Here’s the Bullpen Plan (TM), you see?
We’ll throw Kidane Ata out there in center field sometimes, you see? And then when we need a reliver, he’ll throw out of the pen…sometimes multiple times per game, right? That’s the ticket! I mean, he’s got two arms, he’ll play center for seven innings, then thrown the 8th left-handed and the 9th right-handed. And on any game where we just don’t need one of those hands, we;;l we’ll just save up that inning for tomorrow.
That’s the way to dream, eh?
Okay. It’s a little better than that. Lorenzo de’Medici is a real pitcher and has two seasons of control. This is good news because we’re pretty sure Ata’s 200 innings (100 per arm) aren’t going to be enough.
In all seriousness, if Nashville can do some bullpen alchemy they’ve got enough to be at least dangerous—though the margin for error is thin. The rotation doesn’t have an ace, but it’s got the Josh Browns and Elliot Bucklands that everyone is used to talking about in such hushed voices. And they’ve got Eru Likiliki, and they’ve got Chin Kim (sidebar: when a guy’s contract being so great is the first thing that pops into your mind, that’s not necessarily a good thing). These are good pitchers even if they don’t pop eyes. Minor league Gerald Abbott is a guy who fits that bill, too. Sneaky.
Offensively the team has a similar vibe—though it’s a bit stronger. By that thing with the vibe I mean that other than Ata, and possibly young catcher Alberto Rodriguez (who has some proving to do), there are no superstar here, but there are a mess of work-pail kind of guys who can just get the job done. Insiders are probably hoping Mario Deortez can bounce back into his younger form, and that new FA signee William Wood makes back his cash, which Wood might well and Deortez might not (in my mind). Shortstop Francisco Otero is in the mode of the more modern shift to acrobatic defenders, and that’s fun to watch. He and 19 year-old second baseman Jesus Yan will turn some brilliant double plays before the season’s out. And then there’s Mexico City cast off Jerome Delange, who comes to Music City to try to find past glory. We’ll see if something happens—but even if it doesn’t he’s worth something. Ernesto Souza at 1B looks to be a solid kinda guy, so the infield is pretty good.
Probably the most stable bat outside Ata is outfielder Gipper Kengos. Sixto Mejia is 22 and though he stumbled in a cup of coffee last year, lots of folks seem to think he’s going to be just fine.
Looking down into the organization isn’t particularly heartwarming, but there does appear to be a little coming through. The bothersome part is that most of the help is in the field, again rather than on the mound—though Ash Davenport will probably help plug a bullpen hole semi-soon.
The bottom line is that the Bluebird bats should score at least a few runs, and that will make them a pesky out, but it’s hard to see them really competing until the pitching staff is remade.
Let’s say 79-83, but there's every change those two numbers could wind up reversed.
Nice read!