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Today marks the last day of January, and we’re just two weeks away from opening day. The pressing question is whether the team will be ready. Hitting is finally warming up, but our defense is still a disaster. Poor communication and fielding issues remain constant problems. On the pitching front, this is a critical moment for us. Our starting trio isn’t overpowering, and Nick Robert’s performance is a prime example; he started strong for three innings, but the fourth inning revealed some serious flaws. We’re still waiting to see how Walters and Hugus are progressing this weekend. Middle relief and the Closer position are areas of significant concern moving forward. Our starters need to consistently deliver 5 to 6 innings or more, something they struggled with last season. Cleveland’s struggles today reinforce my belief that he’s not ready to take on the Closer role. Conversely, Will Smith is showing promise, potentially as a setup man or even as our closer. With only two weeks until the regular season, a lot of questions remain.
Nick Robert and Lazaro Collera were on the mound, each completing 4 innings of work. Nick demonstrated a solid start for the first three innings, but the fourth inning proved to be a critical turning point. JD began the inning with a runner on first base, successfully executing a sacrifice by Brandon DeGoti to advance the runner to second. Unfortunately, the following events unraveled quickly, with Evan Taveras launching a home run to deep center, supported by consecutive singles from Marsh, Williams, and Kulikowski. This sequence of events raises significant concerns about our starting rotation. Like last season, our starters are struggling to extend their outings beyond 3 to 4 innings, placing undue pressure on the bullpen, which is unsustainable and could lead to fatigue.
Lazaro Collera encountered substantial challenges exacerbated by miscommunication among infield and outfield players, resulting in a ball dropping between first and second base, leading to a double. With a runner in scoring position, Evan Taveras took advantage of the situation with an RBI single. He continued his aggressive baserunning, later scoring on a passed ball. In the 4th inning, JD positioned runners on the corners to implement what we refer to as a “razzle-dazzle” play, where the intent was to draw a throw from the catcher, allowing the runner on third to score. Unfortunately, Daniel Cuvet failed to execute the plan, swinging at the first pitch, which rendered the setup ineffective.
As the inning progressed, Lazaro’s performance took a downturn, culminating in a single and a walk that loaded the bases. He then issued a walk to Ethan Puig, which resulted in another run, and Mike Torres capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly to deep center, effectively concluding Lazaro’s day on the mound.
Alex Stanyek and AJ Ciscar were scheduled to pitch two innings each; however, AJ was removed from the game after just three batters due to complaints of dizziness, which we hope is a minor issue. Alex, returning to the rotation after not playing in the fall, faced some challenges as well. Dorian Gonzalez made an impact with a home run to right field against him. While Alex struggled with a couple of wild pitches and a walk, he managed to limit the damage to only Dorian’s home run. Like his predecessors, he had to deal with a runner on first base at the start of his second inning, an unfortunate situation he wished to avoid. A flyout to center, followed by a 9-3 double play, provided some relief; however, from my observations, he still requires considerable work before he can be confidently relied upon from the bullpen.
With AJ leaving early due to dizziness, JD decided not to complete that half of the inning and have Alex return to the mound after a short break. Will Smith, on short notice, completed what would have been AJ’s second inning of pitching. Short notice or not, Will turned in the sharpest performance of the day and opened the door for consideration for the set-up pitcher or even Closer. He looked very effective with a pair of strikeouts and a 6-3 groundout. Will is a graduate student coming in from Coastal Carolina. JD needs to take a closer look and seriously consider the possibility of the Closer or set-up. JD has his eyes on Jackson Cleveland, which he gave another not-so-closer outing today.
Jackson finished pitching 2 innings today, with his 2nd inning causing me the most concern. In his first inning, he didn’t allow a run, but he was hit pretty well, giving up a pair of long flyouts. However, I feel the 2nd inning should squash any thoughts of him being further considered for the team’s closer role at this time. In previous appearances, he was unable to close, and today would have been disastrous had this been an actual game. He opened the inning with JD reaching first base. Gaby advanced him with a single. Fabio laid down a sacrifice, which Jackson retrieved but then threw wide of 3rd, allowing one run to score. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Tanner Smith drove the nail deeper with a 2 RBI single. Jackson has yet to prove that he has earned the role of Closer. Michael Fernandez, only a freshman, appears to be a better candidate for assuming the duties, and today Will Smith looks like a much stronger option to be considered.
The offense is clearly gaining momentum, achieving a preseason high of 15 hits. Crucially, these hits came with runners in scoring position, an area where we struggled last season. Dorian Gonzalez and Evan Taveras each hit home runs to center and right field, respectively. With four catchers on the roster, deciding who will take the role of alternate catcher after Tanner Smith will be a challenge. Although Evan can certainly hit, his throwing isn’t strong. He would be ideal for pinch-hitting. Notably, three players had multiple hits: Max Galvin, who went 2-for-3 and is consistently hitting hard, and Evan Taveras, who finished with a 2-for-4 performance.
The defense is a whole other problem that doesn’t seem to be getting any better. There is no communication and sloppy play. The ability to turn a DP has not been fully tested but definitely needs work. The defense is the team’s Achilles’ Heel, and unless they can turn it around, it will cost us dearly. No one is taking charge. That is the bottom line.
Plenty of areas to improve upon and so little time to do so. Tomorrow it is back under the lights at the Light starting with first pitch at 6:45 PM.
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