Catcher: Clark Foster
Foster is one of the more underrated players in the MBBA. Part of his value comes from the fact that plays one of the game’s most demanding positions at such a high level. He is one of the top offensive catchers in the league, but he is also a force behind the plate. There aren’t many well-rounded catchers in the league. What makes Foster particularly valuable, however, is his age. Foster is only 26 years old, and he’s in his third full season. As a result, he only makes $500,000. This bargain contract gives Montreal added payroll flexibility, and enables them to have some of the other terrific players on the roster. Although the bargain will end after this season, Foster is still a terrific player to have.
First Base: Duane Whitley
Whitley is one of those expensive players that Foster’s cheap contract allows the Blazers to have. Whitley is one of the top hitters in the MBBA, and he has been metronomical in his consistency over the past twelve years. He has consistently avoided injuries and produced stellar offensive numbers, and there is no reason to expect that to change this season. Whitley is a free agent after this season, and it will be interesting to see what Montreal does, but in the interim, he will continue to hit, and hit well.
Second Base: Ernie Stauffer
Stauffer can play both second and third base, and he can play both positions quite well. Although he doesn’t have the raw power of some of his teammates, he has more than enough power to thrive as a middle infielder. Stauffer’s game is incredibly well-rounded, and his defensive prowess and offensive skill make Stauffer a valuable piece of any lineup. Although his salary might be a bit high, the Blazers are more than happy to pay it.
Shortstop: Dave Pruitt
Pruitt is a very exciting young player, who is entering his first full MBBA season. Scouts rave about Pruitt’s defensive abilities; although there is some question about his arm strength, there is near-unanimous agreement that his positioning and instincts will render those concerns moot. Pruitt also has terrific speed, and will be a constant threat on the basement. Although Pruitt isn’t likely to become an offensive superstar, Montreal has more than enough offensive talent to ensure that he won’t need to be; as long as he can make contact and get on base, he will be a terrific presence at the bottom of Montreal’s order. Perhaps his biggest contribution is playing shortstop, and allowing William Rowland to move to third base. Also, it wouldn't kill you to smile Dave, would it?
Third Base: William Rowland/Gideon Camm
Rowland is yet another hitter in Montreal’s lineup that can be described as very, very good. Although Rowland isn’t a superstar, there aren’t many infielders who have his well-rounded offensive game, along with his terrific base-running abilities. Rowland has had an OPS over .800 in each of the last two seasons, and he will look to continue that trend this season. Now that Pruitt has taken over at shortstop, Rowland will move to third base; it will be interesting to see how he handles the position. If Rowland struggles at the position, expect to see Gideon Camm frequently used as a defensive replacement.
Left Field: Billy Beauford
Along with Harris, Beauford is absolute murder on righties; I’m not sure what Montreal’s record against right-handed pitching will be this year, but they should score a scary amount of runs against them. In addition to hitting the crap out of the ball whenever he faces a righty, Beauford also plays fantastic defense in left field, and he’s capable of providing very good defense at the other two outfield spots; he’s a very good player, and on another team, he could start against lefties and righties with no problem at all.
Center Field: FrankHarris/Chase Stoll
I will be honest; I didn’t really know who Harris was until I started writing this article; I know who he is now. Harris might be the most talented player on the roster. Although he doesn’t hit lefties particularly well, that’s not a huge problem because most pitchers are right-handed, and he absolutely crushes righties. Add that to the fact that Harris has elite speed and plays good defense, and you have an absurdly talented player who might be on the verge of becoming a superstar. Expect Chase Stoll to get a lot of playing time against lefties, if only to give Harris a breather. Stoll doesn’t have any talents that are particularly note-worthy, but he shouldn’t detract from his team either.
Right Field: Bob White /Wei-guo Zhan
Because the Blazers heavily platoon their outfielders, this is a bit of an imperfect description, but for our purposes, it works. Although Bob White can play all three outfield positions, there is one constant: he rarely comes off of the field, unless he’s injured. White can absolutely fly, and his speed only augments his very strong hitting abilities. Although there are some health risks with White, he’s one of the MBBA’s top outfielders, and he’s only 26 years old. If he can stay healthy for an entire season, expect him to be recognized as one of the league’s top players. Zhan is a bit of a one-dimensional player, who excels against left-handed pitching and rarely plays against righties. Although he can’t hit right-handed pitching, his defense is consistently superb. When used in limited doses, he can be terrific, as his .949 OPS last year shows. Expect those types of elite numbers, with the mandatory small sample size caveat, this year.
Designated Hitter: Yves Riviere
Although Riviere differs from the traditional DH model because he doesn’t hit for very much power, there is no question that Riviere is a fantastic offensive player. He has great doubles power, he has a fantastic eye and draws a lot of walks, and he can hit both lefties and righties. While his lack of home runs might lead to him not getting noticed, fans in Montreal and his teammates realize what an asset he is.
