Time to head for Palm Bay again
We’ve now covered the batters heading for Palm Bay in 2042, so it’s time to investigate the pitching staff that will join them. This is where the fans of Wichita will get really excited, the rotation they will see in the FPL this year is expected to be the basis of the BBA Aviators in the mid-40’s going forward. This year’s bullpen will be a bit more ragtag, but still includes a few good pieces, and includes some that are still viewed as starters in the lower minors. These though will turn into bullpen arms as (if) they progress up the franchise ladder.
The Rotation
21-yr-old LHP Ramon Guerrero was acquired in the Ramirez trade. He’s probably not far off your average Wichita starter now, but hopefully the extra innings here and a season in Albuquerque will turn him from that into an above average BBA starter if he knuckles down. He has a top-notch fastball in the 94-96 mph range & curve ball with decent splitter & forkball, if he can just get a bit more fizz on them and learn to locate a fraction better we could see him up in the BBA as early as 2044 or ’45.
21-yr-old RHP Chris Sackett, Wichita’s first round pick, fifth overall, in 2042 is a bit behind Guerrero. He made a promising start as a first-year pro in Columbus, but certainly needs to work on aspects of his pitching still. A prospective leader and hard worker he has an almost elite fastball topping out at 98-100 mph and can through a Curveball, slider, changeup & circle change that are more than passable. He just needs to work hard on nailing down where he’s trying to actually throw the ball and with a bit more panache. He looks to be more of a 2045 or 46 BBA full time arrival at the moment, putting in the work could still pay off and put him on the same timetable as Guerrero though.
18-yr-old LHP Hector Fuentes, the 45th pick in this year’s draft is obviously a year or two behind the others but at this moment could well have as much upside as them given the three-year age difference. He went 6-0 in nine rookie ball starts before finishing out in Topeka with a 2.08 ERA and only eight hits allowed in 13 IP. A four-pitch locker, fastball, changeup, curveball & splitter topping out at just 92-94 mph at the moment, he will need a personal trainer to get him to come to grips with the work he has to put in on all the basic pitching attributes. His control is poor and he has to really put the hours in on his mechanics to get that fizz on his stuff & movement, but having said that, he has the ability to spend his 19th year looking at a split between Topeka and Columbus if he wants to work at it.
20-yr-old RHP Sumitomo Takahashi was another acquired in the Ramirez trade. He only has three pitches – a fastball topping out at around 96-98 mph, a curveball & a splitter, but the last two are bordering on elite already. He’s a hard worker and has shown that his stuff could be right up there and flashes of painting the corners, but he needs to turn those flashes into full blown tools to reach his goal. He’s bounced around A- & A ball a bit too long, the signs are there, his stats are coming round, he just needs to really get down to making 2043 & 44 the years he gets his career on the right track.
20-yr-old RHP Jose Lopez, the final piece in the Ramirez deal. Another three-pitch guy, fastball, curveball & slider; all decent enough as is his mechanics but he’s another that needs to pull something out to make him stand out from the crowd. If he can he could be a #4 or #5 workhorse in a BBA rotation but if not he still has potential to be a reliable arm in the heart of the bullpen that will grind out those innings to get you to the back end.
The Bullpen
20-yr-old RHP Bartolo Deleon, 20-yr-old RHP Kunimichi Ogasahara and 20-yr-old RHP Reynold Voermans all have spent their careers so far as starters from Anchorage to Springfield and Topeka. This is their wakeup call that they’re heading for years of servitude in the bullpen if that lightbulb doesn’t go on soon in their head. They’ve all got the potential to make that leap, but will they do it?
22-yr-old RHP Carlos Rocha, 21-yr-old RHP Mike Allain & 20-yr-old RHP Jorge Garcia have all had a year or so to show their worth in the back end of a bullpen, this is a few extra reps to help knock off some of their rough edges.
The final piece is 18-yr-old RHP Jesus O’Day, an 11th round pick in the 2042 draft. He had a good first year in Anchorage, converting 11 out of 14 save opportunities and striking out 59 batters in 52 IP at a 10.21 K/9 clip. Hopefully these extra reps will show him the way he can really realise his potential.