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| Matt Cain (SF - SP) |
Offense: WB's 2014 team offense was almost solely led by slugger 1B/OF Jose Bautista, who had a nice bounce back season and was the team's only 100 RBI bat. Bautista (age 34) joins faded stars 1B Ryan Howard (age 35), 2B Chase Utley (age 36) and 3B Adrian Beltre (age 36) as the former nucleus of the this once dominant aging team. Howard was somewhat productive last season but is a shell of his former self and led the league in strikeouts. Fellow Phillies teammate Utley remains rosterable but was not impressive and its unlikely both he and Howard play more than 150 games again this season. Utley and seventeen-year vet Beltre are both in contract years which may help in the short-term but both are in the twilight of their great careers with Beltre the better of the two. With his apparent relapse, the storybook tale of OF Josh Hamilton is close to being over as his 32 year-old body has not aged well though when healthy he can be quite good and AL champ OF Alex Gordon (age 31) probably has a few more years of fantasy production. Catcher Travis D'Arnaud passed his 1st test of full-season action though the same cannot be said of 1B Jon Singleton who will need to improve. The good news for this team is that there is some help waiting in the wings. Shortstops Francisco Lindor and Addison Russell remain highly talented and close to the majors with the possibility that Lindor starts the season on the opening day roster. Prospect backstop Jorge Alfaro remains a talented asset, 2B Eddie Rosario looks to be the logical heir to Utley and young outfielders Hunter Renfroe as well as Austin Meadows ooz upside. The team's biggest boon is 3B Kris Bryant, who many see as the #1 prospect in baseball, could make an impact this season. Rule-5 Draftee 1B/OF Chris Carter and his power figure to be valuable going forward and likely a must keep with Howard and Singleton as question marks. If all goes well, Bryant and Lindor start the season as opening day starters. If not, WB will need to acquire a vet shortstop like JJ Hardy or Jhonny Peralta to keep Lindor's seat warm and rely on Beltre at least one more year while moving on from Howard or potentially Utley in a trade.
Pitching: Like this team's offense, its pitching staff has seen better days though it has a better chance at a rebound. At age 36, Cliff Lee's best days are likely behind him as he couldn't stay healthy last season though he still has some value in the open market. WS champ Matt Cain still has ace potential but was injured for much of last season. Jarrod Parker is recovering from TJ Surgery and is on target for a mid-season return while new Red Sox hurler Rick Porcello remains a capable counterpart to a potentially healthy Cain. Dallas Keuchel was one of the brighter stories from 2014 and both Bluejays Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman proved to be talented in relief and starting, which Sanchez as a potential closing candidate. Young arms Eddie Butler and Danny Hultzen should finally have a full-season this year with the same possibility of JO Berrios, who was excellent in the minors last season. The selection of Dan Haren (34) over Wily Peralta (25) and his 17 wins as keeper is somewhat controversial though Haren might yet prove valuable. If Sanchez doesn't close, Huston Street remains the team's only closer which will leave WB looking for relief help. Trading Lee would help this team some and a good seasons from Cain and Porcello would go a long way.
Draft: Armed with the 1st overall picks in both drafts, WB has some excellent options. NC State ace Carlos Rondon is likely the strongest selection here with HS arm Tyler Kolek (Mia - SP) a close second. On the offensive side, Cuban Yasmany Tomas (Ari - 3B,OF) might be a good selection as could be Nick Gordon (Min - SS) and Alex Jackson (Sea - OF).
Prediction:
RD 1: Carlos Rodon (ChW - SP) - Already MLB ready and a potential ace in the making
RD 2: Dalton Pompey (Tor - OF) - MLB ready top of the order hitter with a lot of speed
RD 3: Manuel Margot (Bos - OF) - Speedy slick-fielding outfielder with some nice pop
RD 4: Chris Carter (Hou-1B,OF) - R5 Keeper hit 37 homers last year and is a good fit for this team
RD 5: Hunter Renfroe (SD - OF) - Keeper
RD 6: JO Berrios (Min - SP) - Keeper
Prospect Draft:
RD 1: Yoan Moncada (TBA - SS) - The Cuban import is too talented to pass up in any draft
RD 2: Derek Fisher (Hou - OF) - Like Renfroe, a fast moving southern college bat
RD 3: Ryne Stanek (TB - SP) - Keeper
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