NL East

San Juan Pierre (NL) bama_steve View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Lineup
1B- Javier James- Free Agent signee from Colorado Springs, the 32 year old veteran still has gas left in the tank. He’s good for a 300avg, 400obp, 475 slg. Solid player.
C- Mo Roundtree- Free agent signee from Detriot. The 35 year old veteran catcher is one of the all time best at getting on base in the history of the world. Even at his age, he’s still a decent catcher and a very solid presence at the plate. He’s good for a 275 avg, 400obp, 450 Slg.
2B- Brad Cambridge- Solid young 2nd baseman, very good potential. Coming off 2 straight seasons over 300 avg and 30Hr’s. Doubled 40 times last seasons. Slugged over 500 the last 2 years.
RF- Torey Leonard- Acquired via trade from Louisville Lightning. The young 26 year old former 1st round pick has huge potential. He’s coming off a little bit of a down year, however 2 seasons ago he hit over 300 and had an OPS over 1,000. If Torey can duplicate that again, he could press the “Pierre” into the thick of the playoff hunt.
LF- Johnny Hermanson- The 35 year old veteran was acquired through free agency this off season. He is starting to run out of gas though. He’s still a solid little player, with an excellent eye and he’ll find a way to get on base at right around a 400 clip. However he saw his OPS drop over 100 points between season 6 and 7 and by the end of the season he will be on his last legs. But not a bad player.
SS- Trent Diaz- The powerful hitter was acquired via trade from (NL) Syracuse just recently. Diaz has historically hit 35 homers and 35 doubles every season for the most part. However Diaz saw his average dip to a limping .240 last season. And he struck out an unseen 140 times. Not too mention San Juan’s plan to move him back to SS is a huge question mark because of his defense. He committed over 50 errors in each of his 3 seasons in which he played at SS for the majority of the year. He is a real hitter though.
3B- Bruce Womack- Very average player. Hits for some power. Probably good for 30 homers and a .250avg. But will strikeout will over 100 times. Decent at best.
CF- Benny Samuel/Gary Badilla platoon- Benny Samuel is a decent player with a solid bat vs Left handers. On defense he can get to a good many balls, but has iffy glove.
Badilla isa GREAT defensive player who was traded from Louisville. He is a decent bat vs Righthanded pitching, however he hits with no power. Overall this is a solid platoon which compliments each other well.
RATING: 7


Starting Pitching
SP- Tony Cortes- yet another new addition for this remade team. He comes from the (AL) Florida squad in the roughhouse hitter friendly AL South. He is only 30 years old yet has amassed over 100 wins, almost 1000 strikeouts and a career ERA of 3.93. With the lineup he’ll have here and the swap of leagues, Cortes could finish in the top 5 for CY Young this season.
SP- Carl Widger- The 22 year old stud was probably rushed, due to seeing his ERA’s at 20 and 21 years old in the majors were a whooping 6.58 and 5.19. Last year however, he rebounded 13-10 with a 3.56 ERA. With caution I warn here, he still had a WHIP of 1.30 and he still walked 79 in over 200 innings while only recording 126 K’s. I think you’ll see him fall back down to the mid to upper 4’s in ERA this season.
SP- Humerto Marichal- The top pitching free agent signee on the market this year and yet again the new ownership of San Juan went out and made a splash. Marichal knows about playoff baseball since he is coming over from the great (AL) Colorado Springs squad that is always in the thick of October. The 32 year old pitcher still has a lot in his tank. Going back to starting here in San Juan will be an adjustment, however he should do fine. He is a warrior.
SP- Rafael Pescado- The 21 year old kid already has 2 years of big league experience. He may not reach his potential due to being rushed by previous ownership (appears they rushed everyone). But none the less, he is a decent pitcher. His first year he had a 3.98 ERA and 2nd got bombed to the tune of a 5.55 ERA, I’m counting on him being somewhere in between. Mid 4’s. type.
SP- Cam Torres- Cam comes into the mix in San Juan after spending the past several years in the (AL) Charlotte camp. Cam is a kid with great control and great velocity. However, like a lot of those types has yet to be able to put it all together. Cam has had his best season as a starter, however he has been hit hard there as well. My impression is Cam is a one pitch pitcher that should be in the pen. He’ll probably bounce around.
RATING: 6

