INTRODUCTIONGM Mike Simon is preparing for his first full season running the Madison Wolves after taking over as GM partway through last season. He started the 2040 season as the UMEBA Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers GM, leaving them in 1st Place to come to the BBA in Madison. The Wolves finished in 6th place, just ahead of Twin Cities.
With a current projected Payroll of $77 Million, the Front Office has plenty of room to make moves during the season… but should they? That will be remained to be seen. At first glance, the Offense is loaded with talent, mostly 24 and under. The pitching staff is another story. The starting pitching staff rotation is a little thin, but the bullpen looks more solid.
IMPACT PLAYERS - OFFENSE
C JOHN HALE – AGE 26 – RATED (75/75) (5/7/9/6/5) – At 26 years old, John Hale is projected to be the oldest player in the Batting Lineup. Hale is solid behind the plate and with the bat. He’s averaging approximately 3.0 WAR in his first three seasons, earning 2 All Star Appearances and the 2040 Gold Bat for Catcher.
RF MANOBU SHIMIZU – AGE 20 – (65/80) (10/10/6/6/9) - Look out!! The Japanese native will be making his BBA debut in 2041. While he’s still got room to grow power wise, Manobu will be an extremely tough out at the plate and likely to put the ball in play consistently… with high exit velocity. He also looks to be a future gold glover in Right Field, able to make tough plays and make any throw. If he had a little more range in the Outfield to player Centerfield, he could rank with one of the best over-all players in the game.
SS SALVADOR ALLENDE – AGE 20 – (75/80) (8/6/3/9/9) – Coming into his 2nd Season as a BBA Shortstop, Allende is still carrying a boulder sized chip on this shoulder. Selected late in the 2nd Round 2038 draft with the 53rd Over-all pick, Salvador has exceed all expectations and looks to contend has the Frick League’s Top Shortstop. Extremely patient at the plate and has the GAP power and speed to hit doubles and possibly triples. While Salvador doesn’t have the range of the TOP defensive BBA Shortstops, he’s extremely sure handed and makes few errors.
LF ANDREW TORRES – AGE 24 – (75/75) (9/8/8/5/7) – Andrew does one thing great… Smash Right Handed Pitching. He’s adequate in the outfield and is still above average vs Lefties, with enough basepath speed to keep catcher’s honest. He’s yet to hit more than 30 home runs in a season, but you have to think that’s coming as he matures. Consistently in the .900’s for OPS in his first three seasons, Andrew should be a cornerstone Left Fielder for years to come.
2B JOSE HERNANDEZ – AGE 20 (45/75) (7/8/5/5/7) – Jose is a well rounded second base man… not great defensively, but good enough and excellent at the plate for getting contact and driving the gaps. He’s still a bit green, so there’s a chance he may not start the year in the BBA, but it’s highly likely he’ll see significant time there.
1B NATANAEL BARRAL – AGE 24 (65/65) (6/8/7/7/6) – Even at only 24 years old, Natanael already has almost 5 full seasons in the books. His best year was 2037, putting a .404 OBP / .944 OPS with 42 doubles and 27 homers. Even though he’s tailed off those totals since, he’s still be a solid hitter and decent fielder at 1B. He’s also an extremely positive personality in the Clubhouse, motivating guys around him with his hustle and hard work. However, it’s getting close to contract time and he’ll want to get paid.
IMPACT PLAYERS - PITCHING
SP JUAN TRUJILLO – AGE 28 (55/55) (11/1/9) – Juan doesn’t try trick hitters with finesse pitches… He throws hard nasty stuff and knows where to put it. He doesn’t care if you hit it hard as a result, he just deals and lets it fly. With a 13.1K/9 rate in 2039 and 11.2K/9 in 2040, it seems its sit or trot the bases with Trujillo. He has to survive by keeping walks way down and limiting the homers to single runs. 2040 was a banner year for at 11 wins and a 4.2 WAR. In limited time at Spring Training, he’s been sharp, giving up only 6 hits over 10.2 innings, 10 K’s and no runs. He’s not your prototypical #1 Starter, but it looks like he gets the job done.
SP ANTONIO HERRERA – AGE 22 (35/65) (6/4/7) – Returning from an almost year long absence due to injury, Antonio Herrera may see BBA action this season. Another hard thrower, Antonio doesn’t have Juan’s control, but has more movement on his pitches. The Front Office will sure to be anxious to see if Herrara can still achieve his projected potential after such a devastating injury.
SP YORIKANE MIYAMOTO – AGE 21 (50/65) (8/6/6) – Miyamoto made some unexpected improvements last season and saw brief action at the BBA level, earning a 5.21 ERA over 49 innings. Blessed with a solid fastball and three solid off speed pitches, he appears ready to take a spot in the #2 or #3 position on the starting rotation.
CL BELCHIOR BARRACAS – AGE 21 (55/65) (9/6/6) – Bringing a 100+ MPH Fastball and nasty curveball, Barracas appears to be slated to start as the team’s closer. He saw limited action in 2040 and gave up a shaky 1.64 WHIP, though he collected 11 Saves over 19 appearances. While he was striking out batters at a good clips (11.2K/9), he gave up far too many walks (5.6BB/9) and batters were mashing the balls that were put into play (.395 BABIP). That said, he’s still extremely young and improving, look for him to keep the closer spot locked down.
SU LORENZO SOLIS AGE 24 – (60/60) (9/7/3) – While not a hard thrower like others on the staff, Solis keeps hitters honest with an incredible change up (12/12). Using it induce groundballs and also as strike out pitch as needed. He does have control issues and also gives up far too many walks (7.0 BB/9).
P JAIME HERRERA – AGE 23 (45/70) (10/5/6) – It’ll be interesting to see how the Wolves use Herrera going into the season. He’s got the stuff to be a starter, but could be more effective as a reliever. He’s got the dreaded change up that refuses to develop, but if that changes, he could be the top guy in the bullpen or a possible #2 or #3 starter. He was effective in limited BBA work last season, but the sample size was too small to make a judgement one way or the other. The Front Office will be watching Jaime anxiously this season to see if he’s ready to make the leap as a BBA impact player.
SUMMARY & OUTLOOK
As previously mentioned, the Madison Wolves offense is extremely solid up and down the lineup… outside of the impact players already reviewed, CF Declan Hounsell is a solid hitting Centerfielder with good defensive range and an amazing arm. 3B Ross Quicker is a nice well roundedplayer, able to provide good production at the plate. The only weakness is that the team is Lefty heavy, so solid Left Hand Starters might be able to blunt the offense. Either way, look for the Wolves batting to be a strength of the team.
The pitching staff has pieces in the making and time will tell if 2041 will be the year they develop enough to provide the quality innings the team needs to compete. However, the Madison Fans have to happy with the direction the team is moving after some tough years. The only downside currently is the minor league system doesn’t really have any 5 star prospects looking to contribute anytime soon (outside of the qualified rookies on the 40 Man roster). LF Juan Martinez (30/60) could be in Madison this season, but only if there’s issue on their BBA roster as the Corner Outfield spots are currently occupied. 20 Year Old Starting Pitcher Sergio Costello (35/55) is a couple more seasons away from the BBA. If the Team stumbles in the first couple of months, will the Front Office look to move some of their prime BBA talent to restock the minors? Some of the older players like Andrew Torres and Nataneal Barral will be looking to get paid big time very soon, so their trade value might be highest this season. However, top talents like Torres are tough to acquire and/or replace… Always the dilemma… especially when there's still plenty of room on the Salary Cap.
SEASON PREDICTION – 70-75 WINS
