2036 Nashville Goats - Trending Up
Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 11:21 am
Getting Their Goat
You can’t blame Nashville for sitting around the Les Paul Field, sipping on some local Jim Beam Single Barrel and dreaming about the past since the present has been less than kind to the Goats. This is a far cry from the team that made five straight playoff appearances from 2016 to 2020 and brought home the big prize Landis Trophy in 2017 when they were the Halifax Hawks. The current Goats have been mired in a horrendous slump with 2025 being the last year they were over .500 and having triple digit losses three of the last four. But before you write the Goats off for 2036, let’s take a look at how this team is starting to transform back into a quality opponent.
Additions: CF Abdelwahab Kamade,
Losses: C Jose Gamboa
C: Xie-li Luo returns as the primary Catcher for the Goats in 2036. Acquired from Huntsville in 2034, Luo preformed adequately for the Goats in 2035 batting .256 with 56 RBI’s and 40 runs scored. The 16 Homers was a nice addition from Luo who has average Power and had a positive ZR behind the dish giving him a 1.4 WAR. The only other Catcher in camp is veteran Juan Guerrero, who also came over from Huntsville in a trade last season. More defense than offense, Guerrero is a solid backup in the league.
1B: While the Goats coaches talk about the expected battle at First base to between Raymond Aguilera and Barney Everhart, all eyes will be on youngster Miguel Suarez to see if he is ready for the big stage. There isn’t much more for Suarez to prove in the Minors and neither Aguilera nor Everhart have his gifts at the plate. If the spring goes well I expect the 21 yr old to win the job and become a fixture at 1B for many years to come.
2B: Unless there is a trade this spring, it looks like the Goats will open up 2036 with longtime BBA veteran Andre Wellington at Second Base. Wellington has had many highlights in his career but at this stage this can only be described as a black hole in the lineup for Nashville. Wellington has become a below average hitter and his range and arm look shot after 13 year career. It’s possible that the loser of the Pedro Gomez/Voitto Stromberg battle at SS will slide over to 2B but that remains to be seen.
SS: As mentioned above, the Shortstop position appears to be a battle royale this spring between Pedro Gomez and Voitto Stromberg. Both are excellent defensive infielders and both are adequate at the plate. Last years starter, Gomez, is still only 24 years old and while he has no real power to speak of his main purpose should be to get on base any way possible and let his speed take over.
3B: Jesus Mojica returns to Nashville and since he is currently the only 3B on the spring roster, one may assume he will be the leading candidate to break camp at the hot corner. Mojica will be looking to break out of a year long slump in but he was on the move a lot and really had little time to settle in. He was selected by Wichita in the Rule 5 Draft from Montreal at the beginning of 2035 and was then traded to Nashville in August of that same year. Mojica is still living out of a suitcase, afraid to unpack.
OF: 2032, 1st round pick Justin Jackson made his permanent debut for the Goats after a cup of coffee stop in 2034. Jackson looks every bit the future face of the Nashville franchise and brings excellent bat skills and defense to the table. With 30 Home Runs between AAA Montgomery and Nashville, big things look to be in store. Veteran Ken Jenkins, who came over in a trade with Long Beach last season, is back to patrol the outfield. Jenkins is a superb OBP guy with great speed and the ability to put the ball in play at will and will be opposite Jackson in the outfield. The big move of the offseason for Nashville also closes a gasp they had in their outfield as the worked a deal with The San Fernando Bears to grab star CF Abdelwahab Kamade. Kamade was a superb addition to this team and should flourish as the outfield general in Nashville.
Starting Rotation
This was, without a doubt, a weak spot for the Goats in 2035 as they finished the year with a team ERA of 5.40 and giving up an average of 5.8 Runs Per Game. After “Ace” Atsumori Maeda things get a little squirrely. The Goats are looking to experiment putting last years Closer Jonathan Frank in the rotation this spring, he is a borderline starter and it will be interesting to see if they can get him stretched out enough this spring to get a good reading on whether he can truly make the move to the rotation. Nicholas Sutton will be looking to rebound from a very taxing year that saw his ERA jump a full 1.5 Runs over 2034. Kidanu Cherono is another one who struggled mightily in 2035 going 2-13 with a 5.49 ERA. The Goats have 2033 3rd round pick Alfred Perales in camp and the 20 yr old does show some promise. Guillermo Martinez is back as an option but he can’t keep the ball in the park. Francisco Luna, Francis Jesty, Kyle Elston, Manuel Bruno and Lane Aldridge are all in camp to tryouts.
Bullpen:
If Frank stays in the rotation, look for Armando Figueroa to assume the Closing duties for Nashville. Figueroa has the usual issues that go with a power arm, lots of K’s and Lots of HR’s. Armando has a blazing Fastball but tends to groove too many pitches out over the heart of the plate. If he can get a little more movement on his pitches he would become far more effective.
The Goats have Miroslav Tomanek, Kurt Hier, Kyle Wright and Wu-Han Liu all returning from last year but there are a ton of options in camp and all jobs in the pen seem up for grabs. Nashville would LOVE to see some of the young guys step up and grab a role by the throat.
2036 Prediction
Maybe not this year, and maybe not next year but the Goats do seem to be making a slow turn to the positive side of the ledger. Patience and understanding are virtues, but they are never easy to give.
