[Westheim]

2029 PORTLAND RACCOONS – Opening Day Roster (first set in parenthesis shows 2028 numbers, second set career numbers; players with an * are off season acquisitions):

SP Mark Roberts, 34, B:L, T:L (16-5, 3.17 ERA | 116-76, 3.01 ERA) – Mark Roberts led the league again in K/9 after a bit of a down year in 2027, but still didn’t win a game in the postseason. Nevertheless, the former Pitcher of the Year and Triple Crown winner was rewarded with another big 4-year deal and will get another Opening Day assignment.
SP Tom Shumway *, 32, B:L, T:L (14-7, 2.81 ERA | 124-96, 3.33 ERA) – would probably be the ace on many staffs around the league, but it was hard to dislodge Roberts around here, who had seen some stuff in recent years. Shumway was probably a top 10 starter in the league, but had yet to sniff the World Series, having spent all his time with the Indians and Aces. His vicious 3-pitch mix with cutter and circle change will surely not keep the Coons from getting there again…
SP Rico Gutierrez, 29, B:L, T:L (12-7, 2.56 ERA | 86-61, 3.29 ERA) – I said before, that if he could keep the ball in the park a bit more, he would be a true ace. He led the CL in homers conceded in 2027. Then he went on and won the ERA title in 2028. He could have won a lot more games if he had gotten some sort of run support… Has decent control while keeping batters alert with a move-happy 96mph heater.
SP Dan Delgadillo, 26, B:R, T:R (8-4, 4.89 ERA | 40-35, 3.82 ERA) – bad enough to start last year to actually suffer demotion to AAA not once, but twice, Yusneldan returned just in time for the playoffs, and barely outlasted Kyle Anderson to get a rotation assignment, but then pitched a very fine Game 3 on the Buffaloes as the Coons swept the World Series. Nevertheless, he seems to be getting worse whenever he should be getting better, and we wonder how old he actually is, and have wondered that ever since he signed on initially.
SP Billy Ramm, 26, B:L, T:L (2-1, 1.40 ERA | 2-1, 1.58 ERA) – 4-pitch mix with a groundball tendency, Ramm could find a hole in the bullpen too once Nomura rejoins the staff; he definitely made a bit of an impression in three spot starts during the 2028 season while spending the rest of the year in AAA.

MR Nick Derks, 28, B:R, T:R (2-0, 4.64 ERA | 5-2, 4.69 ERA) – despite running out of options and being waived twice in the last 12 months, Derks remained in the organization and even made the Opening Day roster after initially having replaced the fallen Dan McLin halfway through ’28; he hung around and beat out mainly Steve Costilow for the final spot in the pen because the Raccoons spent big on Roberts, Shumway, and Stalker, and could not go after another beast reliever.
MR Jonathan Fleischer, 26, B:L, T:R (4-1, 3.77 ERA, 1 SV | 6-3, 3.72 ERA, 1 SV) – right-hander with a 96mph heater and a nasty curveball, but unfortunately also with some significant control issues. Suffered some abuse in his first full season, being called on to pitch almost 70 innings through the end of August, and then came the postseason still, but should get less garbage assignments with Derks around.
MR Jeremy Moesker, 25, B:L, T:L (1-1, 2.61 ERA | 1-1, 3.94 ERA) – left-hander attempting to go about his job with finesse, but doesn’t always find the right spot; at least he gets groundballs…
MR Billy Brotman, 30, B:L, T:L (3-2, 2.64 ERA | 18-17, 2.57 ERA, 17 SV) – control remains an issue for Billy, but his tendency to keep the ball on the ground help him greatly. Has been used and will be used more as a general purpose left-hander while the other southpaw (Jeff Kearney in prior years, Moesker now) will be more put into specialist duty.
MR Kevin Surginer, 29, B:R, T:R (4-6, 2.58 ERA, 4 SV | 30-24, 3.08 ERA, 8 SV) – very solid and mostly reliable reliever that goes about his job with so little noise that you sometimes entirely forget he's still there. Has in the past been a popular choice for long relief and extra inning battles, but is also a valid setup choice for Josh Boles.
SU Ricky Ohl, 30, B:R, T:R (4-3, 2.68 ERA, 8 SV | 18-12, 2.43 ERA, 28 SV) – aggressive strikeout pitcher who broke through the 13 K/9 mark for the first time in his career in 2028 and continues to serve as auxiliary closer as the Raccoons can mix and match it a bit between three lockdown relievers at the thick end of the bullpen.
CL Josh Boles, 25, B:L, T:L (3-3, 2.60 ERA, 42 SV | 9-9, 2.18 ERA, 62 SV) – debuted mid-season in 2026 and never went away anymore. While injuries to Ricky Ohl and Jonathan Snyder down the stretch in 2027 surely helped him ascend to the closer's role, his 13.3 K/9 and 88 total strikeouts in 59.2 innings in '27 sure got him noticed, too. His dazzling knuckle curve unnerves both left- and right-handed batters and we can not imagine a better closer right now. In 2028 he was the assigned closer on Opening Day for the first time and immediately led the CL in saves.

