[Westheim]

The last tough decision before the start of the season was to decide which of three right-handed middle relievers to send down to the AAA level: Paul Cooper, Stanton Coleman, or Bill Craig. The numbers spoke for Craig, who had the worst ERA among them, but I had not had any good memories about Coleman and those not good memories were spanning four years now. On the other hand, Coleman had no options, while Craig had. Craig was sent down.

1981 PORTLAND RACCOONS – Opening Day Roster (first set shows 1980 numbers, second set overall; players with an * are off season acquisitions; on the bottom is Jorge Romero, who will be sorely missed for the first half of the season):

SP Christopher Powell (13-9, 2.71 ERA | 58-54, 3.48 ERA) – he was totally awesome in 1980, leading the Continental League in WHIP (0.96). His control was awesome, but he gave up his share of home runs.
SP Jack Pennington * (13-11, 4.44 ERA | 77-37, 3.27 ERA) – acquired from Cincinnati. Killed the first three seasons, had some struggles last year, but I am sure, he will turn it around.
SP Logan Evans (6-14, 4.40 ERA | 13-23, 3.77 ERA) – had a terrible season, was 3rd in K’s into July, but then suffered a major meltdown, rallying to get on the BB’s leaderboard. Has to bounce back.
SP Gary Simmons (9-12, 3.52 ERA | 9-16, 3.65 ERA) – like Evans, he melted in the second half of the season, leading to the Raccoons’ collapse as a whole. If he gets his control better dialed in, he will become a winner for sure. He’s only 23, he can still learn.
SP Roman Ocasio (3-8, 4.30 ERA | 6-14, 4.13 ERA) – his superpower is to blow every lead, no matter how big. He had more than 2 BB for every K last year.

MU Carlos Morán (2-6, 4.18 ERA | 2-6, 4.18 ERA) – his first outings were terrible, but he got more solid over time. One of four men in the pen that debuted during 1980 and are back for 1981. Started twice in September, and could be used for Ocasio in case of “issues” with the lefty.
MR Miguel Bojorquez (0-1, 6.43 ERA | 0-1, 6.43 ERA) – was not spared, as my lefty relievers took beatings in 1980. He was more consistent towards the end of the season.
MR Stanton Coleman (1-1, 3.29 ERA | 3-7, 4.66 ERA, 1 SV) – has a tendency to blow up games, which I have never liked.
MR Paul Cooper (4-2, 2.31 ERA, 1 SV | 4-2, 2.31 ERA, 1 SV) – whenever the bullpen struggled, he mostly held his ground. Was below 2 in ERA until August, but was reliable most of the time afterwards as well.
SU Ben Jenkins (4-9, 3.86 ERA | 16-21, 3.88 ERA, 2 SV) – remains the righty setup. Also pitched in many close games and tied games, which the Raccoons tend to lose, so his record is not that much of a problem.
SU Grant West (0-0, 0.68 ERA | 0-0, 0.68 ERA) – lefty setup that came up late in 1980. May become closer soon, once he was pitched a few more innings (only 13.1 IP so far), or once Gaston struggles.
CL Wally Gaston (3-1, 2.88 ERA, 33 SV | 17-19, 2.71, 61 SV) – was a bench in 1980, going 33/36 in opportunities. The few games the Raccoons won, they owed to him. He has a walk issue, but struck out almost 10 per nine innings. I trust him, and that means something.

C Stephano Bocci (.282, 6 HR, 47 RBI | .292, 24 HR, 283 RBI) – did very well in his first year with the Raccoons. His RBI numbers were down because he batted leadup for a time, and is a viable #2 batter.
C Edward Peterson * (.667, 0 HR, 1 RBI | .444, 0 HR, 1 RBI) – has only 9 AB’s, so his stats are worthless. Acquired from the Crusaders to be backup catcher, nothing more.

1B Hoyt Cook (.300, 6 HR, 36 RBI | .259, 10 HR, 78 RBI) – he broke through in 1980, hitting .300 in 277 AB. He will be starter at 1B for the first time this year.
1B Wyatt Johnston (.243, 7 HR, 45 RBI | .258, 48 HR, 265 RBI) – defensively he is still amazing, but his production has declined last year. He is 39 and in the last year of his contract.
2B/SS Ralph Nixon (.285, 9 HR, 40 RBI | .326, 63 HR, 361 RBI) – played in only 79 games due to injury. Was defensively inconsistent at times, but his production was okay (if measured against his salary).
2B/3B Angel Costa (.231, 2 HR, 27 RBI | .226, 3 HR, 91 RBI) – he is very strong on defense, but his offense has never amazed anybody. He will be backup.
3B Cameron Green (.241, 1 HR, 6 RBI | .224, 2 HR, 10 RBI) – I chased Hermundo for him. Acquired in the Romero/Miranda trade three years ago, he spent parts of the last two seasons on the Raccoons roster. Has high potential, but needs to convert it now.
SS/1B/2B/3B Ben Simon (.242, 14 HR, 77 RBI | .257, 75 HR, 342 RBI) – the rock in our infield, he slumped offensively during the second half of the season. Has a big bat, but K’s too often.

LF/RF Daniel Hall (.272, 20 HR, 67 RBI | .259, 38 HR, 133 RBI) – broke through big last year, his offense and defense both improved dramatically and he is only 25 – maybe he will still become the superstar everybody thought him to be prior to the 1977 draft.
LF/RF Sherwood Henderson (.216, 0 HR, 3 RBI | .216, 0 HR, 3 RBI) – backup outfielder, but he is not very valuable as a pinch hitter either.
LF/RF/CF Ben Cox (.230, 1 HR, 18 RBI | .249, 6 HR, 37 RBI) – he will fight with Clark over the centerfield starting job, but Clark might have the edge with better speed, range, and offense.
CF/LF/RF Ken Clark (.229, 2 HR, 23 RBI | .229, 2 HR, 23 RBI) – was 2nd in stolen bases last year, and good on defense, but his offense comes and goes.
RF/LF Pedro Sánz (.288, 10 HR, 77 RBI | .291, 43 HR, 256 RBI) – has RF nailed down hard, and last season played in 160 games, without going to the DL even once, which was new for him. He has a laser cannon for an arm, and although his range is not great, he gets his share of outs. Defensively valuable as well.

On disabled list:
SP Jorge Romero (12-11, 3.10 ERA | 42-46, 2.96 ERA) – was a true #1 starter last year, then got hurt. Will miss three months at least. With more run support, his record would have been so much better.
MR Rich Hughes (1-0, 0.89 ERA | 1-0, 0.89 ERA) – lefty reliever, who appeared in 20 games for us before tearing an elbow ligament. He could replace Bojorquez upon his return.

Where will this team end up? It’s hard to say. Much depends on two things: production from corner infield (Cook, Green), and how the rotation will hold up. If Pennington returns to his 1979 form and if our #3/4/5 starters keep the walks down a little bit, the team could improve. But with Romero out, the start of the season could as well be brutal.

My prediction: the team will improve it’s record, but not by much. I think the Raccoons could finish around 74-88. Can they leave last place? Hum. Tough one. Depends on what the Loggers and Canadiens do.

By the way, the Miners, Gold Sox, Raccoons, and Condors all have finished bottom of their division three years running (the Condors four years). We want to do our part to end this streak!

Next: first pitch! We’ll start at home against the Titans, Aces, and Falcons.