Warehouse Wire 2049.02: AS Break

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Heading into the All-Star break, the Jimmies sit at 45-39, 9.5 games back of the division leader but only a half a game back of a playoff spot. While an improvement, the organization and fans expected more, especially after acquiring Félix Román.

Román has done his part, leading the JL with 28 HR's and among the league leaders in batter WAR. Bill Constable has been electric as expected, leading the JL in pitcher WAR and among the league leaders in just about every major pitching category. Those two figure to be locks as All-Stars.

One of the major lowlights is the man who everyone though had turned his career around last year, catcher Quinton Lara. To this point, he's on pace to have his worst career year. With a player opt-out and team options after this year, chances are he's gone after this year. Rumors are that he may find himself on waivers very soon with prospect Brendon Dean having a fantastic year at AAA and appearing ready to break through. The team still hasn't managed to fill in the up the middle infield positions with good production. That includes Pepe Espinosa taking a step back this year after being re-signed in the offseason.

If we were to hand out grades, the offense would get a C- and the pitching a B+. The offense still hits with a ton of power but is very inconsistent. The rotation is back to being a strength while the bullpen has been middle of the road. While middling, it's still a big improvement over the past few years. The defense has also been fairly average. The team could cut down on errors but every other category of defensive stats and metrics is fairly average. So that's probably a C.

The organization really needs to figure out the middle infield. Espinosa plays better at 2B than SS, but the team could use a better player that fits either position. With the team up against the cap, there isn't much wiggle room to make a move unless they move an asset that's contributing to the team. At this point, they'd probably give away Lara to make something happen.

While not playing how everyone wants them to, the Jimmies found themselves in the playoff mix once again.