[Westheim]

We activated Albert Matthews from the DL on March 2. This removed Suto to the minors and placed Mike Shaw on waivers (which he cleared), since our 40-man roster is currently full.

Other than that minor shuffling we were idle for March, as a few last cherries were picked off the floor by the crows around.

March 17 – The Indians sign SP Carlos Guillén (58-80, 3.81 ERA) to a 2-yr, $844k contract.

Like I said, little happened. I had to decide on which of my six strong outfielders to cut before entering the season. Hall was a no-go, Quinn had no options, Johnston had been AMAZING, those three were safe.

That left Martin, Reece, and Dumont. After long considerations, Neil Reece was the odd man out. He had a brilliant, but short stint in September and October going for him, in addition to excellent centerfield defense. He was a right-hander, though, and we already had two of those in Hall and Quinn. I really like to load the lineup with lefties against right-handed batters. Dumont has the added bonus of being a good first baseman, presenting another late-inning replacement for Tetsu Osanai. Martin thus beat out Reece, but it was really close. Really close. We will start to compare them heavily two weeks into the season.

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1990 PORTLAND RACCOONS – Opening Day Roster (first set shows 1989 numbers, second set overall; players with an * are off season acquisitions):

SP Kisho Saito, 29, B:L, T:L (17-5, 2.72 ERA | 122-83, 3.03 ERA) – workhorse and strikeout machine, posted 1.06 WHIP marks for back-to-back seasons; a true ace!
SP Scott Wade, 27, B:R, T:R (21-6, 3.44 ERA | 63-34, 3.22 ERA) – very consistent starter; went on an amazing run early last season, going 15-0 before being handed a loss; he continues to be susceptible to the long ball, though.
SP Jason Turner, 24, B:R, T:R (12-5, 2.90 ERA | 15-8, 3.38 ERA) – burst onto the scene for the second time and this time with a blaze, tossing a no-hitter against Oklahoma City last season; surrendered less than 8 H/9, but needs to iron out some control issues; also gave up only five dingers in 167.2 innings.
SP Steven Berry, 28, B:R, T:R (9-8, 3.01 ERA, 1 SV | 9-8, 3.01 ERA, 1 SV) – was a rule 5 pick from Oklahoma City last year; overwhelmed the league with intriguing stuff, as he struck out 141 in 155.1 innings of work.
SP Robert Sawyer *, 31, B:L, T:L (9-16, 4.79 ERA | 65-64, 4.04 ERA, 3 SV) – had a bad season with Oklahoma City last season, also hurt by a bad defense; has posted numbers in the mid-3 ERA range before.

MR Juan Martinez, 23, B:R, T:R (2-2, 2.68 ERA, 2 SV | 7-5, 3.06 ERA, 3 SV) – developed very well last season, although he may still be used in long relief if necessary.
MR Albert Matthews, 20, B:R, T:R (1-0, 2.53 ERA, 1 SV | 1-0, 2.53 ERA, 1 SV) – made his debut last season and after a rocky start settled in nicely, then got hurt in late September and missed the playoffs; very good stuff to move along.
MR Roberto Carrillo *, 29, B:R, T:R (7-1, 4.11 ERA, 1 SV | 25-22, 3.42 ERA, 36 SV) – free agent, was with the Canadiens, good overall package here; closed for the Cyclones in 1988, and was not too bad there.
MR Antonio Cordero, 29, B:L, T:L (5-1, 3.04 ERA, 1 SV | 19-16, 3.38 ERA, 8 SV) – came in a trade with the Crusaders last season to shore up the left side of the pen, when Burnett was still hurt, and did so well enough to keep him and banish Nate Goodman.
SU Ken Burnett, 27, B:L, T:L (3-2, 3.38 ERA | 4-4, 5.40 ERA) – was hurt and only pitched in 28 games last season, but he finally had the year we had envisioned him to be capable of having; now it’s about staying healthy.
SU Jackie Lagarde, 26, B:R, T:R (0-5, 2.08 ERA, 4 SV | 2-5, 2.08 ERA, 5 SV) – had a very good year, starting out as middle reliever, but moved into the righty setup spot when Dirk Campbell was given up on; he has pure nasty stuff, but not so good control, in many ways remembering one of the Wally Gaston of the early 80s. Could be our closer in a few years from now.
CL Grant West, 33, B:L, T:L (3-5, 2.43 ERA, 39 SV | 30-16, 1.87 ERA, 327 SV) – nickname “Demon”, says it all; had a few short down stretches both of the last two years, but I still don’t see anybody inheriting the closer’s role from him in the very near future.

