S18 record: 90-72
Finish: Second place, AL North
2010 final payroll: $ 82 million
Estimated 2011 opening day payroll: $ 76 million
Offseason action:
Brought back veteran CF Jason Tankersley as insurance for the team, He is a poor man's CF'er at this point in his career, but still offers a solid bat for the lineup. HE isn't going to win any awards for his work, but should be a solid 4th outfield. He isn't going to be able to take FA Tony Jacquez's place in the lineup or the field. Jacquez averaged 35 homerun and 119 RBI the past 2 seasons for Madison and his offensive punch will be missed in Madison, where they don't seem to have a complete package such as him anymore. Backup OF Alejandro Perez will also be looking for a new team in season 19. Still capable of 20 home runs he should find a home somewhere. 2B Sergio Koplove will do his best to replace some of the lost production; he has averaged 25 home run the last 9 seasons. Pitcher Alejandro Maradona is gone and in his place are Josias Martin and rule 5 pickups William Gibson and Orber Bonilla. This should be at least a minor upgrade going into season 19.
Reality check
Madison has been an offensive juggernaut for 18 seasons, but that time is fading. They are an aging bunch of all-stars who no longer bring the same type of production to the field as they use to. MVP First Baseman Brett Sanders still is capable of winning batting and league awards every season, but his supporting cast dwindles each season. His trusty right hand man Tony Jacquez's is gone and replaced with less stable Sergio Koplove . Sanders production might suffer as a result. 3B Craig Cooper reuped for2 more seasons and his bat still has 25 homerun power, but he is need3ed higher in the order to help leadoff man Marcus Thompson. LF Thompson has spent the past 6 seasons challenging for the league lead in stolen bases and was a runner-up for the MVP award. HE should continue his push for respect. Madison still needs to find one more speed guy to even out the lineup. Defense is starting to become weak as well.
Pitching has always been an enigma in Madison. Ace Hideo Tamura has won 17 games the last 2 season's there is no reason he can't repeat that again. Jeremy Linden looked like an all-star in season 18 coming over in a midseason trade. He seemed to regain some of his form that made him an all-star in KC. He might not be able to repeat that feat in season 19, but he should still be a dependable starter. Kris Blue and Aaron Shiell will both be wildcard this season. Blue has never found his rhythm in Madison and rumors persist that he is always on the verge of being dealt. Shiell can look both like an all-star and like a clown all in the same game sometimes. The 5th spot will be an open competition between Josias Martin and rule 5 guys William Gibson and Orber Bonilla with only 1 ending in the rotation and the rest sliding to long relief. Joining the long relief competition is last season rule 5 guy Roy Ransom, who looked decent, but might be better suited for AAA for the year. The setup guys should be led by 28 year old Pablo Ramirez and 31 year old Dennys Shaw both struggled at time in season 18 and will need to step it up this season. Rp Gorkys Mateo looked overwhelmed last season and should be a better option this season. Closer Neil Young suffered a down year but still managed to save 28 games, he should be a bigger factor this season.
Summing it up with a Quote:
"私は、マディソンを愛し、私はあなたの赤ちゃんを食べるようになる！"- Starting Pitcher
Hideo Tamura |
| ||||||||||||||
No comments:
Post a Comment