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Elendil · 01-28-2008, 07:41 PM

This will be the third year for GM Adrian Aguilar, who took over after former GM Paul Sorenson, who had straightened out the team's finances, was kicked upstairs to the office of team President. The Goldpanners improved each of the last two years, marginally, but their payroll now threatens to balloon again. How will he get it under control?

Major Gains
[*] SP Monzaemon Mihashi, 42, who came over from Chugiak for SS Brett Small in that idiotic trade. What really boggles is the mind is that the Goldpanners re-signed him to a two-year extension at $63K per year! He's still capable of being league average, I'll grant you that, but there's more downside than upside here.
[*] Signed LF Rob Corley to a 1-year, $16,000 deal. The former Miner standout has bounced around from team to team over the previous four years. Now 35, he still boasts an impressive career line of .294/.384/.502. He can provide some insurance in the outfield in case Colin Garrett or Matthew Bartholomew gets hurt.
[*] Signed RF Sloan Pike to a 1-year, $14.5K deal. Pike hit .386 back in 2015, his only full season. He's still just 22. The Yukoners let him go after two straight terrible seasons that saw him shuttled back and forth between Whitehorse and Dawson City. He could be the new right fielder if Bartholomew has to move to the infield, but the Panners have also brought in a slick-fielding terrible-hitting shortstop, Jeff Rowland, who could make the team out of training camp and fill the hole left by Small's departure.

Major Losses
[*] Brett Small.
[*] Traded RF Dave Squires to the Bucs for reliever Bryce Brown. I would not characterize Brown, who had 29 walks and 23 strikeouts last year, as a major gain. Squires, although he sat out most of last year, was a Hitter of the Year candidate in 2016 (.331/.404/.672 with 30 HR in 311 AB) and is still just 27.

2018 Forecast

The Panners did everything they could to get worse over the offseason, but they have such a significant lead over the rest of their division (and Juneau, the only team that could conceivably catch them, did not improve) that they should easily make it back to the ACS to defend their consecutive titles. The acquisition of Mihashi does fortify the team's claim to possess the greatest starting rotation in league history (Cormack, Pond, Mihashi, Deacon, Corbitt). 1st in the Denali.

Juneau used to be a juggernaut, but now they've lost their way. The fan base is still there; they could have made their move this offseason but seem content to stand pat.

Major Gains
[*] Infielder George Robertson, 29, signed a two-year contract worth $72,695 with the Senators. Robertson has been a steady but not outstanding force at the plate. He has logged most of his innings at shortstop, but he is not a very good fielder. Last year he hit .256/.318/.380 with Mat-Su, his worst season to date. Normally he is a quite reliable OBP man with some pretty decent speed. Thirty-eight-year-old second baseman Ralph Collette, who has spent his entire career with Juneau, could end up being the odd man out with Robertson's arrival.

Major Losses

None.

2018 Forecast

The team has gotten a little older, of course, but they still possess one of the best lineups in the league, top to bottom: C Corson, 1B-2B Randolph, 2B Collette, 3B Bedford, SS-1B-2B Matkin, LF T. Okawa, CF Theriault, and RF Suto. The rotation is really long in the tooth, with Northeast and Taggart leading the way. Arrington is their lights-out closer. Prediction: 2nd in the Denali.

Now is the year for the Grizzlies to take revenge on Fairbanks. Will they beef up their roster or spoil the chance?

Major Gains
[*] Number one Alaskan prospect Vincent McGrath will be playing catcher next year. Scouts are slavering at the opportunity to see him in action. Not much of an arm, but he hit .342/.407/.474 in the Training League last year.
[*] Reliever Jason Hilton was acquired from Chugiak for previous starting catcher, Karl Morrisey. The Grizzlies really laid an egg on this one. Morrisey will be in the second-to-last year of his contract but is also a great hitter and just hitting his prime. Surely they could have gotten more for him. Hilton, 37, used to be great but is clearly in decline. Terrible deal for Kodiak.
[*] Signed SS Wilfred McRae to a 2-year deal worth a total of $73.5K. McRae is just 23 and hit .296/.349/.395 with Bethel last year, not bad for a shortstop. He's not much of a fielder, but he's still a solid pickup for this club, replacing Stan Smart, who was lost to Whitehorse via trade.
[*] Acquired a solid backup 1B-2B in 24-year-old Mike Melton (.270/.320/.407, 16-10 SB-CS last year) from Whitehorse for 3B-SS Stan Smart (.299/.377/.505 last year). Kodiak also gets reliever Calvin Turley, 21 years of age (3.07 ERA last year). The move gives the Grizzlies a bit more salary room, but it's hard to say that it made them a better team.

