2035 San Fernando Bears

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Joshua Biddle
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2035 San Fernando Bears

Post by Joshua Biddle » Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:58 pm

San Fernando Bears Preview

San Fernando is eagerly awaiting their first season with a BBA baseball franchise, and what better franchise to root for than the one defending the Landis? The Havana Sugar Kings finished the 2034 season with a 94-68 record, winning the Johnson League Southern, the JL Crown, and ultimately the Landis in convincing 4-1 fashion VS Louisville. With the relocation, the Bears make the jump to the Frick league, joining the Pacific Division along with the California Crusaders, Long Beach Surfers, Hawaii Tropics, and Valencia Stars.

The Bears weren’t particularly busy this offseason from a player movement standpoint, perhaps due to intense nature of the relocation. They acquired Abel Gibson (7/6/7 Ratings, 3 - 2, 5.36 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 36 K) from the Louisville Sluggers in a trade that sent SP Pedro Vargas (4/6/5 Ratings) and 1B Armando Torres (4/6/3/4/5 Ratings) to Louisville. The team didn’t lose anyone significant either; the team lost eight players with a combined -0.4 WAR.

Catcher

Ares Papadias (5/6/8/5/5 Ratings, .218/.267/.372, 3 HR, 11 RBI) and Luis Miguel Carillo (5/6/9/9/7 Ratings, .238/.342/.456, 28 HR, 82 RBI)) appear to be the 1-2 punch for San Fernando entering the season. Insiders have suggested it will indeed by Papadias who starts behind the plate and receives the majority of the at-bats at the position. Carillo will likely receive a significant number of at-bats at designated hitter based on his excellent power and plate discipline, despite a poor regular season after arriving in Havana (.207/.308/.380, 5 HR, 12 RBIs in 92 ABs).

Infielders

Tai hoi Wie (8/7/9/10/5 Ratings, .314/.427/.641, 51 HR, 128 RBI) returns as the starting first baseman after an incredible 2034 season where he slugged 51 home runs and 128 RBIs on his way to a 1.067 OPS. His .427 on-base percentage was also an incredible feat that makes him just as dangerous getting on base and scoring as it does mashing dingers and driving runs in. And when we say headliners, how can one forget good ol’ Jared Gillstrom (9/6/8/6/7 Ratings, .339/.396/.622, 39 HR, 99 RBI)? Poised to make the switch from third base and shortstop over to second base full-time, Gillstrom brings his combination of average (.339), on-base percentage (.396), and power (39 home runs) that has made him arguably the BBA’s most recognizable name over the past several years. Reece Wareham (6/5/9/8/7 Ratings, .258/.357/.486, 24 HR, 69 RBI) returns for another season at shortstop, and former first round pick Juan Mendoza (7/7/5/7/8 Ratings, .314/.394/.464, 12 HR, 73 RBI [AAA]) (17th overall, 2033) appears prepared to start at third base in his rookie season for the Bears. Mendoza has flown up the ranks, posting a 3.3 WAR combined between Class-AA and Class-AAA in 2034. Salvador Tovar (5/7/6/6/6 Ratings, .245/.300/.439, 19 HR, 65 RBI) is a notable, solid reserve with some pop.

Outfielders

The Bears sport a talented outfield, with Abdelwahab Kamade (8/8/4/5/8 Ratings, .311/.344/.436, 7 HR, 71 RBI) manning center field in spectacular fashion and 21-year old Luis Maldonado in right. Sources say a platoon in left field is the most likely scenario, with Jean-Luc Lacaze (6/6/8/7/6 Ratings, .212/.322/.383, 10 HR, 32 RBI) and Sheldon Cooper (6/6/2/7/7 Ratings, .280/.375/.353, 1 HR, 41 RBI) playing VS RHP and LHP, respectively. The youth in the outfield (especially center field and right field) is encouraging given the strong level of production at the plate and defensively that they have already displayed. It is a well-rounded group to say the least.

Pitching

When we hear about Randy and rotation, most will think of the six-man experiment from last season, which ended up working nicely. Will it return? Insiders indicate the six-man rotation will likely return again. This was, of course, the initial plan, but has it hit a snag with the injury of ace southpaw Feliciano Rafael (10/6/8 Ratings, 12 - 6, 3.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 175 K)? The 22-year old will miss the first month of the season with a herniated disk sustained in a spring start. Jon Reed (10/5/4 Ratings, 12 - 6, 3.56 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 225 K), Leon Ramirez, Hiroyasu Osaragi (9/6/7 Ratings, 12 - 9, 3.16 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 128 K), Ernie Kinney (8/6/6 Ratings, 10 - 8, 3.96 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 116 K), and Abel Gibson (7/6/7 Ratings, 3 - 2, 5.36 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 36 K) all will likely receive starts as well. The bullpen is certainly the weakest part of the team, simply be default as the remainder of the team is quite good. The six-man rotation and the heavy reliance on starters pitching as deep into games as possible helps to minimize the reliance on the bullpen. There are some standouts such as Carlos Delgado (10/6/7 Ratings, 7 - 4, 2.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and Dan Estrada (7/5/8 Ratings, 6 - 5, 2.33 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 62 K), who will likely be the late-inning anchors.

Summary

All in all, with the lineup the Bears will be trotting out, San Fernando should be quite pleased with their new team. Our money is on the Bears taking the division and making another deep playoff run. We’ll put the win total around the same 94-68 record as they has last season.
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usnspecialist
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Re: 2035 San Fernando Bears

Post by usnspecialist » Fri Jun 15, 2018 6:39 pm

Pretty good writeup. I personally think this team is a 90-95 win team even without Wareham (keep in mind he hasn't exactly been on the field consistently in his career), and I'm hoping Maldonado grows nicely behind the best 1-2 punch in the league in gillstrom and wie.
Randy Weigand

Havana Sugar Kings/San Fernando Bears: 32-50 (1608-1481)
Des Moines Kernels: 52-

League Champion- 34
JL Champion- 34
FL Champion- 36, 37
JL Southern- 34
FL Pacific- 37, 39
Wild Card- 33, 35, 36, 40, 43

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