The Kansas City Monarchs Year in Review

Name (GRADE)

THE OFFENSE

DH Mark Teahen (B) Posted about the exact numbers I expected, which were good so I gave him the solid B. Next year should be a big run producer carrying the bottom of the lineup.

C Ronnie Paulino (B+) Great numbers and an All-Star selection, will be mashing with Teahen toward the bottom of my lineup, much like this year.

1B Ryan Howard (A+) Monster year. A possible MVP candidate batted just shy of .300 with 53 home runs and an OPS of 1.011. Will be back in the cleanup spot next year.

2B Jason Bartlett (C) The weak link in the offense but still had a decent year. was hoping for a higher average and some more stolen bases from the lead off guy.

3B Evan Longoria (A) A ROY candidate held up the 3 spot well the entire year, with more power than expected (33 hrs) and a near .300 average.

SS Asdrubal Cabrera (F) The defensive specialist, really honed his nitch by dropping off with talent hits making him useless. Loss was imminent with a looming replacement though, so I don't feel to bad about this one.

LF Ryan Braun (B+) Good numbers and held down the middle of the order, filled out well throughout the year and is a great well rounded player.

CF Jimmy Harlan (C+) Great spec that had never seen anything above AA, so I was hesitant to put him directly in the lineup. Filled out well and performed decently, should have a good year next season.

RF Franklin Gutierrez (C) A talent gain made him into a stud spec, but he is yet to utilize the gains. Posted alright numbers but should have a great year next year.

THE ROTATION

Jordan Tata (C) The anchor to my rotation this year, which says a lot. Was hoping he would fill out some, but didn't at all. Also one of only 2 pitcher throughout the whole season to post an ERA under 5! Celebrate!

Brad Halsey (D+) Had a decent WHIP but ended up with a ERA over 5. Not quite what I was expecting, didn't fill out at all either.

Josh Baks (D) Didn't fill out at all and lost prospect status hitting the big 2-6. Numbers were not pretty, hopefully will fill out some in the off season.

Edinson Volquez (D-) Biggest disappointment of all. Lost talent everywhere did flat out awful posting an ERA on the wrong side of 5. If something good doesn't happen in the off season, he could end up in the mopup role by the start of the season.

Aaron Thompson (B-) The one bright spot in the pitching rotation this year. Took a talent hit, but nothing to bad, still great talent and actuals. In limited starts did well but not dominant. Did however posted an ERA under 5! A big achievement for someone on this staff, should have a great year next year.

THE BULLPEN

I'll just go ahead and give the bullpen a grade of (F). A bit of a revolving door but not one good showing down there, at all. Jason David posted a decent ERA, but was lucky as his WHIP was atrocious. This is going to need a lot of addressing in the off season, it is no help a good arm is really hard to find.

THE DRAFT
A stand out draft this year. Picked up 2 studs at key positions, both of which will begin next season with the big club.

1st round
SS Darren McFadden (A+) A young guy (18) I drafted hoping to be ready in a few years. He proved me wayyy wrong and flew through the minor leagues. Jose Reyes on steroids he will be at the top of my lineup to start next season. In 29 games this season posted a .313 average with 4 HRs 10 SBs and !7 3Bs!

2nd round
SP Victor Perez (A+) A solid pitching spec coming out of the draft. Gained talent out of the gate to become arguably the top pitcher out of the draft. Moved quickly through the minors and will start the year in the rotation. Is now (6-9-9) out of (9-10-10)

3rd round
Wilfredo Sanchez (B) Progressed well and has solid talent, could be a decent back of rotation starter soon.

OFF-SEASON OUTLOOK
Rotation should be greatly improved with some much better arms moving in. Bullpen is the area of focus, mainly a closer. Next year should be a big improvement for the Monarchs.

POSITIVES
My oldest player outside of the bullpen is 28, and my top bats are signed to cheap longterm contracts. Plenty of room to expand the bullpen to really help the team.

NEGATIVES
The Pitching. Although some new guys are coming in the ones staying were not spectacular. Also, the bullpen needs a lot of work but is a weak area and will be hard to find any help.