2071 AL South Next Five Years Team
Mar 29, 2024 10:39:49 GMT -5
Texas Rangers, Commish_Ron, and 1 more like this
Post by sansterre - Milwaukee Brewers on Mar 29, 2024 10:39:49 GMT -5
For the N5Y team, I'm focusing on players that are young (25 or younger) but are more developed. A super-stud who's 18 can both be a stud and not make an impact in the next 5.
Batters Edition:
C David Harris (24), KCA - Harris was taken with the #15 pick of the 2068 draft and is already one point away from hitting his potential. He’s 24, with 7/8/6 ratings while boasting a 7 Catcher ability. He already has the ability to be one of the best catchers in the league, and he may get better.
1B Wilfred Miller (25), HOU - Miller was taken in the 8th round of the 2064 draft, at which point his potentials were 6/6/5. But 18 months ago he experienced a massive surge in potential, now topping out at 7/6/8. He’s currently only 6/6/6, and at 25 he doesn’t have a ton of time left to develop, but he’s got solid potential to become a righty-masher. Not bad for an 8th rounder.
2B Mike Hall (24), HOU - Hall was taken in the 13th round of the 2066 draft by the Dodgers, with 4/6/6 potential. However, in 2067 he jumped to 5/8/6 potential and was traded by the to Houston as part of the package for Bradley Richards. As it stands, Hall is 5/7/5, with three years to add that last point of power and eye. Is he a world-beater? No, but 5/7/5 playing a solid infield has value, and 5/8/6 has more. He’s coming off a rough season in AAA, but there’s still reason for optimism.
3B Francisco González (23), HOU - Gonzalez was snagged in the 2nd round in 2068. He’s a fringe 3B, but his bat is for real. Right now he’s 7/5/6 with strong vR splits, and 7/7/6 potential (possibly 7/8/6 vR). His bat at third is already pretty valuable, but if he maxes out he’ll be really, really nice to have. And he’s only 23.
SS José Rodríguez (25), TBA - Calling Rodriguez a SS is a stretch, but I needed to find one. The Rays took him with the #19 pick, and he’s got 6/7/5 potential. That kind of bat at SS would be amazing. The downside is that he’s 25 and only 4/3/4 right now, so there’s a solid bat he’ll never make it. Still.
OF Noburo Oike (24), TEX - An International signing, Oike is reminiscent of the Ranger great Makalani Korra (okay, maybe not that good, but still great). Oike, at 24, is already 6/9/7 (7/10/8 vR!) but has the potential to add another contact. He’s not a great fielder, but he can hold down a corner outfield spot just fine. At age 23 he played 135 games in the majors, and put up 4.4 WAR. This guy is going to be a nightmare for righty pitchers in the AL South for a while to come.
OF Emiel Vonhof (24), HOU - Pretty much a duplicate of Oike, just not as good. He’s 7/6/6 now, with potential to be 8s across the board. And he’s a lefty, which means he may top out at 8/8/9 vR. Again, not as polished as Oike, not a great fielder at the corner, but still really good. And he’s had 1.8 years in the majors already, with 3.9 and 4.9 WAR in those two seasons.
CF Fai Zhen (21), KCA - Unlike the above two, Zhen is a ways away from the majors, at only 4/2/3 batting right now. But his potential is 8/10/7 with 8 outfield range, which means he’ll be an absolute monster if he develops. He’s currently rated the #1 prospect according to OSA - he’s a little far away to be high on the N5Y team, but his potential is incredible.
Util Alberto Morales (23), TEX - The AL South is crazy deep in young outfielders. Morales was a late 1st rounder and hasn’t hit any burst of potential. But he’s already 6/3/5 with 8 outfield range, on the outside of the ML level. But he’s got time to grow, and he’s got 7/6/5 potential. And a 7/6/5 batter with 8 range has some serious value.
Util Shu-yaan Koo (25), KCA - Koo is something of an outside shot. Right now he’s a strong corner fielder (9/7 at left and right) but is only 5/6/6 batting, which isn’t great. But he’s got 6/8/6 potential which would make him quite nice. He’s hardly a sure thing, but he’s got some value.
