2007. Seems so long ago. That was the year the 91-71 Des Moines Kernels surprised the MBBA by winning the Landis Cup. GM Eddie Murphy (or?) threw together a strong pitching staff that carried them through the postseason. As the only GM with a championship in both the MBBA, and the EBA (Amsterdam 2003), he seems to get the most out of his teams in the postseason. Let's fast forward to last season. The Kernels went 93-69, but narrowly missed the post season as their aging starting rotation was stricken with injuries. Now a year older, can they put it together for a run? With the surging New Orleans Crawdads in the way, it is going to be tough. Let's take a look at the potential make up of the 2010 Kernels...........
Starting Pitchers
In no particular order, these are the guys we feel will toe the rubber for the Kernels in 2010.
Eugene Miller
The Florida native continues to be everything the Kernels could've hoped for since acquiring him from Montreal. While he is slowly turning into a flyball pitcher who is less dominant, he is one of the only guys not to be devastated by injuries. Last season he went 14-9 with a 3.83 ERA. Expect more of the same this year, with a little higher ERA.
Steve Taub
The 35 year old Taub is starting to show his age a little bit. While he fights off father time, you can expect him to handle it with class. As a guy who will probably manage some day, the younger guys like to pick his brain, when he's around. The lefty missed three months with shoulder inflammation after coming over for Phoenix. In 17 starts (9 with PHX), he managed a 3.56 ERA. No one is sure what to expect as Taub comes back, but you can bet he will give it his all.
Andre Benjamin
Benjamin is another guy who missed some time due to injury. In July he ruptured a tendon in his finger (juicing?) that sidelined him for four months. When healthy he is a top pitcher who flies under the radar, mostly due to his inconsistencies. In his 18 starts, he was 5-6 with a 3.40 ERA. Expect much of the same in 2010, around .500 with a high 3 ERA.
Parker Giorgi
This one is a guess. Giorgi also was hit by the injury bug in '09. three and a half months were lost due to a herniated disc in his back. He did make 16 starts though, bringing home a 4.59 ERA. He might start, but his struggles against righties make him a great candidate for a LOOGY.
Sammy Bodeen
Sammy Bodeen, like Andre Benjamin, is another one of those under the radar guys. Consider this, Sammy is entering his 19th season. He has made 511 starts and has 3,297 K's. What else can you say? Oh last season, at the age of 36, he made 27 starts. He only went 16-3 with a 3.13 ERA. Man, to age gracefully.
Relievers
The Kernels strength is their bullpen. There are a more than a few men in there who can dominate a game. Let's take a look at who is out there.....
Juan Quintero
Juan is a dominant closer, case closed. The last six seasons he had 39,32,36,44,32,37 saves. On his career he has 279. He sets people up with his mid nineties splitter and then flips a 100+ MPH fastball by you. Deadly stuff. Expect him to continue his dominance.
Chris Anderson
Anderson has been Mr Steady for his whole career. He has a career 3.16 ERA. In '02 and '03 he was the closer and recorded 38 and 36 saves respectively. He does what he's asked to do. Last season in 60 games he pitched 77 innings and had a 1.99 ERA. Not showing any signs of his age, expect it all again in '10.
John Ballance
See Chris Anderson above. Rock steady. Throws 5 pitches with confidence. Should have really been stretched out into a starter in his youth. has a 3.41 career ERA in 601 games. He's not going anywhere soon.
Dan Winter
Dan could easily be in the rotation as well. It depends if they go with the "Murphy 6" six man rotation as they did for a stretch in '09. Either way, Dan is nothing special. He's not bad either, just nothing that will blow you away. in '09 he went 9-7 with a 4.37 ERA. In 25 games, he made 19 starts.
Emanuel Schreurs
Emanuel came over from Vegas and struggled last season. He was given a chance due to injuries and rewarded the franchise with a 10.93 ERA in 14 IP. He could just as easily find himself on the waiver wire.
Position Players
C Desi Stanley
The 35 year old Stanley shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he may have had the best season of his career in '09. Playing in 143 games, he went .329/.399/.510 with 17 HR and 85 RBI. He also threw out 35% of the base runners trying to swipe a bag on him. I would expect more of the same in '10 with maybe a few less games played.
1B Robinson Cuervo
Robinson is a young man who plays adequate defense and displays good gap power. His real strength is his voice in the clubhouse. While not generally in the league leaders, he is one of the best motivators in the game. In '09, he hit .286/.327/.479 with 17 HR and 86 RBI in 156 games. Shouldn't be any different in '10.
2B Tim Therrien
The guess is that Therrien will make '10 his rookie campaign. He has the tools to be a pretty good 2B if he continues to develop. Another leader, he is known to be the first one there and the last one to leave. He struggled in AAA in '09, but expect .280 with a good amount of doubles and solid "D".
SS Orlando Alejo
Another guess, Alejo can certainly field at the ML level. Question is, can he repeat his performance of a year ago? in 152 games, he hit .300/.380/.462 with 18 HR and 93 RBI. I don't see him doing that again. Expect him to slip into the .250's with 10-15 HR.
3B Albert Lawson
Lawson is one of GM Murphy's favorites. Acquired from Montreal in '07, he hasn't shown the promise that was expected. In '09 he hit .271/.313/.403 with 14 HR and 77 RBI. That wouldn't cut it with most teams. Could this be his last season to show what he can do? I would bet it is.
Before we look at the Outfield, it stands to look a lot like a colon. It's a crapshoot. There are four guys for three spots. Expect a rotation among the four.
OF Diego Perez
Perez is a pretty good slap hitter. In '09 he hit .282 in 291 AB's. If he plays much, you can expect much of the same.
OF Wei-Quo Chong
My favorite Kernel, solely because he was the first draft pick ever made by me in PHX. A SS out of College he was quickly converted to CF and has taken off from there. In '09 he hit .301/.342/.455 with 9 HR and 86 RBI. He also stole 35 bases and scored 113 times. Look for the same in '10.
OF Jose Munoz
Coming from Omaha in '09, Munoz is the "power' bat in the OF. In 502 AB's, .257/.316/.420 with 16 HR and 72 RBI. Much more is expected of him in '10. Look for him to produce.
OF Ignacio Ramos
Ramos is a guy who will get on base and strike out very little. Unfortunately, he doesn't possess great speed or power. He is still a useful guy though. He will more than likely be the odd man out in this outfield.
Bench
Not much to say about this bench. Backup catcher Brady Crabtree could start for some teams. IF Juan Castillo will be thrown into the mix, as will newly acquired Lee Dundee. Again, these are all just guesses, as the bench is kind of up in the air.
2010 Outlook
I would say 2010 is going to be rough for Des Moines, especially if their starting pitchers don't hold up. There isn't much on offense that will improve, the bullpen is a force, the starters are good if healthy. This team won 93 games last year. Expect 82-90 wins in '10. I really see New Orleans taking another leap in strating to claim this division. Remember though, if they get into the postseason, look out.
Playing with a Purpose
