[Westheim]

Maud, I know that it will get worse before it can get better, but do you have to put away the big boy food bowls already?? – I don’t want my bucket of ice cream in the XL sized bowls, they are too small…!! – We can’t afford buckets of ice cream anymore???

Fine, I’ll look at the roster with horror in my eyes while only suckling on a bottle of Capt’n Coma…

Keeping in mind the upcoming departures, the Raccoons were left with six starting pitchers on the extended roster (Alba, Crowley, Fox, Nakayama, Sanchez, Walla), all in various states of dissolution. The rest of the staff looked even worse with the upcoming culling. The only established relievers signed for next year were Dover, Garvey, and Mello; that would leave ample room to keep the youngster Carrington around (I was just pretending Closing Day didn’t happen), and also Baca (who would be 27 in April and was far beyond prospect age). Behind that we were already down to serial do-no-goods that constantly kept getting waived and never claimed, with three more right-handers, Nesbitt, Read, and Soriano.

And I keep harping about how there’s nothing of redeemable value left on that AAA roster, and yet they somehow won the championship down there… I don’t know, I … (looks upwards to the baseball gods and shouts) Make it make sense, goddamnit!!!

A word on AAA pitching; virtually everybody on that roster that hadn’t been clawed up in September finished the season not with an ERA, but a FIP over four and terrible BB/9 numbers. Among starters you could not do better than Cody Childress, the 2062 second-rounder, who posted a 3.89 FIP, but went 6-10 with a 5.11 ERA. Relievers weren’t any better. Anyone remember Paul Barton? (shivers) I am excepting Tony Gaytan from criticism here, since he was only promoted to AAA in September and went 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA (but still walked 22 batters in 34 innings). Gaytan had gone from being picked off the street in the Dominican Republic to a prospect just outside the top 200 in the league last year, but our alleged knowledgeheads over there claimed that he’d be well into the top 200 and likely 100 for 2066. Gaytan, a right-hander, was 22 years old right now and mixed a grounder-inducing sinker with serviceable fastballs and curves. There was also a changeup, but that one was more of a distraction. With how things were going with everybody else down there, Gaytan looked like the best candidate for promotion to the major in any other circumstance than desperation down the road.

For position players, Marcos Arellano looked like becoming a poor man’s primary catcher again, with nothing but Guinea left on the extended roster for backup. The Raccoons would still be stuck with two first baseman that didn’t platoon well in Starr and Vargas. Monck and Novelo would be starting middle infielders, with Vic Morales butchering things at the hot corner. Gardner and Bonner were the only backup left on the extended roster. In the outfield it was still agony. Spicer had won the stolen base title and had hit .282 while killing the Coons to the tune of -1.4 WAR mostly on defense. We had a whole bunch more left-handed corner outfielders slash misfits with Bentley, Colter, and Corral, then another lefty hitter, Matas, as the only competent centerfielder. Finally, Tallent as a super utility that was getting way too many at-bats for anybody’s good.

As has been the case for about five years running now, the team could do with a near-complete new bullpen, and the accumulation of left-handed outfielders with questionable glove skills was becoming a real problem; also what the **** was going on with Corral?? The Raccoons would need at least one right-handed hitting outfielder besides Tallent, and better two.

Marquise Early had hit .340 in AAA in limited exposure (there was also a bit of injury time for him), but went 2-for-21 in a cup of coffee in Portland. He was surely in the mix, especially for a team sliding back into Poverty Row. Technically there was also Marco Campos, but we had ridden that pony to death in prior seasons with absolutely mixed results and had just gotten him through waivers *again*.

Another interesting prospect was infielder Josh Mireles, a highly skilled gloveman (although perhaps best used at second base with a *good*, but not *great* throwing arm), who had made his pro debut just 13 months ago for the Beagles and rose through the ranks to AAA all in his age 19/20 season. He had hit .361/.434/.544 in 41 games with the Alley Cats, although power didn’t even seem to be his strongest suit. He was also not a speed demon, but I’d love myself a strong defender on the infield with a balanced bat in any case should we have to part with Rich Monck in the foreseeable future. Mireles, who would turn 21 at the end of May, had been signed for $100k in the 2061 July IFA period.

Also, hah! Wasn’t it great to blow millions on international free agents this summer!? Yes, we’re banned from any spendy signings in 2066, but it’s not like we would have had dosh for big offers anyway. Tah!

