[Westheim]

2049 PORTLAND RACCOONS – Opening Day Roster (first set in parenthesis shows 2048 stats, second set career stats; players with an * are off season acquisitions):

SP Jason Wheatley, 28, B:R, T:R (13-7, 3.44 ERA | 81-49, 3.29 ERA) – 2045 Pitcher of the Year! Wheats roared from #5 starter in April of 2045 to the highest honor the CL had to dole out to pitchers (at least regularly), doing it with a perfectly balanced approach, keeping things on the ground and walks to a minimum (1.8 BB/9 last season). He has five pitches, some very good, and sort of broke the old Opening Day Curse in 2047; while his record regressed, and his K/9 went down a bit, his ERA improved and I felt no need to go after him verbally or with a bat. 2048 saw a really rotten April that plagued his ERA for the rest of the year, but reinforced a developed pattern of a rough first half and stellar service in the second half.
SP Bubba Wolinsky, 26, B:L, T:L (7-2, 3.23 ERA | 26-9, 3.27 ERA) – former #12 pick has yet to put a full season together without going down to injury or having to come back from it. Going into his fourth major league season, he’s never made more than 20 starts or pitched more than 120 innings. When he’s actually on the mound, however, the results are easy to approve of. Efficiently mixes five pitches, with the forkball his best offering.
SP Dave Hils *, 32, B:R, T:R (18-10, 3.30 ERA | 117-107, 3.65 ERA) – righty groundballer that beat us in the World Series with the Stars, so the least he can do to make it up to us is to win 20 games and right that wrong in a re-rematch with the Stars, huh? Four pitches, all plus, and quite exceptional control make him stand out from the crowd. Also won a Pitcher of the Year plaque a few years back.
SP Victor Merino, 28, B:L, T:L (15-9, 3.60 ERA | 59-35, 3.18 ERA) – lefty groundballer, and very much more of a control pitcher, lacking the big stuff for high strikeout totals, but at least that mixes well with the Raccoons’ plus infield defense. Actually stayed in one piece in 2047 and 2048 after going down to late injuries the prior two seasons. His ERA went up even though his homers went way down, but so did his strikeouts in an anomalous-looking 2048 season. The homes (four in 187.2 innings) sure look hard to replicate.
SP Chris Crowell *, 36, B:R, T:R (11-11, 3.43 ERA | 131-128, 3.69 ERA, 3 SV) – signed as a free agent and a bridge to Salcido, Crowell still offers a strong fastball and cutter in addition to other pitches, but sometimes just gets taken deep and deeper.

MR Orlando Altreche *, 33, B:R, T:R (5-6, 4.55 ERA | 51-49, 3.91 ERA, 6 SV) – free agent acquisition with a lengthy track record as an Arrowhead, Altreche at this point of his career looks a bit like a long man rather than a late innings tool.
MR Julian Ponce *, 36, B:R, T:L (6-5, 3.00 ERA, 33 SV | 105-86, 3.52 ERA, 126 SV) – cutter, curveball, and a groundball tendency should fit him in really well with the rest of what we have. Used to be a starter before transitioning into the bullpen with the Wolves in ’44. Actually led the CL in innings pitched as a 2040 Crusader.
MR Kevin Hitchcock, 26, B:R, T:R (1-2, 3.22 ERA | 2-4, 3.40 ERA) – the German right-hander saw a brief cup of coffee with the 2046 Raccoons, then became an injury replacement for Bob Ibold in 2047, holding the spot down well enough. Proceeds to pitch himself up the pecking order in the bullpen, although Ibold being out for most/all of 2049 surely also helps his case for more eighth innings.
MR Nate Norris *, 33, B:R, T:R (6-2, 3.36 ERA, 9 SV | 34-27, 3.80 ERA, 31 SV) – Norris returns to the Raccoons as free agent after three seasons in Denver. He previously had two strong seasons for the early-dynasty Coons in 2044-45, going 13-5 with a 2.43 ERA. Strong fastball / curveball combo.
MR Preston Porter, 27, B:R, T:R (2-2, 2.61 ERA, 4 SV | 15-8, 2.58 ERA, 7 SV) – keeps it on the ground and has a very nice curve; also exceptional control – he walked *three* batters in 28.2 innings in the majors in ’44, and while that number went up to a more reasonable 2.0/9 or so ever since, he doesn’t unnecessarily create a traffic jam on the basepaths, which we much appreciate.
SU Mike Lynn, 31, B:L, T:L (5-6, 3.77 ERA, 10 SV | 33-29, 2.78 ERA, 127 SV) – consistency is just hard to find, huh? Got whacked around and lost the closer’s job early in the 2048 season even after leading the CL in saves in ’47. Hard to make out a sole reason for that, because his K/9 remained over ten and his walks didn’t go up either. He is probably eyeing Moreno anxiously, waiting for a misstep.
CL Nelson Moreno, 30, B:R, T:R (2-5, 3.81 ERA, 39 SV | 49-48, 3.76 ERA, 56 SV) – that starting thing never worked out for Nelson Moreno, but in his fifth full season as a reliever he continued to be sturdy and quell threat after threat and eventually took over closer’s duties – even though he wasn’t stumble-free to be honest.

