The Round Table: 2035 Season

[Apollos]

Another Slow Start Brings Big Changes for Knights

A customarily slow start to the season by Tempe has brought a sooner-than-expected round of promotions to the big club this year as the team appears set to speed up the promotion of several of the organization's top prospects. Following a dreadful April, presumed rotation stalwart Lance Harris was demoted to the bullpen after a career worst April which saw him post an 8.22 ERA and flat 2.00 WHIP. In his place the Knights have promoted one of their top pitching prospects, Juan Jaramillo, who was originally acquired in a trade with Shin Seiki in 2032. The tall right hander has been a developmental success story since his acquisition and is currently rated as the 46th best prospect in the PEBA.

In a corresponding move, the club sent badly struggling 1B Edgardo Medina down to AAA Chandler following his surprise late-offseason acquisition after departing the Mexican ABSF. Medina has scuffled out of the gate despite being placed in the middle of the Knights lineup, posting a .159/.204/.227 slash line on the young season. With some relative depth at 1B and DH, the club could afford to allow Medina to work out his issues in Chandler, and also maintains an escape clause in his contract as the aging Medina was signed with a 120 GP vesting option as part of his deal. Promoted to replace Medina was last year's surprise producer Eng Hee Chin who lost out to Medina and veteran Wilson Munoz during spring position battles. While Chin also began the year underperforming in Chandler, he's expected to resume his previous role as part-time LF and full-time DH against righties.

Finally, the team took the unexpected step of promoting C Alejandro Garcia to replace the badly struggling Ernesto Herrera. While Garcia was expected to make his ML debut this year, it was believed that Tempe would hold firm in it's desire to limit the service time of their young, developing core while the team remained largely non-competitive. That said, it appears as though the Knights brass has decided some of these young players would be better served finishing their developmental climb at the ML level rather than rounding out their skillset in Chandler, and given the struggles of those they're replacing in Tempe, the decision was largely made for them.

[Apollos]

June Brings Raft of Promotions for Tempe Prospects

Another slow season at big league level hasn't slowed down the development of a number of Tempe's top prospects throughout the organization in 2035. Mid-season saw a number of the club's more advanced prospects earn promotions to a new level, continuing the theme of a seemingly more aggressive developmental timeline for the club. SP Will Taylor led the way with a late May promotion to AAA Chandler after posting a 1.89 ERA and 0.87 WHIP through his 11 starts at the AA level. While it was anticipated that the club would wait until the 2036 season to allow Taylor to make his debut, Taylor's strong performance coupled with the aggressive promotion schedule may foretell a late 2035 call-up if his numbers continue to impress. Taylor is said to still be polishing up his control and mastering the command of his changeup in order to present three plus offerings in advance of his arrival at the big league level.

Elsewhere, the club's top infield prospect, SS Guoncallo Carvalhas was in the midst of a breakout performance in single A Calexico this year and earned his way to Quebec City. Though Carvalhas expectedly struggled in 2034 at the youthful age of 19 against much more advanced competition, he seems to have righted the ship and was among the league leaders in the NAFTA this year, posting a .322/.406/.492 line prior to his promotion.

Along with Taylor and Carvalhas, a number of arms whom the club expects to be relievers at the major league level sooner rather than later, have also begun climbing the ranks. Led by the diminutive fireballer Geoffrey Bowman, who has made his way to Chandler, Eichiro Mizuno also pitched his way to the AA Frenchies, after striking out 10/9 inn at the single A level. Mizuno, a scrap heap reclamation project was signed in early April following his release by the Harpoon but may have a bigger future in store and the club seems eager to get a better look at him against more advanced competition.

Injury Updates:

Despite the good news on the developmental front, the Knights have lost a couple of anticipated future big leaguers to significant injuries along the way in 2035. First and foremost is CF Roberto Gutierrez who tore a hamstring following a torrid start in Chandler this year. While the club is expecting him back around mid-July, it was thought by many Tempe observers that he would be pushing for a starting role at the ML level by the All-Star break in light of his performance at the Knights' highest minor league level. SP Jack Ring, the club's 2034 Minor League Pitcher of the Year was also lost for the season following a tear in his rotator cuff. It's known that rotator cuff injuries can permanently derail a pitcher's career, though the club is optimistic that following late May surgery, Ring will be back on the mound in approximately 12 months. Ring had struggled badly with his command following a breakout 2034 and the club believes Ring may have initially injured the shoulder during spring camp, but attempted to pitch through some initial soreness in order to continue the momentum established in '34. 2032 1st round pick Lewis Bedser was also lost to the injured list in early June with a strained abdominal muscle. His anticipated return date is likely to be mid-July, though the club will likely afford him some extra rest following the injury in anticipation of a possible September call-up with the big club. Bedser was similarly considered to be a possible mid-season call up though the injury likely means we won't see the young man before the last month of the 2035 campaign.

