GM_CheatSheets Montreal Expos Rebuild

[GM_CheatSheets]

For the second year in a row, I placed as the number 15 minor league system. This year I only had two top 100 prospects according to OOTP. SP Killough improved to #6 and trade acquisition SP Salazar comes in at # 82. I had nine players place in the top 200 with seven ranking after 130.

1. SS Greg Warren, AA (2024 Draft, Rd 1)
   Warren continues to develop his bat and he still has his plus power potential. His defense is probably good enough to play in the majors right now, so it should only be a matter of time before he is contending for gold gloves in the majors.
2. SP Sean Killough, AAA (2025 Draft, Rd 1)
   Killough pitched well in spring training and could probably get by starting the season in the majors. With his jump up to average current control at the end of last season, the only thing he has to gain is some AAA experience. If he isn't on the Expos by the end of the season then something went wrong.
3. SS Danny Flores, AAA (2023 Draft, Rd 1)
   Despite missing almost all of last season, Flores continued to grow. Like Killough, he could be staring in the majors now, but I would like him to get more AAA at bats first. His bat profiles well at short, though he will only be about average defensively there.
4. SP Ed Salazar, AAA (Trade w/TOR 11/2026)
   Salazar is making the jump to AAA from A+, but he appears to be on the verge of contributing to the Expos. His velocity and third pitch are only average, but otherwise he is solid above average.
5. SP Steve Womble, AAA (Trade w/TOR 11/2026)
   Womble is also making a big jump from A ball. His four pitch mix is already all average or better, as are his stuff, movement, and control. I'm excited to see how he performs at AAA.
6. 1B Justino Jonne, AAA (FA Signing 1/2027)
   Jonne is playing to make next year's team as a first baseman. He has the potential to be an solid, above average offensive contributor.
7. CL Caleb Scott, AA (2024 Draft, Rd 7)
   Scott is possibly ready to contribute to my bullpen now. He is one of the next in the pipeline to fill my need for lefty power relievers.
8. SS Richard Goette, AA (2024 Draft, Rd 6)
   Goette still profiles as a utility player with an average to slightly above bat and great speed. He is starting his climb into the upper levels of the minors this season.
9. SP Fernando Farfan, AA (Trade w/TOR 11/2026)
   Farfan is skipping two levels by going from A- to AA. He has three potentially great pitches that are almost fully developed and he only needs experience and to improve his current control a little bit to be in consideration for promotions to AAA and the majors.
10. SS Josh Draxler, AAA (Trade w/BOS 5/2025)
    Draxler is nearly an average bat right now rating-wise, but his performance in AA left some to be desired. He earned a promotion to AAA nonetheless and has a decent shot to make the majors, but likely not for another year or two.
11. RP Devon James, AA (Trade w/BOS 7/2024)
    James is on the 40 man roster for the first time after bouncing around the upper minors a bit the past two years. If he gets a shot at a bullpen spot, he has the potential to stick, even with his slightly below average control, which could still improve to average.
12. SP Jose Garcia, AA (Trade w/CLE 12/2023)
    Garcia seems to be stalled at AA, unable to improve his control enough to earn a promotion. I am still holding out hope as he is still 22 and everything else indicates he could dominate a lineup.
13. RP Jaime Varnell, AA (Minor Lg. FA 6/2023)
    Varnell has a deep repertoire, but with below average movement and slightly above average control, is likely to amount to more than minor league bullpen filler.
14. SP Craig Rocha, A- (Trade w/HOU 11/2026)
    Rocha is still working on his third pitch and his control. If both of these come around for him, he will continue to start as he rises to the upper levels of the minors.
15. CF Ross Wright, A- (2025 Draft Rd 5)
    Wright has plus speed and an average bat. I would be surprised if he makes it to the majors. Despite being almost fully developed, he is still struggling to advance past the lower levels of the minors.
16. CL Alberto Solis, A+ (2025 Draft, Rd 10)
    Solis is another power lefty reliever. His movement and control only project to average so I would put him at a 50/50 chance of eventually making it to the majors. His fastball, slider combo seems to be lethal, though.
17. CF Sean Derringer, A- (2024 Draft, Rd 2)
    Derringer is progressing slowly as this is his first season higher than R ball. While he still projects to be an above average bat, he is fallen quite a bit from his potential when I drafted him. I'm a bit surprised that his defense hasn't developed at all too.
18. RP Danny Garcia, AAA (Trade w/HOU 11/2025)
    Garcia hasn't shown any progress with his control and won't make the majors unless there is a drastic change here.
19. RP Chris Harris, AA (Minor Lg. FA 6/2023)
    Harris is much the same as Garcia. Unless he develops better control, he won't make the majors. And both seem unlikely.
20. SS Chase Woodburn, A+ (Minor Lg. FA 6/2023)
    This is the first time Woodburn has made it onto my radar. His bat projects to be slightly above average, as does his defense. He's not as exciting as some of the players I drafted and rank below him, but his current ratings are close to his potentials already, helping him secure this spot on the list.

This is quite a different list than from the mid season, mostly because of the scout change, but also because of the great hauls I received in offseason trades.

For me there are a lot of really exciting players in the 21-30 range of this list: SP Moser, SS Naranjo, SP Turkel, SP McDonald, SP Caprio, and SP Craig.

[GM_CheatSheets]

The regular season got underway and the Expos got off to a decent start.

The season started with the Expos winning 1 of 3 versus the Rays. After this series I was notified that my scout discovered Greg Roig, a young power hitting 1B prospect with overall potential of 47.

The Expos went on to win 1 of 3 versus the Diamondbacks in the second series of the season. At this point, CF Williams went on the DL for six weeks and I recalled LF Boissiere.

Next, the Expos swept the Nationals in three games. Following this series, news surfaced that RP Mosqueda agreed to a three year contract extension averaging $3.45 million for each of three years, the third year a team option. I was also notified that CF Stark would miss the next three weeks with an injury. I called up 3B Arreola to provide more bench depth.

The month concluded with the Expos winning 3 of 4 versus the Pirates, 1 of 3 versus the Phillies, 1 of 3 versus the Giants, 2 of 3 versus the Indians, and losing the first of a three game series against the Cubs.

This adds up to a 12-11 start to the season for the Expos.

Here are the early batting results:



RF Kirilloff gets off to a strong start for his walk-year. 1B Franco, 2B Case, 3B Mendoza, and RF Lindberg all got off to solid starts as well.



SP Gausman had a solid month out of the rotation, while SP Dobashi was a bit unlucky and SP Caballero had the best month, but was a bit lucky. In the bullpen, CL Burdi, RP Beddingfield, RP Rosales, RP Mosqueda, RP Medina, and RP Smith all had ERAs of 2.13 or lower. This is what a shutdown bullpen looks like.

Next we will see if the Expos can improve upon their record in May...

[GM_CheatSheets]

May was a good month for the Expos, though injuries continued to pop up.

