Expectations
Playoff contention. Last year was such a disappointment, but there is too much talent here not to be at least in the run for the postseason.
Best Case
Tim Hudson finds a full season like his time with Birmingham last year, joining Lefty Grove and Eddie Plank in a top tier rotation and 1st round pick Turkey Stearnes steps right into the CF job while Dick Lundy improves in a full season in a lineup centered around Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, and Bobby Bonds.
Worst Case
Everything stays really confused, with the pitching proving too mediocre to depend on and the offense never really sorting out playing time at 1B (Jack Clark and Jimmie Foxx) or 3B (Sal Bando and Pedro Guerrero), leaving everyone slightly underused and underperforming.
Key Questions
- On a team full of logjams, who steps forward?
Trade Bait
Possibly. If Foxx explodes, Jack Clark may be expendable, depending on how the OF/DH situation looks.
The decision to trade Guerrero makes some sense, given the OF depth, although a lot is riding on Watty Clark successfully converting to being a starter at a high level to make it a decent deal.
Roster Evaluation
| POS | Elite | Strong | Solid | Meh | Weak | Unknown |
| C | Cochrane Oliver | |||||
| 1B | Clark | Foxx | ||||
| 2B | Bloodworth | |||||
| 3B | Garner | Bando | ||||
| SS | Hartzell | Lundy | ||||
| LF/ RF | Jackson | Henderson | ||||
| CF | Bonds | Stearnes | ||||
| SP | Grove Plank | Altrock Hudson | Hadley | |||
| End | Howell Clark | Beck Robinson | Ontiveros | |||
| RP | Bridges | Eckersley |
The OF is so strong, it just needs a little help–if that happens and the pitching repeats, it could be a good year by the bay.
Talent Ratings
| WBL | Minors | |
| Raw Power | OF Bobby Bonds | OF Frank Howard |
| Batting Eye | 3B Sal Bando | C Brian Downing |
| Contact | C Mickey Cochrane IF Dick Lundy | OF Buddy Ryan |
| Running Speed | OF Rickey Henderson IF Dick Lundy | OF Alex Cole OF Mookie Wilson |
| Base Stealing | OF Rickey Henderson | OF Cameron Maybin |
| IF Defense | IF Dick Lundy | IF Charlie Reilly |
| OF Defense | OF Rickey Henderson | OF Bill Virdon |
| Stuff | SP Lefty Grove | RP Ed Kelly |
| Control | RP Rod Beck | RP Don Dennis |
| Velocity | RP Rod Beck | RP Drew Steckenrider |
Best In The Minors
| Rank | Age | POS | Name |
| 1 (8) | 21 | OF | Turkey Stearnes |
| 2 (25) | 24 | P | Red Ehret |
| 3 (31) | 22 | P | Bump Hadley |
| 4 (71) | 22 | P | Dennis Eckersley |
| 5 (120) | 19 | P | Charlie Ferguson |
| 6 (126) | 20 | P | Bob Hendley |
| 7 (145) | 25 | 3B | Mike Moustakas |
| 8 (164) | 23 | P | Steve Ontiveros |
| 9 (188) | 23 | IF | Bill Sweeney |
An odd system, for sure, as neither Jimmie Foxx nor John Beckwith make the top 200 list, which ends up being a bit weak, with a lot riding on the development of the young arms. Stearnes, Hadley, Eckersley, and Ontiveros all start the year in the WBL.
| Most | Least | |
| Age | C Mike González, 39 | OF Leonidas Lee, 17 |
| Height | P Billy Taylor, 6’8″ | OF Walt Williams, 5’6″ IF Matt Broderick, 5’6″ |
| OPS | 1B Sid Bream, 1.125 (—) | IF Bob Johnson, .415 (—) |
| HR | 1B Sid Bream, 41 (—) | IF Bill Sweeney, 0 (AAA/AA) IF Miguel Cairo, 0 (WBL/AAA/AA) |
| SB | OF Rickey Henderson, 99 (WBL) | Many with 0 |
| WAR | 1B Sid Bream, 8.0 (—) | IF Bob Johnson, -5.1 (—) |
| W | Dallas Braden, 17 (—) | Diego Seguí, 3 (WBL/AAA) Jim Buchanan, 3 (—) |
| SV | Rod Beck, 33 (WBL) | |
| ERA | Tommy Hughes, 2.61 (—) | JA Happ, 5.77 (—) |
| WAR | Dallas Braden, 5.8 (—) | Diego Seguí, -0.9 (WBL/AAA) |