C David Vinson, 24, B:S, T:R (.256, 8 HR, 32 RBI | .253, 10 HR, 42 RBI) – replaced Sam Dadswell making most of the starts last September; if given more AB’s, he should be able to almost match Dadswell’s offensive numbers, and be less clumsy behind the dish.
C Leo Smith *, 28, B:R, T:R (.228, 4 HR, 55 RBI | .251, 14 HR, 268 RBI) – added as a free agent, spent all of his 8-year career with the Cyclones, mostly as the primary catcher, but will be the backup to David Vinson.

1B Tetsu Osanai, 31, B:L, T:L (.355, 35 HR, 140 RBI | .332, 179 HR, 798 RBI) – offensive monster with a big punch; won his third batting title last season; has started 726 consecutive games for the Raccoons at first base – every single one since being acquired from Vancouver; was locked up long term this winter and will remain a Raccoon through his age 37 season. 1B starter, OBVIOUSLY;
1B/3B/RF/LF Mark Dawson, 36, B:R, T:R (.267, 26 HR, 105 RBI | .246, 279 HR, 1,186 RBI) – #1 on the all-time home run and RBI leaderboards; four Gold Gloves at third base; was supposed to exit via free agency to make room for Ben O’Morrissey, but when the youngster batted .193, we found even more we liked about Mark Dawson, who in the last two years had his two best seasons in OPS ever, and his defense has yet to let up; 3B starter.
1B/3B/2B/SS Matt Higgins, 25, B:S, T:R (.265, 8 HR, 61 RBI | .259, 8 HR, 61 RBI) – had a very good rookie season, adding 32 steals to his offensive numbers; will be the 2B starter.
SS/3B/2B/1B Jorge Salazar *, 29, B:L, T:R (.278, 1 HR, 43 RBI | .271, 11 HR, 268 RBI) – acquired from the Indians for Jason Bentley and two prospects; he adds excellent defense up the middle and a very steady bat to the lineup; and will start out platooning with Gonzalez at short.
1B/3B/SS/2B Antonio Gonzalez, 27, B:R, T:R (.298, 9 HR, 36 RBI | .260, 25 HR, 184 RBI) – had a phenomenal season as the primary shortstop last year, much better than his previous track record; still had only 410 AB due to an injury; will platoon at short with Salazar.
1B/3B/2B/RF/SS/LF/CF Justin Reader, 26, B:R, T:R (.263, 0 HR, 22 RBI | .265, 0 HR, 67 RBI) – defensive allrounder with a steady, but not overwhelming bat; has no home runs in 883 AB’s.

LF/RF Daniel Hall, 34, B:R, T:R (.266, 18 HR, 63 RBI | .264, 170 HR, 684 RBI) – pretty complete player, first ever Coons draft pick; had a resurgence last year, but was axed down by injuries in September and October; staying healthy and 4-K days remain his biggest challenges.
CF/RF/LF Glenn Johnston, 23, B:L, T:R (.310, 9 HR, 63 RBI | .297, 12 HR, 93 RBI) – very complete player, almost like a younger Daniel Hall, but with great defense in all three outfield positions with a little less home run power; his 1989 season was certainly one to drool about.
LF/CF/RF Jeff Martin, 23, B:L, T:L (.283, 1 HR, 15 RBI | .277, 6 HR, 37 RBI) – good defense, but his bat lacked the pop he had shown in his minor league career and with the Pacifics in 1988; is the odd man out if Neil Reece starts the year on fire in AAA.
LF/RF/1B Bobby Quinn, 25, B:R, T:R (.286, 9 HR, 59 RBI | .260, 12 HR, 88 RBI) – solid defender and offensive threat, was a waiver claim off the Capitals early last season; although he slumped during the summer, he contributed a lot; will start in a RF platoon with Daniel Dumont.
LF/RF/1B Daniel Dumont, 24, B:L, T:L (.292, 3 HR, 23 RBI | .270, 4 HR, 44 RBI) – had some injury problems last year and also was in AAA for a time, but should make use of the chances given in a RF platoon with Bobby Quinn.

