Spitters 2063 Preview

[DRiccio21]

2062 has come and passed, the entire league by now knows the story of the 1 run massacre taken by the Spitters in what is now known as 'the unspeakable season'... As an organization we accept truth and move on and try to get better.

The majority of the Spitters return with the core of the squad locked up for the foreseeable future. The Spitters lose their most reliable starter and former ace Tom Hensley to free agency but added 2 solid top of the rotation arms in Geoffrey Burke and Dan Thomason via trades. While starting pitching wasn't the teams biggest issue in 2062, these 2 players are innings eaters who should limit the amount of work necessary from the bullpen.

Let's take a look at the squad:

Pitching

1. Dan Thomason, 33 -- DT will get the ball on day 1 following 5 straight years of 200+ ip. While his stuff doesn't overwhelm you he keeps the ball on the ground and puts out solid efforts most days.

2. Geoffrey Burke, 34 -- Burke is another solid, not spectacular, innings eating ground ball pitcher that joins the Spitters. 6 straight years of 200+ IP with above average results. He brings a hard working veteran presence to the staff.

3. Jon Marquardt, 30 -- Marquardt finally found his groove in 2062 and showed his potential posting a 17-9 record with a 3.29 ERA (3.66 FIP) and a 1.15 WHIP. His 70% quality start % is something that likely won't be replicated but anything close to his 2062 season will be great for a middle rotation arm.

4. Julio Rincon, 32 -- Rincon has been a mainstay in the Spitters rotation for about a decade twirling the nasty Knuckler. He enters his final season as a Spitter due to financial constraints.

5. Jim Foster, 28 -- The former top 10 pick finally hit some form last season with 185 ip with only 166 hits allowed. Despite being an extreme groundball pitcher he allowed far too many HR's. His spot as the #5 starter will likely revolve around his ability to keep the ball in the park.

hybrid -- Roberto Moreno, 32 -- Moreno will be tossed around where needed. Also in his last year, Moreno has been solid as a starter but he might be best fit to return to the pen.

Bullpen --

Holley, Wood, Porter, Perez

The bullpen was a major part of the 1 run issues last season for the Spitters... the team has tried to rid themselves of failed starting pitching tweeners and focus more on strictly bullpen arms. Andrew Porter reaching his old form is a huge part of the teams future. Perez will start the year as the closer unless a new arm is found via trade. He only blew 1 save in 2062 when given the ball as a closer.

Lineup

1. Luis Torres, 29, LF -- 200 hits, 100 runs, 70 sb's... another year for the Spitters star leadoff man. His consistency was rewarded with a long term contract that should end his career in baby bllue and black.
2. Tadiyuki Kobayashi, 27, 2b -- Kobayashi has been mainly known for his outstanding glove but has a capable bat. He's asked to move to the top of the order so he gets a new place as the #2 hitter.
3. Alberto Ramirez, 32, SS -- Ramirez is an all world player and has fit in well in the Spitters clubhouse. His 7+ WAR has solidified a weak point on the roster at SS. Hitting 3rd is a bit of a risk as he lacks power but he wants to hit in the middle of the lineup and he gets what he wants.
4. Kel Sampson, 26, 1b -- 40 hr's 118 rbis 105 runs. Sampson is the masher we hoped he would be when he became a Spitter.
5. Oliver Garcia, 34, RF -- 39 hr's 107 rbis in 477 ab's. Garcia returned to the form that earned his big contract extension in the past. He led the league in iso and we're hoping he continues this groove in his last year as a Spitter.
6. Jason Riley, 23, 3b -- Riley hit 30 hr's with 94 rbis and scored 88 times in his first full season as a starter. Already a star, the team is hoping he makes the next step to super stardom this season.
7. John Becker, 26, DH -- The single biggest X factor for the Spitters is if Becker can reach his potential. His bat has been solid the past couple years but not on the level of Kel Sampson like many had expected.
8. Jiro Morita, 28, C -- Morita has been a long time Spitter catcher, not great with the glove but good enough and has a decent bat for a catcher. Solid option at the end of the lineup.
9. Carlos Gonzalez, 24, CF -- Gonzalez came out of nowhere last season to become a useful option in CF. His defense is unquestionably great but his bat was actually respectable enough to not be a black hole in the 9 spot. If that bat sticks around he'll be a mainstay for a long time but the team is still not completely sold last year wasn't a 1 hit wonder.

bench -- Pedro Flores is the main bat off the bench, a former 1st round pick, he's a big contact hitter who could be a high performing starter but is still only playing in a platoon/sub role.


Overall the Spitters have one of, if not the, best offenses in all of baseball and led the league in most defensive categories in 2062. The pitching, while above average, is still not exceptional but the team thinks it should present more consistency as its currently constructed. The years of being content with slightly above average records is over. We felt this team was good enough to win around 100 games last year and this year we feel the same way. While injuries are always a concern for everyone, if the team gets a fair shake the organization believes we are built to compete for an AL East title and good enough to go deep into the playoffs. The goal however is to win what we feel to be the best division in baseball, everything after that is gravy.

predicted record: 97-65

[Cnasty]

Highest payroll in the league better win more than 97 games!

I hope to stay within 10 games of you this season.

[DRiccio21]

winning 100 games in the AL this year is going to be extremely difficult... winning 100 from our division is probably not possible.

[wdoupis]

I like the moves and surely the bad luck won’t continue 2 years in a row. Spitters win the east this year

[nick]

I like the moves and surely the bad luck won’t continue 2 years in a row. Spitters win the east this year