It's Hammer Time! 2063 Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers Preview

[DaveB]

Straight from League Control 6 we've got the insight into the opening day roster.

Catchers:

Tokimasa Yano returns to the GBC after a 9 year hiatus with the Charm City Jimmies. The catching position is one that I've struggled to fill for the Hammers since taking over a temporary basis a few seasons ago. I'm hoping that we've plugged a gap at least in the short term by bringing in one of my most consistent performers from Charm City on a two-year deal. I was a bit surprised another BBA team didn't try to bring him in on a deal as he was signed for a modest 4.5 million per year.

Ramon Perez gets the nod as the backup because he is out of options. I signed Perez last year to a minor league deal after he went unsigned over the winter. He worked mostly in a backup role and also saw some time at 3B for AAA Cape Town. I expect to see Perez spend some time at DH vs LHP this year.

Infielders:

Javier Manuel is on paper as our starting 1B going into the year. I snagged him in the Rule V draft off Sao Paolo last year. He posted a .732 OPS, but with 39 HR and 92 RBI. Manuel seems like the prototypical 3 outcome player as he added 86 walks and 143 strikeouts to go along with a .202 batting average.

I did not expect Han-wu Ku to have the season he had after being promoted last year. Ku hit .310/.361/.541/.902 with 27 homers and 83 RBI after being promoted I think mid May last year. If he can come close to those numbers it's a plus. I think he profiles more as a 3B long term, but we'll see if he can stick at 2B.

In the book of out of nowhere comes our starting 3B, Stephen Lockwood. I'll be the first to admit I wasn't expecting much from Lockwood last season when we signed him and made him the starting 3B, but he posted a 2.1 WAR in 102 games. He didn't hit very much as seen by his 101 OPS+, but was very solid defensively adding a 6.0 ZR last year. I'm hopeful to see him post similar numbers this year.

Our second round pick in 2061 is our starting shortstop. His name is Fares Bruyere. Bruyere was drafted in the 2nd round and has since passed our first rounder on the depth charts. He was able to make his GBC debut last August appearing in 13 games before getting injured. He also appeared in 9 games in the playoffs hitting a .699 OPS. I think he can be a big difference maker for the team this year and I'm excited to see what he can do.

Kei-thing Khoo is the former 89th rated prospect in the GBC. He's kind of settled into a backup infielder for us. I don't think Khoo hits well enough or defends good enough to be a starter for us. He did have a 0.2 WAR last year in 76 games last year.

Bosko Mijatovic has arguably the most GBC name in the game. He's our 2nd backup infielder heading into the season. We acquired him via waivers from Sydney by way of one of the smaller trades made by Sao Paulo. Bosko isn't very good defensively, but he can play all over the infield and I didn't have anyone better for this spot.

Outfielders:

Luis Chavez is out starting LF. I'm excited to see what he can do. He had some moderate success with Montreal in the BBA. I think with his combination of speed and the ability to make solid contact will make him a bit of headache for the opposing teams on the basepaths.

Hello GBC friends. Raise your hands if you thought Kevin Lambert would post a 4.3 WAR last year. I'm certainly not. We had hoped that he would be solid enough offensively and defensively to post a 2.5-3 WAR last year, but he really overshot that. I'm hopeful that he'll be able to replicate his good season once again.

I'm not going to lie. I enjoy bringing in former prospects and players that I had with Charm City that were players that I liked. George McCoy is no different. We had McCoy from 2059-2061 and he was a damn solid player for us. When the opportunity to be reunited with him arose I had to make the signing. He's going to be starting vs RHP for us. I'm hopeful to see him perform well for us this coming season.

Ted Benson returned to the Hammers after testing free agency. Benson has been a true hammer nailing pitchers mistakes with 90 home runs since joining the GBC after the 2060 season. I'm hopeful that he'll be able to continue his ways pounding the ball.

