[Westheim]

2025 PORTLAND RACCOONS – Opening Day Roster (first set in parenthesis shows 2024 numbers, second set career numbers; players with an * are off season acquisitions):

SP Mark Roberts, 30, B:L, T:L (11-9, 3.33 ERA | 57-51, 3.16 ERA) – like most players, his first half was much better than his second half in 2024, his first season in Portland. He still ended up leading the league in WHIP with a rather high 1.13 mark, while simultaneously conceding the most bombs in the Continental League. He might not continue Nick Brown’s legacy as left-handed litter leader, but if he were to put up Kisho Saito numbers, I would not be mad, either.
SP Rico Gutierrez, 25, B:L, T:L (16-8, 2.93 ERA | 34-30, 3.42 ERA) – held a share for the league lead in wins in '24 as he overcame his 2023 sophomore swoon while keeping walks and home runs down. Has decent control while keeping batters alert with a move-happy 96mph heater.
SP Jack Sander, 29, B:R, T:R (9-10, 4.09 ERA | 15-23, 5.08 ERA, 2 SV) – claimed off waivers by the Cyclones in June in a desperate moment, Sander never exactly sparkled, but managed to keep the team in games and put up a very serviceable 3.64 ERA with the Critters. We hope for more of that.
SP Graham Wasserman *, 34, B:R, T:R (8-8, 4.47 ERA | 100-93, 3.79 ERA) – a Coon reborn 11 years after his desolate debut (14.21 ERA in '14), Wasserman rejoined the team as a free agent on a $1M deal. If he keeps his arm attached and stays close to a 4 ERA, we probably have already won...
SP Jesus Chavez, 27, B:R, T:R (7-16, 4.40 ERA | 23-38, 4.10 ERA) – strikeouts remain low and the ERA remains high for Chavez, who would have been strafed even worse in 2024 if not for the exceptional defense (.274 BABIP) behind him. Has not lived up to the hopes of developing into a frontline starter, and never will.

MR Ricky Ohl *, 26, B:R, T:R (1-1, 4.86 ERA, 1 SV | 1-1, 4.86 ERA, 1 SV) – sophomore that was acquired from the Capitals with some great potential, but also some control issues, like most of our right-handed relievers.
MR Justin Hess *, 34, B:L, T:L (2-1, 3.35 ERA | 46-31, 3.37 ERA, 102 SV) – former Scorpion that was signed as a free agent to cope with the run-of-the-mill left-handed relief requirements.
MR Jimmy Lee, 32, B:R, T:R (3-2, 3.80 ERA, 1 SV | 51-50, 3.47 ERA, 20 SV) – a former starter with only two working pitches, Lee held his ground in the first year of a 2-year deal signed prior to the 2023 season and we hope for more decent relief in a seventh-inning role this season.
MR Kevin Surginer, 25, B:R, T:R (3-2, 3.63 ERA, 1 SV | 8-5, 3.31 ERA, 2 SV) – very solid and mostly reliable reliever that through no fault of his own was sent to St. Pete in the middle of last season because there was no room on the roster anymore. He struggled, mostly with confidence in himself, in AAA and was not fully back to normal even when he was recalled in September. Kid needs some pep talks from the veterans, but otherwise is adjudged to be good to go!
MR Billy Brotman, 26, B:L, T:L (3-3, 1.82 ERA, 4 SV | 4-6, 2.77 ERA, 5 SV) – after a nerve-wrecking 2023 season where he walked six per nine innings, Billy cut down on the walks (4.2/9 in '24), but struck out 11.2 per nine innings to become a valuable killer southpaw.
SU Vince Devereaux, 26, B:R, T:R (6-2, 4.70 ERA, 3 SV | 18-13, 3.87 ERA, 8 SV) – nasty curveball in combination to 97mph heat and makes hitters fear for their lives… because sometimes pitches could end up in the general region of their head. The stats in terms of ERA are somewhat lying about him. For some reason, he has never enjoyed much defensive support, although in 2024 he also surrendered a career-high eight home runs for some damage only attributable to himself.
CL Jonathan Snyder, 25, B:L, T:R (4-3, 2.36 ERA, 25 SV | 12-4, 2.86 ERA, 25 SV) – picked up in our delusional July trading spree in a deal with the Gold Sox, Snyder was not flawless down the road, but is a major asset due to striking out 10.8 per nine innings and avoiding the long ball. He was actually somewhat betrayed by our defense in 2024, especially when compared to the Gold Sox, explaining why he added nearly a full run compared to his Denver ERA. Could be under team control for up to four more years, and depending on early-season performance we might try to sign him to a long-term contract early on.

