London, UK –

The headline is not a typo. This is not a 2034 season preview, the organization has already made it clear they are packing it in for 2034 so we don’t anticipate much coverage. Rather, this is a preview of the 2035 season. General Manager Cyan Winters believes that is the year the team will throw open their contention window and finally play meaningful baseball in London again. The reason for this is two fold; first, the team simply lacks the talent today to compete at a high level and lacks the financial resources to bring in the players needed to change that. The construction of their new ballpark has tapped their already limited funds and made free agency but a dream. Second, the team has a pretty exciting crop of talent working their way up through the minors, highlighted particularly by the 2033 Liverpool Beatles record breaking 91 win season. It is the future Underground on that team that we will profile today so that you, dear reader, can say you knew about them before all your fair weather friends.

SP Rich Jones (9-11, 3.78 ERA, 1.9 WAR) 

Jones was the 14th overall pick in the 2031 draft. Jones amassed a 10.3 total WAR over four seasons at Rutgers, including a senior season in which he sported a 1.01 ERA in 12 starts. He struggled in his introduction to pro ball that year, going 1-9 with a 5.79 ERA in 17 starts. It should be noted that that year’s Wasila Sledge Dogs were so bad that he actually managed to have a positive WAR despite those stats. In 2032 he moved up to single-A Birmingham and put together a better season, finishing with a 3.75 ERA and 1.9 WAR. This year Jones made his AA debut and earned 9 wins and once again sported a 1.9 WAR. Though Jones has not lit up the minors like previous London first rounder Luis Lopez did on his journey the team continues to believe he has a bright future as a PEBA starter ahead of him thanks to four solid pitches including a slider and fastball bordering on elite. He’s also well liked in the clubhouse and can frequently be seen hyping up the team during big moments. Jones will have a shot at being #2 in the rotation in AAA next year before, hopefully, debuting in London in 2035.

SP Troy Rush (11-2, 1.93 ERA, 3.0 WAR)

Not originally a London property, Rush was acquired in May in as part of the trade that sent David Tucker to Shin Seiki. London immediately promoted Rush, who had been playing in A ball to AA and Rush went off. In his first three starts he put up 21.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2-0 record, and a 0.86 WHIP. He would barely slow down from there, finishing with 11 wins and atop the Beatles rotation despite a short season with the team. His second loss did not even come until his final start of the regular season! Needless to say, London feels good about the Carbondale, IL native. Rush features 5 quality pitches, the best of which is the obscure forkball. Rush is penciled in to be the top of the rotation in AAA next year.

RP Dennis Bauer (5-2, 0.87 ERA, 3.8 WAR)

London’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Dennis Bauer was originally the Underground’s second round pick (40th overall) in the 2029 draft. Bauer started pro ball as a teenager and his path to AA took a bit longer than many of those on this list despite him being about the same age. Notably he spent part of two seasons in short season A ball and part of three seasons in single-A ball. Bauer actually debuted in AA last season, pitching just 7.1 innings as a late season call-up. 2033 was his first full season at the level and he absolutely sparkled. Bauer ate innings out of the bullpen, appearing in 46 games and pitching 103.2 innings. Despite this frequent exposure he finished the year with an 0.87 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.65. He struck out over 10 men per nine innings and walked just one. Though not technically the team’s closer, he ended up leading the team in saves anyway. Bauer is arguably ready for the PEBA in 2034 and the team has yet to fully decide whether or not they want him to skip AAA or not. Those close to the team suspect he will at least start the season in AAA as the team looks to keep as much of the Beatles band together as possible. Nonetheless, Bauer looks to have a solid future ahead of him in the bullpen alongside the likes of Norm Batstone.

RP Juan Perez (7-4, 2.45 ERA, 1.8 WAR)

The 49th overall pick by London in the 2032 draft, Perez has moved up the ladder in the London org faster than usual, ending up a AA regular in just his second professional season. This proved to be a fruitful decision however as he appeared in 47 games and pitched 73.1 innings. He led the Beatles bullpen in wins and was second in saves behind Bauer. Perez features just two pitches, the highlight of which is a lights out cutter. Perez is rumored to be in line for the closer job in AAA next season, although that likely depends on what happens with current closer Eugene Bennett who had 25 saves on the team with just 58 total wins. Long term Perez factors to be a single inning arm out of the London pen.

LF Jose Cruz (.242, 26 HR, 71 RBI, 3.6 WAR) 

Cruz came to London as an international free agent signing from Cuba in 2029, something quite rare for the cash strapped team. They would hold off on his major league debut until 2030, however. Cruz’s first two years of professional ball were a bit underwhelming, sporting a combined -0.4 WAR and the team began to wonder if their $1,200,000 had not been well spent. Those fears were quelled in 2032 when Cruz put up a 4.0 WAR in his single-A debut season. Cruz’s AA season was a bit up and down. He led the team with 26 home runs and was third in RBI (and just 6 RBI shy of the top). Where he struggled was with consistency, with his batting average ranging pretty much anywhere from .200 to .300 at points throughout the year before settling somewhere near the middle. Nonetheless at just 21 years old Cruz is the youngest player on this list and has plenty of time to bring his contact in line with his power. He’s also an above average fielder with decent speed, which are surely good assets to have. Cruz will start in AAA next year.

