2034-11: Talons so far... The Good

[jiminyhopkins]

Lets take a look at the Talons season so far as the team nears the 100 game mark.

THE GOOD

1. Young hitters breaking out: The Talons are built on power, and it's encouraging to see two of their youngest stars step up and deliver on their promise. DH Mario Deortez is currently second in the Brewster with 31 home runs and has a .928 OPS to go with 2.1 wars. Mario looks to be on pace for 50 homers in just his second full season. Meanwhile, RF Bartolo Ortiz leads the team with a .317 average and 63 RBI, and has 21 HR of his own. His below average defense pulls down the war total, but there's no denying how dominating this 20 year old can be as ahitter. Whats's more, both sluggers have already carved out reputations as good teammates and intelligent ballplayers.

2. One of the best bullpens in the game: Who could have predicted this? Not only do the Talons have dominant closer Timofei Bakitski, joining him are the clubs' two setup relievers, who could be closers themselves. Right hander Adrian Garcia has a 1.99 ERA in 40 innings, while lefty specialist Germao Real has posted a 1.89 ERA in an absurd 51 games so far. And the results appear to be contagious: Even waiver claims Ernest Shaffer (3.04 ERA) and Dennie Gestel (1.32 ERA) are getting in on the action.

3. The club is competitive: Phoenix may have faded a bit as the rest of the division finds their stride, but no one can argue that the Talons are not a force to be reckoned with this season. With scary power up and down the lineup, two or three starters who are capable of ace level performances, and a lockdown relief corps, it looks like the early predictions of a .500 or better season will be accurate.

Next we'll take a look at the things that have not gone so well.

GO TALONS

[udlb58]

Future Silk winner Mario Deortez.