2053 Des Moines Kernels Preview

[GoldenOne]

Ah, Des Moines. What can we say about Des Moines?

Well, they aren’t the same Des Moines team we used to think of them just a few seasons ago. A couple of seasons ago, GM Aaron Weiner took over the team and started a major transformation. Some would say he did all the hard work and current GM Randy Weigand is just reaping the benefits and providing some tweaks. With those tweaks, Des Moines is a real threat to make it to the post-season for the first time in…45 seasons. Wait, that cant be right, can it. (This is 2053…..2008 was their last time…yep, 45 seasons.) Yes, that was right – 45 seasons since the last time Des Moines made the playoffs.

Let’s see what is leading us to thinking this is the year….

Well, first off, Des Moines won 85 games last season and 81 in 2051. 2051 was their first non-losing season in 20 seasons. With all of the transactions coming out of Des Moines, the feel around the league is that Des Moines made some good moves and acquisitions so should be getting better. And, with the long-time Heartland powers in Yellow Springs, Omaha, and Louisville in a little bit of a reload season, this also gives Des Moines some room to make that leap this season. And lastly, the ever-prescient BBA Media Guide has the Kernels winning 90 games this season, enough for 2nd place in the Division. So, playoffs should be coming to Iowa this season.

Offense:
Well, sure, the Kernels added Hector Cano, Jr and sure, he’s a great player. He can absolutely play CF without hesitation. But, is there some concern that moving out of the launch-pad that was El Paso and Cano’s seeming loss of some of his Contact and Eye potential last season, that he wont be the stud he was. There should be. But let’s not forget about another addition this offseason. The Kernels also traded for COF Aaron Haney. Haney is getting old (he’s 34) but should still put up more HRs than his age, especially after moving out of Charlotte. And take away a little bit of Cano’s OBP and SLG percentages, and some defense, and you’ve got Hasheem Makin in the other corner. With Parreno, Medrano, Barkin, and Miller/Souza in the IF, this offense will be tough to pitch to (and find holes in the defense too.)

Pitching:
Yes, Alaric Wullenweber is gone. So too, is Slobodan Omeragic. Yes, both were definitely being paid more than they should have been but sometimes bad teams have to pay more to attract the better talent. But, the freedom from those contracts allowed for some other moves in Des Moines that should, hopefully, make up for their loss. John Brown had a decent year the last couple of seasons. He’s not an Ace, per say, but in a true GM Randy Weigand fashion, this team will just need its starting rotation to just be okay, not shut-down. Scott Davis will see his first full season in Des Moines. It didn’t go overly well last season, but maybe that was the move from Mexico City to lowly Des Moines. Another big trade saw the Kernels bring in Stephen Best from Jacksonville. Best is another one of those “just enough” guys to keep this team afloat. Susila Kartosuwiryo comes over from the BBA. He throws hard and has some good pitches but if you put up a negative WAR in 2 of the last 3 seasons in the GBC, you may have a tough go of it in the BBA. The bullpen will see Manuel Camacho (not that Camacho) return as the team’s Closer. He’s fine. The rest of the bullpen though – this is where the Frick teams might need to feast.

The Losses:
Yes, the players Des Moines brought in this season look great. But they also lost a lot. Alaric Wullenweber – everyone knows the name, even if they cant spell it, and would love to have him on their team (at a reduced price, of course.) Slobodan Omeragic – not a stud, yet, but at age 24 a lot of teams would be willing to give him the shot at becoming one (again, at a reduced price.) Malik bin Mazin – Wow. This guy IS a stud. Think Steven Collins III but with more a lot power and a little slower. Ka’im Muntasir – no, you wouldn’t know who he is unless you were the Des Moines GM but Muntasir was a decent second baseman (decent in the batter’s box and a gold-glove caliber player at his position) and good depth for a team at only age 25. Also gone is a butt-load (that’s a technical term in baseball) of AAA depth players from the trade with Jacksonville.

My Take:
GM Randy Weigand is living on the edge. The team he has currently will be there for several seasons so if it starts to unwind watch for him to make some more moves. If the rotation cant make it deep into the game, there will be problems for this team if the offense hasn’t already put up 7+ runs when they turn to the bullpen. Weigand is good at finding deals though so it wouldn’t surprise me if he is already trying to make some bullpen adjustments. All-in-all, I’ve got no issues with saying this team may hit the 90+ win mark for the 5th time in its 58-year existence and making the playoffs as well.

[BaseClogger]

Aaron was the Des Moines Theo Epstein.

Randy is the Des Moines Dave Dombrowski.

[usnspecialist]

I'm Randy Weigand and I approve of this message.

My biggest win is getting rid of the wullenweber and omogogic contracts (both of which i despised from the minute I took the team over. Sure there is a lot of Aaron influence here, but at this point I feel pretty confident in saying this team is mine and that should be clear to anyone who has seen how I build my organizations.

[usnspecialist]

Aaron was the Des Moines Theo Epstein.

Randy is the Des Moines Dave Dombrowski.

interesting comparison, not sure i have ever thought of it that way (and i can't decide if i agree with it or not).

[aaronweiner]

I'm Randy Weigand and I approve of this message.

My biggest win is getting rid of the wullenweber and omogogic contracts (both of which i despised from the minute I took the team over. Sure there is a lot of Aaron influence here, but at this point I feel pretty confident in saying this team is mine and that should be clear to anyone who has seen how I build my organizations.

Omeragic didn't work out, but he also lumped the minute I signed him, at age 21. Not ideal. Wullenweber, on the other hand, got you Haney, so he must have been worth something.

I'd prefer having Alaric over Haney (birthdays especially) but it does save you a few million and Haney is pretty great. I think you rebalanced too much on the offensive side, but as most people point out, that's a Randy Weigand team: fear the bats, stay for the late-inning drama. And the outfield defense is spicy.