[DG18]

2024 Opening Day Roster

(Age, B/T, Salary)
Starting Pitchers:
Min-ho Lee (27, R, $10,000,000) - Lee has almost no velocity, but he does have maybe the league's best knuckleball. We have him locked up for 5 more years so hopefully he can become a steady presence at the top of our rotation.
Julio Lambruschini (39, R, $14,500,000) - Lambruschini is at the twilight of his career, and while he doesn't look like a big strikeout guy, he should be a solid #2.
Jeff Arnoff (34, R, $2,750,000) - Pretty average across the board but should be able to eat innings in the middle of the rotation. He got hit hard at the end of Spring Training so that's something to keep an eye on.
Jared Hooper (32, R, $599,500) - Best pitch is a splitter, but his stamina isn't great so he might have to convert to the bullpen depending on how things shake out.
Andy Castillo (24, R, Minimum) - Castillo is starting the year as our #5 starter, but we think he has a bright future as a flamethrower. He already throws in the upper 90s with solid control, so if he can develop his offspeed more he could turn into a good pitcher. He struggled at the beginning of Spring Training, but his last few outings were great which shows that he has a high ceiling.

Relief Pitchers:
Prince Thomas (36, R, $2,250,000) - Good fastball/slider combo with a sidearm delivery, so he could be useful to get right handed batters out.
Jim Potvin (28, L, $1,500,000) - Decent stuff, not a whole lot of control but he also has enough stamina to serve as a long relief man if needed.
Steve Steen (28, R, $1,125,000) - Good strikeout pitcher but also lacks control.
Jake Jones (29, R, Minimum) - Pretty good stuff but also has the potential to get rocked if he isn't fooling anybody. Jones has three pitches and enough stamina where he could serve as an emergency starter if needed.
Eric Cottle (25, L, $1,375,000) - Cottle will be our left handed specialist out of the pen, although he has good enough stuff where he could probably get righties out too.
Curt Koonts (26, R, Minimum) - The hardest thrower on the staff, Koonts can light up the radar gun, but lacks a great secondary pitch.
Gabe Baker (26, R, $4,000,000) - Baker only throws a cutter and slider, but it's good enough that hitters can know what's coming and still have trouble finding the barrel. He'll start as our closer this year.

Catchers:
Damon Ahernfeld (30, R, $1,125,000) - Below average hitter for the most part, but he is good at taking walks. Had a rough spring but nobody else really impressed so he'll open the season as the starter behind the plate.
Vinny Cortez (40, R, $1,625,000) - Basically just a slightly worse version of Ahernfeld across the board. Probably won't be able to play much behind the plate at his age but he's a servicable backup.

Infielders:
1B Jose Ariza (39, R, $7,500,000) - Doesn't hit for average, but Ariza should be a powerful slugger in the middle of the lineup.
2B Kevin Dickerson (27, R, $2,500,000) - Won't hit for extra bases much, but Dickerson is a solid fielder and excellent baserunner that could lead the team in steals.
2B Jordan Limas (26, R, $599,500) - Limas is a better hitter than Dickerson and will likely get the starting nod at the beginning of the season unless he starts to slump. He also has no power, but he's good at slapping singles and getting his bat on the ball.
IF Jesus Arrellano (29, R, $1,062,500) - Arrellano would better serve as a utility infielder, but we don't really have any better options at 3B so he'll start for now. He's another guy with zero power but hopefully he can just get on base at a good clip.
IF Nick Oropreza (28, S, Minimum) - Oropreza was the last man to make the Opening Day roster, and I basically just liked that he is a good defender and a switch hitter. He's not someone we want to rely on but he might be a good role player.
SS Tony Palacios (30, R, $8,000,000) - Decent hitter and a very good fielder at shortstop, Palacios will be a big factor for our infield defense. He's not a slugger but he's got more power than a lot of guys at his position.

Outfielders:
LF Ricky Heller (28, R, $937,500) - Heller's best attribute is probably his clubhouse presence as a leader, but he's got a little pop in his bat as well.
CF William Lizarraga (26, R, $599,500) - Lizarraga can't really hit at this point, but he's an excellent outfielder and baserunner.
OF/1B Ryan Walker (34, L, $1,625,000) - Walker is probably best served as a bench player, but he has a disciplined approach at the plate and is also an above average defender in the outfield.
RF Myles Fenty (41, R, $21,000,000) - The best hitter on a team usually isn't 41 years old, but Fenty is expected to lead this team in the middle of the lineup. He probably has the most power in our lineup, so hopefully he still has enough gas left in the tank to contribute.
OF Joe Maynard (30, L, Minimum) - Below average across the board.

Injured List:
LF Alex Roberts (28, R, $1,187,500) - Roberts was expected to start the year as our starting left fielder, but suffered a concussion in Spring Training and will miss most of April.

The preseason predictions have us finishing in second place at 78-84. Chicago looks to be the best team in the division by far, while nobody is optimistic about St. Louis or Indianapolis. The New York Heroes are expected to be the best team in the Eastern League, while Oregon and Omaha have good ballclubs in the West.