2039 and beyond -- St. Louis River Walkers thread

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Walkers news: March 17 -- St. Louis 5, Twin Cities 3, 8-11

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Walkers news: March 18 -- St. Louis 2, Rockford 1, 9-11

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed utility infielder Rich Dodson on the 10-day injured list after he suffered a strained hamstring on March 17 in a 5-3 win over Twin Cities.
Dodson is expected to miss up to six weeks.
In 19 games during this spring training, Dodson has hit .344 with two RBIs.
The 28-year-old spent the bulk of the 2039 at AAA, but did get a late callup to the majors and played quite well.
In 45 games/35 starts, Dodson hit .325 with four homers and 14 RBIs.

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Walkers news: March 19 -- St. Louis 2, Green Bay 1, 10-11

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MBL news: March 19 - Spring training Week 3 +plus 1 -- Standings and leaders

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Walkers news: March 20 -- Springfield 2, St. Louis 0, 10-12

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Walkers news: March 22 -- St. Louis 5, Chicago 2, 11-12

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Walkers news: March 23 -- Peoria 8, St. Louis 3, 11-13

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Walkers news: March 24 -- St. Louis 8, Cedar Rapids 4, 12-13

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Walkers news: March 25 -- Milwaukee 10, St. Louis 2, 12-14

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Walkers news: March 26 -- Des Moines 4, St. Louis 2, 12-15

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Walkers news: March 27 -- St. Louis 8, Quad City 0, 13-15

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Walkers news: March 28 -- Louisville 8, St. Louis 7, 13-16

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Walkers news: March 29 -- St. Louis 5, Madison 3, 14-16

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MBL news: March 30 -- Final spring training standings and leaders

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Walkers news: March 29 -- Team spring training statistics

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Walkers news: April 1 -- Player Development Report

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MBL news: April 2 -- Preseason predictions on Opening Day