C Elias Tovias, 25, B:S, T:R (.288, 14 HR, 68 RBI | .264, 35 HR, 140 RBI) – Elias upped his game considerably on defense and hitting for average in 2024, while failing to threaten his mark of 19 home runs from his rookie season in 2023. Home runs are dandy; but a good defensive catcher batting .288 with 39 extra-base hits is nothing to spit at, either, and he is one of our best young players.
C/1B Tony Delgado, 37, B:R, T:R (.281, 2 HR, 18 RBI | .261, 87 HR, 509 RBI) – will provide veteran backup support for the third year as a Raccoon, and will contest his 18th major league season overall, having debuted with the 2008 Wolves.

1B Jon Gonzalez, 27, B:R, T:R (.261, 24 HR, 89 RBI | .275, 66 HR, 263 RBI) – Gonzalez' first Coons season was one of two tales, as he was a real force in the lineup until late July, and then hit only a few paltry home runs in the last few months of the season, professionally crippling an OPS that was pushing .900 at times. We sure hope we get the first-half Gonzalez back for two halves this year, and for years to come.
2B/LF/3B/SS Jarod Spencer, 27, B:R, T:R (.326, 3 HR, 48 RBI | .302, 3 HR, 135 RBI) – "Pop" Spencer finally found the other side of the fence in 2024 after over 1,000 at-bats without a home run, and while he is still averse to drawing a walk, which he considers not a knightly approach to the noble game, he also only struck out 14 times in 377 at-bats last year, which was even fewer than the 17 walks he tumbled into anyway. With the trade of Shane Walter to the Crusaders, Spencer retains unchallenged custody of the second-base job, and we count on him to bring some terror to the bases, too. He stole as many as 27 bags in '23, but only ten last year.
SS/2B Tim Stalker, 26, B:R, T:R (.236, 5 HR, 57 RBI | .249, 20 HR, 157 RBI) – very good defensive shortstop, more than just token speed, and most of the time also a good batter; although "most of the time" died by June last year. His second half was a fiery car wreck like few others.
3B Matt Nunley, 34, B:L, T:R (.266, 11 HR, 55 RBI | .281, 120 HR, 713 RBI) – eternal Matt Nunley, in his 12th major league season, won his first Gold Glove at age 33 and remains unaccosted for his spot at the hot corner. His defense – the lack of prior awards notwithstanding – has always been excellent, and his batting stats have remained virtually the same for a while.
2B/SS Matt Otis *, 36, B:R, T:R (.246, 3 HR, 34 RBI | .262, 25 HR, 328 RBI) – veteran expertise of the bench and we also count on him to stuff the snout of any routine bickermouth in the clubhouse with their own sweat-socked socks.
2B/3B/SS Dustin Jurek *, 28, B:R, T:R (rookie) – this 28-year-old rule 5 pick (rolls eyes) is mainly a defensive complement to the rest of the infielders, and probably should not wield a stick, ever, although he batted for an .808 OPS in AAA last season.

