Catcher: Dexter “Killer” Sheehan
I’m honestly not sure what there is to say about Sheehan that hasn’t, presumably, been said already. Sheehan is clearly the best catcher in the MBBA, and he has a good claim to being the league’s best player. Sheehan has never had a Slugging Percentage below .500, has put up more than 5 WAR in every year since 2006, and he is, clearly, the heart of Birmingham’s lineup. Additionally, Sheehan is a terrific defensive catcher and a Bandits’ icon. There are 24 teams in the MBBA, and I’m fairly confident that each of the other 23 teams would love to have Sheehan as their catcher.
First Base: Thomas Tippett
Tippett is a player who often flies under the radar, much like the rest of his teammates who aren’t Sheehan or Freddie Rigsby. Last year, Tippett had a terrific year, and had an astronomical 1.028 OPS against left-handed pitching. Tippett plays a decent, if unspectacular, first base, but his primary contributions come as a hitter.
Second Base: Lorenzo Villareal / Juan Gutierrez
Villareal is a terrific prospect, and he’s already a fantastic defensive player, but he remains a massive liability at the plate. Scouts agree that Villareal has the ability to become a very good offensive player, but at the moment, that ability hasn’t translated into production. Gutierrez is a terrific base-runner and a solid defensive second baseman. Had he played thirty years ago, before the sabermetric revolution, he’d likely be considered a star. However, scouts now look less favorably on his high batting average/low OPS combo. Despite any deficiencies Gutierrez has, he can still handle the bat well, and the Birmingham lineup is likely stronger when he is in it.
Shortstop: Andres Cantu / Michael Gamble
Cantu is a very solid player, who doesn’t have any particular skills that particularly jump out at you. Cantu will never be a star, but his combination of solid defense and general competency at the plate will likely ensure that Cantu has a starting spot in some team’s lineup for the foreseeable future. Gamble is a young player who will likely see more playing time at shortstop in the coming season. He’s only 22 years old, but his talent will likely make it difficult to keep off the field for too long. Gamble has the ability to play multiple positions, which makes him even more valuable to the Bandits.
Third Base: Jim Johnson
Johnson is a terrific defensive third baseman, with average skills at the plate and good speed. At 27 years old, Johnson seems highly unlikely to improve, and at this point, he is what he is: a defensive stud with limited offensive capabilities. To be perfectly honest, everything about Jim Johnson screams “average” to me, and I’m just trying to fill a few lines talking about him. Even his name, Jim Johnson, is pretty boring.
Left Field: Nathan Claycomb
Claycomb put up a very solid .821 OPS last season as he shuffled between left and center field for the Bandits. Claycomb is only 25 years old, and he brings a very well-rounded offensive skill set to the Birmingham lineup. Although Claycomb dabbled in center field last season, most observers agree that Claycomb should be playing left field, where he excels, instead of center field, where he’s a liability. Of course, that would require a better alternative for the Bandits in center field, but it will be a situation to monitor moving forward.
Center Field: Norris Morgan
This is a tentative lineup for the simple fact that Norris Morgan isn’t a particularly good hitter. Of course, if Morgan was a better hitter, he would be one of the MBBA’s top outfielders, because he’s a fantastic fielder and he has great speed. If Morgan’s offense is even average, there’s no question that Birmingham would like him to be its everyday center fielder, because he’s so much better defensively than anyone else on the roster. Whether he can hit enough to justify that spot, however, remains to be seen.
Right Field: Michael Hampton /Ivan Silva
In right field, it seems likely that the Bandits will adopt a platoon system, with Hampton playing against lefties and Silva playing against righties. In Silva’s first year in the MBBA, in 2011, he put up an excellent .855 OPS. Last year, however, that number plummeted all the way to .709. Additionally, he was putrid in the field. Despite those struggles, however, Silva is a very talented player, and with his salary, he will be a key part of Birmingham’s future; if he can improve, expect the team to improve as well. Hampton should see a lot of time against lefties, where his skills will be put to the best use; if Silva’s defense doesn’t improve, expect Hampton to be used as a defensive replacement as well.
Designated Hitter: Freddie Rigsby
Rigsby was the third pick in the 2009 draft, and after two largely mediocre seasons, Rigsby absolutely laid waste to the MBBA in 2012. Although the numbers might speak for themselves, there’s no reason I can’t speak for the numbers as well. Rigby had a 1.015 OPS. That’s right. 1.015. He led the league in batting average and on-base percentage. When he was bored, he stole 40 bases. Last year, he had more than twice as many walks as he did strikeouts. I have no idea if that’s ever been done before, but that’s incredible. And he’s only 25. Some nit-pickers might point out that he’s not a defensive asset, but those people are dumb. If the MBBA had a fantasy draft where every player was draft eligible, there’s a good chance that Rigsby would be the first pick.