65-95, Fifth Place in JL Southeast Division.
You can’t blame Nashville for sitting around the Les Paul Field, sipping on some local Jim Beam Single Barrel and dreaming about the past since the present has been less than kind to the Goats. This is a far cry from the team that made five straight playoff appearances from 2016 to 2020 and brought home the big prize Landis Trophy in 2017 when they were the Halifax Hawks. The current Goats have been mired in a horrendous slump with 2025 being the last year they were over .500 and having triple digit losses three of the last four. But before you write the Goats off for 2036, let’s take a look at how this team is starting to transform back into a quality opponent.
Additions: CF Abdelwahab Kamade,
Losses: C Jose Gamboa
C: Xie-li Luo returns as the primary Catcher for the Goats in 2036. Acquired from Huntsville in 2034, Luo preformed adequately for the Goats in 2035 batting .256 with 56 RBI’s and 40 runs scored. The 16 Homers was a nice addition from Luo who has average Power and had a positive ZR behind the dish giving him a 1.4 WAR. The only other Catcher in camp is veteran Juan Guerrero, who also came over from Huntsville in a trade last season. More defense than offense, Guerrero is a solid backup in the league.
1B: While the Goats coaches talk about the expected battle at First base to between Raymond Aguilera and Barney Everhart, all eyes will be on youngster Miguel Suarez to see if he is ready for the big stage. There isn’t much more for Suarez to prove in the Minors and neither Aguilera nor Everhart have his gifts at the plate. If the spring goes well I expect the 21 yr old to win the job and become a fixture at 1B for many years to come.
2B: Unless there is a trade this spring, it looks like the Goats will open up 2036 with longtime BBA veteran Andre Wellington at Second Base. Wellington has had many highlights in his career but at this stage this can only be described as a black hole in the lineup for Nashville. Wellington has become a below average hitter and his range and arm look shot after 13 year career. It’s possible that the loser of the Pedro Gomez/Voitto Stromberg battle at SS will slide over to 2B but that remains to be seen.
SS: As mentioned above, the Shortstop position appears to be a battle royale this spring between Pedro Gomez and Voitto Stromberg. Both are excellent defensive infielders and both are adequate at the plate. Last years starter, Gomez, is still only 24 years old and while he has no real power to speak of his main purpose should be to get on base any way possible and let his speed take over.
3B: Jesus Mojica returns to Nashville and since he is currently the only 3B on the spring roster, one may assume he will be the leading candidate to break camp at the hot corner. Mojica will be looking to break out of a year long slump in but he was on the move a lot and really had little time to settle in. He was selected by Wichita in the Rule 5 Draft from Montreal at the beginning of 2035 and was then traded to Nashville in August of that same year. Mojica is still living out of a suitcase, afraid to unpack.
OF: 2032, 1st round pick Justin Jackson made his permanent debut for the Goats after a cup of coffee stop in 2034. Jackson looks every bit the future face of the Nashville franchise and brings excellent bat skills and defense to the table. With 30 Home Runs between AAA Montgomery and Nashville, big things look to be in store. Veteran Ken Jenkins, who came over in a trade with Long Beach last season, is back to patrol the outfield. Jenkins is a superb OBP guy with great speed and the ability to put the ball in play at will and will be opposite Jackson in the outfield. The big move of the offseason for Nashville also closes a gasp they had in their outfield as the worked a deal with The San Fernando Bears to grab star CF Abdelwahab Kamade. Kamade was a superb addition to this team and should flourish as the outfield general in Nashville.
Starting Rotation
This was, without a doubt, a weak spot for the Goats in 2035 as they finished the year with a team ERA of 5.40 and giving up an average of 5.8 Runs Per Game. After “Ace” Atsumori Maeda things get a little squirrely. The Goats are looking to experiment putting last years Closer Jonathan Frank in the rotation this spring, he is a borderline starter and it will be interesting to see if they can get him stretched out enough this spring to get a good reading on whether he can truly make the move to the rotation. Nicholas Sutton will be looking to rebound from a very taxing year that saw his ERA jump a full 1.5 Runs over 2034. Kidanu Cherono is another one who struggled mightily in 2035 going 2-13 with a 5.49 ERA. The Goats have 2033 3rd round pick Alfred Perales in camp and the 20 yr old does show some promise. Guillermo Martinez is back as an option but he can’t keep the ball in the park. Francisco Luna, Francis Jesty, Kyle Elston, Manuel Bruno and Lane Aldridge are all in camp to tryouts.
Bullpen:
If Frank stays in the rotation, look for Armando Figueroa to assume the Closing duties for Nashville. Figueroa has the usual issues that go with a power arm, lots of K’s and Lots of HR’s. Armando has a blazing Fastball but tends to groove too many pitches out over the heart of the plate. If he can get a little more movement on his pitches he would become far more effective.
The Goats have Miroslav Tomanek, Kurt Hier, Kyle Wright and Wu-Han Liu all returning from last year but there are a ton of options in camp and all jobs in the pen seem up for grabs. Nashville would LOVE to see some of the young guys step up and grab a role by the throat.
2036 Prediction
Maybe not this year, and maybe not next year but the Goats do seem to be making a slow turn to the positive side of the ledger. Patience and understanding are virtues, but they are never easy to give.
65-95, Fifth Place in JL Southeast Division.