2013 Hawaii Tropics Team Preview

[bigmike13]

Everybody says “it has to end sometime”, and that time for the Hawaii Tropics was 2012 as a six year playoff run came to a halt. 2 years removed as Landis Memorial Champs the Tropics have been very active and have not been shy about shaking things up.

The Tropics appear to be, at least on the surface, in a bit of a transition with no less than 22 personnel moves coming this off season, including a 10 player blockbuster trade with Calgary that guarantees a new starting rotation for 2013. Even though the Tropics have been making an effort to get younger and cheaper, they still have plenty of pieces in place to make things interesting in the JL Pacific.

Key Additions: MR Jorge Estrada, 3B Michael Holden, SP Gill Frasquilho, 2B Bryan Vogel

Key Departures: SP Jim Seddon, MR Darrell Dowdle,MR Brandon Caldwell, C Pedro Berrios, SP Johnny Carter, SP Davey Acheson, SP Mark Wheeler

OFFENSE:
C Jose Rodriguez – With the trade of Pedro Berrios, the Tropics will have an open tryout for the Catcher position this spring. The candidates are last years backup Jose Rodriguez and 2 Rule 5 draftees in Junior Spradlin and Dennis Smart. Rodriguez had very good success in a limited role hitting .337 in only 83 AB’s so it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up over the course of a season as the starter.

It’s currently a tossup on which one of the draftees stay’s and which gets returned but Hawaii will do everything it can give top catching prospect Kelley Finley another year in Triple A.

1B Fraser Dodson - You can look no further than Dodson to find the Tropics 1B for 2013. A fan favorite everywhere he been, the highly decorated veteran ended 2012 with a 101 RBI’s and 27 HR’s to go with his .327 BA. One of the most consistent players in MBBA will continue as is.

30 Yr Old Jacob Brown will see plenty of time in the field backing up multiple positions.

2B Bryan Vogel – The centerpiece for Hawaii in the trade with Calgary was Vogel. Still only 21 year sold, Vogel has superstar written all over him. Vogel has a lot of work to do adjusting to the game at this level as he struck out 23 times in 57 at bats late in the 2012 season for Calgary, but the Tropics will be patient with him and rely on his superb defensive skills and blazing speed on the base paths until his bat catches up.

3B Michael Holden – The hot corner is currently up in the air. Holden is listed as the starter only because he was one of the pieces received in the Calgary deal and there is no one in the organization head and shoulders better. There is still a chance that a veteran will be brought in to bridge the gap but my money is on Holden the getting the nod late in the spring.

SS Benton Bobke – Bobke will never wow you with his bat, as evidenced by his career .246 BA, but he is an absolute master in the field and will make every pitcher on the team better. He does possess some good pop for a SS and finished 2012 with 26 HR’s.

RF Pat Clark/Chris Bradford – Clark is your typical “All or Nothing” type corner power hitter. Clark finished 2012 with a .227 BA, a .301 OBP and 152 K’s in 502 AB’s, but also blasted 40 HR’s and ended up with 96 RBI’s. If the Tropics are able to get similar production out of Clark this season they will be ecstatic. If Clark falters or the Tropics decide to go youth, Bradford is in line to be the next guy up in RF. More of an on base guy than a power hitter, Bradford could become a fixture in right by the end of the season.

CF Jeff Stanley – Stanley should be patrolling CF once again for the Tropics in 2013. Stanley is an excellent all around hitter with both a good eye and solid power. A career .289 hitter Stanley is a lock to hit somewhere at the top of the Tropics batting order.

LF Tim Snow/Allen Cooper – The tandem of Cooper and Snow seems to work really well for Hawaii. Cooper is used mainly against Right handers batting a cool .289 against RH and Snow, with his .328 against Lefties. Both hitters will continue to see considerable action in 2013.

ROTATION:
To say that the Tropics starting rotation has undergone a huge transformation is an understatement. Veterans Johnny Carter, Davey Acheson and Mark Wheeler were either traded or not resigned and Ace Jim Seddon decided to hang up the cleats. All eyes will be on the pitchers this spring for GM Al Hoot.

Jake Kestle – Kestle returns for his 7th season in Hawaii, and may be the staff Ace by default. The 40 Yr old has a career 4.03 ERA but one has to wonder how much longer his body can hold up to the riggers of a full season. Never the most durable, he is coming back from a torn bicep in 2012 that cost him 3 months.

Jose Baca – Baca has become an “every other year” type guy. An ERA of 3.86 in 2009, 5.38 in 2010, 3.24 in 2011 and 4.86 in 2012. Based upon his history, Baca should be in for an outstanding year for the Tropics

Gill Frasquilho – Frasquilho was another one of the pieces in the Calgary trade. Frasquilho struggled in his first full year with the big club in Calgary, but will be relied upon to take one of the rotation spots available. A heavy ground ball pitcher, Frasquilho has the ability to become a superior strikeout pitcher with his blazing 100 MPH Fastball. If only he can learn to control it.

Mike Kaiser – Another pitcher blessed with cannon for an arm but no idea where it’s going is Mike Kaiser. Kaiser will head to spring training looking to grab one of the open spots in the rotation. Aiser has bounced between the pen and the rotation throughout his career but seems better suited for the rotation.

Kane Wells – My money is on Wells being named the 5th starter. Another in a string of live armed pitchers for Hawaii, the NY, NY native can light up the Juggs gun at any moment but his 2.26 WHIP last season tells the story of the 28 year old. Duck and Cover.

Max Fisher – AAA pitcher Max Fisher is next in line to grab a rotation spot. He will be given every chance to win a spot during spring training.

A couple of interesting names to keep tabs on are Cal Miller and Buster Pridemore. Miller was a waiver claim from Buffalo and could very well sneak into the picture somewhere. He throws in the 93 MPH range and has a decent 5 pitch mix. Pridemore is in AAA and could be a one year stop gap if need be.

BULLPEN:
CL Brendan Meyer/Josh O’Kennelly – The Tropics are blessed with 2 exceptional options in the late innings as both Meyer or O’Kennelly can slam the door on opposing offenses. Whoever wins the closers role coming out of the spring will have a great setup guy right in front of him.

The Tropics bullpen rounds out with Scott Lyon, Liam Davis, Jorge Estrada and Erik Turner. Expect one or two of the guys vying for the rotation to fall back into the pen by the start of the season.

As stated above, there are a lot of unknowns and question marks surrounding this club going into 2013, but the Hawaii Tropics are one of those franchises that just seem to stay relevant no matter what is happening. A break here or there and the Tropics could start a new playoff streak.

Prediction: 75-87, 3rd place, JL Pacific

[Al-Hoot]

Great preview, Mike. Especially filling in the gaps from my non-posted lineups and rotation.

Kaiser will be in the pen, if anywhere. I mean I could start him, but only if I wanted someone who went 2-17, 8.99 era. With better qualified starters available, I feel compelled to start them instead. Something about putting the most competitive team on the field.

Anyway, Wells may also end up in the pen.

Re: catcher. It was actually a mistake on my part to draft both those guys (bad wording in my instructions to Recte). But it turns out those two make a good platoon combo. On the other hand, Rodriguez is rated ironman, and I'm interested in seeing how many games he can start without needing a rest.

And, as you guessed, I may have a 'surprise' signing or two ahead.

With Seddon stepping down, that really clinched things as far as the tone of the team. And Kestle could call it quits any time.

Oh, and the Estrada signing brings him back to Hawai'i. Too bad he missed the seven years of plenty.