Poblanotes 52.4- Ups and Downs

[chicoruiz]

With the All-Star break bearing down on us, why not take a look at El Paso’s ups and downs for the season so far. More ups than downs, so this should be a cheerful exercise:

UPS:

1. 3B Alfonso Trinidad- Goodness gracious, I thought he’d be good, but I didn’t know he’d be THIS good… He’s keeping pace with, and even outdistancing in some areas, the more heralded Hector Cano Jr. I know he’s not a great glove man, but still, if he’s not an all-star, I’ll eat my hat. Of course, I haven’t examined the other 3B candidates, so I better put some salt and pepper on the hat, just in case...

2. C John Adams- An unsung hero, but I’m about to sing him right now. Built like his presidential namesake at 5’5” and 205 ponds, Adams, while not a star, has provided at least some stability to a position that has been a long-term revolving door for the Chilis. A .770 OPS will play, especially when combined with very good defense and a rocket arm that makes potential base stealers quake in their spikes.

3. The farm system- It’s a good feeling to go to bed every night knowing that you have both the #2-rated hitting prospect and the #2-rated pitching prospect. And they’re playing to their ratings: Resy Santos is hitting over .300 in AA at age 19, and Micah Harrington is off to a start in Hermosillo that indicates that he’ll be promoted pretty soon. Life is sweet.

DOWNS:

1. P Damian Taylor- He was pretty hot stuff his first four years in the league- first with Yellow Springs, then with me. Then he had a bad 2051, and this year he’s fallen off the table completely. He’s currently sitting on the waiver wire, hoping for someone to take a chance on rehabbing him.

2. 1b Rob Chenoweth- Not terrible, but on paper, he should be doing much better. His game should be tailor-made for this park; he’s been hitting much better lately, so there’s hope. I wonder if there are still some lasting effects from last year’s head injury. One more blow to the head and he’ll be qualified to be a general manager.

3. OF Juan Guerrero- I snatched him up as a bargain basement free agent last year to be the short half of an outfield platoon, and he made me look smart, batting .306 with power. This year he’s making me go back to looking dumb, hitting under .200. One more bad sim and then I’m gonna start casting my net out for right-handed OF-DH types; someone to make me feel smart again.