Post by Commissioner Erick on Sept 12, 2024 13:39:07 GMT -5
The Kansas City Royals showed once again that they’re the class of baseball, winning their second title in three years and having no reason they shouldn’t compete for a third this year. They should win the division going away with Cleveland and Minnesota taking a step back, Chicago not quite ready for prime time, and Detroit not a factor as they go through a rebuild.
1) Kansas City Royals
2032: 97-65, AL Central Champions. Defeated Boston 4-1 in ALDS. Defeated Seattle 4-3 in ALCS. Defeated San Diego 4-0 in World Series
Who They Were: Kansas City had a good, but not elite regular season. Roderick Dalton and Jorge Vargas were good, but had fairly pedestrian seasons as Dalton had just 23 homers and Vargas had the second lowest WAR of his career. Jonathan Bakos had a huge year with a .298 average, 14 triples, and 101 RBIs. Jason Fulton was a two-way force at Shortstop, and the pitching staff continued to win the true outcomes, limiting walks, limiting homers, and actually generating strikeouts, unusual compared to past teams. The offense woke up in the postseason, with Vargas and Bakos having huge playoffs, and Bob Beasley blasting a number of huge home runs. The pitching staff didn’t allow a run the final 31 innings of the World Series on the way to a sweep.
Offseason Review: Talented relievers Rafael A. Gomez and Frang Aguilar moved on, and Amed Rosario is currently a free agent. Yusiel Diaz adds depth to the outfield, and could usurp Tyler Schneider as the full time Right Fielder. The bullpen spots vacated by Gomez and Aguilar will likely be filled from within.
On The Farm: La Maquina, Carlos Torres, projects to be a big time hitter at whatever position he plays. He’s currently listed as a Second Baseman, but may be an outfielder long term. Only 19, he’s a ways away, and time will sort out his defense and position. Jesus Galindo was an IFA signing. He has good tools and big power. If he can stick at Center Field, he’ll be a game-changer, but he may be a corner outfield slugger long term. There’s not a lot of depth elsewhere in the minors, but those are two blue chip prospects, a luxury for many contenders.
Best Case Scenario: 36 consecutive shutout innings in the World Series
Worst Case Scenario: This is one of the rare years Mike Ball is allowed to advance in the playoffs.
Key Questions: How close of a battle is it for your Right Field starting spot between Schnieder and Diaz?
You lost some bullpen talent this offseason. Are you concerned the unit is strong enough to win a World Series for you?
2) Chicago White Sox
2032: 82-80, 3rd Place AL Central
Who They Were: Chicago took a big leap forward, winning 24 more games than 2031. They had fewer incompetent players, and some prospects debuted with nice seasons, like Telmo Aldegas and his 33 homers in his first full year, or Ed Pinay’s 99OPS+ as an undeveloped 23 year old with an aggressive assignment to the PBA, or Jeff Stricker and Xavier Hendricks, who each posted 2+ WAR in solid rookie campaigns in the rotation. With Raul Beracierta hitting his 99th percentile outcome with 4.7 WAR, Chicago was one of the league’s best surprises, ending up with a winning record.
Offseason Review: Chicago swung for the fences in a clear bid to make the playoffs. Luis Retana is over from Cleveland, giving the team a veteran superstar, replacing oft-injured Ignacio Tonche. Chad Simon and Jose Guerra give the team outstanding pitching depth, while Trent Clark gives the team some two-way Center Field play. Federico Pando is aboard to DH, giving the team one more power bat, with Quadir Murriel and Matt Aceto providing positional flexibility, defense, and in Aceto’s case, hopefully some power. Some young prospects could join the new additions to start the year, be called up later to save service time, or even be traded for reinforcements.