The Expos lost both of the remaining games in the series against the Cubs to start the month. At this point, SS prospect and former #1 overall pick Danny Flores had over 80 PAs in AAA, putting his career AAA total over 200. As he was hitting over .300 AVG with some power, I decided the time was right to call him up.

The Expos then won 1 of 2 versus the Reds, swept the Padres in a two game set, and were swept by the Orioles in the three game series. At this point, I activated CF Stark from his rehab assignment.

The Expos went on to win 2 of 3 versus the Marlins and then swept both the Braves and Dodgers in three games each. Then more bad news came as I lost RF Kirilloff to injury for 2-3 weeks and 3B Mendoza for the rest of the season with a 6 month recovery time.

The Expos struggled through the last two series of the month, winning 1 of 4 versus the Mets and 1 of 3 versus the Cardinals. During the St. Louis series, CF Williams was reinjured for 2 more weeks while on his rehab assignment and 2B Case suffered an injury putting him out of action for 5-6 weeks.

This all adds up to a solid 15-12 record for the month.

Below is how the batters performed:



RF Lindberg and C Banfield let the offensive charge for the Expos, while SS Flores looked very good in his first month in the majors. LF Boissiere made the most of the plate appearances he received, while 2B Case also did well before suffering his injury.

And the pitchers:



Pitching was off the charts this month. SP Dobashi led the way with a 1.95 ERA and 2.88 FIP in 37 IP. SP Caballero was a bit unlucky with an ERA almost double his 2.36 FIP. SP Gausman and AP Montes De Oca also had ERAs below 4. In fact, the only pitcher on my staff with an ERA above 4.00 for the month was RP Mosqueda who actually led the team in FIP with a 2.16 mark.

Next up is the 2027 first year player draft, the first for my new scouting director Bobby Heck...

[GM_CheatSheets]

This year I have two compensation picks (Kaprielian and Cole), giving me three total for the first round. It is worth mentioning again that my new scout isn't as talented as my previous one, so there appears to be more higher ranked players in this class, but I wouldn't necessarily say that this class is more talented than the previous ones.

Here is what the board looked like when it came around to my first pick, number 25 in the first round.



Round 1, Pick 25

Here I decided to go with the top player available and one of the top ten rated bats in the class with CF Jared O'Brien (18, college). His bat has the potential to be great all around and he is also interesting as an unusually young college pick.



Round 1, Pick 38

I was also considering SP Roger Pittman (18, high school) for the previous pick, so I jumped at the opportunity to take him here. As the top remaining pitcher on the board, he has a solid four pitch mix (fastball 90-92 mph, curveball, slider, and changeup) and plus control potential.



Round 1, Pick 44

For my third and final first round selection, I went with another young player in CF Ryan Leech (17, high school). He has great potential in his bat, especially in regard to contact and power, though the power is all projection at this point.



Round 2, Pick 23

My next pick was SS Jose Pellot (21, college). He has good defense with average speed. What makes him intriguing is his great power potential and very high work ethic and intelligence.



Round 3, Pick 25

Here I selected another of the top ten bat tools in the draft in 3B Phil Edwards (18, high school). He was only available because of his impossible demand which turned out to be for significantly more than $2.8 million. He has great potential in contact, power, and avoid k. He is also a great runner. Defensively he profiles best at 3B where he has a plus arm.



Round 4, Pick 22

I again went for an impossible to sign player here with SP Chris Bowling (20, college). He has above average potential in the three pitching categories. Though his fastball is only average to above average, his curveball and changeup project to be plus pitches. His demand turned out to be a reasonable significantly more than $950,000.





Round 5, Pick 22

Next, I took another starter in SP Ken Miller (23, college). He projects to above average in the three pitching categories and projects to have three great pitches. Though he will need to improve his current control, he looks to be the fastest mover of my selections.



Round 6, Pick 22

My next pick, SS Duane Hann (19, college) is more of a low ceiling type player. He should have an average bat and play great to plus defensively with plus speed. He profiles as a utility player for now.



Round 7, Pick 22

Next, I went for another pitcher, one who fits the moniker of a high-risk, high-reward player. SP Neil Owens (18, high school) projects to have three great pitches and a fourth one that is average. However, his control is all projection, and even then barely projects to average.



Here is a recap of the players I selected in the draft. Again, I didn't complete the entire draft with hopes that my scout might select some pitchers later in the draft to help fill my pitching depth in the low minors.



Overall, this is a good group of players to place in my system. After going pitching heavy that past two years, this class has more upside on the batting side. Also, as most of these players are very young, it may take a few more years than usual to see any of these top talents in the upper minors or majors.

I should also note that despite the quantity of high picks, most demanded less than slot and I was able to sign all of my picks for around $6.5 million, about $3.5 million less than I budgeted. This sets me up well to make some trades or international amateur signings in July.

Next, let's look at how the month of June played out...

[GM_CheatSheets]

Things soured a bit in June for the Expos.

The month started well with a three game sweep of the Rays and winning 2 of 3 versus the Diamondbacks. After that the Expos won 1 of 3 versus the Yankees, and activated RF Kirilloff for a three game series versus the Nationals, who swept the Expos. SP Montes De Oca, a player I was looking into trading closer to the trade deadline was sidelined with an injury for seven weeks and I called up top prospect, SP Sean Killough.

The Expos won 2 of 3 versus the Cubs with Killough pitching well and winning his debut. However, in this same series, C Dillard was lost for the next 9-10 months with an injury. The Expos proceeded to win 1 of 4 versus the Phillies. After this series, I activated CF Williams.

The Expos closed out the month by getting swept in three games versus the Mets, winning 1 of 3 versus the Giants, and dropping the first two of a series against the Braves. To make matters worse, I was informed that RF Lindberg, my top performing batter this year would miss the next three weeks.

The Expos finished the month with a terrible 10-17 record. Perhaps some of this can be attributed to injuries, but the depth is so strong that I didn't expect this to be much of an issue. If anything injuries should impact the bench more than the lineup.

On a positive note, SP Salazar, another top pitching prospect, is nearly ready for the majors. He won the AAA International League pitcher of the month award.

Here are how my batters performed for the month:



Before his injury, RF Lindberg again had the best month. SS Flores and LF Sera were not far behind. 2B fill in Severino played well, and considering he was only active for about half of the month, RF Kirilloff also had a terrific month.

And the pitchers:



In his limited action (15 IP) SP Killough was my best starter with SP Caballero not far behind. SP Locey and SP Dobashi also performed decently.

RP Beddingfield and RP Smith had otherworldly stats as each had 0.00 ERAs with 15/2 K/BB ratios in 11.2 and 12.2 IP respectively.

Next, the international amateur free agent signing period begins...

[GM_CheatSheets]

The international amateur period opened and I imported the class into my spreadsheet, revealing a moderately strong class. The salary demands for this class seem higher than the previous few considering there are really only two or three top talents here.



As I have a lot of money to work with this signing period, I plan to make several offers, though I will still target some of the more bargain type signings.