LF/CF/RF Ricardo Carmona, 33, B:L, T:R (.248, 1 HR, 35 RBI | .312, 20 HR, 565 RBI) – signed to an early extension before the 2023 season even began, Cookie soon enough found himself in hell, not seeing the ball well the entire year and dropping 70 points from his 2022 batting average; he also missed 58 games with repeating injuries, and overall had the outright worst season of his career. 2024 was mostly the same for him, except for the injuries, and overall his career trajectory is probably resembling an airplane in the progress of an uncontrolled flight into terain.
LF/CF/RF/1B Abel Mora, 28, B:L, T:R (.285, 13 HR, 61 RBI | .270, 58 HR, 317 RBI) – as much of an allround player as you can find, hitting for average (having reached .300 once with the Wolves) and power, possessing good speed, and fielding very well, also throwing for eight assists last year. Not quite Neil Reece Reborn, but then again Neil's a Hall of Famer and they just don't fall from the skies.
RF/LF/1B/CF Terry Kopp, 28, B:L, T:L (.265, 18 HR, 105 RBI | .276, 104 HR, 520 RBI) – versatile outfielder and first baseman that debuted for the Capitals at 21 and came over in a July trade from the Cyclones last year, but couldn't connect to his success of 46 extra-base hits in 98 games with Cincy. He went for more than a single only 15 times as a Coon in 54 games, which is how things go around here.
RF/LF Omar Alfaro, 24, B:S, T:L (.224, 9 HR, 41 RBI | .224, 24 HR, 98 RBI) – the Age of Omar is in the process of busting spectacularly (or maybe not? Did anybody ever think he was gonna be a star, but me?) as 2025 begins with Omar not being a starter anymore after regressing from an already mediocre 2023 sophomore campaign. Hit for only a .674 OPS in over 400 at-bats last season.
RF/CF/LF Dwayne Metts *, 29, B:L, T:L (.319, 0 HR, 7 RBI | .241, 6 HR, 56 RBI) – arrived back on waivers, somehow. What is he doing here??

On disabled list:
SP Dan Delgadillo, 22, B:R, T:R (9-9, 3.80 ERA | 9-9, 3.80 ERA) – our favorite Cuban starting pitcher ruptured his UCL in September and is not expected to get back into action before August, which is a shame because despite some rookie roughness his debut season was actually a success despite a low (5.8/9) strikeout rate and total (118 K in 182.1 IP).
3B/SS/2B Daniel Bullock, 27, B:S, T:R (.248, 0 HR, 12 RBI | .240, 2 HR, 66 RBI) – strong defensive infielder, especially on the left side of the infield, with a negligible bat, and with a forked up knee that will keep him off the field at last until June.

Otherwise unavailable: Nobody.

Other roster movement:
SP/MR Lance Legleiter *, 28, B:S, T:R (2-0, 0.55 ERA | 2-1, 3.51 ERA) – half the players we received in the Shane Walter deal that we didn't trade for something else; Legleiter is a swingman with middling stamina that is usually a good asset in the long relief / spot start role, but was squeezed off the roster and to St. Pete on an option. He also figures to be the first guy back once we have a pitching ailment on the major league roster.

Opening day lineup:
Vs. RHP: 2B Spencer – CF Mora – RF Kopp – 1B Gonzalez – C Tovias – 3B Nunley – SS Stalker – LF Carmona – P Roberts
(Vs. LHP: 2B Spencer – CF Mora – C Tovias – 1B Gonzalez – 3B Nunley – RF Alfaro – SS Stalker – LF Carmona – P Roberts)

…which probably already gives Omar Alfaro much more credit than he deserves. Problematic is the fact that most of our infielders bat right-handed (sans Nunley), and most of our outfielders bat left-handed (minus Alfaro). Platoon effects are limited; there is the option of moving Spencer to leftfield against left-handers and putting in Matt Otis at second base. Tony Delgado bats right-handed and will probably mainly sub for Tovias against left-handers, but then you probably want Kopp in there to prevent raising the jolly white flag right from the start…

It's not a bad lineup; the top and middle aren't shabby at all, and I'd say there are four potential All Stars batting second through fifth, and Spencer and Nunley can have their moments. At the bottom and on the bench there is a whole lotta meh though.

