Your 2046 Phoenix Talons

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GoldenOne
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Your 2046 Phoenix Talons

Post by GoldenOne » Sun Feb 21, 2021 1:03 pm

Image 2046 Phoenix Talons
What happened last year?
Another year, another playoff spot lost during the last couple days of the season. Unlike 2044 (81-81), last year's Talons (87-75) were objectively better, however the result was the same. The final sim came and went, with the OOTP headline once again proclaiming "No Late Season Magic". Even with the Johnson League providing a rather generous amount of Wild Card slots, Phoenix still cannot find a way into the post-season.

But what happened? The rotation, expensive in both salary and trade acquisition costs, performed to expectations. The top four starters totalled nearly 14 WAR among them and were remarkably injury free throughout the year. The offense, though not as strong as some past Talons teams, benefitted greatly from former big name players putting together low cost, high return seasons. The bullpen, however, was a dissapointment, with the relief corps' best pitcher Tiernan O'Macken chalking up 8 losses in relief despite his 4.9 WAR in nearly 150 innings.

Key Losses
Number one on this list is, of course, Aki Kondo, acquired in a headline grabbing trade before the 2045 season. Kondo, incredibly, opted out of his $33 million per year contract after a 5.0 WAR season. First baseman Alejandro Ortiz, received salary-free in trade, went to free agency after his final arbitration season and a 3.2 WAR performance therein. These two players will both garner the Talons supplemental first round picks in the upcoming draft. Also departing are two of the above mentioned veteran hitters, LF Thad Meyer (1.7 WAR) and SS Dashiell R. Faireborn (2.2 WAR and his 4th Diamond Glove). Faireborn will get the Talons a supplemental second round pick, and so will Meyer should he be signed before Opening Day.

Key Additions
The Talons have attemped to plug the holes where they lay, with the big news being Kondo's replacement, free agetnt starting pitcher Feliciano Rafael. The former Talon farmhand Rafael had another injury plagued season in 2045 with only 90 innings pitched, but is a career 54 WAR pitcher and a borderline HOF candidate if he plays out his 5 year contract with competence. The club also brought in another 1B, with the signing of free agent Liann-wei Mao to a bargain $5M per year deal.

The departure of Faireborn was addressed by inking glove-first (many would say glove-only) SS Ian Patrick Anderson, who is as good defensively as any man in the league but has never played a full season. As of this writing, however, the club does not appear to have a new LF option to replace Meyer, though sources indicate they may be looking to sign a free agent to a big-dollar one year pact.

Pitching Summary
The starting staff is now led by Rafael, with lefty Don Smith once again holding the #2 spot after an injury-free 4.5 WAR performance last year. It gets a little shaky after that, however, with league average at best Luis Colon holding down the third spot. After that, huge questions abound as former star Jubal Troop showed up to camp this spring after losing velo and stuff, leaving his future in doubt. The fifth spot will likely be filled by swingman Jose Rodriguez in an "opener" role, or possibly from a rookie arm mentioned below in the Farm section.

The bullpen, after being identified as a weakness last season, is largely unchanged. The Talons are still trying to figure out how to use star stopper Tiernan O'Macken, who suffered from overuse at the beginning of the year and blew a fair number of saves that should have been taken by an actual closer type pitcher. Longtime Talon Julio Cuevas returns after another mediocre season, while James Matarazzo, best described as a 'finesse righty', looks to break out as a reliable relief option. The big news could be young Jeremy Smith, the big talent lefty who came back in the Mitchell Purssell deal.

Lineup Summary
Catcher John Todd played over his head last year (2.7 WAR), but remains the captain of the team. Last years big boppers Pedro Guzman and Ramiro Hernandez return after combining for nearly 90 home runs between them last season. They are joined by the power hitting Mao (whose L.MAO jerseys are already selling out) and the always reliable 3B Pankratz Isekenmier, who begins the first year of his big contracxt extension after a career high 4.0 WAR campaign in 2045. The rest of the lineup looks ho-hum, with the aforementioned no-bat IPA at short and ageing veteran Mark Wareham trying for one last hurrah at second base. And despite Ramao Saturnino's breakout hitting performance last year, he is woefully miscast as a center fielder.

Farm System Summary
Farm System? What farm system? Anyway, the big news here is yet another Talons candidate for Lump of the Century, with this year's nominee being former IFA signing Rajeshkumar Simha, a former 80-grade prospect who now likely will never make it out of Single-A as a 25-grade chump. And he may not even get that far, since the Toledo Liberty are one of the best teams in the history of the Pegler League. A bright spot is last year's first round pick SP Albert Krant, a solid, BBA-ready starter with three good pitches who will likely begin the year in the big club's rotation, and likely will stick. But after Krant, it goes downhill fast. Jeremy Smith is no longer a prospect despite still being listed as one, and the next most likely big league candidate is LF Lee Stone, a good hitter who will be held back by his lack of defense.

The rest of the "system" is incredibly bare and may represent a low point in franchise history in terms of up and coming talent. Even the three first round picks in June will likely not be enough to keep the Talons' minor league network from being among the worst in the Brewster.

Overall
Meh. The best word that can be used here is "average". The Talons have very good hitters, but so do a lot of other teams. The Talons have a few good arms, but so do a lot of other teams. What the Talons don't have is money (they are aleady projected as well over the cap in 2047, severely limiting their flexibility) or prospects (as mentioned above). They also don't have a path to the post season in this author's view. If they couldn't make it the last two seasons, even in a league with four wild cards, there's no way they get in with an arguably worse squad this season.

The Talons have a lot of talent. But there are no standout players in a league full of superstars. The defense in the outfield is especially concerning, and the bullpen beyond the first two or three arms is full of cast offs and never-has-beens. And the long term franchise outlook is especially dim, considering the Talons recent track record of less than stellar trades and failed prospects.

Prediction
Sorry Talons fans. 83 wins at the most. And if Feliciano Rafael or Don Smith gets hurt, below .500 for sure. At least there are funny, witty, absurdist, and entertaining Team News articles to look forward to. But even those have appeared to dry up as of late. Oh well.
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Re: Your 2046 Phoenix Talons

Post by jiminyhopkins » Sun Feb 21, 2021 1:11 pm

Cool! My team sucks but at least we get well written previews!
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Re: Your 2046 Phoenix Talons

Post by GoldenOne » Sun Feb 21, 2021 2:17 pm

jiminyhopkins wrote:
Sun Feb 21, 2021 1:11 pm
Cool! My team sucks but at least we get well written previews!
Same bat channel next season? :D
Brett "The Brain" Golden
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GM: Charlotte Cougars 2040-2052
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2056 BBA Champions!

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-- The Brain

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Re: Your 2046 Phoenix Talons

Post by CTBrewCrew » Sun Feb 21, 2021 5:49 pm

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