[hayesb26]

POSITIONAL PREVIEWS


Catcher

Toby Hall, 28 yrs.(ML) - He is about all we have that is capable of producing at the major league level. He has a 5 in contact, and that's about it. He's good at the sacrifice bunt as well, which will be neccessary hitting in the bottom of the lineup. He also packs a little bit of power for a little catcher. He's not very good behind the plate, as he lets by quite a few past balls and doesn't have a great arm.

Brook Fordyce, 33 yrs.(ML) - Nothing more than a backup for if Hall gets injured. He's nearing the end of his career, and can't do much at the plate. He's not very good behind the plate, either.

Pete Laforest, 26 yrs.(AAA) - Nothing special here, just a decent minor leaguer. He has a good arm, and has solid defense behind the plate, so not many balls get past him. He isn't very good on the contact hitting, but he does have more power than our major leaguers, so if we find ourselves lacking homer's later in the year, look for him to get the call and play a few games.

Mitch Melusky, 30 yrs.(AAA) - The thing about him is how weak his arm is. We have yet to see if the guy can get it to 2nd base in any time to get a runner. He isn't very good at protecting balls from getting by him, and he's not much better hitting. He does have a 10 in eye/patience, so that is one bright spot about his game. He has no power or contact whatsoever, so don't expect him to get the call anytime.

Shawn Riggans, 23 yrs.(AA) - He will probably be moving to AAA soon and eventually to the majors. He is great behind the plate and also has a good arm, so not many past balls or steals will be going while hes in the game. His hitting is rather weak, but he does have a decent contact rating and is great with sacrifice bunts.


OVERALL GRADE: C- .. We don't have anything special here, but we do have a couple of guys who will be decent at the ML level, along with a good prospect waiting in the minors. Hey, for this team, C- to start isn't too bad....


First Base

Aubrey Huff, 27 yrs.(ML) - Huff is a solid young player. One of our few bright spots. He has solid contact, along with great power hitting. He also brings a pretty good eye to the plate. He has the ability to play multiple positions, 1B, 3B, and OF, so that makes him even more valuable. He has a great arm, whether he's in the IF or the OF, along with a great glove, no matter what position he's playing.

Tino Martinez, 36 yrs.(ML) - Tino, even at his age, is still a very solid player for us. He will start the season as our DH, but may move to 1B eventually. He has an amazing glove in the field, and doesn't make many errors at all. He has solid contact, and still packs some good power. He should be great to groom Aubrey into a great player, and will be given games off to keep him fresh.

Robert Fick, 30 yrs.(ML) - Fick isn't anything too good, just a decent all-around ballplayer. He has good hitting and decent power, along with a decent eye at the plate. He isn't very good in the field, but isn't too bad, either. He has a horrible arm, as injuries have plagued him and he hasn't been getting much action in the last few years. Look for him to be nothing more than a pinch hitter and possibly get a couple starts at 1B if Tino needs a rest and Aubrey is moved elsewhere.

Eduardo Perez, 34 yrs.(ML) - Let's be real, Perez will get very little playing time on this squad other than pinch hitting. He has a good arm, as long as he's in the infield, and good HR power, but no contact to speak of. He's pretty good in the field at 1B, and also has a good eye.


OVERALL GRADE: B+ .. We have a lot of depth here, but nobody in our minors to eventually come up. Huff leads this group, but with three other solid players on the bench we aren't too worried, as we can afford to move Huff to DH or into the OF if we need to into the season.