Announcing your 2006 Oak Ridges Posse!

With the 2006 playoffs no over, the Oak Ridges management announced the 2007 roster to the fans today. Currently 29 players are signed for next year, with 2 other players entering free agency. Both will be bought back if they can come to terms on realistic contracts.

The 2007 roster looks to be one of the strongest ever fielded by the team.

Catcher – The Posse are hoping they can bring back starting catcher Jorge Posada. Jorge is a free agent this year and is expected to play almost everyday and hit in the .275/.375/.490 range. Posada was acquired in 2005 from the Pioneers for youngster Nick Markakis and reliever Keith Foulke. Backing up Posada will be youngster Chris Snyder. Snyder was re-acquired last year from the Vigilantes where Mike Piazza and John Danks were the primary players moved for him. Snyder did not play much in 2006, but is expected to play a larger role and hit in the .275/.350/.425 range. The Posse also acquired a third catching option in veteran Ivan Rodriguez. IRod provides a defensive presence with a solid bat against lefties. He is also expected to play some first base against lefties.

First Base – The Posse will return power hitting Jason Giambi. Giambi was purchased from the Muckdogs in early 2005 and quickly signed a four year contract with the Posse. Giambi will probably hit in either the #3 or #5 spot in the lineup next year and is expected to hit in the 250/.410/.560 range. Backing up Giambi is probably the weakest player on the team, Brad Wilkerson. Brad will probably not get to play much, but when he does he is expected to hit in the 220/.310/.420 range. Wilkerson was acquired in February 2006 for Adam Eaton. The most recent acquisition for the Posse was Olmedo Saenz, who is expected to play first base against hard lefties.

Second Base – Returning to start at second base will be second year player Tadahito Iguchi. Iguchi was acquired from the Pioneers for Rey Sanchez in January of 2005. After a solid first season, Iguchi is exected to step it up a bit and hit in the .280/.350/.420 range. There will be little pressure for Iguchi as he will probably bat ninth in the lineup.

Shortstop – In December of 2004, the Posse pulled off their biggest trade by acquiring shortstop Derek Jeter and outfielder Bobby Abreu. The Posse gave up a lot (Billinglsey, Haren and Morneau) but it was worth it as they helped lead the Posse to the 2005 championship and another run in 2006. Jeter is a strong all around player and is expected to continue to hit in the number 2 spot in the lineup and anchor the infield. Jeter is expected to hit at a different level then we have seen in the past; in the .340/.420/.480 range. Considering he is the top payed Posse, he will be expected to continue to produce.

Third Base – Another huge trade in the Posse history was when they acquired Aramis Ramirez (along with Casey Kotchman, Carl Crawford and Brad Penny) from the Blue Ox in 2003. Since then Ramirez has been a fixture at third base for the Posse, and he is expected to remain there for many more years. Ramirez will be expected to hit in the .290/.350/.560 range, which means he will be a keep part of the middle of the lineup

Infield Bench – Backing up the infielders will be “super utility man” Chone Figgins and Wilson Betemit. For the last three years Figgins has filled the utility role for the Posse and consistently has been a solid contributor to the team. Figgins was acquired through the 2003 minor league draft, and when he gets the opportunity to play he will be expected to hit .270/.335/.380, and bring some much needed speed to the team. Betemit was acquired last year from the Vigilantes and provides a very nice switch hitting bat, especially versus righties. Betemit is expected to continue his strong hitting for the Posse in the 260/.330/.470 range.

Left Field – Returning to left field after a year off from injuries is Barry Bonds. Signed as a free agent in the 2005 season, Bonds went on to set many league records in his first year on the Posse. This year Bonds is expected to help lead the team to another championship with numbers in the .270/.450/.550 range. Spelling Bonds against the odd lefty will be Posse veteran Kevin Mench. Mench was acquired from the Twins back in 2004 and consistently played in LF or CF as a power bat against lefties. Mench should hit around 270/.310/.420 overall, but about .300/.360/.513 against lefties.