Bullpen
Long Relief/Mopup- Andre Titan- The 30 year old is coming off a career year in which he started 10 games, pitching 166 innings and only allowing 139 hits , while walking 55 and striking out 126. However Titan appears to be in a battle for the 5th starter spot. I think Titan will eventually gain win the battle due to a career ERA of a sparkling 3.75 in over 800 career innings. He’s an above average pitcher.
LH SPECIALIST- Mel Sadler- A solid veteran bullpen arm. He’ had 2 straight years out of the pen with ERA’s under 3. Despite not throwing hard, Sadler has out smarted hitters by striking out 215 in 281 career innings. A good overall pitcher that’s solid vs Left and Right handed hitters due to having several quality pitches.
RH SPECIALIST- Gabe Carver- A hard throwing reliever. Once thought of as a possible future closer has yet to put it all together. He was tagged last season to the tune of 45 innings , 57 hits and an ERA of 6.90. As opponents slugged a whooping .544 against him! However he has had a couple of solid seasons previous to that and I think he’ll be an average reliever.
SETUP A- Sergi Scott- The fact that the current ownership lists Mr Scott as Setup…..A, makes me question if management was sober upon sending me there team preview(lol….just kidding). But really, this is a guy with good “ratings”. However in his career in the major leagues he’s pitched 143 innings and gave up 192 hits, allowed 29 homers, and only K’d 94 compared to walking 76. This all totals up to a 1.87 WHIP and a career ERA of 7.14! He had a decent stint toward the end of last year with (NL) Las Vegas after being released by (AL) Louisville. He does have solid ratings and maybe he can straighten it out, but I am a track record kind of guy and if I owned a home anywhere near the “Pierre’s” home park I would for sure have some good homer owners insurance to cover the broken windows I’d get from some of the Gofer balls Scott allows.
SETUP B- Bubba Lowry- Despite not having very good L/R ratings, this kid has gotten it done the last 2 years. In 79 innings last year he only allowed 85 hits, while walking 17 and striking out 58. Had a 1.29 WHIP and a 4.90 ERA. That ERA should come down to the high 3’s and I expect him to overtake Sergi Scott as the teams top setup man.
CLOSER- Preston Bollea- Solid pitcher with 79 careers saves. A career ERA of 3.62, he is one of the safer options in this bullpen.
RATING: 5.5

Overall

The new ownership has really been willing and dealing throughout the short time they’ve been in control. I do think they are headed in the right direction and could have a heck of a lineup if they get the proper breaks. They will have to score to make up for what I consider to be An average bullpen. 92 wins.

Huntington Dirt Dogs (NL) brian2470 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Lineup
CF- Mickey Rauch- A career Dirt Dog, this speedster will swap positions this season from 2nd base to CF. While I do like his range and speed covering CF I question his glove and I think he’ll hurt the Dirt Dog defense at times. Mickey has a decent eye at the plate, however he hits with very little power. Last season Mickey hit .267 with 15 homers in over 500 AB’s, which would be solid if he hurt teams on the base paths. However despite being blazing fast, Rauch displays poor fundamentals on base paths and thrown out 61 times in 6 years in the majors compared to only 98 steals during that span. I think Rauch might hurt the dogs more than he helps them.
SS- Harry Goya- A 27 year old kid that’s spent a lot of time in the majors. After playing in CF most of his career he will make the swap to SS. He is a very questionable defender and by my estimations will make a ton of errors. On top being a bad defender, Goya is a very average hitter. Hitting somewhere between 275 with 15 homers the last 2 years. I think an upgrade is needed here.
LF- Chris Hoover- Hoover is a solid bat with good power here in the 3 spot. While he can at times struggle against Left-handed pitching, he can mash right-handers. Chris is only 27 years old and just topped 200 homers for his career. He displays good plate patience and has a career OBP of .376. The only real negative for Hoover is his glove, range and arm playing in left field. In 3,000 career innings in LF he only has a range factor of 1.44 and a 93.8% fielding percentage. His defense might hurt the team almost as much as his offense helps.
RF- Miguel Siqueiros- A real stud in the cleanup hole. Miguel is only 27 years old and has spent all of those years with the dirt dogs. Miguel is a career 292 hitter with 380 OBP and a .626 SLG. Those excellent numbers add up to a OPS over 1.000 for his career. Bashing 354 homers already in his young career, Siquerios could be destined for the Hall of Fame barring injury in the next 5 years. Pretty average defender.
1B- Sting Beckwith- Sting has spent the last 3 years with the Dirt Dogs after spending the 3 year prior to that with the (AL) Lightning. He has made a career of getting on base and that’s why he has always had a job. 2 years ago Sting raked out a .340 batting average with 39 homers and a 434 OBP. However this past year he dropped off to a 261 avg, 377 OBP and only 24 homers. I expect Sting to rebound as his career numbers say he’s good for 30 homers and a .400 or better OBP.
3B- Joaquin Blanco- Has hit over .300 with over 30 homers both seasons with the dogs since coming over from (AL) Florida. However, I think he is more of the type of player he showed in Florida which was 260ish with 20-25 homer type. Not a bad player, and a pretty solid defender at the hot corner.
C- Harry Furcal- The 27 year old is yet another player that’s been with the Dog’s for his entire career. You for sure know what your gonna get out of him, he is a solid bat that’s going to hit right around .300, he’s gonna hit 18-25 homers and hit doesn’t strike out. He’s very consistent and he gets it done as well on defense.
2B- Johnny O’brien- The career utility player has picked up a starter role going into the season. While he displays a solid glove with good range at 2nd I question if he’ll hit enough to remain here. Johnny has only 19 homers in over 800 career AB’s, he will hit somewhere around .280, however Johnny doesn’t walk very much. Overall probably just plugging a hole until someone else arrives.
NOTE- I think you could see AAA SS Quilvio Lopez come up and take over SS at some point this year. Despite not being much of a hitter he would be a huge upgrade over Goya in the field.
RATING: 6.5