On The Farm: It’s an elite farm. Quinn Chamberlain is the best prospect in baseball, and he and Alex Nava could be an elite middle infield combination for years to come. Retana likely pushes Nava to the minors after he comes off the IL mid-season, but what a luxury to have. Ryan Hessler and Josh Wallace are Top 50 prospects likely a season away, and both project to be patient sluggers with sketchy hit tools, but who can at least get after it on defense—Hessler at Third Base, Wallace in the outfield. God Buddha Inao, Jimmy Jaskulski, could get Chicago faithful to change religions when he debuts, as his hit tool has people believing if he himself is a deity. He may break camp with Chicago, or wait a year for more seasoning. Tristan Oliver is the best pitcher in the upper minors, his best trait is an advanced screwball he uses to confound hitters. He should be a fun player when he debuts. With 13 prospects in the Top 101, Chicago definitely has the system other GMs are talking about, and with young talent in the majors, and a few star acquisitions, are setting themselves up for an exciting future.
Best Case Scenario: The youngsters take steps forward, the prospects debut successfully, and the acquisitions play strong baseball. Chicago could host a Wild Card game.
Worst Case Scenario: The youth still needs time to put things together. Chicago wins in the mid-80s but misses the playoffs.
Key Questions: You have so many prospects who can make cases to be in the PBA. Who makes the opening day roster and who stays in Charlotte to begin the year?
With an elite middle infield combination at worst a year away from debuting, why make the case to swing for Retana this season?
3) Cleveland Indians
2032: 89-73, 2nd Place AL Central. Defeated Toronto in AL Wild Card Game. Lost to Seattle 4-0 in ALDS.
Who They Were: Cleveland was sixth in both runs scored and runs allowed, but used that solid, unspectacular balance to slip into the second Wild Card spot and knock off Toronto. It was a result they could be proud of, but also the beginning of the end as the team went through a rebuild after the year. Luis Retana led the offense with a 136 OPS+ and 6.8 WAR from Shortstop, while Josh Woodward and Chad Simon paced the pitching with at least 4 WAR. All will be elsewhere this year.
Offseason Review: As mentioned in the prior section, Retana, Simon, and Woodward will all be playing in new locales in 2033, but further down the pecking order sees more changes. Corner Infielders Juan Marrufo and Jordan Groshans were left to free agency, while Oil Can Evans and Brayan Hernandez are gone from the outfield. Adam Langford and Terrible John Kinser will be playing in new bullpens as well. It was an impressive teardown, but Cleveland won’t be impotent in 2033 unless more deals are made. Solid veterans K.J. Harrison, Juan Moreno, David Fleet, Jhoan Duran, and Jorge Ontiveros all came over from the Mets and will provide solid depth to First Base, the outfield, and the rotation, while Bobby Witt Jr. is fresh off a sabbatical and will play Third Base. With Izak Pals and Ernesto Ortego returning, that’s still a team with some bite.
On The Farm: Cleveland got a pair of nice prospects from the Retana trade, getting Guggsa Kasisi and The Little Professor, Miklas Pot, from Chicago. Kasisi has an outstanding glove, and a sweet hit tool, and should take over as the next great Shortstop in a long line of great Cleveland Shortstops, but just 19, it will take some time until he makes the show. Pot, Ironically named cause he’s an idiot, waits for fastballs in the zone and takes big swings. He’ll draw a lot of walks, strike out a lot, hit a lot of homers, and might be a decent outfielder in a corner. Jerk-Oh Travis Pennock is another dunce, but one who can swing the bat, while Si Juan is Taiwanese, but because of his first name of “Si,” has the Spanish nickname of La Maquina. He could be a solid arm. All these prospects are 20 years old or younger though, so Cleveland’s rebuild will be a slow burn.
Best Case Scenario: Cleveland is done trading, the AL is weaker than usual, and Cleveland overachieves and slips into the second Wild Card
Worst Case Scenario: With a lot of star talent elsewhere, and the AL featuring a lot of solid teams, Cleveland goes 79-83.
Key Questions: You got a ton of depth from New York in the Ignacio Tonche trade. Why did you acquire so many serviceable PBA players in that deal?