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2039 season: 88-74, 2nd, 3 GB Cedar Rapids
2040 prediction: 80-82, 2nd/Tied, w. Louisville, 4 GB Cedar Rapids
Manager/General Manager: Mike Renkes, 22nd season, 1,889-1,514, .555
Division champions: 2018, 2019, 2025, 2026, 2028, 2030, 2031, 2036 and 2037.
World series qualifiers: 2018, 2025, 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2037.
World Series titles: 2018 and 2025.
2039 Award winner: NL Silver Slugger – RF: Manuel Coke
2039 season summary: The River Walkers struggled through much of the first half and trailed first-place Cedar Rapids by as many seven games. Some strong play after the All-Star break saw them close that gap and at one point take a half-game lead over the Grapplers on Sept. 18. Cedar Rapids, however, surged over its final 15 games going 11-4, while St. Louis managed to go just 7-7 as the Grapplers won the division by three games.
Looking ahead: The Walkers made a few additions in the offseason.
Among position players, 33-year-old Quiang Chang was acquired in a trade with Toledo to take over at shortstop while a platoon of right-handed hitting Tom Blevins and left-handed hitting Jose Segura is expected to handle the center-duties.
Both were free-agent signings/
Right-hander Brent Autin was signed as a free agent from the Twin Cities Snow Cats and has earned a spot in the rotation.
The bullpen, which had some major problems in 2039, has a new closer in left-hander Tom Floria, as Craig Fritzler used his player option to become a free agent.
Also new to the bullpen is right-hander Evan Palmer.
Departures
SP: Miguel Cisneros and Xavier Wigfall. RP: Brett McVey, Frank Jimenez and Craig Fritzler. C: Alek38 Boychuk. SS: Kerry Fackelman. 3B: Nolan Gorman. OF: Joe Allen.
SP: Miguel Cisneros, 37, B-R/T-R, 19 G, 19 GS, 6-8, 3.51 ERA, 112.2 IP, 69 Ks, 1.22 WHIP; Signed three-year contract worth $24.4 million with Rockford
Cisneros enjoyed a solid two seasons with the Walkers going 15-18 with a 3.43 ERA. His age didn’t justify the cost of bringing him back.
SP: Xavier Wigfall, 31, B-R/T-R, 21 G, 21 GS, 6-7, 4.46 ERA, 117.0 IP, 108 Ks, 1.40 WHIP; Signed one-year deal with $2.46 million with Des Moines
Wigfall spent parts of eight seasons in the St. Louis rotation going 56-64 with a 4.20 ERA.
RP: Brett McVey, 34, B-R/T-R, 74 G, 5-1, 3 Svs., 2.28 ERA, 71.0 IP, 66 Ks, 1.34 ERA; Signed a one-year contract with Chicago worth $2.44 million
McVey spent three seasons in St. Louis going 14-7 with seven saves and a 3.37 ERA in 202 games.
RP: Frank Jimenez, 26, B-L/T-L, 44 G, 0-3, 5.12 ERA, 38.2 IP, 48 Ks, 1.66 WHIP; Traded to Louisville
Jimenez had his moments but could never seem to harness his potential while with the Walkers. In parts of two seasons, Jimenez pitched in 87 games going 3-8 with one save and a 4.44 ERA.
CL: Craig Fritzler, 33, B-R, T-R, 50 G, 4-3, 27 Svs., 2.70 ERA, 53.1 IP, 64 Ks, 1.31 WHIP; Still a free agent
After posting 34 saves during his first season in St. Louis, Fritzler had a horrific first half with nine blown saves before the All-Star break in 2039. He would finish with a league-high 10. His WHIP and walks per nine innings both showed huge jumps while his strikeouts per nine innings dropped by more than three. He did finish the season strong, but his ugly first half was a big reason St. Louis missed the postseason.
C: Alek Boychuk, 38, B-R/T-R, 60 G, 56 GS, .240 BA, 6 HR, 26 RBIs, 28 RS, .677 OPS; Signed one-year contract with Rockford worth $2.24 million
Signed before the 2039 season to be the starting catcher, Boychuk got injured early and eventually lost the job to Mike Vaughan.
SS: Kerry Fackelman, 32, B-L/T-R, 91 G, 84 GS, .205 BA, 0 HR, 22 RBIs, 31 RS, .531 OPS; Signed -one-year contract with Cincinnati worth $5.7 million
Signed by the Walkers on May 7 to be the every day shortstop, he helped shore up the infield defense but didn’t offer the kind of help at the plate the Walkers were hoping for.
3B Nolan Gorman, 39, B-L/T-R, 111 G, 56 GS, .233 BA, 14 HRs, 36 RBIs, 45 RS, .772 OPS; Still a free agent
Signed to a minor-league contract, Gorman eventually got called to the majors and offered a nice power source off the bench and as a substitute at third base.
OF Joe Allen, 34, B-L, T-L, 138 G, 123 GS, .236 BA, 24 HRs, 72 RBIs, 84 RS, .768 OPS; Still a free agent
Signed as a free agent on April 19, Allen stepped in and filled a void as the team’s center fielder both with the bat and the glove.
Newcomers
SP: Brent Autin. RP: Tom Floria, Juan Munoz, and Evan Palmer. C: Adam Stewart. SS: Quiang Chang. IF: Tommy Gardner and Jose Nieto. OF: Tom Blevins and Jose Segura.
SP: Brent Autin, 31, B-R/T-R, 32 G, 32 GS, 10-7, 4.29 ERA, 168.0 IP, 136 Ks, 1.24 WHIP; Signed three-year free-agent deal worth $16.5 million
Autin has been starting in the majors since the 2031 season. He spent his first five seasons with Indianapolis and last four with Twin Cities. He has won 10 or more games six times with his best season being 2033 when he went 11-9 with a 4.49 ERA for Indy. His career record is 88-84 with a 4.60 ERA.
