Outlook
The window is closing for the V’s as their top notch starters begin to age and/or look for greener pastures (read more playoff appearances). Salem has finished in second place in the NL West 6 of the last 7 years, making the playoffs only twice. They averaged 87 wins in those six years. They always seem to fall a couple games short of a playoff team. Unfortunately, they are just good enough to be frozen out of the top draft choices that might make the playoff difference. Things don’t look any different this year….KC is poised to go to the top, so Salem must fight Helena and Arizona to even stay at number two. Salem seems mired in mediocrity. Still, for a small budget team, at least they are competitive on an annual basis. We do not see a playoff spot in this picture, but crazier things have happened.
Al Rivera hit a surprising .271 15-55 when he took over the catching duties last season after departed FA Harry Morena had trouble hitting his weight. Rivera will never be a defensive genius, but his bat will be valuable in a pinch hitting role this year as former number one pick Wendell Welch takes over the everyday duties behind the plate. Welch was hurried to the big leagues and failed miserably two seasons ago. After another year and a half of seasoning at AAA, Salem’s management thinks he is now ready. Welch is an on-base machine a la Deivi Silva and indications are that he will bat in the number two slot in the batting order. He is not a speedster, but he doesn’t clog the bases either. Welch’s power numbers should consistently reach 15 or so HR annually with an on-base percentage around .400.
Former MVP Ron York (.299 50-146) reached the 50 HR mark for the second time last year and was once again amoung the lead leaders in HR’s and RBI’s. York also had his best defensive season ever last year committing only one error. Look for continued production from York’s spot in the batting order.
Sometimes you don’t know how valuable you are to a team until you slump. That is what happened to Paul Coffie last year. While Coffie continued to play defense at a high level last year, his offensive production was about the worst of his 8-year Salem career. Coming off a year where he batted .345/.441/.538 with 62 steals (where he couldn’t even get on the MVP ballot) Coffie struggled to a season of .273/.362/.466 with 44 steals. The result was a drop in offense by the Volcanoes of over ½ run per game. Coffie struggled one other year and then reverted back to his normal .300/.380/.500 season and the V’s are hoping he can get back to normal again.
Salem wanted to cement their defense when they acquired slick fielding JT Smalley from KC in spring training last year. JT paid the club back by sealing the left side of the infield and leading a defense that finished in the top spot of the NL by a wide margin, and also resulted in his first of what should be many Gold-Glove awards for JT. Smalley’s .254 26-93 season hitting out of the number seven hole was exactly what Salem anticipated. Smalley is too free a swinger to ever hit for average, but the ball goes a long way when he connects with it.
Captain Jimmy Posada moved to LF last year to accommodate Smalley’s addition. He now moves to 3B and will play under the cloud of impending free agency. Posada (.303 16-61) is fine with the move to the hot corner (his range has been shrinking the past few years), but he is balking at becoming the “suber-sub” when uber-prospect Mercado arrives on the scene next year. Salem management wants Posada to stay, but Posada still wants to be a starter—if not for Salem, then somewhere else.
Former first round pick Jose Lucano will step into the LF role for Salem this season. In the equivilant of two seasons in the minors, Lucano has averaged 40 HR , 150 RBI , 100 BB, and 34 SB. Salem management is not sure at this point where in the batting order Jose will bat, but they are expecting the same type of numbers Jose has put up in the minors.
Japanese star Hujimoto had even a better sophomore season last year than his rookie campaign as he batted .290 34-91 as the number six hitter in the order. He is a tremendous asset defensively as well, as his 32-0 plus/negative plays mark for his first two years in The Show attest. He also tossed out 10 runners last year showing off a rocket arm.
Rightfield is in the capable hands of Junior Gil. Junior batted .292 46-130 last season…about average for the three time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger award winner. Gil’s accuracy of his throwing arm resulted in 15 toss-outs last year. Gil has it all, and Salem has opened negotiations on a long term deal to keep him in Salem.
The bullpen starts, and ends, with closer David Gonzalez. Salem extended Gonzo’s contract for another three years during the off-season after he set a new Salem record for saves in a season (3-7 3.54 39 saves). Frank Kim and Ozzie Chang were allowed to go to free agency when kids Blade McKain and Hector Castillo proved to be effective last September. Ivan Martin (4-7, 4.29) and Ozzie Riley (5-3, 5.15) are the set up guys, Chris Ramirez (8-3 4.60) is the long reliever and spot starter. Walter Mailman (5-6, 5.66) is also used in long relief and as a spot starter.
With no help is sight in the minors to elevate the starting staff, the V’s went to free agency hoping things will be better this time around when they snared 31 year old Rod Lindsey (7-5 3.94 all in relief) from St. Louis. Before last season, Lindsey had been used as a starter with mild success (57-55, 4.35 ). Salem hopes for a full year, unlike Clarence Allen (9-7 4.50, 21 starts) last season. Allen has had two elbow surguries on his pitching arm and is in danger of never pitching again. $9 million for 9 wins is not what Salem had been hoping for after delving into the FA market last season, which they seldom do. Steve Hoffman (10-12 , 4.46) is the number one starter. When you consider he started 1-9 last year, Hoffman’s season was saved by a second half rush that had the V’s thinking “what if the whole season had been like that”. Confident in Hoffman’s abilities, Salem signed him to a long term deal in the off-season, which they also did with Jim Stone (7-5, 4.92). Magglio Nunez was also given a new contract this off season. Maggs (8-8 4.83) is a solid dependable Number 3. After these four (five if you count Allen) it’s all a crapshoot. Homer Thomas (5-1, 3.43) finished the year in the rotation but does not appear to have the talent to duplicate last year’s effort during the course of a full season.