Starting Pitching
1- Jimmy Owens- The 32 year old has been a very consistent pitcher during his career. He’s got a career 1.37 WHIP and 4.21 ERA. I think he’ll again be right around those numbers and finish with a win/loss record just over .500.
2- Kris Jones- The 32 year old joined the Dogs last season via the free agent market and he settled in fairly nicely. As he compiled a 12-8 record with a 4.65 ERA. Other than a couple of years in the AL South for Little Rock where he got pounded, he has been pretty solid. I predict just over .500 record for him, with a mid 4’s ERA.
3- Harold Towers- a former first round pick by the Dirt Dogs in season 1. Towers has been consistent…..however not the kind of consistent the dogs were looking for when they brought the flame thrower up to the bigs. Almost every season Towers has allowed more hits than innings pitched by about 20, he’s had a WHIP somewhere in the 1.50 range and an ERA up and around the 5.00 mark. Part of his undoing has been allowing 119 homers in just over 800 career innings. He’s a very iffy 3 starter in my estimation.
4- Vin Berra- Berra has been a decent pitcher throughout his career for the dirt dogs. He somehow manages to not give up many hits despite having pretty average stuff. He has allowed a career OBP of just .325 and has a career WHIP of 1.37. Both acceptable numbers in this hitting heavy world. And at 30 years old, he has some solid years left in him.
5- Einar Carreras- The 22 year old kid and former 1st round pick was brought to the majors at just 20 years old in season 6. It is questionable how he mentally handles the hammering he took in seasons 6 and 7 as he saw both year WHIPS over 1.50 and ERA’s over 6.00. He has 3 solid pitches, he just needs a little more seasoning. I think you’ll see him bring some of those numbers down this year. He’s still a couple of years away from being more than a 5 starter, but I think he’ll make it through this. Predict an ERA around 5-5.25 this year.
RATING: 7

Bullpen
Long Relief/Possible Starts-
Delino Merced- The 26 year old has a solid array of pitches, with 3 good pitches. However, he must harness his control. I think the young kid will be a go into the rotation at some point this year.
Jermaine Beltran- 24 year old was hit hard the last 2 years, not sure how much better he’ll do.
Damaso Valenzuela- Struggles with his control, but somehow manages to get people out. With only 1 above average pitch I don’t think he’ll be in the rotation but he may provide solid long relief help.
SETUP
Bernie Jenkins- After being released by (AL) Tampa A’s, Jenkins landed a home with the dogs. He has had an up and down career to this point. Limited stamina and only 1 pitch has caused his career to be up and down. Not sure what he will do, I’ll guess mid 4 ERA.
Kurt Watkins- Hard throwing 29 year old needs to strike out more people and miss a few more bats, or else he won’t get down from the 5 ERA area.
Jorel Greene- Another hard thrower, he had a little bit of a breakout season last year by allowing only 72 hits in 82 innings. While walking 34 and striking out 73. His career does not indicate that trend will continue, so I will take it is a 1 year jump. He’s more of a mid to high 4 ERA guy.
Ron Burrell- 24 year old groundball pitcher. He needs to make some improvement on his walk/K ratio to be more than an average pitcher. I think he’s a middle of the road pitcher now, at best.
CLOSER- Todd Lukasiewicz- The consistency he showed saving games last year was not the norm during his career. He has 36 saves in 53 opportunities during his career. He has bouts of control problems despite having excellent stuff. His inconsistency would be more acceptable in a setup role.
RATING: 4.5

