After a long season full of ups and downs, the Spuds find themselves as viewers, not participants, of the 2043 BBA playoffs. This season''s 77-85 club is the first to miss the playoffs after Boise tasted the postseason for the first time in 2041 and again in 2042. Despite the disappointing year, the front office is optimistic moving forward:
- The Spuds finished the year with a promising 9-2 record
- The club locked up the talented Félix Román to a long-term extension at a hometown discount
- Boise has seemingly put behind them the shockwaves of losing their two young ace relievers for good (Fernando Rangel retired to play professional football after a terrific 2042 Triple-A season with 31 saves, 1.34 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while Jorge Maestas suffered a career-ending injury in June during a rookie season that had already included 14 saves to go with a 3.32 ERA and 0.96 WHIP)
- The team started two rookies on offense for most of the season (Ismael Alfonzo and Pat Alexander), as well as a rookie in the rotation (Kent Montoya) and hopes they will continue to improve in 2044.
The next step will be to wrangle up the team's brightest prospects for another winter league season in Florida, hoping to find two or three players ready for prime time in 2044. Here is a breakdown of the likely candidates:
CATCHER
NAME | AGE | HIGHEST '43 LEVEL | STATS |
Curt Wilson | 23 | AAA | .254/.396/.400 |
Rafael Mendoza | 22 | A | .314/.406/.531 |
Thomas Eveson | 22 | S A | .293/.470/.407 |
Wilson has steadily improved aspects of his game since being drafting in the 15th round in 2042 and while he looks to be a career minor leaguer, will get his fair share of playing time in the FPL to see if his game can take another step forward. Mendoza's breakout 2043 has fulfilled Boise GM Joe Lederer's boastful promise during the 2042 Draft that Mendoza, the fourth catcher selected, was the best backstop in the entire class. Mendoza's year ended with a Platinum Stick Award and runner-up as best offensive player in the Baxter League. Eveson has yet to log many innings behind the plate and when he has, the results have been ugly. His focus in Florida will be generally focused on improving his defense beyond being anything other than a future DH. Pat Alexander, having amassed 215 major league plate appearances this past season, is likely ineligible for the FPL. If he does qualify, he could see time in Florida or the club could allow him to rest during the offseason after a rough offensive rookie showing (but stellar defensive.)
FIRST BASE
NAME | AGE | HIGHEST '43 LEVEL | STATS |
Tony De La Rosa | 22 | A | .287/.397/.398 |
Alastair Vernon | 18 | R | .300/.445./468 |
With young Pepe Madrid entrenched at first base and several capable back-ups in Triple-A, the prospects at that position are thin in the Boise farm system. De La Rosa is not your typical power hitting first baseman, but his impressive on-base skills as a professional, as well as his stellar glove and great speed give him a unique profile that should receive a bulk of the at-bats at first during the winter. Vernon looks to be a natural DH, so like many prospects during the FPL, he will be asked to work on his defense. Arnel Victorio (see THIRD BASE) will see some time as a back-up at first during the winter.
SECOND BASE
NAME | AGE | HIGHEST '43 LEVEL | STATS |
José Rodriguez | 20 | AAA | .287/.377/.433 |
Jim Luby | 23 | AA | .270/.407/.438 |
Rodriguez has slowly improved and filled into his top prospect status (#30-ranked at press time) and is expected to be the future starting second baseman in Boise as soon as next season. The 2041 first-rounder should thrive in the Florida Prospect League and pave his way towards an Opening Day spot as a Spud. Luby will likely spend next year replacing Rodriguez in Triple-A but will see plenty of playing time as a member of the Ybor City Spuds this winter.
THIRD BASE
NAME | AGE | HIGHEST '43 LEVEL | STATS |
Dave Richards | 23 | BBA | .252/.311/.491 |
Carlos Mendoza | 20 | S A | .288/.381/.427 |
This is likely Richards' last chance at impressing the front office. Richards has spent the last three seasons in Triple-A and struggled during a call-up to the big leagues this year. Third base has been a hole in the lineup ever since Lederer took over GM duties in Boise, so there's hope that Richards is a late bloomer who can at least fill-in at a replacement level. Mendoza finally made it above Rookie Ball this season and put together a decent campaign. He'll have to really put it together this winter and next season or else he'll find himself very low in the organizational depth charts.
