2054 PBL Prospectus - AL South
Mar 24, 2020 10:16:28 GMT -5
Rich - Former GM, Texas Rangers, and 2 more like this
Post by sansterre - Milwaukee Brewers on Mar 24, 2020 10:16:28 GMT -5
AL South
The AL South, again, looks like the toughest division in the AL.
#1. Texas Rangers, 98.6 wins (1st)
Hitting/Fielding: +1.83 (1st), Pitching: +1.21 (3rd)
Compared with Last Year? Texas actually looks better than last year, even if they're not forecast above 100 wins.
Texas looks goooood. Pitching-wise they're about the same; maybe deeper in the bullpen. And frankly, hitting-wise they're only slightly better. Their great outfield is still great. They've had some regression (Sumait and especially Pete Gawley) but Luis Valensia looks a lot better and the addition of Brady Henderson makes them even better. The AL South will be a dogfight, but Texas looks to be the best of the group.
#2. Kansas City Royals, 93.6 wins (4th)
Hitting/Fielding: +1.20 (2nd), Pitching: +1.21 (3rd)
Compared with Last Year? A little bit worse, but still really good.
Kansas City changed a lot. Their rotation is actually much better; Enrique Vazquez is probably the best SP in the American League right now and Masaaki Fujimoto has developed nicely. However, their bullpen is considerably weaker both at the top and the bottom, with former closer Jeff Beck now suiting up for Tampa Bay.
Their hitters are worse, but not by much. Less of it is the loss of Callahan than you'd think; Jaime Lopez has developed well and should cover his spot with only a small loss in quality. Some of the stepdown is Jose Contreras, who has lost a little bit of contact and is now only rated at 5. He's still a 5/8/6 middle infielder (which is pretty valuable) but he's not quite the stud he was last year.
Overall? Kansas City is still really good, rated by my sheet as the #2 team in the AL.
#3. Tampa Bay Rays, 86.3 wins (7th)
Hitting/Fielding: +0.42 (6th), Pitching: +0.53 (6th)
Compared with Last Year? The roster is much improved, and may challenge for a playoff spot.
Tampa Bay has improved across the board and looks quite good. They happen to have the misfortune of existing in the same division as Texas and Kansas City, and that won't do them any favors. But a wild-card spot is definitely possible.
Where did the improvements come from? First, the improvement of Fernando Gutierrez has lifted their rotation a solid notch, and the signing of Toronto's Jose Rodriguez gives them an excellent closer. But their hitters are improved too. Yusuke Tanaka has seen a huge ratings increase from last year, and now may be the best player in their lineup. They aren't star-studded or incredibly deep, but it's a very solid group.
Overall? Tampa Bay seems to be in a nice position going into this year in every way except what division they're in.
#4. Houston Astros, 78.2 wins (9th)
Hitting/Fielding: -0.13 (9th), Pitching: -0.06 (8th)
Compared with Last Year? Well, they're worse than they were pre-blowup, but better than they were at the end of the year.
Let's not forget that the Astros actually had a pretty good team going into the 2053 season before they blew it up. As things stand they look very thin in the rotation but with a quality bullpen. And they have their share of strong bats (O'Brien, Aitkenhead, MacLean, Kakuta), but at the moment are thin at the ML level. They're likely better than last year's 68 wins, but this is a rough division for anyone to get ahead in.
The AL South, again, looks like the toughest division in the AL.
#1. Texas Rangers, 98.6 wins (1st)
Hitting/Fielding: +1.83 (1st), Pitching: +1.21 (3rd)
Compared with Last Year? Texas actually looks better than last year, even if they're not forecast above 100 wins.
Texas looks goooood. Pitching-wise they're about the same; maybe deeper in the bullpen. And frankly, hitting-wise they're only slightly better. Their great outfield is still great. They've had some regression (Sumait and especially Pete Gawley) but Luis Valensia looks a lot better and the addition of Brady Henderson makes them even better. The AL South will be a dogfight, but Texas looks to be the best of the group.
#2. Kansas City Royals, 93.6 wins (4th)
Hitting/Fielding: +1.20 (2nd), Pitching: +1.21 (3rd)
Compared with Last Year? A little bit worse, but still really good.
Kansas City changed a lot. Their rotation is actually much better; Enrique Vazquez is probably the best SP in the American League right now and Masaaki Fujimoto has developed nicely. However, their bullpen is considerably weaker both at the top and the bottom, with former closer Jeff Beck now suiting up for Tampa Bay.
Their hitters are worse, but not by much. Less of it is the loss of Callahan than you'd think; Jaime Lopez has developed well and should cover his spot with only a small loss in quality. Some of the stepdown is Jose Contreras, who has lost a little bit of contact and is now only rated at 5. He's still a 5/8/6 middle infielder (which is pretty valuable) but he's not quite the stud he was last year.
Overall? Kansas City is still really good, rated by my sheet as the #2 team in the AL.
#3. Tampa Bay Rays, 86.3 wins (7th)
Hitting/Fielding: +0.42 (6th), Pitching: +0.53 (6th)
Compared with Last Year? The roster is much improved, and may challenge for a playoff spot.
Tampa Bay has improved across the board and looks quite good. They happen to have the misfortune of existing in the same division as Texas and Kansas City, and that won't do them any favors. But a wild-card spot is definitely possible.
Where did the improvements come from? First, the improvement of Fernando Gutierrez has lifted their rotation a solid notch, and the signing of Toronto's Jose Rodriguez gives them an excellent closer. But their hitters are improved too. Yusuke Tanaka has seen a huge ratings increase from last year, and now may be the best player in their lineup. They aren't star-studded or incredibly deep, but it's a very solid group.
Overall? Tampa Bay seems to be in a nice position going into this year in every way except what division they're in.
#4. Houston Astros, 78.2 wins (9th)
Hitting/Fielding: -0.13 (9th), Pitching: -0.06 (8th)
Compared with Last Year? Well, they're worse than they were pre-blowup, but better than they were at the end of the year.
Let's not forget that the Astros actually had a pretty good team going into the 2053 season before they blew it up. As things stand they look very thin in the rotation but with a quality bullpen. And they have their share of strong bats (O'Brien, Aitkenhead, MacLean, Kakuta), but at the moment are thin at the ML level. They're likely better than last year's 68 wins, but this is a rough division for anyone to get ahead in.