TEAM EVALUATIONS: RAZORS

Team: Razors

Conference: Patriot

Division: Central

2009 Record: 87-75, 3rd Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Adam LaRoche

2B Jose Lopez

SS Derek Jeter

3B Jorge Cantu

LF Matt Holliday

CF Josh Hamilton/Rick Ankiel

RF Adam Jones

C Miguel Montero

DH Adam Lind/Brad Hawpe

Holliday, Jones, Jeter, Lind, Hawpe and Montero highlight this outstanding offensive lineup.  There are no really great defensive players here, though, except for Hamilton, who will have to share CF with Ankiel.

Starting Rotation:

Josh Beckett

Edwin Jackson

Kyle Lohse

Tim Wakefield

Armando Galarraga/Gio Gonzalez/Livan Hernandez

Beckett and Jackson are above average but not quite true aces, and the rest are terrible.  Keeping those last three guys out of the rotation is paramount for a winning season, but somebody has to take the ball.

Bullpen:

Jeremy Affeldt

Danys Baez

Jesse Crain

Dan Meyer

Corey Wade

Michael Wuertz

Affeldt and Wuertz are almost unhittable, and Meyer should make a good lefty-killer.  The rest are nothing special.  It'll be interesting to see if the Razors abandon their recent strategy of leaving the starters in for complete games at all costs with a bullpen where at least half the pitchers can get people out.

Closer:

Andrew Bailey

The AL Rookie-of-the-Year and #1 Razors 2010 draft pick sends the signal that yes, the bullpen will be used this year.

Minors:

Domonic Brown

Deck McGuire

Drew Pomeranz

Hector Rondon

Carlos Triunfel

Karsten Whitson

Brown is a top OF prospect with the Phillies.  Rondon made the Indians big club this year at age 21.  Whitson, McGuire and Pomeranz haven't been drafted yet, but all should go high in the 2010 MLB draft.  Triunfel is slowly making his way through the Mariners organization after been signed at age 17, and has shown great speed and SS skills.  In total, it's a fairly long-range but high-quality group.

The Razors solid bullpen will be key to their success, since they aren't used to using it.  The lineup will win plenty of games for them by itself, but the back half of the rotation is so lousy, that I can't see them getting a playoff spot, although they shouldn't regress much from last year.

Predicted Record: 85-77