2058 Istanbul Ottomans Season Preview
Boy does time fly. Two years ago we were celebrating the first WBL title for the Ottomans, and two years later spirits are still bright, albeit now with tempered expectations. Istanbul still has a good amount of familiar faces on the roster, even with 2055 team stars Wesley van Aaken (FA) and Besim Inonu (Trade with HFX) leaving in the offseason. Let's jump right in.
Starting Lineup:
C Esteban Paz(DR): The veteran backstop saw a resurgence last season, putting up his best offensive numbers since he signed with the Ottomans. He briefly tested the FA market before resigning on a 3-year deal. His defense is still among the best in the league, and could remain that way over the course of the contract.
1B Von Sherman(USA): You gotta love Von, no? He's entering his 7th year with the Ottomans, following a 3-year extension where he'll be paid just $3m per season. There's concerns that his career year last year (2.3 WAR doubled his career total) could lead to a falling off, but his contract is small enough not to be an issue. As always, he has heavy platoon splits towards righties, and there's no longer Inonu to allow Wan-Fu Wei to spell the position for him. A hand injury towards the end of the year last year hurt his shot at beating his season best in HR, so he'll look to pass 20 again this year to make up for it.
2B Brady 'Rocky' Thompson(USA): Rocky continues to be one of the league's premier leadoff hitters. He put up his best year since his 2052 Key West title season, and at just 28 with 4 years left on his contract, he should be around for a long time. Initial concerns over his adaptability to 2B when he first came over have been proven wrong, as he and Gonzales are a slick double play threat up the middle.
(C) SS Tomas Gonzales(USA): The captain put up another solid year last year, though it was mirred by injury at times which prevented his statlines from going out of control. He'll look to regroup, energized after signing a 7-year extension which could keep him in Istanbul through age 38. What else can we say that hasn't already been said about him?
3B Samuel Jephson(ENG): Jephson, per usual, remains an Enigma. He posted a very solid year last year, hitting 30 bombs and posting an above average WrC+ for the first time in two years. He remains skewed in his production towards lefties, however, and it makes him feel a bit underwhelming to watch at times. He's a joy to watch at the hot corner, providing many a highlight reel. He's in a contract year, and it's still early to determine what will be done with him in the future.
LF Dante "Toad" Waterman(CAN): Waterman was brought over from the Kings last season, and never really found his footing. With van Aaken gone, he'll be able to hold down a position full time, and we're hoping he shows some of his UK side (2.3 WAR, 125 wRC+) rather than his Istanbul side (-0.7 WAR, 92 wRC+) this year.
CF Brett "Nutball" Johnson(USA): Nutball giveth, and Nutball taketh away. He was brought over two seasons ago to try and push for a second title, but fans at this point are wishing they had never made the deal. That's not to say he hasn't been solid; he posted a 3.4 WAR his first year and managed a 1.8 WAR in his limited time last year. But man are those injuries a pain. If he can stay healthy, he should have a good year as his bat is still very good. Eventually he will need to move to a corner OF spot, but at this point, Istanbul do not have the luxury.
RF Gareth "Mustard Tiger" Mosterd(NED): Mosterd has proved to be quite the fan favorite here. He was hugged as a prospect way back in the day, then he came back to Istanbul and won a title his first year here. He's still a very good defender in RF as most runners won't try and test his arm, and his bat remains very good from the left side. At 34, health will make or break his season.
DH Wan-Fu "Little Al" Wei(NZL): With the BC Brawlers disbanding this offseason, Wan-Fu may be the last to be mentored by the all-time great Al Walker. He hasn't exactly lived up to his namesake yet, of course. He doesn't have a defensive position, and he's played in limited time, splitting with Von and Inonu. With Inonu gone, he'll have a chance to be a full starter and put up the big numbers we dreamed about while he was a prospect.
Bench
C Joe Ray(USA): Joe Ray! He's been the backup for 7 years running now, and he signed a team friendly deal this offseason to remain behind the guy behind the dish for another 3 years. The past two years, he's thrown runners out at a
46.7% rate. Yeah, don't run on this guy. His bat could be better, of course, but if it was, he probably wouldn't be a backup.
