Chapter Four in Review

We finished with a respectable-enough 15-9 record in Chapter Four, but there were several things about this past chapter that have left a sour taste in my mouth. I'll get to that in a minute. First, let's talk about all the good things that happened.

We outscored our opponents by 72 runs last chapter, which is exceptional, but also entirely due to the fact that we averaged -- get this -- nearly EIGHT RUNS per game last chapter! We scored 191 runs in 24 games, which averages to 7.96. We scored double-digit runs in nine of our twenty-four games, and won by scores like 11-3, 11-2, 13-7, 13-2, 11-3, 16-5, and 14-4.

Every hitter on our roster contributed something useful last chapter. Our worst hitter last chapter, Ramon Laureano, posted a useful .368 OBP, and came through with several clutch hits. Shohei Ohtani smashed 13 home runs. Mark Canha hit .306/.410/.582. Rafael Devers posted an .866 OPS. Andrew Benintendi posted a .420 on-base percentage. On and on it goes.

But the one player whose Chapter Four performance simply blows me away is Trea Turner. After doing virtually nothing in the first half, and causing me to wonder if I should trade for a second baseman who can actually play baseball, Turner turned his season around in a huge way this past chapter, hitting .393/.416/.636, with 11 doubles, 5 homers, a team-leading 28 RBI's, and a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts.

If we're going to win another championship trophy, we are going to need Trea Turner to be Trea F'ing Turner. Period.

As you may imagine, if we scored SO many runs in Chapter Four, but outscored our opponents by "only" 72, something very disturbing must have happened to our pitching staff. You would be correct. The truly disturbing part about Chapter Four, for me, was not the performance of our starting pitchers (who I've grown to assume will fail), but with our formerly vaunted and world-famous bullpen. That bullpen was supposed to carry us to the trophy. Instead, I'm rapidly losing confidence in each and every member of that bullpen.

Ryan Tepera continues to allow home runs at an inexplicable rate. He allowed two more in Chapter Four, giving him nine for the year. Folks, Ryan Tepera only allowed four homers in over ten more innings in MLB -- in a home ballpark much tougher for pitchers. Nothing about it makes sense.

Two games, in particular, stand out in Chapter Four as causing my faith in our bullpen to shake beyond repair. Both took place at the very end of the chapter. In a game against the lowly South Loop Furies, we were winning by a score of 3-1 heading into the seventh inning. After two quick outs, I handed the ball to Tepera to get the third -- against the bottom of the South Loop lineup, no less. He proceeded to allow two RBI singles and an RBI double to the next three batters in a row.

In our final game of the chapter, we led by a seemingly comfortable margin of 7-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh against the Blacksburg Beamers. I handed the ball to Ranger Suarez and Joe Kelly -- our best two relievers all season, and our most consistent. Suarez allowed THREE walks and a single before I could yank him out of there. Then Kelly proceeded to do this:

Run-scoring error.
Two-run single.
RBI single
RBI fielder's choice.
Yet another error.
Sac fly.

SEVEN runs scored in that inning, and we lost the game.

Folks, bullshit like this cannot happen on a championship ballclub. I don't care how many runs we score. If our bullpen pitches like this, we will not win that trophy.

2023 Halfway Checkpoint

We are roughly 80 games into the 2022 MLB season, which means we've roughly reached the halfway point. Tony Chamra recently posted his 2023 team's halftime report, so I figured I'd be a copycat.

Catchers:

C: Adley Rutschman: 142 PA, .215/.282/.392, 476/734 splits
C: Zack Collins: 74 PA, .209/.284/.448, 400/788
C: P.J. Higgins: 72 PA, .302/.380/.524, 725/988
C: Austin Nola: 213 PA, .237/.305/.306, 602/618
C: Garrett Stubbs: 57 PA, .280/.357/.560, 1462/761

The good news is that the Rutschman Era has finally arrived! The bad news is that he's off to a very rough start. We picked up a couple of short-usage superstars off the free agent scrap heap last chapter, but they don't get much playing time. Neither does Collins, surprisingly enough. That leaves Nola, who has defied all of the preseason forecasts calling him a "sleeper candidate" at the catching position. He's been asleep, all right. Barely lucid, in fact.

Infield:

1B: Brandon Belt: 170 PA, .211/.335/.352, 626/703
3B: Rafael Devers: 347 PA, .327/.383/.579, 895/986
3B: Jason Vosler: 64 PA, .268/.344/.518, 900/857
SS: Trea Turner: 349 PA, .311/.359/.491, 826/859
SS: Brandon Crawford: 243 PA, .224/.313/.350, 703/650

Devers may have a career year if he can keep this pace. Turner is great, as always. Of course, the question with both of them is: will they actually perform in the BDBL as they have in MLB? For the past two years, that answer has been a resounding NO. Belt and Crawford are looking like two very expensive and rapidly-aging bench players at this point. Stupid boring Giants.

