The Coqui enter 2031 with the best starting outfield they have had in a long time. In recent years the team had resorted to platooning all three positions but no more.
Right field last year was claimed by Roberto “Fudd” Martínez who posted a .283 batting average and career highs in RBI (81) and stolen bases (88). Unlike two prior years at Toyoma, he struggled against lefties coming over to the Imperial League but was still the Coqui’s best option. Defensively Fudd’s arm is as strong as they come and he led all PEBA right fielders in assists (21).
Left field last year belonged to Mike Rose. Although he missed 33 games the last two months of the season due to injuries, Rose claimed the job after proving he could hit right handed pitching consistently, raising his average against them from .217 in 2029 to .304. He finished at .299 overall and his .428 slugging percentage was second on the team only to Martínez’ .437.
Rose seems the ideal candidate for the backward bounce seen so often in San Juan, where players rarely sustain success. A two-time 40 home run hitter in the minors, he hit seven home runs in his first seven major league games. However, the 29-year old has just 15 in 950 or so at bats since. Nonetheless his on-base percentages in his three PEBA seasons have been .333, .336 and .341, well above league average, and the team will likely find a role for him even if he does regress.
Centerfield has two strong candidates vying for time. Kelvin McDonald, the $19.5 million free agent signee, proved a disappointment last year despite his line drive swing seeming ideal for the gaps at PRTC Stadium. His .243, .311 numbers were only league average when it came to getting on base. But he did give the Coqui a solid option against lefties, something the team seems to always be short on, batting .311, 388, .496 against them. Defensively he made a seamless transition to center making just one error and showing respectable range (3.23).
He will be challenged by phenom Wally Glasser who hit .280 after being called up in late August. The 24-year old is a three-time minor league all-star and was the Amber Waves (A) Most Outstanding Hitter in 2029. While he has great speed and a good glove, he has just one home run in 200 at bats at the AAA and PEBA levels. He showed decent power in A and AA but scouts do not believe he will develop it further. He also has only six walks in those 200 at bats. Still he should be an above average player and made his case hitting .474 in high leverage situations for San Juan as it made a surge down the stretch for a playoff bid.
After carrying seven outfielders at times the past two seasons, the team will no longer have to stock up for support. Vying for maybe one more bench slot will be fielding whiz Caspar Gray (career 3.50 range and +16.5 ZR in center); Kelsey van Wingerden (19 HR in 415 career at bats); former second round pick Toju Samurakami (.269, .326 in AAA as a 23-year old last year); and former fourth-rounder Alberto Morán, who hit .268 with 24 home runs between AA and AAA last year. Bo Banks, a 33-year old right fielder with limited range was also brought in on a minor league option deal. Banks flashed power early in his career but failed to distinguish himself the last two years at Amsterdam’s cavernous Stadium Urbanus.
Rule 5 draftee Ronald Amery, a defensive whiz who can play six positions, may also make Gray’s job expendable.