Kentucky Thoroughbreds 2041 Season Preview

[Thoroughbreds]

Hi All, it is time once again for the preview of the Thoroughbreds season.

It feels like this Kentucky team is a team in transition after 2 straight seasons of narrowly missing the playoffs. They have tried to add a keep the team a playoff contender but in reality from the outside it looks like this team has taken another step further away from the playoffs. Still burdened with a high payroll, Kentucky wasn't able to add any big names or fix their below average bullpen this offseason. Unless everything breaks right and this team sneaks into the final wild card spot it will be interesting to see if management starts to trade some of their higher profile players away in attempt to stock the farm and free up some money. On the positive side the team does have some prospects that are a slated to take over a bigger role this season and most of their better players are under 30 years old.

Catcher Yoshiyuki Takahashi - Nicknamed gridlock for his lack of foot speed - zero SB's and 2 CS in 4 seasons - Takahashi (.253 9 51) is pretty much your run of the mill average catcher. He doesn't hurt you too much, but he doesn't help much either. After making the all-star team in 2037, Takahashi had 2 seasons with a negative WAR. Last season was a little better for him, but it was nothing to write home about. Truthfully I think Kentucky would be happy if he maintained that level. Takahashi will hit somewhere near the bottom of the order.
The backup role could be an issue for the team as three unheralded and not so talented rookies will be battling for the position.

First base Antonio Fuentes - Kentucky has been trying to solve their first base issue since they traded away Antonio Santos 2 seasons ago. 26 year old Antonio Fuentes (.248 5 20) is their latest project. Despite not having much experience, Fuentes has more pop in his bat than some of the other options that Kentucky has so he will get the first chance at grabbing the starting spot.
First will be a very interesting spot to watch for the team this season, Kentucky has 5 players (Fuentes, Ayala, Gorwyn, Petiet and Dingle) who talent wise are very similar - anyone one of these guys could take the spot if they perform well. Still even with the competition, first base seems to be a weak spot for the team.

Second base Dave Ramirez - Ramiez is one of the young players we talked about in the opening. The rookie 2b is Kentucky's top hitting prospect and he will help form an all rookie middle infield for the Thoroughbreds. Not only should he be extremely good defensively, but he should be able to provide some help on offense as well. Ramirez can also play a solid shortstop as well which should allow veteran Luke Kossan to get some playing time. Kossan hit .292 and won the all leather award at 2b last season.

Third Base Jose Carlos Cruz - Cruz (.266 4 51) is back for his 7th season as the team's starting 3b. He has been very solid defensively the last few years which has helped him post a 3.1 and a 3.2 WAR respectively. He has good speed and can be a menace on the bases - he just has to get on those base a little more often. He has hit 33 or mor doubles for the past 5 seasons.

Shortstop Jorge Reyes - Last year's first round pick gets the nod here as the team's starting shortstop. With veteran Honma falling of the cliff, the team had an opening and Reyes will do his best to fill it. Make no mistake, with Reyes it is defense first and offense 2nd, but provided he doesn't let the rookie jitters get83 to him he should be an excellent PEBA shortstop. With Reyes, Ramirez, Cruz and Kossan (in a backup role) Kentucky should have an excellent infield defense. If Reyes does really struggle, Ramirez will move to short and Kossan will play 2nd.
And Honma and his large salary will probably not see much playing time at all.


Left field Jose Cruz - Much like first base, starting LF will be a battle this season. 3 players, Jose Cruz, Hui Thean (who were both FA signings) and Sergej Van Den Abel will all have their chances to claim the spot. Jose Cruz will get the first shot, especially against right handed pitching. Van Den Abel will probably face LH's but he could also spell off Ferguson in Right field and Fuentes at first base. Thean has the least amount of power of the 3, but he is fast and he makes good contact. He will be an excellent weapon of the bench for Kentucky.

Center field Pedro Bermudez After a big first half in 2040 which propelled Bermudez to his 3rd straight all star appearance, he really tailed off in the 2nd half which along with a poor bullpen and a terrible year from Dan Gore were the main reasons this team missed the playoffs. Once again Bermudez will be counted on heavily if this team is to have any success at all.

Third Base Kyle Ferguson Ferguson (.284 26 76) who pretty much exclusively played against right handers last season was the team's most steady offensive player. He will hit in the middle of the lineup and it seems like he has improved against lefthanders as well so he may even draw the odd start against southpaws. Van Den Abel and Thean will get some starts here as well.

DH Dan Gore - The big question mark...Dan Gore (.241 23 83). After 2 straight all star appearances, Gore fell off a cliff and posted a negative WAR last season. The fans noticed as well and let him know every time he left a runner in scoring position. WIll he bounce back this season? I am not sure the coaching staff will be as patient with he this season.

Starting Pitching

#1 Roberto Rivera (19-9 2.87) - Rivera had a wonderful season that many thought should have been his second golden arm award. Ultimately he came in 2nd - he will be the teams go to guy again. Can he stay healthy once more?

#2 Dong-hak Yi (15-13 4.32) - Golden Arm winner in 2038, but a 4.32 ERA in 2040. He still has talent and a boatload of good pitches but he can't seem to avoid the home run and the bad inning. The team needs him to rebound this season.

#3 Bartolo Cervantes (10-9 3.26) - Kentucky was thrilled with Cervantes rookie season last year, which wasn't expected at all. He tried to develop a forkball in the offseason but ultimately decided to pass on using that pitch this season. Most of the balls hit against him are on the ground, that could work out will with the infield defense behind him.

#4 Valke Petiet (12-10 4.43) - 2040 was Petiet's worst of his 4 years. His spot does feel a little precarious in the rotation, especially with top prospect Dave Sherman looking ready to go. He also is an extreme groundball pitcher, so that could help.

#5 Declean MacLean (1-2 4.91) - Honestly MacLean looks like a placeholder while Sherman gets some AAA starts under his belt. MaClean was excellent in AAA last year going 7-6 with a 1.91 ERA.

Bullpen

The bullpen could once again be the team's achilles heel as the have amassed a bunch of average arms with no real shutdown arms. Mike Travis is the best of the bunch - he had 40 saves and a 1.10 WHIP last season. He will return as the team's closer. Omar Bickford has a solid season in the setup role, posting a 1.00 WHIP in 46 innings. He had an ERA under 2.00 until a late season meltdown. Edward Anderson will pitch a lot and has the pen's biggest arm but he can be very inconsistent. Rookie Jack Harris will be the team's lefty specialist.