3B Danny Tellez and his potential plus all around bat is my favorite of the top three batters and is the big fish I am going to go after in this class. He has a chance to stay at third, but it's possible he will need to move over to first base if he doesn't make progress with his glove in the minors. My initial offer to him was $2 million.

SP Guus Kamphuis projects to be above average to great in the three pitching categories and with his three pitches. My initial offer to him was $650,000.

SP Carlos Hernandez projects to be above average to great in the three pitching categories with control the best, but all projection at this point. He also has three potentially great and a fourth potentially average pitch. He should be a good value sign. I offered him $650,000.

SP Alejandro Flores also projects to be above average to great in the three pitching categories. His repertoire has two potentially great pitches (curveball, slider), one above average pitch (cutter), and one below average pitch (changeup). I offered him $450,000.

I don't always go for players on the bottom half of the list, but there were two batters who look interesting, especially at their asking price to me. SS Antonio Noa projects to have a slightly above average bat with great speed. I offered him $200,000. And SS Dave Aguirre also projects to be a slightly above average bat. I got in on the bidding for him a few days after the signing period opened when it was at $252,000.

Hernandez and Flores were the first two to sign at $690,000 and $472,000 respectively. Aguirre was next at $272,000.

I faced a bit of competition for the remaining three players. Noa signed next for $482,000. A week or two later, Kamphuis signed for $1.96 million, taking me over the cap. It wasn't until August 1st that Tellez finally signed for $6.1 million.

Including the tax for exceeding the cap (quite significantly) I spent $17 million during this signing period. This is just below the approximately $17.5 million I figured to have available ($9 million for free agent contracts, $5 million budgeted for international amateur free agents, and $3.5 million surplus from my draft budget). Yet again I feel lucky with how this ended as it would have been very disappointing to have Tellez's cost exceed what my owner was willing to spend -- and to have overspent the cap without ending up with a top talent.



Overall, this looks to be a very strong and balanced signing class.

Next up we will see how the Expos fare in July...

[GM_CheatSheets]

The Expos got back on track in July.

The month started with the Expos losing the last game in the series against the Braves, and 2 of 3 versus Miami. At this point, I was informed LF Boissiere to the DL for three weeks and SP Locey for four weeks. The Locey injury had two effects as first, I would no longer be able to shop him around at the trade deadline and second it accelerated my plan to promote SP Salazar from AAA.

The Expos went on to win 3 of 4 versus the Reds and 2 of 3 versus the Indians before the all star break. This year two of my relievers, RP Beddingfield and CL Burdi made the all star team.

After the break, the Expos won 3 of 4 versus the Phillies. 2B Case rejoined the Expos from his rehab assignment after this series. The Expos then won 1 of 3 versus the Dodgers and 1 of 3 versus the Padres. At this point RF Lindberg was activated from his rehab assignment.

The month concluded with the Expos winning 2 of 3 versus the Cardinals and splitting the first two games of a series against the Nationals. This all adds up to a 15-11 record for the month.

The Expos are sitting at 53-50 for the season, in third place in the NL East. The Mets are running away with the division, but I am only 3.5 games back from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh holds the top wild card seed and the Expos are 1.5 games back of the Dodgers for the second wild card spot. The NL East Phillies are 1.5 games back of me at this point.

Below is a snapshot of the July batting performances:



SS Flores continues the strong start to his MLB career. RF Kirilloff and 1B Franco also had good months.

And the pitchers:



SP Gausman led the rotation this month. SP Caballero and SP Killough both pitched well, though Killough's 5.66 FIP suggests he was a bit lucky. SP Salazar was a bit unlucky in his four starts as he had a 4.72 ERA and 3.70 FIP. After being possibly my best starter for the first half of the season, SP Dobashi struggled significantly in July.

RP Smith had another dominating month out of the bullpen while RP Figueroa, RP Medina, and RP Mosqueda each posted ERAs below 3.00.

Next, the Expos continue their push for a third straight playoff berth into the dog days of August...

[GM_CheatSheets]

Below is my midseason update to the organization top 30 prospects list.



Notes and Observations:

• SS Warren continues to improve. By my spreadsheet he is the #2 overall prospect. He is an interesting player tough, as he has 3 WAR so far paired with a poor 76 OPS+ and an amazing +20 ZR. Almost all of his value is from defense at this point, though it looks like his bat is staring to come around.
• SP Killough continues to be listed as a batter despite being one of the best pitching prospects in the game. This suggests he could become known for helping himself at the plate as well.
• SP Salazar has improved his pitching score and will likely graduate from the list by the end of the year.
• 1B Jonne fell in his batting rating, Despite his ratings, he dosen't look to be a long term solution at first.
• SS Draxler showed some more improvement with his bat. By ratings he is now about an average hitter.
• SP Farfan remains in the #9 spot on the list but fell in pitching score and intangibles score. He has pitched well, but missed most of the season with an injury.
• SP Craig is the biggest riser on the list from #28 to #10. His pitching and dominance scores both improved.
• CF Derringer showed some more progress with his bat and had a slight fall in defense. I might need to move him off of center soon.
• SS Naranjo continued to show improvement with his bat and he rose from #22 to #17.
• SP Moser is an exciting prospect, but he was recently injured and will miss the rest of this season and beginning of next year. We will see if he can overcome this injury.
• 3B Danny Tellez becomes the first player to go straight from internatinal amateur signing to my top prospect list. At #21 now, I would think he has a good chance of making the top 20 next year.
• Only two players from my draft class made the list: 3B Edwards at #26 and SP/RP Avilla at #30.

Next up is the recap for August...

[GM_CheatSheets]

August started with the Expos losing the final game of the series against the Nationals and winning 1 of 3 versus the Red Sox. Over the span of the next three series several transactions happened. LF Boissiere was assigned to AAA from his rehab assignment. RP Figueroa was placed on waivers and designated for assignment to activate RP Montes De Oca from his rehab assignment. Yes, Montes De Oca seems to be best utilized as a reliever going forward now after starting for the past few years.

RP Beddingfield was diagnosed with an injury to last 1-2 weeks, so I placed him on the DL and called up CL Crose who projects to be a plus bullpen arm for the next few years. RP Figueroa was claimed and lost to waivers. CF Williams will miss another 4 weeks to injury. I called up LF Boissiere to replace him. Then SP Killough suffered an injury putting him out of commission for two weeks. In response, I promoted SP Locey from his rehab assignment. The last injury of note was SS Flores for three weeks. His injury resulted in SS Draxler getting his first taste of the majors.

As all of this was going on, the Expos won 2 of 3 versus the Diamondbacks, 1 of 3 versus the Rays, 0 of 4 versus the Mets, 2 of 3 versus the Pirates, 2 of 3 versus the Cubs, 2 of 3 versus the Indians, 2 of 3 versus the Giants, and 1 of 2 versus the Braves.

This totals to a 13-15 record for the month. This leaves the Expos at a 66-65 overall record, 16.5 games behind the NL East leading Mets and 6.5 games behind the second wild card leading Pirates. This leaves the Expos only and outside shot at making the playoffs this year.

