For the outfield, there the situation is more fluid. While there's some talent at Right Field, there are still some questions in Left and Center Field.
Left Field
Onne Heijnen
With the Team finally almost out of Ray Cooper's boat anchor contract, the River Monsters are ready to bring up rookie Onne Heijen to play against Righties in Left Field. Onne is extremely solid versus Right Handed batters while being completely lost against Lefties. It's looking like veteran Pedro Garza will take the field against left handed starters and play the utility role to fill in as needed. However, if Onne stumbles out of the gate, Ray Cooper will likely get the start as he's shown to still be adequate at the plate, though a far cry from the solid #3 batter he used to be.
Center Field
Ramon Gabriel
Ramon Gabriel was less than impressive in his BBA debut last season as a rookie. It caused enough concern to question whether he's going to be the answer in Centerfield for the long term future. If he can put together at the plate, he can be a nice asset for the team with his defensive ability and speed on the base paths. In the meanwhile, Twin Cities has played with the idea of having backup Shortstop, Juan Manual play a little centerfield as a back-up to Ron Gabriel. Despite his projected limitations at the plate, Juan handled the bat well in his rookie season after the River Monsters claimed him in the Rule 5 draft last season.
Right Field
Jorge Gutierrez
Jose Gutierrez was called up last season during the roster expansion and made his presence known immediately. Batting .346 with a .961 OPS in September, Jose pretty much guaranteed Right Field was his for the foreseeable future. Jorge is a average fielder and has nice speed running the bases. If the team ever runs across a stud Right Fielder, Jose would likely take over in Left Field.
Utility Fielders
Ray Cooper
In the final year of his contract, Ray Cooper will be making $12+ million to be a utility bench player. He's still able to handle the bat against righties, but has been unable to hit left handed pitching and has lost a step (or two) in the field and especially on the base paths. Still a fan favorite, there's some hope the team may keep him around for a few years as a nice bench player and retire in a River Monster jersey. He's been with the team since the Expansion Season when he was traded from the Seattle Storm in 2028. He also grew up a few hours from the Twin Cities in Mitchell, SD.
