The Blowfish: Lineup and Position Players

Blowfish lineup:

The blowfish have a well constructed lineup on paper that features some all star SS and 3b talent, outfield depth, and plenty of good bench options for specialized roles in close games, but some concerning traits in key parts of the lineup that could hurt them during a championship run. They also lack any players with utility traits so any infield injuries are going to require some creative thinking to cover. An aggressive coach could do a lot with this group if they're lucky, but they can also back themselves into a corner.

First here's a breakdown of my typical starting lineup (with DH):

1. Nirub Oowanga (CF)
2. Elvis Stanley (SS)
3. Marvin Steed (LF)
4. Jose Carloco (1B)
5. Harry Beckman (DH)
6. Keg Gutterson (3B)
7. Rod Forth (RF)
8. Hog Porker (2B) against RHP, Shayanne Hill (2B) against LHP
9. Sting McGee (C)

Catcher: Harry Beckman is an all star calliber offensive talent and a defensive liability with a poorly rated arm and defensive skills. With those defensive skills he should be paired with a fastball pitcher like Dreggler and DH'd on Draculo and Burns' starts. Fortunately the bullpen is primarily built around fastball pitchers so he shouldn't limit options too much there, but with his arm even average runners are going to be turning every walk and base hit into a double.

However he still needs to be a fixture in the lineup. With above average contact, running, and hall of fame power, he is at least the second best bat on this team and will be an on base machine. A tremendous candidate for regular DH.

In theory he is backed up by Sting McGee who has the confusing trait of whiffer with an 85 contact rating, which may indicate a lack of composure in big situations. McGee does represent an upgrade defensively and for throwing out runners, but the offensive drop off is quite a trade. You can also use Rod Forth who came up in the minors as a catcher before converting to the outfield, but his behind the plate defense is best described as clownish and he rates similar offensively to McGee. With that defense he'll struggle to handle the breaking ball.

First Base: Though overall grade for this position is B to B-, in practice it should rate much higher than that. Starter Jose Carloco is an offensive Juggernaut who can hit the cover off the ball and contact for high average. He suffers defensively but at first that won't be as big a liability as it otherwise could be. His poor throwing arm is also meaningless. He'll never be viable anywhere but first or DH but offensively he'll give you hall of fame numbers and will generate more than enough rbi's to make up for any defensive blunders.

As if that wasn't enough you have two solid options at backup. Catcher Harry Beckman may not have significantly better defense but can fill in for injury without any drop in offensive production, and split time with Carloco at the DH spot. Bench player Alfonso Delgado can cover 3b or 1b with gold glove caliber defense and will put up serviceable if below average offensive numbers.

All of these players are right around 30 years old, veteran but not yet declining. They've proven themselves at their roles and can be relied on. What is on paper a weak spot on this team should in practice be a major strength. Most importantly Carloco, Beckman, and Delgado are all on very team friendly deals, making 5.6, 6.1, and 4.2 million respectively. Coupled with their age and roster flexibility, they will make for major building blocks in a championship run.

2nd Base:  2nd base is a bit more of a concern though still merits about a B, with no real standouts but no major weaknesses and 2 solid starter options with Shayanne Hill and Hog Porker. You can also shift SS Elvis Stanley in an emergency but that would leave a pretty big hole in the middle of the infield and isn't recommended.

Hill is a speedster who with her high contact rating will foul off a lot of balls and get on base one way or another. The major holes in her game are a poor arm that will cost you some double plays and low power ratings, but I think that's mostly negated by above average defensive skills and potential for high OBP, especially against left handed pitching. She is also only 25 with a lot of potential to grow into an infield pillar.

Porker is a great complement to Hill, a left handed power bat with good fielding and average arm, he's not going to turn heads but he also isn't going to let you down. A bit old at 38 but a good veteran presence who can work with Hill until she's ready to take over the starter role.

SS:  This is a major strength for the Blowfish, featuring all star Elvis Stanley as the every day starter and 2 solid backup options. Stanley is a 5 tool athlete with no weakness in his game, he can make the diving stop and throw a strike across the infield. He can hit for average, draw walks, and punish pitcher mistakes by sending them into the second row. He can hit effectively from either side of the plate. At 28 years old he's frankly underpaid at 10.8 million and will spend pretty much every year of his career in the all star discussions.

Should the unthinkable happen and Stanley miss any number of games, you can slot Gutterson or Porker over from their primary positions. You will obviously miss Stanley's bat but Porker makes a solid defensive backup and Gutterson isn't a major step down offensively (though you would need to fill in at 3rd for him with Shayanne Hill or Alfonso Delgado, the latter of which is a major step down).