Major Losses
[*] Karl Morrisey.
[*] Stan Smart.
[*] SP Tim Myers was released at the end of training camp. The Grizzlies had to eat nearly $50,000 of his salary. Myers, 25, has never lived up to his former potential and was not able to make the rotation coming out of training camp. He would sign with North Pole at league minimum.

2018 Forecast

This was a rough offseason for the Grizzlies. I think they might have had a marginally better time of it than Fairbanks, but they are also facing a tougher division. Nevertheless, they have a very solid top four in the rotation (Henry, Lockwood, Poor, Murdock), an excellent closer (Boutillier), and a solid lineup (C McGrath, 1B Meehan, 2B Navarro, 3B Seguin, SS McRae, CF Bolduc, RF Samson). Prediction: 1st in the Seward once again.

The Miners continue their long rebuild. A successful offseason means keeping salary in check and perhaps picking up someone potentially useful off the trash heap.

Major Gains
[*] Acquired 25-year-old catcher John Cashmann from the Bucs for 32-year-old reliever Kokei Memoto. This is basically a salary dump for the Bucs, who had signed Cashmann to an ill-advised three-year deal. Cashmann did hit .315/.354/.370 last year in a platoon, but is no longer expected to be a star (he was an All-Star in 2014 and 2015). But it plugs a gaping hole for Mat-Su.
[*] Acquired 22-year-old SP Ed Bertrand from Sitka for 26-year-old lefty reliever Julien LeClerc. Neither player is much better than replacement level, but it's a big deal by the Miners' standards these days. Bertrand will join the rotation.

Major Losses
[*] SS George Robertson signed with Juneau, as mentioned above, a pretty significant loss.
[*] LF John Horswill signed with North Pole. Horswill, the former Chugiak standout, hit .254/.333/.455 last year in a platoon and is now 36.
[*] Relievers Memoto and LeClerc.

2018 Forecast

The Miners should remain mired in obscurity. The only two above-league-average position players they can boast are 3B Beach and CF Payne. Their pitching staff is godawful. The good news? They could get a #1 overall pick in 2019. Prediction: 6th in the Denali.