C/1B Ruben Gonzalez, 27, B:R, T:R (.248, 13 HR, 64 RBI | .254, 33 HR, 149 RBI) – pretty good defense and a fine throwing arm, and he hit for a .781 OPS and stole MVP honors in the World Series in his first full season in the majors. He improved more or less for an .802 OPS and CLCS MVP honors in ’47, and while he can fly entirely under the radar or months at a time, we very much like the double-digit homers he offers to the bottom half of the order. Amazing what you can get for $18k in the July IFA slave boy market …!
C/1B Justin Brooks *, 26, B:R, T:R (.274, 3 HR, 26 RBI | .254, 7 HR, 46 RBI) – acquired from the Titans, Brooks promises to be a solid backup, showing good catching abilities and at last a general ability to slap the ball in play for singles from time to time.

RF/LF/1B Bryce Toohey, 33, B:R, T:R (.219, 11 HR, 58 RBI | .266, 166 HR, 625 RBI) – decent defense at multiple corner positions, and a massive power stroke that can conquer any fence in the league. After winning a home run title in ’46, he unfortunately went down to injury late in ’47 and missed the playoffs, then had his very worst season on record in 2048, when the balls just plainly refused to drop in for him. The Raccoons returning to the playoffs might plainly require him to hit for more than a .698 OPS.
SS/2B Matt Waters, 28, B:S, T:R (.303, 31 HR, 93 RBI | .260, 99 HR, 370 RBI) – Home Run King! When we picked him up in tandem with Wheats in 2040, we didn’t quite expect *that*, but smacking 31 won him the CL power crown in 2048. More of that please! Obscene power aside, he’s a good defensive shortstop that can also totally steal 20 (and probably 30) bases in a season, but was moved to second base with the arrival of Alex Adame, and that is actually the position where he might end up winning a Gold Glove, too; also signed a long-term deal on his own volition during ’47, and which probably cost him eight figures with what he hit in ’48 (.910 OPS anyone?).
SS Alex Adame, 27, B:R, T:R (.322, 5 HR, 42 RBI | .287, 35 HR, 422 RBI) – twice a Gold Glover at short, Alex Adame was signed as free agent at the tender age of 25 two years ago, and it has proven to have been a good move already, I’d say… if only he didn’t miss 40+ games every season… at least broke his pattern of sucking offensively in even-numbered years in ’48, hitting for a career-best .807 OPS.
1B/3B/RF/LF Jesus Maldonado, 35, B:R, T:R (.278, 16 HR, 96 RBI | .295, 193 HR, 969 RBI) – I hate to say it, but this light be dimmin’… age is showing in all aspects with Maldo now, who regressed in average, power, defense, and even eating and pooping habits during 2048. And did I mention that there’s four more years on that mega contract of his? A World Series winner (three times!) and a World Series MVP (not in the same seasons, though), Maldo holds the biggest contract ever doled out by the team ($38.5M over 7 years, or roughly half the annual GDP of his home country of Venezuela). He needs a move to first base sooner rather than later, too, but first base is sorta log-jammed already.
1B/RF/2B/LF Pat Gurney, 31, B:L, T:R (.275, 9 HR, 47 RBI | .278, 99 HR, 473 RBI) – one of the best players in either league that does not have a starting spot in sight ™, Gurney is a surprisingly speedy corner guy that figures to get most of his playing time against right-handed pitching. Also has double-digit power when employed as a regular. With Toohey fading during the 2048 season (although that might have been BABIP related), Gurney might steal more playing time from the other big man at first base this season.
RF/1B/3B/SS/LF/CF Eddy Luna *, 28, B:L, T:R (.256, 3 HR, 50 RBI | .264, 12 HR, 142 RBI) – super utility with a keen eye and positive speed on the bases, of which he can also steal double digits. Acquired from the Aces, Luna figures to replace Al Martell, but offer even more versatility, which is required on a roster with three+ first basemen…

