Opening Day

San Diego opens its second season in the re-named Brew Stade with high hops, er, hopes, but recognizes that rebuilding is more the mode of the year.

Typical of the frustration endured by the Hops is the failure to sign its first round draft choice, first-sacker, Conner Blackwood.

Pending any last second moves or trades, the Opening Day look is primarily a veteran crew with some new acquisitions slipping into the mix.

C: Jason Clemons looks to build on an excellent .281/.333/.380 season, coupled with top-notch defense. Though Clemons is durable, his backup, Joe Kessler moves up from AAA where he hit a solid .300 with a .390 obp.

1b: Miguel Ortiz brings his slugging prowess, .300+, 39 HR, 125 RBI in the prime of his career, to the middle of the Hops lineup.

2b: Armando Ilharco is the ostensible starter, but this is a weak link in the Hops lineup. In part time play, Ilharco showed he can get on base, .374, but it was at A level. The youngster has a lot to prove jumping all the way to the big leagues. He will be backed up by utility infielder, Charlie Jackson, which is not an upgrade either in the field or at bat, or whoever is not starting in the SS platoon. Look for SD to be trolling the trade lines and waiver wire for changes here is Ilharco is not an answer.

3b: Mario Vasquez hits a ton, .291/.356/.413, and can handle a glove. If he stays healthy, not a problem at the hot corner.

SS: Cormel Pircalab and Reda Guillon will semi-platoon. Pircalab is the returning starter but hit a disappointing .222 in the inaugural season. Guillon, hitting lefty, will try to show he still has life in his 37 year old legs. This is the other major area of concern for the infield where Hops' management needs to be open to new solutions.

LF: Mike Johnson is one of the rising stars of the ABL, coming off a stellar .329/.393/.478 year when he was healthy. He missed 50 games to a variety of injuries and is looking to come back strong from a broken arm that ended his year. All OF positions are backed by Kimi Maruyama and Ben Martins, both new to the organization from Japan and Canada respectively giving the team a distinct international flavor.

CF: Stan Sanders, still hitting after all these years, trundles out one more year hoping to continue hitting in the high .280 region with 25+ dingers and 90+ RBI. Maruyama backs him, but also look out for John Dore as he moves up to AA with his legitimate star potential.

RF: Bryan Caldwell is another slugging outfielder hitting the prime of his career with .280-.300 20+ 90+ potential for years to come.

There is not a lot of depth in the Hops minor leagues with star potential beyond Dore, so the team trainer may be a special commodity this season.
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Rotation: RHP Mike Joyce leads a four-man rotation, hoping to make a leap up to 15 wins from an 11-12 opening campaign. Southpaw Elvis Sharp hopes to shake off the rust from a long DL stint to move to the number two slot. He only registered ten starts in '12, so the Hops need twice that at least in '13 from the youngster. Jason Bolyard managed 14 victories to lead the SD squad in 2012 and he is counted on to at least match that total while logging 240 innings. Dave Lee rounds out the rotation coming off a 12-17 season marked by 159 Ks, second to Joyce's 204. Veteran lefty Senzo Heida brings a major league changeup to the team after a long career in Japan.

Bullpen: The bullpen logged a lot of innings in 2012, and returns all its top arms. Phil Bernard, Steve Johnson and Aurelio Mata all have great arms and with a year of experience, they are all looking for improvement. Nate Downs and Mike Chase both have closer mentalities and will be battling for ninth inning recognition all season. Chase starts the season in the role, but his 12 saves barely beat Downs' 8 in 2012. Both numbers need to move up if the Hops are to contend at all.

No real superstars in the wings in the minors, but there is a glut of serviceable arms. Some of these may get moved to shore up the infield positions at the big league level.

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Outlook: .500 would be spectacular for the franchise in transition, but realistically, that is expecting a lot. This season would be considered an improvement if they matched the 78 wins of 2012.

September 2, 2012

Welcome to Hopped on Baseball, Mr. Brain's take on the ABL, a fictional online fantasy baseball league, from the unique perspective of the San Diego Hops entry in the TL (Tony LaRussa) Division.

I took over this franchise after one year of existence where they played less than .500 ball, and were struggling in the off-season. We have just completed the draft and are anxiously awaiting the results of the offer sheets presented to the stable of players invited to be part of the Hop regime.

The franchise, in its mythical construct, is owned by a consortium of San Diego North County brewers, with a minority interest from my home brewery in San Francisco. Thus, Port, Stone, Green Flash and Speakeasy breweries are the joint owners, and our unofficial press headquarters is the fabled Toronado bar in San Diego and San Francisco.

My goal is to use this unique opportunity to talk baseball, art, poetry, jazz and (beer).

CF Stan Sanders
This veteran star is the subject of our first portrait. I see this New York native as a crusty Irishman, finding a hard time on the sunny west coast. His abrasive personality does not jibe with the laid back southern California norm.