In our annual preview, we'll take a quick look at each of the minor league affiliates of the Boise Spuds, as well as players to keep an eye on:Salt Lake City Alpines (AAA)
After a trip to the playoffs in 2037 and a second place finish in the division in 2038, the Alpines struggled last year to the tune of a 65-70 record. Although a huge boon to the parent club, Salt Lake City will not have the convenience of playing top prospects RP Naomichi Harada, SS Motonobu Yamashita, and CF Félix Román, the later who is jumping straight to the big leagues from Double-A. Frank Metcalf, 22, returns to head the Alpines rotation after failing to make Boise's final roster cuts. Ricardo Ruíz joins the club after a fine season in Buffalo and will shoulder much of the offensive load. One thing about the Salt Lake City is they appear to have more veterans with major league experience than ever before, resulting in much needed depth for Boise.
Weymouth Irish (AA)
Formerly the Buffalo Bisons, the Massachusetts-based Irish is hoping to build on last year's 65-66 record, an improvement of 16 wins from 2038. The pitching staff is thin and on opening day, none of Weymouth's pitchers will be teenagers. The Boise front office spent the off-season signing a huge number of minor league free agents, as most of the organization's talented prospects are either debuting in the majors or we just drafted within the last two seasons. After the 2040 draft, expect to see better, young talent join the Irish but for now, the lone bright spot is 19-year-old first baseman Pepe Madrid, a doubles-hitting left-handed batter who has upside to grow at the plate even more. The Weymouth coaching staff spoke highly about fellow first baseman José Hernández, a 6'8" slugger who made strides with his glove over the course of last season.
Tulsa Ginzels (A)
Tulsa saw huge changes since the 2039 regular season ended, including a team name and uniform change. More importantly to the Boise front office was the promotion of several key prospects who will hope to improve on last year's last place finish in the division. If one team in the Spuds' farm system has championship aspirations, it's the Ginzels, who will feature a rotation with the organizations top three pitchers: Carlos Díaz, Jorge Maestas, and 2039 first-round pick Robin Cooper. The big three aren't expected to be in Tulsa long, but should they continue to move up the system, #4 starter Leroy Hoffman could play a more important role for the team as he continues to improve his pitchability. The strength of Tulsa's offense will be their three outfielders, led by 19-year-old right fielder Ismael Alfonzo.
Hot Springs Majestics (Short Season A) and Tijuana Cutthroats (Rookie) will be previewed closer to the start of their respective seasons, sometime in June.
International Complex
The previous regime did not make international scouting a priority, stocking their international complex without any potential impact players. In a year under general manager Joe Lederer, the complex looks better but is far from being considered one of the league's best. Left-handed starting pitcher Mehari Jitu was signed in May out of South African and already looks extremely promising at just 17 years old.