Outfield:

OF: Andrew Benintendi: 326 PA, .314/.380/.400, 655/837
OF: Mark Canha: 259 PA, .267/.359/.373, 658/775
OF: Ramon Laureano: 206 PA, .246/.330/.393, 916/646
OF: Lane Thomas: 250 PA, .225/.284/.388, 676/669

Benny seems to finally look like the "breakout" player people have predicted he would be for about 15 years now. Just in time for free agency. What a coincidence! Canha's 26-homer season a few years ago has been confirmed as a definite anomaly. Laureano will evidently never have that one big superstar season I thought he would have when I signed him three years ago. And Thomas -- yet another one everyone projected as a "fantasy sleeper" in 2022, has done absolutely nothing to justify that title.

DH: (Side note: BOOOO!)

DH: Shohei Ohtani: 334 PA, .262/.344/.503, 689/933

If we are being forced by Rob Manfred to have a stupid boring-ass DH, at least we're stuck with Ohtani.

Starting rotation:

SP: Shohei Ohtani: 74 IP, 58 H, 8 HR, 17 BB, 101 K, 2.68 ERA, 614/578 splits
SP: Luis H. Garcia: 76-60-13-21-80, 3.54, 711/619
SP: Framber Valdez: 101-76-6-38-93, 2.67, 532/591
SP: Jon Gray: 77-64-8-26-83, 3.96, 653/641
SP: Ranger Suarez: 79-82-9-33-64, 4.33, 623/797
SP: Lance Lynn: 22-23-3-5-22, 4.50, 853/599

Welp, whatever magic fairy dust Ranger Suarez ingested in 2021 has worn off. He looks like a very expensive #5 starter at this point. It seems that all of our expensive auction buys last winter were one-use-only disposables. Lynn is another expensive turd, but he hasn't even earned his keep this season; never mind next. Valdez and Ohtani will be a very nice left/right combo if they can keep it up in the second half.

Bullpen:

RP: David Bednar: 37-25-3-12-50, 2.43, 558/582
RP: Dominic Leone: 29-31-4-9-32, 2.45, 1236/517
RP: Trevor Megill: 13-9-1-5-15, 2.08, 623/468
RP: Kyle Nelson: 25-20-0-7-20, 1.78, 556/621
RP: Gregory Soto: 29-19-1-14-30, 2.48, 699/554
RP: Gabe Speier: 19-16-2-5-14, 2.33, 676/597
RP: Ryan Tepera: 32-23-4-11-26, 4.18, 714/525

This is fine, as far as it goes. The sample sizes are all so small, anything can happen from this point forward, so it isn't worth celebrating or fretting. I would love to own one of the top, say, 50 best relief pitchers in this incredible 2022 MLB season dominated by stellar relief pitchers, but alas, they were all snatched up by other teams long ago.

Overall:

Offensively, it could be better, and it could be worse. If -- big IF -- Turner and Devers hit the way they're supposed to hit, then we could have a decent offense with those two, plus Ohtani, in the heart of the lineup. Benintendi gives us a quality fourth bat, which means we have a decent half-lineup if this trend continues.

On the pitching side, I'm excited about Ohtani and Valdez so far, but little else. Our bullpen arms haven't developed as I had hoped. Lynn's injury, plus Suarez's mediocrity, put a huge dent in our wallet that will be tough to buff out.

As it stands, we're looking at paying $31.8 million -- roughly half our total team salary -- on players that will do little and/or nothing next year. That is a very tough mountain to climb. Hopefully, this team really picks up the pace in the second half or we're looking at a surefire rebuilding year.

Singing the No-Trade-Bait Blues

It is a very odd place to be when your team is winning 70% of its games and you don't own a single player on your roster (aside from the players you are currently using to win 70% of your games) who has any trade value whatsoever in the eyes of your peers.

Like, none. Zero. Zilch.

We are only using 26 of our 35 players on the active roster, which means we have nine who are being stored on our roster for the sole purpose of future usefulness. They aren't useful at all this season, but many of them are having decent-enough 2022 MLB seasons to warrant a spot on our roster. Of those nine, all nine have been deemed completely useless by the other teams in our league.

We also have a whopping 15 farm players. Of those, we'd like to hold on to just four of them. That leaves eleven others. But again, all eleven -- eleven-for-eleven! -- have been deemed completely useless wastes of roster space by our colleagues in the BDBL.