[Apollos]

2035 Draft Recap

The annual PEBA selection meeting has come and gone, let's recap the Knights latest draft class:

1.5, LF John Reeves - Reeves, a 6'2" 175 lb prospect out of Jesuit High School, a member of the Interscholastic Federation, is the first non-pitcher selected by Knights brass since their return to the PEBA. Widely believed to be the best pure bat in the class, Reeves comes off a tremendous 2035 HS season where he led Jesuit to the IF championship, picking up MVP honors in each round of the playoffs along the way. His campaign included an eye-popping .333/.422/.678 line and 17 HR's but what may have stood out even more was his propensity to make contact as the young man struck out only 30 times while walking 19 times. Given his youth, Reeves is expected to join the Rookie League Sejong Administrators assuming he and the team can agree to terms on a signing bonus.

2.41, RF Gael Hollingsworth - A surprise pick at 41 overall, OSA had projected Hollingsworth as a top-10 selection in the immediate lead-up to draft day. While Hollingsworth has average or better tools across the board, his raw power stands out and it is believed he could man either corner long-term for the Knights. Hollingsworth quickly agreed to terms with the club and is expected to report to Sejong in time for opening day with the club.

3.77, P Bill Livingston - Livingston was a bit of a surprise selection as it was believed he had a firm commitment to attend college next year, though the Knights wooed him with a well-above slot deal of $2,000,000. The tall (6'7") right hander out of Canuck HS is said to possess elite raw stuff with the potential to flash 98 with his four seam fastball, and a possibly plus curveball. While some in the organization believe he could potentially be developed as a starter in time, there may be an effort to push Livingston to the pen in hopes of speeding up his timetable for arrival to a possible ML bullpen.

4.110, SP Edwin Nunn - The 17 year old Nunn has been a bit of an enigma during his last two years at Port Lincoln HS. Standing 6'3" and 190 lbs, the lanky Australian features two pitches which project as well above average to go along with top shelf velocity. His results have yet to catch up with his potential however, and it's possible that his lack of a viable third pitch makes Nunn a candidate for a relief role in the minors.

4.114, 2B Yoshitora Ando - Ando is the prototypical mid-round, middle infielder prospect out of Japan. Ando has average tools across the board and shows enough range that he figures to be able to stay in the middle of the diamond throughout, but his future will ultimately be determined by whether he can develop offensively and hit enough to warrant a roster spot at the ML level.

4.129, SP Bernardo Pena - Pena was an interesting choice at the end of the 4th round given his existing injury. There was potential late 1st round buzz on Pena heading into the spring but a torn flexor tendon in his throwing arm and lack of development at Katy HS this season saw his draft stock fall precipitously. Assuming Pena comes back at full strength, his repetoire flashes four potentially plus pitches, though he tends to be a nibbler rather than a strike thrower. Pena is a gamble on potential over results to date.

5.142, SS Jesus Morales - Rounding out the first day of the draft, the Knights selected Morales, a well regarded IF prospect out of Deportiva Zaragoza. The 18 year old is said to have off-the-charts makeup and a well rounded skillset, but will need to work on his hit tool if he's to realize his potential in a ML lineup. The rest of the tools are there to make a solid/above average big leaguer, so the Knights developmental folks could have a potential gem if they're able to coax a little more from Morales' bat.