On disabled list:
Nobody.

Opening day lineups:
Vs. RHP: 2B Higgins – CF Johnston – LF Hall – 1B Osanai – 3B Dawson – RF Dumont – SS Salazar – C Vinson – P
Vs. LHP: 2B Higgins – SS Gonzalez – LF Hall – 1B Osanai – 3B Dawson – RF Quinn – CF Johnston – C Vinson – P

We lost 0.2 WAR this off season, placing us 10th among the 24 teams overall.

Top 5: Indians (+3.4), Miners (+3.0), Wolves (+2.2), Knights (+2.1), Cyclones (+1.9)
Bottom 5: Titans (-5.3), Buffaloes (-6.1), Gold Sox (-7.1), Canadiens (-8.4), Aces (-9.0)

PREDICTION TIME:

Cordero is the only reliever scouted under 4.5 stars; the rotation was ace last year; we have an army of young, hungry, and very talented players with veterans Dawson, Hall, and West holding the pack together.

This team can go a long way. There can only be one goal for this team: WIN THE TITLE!!

Player development:

Compared to last years, a huge number of the then 13 prospects vanished from the list either through amassing playing time (O’Morrissey, Higgins, Matthews) or being traded (Maldonado, Alvarado, V. Rodriguez) or for being picked in the rule 5 draft (Herrera). Consequently, our system dropped from the top spot to 3rd, which is still a strong position, especially given the fact that the Raccoons have turned only two losing seasons in the last seven years and have never had very high draft picks.

6th (+13) – AAA CF Neil Reece, 23 – 1984 first round pick by Buffaloes, acquired in 1988 for David Jones and others
7th – A SP Gabriel De La Rosa, 19 – 1989 supplemental round pick by the Raccoons
40th (+1) – AA SP Miguel Lopez, 21 – international discovery by the Warriors, acquired in 1988 for Manuel Paredes and Odwin Garza
49th (+39) – AA OF Vern Kinnear, 21 – international discovery by Nathan Bruce
64th – AAA MR Tony Vela, 19 – international discovery by Charles Hutchinson
82nd – AAA SP Eduardo Salazar, 23 – 1989 first round pick by the Raccoons
132nd – AA 1B/3B Matt Brown, 20 – 1987 supplemental round pick by the Pacifics, signed with Raccoons after being released in 1989
136th – AAA INF/LF Elmer Hawley, 22 – 1985 round 3 pick by the Buffaloes, acquired with Orlando Alvarado for Juan Ramirez and cash in 1988
164th (-71) – AAA LF/CF Randy Powers, 25 – 1983 supplemental round pick by the Capitals, acquired with Antonio Gonzalez and Rex Sherman for Billy Mitchell in 1988
168th – A SP Cesar Salcido, 18 – international discovery by Richard Steward
180th (-119) – AAA MR Alonso Villegas, 22 – international discovery by Crusaders, claimed off waivers from Blue Sox last winter
188th – AAA SP Dennis Fried, 21 – 1987 round 4 pick by the Raccoons

Kiyomitsu Sano, a starting pitcher, is the only of the 13 guys in last year’s top 200 that has not fallen out for any reason mentioned above and doesn’t re-appear either. He is the fourth-next Raccoon prospect still listed, but not ranked, after AAA SP Toru Fujita, AA OF Winston Witter, and A SP Jose Rivera. There’s another Miguel Lopez a bit further down the list, too, that one a reliever.

SAC Joe Mann is the #1 prospect overall, and I would have loved to get to draft him last year. He was the #1 overall pick, too. The Wolves have two SP’s in the top 10, the only other team to tie with the Coons for two Top 10 players.

By the way, some teams have close to zero talent in the minor leagues. I consider expanding the draft by about two rounds starting this year. Does anybody have experience or expertise here? Currently we’re picking for ten rounds, with players created for 13 rounds, and there are only three levels of minor leagues.

Next: first pitch!