10/31/1979
As the free agency period is about to start, I start making my plans/strategies for how the team will proceed. What positions we will target, who we will pursue.
Strengths
First task is identifying in which positions I feel comfortable with going into the 1980 season. Those positions are:
C - Ron Schwartz (obviously). Head Scout Bill White identifies his excellent defensive instincts. Good control and recognition of the strike zone as a hitter. Has some mechanical issues with his swing, but we can address those over time. This past season hit .252/.365/..359 with 6 HR and 60 RBI. 3.8 WAR
2B - Dan Musgrave - 23 years old. Bill White’s Scouting Report lists him as an elite menace on the base paths. Strong defensively. Has a good sense of the strike zone. Has the talent to flourish as a 2Bman. In 1979 he hit .246/.342/.363 with 7 home runs and 68 RBI. 2.4 WAR. Also have Bobby Bugbee at AA Kernal City coming too. Set at 2B for a number of years.
SS - Richie Swan - Also 23 years old. White notes his excellent instincts defensively. Outstanding speed. Switch hitter with confident swings from both sides of the plate. Franchise cornerstone. Batted .265/.368/.410 with 12 home runs and 60 RBI. 4.6 WAR.
3B - Mario Mora - Another 23 year old. The future looks bright with this youth corp. Bill White raves about his speed, his elite defensive ability, and pegs him as a .310 hitter. This season hit .267/.293/.357 with 4 home runs and 63 RBI. Needs to hit for more power, but coming off of a bit of a down season. 0.7 WAR.
LF - Ian Auld - 27 year old. Good hitter. Not as much power as I would like for a left fielder. Not fleet of foot whatsoever, but has good instincts on the bases. Decent plate judgment. 1979 numbers include .320/.373/.464 with 14 HR and 56 RBI. 3.1 WAR.
CF - Jim Rainey - Another one of those 23 year olds. The 1978 Kid Dynamite Award winner as top rookie in the league. Excellent fielder with top class speed. Makes consistent contact. Numbers this season are .270/.318/.438 with 15 HR and 74 RBI. 3.7 WAR.
RF - Pete Grier - Another excellent fielder, having won a Gold Glove in 1976. Above average to strong power, with a smooth, fluid swing. Was the overall #1 pick in the 1972 TBL Draft by the Mallards. In 1979 he batted .296/.366/.478 with 26 HR and 87 RBI, with a 4.4 WAR.
Starting Pitching
#1 Starter Juan Leyva - Coming off of a 14-16 season with a 3.62 ERA. Previous two seasons won 20 games and 17. The right-hander is just 27 years old. Should be set for awhile.
#2 Starter Wally Christensen - The lefty had a record of 13-8 in 1979 with a 3.30 ERA. 30 years old.
#3/4/5 Starters - Feel pretty good with two guys here, Bob Carithers (29 years old) and Bob Figiel (26 years old). Carithers had a record of 13-7 this season with a 3.52 ERA in 29 starts. Figiel, who we just picked up in a trade before the start of the ’79 season, went 10-8 with a 2.93 ERA. Ruben Solis has moved back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, and could be an answer here again too. Jimmy Riggs is at AAA Porterville, and may be ready to join the Big League squad also.
Bullpen
Set at closer with Lee Lewis, who we are trying to sign to an extension. 39 years old, but should have a few more years left in him barring injury. Feel comfortable with the four other guys currently making up the bullpen (Solis, Mike Straub, Leon Williams, Hal Holmes).
Areas to Improve
So now it is on to the areas I feel like we need to improve upon:
1B - Probably the biggest target area. Alex Thigpen has been serviceable, but has no power. As a team we need a big upgrade in the power arena, so finding a slugging first baseman will be a goal for the offseason. Have Bill Kennedy, who played at Single A Cascadia City this season. He is 22 years old, but probably needs another year of seasoning before he is ready.
Jody Carroll is probably the top First Baseman available in free agency. The 31 year old has spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Seraphs. This season he compiled a .257 average, with a .381 OBP and .460 SLG. He hit 26 home runs and 102 RBI. He has won 3 gold gloves at 1B, and is a 2-time All-Star. Bill White's Scouting Report states Carroll draws walks and works the count amongst the best in baseball. Has power. A defensive marvel. Would fit in well with the rest of our defensive strengths, and his power would be nice. Mr. Jacoby has given us a budget for free agency of $1,040,340, so we would be able to fit him in to the budget, with a bit left over to strengthen our depth.
Pitching - can never have too much pitching. Nobody pressing in the minors yet, so adding some more depth to the rotation/bullpen would be nice.
Other Focal Areas for the Offseason
Also need to look at which contracts will be expiring after the 1980 season, and which players we would like to try to work out an extension with versus letting walk. We have a considerable budget for extensions (just over $2M), and we will not even begin to use that on expiring contracts. Might be good to get some other guys signed longer-term as well.
The players we have with contracts expiring after the 1980 season are:
- SP Wally Christensen
- P Ruben Solis
- 2B George Byers
- SS Bob Hancock
- 3B Paul Van der Horst
Solis and Christensen are both 30 years old, so any extension would not be a long-term. Having said that though, I would like to see if we can get them both signed for another 2-3 years. Solis should be easier to get signed, as Christensen will be looking for a bigger payday.
Hancock was the starter at shortstop for the past number of years until Richie Swan came on the scene and quickly unseated him. He’s only 30, so still has a number of years left, but they won’t be with the Mallards. I will be looking to trade him this season.
Both Byers and Van der Horst have bounced back and forth between Milburn and Porterville. Neither will most likely be re-signed.