PITCHING
Ace:Moses Tallchief
Tallchief certainly deserves the title of “ace.” He throws five pitches, and he has great velocity. In each of the past four seasons, he has pitched over 200 innings. It’s hard to overstate how valuable it is to have your top pitcher throwing over 200 innings, as it allows for the bullpen to step in far more often when the less successful starting pitchers take the hill. Although there have been some whispers around the league that Tallchief’s control is not quite as good as it once was, there is no reason to expect anything except another stellar season from Tallchief as he heads the Montreal rotation.
#2: Martin Huigens
If you watch two Blazers games in a row, and see Tallchief and Huigens take the mound, you will see an incredible discrepancy in pitching styles between the two. Despite this discrepancy, however, Huigens has been a fantastic pitcher in his own right. Like Tallchief, Huigens has been reliable; he has thrown over 200 innings in each of the last four seasons. Huigens doesn’t have great stuff, and as a result, he doesn’t get many strikeouts. What Huigens does have, however, is fantastic control, and an ability to keep his pitches down in the zone. By getting so many ground balls, Huigens forces teams to string together a number of hits to score against him. What’s more, Huigens fields his position very well, and he does a great job of holding runners. Although these skills aren’t immediately obvious to the casual observer, they enhance his value and make him a very good starter.
#3: John Rasmussen
Stop me if you’ve heard this already: an incredibly durable pitcher, who has thrown over 200 innings in TWELVE straight years. You haven’t heard that last part before, but that’s only because no one else on Montreal can claim that feat. Montreal’s strategy of acquiring inning-eaters is perfectly embodied by Rasmussen. Like Huigens, Rasmussen doesn’t have dominant stuff, and he’s not a strikeout pitcher. Also like Huigens, Rasmussen compensates by having fantastic control and the ability to induce a ton of ground balls. The ability of Huigens and Rasmussen to induce ground balls might have prompted Montreal’s decision to move Rowland off of shortstop.
#4: Donald Bergeron
Bergeron is relatively unknown compared to the rest of his rotation mates, but he has the talent to surpass all of them. Bergeron is only 26 years old, and like almost everyone else on the team, he was drafted by the Blazers and came up through their farm system. Bergeron has three pitches that can be described as “filthy,” and he also induces a number of ground balls. Although he won’t throw as many innings as the three starters above him, he likely won’t need to, as he can rely on a well-rested bullpen for the games he pitches. If there are any better fourth starters in the MBBA, I’m not aware of them.
#5: Brad Welsh
One of the few players on Montreal’s roster that wasn’t drafted by the team, Welsh nonetheless fits in nicely with the organizational model; he can throw a lot of innings, and he’s a good ground ball pitcher. He has good velocity, and he can command four pitches. Although Montreal coaches would like him to get better at holding runners, there aren’t many teams that have 25 year olds with the type of stuff Welsh has at the back of their rotation. From 1-5, Montreal’s rotation is as good as just about anyone’s.
BULLPEN
Although Montreal's middle relievers aren't great, the back end of the bullpen is quite good.
Middle Relief: Jack Hanski, Richard Phillips, and Domingo Ramirez
Richard Phillips is 5’9 and 235 pounds. I’m assuming he eats a lot, and that makes me like him. As a pitcher, he’s nothing special, but he’s a decent middle innings option. Both Jack Hanski and Domingo Ramirez appear to follow in the mold of Montreal’s starters, and could likely step into the rotation if the need arose, but in the meantime, they’ll throw the occasional innings left from Montreal’s workhorse starters.
Set-up: Jose Bruno
Bruno, like Jutras, has terrific stuff, and he is a big part of the reason that Montreal can feel so confident once they get into the late innings. Converting to the bullpen isn’t always easy for a former starting pitcher, but Bruno appears well-suited to his new role. Expect him to use his shortened outings to simply dominate opposing hitters.
Closer: Marc Jutras
Jutras’ approach is generally simple and straightforward: he throws hard, he throws strikes, and he challenges opponents to hit the ball hard. Most of the time, they can’t. Jutras is one of the top closers in the MBBA, and he’s also capable of pitching extended innings whenever his team needs him to. When the Blazers hand Jutras the ball, they can generally feel pretty confident.
FINAL PREDICTION: Montreal is really, really, good. Although they're not perfect, they certainly don't have many weaknesses. If you squint, you can criticize their infield defense and say that their ground-ball pitchers need better fielders behind them. Beyond that, there's not much that they can realistically improve upon. If all goes well, they're going to be the favorite to finish with the league's top record. I'm sure that a few things will go wrong, but I will pick them to finish with a record of 99-63.
