Boise Spuds Mascot relaxes in the off season
2053 Boise Spuds
Can they continue to improve in 2053?
After several years mired in 7th, 6th and 5th place in the Frontier Division, the boys in Boise improved in '52 to an 84-78 record, good for third place. It's clear that GM Wood Donahue was not satisfied with third and wants a win total in the 90s -- which could bring the club its first playoff appearance since 2045.
Pitching:
The most notable Boise addition was trading for stud starter Bernie Stuart from the hapless Chicago organization. Stuart is the ace that Boise was lacking. He not only solidifies the already strong rotation, but also is extremely popular among fans. He's signed through '56, with a team option in '55 when he turns 30. Methinks Stuart will be in Boise for the remainder of his hallowed career.
The rest of the starters are returning from the '52 club: Danny Leach, Brian Ioneki, Gav Mastinsky, and Hsuang-tsung Xu, all of whom started 26 or more games last year. Boise will benefit from that stability and experience. (In a clever twist, the only departing starter was free agent Robin Cooper, who went to Chicago - so he and Stuart essentially swapped places).
In the bullpen Josh Dougherty, who notched 33 saves last year, has lost his closer role to Harold Nothard. Nothard was signed as a minor league FA in '51 and quickly proved himself in the minors. He has stuff rated 21 on the 10-point scale, so methinks he's been eating some funny beans or something. Anyway, Nothard may become a top BBA closer, but if he falters, Dougherty will happily return to close out games.
Offense:
Fans are thrilled that 1B Pepe Madrid and 3B Gary Allen are both back. Last season the duo at the corners totaled 256 RBI and 85 home runs. Is there a more productive tandem in the 3 and 4 holes in the Brewster?
Donahue was fairly quiet on the free agent market, with the only major signing being 2B/SS Bob Williams to shore up defense up the middle. He may be a step down offensively from last year's 2B, Jack Nichols, who departed for Jacksonville via free agency.
Boise will test out a platoon of sorts in the outfield, with Pete Davis playing CF and LF, Aires Penharanda in both LF and RF, Sergio Salazar in LF against lefties and Murad Abdul-Alim in CF against righties. This shuffling may work out, but you have to question the current lineup, which has Davis -- who hit below .200 last season -- in the leadoff spot. (Last year's LF, Cordell Vaughn -- who contributed last year with 74 RBI -- was sent to Chicago in the Stuart deal).
Overall:
The OOTP Supercomputer is quite high on Boise, predicting a 93-69 record -- good for second place and a likely wildcard slot. But from this vantage point, we think that may be overly optimistic. It's not clear that offense has seen any significant upgrade. And we are not certain the Spuds' extremely solid pitching -- especially the addition of Bernie Stuart -- is enough to account for a nine win improvement.
But that's why they play the games!
