2044 Portland Lumberjacks Preview
Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2020 8:18 pm
Oh boy...I have the pleasure of previewing my rivals stationed on the other side of the invisible line, the Portland Lumberjacks. It's been a long road for this organization, but they are actually looking formidable now, at least to an extent. They have been on a slight upward trajectory since their founding in 2040. Last season was their best record in franchise history at 65-97. Of course, that's not great. But the Lumberjacks have been spending big, making trades, and developing their top prospects. The current preseason predictions has the Lumberjacks finishing 5th in the Pacific with an 81-81 record. I trust these predictions, mainly because the it says the Mounties will finish first in the Pacific. But, there is the very, very slim chance these predictions are flawed, so I'll take a look at the Lumberjacks roster.
When I look at the catching situation, I definitely approve. Portland gave up two big prospects in their trade for Pedro Gomez. But, if he becomes a franchise player for the Lumberjacks, it will be all worth it. He is above average behind the plate and has great batting potential. He never got a full season in New Orleans, so this is his chance to shine. Looking at the infield, there are some good players here. Unfortunately, the superstar of this team, Robert Menzies, is going to be out for most of the season. He really broke out last season, so this is a huge loss for Portland. Reece Wareham signed a 2 year deal with the Lumberjacks worth $10 million. He's well past the prime of his career, but if he has some sort of career resurgence, that's an easy way to get some prospects. Manuel Martinez signed a 6 year deal before last season. In his first season with Portland, he didn't live up to expectations. But, he is not going to get benched, so he's going to have to step up this year. Portland traded for Juan Mendoza to get some prospects, that's obvious. Unfortunately for them, he hasn't been worth his contract at all. But, he's still the most tenured third baseman on the team, so he's going to be sticking with Portland for a while. Everyone else competing for a roster spot in the infield is more or less forgettable.
Portland has way too many players on their spring training roster, so here are 4 outfielders to keep an eye on. First I want to look at Myeong-hwan Kim. Kim projects to be a speedy, pure contact hitter with the ability to field any outfield position. That's a perfect 4th outfielder right there. Although, it's possible he's put into the starting lineup. If Werner McConnell Jr. is the starting left fielder this season, there's going to be some problems in Portland. He's a good power hitter but he needs to be a DH, at best he could be a right fielder. Bartolo Ortiz is similar to McConnell Jr. They are both power hitters with no outfield range. Facial Engeitado is a promising young hitter. On another team, he is the right fielder. In Portland, don't be surprised if he makes some starts in center field. There are some good hitters here, but with the caliber of hitters in the Pacific, things are not looking good defensively.
Now we move to the rotation. As I mentioned, the Pacific has loads of offensive talent. Good pitching will give the Lumberjacks a chance to win their games. The rotation will be led by 24 year old Francisco Franco. 3.4 WAR and 106 ERA+ is pretty solid for a rookie season. He will be mentored by veterans Kevin Morales and Pedro Rocha. Rocha's contract might be an albatross after his 1st season with the team, but he has valuable insight to give the young players. Morales signed a hefty contract this off-season, but it's likely he'll be a solid #2 starter. Terrence Kelly, Ray Verhoeve, Gusby Pinkerton, and Roberto Valdez are all young starters that will be competing for the last two spots in the rotation. The only notable pieces in the bullpen are Vicente Venalde and Nick Snyder. So if the starters are having a bad day, it's not going to look pretty late in the game.
With Menzies out for a good portion of the season, this team is tough to predict. With Menzies, they would finish above 70 wins. Now, I question whether that will happen. They have a decent rotation, but will the offense score enough runs before the bullpen has to come in? I think they set a new franchise record. 70-92, 7th in the division.
When I look at the catching situation, I definitely approve. Portland gave up two big prospects in their trade for Pedro Gomez. But, if he becomes a franchise player for the Lumberjacks, it will be all worth it. He is above average behind the plate and has great batting potential. He never got a full season in New Orleans, so this is his chance to shine. Looking at the infield, there are some good players here. Unfortunately, the superstar of this team, Robert Menzies, is going to be out for most of the season. He really broke out last season, so this is a huge loss for Portland. Reece Wareham signed a 2 year deal with the Lumberjacks worth $10 million. He's well past the prime of his career, but if he has some sort of career resurgence, that's an easy way to get some prospects. Manuel Martinez signed a 6 year deal before last season. In his first season with Portland, he didn't live up to expectations. But, he is not going to get benched, so he's going to have to step up this year. Portland traded for Juan Mendoza to get some prospects, that's obvious. Unfortunately for them, he hasn't been worth his contract at all. But, he's still the most tenured third baseman on the team, so he's going to be sticking with Portland for a while. Everyone else competing for a roster spot in the infield is more or less forgettable.
Portland has way too many players on their spring training roster, so here are 4 outfielders to keep an eye on. First I want to look at Myeong-hwan Kim. Kim projects to be a speedy, pure contact hitter with the ability to field any outfield position. That's a perfect 4th outfielder right there. Although, it's possible he's put into the starting lineup. If Werner McConnell Jr. is the starting left fielder this season, there's going to be some problems in Portland. He's a good power hitter but he needs to be a DH, at best he could be a right fielder. Bartolo Ortiz is similar to McConnell Jr. They are both power hitters with no outfield range. Facial Engeitado is a promising young hitter. On another team, he is the right fielder. In Portland, don't be surprised if he makes some starts in center field. There are some good hitters here, but with the caliber of hitters in the Pacific, things are not looking good defensively.
Now we move to the rotation. As I mentioned, the Pacific has loads of offensive talent. Good pitching will give the Lumberjacks a chance to win their games. The rotation will be led by 24 year old Francisco Franco. 3.4 WAR and 106 ERA+ is pretty solid for a rookie season. He will be mentored by veterans Kevin Morales and Pedro Rocha. Rocha's contract might be an albatross after his 1st season with the team, but he has valuable insight to give the young players. Morales signed a hefty contract this off-season, but it's likely he'll be a solid #2 starter. Terrence Kelly, Ray Verhoeve, Gusby Pinkerton, and Roberto Valdez are all young starters that will be competing for the last two spots in the rotation. The only notable pieces in the bullpen are Vicente Venalde and Nick Snyder. So if the starters are having a bad day, it's not going to look pretty late in the game.
With Menzies out for a good portion of the season, this team is tough to predict. With Menzies, they would finish above 70 wins. Now, I question whether that will happen. They have a decent rotation, but will the offense score enough runs before the bullpen has to come in? I think they set a new franchise record. 70-92, 7th in the division.
