[Westheim]

Turns out, the Raccoons also have position players. Some good, some not so good, some definitely overdue to take accounting classes.

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CATCHERS

(INT) (P#174) C/1B Ruben Gonzalez, 19
Is said to be very smart, but can also be observed to not be a very good defensive catcher. Power potential is something that is thrown around in the conversation here.

(ML) C Jeff Kilmer, 28 (.269, 16 HR, 61 RBI) – 4.076 – arbitration estimate @ $1.15M
While unremarkable behind the plate, Kilmer’s .801 OPS in 2040 was his worst in the last three years after a completely dire first season in Portland in ’37, but he hit 16 home runs in 320 at-bats, which should count for something. Some of the apparent success doubtlessly comes from facing mostly left-handed pitching in a weird platoon with Tony Morales, although his splits are almost negligible.

(ML) C Chris Lancaster, 28 (.300, 0 HR, 0 RBI @ ML; .200, 0 HR, 2 RBI @ AAA) – 0.063 - minimum
Largely forgettable dime-a-dozen AAA backstop that didn’t even get into the lineup with the Alley Cats. Not even shining defensively.

(ML) C Tony Morales, 26 (.264, 14 HR, 58 RBI) – 5.115 – arbitration estimate @ $900k
The best defensive option the Raccoons used in the majors this year, Tony Morales is still rather young for somebody who debuted in ’35. However, while he has somewhat improved his power swing over the years, the 14 homers in ’40 being a career high, he’s virtually always been a .270 hitter (not that that’s a bad thing). Hasn’t been particularly close to an .800 OPS in his career, and whether or not the Raccoons should trade him for something else is an ongoing debate with the bobbleheads on sports talk radio.

(INT) (P#171) C Jose Ortiz, 20
No idea why he’s ranked, to be honest. Looks like a clumsy catcher with a weak arm and not much in the stick to me.

(AAA) C Erik Wheeler, 28 (.198, 2 HR, 24 RBI @ AAA) – 0.076 – minimum
This fair defensive catcher was a waiver claim from the damn Elks a few years back and appeared in one (1) game for the Raccoons in 2038, batting 1-for-3. He appeared in three (3) games for the damn Elks before that, batting 1-for-3. Why isn’t anybody giving this .333 hitter a chance?? Might be that he’s reliably hitting nothing whatsoever in AAA, where he’s made his home for the last five years.

INFIELDERS

(ML) 1B Oliver Anderson, 27 (.261, 2 HR, 24 RBI @ ML; .273, 0 HR, 12 RBI @ AAA) – 1.121 – minimum
Only one of many first baseman that beg the question what the **** we’re actually doing here. Decent defender for a first-sacker, but when has a Gold Glover at first ever won you a title? Hit a paltry .649 OPS with the Critters, displaying a complete lack of power. Doesn’t strike out much at all, but also never walks, and somehow was almost the best we could do at first for the last couple of seasons (barring Maldonado appearances).

(AA) 1B Ricardo Bejarano, 22 (.217, 0 HR, 0 RBI @ AA; .275, 7 HR, 52 RBI @ A)
Cost less than a 2033 Hyunsung electric lawnmower in the 2035 July IFA period, and has become a prototypical first baseman with bad defense and no speed, except for a switch-hitting bat with negligible power. Scouts seem to like him, though.

(ML) 2B Jose Brito, 26 (.346, 3 HR, 21 RBI @ ML; .275, 2 HR, 9 RBI @ AAA) – 0.160 – minimum
Nobody knows quite why Brito hit .346/.377/.492 over 199 PA with the Critters this year, and there was certainly nothing in his prior appearances that prepared us for the experience. A .396 BABIP goes some way to explain the phenomenon, though. At his heart he’s a good-natured singles-slapping second baseman that is also not very mobile and hurts his team with an easily visible lack of range.

(AAA) 2B Arturo Carreno, 21 (.227, 2 HR, 45 RBI @ AAA)
Hot but so far unranked prospect Arturo, a $60k investment in July 2036, broke his elbow just before the minor league season ended, so we’re tempted to find out how that ****** him up for life. Gold Glove level defense (but with a modest arm to keep him from playing short), high contact, great eye, thunderous speed, even a tiny bit of power. ETA is hard to discern, depending on how mending that elbow works out and whether or not the Raccoons go ka-ching on Cosmo Trevino for prospects, but he might well be ready and banging on the door next year.

(ML) INF Jon Caskey, 27 (.231, 3 HR, 8 RBI @ML; .203, 5 HR, 33 RBI @ AAA) – 1.123 – minimum
One of those ho-hum infielders. Caskey’s best defensive position is third base, but he also fills the middle positions adequately well. Too many holes in his swing to get anything out of his bat, though. He was one of a pile of Raccoons to post an OPS around .600 in ’40; .610 to be precise.

(INT) INF Mario Coto, 19
Has gotten some love from the scouts recently and will go to single-A to start the year. Middle infielder with quick but clumsy paws, and a bat that could contain some power under life fire.

