Spring Training Battles

[Thoroughbreds]

For the first time in the past 4 seasons the Kentucky Thoroughbreds were unable to make a big splash in free agency - mostly due to a decreased budget and some large contracts already on the books. WIth the trade of Canseco and the loss of a few players to free agency it has opened up - for the first time in a while - some opportunities for players to win a spot on the opening day roster with Kentucky. Here are the top 3 battles to watch for:

Starting Rotation - 5th starter

The big loss here was Rory Soutar to free agency. Soutar was 3rd in the golden arm race and the team would have loved to have kept him, but they just couldn't afford his contract. Along with Soutar, Kentucky also lost Nelson Alvarado , who started 21 games last season and went 12-6 with a 3.10 ERA to free agency. Ju-Hyung Park, who was supposed to be a mainstay in the rotation for the next couple of seasons, started 10 games last year and struggled with a big dip in his velocity. The team took a huge hit financially and released him this off season. This has left some chances in the rotation. Dong - Hak Yi , fresh off his Golden Arm award will be at the top of the rotation. Valke Petiet and the talented Ruben Rivera who won 14 and 11 games respectively will follow Yi in the rotation. Luis Jimenez , who has been a playoff ace and was runner up in the Golden Arm 2 seasons ago will most definitely be back in the rotation as the team's 4th starter, which leaves the 5th spot wide open. Here are the 3 who will battle for that coveted role:


1) Edward Anderson - Anderson is the early frontrunner, He was a 2nd round pick by Kentucky way back in 2030. Anderson, who is 26 years old came up as a September call up last season and made his first career start, went 11-11 with a 4,36 ERA in AAA last season. He has great stuff and an elite fastball which can hit 100 MPH on the radar gun, which he used to strike out 216 batters in less than 200 innings pitched. The problem is control as he struggled to keep his stuff in the zone last season. 64 walks was way too many. One thing he has in his favour is that he is an extreme groundball pitcher and with Kentucky's solid infield defense that should bode well for his chances.

2) Bartolo Cervantes - Cervantes is a clone of Anderson but he is a couple of years younger. Groundball pitcher, good stuff, not great control. Similar numbers in AAA ; 8-9 with a 4.01 ERA. Cervantes is the team's number 2 prospect and he arguably has a higher ceiling than Anderson. He will have to outpitch Fernandez to make the team, but I think he team views him as more of a potential long term prospect than Fernandez.

3) Angel Villa - Villa will get a shot to start in spring training but he maybe the longest shot of the 3 to make it into the rotation. Villa has primarily been a reliever for the majority of his minor league career. He has worked on and developed a decent curveball over the winter. With a new pitch in his repertoire the Kentucky staff are thinking he could be a good candidate to make the switch to starter. Villa was a 2nd round pick in 2032 by Madison and he came over to Kentucky via the trade route last season. He currently ranks behind Cervantes as the team's number 3 pitching prospect.

Left Field

The departure of longtime starter Antonio Canseco has left an opening in the outfield with the most likely result being some sort of platoon between the following 3 players.
Yatoro Takaki - Takaki as a super sub had an unreal season last year hitting .385 in 228 at bats. Because of this he is inline for a bigger role, much of which could be in leftfield - He should also see sometime spelling off Santos at First base.

Kyle Ferguson could be the one to watch this season on the Thoroughbreds. This left handed hitter and former 1st round pick has waited patiently for his time. He hits right handed pitching extremely well and despite being a below average fielder, he should have the inside track to the starting spot vs righties.

Sergej Van Den Abel - Last year, Abel was Kentucky's minor league player of the year as he hit .318 with 17 homers and 68 RBI. He is the team's top prospect and it looks like it is just a matter of time before he breaks through into the starting lineup. Will Kentucky want the 22 year old to spend 1 more season in the minors or is this his year to breakthrough?

Third base

Third base was a bit a weakness for the Thoroughbreds last year. If the struggles continue it isn't out of the question that the veteran Santos returns there after 2 seasons at first, allowing Takaki to move to first on a more permanent basis. For now though the battle will be between 2 people.

Juan Carlos Cruz has been the starter at the hot corner for Kentucky for the past 4 seasons. Because of his speed, his cannon of an arm and his ability to get extra base hits, third will most likely be his to lose. Cruz had his worst season as a pro last year which is why his spot will be in jeopardy this spring.

Kanai Aliimulu has had several opportunities over the past 2 seasons to grab a larger role on this Kentucky team, but he has never grabbed the opportunity. He is a good defensive 3b who also has a cannon of an arm. He has more power and a better eye at the plate than Cruz but he doesn't have the speed and will probably hit for a lower average. If he doesn't take this opportunity this season I can't see him having many more chances.