[Westheim]

2042 PORTLAND RACCOONS – Opening Day Roster (first set in parenthesis shows 2041 stats, second set career stats; players with an * are off season acquisitions):

SP Rich Willett *, 32, B:R, T:R (13-7, 2.65 ERA | 128-84, 3.01 ERA, 2 SV) – stolen from Sacramento with Carlos Cortes, Willett was the Titans’ ace for so long that I will take a while to like him. Throws 95 with a strong curve and a poisonous slide piece. Can challenge for 200 strikeouts and led the league in strikeouts once.
SP Josh Brown, 29, B:L, T:L (15-6, 3.67 ERA | 50-31, 3.61 ERA) – acquired from the Crusaders prior to 2041, Brown has a rich mix of pitches to keep hitters guessing, and them guessing wrong is a key part to success for him, because his 93mph fastball alone is not too overwhelming. Keeps it on the ground; given the arthritic infield defense the Raccoons had lined up his success was ultimately limited.
SP Jake Jackson *, 29, B:R, T:R (11-16, 3.63 ERA | 36-51, 3.75 ERA) – groundballer with three good pitches, including a 95mph fastball, imported from the dead-end Indians. If there is any concern with Jackson, it’s bouts of ill control – he’s been pushing for 100 walks in a season regularly.
SP Nelson Moreno, 23, B:R, T:R (13-11, 4.57 ERA | 19-18, 4.13 ERA) – let’s call it a sophomore swoon! Heater (98) and knuckle curve are awesome, still working on the third and fourth pitch, and under live fire. We pretend the sky’s STILL the limit for this Venezuelan gem, although many things just didn’t work for him in ’41. The .317 BABIP also didn’t help.
SP Corey Mathers, 23, B:R, T:R (3-4, 2.39 ERA | 3-4, 2.39 ERA) – this year’s random fifth starter that never fares well (or long…) is Mathers, the #20 pick in 2039 that rose quickly to the majors and jumped into one of the many holes in the rotation late last year. He made 10 fine starts and hung around for Opening Day. Mix of four pitches, groundballer, 93mph fastball.

MR Chuck Jones, 30, B:L, T:L (6-2, 2.51 ERA, 1 SV | 17-10, 3.12 ERA, 9 SV) – this southpaw should be kept away from right-handed bats, which his previous employers, the Scorpions, decidedly didn’t do. Very good numbers against lefty bats for Jones, who throws 92 and keeps it on the ground.
MR Zack Kelly, 26, B:L, T:L (3-0, 2.28 ERA | 3-0, 2.28 ERA) – left-handed sophomore with balanced splits, throws 96 with a nasty curve to complement it. Also has a crummy changeup and made a couple of spot starts, and while he fared alright, he’s not exactly pencilled in for starting pitcher duties in the long run.
MR Josh Rella, 25, B:R, T:R (1-0, 4.82 ERA | 1-0, 4.82 ERA) – struggled with control in several brief cameos last year, which wasn’t something we saw of him in the minors. Throws 96 with a slider; was originally drafted as an infielder and converted into a pitcher afterwards. In theory a good long reliever because you can let him bat for himself, but given four left-handers in the pen, we’d probably use Clark or Kelly for long relief instead.
MR Jon Craig, 27, B:R, T:R (2-2, 3.27 ERA, 3 SV | 6-2, 3.37 ERA, 4 SV) – right-hander with basic competence that was the Pointless Deadline Acquisition #2 in 2041, when the Coons were *** half-in, *** half-out in the second half of July. Craig (and Terry Garrigan) came, one stayed, one went, and the Raccoons backed their ***** out of the door pretty quick in August.
MR Brent Clark, 27, B:L, T:L (4-3, 3.82 ERA | 8-10, 3.82 ERA, 8 SV) – some say he should start, I say he definitely shouldn’t close; even in standard relief, Brent Clark manages to walk five batters per nine innings, and is thus best kept in the bullpen to as low a profile as possible.
SU Alex Ramirez, 33, B:R, T:R (5-1, 1.31 ERA, 5 SV | 10-5, 1.75 ERA, 11 SV) – was dominant at times in his second year in the majors after coming out of Cuba. No notes for Ramirez – just keep being good!
CL Wyatt Hamill, 35, B:L, T:L (3-5, 2.02 ERA, 37 SV | 41-38, 3.12 ERA, 157 SV) – former Titans stalwart that was acquired from the dying Thunder in May, pitched to a 1.65 ERA for the Coons, saving 24 games for a team that went nowhere. Not a groundballer, which is rare on this roster, and gave up six homers (but only 15 earned runs) last year. 93mph fastball with a devastating slider to get rid of pesky hitters.