Overall

This team has been to the playoffs a few times in this world, however I feel they may be taking a couple of steps back this season. A above average lineup and a solid rotation can’t make up for a make shift bullpen and horrible defense at SS and CF. I feel it may be a .500 or a little below year for this squad. But this management has gotten this team to high levels before, I’m sure they’ll do it again. 87 wins.

Columbus Straitjackets (NL) jeclapton123 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Lineup
CF- Joseph Yoshii- This 25 year old speedster should help the jackets in several areas. He is a tremendous defender….as the saying goes, “two-thirds of the world is covered by water….and the other third is covered by Joseph Yoshii.” But before you go thinking about Tori Hunter, the bat must be considered however. And while Joseph is decent with the stick he is not going to be confused with Dan Van Poppel anytime soon. A solid contact hitter with no power, he only has an average eye but he does possess a solid stick vs left hand pitching. Yoshii has blazing speed with excellent base running skills, he could be dangerous here. He has never been given a real shot at the big league level, but with his defense and speed combination he is finally getting the shot he deserves. Look for somewhere around 250-260, 8-10 homers, 30-40 steals and possibly a gold glove.
3B- Timothy Dorsey- Acquired via trade last season from the Helena franchise he is a solid veteran. Dorsey played out of position last season playing mostly SS, where his lack of range hurts him. This season it appears Dorsey will be back at the hot corner where he is a solid defender. At the plate he is a high contact hitter with a very good eye. He is a solid bat vs left hand and right hand pitching however he has limited homerun power. He has displayed solid gap to gap power during his career, like last season when he doubled 37 times. He is very capable of putting up a .300 avg, 400 obp and .475 slg type season. Rock solid is the word that comes to mind on Dorsey.
C- Glenn Valentine and Marty Fleming- The catcher position will feature a platoon situation between a veteran and a young kid. It would probably be in the jackets best interests to find a way for both to be on the field. In Valentine you have a player that was acquired via free agency last off season, he is probably better suited being a DH in the AL, however he must play somewhere. The man can hit. Glenn has a career average of .295, 236 homers and a 999 OPS. He is below average at best behind the plate, but he makes up for that with his stick. He is solid vs both LH and RH pitching. Marty Fleming is a 26 year old that came over in a trade with the Tucson Tools in season 5. He is easily the better defender between the two and while he doesn’t have Valentine’s power, he very well could be the better hitter for average of the two. He can also hit both RH and LH pitchers. He must learn to control his temper however, it is highly documented he has had several Milton Bradley-esque run ins in the minors with various players, fans and coaches. Should be interesting to see how the jackets handle this logjam of talent without the luxury of the DH.
1B- Alex Cogan- Free agent pickup who played for (AL) Little Rock last season. Cogan is a above average contact average power type of 1B. He is a very good hitter vs lefties, but he struggles with RH. Has a decent eye and is a terror on the base paths…..for his base coaches. He makes Sid Bream look like Rickey Henderson. Cogan is a 280 type hitter, 15-20 homers. But I see this as the spot the Valentine/Fleming loser lands at.
SS- Dale Dresden- The 22 year old former first round selection is being given the keys to the SS position this season. He has the potential(although he’s not there yet) to develop into a heck of a defensive SS. At the plate Dresden is a solid contact guy with limited power and average ratings vs LH and RH pitching. Dresden will need to hit with more pop or steal more bases to help the big league club. Despite having good speed, Dale only swiped 12 bases in AAA last year and he needs to lift that .711 OPS he posted last season.
2B- Ryan Moore- Moore is a solid glove guy who can play all the infield positions pretty well. The 28 year old is not much of a hitter however, while he is a decent average hitter vs LH and RH he displays limited power and strikes out way too much. He only has a career OPS of .753 in over 2300 career ML AB’s.Coming off a year in which he posted a .262 avg and just 13 homers Moore needs to step it up or he will be replaced. He would probably be better suited as a super utility guy off the bench anyway.
COF- Ed D’Amico- Rookie OF with limited power. He is a high contact guy and a solid bat vs LH. He does however possess the unwanted traits of being an awful bat vs RH and not walking very much. Ed has made his name on speed though as he has been referred to over the years as one of the minors fastest players.
COF- Richard Hines- the former Rule V selection by the Anaheim Aces was traded ton the jackets just a few days ago. He is a decent overall player with no real glaring weakness and no real real strong trait. However Hines will have to raise his OPS from last year which sat at a meager .725, which for a COF is a real lag on the offense.
RATING: 5

