Spring Training saw us go 12-9 in the preseason games, and we signed a couple of veteran RH bats to minor league deals:
Austin Hays and
Eloy Jimenez. Hays made the team as the DH against LHP while Jimenez is headed to Durham. Luckily there we no injuries of note.
So this is the Opening Day Roster:
C-Keegan, Irish
1B-Isaac
2B-Westburg
SS-C.Williams
3B-Caminero
IF-B.Taylor
LF-Montes
CF-P.Meadows
RF-Cermak
DH-Kjerstad
OF-Hays, J.Ramos
Ramos will platoon with Montes in LF while Kjerstad and Hays will platoon at DH.
SP-Bradley, McGee, Sheehan, H.Smith*, Schwellenbach
LR-Horton, J.Mercedes
MR-Baumeister, J.Lopez*, Hennen*
SU-McMillon, Maldonado
CL-Klein
*lefties
That's
Juan Mercedes, a veteran pitcher who was at Durham last year and was out of options but seems promising enough to keep.
And here they are, up close and personal:
This team did not wow me on paper and seemed significantly inferior to last year's so I was bit leery of what the preseason predictions would show.
Well that was a shock. Despite losing key members of the rotation, bullpen, 2/3 of our starting OF and both catchers, OOTP thinks we'll be as good or better this year. And they really like our pitching with McGee projected as the AL's top pitcher. I'm still skeptical though.