In total, then, we have no fewer than TWENTY players on our 50-man roster -- 40-percent! -- who we should release tomorrow, because they are apparently without any value whatsoever. The best team in the BDBL, at the moment, has a roster where two-thirds of its members are completely worthless.

Amazing.

Earlier this year, we offered two recent first-round picks -- Asa Lacy (#4 overall in 2020) and Sal Frelick (#15 in 2021) -- to South Loop's wonderfully-friendly and personable GM, Bart Chinn, in exchange for Bryan Reynolds. Chinn was so insulted by this offer, you'd think I took a shit on his carpet. He was still fuming over that offer weeks later, in fact, and publicly scolded me for making such an insulting offer.

This past chapter, we offered a number of players who were selected in the first round of the past two MLB drafts, as well as a number of young players with MLB experience and decent (so far) MLB '22 numbers, to two different teams. All we're looking for are niche role players: a right-handed hitter who can hit lefties, and a relief pitcher who can fill in some middle innings. Typically, these two types of role players are the least-expensive types of players to acquire.

Not this year.

The market for part-time right-handed platoon hitters and shitty middle relievers has never been hotter than it is right now. In order to fetch those players, I was asked by my most recent trade partner to consider dealing Brandon Crawford.

Folks...setting aside Shohei Ohtani's crazy Ruthian-like ability to both pitch and hit, Brandon Crawford would currently be not only our team MVP, but the Ozzie League MVP. He leads the league in batting average and slugging, and ranks #3 in the OL with a .397 OBP. Are you seriously fucking telling me that I'd need to trade the MVP of the Ozzie League to acquire...

...checking my notes...

...a platoon hitter and a middle reliever??

Fucking seriously??

Somewhat unrelated sidenote: Brandon Crawford is having an abysmal 2022 MLB season -- which is something I feared when I signed him to an extension. He was a late-career flash-in-the-pan, as I expected he would be. Why on earth would any team that is not competing this season want Brandon Crawford? Seriously.

I've scoured every roster in the BDBL. The remaining options for filling those very small and specific roles are slim and none -- especially given our WAR trade cap limit. In fact, in that last deal I offered, adding the two players I requested would have put me at 10.9 WAR for the season. You can't get any more perfect than that! It was so perfect, it seemed like fate!

But no.

So, instead, I've decided it's best to simply stick with the team we have. We've won 70% of our games with the roster we have, so why mess with it? Why sacrifice any part of our future -- even if no one else in the league sees any value in any of those twenty players?

What a thoroughly-ridiculous trading season it has been.

Chapter Three Review

The first half of the 2022 season is now officially in the books for the Salem Cowtippers. We finished Chapter Three with our weakest chapter yet -- a record of 14-10. We won three series -- all against Eck League teams: Cleveland, Charlotte, and Chicago. We did not sweep a single series this chapter, and we finally lost our first series of the season, to Akron.

That Akron series is notable for Game Three, which will go down in history for all the wrong reasons. Framber Valdez allowed ten earned runs before recording his third out. We then brought position player Abraham Almonte into the game, and he coughed up three more runs before that final out was mercifully recorded. That 13-run first inning likely stands as a league record. We ended up losing that game by an embarrassing score of 16-2.

That game perfectly highlights an issue that I can't help but notice about this 2022 team. We consistently beat up on bad teams and struggle against the good ones. We are 27-5 against the Darien Blue Wave, North Carolina Iron Spider Pigs, Flagstaff Peaks, South Loop Furies, and Lake Norman Monsters. We are 14-14 against the Las Vegas Flamingos, Ravenswood Infidels, Akron Ryche, Bear Country Jamboree, and Blacksburg Beamers. In fact, we don't own a winning record against any of those five teams.

The lone exception is that we own a 4-0 record against the Los Altos Undertakers, who are a good team (although they probably won't make the playoffs.) There is an exception to every rule, I suppose. The lack of success we've had against good teams tells me we will struggle in the postseason regardless of how dominant we seem to be overall.

