[Westheim]

2046 PORTLAND RACCOONS – Opening Day Roster (first set in parenthesis shows 2045 stats, second set career stats; players with an * are off season acquisitions):

SP Jason Wheatley, 25, B:R, T:R (15-8, 2.37 ERA | 38-30, 3.42 ERA) – Pitcher of the Year! I hear a guy from Bend, OR, broke the betting place to the tune of $65k on a $10 bet with that. Wheats roars from #5 starter in April of 2045 to the highest honor the CL had to dole out to pitchers (at least regularly), doing it with a perfectly balanced approach, keeping things on the ground and walks to a minimum (2.5 BB/9). He has five pitches, some very good, and the Opening Day Curse will without a doubt put him on a 6.50 ERA by the start of May.
SP Ryan Person *, 31, B:R, T:R (14-8, 3.71 ERA | 92-74, 3.65 ERA) – swapped from the Miners just before the season started, Person throws the heat and has led the FL in strikeouts twice, adding a new dimension to a Raccoons rotation that was not keen on high K totals the last few years. Will be a free agent after this season.
SP Sadaharu Okuda, 30, B:L, T:L (11-11, 4.08 ERA | 26-19, 3.73 ERA) – Japanese import signed on the cheap and throwing three pitches, including a 92mph fastball and a neat curve. He easily did the best of all our starters in ’44 and was thus assigned as the new recipient of the alive-and-well Opening Day Curse, which didn’t fail to disappoint with a worst-on-staff .311 BABIP and some wicked meltdowns.
SP Jake Jackson, 33, B:R, T:R (5-1, 3.18 ERA | 80-85, 3.77 ERA) – groundballer with three good pitches, including a 95mph fastball, who got befallen by our Opening Day starter curse in ’43 but recovered nicely for his career-best record, a high in 6.8 K/9, and a low in 2.8 BB/9 in ’44 before making ten fine starts before tearing a rotator cuff last year.
SP Victor Merino, 24, B:L, T:L (11-5, 3.07 ERA | 15-7, 2.98 ERA) – this lefty groundballer came a bit out of nowhere after so-so cups of coffee the prior two seasons. Pitched well in control fashion, lacking the big stuff for high strikeout totals, but at least that mixed well with the Raccoons’ plus infield defense. Unfortunately joined Jackson on the DL just before the playoffs, a.k.a. The Coming-Apart.

SP/MR Aaron Hickey *, 30, B:R, T:R (2-0, 4.69 ERA, 2 SV | 36-31, 3.36 ERA, 3 SV) – experienced swingman with excellent control (2.6 BB/9 for his career), who will get some bulk duties in the pen and might also be the go-to guy for spot starts without making roster moves.
MR Chuck Jones, 34, B:L, T:L (4-3, 2.72 ERA, 3 SV | 30-16, 2.91 ERA, 22 SV) – lefty specialist that should be kept away from right-handers; if handled properly, can get his walks per nine innings under three, when he walked upwards of five in previous employments when he wasn’t handled with care. Last year of a rather expensive 3-year deal that has yet to backfire on us – but the writing is on the wall: he struggled in the last quarter of 2045, and his scouting report suffered some slashing. His K numbers are already well own (7.2/9 compared to 9.2/9 in ’44).
MR Zack Kelly, 30, B:L, T:L (3-3, 2.75 ERA | 18-8, 3.32 ERA, 6 SV) – left-handed sixth-year pitcher with balanced splits, throws 96 with a nasty curve to complement it. His stats took a bit of dip last year, with fewer strikeouts, except that he also came down and cut those 10 homers from ’44 in half, which is always nice for a reliever…
MR Bob Ibold, 25, B:L, T:R (2-1, 3.13 ERA, 1 SV | 4-1, 4.33 ERA, 1 SV) – very competent young right-hander that was cooked for dinner in his 2043 cup of coffee, but was only 22 then. 93mph heater, curve, and some natural sink to that fastball that keeps the infielders busy; could also be a spot starter with a crummy changeup to at least keep it interesting for the hitters (and he made three starts in AAA as recently as last year).
MR Preston Porter, 24, B:R, T:R (4-1, 3.25 ERA | 7-2, 2.66 ERA) – replaced Alex Ramirez during the 2044 season and quickly proved stinginess despite lacking obvious velocity (90mph), but keeps it on the ground and has a very nice curve; also exceptional control – he walked *three* batters in 28.2 innings in the majors in ’44, and while that number went up to a more reasonable 2.1/9 in ’45, he is still nothing to be concerned about. Just don’t bank on a strikeout from him (4.7/9 last year, 5.0/9 career).
SU Nelson Moreno, 27, B:R, T:R (0-3, 2.90 ERA, 3 SV | 39-39, 3.99 ERA, 4 SV) – that starting thing never worked out for Nelson Moreno, but in his second full season as a setup reliever he continued to be sturdy and to quell threat after threat. Struck out a career-high 10.0/9 while lowering his walks, and looks like a candidate to challenge Josh Rella should the latter’s star continue to flicker.
CL Josh Rella, 29, B:R, T:R (4-5, 3.99 ERA, 45 SV | 12-9, 2.98 ERA, 145 SV) – after a 2043 campaign in which he tied for the most saves in the CL in ’43 and then went 7-for-7 in saves in our 8-0 postseason sweep the year after, he hit a rough patch with some nasty blowouts in 2045. That doesn’t mean he’s broken, nor that you shouldn’t convert fourth-round infield picks into closers. It just means we’ll keep an eye on him.