Starting Pitching
SP1- Luis James- The former season 5 international free agent signee should make a solid impact for the jackets this year. He will be in his rookie season but the kid was handled with gloves and should be fine. He has solid control, a decent LH rating, and the Right hander is tough on Righties, he has average velocity however he will get a good many punch outs due to the fact he possess a pitching repot ire of 4 good to above average pitches. His only weakness may be he needs to keep the ball on the ground more often. Last year in AAA he showed he was ready for the bigs by blowing away the competition to the tune of 134 hits allowed in 150 innings logged. While walking 42 and striking out 132, he held opponents to a .329 slugging and a 1.27 whip. This all equaled up to a 13-4 season with a 2.87 ERA. The 23 year old deserves to be on the short list for pre season rookie of the year hopefuls.
SP2 – Emil Mercedes- Yet another example of the jackets going to their international free agent well and striking some solid talent. Emil will be making his major league debut also. Mercedes possess much better raw stuff than James however he is not near as polished. Mercedes displays excellent control and throws as hard as anybody around. He tends to sometimes forget about movement however as his opponents average against can be a little high at times and he like James better do a better job of keeping the ball on the ground at big league level. The kid has enough pitches to make it as a major league starter however, he just needs to display some mental toughness. Coming off a AAA year in which he was hit around to the tune of 159 innings 173 hits, allowing 28 homers and a .460 slugging you can be sure some ML hitters will tee of. But Mercedes did post solid K/BB 155 to 31 and a good WHIP of 1.28. His year may be up and down but the future looks solid for this 22 year old right-hander.
SP3- Donnie White- 31 year old veteran has decent ratings throughout and very good velocity but he has never put it together. Him only having 1 above average pitch is what I view as holding him back and he may be better suited for the bullpen. Last season was no different than the rest of his career, good many walks, high number of homers allowed, and ERA over 5.00 and a WHIP over 1.50. Not much else to say.
SP4- Willie Moehler- 29 year old has logged a good many ML innings and with his tendency to be hit by RH hitters, lack of velocity and lack of a 2nd or 3rd pitch I’m surprised his career ERA is under 5.00. I think this is the year he heads north of that number.
SP5- Cy Newfield- 30 year old was acquired in a trade from (AL) Helena last season and proceeded to get bombed. While striking out just over 100 and walking over 90 he allowed a very large 1.68 WHIP. He fooled the league early in his career, however the last couple of seasons tale the tale, he is strikingly similar to Willie Moehler. Needs to find a 2nd and 3rd pitch and find it fast.
RATING: 5