For the month, by batters performed as such:



RF Lindberg led the way offensively while 2B Case and C Banfield also played well.

And the pitchers:



SP Caballero was the best pitcher in my rotation for the month and the bullpen was a mixed bag with RP Mosqueda the top performer.

Next, the regular season will progress to an end...

[GM_CheatSheets]

September started with a few callups in addition to activating RF Kirilloff, SS Flores, and CF Williams.

The Expos won the remaining game against Atlanta, 2 of 3 versus Toronto, 3 of 4 versus San Diego, and 2 of 3 versus the Dodgers. At this point SS Flores suffered another injury putting him out for three weeks, and C Barfield will miss the rest of the season, though his injury is only for 4-5 weeks.

The week concluded with the Expos winning 1 of 3 versus the Cardinals, 2 of 3 versus the Reds, and 3B Arreola taking home the NL player of the week award.

The Expos won 2 of 3 versus the Marlins before crashing just ahead of the finish line. The Expos won 1 of 3 versus the Phillies, were swept in a five game set with the Pirates, and won 1 of 3 versus the Mets.

For the month, this totals a 15-16 record, and it puts the Expos at an even 81-81 for the season.

The batters performed as follows:



The batting performances were pretty underwhelming for the month with LF Sera the best of the bunch.

And the pitchers:



SP Dobashi had an incredible month (38 IP, 1.66 ERA, 3.67 FIP). On the other end of the spectrum, SP Killough had a very rough month as he encountered his first struggles in the majors.

Without a postseason berth, next up will be a the Expos' season recap...

[GM_CheatSheets]

The Expos' overall record was 81-81 (.500), a six game drop from last year. This was on the low end of my expectation and I was, I guess, pleasantly surprised to see that my expected record was actually 88-74 -- seven games better than things played out. I dealt with a lot more injuries than in previous seasons, but I'm not convinced that is the reason for the underperformance.

Here are the season totals for batters:



Overall, it was a depressed year for my offense. RF Lindberg was the only player to top 3 WAR with 4.5. His performance (30 HR, .279 AVG) is encouraging as he looks to be a solid replacement for Kirilloff going forward in right field.

C Banfield, CF Stark, and 2B Case were the only others to eclipse even the 2 WAR mark. Without the addition of Banfield, the season likely would have been much worse as C Dillard dealt with injuries again. Stark was only an average contributor with his bat, but his plus defense proved to be quite valuable when he was able to make it on the field.

I'm not sure exactly how to recap these performances as only three players had even 500 plate appearances. This was in part due to depth/platooning, but mostly due to injuries.

After shuttling between AAA and the majors for most of this season, LF Boissiere should get regular playing time again next year with Kirilloff departing. I'm excited to see what SS Flores can do if he can stay healthy for a full season.

And the pitchers:



SP Caballero led the team in pitching WAR with 4.7. In 206 IP he tallied 15 wins, 10 losses, 3.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 3.42 FIP. His control was great, as expected. He also showed an increased ability to strike out opponents with an improved 8.0 K/9. With a strong showing next year, he will cement his status as the young ace of this staff and one of the best young arms in the game. Hopefully it is still up from here.

SP Gausman and SP Dobashi pitched well with the ups and downs balancing out over the long haul. I hope that Dobashi can improve on his consistency to a better overall total next year. Gausman presents another interesting decision much like Cole the year before in that he isn't getting any younger, but does offer value on a modest one year option.

Rookie SPs Killough and Salazar pitched well enough to consider ensuring they have a clear path to starts next season. SP Montes De Oca, on the other hand, continued his slow decline and now looks to be an expensive bullpen arm or spot starter than a regular.

RP Smith pitched great out of the pen and even worked his way into a few spot starts. As a free agent to be, he is unlikely to return, but has been a valuable contributor for the past few years.

RP Beddingfield, RP Rosales, and RP Mosqueda were the other three relievers to top 1 WAR. All should return next year, as should CL Burdi who finished with 24 saves. He had a great ERA (2.63) and WHIP (0.86) so his low WAR (0.5) was likely driven by his low innings total (51.1) and FIP (3.69).

Overall, the outline of a younger core is beginning to take shape as some of my draft picks and minor league trade acquisitions begin to contribute in the majors. Transition years are always a little tricky and this year was no exception. Next year will likely be more of the same as a few more players leave and prospects take on expanded roles. I can only hope that the injuries were a one year fluke.

Up next is a look at the playoffs and new world champion...

[Palaaemon]

Great work on your dynasty. Your organization looks to be shaping up nicely. I am definitely going to give your spreadsheets a go. I appreciate the work you put into the whole project.

[GM_CheatSheets]

The Colorado Rockies (102-60, .630) tied for the best record in the majors and went on to win their first ever world series. They beat the Mets in six games. The Twins were the only other team with more than 100 wins.



The Rockies top five batters by WAR:

• Mike Mathis, C (635 PA, 8.6 WAR)
• Brendan Rodgers, SS (519 PA, 5.7 WAR)
• Grant Burton, CF (763 PA, 4.1 WAR)
• J.P. Crawford, 2B (614 PA, 3.6 WAR)
• Justin Barrett, 3B (547 PA, 3.0 WAR)

And their top five pitchers by WAR:

• Mike Nikorak, SP (198.1 IP, 3.2 WAR)
• Jordan Sheffield, SP (141.1 IP, 3.0 WAR)
• Roimy Mendoza, SP (169.1 IP, 2.6 WAR)
• Andrew Mahoney, SP (164.0 IP, 2.3 WAR)
• Matt Duggan, CL (76.1 IP, 2.2 WAR)

The Rockies were full of great hitters that seem to have carried the team. The pitching wasn't bad by any means, but isn't as impressive as the offense. I suppose I should reiterate that this is the Rockies, so it's not as if the offensive profile of the team has changed. And perhaps the pitching is a little more impressive considering they pitch at Coors Field half the time.

At any rate, it's possible that this might turn out to be the inverse of the team I am building as I have much more pitching and defensive talent building up than surefire offensive talents.

Next, the offseason begins and my front office gets to work...

[GM_CheatSheets]

For the second year in a row, the offseason started out with a surprise. After only one year of a four year contract, my scouting director decided to retire. This is a big setback for me as one of the things I place as a high priority, but have admittedly little control over, is keeping the same scouting director in place for as long as possible.

In addition to finding a new scouting director, I will be adding a new hitting coach and bench coach. I decided not to renew the contracts of the previous coaches in those positions.

I offered Randy Flores the position of scouting director. As there were again not great highly favor tools candidates, I this time decided to go after a slightly more highly rated Flores who just favors tools. I also offered Bruce Fields my hitting coach position. His coach profile states that he may soon be among the best hitting coaches in the game. At bench coach, I made an offer to Angus Adderly who isn't the highest rated candidate, but has a different personality than my head coach. My hope is that he will complement Lovullo well. After a few days, they all signed the initial offer.