Who will get your fifth starter spot?
4) Minnesota Twins
2032: 76-86, 4th Place AL Central
Who They Were: Minnesota was less than the sum of its parts offensively last year, finishing fourth in average and first in doubles, but only scoring the 11th most runs in the league. The team had trouble with the longball, finishing 12th, partly due to the club absurdly cutting Gabe Bonilla midseason. The club stole the fewest bases, hurting the club’s ability to manufacture runs when not driving in doubles. The bullpen, led by Tim Newbold, was good, but a middling rotation led to middling team ERA figures.
Offseason Review: Reliever of the Year Tim Newbold will be in St. Louis next year, while Jose Guerra was traded to the White Sox, leading to a hole in the rotation. Jesus B. Sanchez left in free agency, leading to 3.9 WAR worth of Right Field production vacated the team. Alfredo Medrano was signed to help claw back some pitching production lost when Newbold left. Quad-A types have been called up to fill the holes.
On The Farm: A decent system, the Twins have a good looking prospect or two in most sections of their minors. John Fox and Josh Bonham are the best prospects in the upper minors. Fox is a Second Baseman with a very live bat, who can pepper doubles and has good over-the-fence pop to boot, plus no real platoon split. Bonham is a little less dynamic, but should still have a bat that will play at First Base. John Cogswell is a force in the mid minors. A lefty who doesn’t get cheated, he looks like a future starting outfielder who should run some good average and pop numbers. Last year’s second rounder John Wilhoit is the class of the low minors. He has big power, but pitch recognition may hold him back. There’s not much pitching in the system to speak of.
Best Case Scenario: The Twins win another 77 games
Worst Case Scenario: There are a lot of weak spots on the roster, and former MVP Gabe Bonilla can’t patch them anymore. This could be a 95-game loser if worse comes to worse.
Key Questions: Will we see Fox and Vapor Lock right away, or do they need more time in the minors?
Contracts given to Humberto Camacho and Tony Ryan haven’t worked out, and you don’t have the budget space to absorb the loss. Will you look to rebuild and trade away your best players?
5) Detroit Tigers
2032: 62-100, Last Place AL Central
Who They Were: Detroit continued its all bullpen strategy, and while St. Louis’ implementation of the approach led to revolutionary success, Detroit’s 2032 was a colossal failure as the Tigers allowed the most runs in the league. The offense was somehow pretty respectable, though five players had -0.4 WAR as the club sacrificed defense. John Lacy was the biggest disappointment. A historic playoff superhero for Boston the year prior, he had a .269 OBP with just 16 doubles and 19 homers, on the way to -0.7 WAR.
Offseason Review: Detroit didn’t do anything. They lost Franklin Barreto to free agency, as the aging infielder doesn’t have much of a place on a rebuilding club. The rest of the gang remains the same though. Detroit will need to rely on internal improvements to find success—possible with a young rotation, but not as likely among an older offensive group.
On The Farm: There are some good prospects on the farm, some close to the majors. Greg Meyer has a good fastball and a biting slider, serving to keep the ball down. He could be a mid-rotation arm if his sketchy changeup plays against lefties. He could also hold his own at the plate and in Right Field in an emergency. Center Fielder Dallas Tomassi, meanwhile, looks like a quintessential leadoff hitter as he’ll draw walks, get hits, and can steal a base or score on a double. Both should be ready for primetime no later than opening day 2034. Sparky Perrera is the jewel of the system, a Center Fielder with a great bat, but he’s only 19 and an eternity away. Lava Vivek is another teenager on the PBA radar. A five-pitch starter, he got his nickname based on his ability to change speeds—hitters guessing fastball get his exceptional changeup, and it’s as if they’re falling into lava at that point.
Best Case Scenario: A more traditional pitching approach leads to modest improvements and the team wins 68 games.
Worst Case Scenario: Running back a 100-loss team somehow doesn’t lead to more success?