Bullpen
Long Relief-
R.J. Ontiveros- 27 year old had an ERA over 6.00 last year, which falls in line with the rest of his career. Other than stamina he has no ratings desired of a big league pitcher. Expect the 6.00 ERA to continue this year.
Alex Ulrich- better than Ontiveros but not much better. He has below average L/R splits and no velocity. However he possess 2 quality pitches which should aid him in keeping his ERA somewhere in the area of 5.00.
Setup
Oscar Knotts- free agent signee from (AL) Helena, the 33 year old veteran looked washed up last season while getting blasted for an ERA over 7.00. However I think he is a solid, stable veteran. In 5 of 7 big league seasons he has held opponents to under a .352 OBP and 4 of 7 held them under or right at a .255 average against. At 33 he still has 1 or 2 good years left in him.
Jeffery Hartman- 25 year old youngster that was a 2nd round pick in season 3 by the franchise may have been pushed to the big club a touch early. And he’s paid for it with 2 years of ERA’s over 5.00. Despite having good potential, until he reaches it he may be in for a beating. Last year he was hit up for a WHIP of 1.59. He needs to try and weather the storm or his once promising career could be headed down hill.
John Maeda- The 28 year old was non tendered and released by his former club the Sacramento Razors when he came up for arbitration this past winter. The jackets scooped him up in free agency and added him to their pen. Despite not having the greatest ratings in the world Maeda possesses great control and a devasting 1st pitch. Over his ML career he has posted 249 innings, with 286 hits allowed. Walked 62 while striking out 181, leading to a 4.06 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. For just over a million he was a steal in free agency.
Closer-
Sal Monroe- The former 1st round pick by the club took it on the head in his 1st big league season last year. As he went 2-13 as the closer and blew 10 saves. He was blasted with a 2.11 WHIP and 7.26 ERA. His BB/K rate was a horrible 65/53. And after posting an ERA over 5.00 the year before that in AAA I do not see this kid closing long. Look for Maeda to overtake him very soon.
RATING: 4

Overall

This team will be a solid defensive club and has some bright young players to build around. However they lack pop at the plate, they will depend on 2 rookies at the top of the rotation and 3 below average veterans behind them. The jackets will have some issues at the back of their pen closing out games and all this means more losses for the jackets. However I really like some of the things I’m seeing for the future….it’s just that the future is not now. 71 wins.

Washington D.C. Nationals (NL) wmw4ua View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Lineup
C- Endy Ross- The 32 year old Endy has been the face of the franchise for quite sometime. He is to the Nationals what Jason Kendall was to the Pirates. Endy has spent his entire career with the Nats, and has endured a lot of losing. A solid player overall Endy is a lock to hit .300, he homer somewhere around 20 times. Where Endy will hurt the team is his defense, he is an average pitch caller and a below average thrower.
3B- Damian Dong- A 28 year old that will only be in his 3rd full season in the bigs. This kid is a solid hitter, although he struggles some vs lefties. He’ll hit .280ish with 20 homers or so. Problem is he K’s too much and his defense is a huge problem. He is a decent player overall though.
SS- Norberto Lima- This 32 year old veteran is a solid glove guy. In the last few years he has seen his range and glove start to decline, however he is still a rock solid defender. The bat is a different animal. Lima, is a decent hitter vs Right handed pitching however he provides little vs lefties and is a punch less hitter as far as power goes. On top of that Lima walks about as much as Jeff Francouer….when you bat 500 times and you draw between 20-25 walks….you have issues. Lima is a decent player, however a player like Lima better have big bats around him to cover up his lack of O.
2B- Victor Ordonez- This rookie is being brought up to provide a little pop. While he can hit it fairly well against lefties he will struggle vs RH pitching. He does have some pop, however he is just average with his plate discipline. Victor is a slightly below average defender at 2B.
1B- Andrew Martin- This Rule V theft was the first pick in that draft. Coming over from the Kansas City organization, despite limited time at AAA he is more than ready for the big league level. He will eventually(very quickly hopefully) be plugged in at 2B, as he displays a decent glove, but above average range. At the plate Martin has never displayed the pop that some scouts project for him, however he is a solid 280-300 hitter that draws walks on a regular basis. A solid guy to start the foundation of this franchise with.
LF- A.J. Wunsch- This veteran was brought in through free agency and will be given his first starting gig in 2 years. He is a very good defender in left. However, he is a below average hitter. Displaying limited power and too many swings and misses. My feeling is he is just a veteran presence in the clubhouse and is just keeping the seat warm.
CF- Herm Matheson- This young speedster came over in a deal from the Louisville Lightning. He has some tools, displaying good range in CF and speed on the base paths. However he is an awful hitter vs RH pitching, not sure if he can play everyday. He has shown some ability to hit ML Left hand pitching, however he needs to display better plate patience even against that side. Not a bad player if kept in a platoon situation.
RF- Neil Clark- The former #2 overall pick in the draft from season 4 is this franchises cornerstone. While Clark was rushed a little bit, only playing 2 seasons in the minors, he has displayed some of the great talent that had scouts drooling over him years ago. Clark’s biggest problem is consistency so far in his career, he walks a decent amount, however he has struck out more than he needs too. Also, he has hit over 30 homers both years in the bigs, but he has more power than that and I expect him to reach the 50 plateau soon. His .260 BA will go up some, but probably still looking at a .275 type hitter. Neil is also a threat too steal, swiping around 20 bases each in his first 2 ML seasons. If given the green light more often he could turn into a 40/40 threat. He’ll have to be to help the rest of the lineup out. A good player….on a bad team.
RATING: 4.0