Overall, we look like a champion on paper. We own a .700 winning percentage, which puts us on pace for a 112-win season. We have outscored our opponents by 176 runs, which puts us on pace for a runs differential of 352. In the 23-year history of the BDBL, seven teams have reached those two figures:

2002 Allentown Ridgebacks: 113 wins, +433 

2010 Los Altos Undertakers: 113 wins, +378

2013 New Milford Blazers: 113 wins, +356

2015 Los Altos Undertakers: 116 wins, +404

2016 Los Altos Undertakers: 128 wins, +437

2017 New Milford Blazers: 120 wins, +413

2017 Los Altos Undertakers: 117 wins, +373

Of those seven teams, only four (the '02 Ridgebacks and the last three Undertakers teams) won the championship. If we expand the criteria a tiny bit, we can find four other teams that dominated almost equally:

2002 Salem Cowtippers: 112 wins, +344 

2012 New Milford Blazers: 111 wins, +324

2016 Kansas Law Dogs: 115 wins, +343

2018 Flagstaff Outlaws: 115 wins, +299

None of those four teams won the championship. In other words, merely winning a lot of games and outscoring your opponents by a shit-ton of runs during the regular season is no guarantee of ultimate success.

***

Our pitching, which was our greatest asset for the first two chapters, completely fell apart in Chapter Three. We posted a 4.06 ERA for the chapter, although if you remove that one game against Akron, it falls to 3.55. Unfortunately, we can't remove that Akron game, either from the record book or from our memory.

It seems as though every one of our pitchers was beaten up at some point this chapter. The normally-reliable righty-killer Luis A. Garcia was lit up by both Chicago and Akron. Luis H.Garcia was crushed by both Cleveland and Myrtle Beach, allowing 11 earned runs in only 9 innings. Jon Gray tossed a no-hitter against Cleveland, but was then toasted by Myrtle Beach for six earned runs in only three innings.

Steven Matz was brutalized by Cleveland for eight runs (six earned) in five innings, and was also lit up by Bear Country (6 ER in 6.1 IP.) Shohei Ohtani was brilliant against Charlotte and Myrtle Beach, but was absolutely pounded by Chicago (5 ER in 6 IP) and Bear Country (5 ER in 4.2 IP.) Then, of course, there was Valdez.

Overall, Chapter Three aside, we have to be very happy with the performance of our bullpen. Ranger Suarez (8-0, 1.72 ERA), David Bednar (2-0, 2.09), and Joe Kelly (3-0, 2.10) all deserve some consideration for the all-star team. Shohei Ohtani (8-0, 3.41) deserves consideration to start that game. Aside from Ohtani, the rest of the starting rotation is rather mediocre -- which is sort of what we expected. The only exception there is that we expected Lance Lynn to compete for a Cy Young award. Instead, he's gone a modest 9-4 with a 3.53 ERA.

***

On the offensive side, it is difficult to complain. We currently lead the league (by a lot) with 461 runs scored, which puts us on pace for 900+ for the season. Our .819 team OPS currently tops the entire BDBL. We rank among the top three in the BDBL in on-base percentage, home runs, triples, and walks. (Of course, all of that can change as teams continue to play this chapter.)

Brandon Crawford (.333/.397/.609, 17 HR, 53 R, 52 RBI) deserves some MVP votes if he can keep up this pace in the second half. Brandon Belt (.264/.363/.582, 19 HR) has been worth every penny we paid for him last winter, and I believe the best is still yet to come. Ohtani (.224/.360/.515, 23 HR, 54 RBI) has been a productive beast on both sides of the ball, deceptive batting average notwithstanding.

Rafael Devers (.243/.311/.514, 22 HR, 60 RBI) can't seem to get on base, but his power allows us to forgive him for it. We got a lot of flak for going "Type H" on Mark Canha, but man, has that guy produced! He's hitting .280/.403/.471 overall, and ranks #2 on our team in runs created (54.3), behind Crawford and ahead of Ohtani!

All of the above players deserve some consideration for the all-star team. If not for their low usage numbers, both of our catchers -- Austin Nola (.340/.414/.456) and Zack Collins (.261/.408/.478) -- would deserve consideration as well.

Of course, the one guy who has disappointed beyond belief is Trea Turner. He should be posting MVP numbers for us, just as he did in MLB last year, when he posted the top WAR in baseball. Instead, he's hitting a paltry .253/.311/.401. He can't get on base, he can't steal bases (just 9-for-14 in that category), and he isn't racking up the extra base hits we expected he would. His performance this season has been an absolute head-shaking mystery.

***

As mediocre as our Chapter Three performance was, we managed to end on a high note. When Jon Gray allowed seven straight batters to reach base in the third inning of our final game against Myrtle Beach, it appeared as though we were on the verge of another Valdez-like collapse that would have resulted in another embarrassing double-digit loss and the second series defeat of the chapter.

With the bases loaded and one out, Gray struck out the dangerous Dylan Carlson. He then whiffed the not-so-dangerous opposing pithcer, Zach Thompson, to wriggle out of the inning. "Only" three runs scored that inning. It could have been far worse.