OFF SEASON CHANGES:

For the first time in a few years the Raccoons were borderline relevant in 2024, even though that was only owed to the Titans playing with their food before zooming away in August. We improved our record for the second consecutive year, but it was still another losing season, the third in a row. As indicated before, offseason changes were minimal and barely visible as a whole. By WAR – a flawed stat that should be incinerated and buried and forgotten – the Raccoons' best transaction of the offseason was the addition of Graham Wasserman (+2.1), so there you have it – it was a crummy winter. Overall we rank ninth in the BNN rankings, with a total of +1.4 WAR.

Top 5: Stars (+11.5), Gold Sox (+10.4), Crusaders (+8.5), Cyclones (+8.3), Titans (+7.7)
Bottom 5: Scorpions (-6.1), Knights (-7.6), Bayhawks (-9.4), Condors (-9.5), Loggers (-10.6)

PREDICTION TIME:

Maybe I was drunk, maybe worse, when I predicted 89 wins for the '24 Coons. Although, for a few months they were actually looking like they might get in the right direction, at least until everything collapsed in the last six weeks or so. Ultimately, they finished 11 wins and six feet under.

The team has no improvements worth listing right now. Everybody is a year older, and that is not a good thing for most players we are banking on. The Titans and Crusaders have gained well in the offseason, as you can usually expect from the big-buck teams, and we have to play them 36 times.

The mix wasn't right last year; the mix won't be right this year. The Raccoons will wind themselves through six months of obscurity before ending up 75-87. Too bad to be any fun. Too good to get a top-notch draft pick.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:

The Raccoons remain seventh in the ranking of farm systems, and also still have only five ranked prospects. Somebody did improve though, and that was universally-agreed-on blue chip Alberto Ramos, who migrated from #2 in last year's ranking to #1 in the current edition! Did we ever have a #1 prospect before??

Of the Coons' five ranked prospects from last year, three are gone. Dan Delgadillo (#71) exceeded rookie limits and those of his elbow. #41 Gilberto Rendon was traded, and #109 Elijah Bean dropped out of the top 200.

1st (+1) – AA SS Alberto Ramos, 19 – 2022 international free agent signed by Raccoons
38th (new) – AA SP George James, 21 – 2024 first-round pick by Raccoons
82nd (new) – A SP Dave Martinez, 19 – 2022 international free agent signed by Raccoons
98th (+13) – AAA SP Felipe Delgado, 23 – 2019 scouting discovery by Raccoons
157th (new) – A SP Josh Boles, 21 – 2022 second-round pick by Warriors, signed as minor league FA by Raccoons

The franchise top 10 were completed by AA C Elijah Bean, 21 (2023 1st Rd.), AAA SS/3B Butch Gerster, 23 (2022 1st Rd.), INT 3B Andy Michel (2024 IFA), AA 2B/SS Chris Golka, 23 (2021 2nd Rd.), and AA CL Steve Costilow, 23 (2023 5th Rd.)

Costilow has been converted to a reliever last year; the same might happen to Boles due to the lack of an efficient third pitch.

The top 5 overall prospects this year are:

#1 POR AA SS Alberto Ramos (was #2)
#2 VAN AA SP Geoff Swayze (was #1)
#3 NAS A 3B Jim Allen (newly drafted in 2024)
#4 IND A SP Andy Bressner (newly drafted in 2024)
#5 PIT A 1B Danny Santillano (newly signed as IFA in 2024)

IN YOUR FACE, ELKS!! IN YOUR FACE!!

The remaining players from last year's top 5 were Tim Stackhouse, who dropped from #3 to #17, and Antonio Muniz and Dave Christiansen, two pitchers who exceeded rookie limits in 2024.

Next: first pitch.