C Jeff Kilmer, 30, B:R, T:R (.274, 9 HR, 46 RBI | .272, 55 HR, 246 RBI) – now here was a kid that we were happy for not having drowned in a barrel when it looked like that was all that could end his misery anymore. Unfortunately he didn’t build on that .949 OPS season from ’39 and instead merely posted his fourth .800+ season in a row. None of those were qualifying seasons, given the liberal time-sharing agreement with Tony Morales behind the dish, which saw both of them contend roughly half the games. With Morales gone, Kilmer is now the full #1, especially with backup Jeff Wilson also batting righty.
C/1B Jeff Wilson *, 29, B:R, T:R (.233, 13 HR, 79 RBI | .272, 52 HR, 297 RBI) – decent backstop (but not great behind th dish), who was a Raccoons draft pick before being shipped out for Troy Greenway. Had one strong year with the Gold Sox in ’39, but is a 98 OPS+ player for his career.

RF/LF/1B Carlos Cortes *, 31, B:R, T:R (.272, 14 HR, 82 RBI | .298, 140 HR, 678 RBI) – stolen from the Scorpions with Rich Willett, Cortes is a former Player of the Year that can man three corners and will see action both in rightfield and first base with the Raccoons. Had an off year with Sacramento last year after hitting 28 bombs in ‘40, and a player option for ’43.
1B Alberto Ramos, 36, B:L, T:R (.297, 0 HR, 41 RBI | .300, 20 HR, 679 RBI) – 18th-year Critter, who while he remains a formidable OBP force, hasn’t hit a home run since ’34, but was a 100 OPS+ hitter for the first time in many years in 2041, reaching base at a .393 rate. Nevertheless, age and fat has caught up with him, he’s up to 260 pounds, and he can barely field any position anymore. Since he’s snuck in through the arbitration door, the Raccoons will mostly employ him at first base this year in an uncomfortable time-sharing agreement with Cortes and whoever outfielder feels slighted when Cortes plays in right.
SS Tony Hunter, 29, B:S, T:R (.278, 7 HR, 52 RBI | .258, 20 HR, 162 RBI) – slick shortstop acquired from the Gold Sox in a trade, replacing Elijah Williams, who was getting older and slower and less rangier. Put together a really good year in his second Critters season and has made a strong case to stick in that #2 hole. Also won a stolen base title while he was at it, sweeping 41 in ‘41.
1B/RF/3B/CF/SS/LF Jesus Maldonado, 28, B:R, T:R (.308, 9 HR, 53 RBI | .285, 48 HR, 327 RBI) – It’s hard to forget this one: .411/.431/.571 and a 2037 World Series MVP award while playing on the losing team. If you can get THAT together, you must at least make it to the All Star Game at some point, don’t you? So far no luck for Maldonado in that regard, but at least he is now a regular above-average hitter and hit for an .880 OPS in ’40, and .845 in ‘41. Very versatile, which is his undoing, since he could probably win a Gold Glove in centerfield if he wasn’t plugging holes elsewhere all the time. This year he’ll be shoved into the hole at third base to keep things tight there. Maybe that will get him into the All Star Game as an infielder…
2B Nick Lando, 26, B:R, T:R (.198, 0 HR, 9 RBI | .201, 0 HR, 12 RBI) – a nothing infielder that was taken in the third round a few years back. With Cosmo not ready for Opening Day, Lando and Omar Gutierrez will split second base duties for the month of April, giving him a chance to cement his status as one of the worst Raccoons hitters of all time.
2B/3B/SS/LF Omar Gutierrez *, 27, B:L, T:R (no stats) – versatile lefty-hitting infielder that never made the majors in a stuffed Wolves organization and was signed for cheap. With Cosmo out for a month, he figures to get a chunk of at-bats at second base. All he has to do to hang on is to out-hit Nick Lando.
2B/3B/SS/LF Steve Nickas, 28, B:S, T:R (.241, 0 HR, 7 RBI | .213, 1 HR, 22 RBI) – defensively versatile, not hitting a damn lick for a somehow 6-year career (with 314 total at-bats); he won a roster spot over Van Anderson mainly because he is out of options and once the Raccoons will tire of their second base platoon they might still want to hang with Nickas.