LF/RF Mike Preble, 35, B:S, T:R (.326, 29 HR, 89 RBI | .306, 195 HR, 800 RBI) – veteran corner outfielder that was acquired mid-season from the Aces and raked for a 1.001 OPS as a Critter. He will also immediately be in a contract year and probably not be extended given all the other geriatric issues on the roster, but we’ll appreciate him mashing a few dozen more during what could be our final run at glory for the time being.
CF Armando Herrera, 35, B:R, T:R (.319, 4 HR, 64 RBI | .314, 33 HR, 749 RBI) – the Raccoons’ eye-wateringly expensive star acquisition from the 2044-45 offseason won eight Gold Gloves in nine seasons with the Wolves, and while he kept that string going in 2045, he didn’t win the award after that; he’s also gotten up there in age, which is a recurring topic on this team these days... At least he keeps challenging for the batting title (he won one in the FL). Signed for two more years so we might want to look into giving him semi-regular off days to conserve his body.
RF/LF Eduardo Avila *, 31, B:R, T:R (.259, 5 HR, 50 RBI | .266, 74 HR, 418 RBI) – traded for with the Pacifics, Avila is a legit right-handed bat with decent defense on the corners that – should things not work out anymore this year – will have the common decency to disappear via free agency after the season.
LF/CF/RF Matt Watt, 30, B:S, T:R (.255, 3 HR, 36 RBI | .253, 8 HR, 169 RBI) – another former Ace that spent the full ’48 season with Portland, Watt can be effective in the leadoff spot, but sometimes also goes dark for weeks on end. Does offer defensive options, too.
LF/RF/CF Angelo Zurita *, 28, B:L, T:L (.254, 5 HR, 55 RBI | .261, 29 HR, 312 RBI) – good defensive outfielder that figures to get his share of at-bats against righty pitching. Only had one year quite above league-average in OPS (2047) with the Thunder, for whom he spent all of his major league career before signing on as free agent.

On disabled list:
MR Bob Ibold, 28, B:L, T:R (7-6, 3.71 ERA, 1 SV | 21-8, 3.76 ERA, 6 SV) – very competent right-hander that was cooked for dinner in his 2043 cup of coffee, but was only 22 then. 93mph heater, curve, and some natural sink to that fastball that keeps the infielders busy; could miss the entire season in his recovery from a torn elbow ligament.

Otherwise unavailable: Nobody.

