Post by Milwaukee Brewers on Nov 15, 2015 21:45:53 GMT -5
Several years after an expansion draft and many trades, many prospects drafted and traded for, the BCMBL Indians are ready to start winning. The team remained patient while good prospects developed, but an opportunity to trade for an ace in David Price this year jumpstarted the process to start competing. Once that happened, getting 2016 pieces became the top priority. Price, Arrieta, Chapman, Jones Wright and Ramirez are expected to help the Indians aim for an AL Central division title.
Expected 2016 roster:
Catcher
Starter: Matt Wieters
Backup: Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Matt Wieters has always been considered an above average catcher and Baltimore has been waiting on him being a superstar for what feels like forever. He was hitting well before his elbow injury and turned it up in September/October 2015, so I think he'll be solid. The backup depends on who projects better.
First base
Starter: Freddie Freeman
Backup: Brett Wallace
Freddie Freeman will be a rock on the diamond and in the lineup. Wallace is solely here for insurance.
Second base
Starter: Kolton Wong (Jose Fernandez-if he signs)
Backup: Brad Miller, Hanser Alberto
Minors: Kean Wong
Wong has a bright future at the keystone and at 25, I think 2016 could be a breakout year. He's improved his average, OBP, walk rate and strikeout rate from year to year. He'll be a tablesetter for the Indians. Brad Miller comes in as a versatile middle infielder to help with depth.
Shortstop
Starter: JP Crawford
Backup: Brad Miller, Hanser Alberto
Minors: Wilfredo Tovar, Franklin Barreto, Derian Cruz
Crawford played pretty well in the sim in 2015 despite not playing above A+, slashing .246/.322/.346 10 HR 51 RBI 19 SB. After hitting .400 in A+ in 2015, he came down to life in his first shot at AA, slashing .265/.354/.407, walking more than he struck out at the higher level. Given the choice to do it over, I probably would have tried to move Crawford instead of Lindor to get Price, but I still think Crawford can be a dynamic shortstop. He'll be counted on for defense and some offense from the #9 spot in the order. Brad Miller is a great backup here to my young middle infield.
Third base
Starter: David Wright
Backup: Miguel Sano/Joey Gallo
Minors: Drew Ward
Third base has been a position of strength for the team, though Sano looks to be peeling off to RF or 1B and Gallo has spread his abilities to LF. The trade for Wright was more about acquiring offense than necessarily a third baseman. Wright is a proven veteran who can hit. I'm not expecting 30 HR, but if he can hit 18 and hit for average, I'm happy.
Outfield
Starters: Adam Jones, Miguel Sano, Hanley Ramirez, Nick Markakis
Backups: Gregory Polanco, Joey Gallo, David Dahl, Dariel Alvarez
Minors: Justin Williams, Starling Heredia, D.J. Wilson, Brendan Sanger
We have some flexibility here, as Hanley Ramirez will get an outfield projection, so he can be stuck out there. If Sano does move to RF, I would assume a cannon arm with fair range, which may be playable. This really depends on the defensive projections. Jones in CF is the only thing I'm definitely counting on. But some combo of Polanco, Jones, Sano should be in play daily. Jones doesn't really comprehend taking walks, but he can hit for power and while the average was down a bit in 2015, he also had a strange drop in BABIP from his norms. I'm not concerned. Sano is a beast and will be a fixture in the middle of the order. Polanco I'd like to see develop a little more power, but his average/OBP jumped up, defense improved and his walk and strikeout rates remained consistent. Gallo's strikeouts last year make starting him tough, but he's a very good backup and same goes for Dahl. The spleen injury set him back, but he's still a top 25 prospect with a great future. Not complaining about having those two on the bench. Alvarez had a strong AAA year before a weak small sample at the majors. Last spot between him and Dahl depends on projections.
Designated Hitter
This will be the primary duty of Hanley Ramirez, unless Sano ends up with an unusable projection in his first go-round as a right fielder. I envision Sano with fair range and a very good arm, while who knows what Hanley produces defensively. Offensively, I think he'll be fine. Not dominant, but above average power and a .270/.320 line. That will be good enough to bat 7th and DH for me.
Starting Pitching
Starters: David Price, Jake Arrieta, Lucas Giolito, Tyler Glasnow, Yusmeiro Petit
Backups: Matt Cain, Justin Nicolino, Tyler Skaggs
Minors: Kevin Ziomek, Adrian Houser, Austin Wood, Cody Reed (dbacks), Oscar De La Cruz, Ariel Miranda
I'll put this rotation up against most others in the league. As long as we can avoid major injury, I think Price/Arrieta are going to kill the league as the two potential MLB Cy Young Award winners. Future aces Giolito and Glasnow should be well above average for 3/4 starters. Petit was a great swingman two years ago for SF, so I just need him to eat innings at a reasonable rate. Cain is a gamble and could get some ZIPs grace based on his past. Nicolino doesn't strike guys out, but doesn't let a ton in, either. Good depth here.
Relief Pitching
Starters: Aroldis Chapman (CL), Ken Giles, Yimi Garcia, Jumbo Diaz, Michael Dunn, Luis Avilan/Jose Alvarez
Backups: Derek Law, Silvino Bracho, Luis Avilan/Jose Alvarez
I love the back end of the bullpen with Chapman, Giles and Garcia. I think that's going to be tough to crack. The rest are a little suspect, depending on how ZIPs treats their 2015 seasons vs. their previous years. Motte, Law, Sullivan, Bracho are all kind of a toss-up depending on projections. I could see any of them being the third righty setup. Dunn is the new shiny acquisition here and despite a down 2015 in the majors, I still see him being an above average lefty in the pen. Rzepczynski, Avilan, Alvarez could all be good or mediocre. Bracho was a late-season pickup who has strong numbers and could get the ZIPs helium love. We'll see.
