Last season review:Sacramento made the final jump to their short rebuild last season by following their 2046 85 win season by winning 91 games in 2047, which was good enough to win the division and put the Mad Popes into the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons.
Offense:
Later on, I talk about Sacramento’s pitching, but it is worth pointing out that even though they are in a pitcher's park, Sacramento has done a superb job at the plate, improving their team batting average each year into the rebuild, from .241 back in 2044, up to the .269 in 2047.
Though during the rebuild, they said goodbye to David Simpson, who now resides in Jacksonville, the club has gotten much improved from their 632 runs scored in 2044 to their 703 runs in 2047, over a 10% increase.
Alejandro Ortiz, Francisco Arredondo, and Ricardo Mendoza are back to lead the charge this year, along with Gonzalo Martinez, who had a very good season in Sacramento last season. With the signing of Juan Mendoza, it looks like Fred Roy may have blown his chance should get a chance to showcase his skills in a full season at 3B, but it’s possible he still gets looks against righties. Dallas Dixon may also find a way to push for playing time on the right side of the infield, or in left field if here is a struggle or as an injury replacement.
This is a good offensive team, who can also field the ball well. Last year they had a batting WAR of 28.8 and essentially lost nobody of value from the offense. I wouldn’t be shocked to see a similar season in the 27-28 WAR range offensively.
Pitching:
Ah, yes, the pitching. Some will point towards Sacramento’s ballpark for their pitching success, but something that Sacramento has done well with the rebuild is improving their pitching ERA each season from 3.91 in 2044, all the way down to 3.23 last year.
The pitching staff had a WAR of 20.4 in 2047, with just 13.9 of that coming from pitchers who started games. That means a pretty good chunk(32%) of their pitching WAR came from their bullpen, which is impressive.
Your going to obviously see McCartney, Winston, and Moore starting again this season. After those 3, it seems to be a question mark. Ben Render started 33 games last year for the club and his 3.40 ERA hides his 4.19 FIP, which explains his 1.8 WAR. Eustace Tilley had a 3.11 ERA and a 3.82 FIP in 18 starts, and Kevin O’Toole, who is now in El Paso, had a 3.27 ERA and 3.81 FIP in his 17 starts. I'm guessing Tilley & Render get the starts, but I'm not a huge fan.
The bullpen is ridiculous, at least stats wise, with Marco Vitalle and Collin Browning returning. Pedro German was impressive last year in his 75 innings, as was Ike Kocher in his 66. Manuel Cruz, who has closed in the past, might have to step back into a middle reliever role. We haven’t even gotten to Shawn Huber yet.
Without going any further, my dark horse to actually not only make an impact in the bullpen, but even more so in the rotation is Jim Armstrong! Armstrong had a rough past 2 seasons in New Orleans, but I think Sacramento might be able to pluck him into the rotation and forget it. We might get back to seeing at least a 4 WAR Armstrong if they go that route(which I am begging for)
This pitching staff is good, not only in Sacramento, but in most parks. Don’t let the slightly higher ERA this season lead to questioning whether this pitching staff is good. They are good, but won’t be quite as good as last year. I’m projecting 18 WAR as a whole, potentially more if Sacramento decides to go the "opener/follower/stopper" route for the fifth spot in the rotation.
Prospects:
This team is poised to get even better. I wouldn’t sleep on Aaron Anderson to be a force in the bullpen, but I could also see him slotting into the rotation easily. While Anderson pitched in the bullpen last season in AAA, he did start consistently in 2045 and 2046 while coming up through the farm system.
Alonso Estrada is another name to watch with his elite stuff(a 16) who appears to be just waiting for his chance.
Dylan Wonnocott is another name that might get a chance later on, but right now seems to be another year off.
This team has way too many bullpen arms that are capable of producing at an elite rate in Sacramento.
At the plate, don’t be shocked if Unem Polid gets the call at some point in left field, but the guy I am really looking at is Okyay Nisanci. He looks like a corner outfielder, but I would play him in center field the second that Arthur Daniel struggles. Nisanci has the batter makeup of a guy who is going to thrive in Sacramento and, if he was starting day 1, a guy that I would have down as a rookie of the year candidate.
This outfield with the potential of Polid, Ala(who we haven't even mentioned), and Nisanci could be among the best in future seasons and it's possible thar Mendoza ends up having to shift to a part time DH role against righties in the future.
Overall:
This is one of the rare instances where I am going to showcase my happiness that Sacramento is in a different division from my Omaha team. I think this is a team that is built to compete with some of the better teams in the Brewster and one that will exceed their win total from the year before.
Prediction: 92-60
Pacific Division Winners.
A true dark horse for the Monty Brewster Memorial Series.