Other roster movement:
SP Andrew Clarke, 25, B:R, T:R (no stats) – optioned to AAA; right-handed flyball pitcher with a knuckleball that is devastating only if it knuckles, and otherwise tends to fly. Signed as depth.
SP Victor Salcido, 23, B:R, T:R (2-2, 3.33 ERA | 2-2, 3.33 ERA) – optioned to AAA; a really bright young talent that we deemed not quite ready for prime time and best served by starting in AAA again, although his first five starts in ’48 were surely promising. Five pitches, with a confusing slider as the best piece.
MR Oscar Alcala, 26, B:L, T:L (0-0, 13.50 ERA | 0-0, 8.31 ERA) – optioned to AAA; marginal left-hander that so far has been rightfully marginalized on the success meter by the opposition.
MR Danny Cancel, 25, B:L, T:L (0-0, 0.00 ERA | 0-0, 0.77 ERA) – optioned to AAA; the superficially excellent ERA notwithstanding, it comes from only 12 outings and even fewer innings across two seasons, and he’s really little more than a ham-and-egger that fifth-place teams’ bullpens tend to be made out of.
MR Steve Richardson, 24, B:L, T:L (1-0, 6.75 ERA | 1-0, 6.75 ERA) – optioned to AAA; his debut in nine outings in 2048 could have been worse, but he should stop throwing meatballs down the middle if he wants to get anywhere in the league. His slider *is* a thing of beauty when thrown correctly.
RF/LF Matt Glodowski, 29, B:R, T:R (.291, 2 HR, 10 RBI | .291, 2 HR, 10 RBI) – optioned to AAA; corner outfielder that made his debut at 28 and did better than man(n)y, but ultimately doesn’t have enough to hold down a roster spot on a team that actually wants to win big once more.

Everybody not mentioned by now has already been waived, reassigned, or turned into duck food during the offseason.

OPENING DAY LINEUP:

The most obvious change compared to last year’s OD lineup is Toohey’s drop from the cleanup spot. But Matt Waters has surely earned himself that one…!

Vs. RHP: SS Adame – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 2B Waters – LF Preble – 1B Gurney (Toohey) – RF Avila (Zurita) – C Gonzalez – P
(Vs. LHP: SS Adame – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 2B Waters – LF Preble – 1B Toohey – RF Avila – C Gonzalez – P)

Zurita can spell every outfielder and will do so regularly, mostly against righty pitchers, since the roster has continued to tilt the right-handed hitters’ way. Only Gurney, Luna, and Zurita are true lefty batters, with Preble, Waters, and Watt offering switch sticks. If Matt Watt is playing, he is likely to spell Herrera and bat leadoff with Adame second behind him.

OFF SEASON CHANGES:

Five years, five pennants, three rings! What a dynasty!

The end his here, however. While on one paw we have young(ish) stalwarts like Wheats, Waters, Wolinsky, heck, Preston Porter for all I care, on the other paw the roster is old, brittle, on the downswing, and soon due for replacement. (Maldo, who’s not gonna be replaced any time soon in any way, belches mightily over his food bowl)

While last winter saw very little movement, this year we had to stuff quite a few holes and tears that showed up over the year. For ominous signs, Manny Fernandez retired after 18 years in the organization. Also, the end of the decade is nigh, and the Raccoons have a habit of starting a new decade in a slump… But there is no fewer than eight new players on the roster, even though that big deal (Gates, Omar Ramirez from New York) never came together – that one could have indeed turned the roster around quite a bit, but also would have required sacrificing the #4 prospect.

Overall we were scored ninth for the offseason by BNN, with a +1.4 WAR.

Top 5: Capitals (+13.2), Stars (+13.0), Miners (+7.2), Crusaders (+6.3), Bayhawks (+4.8)
Bottom 5: Blue Sox (-6.1), Condors (-7.2), Canadiens (-8.8), Loggers (-11.9), Titans (-15.4)

Looks like the CL North will get limper. We were actually second-best in division, with the only team missing above being the Indians, who came 15th with a stagnating -0.8 WAR in the offseason.

PREDICTION TIME:

One new addition in the front office is Ancient Roman High Priest Magister Apertus, who has his paws in a goat sacrifice, rummaging, and screams at me that the end is near.

Yeah, I got those vibes already.

If you need more signs, last year half the team (12 players) was 30+ on Opening Day, and that number only went up to 14 this year. Even our acquisitions are old, with five of eight new players being 30+ themselves, and nobody on the roster is 25-and-under anymore. Kevin Hitchcock at 26 years and 22 days as of Opening Day is the chick on the team, ahead of Bubba and Brooks, who share a birthday and will turn 27 on August 2. Seven players are free agents, and make that eight with a $3M team option on Toohey that right now looks unlikely to be picked up.

Last year I predicted 96 wins and another division title, being off by three, and ultimately the 93-69 Raccoons had to bow to the Stars in Game 7.

