The Bellingham Bozos are clearly the comeback team candidate for 2006. In 2005, the Bozos lost over 100 games with an awful team including no bullpen, so-so starting pitching and a bad offense. This wasn't helped by awful draft choices by management includign Jason Davis, Kaz Matsui and Scott Hairston.
In the past 18 months, Bellingham has traded JD Drew, Randy Winn, Roy Halladay and the #1 overall 2006 draft choice for combinations of draft picks and players. The new team has a steady pitching staff (still no real ace), decent relief pitching, much improved fielding and hitting. It is now a much younger team including many up and coming stars like Grady Sizemore, Willy Taveras, JJ Hardy, Edgar Encaracion and Derrick Turnbow.
The team for 2006 looks like this:
1b Ibanez, Mientkiewicz and Todd Walker
2b Spivey, Matsui and Counsell
ss Hardy and J. Wilson
3b Ensberg and Encarnacion
LF Hawpe and Reed Johnson
CF Taveras
RF Sizemore
C Barajas and Closser
Starters
Westbrook
Sabathia
Robertson
Clement
Chris Young
CM Wang
Kip Wells
Fogg
Backe
Franklin
Relief
Turnbow
Jenks
Reitsma
Witascik
Worrell
I will use this blog to describe the ups and downs of what should a fun team that will probably win around 80 games, a 20+ game improvement.