[Apollos]

Knights Limping to the Finish

After a sustained four month stretch of solidly average play, the Knights appear to be showing the effects of a long season and are plodding towards the finish line as the 2035 campaign wraps up. The team, who posted a remarkably decent record of 54-55 from May through August, has reverted to previous form as September has come calling, going 8-14. It's difficult to point to a solitary reason for the Knights decline in the dwindling weeks of the season, but injuries to young offensive stalwarts Juan Rincon and Tony Velazquez appear to have played a significant role as the team's offense has fallen off a cliff in recent weeks. Nonetheless, there are several positive takeaways from the soon-to-be concluded season including the emergence of the aforementioned Rincon and Velazquez as dependable regulars. As the Round Table completes its post mortem on the 2035 season, we'll be sure to highlight these performances as we begin to look ahead to the coming off-season and the 2036 race, which promises to provide a more competitive team, based on the way 2035 played out.

With a week to go, the Knights record currently stands at 70-86; a solid improvement over their previous three seasons since returning to the PEBA when they posted win totals of 49, 66, and 62. While breaking the 70 win threshold is a step in the right direction, most Knights fans are still asking when they can expect the team to be truly competitive, particularly at a time when the wild card races appear welcoming of another team who can simply break .500. Along with our player analyses, we'll start to level set expectations for the Knights' competitive future and project out the next couple years as well as look ahead to the 2035 free agent class which should provide opportunities for the Knights to improve their roster, if they so choose. Following another improvement in overall attendance, it's hard to imagine the team standing pat with it's pockets full of cash, and it's no secret that owner Chris Van Hauter has implored GM Hazelwood to make significant strides to improve the roster and return them to respectability sooner rather than later.

[Ghosts]

It's been a lot of fun, and a lot of work, trying to keep up with our expansion compatriots in Tempe.

The young rotation with Jamarillo, Goto, Taylor, and a boatload of other young arms will force a whole bunch more of those infamous Bears-Borealis 1-0 type games. The offense behind Gil, Velazquez, Rincon, Carvalhas, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc... it's so talented, deep, and young, that I think we're going to see a real leap from the Knights in '36. If I were Aurora, Bakersfield, or Reno, I'd be arming myself to the teeth to try to keep those bats looking more young and less talented.

It looks like the DH is going to get a LOT tougher in the coming seasons.

[Borealis]

Let's not neglect the fact that the Yumans have a pretty strong collection of arms as well...

[Apollos]

It's been a lot of fun, and a lot of work, trying to keep up with our expansion compatriots in Tempe.

The young rotation with Jamarillo, Goto, Taylor, and a boatload of other young arms will force a whole bunch more of those infamous Bears-Borealis 1-0 type games. The offense behind Gil, Velazquez, Rincon, Carvalhas, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc... it's so talented, deep, and young, that I think we're going to see a real leap from the Knights in '36. If I were Aurora, Bakersfield, or Reno, I'd be arming myself to the teeth to try to keep those bats looking more young and less talented.

It looks like the DH is going to get a LOT tougher in the coming seasons.

Much appreciated; the Ghosts have set the bar pretty high in terms of ceiling and speeding towards fielding a competitive team. Hopefully we can help bring some more competitive balance to an already loaded field!

Let's not neglect the fact that the Yumans have a pretty strong collection of arms as well...

The Yumans will be a handful for sure, particularly with the inclusion of Young slugging phenom Cai who does nothing but hit bombs.

[Apollos]

Knights Splash to Start Offseason

Tempe made a huge move today to start the 2035-2036 offseason by agreeing to terms on a deal with the Yuma Arroyos that sees them acquire long time superstar 3B Luis Cedeno. Cedeno was unceremoniously acquired by the Arroyos last offseason when he was left unprotected by San Antonio in the rule V draft, and his stay in Yuma turned out to be short lived. The 2030 IL Royal Raker winner has amassed a HOF caliber 83.4 WAR in his 14 big league seasons and will play out the last year of the 6 year $255 million mega contract he signed with the Calzones back in 2030, with the Knights.

Accompanying Cedeno in the trade from Yuma will be the Arroyos first round pick, number 2 overall, and prized pitching prospect Ju-ao Zao, who adds to an already deeply talented stable of arms the Knights have amassed in their minor league system.

In exchange for relieving Yuma of the $46 million owed to Cedeno this season, the Knights shipped LF Ken Parker, 1B Gerardo Casillas, and their 2nd round pick. While it is unknown how the Knights intend to deploy their newly acquired asset, it stand to reason that he could slide across the infield and man 1B given the recent release of Andrew Brooks, and the presence of youngster Tony Velazquez at the hot corner.