Key Questions: Your staff hasn’t been built for having an actual rotation—how will you put together five starters this year?
Do you have any optimism in John Lacy regaining his form?
1) Kansas City Royals
2032: 97-65, AL Central Champions. Defeated Boston 4-1 in ALDS. Defeated Seattle 4-3 in ALCS. Defeated San Diego 4-0 in World Series
Who They Were: Kansas City had a good, but not elite regular season. Roderick Dalton and Jorge Vargas were good, but had fairly pedestrian seasons as Dalton had just 23 homers and Vargas had the second lowest WAR of his career. Jonathan Bakos had a huge year with a .298 average, 14 triples, and 101 RBIs. Jason Fulton was a two-way force at Shortstop, and the pitching staff continued to win the true outcomes, limiting walks, limiting homers, and actually generating strikeouts, unusual compared to past teams. The offense woke up in the postseason, with Vargas and Bakos having huge playoffs, and Bob Beasley blasting a number of huge home runs. The pitching staff didn’t allow a run the final 31 innings of the World Series on the way to a sweep.
Offseason Review: Talented relievers Rafael A. Gomez and Frang Aguilar moved on, and Amed Rosario is currently a free agent. Yusiel Diaz adds depth to the outfield, and could usurp Tyler Schneider as the full time Right Fielder. The bullpen spots vacated by Gomez and Aguilar will likely be filled from within.
On The Farm: La Maquina, Carlos Torres, projects to be a big time hitter at whatever position he plays. He’s currently listed as a Second Baseman, but may be an outfielder long term. Only 19, he’s a ways away, and time will sort out his defense and position. Jesus Galindo was an IFA signing. He has good tools and big power. If he can stick at Center Field, he’ll be a game-changer, but he may be a corner outfield slugger long term. There’s not a lot of depth elsewhere in the minors, but those are two blue chip prospects, a luxury for many contenders.
Best Case Scenario: 36 consecutive shutout innings in the World Series
Worst Case Scenario: This is one of the rare years Mike Ball is allowed to advance in the playoffs.
Key Questions: How close of a battle is it for your Right Field starting spot between Schnieder and Diaz?
You lost some bullpen talent this offseason. Are you concerned the unit is strong enough to win a World Series for you?
2) Chicago White Sox
2032: 82-80, 3rd Place AL Central
Who They Were: Chicago took a big leap forward, winning 24 more games than 2031. They had fewer incompetent players, and some prospects debuted with nice seasons, like Telmo Aldegas and his 33 homers in his first full year, or Ed Pinay’s 99OPS+ as an undeveloped 23 year old with an aggressive assignment to the PBA, or Jeff Stricker and Xavier Hendricks, who each posted 2+ WAR in solid rookie campaigns in the rotation. With Raul Beracierta hitting his 99th percentile outcome with 4.7 WAR, Chicago was one of the league’s best surprises, ending up with a winning record.
Offseason Review: Chicago swung for the fences in a clear bid to make the playoffs. Luis Retana is over from Cleveland, giving the team a veteran superstar, replacing oft-injured Ignacio Tonche. Chad Simon and Jose Guerra give the team outstanding pitching depth, while Trent Clark gives the team some two-way Center Field play. Federico Pando is aboard to DH, giving the team one more power bat, with Quadir Murriel and Matt Aceto providing positional flexibility, defense, and in Aceto’s case, hopefully some power. Some young prospects could join the new additions to start the year, be called up later to save service time, or even be traded for reinforcements.