3rd Base: Although Keg Gutterson is a solid everyday starter, 3rd base doesn't feature much depth for the Blowfish with backup options of Shayanne Hill (whose primary role is at 2b) and Alfonso Delgado.

Gutterson is a solid right handed bat, losing a bit of a step at 35 years old but still capable of getting on base and working counts, and a penchant for making solid contact on 2 strike pitches. Defensively he's below average but still has a good arm for firing across the infield to first. He's still a remarkable offensive talent but in the next few years you're going to have to look at either developing Delgado into a starting caliber player or finding Gutterson's replacement in free agency.

Shayanne Hill could also look at splitting time between 3rd and 2nd base in the event of an injury to avoid a complete step down in offensive production, but this could be a position to think about going forward up to and including finding a true utility infielder to replace Delgado.

RF: Nirub Oowanga is going to be your initial starter at this position on paper, with good power, contact, blazing speed, and an average or slightly below average arm. He struggles to hit with RISP but with that speed and contact he can still get on base and generate runs, and may be best hitting leadoff or second depending on how you structure your lineup. If Oowanga isn't the fastest player in the league he's absolutely in that conversation. At just 24 years old he's only going to get better too.

Unfortunately this leaves Rod Forth as the odd man out. A defensive liability in Right Field or his secondary position of Catcher, he could be an emergency backup for those positions but is making 6.3 million, a lot of money for a third string catcher and 2nd string right fielder. He's also a great bat, actually superior to Oowanga by half a tick with the tough out trait. Even with Oowanga's defensive and baserunning advantage you may be better off starting Forth in RF.

With the DH it may be possible to figure out a way to get Forth and Oowanga in the lineup but remember that you also want Harry Beckman playing every day, another defensive liability with a great bat. DH is getting awful crowded on this team.

CF: Fortunately for the RF conundrum, CF is by far the weakest position on this team which in turn allows an elegant solution to the above DH issue. On paper you'd have Ricky Quan starting, a 34 year old right handed bat with superb fielding, arm, and above average speed but absolutely atrocious offensive production. Defensively Quan is able to cover the entire outfield with above average to gold glove level production, offensively he's barely mendoza line talent.

With such a major lineup hole you are best served by moving Oowanga's blazing speed and solid defense to center field and starting Rod Forth in right, with Quan as a utility backup in the outfield. Defensively it isn't ideal but Oowanga can cover a ton of the field and the increase in offense will more than make up for any defense shortfalls.

Quan may actually be worth keeping around as a defensive backup but he isn't starting caliber.

LF: Starting LF Marvin Steed is in the running with Elvis Stanley for best player on the team, with the only downsides being his advanced age at 37 and relatively high salary at 11.6 million (the highest on the team). A left handed bat with great offensive toolset and proven power against right handers, he also still has great baserunning skills and though he's lost a half step from his days in SMB 2, his experience more than makes up for it on the basepaths.

The only hole in his game right now is his declining arm strength, he'll be a bit slow to get the ball in from the infield and may give up tagged up runs that others could save. You do have to be concerned about a precipitous drop off in the next few years due to that age but he should be a solid offensive piece for a while to come and can absolutely help you win now.

Backing him up is Pumper Lumpkins, a solid defensive backup with well below average offensive skills and another poor outfield arm. The nicest thing that can be said is he's cheap at 2.9 million but frankly he's probably overpaid for all the field he's going to see. Personally in the event Steed had to miss a couple games I would slot Ricky Quan in for his arm over Lumpkins.

Bench:  All this leaves a bench of Alfonso Delgado, Ricky Quan, Pumper Lumpkins, and Hog Porker/Shayanne Hill (against non DH opponents Sting McGee would also most likely be on the bench to start).

Unfortunately this crew doesn't give you a true utility infielder and Ricky Quan, though average to great defensively at any outfield position, is at best a poor offensive option to pinch hit. Hog Porker or Shayanne make for a good bat off the bench but after that pickings are remarkably slim. Delgado makes for an ok speed option but once again you're going to Shayanne Hill if she's there, as she can swipe bases pretty much with impunity while Delgado has just enough speed to round 3rd on a base hit. Unfortunately Hill won't always be an option if she's being platooned with Porker.

All in all there's some good defensive depth, especially for the outfield, but slim pickings for a good bat or runner off the bench in a close game and not many developmental prospects with an average age of about 33.

And there are your SMB 3 Blowfish scouting reports.