Boston Stranglers Review Preview

Season 2: A review and preview of things to come

Taking over for the previous ownership – my first assessment of the Strangler franchise is that it is ready to win now. There is a good mix of youth and experience at the major league level. Pitching seems to be our strength whilst the offense will be no slouch. We expect to improve on last seasons 71-91 record. A playoff berth and potential run for the World Series title is the goal for this season.

The Starters:

Brad Gilbert OAV .258 / WHIP 1.37 / ERA 4.39

This elder statesman of the staff (35 years old) is the current ace and stopper. The lanky right hander carried the load going 18-10 over 239.2 innings. This was good enough to earn him an all star appearance last year. Hopefully he can duplicate that effort this year and next as he is under contract until season 3. Decline isn’t so much of a concern as Gilbert is a known workout warrior (92 makeup).

Esteban Owen OAV .293 / WHIP 1.59 / ERA 5.44

The left handed Owen had a disappointing first season in the eyes of the fans. The 29 year old Dominican was victimized by the long ball last season – giving up 45 jacks to opponents. If he could learn to keep the ball down a little more he should see a drastic improvement in his win totals. Then again – it usually “is what it is” for a player at this stage of his career.

Max Carrara OAV .271 / WHIP 1.44 / ERA 5.25

Another pitcher who seems to have underperformed last season considering the scouts ratings. This lefty came into spring training in great shape hoping to prove that last seasons performance was an anomaly.

Mendy Lee OAV .267 / WHIP 1.60 / ERA 4.52

Mendy Lee is the future staff ace of the Boston franchise. The 22 year old is a ground ball pitcher who fields his position well. Last year was a great learning experience for the young righty. This year should be another step forward in his development.

Thomas Padilla OAV .269 / WHIP 1.33 / ERA 4.18

This vet completes the Stranglers staff. The left handed Padilla posted a better than 2 to 1 K to BB ratio. Management is confident that he will be the kind of consistent 5^th starter that is needed to win at the big league level.

The Pen:

This will be a definite strength for the team as Boston’s bullpen expects to strangle opposing hitters in the late innings. Peter Hammond closed out a respectable 28 of 32 games last year. Rubber arm Charlie Chance held opponents to a .249 OAV last year over 111 innings.

Hitters Review/Preview to follow