2044 Rockville Pikemen Preview

[StormZ_23]

Ever since I joined the league back in 2036, Rockville has continued to be a staple of this league. They won the Landis in 2036 and 2037, but they have continued to make playoffs since 2034. Last season, they lost the Landis against the Louisville Sluggers. However, this Landis appearance shows that you can't count out Rockville just yet. Some of their best players are aging past their prime years, but will they regress enough to take Rockville out of the playoff hunt? Let's take a look.

The catching situation is definitely a weakness. With no big catching prospects in the ranks, look for Rockville to be on the hunt for a catcher on the trade market. However, maybe a great defender is all that Rockville needs at catcher because the rest of this infield is really, really good. The superstars of this infield are the two middle infielders, Daniel Pepper and Bing-de Zhro. At 22 years old, Pepper can make the case for the best middle infielder in this league. He is an elite hitter who can man the second base position with ease. Could he stick at his natural position of shortstop? He might not have the desired range, but he definitely deserves the chance. Zhro missed 3 months of the 2043 season due to a shoulder injury. But he has the chance to be a better hitter than Pepper. Zhro is naturally a second baseman but he has been mainly used as a first basemen. He may not possess elite defensive range, but I think he should be given a chance in his natural position. Actually he might have to play his natural position because of Matthew Reilly. Reilly stepped into the big league first base role last season. In 80 games, he showed that he can be very good hitter. I'm sure Pikemen fans will be excited to see him in a full season. This leaves Sergio Valentin at third base. I say this like it's a bad thing, but it really isn't. Valentin is a third baseman who produced 4.6 WAR and a 137 wRC+ in his second full season. This infield is elite. It may be the best in the league. There is nothing more to say about it.

Now we look at the outfield core. Of course we find some more great players. The best player among this group is Julio Barajas. This right fielder has been a consistent force in the Pikemen lineup over the past 5 seasons. I wonder if the organization will be able to re-sign him after 2045. Next we look to the other corner outfielder Wilson Alomar. He's essentially a copy of Barajas. Great hitter, poor outfield range, and a strong arm. On another team, Alomar is the right fielder. He hasn't shown to be a good defender in left field, but he did improve in 2043. I'm curious if he will continue to man this position throughout this season. Now we look at two players who will be competing for that starting center field job. Those two players are Gilberto Falchonelli and Manuel Rivera. Rivera has held the starting role over the past couple of seasons. However, it's likely that Falchonelli becomes the starting center fielder considering he's very similar defensively to Rivera. The Pikemen has a strong, young hitting core that will be together for at least a few more seasons. That alone puts them in the playoff hunt.

Now, we have to look at the starting rotation. If Arthur Dempster retired today, he would be unanimously voted into the hall of fame. At 35 years old, he has shown little signs of regression. This season he will continue to anchor the rotation as he looks to reach the 3000 strikeout milestone and continue his streak of 200 strikeout seasons. Dempster's companion, Dan Cannon, is another ageless wonder for the Pikemen. Although, it's much more likely he regresses before Dempster. This 35 year old left hander has been throwing in the mid 80's throughout spring training and has been getting lit up. He is not the pitcher he was a few years ago. But, that's okay because Rockville has some competent replacements. Yun Zhang was great in his rookie year in 2043 and should continue to improve entering his sophomore season. Dave Martin isn't too far removed from his streak of 6 WAR seasons. He hasn't shown the level of regression as Cannon, so look for him to slide up the rotation ranks. Finally we have Dwight Dunn, a 24 year old 5 pitch pitcher. Clearly, he is not at the level of Dempster or Zhang. He may be better suited for a long reliever role. But with all of the money that Rockville is spending, they will be hard pressed to find another effective, cheap starting pitcher.

Finally, let's look at the key contributors in the bullpen. Everyone I am about to list is under the age of 25: Dave Houston, Danny Leach, Raul Correa, and Jason Hone. Leach had the best season I had ever seen from a reliever in 2043. He fully deserved his Nebraska Award. Although, I'm curious why Rockville doesn't choose to put him in the starting rotation.

This team is too good. How they have managed to build a team of this caliber and stay under the salary cap is beyond me. Congrats to Aaron for building a team brilliantly fused with veterans and young talent. I can't predict whether they will head back to the Landis. But they are for sure a playoff team, possibly the best team in the Atlantic and even the Johnson League. The question is whether this team stays healthy and if the aging veterans don't regress heavily. I predict a 98-64 record.

[aaronweiner]

I have trouble arguing with anything you said.

[RonCo]

I have trouble arguing with anything you said.

Bull hockey. This is the BBA. We can argue with anything.

[CTBrewCrew]

Id agree - I've always seen rockville as a really consistent team. They never seem to rebuild, just tweaking the 40man year after year