2046 Charlotte Cougars
The 2045 Charlotte Cougars preview highlighted the amazing advancements RP Keijo 'Coach' Reini had made over the winter, with scouts predicting his stuff ratings at an 18! Reini certainly did not disappoint with a JL-leading 341 strikeouts and a 5.4 WAR. The other big news in Charlotte last year was their acquisition of SS Robert Menzies and SP Francisco Franco. There was a nice buzz around Charlotte about a potential run for the playoffs last season and a chance at their first ever non-losing season.
While neither the playoffs nor a non-losing season happened, Charlotte did find its way to its best-ever record with 74 wins. Charlotte must be smelling blood in the water again this season and looks like it is poised even better than last season to make a run at the playoffs.
Key Losses:
- RP Brian Butler: Team Option year voided
- 3B Curt Love: Team Option year voided
- RF Hector Cruz: Became a FA
- 1B Rashardo Menne III: Player Option declined
- SS Ignacio Venegas: Traded to Calgary
- C John Hale: Traded to New Orleans
- DH Bartolo Ortíz
Key Additions:
- CF Jorge López: Trade with Calgary
- RP José Ordóñez: FA signing
- OF Pete 'Gambler' Davis: Rule 5 draftee from Montreal
- RP Jesús López: Trade with Nashville
- SP Armando 'Commie Child' Feliciano: Trade with Louisville
- C Roelof Klooster: Trade with New Orleans
- 1B Erik 'Shakespeare' Wignes: AAA call-up
Offense:
While still not a team that is going to threaten any sort of HR records (other than maybe lowest for a playoff team), this team will hit, get on base, and run. The Cougars wont reach their 2045 league-leading 177 SBs again, but 140 and close to the top in the league again in 2046 isnt out of the question. The big question will be, can rookie 1B Erik Wignes play up to his potential. If not, the seemingly super-utility Roberto Viramontas isnt a bad guy to turn to to fill in. Late season addition, fresh off a new 6-year extension, 2B Marvin Isworth will be exciting to watch. With the addition of CF Jorge Lopez, who platoon with OF Dennis Murray, coupled with the loss of Ignacio Venegas, will seemingly force Robert Menzies back to his natural SS role. RF Ramón Pagán seems to like playing in Charlotte and should enjoy the guys getting on base ahead of him. OF Lorenzo Bueno is another guy that can hit for average, get on base, and run, and his defense in LF will be amazing but with the amount of power that can be found in Corner Outfielders in the BBA, the Cougars may want to look to give up a little defense and add a little more power in LF this season.
Pitching:
One of only 2 teams to finish the year with 5 starters in the Top 100 best pitchers in the BBA, the Cougars got better in the pitching department this year. They added Armando Feliciano who finished the season ranked #37 in the BBA. SP Ashton Brooks was ranked 26th when he got hurt in Aug. When he makes it back in late July, that will be better than any trade the Cougars could make. Oh yeah, they've got SP Thomas Turner that they expect to be on the big league roster after his return from injury right around the All Star break. The bullpen is much improved as well. The only thing stopping Reini from leading the JL in strikeouts again this season will be how much time he splits the Stopper role with newly acquired RP José Ordóñez. The biggest, and maybe only, drawback to this year's pitching staff is its lack of left-handed pitching. The JL Atlantic has vast amounts of left-handed hitting studs and while the Cougars pitching doesnt have a bad reputation against lefties, having a Specialist or two in the bullpen might not be a bad thing.
Overall:
While Atlantic City and Jacksonville may have added more WAR to their teams this offseason, the rest of the perennial power houses in the Atlantic find themselves on the negative accrual of WAR. Does this mean a changing of the guard on the JL Atlantic? I'll never count out a couple of those franchises but they'll need to make some room for the Cougars this season. Charlotte improved their hitting, ability to get on base, power (although only slightly) and their overall defense. The starting pitching last year was sneaky good, got even better this year (and will get better and guys come off the IL later this season) and the bullpen, while decent last season, got a little bit stronger also this season. If Charlotte can lock up a couple of these players for a few more years, they should be a team to reckon with for a while. Hopefully for GM Golden, that is just long enough to restock his barren prospect list.
Prediction:
Get ready for your first .500 campaign, Cougars fans. In addition to all of the other improvements, it cannot be overstated that a guy like Klooster is worth far more than stats alone and may just propel his team to its first ever winning season.
