[mjj55409]

Everyone always says this, but I'm pretty happy with our expansion draft selections. Here is an overview of the current state of the Montreal roster:

(Ages in parentheses).

Catcher: Tommy Murray (26), Dave Adlesh (25), George Lott (24)

A young group with relatively no experience (Adlesh is 0-8 at the major league level). I think we'll be looking for a veteran to add to our catchers.

First base: Dick Nen (29), Bobby Tolan (22), Dennis Brayer (23)

Nen is the presumptive starter. A part timer for Los Angeles, he has some speed and good eye at the plate. .291/.381/.425 in 498 games at AAA. Tolan can also play some RF. Brayer hasn't played above A ball.

Second base: Jim Lefebvre (26)

Jim was one of our primary targets and we are glad we landed him. A decent glove and a good bat, he had a down year in 1968 for the Dodgers (.210/.253/.325). He had a 25 HR season in 1967.

Third base: Deron Johnson (30)

Johnson can play all over the field and has good power. He just has not been able to crack a strong Cincinnati lineup. Has been averaging double-digit HRs as a backup.

Short stop: Gene Alley (28)

Gene brings a very good glove to any of the infield positions. 2 years removed from a starting role in Pittsburgh.

Left field: Jesus Alou (26), Matty Alou (29)

Andrew Torrence was selected as the left fielder, but he was immediately sent back to Houston in exchange for 22 year-old pitching prospect Paul Splittorff. The Alou brothers have both had part time roles with San Francisco for the past few seasons. They profile similarly--good plate discipline, speed, defense. Jesus has a potentially better bat with regular playing time.

Centre field: Curt Flood (30), James Salyards (27)

A warm, comfortable shirt that I'm bringing with me from St. Louis. I value defense highly. If Curt can stay healthy, he will be fixture for us in CF and at the top of the lineup. Salyards can play all over the field and also brings plenty of speed to the table.

Right field: Joe Pepitone (28), Rocky Colavito (35)

Pepitone was another victim of the strong Cincinnati lineup. He has 106 career HRs and has been a part of two World Series winners (1964 with the Yankees and 1966 with the Reds). Rocky's legs are betraying him with age, but he'll provide a strong bench bat.

Pitchers

It's the pitching I'm the most worried about at the moment. The most experienced starters we picked up were Al Downing (77-36 over an eight year career, including 22-6 for the Yankees in 1965), Tony Cloninger (71-56 over the past eight seasons for the Braves), and Joe Moeller (89-63 for LA over the past seven seasons, including 18-3 in 1964).

Wade Blasingame is a 24 year-old with 38 starts for the Braves over the past four seasons.

Donald Hagen is a 26 year-old with a single start for the Cardinals in 1968.

We are hoping Blasingame and Hagen can step up and give us some innings in 1969. But we will also be looking for ways to add more pitching over the Winter (like the above mentioned trade for Splittorff).