PITCHING
Ace:Paul O'Scullan
O’Scullan is certainly the team’s most talented pitcher; he has some of the best velocity among the MBBA’s starters, and he throws five pitches reasonably well. Despite O’Scullan’s immense talent, however, his numbers have never been quite as good as would be expected. He has never posted an ERA below 4.5, and for the Bandits to compete for the playoffs this year, they need O’Scullan to begin to capitalize on his immense tools, and turn into the ace that he’s capable of becoming.
#2: Robert Shaffer
Shaffer was arguably Birmingham’s top pitcher last season, and the Bandits hope that he will be able to recreate that success this season. Shaffer is a terrific second starter, who is capable of providing a quality start every time he takes the mound. Shaffer relies primarily on a fastball-splitter combo, although he will occasionally throw a curveball to keep hitters honest. One notable aspect of Shaffer’s performance last year is the fact that Shaffer recorded so few strikeouts; despite this, Shaffer did a fantastic job of inducing ground balls, and as a result, he had a very successful season. Expect more of the same in 2013.
#3: Mario Pagan
Birmingham fans are justifiably excited by Pagan, who took the league by storm as a rookie. In 9 starts, Pagan had an ERA under 2. Although no one expects Pagan to duplicate those numbers in the coming season, if Pagan can produce another strong season, then the top 3 pitchers in Birmingham’s rotation will be among the best in the league. Although some statheads might argue that Pagan’s success is largely unsustainable, this will be one of the more interesting sub-plots to watch during the upcoming season.
#4: Mike Boggie
Like Pagan, Boggie is a very promising young pitcher who appears to have almost limitless potential. In 2011, Boggie suffered a serious injury that led to him missing most of 2012. Once Boggie returned, however, he pitched quite well and that performance has fans very excited to see what Boggie can do in 2013. Boggie has a quality three pitch repertoire, and he throws hard. For a fourth starter, it’s hard to ask for too much more.
#5: Mike Quinn
Yet another very young pitcher, Quinn’s 2012 differed from Pagan’s and Boggie’s, in the sense that his season wasn’t very good. Although Quinn throws four pitches and has a lot of talent, the general consensus around the league is that he needs to refine his pitches in order to become a quality starter. If he can improve, however, Birmingham’s rotation won’t have any weaknesses, which is a very scary thought for opposing teams.
BULLPEN
This could potentially be Birmingham’s Achilles' heel. While most elite MBBA teams have a terrific closer or a combination of very good relievers, Birmingham’s pen is less imposing.
Middle Relief: Rafael Ortiz, Javier Alejo, and John Taylor
All three of these pitchers performed fairly well for the Bandits last season, but their ceilings are not particularly high; they generally pitch to contact and do not have overwhelming stuff. Many managers prefer relievers who can strike a lot of hitters out, but if these guys can do the job, then who are we to argue?
Set-up: Jose Bermudez and Miguel Diaz
These guys are the opposite of the middle relievers. Both Bermudez and Diaz have fantastic velocity, and can strike a lot of hitters out. Last year was the best year of Diaz’s career, as he struck out 81 batters in 65 innings. However, he also walked 45 batters, which is surely a concern for Birmingham. Bermudez walked 30 batters in 60 innings, which is also higher than most managers want. Both of these pitchers have the ability to simply dominate opposing hitters on any given night, but their potential for wildness will leave Birmingham fans holding their breath every week.
Closer: Andres Campos
In yet another inversion from the traditional bullpen model, Campos is a closer with stuff that is significantly worse than that of the set-up guys. Campos’s success is based almost entirely on his superlative control. The combination of average stuff and fantastic control leads to Campos allowing more baserunners than Birmingham’s fans are happy with, and many stressful outings. It will be interesting to see if Campos remains the closer for the entire season, or if he’s swapped out for either Bermudez or Diaz.
FINAL PREDICTION: Birmingham is a fascinating team. I would describe them as being one of the higher-variance teams in the MBBA. Although Sheehan is a constant superstar, there are a number of questions this year’s team will have to answer: Is Rigsby merely a star, or the other-worldy superstar we witnessed last season. Can the young pitchers in the rotation repeat, or even improve upon, last year’s performance? How will the team’s defense look this season? Of course, I don’t know the answer to these questions, but I believe that the 2013 Bandits will look similar to the 2012 edition, and finish with a record of 87-75.
