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| Jacoby Ellsbury (NYY - OF) |
Offense: It was nice to see future Hall-of-Famer 1B Albert Pujols healthy again as he improved on the prior season while registering 100+ RBIs and will be back for more during his 35-year-old season. Joining Pujols on the plus side, were the consistent outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Jayson Werth (age 35) as all three were Top 50 performers. Catcher Brian McCann finished as a Top 10 talent in down year for catcher but after that, the good news ends and the bad news begins. 2B/3B Daniel Murphy, OF Alex Rios and 1B/3B Pedro Alvarez, who will likely lose 3B eligibility this season, all suffered from very down seasons. SS/2B Asdrubal Cabrera finds himself on a new team which may provide a spark to his production while the slick-fielding SS Andrelton Simmons is still young and somewhat promising. The one-sided Rajai Davis can help with steals but is predicted to be a backup for much of the year. A potential saving grace might be the powerful prospect 3B/SS Miguel Sano, the hot hitting OF Albert Almora and the excellent Rule-5 bat OF David Dahl make for a nice potential future. After being the champ in 2013, it might be nice time to attempt a rebuild by moving Pujols and Werth for some more youth. If done correctly, this team should have the talent to not miss a beat.
Pitching: If you think CCC's offense betrayed this team, the main culprit lies mostly on its pitching staff. What was once a team build on talented arms, former staff aces Justin Verlander and Tim Lincecum had crazy horrible seasons leaving youngsters Julio Teheran and Tanner Roark as this team's only Top 100 starters. Starter Phil Hughes had a nice renaissance in Minnesota and the same can be said for lefty Scott Kazmir in Oakland. Rounding out the starters are Ian Kennedy and tease Francisco Liriano who are both capable of worthwhile stats. Something CCC has going for it is that the team has three viable closers in Koji Uehara, Glen Perkins and Steve Cishek which will give it the edge in saves during most head-to-head matchups. There is some potential that prospect arms Noah Syndergaard and Sean Manaea make an impact this year because this team could really use the infusion. If Verlander and Tiny Tim can make a comeback then maybe this team can too?
Draft: CCC has the 3rd overall pick in both drafts and it since their is no clear choice here, it might make sense to select the best player available and hope some of this team comes back strong. Betting that Carlos Rodon is already gone as well as high-upside HS arm Tyler Kolek leaves Yasmani Tomas as the fastest mover and closest to making an impact. OF Alex Jackson, SS Nick Gordon and Korean import SS Jung-ho Kang might also be possible selections here.
Prediction:
RD 1: Yasmani Tomas (Ari - 3B,OF) - At 24, unproven but very talented and fits future team needs
RD 2: Kyle Freeland (Col - SP) - College lefty was electric in the minors last season
RD 3: Blake Swihart (Bos - C) - Brian McCann is aging fast and Swihart and his bat is a good pick
RD 4: Michael Conforto (NYM - OF) - Oregon State bat has power and control from left side
RD 5: Gareth Morgan (Sea - OF) - Big and powerful, look for this guy to hit them long and far
RD 6: David Dahl (Col - OF) - R5 Keeper is one of the best prospect bats around
Prospect Draft:
RD 1: Adrian Rondon (TB - SS) - Worthy #1 international prospect and keeps with past strategy
RD 2: Eloy Jimenez (ChC - OF) - Keeper
RD 3: Rafael Devers (Bos - 3B) - Keeper
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