Faced with a 6-1 deficit, I have watched this Cowtippers team roll over and die far too many times over the years. For a while, it appeared that this team would die, too, as they struggled to make contact against Thompson. But then Trea Turner -- of all people! -- made it a one-run game with his two-run single in the fifth inning.

Crawford then tied the game in the sixth, and pinch hitter Chad Pinder put us ahead in the seventh. Our offense came through in the clutch -- but so did our bullpen, who held the Hitmen scoreless after Gray left the game in the third inning.

Games like that one give me hope that maybe -- just maybe -- we'll be okay in the postseason. When our team performs the way they're supposed to, great things tend to happen.

Chapter Two Review

Thirty-five percent of the way into the 2022 season, the Salem Cowtippers own a winning percentage of .750 and an 18-game lead in the McGowan Division. We own a runs differential of +146, which is far above the next-highest total (although, granted, most of the teams have played fewer than a dozen games in Chapter Two as I type.) We have scored 329 runs, which equates to 5.9 runs per game -- second only to Great Lakes. Our pitching staff owns an ERA of 2.94, which is tops in the entire BDBL.

In other words, I have very little to complain about right now. But I'll do it anyway.

Complaint #1: Trea Turner

It is time to face a harsh reality: the Trea Turner who plays for us is not the same Trea Turner who plays baseball for a living in real life. The real-life version was the best player in baseball last year, according to WAR. That version of Turner hit for power (28 HR), stole lots of bases (32), hardly ever got caught (86% success rate), got on base (.375), and performed well against right-handed pitching (.305/.353/.475). The version of Turner who plays for us does none of those things.

Our version of Turner, his evil twin, is a rather mediocre-hitting (.258/.323/.397) second baseman who strikes out a shit-ton (45 in 229 AB), gets on base less than one-third of the time he steps to the plate (.323), doesn't hit for much power (6 HR), grounds into a shitload of double plays (9, second in the OL), can't ever get a decent jump, gets thrown out or picked off when he does (60% success rate), and can't hit righties to save his life (.239/.289/.351).

It's time to stop pretending that eventually our evil twin's performance will improve, and start treating him like the player he actually is. That means moving him down the lineup and perhaps replacing him if a replacement can be found. The problem is that his right-handed bat breaks up all of the lefties in our lineup, and there is no one else, outside of possibly Mark Canha, who can fill that role.

Complaint #2: Ryan Tepera

We have never had a traditional "closer" in the history of the Salem franchise. BDBL Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera recorded our all-time high for saves in a season, way back in 2014, with 37. Huston Street (34 in 2015) is the only other reliever in franchise history to record 30+ saves. In general, we often use our best reliever in non-save situations when the game is nevertheless on the line. That "best reliever" this year is supposed to be Ryan Tepera.

Tepera has now thrown roughly half as many innings in the BDBL as he did in MLB, and has already surrendered more home runs (6) than he did all year in MLB (4). He has already blown more saves (5) than he did in MLB (4). This past chapter, he cost us two games that should have been easy saves. He blew a 5-0 lead against the Flagstaff Peaks and a 5-3 lead against the Blacksburg Beamers.

Like Turner, maybe it's time to adjust our expectations to this new "reality" and move Tepera down the pecking order in our bullpen. The only other option is to keep stubbornly inserting him into tight games at our own peril.

That's All

That's it, really. Just two major complaints. Frankly, this represents an all-time franchise record for fewest complaints at this point in the season. Certainly compared to last season, this one has been a complete and utter joy.

There are still some tweaks I'd like to make before trading season ends. If that doesn't happen, and I have to head into the postseason with this roster, I'd be okay with that. It wouldn't be the end of the world. We have some usage issues, for sure, but it's nothing that the free agent scrap heap can't solve.

Notable Notables

Let's end this on a positive note by recognizing some outstanding performances to date:

• Shohei Ohtani. My god. The man has been everything we hoped he would be this year. He's a perfect 6-0 on the mound, with a 2.86 ERA. He currently shares the league lead in home runs (17) with teammate Rafael Devers. He owns the third-highest OPS (.938) on the team. He's just an all-around beast.
• Brandon Crawford. If not for Ohtani, you could argue that Crawford is the MVP of this team, and possibly the Ozzie League. He's hitting .333/.403/.571 in the leadoff spot while playing spotless defense.
• Our catching platoon. I was a bit worried heading into this season that we would have a dead spot in our lineup regardless of who we played behind the plate. I targeted Zack Collins and Austin Nola in the draft as a possibly decent platoon. I had no idea they would be this good. Collins (.272/.413/.509) and Nola (.344/.425/.469) have been outstanding at the bottom of our lineup all season. It's a shame they'll both run out of usage soon.
• Brandon Belt. We expected Belt to be a major asset in the middle of our lineup, and he has not disappointed. He's hitting .276/.370/.644 overall, with 16 homers and 42.7 runs created. He strikes out a shit-ton (50 in 174 AB), but gets the job done when he makes contact.
• Steven Matz. Where on earth did this guy come from? A 1.84 ERA in 44 innings? A perfect 5-0 record? Who is this guy? I targeted Matz in the auction because I thought he'd be a relatively-inexpensive innings-eater this year, and would thrive in St. Louis in MLB. I never expected him to be this much of an asset in the '22 BDBL season.
• Our bullpen other than Tepera. Luis A. Garcia, Joe Kelly, Ranger Suarez, Jake McGee, David Bednar, and Dominic Leone are a combined 15-3, with a 2.25 ERA in 147+ innings. It doesn't get much better than that.

