2057 São Paulo Pilots

[joshd19]

After five straight losing seasons, the Paulista Pilots are in desperate need of at least a breakeven run. However, a disappointing offseason distinguished primarily by farm system signings—plus one exciting extension—indicates that the Pilots are likely still mired in the rebuild process. With a middling 4.5 runs scored and an abysmal 5.1 runs allowed last season, the Pilots would have needed to make significant improvements to compete.

The team's immediate .500 hopes lie squarely with likely Hall-of-Famer SP Owen Geddes—who has posted fewer than 3 WAR only once in 13 GBC seasons and was extended for a whopping $34M/2 prior to the season—and with 19-year-old phenom 1B Katsunan Hashimoto, who hit for a .913 OPS after being called up late last year and has posted an MVP-calber 1.028 OPS in spring training. The Pilots' lineup is power happy, coming off of 40+ HR seasons from DH Tung-Chi Fou and LF Wan-Ling Koo.

The team's defensive corps, however, lacks such power. Despite strong spring training performances from C Robinson Rodriguez and RF Pael Millares, there are significant offensive gaps up the middle and in the outfield.

The GBC debuts of SPs Sotaro Abe and Luis Gonzalez could be wild cards in the Pilots' quest to shore up their presence from the mound. Stan Smit, signed away from Jerusalem, should be a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm. The Pilots saw decent bullpen production last year, but not enough to offset their starters' struggles. They will need more from CL Ivan Ruiz, whose devastating fastball and forkball seem to meet with bad BABIP luck more often than not. The media has questioned the negotiations that led to the signing of P Beni Ihilani on a minimum contract and the choice to use him out of the front end of the bullpen after he was worth 4.3 WAR in Athens' rotation last year. Regression at age 28 seems unlikely.

Perhaps the Pilots can pull one out in 2057, but they would be smart to keep a close eye on their 6th-ranked farm for any reasonable hope of escaping mediocrity down the line.

[drzachary]

Stan Smit is a fuckin bum and I'm glad to be rid of him. Complete malcontent!