2B Sean Blake(NZL): Sean Blake is probably one of the 'sadder' stories on the Ottomans. He's been a solid utility player over these past years, but man, he was something to dream about in 2053, when he put up a 2.5 WAR in over 100 games at 2B during the NL title run. He never picked up Shortstop, and his bat has decreased since, so his utility has fallen off a bit. Were he a weak platooner, we'd be talking about him spelling for Von Sherman, but alas, he's another righty masher on a team full of them.
DH Orlando Aguilar(DOM): Yes, you are reading that correctly! The legend and future HOGer got called up to the team again last year after spending some time in comfort in Casablanca, and in case you think he lost it, He hit 4 home runs in just 8 games. He's by all accounts just a pinch hitter at this point, but he's a joy in the clubhouse so he'll remain around for a while, I think.
CF Ivan "Fiasco" Mora(PR): Fiasco about sums him up. He's yet to show the potential of his bat, as outside of a solid approach at the plate, he can't get the ball to leave the infield. At 27, it's make or break time for him. He should see at-bats as a defensive sub, but he really should be in AAA. He's making a lot of money for a 4th outfielder, and is one of the dark spots on an otherwise solid lineup. If he hits his ceiling, though, he'll be the Center Fielder Istanbul has really never had.
Starting Rotation:
RHP Barney "Sabertooth" Knowles(CAN)
LHP Hsuang-tsung Zhang(CHN)
RHP Guo-quiang Chen(CHN)
RHP Daryl Duce(VI)
RHP Alfredo Gonzales(VEN)
The rotation has been a question mark since the departure of Freek Stevense last year. Sabertooth remains one of the best pitcher in the league, and Zhang is dependable, but the other 3 are very young and are prone to mistakes. Both Chen and Duce have work to do on last year, but sophomore seasons are usually better for pitchers. Gonzales was solid in the pen last year, with a 2.91 ERA in 55 innings, and he'll take over the spot left by Luke Toswell. The rotation will need even more help from the offense this year, though there certainly have been worse rotations in the past.
Pen:
RHCL Grigory Katulsky(RUS)
RHSU Jeffrey Stroo(CUR)
RHSU Brad Martin(CAN)
LHMR Michael Bentham(SKN)
RHMR Jorge Colon(DOM)
RHMR Francis Joseph(CAN)
RHMR Joey Buenpacifico(PHI)
The pen was bolstered by a series of moves in the offseason, the most notable being the signing of 23 year old former Intergalactic Navy member Grigory Katulsky. The Russian can get his fastball up to 100mph, and looked good in most of his ST outings, save one where he gave up 4 ER in .1 innings. Stroo, Bentham, and Buenpacifico came over from Halifax when they were called San Francisco, and each have shown flashes of potential. Brad Martin struggled in Istanbul after being traded mid season, but he's still young and has a full offseason in the books now. Joseph and Colon round it off after having very hot seasons last year, though the two are on opposite ends of the age spectrum.
Other Notables
SP John Winter(AAA)
SP/MR Angel Ronceros(AAA)
RF Juan Cardenas(AAA)
CF Louwe "Calkhovenades" Calkhoven(AAA)
SS Rodney Baldwin(AAA)
SP Zhuo-Cheng Juan(AAA)
CF Falco Ros(AAA)
SP Gannon McThomas(AAA)
CF Trevor "Wall" Scantlebury(AA)
Winter was sent down to Casablanca to stay loose as a potential spot starter, though he was passable in relief last year. Ronceros is in the same boat. Cardenas struggled in ST after coming over from HFX but is still young and will look to get work in in Casablanca. Calkhoven is staying loose in Morocco as well. Rodney Baldwin's bat never developed to match his first round valuation, but he's taken to SS and will provide some flexibility as a utility call up, and he'll continue to get work in. Juan and Ros were the big pieces in the Inonu deal, and both could feature this year though they might be more geared towards the future. Gannon McThomas has improved and will try out AAA this year. Not much more to ask from your #8 Starter. Finally, Scantlebury is the team's top prospect, but his bat has yet to come along. He'll repeat AA this year, at just 21 years old.
With that I hope you all enjoy the season. The Opening Day matchup sees Sabertooth take the mound against the current World Champions, which is always fun. Stay safe and Go Ottomans!