Cookeville 2060

[Wasted Memory]

The Cubs bounced back last season after a 3 year drought from the playoffs. After acquiring some solid young pitching, the hope was to be competitive but saw a team come together and earn the last WC spot with a 91-71 season. Expectations have been raised this season as some much needed bats were added to help out a solid pitching staff. In a division that features Steel City, the much over-rated Richmond, and now upstart Cookeville it is sure to be a tough but fun run through the 2060 season and battle for a playoff berth.


PITCHING

Jose Rodriguez - The 24 year old right will take the #1 spot to start this season. JRod finished a 20 win season and a 2.56 ERA. He appears to have not yet maxed out his potential and we look forward to seeing what all he's going to be able to accomplish.

Ramon Canseco - The old man missed much of last season due to a torn back muscle. The team looks forward to having their captain for a full season and hopes he can continue playing up to the standards he has set in previous seasons.

Gerald Scott - The lefty doesn't appear to be much at first glance. However his stats show an entirely different picture. His leadership skills and ability to get the most out of his abilities every game make him a commodity any team would like to have. Scott finished last season with a 3.15 ERA and we'd be more than happy to see that type of season again.

Phil Conner - A young lefty that still has some growing up to do. IF Conner lives up to his potential he can be a shut down pitcher. We'll need him to start stepping up his game in the ultra competitive AL this season.

Manuel Garcia - Garcia enters his second season in the NDL after the Cubs picked him up as an IFA last season. Our expectations of him were high so we were disappointed in how the season went for him. However, we have now lowered our expectations and hope that he can serve as a solid addition to the back end of the rotation.

KEY BULLPEN

Julio Delgado - Was a lock down SU pitcher for us last year. Delgado ended the season with a 1.31 ERA and was a key piece in one of the top bullpens in the NDL.
Dave Stewart - Dave was a phenomenal CL for us last season earning his first trip to the ASG. Injury ended his season early or he could have possible brought home some hardware for his achievements. Finishing with a 1.54 ERA and 29 Saves, Stewart will be moved to a SU role early this season to make room for an off season acquisition.
Peter Randolph - Brought over from Seattle this off season and will take over the CL position. Any struggles there and we will be more than happy to switch him with Stewart. Randolph finished with 29 Saves and a 2.66 ERA last season in the NL.


The pitching rotation proved to be solid last season even after enduring multiple untimely injuries throughout the season. With some luck on the health side of things they should continue to put together another good season of pitching for the Cubs. The bullpen, one of the best in the NDL last season, only got stronger with the addition of Randolph this off season. Teams will need to get leads early as late inning runs should be very difficult to come by.

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LINEUPS

RF Norberto Silva - Very solid lead-off hitter. Silva has the skills to hit both left and right handed pitchers as well as the speed to turn those hits into doubles and triples. A slow start to the season last year prevented him from being in conversations for rookie of the year but he's still a very valuable commodity for our team and should see some ASG's before his career his finished.

CF Arthur Webber - Very solid season for Webber last year finishing with a .317 batting average. If we can keep him around .290 or higher this season we'll be happy.

C Wilson Perez - Off season acquisition that adds some much needed HR power to our lineup. Perez has always been consistent at the plate and we'll need that from him to help us meet our lofty expectations.

1B Claudio Lopez - Another power bat added to the line up this off season. With Perez in front of him and Vargo behind him it will be tough for opposing pitchers work their way through the middle of the lineup. Could be moved to DH with youngster Jose Sanchez trying his hand at 1B this preseason.

3B Jose Vargo - An outstanding player that can pretty much do it all. Vargo will start at 3B this season as that is a position of need for us. Solid defense and another consistent bat will do nothing but help elevate this team.

SS Natsume Mochizuki - Started the season slow and then appeared to be set to leave us this off season. It would appear our overall success and off season acquisitions convinced him to stick around with a shot at a championship run. Mochi did pick it up toward the end of the season and we really hope he'll continue with that to start this season.

LF John Lowe - A defensive liability but proved to be valuable at the plate. Lowe contributed 27 HR's to the team last season and that's the only reason he's still here now. We're not convinced we'll see a repeat performance from him and will be on the look out for a potential replacement should he falter.

DH Jorge Puente - Another player that we really had no intentions of giving significant playing time to, however he earned it last season not only with his leadership skills but with his 28 HR's on the season. Puente accomplished that in the middle of the lineup and we're hoping moving him to the bottom of the lineup will take some pressure off and allow him to duplicate his season. Another player that will be replaced as the season goes on if he is not up to the task.

2B Tadanobu Maeda - A solid defensive asset for us. That's what he is and that's what we want. Anything more is just gravy.

KEY RESERVES

1B Jose Sanchez - Solid defensive skills and can hit both sides well. If Puente struggles early on, Lopez will be moved to DH and Sanchez will slide into the 1B spot.
LF Dave Wagner - More of a DH player. His offensive numbers from last season include a .322 batting average with 19 HR's and 59 RBI's.

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Our biggest concern entering the season is the outfield defense. It may be an issue we'll be forced to deal with as the season moves on. The key additions of Lopez, Perez, and Vargo should help elevate this team as a solid playoff contender. There appears to be at least 8 or 9 potential playoff teams in the AL this season and with 3 of those being in the AL West it's going to be a tough season and very important the team shows up every game. If the pitching rotation can stay healthy this time around and the bats continue as they have in seasons past then we feel good about our chances of making a deep playoff run.

PREDICTION: 98-64

[Cnasty]

Great looking squad and a winning Cookeville is a happy OOTP.

Still will be 3rd in the toughest division in baseball though but biding your time when the financial collapse hits Richmond.

[qazhby]

That rotation is deadly

[DRiccio21]

Pitching is going to be pretty tough especially the pen in late innings ... gl this year

[DRWebs]

Underrated lineup and if Conner can take the next step finally, team has the makings of a real contender

[DRWebs]

Some really nice additions over the past year or so while not emptying the vault to do so. Always wonder why Conner hasn't taken the next step yet, but definitely the makings of a nasty 1-2 atop the rotation with he and Rodriguez

[wdoupis]

Good looking team and the additions to the lineup give it some much needed pop and make it a real contender.

[The_Niddler]

I root for you to win the AL West. We both know we hate Richmond!