On The Farm: It’s an elite farm. Quinn Chamberlain is the best prospect in baseball, and he and Alex Nava could be an elite middle infield combination for years to come. Retana likely pushes Nava to the minors after he comes off the IL mid-season, but what a luxury to have. Ryan Hessler and Josh Wallace are Top 50 prospects likely a season away, and both project to be patient sluggers with sketchy hit tools, but who can at least get after it on defense—Hessler at Third Base, Wallace in the outfield. God Buddha Inao, Jimmy Jaskulski, could get Chicago faithful to change religions when he debuts, as his hit tool has people believing if he himself is a deity. He may break camp with Chicago, or wait a year for more seasoning. Tristan Oliver is the best pitcher in the upper minors, his best trait is an advanced screwball he uses to confound hitters. He should be a fun player when he debuts. With 13 prospects in the Top 101, Chicago definitely has the system other GMs are talking about, and with young talent in the majors, and a few star acquisitions, are setting themselves up for an exciting future.
Best Case Scenario: The youngsters take steps forward, the prospects debut successfully, and the acquisitions play strong baseball. Chicago could host a Wild Card game.
Worst Case Scenario: The youth still needs time to put things together. Chicago wins in the mid-80s but misses the playoffs.
Key Questions: You have so many prospects who can make cases to be in the PBA. Who makes the opening day roster and who stays in Charlotte to begin the year?
With an elite middle infield combination at worst a year away from debuting, why make the case to swing for Retana this season?
3) Cleveland Indians
2032: 89-73, 2nd Place AL Central. Defeated Toronto in AL Wild Card Game. Lost to Seattle 4-0 in ALDS.
Who They Were: Cleveland was sixth in both runs scored and runs allowed, but used that solid, unspectacular balance to slip into the second Wild Card spot and knock off Toronto. It was a result they could be proud of, but also the beginning of the end as the team went through a rebuild after the year. Luis Retana led the offense with a 136 OPS+ and 6.8 WAR from Shortstop, while Josh Woodward and Chad Simon paced the pitching with at least 4 WAR. All will be elsewhere this year.
Offseason Review: As mentioned in the prior section, Retana, Simon, and Woodward will all be playing in new locales in 2033, but further down the pecking order sees more changes. Corner Infielders Juan Marrufo and Jordan Groshans were left to free agency, while Oil Can Evans and Brayan Hernandez are gone from the outfield. Adam Langford and Terrible John Kinser will be playing in new bullpens as well. It was an impressive teardown, but Cleveland won’t be impotent in 2033 unless more deals are made. Solid veterans K.J. Harrison, Juan Moreno, David Fleet, Jhoan Duran, and Jorge Ontiveros all came over from the Mets and will provide solid depth to First Base, the outfield, and the rotation, while Bobby Witt Jr. is fresh off a sabbatical and will play Third Base. With Izak Pals and Ernesto Ortego returning, that’s still a team with some bite.
On The Farm: Cleveland got a pair of nice prospects from the Retana trade, getting Guggsa Kasisi and The Little Professor, Miklas Pot, from Chicago. Kasisi has an outstanding glove, and a sweet hit tool, and should take over as the next great Shortstop in a long line of great Cleveland Shortstops, but just 19, it will take some time until he makes the show. Pot, Ironically named cause he’s an idiot, waits for fastballs in the zone and takes big swings. He’ll draw a lot of walks, strike out a lot, hit a lot of homers, and might be a decent outfielder in a corner. Jerk-Oh Travis Pennock is another dunce, but one who can swing the bat, while Si Juan is Taiwanese, but because of his first name of “Si,” has the Spanish nickname of La Maquina. He could be a solid arm. All these prospects are 20 years old or younger though, so Cleveland’s rebuild will be a slow burn.
Best Case Scenario: Cleveland is done trading, the AL is weaker than usual, and Cleveland overachieves and slips into the second Wild Card
Worst Case Scenario: With a lot of star talent elsewhere, and the AL featuring a lot of solid teams, Cleveland goes 79-83.
Key Questions: You got a ton of depth from New York in the Ignacio Tonche trade. Why did you acquire so many serviceable PBA players in that deal?
Who will get your fifth starter spot?
