Last year, we predicted 90 wins and a wildcard spot. The Flyers didn’t quite get 90 wins (87), but were left happy with the results as they won the pennant before falling to the Bluebirds in the Monty Brewster Memorial Series. Their hitting coach retired and manager, Angel Jimenez was unexpectedly given the boot, opening a new chapter for the Flyers. Pitching
It looks like the Flyers will fly with the same rotation that took them to the finals. Buwono Mainaky led the way last season with 200.1 IP and a 3.65 FIP (4.9 WAR), followed closely by Jim Fleming and his 3.85 FIP. Those two, along with Mauro Mendoza, John Rasmussen III, and Jacquot Natta combined for 17.3 WAR, an average of 3.46 WAR/SP. Those are the kind of numbers that get you to the championship, but are they sustainable? Mendoza did lose a little bit of velocity over the offseason, but for the most part, this will be the same strong rotation that earned them the JL pennant. Their bullpen, however, is depleted after Alejandro Chavez and Tulo Koruturk opted out of the remainder of their contracts. Did Charlotte do enough to replace them in the offseason? Probably not. Chris Crudge is a perfectly fine pitcher, but not the caliber of Chavez and Koruturk. This is certainly an area that needs to bulk up at the deadline, but with little salary cap room, that seems unlikely. The Flyers will need to rely on their starters to come through again and eat myriad innings to avoid meltdowns.
Infield
Let’s just start with a couple of questionable free agent signings. Jesus Rodriguez was signed for $2.75 million to play backup catcher to Lawrence Stewart. The former is a future Hall of Famer from his defensive merits alone, but he’s proven he isn’t as effective behind the plate as he was in his earlier days. He will be 42 this year and that money could have been better spent. Stewart took a step back last season, but has proven he is one of the league’s better catchers. Is he a .319 hitter or a .269 hitter? The answer is probably the latter, but it’s nice to know he can have hot streaks. Robert Menzies, who will be 40 next month, was signed to a two year deal worth $17 million to return to the Flyer to play 2B. The team option in year two likely won’t be executed, but it’s still an overpay on paper. The Scotsman saw a steep production dropoff last year and doesn’t possess much of a glove these days. Elvan Masuki returns to play SS, but the all-glove Turk needs to get on base better than 29% of the time. 1B Dallas Dixon missed a chance to play in the Monty when he went down with an injury, but hopes to bounce back in 2061. He’s had a slow spring, but almost a sure bet to hit .300. And when Natta isn’t pitching, he’ll be playing the hot corner where he proved sophomore slumps are myths. His .952 OPS last season produced 5.2 WAR and he will be the most dangerous sbat in the lineup.
Outfield
Losing Tadataka Yoshikawa to free agency hurts, but many expected a big splash to replace him with the new cap room. RF Jose Vargas isn’t exactly what I had in mind, but he’s certainly a solid player. Is he a $95.5 million player, though? Not even close. For that type of money you might as well re-sign Yoshikawa. Vargas will do well at the top of the lineup, but who is going to drive in runs for this team? Well, they’ll be hoping LF Jorge Trujillo can repeat his success from last season when he hit 36 HR with 129 RBI. CF Jose Bedreddin will also bat in the middle of the lineup after a stellar rookie campaign in which he hit 15 HR in 274 AB. Bedreddin may be a liability in CF, however, and if he struggles, newly acquired Craig Ablett may get more reps.
Designated Hitter
Looks like rookie Harry Taylor will be slotted in as designated hitter. Taylor hit 29 HR in the minors last season while hitting for a high average. It looks like he is one of the players that outperforms his ratings year after year, but the big question is: can he replicate that success in the BBA?
Overall, the Charlotte Flyers look like they will battle for another wildcard spot. Their pitching will have to carry them because I don’t think their offense has enough firepower to overcome pitching woes. I’m very wary of some of the offseason acquisitions and I think those funds could have been spent more wisely, but time will tell. The Atlantic Division looks pretty solid this season, so I expect a dog fight with the Flyers barely squeaking in on the final week of the season with 84 wins.
