Sherbrooke: In Depth

Kurtis McKenzie, Sora Mekajiki, Wade Landry, Lucas Peterson, Mario McRlwain, Pedro Velasquez, Jermaine Cole, Maximo Anielotti -- between the SBL draft, and players being tossed back into the SBLM draft, Sherbrooke was set to lose a lot of talent. Who remained? Who did they bring in through the draft? Let's find out.

Offense:

Sherbrooke suddenly found themselves with big holes all around the field. Two-thirds of the outfield (including the leagues inaugural MVP, and the CF Silver Slugger) was drafted into the SBL. The remaining outfielder Wade Landry was forced to return to the draft. Perhaps the best all-around shortstop in the minors, Lucas Peterson, left for the SBL. Fortunately, Sherbrooke had an abundance of hitting talent, but losing those four was no small thing.

Prior to the draft, the team was left with only four returning infielders for the offense. Bobby Boucher, aka the Statue at 2B, will return to hit bombs. However, his lackadaisical attitude on the defensive end may outweigh his offensive production. Returning to play 3B is GG himself, Golden Goliath. The kid may have been overshadowed to some extent in s0, but don't be mistaken... Goliath has all the tools to take home the MVP in d1. Catching for the team is Ryoma Fukushima. The Gold Glove catcher struggled to live up to expectations on the offensive end. This season, expect him to be among the best catchers in all aspects. Finally at 1B, the team retained Alex Gregorius. The converted shortstop was atrocious defensively as a first baseman. He couldn't hit either. Some have wondered if the switch completely destroyed his love for the game. Fans only hope he manages to find a way to provide some value in the upcoming season.

GM Snussu looked to the draft to rebuild the teams offense. With the 4th overall selection, he decided to bring back the dynamic right fielder Wade Landry. His speed, and on base ability will serve his team well from the leadoff spot. With the 11th pick, the highly touted shortstop Devin Lewin was selected. There are major concerns about his defensive abilities, especially as he will be paired with noted statue Bobby Boucher. However, his offensive upside is more than enough to justify this selection.

With pick 19, Snussu made a move to power up the outfield by selecting Home Run Kid. Oddly enough, HRK possesses an elite power tool. This pick seems to continue the tradition of eschewing defense in favor of the bat. Finally, at pick 32, Will Hecatchit was drafted. This guy has all the makings of a top line 9th inning defensive replacement. Defense? For real? The draft ended, but Snussu wasn't done. To finalize his outfield, he signed FA Kobe Honda. The prospect has quickly proven himself worthy of the signing. Check his stats through the first 10 games to see why.

Pitching:

The rotation of s0? All gone. Not a single starter was set to return in d1. The gaggle of relievers would all remain, but not a one of them is worth mentioning. Obviously, Snussu had his work cut out for him. With the teams 2nd draft pick, Chien-Ming Wang was taken. Wang pitched to a respectable 3.88 ERA in s0 accruing 3.7 WAR. He is an obvious candidate to make the jump to Pitcher of the Year contender in s1. A few rounds later, the team grabbed Snarky Shaman with pick 15. The fireballer young pitching prospect was deserving of the early pick for sure. At pick 23, Patrick Star was taken. Star pitched some in s0 for Pittsburgh. He seems to have already plateaued. What Sherbrooke saw in him I do not know. At pick 27, Sherbrooke is back on track and selects a high potential, high floor arm in Feathers McGraw. Pick 35 saw the Mohawks grab Gabriel Torres. The reliever may peak as a minor leaguer, but at least was taken near the back of the draft.

Although it feels like the Mohawks made some questionable selections mid draft, I believe they easily make up for that with their late round picks. Picks 39 and 40 netted them Michael Lane and Ithro Dabal. Lane was one of the best prospects in the draft, and was an incredible find this late. While not quite on the same level as Lane, Dabal possesses quite a bit of potential for someone taken 6th from last. At pick 43, the 'hawks took Lenny Longpipe, a guy who could easily turn into a guy the other GMs regret passing 42 times.

Overall, Sherbrooke did well in restocking the team through the draft. The offense is looking to be almost as dangerous as last seasons. While I feel that their were a few missed opportunities, or unfortunate draft selections, the team was able to grab at least 4, and perhaps 6 excellent arms. Sherbrooke is going to be just fine.