(AAA) 1B Art Goetz, 25 (.256, 9 HR, 30 RBI @ AAA; .216, 5 HR, 17 RBI @ AA)
In case you thought we didn’t have any other successless first basemen… This 2036 third-rounder is actually a base stealing machine and has a keen eye. That doesn’t mean he won’t still miss, grossly. Solid power potential has always been on his scouting report and has to show up at any minute now. Any minute now.

(ML) SS Tony Hunter, 28 (.237, 5 HR, 41 RBI) – 2.075 – minimum
Elite level defensive shortstop, quick hindpaws to steal bases, and a season derailed by injuries and a .272 BABIP. Has *some* power, but not enough to overcome bad luck in the OPS column, where he ended up at .670… Definitely a keeper, though, especially at that price.

(ML) UT Matt Kilgallen, 29 (.262, 5 HR, 23 RBI) – 4.008 – arbitration estimate @ $472k
Yes, Kilgallen was on the roster the entire season. Yes, I promise. His only claim to fame is his super utility status, though, and that currently right-handed batters are a bit of a commodity for us. Not even a league-average hitter, though, no matter how hard you squint. Can steal bases, but will kill you with strikeouts in key spots.

(ML) 2B Nick Lando, 25 (.212, 0 HR, 3 RBI @ ML; .186, 0 HR, 4 RBI @ AAA; .220, 0 HR, 2 RBI @ AA) – 0.035 – minimum
See Brito, Jose, who does everything Lando does, about as well. Lando just didn’t get the BABIP luck. His only memorable quality is speed. The third-rounder is power-starved to epic proportions – hitting just seven dingers in over 2,000 professional at-bats.

(AAA) INF Steve Nickas, 27 (.147, 0 HR, 2 RBI @ ML; .262, 0 HR, 21 RBI @ AAA) – 2.006 – minimum
Frequent fill-in Nickas remains an excellent defender with no batting prowess whatsoever.

(ML) 3B Alberto Ramos, 35 (.286, 0 HR, 45 RBI) – 15.041 – 1 year @ $600k
By now a fluffy 255 pounds, Berto is a defensive detriment to his team no matter where you put him, but everybody loves him and he’s here for cheap. Amazingly, he can still build up any sort of speed with that massive *** of his, and stole another 19 bases for 657 total in his career (4th all-time behind Trevino, 64 behind career leader Pablo Sanchez). His bat slaps singles (he has not homered since *2034*), and he also draws his walks, which got him back into the leadoff spot after occasionally meandering at the bottom of the order in recent years. But that was before we ended up with a season’s worth of at-bats from the Oliver Andersons of the world at first base and other positions…

(AA) (P#39) 3B/2B Quadir Randle, 23 (.198, 5 HR, 34 RBI @ AA
For a top 50 prospect, Randle is hitting surprisingly little in Ham Lake. There *was* a .259 BABIP in play, but he *also* struck out 114 times in 409 at-bats this season, raising the alarm about whether we’ll actually ever get anything back from the 2039 trade of Bryce Sparkes to the Caps. Good defender at third base.

(AA) 1B Jason Robinson, 21 (.128, 2 HR, 5 RBI @ AAA; .273, 8 HR, 48 RBI @ AA)
Another third-rounder (2037) with alleged power potential, keen eye and base stealing prowess that only made it to St. Pete at the end because of a rash of injuries in September, and where he promptly broke a paw into a million tiny pieces. Those paws, even when not in a splint, are clumsy and he’s just not a good defender, either. Will start the season in Ham Lake again, for the third straight year.

(ML) 1B Damian Salazar, 25 (.214, 1 HR, 11 RBI @ ML; .314, 10 HR, 32 RBI @ AAA) – 0.091 – minimum
He definitely hit a bit in AAA (for the very first time), but that didn’t translate into anything in the majors but a .533 OPS and almost half a WUR – win under replacement. I only wonder who we’d replace him with. Maud? … Cost only $22k in the July IFA bidding many years ago and is probably best no longer bothered with.

(ML) 2B/3B Enrique Trevino, 33 (.313, 0 HR, 39 RBI) – 14.000 – 2 years @ $7.6M (includes player option)
OBP and base-stealing machine (3rd in career stolen bases, just one sack behind Guillermo Obando and 57 behind Pablo Sanchez), and while he mostly slaps singles he is still a constant threat on the bases and can create havoc in pitcher’s minds. His defense was never exceptional and has continued to slip; he cost the Raccoons three quarters of a win in the field in 2040, which was one quarter of what his stick was worth. Definitely an option to be traded this winter.

(AA) (P#13) INF Matt Waters, 20 (.239, 0 HR, 10 RBI @ AA; .256, 3 HR, 29 RBI @ A)
Part of the Bedrosian trade that might yet work out for us. Might shift to second base eventually where he might be a plus defender rather than a middling shortstop. People also say that in addition to speed and contact he also has strong power potential, but we have to see anything of that yet. In any case, definitely at least two full years away from the majors.