LF/RF/CF Manny Fernandez, 32, B:L, T:L (.265, 20 HR, 89 RBI | .285, 130 HR, 740 RBI) – as close to a 5-tool player as the Raccoons could ever find, especially in a draft. 2036 Player of the Year! Also won an RBI title in 2040, which totally saved our season (not). A trade for sterling prospects did not materialize this winter just like the winter and summer preceding it, so we just loaded up and see whether we can get a ring on Manny’s paw after all. He deserves one...
LF/RF/CF Tony Romero *, 29, B:R, T:R (.251, 20 HR, 74 RBI | .234, 65 HR, 292 RBI) – solid defender on all positions, figures to be the main centerfielder for the Coons, although he is a bit of an all-or-nothing hitter that only reached a 100+ OPS+ for the first time last year before being fleeced from the Capitals. One of many upcoming free agents on the roster.
LF/RF/CF/1B Miguel Reyna, 31, B:L, T:L (.266, 6 HR, 31 RBI | .257, 56 HR, 387 RBI) – Nicaraguan left-handed hitter that was picked up from the Bayhawks and was almost axed after a rough first quarter, but refused the minor league assignment and the Coons balked at paying out $3M to him. Had a very good second half and figures to share time with Berto, with Cortes warping back and forth between first and right.
3B/LF/2B Jay de Wit, 25, B:S, T:R (.386, 1 HR, 8 RBI | .267, 1 HR, 10 RBI) – Aruba’s Finest makes the roster as sort of a backup outfielder, although he’s more like a third baseman… well, we can still shift Maldonado to any outfield position… I promise, somebody had a plan about all of this. Maybe it was Chad, though.

On disabled list:
2B/3B Enrique Trevino, 34, B:S, T:R (.280, 1 HR, 38 RBI | .319, 42 HR, 862 RBI) – Hasn’t aged too well (as his broken hip will attest to), and is now a modest defender with diminished speed and a ginormous contract (which runs only through the end of this season). But he can still get those clutch singles and can be valuable in both the #2 and #6 holes. Starts season on DL and is assumed to exhaust a full 20-day rehab stint in AAA when he comes off the DL after a week or so, so he is no going to rejoin the team until the end of the month / start of May.

Otherwise unavailable: Nobody.

Other roster movement:
SP Angelo Montano, 24, B:L, T:L (2-6, 5.17 ERA | 7-14, 5.42 ERA) – waived and DFA’ed; struggling with control and getting bombed, Montano had a rough time in 30 outings (25 starts) across two partial seasons with the Raccoons. He is also out of options, and while we hate to dangle an almost 25-year-old scratch starting pitcher, the nature of the bullpen prevents us from stashing him there.
1B Art Goetz, 26, B:L, T:R (.260, 6 HR, 24 RBI | .240, 6 HR, 24 RBI) – optioned to AAA; substandard first baseman of the sort that has been standard-issue for the Raccoons for years and years at this point.
RF/CF/LF Van Anderson, 24, B:L, T:L (.254, 0 HR, 4 RBI | .254, 0 HR, 4 RBI) – optioned to AAA; kind of a ho-hum player, that does everything alright, but doesn’t have a niche in which he excels.
RF/CF/LF Stephon Nettles, 27, B:L, T:R (.197, 0 HR, 10 RBI | .254, 1 HR, 88 RBI) – optioned to AAA; strong defensive centerfielder who is hitting in such a light fashion, even Nick Lando bested him in terms of OPS. NICK LANDO.

Everybody not mentioned by now has already been waived or reassigned during the offseason.

OPENING DAY LINEUP:

Not a shabby lineup this year, although we will not even fully exploit our chances when it comes to switch-hitters and platoons, because Carlos Cortes, a righty batter, figures to play every day, sharing time with two left-handed batters (Berto, Reyna). Reyna could also spell Romero in center against righty batters.

Vs. RHP: 1B Ramos – SS Hunter – LF Fernandez – 3B Maldonado – RF Cortes – C Kilmer – CF Romero – 2B Gutierrez – P
(Vs. LHP: 1B Ramos – SS Hunter – LF Fernandez – 3B Maldonado – RF Cortes – C Kilmer – CF Romero – 2B Lando – P)

If Reyna plays rather than Berto, Romero could bat leadoff. Hunter is also not a terrible idea. And Cosmo will come back at SOME point. Maybe.

OFF SEASON CHANGES:

According to BNN, the Raccoons won the offseason, gaining 7.1 WAR, which wouldn’t quite make up the gap to the Loggers (the Loggers!), but then again, WAR is a useless stat. We shed 6.5 WAR in free agent departures (half of which was Tony Morales), but added about as much in the deal for Willett and Cortes.