CL: Tom Floria, 27, B-L/T-L, 20 G, 3-4, 9 Svs., 2.86 ERA, 22.0 IP, 29 Ks, 0.86 WHIP (w/Louisville); Trade with Louisville
Floria’s 2039 season was marred by a knee injury which kept him out for four months, but whe he did pitch he was very effective. Floria spent the 2037 and 2038 season as the closer for Louisville, posting a combined 59 saves. For his career, he has a 19-17 record with 73 saves and a 2.36 ERA.
RHP: Juan Munoz, 32, B-R/T-R, 63 G, 3-7, 31 SVs, 3.10 ERA, 61.0 IP, 70 Ks, 1.28 WHIP (w/Cleveland); Signed a two-year free agent contract worth $15.8 million
Munoz had a good season with the Walkers in 2038 before signing with Cleveland for the 2039 season. He posted a career-high 31 saves while with the Heroes and will likely get a chance to earn a decent number of saves this season with Floria being a lefty. For his career, Munoz is 36-46 with 145 saves and 4.25 ERA.
RHP: Evan Palmer, 36, B-S/T-R, 65 G, 5-5, 1 Sv, 4.30 ERA, 73.1 IP, 68 Ks, 1.43 WHIP (Split between Akron and Milwaukee; Signed a two-year free-agent contract worth$5.58 million
A ground-ball specialist, Palmer has been in the majors since 2026. He has a career record of 56-93 with 106 saves and a 5.38 ERA.
C: Adam Stewart, 35, B-R/T-R, 105 G, 101 GS, .223 BA, 7 HRs, 41 RBIs, 36 RS, .642 OPS (w/Chicago); Signed a one-year contract worth $1.6 million)
A defense-first catcher, Stewart will likely form a righty-lefty platoon behind the plate with Mike Vaughan.
SS: Quiang Chang, 34, B-R/T-R, 147 G, 139 GS, .263 BA, 12 HRs, 48 RBIs, 60 RS, .709 WHIP (w/Toledo); Acquired in a trade with Toledo
An above average defender at three position, Chang was brought in to shore up the defense at shortstop and as well as be an improvement at the plate. It is expected Chang could move to second base in 2041 when Ryan Wibbenmeyer could become a free agent.
IF: Tommy Gardner, 30, B-L/T-R, 128 G, 124 GS, .264 BA, 13 HRs, 49 RBIs, 61 RS, .809 OPS (w/AAA Round Rock); Signed a one-year contract worth $2 million
Gardner I considered a plus defender at third base and shortstop. Although, he spent the entire 2039 season in the minors, he does have 608 games of experience in the majors – he is a .246 hitter with 68 homers and 237 RBIs – most of it with Evansville.
IF: Jose Nieto, 35, B-R/T-R, 146 G, 132 GS, .224 BA, 14 HRs, 51 RBIS, 53 RS, .649 OPS; Signed a one-year deal worth $565,000
Signed late in spring training after Rich Dodson was injured, Nieto is a good defender at second base and shortstop. He also has almost 1,000 games of experience in the majors, where he has hit .263 with 90 homers and 365 RBIs.
OF: Tom Blevins, 32, B-R/T-R, 121 G, 70 GS, .220 BA, 22 HRs, 48 RBIs, 54 RS, .789 OPS; Signed a two-year contract worth $15.7 million
With a couple of young center fielders still working their way through the minors, St. Louis decided to try and handle the position by platoon. Blevins will be the right-handed side of the equation. For his career, Blevins is a .221 hitter against southpaws with 37 homers and 89 RBIs.
OF: Jose Segura, 34, B-L/T-R, 97 G, 65 GS, .216 BA, 15 HRs, 33 RBIs, 36 RS, .770 OPS; Signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million
Back where he started his major league career in 2029 and spent his first nine seasons. Segura will see the bulk of the starts against right-handed pitching. A year ago, while playing for Evansville, Segura hit righties .235 with 14 homers, 29 RBIs and a OPS of .850.
Starting rotation
1, Ming Xiang. 2, Kevin Hrdlicka. 3, Juan Farias. 4, Brent Autin. 5, Agustin Perdomo.
RHP: Ming Xiang, 28, B-R/T-R, 33 G, 33 GS, 12-11, 3.13 ERA, 207.1 IP, 168 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
Although his record didn’t show it, Xiang put up his third straight banner season to start his career and rank himself among the best pitchers in the game. His 207.1 innings matched his career high and his 1.06 WHIP led the National League. For his career, Xiang is 42-23 with a 3.35 ERA.
RHP: Kevin Hrdlicka, 28, B-S/T-R, 33 G, 33 GS, 13-8, 3.97 ERA, 190.2 IP, 219 Ks, 1.25 WHIP
Hrdlicka continues to climb the ladder toward being one the elite pitchers in the league. He struck out more than 200 batters for the second straight year and his 10.3 K per nine topped the league, again for the second consecutive season.
RHP: Juan Farias, 2, B-R, T-R, 23 G, 23 GS, 6-6, 3.44 ERA, 136.0 IP, 116 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
Farias broke into the St. Louis rotation in May and never left. He was named NL Rookie of the Month for August and looks to be a top three starter for the foreseeable future.
SP: Brent Autin: see above
SP: Agustin Perdomo, 31, B-S/T-R, 28 G/27 GS, 8-9, 4.01 ERA, 166.0 IP, 93 Ks, 1.35 WHIP
The team’s big free-agent signing prior to the 2039 season, Perdomo’s initial campaign with the Walkers was probably a disappointment. His WHIP and walks per nine both rose while his strikeouts per nine dropped. Perdomo also missed the last month of the season because of surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow.