C Elias Tovias, 29, B:S, T:R (.250, 14 HR, 63 RBI | .253, 85 HR, 350 RBI) – Elias Matias Tovias Diaz has good defense, good game calling, a rather strong arm, and if the bat could strike out a little less, he would actually be an impact player, but he posted a sub-100 OPS+ (97) for the third time in four seasons in ’28.
C Daniel Rocha, 25, B:R, T:R (.357, 0 HR, 1 RBI | .244, 0 HR, 7 RBI) – got the backup job primarily by being cheap and in the organization already; at least he is very capable defensively; one of two Colombians on the roster in addition to Magallanes.

1B Kevin Harenberg, 31, B:L, T:L (.256, 20 HR, 75 RBI | .297, 145 HR, 683 RBI) – came up with his worst ever season in his first full year in Portland, amounting only to a .774 OPS. Then got worse in his second season and appeared dead in the water for months before heating up in August and drilling the Buffaloes senseless in winning 2028 World Series MVP honors.
2B/SS Tim Stalker, 30, B:R, T:R (.298, 11 HR, 60 RBI | .266, 55 HR, 327 RBI) – very good defensive middle infielder, more than just token speed, and most of the time also a good batter; the latter actually pulled him back off the bench where Alberto Ramos put him in 2026, since Stalker was able to make the most of the injury time he was allotted and swatted the ball for 41 extra-base hits in just 391 attempts, good enough for an .854 OPS that should make some genuine sluggers on the roster blush with shame, and he amped it up to 50 XBH in 2028 while missing 32 games.
SS Alberto Ramos, 23, B:L, T:R (.374, 1 HR, 37 RBI | .316, 5 HR, 116 RBI) – the 2026 Rookie of the Year Ramos was a treat all around, at least when he was able to stay on the field. Injuries limited him to 98 games last season, but he still managed to tie the franchise mark for stolen bases set by Yoshi Yamada in 2005, and you can only wonder what records he can tear down if only he could refrain from tearing or straining or breaking his body...
3B/2B/SS/LF/RF Rich Hereford, 31, B:S, T:R (.275, 32 HR, 140 RBI | .282, 150 HR, 634 RBI) – skilled and versatile defender with a bat that can make the ball jump some distance, Hereford came over in a deadline deal with the Gold Sox in 2027 and then made the 2028 season all about himself, tying Tetsu Osanai’s ancient franchise records for RBI in a season as well as leading the league in homers. Now he just have to repeat while playing two different positions depending on the opposing pitcher...
3B Matt Nunley, 38, B:L, T:R (.275, 1 HR, 10 RBI | .278, 145 HR, 876 RBI) – it was largely a lost season for eternal Matt Nunley, who signed a new 2-year deal prior to 2028, but broke his leg on Opening Day and did not come back until the last third of the season. He will largely play against right-handers in what could potentially be his final season.
RF/LF/3B/CF/2B/1B Chris Baldwin *, 25, B:R, T:R (rookie) – super utility player taken in the rule 5 draft off the Pacifics; we will have to see whether he can hit anything at all, but his defense is near-universal and very good for sure. Also a potential go-to pinch-runner for a guy like Harenberg.
SS/3B Butch Gerster, 27, B:R, T:R (.303, 4 HR, 15 RBI | .277, 4 HR, 20 RBI) – made a bit of noise as singles slapper (but with four homers) in limited exposure last season and that was enough to win a backup job on a minimum deal.

LF/CF/RF/1B Abel Mora, 32, B:L, T:R (.269, 12 HR, 56 RBI | .271, 111 HR, 587 RBI) – Mora became a free agent, then crawled back into the fold when the big deal he coveted did not materialize prior to 2028; 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 good for a pawful or two of assists every year. Not quite Neil Reece Reborn, but then again Neil's a Hall of Famer and they just don't fall from the skies.
1B/LF/RF/CF Rafael Gomez, 30, B:R, T:L (.275, 14 HR, 71 RBI | .272, 118 HR, 566 RBI) – like many others on the team in ’28 he took a really long time to get going and could not repeat his 25 HR, 104 RBI breakout season of 2027, but he batted for average and power still and also played some strong defense.
CF/LF/RF Juan Magallanes, 25, B:S, T:R (.262, 1 HR, 9 RBI | .245, 1 HR, 19 RBI) – the Colombian alumnus of a Jewish high school in Manhattan spent the entire 2028 season on the roster without getting noticed in any way, shape or form, which can either work in your favor or against you these days...
LF/CF Matt Jamieson *, 33, B:R, T:R (.271, 6 HR, 27 RBI | .260, 74 HR, 482 RBI) – acquired via trade for the season time, Jamieson will play a split platoon with Matt Nunley while Rich Hereford ferries back and forth between third base and leftfield. Always a good if not overwhelming batter, he is also a solid defender in left and can also still play center, which was his more common assignment in his first brief stint with Portland in ’26, which you may remember yielded a ring.