Next, I had a tough decision to make with SP Gausman and his team option. Ultimately I decided that the compensation pick would be more valuable to the team in the long run, so I declined the option and made him a qualifying offer.

I also made qualifying offers to LF Kirilloff and 1B Franco.

In arbitration, I made initial offers to several of my lower asking price players, waiting to see how things play out with some of the higher demands.

CL Burdi, CF Stark, and 2B Severino all signed for $5.5 million. CF WIlliams and LF Boissiere were over $4 million each. C Dillard and 2B Case signed for a little more than $2 million each while RP Medina and RP Rosales signed for about $1 million each.

After each of these players signed, I was notified that RF Lindberg was awarded the 2027 National League Rookie of the Year award.

I didn't offer a contract to SS/2B Jackson and started to shop around the others. What resulted was a series of four trades which, I think, improved my offensive upside for next year, and added additional depth to my upper minors.

First, was the "big" one. I traded SP Locey, MiLB LF Santiago, and MiLB CF Romero to the Chicago White Sox for 1B Edwin Garza, MiLB Frank Gomez, and MiLB SP Nelson Aguilera. Locey would likely have returned to a spot in the back of my rotation and with his track record and contract demand of only $1 million, it is easy to see that he was the most desirable of the players I was shopping. Garza is a bit of an unconventional profile at 1B as he can also play a decent game at shortstop. His bat is also stronger in contact, discipline, and avoid k, so he doesn't fit the typical profile here. I actually think there is a good chance I may groom him for third base in spring training to see how he develops there. His contract jumps from league minimum to $3.6 million this year, which is likely why the White Sox were interested in trading him. The rise in pay comes after he more than tripled his WAR last season to 3.6, driven by a great OBP and great defense at first.

Gomez, like many of the prospects I trade for is highly rated by my scout, but was stuck as an older prospect (23-25) at the lower levels of the minors. He could have an above average bat and play above average defense at all three outfield positions. Also, he bats right handed and could fit as a good replacement for CF Williams in a year or two as Williams is both getting more expensive and has a fragile injury history.

Aguilera was also stuck in the lower minors with the White Sox and looks to be a solid depth addition. His control isn't fully developed and his stamina is only 7/20, but I think there is a good chance he will eventually see time in the majors either in the rotation or bullpen. The only mark against him are his all around poor intangibles.

The second trade was one that surprised me, but goes to show how trading a player at the right time can do for you. SP/RP Montes De Oca was effectively pushed from my rotation to my bullpen midseason last year and was unlikely to return to the rotation this year. However, Toronto must see him as a rotation upgrade as they offered C Francisco Lopez in return for him. Lopez is a young catcher with an above average (great power, average contact) bat and great defense while being under team control for a several more years. I think he has star upside, though it is more likely he contributes in the 2=4 WAR range.

The addition of Lopez at catcher then meant that C Banfield or C Dillard are expendable. Ultimately, I received a better return offer for Banfield as I sent him and MiLB SS McMahan to the Chicago Cubs for SP Vladimir Gutierrez, MiLB SP Joe Gee, and MiLB SP Josh Wilson. Gutierrez has one year remaining on his contract and can step into the role that Gausman vacates as a veteran leader of the staff. His ERA has hovered just above 4.00 for the past three years as he has posted WARs of 4.3, 2.9, and 1.8 (from least to most recent). Gee also fits my typical target of a older, low minor player who could use a fresh start. My scout projects him average to above average across the board with a four pitch mix. Wilson is a bit of a lottery ticket as he has decent pitching ratings and a five pitch repertoire, however, only two of these pitches are average or better offerings.

At this point I decided to offer 3B Mendoza a one year, $7 million contract in his final year of arbitration to place a bet on the chance that he can perform well enough to play into turning down a qualifying offer. My new scout does not judge his ratings to be nearly as good as the previous two scouts, so I'm not sure if his talent level dropped after the season ending injury last year or if my new scout simply isn't as high on him. As I would gladly spend $7 million for an extra draft pick, I decided this was worth the risk. This also means that any potential 3B experiment with Garza will not take place for another year.

My last trade here was sending 1B prospect Jonne and MiLB CF Keller to Detroit for RP Michael Sandborn and MiLB SP Jason Harris. I acquired Sandborn as a second lefty arm out of my bullpen, but he has the ability to fill in as a spot starter from time to time as well. I am really excited about Harris as he is currently rated above average in all three pitching categories and for all three of his pitches (fastball 94-96 mph, curveball, and changeup). He is a great depth add and likely available because he was pitching as a 24 year old in A+ ball last year.

At this point, it is easy for me to already chalk up the offseason as a success. To my surprise two more gifts fell into my lap. The first was expected as Gausman, Kirilloff, and Franco all declined the qualifying offers, meaning I will likely have four first round picks in the upcoming draft. Second, SP Marcos Diplan, a top 20 overall player by my custom rankings (and rated 76 out of 80 overall by my scout) is available as a free agent and has no compensation attached as he was traded last year. His initial demand is $26 million for each of six years. After I lower my international amateur free agent budget down to $1 million due to spending limitations for the upcoming year, this puts my available cash to sign free agents at $27 million.

I wait a few days for another team to make the initial offer to Diplan as I would like to see just how low his asking price will go. The Red Sox made an offer of about $24 million for each of four years, so I immediately met his demand of $25.32 million for four years. A few short days later, Diplan joined the Montreal Expos as my biggest signing and as what I hope will be a legitimate ace. For his age 31 through 34 seasons, I will pay him a total of $101.28 million. Diplan has plus stuff, paired with great movement and control. He has a plus curveball and great fastball (95-97 mph), cutter, and changeup. He has averaged 34 GS, 207 IP, and 3.5 WAR for his eight year career. I feel like this signing alone pushes me into immediate contention and may mark the start of a new age in Expos baseball.

As I still had a little room left in my budget, I decided to make a play for international star relief ace RP Toshoku Takara. Though my bullpen is already full (not even including all of the major league ready starters at AAA), I decided Takara had too great potential and cost certainty to pass up. He signed a contract for $1.85 million for each of four years and will remain under team control for an additional two years.

All of Gausman, Kirilloff, and Franco signed with other teams. In a slightly interesting development, Gausman signed with the rival Mets.

Overall, it's hard to imagine a better offseason. While it may take a year or two for this team to find its offensive identity, this might be the deepest and most talented concentration of starting pitching I've ever had across MLB, AAA, and AA. Just going by memory, I would say it is about 20% free agent signings, 50% trade acquisitions, and 30% draft selections.

Next, I will advance through spring training and provide a season preview...

[GM_CheatSheets]

The Expos had an okay spring, finishing with an even 14-14 record.

RF and reigning NL Rookie of the Year will spend the first week of the season on the DL recovering from a spring training injury. For a little more than half of spring I force started 1B Garza at third and SS Flores at first. They each reached a 5 out of 20 defensive ratings at these positions before I set them back to their natural positions for the remainder of spring. While I don't plan on moving either of them to the new positions full time until possibly next year, injuries or trades could speed up this plan.

