Peter Barroquierre for timespicayune.com

February 18th^th, 2040

LITCHFIELD PARK, AZ

“Spring is the time of year when the ground thaws, the trees bud, the income tax falls due and everybody wins the pennant” – Jim Murray

Hope. It springs eternal. In most cities anyways. For the New Orleans Trendsetters, it has become the time of year where you lay your bet on how many games they will lose and you always bet the over. However, this year is slightly different. That will be because the Trendsetters may be displaying some of their future talent in Litchfield Park this year. In a change of philosophy, some of the younger prospects will be getting a spring invite and will hopefully get a chance for some AB’s or IP’s and open some of the brass’s eyes. Maybe plant the seed for a minor league promotion and maybe even put themselves front of mind in case a call up is needed.

Young prospects Marcos Jimenez, Beco Walton and Gabriel Santos are all expected to get a little playing time this spring with the big leaguers in hopes that some (or in New Orleans case, none) of their big-league mojo will rub off on them. Santos was the Trendies #1 pick in 2038 and acquitted himself well in Single a last year. He is a five-tool player who can cover a lot of ground in CF and brings a ++ bat to the lineup. Marcos Jimenez was the Trendsetter’s #1 pick in 2039 and after a very successful debut in Rookie Ball is expected to go to full season A ball in Ensenada, even though he is still just 19. Finally, catcher Beco Walton will get a chance to catch some big-league pitching. The IFA FA signing from 2039 will likely start the season at AA this year, but with a good spring could quickly make the jump to AAA Fayetteville.

Other positions are beginning to shape up, though most of the anticipation this year will once again be centered around the New Orleans Farm System, currently ranked 16^th.

Some positions to watch at the big-league level.

CATCHER – Freddie Morales did accept the 15-million-dollar option offer and will be immediately penciled in as the starter. However, rumors out of Litchfield have GM Chuck Valenches burning up the phone lines listening to offers for Morales. Kang-goo Yi may have the best defensive skills of the catching corps and will be battling last years backup Toby Marriot for the backup spot. Marriott brings pretty much the same offensive skill set, but did put up very respectable numbers last season in a backup role.

STARTING PITCHING – The rotation appears set for Opening Day with the caveat that almost any of these guys could get the boot with a few bad outings. The staff was horrible last year, ranking 14^th out of 16 teams in the league and the rotation was the main culprit, holding down the bottom ranking most of the season. Nathan Gallard will be the #1 starter even after missing half of the 2039 season. He is 24 and a leader on this team and it is about time “Pitchy McPitch Face” begins to show the promise he has teased for a few seasons now. Joe Arnold had respectable numbers last season and will be the #2 starter. Newcomer Alfredo Vargas joins the Trendsetters this year after a trade with Toyama. He is the only lefty in the rotation and is only two years away from leading the Sovereign League with 21 wins. He had an even better season last year at 14-9, but with a much improved 3.09 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Alonso Hernandez will set up shop in the #4 slot. He has had a rough few years with the Niihama-shi Ghosts and it is hoped a change of scenery will do him some good, Finally, Lewis “Haggis” Uige will get the #5 spot in the rotation. The 30-year-old, who was claimed off waivers from Aurora last season, made 8 starts for the Trendsetters and did well, going 2-3 with a 2.50 ERA and a WHIP of 1.23. If he can come close to repeating that performance, GM Chuck Valenches will be more than happy.

THIRD BASE – John Lightbody will get the initial nod at 3B now that Jorge Moreno is no longer with the club. Lightbody brings speed and the ability to put the bat on the ball, but brings very little pop to a corner position. You may see IF Tenshin Kudo get a few starts there as well as Thomas Johnston.

SHORTSTOP – New Orleans signed Free Agent defensive whiz Barry Wallace to a two-year $19,000,000 deal this offseason to try and shore up a horrid defense. Wallace is a career .241 hitter in the bigs, but has not approached even that paltry level in almost a decade.

FIRST BASE – This will be kind of a rotating, who’s hot, who’s not type of sitch. Manuel Munoz will get the majority of starts and manager Alfredo Vega will do what he can to keep his bat in the lineup, but we may see Tenshin Kudo at 1B versus left handers and possibly late in games for his defense.

OUTFIELD – Michel Bastide will hit in the three-hole and play RF most days while Richard Mancuso should get the bulk of the starts in LF. Mancuso is not a favorite of management, but he did hit well after being claimed off waivers from Florida last season. John Slater will make his PEBA debut in CF this season. He has great range and an excellent glove and even makes decent contact, but will be lucky to hit five homers and his OBP will be barely above his batting average. Scouts refer to Slater as a Thinking Man’s Ballplayer, but methinks that he should lift a few more weights in the offseason.

Overall, this is a team with a bunch of players who could be called below average on a good day. They have a lot of interchangeable parts, but not many of those parts will provide a great improvement over what was just discarded.

Let the games begin!