[Westheim]

2000 PORTLAND RACCOONS – Opening Day Roster (first set shows 1999 numbers, second set overall; players with an * are off season acquisitions):

SP Randy Farley, 26, B:R, T:R (13-13, 2.80 ERA | 25-19, 2.94 ERA) – one of the three pieces (Brady, Parker) acquired in the David Brewer trade, Farley built and expanded on a splendid rookie season as a sophomore in 1999. He looks like the real deal and permanent building stone for any rotation.
SP Miguel Lopez, 31, B:S, T:L (1-2, 4.63 ERA | 69-49, 3.39 ERA) – every time he gets seriously injured, less and less of him comes back. Making only five starts in the first year of a 5-year contract, we are actually frightened to see him in live action for the first time since last April.
SP Jose Rivera, 27, B:L, T:R (8-5, 2.58 ERA | 38-23, 2.84 ERA) – the 1998 CL ERA champion was on the way to another strong season, when he tore the flexor tendon in his elbow in late July. Simulated games show greatly reduced stuff for the sympathetic right-hander from Santo Domingo.
SP Ralph Ford, 22, B:L, T:L (2-2, 3.97 ERA | 2-2, 3.97 ERA) – had a solid, if unspectacular debut in late 1999, striking out 32 batters in 34 innings. His stuff seems to be extraordinary, and we are confident that he will deliver a splendid rookie campaign.
SP Scott Wade, 37, B:R, T:R (5-9, 3.08 ERA, 13 SV | 160-122, 3.49 ERA, 52 SV) – continues pitching to poor contact with exceptional success, but it isn’t quite what everyone is looking for in a closer, and since we consider our longest-tenured Raccoon (with the retirement of Kisho Saito) to be wasted in long relief, he is back in the rotation at the expense of the flashy Paco Martinez. Wade enters his 16th big league season, and while he will have horrible days at times, he can pitch a 2-hit shutout just as likely.

MU Kelly Fairchild, 27, B:R, T:R (5-7, 5.39 ERA | 8-11, 4.83 ERA) – one year later, we are much wiser on his abilities, starting games being not one of them. Fairchild had a few decent outings in 1999, but mostly in the 18 games he appeared in long relief in, and not in his 16 starts.
MR Elliott Meeks *, 29, B:L, T:R (2-1, 3.53 ERA, 2 SV | 19-14, 3.60 ERA, 15 SV) – acquired from the Capitals for Stephen Buell, Meeks throws a blistering 99mph fastball with sink to it, that gets gladly sucked up by middle infielders. Sounds like a perfect fit for us.
MR Andrew Schaefer *, 31, B:S, T:R (6-2, 4.76 ERA, 1 SV | 21-14, 4.03 ERA, 8 SV) – added as a free agent, Schaefer pitched for the Loggers the last few year and is a decent 7th/8th inning alternative.
MR Orlando Blanco *, 33, B:R, T:L (1-0, 2.66 ERA | 28-61, 4.83 ERA, 2 SV) – a former horrible starter who was turned into a decent reliever, is the Raccoons latest experiment at finding a sufficient level of quality pitching from the southpaw side in their bullpen...
SU Daniel Miller, 31, B:S, T:R (4-1, 2.41 ERA, 17 SV | 34-25, 3.11 ERA, 39 SV) – was thrown into the closer’s role in the second half of the season, and while he pitched well enough in that capacity and only blew two saves, he is lacking the shutdown stuff that made a Grant West greater than gran(d)t, and common pitchers good closers. Settles into a setup role in 2000, where he may be most comfortable.
SU Mike Collins, 24, B:L, T:L (3-0, 1.95 ERA | 3-0, 1.95 ERA) – acquired from the Indians during 1999, Collins was a nightmare to watch at first before getting a bit better in September. Posted four times his Indians ERA in Portland. The stuff is there, however, it may be a mental thing, we hope.
CL Antonio Donis, 27, B:L, T:L (5-1, 1.76 ERA, 1 SV | 20-25, 3.79 ERA, 1 SV) – two years after we started his conversion to a reliever, he had a strong 1999 season with only minor hiccups and rode that record straight into the closer’s job for 2000 and possibly beyond.