Relief pitchers
Cl: Tom Floria. RHP: Juan Munoz. RHP: Chris Willett. RHP: Alex Rios. RHP: Evan Palmer. LHP: Leo Hermosillo. LHP: Carlos Hernandez. LHP: Kyle Smarr.
CL: Tom Florida: See above
RHP: Juan Munoz: See above.
RHP: Alex Rios, 34, B-L/T-R, 56 G, 2-1, 1 Sv., 2.25 ERA, 48.0 IP, 43 Ks, 1.46 WHIP
Like most of the St. Louis bullpen, Rios had a rough two months of the season but he settled down once June arrived to provide some solid work from the right-hand side.
RHP: Chris Willett, 29, B-L/T-R, 67 G, 5-6, 0 Svs., 3.44 ERA, 68.0 IP, 60 Ks, 1.34
Willett did enough in 2039 to earn a chance to show what he can do in a second major league season.
LHP: Leo Hermosillo, 34, B-L, T-L, 59 G, 4-1, 3 Svs., 2.50 ERA, 50.1 IP, 47 Ks, 1.05 WHIP
Hermosillo has enjoyed two good seasons as the top left-hander out of the bullpen for the River Walkers.
LHP: Carlos Hernandez, 28, B-L/T-L, 57 G, 7-2, 2 Svs., 2.70 ERA, 63.1 IP, 68 Ks, 1.06 WHIP (Combined Chicago and St. Louis)
Hernandez could super-cede Hermosillo as the team’s No. 2 lefty out of the bullpen if the latter starts to show his age.
LHP: Kyle Smarr, 33, B-L/T-L, 50 G, 5-1, 1 Sv., 3.40 ERA, 50.1 IP, 37 Ks, 1.33 WHIP
Smarr doesn’t dazzle but more than often gets the job done against left-handed hitters who batted just .205 against him in 2039.
Catchers
St: Mike Vaughan, 37, B-L/T-R, 72 G, 68 GS, .276, 1 HR, 28 RBIs, 18 RS, .708
Given the chance to play in the majors for the first time since 2030 when Alek Boychuk went down with an injury, Vaughan made the most of it by contributing a bit at the plate but more importantly seemingly shoring up a struggling St. Louis pitching staff with his presence behind the plate. Who knows if he can do it again, but he earned the opportunity.
BU: Alex Stewart: See above

