Napa Winers 2013 preview

Napa Winers 2013 preview

The Napa Winers are coming off a disastrous 2012 campaign which saw them lose over 90 games. Because Napa was in the midst of a rebuild, this wasn’t unexpected. What it was was frustrating for both the management and the fans. So, what did management do during the offseason? They traded, and traded, and traded in an effort to bring this team into a position to contend for a playoff birth THIS year. And when management thought that it was done trading, it traded some more. The roster has been completely made over. The roster will look like this in 2013:

Catcher- Ryan Doumit/Ryan Hanigan. The catcher position will be a Ryan platoon, with Doumit playing the majority of the time against righties and Hanigan vs. lefties. While neither catcher is an all-star, both should provide solid offense and Hanigan is well above-average defensively and is able to control the running game.

First base- Albert Pujols/Justin Morneau. Napa management decided it wanted its favorite back and shipped off future MVP candidate Jason Heyward in a deal to acquire Pujols. Pujols will anchor down the heart of Napa’s lineup and will play 1B against lefties but give way at the position to Justin Morneau against righties. Luckily for Pujols, Napa’s third baseman is weak against righties so it won’t cost Albert any playing time when a righty is on the mound as he will simply slide across the infield and man the hot corner (yes, when Pujols’ bat can be in the lineup, we don’t care much about defense). Between Pujols and Morneau, management believes it can be as competitive as anyone at the position.

Second base- Marco Scutaro. Scutaro comes over from Reno to provide stability both offensively and defensively at the second base position. Solid defense up the middle is something that Napa hasn’t ever completely had. 2013 will be different and Scutaro will be a big reason why. Oh yeah, the guy can hit too!

Shortstop- Jose Reyes. Napa went out and found a top of the order catalyst in Reyes. Reyes is solid defensively, and is dynamic and a threat offensively. Reyes provides speed, speed, and some more speed atop the lineup.

Third base- Alex Rodriguez/Albert Pujols. Some say A-Rod’s career is over. Well, that may very well be true. His hitting ability kinda fell off a cliff. When Napa management decided to trade for him, it was because he still hit lefties surprisingly well. While this may not be an ideal 3B platoon, it will be good enough for Napa’s playoff push this season.

Leftfield- Melky Cabrera. Again coming over from Reno, this time it is the Melk Man. Melky comes and provides solid defense along with his NL Batting Title offense. Little bit of speed, little bit of power, Cabrera should be one of the top left fielders in the TBA this season.

Centerfield- Michael Bourn. Gold glove defense in centerfield and a bona-fide leadoff man, Bourn (along with Reyes) will be the catalyst atop the lineup for the Winers this season.

Rightfield- Shane Victorino. Napa was able to pry the Flyin’ Hawaiian away from Potts’ Boozehounds. While he needs a platoon mate offensively, Victorino can absolutely wear out left-handed pitching and is still tremendous in the field and can swipe bags with the best of basestealers. 

Designated Hitter- Billy Butler. Luckily for Napa, it plays on the DH side of the league. Enter Billy Butler. A total liability defensively, Butler finally found the power stroke that scouts and coaches have been saying he had. Butler was 1 home run away from his first .300/30/100 season. At only 26 years old, he should still have some room for improvement as he is just entering his prime years.

Starting Rotation- CC Sabathia, Zack Greinke, Cliff Lee, AJ Burnett, Edwin Jackson. This may be the area of the team that Napa has improved the most. Sabathia, Greinke, and Lee give Napa an all-star caliber top 3 in the rotation while AJ Burnett slots in in the #4 spot and Jackson the #5. Napa believes its rotation is capable of having a tremendous year and should be able to keep games close enough for Napa’s offense to have a shot to win it game in and game out.

Bullpen- Chris Perez, Jonathon Papelbon, Jake McGee, Rex Brothers, Joe Kelly. Papelbon gives the team a true all-star caliber closer. McGee is lights out against righties (doesn't give up an OB against them), Perez is another closer who shuts down lefties. Rex Brothers throws gas and could wind up being the closer in Colorado. Joe Kelly will be the long man in the pen. Management believes that the makeup of the bullpen could be the teams weakest spot. Luckily the starters should be able to work deep into games which would play right into this bullpens strength, matchups. If managed correctly, the bullpen should be very effective.

 Bench- Quintin Berry (OF), Pedro Ciriaco (UTIL), Pete Kozma (SS, 2B), Kelly Johnson (2B), Tony Campana (OF)… among others. The bench does not figure to be used much as the pitchers do not hit and the regulars all have plenty of PA’s to use outside of Melky Cabrera. When used, the bench mostly provides speed.

 Team Strengths:

1- Strong starting rotation. 4 of the 5 starters could be #1 pitchers on many teams. They all should be able to pitch deep into games and pitch good enough on a regular basis for Napa to be in most games. Gone are the regular blow-outs that Napa has experienced over the past two seasons.  

2- Speed, Speed, Speed. Between Reyes, Bourn, Victorino, and the bench guys, Napa should be able to create havoc on the basepaths.

3- Balance in the lineup. Napa has effective table setters in Reyes and Bourn, a strong middle of the order in Cabrera, Pujols, Morneau, and Butler, and a bottom of the lineup that should be able  to turn the lineup over effectively in Scutaro, Hanigan/Doumit, and Victorino. Scoring runs should not be a problem.

 Team Weaknesses:

1- Napa has the distinct disadvantage of not only playing in the same league as Eric Posch’s Colorado squad, but also within the same division. Have we closed the gap enough to remain in the race with them or are we automatically resigned to battling it out for a wild card spot? Only time will tell.

2- Bullpen. If there is one area that Napa considers a weakness, it is the bullpen. Napa is missing a reliever who can go multiple innings against lefties and righties. The pen should be fine for playing matchups, but could be in trouble if the starters don’t go deep into games.

3- Longevity- This team is definitely built to win now. With a few exceptions (Butler, Reyes, Cabrera), the players on this team are on the wrong side of their prime. If kept together, this team should be able to be competitive for 2, maybe 3 years before the production really falls off a cliff. But Management knew that and is prepared to tackle that hurdle when it comes.

Future:

The immediate future looks okay. Napa’s roster is filled with guys who should still have an all-star appearance or 2 in them. 4-5 years from now does not look so rosy. Napa has a young starter with upside in Wily Peralta that will be waiting in the wings this year. SS Pete Kozma looks like he is going to get a significant amount of playing time in St. Louis with Furcal being gone for the year. Kelly Johnson may be able to revive his career in Tampa Bay, but if he does will likely be dealt for a pick. Same is true of Lance Berkman. Alberto Callaspo should see regular at-bats in Anaheim, and if his on base skills land him in the upper part of the lineup in front of Pujols, Hamilton, Trumbo, and company, he could put together an above average season at 3B. Possible closer of the future Stephen Pryor was impressive in his Seattle debut and may get a chance to close this season if Wilhelmson faulters. So while the long term future of the club looks dim, it isn’t completely devoid of hope. But that is beside the point because Napa wants to WIN NOW BABY!!!