2038-11: Talons Season Preview Series: Center Field

[jiminyhopkins]

Center Field is not only a song by John Fogerty, it's also the subject of the latest Talons Season Preview.

ML Starter: Weaver Ripley (5/5/9/7/3 Talents)

Ripley was drafted in the first round of the 2034 draft, and had been a top prospect since that day until his ML debut. He ranked as high as 19th in the BBA top prospects list, and it's easy to see why. Playing his first full major league season in 2037, Ripley was a mere two stolen bases away from a 40-40 season. But a few things prevented his year from being worth more than 2.2 WAR, namely, his huge strikeout totals and low on base percentage of .310. In addition, despite rather amazing defensive talent ratings of 9/10/12, his year in center field was not what everyone expected. Ripley actually had a negative zone rating for much of the season before improving to +0.7 toward the end. One can chalk it up to 21 year old nerves, but some have also suspected that Ripley, being a super-hard working perfectionist, can be too hard on himself. Maybe this year he can lighten up a bit and let his talent show through.

ML Backup: Thad Meyer (8/9/6/4/8 Talents)

Thad is, of course, the right fielder, as discussed in the RF article. But he could still play center if called upon, and quite well.

Minor League Depth: Jorge Chahoud (4/4/6/5/4 Talents)

This is another position the Talons are short on. Chahoud would probably be the first to be called up for any of the outfield positions, actually. On second thought, Ugh.

Prospect to Watch: Teruo Jouda (5/6/1/5/6 Talents)

Jouda really isn't a prospect, and there's no reason to watch him. But he's somehow ranked 21st in the Talons system, so here he is.

[Ted]

I believe in Ripley, or not ...

[RonCo]

RIpley carries a bazooka on that shoulder as well as about anyone can.