Where Does Edmonton Go From Here?...Besides Austin? TN 60.02

[Chuck V]

Edmonton, Alberta -

As the boxes continue to get packed at AGLS Ballpark and the Merch Store sells everything at steep discounts, the baseball offseason, including the free agent signing period, is underway. The Jackrabbits / Shredders may have done a few games better than expected, but they still have plenty of holes to fill and some of that may come from the free agent market.

Let's take a look at the teams expected needs.

Pitching. This team finished 14th overall in their league in pitching with a team ERA of 5.29, the third worst in team history and 15th worst in the league. The rotation, despite some interesting pieces in Glenn Hargrove and Mus'ad Amr did not have a single starter with an ERA below 4.00. The bullpen fared little better as both closers, Edward Pfeffer and Max Birstall posted ERAs above 5.00. So pitching is going to be a big concern. There are some usable free agents like Dick Bessi and Adam Nines available, and the team may need to go that route to compete, but that will be expensive and, despite a brand new stadium on the way, revenue is still a large unknown. In the minors Pepe Rivera will likely get another shot at the rotation after his debut turned out to be an unmitigated bust, and Krantivira Kalluri may even get another shot as there are few pitching prospects in the organization. With their limited budget, the best the Jackrabbits might be able to hope for is to sign some decent relievers to "show me" contracts and hope for the best.

Catching. Ubaid bin Salah and Felipe Mitchell pretty much sucked behind and at the plate and still were considered to have overperformed their talent level. They were placeholders, that was it, but no clear starter has emerged as of yet. The team needs top notch catching and an ability to frame pitches above all and Edmonton may have to sacrifice that spot in the lineup for decent defense and pitch handling.

Infield. This is an area that the Jackrabbits have some depth. Socrates Kazantkiakis hit and played stellar defense and in at least the first year of his five-year deal The Professor was worth every penny. The 33 year old even moved over to 3B at the end of last season thanks to the emergence of Manuel Ortega at 2B. This prompted the move of Billy McKay back to SS, combine that with the relegation of slugger Brent Gilbert to DH and Ray Hopkins move across the diamond from 3B to 1B and you had a solid defensive unit that hit.287 collectively. Add in Gilbert's solid numbers and you have the makings of a good lineup. With McKay now traded to San Bernardino, Manuel Ortega gets the starting nod at 2B after a ROY worthy season where he hit .322 over 369 PA. They could move Hoskins back to 3B and sign a 1B or look for another 3B on the open market, but don't be surprised if J.R. Anderson gets a crack at the starting lineup. He is not a long term solution, but did hit .343 in AAA Tucson and .316 after a September call-up.

Outfield. This unit was a little iffy. Andre Ly hit well and played good defense, when he wasn't getting treatment for one injury or another. Ly will be 40 years old at the end of this upcoming season and his best days are behind him. In fact, all three projected starters , as of now, in Ly, Kieran Rinn and Antonio Roman, you have an old and getting older outfield with all three in their 30's and Ly crossing over into the 40s. Luis Rubio, their #1 pick in 2059 acquitted himself well at A, AA and AAA, displaying a good eye, good contact and a solid glove, but he may still need another 300-400 at bats in the minors before making the jump to the BBA.

All-in-all the Jackrabbits will have to get lucky to compete next year. They have a competitive offense that posted the 6th best batting average and 5th best OBP, but that offense is not good enough to compensate for one of the worst pitching staffs in the league and team history.