Chapter One Review

Normally, I would use this space to divide our chapter into good, bad, and ugly. Given that we won 23 games, it seems a little whiny to even mention any bad or ugly aspects of this team at the moment. It's all good. Out of our seven series last chapter, we swept three of them and won three others. Only the Bear Country Jamboree managed to play us to a split.

We outscored our opponents by nearly 100 runs (+92). We went 14-2 at home, and 10-2 against the teams in our division. We hit .269/.355/.491 as a team. We posted a 2.49 team ERA, and held our opponents to a miniscule .557 OPS. The next-lowest OPS allowed, as of press time, is over 100 points higher (.681.)

Brandon Crawford (.381/.430/.619) deserves some consideration for OL Hitter of the Chapter. Andrew Benintendi (.316/.379/.506) had a very surprising chapter. Our two catchers, Austin Nola (.300/.382/.400) and Zack Collins (.220/.361/.407), were also surprisingly effective. Lorenzo Cain (.271/.364/.458) was yet another surprise.

Rafael Devers (.270/.312/.609) led the team with 11 home runs and 27 RBI's. Our two big offensive free agent signings, Brandon Belt (.264/.360/.621) and Mark Canha (.300/.434/.463), were also significant contributors.

Even Trea Turner (.265/.331/.469) and Shohei Ohtani (.232/.362/.547), whose numbers paled in comparison to their MLB performances, still proved to be valuable members of our lineup.

On the pitching side, our bullpen was as good as advertised. Dominic Leone (1.69 ERA), Jake McGee (1.69), Luis A. Garcia (1.93), Ryan Tepera (2.04), Joe Kelly (2.16), and Gregory Soto (2.70) were particularly effective.

Our swing man, and highest-paid player, Ranger Suarez, proved to be worth every penny. He went 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 25+ innings, with two starts and 15 appearances out of the bullpen.

Our starting rotation was as effective as we thought it would be -- only in reverse. We expected Lance Lynn (4-2, 4.83 ERA in 31+ IP) and Framber Valdez (1-0, 4.43 in 20+) to be our best starters. We expected Jon Gray (3-1, 1.88 in 24), Luis H. Garcia (1-0, 2.79 in 19+), and Steven Matz (0-0, 2.45 in 18+) to be back-end guys. They all flipped roles.

Then, there was Ohtani, who not only delivered a strong performance at the plate, but went 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA on the mound. Could he be the first-ever person to win the Hitter AND Pitcher of the Chapter awards?

Of course, we have to be careful not to get too excited about this start to the season. We went 20-8 in Chapter One a year ago, and we all know how that ended. Still, it's better to start hot than cold.

I do see some usage issues creeping up on us already, as we really overtaxed some of our best players last chapter. I was hoping to fill a couple of those holes through trade, but at the moment, it's a seller's market and the sellers are asking unreasonable prices -- or just being rude AF assholes for no particular reason. So, we'll wait it out. As it stands, we have only one player on our farm and reserve rosters that anyone wants, and Adley Rutschman will not be going anywhere.

2022 Salem Farm Report

The Salem farm system ain't what it used to be. Last year at this time, we owned the #3 farm system in the BDBL. This year, one man is preventing us from finishing dead-last. That man, Adley Rutschman, is our #1 prospect for the third -- and hopefully last -- year in a row. He is the unanimous #1 prospect in all of baseball, which is the fifth time in history that our franchise has owned the #1 prospect.

Once Adley finally graduates to the big leagues, we will be banking on a second wave of prospects to graduate from high school, college, and international leagues to the pros, replenishing our system. That's the plan, anyway.

Salem's Top Ten Prospects

1. Adley Rutschman, c
Born: February 6, 1998 (age 24). B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 208. Acquired: mid-season farm draft (pick #3), 2018.

