Pitching
David Molina. That’s all you really need to know about the Spuds’ pitching staff. Don’t know who he is? I don’t blame you. Two years ago scouts viewed his potential ratings as 7/2/5 and today they view the former 16th round pick as 17/11/9. Yes, that’s on a 1-10 scale. Molina throws three elite pitches - cutter, curve, and changeup with an above average sinker, to boot. He’s only got 4 stamina, but he should be able to sail through 6 innings every game with his makeup. Alas, with his 4 stamina, Molina won’t be able to start every game for Boise, so they’ll turn to the rest of the squad, led by fellow southpaws Logan Hill and Mauro Mendoza, who combined for 8.4 WAR in 2055, and RHP Gavrilovich Mastinsky, who added 3.4 WAR. Anchoring the rotation will likely be long-time Spud, Robin Cooper, who returns via the Rule 5 draft after a brief vacation to better cities, or Ommar bin Ayyub.
A strong rotation should keep the innings in the bullpen to a minimum, but the end of games are ready to be dominated by Adrian Fox and Harold Nothard. Fox is looking for a strong rebound after going 1-6 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 2055. Nothard was prone to the long ball last season, but was still effective with 10.9 K/9. An impressive number, but the K/9 is down from 13.3 in ’54 and 15.3 in ’53.
Infield
The Spuds got good production out of backstop Juan Gonzalez last year, but he will likely yield most of the playing time to newly-signed Andy Elmer. The former River Monsters catcher is popular with pitchers and the Spuds hope his framing abilities will make a good pitching staff even more formidable. Bastiao Fardos continued his habit of cashing in big in free agency and joins the Spuds where he will fill the void left by Pepe Madrid, who held down the position for the past 15 years. The Spuds could have signed Madrid for pennies on the dollar compared to Fardos, who should have comparable production. This is a questionable move, at best, in my book. Another curious move was signing Tomas Duran to play second base after allowing the more productive, Creegan Corney, walk in free agency. Gary Allen’s best playing days are well behind him, but the club is still on the hook for $16M+ this season, so he’ll stay at the hot corner and the Spuds will hope they can get another .800 OPS season out of him. The bright spot in the infield is star shortstop, Qutuz Mahdi, who is averaging more than 3 WAR per season over the past three years. He can do it with the glove and the bat, making him one of the top shortstops in the Johnson League.
Outfield
With about $11 million in available cap space, I’d imagine the Spuds look to free agency to add some depth in the outfield. Currently, you’ve got the man whose parents hated him enough to name him Grzegorz manning LF, though he is probably best suited for DH, so let’s peg Edward Lake as the Opening Day LF. Lake is a fine option on paper, but has not been able to find success in the BBA. A move to the GBC propelled his career and he hopes to stay sharp in Boise, but even if he hits RHP, who plays with a southpaw on the mound? I suppose you could put Paul Kemp out there, but he’s the best candidate for DH versus LHP. If he stays healthy, Cinema Jones will be the team’s RF. Unlike Lake, he is a switch hitter and won’t require a platoon, so he’s solid with a clean bill of health. CF is a dicey situation, that is until Lou Bayou is ready, but he will need a little more seasoning in the minors before making a name in the BBA. That leaves John Oliver holding the post down until improvements come along.
Designated Hitter
Ah, yes. The aforementioned, Grzegorz Kubrick. The man can hit pretty well, alas, only against RHP. He popped 27 HR last season with a .952 OPS making him one of the sneakiest good DH in the league. Kemp will probably be the man with southpaws on the mound, where he has made a career of hitting lefties hard. No bonafide stars here, but you can expect solid production from the platoon couple.
The Spuds will be seeking their third consecutive playoff berth in 2056. After winning 85 games each in the past two seasons, I anticipate a small increase to 87 wins in 2056. The pitching should be pretty lights out, but the biggest question mark will be the offense. If they’re crafty with heir remaining budget, the Spuds could patch up a few holes and create more depth. Utmost importance is adding another outfielder. They are already thin at that position and Cinema Jones is a walking time bomb. Might be a good idea to reunite with Aires Penharanda, who is still available in free agency and asking a reasonable salary.
