In Part 3 of the 2040-2041 PEBA All-Free Agent Team we’ll dive into the pitching staff. Admittedly, this was the toughest area of the team to fill. Thankfully, this group won’t be facing simulated baseball competition, however I still do believe it isn’t the worst group in PEBA either. As mentioned in Part 2, the average runs scored in the SL last season was 3.98 and the IL was 3.97. The goal with this team was to be above average in runs allowed. For comparison sake, middle of the road for the SL last season was NJ with 3.96 runs allowed per game and 3.92 & 3.99 from Yuma & Bakersfield in the IL

Rotation

SP Pat Condon– Condon for $10 mil seems to be quite the steal for K-zoo. It looks like the past few seasons he’s been primarily used as a reliever, but he’s a 4 pitch lefty with solid stuff and control. I don’t blame teams for using him as a backend of the bullpen guy, but he’s a starter for this team.

SP John Ross– Another solid starter, and another steal for K-zoo. Ross has a 6 pitch arsenal and at $4.7 mil is a nice value for what he could potentially do. Time will tell, but Ross has been a Badger for his entire career. I’m comfortable that he’ll be a low to mid 4 ERA starter and eat a lot of innings this year.

SP Richard Higgins– Higgins was a pitcher I identified early, but ended up filling the spot with Rene Padilla. While I don’t believe Higgins will outproduce Padilla, for $2.84 mil I really like the signing for Amsterdam. Higgins should be fine on a team with strong locker room chemistry, and I’m expecting a high 3 – low 4 ERA.

SP Juan Lopez– Lopez is on the back end of his career but we think he’s got a little bit left to give. His stuff won’t overwhelm you but his control is still elite. Another value add guy at $2.3 mil, and one that should be right around the 4 ERA mark for the season.

SP Carl Ford– At $7.2 mil, Ford could be considered a slight risk after the shoulder inflammation injury that ended his season last year. That being said, he’s another solid addition to the K-zoo rotation. Ford’s best seasons I think are behind him, but I don’t think a mid to high 3 ERA is out of the question.

Bullpen

RP Cisco Montano– Montano could be early fodder, but has the ability to cover some innings. Consider this spot wide open. I’ll let you know how he looks at AA Inverness.

RP Orlando Ruiz- My scout likes him a lot better as a RP vs a SP, but he’s got two plus pitches. He’s also a groundballer, so we’ll take it for league minimum. Another minor league pitcher for the Claymores, this time at AAA Aberdeen.

RP Naonobu Tanaka– I really like the deal for Toyoma at $1.5 mil, and would’ve resigned him myself if that would’ve been the demand prior to free agency. I do think Tanaka’s best days are behind him, but he still has a role in a bullpen in PEBA…just not in Claymore land.

RP Michael Darby – Darby would be on a shortleash for me, but he’s got a nice Fastball/Slider combo and throws 99-101 mph. Decent value signing, but he probably would’ve signed for less as free agency went on. Can’t blame London though, the pool was pretty thin.

RP Juan Gomez – I worried that posting this while some players were still free agents that I wouldn’t be able to sign some of these guys to minor league deals but it still worked out. Gomez falls into this category. I like that he’s got three plus pitches and throws 99-101 mph. My scout likes him as a RP, and I plan on trying him out there at AAA Aberdeen. The control is lacking but some catchers can help there with good framing.

RP Rudy Howard – Howard was one of the better reliever options on the market and another pitcher added to the K-zoo roster. He’s going to be leaned on a lot in close games and will help bridge the gap to our closer.

CL Xiao-mei Cheung– I really liked this signing by New Orleans. Fastbal/slider combo, 99-101 mph, and an extreme ground ball pitcher. I was shocked that this didn’t turn into a bidding war. At 31, he’s got a lot left in the tank and can be used for multiple innings as a closer or stopper. The combo of Howard and Cheung will be busy, because there’s gonna be a lot of close games late.

So how many runs per game does this staff give up? Let me know in the comments.