2035 Louisville Sluggers Preview

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2035 Louisville Sluggers Preview

Post by Lane » Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:17 pm

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2035 Louisville Sluggers Preview

GM Nigel Laverick (1st Full Season)
Nigel has been all over the BBA, and is taking over the Louisville Sluggers from outgoing GM Stu Hopkins, who has left for the Wichita Aviators.

Fun Fact: LOU has made the playoffs 7 straight seasons, including winning the Landis in 2030 and 2032. Nigel has some big shoes to fill, but we’re sure he’s up to the task.

Franchise Facts:

Playoff Appearances: 26

Landis Memorial Series Appearances: 9

Landis Memorial Series Wins: 3

2032 Results
92-70 1st FLH
Offseason Summary

Key Losses

P Felipe Murillo (Expansion Draft)
P Esteban Velasquez (Free Agency)
OF Ramiro Marino (Free Agency)
OF Desiderius Kirshbaum (Free Agency)

Key Additions

OF Desiderius Kirshbaum (Free Agency)

Quick Hit

The Sluggers will be bringing back nearly the same team that won the Frick League pennant in 2034. The biggest difference in 2035 will be where they play their games. The expansion and realignment has moved the Sluggers to the Johnson League Southeast. They will compete for the division with Jacksonville, New Orleans, Nashville, and the upstart Huntsville squad.

2033 Predicted Starters

Catcher

Shag Hopkins. Sigh. Shag is good. I can’t talk about Shag. Let’s move on.

First Base

Brian Clough. Ol Big Head is still kickin’ at age 41. The career Slugger appears to be the frontrunner to keep the first base job. His 122 OPS+ last season has got to be one of the best in BBA history for a 40 year old. For all the attention that Leon Sandcastle (deservedly) receives, Clough is basically doing the same thing at the plate.

Second Base

Gabriel Talamante is a talented 27 year old second baseman, who really shines on the field. He is not a high average hitter, but can slug enough to be a net positive at the plate. He’s as sure handed as they come, committing only 10 errors in each of the last two seasons.
George Lee Anderson V is also in the mix at the keystone. Acquired from Calgary last season, he’s as sure handed as Talamante, but lacks range. He also played some 1B last season, so he could see time there as well. His eye and disdain for K’s keep his average up, and he’s especially tough against lefties, so we’d anticipate seeig him in the lineup against some lefties when Talamante needs rest.

Third Base

It feels like LOU has two guys that could start at every position, and 3B is no different. Felix Arrojo and Sean Maguire are both better against RHP, but we will probably see them split the 3B duties this season. And they’ll probably see some time at SS as well, as they have in previous seasons. They are both great with the glove, but Maguire is clearly the better hitter. His All-Star days are behind him, but he’s been good for a 110 OPS+ over the last three seasons.

Shortstop

Free swinging slap hitter Jaime Ramirez looks to be the everyday SS for the Sluggers again. The 23 year old makes a lot of contact with the ball at the plate and on the field. He is a plus defensive shortstop with range, sure hands and a great arm. At the plate, he eschews walks and strikeouts in favor of putting the ball in play and running like a bat out of hell.

Outfield Corners

Desiderius Kirshbaum
Scott Martin
Pedro Saldanas
Unlike a lot of BBA outfields these days, the Sluggers boast solid defense in the corners. Free agent singee Kirshbaum will likely be handed the starting LF job. Would-be rookies Saldana and Martin appear to be fighting for the starting RF spot.

Center Field

Calvin Clohessy
William Gelinas
If it were up to me, Gelinas would be the starting CF, freeing up Clohessy to roam the field, giving everyone days off as needed. Gelinas is clearly the best center fielder and hits plenty well enough to play there every day. Clohessy is a freak who is above average at every infield position and has even hit quite well. Judging by his ratings, he has hit a bit over his head against righties, but with that defense, he’s very valuable on any 27 man roster.

DH

Fernando Cruz might see some time at 1B but he’s and excellent DH. A career 151 OPS+ from a righty that hits LHP and RHP equally well is something that any team would be thrilled with. The 26 year old has become a legend in Louisville for his excellent performance in the postseason. The way the offense is lining up for 2035, Cruz should lead the team to another playoff berth.

Starting Pitchers
(in no particular order)

Felipe Chavez
Pepe Jaramillo
Kevin Morales
Carlos Rivera
Mario Villarreal

Twenty-two year old Morales won the Steve Nebraska award in 2034 and is ready to return as the ace of the Sluggers staff. He is supported by four other young, good-to-great right handed pitchers. Even accounting for the recent changes to the rating of movement, the staff may give up a few too may home runs. They should, however, make up for it with an above average strikeout rate, and at least average control.

Relief Corps

Julio Barajas
Ramon Garza
Lando Klomp
Carlos Rosa
Rogerio Vazquez

The bullpen, like the rotation is very right handed. They will absolutely strike out a lot of guys, so I’m not too concerned about the lack of lefties. Rosa, in 49 big league innings has proven himself to be one of the top relievers in the BBA at the young age of 21. Klomp looks to be ready to step into the BBA for the first time and he should absolutely destroy right handed hitters. They’re supported by a solid staff that should keep the Sluggers in the games, though they may run in to some trouble against lefty heavy lineups from time to time.

Summary

This team is young! It’s amazing to think that this team has had so much success in the past few years and is still so young. It’s hard to imagine a better situation for a new GM to step into. The lineup is well balanced with contact, power and plenty of switch hitters. The pitching staff leans a bit too right handed for my taste, but that would be easy enough to rectify in season if Nigel feels like it’s necessary. When you put it together, I see another great year for the Sluggers.

Prediction

The difficulty in the prediction here is the new league, division, and GM. So, here goes. Jacksonville is clearly (in my opinion) the class of the JL Southeast. New Orleans should be in the wild card race, and though I don’t see Huntsville competing for the division yet, I think they will be better than most people expect, sooner than anyone expects. Nashville isn’t quite there yet. Where does Louisville fit there? Somewhere between Jacksonville and New Orleans I think.
91-71, 2nd JLS.
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Re: 2035 Louisville Sluggers Preview

Post by ae37jr » Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:56 pm

I'm interested to see how Nigel does in Louisville. It's a rare and tough spot to take over a team that has been successful and everyone expects it to continue. You want to put you're own fingerprints on it, yet at the same time you don't want to f' it up. I think players often get caught trying to keep the old GM's gameplan and end up letting things unravel because it's not the style they are used to and /or they are afraid to make changes. I know I did that in Brooklyn and I think the old Huntsville GM had the same issues. It's much easier to take over a bad team and just bulldozer everything and start over.
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Re: 2035 Louisville Sluggers Preview

Post by RonCo » Tue Jun 12, 2018 4:11 pm

Yes, it's always interesting to see the transition. It's almost a no-win situation. If they do great, it's the Genius set-up, if they crash and burn it's poor Nigel. This isn't really true, of course. Too many moving parts and all that. But Nigel's got one of the tougher assignments in the league right now. Louisville should be good, though. Barring injuries to those pitchers, he's set up pretty well.
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