Util Phil Hoffman (25), TEX - Hoffman is a first baseman, landed in the 2nd round of the 2068 draft. As drafted, he had 7/7/6 potential, which is nothing to sneeze at, but he got a bump and now is showing 8/7/6 potential. He’s 25 (and 4 months) and is only 5/6/5 right now, so there’s a pretty solid chance that contact won’t come in all the way. But still worth an honorable mention.
Batters Edition:
C David Harris (24), KCA - Harris was taken with the #15 pick of the 2068 draft and is already one point away from hitting his potential. He’s 24, with 7/8/6 ratings while boasting a 7 Catcher ability. He already has the ability to be one of the best catchers in the league, and he may get better.
1B Wilfred Miller (25), HOU - Miller was taken in the 8th round of the 2064 draft, at which point his potentials were 6/6/5. But 18 months ago he experienced a massive surge in potential, now topping out at 7/6/8. He’s currently only 6/6/6, and at 25 he doesn’t have a ton of time left to develop, but he’s got solid potential to become a righty-masher. Not bad for an 8th rounder.
2B Mike Hall (24), HOU - Hall was taken in the 13th round of the 2066 draft by the Dodgers, with 4/6/6 potential. However, in 2067 he jumped to 5/8/6 potential and was traded by the to Houston as part of the package for Bradley Richards. As it stands, Hall is 5/7/5, with three years to add that last point of power and eye. Is he a world-beater? No, but 5/7/5 playing a solid infield has value, and 5/8/6 has more. He’s coming off a rough season in AAA, but there’s still reason for optimism.
3B Francisco González (23), HOU - Gonzalez was snagged in the 2nd round in 2068. He’s a fringe 3B, but his bat is for real. Right now he’s 7/5/6 with strong vR splits, and 7/7/6 potential (possibly 7/8/6 vR). His bat at third is already pretty valuable, but if he maxes out he’ll be really, really nice to have. And he’s only 23.
SS José Rodríguez (25), TBA - Calling Rodriguez a SS is a stretch, but I needed to find one. The Rays took him with the #19 pick, and he’s got 6/7/5 potential. That kind of bat at SS would be amazing. The downside is that he’s 25 and only 4/3/4 right now, so there’s a solid bat he’ll never make it. Still.
OF Noburo Oike (24), TEX - An International signing, Oike is reminiscent of the Ranger great Makalani Korra (okay, maybe not that good, but still great). Oike, at 24, is already 6/9/7 (7/10/8 vR!) but has the potential to add another contact. He’s not a great fielder, but he can hold down a corner outfield spot just fine. At age 23 he played 135 games in the majors, and put up 4.4 WAR. This guy is going to be a nightmare for righty pitchers in the AL South for a while to come.
OF Emiel Vonhof (24), HOU - Pretty much a duplicate of Oike, just not as good. He’s 7/6/6 now, with potential to be 8s across the board. And he’s a lefty, which means he may top out at 8/8/9 vR. Again, not as polished as Oike, not a great fielder at the corner, but still really good. And he’s had 1.8 years in the majors already, with 3.9 and 4.9 WAR in those two seasons.
CF Fai Zhen (21), KCA - Unlike the above two, Zhen is a ways away from the majors, at only 4/2/3 batting right now. But his potential is 8/10/7 with 8 outfield range, which means he’ll be an absolute monster if he develops. He’s currently rated the #1 prospect according to OSA - he’s a little far away to be high on the N5Y team, but his potential is incredible.
Util Alberto Morales (23), TEX - The AL South is crazy deep in young outfielders. Morales was a late 1st rounder and hasn’t hit any burst of potential. But he’s already 6/3/5 with 8 outfield range, on the outside of the ML level. But he’s got time to grow, and he’s got 7/6/5 potential. And a 7/6/5 batter with 8 range has some serious value.
Util Shu-yaan Koo (25), KCA - Koo is something of an outside shot. Right now he’s a strong corner fielder (9/7 at left and right) but is only 5/6/6 batting, which isn’t great. But he’s got 6/8/6 potential which would make him quite nice. He’s hardly a sure thing, but he’s got some value.
Util Phil Hoffman (25), TEX - Hoffman is a first baseman, landed in the 2nd round of the 2068 draft. As drafted, he had 7/7/6 potential, which is nothing to sneeze at, but he got a bump and now is showing 8/7/6 potential. He’s 25 (and 4 months) and is only 5/6/5 right now, so there’s a pretty solid chance that contact won’t come in all the way. But still worth an honorable mention.