Starting Pitching
SP1- Ivan Easley- For a 31 year old with a career ERA over 5.00 to be the #1 spells trouble. While Easley is a useful innings eater(think Steve Trachsel), he is far from a #1. He displays decent control, however he lacks velocity and struggles punching hitters out. He would be served better as a 4 or 5 starter on a contender, so look for Washington’s new management to try and move him soon.
SP2- Samuel Mitchell- The 37 year old hurler spent the last 2 seasons with (AL) Rochester. However he feels he still has gas in the tank. Despite diminishing skills I have too agree with him. He is a solid pitcher that keeps the ball on the ground and displays 4 solid pitches.
SP3- Paul Edwards- The 29 year old has bounced back and forth between AAA and the Majors for a few years now. He has struggled with his control at times however he can over power hitters at times. He displays 3 solid pitches and has a career ML ERA of only 4.06 in over 300 ML innings. I think he will have ups and downs and end up with an ERA in the mid 4’s.
SP4- Kevin Adams- Another homegrown prospect, this kid has a career ML ERA over 5.00. And its easy too see why. While he has excellent stamina, he lacks the movement or velocity to keep hitters off the base paths and as a starter that is compounded by the fact that he only has one above average pitch. I think he’s just eating innings until the new management can pump some new talent into the big league club.
SP5- Paul Ennis- this young left handed was the surprise of the year for the franchise last season. He pitched 171 innings and only allowed 152 hits, while walking 69, striking out 104 and posting a 3.94 ERA. I do think after reviewing his career stats however, this success might be short lived. This kid fights and battles and won’t get hammered due to decent control and a few average to above average pitches, however this junk baller could be caught barehanded and eventually that will cause him to give up a few bombs. I do think he is serviceable though.
RATING: 3.0

Bullpen
Long Relief
Bruce Durbin- This former all world prospect has been bitten by the Injury bug over and over in his career. He was traded to D.C. from the Louisville Lightning and the change of address and change of league for that matter could improve his chances. He will never reach the level most predicted early in his career, but he might work his way into the rotation here. Bruce displays solid control and pretty solid movement; he needs to stay healthy to move into the rotation.
Setup B-
Larry Hayes- The 30 year old setup man comes via free agency from the Florida Eagles. He doesn’t look like much, stuff wise that is. However, he displays excellent movement on 2 pitches which makes him tough too hit even though he doesn’t throw hard. I expect him to have a career year for Washington, has put up ERA’s around 4.00 in the AL, he might be somewhere around 3.50 with his new team.
Setup A-
Milton Rhodes- Crafty veteran was a free agent signee as he spent last season with the (AL) Louisville Lightning. Rhodes has driven many managers to drink in his day, as he has had dominant years followed up by years where he got pounded all over the park. He is coming off the latter, so look for the veteran to have a solid year and be moved to a contender before the trade deadline.
Matt Faulkner- Also acquired through free agency by the new management. The 36 year old has been the model of consistency throughout his career, displaying a 3.58 ERA in almost 1000 innings. He can go multiple innings, has good control and 3 solid pitches which is uncommon out of the pen. For only 1.6 million he was a steal and some contender will come calling here for sure before it is all said and done.
Closer-
Carmine Dean- a free agent signee as well, the 37 year old veteran is a shadow of his former self as far as stuff goes. But he was able to put together a solid season last year in Sacremento, going 49 innings, allowing 43 hits, while only walking 11 and punching out 47. This earned him a solid 3.44 ERA. He was excited about getting back in the closers role after winning fireman of the year for the Louisville Lightning in season 4. However this is not season 4, I see Carmine as a solid setup man being thrust into the closer role out of need. Could also be moved later on.
RATING: 5.5

Overall

This team has done some wheeling and dealing under the new management. However this will be a long road. The Pen is solid, but the starters may not be able to get them the ball until the outcome has been decided. Martin and Clark are solid pieces to build around and they have several spare parts that should pick up a few mid grade prospects toward the trade deadline. 55 wins.