[IBL] SFP outlook 2014

[Larry Merithew]

The Prairie Dogs 2014 roster is beginning to take shape. Champions, they're not (yet). Improved? In some areas, maybe. The Bear breaks his silence and offers an early look at what may be in store.

Catcher
Salvador Perez is showing signs of being a solid bat in the lineup, and will play as much as he's able. Barring changes, inexperienced Anthony Recker is on hand to give Perez a day off now and then.

Infield
New bat Adrian Gonzalez takes over at 1B and will anchor the heart of the order. Incumbent Justin Smoak will probably be limited to DH duty against righties, until he proves he can hit southpaws. Versatile Martin Prado returns at 3B. Rookie Cody Asche will spell him, as well as fill in when Prado is used elsewhere in the field. Dustin Ackley has earned the job at 2B, with Danny Espinosa on the hot seat to either rebound or move on. Ruben Tejada suffered an injury this off-season, while Pete Kozma under-performed expectations in late-season action. Thus, rookie Brad Miller will be in the fight for the SS spot.

Outfield
Chris Young had a fair batting average and provided what little power the lineup could generate last year. He'll likely be the starting CF once again this year. Xavier Paul has a bat with some use. His glove in LF is another matter - not pretty. Jayson Werth was traded, so Avisail Garcia has the inside track on the RF job. The question is whether he's ready for a starting role this early in his career. Retreads Chris Coghlan, Jordan Danks, and Don Kelly are on hand to fill in as needed. Ackley could spend some time here as well, with Young moving to a corner OF spot.

Rotation
Felix Hernandez is the staff ace. It used to be by far, but the addition of Doug Fister gives the P-Dogs two solid arms at the top of the staff. Jorge De La Rosa returns from injury as the primary lefty in the rotation. After that, the remaining slots will be a battle among Jerome Williams, Chris Rusin, Danny Duffy, Hector Santiago and David Phelps.

Bullpen
Santa Fe will have to survive without hard-throwing Neftali Feliz this year. Manny Parra showed brief flashes of brilliance from the left side. Ancient Darren Oliver was invited to return to the team after a year's exile, and will offer an added lefty option in late-inning matchups. Pat Neshek is another returnee from the medical clinic, but it's unsure if he's 100%. Clayton Mortensen was kept during the off-season in the hopes his pitching woes were a fluke. Draftee Bobby Parnell has been brought in to shore up the group, and may be given the inside track on the closer role, not that there will be many save chances. Free agents Rafael Betancourt, John Axford and Jesse Chavez are also in the hunt. Whoever loses out on starting spots will be included in the battle here.

Summary
Perez is becoming a franchise cornerstone. Gonzalez improves an anemic offense. Asche may or may not become the 3B heir to Prado. Hopefully, Miller will fill the SS hole. The team will probably only go as far as the arms of Hernandez, Fister and De La Rosa can take them. How the P-Dogs won 60 games with the worst offense in the league is a testament to a ton of luck. Once again, change is the key word in the desert mountains. Whether it's a change for the better remains to be seen.

As a final thought, we asked if the Bear had anything else on his wish list. His immediate reply: "Find a way to beat that SOB in Havana - Swarzak."

Larry
SFP


 		 	   		  
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