Can the 2018 Seattle Storm Get Over The Hump?

[7teen]

Being a General Manager over in the Johnson League, I honestly do not spend a lot of time focusing on the teams over in the opposing Frick League. Many times when I dive into one of these previews of a team on that side of the league I find myself going through a team, roster, and history of something foreign. Many times it feels like I'm wandering through a foreign country not really knowing what I am going to find as I round each corner. Much was the case again as I began looking ahead for this preview for the 2018 Seattle Storm. Here are some things that caught my eye first off:

- I knew Vegas was dominant in the division and Long Beach had their run, but I hadn't realized Seattle had a run of 5 straight playoff appearances that was snapped in 2016 despite winning 92 games.

- Last season, Seattle missed out on the playoffs after winning just 86 games, its lowest win total since 2010. Despite just goig 86-76, the club had a pythag W-L of 97-65. A mark that would have likely gotten them into the post-season.

- Those 5 straight playoff appearances by Seattle from '11-'15 were preceeded by 5 straight last place standings in the division ('06-'10)

- I had forgotten that Morris Pennebaker played most of his career in Seattle and is their all-time leader in homeruns. He used to be the all-time Homeruns king you know!

OK, enough about things I didn't know or just wanted to draw your attention to. Let's turn the focus now to what this is all about and that is a preview of what fans of the purple and black can expect to see this season.

Last Season
Last season, as mentioned, the Storm finished 86-76 which was good enough for 2nd place in the division behind the resurgent Vegas Hustlers. This coming in a season in which Seattle scored more runs in the division than anyone and allowed fewer runs than anyone. So it could be pretty safe to assume the 2017 Storm had some bad luck along the way a year ago. In fact when you look at how Seattle performed compared to the rest of the Frick League (not just the Pacific) you'll see that the Storm ranked 2nd overall in runs scored (802 total, 56 runs behind Carolina) and 3rd overall in runs allowed 648, 35 runs behind league leading New Orleans).

Stark Stirs the Drink
Over the last 4 seasons, the offense has been led by the bat of Ken Stark. Stark has emerged as one of the best offensive threats, not only in the Frick League, but across the entire MBWBA. Stark has become a lock to hit at least 30 homeruns, drive in over 100 RBI, record an OPS above .900, and post a batting average above .300. He's just 27 years of age and has already accomplished a remarkable four year run of stats. This former second round pick of the 2009 draft has already emerged as a fan favorite and will keep the Storm offense near the top of the offensive rankings each season.

Know Your Pitchers
As I browsed through the starting rotation for the Storm, my first impression was to be surprised at where this club ranked in overall runs allowed last season. Edward Davis led this team in ERA and wins a year ago, despite possessing a fastball that bottoms out around 89 mph. What he lacks in velocity, he makes up for with movement, control, and the ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. Despite ratings that don't appear that outstanding, it is hard to deny Davis' 45-26 record over his last 3 seasons in Seattle. Then you have Esteban Benitez, the lifelong Seattle arm. Benitez is heading into his 11th season with the Storm where he has had a solid career. Like Davis, Benitez won't wow you with his ratings on paper, but again, he'll force you to pound the ball into the grass where batters repeatedly play fungo with the shortstop during his starts. Esteban is 112-83 over his career with Seattle with a solid 3.95 ERA. Domingo Becerra is the "young" arm of the rotation at age 28. Another long time Storm pitcher, Becerra has recovered after a slow start to his career to post 3 solid seasons. A final note of the rotation is that Seattle is loyal to its guys. Morgan Ackerman will be the veteran of this staff again in 2018. This season will mark his 13th consecutive season with the Storm franchise.

Movers and Shakers
Seattle may have made more moves this off-season than most teams in the league. The club lost a total of 12 players this off-season, 11 of those gone via free agency and one in the rule 5 draft. The two biggest losses, at least in terms of WAR, were OF Bob White who signed with division rival Tucson and SP David Lewis who took his 10-6 record from last season over to Atlantic City. While the club lost a whopping 9.5 Wins Above Replacement this off-season, it did manage to bring back in a total of 7.8 WAR for only a net los of 1.7. SP Ron Harmon will come in from Montreal to add depth to the starting rotation and help relieve in the pen. Harvey Newton will take the spot of White in the OF. Ironically Newton leaves Tucson to join the Storm so in essence, the Cactis and Storm swapped White for Newton. The final key signing by Seattle was for Antonio Rodriguez. Rodriguez has bouts of wildness but has the stuff to be a solid late inning reliever.

