Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Discontinuing Lean Pockets (Hot Pocket Preview)

This year expectations are higher than they have been in a long time for the Hot Pockets. People are abuzz about the potential of this uber young team. Team Management has been targeting Season 14 a little more (and the arrival of Jim Matthews), but we'd love to make some inroads this season too.

The Team:
Catcher - Jeffrey Fleming will be the full time starter with spot starts for DH/C (really only DH) Alex Arrojo

1st - Really anyone can play 1st base, so I moved Doug Wise from LF to start. Rule Ver Edgar James will handle backup duties.

2nd - A real strong point for the Hot Pockets are the tandem 2nd basemen of Orber Quixote and Stephen Henley. I will try and get these two in at the same time whenever possible because of how different, and awesome, they both are.

3rd - Oscar Miller gets the Micheal Young treatment and gets shuffled from SS to 3rd.

SS - Newbie Cookie Olivares will see a bulk of the work with Larry Williams as a pure backup. But, look for Brady Mays to get a call up at some point and start against lefties.

LF - I traded for Theodore Lincoln at the end of last season and he is set for a big season in the middle of my lineup

CF - Raymond Hughes will be the starter with Moises Pascual as his backup. MP is available for a prospect if anyone is looking for a leadoff hitter in CF.

RF - Newbie Vicente Estrada, the best position prospect in my system, finally gets his callup and will start the season in RF. I'd like to make a move for a RF that will let me DH this injury prone potential superstar instead.

SP - The rotation, yet again, is the weakness of this team. Benji Alfonseca, Carlos Espinoza, Charles Chang and Al Blanco will be joined by one of my LRers after the first couple weeks.

LR - Miguel Mercedes, Russ Thomas, Brady Garcia and Rule Ver Jarred Wieland will work out of the pen.

The Pen - A pretty mediocre (but cheap) bullpen will be anchored by newbie Jamie Lui. He will be joined by setup men Jerry Goodwin, Earle Magadan and Jim Smart. This will probably be augmented from AAA as the season progresses.

OUTLOOK:
I have gone 68-94 the past two seasons....I have less than $20mil in salary and will be signing some IFAs to augment the future of my team.

With an infusion of offense, I hope to be close to .500 this season...but we'll see

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