C Tony Morales *, 31, B:L, T:R (.282, 2 HR, 16 RBI | .269, 86 HR, 472 RBI) – acquired from the Falcons, Morales returns to his stomping grounds from 2035 through 2041, where he is still remembered as a consistent above-average hitter and catcher, and we still wonder how on earth he’s been a substandard backup for three different teams in the last four years. We specifically wanted a lefty-hitting catcher again and the Falcons basically gave him away (along with that balloon contract) for free.
C/1B Ruben Gonzalez, 24, B:R, T:R (.125, 0 HR, 3 RBI | .165, 0 HR, 9 RBI) – to say that he has yet to show off anything that made him a prime target in the 2038 July IFA period would be an understatement, but then again his career BABIP is about negative a zillion, and that has to grow itself out at some point, right? He does bring pretty good defense and a fine throwing arm, and he hit for a .760 OPS in AAA in his age 22 season – the boy can’t be all rotten. Will mostly be in a straight platoon with Tony Morales.

RF/LF/1B Bryce Toohey, 30, B:R, T:R (.262, 23 HR, 93 RBI | .272, 101 HR, 375 RBI) – steady defensive rightfielder that continued a power outburst the last two seasons at ages 27/28 before he was acquired from the Condors. Hit a career-high 26 in ’44, not including the one in the 14th inning that claimed the Raccoons’ fifth World Series title. Moves to first base primarily this season, because we can’t ignore Derek Baskins’ top-of-the-lineup terror abilities and need to cram him into the outfield to make it all work.
1B/RF/3B/LF/SS/CF Jesus Maldonado, 32, B:R, T:R (.310, 28 HR, 106 RBI | .298, 121 HR, 686 RBI) – A World Series winner and a World Series MVP (not in the same season, though), Maldo spent a month or so as free agent before rejoining the Raccoons on the biggest contract ever doled out by the team ($38.5M over 7 years, or roughly half the annual GDP of his home country of Venezuela), and will – I hope – not break a leg as soon as he steps on the field on Opening Day. His defensive versatility of his younger years has suffered as he hit the wrong side of 30, but he can still fill in at center and short in emergencies, but is best confined to the corners at this stage of his career.
2B Arturo Carreno, 26, B:R, T:R (.246, 3 HR, 39 RBI | .260, 14 HR, 137 RBI) – good defensive second baseman, also hits like one, and will lose playing time to Al Martell in perhaps not a straight platoon, but they might split playing time fairly evenly. Since he’ll be at the bottom of the order, he might also be a frequent double switch target.
2B/3B/SS Al Martell, 30, B:L, T:R (.276, 2 HR, 32 RBI | .258, 50 HR, 356 RBI) – versatile infielder with solid defense and a lefty stick that was a Thunder regular at 21, then fell by the wayside by age 26. Picked up on the cheap as free agent last year and put together a fine season with spurts of production and long dry spells that somehow averaged out in the end.
SS/2B Matt Waters, 25, B:S, T:R (.247, 20 HR, 64 RBI | .245, 36 HR, 139 RBI) – good defensive shortstop that unexpectedly hit 15 homers in his first full season even though the leadoff package didn’t quite come together. Also stole 29 bases; had 20 homers and 23 bags last year, and is definitely a keeper, although the Raccoons would really wish for him to draw more walks. Him or Carreno. Somebody. Please.
1B/RF/LF/2B Pat Gurney, 28, B:L, T:R (.280, 9 HR, 56 RBI | .280, 70 HR, 344 RBI) – one of the best players in either league that does not have a starting spot in sight, Gurney is a surprisingly speedy corner guy that figures to get most of his playing time against right-handed pitching. Also has double-digit power when employed as a regular.