C/1B Julio Mata, 24, B:R, T:R (.311, 4 HR, 37 RBI | .311, 4 HR, 37 RBI) – 1997 first round pick that made a splashy debut in the latter half of the 1999 season and looks like he could give us Vinson-esque continuity at a position that hasn’t seen such in a few years. Hopefully with un-Vinson-esque results, though.
C Gary Fifield, 27, B:R, T:R (.281, 4 HR, 18 RBI | .281, 4 HR, 18 RBI) – added as a stopgap when we traded Lance Branch to Sacramento mid-season, Fifield remains on the roster mainly because the Raccoons lack the funds to upgrade Mata’s backup. Does not excel in any one category.

1B Albert Martin, 23, B:L, T:L (.305, 5 HR, 12 RBI | .305, 5 HR, 12 RBI) – elite batting prospect that had a flashy September and figures to resolve the revolving door we have had a first base all through the 1990s; can hit for average, can hit for power, and can field slightly better than now-Hall of Famer Tetsu Osanai in his best days.
1B/2B/3B/SS Marvin Ingall, 31, B:R, T:R (.265, 6 HR, 66 RBI | .289, 33 HR, 241 RBI) – very solid season, giving his manager little to complain about, except maybe the 39 point drop in his average compared to 1998, and the 116 times he struck out. Both might be related. Forms a deadly double play combo with Concie, though, as both won a Gold Glove in 1999.
SS Conceicao Guerin, 26, B:R, T:R (.304, 2 HR, 63 RBI | .287, 6 HR, 145 RBI) – keeps getting better and better, winning his first Gold Glove, and batting .300 for the first time, despite a bat slump in the last two months.
1B/3B/LF Cesar Gonzalez, 27, B:S, T:R (.250, 19 HR, 81 RBI | .278, 86 HR, 330 RBI) – raced to 16 homers at the All Star break before stopping to hit altogether. Gonzalez is still considered a top rank power bat and could easily hit 30 without a slump in our park; he moves to third base with the emerging Albert Martin being unable to field anything on the move.
SS/1B/2B/3B Nuno Andresen *, 37, B:R, T:R (.221, 1 HR, 10 RBI | .264, 56 HR, 938 RBI) – Capitals icon with 17 years of experience in Washington that has been added for one year to improve the infield situation. Despite his advanced age, he is still an agile fielder, and can be expected to steal a base or have a key base knock once in a while.
1B/2B/3B/SS/LF Steve Caddock, 30, B:L, T:R (.163, 2 HR, 8 RBI | .202, 7 HR, 54 RBI) – retains a job for being defensively versatile, batting left-handed, not raising his voice without being asked for his opinion, which never happens, AND the Raccoons being broken beyond believe.

LF/RF Daniel Richardson *, 28, B:L, T:L (.292, 15 HR, 69 RBI | .268, 42 HR, 221 RBI) – the best bat the Raccoons could afford, Richardson could hit up to 20 home runs with ease in our park, and also contributes speed on the basepaths, and a remarkably good OBP ability while not striking out very often.
CF/LF Neil Reece, 33, B:R, T:R (.304, 15 HR, 81 RBI | .308, 138 HR, 676 RBI) – fantastic defense in center, fantastic at the plate – you can’t help yourself but love him. Minor injuries felled him late in the season, preventing him to appear in 150 games for the first time since 1993, but he reconquered the .300 plateau for the first time since ’95 and won his third straight Gold Glove for amazing work out there. Franchise keystone, entering a contract year.
LF/RF Clyde Brady, 23, B:L, T:L (.256, 8 HR, 47 RBI | .254, 18 HR, 80 RBI) – played a solid sophomore season without great ups or great downs, and continues to start in right, but has to watch other youngsters pushing up from AAA.
LF/RF/CF Luke Newton, 28, B:S, T:R (.238, 3 HR, 28 RBI | .234, 10 HR, 113 RBI) – great defender, but that’s largely it. His bat is just lacking, and he will probably never manage to grab a starter’s job anywhere.
LF/RF Chris Parker, 24, B:L, T:R (.232, 2 HR, 32 RBI | .236, 4 HR, 61 RBI) – like most corner outfielders, he suffered from the pest in 1999, failed to hit at all, and his fielding was so-so. Upgrades for his job are developing in AAA, so he has to show what he can do, quickly.

On disabled list: Nobody.

Otherwise unavailable: Nobody.

Other roster movement: SP Paco Martinez (8-3, 2.72 ERA | 8-3, 2.72 ERA), MR Dan Nordahl (2-1, 4.61 ERA | 2-1, 4.61 ERA), and 3B Mike Crowe (.212, 5 HR, 39 RBI | .241, 15 HR, 112 RBI) were all demoted to AAA; they all have options.