01-28-2008, 07:41 PM	#202
Elendil Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the dynasty forum Posts: 2,318	2018 previews (cont.) This will be the third year for GM Adrian Aguilar, who took over after former GM Paul Sorenson, who had straightened out the team's finances, was kicked upstairs to the office of team President. The Goldpanners improved each of the last two years, marginally, but their payroll now threatens to balloon again. How will he get it under control? Major Gains [] SP Monzaemon Mihashi, 42, who came over from Chugiak for SS Brett Small in that idiotic trade. What really boggles is the mind is that the Goldpanners re-signed him to a two-year extension at $63K per year! He's still capable of being league average, I'll grant you that, but there's more downside than upside here. [] Signed LF Rob Corley to a 1-year, $16,000 deal. The former Miner standout has bounced around from team to team over the previous four years. Now 35, he still boasts an impressive career line of .294/.384/.502. He can provide some insurance in the outfield in case Colin Garrett or Matthew Bartholomew gets hurt. [] Signed RF Sloan Pike to a 1-year, $14.5K deal. Pike hit .386 back in 2015, his only full season. He's still just 22. The Yukoners let him go after two straight terrible seasons that saw him shuttled back and forth between Whitehorse and Dawson City. He could be the new right fielder if Bartholomew has to move to the infield, but the Panners have also brought in a slick-fielding terrible-hitting shortstop, Jeff Rowland, who could make the team out of training camp and fill the hole left by Small's departure. Major Losses [] Brett Small. [] Traded RF Dave Squires to the Bucs for reliever Bryce Brown. I would not characterize Brown, who had 29 walks and 23 strikeouts last year, as a major gain. Squires, although he sat out most of last year, was a Hitter of the Year candidate in 2016 (.331/.404/.672 with 30 HR in 311 AB) and is still just 27. 2018 Forecast The Panners did everything they could to get worse over the offseason, but they have such a significant lead over the rest of their division (and Juneau, the only team that could conceivably catch them, did not improve) that they should easily make it back to the ACS to defend their consecutive titles. The acquisition of Mihashi does fortify the team's claim to possess the greatest starting rotation in league history (Cormack, Pond, Mihashi, Deacon, Corbitt). 1st in the Denali. Juneau used to be a juggernaut, but now they've lost their way. The fan base is still there; they could have made their move this offseason but seem content to stand pat. Major Gains [] Infielder George Robertson, 29, signed a two-year contract worth $72,695 with the Senators. Robertson has been a steady but not outstanding force at the plate. He has logged most of his innings at shortstop, but he is not a very good fielder. Last year he hit .256/.318/.380 with Mat-Su, his worst season to date. Normally he is a quite reliable OBP man with some pretty decent speed. Thirty-eight-year-old second baseman Ralph Collette, who has spent his entire career with Juneau, could end up being the odd man out with Robertson's arrival. Major Losses None. 2018 Forecast The team has gotten a little older, of course, but they still possess one of the best lineups in the league, top to bottom: C Corson, 1B-2B Randolph, 2B Collette, 3B Bedford, SS-1B-2B Matkin, LF T. Okawa, CF Theriault, and RF Suto. The rotation is really long in the tooth, with Northeast and Taggart leading the way. Arrington is their lights-out closer. Prediction: 2nd in the Denali. Now is the year for the Grizzlies to take revenge on Fairbanks. Will they beef up their roster or spoil the chance? Major Gains [] Number one Alaskan prospect Vincent McGrath will be playing catcher next year. Scouts are slavering at the opportunity to see him in action. Not much of an arm, but he hit .342/.407/.474 in the Training League last year. [] Reliever Jason Hilton was acquired from Chugiak for previous starting catcher, Karl Morrisey. The Grizzlies really laid an egg on this one. Morrisey will be in the second-to-last year of his contract but is also a great hitter and just hitting his prime. Surely they could have gotten more for him. Hilton, 37, used to be great but is clearly in decline. Terrible deal for Kodiak. [] Signed SS Wilfred McRae to a 2-year deal worth a total of $73.5K. McRae is just 23 and hit .296/.349/.395 with Bethel last year, not bad for a shortstop. He's not much of a fielder, but he's still a solid pickup for this club, replacing Stan Smart, who was lost to Whitehorse via trade. [] Acquired a solid backup 1B-2B in 24-year-old Mike Melton (.270/.320/.407, 16-10 SB-CS last year) from Whitehorse for 3B-SS Stan Smart (.299/.377/.505 last year). Kodiak also gets reliever Calvin Turley, 21 years of age (3.07 ERA last year). The move gives the Grizzlies a bit more salary room, but it's hard to say that it made them a better team. Major Losses [] Karl Morrisey. [] Stan Smart. [] SP Tim Myers was released at the end of training camp. The Grizzlies had to eat nearly $50,000 of his salary. Myers, 25, has never lived up to his former potential and was not able to make the rotation coming out of training camp. He would sign with North Pole at league minimum. 2018 Forecast This was a rough offseason for the Grizzlies. I think they might have had a marginally better time of it than Fairbanks, but they are also facing a tougher division. Nevertheless, they have a very solid top four in the rotation (Henry, Lockwood, Poor, Murdock), an excellent closer (Boutillier), and a solid lineup (C McGrath, 1B Meehan, 2B Navarro, 3B Seguin, SS McRae, CF Bolduc, RF Samson). Prediction: 1st in the Seward once again. The Miners continue their long rebuild. A successful offseason means keeping salary in check and perhaps picking up someone potentially useful off the trash heap. Major Gains [] Acquired 25-year-old catcher John Cashmann from the Bucs for 32-year-old reliever Kokei Memoto. This is basically a salary dump for the Bucs, who had signed Cashmann to an ill-advised three-year deal. Cashmann did hit .315/.354/.370 last year in a platoon, but is no longer expected to be a star (he was an All-Star in 2014 and 2015). But it plugs a gaping hole for Mat-Su. [] Acquired 22-year-old SP Ed Bertrand from Sitka for 26-year-old lefty reliever Julien LeClerc. Neither player is much better than replacement level, but it's a big deal by the Miners' standards these days. Bertrand will join the rotation. Major Losses [] SS George Robertson signed with Juneau, as mentioned above, a pretty significant loss. [] LF John Horswill signed with North Pole. Horswill, the former Chugiak standout, hit .254/.333/.455 last year in a platoon and is now 36. [] Relievers Memoto and LeClerc. 2018 Forecast The Miners should remain mired in obscurity. The only two above-league-average position players they can boast are 3B Beach and CF Payne. Their pitching staff is godawful. The good news? They could get a #1 overall pick in 2019. Prediction: 6th in the Denali. Last edited by Elendil; 05-15-2019 at 09:55 PM.