Also, though 2B Draxler could have started the season in the majors as the regular starter at second, I decided to give him a little more time in the minors and to force start him at third there so that he can be defensively sufficient at SS, 2B, and 3B, making him a very useful player. This was also part of my reasoning for re-signing both 2B Case and 2B Severino in the offseason as I hope one of them will play well enough to return a decent prospect in a trade midseason when I am ready to give Draxler a spot in the MLB lineup.

As for the spring's top performers, C Lopez swung the best bat and SP Caballero had the best arm of the Expos.

My owner's expectation is to play better than .500 while OOTP projects a 86-76 record, good for third place in the NL East. This is 10 games behind the projection for the Pirates and seven behind the Phillies. Personally, I think that this team has a good shot at winning 90 or more games, so this is quite a spread of possible outcomes. Ultimately, I think that my depth is good enough to cover injuries at multiple positions, though maybe not multiple injuries at one position, so I feel pretty good about this team.

And now, more about this team and the depth I just mentioned.

Starting Pitcher - Diplan is the undisputed leader of this staff. Caballero, the lone lefty and Killough, a sophomore, are not too far behind him ratings-wise which is very promising for the future of this team. Caballero slots in at #2 and Killough will start as the #5, but I think could ascend up to #2 or 3 by the end of the year. Gutierrez should be a reliable, veteran presence at #3 and sophomore Dobashi slots in at #4. I hope to get more consistency from Dobashi as he was both amazing and terrible for significant stretches last year.

My real pride is that I believe any of my five AAA starters could be in the majors right now, and three of them realistically should at least be in my bullpen.

Bullpen - So speaking of the bullpen, this is also loaded, or even overloaded. Burdi returns for his last arbitration year to close, while Beddingfield, Takara, Medina, and Rosales are all great right handed options. Mosqueda and Sandborn provide two solid lefties as well to give the bullpen some good balance.

Crose is standing by in AAA, and is ready for the majors right now. There are a few other bullpen prospects at the upper levels, but the AAA starters listed above will get an opportunity before them.

Catcher - With Lopez starting and Dillard backing up, I feel that catcher is covered pretty well unless both get injured. My sometimes backup catcher, Rodriguez, is in AAA on his last option year.

First Base - Garza will start at first, despite his unconventional profile here. Backup outfielder and lefty-masher, Sera, may get some starts here as well.

Second Base - Case returns for another season with the power-hitting Severino as his backup. Draxler will likely be the starter here by the end of the season as I hope Case plays well enough to return a prospect in a midseason or late July trade.

Third Base - Mendoza returns but is a question mark for the first time since his rookie season. My hope is that he plays well enough to receive and decline a qualifying offer after the season. There is also a chance that I may try trading him if this doesn't look to be likely.

Arreola is the official backup and provides a right handed hitting complement, but if anything happens to Mendoza during the season, I very well could move 1B Garza to the hot corner where his bat profiles a little better and he should be at least average if not better defensively.

Shortstop - Flores is the clear starter here and a potential offensive star of this team. His defense is average to slightly above, but his bat plays at any position, making it so much more valuable that he can start at short.

In AAA, Draxler could fill in immediately if something happens to the fragile Flores, but the more interesting player is Warren with his plus plus defense and developing bat. I would like to keep Warren in AAA all year as his bat could use some filling out to his potential ratings, but if I put him in the majors right now, he could probably win a gold glove. I think he has a real chance to eventually be an 8+ WAR player.

Left Field - Boissiere (L) and Sera (R) will likely split playing time in left, while backup CF Williams could get starts here as well. In AAA, CF Derringer will start to focus more on left field where he looks to best fit defensively, but he can get by and his bat will play at any of the outfield positions. I would like him to stay in AAA all year as he is making the jump from A+ ball and is only 22 years old.

Center Field - Stark returns as the primary center fielder as a power/defense profile. Williams should start against lefties. In AAA recent trade acquisition Gomez will get the chance to play and fill out to his potential. He profiles as great to plus defensively at all three outfield positions and will likely get the first call up if there is an injury in the outfield.

Right Field - Lindberg is the clear starter here as both his bat and defense profile great at the position. I can only hope that his rookie campaign wasn't a flash in the pan.

Overall, this is a very talented, deep, and defensively-abled team. I think there will be a few growing pains offensively, but the pitching should be able to carry the team quite far.

Next up, the first look at my new prospect rankings under my new scout...

[GM_CheatSheets]

Despite having what I feel is a much stronger system this year, I placed eight spots lower as the number 23 ranked minor league system. This is mostly due to Killough being a top ten prospect last year and this year placing more prospects, though lower on the list.

I am one of six systems with five or more prospects in the top 100. SP Farfan (57) leads the way, followed by SS Warren (74), SP Garcia (80), SP Womble (83), and SP Moser (90). I had twelve players place in the top 200, up from nine last year. Womble is the only of these players who I think has a chance to reach enough MLB service time to graduate from the list, so I think there is a very good chance at this time next year I might have a top 10 or even top 5 system.

I probably have the second best high minors pitching depth. The Blue Jays, who I have actually traded for several of my SP prospects from lead the way with both the #1 and #2 overall prospects, both pitchers.

