Colorado Springs Reflection on Thus-Far Mediocre Season

With a bulk of their block 3 games complete, the Marines hover just above .500 as they have much of the season. After last year's last place finish, fans have to be pleased with the progress they've made thus far, but the Marines have done little to make it appear as though they'll be championship caliber in 2010.

The GOOD

*Looking forward, the Marines' future continues to look bright. In addition to the core stars, the Marines have a plethora of potential filled players who will battle for keeper spots. Players like Mike Aviles, Blake Dewitt and John Buck, all late round draft picks, are having fine seasons and could be kept or moved.

*Notably, the controversial trade that saw the departure of Clay Buchholz and a pick has resulted in Daniel Bard, Placido Polanco and Ervin Santana (and, indirectly, Luke Gregerson), all of whom are having good to great seasons and look to be keepers.

*The Marines feature a 2011 rotation that looks sound without thinking about the draft (Felix, Lee, Liriano, Cueto, Santana), a bullpen that features 3 arms with a WHIP below 1.00 and K/9 of 9 or higher (Gregerson, Bard, Broxton), a lineup that has 4 everyday players with an OPS over .825 (none of which are older than 26), and two 1st round draft picks. The Marines should stay competitive in 2010, but the future is where the excitement will be for this team.

The BAD

*Some key pieces to the team's present have lagged behind thus far, notably 3rd starter Johnny Cueto (of the 9+ ERA), Hideki Matsui (OPS below .700!) and 2B Placido Polanco (.215/.270ish with a single-hand count of HRs). The Marines will need these underachievers to start producing if they are to get back in the pennant race.

*Some of the core players the Marines are counting on for 2011 are having unimpressive seasons. 1st overall pick Matt Wieters has gotten worse statistically with each month of the season; Matt Kemp has regressed in nearly every facet besides power; youngsters Travis Snider and Eric Young Jr. have been shelved for much of the season with injuries.

*Trading Josh Willingham for (effectively) Chris Tillman isn't looking so hot right now, but the Marines are far from giving up on Tillman's electric arm.

The FORTUNATE

*Parting with Jorge De La Rosa before his injury was fortunate, as there would be no way I could have gotten anything close to the 1st rounder I received for him now. The alternative pitcher to De La Rosa who was discussed in that trade, Johnny Cueto, is having a productive season.

*Cliff Lee has been simply brilliant since returning from injury. The trade that shipped Crawford and last year's 21st overall pick in exchange for Cliff Lee and what became a 1st rounder next year is looking beneficial for both teams.

Reno Through Mid-June

Things are looking up offensively for the Reno Aces as we progress towards 2011. Corey Hart has come back from a few injury plagued seasons and has already lit up opposing pitching for 17 long balls. Josh Hamilton is healthy as well and is batting .305 with 14 dingers. David Wright has matched his 2010 homer total and is no longer striking out 2 times a game. Kevin Youkilis is always hammering the ball at .314 with 12 dingers himself. The O-dog is on the DL currently, but was hitting .300 prior to this stint. Ian Desmond hasn't been anything terribly special, but is consistently about .270 with good range (his 15 errors are a concern though). Jay Bruce has increased his on base considerably so far this year and Jayson Werth is still having a good season though his batting average has started sliding. I'm pretty lost in the catcher department as Greg Zaun in Greg Zaun and Alex Avila hasn't hit. Kelly Shoppach has just made his way off the DL.

Pitching, on the other hand, is still very shaky. Mat Latos is my one lone surprise and is pitching fantastically. Jeremy Guthrie has pitched consistently and though his ERA is near 4, his WHIP is in the top 17 in baseball. James Shields started off well, but has been hammered his last few outings. My bullpen doesn't have a reliever that has an ERA below 5.00.

My draft position appears to be moving up, but not because my team is playing much better this season. It appears that as Washington runs rough shod through his division, that he is leaving a path of destruction that now has four other teams in the division below me in the standings. And though I have made it clear that I would definitely take a low pick if it happened, I could never make myself intentially throw games. So where I end up is where I end up. Maybe there will be a catcher there....Posey, Santana.

- Rich (Reno)