SHORTSTOP
NAME | AGE | HIGHEST '43 LEVEL | STATS |
Quinn Koens | 23 | AAA | .316/.393/.413 |
Craig Gregory | 24 | AA | .240/.394/.385 |
Koens has done nothing but hit since being selected in the 7th round of the 2042 Draft. Koens is a career .344 hitter in just under 900 professional at-bats and held his own during his first taste to Triple-A. Gregory's future is likely at second base, or a utility infielder at best, but he'll continue to get reps at shortstop to round out his game.
OUTFIELD
NAME | AGE | HIGHEST '43 LEVEL | STATS |
Mario Pereira | 22 | AAA | .341/.392/.577 |
Ramón Miranda | 23 | AAA | .263/.327/.396 |
Júlio Rivera | 22 | AA | .290/.376/.479 |
John Smith | 22 | AA | .309/.433/.410 |
Robert Dosono | 21 | A | .274/.392/.379 |
Carlos Blanco | 22 | R | .348/.399/.455 |
Pereira just finished third in Roundfield League Steve Garvey, Jr. Batter Award voting and has been overall impressive since being selected 27th overall in 2042. The corner outfielder has the chance to start on the strong-side of a platoon in left field next year with current left fielder Ricardo Ruiz. Miranda has stumbled in his 2042 call-up and took a step back this past season, however his ability to play centerfield still gives him an outside change at a major league fifth-outfielder role. Rivera and Smith have shown signs of real talent at spurts in the minors and the Ybor City coaching staff hopes at least one will break out this winter to become a legit starter in Triple-A next season. Dosono and Blanco have some upside but are likely to get minimal playing time this spring and instead be asked to focus on 2043 as the both are expect to be promoted to higher levels on Opening Day.
STARTING PITCHER
NAME | AGE | HIGHEST '43 LEVEL | STATS |
Gerardo López | 20 | AAA | 11-5, 3.14 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 |
Eugenio Asseldonk | 22 | AAA | 15-6, 3.47 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 5.8 K/9 |
Mitch Freemann | 23 | AAA | 10-8, 3.66 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 8.5 K/9 |
Elliott Stewart | 23 | AA | 7-6, 3.24 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 7.2 K/9 |
TIm Shaw | 23 | AA | 9-9, 4.20 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 7.8 K/9 |
Pedro Castro | 20 | A | 4-3, 5.51 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 7.5 K/9 |
Frank Johnstone | 20 | S A | 8-0, 2.44 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 13.1 K/9 |
J.R. Jayne | 18 | R | 0-2, 6.50 ERA, 1.87 WHIP, 10.8 K/9 |
Ybor City has traditionally gone with a six-man rotation to limit innings and workloads for their young arms. The rotation will likely start with López, Asseldonk, Freemann, Stewart, Castro and Johnstone, while Shaw and Jayne will work as multi-inning relievers during the winter. Shaw and Jayne could see spot starts in place of Stewart and Castro. López and Asseldonk will be given looks next spring to make the Boise rotation and Freemann looks to be a future spot starter in the big leagues.
RELIEVER
NAME | AGE | HIGHEST '43 LEVEL | STATS |
Ye-qing Kung | 24 | BBA | 5-10, 10 SV, 7.79 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 12.9 K/9 |
Eric Crowley | 20 | AA | 3-8, 21 SV, 3.82 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 7.5 K/9 |
Enrico Rosas | 22 | A | 12-7, 2 SV, 4.33 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 6.6 K/9 |
Adergazuz Makunda | 22 | A | 2-5, 28 SV, 3.79 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 13.6 K/9 |
Alexander Hatten | 20 | S A | 3-2, 4 SV, 3.18 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 12.4 K/9 |
Boise's struggled to piece together a bullpen in the last several seasons and the aforementioned losses of Rangel and Maestas doesn't help. Kung struggled in five major league appearances and had bouts of wildness this past season in Triple-A. He'll be asked to work on his control while Crowley, acquired last year in a trade with Long Beach, will continue to get high leverage appearances in hopes he can round out into a major league reliever by 2045, if not earlier. Rosas spent most of 2043 as a starter but scouts and the Spud front office agree his best path to success is out of the bullpen. Makunda and Hatten showed the ability to strike batters out and will work on rounding out their repertoire and mechanics this winter during FPL play.