Well after last season disappointing ending in the playoffs, the Alleghenies have made some changes in hopes that they can advance to the championship again.  So, let’s go over the roster position by position.

Catcher:

Starter:  Germán Hernández – He was brought back this year after having a WAR 4.7, while batting .251/.319/.479.  The team loved the way he performed on and off the field.  His leadership kept things together when the team looked like it was going to start struggling.

Backup: Tom Parsons – Tom was a throw-away catcher many years ago by the Alleghenies and was brought back last year to be the backup in AAA.  After doing a tremendous job in AAA and no one stepping up in PEBA to be the backup, the team gave the job to Tom.  In the few games he played he hit .333/.395/.394 and pretty much won the job this spring by hitting .448/.433/.655.  Tom is exceptionally good on defense and likes to hit vs. lefties.

The infield:  The team will have a new 1b, but after that, the faces remain the same for the starters with 1 more change on the bench.

Starters:

1b:  Francisco Lucador – Francisco has been beating up the ball the last 3 years in the minors and has shown it is time for him to beat up on PEBA pitching.  While the team expects his average to go down, they do expect a boost of power over the production of Carlos Bruno.  The major downside of Lucador is his defense and while this year he will be 1b, his future looks to be more at the DH role.

2b: Carlos Garza – One of the top 3 2b in the league.  Carlos plays above average defense, hits the ball, is a leader on the team.  What else needs to be said about him?

SS Bang-Xo You– From 2027-2030, Bang-Xo was one of the best SS in the league.  Last year he got off to a horrid start in April and then got injured and Henry Davis took over and did spectacular.  Bang-Xo is ready to come back and prove that he is still among one of the best SS in the game, especially with 2 young SS in AAA ready to take his place.

Alejandro Lujan – THE BEST 3b in the league.  No one is close to him.  He fields, he hits, he leads, he does whatever is needed.  Here are his lines since 2026 : .347/.414/.423, .326/.397/.440, .336/.401/.458, .317/.398/.396, .354/.426/.455, .348/.433/.450.

Backups:

Henry Davis – Has there ever been a more underrated utility guy in the league?  Henry can play 6 positions well, really well.  The only positions he doesn’t play are C and 1b.  He can step in and start when needed or come in and give people a rest without the team worrying about missing a beat.  At age 30, he is like fine wine, gets better with age.

Dave Hurley – Dave was signed this off-season mostly to be the DH verse lefty but since he is listed as a 2b, here he is.  The team said he might be wearing a 1b glove at times too.

Outfield:

Starters:

Left Field: Raúl García – Over the last few year Raúl just keeps hitting and stealing.  The team thought about trading him at one time, but now that would just be blasphemy.  They are thinking of starting a sitcom ‘Everybody Loves Raúl’

Center Field: Pedro Flores – Is there a better CF in the league?  Pedro came over many years ago in a trade with Crystal Lake and has paid dividends ever since.

Right Field: Javier Drake – Drake was a big risk when he was drafted due to his signing demands, but he has developed into a premier RF.  While there might be a RF or two that are better than him, ask that question in 2 years.  There isn’t much he can’t do.

Backups:

Don Mercer – Don Mercer would be starting on 90% of the teams if he made 10 million dollars less.  It is his $25 million salary that hinders him, but that is it.  So, he will backup García in LF and start at DH most nights.  Mercer had his worst year last year due to a reoccurring back injury and couldn’t get things going.   This off-season he worked hard to become more flexible and the team is hoping it keeps him off the DL.  If that can happen the league better watch out for him.

Evan Lamberts – Lamberts went into spring training never playing RF.  He now is very proficient on defense in RF and he has made the team due to his ability to defend all 3 OF positions well and provide a decent enough bat to where he won’t be an automatic out.

Pedro Ferringo – Signed last year to be the primary DH, he started out slowly and got benched.  As the season progressed, he started to hit and just kept hitting to the point where he was in the lineup every day.  This season with Mercer going to DH, Pedro is stuck on the bench as a PH and a PR.  The team is trying to trade him, not because they want to, but because Pedro is so beloved by people that they don’t want to see him sit on the bench.  If he is kept, the team will be more than happy to have him.

