November 10, 2063
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
Another year, another chance to develop the next batch of Bluebirds. The select few headed to the development this lab is a mix of current Bluebirds and minor leaguers, all of whom appear to be plans of Nashville’s future.
1. LHP Jose Torres: The can’t miss prospect out of the 2059 draft, Torres’ ceiling was lowered quickly into his career. The southpaw lost a lot of his stamina, so the once untouchable prospect was traded to Nashville mid-2063 for several prospects. With the departure of David Molina, Nashville had a gaping hole in the back of the bullpen, which Torres was able to fill nicely en route to another Nashville title. The Bluebirds hope he can return to the rotation in the future, so Torres will be working on improving his endurance this winter. STRUGGLING
2. LHP Carlos Gomez: The southpaw reliever saw his first BBA action in the 2063 playoffs, making a single appearance against Twin Cities and Charm City allowing one run in 3.2 IP. He’s a promising reliever, but isn’t fully polished yet, so he’ll head to the lab to work on improving his movement. ON TRACK
3. LHP Joseph James: Another southpaw headed to the lab, James was an unsung hero for the Bluebirds in 2063. He spent most of his time in the bullpen, but his five pitch repertoire allowed him to take over a rotation spot when Ploughman struggled and injuries hit. He excelled with a 3.02 ERA and 75 FIP-, so the Bluebirds are hoping to see more from him in that role in 2064 by looking to improve his endurance. STRUGGLING
4. SS Luke Cage: The young middle infielder had immense success in his cup of coffee in Nashville last year, but it likely isn’t sustained success…unless he can improve his contact a bit more. He won’t be much of a power threat or OBP guy, but a high average mixed with excellent defense will keep him in the BBA for a long time. ON TRACK
5. RF Cüneyt 'Roomba' Tanju: Ranked #9 on the OSA prospect rankings, Tanju remains very raw. He had a very successful 2063 split between rookie ball and Short A. He will look to improve his bat speed this offseason, which he was successful doing in 2062. ON TRACK
6. RHP Halewijn de Haan: the former IFA signing is rocketing up top prospect boards and looks like he will be a promising pitcher in a couple seasons. The Bluebirds are looking to speed that up by working on his movement this offseason. He’ll still need his control to come around, too, but this is a start. FRUSTRATED
7. LHP Daniel 'Hopalong' Grasia: Yep. Another southpaw. Grasia was the compensation for Lolololo being traded to Phoenix and shows a lot of promise. He progressed well in AAA last season and will likely start 2064 in Orlando once again to fine tune some skills, like his movement, which he will be working on this winter. It’s pretty good already, but hoping to max it out or improve the ceiling. FRUSTRATED
8. RHP Jesús Molina: a very raw scouting discovery in 2062, Molina saw success in his first season of rookie ball. His 4.6 BB/9 needs to improve, though, so he’ll be working on locating the strike zone a bit more this season. FRUSTRATED
9. RHP Zhi-huan Chew: The young right-hander came over last year in the Ploughman trade and will be Rule 5 eligible this winter. He’s got potential, but needs to reach that potential a bit sooner or he’ll be waived later this year, so he’ll go to the lab to work on his control. FRUSTRATED
10. 1B Antonio Ronguillo: Just 22 years old, Ronguillo spent the whole season on Nashville’s roster after being selected in the Rule 5 draft last year. He’s got immense power and discipline at the plate, but he’s all or nothing with his swing. Hoping to improve his quality of contact to see an uptick in the amount of balls traveling over the fence this season. If all goes well, he could get the majority of reps at 1B this season. FRUSTRATED
