Keep Your Eyes Peeled – 65.01

[neugey]

from BBA Expert Lem Piker Sr:

New Spuds GM Mike Bauer, having finished out a disappointing 74-88 season with Boise, is ready now to make the adjustments needed to improve the team's outlook. With the recent champion Phoenix and the loaded Las Vegas in the division, it may be some time before Boise is prepared to vie for a Frontier pennant. Therefore, don’t look for any giant swings in free agency on a Blair Peyton-type. The primary focus will likely be enhancing the farm system while calibrating the major league squad slightly to Bauer’s liking.
With that in mind, let’s look at six different facets of the Boise organization this offseason:

1) The Arrivals of Truss and Prawiranega
Bauer’s first move, reportedly spurred by Bikini, was to trade SP prospect Muwaffaq bin Dabir to the Krill for two major league role players in SP/RP Steve Truss and RF Kusama Prawiranega. The trade nearly fell through due to a processing error that saw both inbound Spuds players exposed to free agency before the situation was quickly remedied. But fortunately that confusion has now subsided. This trade was executed to fortify the depth of the Spuds, but it’s unsure what role each player will carve out. Both young men have major league options. Truss could take a rotation spot, work out of the bullpen or be optioned down to AAA in a first-man-up-due-to-inury role. Prawiranega fills a big need as a left-handed hitting outfielder; however he will need to fend off other Rule V candidates and other free agents to stay in his role. We’ll have to see how things develop next year in spring training and what roles both players take on.

2) To Rule V or Not?

Bauer is not a big believer in the Rule V as a core strategy. In my previous conversations with the GM, he’s grumbled about the lack of roster flexibility that creeps in with the Rule V protocol. Therefore, do not be surprised if Boise holds onto their Rule V picks and sits this one out. Bauer will need to view Rule V players as essential ingredients for the 2065 season in order to use the Rule V draft. Stranger things have happened, but it would be surprising if the Spuds use more than one pick.

3) Captain Where Art Thou?

Catcher Ubaid bin Saleh served as Spuds captain in 2064 but opted to retire at the start of the offseason. Despite having a previous working relationship with Bauer the previous decade in Edmonton, bin Saled appeared to grow tired of his diminishing playing time and serving as the team’s chaperone. The team now has a few leaders in the clubhouse like pitchers Josh Clark, Tariku Jabiri and Samir Qasim, but it doesn’t seem like any of them are ready to step up into the important captain role. Thus, a key free agent may be targeted to serve as the new captain.

4) Montoya’s new coaching staff

There was a lot of tension among Boise coaches in 2064, so veteran manager Felipe Montoya and Bauer agreed to let a lot of staff contracts expired and try out a different blend of major league instructors. On top of that, 1B Coach Manny Romero decided to retire. This means that the Spuds will need to break in four new coaches at the major league level: 1B Coach Gavin Joule, 3B Coach Jim Giles, Bench Coach Carlos Ramirez and hitting Coach Lao Lam. Of these four, only Ramirez has previous BBA/GBC experience (he spent the last four years as bench coach for GBC Sao Paulo). Perhaps this will work out in Montoya’s favor as he has the seniority to command the staff and pass down to them how things operate in the Brewster.

5) International Affairs

Bauer is a GM who fears mammoth contracts for young talent and dreads buyer’s remorse. Thus it would be surprising to see Boise as one of the bigger spenders in this year’s IFA period. But stranger things have happened. Will the Spuds engage in IFA at all or sit this one out to focus fully on the amateur draft?

6) An Extension for Raymond?

SS Dan Raymond has been a fixture in the Boise infield since 2058. Defensively, the team might be lost without his range and know-how at shortstop. Thus, it may be vital for the team to extend Raymond who is in a contract year, even if that means tolerating the Florida native’s inferior hitting again and again. Pitching and defense will remain a big focus in Boise, and if the two sides cannot agree that could spell trouble for Boise’s plans in the infield.

[chicoruiz]

Truss’s scouting report looks a lot better than his productivity so far. He might be the kind of guy who pops out with one really good year, especially if he pitches in a spacious park.

On an unrelated note- where does the expression “keep your eyes peeled” come from? It used to creep me out when I was a little kid…

[BaseClogger]

Truss’s scouting report looks a lot better than his productivity so far. He might be the kind of guy who pops out with one really good year, especially if he pitches in a spacious park.

On an unrelated note- where does the expression “keep your eyes peeled” come from? It used to creep me out when I was a little kid…

Peeled = open, as in you’ve peeled away the eyelids, perhaps?