The new season of Sioux City Explorers baseball begins on Thursday, May 14 with the X’s taking on the El Paso Diablos. I can’t believe the season is already here but it is. The home opener will be Friday, May 22.
The expectations will be higher for this team than ever before. Sioux City won the 2nd half last season and made the playoffs for the first time in 6 seasons but got swept by eventual champ Sioux Falls in the first round. The X’s have a lot of familar faces but have a lot of new ones, particularly on the mound.
Here’s my preview for the upcoming season:
Starting Pitching
Let’s start with the bad news first. The Explorers – on paper – do not have an experienced starting rotation but the X’s do have an ace. Nick Singleton had talked about retirement last season but after getting hurt in August, he is motivated to come back and he may have something to prove. I think not pitching in the playoffs really motivated him to play again this season.
Singleton was the Pitcher of the Year in the American Association a year ago. The Montgomery, Alabama native went 8-4 with a 2.24 ERA in 16 starts. He was snubbed from the All-Star team by St. Paul manager George Tsamis and Singleton made him eat his words. In early August, Singleton’s elbow got sore and he missed the rest of the season. Lancaster and new Pitching Coach Bobby Post will have to carefully monitor Singleton’s pitch count this year and make sure he doesn’t overdue it.
Behind Singleton, there’s some uncertainty. Lefty Tim Layden is back but was among the league leaders in walks a year ago. I think Layden would be an ideal lefty set-up man out of the pen but he’s needed in the rotation. Lefty Curt Pasma will occupy one spot but has never started before. Pasma has spent the last 2 seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers chain. Rookie Trevor Fox has shown some flashes in spring practice but has never pitched professionally but is another left-hander. The 5th spot will probably be Jeff Jamnik, who Sioux City just acquired from Grand Prairie for a player to be named later. LS-2 Steve Spurgeon and LS-1 Tyler Meigs could also be in the mix.
Sioux City must be asking themselves where is Matt Kretzschmar? The righty was dominant out of the bullpen last season and was expected to be converted to a starter this season. Matt, however, decided to retire. It’s a shame because he had a good chance to be picked up by an affiliated team this year if he had come back. Alexander Francisco – 2nd all-time in Explorers history in wins – got an offer to play baseball in Mexico. Cameron Cheek decided to retire after getting a good job offer in Florida. All 3 will be missed.
Bullpen
The good news is that Brett Reid, who set an X’s record with 24 saves last season, is back as the Explorers closer. Reid has a devastating slider along with a solid fastball and is one of the elite closers in the AA. Ty Marotz is back as his set-up man. Marotz is a strikeout artist with one of the nastiest curve balls I have seen in the league. To replace Kretschmar, the Explorers acquired LS-1 Tyler Meigs. With Joliet last season in the Northern League, the righty went 2-7 with a 3.63 ERA and 7 saves with 53 appearances. He is a workhorse and hopefully the X’s won’t need him to start because Meigs gives Sioux City a solid 1-2-3 punch in the pen.
Whoever is not needed in the rotation will be used at the back end of the pen. There is Rookie Lefty Michael Campbell plus Righties Mike Koons (LS-1), David Trivett (Rookie) and Spurgeon. Spurgeon has the most experience, having spent 3 seasons in the Chicago White Sox chain.
Infield
The anchors of the starting line-up will be 1B/DH Walter Young and 2B Alex Llanos. There is no doubt that the X’s would not have gone to the playoffs without the acquisition of Young. The former Baltimore Oriole, instantly became a fan favorite, hitting .367 with 5 HR and 29 RBI in only 26 games. Young gave the line-up instant credibility when he arrived on the scene. Suddenly, the X’s had one of the most feared hitters in the league. Wichita paid him the ultimate respect by putting the David Ortiz-Ted Williams shift but realized that Young can hit to all fields.
Llanos is back for his 4th season with the Explorers and is moving up the ladder in all the X’s offensive categories. Last season, Llanos had another solid season – hitting .303 with 10 HR and 60 RBI. Had Llanos started the season strongly, his numbers would have been even better.
SS Nick McCoola and 1B Derek Schermerhorn will also return to lead a solid infield. McCoola was an all-star as a rookie in 2008 but tailed off a bit last season, hitting just .251. Schermerhorn was not wanted by his hometown team in Wichita so Lancaster acquired the infielder and he hit a respectable .264 with 36 RBI. Derek is at his best when he is driving the ball to right field; McCoola can hit to all fields and both players will be expected to increase their numbers to solidfy the bottom of the X’s order.
At 3B, Sioux City welcomes back Brandon Jones. Now an LS-3, the X’s traded Jones to the Frontier League after the 2007 season and Jones tore up the league, hitting 18 HR and 75 RBI. Jones will see a lot more breaking balls in the AA so he’ll have to make an adjustment. Still, he has a gun for an arm and is a very athletic third baseman.
Outfield
Another Jones is back with Sioux City and that’s former Heelan Crusader Dustin Jones. DJ started the season in right field, moved to center when Jason Tuttle got hurt, and never gave the spot back. Jones was among the league leaders in walks and on base percentage, hit .281 and stole 24 bases. Jones has a ton of potential and the X’s hope he has a breakout season in 2009. He has all the tools but has not shown power just yet. If he decides to start pulling the ball, he will.
Flanking Jones will be 2 veteran newcomers – Carlos Arroyo and Anthony Webster. Arroyo was acquired by the X’s for Paige Dumont in a trade with Edmonton. Arroyo led the Golden League in hits with 134 a season ago. He was 2nd in doubles with 29. Arroyo spent 5 seasons in the Seattle Mariners chain plus one year with the Kansas City Royals organization. He has some speed and Lancaster may use him in the leadoff role, pushing Jones to the 2nd spot.
Webster, meanwhile, has a ton of experience, making it as high as AAA in 2006 with the Texas organization. A former 15th round pick by the Chicago White Sox, Webster hit .229 with AA Altoona in the Pirates chain before being released. He has never played in the independent leagues before but should be a centerpiece in the middle of the line-up.
Catcher
The X’s decided to trade Chris Grossman to Brockton of the Can-Am League and now have 2 options to fill his shoes. LS-3 Justin Telham hit .284 with 5 HR in 36 games with Windy City of the Frontier League last season. Telham had spent 2 ½ seasons in the Houston Astros organization. LS-2 Dan Jordan spent the last 3 seasons with the Chicago White Sox chain, but is only a career .212 hitter. Telham gives the X’s a little more offense and Jordan gives Sioux City a little more defense. Rookie Andrew Franco gives Sioux City some depth.
Outlook
Without a doubt, I am concerned about the depth of the starting pitching. Losing Francisco, Kretzschmar, Cheek, and Dumont hurts a ton. But the X’s used a young pitching staff to great success a year ago. Sioux City made their run in the 2nd half last season thanks to great pitching and an aggressive style of hitting. Lancaster likes to run, bunt, and hit home runs. Young, Webster, and Brandon Jones all have the capability to hit 15 or more homers this season. Arroyo and Dustin Jones will steal a lot of bases. There is very little weakness in the everyday line-up. The X’s seem to be poised for a return trip to the post-season. Sioux Falls is not as strong as last year. Lincoln also lost a lot from a year ago. Wichita will adjust under a new manager. St. Paul, like Sioux City, doesn’t have pitching depth. The Explorers have a great shot to take control of the Northern Division. Starting the season with 6 games in Texas won’t help. But here’s hoping a return to the playoffs will happen.
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Filed under: Sioux City Explorers
