1 April 2063
Boise, Idaho
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by Tony Toney
1B William Coleman
2062 AAA: 121 G, 22 2B, 1 3B, 14 HR, 73 RBI, .337/.412/.474, .886 OPS, 2 SB, +2.4 WAR
The odds of this had to be about 90%. Coleman ripped pitchers apart at AAA Salt Lack City in 2062. With a .886 OPS and 73 RBI there's not much left for him to prove in the minors. Still, Spuds management - not to mention fans - wanted to see what he would do with a full spring and he didn't disappoint. Appearing in every game, Coleman posted a slash of .379/.415/.448 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI. The power numbers are much less than expected, but with a .864 OPS GM Ben Teague expects those to come. "You hit the ball that hard, that often, and good things are going to happen. Slugging is not something we're concerned with," said Teague.
The next question is where he will fit on the opening day roster. He has a pretty sharp power split and a player with a half-year ML experience under his belt in 22yo Perry Taylor who posted 13 2B, 16 HR, 47 RBI, .258/.358/.517, .875 OPS, +1.3 WAR in last year's campaign. Coleman can slot in as the lefty platoon which, at least for the first half of 2062, was occupied by 26yo lefty RF José Montoya who saw action in 70 games. "This is a natural opening that was right there for the taking for Coleman to work for it and nail it down. Right now, we're certain he did."
2B Fernando Segura
2062: 57 G, 7 2B, 1 HR, 15 RBI, .166/.234/.225, -1.3 WAR
Segura's assault on the starting job at 2B has been noted in this space before but he really had an uphill climb to gain Teague's trust after fumbling time at ML last season after starter Ryan Geauxinue had a string of injuries. The same Geauxinue who Segura aimed to overtake for the opening day spot. If a .284/.329/.622, .951 OPS, 7 2B, 6 HR, and 11 RBI stat line in 29 games doesn't win a starting job it's hard to imagine what does.