Expected 2016 roster:
Catcher
Starter: Matt Wieters
Backup: Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Matt Wieters has always been considered an above average catcher and Baltimore has been waiting on him being a superstar for what feels like forever. He was hitting well before his elbow injury and turned it up in September/October 2015, so I think he'll be solid. The backup depends on who projects better.
First base
Starter: Freddie Freeman
Backup: Brett Wallace
Freddie Freeman will be a rock on the diamond and in the lineup. Wallace is solely here for insurance.
Second base
Starter: Kolton Wong (Jose Fernandez-if he signs)
Backup: Brad Miller, Hanser Alberto
Minors: Kean Wong
Wong has a bright future at the keystone and at 25, I think 2016 could be a breakout year. He's improved his average, OBP, walk rate and strikeout rate from year to year. He'll be a tablesetter for the Indians. Brad Miller comes in as a versatile middle infielder to help with depth.
Shortstop
Starter: JP Crawford
Backup: Brad Miller, Hanser Alberto
Minors: Wilfredo Tovar, Franklin Barreto, Derian Cruz
Crawford played pretty well in the sim in 2015 despite not playing above A+, slashing .246/.322/.346 10 HR 51 RBI 19 SB. After hitting .400 in A+ in 2015, he came down to life in his first shot at AA, slashing .265/.354/.407, walking more than he struck out at the higher level. Given the choice to do it over, I probably would have tried to move Crawford instead of Lindor to get Price, but I still think Crawford can be a dynamic shortstop. He'll be counted on for defense and some offense from the #9 spot in the order. Brad Miller is a great backup here to my young middle infield.
Third base
Starter: David Wright
Backup: Miguel Sano/Joey Gallo
Minors: Drew Ward
Third base has been a position of strength for the team, though Sano looks to be peeling off to RF or 1B and Gallo has spread his abilities to LF. The trade for Wright was more about acquiring offense than necessarily a third baseman. Wright is a proven veteran who can hit. I'm not expecting 30 HR, but if he can hit 18 and hit for average, I'm happy.
Outfield
Starters: Adam Jones, Miguel Sano, Hanley Ramirez, Nick Markakis
Backups: Gregory Polanco, Joey Gallo, David Dahl, Dariel Alvarez
Minors: Justin Williams, Starling Heredia, D.J. Wilson, Brendan Sanger
We have some flexibility here, as Hanley Ramirez will get an outfield projection, so he can be stuck out there. If Sano does move to RF, I would assume a cannon arm with fair range, which may be playable. This really depends on the defensive projections. Jones in CF is the only thing I'm definitely counting on. But some combo of Polanco, Jones, Sano should be in play daily. Jones doesn't really comprehend taking walks, but he can hit for power and while the average was down a bit in 2015, he also had a strange drop in BABIP from his norms. I'm not concerned. Sano is a beast and will be a fixture in the middle of the order. Polanco I'd like to see develop a little more power, but his average/OBP jumped up, defense improved and his walk and strikeout rates remained consistent. Gallo's strikeouts last year make starting him tough, but he's a very good backup and same goes for Dahl. The spleen injury set him back, but he's still a top 25 prospect with a great future. Not complaining about having those two on the bench. Alvarez had a strong AAA year before a weak small sample at the majors. Last spot between him and Dahl depends on projections.
Designated Hitter
This will be the primary duty of Hanley Ramirez, unless Sano ends up with an unusable projection in his first go-round as a right fielder. I envision Sano with fair range and a very good arm, while who knows what Hanley produces defensively. Offensively, I think he'll be fine. Not dominant, but above average power and a .270/.320 line. That will be good enough to bat 7th and DH for me.
Starting Pitching
Starters: David Price, Jake Arrieta, Lucas Giolito, Tyler Glasnow, Yusmeiro Petit
Backups: Matt Cain, Justin Nicolino, Tyler Skaggs
Minors: Kevin Ziomek, Adrian Houser, Austin Wood, Cody Reed (dbacks), Oscar De La Cruz, Ariel Miranda
I'll put this rotation up against most others in the league. As long as we can avoid major injury, I think Price/Arrieta are going to kill the league as the two potential MLB Cy Young Award winners. Future aces Giolito and Glasnow should be well above average for 3/4 starters. Petit was a great swingman two years ago for SF, so I just need him to eat innings at a reasonable rate. Cain is a gamble and could get some ZIPs grace based on his past. Nicolino doesn't strike guys out, but doesn't let a ton in, either. Good depth here.
Relief Pitching
Starters: Aroldis Chapman (CL), Ken Giles, Yimi Garcia, Jumbo Diaz, Michael Dunn, Luis Avilan/Jose Alvarez
Backups: Derek Law, Silvino Bracho, Luis Avilan/Jose Alvarez
I love the back end of the bullpen with Chapman, Giles and Garcia. I think that's going to be tough to crack. The rest are a little suspect, depending on how ZIPs treats their 2015 seasons vs. their previous years. Motte, Law, Sullivan, Bracho are all kind of a toss-up depending on projections. I could see any of them being the third righty setup. Dunn is the new shiny acquisition here and despite a down 2015 in the majors, I still see him being an above average lefty in the pen. Rzepczynski, Avilan, Alvarez could all be good or mediocre. Bracho was a late-season pickup who has strong numbers and could get the ZIPs helium love. We'll see.