Go West Young Man
While the Seattle offense was already one of the best in the FL last season, it is about to get even better. 21 year old Jorge Rodriguez appears to be ready to make his Seattle debut out in centerfield. This young phenom has flown in under the radar ever since the Storm found him down in Venezuela many years ago. In fact, he wasn't even projected to be a big league caliber player when he was first discovered. However, the young Jorge wasn't deterred from those initial reports and has climbed his way up the Seattle farm ladder and is now ready to produce havoc and destroy FL pitching. Rodriguez's emergence will likely create a platoon system in CF with veteran Jose Munoz.

Where is the Weakness?
If there was a weakness with this year's version of the Storm it is likely in the bullpen. The bullpen has some solid performers, but all guys who have a wart or two that may prevent this team from being elite. Greg Downing saved 31 games a season ago and will likely return to that role again in 2018. He struck out 92 batters in 58.1 innings pitched a year ago, but his lack of movement and mediocre control make him sketchy at times. While walks haven't seemed to harm him, the long ball has. Last season he allowed 13 homeruns over that 58.1 innings pitched span. This probably sets up a lot of devastating, late inning walk-off situations for Seattle. Artie Towsend and Antonio Rodriguez will help bridge the gap from the starters to Downing. Both are cut from a similar mold. They have electric stuff with great movement but sometimes they're not sure where the pitch is going to end up. The two combined to walk 126 guys last season over 193 innings. The Storm bullpen has a few other names that are similar in nature to Downing, Towsend, and Rodriguez.

Your strength is offensive
One of the clear strengths of the Storm is their offense. Stark provides the power in the middle and rookie Rodriguez will help provide even more pop and protection. Newton comes in to fill the gap in the outfield, but there are still more top players in this lineup. Young Pete King is en route to becoming one of the top on-base leadoff men in the league. The 25 year old was hampered by injuries a year ago, but the kid has one of the best defensive gloves in the league and it wouldn't surprise me to see him to a .400 OBP soon in his career. Trey Williams had a down season a year ago but his ratings indicate that may have just been a fluke. Williams is still a top defensive thirdbaseman and an offensive threat. These 5 guys mentioned already are better and more productive than some entire offenses in the league. Dave May provides solid defense in a "role player" mold. He's not too flashy but will get the job done most of the season. There may be a few spots at the bottom of the lineup that can be upgraded, but the top of the lineup is pretty stout.

You want a prediction?
I expect 2018 to be similar to the 2017 season in the Frick Pacific. It'll be a 3-way race between Seattle, Vegas, and Calgary as the fight it out for the division and try to keep pace with the wild card contenders. All 3 lost more WAR this off-season than they gained. In fact, Calgary didn't make any moves at all (Since I don't know much about them, I'll assume they're still good to go.) Seattle will score a lot of runs this season and their starting pitching will be just like last season's. I expect their overall record to rebound closer to their pythag last season despite the fact their bullpen could still be a little shaky. I'm going to say Seattle goes 91-71 this season. They could push 100 wins if they decide to upgrade their late inning bullpen with some more solidified relievers. I won't predict their standing since I don't know what Vegas and Calgary have completely.

[trmmilwwi]

Great writeup! I like the format and learned a lot along the way... even though I peviewed this team last season! The offense/defense is set it and forget it and the pitching staff are all very similar. Nate knows what he likes and sticks with it. They'll rebound this year!

[njherdfan]

I don't know how I missed seeing this before, but this awesome, thanks! As for Rodriguez, I'm very excited to see what he can bring to the table. With him and Stark hitting back to back against righties, I think the offense will be able to do a lot of damage.

[crobillard]

Love the article. The Storm actually remind me a lot of my team, aside from the loyalty piece. A few good starters, bullpen with only a couple good pitchers and then a really great offense. Something I want to point out too is that they just picked up Eric Thorne. They were only two games back in the wild card last season and they can definitely be a huge playoff threat this season.