Pitching
Andres Gonzales was one of the league’s most surprising players in 2057, posting a 76 FIP- in his sophomore season. I’m not sure he can repeat that success given his 8/8/8 ratings and 8/8/8 pitch ratings, but it was a great season, nonetheless. Buwono Mainaky and John Rasmussen III were the big free agent signings for the pitching staff prior to last season and they did not disappoint. The pair had 90 and 88 FIP-, respectively, and will look to continue that success in ’58. This season they bring in Carl Vincent via trade from Charm City. Unfortunately, he was hurt in his first spring action and will miss the first month of the season. It also appears his stuff is down, so he’ll be an expensive 4/5 pitcher at this point. The Flyers bullpen is by far the weakest part of the team. They’ll need to make some in-season moves to strengthen the end of games or they’ll wind up losing a lot of games that should have been won.
Infield
Just prior to Opening Day the Flyers signed free agent catcher, Farid bin Mubarak. The backstop comes from Long Beach where he lost his starting job to a younger, better player, but bin Mubarak is no slouch and is capable of hitting .300. Charlotte hopes a move to first base will help Tadataka Yoshikawa stay healthy after losing him to injury for nearly all of 2057. The slugger has 40 HR pop and will be welcome back to the lineup. Dallas Dixon will play second base and is another threat to hit .300+ with tremendous speed on the basepaths. His double play partner, barring injury, is future Hall of Famer, Robert Menzies. Not much needs to be said about Menzies since he is one of the most consistent players in the BBA. If healthy, expect another 4+ WAR season. Fan favorite, Banger Dan came over in a midseason trade in 2057 and did not disappoint. He will look to have another 4 WAR season.
Outfield
Left field will be a platoon of Fuad Demirel and Kyuichi Mori. The former has climbed into the high .700’s for OPS, but never gotten into the .800’s. Could this be the year? Meanwhile, Charlotte will feature another platoon in center with Victor Frazier and Mick Scott. Frazier has a great glove and exceeded expectations at the plate last year. Chris McFadden will spend his third season in Charlotte and is a safe bet for a 2 WAR season.
Designated Hitter
Manny Toledo is coming off a career season that saw him slash .257/.336/.562 with 42 HR. He had a previous career high of 26 and you can expect him to regress to the mean in 2058. If he doesn’t repeat last season’s success, Fawwaz Amin could get a lot of the reps at DH.
Charlotte made some big splashes last year, but injuries really dampened their season. They didn’t make as much noise this offseason, but still look to be a contender in the Atlantic. While the team is improved, I don’t see them knocking off top dogs, Charm City or Montreal this year. The team is still a couple pieces away, but should fight for a wild card spot in 2058. 84-78 sounds about right.
*Didn't get around to finishing this in time becaause of Media Guide priorities, but wanted to quickly throw together something as promised.