4) Minnesota Twins
2032: 76-86, 4th Place AL Central
Who They Were: Minnesota was less than the sum of its parts offensively last year, finishing fourth in average and first in doubles, but only scoring the 11th most runs in the league. The team had trouble with the longball, finishing 12th, partly due to the club absurdly cutting Gabe Bonilla midseason. The club stole the fewest bases, hurting the club’s ability to manufacture runs when not driving in doubles. The bullpen, led by Tim Newbold, was good, but a middling rotation led to middling team ERA figures.
Offseason Review: Reliever of the Year Tim Newbold will be in St. Louis next year, while Jose Guerra was traded to the White Sox, leading to a hole in the rotation. Jesus B. Sanchez left in free agency, leading to 3.9 WAR worth of Right Field production vacated the team. Alfredo Medrano was signed to help claw back some pitching production lost when Newbold left. Quad-A types have been called up to fill the holes.
On The Farm: A decent system, the Twins have a good looking prospect or two in most sections of their minors. John Fox and Josh Bonham are the best prospects in the upper minors. Fox is a Second Baseman with a very live bat, who can pepper doubles and has good over-the-fence pop to boot, plus no real platoon split. Bonham is a little less dynamic, but should still have a bat that will play at First Base. John Cogswell is a force in the mid minors. A lefty who doesn’t get cheated, he looks like a future starting outfielder who should run some good average and pop numbers. Last year’s second rounder John Wilhoit is the class of the low minors. He has big power, but pitch recognition may hold him back. There’s not much pitching in the system to speak of.
Best Case Scenario: The Twins win another 77 games
Worst Case Scenario: There are a lot of weak spots on the roster, and former MVP Gabe Bonilla can’t patch them anymore. This could be a 95-game loser if worse comes to worse.
Key Questions: Will we see Fox and Vapor Lock right away, or do they need more time in the minors?
Contracts given to Humberto Camacho and Tony Ryan haven’t worked out, and you don’t have the budget space to absorb the loss. Will you look to rebuild and trade away your best players?
5) Detroit Tigers
2032: 62-100, Last Place AL Central
Who They Were: Detroit continued its all bullpen strategy, and while St. Louis’ implementation of the approach led to revolutionary success, Detroit’s 2032 was a colossal failure as the Tigers allowed the most runs in the league. The offense was somehow pretty respectable, though five players had -0.4 WAR as the club sacrificed defense. John Lacy was the biggest disappointment. A historic playoff superhero for Boston the year prior, he had a .269 OBP with just 16 doubles and 19 homers, on the way to -0.7 WAR.
Offseason Review: Detroit didn’t do anything. They lost Franklin Barreto to free agency, as the aging infielder doesn’t have much of a place on a rebuilding club. The rest of the gang remains the same though. Detroit will need to rely on internal improvements to find success—possible with a young rotation, but not as likely among an older offensive group.
On The Farm: There are some good prospects on the farm, some close to the majors. Greg Meyer has a good fastball and a biting slider, serving to keep the ball down. He could be a mid-rotation arm if his sketchy changeup plays against lefties. He could also hold his own at the plate and in Right Field in an emergency. Center Fielder Dallas Tomassi, meanwhile, looks like a quintessential leadoff hitter as he’ll draw walks, get hits, and can steal a base or score on a double. Both should be ready for primetime no later than opening day 2034. Sparky Perrera is the jewel of the system, a Center Fielder with a great bat, but he’s only 19 and an eternity away. Lava Vivek is another teenager on the PBA radar. A five-pitch starter, he got his nickname based on his ability to change speeds—hitters guessing fastball get his exceptional changeup, and it’s as if they’re falling into lava at that point.
Best Case Scenario: A more traditional pitching approach leads to modest improvements and the team wins 68 games.
Worst Case Scenario: Running back a 100-loss team somehow doesn’t lead to more success?
Key Questions: Your staff hasn’t been built for having an actual rotation—how will you put together five starters this year?
Do you have any optimism in John Lacy regaining his form?
