
--RBI: Les Fawcett, 77
--SB: Malcolm Guesne, 50
--WAR: Malcolm Guesne, 2.4 (rest of the lineup totaled a nauseating -4.5)
Pitching Leaders:
--W: Taisuke Suzuki, 9
--ERA: Bobby Lynch, 3.27
--SV: Manny Vargas, 16
--K: Bobby Lynch, 187
--WHIP: Bobby Lynch, 1.02
2034 Preview
Soto, Blackwell, and Delgado are all nice upgrades for Edmonton, and they are all young enough to potentially be contributors of a winning Jackrabbits team. The youth movement is another year closer to breaking through and Bobby Lynch should become a household name this year. Still, the excitement remains in watching the prospects down in the minors and Edmonton will once again be battling to stay out of the FL cellar.
Additions: Luis Soto (FA), Holden Blackwell (FA), Francisco Delgado (FA)
Losses: Manny Vargas (FA), Mario Murillo (FA), Reynaldo Garza (FA), Bailey Attoehow (FA), Sergio Ramos (FA), Sergio Cordova (FA), Miguel Flores (FA)
Starting Lineup
I'll preface this by saying that I think Brando is a fantastic GM and I am positive he has a plan, but this is far from the best lineup that Edmonton could field in 2034. There are better hitters (especially in the outfield and 3B) littered throughout their farm. Still, there are some bright spots in this group, but overall I expect Edmonton to be in the bottom 1/3 of the BBA in run production. Blackwell's batting title days are behind him, and he isn't quite a good enough hitter for 1B anymore, but he is still an above average defender at 3B and could easily be a 3-ish WAR player there if he was given a full season at the hot corner. Luis Soto is a nice, all-around upgrade at 2B for the Jackrabbits. He won't be a star player, but he should be a reliable, league average hitter and defender at 2B; nothing wrong with a 12th-16th best player at 2B (though he's definitely overpaid). Luke Jordan should not be starting for a BBA club at this stage of his career. At 38, Butter can still field and knock a few over the fence, just don't expect him to do, literally, anything else. Declan Crauen is the one hitting prospect who makes the Opening Day roster and while he doesn't have the star value of some other names, he could still be a solid BBA starter for many years. Valencia, Flores, Guesene, and Delgado are all, 'meh' players who should be fine, but are all areas Edmonton will be looking to upgrade in soon.
C: Miguel Valencia (5/3/8/6/7 Ratings)
1B: Holden Blackwell (8/5/3/3/9 Ratings)
2B: Luis Soto (7/5/7/5/10 Ratings)
3B: Luke Jordan (5/6/6/6/5 Ratings)
SS: Armando Reyes (4/6/8/4/4 Ratings)
LF: Malcolm Guesne (6/7/7/5/6 Ratings)
CF: Francisco Delgado (5/5/6/3/8 Ratings)
RF: Declan Crauen (7/8/7/5/7 Ratings)
DH: Ruben Flores (5/5/8/7/5 Ratings)
Rotation
Bobby Fucking Lynch. He will become the bane of the FL Pacific very soon and people will soon view him in the same light as peak Diaz, Chapel, and Gomez. Lefty hitters will simply not touch him and right-handed hitters won't fare much better. Behind Lynch, Suzuki and Manceau are solid #2 & 3 options. Johnny Morin is a decent #5 for a non-playoff team, but neither he nor Adam Coughlan are long for the BBA. If you can get into a series and avoid Lynch and Suzuki/Manceau, your lineup could have a field day with Edmonton, if you roll their top 3, you might be lucky to score 3 runs a game.
Bobby Lynch (10/7/9 Ratings)
Taisuke Suzuki (8/7/6 Ratings)
Maxime Manceau (7/8/7 Ratings)
Adam Coughlan (7/6/6 Ratings)
Johnny Morin (7/7/7 Ratings)
Bullpen
There is a ton of swing-and-miss potential in this bullpen, but when guys make contact.....let's just say that if you're going to Jackrabbits games, make sure to bring a glove. As a former Paris GM, I like to see Ayala and Martinez in the BBA, but they simply give up too many HR to be counted on in key situations. Marcus Tilton and Pat Elton wouldn't make it on my AA squad, and my bullpen is currently in the bottom half of the league. Vale, Kenney, and van der Kamp should all be solid middle relievers. This bullpen will look dominant at times, and utterly competent the rest of the time.
Domingo Ayala (10/5/9 Ratings)
Alfredo Martinez (10/4/7 Ratings)
Marcus Tilton (6/4/8 Ratings)
Ed Kenney (9/6/6 Ratings)
Stewart Vale (7/7/7 Ratings)
Rodger van der Knaap (8/6/8 Ratings)
Ellis Putnam (8/6/5 Ratings)
Pat Elton (7/6/4 Ratings)
2034 Prediction
The Jackrabbits will have the highest win total in their short history, but they will still lose 90+ games. I'm thinking 72-90 in 2034 (if the prospects are called up at some point, knock off 10 wins if not). If the prospects breakthrough, 2035 or 2036 could be their first winning season...
Prospects to Watch
The good stuff....
Luis Costello (9/8/9/5/8 Talents) - If this guy were in the BBA, he'd be a top 12 center fielder right now. He has the potential to be a top 3 center fielder and even if the range drops, he has the bat to carry him on a corner.
Mitch Dalrymple (9/7/8/4/8 Talents) - This guy is a top 10 RF RIGHT NOW. He's going to hit 40 HR in AAA this year and be a strong Gillstrom candidate next year, and a threat to win a Puckett in LF/RF any year.
William Wood (7/9/9/6/6 Talents) - Not quite as developed as the other two, he's merely a solid BBA player right now with the potential to be a star CF or RF. If Costello's range holds, Wood will be a Zimmer caliber RF; if not, Wood will be a very good CF.
Chet Parrish (9/8/7 Talents) - If the changeup develops, he is the future #2 starter. Even if it doesn't, he's still a solid #3 / great #4. He's good enough to be in the rotation right now.
Augie Plascencia (9/7/5/6/10 Talents) - This guy is a switch hitter and a better hitter than anyone in LF/RF, and even Blackwell. With the other 3, it will be interesting to see if he's stuffed into the DH/1B role, or if one of the 4 (5 including Guesne) is moved.
Steven Collins III (12/9/7/6/7 Talents) - Well developed for a 17 year old, this guy is a future potential batting champion with 70+ EBH and 70+ SB ability. Potential top 3B in the BBA if everything develops, but he's 4 years away at least.
Jean Huguet (12/7/5 Talents) - Flamethrowing righty who needs his changeup to develop to be a SP. If it does, he's a solid #3, if not, he's still a damn good reliever.
Derrek Terry (9/6/7 Talents) - Doesn't look like a future star, but if the curve and splitter fill out, he's a decent #4/good #5.
Juan Lopez (8/8/9/6/8 Talents) - I love Lopez and he has boatloads of potential. However, he's 18 and probably 5 or more years away from contributing. A lot can happen between now and then.
Mike Gilbert (6/8/8/5/5 Talents) - Not as sexy of a prospect as many on this list, but he's close to being ready and he could be a solid BBA player. He'll either be a good platoon guy or will be moved to strengthen the infield.
