Will you be the one to lead the Badgers past the mighty Sandgnats?
It seems like the Badgers have always been playing bridesmaid to
Crystal Lake's bride. Despite a superlative 361-287 all-time franchise record, the Badgers have only been to the playoffs once (the 100-win '07 club made it in as a wild card). Try as they might, they just haven't quite been able to dethrone the Sandgnats as kings of the Great Lakes division. Now their initial window may be closing. Wins have been harder and harder to come by after that 100-win '07 season, and the team posted their first losing record (80-82) last year. The question now: Take another shot at the Gnats with what's on hand or blow the team up and start building for the future?
The decision is made tougher by presence of some potent weapons. Slugging 1B
John Collins deservedly made his first All-Star appearance last year, a season in which he clubbed 34 HR and knocked in 104 RBI. Steady producer
Brett Hurst would see his value increase enormously if trusted to play 2B, something the club waffled on last year for the first time. 3B
Henry O'Halloran had a breakout season power-wise last year; now if only he can hit above .240! Maybe the greatest excitement for Badgers fans in '10 was generated when star prospect
Joel Swedlove was called up mid-season. Sadly, his big league debut didn't live up to the hype, but he remains a bright hope for the future. Much further away from contributing but still highly promising are 1B
River Adkins and Malaysian-born LF
Ming-feng Sima.
Starting pitching has always been Kalamazoo's biggest strength. The staff isn't quite as strong as in previous years but still boasts an ace in 25-year-old
Er Hang and a bona fide #2 man in
José Chávez.
Pat Paige and
Geoff James both took steps backwards last year, although Paige still has a potentially dominating 94 MPH heater. The Badgers' front four remain a potent force.
With a payroll that's $20M below the team's budget, there's room to manuever. So what will it be? Use that space to make a splash in the free agent market, or sell off some of these assets in preparation for a new run in 2011? We'd love for
you to make that decision.
All you need to do is fill out this form to get the ball rolling. Join up today, create your own persona and lead the Badgers on to the glory they so richly deserve!