F.I.B.L. Spring Training Previews |
|
North DivisionLebanon RedbirdsCentral DivisionGulf Coast Hurricanes Tombstone Bandits Venice Black Sox |
F.I.B.L. Preseason Previews -- Part 1 of 12 Aging Rowdies Look to Defend Crown in 2000 ALVA, Fla. - February 11th -- Two years ago, the Alaska Rowdies made a blockbuster deal with the Windermere Apaches, acquiring righty starter Greg Maddux, outfielders Larry Walker, Curtis Goodwin and Kevin Sefcik for five first round picks and three players who didn't amount to anything (Joey Hamilton, Quinton McCracken and Jacob Cruz). The Rowdies made the most of their end of the deal, winning the new North Division in both 1998 and 1999 and going to the F.I.B.L. World Series both years; they lost to the Conway Cougars in 1998 but won against the Gulf Coast Hurricanes in 1999. Their success may have a downside, however; the Rowdies are one of the oldest teams in the league, and some of their players are already starting to show their age. They still look strong for the 2000 season, but their advanced age may rapidly catch up with them in upcoming seasons. How old are the Rowdies? Well, the 19 batters on their pre-cuts roster will average 32 years of age at mid-season 2001. The only projected regular on the 2000 roster under the age of 30 is 25-year-old Vladimir Guerrero. The other nine main starters in their lineup (Darrin Fletcher, Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, Matt Williams, Jose Vizcaino/Mike Benjamin, and two outfielders from Larry Walker/Dave Justice/Tom Goodwin) are all 32 or older. The only other batters under 30 are Rondell White (29), Rey Ordonez ("28"), and shortstop bust Abraham Nunez (25). The pitchers aren't any younger. The 16 pitchers on the Rowdies' pre-cuts roster will also average 32 years of age at mid-season 2001. The only pitchers under 30 are starter Mike Thurman (27) and relievers John Rocker (26), Jose Jiminez (27) and Jose Cabrera (29). Unfortunately for the Rowdies, they won't be able to do much to rejuvenate their roster unless they trade some of their depth at catcher or the outfield corners for younger prospects or draft picks. They are not in a good position in the 2000 Draft, since they don't have a pick until the last pick in the second round, and then won't pick again until the fourth round. Here's a position-by-position breakdown on the Rowdies: Catcher: Darrin Fletcher will be the starter, with Javy Lopez the likely backup. The Rowdies also have Carlos Hernandez available. Fletcher is a slugging lefty who hits well against both lefty and righty pitchers. He's adequate defensively, but better than any of the alternatives. None of the Rowdies' catchers is adept at stopping the running game. Firstbase: Rafael Palmeiro had a career year in 1999, but dropped off somewhat in 2000. He's still a quality slugger as well as an excellent defensive firstbaseman. At this point, Lenny Harris or Mark Sweeney would be the likely possibilities to replace Palmeiro if he gets hurt, but there really isn't a quality backup at the position. Secondbase: Roberto Alomar was another player who had a career year in 1999 and then dropped off a bit in 2000. Still, he was a Gold Glove secondbaseman and put up offensive numbers that were better than his career stats. He also is one of only two real baserunning threats on the Rowdies; he stole 39 bases in 2000 and was only caught 4 times. Thirdbase: Matt Williams was hurt for much of the season and did not display his customary power. He still was good defensively, although no longer Gold Glove quality. 35-year-old Mike Benjamin appears to be the likely candidate to spell Williams at third, as well as playing a significant amount of time at shortstop. Shortstop: The Rowdies don't really have a regular at the position. It looks like Jose Vizcaino will share the position with Benjamin, Rey Ordonez and Abraham Nunez. This is probably the team's weakest position. Leftfield: The Rowdies have a lot of choices here, starting with Larry Walker, who went from All-World in 1999 to just a very good player in 2000. He missed a huge chunk of the season due to injuries and his home run total dropped alarmingly, from 37 in 438 at bats in 1999 to 9 in 314 at bats in 2000. Another choice is David Justice, who had an awesome season in 2000, crushing 41 homers. He is rated in centerfield and may see a significant amount of playing time there when Walker is healthy. Finally, there is Rondell White, who also missed a number of games due to a late-season injury. He'd start for a number of teams, but he's buried on the Rowdies' bench. Centerfield: The only "true" centerfielder on the team is Tom Goodwin. He's the only other real baserunning threat besides Alomar, stealing 55 bases in 2000. He is good defensively, but has very little power and doesn't get on base enough to be a top-of-the-order player. Look for David Justice to play in centerfield a lot, even though the defense will suffer somewhat, since this would allow the Rowdies to play Walker or White in leftfield. Rightfield: Vladimir Guerrero is one of the best players in baseball and is likely to only get better. He hits for average and power, and is good defensively, with a cannon arm. He is the team's franchise player at this point. If he's unavailable, Justice would probably play rightfield. Rotation: It all starts with Greg Maddux, who had another superlative season in 2000. He's no longer the best pitcher in baseball, but he is still one of the best. Rick Reed is the likely #2 starter. He improved slightly in 2000, ending a streak of three years in which his ERA rose each season. Denny Neagle is the likely pick for the #3 slot. On the positive side, he did pitch over 200 innings in 2000; on the negative side, his ERA rose for the fourth consecutive year, and with his new contract in Colorado, that trend is likely to continue. Neagle is a flyball pitcher who allows a lot of home runs. Coors Field is likely to be poison for him. After those three, the rotation becomes iffy. The Rowdies will likely try to cobble together the bottom of the rotation with Pete Schourek (107 IP, 5.11 ERA), Tim Wakefield (159 IP, 5.48 ERA) and possibly Mike Thurman (88 IP, 6.42 ERA). Bullpen: The Rowdies have a good, deep bullpen. Jose Jiminez, Donne Wall, Scott Sullivan, Mike Williams and Steve Reed will give the team plenty of good quality innings. The enigmatic John Rocker is almost unhittable, but his questionable control may make him unusable in critical situations. Lefty Jason Christiansen has a surprisingly good card for a pitcher with a 5.06 ERA. Pre-Draft Cuts: Freddy Garcia, Ken Hill, Brian Johnson, Eric Ludwick, Kevin Sefcik, Darryl Strawberry 2000 Outlook: The Rowdies are still the team to beat in the North Division, but they may not dominate their division like they did the past two years. Their rotation is not as good as the teams from the last couple of years, and they do have some weak spots at the bottom of the lineup. Still, this team probably has at least one more chance at a championship run before the team's cumulative age starts to catch up to them. |