2012 Phoenix Talons Preview

[mrbornac]

Phoenix Talons 2012 Team Preview
As previously stated, the Talons are the only team that has not, in the modern era of the MBBA, made the post season. 2011 was a disappointing season for the Talons in the JLM, the question is, has the team done enough to improve the team and propel the squad into the promised land?

Batter Preview

Catcher - Santiago Guzmán – Acquired from Vancouver in a trade last season, Guzmán is entering his second full season in the MBBA, and this kid can hit the long ball. In fact, after hitting 34 in his rookie campaign, he came out and hit three in two games against the Tropics. What he will have a harder time doing this season is hitting for average, and throwing out would be base stealers. His backup is journeyman catcher Bill Davis, who is a better defender and not a bad batter himself. I would expect to see Davis get some more at bats as the year goes along.

First Base – Vicente Vásquez – This guy is an absolute beast at a power position, and I don’t know that the Talon need to worry about this position any time soon. At 34 years of age, he still has all the ratings he needs to be a force, and his slot as the third batter in the lineup is perfect. The big question for Vicente is can he bat his career average of .283? If so, he will be great, not just good. Last year, hitting just .257, he knocked in 109 runs, with 31 bombs. If he could have over 180 hits with his power, he could be in the conversation for hitter of the year.

Second Base – Jack McKeon Eoff – How this lefty can be an elite fielder all over the infield is beyond me, but that is his true value at this point in his career. He could be a .300 hitter if all the planets align, but the number of runs he saves with his glove are why he is in Phoenix.

Third Base – Steve Williams – With good power and a descent ability to get the bat on the ball, Steve’s best asset on the defensive side is his range. This is Williams’ first season in Phoenix, after signing a 3 year deal reportedly worth 6M. He has started off well, showing that last years .227 average was an aberration, and not a sign of premature aging. Can Williams, in a full year at 3B, hit 20 home runs? That might be one of the indications of the Talons having a good year in 2012.

Short Stop - Cole 'Chase' Rollins – After playing part time the past two years, this looks to be Cole’s position to lose this year. He will never compete for the triple crown, but Rollins has magical abilities as the important position of short stop means that he could be in this league for a LONG time, if the 24 year old can hit enough to keep his batting coach from being fired. He was the 8th pick in the 2010 first year player draft, so there is a significant amount of pressure on the player who grew up as a Barnstormer fan in Nebraska. Along with Vásquez, I think that Rollins is the key to the infield in 2012.

Left Field – Kuan Liao – Kuan is far removed from his 2003 campaign with the Tropics, but he is still a force at the plate, averaging 26 home runs a season the past four years. Is he worth better than 11M a year at this point in his career? Liao will let us know with his bat this season. I have my doubts, but if he can perform, he will give substantial protection for Vásquez.

Center Field – José Cruz – Another recent first round pick (2009), Cruz is the kind of batter I love to have bat at the top of my lineup every day. He looks to be a solid center fielder, so what the Talons are looking for is for José to score another 100 runs or more, and hit another 50 or more doubles. Many teams in the league have a problem at CF, and the Talons can count themselves lucky in that they have both CF and SS figured out with kids at these key positions who look to have very bright futures.

Right Field – Héctor Hernández – If Cruz, Rollins, and Vásquez are players to get excited about, it’s players like Hernández who help confirm that Phoenix is not quite there yet. This 29 year old is best suited to be a 4th, or maybe 5th outfielder, as he is a good defender, but he is a bit of a one trick pony when it comes to the plate. He is a good base stealer, so don’t get me wrong, he has talent, but maybe more as a specialty player then an every day starter.

Designated Hitter – Ben 'Hit Machine' Hargrove – Acquired at the trade deadline from Carolina last year, Hargrove will very rarely strike out, and while he does not have the ability to hit double figure home runs, he is a double hitting machine, and he seems to be a good value at just over 1M a year from the ages of 29-32. He pretty well murders right handed pitching, so he is clearly worth his slot on the roster.

Bench Players –
John Wilkinson
Chris Fisher
Michael Turner
Maxwell Jones

Of this crew, really only Fisher looks to be a possible starter to me, with the other filling out the roles of backups nicely. If any of the backups get pushed into a starting role for a long period of time, the Talons should look to add talent from outside the organization if they want to compete.


Pitching Staff Preview

Starting Pitchers
Jesús Ramos – This 34 year old right handed starting pitcher comes into the season 15 games under .500 for his career, and he strikes me as a better pitcher than that. Why he has underperformed during the majority of his career is a mystery to me, but it looks like Phoenix has faith in him, giving him a 4-year extension back in 2010. If Ramos can get it together, he could win plenty of games for this team.

David Klopp – David is 5 years into his second stint with Phoenix, and he has been a very solid performer both times for the Talons, and has now joined the 200 win club. With 5 pitches and great endurance, Klopp, even at 36 years of age, is a fine number 2 starter for this club. With 5 more wins, he will become the Talons all-time leader in wins. I am very confident that we will see that occur this season.

Tim Jones – Acquired from Vancouver at the deadline last year, Jones is a good groundball pitcher who is entering the prime of his career with a team behind him that can catch the ball, and he should benefit from the defense behind him. He can give up a long ball from time to time, but so long as his slider and forkball are working, he will keep the ball in the park. Not a number 1 starter, but that is ok, there are 4 other slots he can pitch in.

Manuel Guerra – This kid, at just 21 years old, throws smoke, has 3 good pitches, and has good control for someone as young as he is. Yet another 1st round pick, we are seeing evidence that this franchise has done a great job developing their picks. His stuff still has a little room for development, but I think we will see Manuel at the top of the rotation before very long.

Joe Miller – An import from Carolina, Miller fills the 5th slot nicely. He won’t confuse anyone into thinking he is Cy Young, but that is alright, because the couple guys ahead of him are pretty descent. A point of interest, is that those Carolina folks did pick him with the 7th pick in the 2008 draft, another pure talent. All else fails and this kid still throws 99 mph.

Bullpen Staff

R MR Harold Crothers
R MR Jesse Lambert
L MR Mike Sims
R MR Fernando 'Lumpy' García
R MR Ashley Ridsdale
R MR Matt Davis
L CLPablo Romero

One thing of note for this group is their age, with all of them being between the ages of 31 and 38, the group averages better than 33 years old. Up and down the list, they all have pretty good stuff, however, none of them throws harder than 97mph. While this group has little in the way of superstars, they are a very solid bunch, and with 3 more saves, Romero will become the all-time leader for the Talons.

Summary –
They certainly have some current and rising stars in Phoenix, and sooner or later, and I think sooner, there is a good chance they will break into the “We have finally made the playoffs” club. Sadly, based on the competition in the division, I tend to agree with what the game has predicted, a 3rd place finish in the JLM. I do think they will manage to win more games than they lose however, so I am predicting a final record of 84-78, a 7 game improvement from the 2011 record of 77-85.

[nerfHerder]

Thanks for the great write up. You hit every point perfectly. I am trying the draft and sign my own approach. Starting to see it come out now, although Guerra just went down. Watching Tallchief is making me kick myself for not staying with this approach. I am patient, so it will be fine.

[mrbornac]

I know how you feel - I saw several former Bison players and prospects on the awards ballots last season, so I can't help but be protective of the talent I have today.

[mrbornac]

Phoenix finished at 71-91, well below my prediction for 84-78. Bummer.

[nerfHerder]

Phoenix finished at 71-91, well below my prediction for 84-78. Bummer.

Lot of injuries. Ramos, Vasquez, Cruz, Eoff.....on and on. Looking forward to next season.