The 2012 preview of the London Badgers: Still terrible

After a very painful season that saw them finish with the worst single season record in TBA history, the London Badgers look at 2012 hoping not to repeat themselves. In order to ensure this, the Badgers have hired Ollie Williams, fresh off his appearances from Family Guy, to become hitting coach. The team never actually had hired a hitting coach until now which might explain the incompetent offense. Manager C. Montgomery Burns will once again guide the Badgers since owner Paul Mudry felt last season was not Burns' fault as many important players were traded throughout the year.



The draft

The Badgers had accumulated 20 picks over the first 10 rounds of the draft and thus were expecting to be done the draft after round 10. Thanks to a series of trades however, the Badgers ended up finishing drafting in round 21. Those trades helped the Badgers net Johan Santana, Jordan Zimmermann, a player long coveted by the organisation, and some extra picks for 2013. The key part for the Badgers this draft was they were able to acquire some serious potential in players Mike Trout, Freddie Freeman and Yonder Alonso. The Badgers decided to roll many dice on possible bounce back candidates Justin Morneau, Delmon Young, Chone Figgins, Casey McGehee, and Adam LaRoche.

Starting rotation

The Badgers have been known throughout the history of the TBA to have a talented rotation. This year, as with every other Badger team in TBA history, will need the pitching staff to go above and beyond the call of duty to win, thanks to an inept offense. Coming back are Dan Haren, David Price and Madison Bumgarner, who will be entrenched in the top three spots of the rotation. Josh Johnson will provide roughly 60 dominant innings while Jordan Zimmermann will provide solid innings. The fifth spot will made up of lefties Brett Cecil and Brett Anderson. The team hopes that Johan Santana and Kyle Drabek will make themselves into something useful for next year.

Bullpen

Going into the draft, this was the unquestioned strength of the Badgers. In a matter of hours, the trades of Joel Hanrahan, Brandon League and Kyle McClellan (all to Boston) severely weakened the 'pen. Despite losing those three, the Badgers have their first true closer since Brad Lidge in the inaugural TBA season. Drew Storen did not yield a run in 25 innings last season for London and will serve as the closer. Jeremy Affeldt will be counted on as a setup man and lefty specialist. Luke Gregerson was added to serve as the other main setup man. Mitch Boggs, Kerry Wood and Blake Hawksworth will also play varying roles in the 'pen. Jason Motte would be wonderful to have, but instead London traded him in May for Julio Borbon (who promptly got injured for the rest of the real MLB season) and an 8th rounder.

Position Players

The offense for London has always been dubious at best. Their two best projected position players, CF Chris Young and 1B/OF Michael Cuddyer were traded to Brighton and Boston respectively. Yadier Molina however remains. Freddie Freeman and Ben Revere offer immediate upgrades, however the offense is still very much a work in progress

C - Yadier Molina will handle the bulk of the games here. The best defensive catcher in baseball also bounced back in a big way offensively. It is unlikely he will again steal 25 bases like he did for the Badgers last year...seriously, look it up.

1B - The Badgers clearly went for quantity: They have prospects Freddie Freeman and Yonder Alonso. Freeman will get the bulk of the at bats and Alonso will be relegated to a pinch hitting role due to his lack of PAs. Bounce back players Justin Morneau and Adam LaRoche provide depth.

2B - Once again a platoon of Skip Schumaker and Freddy Sanchez is in order here. Chris Getz will also get his share of playing time.

SS - The jewel of the draft, Yuniesky Betancourt is the unquestioned starter. Excuse me while I re-examine my life choices that have led to this.

3B - Bounce back candidates Casey McGehee and Chone Figgins will have their chances here. This is really depressing. Juan Francisco might have a future here, but apparently he's become especially fat and out of shape. Excuse me while I spend more time re-examining my life choices that have led me here, because this is nearly as pathetic as a Michael Bay film.



OF - The big hype for the Badgers comes from Mike Trout, the first overall selection in the draft. Sadly he will barely play this year thanks to his lack of PAs. Jason Kubel returns for his 4th season with London. Michael Brantley, Ben Revere, Delmon Young and Casper Wells will all compete for playing time, but this outfield is still very much a work in progress.

Bench/UTL - The usual bunch of rejects. Michael Martinez, Chris Getz and Todd Frazier. Nothing to see here. Almost as painful as a Nicolas Cage movie.

Summary

The Badgers went into full rebuild last season and are continuing along that path. The pitching will keep C. Montgomery Burns' squad competitive and the team is hopeful Ollie Williams can teach them how to hit. The rebuild is by no means complete as the offense is still a mess, however with youngsters Trout, Revere, Alonso and Freeman to go with Molina, the team has some pieces to build on. Having two first rounders and four second rounders in the 2013 draft means London should have the tools to continue to improve. This season will be tough, but fans and management are willing to be patient (despite having Yuni at SS) and feel the team is moving the right direction. If a few players bounce back (especially Figgins and/or Morneau), the 2013 edition of the London Badgers could shape up to be better than mediocre.


W-L prediction: Am I allowed to save myself a small fraction of dignity and not do this part?