On disabled list:
SP Rin Nomura, 30, B:L, T:L (16-6, 3.07 ERA | 44-19, 2.92 ERA) – Nomura uses his 3-pitch mix efficiently to keep hitters guessing and also kept the ball on the ground most of the time. He pitched well enough to partake in the wins title in the Continental League in '27, but he is not exactly a strikeout monster and at times didn’t get strikeouts for entire starts in 2028. Nomura had bone chips removed from his elbow in October and has yet to begin pitching. He is expected to start a rehab assignment in the second half of April.

Otherwise unavailable: Nobody.

Other roster movement:
SP/MR Sean Rigg *, 28, B:R, T:R (0-0, 4.18 ERA | 20-16, 3.86 ERA) – swingman added in the Jarod Spencer deal with the Condors, who can fill many roles, but none that we need at this very moment.

The remaining leftovers from September were either reassigned earlier already or had options and passed seamlessly to AAA, and then again we are mostly talking about guys like Steve Costilow and German Sanchez…

OPENING DAY LINEUP:

Not much discussion about the starting lineup this year…

(Vs. RHP: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – CF Mora – LF Hereford – 1B Harenberg – RF Gomez – C Tovias – 3B Nunley – P Roberts)
Vs. LHP: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – RF Gomez – LF Hereford – LF Jamieson – 1B Harenberg – CF Mora – C Tovias – P Roberts)

Seems like we will kick off against southpaw John McInerney, and of course you field your best suit on Opening Day; in regular season play, it is likely that we will rest either Mora or Harenberg for whatever shuffle gets Magallanes or Gerster into the lineup. Rocha will probably also play against left-handers when feasible. Unlike last year, we don’t have TWO switch-hitting catchers anymore.

OFF SEASON CHANGES:

It was again not a frantic offseason for the Raccoons, who made precision moves to improve their lot down the road. We only added six players on major league deals, and three of those via the rule 5 draft or waivers. Tom Shumway however is an impact hurler not to be ignored and the rotation was at times a bit wonky in ’28. Shumway shall fix that. Overall we ended up tied with the Blue Sox for sixth place and +2.4 WAR in BNN’s mind, so I’ll take that.

Top 5: Gold Sox (+8.8), Indians (+7.0), Pacifics (+6.5), Thunder (+5.6), Stars (+2.8)
Bottom 5: Knights (-4.8), Scorpions (-5.4), Bayhawks (-5.8), Wolves (-6.7), Condors (-11.3)

PREDICTION TIME:

For once, I was remarkably close last year and guessed us to win 96 and win the division, and well, aren’t the playoffs a crapshoot anyway? The CLCS sure was…

The personnel has not changed a whole lot, and maybe we got even that wee bit better. None of the other teams in the North seems to have made leaps and bounds, and I feel confident that we can charge at the 100 wins mark … and of course win the North again.

There is no reason the Raccoons should not become repeat champions!

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:

…but they will be in a boatload of trouble once the majority of the contracts on the team run out after the 2030 season. The farm, while no longer ranked dead last in the ABL, remains barren. Our system clocked in at 21st place this season, and while we actually do have two top 100 prospects again (wow…) and five ranked prospects overall (last year: two ranked prospects), there is a certain lack of excitement about the future.

Also, one of those two ranked prospects from last year (#189 Raffaello Sabre) is no longer ranked…

#71 (new) – A SP Darren Brown, 19 – 2028 first-round pick by Raccoons
#92 (new) – A C Elliott Thompson, 19 – 2028 sixth-round pick by Raccoons
174th (-50) – AA SP Izzy Chavez, 21 – 2025 international free agent signed by Raccoons
185th (new) – AA 2B Fernando Solis, 20 – 2024 scouting discovery by Raccoons
198th (new) – ML OF/INF Chris Baldwin, 24 – 2025 first-round pick by Pacifics, selected in rule 5 draft by Raccoons

Five more to make up the franchise top 10:

INT SP Jonathan Galvan, 17 (2028 IFA), A SP Ignacio del Rio, 19 (2026 IFA), AA INF/RF Joe McFarlin, 23 (2027 3rd Rd.), A SP Raffaello Sabre, 20 (2025 IFA), A 2B Edgar Torres, 19 (scouting discovery);

The top 5 overall prospects this year are:

#1 IND AAA 2B Dan Schneller (was #1)
#2 NAS AA 3B Chance Bossert (was #2)
#3 SFW AA 2B/SS Mario Colon (was #3)
#4 MIL AAA SP Josh Long (was #5)
#5 NAS AA SP Matt Hose (newly drafted)

Last year’s #4, Salem’s SP Steve Younts, is obviously no longer eligible after pitching with the big league club all year and going 15-6 with a 2.80 ERA on the way to winning the Rookie of the Year title.

Next: first pitch.