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Old 12-15-2013, 11:24 PM   #1
johnbosma
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Join Date: Nov 2013
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BSA Team Preview

Let's take a look at the squad that will be taking the field for the BSA in GCL2:

Catcher
The talent at backstop drops off quickly in this particular league, so we felt it was key to grab one in the first round if either of the top two were available. RIBC’s Gonzalez was taken a few picks earlier and has the edge as a hitter. However, John Hill is a fantastic defender, while still providing strong offensive production. The BSA front office is expecting that he will improve on his career average OPS+ of 130, since he is getting even closer to his prime at the age of 24.

Considering Hill’s platoon splits, it’s possible that we waited too long to grab a backup catcher. Felipe Rios was available in the 25th round and was an easy choice at that point in the draft. Though he was listed as a 1B, he will serve as backup C. Rios is a strong defensive catcher and hits from the Republican side of the plate, so he should be at least serviceable catching once or twice per week - likely against lefty starters. Nathan Hughes is waiting on the reserve roster, in case Rios struggles.


Infield
Our goal when assembling the lineup was to find the most well-balanced players possible. Manning the SS position will be Dave Jordan, who is one of the very best in the league at that position defensively. Jones does not have any eye-catching offensive skills except for his ability to keep from going down on strikes, though everything else is solid for a SS.

The keystone position will be host to a platoon of Tim Harris and Alex Thompson. Both players are top-notch defenders with Thompson holding a slight edge in the field. Harris, however, is a little better at the plate. He has very good plate discipline and very rarely K’s. In three seasons at the big league level, Harris has never put up an OPS+ less than 103. On the other side of the plate, Thompson is very similar to Dave Jordan - the only significant rating difference being that Jordan is slightly harder to strikeout. Both Harris and Thompson have dramatic platoon rating splits, so this could end up being a somewhat surprising source of offensive production if things come together.

Not only is Harold Coonrod BSA’s best offensive infielder, but he is also a 10-grade fielder at the hot corner. All of his defensive attributes are strong but his single greatest tool is the Howitzer attached to his shoulder. Coonrod has more power than the other infielders but he also has a very good eye and the same supernatural ability to avoid strikeouts that has become a hallmark of this BSA team.

Ed Murdoch and Brandon Henderson will share time at first base. Murdoch will be the worst infield defender by a longshot with his 6 rating but Henderson sports another 10. Neither player is a prototypical, heavy-hitting first-sacker but that doesn’t mean they won’t provide some production.


Outfield
Millard Richardson will bring his excellent defense and slightly above average offense to CF, where he will likely bat leadoff against lefties. Richardson is speedy but it’s a good thing that I don’t tend to attempt many stolen bases because he appears to be horrible at it (34 SB’s vs. 49 CS in his career).

I was surprised to find LF Brandon Jensen available in the 9th round. He is either the 2nd or 3rd best hitter on the BSA squad and a strong defender in left. He has less range than most other players on the roster (6 rating) but his sure hands (9) and big arm (8) help make up for it. Jensen will use his excellent on-base skills while batting leadoff vs. righties.

The only planned outfield platoon will take place in RF, where Adam Lee will split time with...someone. Lee is a bit of a risk offensively, as he has only a 4 rating at contact. But the upside is that the rest of his offensive skill profile is strong - he has solid ratings everywhere else and above average gap power and patience. Lee is also another excellent defender (8 rating). The leading candidate for the other side of the platoon is Leon Oort. He was originally drafted to be a 4th outfielder but is a decent hitter against southpaws and solid defensively. The other possibility is using Brandon Henderson (righty platoon 1B) or Alberto Cortez (probable DH) in this role. Cortez would be an improvement defensively but only bats from the left.


DH/Bench

The only thing that is known about DH at this point is that it will be a platoon. The most likely starter against righties will be the aforementioned Alberto Cortez. He has a dramatic platoon split and decent offensive skills with two exceptions: his below average homerun power and incredible ability to avoid strikeouts (yet again). The other possibility is that Nathan Hughes comes off the reserve roster to replace Cortez, if he doesn’t live up to his ratings.

Mario Navarro is the leading candidate for the other side of the DH platoon. Like so many other players on this roster, Navarro has average offensive skill with outstanding K avoidance. There is a slight chance that if Cortez falters, Navarro takes over both sides of the platoon.

The bench will be comprised of the platoon partners who are not playing - most have a quite a bit of positional flexibility.


Rotation

While the BSA starting staff doesn’t have a Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer, it could easily be argued that it is instead chock-full of Doug Fisters. The 26-year-old Chase Gillespie is the team’s top SP. He was taken in the 2nd round of the draft and BSA will be thrilled if he manages to continue cutting from his FIP (he sported a 3.71 mark last season, down 87 points from the previous season).

Steve Umlah will technically be the no. 2 SP but in reality, he and the next two SP’s are very close in terms of skill and expected performance. The 32-year-old lefty Umlah will help equalize lefty-heavy lineups and he will also provide some veteran leadership.

Chris Simmons will likely be next up in the rotation, though both he and Ed Foster could readily serve as no. 2’s on many GCL2 clubs. Both hurlers pitch very well against lefty hitters, despite being righties themselves. Simmons gets the nod over his fellow 28-year-old due primarily to each player’s respective performance last season. A 3.51 FIP was posted by Simmons, while Foster’s was less impressive: 4.52. In terms of ratings, though, the two are very close and BSA brass is expecting a bounce back from Foster.

The fifth spot in the rotation is slated to go to converted-RP, Brent Mitchell. The 23-year-old has only pitched one big league season (and only started 3 games) but he performed well in that one season and has the upside to be an above-average starter. Mitchell’s leash will, of course, be much shorter than the other SP’s and if he struggles one of three pitchers will get the next shot: Irwin Fitzpatrick, Floyd Long, Shawn Schmidt, or Santiago Vasquez.


Bullpen

Just as the rotation has no dominant ace, neither does the pen. There isn’t a ‘shutdown’ closer to be found here - but there are at least set-up quality RP’s and we’re betting on the idea that ‘closer’ is an overrated position.

Santiago Vasquez (3.45 FIP), Shawn Schmidt (3.99 FIP), and Floyd Long (3.75 FIP) are the relievers most likely to pitch in high-leverage situations. Jerry Madison (3.33 FIP) and Ken Singleton (3.71 FIP) will be used primarily as LOOGY’s, while Irwin Fitzpatrick will serve as long relief. Juriaan Marjinissen, Wendell Cook and Edgar Smith will be waiting on the reserve roster, in case anyone struggles significantly.

Last edited by johnbosma; 12-15-2013 at 11:25 PM.
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Old 12-20-2013, 12:16 PM   #2
rangers85
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Location: Fort Worth, TX...home of the mighty TCU Horned Frogs
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Everyone might as well forfeit now. Bosma has got this.
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Old 01-02-2014, 09:36 AM   #3
BSAIndyLions
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Take it to the house John
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