1B Rocky Nichols (.305, 15 HR, 74 RBI, 3.9 WAR)

Nichols was the 10th overall pick in 2030, making him the highest picked player on this list and it’s not too hard to see why. Originally drafted out of Lakewood High School Nichols had a rocky (heh, puns) start in pro ball. His rookie league campaign ended with a -1.1 WAR despite a decent .254 average but his sophomore season in Wasila saw him bat below the Mendoza line at .196 and finished the season sporting a cringe inducing -2.1 WAR. Despite looking like a clear bust, the London brass kept the faith and kept him moving through the system. Finally old enough to drink, Nichols went into his debut single-A season and set personal bests in pro ball for batting average, on base percentage, slugging, and pretty much everything else. He finished the season batting .272 and finally sporting a positive WAR of 0.9. 2033 was the year that Nichols truly rounded into 10th overall form though, as he put together a huge offensive season for the Beatles, earning himself coveted Underground Minor League Player of the Year award. Though a pretty unremarkable fielder at first base, Nichols sports excellent contact and gap power as well as the ability to draw walks and, on occasion, send balls over the fence. Nichols is destined for the PEBA, the only question that remains is whether he will end up a career DH or if that fielding will come around.

3B Butch Ellis (.267, 15 HR, 76 RBI, 3.8 WAR)

Ellis finished the season with a stat line creepily similar to Nichols, other than his batting average. His 76 RBI were enough to judge edge out Nichols for the team lead, however. Originally a late second round pick in 2030 Ellis did not come with too much hype and indeed his first couple professional seasons were good but not necessarily remarkable. Nonetheless, he entered 2033 with a combined professional WAR of 4.2 which is better than the last two scrubs. Something was clearly in the water in Liverpool this year however, as Ellis joined the queue of ballplayers having big breakout seasons there in 2033. A frankly fairly average hitter, Ellis is an above average 3rd baseman and excellent on the base paths – he tied for the team lead with 28 steals. Ellis will need to round out his skills at the plate to become a PEBA regular, but will no doubt be an important bench player with his speed and defensive prowess.

2B Jorge Lopez (.295, 8 HR, 51 RBI, 5.4 WAR)

Lopez was signed all the way back in 2027 as an international free agent, finally making his pro debut in 2029 (although for his sake we won’t talk about that season). Slowly but surely Lopez has made his way through the leagues in pretty unremarkable fashion before, you guessed it, having a breakout season in Liverpool. His 5.4 WAR put him in contention for London’s Minor League POTY vote but ultimately he ceded to Nichols.  Like Ellis he is pretty average at the plate and unlike Ellis the team doesn’t necessarily see that changing. However, Lopez is a very good middle infielder able to play 2B at an elite level and SS at an above average level. He’s also very speedy and capable of swiping a lot of bags. Above all though, Lopez is a leader in the club house and an absolute workhorse. His off the field qualities will play as much a part in his future career as his on field prowess. The Underground believe Lopez has the potential to be an every day player in the PEBA but failing that he will certainly be coming off the bench as a pinch runner and defensive sub with great regularity.

CF Ivan Garcia (.300, 3 HR, 29 RBI, 1.8 WAR)

Garcia is the only current AAA player on this list. He was another piece of the David Tucker trade with Shin Seiki and London took that opportunity to promote him to AAA. Despite a mid year team and level switch, Ivan accounted for himself very nicely in Leeds batting .300 in 347 plate appearances. Garcia is tailor made for small ball, with high contact and a great ability to avoid strikeouts. Once he gets on base he is an ever present risk to steal. Despite his success in Leeds in 2033, Garcia is expected to remain there for 2034 as the team looks to see him for a full season and believes he can still take some notable steps forward given he is just 22. Additionally, Luis Cervantes is hogging center field in London and it doesn’t make sense to make Garcia ride the pine behind him when there’s plenty of innings available in AAA.

The majority of these players are considered to be locks for the 2035 London Underground, some names in the org that could still make waves and jump early to the PEBA include their 2033 first pick SP Andrew Bevan (11th overall), Rintaro Kawai (2032 17th overall), however they are considered long shots for the 2035 opening day roster.

Time will tell whether or not Cyan Winters is simply drinking his own kool-aid or is actually right in his assessment of this group of ballplayers. In the meantime, the Underground have a new stadium opening up for the 2034 season and look forward to getting back on the field!