I don’t think the Crusaders will be quite there, but the Indians will for sure keep bothering us, and I don’t know whether we have more than 90 wins in us. The other three teams in the division look forsaken. We shall join them in a year or two.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:

Somehow our farm system keeps inching up a bit more despite the prolonged run of penannts. We were bottoming out at 16th in the farm rankings to years ago, but moved from 9th up to 6th this season.

Last season we had 11 ranked prospects, including four in the top 100. While our total number of ranked prospects has gone down to just seven (!), four of those are now in the top 50. Six of the eleven ranked prospects from last year are no longer ranked, including #142 Adam Bates (too old) and five players that were simply handed down the ranking, some of them quite steeply: #57 Polibio O’Higgins, #59 Brett Lillis jr., #151 Mike Snyder (these three are all in the AAA pen), #170 Joe Boese, and #191 Dario Medina.

3rd (+1) – AA SP Rafael de la Cruz, 18 – 2047 international free agent signed by Raccoons
42nd (+9) – AAA SP Victor Salcido, 23 – 2042 international free agent signed by Raccoons
45th (+73) – AAA 1B/LF/RF Alan Puckeridge, 21 – 2044 international free agent signed by Raccoons
47th (new) – AA 3B/2B Dave Blackshire, 21 – 2048 first-round pick by Raccoons
152nd (-27) – AAA SS/3B Lorenzo Lavorano, 21 – 2043 scouting discovery by Raccoons
164th (new) – AAA SP Andrew Clarke, 25 – 2042 third-round pick by Wolves, signed as free agent by Raccoons
199th (-20) – A RF/LF/1B Adam Samples, 20 – 2046 first-round pick by Raccoons

The franchise top 10 are completed by AA OF Curtis Scholl (2047 1st Rd.), A SP Carmen Argenziano (2047 2nd Rd.), and O’Higgins (2043 IFA).

Finally, the top 10 overall prospects this year are:

1st (+1) – TIJ MR LF/RF Tim Duncan, 22
2nd (-1) – SAL AA SP Blake Sparks, 21
3rd (+1) – POR AA SP Rafael de la Cruz, 18
4th (new) – CHA A LF/RF Danny Ceballos, 18
5th (new) – ATL A C Pedro Almaguer, 20

6th (new) – RIC A SP Vinny Santiago, 19
7th (+38) – SAC A SP Ernesto Rios, 20
8th (new) – MIL ML OF Dave De Lemos, 21
9th (+32) – VAN AA CL Anton Jesus, 20
10th (+29) – SAC A SP Willie Santiago, 21

Duncan was already the #1 prospect in 2047 before bowing to Blake Sparks last year. Santiago was the #15 pick in the 2048 draft, while de Lemos was the #1 overall pick in the 2048 draft, then missed half his rookie season with a concussion before getting promoted straight from A-ball to the majors by the Loggers for Opening Day. Uh-oh. The other new additions to the list were already signed in prior years but had never been ranked.

So while the top 3 stayed the same this year, none of the remaining top 10 survived on the list for this year.

There are success stories, though. For example, last year’s #5 prospect, WAS SP Cory Ellis, successfully integrated himself into the major league rotation, going 10-15 with a 3.79 ERA amidst no run support. And over in Vegas, 1B/LF/RF Aubrey Austin shot from starting in AA ball to not only debuting in the Bigs, but also to 91 appearances there, hitting .304 with seven homers. He had been the #9 prospect. Both obviously lost eligibility.

The #3 prospect, Pittsburgh INF Victor Corrales made it into 40 games with the Miners to lose rookie eligibility, batted .293 with 3 homers, but was assigned back to AAA to begin the year. #10 prospect Angelo Munoz made his debut in the Loggers pen and pitched in 33 games for a 6.00 ERA. This pair also lost rookie eligibility through service time.

And some simply sagged. Capitals prospect SP Kennedy Adkins pitched himself from AA to AAA, but struggled with injuries and fell from #6 to #15. Corner outfielder Oscar Rivera on the Gold Sox fared about as well, slipping from #7 to #11. SFW AAA SS Carmem Barrento went from #8 to #30 and also to the Condors in a trade.

Next: first pitch.