1. SS Greg Warren, AAA (2024 Draft, Rd 1)
   Warren continues to develop his bat and he still has his plus power potential. His defense is probably good enough to win a gold glove in the majors right now. He could earn a September callup, but it might be more likely I wait until mid April next year to call him up to squeeze and extra year of team control out of him.
2. CL Alberto Solis, AA (2025 Draft, Rd 10)
   Solis, power lefty, jumped up the board this year as his current control improved from below average all the way up to average. He will likely be my first home grown shutdown reliever and looks to be on track to replace Mosqueda in a year or two.
3. 2B Josh Draxler, AAA (Trade w/BOS 5/2025)
   Draxler is a slightly above average bat right now rating-wise. Last year in AAA was really the first time that his performance started to match his ratings, showing some real potential as a likely starter, or at the very least, a utility infielder.
4. SP Steve Womble, AAA (Trade w/TOR 11/2026)
   His four pitch mix is already all average or better, as are his stuff, movement, and control. His performance last year at AAA was also impressive. All he is waiting for is an opening in the majors.
5. CF Sean Derringer, AAA (2024 Draft, Rd 2)
   Derringer either made a significant jump in ratings or my new scout simply likes him better. Jumping all the way to AAA from A+, Derringer looks like he will be a power/contact, switch-hitting outfielder who profiles best in left. He could push for a promotion by the end of the year with a strong performance at AAA.
6. RP Devon James, AAA (Trade w/BOS 7/2024)
   I think James has been on almost every list since I added him to my organization. He could be a serviceable reliever, but with my pitching depth doesn't have much hope for a promotion.
7. RP Jaime Varnell, AA (Minor Lg. FA 6/2023)
   Though currently pitching in the bullpen, this is only because of my tremendous pitching depth. Ultimately, Varnell is intriguing because of his plus velocity and five pitch repertoire, but only seems to have an outside chance of making it to the majors at this point.
8. CL Jesse Tew, A+ (2024 Draft, Rd 9)
   Tew continues his slow progression as a reliever as his third pitch never panned out. If he reaches his potential control of 12 out of 20, he has a chance at pitching out of the Expos bullpen in anywhere from two to three years.
9. SP Shane Luck, A+ (Minor Lg. FA 8/2026)
   I believe this is Luck's first time on this list. My scout projects him better than OOTP, but he does have a solid three pitch mix with the curveball still in development. Though his movement is only average, I do see a scenario where he could pitch his way into the majors, though most likely as a bullpen arm.
10. SP Fernando Farfan, AAA (Trade w/TOR 11/2026)
    Farfan missed a chunk of last season to injury, otherwise he likely would already have seen time in AAA. He should be one of the many stars in the AAA rotation and has MLB starter upside, and could probably slot into many team's MLB rotation right now. His pitching ratings are all above average, his three pitch repertoire all rate as great, and he has great velocity.
11. CF Frank Gomez, AAA (Trade w/CWS 11/2027)
    Gomez has the looks of another quality outfield prospect acquired via trade. Stuck in A and A+ ball last year, he will be my starting AAA center fielder. His slightly above average bat favors contact more than power and discipline. He has plus speed and rates great defensively at all three outfield positions.
12. SS Jose Pellot, R (2027 Draft, Rd 2)
    The lone appearance from last year's draft, Pellot looks to be an exciting player. He will continue to get reps at short, but projects to be better at second as his arm is only average. He projects to be above average in all five batting categories with power as his calling card.
13. SP Nelson Aguilera, AA (Trade w/CWS 11/2027)
    Aguilera is the leader of the AA rotation and should see some time in AAA by the end of the year. His stamina is only 7 out of 20, so while he could make it as a starter, he is a safer bet to be a reliever. His control is almost current average and projects to be great. If he fulfills this potential, he should be in the majors in two years time.
14. CL Doug Licari, A- (Minor Lg. FA 8/2026)
    Licari has two great pitches and potential stuff, but his control doesn't project to reach average, making it hard to see him rising through the above pitching talent. OOTP rates him much higher than my scout with the main difference being potential control. His six pitch repertoire (five currently serviceable) and plus velocity (97-99 mph) as a lefty is definitely intriguing.
15. SP Jon Moser, A+ (2024 Draft, Rd 1 supp.)
    Moser got off to a great start last year in A- before tearing his labrum in his shoulder. He will miss the first two or three months of this season.
16. SP Jason Harris, AA (Trade w/DET 11/2027)
    Any other year, Harris would be at the top of the AAA rotation, but the theme here is clear. Incredible starting pitching depth. He is above average across the board in pitching categories, his three pitches, and velocity. He should push for time at AAA this year and could see the majors at some point next year in his age 26 season.
17. SP Dave Craig, A+ (2026 Draft, Rd 1 supp.)
    In a bit of a surprise to me, Craig was assigned to A+ for the third straight season. He should see AA before the end of the year as he is starting to get a little old for a A+ pitcher as he will turn 25 a month into the season. His ratings are solid, so I will again chalk this up to depth.
18. SP Robby Ochoa, A- (Scouting Discovery 6/2023)
    I believe Ochoa is the first scouting discovery to make the preseason top 20 list. He is average to above average across the board currently with a four pitch mix. If he reaches his potential, he will add great control.
19. SP Jose Garcia, AAA (Trade w/CLE 12/2023)
    Garcia finally makes his way to AAA and has shown the crucial improvement in his command to make this jump. Hopefully in a years time he will have reached his average or slightly above average control projection. His stuff, movement, three pitch repertoire, and velocity are all major league ready right now. He could conceivably play his way into a late season call up this year, but I would place him behind Salazar, Womble, and Farfan on that list at this point.
20. CF Ross Wright, A+ (2025 Draft Rd 5)
    Wright has plus speed and an average bat, but I would be surprised if he makes it to the majors because despite being fully developed, he is still struggling to produce in the lower minors.

There are several changes on this list, driven mostly by the change in scout, I think. This list resembles more of what my very good original scout produced, making me feel pretty good about the Flores hire.

This is an exciting system. Warren has superstar potential, Derringer and Draxler could be great, and Gomez looks to be a solid fourth outfielder. Pellot and Naranjo (#22) show that there could be another wave of batting talent coming soon too.

I can't say enough about the pitching depth. Womble, Farfan, and Garcia are the top prospects, though I also want to note that Salazar is back in AAA to start the season as well and he was rated ahead of all three of them when he still qualified for the list. Behind these four, Harris, Moser, Craig, and Luck show potential to rise to their level over the next few years.

Now it's time for the regular season to get underway...

[GM_CheatSheets]

The season started well for the Expos.

The Expos won 1 of 3 versus the Nationals and 2 of 3 versus the Dodgers. RF Lindberg then returned from his injury as the AAA affiliate wasn't started yet for a rehab assignment. After his return, the Expos went on to sweep the Braves in three games.

The Expos then won 2 of 4 versus the Mets, 2 of 3 versus the Pirates, swept the Padres in three, won 2 of 3 versus the Cubs, and were swept in three games by the Indians to close out the month.

This all totals to a 15-10 record to start the season.

Below is an overview of the batting performances for the month:



SS Flores led the way with a fantastic first month (8 HR). CF Williams and 1B Garza also hit well.

And the pitching performances:



SP Diplan had an interesting month as he had the best FIP among my starters but an ERA over 5. SP Killough posted the best ERA of my starters, while SP Gutierrez and SP Caballero also got of to good starts. SP Dobashi struggled quite badly.

RP Sandborn, RP Takara, RP Beddingfield, and CL Burdi all had great months out of the bullpen, all posting ERAs between 2.00 and 2.50 for the month.

Next, we will see if the Expos can keep up this good start to the season...

[GM_CheatSheets]

As the season shifted into May, the Expos swept the Cardinals in a two game series and then were swept in two games by the Giants. After this series, RP Sandborn, one of my lefties, was lost to injury for seven weeks. SP Salazar received a call up from AAA to join the MLB bullpen.

The Expos went on to win 1 of 3 versus the Orioles, 2 of 3 versus the Marlins, 0 of 3 versus the Rays, 2 of 3 versus the Diamondbacks, and 1 of 3 versus the Mets. At this point, I was not getting much production from my second basemen Case and Severino while Drexler was hitting just over .300 AVG in AAA. Despite his poor performance, 2B Severino still had some trade value as I sent him, MiLB 3B Philhower (an overslot signing from my first draft who made it to AAA but doesn't look to make the majors right now), and MiLB and fairly recent trade acquisition SP Rocha to Kansas City for 3B Carter Kieboom, MiLB C Bobby Edwards, and MiLB SP Nick Britland. Kieboom cleared waivers and was assigned to AAA. Edwards provides a little catching depth as his solid bat and average defense make him my top catching prospect. Britland is an upgrade over Rocha as Britland has already developed to about what my scout projects Rocha's potential to be. He has a good four pitch mix (3 great pitches, one average pitch) and is currently at or near his average or better ratings in each of the three pitching categories.

