Evening News Staff Writer
2028-04-03
Edinburgh, Scotland – Opening Day, with all the trimmings.
Fireworks for the introductions? Check.
Sellout crowd? Check.
Unrealistic expectations by a long-suffering fan base? Check.
Play ball!
On the bright side, the final major league roster unveiled by General Manager Vic Caleca over the weekend does seem to have, at least marginally, more talent than the past several incarnations of the Claymores.
Here’s a quick look:
Starting rotation
- 1. Francisco Robles. He arrived via free agency from the Florida Featherheads following a so-so (10-15, 3.48) season. On most teams, Robles would be in the middle or back end of the rotation. Here? He’s the stopper.
2. Carlos Pérez. He returns following a 10-12, 4.05 campaign, which is fairly respectable on a 99-loss team. He had a nice spring (2-0, 2.70) and should be solid.
3. Kazuhiko Nishiyama. Another decent performer from a year ago, Nishiyama was 13-16 with a 4.22 ERA. Might be better suited for the back end of a rotation than the middle, but he should be OK. Still has that wicked slider.
4. Soichiro Ogawa. Here we go – the Claymores’ biggest spring training controversy centered around whether he should start, as GM Caleca believed, or spend more time in the bullpen, per new manager Hayato Sasaki. Ogawa has an electric slider and fastball, but his overall stuff, movement and control are nothing special. His spring training stats (0-1, 3.94) were uninspiring, and yet here he is in the rotation. Should be interesting to watch.
5. Jorge Vázquez. Another surprise. A year ago, he labored in the bullpen (3-0, 2.95, 2 saves), but he caught the eye of Sasaki this spring – even though he started no games. We’re not sure what the manager thought he saw, but it’s no weirder than Caleca’s Ogawa fixation. The Claymores’ best hope is that the top of the rotation pitches to form. If not … oh, oh.
The first thing to note is that Sasaki is not going with a traditional closer in the bullpen, but instead trying a “stopper” approach: two relievers who can come in starting in the eighth and, hopefully, lock things down.
- 1. Eitoku Tamura. Last season’s closer went 3-9 with 42 saves and a respectable 2.34 ERA. Sasaki says one reason he’s adopting the “stopper” approach is to get 2027 IL All-Star Tamura into more games - and earlier - to set up more win opportunities. Sounds reasonable, but will it work?
2. Ken Fisher. Even though he had a down year in 2027, Fisher has some of the most electric “stuff” on the staff, with an elite fastball and slider. If Fisher can return to past form, he makes a good pairing with Tamura.
The rest of the bullpen consists of setup pitchers Jesús Guerra and Ángelo Gonzáles; middle relievers Fernando Vega and Mauro Rocha; and long relievers Robinson Herrera and demoted starter Terry Dumont. Clubhouse sources say Dumont has come to accept his new role and hopes to use it to work his way back into the rotation.
Infield, DH and Catcher
- • 1B. Peter Casey, a natural outfielder, gets the starting nod here. Although he’s a horrendous infielder, the Claymores’ outfield is set. The hope is that his potent bat, speed and power will offset any fielding lapses.
• 2B. Talented free agent José Escobido fills the bill here. Although his 2027 stats were pedestrian, he hit .354 the season before with Toyama. Given that he showed flashes of his old form in Spring Training (.293 BA, .353 OBP), there’s reason for hope here.
• SS. Orlando Barrón, who arrived via free agency after a season with Shin Seiki, gets the nod here. He’s a solid enough hitter (in the .260-.270 range), and plays an excellent shortstop.
• 3B. Naomi Honma. Although he threw a mini-tantrum when Sasaki moved him from short (where he’s an otherworldly talent) to third (where he’s merely excellent), Honma has settled down and put together a solid spring (.281, 6 RBI). That’s in part because Sasaki decided to start Sixto Dueñas at third against lefties and let Honma play short then. It’s far from ideal, because Duenas is only average at third, but perhaps it will work for now.
• DH. Yosuki Imai, another free agent signing, brings his potent bat to the DH position. At age 35, his defensive skills at catcher have eroded to the point that he can’t really play there day-to-day any more. But there’s nothing wrong with his hitting: he hit .295 a year ago with Havana, and hit .311 and shared the team lead with 9 RBIs this spring.
• C. Jason Aaron. Although he spent most of last season in the minors, Aaron gets the nod here based on his defensive abilities. Although not elite, he’s light years better than Imai in the field and working with pitchers. Management hopes he can better the .205 BA he put up in the spring, though.
- • RF. Vincent Powell brings his powerful bat back to the cleanup spot in the Claymores’ lineup. He hit 23 homers a year ago, finally fulfilling the promise scouts saw in him, although they expect even more going forward.
• CF.Jack Flynn. Although he missed a month last year with a high ankle sprain, Flynn recovered nicely and put up a .317 BA, .353 OBP, and stole 16 bases. That earned him a shot at full-time play in center this season.
• LF. José Guillén. Injuries devastated Guillen’s season with Kalamazoo last year, but Scotland is hoping he can regain the 32 HR, 95 RBI form that made him an IL all-star in 2026. He led the team in homers (3) this spring, but fans hope he can improve on that .232 BA a bit.
- • INF. Duenas, who will start at third against lefties and play key backup roles for other infield positions.
• INF. Yeong-hun Kim. A good second baseman picked up in free agency via Havana, who finds himself relegated to the bench behind Escodibo. Kim figures to get playing time as a fill-in and spot starter, but may ultimately be mid-season trade bait.
• C. Kevin Nichols. A light-hitting defensive whiz who will spell Aaron when necessary and provide expert pitch framing when needed off the bench.
• OF. Will Nelson. Strictly a bench player, doubtful he’ll stick the full season with the big club.
It’s a middling group that, maybe, can summon the will to propel the Claymores to a middling finish in one of the worst divisions in organized baseball.
Dream big, Scotland.
Play ball!