(tries to bury his head in a depressingly small bowl of fudge)

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October 30 – The Crusaders send OF Alex Romero (.274, 33 HR, 204 RBI) to the Pacifics for 1B/RF/LF Jared Allen (.281, 45 HR, 236 RBI) and #89 prospect SP Nick Ellis.
November 4 – Persisting shoulder inflammation forces 28-year-old Knights SP Johnny Doolin into retirement. Doolin made just two starts for the Knights after being acquired in trade from the Canadiens in 2065 before his shoulder came apart. For his career, Doolin pitched to a 44-55 record and 3.97 ERA.

+++

The Raccoons signed all the arbitration cases in early November. Jeremy Garvey got $900k, Kody Mello got $850k, Jose Corral got $750k, and it was all a bit dull on that end.

The interesting ones were Marcos Arellano, who was signed to a 3-year, $3M contract buying out his remaining arbitration seasons and one year of free agency, which Maud now had to sell to the fans as a big W for the franchise – pray for her soul – while Angel Alba was gnarly about the negotiations and only reluctantly signed a $1.24M deal for ’66.

As the salary arbitration and free agency deadlines passed, the Raccoons were then left with 30 players on the extended roster, although in real terms Cruz Madrid would miss the entire final year on his contract with the busted elbow and there were really just 29 players to worry about.

There were also some early talks in mid-November, and surprisingly enough we got offers from the Titans and Knights when we dangled Jeff Crowley’s dead contract – albeit only for huge contracts in return. Bigger contracts, in fact, like the $16.8M over three years left on SS Casey Ramsey’s contract – who was a fine defensive shortstop (though 31) and a persistent above-average hitter and would not be the worst addition to a team trying to compete in the foreseeable future, but not the right fit for the Coons right now.

The Titans offered Bill Joyner, who was about to hit 37 and was due $6.9M each of the next two seasons, which no amount of hitting for an .800+ OPS could fix given our financial situation … and the fact that we already had two strictly-first basemen on the roster and should instead be thinking of moving Malcolm Spicer there.

Which wasn’t a great start to the offseason, having to eat Crowley’s contract. I’d much rather eat a bucket of ice cream. (makes big black googly eyes at Maud)

Rats.

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2065 ABL AWARDS

Players of the Year: DAL CF Tyler Wharton (.353, 34 HR, 125 RBI) and BOS LF/CF Eddie Marcotte (.285, 30 HR, 105 RBI)
Pitchers of the Year: DAL Ray Walker (19-8, 2.76 ERA) and BOS SP Jason Brenize (18-7, 2.36 ERA)
Rookies of the Year: SFW OF Adam Campbell (.278, 12 HR, 64 RBI) and IND LF/RF/1B Justin Dowsey (.263, 28 HR, 96 RBI)
Relievers of the Year: DAL CL Alex Quevedo (8-5, 2.52 ERA, 27 SV) and NYC CL Ricardo Montoya (7-3, 0.87 ERA, 43 SV)
Platinum Sticks (FL): P SAC Phil Nelson – C SAC Nate Danis – 1B SFW Miguel Medina – 2B WAS Angelo Flores – 3B TOP Alex de los Santos – SS NAS Wil Mejia – LF DAL Chad Pritchett – CF DAL Tyler Wharton – RF NAS Austin Gordon
Platinum Sticks (CL): P NYC Jerry Washington – C BOS Jorge Arviso – 1B OCT Ian Stone – 2B MIL Fidel Carrera – 3B LVA Alex Alfaro – SS CHA Trent Taylor – LF IND Justin Dowsey – CF BOS Eddie Marcotte – RF MIL Carlos Dominguez
Gold Gloves (FL): P DAL Alan Deakin – C RIC Justin Aguilar – 1B PIT Jose Campos – 2B CIN Jordan Hernandez – 3B TOP Alex de los Santos – SS PIT Edgar Gonzales – LF SFW Danny Perez – CF DAL Tyler Wharton – RF SFW Mario Asencio
Gold Gloves (CL): P TIJ Edgar Mauricio – C LVA Alex Gomez – 1B IND Danny Starwalt – 2B MIL Fidel Carrera – 3B VAN Steven Spalding – SS CHA Trent Taylor – LF MIL Scott Franks – CF NYC Bryant Box – RF ATL Jake Evans

Not even a former Raccoon to take anything home here…!

Malcolm Spicer unsurprisingly got no love in the Rookie of the Year voting.