Background: Rutschman was the #1 overall pick of the 2019 MLB draft after a stellar career with at the University of Oregon. He is FanGraph's only 70-grade prospect, with above-average scouting grades for hitting, power, defense, and arm. In addition to his on-field tools, he is also reported to be a leader in the clubhouse.

Stats: Although he was ready for the big leagues the moment he left Oregon, Adley has now wasted three of the prime years of his career in the minor leagues. He split last year between Double-A (.271/.392/.508 in 295 AB) and Triple-A (.312/.405/.490 in 157), where he proved, once again, that he belongs in the big leagues.

The Future: Now that it appears that Adley will finally get his chance to make the big club, we now have to wait to see if there is a big league season in 2022. The moment he makes his MLB debut, he will be the best catcher in MLB. He is a once-in-a-generation talent. We have grown unbelievably impatient to add his bat to our lineup. Enough is enough. Let's go.

2. Brooks Lee, ss

Born: February 14, 2001 (21.) B-T: S-R. Ht: 6-1. Wt: 190. Acquired: winter farm draft, 2021 (2nd round).

Background: Lee is currently ranked as the #5 prospect in the 2022 MLB draft by MLB.com, and is ranked #6 by FanGraphs. A shortstop with Cal Poly, Lee was the co-winner of the Big West Player of the Year award last year. He then followed that impressive spring with an even more impressive summer for Team USA and the Cape Cod League.

Stats: With Cal Poly, Lee hit .342/.384/.626 with 10 homers in 222 at-bats. In one 21-game stretch in the Cape League, he hit .405/.432/.667 with six homers in just 84 at-bats.

The Future: Lee is poised to become a very early pick in the MLB draft this year. By the time he reaches the big leagues, Trea Turner's Cowtippers contract will be nearing its end, and Lee can slip right into the shortstop position. Of course, it's more likely that Lee moves to another position before then. It's even more likely that we trade him before he reaches his superstar potential. Because that's how we roll in Salem.

3. Jace Jung, 2b
Born: October 4, 2000 (age 21.) B-T: L-R. Ht: 6-0. Wt: 205. Acquired: mid-season draft (pick #2), 2021.

Background: Jung is currently ranked as the #6 prospect in the 2022 MLB draft by MLB.com and #3 by FanGraphs. A second baseman with Texas Tech, Jung is a bat-first middle infielder with 30-home run potential according to some scouting reports. He owns plus raw power and plate discipline, with few weaknesses at the plate.

Stats: In his sophomore season in '21, Jung hit .337/.462/.697 with 21 home runs and a 49/45 BB/K ratio.

The Future: Baseball America ranks Jung as the best player in the '22 college class. It seems like a safe bet that he will be selected very early in the MLB draft in July. His older brother Josh played at the Triple-A level last year, two years after he was drafted in the early first round. We expect Jace to follow in his footsteps.

4. Brock Wilken, 3b
Born: June 17, 2002 (age 19). B-T: R-R. Ht: 6-4. Wt: 225. Acquired: 1st round, 2022 winter farm draft.

Background: Ranked by FanGraphs as the #2 prospect in the 2023 MLB draft, Wilken had an outstanding freshman season with Wake Forest, tying the school freshman record for home runs (17). He carried that impressive campaign into the summer, where he was named the Cape Cod League MVP.

Stats: Wilken hit .279/.365/.617 as a freshman, with 17 homers and 11 doubles. He then hit .302 in the Cape League, with 10 doubles and 6 home runs. He also led the summer league in walks.

The Future: Wilken is off to a hot start already, homering twice in Wake Forest's first four games. A lot can happen between now and the 2023 MLB draft, but at the moment he looks like a lock for the early first round.

5. Asa Lacy, p
Born: June 2, 1999 (age 22). B-T: L-L. Ht: 6-4. Wt: 214. Acquired: mid-season farm draft (pick #2), 2019.

Background: Lacy was the fourth overall pick of the 2020 MLB draft following his second season of dominance at the college level. With a fastball that touches triple digits, a wipeout slider, and two other plus pitches, Lacy was expected to move quickly up the ladder in pro ball. In last year's BDBL Farm Report, he was ranked at #27 overall.

Stats: In his pro debut at High-A Quad Cities, Lacy posted an ugly 5.19 ERA in 14 starts. In 52 innings, he allowed 41 hits and a whopping 41 walks, with 79 strikeouts. His walk rate of 7.1 per nine ranked among the highest in baseball last year. 

