...the only way we know how.
Following today's trade with the Charlotte Cougars that will bring Thomas Turner to the Twin Cities, The River Monsters rotation seems to be shaping up. Let's take a look at how things are panning out.
Projected Rotation
1.Thomas Turner
2.Erik Brooks
3.Frank Walbourne
4.Maurice Jeffes
5.Hao Kun/Drees Geestman/Rick Childress
Other Options
Carlos Rodríguez
Edwin Pierce
Mark Moore
Pat Sloan
Turner is a sure thing atop the rotation. Coming off a breakout 2049 season, it is a little curious why Charlotte would move their ace pitcher. Maybe they fear his small frame could lead to injuries down the road? Maybe he is looking for a record breaking deal? Or probably they are just looking to stay ahead of the curve in the copy and paste strategy used by many teams around the league. Bypassing championships in exchange for sustained mediocrity.
While Turner is certainly no Alaric Wullenweber, he should put up stellar numbers for Twin Cities for at least the next 3 seasons at 1/10th the cost. Stuff, Movement, Control, 3 good pitches, Stamina... he has all the boxes checked. It might be a little ambitious to think he will be the pitcher he was in 2049(2.89 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 4.3 WAR). We will settle for his 2047 campaign(3.84/1.22/3.2).
Next up is a question mark at #2. Erik Brooks is sure to be a fine BBA starter. Will it be in 2050? The 20 year old former 1st round pick has yet to pitch over A ball. So there is a good chance he may actually start the season in AA. Even if that's the case, he should be ready by midseason. Brooks has drawn a considerable amount of trade inquiries, which only backs up that he has a bright future.
Frank Walbourne came over from Vancouver earlier this off season and we already talked about him at length. Decent middle of the rotation pitcher.
The number four spot could go to Maurice Jeffes. Like Brooks, Jeffes has been held down in the minors. In fact, it is an outright mishandling that he repeated A ball last year when he already mastered it in 2048. Jeffes does have some warts, as you would expect from a number 4. It's not a sure thing he will be able to get lefties out at the BBA level and his secondary pitches aren't very good. At least not yet. Jeffes could start the season in AA, maybe even as a righty specialist in the bullpen. But he will most likely get a shot at the BBA rotation in 2050.
Rounding out the rotation appears to be a 3 headed monster of Kun/Geestman/Childress. This harkens back to the early 2030's Brooklyn Robins pitching platoon strategy. The top four starters will pitch often and on fairly regular rest. Filling in the gaps will be Kun against lefty heavy lineups and Geestman against righties. Childress will also get some sporadic starts as an opener. Those three will also serve in bullpen when not starting.
All in all, not a terrible rotation. Surely not one that will lose 117 games. Throw in two superb pitch framers in Lara and Burke and combine that with a better defensive squad and this rotation could be quite good. Of course the card is subject to change. There are still plenty of free agents out there and you know someone always pulls an oopsie daisy on the rule 5 draft. The River Monsters have the 1st pick and will be paying close attention.