Pitchers:

Starting:

Enrique Vázquez – Can you believe Enrique is in an Allegheny uniform?  Neither can I.  For years, GM Abcarian has been trying to pull off the impossible and trade for him and this off-season there was finally a deal to be had.  While it did cost them Manuel Gonzáles their ace the last few years, the team could not resist.  Enrique is one of the top 3 pitchers in the league, year in and year out and we expect nothing less.

Pat Willis – When Pat was traded for last year, it was expected that he would be a top end #3 starter.  After his performance last year, the team felt that they could trade Ronald Turton and moved Mr. Willis to the #2 SP (rumor is though he may be moved down as soon as Juan Guerrero is ready).

Bartolo García – In 2027-28, Bartolo was cruising and looking like he may turn into one of the best lefty pitchers in the league.  Then he hurt his arm and with 3 months left to rehab it, disaster struck and he needed surgery and had to miss all of 2029.  Most people thought that was probably going to be the end of Bartolo as a SP, and when he came back in 2030, he was a RP for the Alleghenies and was key to them winning the Championship.  Last year after speaking to him in the off-season, they switched him back to SP and the results were marvelous.  Bartolo is going to be counted on again as the #3 and he shows no signs of why he shouldn’t have a repeat of last season.

Manuel Ávila – Manuel is getting the #4 SP spot until Guerrero comes back from his rehab stint.  Manuel deserves to be in the rotation, but unfortunately for him there is no real spot open.  The team has told Manuel the better he does in April this year, the easier it might be for him to get traded to a team with open spots in their rotation.  Wherever he goes he performs well.  Just ask Mansfield.

Joe Russell – Joe just keeps winning.  In the last 2 years combined he has won 41 games (only done 4 or 5 times in PEBA history).  What’s more amazing?  Those are his first 2 years in PEBA.  Joe does what is needed to do to win.  He might not lead the league in K’s, but he does good enough there to get about 7 a game and he doesn’t walk people.  Joe has been offered in trade a bunch the last few years, but no takers. WV will be happy to keep him and watch him keep performing.

Bullpen:

Closer:

Gustavo Hernández – Gustavo over the last year has established himself as a top closer.  While sometimes Hernandez might put a scare into the fans, he gets the job done at an exceedingly high success rate.

Setup:

Miguel Moreno – Miguel is still only 25, but it seems like he has been around forever. At one time expectations for him were to be the closer, but Hernández passed him up.  Then Moreno struggled a little, so the team pushed him from setup-man to middle reliever.  There they were hoping he worked on consistency and kept his head up.  He took it to heart and came back this spring with a little bit more control and pep in his step.  The team really liked what they saw and moved him back to setup man.

Toshiki Miyata – Toshiki was acquired from Tempe this off-season for 4 minor leaguers and a pick.  Some might think that is a high price to pay, but seeing that Miyata was only 26, a lefty and last year was his first year a reliever since being converted from a starter.  While his stats are all from the WIL, the team felt that he was good enough to come over and be a setup-man and that is what he is.

Middle:

Martin Ramirez – Martin was acquired last year and impressed the team so much they gave him a 1-year extension.  He will be the primary #1 Middle reliever and will be the team’s swing man if needed.  Martin is on a low risk contract so if he fails (which we don’t expect), he can easily be cut and replaced.

Jack Mundy -Former #6 pick who career looked very promising until a major injury put him behind a few people and he never got it back on track, until now that is.  Jack has been given a spot in the pen which used to belong to Eitoku Tamura who was deemed expendable.  He looks like he has regained most of what he lost in the past, so if that is the case, the team has high expectations for him.

Hitoshi Matsui – Signed last year he was doing excellent in the minor leagues and then tore his meniscus making a play.  The team told him to take his time and rehab it correctly as one of the spots in the pen would be his to lose.  Well he listened and he did not lose his spot.  He has the same electric stuff that Alfredo Reyes, so it is fitting that is who he replaces.

Long:

Bill Rice – Another player that seems like he has been in the organization forever, Mr. Rice.  Bill is only 24 and last year was his first year up in PEBA.  In his first stint, he lasted less than 5 games and had a double-digit ERA.  The team sent him down to regain his confidence and brought him back up.  He did well and got his ERA down to 4.66.  This year the team told him that he will pitch in Long relief and sometimes in middle relief to get used to the league and build consistency.  The team expects him in a year or so to be a major part of the pen.