[Highlander]

Cleveland Blues

SP1- Reggie Cleveland (21)- While Reggie is aptly named for the team he ended up on, his 1969-1981 career doesn’t really profile as a #1 pitcher. He did have a few good seasons, but again….nothing to suggest he can be a #1 guy. The Blues spent a 4th round pick on him, which is one of the lower SP1 picks I’ve seen, so hopefully their offense will be able to score enough to help what may be a rough staff.

SP2- Shawn Estes (24)- Shawn was a 5th round pick and had a career that ran from 1995-2008. He actually seems like he’d be a better #1 guy, although his control is a little iffy. His season that this import is based on was very good, but he seemed to get worse as his career went on, so we’ll see how he does here.

SP3- Dave Koslo (34)- Dave pitched from 1941-1955 and had some very good years earlier in his career. This import is right at the end, however, so we’ll see if the 9th round pick to get him was worth it. His fragile health status may not help with that.

SP4- Marco Gonzales (28)- Marco has pitched from 2014-present and was an 8th round pick. It ends up that Cleveland did use a top 10 pick on all of their starters, but I still don’t have a good feeling about them. Marco does have good control and doesn’t rely on a lot of Ks, so he could fare well in this era.

MR- Sam Militello (22)- Same was a 23rd round pick whose career ran from 1992-1993. He imports pretty well other than his control, so if he can harness that, he could be much better than that pick. His BABIP is one of the highest I’ve ever seen, so maybe that will help him out.

LR- Jerad Eickhoff (24)- Jerad was an 11th round pick and does have some potential to do well, but based on his 2015-2022 career, it’s not that likely. Lots of question marks on this staff for sure.

LR- Anthony Desclafani (30)- Probably a good idea to carry a 3rd guy with the questions on this staff. Desclafani was a 10th round pick which seems high based on how he was imported. His 2014-2023 career has had ups and downs, so which version we get remains to be seen.

Reserve- Glenn Abbott (30), Dave Bakenhaster (19), Mike Brown (24), Juan Castillo (23), Mark Clear (33), Walt Herrell (22), Bob Malloy (22), Adalberto Mendez (28), Bill Perrin (23), Shawn Sedlacek (24), Eric Skoglund (24), Floyd Stromme (22)

C- Clay Dalrymple (23)- Clay had a career from 1960-1971 and was a 6th round pick. A solid catcher with a good arm and some potential at the plate, he should be a good catcher for a number of years.

1B- Tony Horton (23)- A 3rd round pick, Horton played from 1964-1970. He was only 26 in his final season when he removed himself in the middle of a game and due to the stresses of the game ended up never playing again. His story is not to the level of Lyman Bostock, but definitely another guy you would root for to do well.

2B- It will be a platoon for Cleveland at 2B. From the left side, it will be Sherry Robertson (24) who played from 1940-1952. He was only a 15th round pick, but imported with really good power and a strong eye even though he doesn’t look like much of a power hitter. He can also play 3rd and OF. From the right side, it will be Tony Abreu (28). He is actually a switch hitter who played from 2007-2014. He’s not much of a defender and has no eye at all, but maybe he will live up to his 13th round pick….or maybe not.

3B- John McGraw (30)- The 1st round pick for the Blues, McGraw played from 1891-1907 and is one of the best “on-base” guys ever to play….especially for a guy who didn’t hit HR. The HOFer had a career .465 OBP. He and Honus Wagner are two of the guys who almost made me start this league a little earlier so they could come in younger. Oh yeah, he ended up being a 2500+ win manager too!

SS- Cody Ransom (31)- Cody played from 2001-2013 but only had a couple of seasons where he had more than 100 AB. He was somehow a 12th round pick, though. His defense isn’t great at SS, so he and the 2B duo may struggle for this team up the middle. He did import with good power and a good eye, but his other hitting skills are not great.

LF- Richie Zisk (28)- Zisk had a solid career from 1971-1983 and it’s a bit surprising he was only a 7th round pick. He was a good hitter and solid OFer with good power. He should be a good run producer for this team, especially with McGraw getting on base so much.

CF- Dale Mitchell (25)- A 2nd round pick, Dale played from 1946-1956 and had a really good start to his career. He fell off pretty quickly, though, so hopefully that won’t happen to him here. He probably has a shot at a batting title and makes a strong pair with McGraw at the top of the order.

RF- Damian Rolls (23)- Only a player from 2000-2004, Rolls was a bit of an afterthought on this team as a 27th round pick. He’s a pretty good OFer and can play multiple positions, but his bat may not do much.

Bench
C/1B- Jett Bandy (27)....Round 22….2015-2018
IF/OF- Heinie Mueller (25)....Round 20….1938-1941
IF- Don Zimmer (26)....Round 19….1954-1965
C/3B- Junior Caminero (19)....Round 21….2023-present
3B/SS- Bobby Stevens (24)....Round 24….1931
OF- Larry Bigbie (26)....Round 18….2001-2006
OF- Trayvon Robinson (24)....Round 29….2011-2012
IF/OF- Chris Burke (27)....Round 17….2004-2009
OF- Ray Demmitt (33)....Round 14….1909-1919

Reserve- Paul Powell (27), Monty Fariss (24), Craig Stansberry (26), Pete Elko (25), Emmett McCann (18), Chuck Ward (23), Sherman Obando (27)