Opening day lineups:
Vs. RHP: SS Guerin – RF Brady – CF Reece – 3B Gonzalez – LF Richardson – 1B Martin – 2B Ingall – C Mata – P Farley
Vs. LHP: SS Guerin – 2B Ingall – CF Reece – 3B Gonzalez – LF Richardson – C Mata – 1B Martin – RF Brady (Newton) – P Farley

OFF SEASON CHANGES:

Two years in a row the Raccoons failed to keep their talent together, before we thought we found adequate replacements for the personnel last year after coming out in third place in offseason WAR in the winter of 98-99.

We came out third again. The difference this time is that we didn’t lose key personnel and rather weeded out our cross-grown garden. The few key addition we made, in Meeks and Richardson, again propelled us to third place in offseason WAR.

Top 5: Wolves (+8.5), Blue Sox (+6.7), Raccoons (+6.4), Pacifics (+6.3), Crusaders (+3.3)
Bottom 5: Stars (-3.7), Falcons (-4.2), Cyclones (-5.5), Warriors (-6.9), Titans (-9.7)

PREDICTION TIME:

Expecting to slightly out-run a .500 clip last season, the Raccoons landed square on their pointy noses by May. The team dropped as much as 30 games below .500 before rallying in August and September, when it was long over and by far too late, finishing 71-91, or 14 games below expectations.

For the second year in a row, we have been improved on paper. We also have more depth, in case injuries cull down our rotation as it happened last year. However, the pitching was – while troubled – not the reason the Raccoons finished last for the first time in 18 years. The team utterly failed to score runs, and whether this need has been sufficiently addressed remains to be seen.

Richardson is a big upgrade over Buell in left, and Mata and Martin had splash debuts in the latter half of the year. Much depends on the general health of our key players, like Reece, and also how the middle infield combo fares. Ingall got worse in 1999, and shouldn’t drop below that production level. After years of struggling with all-glove teams, we are in the process of revamping our personnel to a more attacking outfit.

The Raccoons have so many young players, that it is almost impossible to estimate their chances at success. Like we all know, kids to the dumbest things. Neil Reece will have to channel his leadership abilities to keep the flock going in one direction. Even then, Mata and Martin may have overperformed in 1999, and we might be tempted to expect too much of them. Regardless, the tight budget prevent the Raccoons from adding first rate personnel for their key needs, and that is what keeps them far enough away from the top of the division.

The Raccoons will not be second-to-last in offense this season, but Mata and Martin might have more pedestrian second seasons, and we might still struggle to score runs overall. The Coons, relying on the young, the cheap, and the so-old-they-will-play-for-a-warm-soup, will have nothing to do with the division, and finish 75-87.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:

We had the #4 farm last season, with 15 players in the top 200, and ten of them in the top 100, including two top 20 prospects in Nick Brown (12th) and Julio Mata (18th). Mata, along with Dan Nordahl, lost eligibility. We also traded away George Wood and Anthony Mosher. Manuel Martinez, Jesus Taramillo, and Aurelio Hernandez dropped out of the top 200.

3rd (new) – A CL Salvadaro Soure, 17 – international discovery by Vicente Guerra
17th (-5) – AAA SP Nick Brown, 22 – 1995 11th round pick by the Raccoons
27th (new) – AAA MR Marcos Bruno, 24 – 1999 first round pick by the Raccoons
40th (new) – AA CL Bob Evans, 19 – 1999 second round pick by the Raccoons
67th (-10) – AAA OF Chris Roberson, 23 – 1998 first round pick by the Raccoons
68th (+53) – AAA OF/1B Edgardo Torrez, 23 – international discovery by Vicente Guerra
80th (new) – AA SP Lawrence Williams, 22 – 1995 seventh round pick by the Miners, acquired in trade for Tom Goodchild
83rd (-4) – AAA INF/RF Miguel Ramirez, 21 – international discovery by the Crusaders, signed as minor league free agent
106th (-64) – ML SP Ralph Ford, 22 – 1995 first round pick by the Condors, acquired in trade for Ben O’Morrissey
128th (-41) – ML 1B Albert Martin, 23 – 1996 fourth round pick by the Raccoons
134th (+41) – AA CL Sergio Vega, 19 – 1998 supplemental round pick by the Raccoons
172nd (-3) – AA INF/RF Eisuke Sato, 25 – international discovery by the Thunder, signed as minor league free agent

The Canadiens’ 18-year old Japanese prospect Juichi “Scorpion” Fujita is the #1 prospect despite being only signed since December and not having pitched professionally yet.

Next: first pitch!