OUTFIELDERS

(ML) LF/RF Bill Balaski, 26 (.274, 6 HR, 30 RBI @ ML; .303, 8 HR, 45 RBI @ AAA) – 0.078 – minimum
Nobody quite saw this second-rounder (2034) coming after languishing in AAA for years without success. Marries pedestrian defense with a somewhat steady stick. Might hit 15 homers in a full season (oh god, please, no). He is a tough strikeout, able to battle pitchers with two strikes for extended periods with a K rate under 10% in 237 at-bats.

(AAA) (P#14) LF/RF Sandy Casaus, 24 (.211, 1 HR, 23 RBI @ AAA; .260, 4 HR, 25 RBI @ AA)
Acquired from the Wolves in the Troy Greenway deal, Casaus played for five different minor league teams (including Aumsville by accident) in 2040, and didn’t pile up more than 170 AB with any of them, making it hard to gauge his actual production. He for sure hit 12 homers for the Wolves’ AA team in ’39, and even better potential is promised in that regard. He’s however also a 24-year-old casual defender that likes to play video games on Gobble rather than studying data for the next day’s starter.

(AAA/40) OF Alex Castro, 30 (.188, 0 HR, 1 RBI @ ML; .237, 5 HR, 36 RBI @ AAA) – 0.063 – minimum
Right-handed batter, plays all outfield positions fairly well, good speed and strong base stealing… just can’t hit a lick. Ever.

(ML) 3B/2B/LF Jay de Wit, 24 (.114, 0 HR, 2 RBI @ ML; .294, 6 HR, 35 RBI @ AAA) – 0.040 – minimum
Aruba’s finest (and first major leaguer in any 40-year-old lady’s life) was one of the major WTF stories of 2040, because he couldn’t hit any baseball thrown by a major league pitcher. Basic contact ability was witnessed in the minors, though, although he’s impatient and probably partially blind, because he literally never walks. Also no speed, and his defense is marginal. How did he even get *45* at-bats??

(ML) OF Manny Fernandez, 31 (.280, 17 HR, 105 RBI) – 7.132 – 4 years @ $10M (last year is a team option)
Won the precious RBI title in the Continental League this season in a year where nobody else seemed wanting to drive any runner in, especially on this team. Well established as an extra-base and base-stealing threat, although he hasn’t come even close to the .326 clip of his MVP season in 2036 ever again. Strong defender on the corners, but habitually parked in leftfield in deference to stronger-armed outfielders being on the team at all times. Definitely in the trade bait discussion.

(ML) LF/CF Jordan Gonzalez, 24 (.286, 1 HR, 4 RBI @ ML; .272, 3 HR, 39 RBI @ AAA; .278, 3 HR, 23 RBI @ AA) – 0.015 – minimum
Arrived late, didn’t do anything that would get him on the Instantly Reprehensible list, either. Defense and speed are there, but in the long run the bat isn’t likely to be more than a singles poker. He, as a sixth-rounder, was stuck in AA since late ’35 for good reasons.

(ML) OF Ed Hooge, 31 (.249, 7 HR, 36 RBI) – 6.010 – free agent
Does everything Manny does, only a bit worse. It was enough for a backup gig on the Critters for most of the 2030s, though. Is included despite impending free agency because we haven’t made up our mind yet, and because he’d be a solid option as a league-average lefty bat (though with stark splits) that can play all three outfield positions reasonably well, and probably even a cheap one.

(ML) UT Jesus Maldonado, 27 (.324, 13 HR, 54 RBI) – 4.134 – 5 years @ $10.4M
Now here’s a baseball player! Never mind the 2037 World Series MVP bow, he *really* broke out offensively in 2040, hitting for an .880 OPS when his previous career-best in a full season had been .744. All the tools are there, although he’s not going to win either a homer or a stolen base title. He might win a Gold Glove at some point if we could finally leave him in ONE position for the year. He has appeared in more than 61 games at any position only twice in his career (which started in ’35), and it’s not for routine crippling injuries. He has logged roundabout 1,000 innings or more (992 at short, but you get the gist) at three different positions already, and in the solid hundreds at two more.

(ML) OF Stephon Nettles, 26 (.305, 0 HR, 23 RBI) – 3.104 – arbitration estimate @ $350k
Had a solid start after coming over from the Blue Sox before suffering a season-ending broken elbow in May, which sucked for everybody involved. Strong defender (including centerfield), base stealer, with a singles bat. He was drafted in 2035 and has *five* professional home runs.

(AA) 2B/LF/CF Ben Southall, 22 (.222, 5 HR, 13 RBI @ AA)
Was injured quite a lot this season; sixth-rounder three years back, great agility with a weak throwing arm, and a shortstop’s bat, which sounds like the perfect mix for a team insisting on playing a 255-pound fuzzball with no lateral movement at third base.

(AA) OF Matt Sowden, 20 (.205, 0 HR, 2 RBI @ AA; .270, 7 HR, 48 RBI @ A)
Third-rounder from the 2038 draft, showed a tiny bit of power this year, but mostly has been striking out. Scouts are loving him for reasons I’ll have to find out. Definitely a strong base stealer, though. If he ever reaches base.

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Are we any wiser now?

Or are we just more depressed?