[woodfeld]

1943 Season Preview
Michigan League
North Division

Iron Mountain Miners
Predicted finish in division – 2^nd
Minor League system ranking – 14^th (out of 16)
The Miners weren’t too thrilled with how they finished the 1942 season, so some offseason changes were needed. After trading star LF Elroy Graves to Ann Arbor for RHP George Price last year, they sent Price to Youngstown to pick up the young, powerful LF Pablo Portio. Portio is younger, more powerful (61 HR the past 2 seasons) and plays better defense than Graves, so this looks like an upgrade on paper. When they obtained disappointing veteran CF Ryan Baldwin from Lansing last year, they hoped a change of scenery would help. It has as Baldwin looks to be a veteran leader and upgrade over CF Cullan McHugo, who has not bounced back from injury problems. Meanwhile, RHP Carlton Wunderlich continues to blossom into one of the best pitchers in the game. “He has quietly become a dominant ace. If he wins 20 this year, like he can, I don’t think it’ll be quiet any longer,” one ML scout said. RHP Amor Rainez and RHP Edgar Guzman will look to provide solid support for Wunderlich in the staff. The Achilles Heel of this team last year was their awful bullpen. They turn to some youngsters to provide relief this year. 6’7” RHP Josh Garneys will take over as closer and he has the makeup to be good. He’ll have help in 5’9” RHP Jarred Taylor as his excellent setup man.
Best Hitter – LF Pablo Portio (12 Contact, 20 Gap, 17 Power, 12 Eye, 10 Avoiding K’s)
Best Pitcher – RHP Carlton Wunderlich (16 Stuff, 14 Movement, 15 Control)
Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA 3B Clement Magennis, 22 Years Old. Potential – (9 Contact, 9 Gap, 13 Power, 12 Eye, 4 Avoiding K’s) Magennis improved after a full season in AAA Marquette last year but still struggled with making good contact (.225 BA) but the good news is that current Miner 3B Garland Huggler struggled mightily last year (.237, .273 OBP) and thus Magennis should have a shot at the job sometime this season.
Turn back the clock – 1941 Top Prospect Update – 1B Greg Huber – Huber is now in his 2^nd full season with the big club and could be the most powerful hitter when he is in the lineup. 1B Teo Mendievel is blocking him from playing every day, but Huber is the first pinch hitter used and could be trade bait as he is a 30-40 HR hitter waiting to be unleashed.


Mackinac Trolleys
Predicted finish in division – 1^st
Minor League system ranking – 6^th (out of 16)
The defending ML North champs finally put it all together and while the playoffs were a disappointment, this organization looks to have a bright future. The lineup is littered with good hitters, though there is a power deficiency. Superstar 2B Mike Helmick returns from an injury plagued 1942 and C Boswell Seppings couldn’t have had a more fabulous rookie year. Having these two potential .330 hitters in their lineup will lead to plenty of opportunities for LF Vasco Ayala and RF Barden Arbuthnott to knock them in. They also have a Gold Glove left side of the infield in SS Phil High and 3B Troy Rub. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to anoint them a dynasty in that ML North yet, but they are certainly the favorites,” said one ML GM. The pitching staff will once again rely on young phenom RHP Timothy Hart. He’ll have some help with veteran LHP Zachariah LaFlamme, LHP Raul Barroca and LHP Jeffrey Smith. “LaFlamme still has it. He can still be dominant even at his age (37 years old),” the Mackinac newspaper preview said. A very strong bullpen featuring closer RHP Roald Plume, LHP Eric Cowing and rising star RHP Oleg Pilkington will make sure the Trolleys don’t blow many leads. This is a very solidly built team with very few holes that will be in contention all year long.
Best Hitter – C Boswell Seppings (19 Contact, 14 Gap, 12 Power, 17 Eye, 15 Avoiding K’s)
Best Pitcher – RHP Timothy Hart (16 Stuff, 12 Movement, 14 Control)
Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA RF Archard Potter, 22 Years Old. Potential – (10 Contact, 13 Gap, 8 Power, 13 Eye, 8 Avoiding K’s) Potter doesn’t appear to be anything more than a decent bat off the bench or a defensive sub. His selection as the best prospect has more to do with the fact that the big club has 4 prospects playing with the Trolleys already (C Seppings, CF Ulises Bamboa, 1B Lucio Depasopil, 3B Rub).
Turn back the clock – 1941 Top Prospect Update – CF Ulises Bamboa – One of the reasons the Trolleys traded CF Jon Koepke last year was because of the immense talent Bamboa has. He is the best defensive center fielder in the game, runs the bases well and has the potential to be a good hitter. He hasn’t really put it all together at the plate yet, but having young CF Gill Moriarty battle him for playing time may not be the greatest idea for this Trolleys team.


Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers
Predicted finish in division – 3^rd
Minor League system ranking – 8^th (out of 16)
The White Lakers will continue to be a threat in a tight ML North race this season. After they picked up 3B Jim Trent last year, 3B Miguel Infante became expendable but they couldn’t find a home for him. This turned out to be good fortune for the White Lakers as Trent ended up getting hurt and missing half the season. They did find a taker for him this offseason though, sending him to Dayton for veteran RHP Anker Woodruff. Woodruff will join a staff that is in dire need of some help. LHP Jonathan Crew (20-10, 3.03 ERA) had a fabulous year last year but he exceeded expectations and could take a step back this season (a career 1.39 WHIP). The bullpen is one of the best in the biz though as closer LHP Seth Gabriel, LHP Tino Limon, and RHP Luis Chavez all have dominating stuff. “Seth has unreal ability. I really look for him to take a huge step forward in his development this year,” manager Derek Taylor said. The lineup still features the best player in the ML, RF Vernon Wareham, and his partner in crime LF Jesus Ortiz. After picking up CF Sawyl Mitchum and CF Rowan Howard from Kalamazoo last year, this became the best outfield in the majors. The problem is that there is very little help in the rest of the lineup.
Best Hitter – RF Vernon ‘Clueless’ Wareham (17 Contact, 16 Gap, 19 Power, 15 Eye, 11 Avoiding K’s)
Best Pitcher – Closer LHP Seth ‘Hack’ Gabriel (20 Stuff, 13 Movement, 19 Control)
Best Prospect not in the majors – A SS Todd Walker, 19 Years Old. Potential – (13 Contact, 14 Gap, 13 Power, 5 Eye, 15 Avoiding K’s) While he has struggled to adjust to pro ball, Walker is the shortstop of the future for the White Lakers. In addition to having an excellent bat, he is a top notch defensive player. The White Lakers would like for him to develop as quickly as possible but it should still be a year or two before he can realistically make a difference.
Turn back the clock – 1941 Top Prospect Update – RF Ben Myers – Currently patrolling left field for the Black Irons, this future superstar was inexplicably waived last year and subsequently picked up by Youngstown. I know the White Laker outfield was crowded but this was more than a head scratcher (possibly a bug as it happened with RHP David Massiter as well). Myers is a 5-tool player and will be a fan favorite for years to come.


Traverse City Cherries
Predicted finish in division – 4^th
Minor League system ranking – 3^rd (out of 16)
While I fully expect this Cherry team to be competitive, they are most definitely a step behind the other three teams in this division. They are a young, exciting and up and coming team no doubt though. It could have been an even rosier future if they hadn’t traded star prospect C Jordy Sankey for a guy that’s currently sitting in AAA Big Rapids, 3B Jon McCord. Maybe trying to make up for that mistake, they went out and picked up 27-year old C Walsh Wrangham from Ann Arbor for 1B Jhon Sarceda. This freed up room for 1B Miguel Bonola, who had dominated in AAA for two straight seasons. The real strength of this lineup though will be in the outfield with young star RF Howard Cole, CF Dave Batt and former 6^th round pick LF Marshall ‘Icon’ Moore. Time is running out for the 33 year old Batt, who may fetch a young superstar if he’s traded now. “I can’t say what’s going to happen, but I know I enjoy playing here and we’ve got a good young team. I’ve been rumored to go every season, but it hasn’t happened, so I’m just going to continue to try and get this team into the playoffs,” Batt said in spring training. The pitching staff is mish-mash of cast offs from other teams, but the Cherries made a smart move reacquiring RHP Jonathan Emmons after trading him in 1941. The rest of the staff is questionable at best. Fan favorite closer RHP Moshe Vyse retired in the offseason leaving a gaping hole in otherwise decent bullpen. LHP Hayato Kanesaka inherits the role of closer and could have a tough time with it.
Best Hitter – CF Dave Batt (17 Contact, 8 Gap, 17 Power, 8 Eye, 19 Avoiding K’s)
Best Pitcher – RHP Jonathan Emmons (11 Stuff, 12 Movement, 12 Control)
Best Prospect not in the majors – AA LHP Pancho Vargas, 20 Years Old. Potential – (11 Stuff, 15 Movement, 12 Control) For the third year in a row, Vargas is the top prospect in the Cherries organization. He played well in the four games he played in AA Ludington last year (2-1, 4.18 ERA) and could get moved up to AAA at some point this season. The fans eagerly await the tall, lanky lefty from Alabama.
Turn back the clock – 1941 Top Prospect Update – LHP Pancho Vargas – See above. Vargas has performed well at every step and could be the ace the Cherries have been waiting for.