LF/CF Derek Baskins, 30, B:L, T:R (.343, 5 HR, 41 RBI | .299, 48 HR, 475 RBI) – strong defender, quick enough to steal a bunch of bases, and hit .300 quite a few times for the Buffos. Unexpectedly became the leadoff guy we were searching for on our infield when he hit .343/.385/.456 this year. The problem with him? Injuries. He played only 200 games as a Coon in two seasons, after a very high attendance record (44 games missed in FIVE years) with the Buffos.
CF Armando Herrera, 32, B:R, T:R (.289, 4 HR, 38 RBI | .312, 25 HR, 590 RBI) – the Raccoons’ eye-wateringly expensive star acquisition won eight Gold Gloves in nine seasons with the Wolves, and while he kept that string going, his offensive production faltered in the second half and he posted the very first sub-100 OPS+ of his career, 99 OPS+ for a .716 OPS. It was also the first time he failed to hit .300. The deals we make… Five years to go on this one.
LF/RF/CF Manny Fernandez, 36, B:L, T:L (.282, 11 HR, 60 RBI | .284, 181 HR, 1,021 RBI) – as close to a 5-tool player as the Raccoons could ever find, especially in a draft. 2036 Player of the Year! Also won an RBI title in 2040, which totally saved our season (not). Also won a Gold Glove at some point, so he can really do it all. Or could do it all. Manny is old, slow, and tired, and likes to sleep a lot between eating these days. Still has three years left on a new (cheap) deal inked before last season, and at least his 2045 production was totally in line with what he had put out for virtually all of his career, a steady 110-ish OPS+ machine with plus defense and middling table manners. With Baskins forcing himself into the lineup on a daily basis, he will mostly start in rightfield, as he had at the beginning of his career. 33 RBI short of Matt Nunley’s franchise record, too.
RF/CF/LF Nelson Mercado *, 30, B:L, T:L (.277, 2 HR, 29 RBI | .263, 47 HR, 242 RBI) – solid lefty outfield option coming over from the Gold Sox, also a tremendous base stealer and thus a prime pinch-running option.
RF/LF/CF Gene Pellicano, 26, B:R, T:R (.231, 1 HR, 2 RBI | .275, 7 HR, 30 RBI) – good defensive outfielder that hit quite a bit in AAA last year, but lasted only a brief stint in the summer and a few days in September before succumbing to injury. Hit for a 140 OPS+ in 46 games in ’44, which is probably a bit too much to expect, but he can bring the hurt to southpaws for sure.

On disabled list: Nobody.

Otherwise unavailable: Nobody.

Other roster movement:
MR Sean Marucci, 26, B:R, T:R (0-0, 2.42 ERA | 2-0, 2.62 ERA) – optioned to AAA; perfectly decent right-hander we have no room for on the roster.
C Jimmy Dalton *, 29, B:R, T:R (.164, 2 HR, 6 RBI | .224, 8 HR, 72 RBI) – waived and DFA’ed; signed as third-string catcher on the cheap, Dalton has to get through waivers to AAA first, a place he knows well after spending most of his time in the Buffaloes system there.
3B Ben Coen, 25, B:R, T:R (.250, 3 HR, 12 RBI | .250, 3 HR, 12 RBI) – optioned to AAA; did some fine work in the second half of the season, but there’s no room on the roster for him and Jesus Maldonado will handle the hot corner full time.
RF/CF/LF Van Anderson, 28, B:L, T:L (.286, 2 HR, 5 RBI | .247, 7 HR, 43 RBI) – waived and DFA’ed; kind of a ho-hum player, flexible defensively, but not hitting much at all – at least not in the long run.

Everybody not mentioned by now has already been waived or reassigned during the offseason.

OPENING DAY LINEUP:

Individual slumps and maybe not enough lefty options kept the Raccoons’ offense to mid-pack last year, but we made steps to at least address the latter issue. The former issue is at the mercy of the baseball gods…

Vs. RHP: LF Baskins – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – RF Fernandez – SS Waters – C Morales – 2B Martell – P
(Vs. LHP: LF Baskins (Pellicano) – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – RF Fernandez (Pellicano) – SS Waters – 2B Carreno – C Gonzalez – P)

That makes three right-handers against righty pitching; they’re all bunched up (2-3-4), but it’s not like Manny or Baskins couldn’t break them up if needed. Manny ahead of Toohey could be a very legitimate adjustment. Pellicano might appear regularly against southpaws, either for Manny or Baskins, but not in the leadoff spot. Matt Waters would probably move up when Baskins gets subbed out.