The Future: What to make of Asa Lacy? History is filled with pitchers who walked a shit-ton of batters for a year or two in the minors, straightened it out, and became dominant big league pitchers. History is also filled with pitchers who couldn't find home plate in the minors and never made The Show. The KC Royals invested $6.6 million in Lacy, so needless to say, they will do everything they can to get him there. How he develops as a pro rests entirely on whether or not he can get his control back to where it was in his college days.

6. Ricardo Cabrera, ss
Born: October 31, 2004 (age 17). B-T: R-R. Ht: 5-11. Wt: 178. Acquired: mid-season farm draft (pick #5), 2021.

Background: Cabrera is currently ranked by both Baseball America and MLB.com as the #3 international prospect in the Class of '21. A natural shortstop with five above-average tools, Cabrera stands out most for his advanced approach at the plate. He is said to have the best bat in his class, with the potential to hit for both average and power at the big league level.

Stats: None to date.

The Future: International prospects are always a crapshoot. Sometimes they become Wander F'ing Franco. More often than not, they become Kevin Maitan. We're obviously hoping that Cabrera falls into that first group -- and that we're not stupid enough to trade him before he gets to that point. 

7. Sal Frelick, of
Born: April 19, 2000 (age 21). B-T: L-R. Ht: 5-9. Wt: 175. Acquired: trade, winter, 2022.

Background: A first-round pick (15th overall) in the 2021 draft, Frelick shot up the charts in his pro debut last year, beginning the year in rookie ball and ending it at the High-A level. As a collegiate player with Boston College, Frelick became one of the most exciting players in college ball with his blazing, 70-grade, speed, athleticism, and contact skills at the plate.

Stats: Sal hit .359/.443/.559 for BC before hitting a combined .329/.414/.466 at three different levels of pro ball. He drew nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (25) and stole 12 bases in 14 attempts.

The Future: With his on-base skills and speed, Frelick fits the mold of a prototypical leadoff hitter. He is moving quickly up the ladder, and could reach the big leagues as early as 2023. This year, we hope to see him build on the skills that were on display a year ago, and position himself for a promotion in '23.

8. Benny Montgomery, of
Born: September 9, 2002 (age 19). B-T: R-R. Ht: 6-4. Wt: 200. Acquired: midseason draft (round 4), 2021.

Background: Benny was a first-round pick (8th overall) in the 2021 MLB draft out of high school. He was considered by some scouts to have the best tools in the high school class, with grades in the 60's and 70's across the board. He is a 70-grade runner with a plus arm and plus raw power.

Stats: In his pro debut at the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Monty ranked as the #8 prospect in the league by league managers and scouts. He hit .340/.404/.383 in only 14 games (47 AB's), with no home runs and five stolen bases.

The Future: Monty's skills are so raw that it's difficult to know with any degree of certainty how his career will progress from here. The tools are without question. Applying those tools in game situations is another issue entirely. Some scouts feel his long swing will lead to difficulties down the road. Others believe he is athletic enough to adjust to any level of pitching. With his lanky build and long swing, he is often compared to Hunter Pence, which is both good and bad.

9. Thomas White, p
Born: February 1, 2005 (age 17). B-T: L-L. Ht: 6-5. Wt: 200. Acquired: midseason draft (3rd round), 2021.

Background: Baseball America calls White "one of the best lefties his age to come around in years." A junior at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, White still has another year of high school ball before he reaches draft eligibility. As of now, he ranks as the fourth-best high school player in the Class of '23 by BA and #18 on the FanGraphs 2023 draft list.

Stats: N/A.

The Future: There are few types of prospects that are more of a crapshoot than high school pitchers. A high school junior is 1,000 times the crapshoot of a senior, so it is far too early to speculate about White's draft slot, never mind his pro career. Still, it's nice to have the "best lefty to come around in years" stowed away on the farm club, just in case we win that lottery.

10. Felnin Celesten, ss
Born: September 1, 2006 (age 15). B-T: S-R. Ht: 6-2. Wt: 180. Acquired: mid-season farm draft (2nd round), 2020.

Background: Celesten has been at the very top of the 2023 international class since he was 13 years old. Scouts place him among the "Mount Rushmore of international free agents" signed over the past decade, along with Wander F'ing Franco, Marco Luciano, and Orelvis Martinez. He has drawn Francisco Lindor comps, and is expected to sign with the Mariners in September for more than $4.5 million.

Stats: N/A.

The Future: Who knows? The only thing I know for certain about Celesten is that I'M NOT FUCKING TRADING HIM! Trading Franco keeps me awake at night, and will continue to haunt me for the next twenty years. I'm not making that same mistake again. If Celesten crashes and burns, I still won't trade him. I will carry his useless carcass on my roster until the end of time if need be.