[Highlander]

Brooklyn Superbas


SP1- Slim Harriss (27)- A 4th round pick who played from 1920-1928, Slim really only had one real good season, but it seems like that’s where his import came from, so he could be a solid guy for them.

SP2- James McDonald (23)- Surprisingly, they took James in the 5th round as his career from 2008-2013 wasn’t all that impressive, but his import coming into his rookie year wasn’t that bad. He’ll be an interesting one to watch to see how he comes out.

SP3- Ed Reulbach (33)- Ed played from 1905-1917 and was a beast in his first number of years. By age 33, he still had some good results, but for a 9th round pick, you might want a guy who wasn’t so close to where he retired. Maybe he’ll squeak out a few extra years though.

SP4- Ervin Santana (26)- Brooklyn really invested in their starting pitching as they took Ervin in the 8th round for their 4th starter. He played from 2005-2021 and had a few solid seasons. His import doesn’t look great, but you never know.

MR- Tom Cheney (24)- Tom went in the 11th round and was a player from 1957-1966. Control is a major issue for Tom, but if he gets that “under control” in his development the next couple of years, he could be pretty solid.

LR- Bob Smith (35)- I’m not sure how many Bob Smiths have played in the majors, but this one played from 1925-1937. He was a 13th rounder who didn’t pitch his first game until age 30, so he may have some time left.

LR- Jacob Lopez (25)- Jacob’s career so far has just been 2023-2024. Brooklyn took him in the 10th round and he does seem to have some potential. Not a bad dart throw.

Reserve- John Bogart (19), Lefty Clarke (25), Chris Ellis (26), Brandon Finnegan (24), Eli Grba (27), Phil Huffman (20), Rick Krivda (26), John McMakin (24), Red Nelson (23), Jay Pettibone (25)

C- Duke Sims (26)- Duke was the #1 pick for Brooklyn, which is interesting since he was mostly a backup in his career from 1964-1974. He isn’t a very good catcher and while he imported with a lot of power and a great eye, he’s not much of a hitter otherwise. Seems like a stretch for a #1 pick, but maybe he will surprise.

1B- Vinny Castilla (30)- A round 3 pick, Vinny had some great years with the Rockies during his 1991-2006 career. His import comes right in the middle of that, but it is unclear how much his power will help in this era. He is unrated at the moment at 1st base, but as a solid 3B and so-so SS, he should do well at 1st.

2B- Alex McCarthy (24)- Alex’s career from 1910-1917 didn’t amount to much, but he was imported at the best time for him. As a 16th rounder, they can’t be looking for too much, but he is a very good defender at 2nd, 3rd and SS.

3B- David Bell (29)- Bell was a 6th round pick who played from 1995-2006. He’s got a solid bat and a great glove. He can also play 2nd very well, so if they ever want to move Castilla to 3rd, Bell could still stick in the lineup.

SS- Todd Cruz (22)- Cruz showed a little power at times, but not much else at the plate in his career that went from 1978-1984. However, he has incredible range at both 3rd and SS. He’ll make some errors, but gets to so many balls, it should make up for it. If he keeps the errors low enough, a Gold Glove could be in his future. Not bad for an 18th rounder!

LF- Al Bumbry (36)- Strangely, they have Al playing LF against righties and CF against lefties…..with another player doing the opposite. Why the change? I guess we will never know! It’s a shame Al is 36 in this import, as he was a very solid player in his career from 1972-1985. He was only a 15th round pick, though, so he’s probably worth that.

CF- Ken Griffey (24)- This is the senior version, but he was a pretty darn good player in the early part of his 1973-1991 career (and he wasn’t too bad the rest of the way!). Brooklyn spent a 2nd round pick on him and he seems a lot better than Sims as the 1st round guy. He will alternate CF and LF with Bumbry. It would be cool if Griffey Jr. gets imported soon and they can either play together or against each other!

RF- George Staller (27)- A 12th round pick who only played for 21 games in 1943, he will get a chance to be a full time player here.

Bench
C- Larry Woodall (33)....Round 30….1920-1929
1B/3B- Rance Pless (30)....Round 21….1956
IF- Tyler Saladino (28)....Round 27….2015-2019
2B/SS- Al Weis (26)....Round 17….1962-1971
IF- Pedro Ciriaco (25)- Round 14….2010-2015…shaky on defense, but great speed and imported as a very good hitter (sans power, but it’s 1901!)
IF- Dave Hansen (26)....Round 7….1990-2005….isn’t set up to get much PT for a 7th rounder and he looks pretty solid
OF- Danny Clyburn (24)....Round 31….1997-1999
OF- Mike Baxter (30)....Round 29….2010-2015
1B/OF- John Bowker (24)....Round 20….2008-2011

Reserve- Mike Costanzo (28), Tim Nordbrook (26), Archie Wilson (27), Hal Anderson (28), Bob DiPietro (23)