THE TWIN CITIES RIVER MONSTERS
PREFACE: As previously noted, of all the surprises of the 2052 season, perhaps none was more eye-popping than the sudden success of the one-time Heartland doormat, the Twin Cities River Monsters. The team, decimated by a win-now-obsessed previous GM, had three straight 8th place finishes. GM Alan Ehlers stepped in at the end of '49, and the results since then have been startling:
That's right, Ehlers more than doubled the team's win total in just three seasons. This past year the River Monsters even held first place in the Heartland for periods of time, before falling to second place and earning its first playoff appearance since '45.
STARTING PITCHING: The rotation is solid but challenged by injuries to studs Jerry Stone (out for at least a month) and Curt Fields (who's out until mid-season with a torn UCL). Jose Barron will continue to anchor the rotation, but he's fragile and has logged a ton of innings in the past three seasons. Former first round pick Erik Brooks returns, and Jose Martinez will hopefully continue to see a drop in the number of home runs he gives up - he went from a league-worst 40 in '52 (1.7 HR/9) to 'just' 28 HR (1.7 HR/9) last year.
BULLPEN: Jorge Hernandez, with 22 saves in '52, is back as the nominal closer, though expect set-up dudes Edward Johnson, Peter Fuller and Raul Lopez to also get in the mix -- each of them had double-digit saves last year.
CATCHER: Andy Elmer, acquired by Ehlers in '50 from Des Moines, is back as the starting catcher, though Ehlers may not be standing pat there: Kaizuki Saito -- a 33-year old Rule 5 draft pick from Las Vegas -- is getting a look during spring training.
INFIELD: The Twin Cities infield will continue to be anchored by 2B Felix Ramos, the number one overall in the 2051 draft. As many are aware, Ramos played just seven games in the minors in 2051 before being promoted to the bigs, and he hasn't looked back. In his sophomore season of '52, Ramos tallied a 4.2 WAR and led the league in walks, proving his eye discipline is indeed an 11:
Returning at 1B is Sertac Safavi. Ehlers clearly feels that Safavi's bat overcomes his defensive deficiencies -- 27 HR last season and 120 RBI versus a -4.5 ZR at first. Ehlers also brought back veteran SS Shawn O'Bagy at age 31 for his defensive prowess up the middle, giving him a 3-year, $8.8 million contract.
OUTFIELD: Two corner OF studs are back: David Simpson in RF and Felipe Vega in LF -- both were astute free agent signings a year ago. Now center field will also be covered by the FA market, as Ehlers signed all-glove, no-bat Po-Sin Shi for a simple 1 year/$3 million. It's possible Ehlers may be looking for a bit more offense out of CF and explore trade opportunities as the season goes on. If so, fans will say, "No Shi!"
DH: Pedro Guzman is back again as DH to provide his usual power bat to the TC offense. Last season showed he proved he wasn't slowing down, with 41 HR and 137 RBI. Now, at age 32, expect more of the same from this future Hall of Famer.
OUTLOOK: 2052 was obviously a breakthrough season for the River Monsters, and fans will be disappointed if there isn't more of the same. This off season was relatively quiet for Ehlers, but hey -- if ain't broke. We believe that unless the pitching injuries mount, there will be more clubhouse dancing as the River Monsters clinch another playoff berth in '53.