Amitatman Praveen was selected this year in the Rule V draft. He's going to be one of our backup outfielders. I think Praveen can be a decent player for the Hammers in the future. If I'm still with the team next year I'm hoping to put him in AAA to learn the infield spots and turn him into a super utility player.

Na'il Hisham has been one of my biggest disappointments in terms of signings since returning to Jerusalem. I thought he would post a .750ish or better OPS while adding a solid glove at 1B. He unfortunately posted a .606 OPS last year. He's going to be our main backup vs RHP at 1B, LF, and RF this year. Hopefully he'll improve with the bat and be able to turn things around.

Finally there is Anjali Yarlagadda. He's basically our 27th man this year. Ideally I'd have liked to have seen him back in AAA, but he's out of option years so he's heading to opening day. I don't expect to see him playing to much, but he's going to be our backup CF this year.

Starting Pitchers:

Jose Castro is one the best free agent signings I've made since taking over again for Jerusalem. Castro was the GBC pitcher of the year last season when he led the league in wins, innings, and WAR in his return to the GBC after a 3-year excursion to the BBA.

Wilson Lopez is making his GBC debut after spending the rest of his pro career under the BBA flag. I'm hopeful that Lopez will keep the ball on the ground and provide some solid innings. My biggest concern here is his health as he's been banged up 6 times already this decade.

Luke Seddon is going to slide into the #3 slot in the rotation. Seddon comes to the GBC after spending 7+ years in the BBA. He spent last season between New Orleans and Las Vegas. From our discussions the thought of sliding into the starting rotation was a big reason why Seddon was willing to move to the GBC. He previously had 35 starts over his 315 games BBA career.

Mike Johnson was one of the biggest disappointments in my time as the GM of Charm City. He was a free agent last year and we were looking for some depth and here we are. Johnson is joining the Hammers as the #4 guy in the rotation. I'd love to see him perform well as I've always had hopes for him.

Leonard Squillari is going to be tried as the #5 man in the rotation. The 27 year old former first overall pick from 2052 is getting his first shot in the rotation after spending his previous 111 games coming out of the bullpen. Squillari was very good last year in the bullpen posting a 117 ERA+. I'm hopeful that he'll prove he can stay in the rotation.

Bullpen:

Fernando Camacho is returning at least temporarily as the closer. The Camacho Man posted 33 saves last year. He's expected to slide into the setup roll after we promote...

...Davida Keeaola. Keealoa was intended to be the closer, but I've decided to start him in AAA to postpone his service clock an extra year. Keealol was an absolute stud in spring training.

Tommy Baird was an afterthought by me when I took over the team, but he's won me over. Baird posted a 3.44 ERA in 68 innings last year. He got 4 starts where he struggled some, but he excelled in the bullpen.

Carlos Rodda is our other setup man to start the year. Rodda struggled a bit last year with a 4.99 ERA in his first year in Jerusalem, but his prior steady track record has me hoping he bounces back this year.

Eric Green is not a player who I would normally like due to his erratic control, but he was solid last year posting a 99 ERA+ in 70.2 innings of work. If he struggles the leash will be short.

I mentioned I like having certain former Jimmies on the team earlier and Francisco Rosales is another example of that. Rosales was one of my favorite prospects when he was there, but he was always stalled by his inability to keep the ball in the park. We signed him as depth last year and he was promoted late in the season making 12 not so great starts. If the need for a spot start comes into play he would be our pitcher. I'm hoping the GBC will allow him to have some success in the bullpen.

Sabeer Adnan is the other middle relief pitcher. I'm hoping the move to the GBC will allow Adnan to show some of the promise that made him a second round selection of Valencia in 2055. He could also be a player to get some starts in case of injury or someone being unproductive.

Finally Kishor Baboor is the last player in our bullpen. I'd love to send him back to AAA, but he's out of options. Baboor has the potential of a late inning reliever, but he's been unable to put it together for whatever reason. I'm hoping he'll figure it out, but he's returning to the long inning relief role where he posted a 140 ERA+ last year.