Infielders
1B: Nick Shaw, 31, B-R, T-R, 149 G, 142 GS, .262 BA, 26 HRs, 75 RBIs, 78 RS, .792 OPS
The 2036 NL MVP continues his downward trend of becoming a contract albatross as his numbers across the board continued to dip drastically. The only improvement Shaw saw, was hitting 26 homers which was six more than his 2038 total.
2B: Ryan Wibbenmeyer, 31, B-R/T-R, 120 G, 111 GS, .279 BA, 2 HRs, 22 RBIs, 51 RS, .679 OPS
Like most of the St. Louis roster, Wibbenmeyer saw a major drop in his offensive numbers from 2038 to 2039. (In 2039, he hit .309 with nine homers, 79 RBIs and 101 scored). Some of that may have been due to a fractured wrist which kept him out for four weeks. But that cannot be the complete excuse.
3B: Mark Herman, 27, B-S/T-R, 153 G, 140 GS, .270 BA, 8 HRs, 54 RBIs, 74 RS, .742 OPS
A top five finisher in the 2038 MVP voting, Herman offensive numbers took a major dive in 2039. His homers dived from 26 to eight. His RBIs dropped from 110 to 54. His OPS shrunk from .977 to .742. He wasn’t even close to being the same player.
Outfielders
RF: Manuel Coke, 27, B-R/T-R, 155 G, 145 GS, .309 BA, 54 HRs, 145 RBIs, 112 RS, 1.006 OPS
The 2038 NL MVP, Coke finished second in 2039 with another massive season leading MBL in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage. On the other hand, he also saw some dips in his percentages going from a .344 hitter in 2039 to .309 and watching his OBP dip from .388 to .358.
LF: Mark Waterson, 27, B-L/T-L, 86 G, 69 GS, .272 BA, 18 HRs, 58 RBIs, 37 RS, .880 OPS
Waterson was one of the few Walkers, who actually saw improvement at the plate from 2038 to 2039. Unfortunately, that was marred by almost two month’s worth of games spent on the injured list. If Waterson can stay healthy, he’ll be All-Star material.
OF: Jose Roman, 28, B-R/T-R, 108 G, 61 GS, .234 BA, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs, 40 RS, .675 OPS
Roman’s overall numbers were nothing special, but he had his stretches where he showed himself to be a player that can make an impact in the majors. His ability to play all three outfield positions also holds value.
Top prospects
SP: Nate Simmons, 23, B-L/T-L, 11-7, 2.71 ERA, 25 G, 25 GS, 159.2 IP, 142 Ks, 1.03 ERA (AAA Memphis)
Named the Pacific Coast League Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year, Simmons got a chance to make five starts in spring training and held his own. He will get the first callup if the Walkers should find themselves down a starter.
IF: Rich Dodson, 28, B-R/T-R, 45 G, 35 GS, .325 BA, 4 HRs, 14 RBIs, 18 RS, .824 OPS (St. Louis)
Dodson was well on his way to earning a spot on the Opening Day roster before he suffered a hamstring injury. It may be late April before he returns, but if he can go to AAA Memphis and play well look for him to get called up.
SS: R.J. Gomez, 25, B-R, T-R, 55 G, 55 GS, .194 BA, 5 HRs, 24 RBIs, 22 RS, .596 OPS (Memphis)
Gomez is a quandary, he played well in a callup to St. Louis in 2039. He had an outstanding spring training with the Walkers in 2040. But his play in AAA Memphis has been disappointing. The team’s hope, is should Wibbenmeyer leave after this season Gomez can take over at shortstop and Chang become the second baseman. But Gomez needs to show consistency before that can happen.

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Walkers news: April 3 -- Team information misc.