The 2038 Trendsetters. Less Rebuilding. More Tearing Down.

[Trendsetters]

By Peter Barroquere. pbarroquere@timespicayune.com

LITCHFIELD PARK, Arizona – Opening Day is at hand in New Orleans, The trucks have been loaded in Litchfield Park, AZ and are enroute to the Big Easy with the gear, charts, scouting reports, bats, gloves, pine tar and other baseball related oddities waiting to be placed in the lockers for the 2038 New Orleans Trendsetters.

For the New Orleans faithful, many questions remain regarding their hometown Trendsetters. The only trend they have successfully set in the last few years has been the trend of losing games in bunches. The team has lost 98 or more games in each of the last five years, including three of those years with more than 100 losses. Owner Jack Cobb decided to shake things up by bringing in a new General Manager, Chuck Valenches and the team also welcomed a new manager as well as Alfredo Garcia takes the helm of team with plenty of holes and few plugs.

Five of the nine starters from last year are no longer with the organization including C, Davey Short, 2B, Louis Kossan, SS Jose Gonzales, All-Star Lorenzo Castaneida, who was dealt at the deadline last year to Aurora and made the most of his free agency by signing a two year $70 million dollar deal with Crystal Lake this winter. Michael Burnett was designated for assignment last week as the 34 year old will likely have to find employment elsewhere. Losing Kassan and Castaneida will definitely hurt this club, especially Castaneida, who was the one true star in the lineup for New Orleans. Other longtime veterans became a casualty of big contracts, little production and a desire to move on. 35-Year Old SP Dylan McIntosh was given his release in the last year of a 4-Year $30 million dollar deal that saw him go 23-56 over that span, including a league leading 22 losses last year. The biggest surprise may have been the release of 17-year veteran Jose Martinez. The 38-year old was in the final year of a 3-year 9,500,000 contract, but the one time flamethrower’s velocity had diminished in recent years and he could rarely break 80 on the gun anymore. Martinez was promised by owner Jack Cobb that when he did decide to hang it up and retire, he could do so in a Trendsetters uniform.

Who will get the first nod for the Trendsetters starting lineup this season? Obviously nobody knows for sure and new manager Alfredo Vega has not offered any hints, but this is the best bet for your Opening Day lineup.

Position [Team Rank]
Catcher [27] – 31 Year old Eduardo Rogacion will likely get the opening day nod. Rogacion, who has limited PEBA experience at 31 years old has never held the starting role at this level but has always carried an excellent glove and a history of being able to handle pitchers, as evidenced by his career catchers ERA of 3.09. The hope is that Rogacion will be able to help some of the younger arms in the rotation and pen.

First Base [22] – Juan Jose Torres is a bit of an oddity. His long reach and solid glove at first should be a plus, but a 6’6″ spray hitter with little power could be a liability. Torres will get first crack at 1B with Ron King available to spell him at times. Hopefully Torres will develop a bit more pop to contribute from the corner.

Second Base [9] – Vasil Albres Albres was signed to a one year 3.6 million dollar deal this past winter and brings a superior glove to New Orleans at either 2B or SS. After spending three seasons as a backup for the Niihama-shi Ghosts, Albers will get his opportunity to hold down the everyday starting job in New Orleans. A smart ballplayer and clubhouse rat, Albers will be expected to keep the chatter down and help some of the younger players.

Shortstop [32] – The Trendsetters will go with the hot glove at this position as well as a hot bat doesn’t seem to exist at this position. Thiago Tierno will get the bulk of the playing time at SS with Thomas Johnston able to spell him. Albres could also see some at SS as well. The hope for Alfredo Vega is that he can rotate the SS in to the lineup depending on who is going through a good streak at the moment.

Third Base [24] – Jorge Moreno will start for the third consecutive year at 3B for the Trendsetters. He does not have the power you hope for at 3B, but compared to the rest of the lineup he is not a bad option. He has just a bit of pop, hits in the .240s, makes all the plays at 3B and is pretty durable. Not bad for a minor league free agent. Moreno could be the starter for a few more years as the Trendsetter’s farm system is lacking in prospects at most positions, including 3B.

Left Field [18] – Kazunari Ito. This was the first big free agent signing by new GM Chuck Valenches. Ito, inked to a three year $36 million dollar deal in the offseason from the New Jersey Hitmen, is a certified .270 hitter with some power. He is also an excellent outfielder and brings some speed as well, having averaged over 30 SB in the PEBA each season. It is hoped that Ito might be the first building block for New Orleans.

Center Field [25] – Ricardo Rojas. Rojas won this job based on a stellar Spring Training where he hit .391 and played solid centerfield. Rojas will be at the top of the lineup and while not a typical base stealer, his ability to get on base should help further down the lineup. This will be a first for the normally considered AAAA player and he hopes to make the most of it.

Right Field – [28 Tied] – Bob Dodson. Another case of of the Trendsetters going with an “Everybody else sucks” option, Dodson is an adequate hitter, a solid glove, and not the guy you build a franchise around. He may split some time in the lineup vs lefties with Steve Doss manning LF and Ito moving over to RF.

Next Time: The Arms, or lack of arms, on the Trendsetters staff.