OFF SEASON CHANGES:

The Raccoons went one win backwards in 2045 despite adding 2.3 WAR according to BNN, but at least still won the division convincingly. This year we have been adjudged to have stayed put, with a -0.1 WAR loss, 12th overall. I am not 100% on that, since the Ryan Person acquisition turned out almost WAR neutral, but gives us a clear upgrade over Corey Mathers and Adam Capone, whose non-performance in the playoffs will eventually be forgotten with excessive use of alcoholics. Maybe.

Top 5: Gold Sox (+8.1), Falcons (+7.8), Rebels (+7.4), Titans (+6.0), Loggers (+4.0)
Bottom 5: Warriors (-6.2), Scorpions (-7.0), Indians (-7.1), Aces (-9.2), Blue Sox (-10.6)

The missing CL North teams rank 7th (NYC, +3.4) and 19th (VAN, -5.1).

PREDICTION TIME:

The Coons won 95 after I banked on 98 last year, and again the word on the street is that this year they’ll win a hundred for the first time since 1996. Always a pessimist, I can’t get on that bandwagon quite yet. I’d be entirely content with another 95-win season and another division title, both things that should be achievable unless the entire team is stricken with the plague.

(looks skywards to check what the baseball gods are up to now)

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:

After seven years of holding a top 3 spot in the prospect rankings, the Raccoons’ farm crashed from 3rd to 14th this time around. We went from nine ranked prospects (with seven in the top 100) down to seven ranked prospects, with four of those in the top 100.

Who has fallen by the wayside? Well, #41 Adam Capone expired upon turning 26, then was traded to the Miners for Ryan Person. #80 Ruben Gonzalez exceeded rookie limits. And #95 Arturo Romero was traded to the Wolves, so that certainly cut into the herd. In addition to that, last year’s #90 (Alan Puckeridge) and #194 (Shane Honig) were still in the system, but no longer ranked. So. Who remains?

23rd (-9) – AAA SP Tony Negrete, 23 – 2038 international free agent signed by Raccoons
48th (-42) – AA SP Victor Salcido, 20 – 2042 international free agent signed by Raccoons
62nd (new) – A 2B Rich Seymour, 19 – 2045 supplemental round pick by Raccoons
70th (+29) – AAA SP Bubba Wolinsky, 23 – 2041 first-round pick by Raccoons
114th (+44) – AAA SP Jeremy Baker, 24 – 2043 first-round pick by Raccoons
167th (new) – INT SP Alejandro Gutierrez, 16 – 2045 international free agent signed by Raccoons
196th (new) – A SP Danny Bethea, 21 – 2045 second-round pick by Raccoons

The team’s top 10 are completed by A SP Polibio O’Higgins (2043 IFA), AAA 2B John Castner (2041, 1st Round), and A SS/3B Lorenzo Lavorano (2043 fishing trip to the Dominican by Scout Guy).

Finally, the top 10 overall prospects this year are:

1st (new) – TIJ A LF/RF Tim Duncan, 19
2nd (new) – WAS AA SP Cory Ellis, 20
3rd (-1) – DAL AAA LF/CF Juan del Toro, 21
4th (+13) – PIT AAA 2B/3B Alex Vasquez, 20
5th (new) – MIL AA SP Jameson Monk, 20

6th (+1) – DAL AAA SP Adam Middleton, 22
7th (-2) – DEN AAA SP Luis Copa, 22
8th (new) – OCT INT OF Victor Mangana, 18
9th (new) – RIC A SP James Powell, 18
10th (-1) – LVA ML C Ray DeFrank, 22

All the new additions here were drafted in the 2045 draft, except for Mangana, who was signed in the 2044 July IFA period, but not ranked until this year.

#7 prospect Copa was traded from the Thunder to the Gold Sox in a deal for Ryan Cox last season.

Which players from last year dropped out? Top prospect Bruce Mark jr. made his major league debut early in the season and hung around with the Capitals while getting whacked for a 5-14 record and 5.89 ERA in his age 23 season. And he is the only one of the six dropouts from the top 10 to actually reach the majors… or even AAA.

Last year’s #3, the Warriors’ 3B/CF/1B Randy Wilken, stuck in AA and dropped to #14. One spot below him was the Gold Sox’ teenage international complex shortstop, who will make his professional debut with single-A Crestview this year, but the late arrival (he turned 20 in December) sagged him 26 spots to #30. The drop was even deeper for Portland’s AA pitcher Victor Salcido, #6 to #48. Nashville pitcher Andy Overy also remained stuck in AA and slid from #8 to #17. And the Loggers’ Will McIntyre, a versatile position player, remained in single-A all year and slid 23 spots from #10 to #33.

Next: first pitch.