[pauwoo]

The Club: As has been established, I’ll take on the role of General Manager/El Capitan/Grand Poobah of the Soufrière Brutes. The inaugural outfit looks to be built on a solid-hitting, power-starved offense that we’ve paired with an impressive pitching staff that may well be the best in the league. We look good on paper, have the pieces necessary to make some noise, and should, with any luck, find ourselves in a position to win it all once this thing is all said and done. A quick run through the lineup and staff…

The Lineup:

1. SS Edgar Bernard (29) – Batting in the leadoff spot we have a guy with plus speed and excellent defensive skills who can put the bat on the ball a little bit and who seems to have an above average eye at the plate. He handles lefties a lot better than he does righties but gives us enough of what we need in the field to get himself penciled in as our everyday guy at short. Has all the power of a 10-year-old and won’t put many balls over the fence but gets on base, wrecks the basepaths once on them, and can turn two like nobody’s business.
2. DH Oscar Day (37) – A once competent second baseman whose dodgy knees and advanced age have made him a liability in the field, Oscar can still put the bat on the ball and is nearly impossible to strike out. Here we want to milk the last ounce of baseball he has left out of him while avoiding any conflict his oversized ego may cause in the clubhouse. He’ll give us enough offensively to put up with quite a bit – though his clear lack of leadership abilities and knack for causing a stir amongst some of his teammates will be under lots of scrutiny as we attempt to fulfill our championship potential this season.
3. 1B Luke Saunders (27) – Just a good ol’ boy, indeed… Luke has some pop and will drive in plenty of runs but sometimes struggles with contact and is known to swing big, miss big when he tries to do too much at the plate. He’s a serviceable first baseman – he won’t give you anything fancy but doesn’t make enough mistakes to cost you too much. Just a low-key type who likes to hit TRUCKS and stay out of the limelight. An unlikely combo given that chicks dig the longball…
4. CF Chris Routledge (27) – A hard-charging, fan-favorite who understands the value of hard work and who isn’t afraid to get his kit dirty, Routledge is a fine fielder, with great range and a great arm who hits for power when he makes contact. He also has a knack for getting on base, and, once there, is known to terrorize opposing defenses with his base running acumen, speed, and stealing ability. This guy is fun personified, worth the price of admission alone.
5. RF Damyean Power (25) – A good fielder, okay hitter, so-so base runner who works hard, is smart, and knows a thing or two about leadership in the clubhouse. A real lunch pail type who looks to seize opportunities as they come and who will never come up short for lack of trying.
6. LF Mo Crellin (27) – A great contact hitter who doesn’t strikeout much, Mo can get it done when he wants to but dogs it too often to ever reach his full potential. He can be a little slow to pick up information, is well-suited for the beach bum island life he’ll have plenty of money to enjoy once his playing days are behind him, and can be hard to motivate – but, he is serviceable in Left and at Third, and has a knack for putting balls into the gap.
7. C Carl McGovern (25) – Born and raised in Soufrière, Mcgovern puts in long hours to hone his craft. He struggles to make contact, has little power to speak of, and has a suspect eye at the plate – but that’s not really what we pay him for. He’s on another level when it comes to his ability as a backstop, might be the best pitch framer in SLAB, and routinely guns down would be thieves.
   [*]2B Fabrice Strowbridge (26) – Undisciplined and power-starved at the plate, Strowbridge has a knack for hitting doubles and putting the ball in play but can’t draw a walk or put one into the bleachers to save his life. He’s great in the field, so-so on the bases, and is known to prioritize money over winning. He can’t lead, isn’t loyal, and is only motivated during contract years – he’ll do for now but isn’t our long-term solution at Second.
8. 3B Harrison Rawlings (26) – A wizard in the field and liability at the plate – the only thing wispier than Rawlings beard is his swing. Harrison would be better suited as a utility guy off the bench, but we’re thin on capable defender in the infield, and barring some luck in trade, may end up trotting him out there on a daily basis.

The Starters:

1. SP Gael Barnett (28) – A power pitcher that brings that smoke, Barnett’s Fastball-Changeup-Splitter arsenal is enough to give most lineups fits. He pairs pinpoint control with tip-top movement and is capable of eating a lot of innings for us as our ace.
2. SP Harvey Nguyen (34) – Harvey has four above-average pitches and good control. The stamina is suspect though and he’s known as a greedy SOB that would happily leave our outfit behind for any club willing to pay him even a dollar over what we are getting him for. He’s a finesse guy who makes his living on the corners, when he has it, he’s tough to hit… when he doesn’t, well, that’s something else entirely
3. SP Vernon Crawshaw (24) – A man of the people. That’s how I’d describe this kid. He’s always willing to make time for our fans, has great stuff that he struggles to control, and is adept at coming in heavy on his pitches to keep balls in the park. What he lacks in velocity, he makes up for with craftiness – he’s a hard one to figure on the mound and the life of the party off it.
4. SP Lance Bolton (25) – A low-key, introverted type of kid who is less comfortable around people than he is doing his thing on the mound. He has pretty good stuff, but the movement isn’t there and, as a result, he’s as likely to fan a guy as he is to give up a homer. Has a good make-up and is a quality human being – we like having him around – but will need to perform this season if he wants to make a long-term living as a Brute.
5. SP Elliot Kidd (26) – A soft-tosser with okay stuff and suspect stamina, Davis is a hard-worker who has made the most of his talent so far. We don’t see much more room for development, so, what you see is what you get with Max. But, with that being said, we like what we see well enough and have high hopes that he’ll be able to fill the 5th slot admirably for us this season.

TL;DR: We’re a’ight.