This trade made room for the promotion of one of my top prospects, 2B Draxler to the majors. I also decided to place RP Miles Rosales on waivers in hopes of sending him to the minors as his struggles out of my bullpen were very costly and he continued to be called on to pitch in tight situations. I knew it was a risk he wouldn't clear, as he ultimately didn't. With Rosales out of my organization, I called up CL Crose who will join the MLB bullpen and who is nearly identical to Rosales in terms of ratings.

The month ended with the Expos winning 2 of 4 versus the Phillies, 2 of 3 versus the Reds, and 2 of 2 versus the Nationals. SP Dobashi continued to struggle throughout the month and his FIP was even worse, so my last transaction of the month was sending Dobashi to AAA and giving SP Womble, my top SP prospect, a promotion to slot into the MLB rotation.

This all adds up to an even 14-14 record for the month.

The batting performances for the month were as follows:



C Lopez, 1B Garza, and RF Lindberg all had great months as Lopez and Lindberg had 6 HR each. SS Flores had another good month, though it would have been hard to match his April again.

And the pitchers:



SP Gutierrez continued his great start to the season while SP Diplan continued his odd start with another solid FIP but poor ERA. SP Caballero had a good month while SP Killough and SP Dobashi struggled.

In the bullpen CL Burdi struggled as RP Beddingfield, RP Takara, RP Medina, and RP Salazar had great months with ERAs near or below 2.00.

Next is a recap of the first draft with my new scouting director...

[GM_CheatSheets]

This year I have three compensation picks (Gausman, Kirilloff, and Franco), giving me four total for the first round.

Here is what the board looked like when it came around to my first pick, number 15 in the first round.



Round 1, Pick 15

I'm a bit surprised that the number two ranked player on my board is still available here and this could be the easiest pick in the draft for me as SP Chris Castiglione (20, college) becomes my first of four first round selections. Though he is two years younger than former first round pick and current member of my rotation, SP Sean Killough, he rates very similar to him. His command is the least developed of his three pitching categories, but it projects to be great. He also has a strong and deep five pitch repertoire (fastball 95-97 mph, curveball, changeup, splitter, and forkball).



Round 1, Pick 30

Next, I took the top remaining player available on my board, SP Miguel Hernandez (18, high school). Of the top available pitchers, Hernandez looked like he had the best chance of remaining a starter long term as all three of his pitches have current ratings of 8 (our of 20) or better and project to be 14 or better. Control is his least developed pitching category, but as of now projects to be above average to great. This isn't too unusual for a high school prospect, the advanced repertoire is.



Round 1, Pick 39

After Hernandez, the talent dried up a little bit. Ultimately I went a little further down the board to select the top remaining bat, SS Ryan Mitchell (18, high school). Though he is listed as a shortstop, he is likely to be pushed to a corner infield spot as he rises through the minors. This isn't too surprising as he is already 6'4" and 185 lbs. His bat is mostly projection at this point, but the projection looks to be great, even if the power only turns out to be average.



Round 1, Pick 42

Again, without a clear selection here, I went with to remaining batter. SS Adam Stoops (19, college) is a young college player and has intriguing potential. Like Mitchell, Stoops is 6'4" and 185 lbs. Stoops, though, projects to stay at shortstop and play great defense there with an average arm. His batting profile is balanced and projects to be above average.



Round 2, Pick 14

I was hoping that SP Rich Walker (20, college) would still available here and my wish was granted. Walker has a five pitch repertoire (all project to be at least average) with great current ratings in each of the three pitching categories considering he is only 20 years old.





Round 3, Pick 17

Here I went with another 6'4" 185 lbs. prospect in SS Chaz Bergeron (17, high school). As such a young player, he has a high chance of busting, but a similar pick at the time, Sean Derringer, is now one of my top prospects and close to a promotion to the majors, showing that these young projectable players do pan out from time to time. Bergeron's bat could be great and while he could remain up the middle, third base seems like a more likely expectation long term.



Round 4, Pick 17

As I so often do, I took went for the top remaining, over slot (impossible demand) player in the fourth round. This year it was SP Jonas Reyna (18, high school). Reyna is a bit of a high risk, high reward pick as all three of his stuff, control, and changeup will need to reach their potential for him to be a viable starting pitcher in the majors.



Round 5, Pick 17

SS A.J. Chancellor (18, high school) was my next pick. He has above average bat potential, great defense, and below average speed. OOTP is not as high on him as my scout.



Round 6, Pick 17

SP Brian Dominy (23, college) looks to be a bit of a sleeper pick here as he has four pitches, three of which have the potential to be great. He pairs this with plus velocity (97-99 mph). His control is currently 7 (out of 20) and only projects to get to 9. I will hope that my coaches can help him push his control to beyond this to the point it is average or above average.



I'm going to stop the coverage a little early here as I had so many first comp round picks early on. Below is a recap of all of my manual selections.



Overall, I feel good about this draft. It's hard to contain my excitement about my first selection, SP Castiglione, but I don't want to weight my review too much on a single pick. It would have been nice to get a few outfielders, but the shortstops I was able to select are all very projectable. Given the quantity, I expect at least one of them will pan out.

Just to say it one more time, I can't wait to watch as Castiglione progresses through the minors, though his initial placement shouldn't be as high and he shouldn't be expected to advance as quickly as Killough did.

The total draft expenses this year were again below budget at $6.48 million.

Next, let's look at how the month of June played out for the Expos...

[GM_CheatSheets]

June started with news the AAA SP Harris would miss the rest of the season (8 months) on the DL.

The Expos won 2 of 3 versus the Dodgers, 2 of 3 versus the Red Sox, 0 of 3 versus the Braves, 3 of 3 versus the Indians, 2 of 4 versus the Pirates, 1 of 3 versus the Phillies, 1 of 3 versus the Padres, 1 of 3 versus the Rays, and the first game of a series versus the Marlins. In the last week of the month I lost CF Williams to injury for 3 weeks and called up CF Frank Gomez to replace him on the roster. I also learned that SP Dobashi was dominating after his demotion to AAA to the degree of winning the International League pitcher of the month award.

The Expos finished the month with an even 13-13 record.

Here is how the batters fared in June:



RF Lindberg and C Lopez led the way with great months while SS Flores, 2B Draxler, and CF Williams also played well.

And the pitchers:



All of my starting pitchers this month posted ERAs below 4.00. Caballero and Diplan had very strong FIPs while Killough and Womble were a bit lucky going by FIP.

RP Takara, RP Medina, RP Crose, and CL Burdi had strong months in the bullpen.

Next, the international amateur free agent signing period begins...