2044 Phoenix Talons Preview

[GoldenOne]

2043 Record: 69-93, good for 7th in the JL Frontier
2043 Runs Scored: 572, Tied for last in the BBA
2043 Runs Allowed: 707, 13th in the BBA

Key Losses:
- RF Thad Meyer: Meyer isnt really a key loss as he only averaged about half a season of games played the last two seasons. Meyer executed his option to come back this season but GM Sean Marko felt Meyer's .206/.242/.413 wasnt worth the money or roster spot.
- P Charlie Iron-Knife: Iron-Knife strained his forearm at the beginning of last season and that knuckleball just didnt dance the same after he recovered. He was still productive, to the tune of 1.5 WAR, but it just wasnt enough for the Talons to try and bring him back.

Key Additions:
- P Alberto Moreno: This will be Moreno's first taste of the big leagues. Moreno throws hard and should be able to eat some innings for the Talons but at 25yo, he still hasnt mastered his changeup and screwball, but does have pretty decent control overall, which should make for an interesting season for Moreno. But, a one-year flyer wont hurt the team.
- P Cisco Morales. The Talons went big on the 15-year California/Sacramento player giving him a 1-year, $10.5M contract. Morales is certainly not the pitcher he once was but should at least be able to eat up 200 innings for the Talons this season.
- 1B Tony Hernández. Hernandez got a 2-year, $11M contract from the Talons. He should be a decent help in the offensive categories this season.

2043 Recap: Phoenix finished in the bottom half of the JL in pitching and near the bottom in hitting in the JL in most categories in 2043. The pitching was keeping the Talons afloat at the beginning of the season but the death-knell came knocking in early July. First came a torn elbow ligament for RP António Castillo that will keep him out until the middle of this season. Then, 11 days later, it was SP Don Smith finding himself on the IL with shoulder inflammation, which turned into surgery and will keep Smith out through late-July. The offense was even worse last year though - think Charlotte but slightly worse in a few offensive categories.

2044 Outlook: For an offense that finished in a sprint for the bottom with Charlotte, Phoenix have some good pieces. A full season of DH Pedro Guzmán], 3B Pankratz Isekenmeir, C Sang-duk Sim, should carry the team again this season. A full season from LF Natsume Kondo should help out the offense as well. SS Voitto Strömberg cant hit but he can get on base, run, and play defense as well as anyone. 2B Ángel De Castillo doesnt seem to care for the dry-heat in Phoenix, which is odd because he should feel right at home with all the other senior citizens in the area. At 1B, its not clear why Hernandez was brought in when 1B Takeichi Ohayashi may have struggled a little but still put up a 1.7 WAR (compared to Hernandez's 1.5) in only 125 games. While some of that may be attributed to his excellent defense, the switch-hitting Ohayashi seems like the better player.

The pitching staff will be led by a rotation of Luis Colón (6-12, 4.46 ERA in 185 innings), António Gonzáles (skipping AAA and jumping right to the BBA), Cisco Morales, Jaime Mercado (10-12, 4.64 ERA in innings), and some either Alberto Moreno or César Aguilar (9-15, 4.37 ERA in 185 innings). We see Aguilar winning out over the Rookie who will get some time to figure things out in the bullpen. The bullpen will be once again led by their Closer Mitchell Purssell with his 35 saves, 0.88 ERA and .067 WHIP last year. RPs Júlio Cuevas and Nate Horswill should be fine again this season, a bit better if they can get back to their career averages. Will Kandy Soufax get a shot after bouncing around the country the last couple of seasons? He could be useful as a lefty coming out of a haevily-RHP reliant bullpen.

2044 Projections: Overall, not much changed in Phoenix this offseason. They brought in a couple of guys that the Talons will be looking to hold them over until they get guys off the IL towards the end of the season. The offense needed a boost and it looks like they tried to do that by bringing in a guy that might not be better than the guy they already had at that position. There is some help coming from the AAA ranks to start the season off but the cupboard there is fairly bare after that. Will they finish with the ootp predictions of 81-81? Maybe if they only had to play in the Frontier but they also play the Atlantic and the wins there wont come often. I'm looking for that late-season push from the "new" additions off the IL to get the Talons into the 73-win season.

[jiminyhopkins]

Wonderful job. Better than I could have done lol.

Wish I still had Bartolo at DH, I think you meant Guzman?

[GoldenOne]

Wonderful job. Better than I could have done lol.

Wish I still had Bartolo at DH, I think you meant Guzman?

Yep. Fixed it.