Most recently signed into the league was Francisco Ortiz, by the New Orleans franchise. A $15M major league contract was the price to land this guy, and currently he is being used as a catcher. Huh? His pitch calling rating of 6(!!) is pretty low for a catcher. Maybe he would be better off as a 1B. If the Sinners were in the AL, he would be a perfect candidate for the DH spot. So far, so good for this IFA, but how much is he hurting his starting pitchers when he calls nothing but fastballs, because he doesn't know any other pitch signal?
A potential lock-down closer is Jose Prieto, who was recently signed by Pittsburgh. He's in the rookie league right now, so we have no stats for him yet, as we have not had the draft for season 4 yet. Let's hope Pitt doesn't draft a closer in the early rounds, otherwise that will really complicate the bullpen at the rookie level.
A major signing last season was Ruben Flores, as he headed to the AA squad at the Scranton powerhouse, and is currently playing for their AAA affiliate. Given a MLB deal, and an $18M signing bonus, the Miners obviously have big plans for Flores when he reached the Big League level, which could be next season. Amazingly, Flores has not been hit with the injury stick yet, despite his low tolerance for pain. An OPS of .964 through 160+ games in AA and AAA, so far he is off to a solid start. Logging all of his games at 2B, it's safe to assume that is where the Miners want him to play in the ML.
Arugably a superstar from the day he signed with the current Fargo franchise, Hideki Suzuki has been on the ML roster since first being assigned. A late signing in season 2, he never had an AB for rbedwell and Milwaukee, but he got plenty of playing time in season 3, when he hit .330 with 33 HR's and over 100 RBI's in just 124 games. He made the all-star team and was named ROY that same season. Through 46 games this season, he is flirting with .400, and currently has 44 runs under his belt.
Originally signing with Jacksonville, who eventually became New Orleans, Alex Lee was signed to a minor league deal for just under $15M. A utility-type guy, Lee can play almost any position on the field. Being used the most at CF and 3B, he can also play 2B and SS and the other two OF positions, in a pinch. Through 250 minor league games, he's batting .335, with a respective slugging percentage over .500, that makes you think he isn't just a defensive genius.
Signed to a major league deal by the current Atlanta franchise for $12.5M, Armando Garces is an outstanding left-handed pitcher. Amazing control, and a slew of pitches to choose from, Garces has worked his way through the minefield that is the minor leagues with only a 3.43 ERA. He is still a season or two from reaching his projections and heading into the ML, but his great makeup should help him hold those ratings for years and years to come.
Don Lee of the Colorado Knockers. He was signed for the bargain price of $10M, and at the time was probably only good enough for AA ball, maybe even HiA if they really wanted to take him slowly. For some reason he was immediately put on the AAA squad, where he was promptly throttled to the tune of 5.50+ ERA, and a record of 5-8 in his first 14 games started. Halfway through season 3, he was inexplicably put on the 40-man roster and promoted to the ML squad where he played 16 games, logged 24 innings, and posted an ERA of 6.75 before being sent back down to AAA at the start of season 4. Will he ever reach his potential ratings? And if he does, will he be doomed to the same sort of numbers that Mike Hampton posted in Colorado? Poor bastard.
Acquired by the Norfolk/Durham franchise in season 2, Javy Ibarra was not worth the $9M that the team paid for him. He has progressed from LoA to his current spot on the AAA squad, and he could be promoted to the ML roster by the end of this season, or early next season. But his lifetime minor league ERA is 4.13, while he is sporting right around a .500 record in the minors. Not exactly awe-inspiring numbers. His stamina, control, and groundball/flyball ratings are above average, but his R/L splits and individual pitch ratings leave a little to be desired. He looked better back in season 2.
Another Colorado signing, Tony Mercedes, might be suffering from the same issues that Don Lee is going through. A defensive genius who should also be able to hit .300, Mercedes was immediately put into the AAA roster at the age of 18, where he played 57 games in season one, batting .315 while hitting 7 HR's and scoring 42 runs. In season two he logged 170 more AB's than season one, yet posted a similar set of numbers in runs, HR's, and RBI's, while only batting .238 for the AAA team. Season three saw his opportunities drop even more, as he only appeared in 37 games while getting injured. So far season four has gone better, but he is still far from his projections, and is already 21-years-old. Can he make up the difference in a couple of seasons, or will he be a $12M investment down the drain?
Signed for a mere $11.3M, Juan Moya was a fantastic pickup for the current San Francisco franchise. With the potential to be a gold glove CF, Moya has posted a lifetime 1.083 OPS in the minor leagues, while only giving up one error per 100 innings played, showing that he is a threat on both offense and defense. His average health rating is a little bit of a concern, which manifested itself in season 2 when he missed a good chunk of the season. If he can stay healthy, he will be a yearly all-star, and might even have a shot at winning an MVP award somewhere down the line.
One of the most successful players from overseas so far, Vladimir Molina has been an ace closer since he first walked into the Cleveland locker room, and he continued with his high standards when the franchise moved to Baltimore. Initially costing the franchise $15M, I don't think metserock44 will ever complain about that cost. With 62 saves and an ERA of 3.48 through more than two seasons in the ML, Molina isn't even at his peak yet. Give him another season or two to finish harnessing that control, and he'll be really scary then.
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