Top 5: Raccoons (+7.1), Falcons (+5.5), Condors (+5.3), Crusaders (+5.2), Thunder (+4.7)
Bottom 5: Stars (-4.9), Warriors (-5.2), Rebels (-9.1), Scorpions (-9.5), Miners (-10.5)

The Loggers stayed put (13th, +0.2), while the damn Elks sagged a bit (16th, -3.4).

PREDICTION TIME:

We weren’t far off my assessment of another “oh man…” season, winning 85 games (rather than 82 as put down), but with a ravenous negative run differential.

Things will totally be better this year. The black hole at third base has been stuffed, and the rotation got some real gems inserted. Cortes also isn’t lousy. The Raccoons have a genuine shot at the division this year but it might be tight. We can’t afford many injuries. And the rotation could actually hold together for once…

The Raccoons will be in the race, and will win the division or maybe not. But 93 wins don’t sound outrageous.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:

We had the top farm last year after loading up on youth for a while. We had a full dozen ranked prospects, including ten in the top 100 and six in the top 50. And while those numbers largely held up, we still dropped to 2nd place among the 24 franchises.

Well, the in memoriam bit of Coons prospects-no-more: #81 Josh Rella, #106 Corey Mathers, and #155 Zack Kelly all exceeded rookie limits (and Kelly would have been 26 anyway), while #87 Mario Coto was traded to Sacramento. No players that were ranked last year lost their ranking while still technically being Raccoons prospects.

13th (+2) – AA INF Matt Waters, 21 – 2039 first-round pick by Knights, acquired from Knights with Jason Wheatley for Ryan Bedrosian, Rico Sanchez, Brad Ledford, Willie Morales
14th (-2) – AA SP Tony Negrete, 19 – 2038 international free agent signed by Raccoons
24th (+2) – AAA SP Jason Wheatley, 21 – 2038 supplemental round pick by Knights, acquired from Knights with Matt Waters for Ryan Bedrosian, Rico Sanchez, Brad Ledford, Willie Morales
30th (-20) – AAA LF/RF Sandy Casaus, 25 – 2033 scouting discovery by Wolves, acquired from Wolves for Troy Greenway
47th (-2) – AAA SP Victor Merino, 21 – 2039 international free agent signed by Raccoons

56th (-25) – AA SP Jose Arias, 20 – 2038 international free agent signed by Raccoons
61st (new) – A SP Bubba Wolinsky, 19 – 2041 first-round pick by Raccoons
63rd (-1) – AA SP Adam Capone, 22 – 2040 first-round pick by Raccoons
90th (new) – A RF Brian Shedd, 19 – 2041 second-round pick by Raccoons

119th (-48) – A C Ruben Gonzalez, 20 – 2038 international free agent by Raccoons
165th (new) – A LF/RF Roberto Medina, 20 – 2038 scouting discovery by Raccoons
166th (new) – AA OF Matt Sowden, 21 – 2038 third-round pick by Raccoons
180th (new) – AA LF/2B/CF Ben Southall, 23 – 2037 sixth-round pick by Raccoons

That is 13 ranked players, of which nine are in the top 100, and a whole pawful in the top 50!

The top 10 overall prospects this year are:

1st (+5) – SFW AAA LF/RF Mario Villa, 21
2nd (+6) – DEN AA INF Ivan Villa, 20
3rd (new) – WAS AAA SP John Snider, 25
4th (0) – NAS AAA 1B Alejandro Ramos, 22
5th (+6) – RIC ML OF Alvin Aguilera, 21

6th (new) – DEN A UT Eric Miller, 20 (newly drafted)
7th (new) – SFB A C Sean Suggs, 19 (newly drafted)
8th (+1) – DAL AAA SP Chris Davis, 21
9th (new) – TIJ A SP Kevin Daley, 19 (newly drafted)
10th (new) – RIC AA SP Zach Tubbs, 21

Snider was a fourth-rounder in ’39 that was never ranked before now and actually pitched in relief in ’41. Tubbs was also taken in the 2039 draft and was never ranked before.

The top 2 from last year (RIC LF/RF Pablo Gonzalez; NYC SP Paul Paris) moved to the majors with mild success. #3, the Pacifics’ LF/RF Billy Slingluff moved up to AAA, but down to #11 on the prospect list. He is one spot ahead of the new #12, former #5 prospect SP Kevin Nolte on the Baybirds, who is also up to AAA.

The last two top 10 members from last year, #7 CHA SP Emmanuel Lizarraga and #10 POR LF/RF Sandy Casaus, both dropped 20 spots without getting out of AAA. Lizarraga is also up there in age, now 24 years old.

Next: first pitch.