Center Field – What many may forget is that Jeter and Giambi were involved in two trades between the Muckdogs and the Posse. During the rebuilding years, the Posse (at that time the Crawfords) dealt the two to the Muckdogs for some youngsters named Torii Hunter, Carlos Zambrano and Justin Morneau (there were also four others). Since 2002 Torii Hunter has provided the Posse stellar defense and a solid bat, but this year Torii brings the best bat since he joined the franchise. Torii is expected to hit in the .280/.335/.490 range. Backing up Hunter is youngster Brian Anderson. Anderson was acquired in 2005 along with Betemit and Chad Qualls from the Vigilantes for “at that time” potential free agents Randy Johnson and Placido Polanco. Anderson will be on the Posse active roster for the first time and will be looked at to provide defense most of the time and learn from the veterans. When he does get in expect him to hit in the 230/.290/.360 range

Right Field – As mentioned before, Bobby Abreu was acquired along with Jeter in 2004. Since then he has been a very strong starter at the top of the lineup and should be there for a few more years. Abreu has consistently been an average and on base machine, and will continue that trend as the lead off hitter in 2007. In 2007, Posse management expects Abreu to hit in the .300/.425/.460 range, setting the table for Jeter, Bonds, Thomas, Giambi, and Ramirez. Backing up Abreu is stud youngster Carlos Quentin. Quentin is expected to be a future left and right fielder for the Posse and was acquired in early 2005 from the Prickly Pear Dealers. Quentin is a first year player and is expected to spell Abreu and Hunter against the odd right handed pitcher. Expectations are high for the on base, power hitting outfielder to the tune of 250/.340/.530.

Designated Hitter – Back in 2003 the Posse dealt hall of fame starter Pedro Martinez to the Millers for a group of key players. One of those players was Frank Thomas. Thomas has been a strong role player at both first base and designated hitter since then, and is expected to play a full season as the primary DH this year. Posse management have extremely high expectations of the veteran this year and believe that .270/.380/.545 is very possible.

Lineup versus Righties
Bobby Abreu – RF
Derek Jeter – SS
Barry Bonds – LF
Frank Thomas – DH
Jason Giambi – 1B
Aramis Ramirez – 3B
Jorge Posada – C
Tadahito Iguchi – 2B
Torii Hunter – CF (sometimes Carlos Quentin)

Lineup versus Lefties
Bobby Abreu – RF
Torii Hunter – CF
Derek Jeter – SS
Frank Thomas – 1B
Barry Bonds – LF (sometimes Kevin Mench)
Aramis Ramirez – 3B
Jason Giambi – 1B
Jorge Posada – C
Tadahito Iguchi – 2B

Starting Rotation – The big addition for the 2007 rotation is the addition of Roger Clemens. Clemens was acquired from the Clowns for a slew of prospects and is expected to the #4 starter on the team. The main reason he was acquired was for the playoffs, where he will probably pitch the third game of each series. The biggest question mark on the team is veteran righty Mike Mussina. Mussina is expected to be the team’s number one starter, but he is an unrestricted free agent and is in high demand. It will be interesting to see if the Posse can resign Mussina where he will have a chance to go after another championship. The second spot in the rotation will be held down by power pitching right hander Carlos Zambrano. Over the last three years Zambrano has been the ace of the staff, but a strong year by Mussina and a weaker season by Zambrano makes the small change. The next pitcher in the rotation is Brad Penny. Penny has been a consistent contributor to the rotation for the last few years, typically holding down the third spot in the rotation. The fifth starter in the rotation will be youngster south paw Jeremy Sowers. Like Clemens, Sowers will be looked on to toss about 100 innings. The value of Sowers will mostly be realized during the playoffs where he is expected to have the sixth start in each series. With roster spots being limited on the 30 man roster the Posse needed to say goodbye to veteran righty Kris Benson. It was expected that the insurance starter for the team would be Tim Hudson, but Posse management were able to move Hudson for prospect Carlos Gonzalez and spot starter Brad Hennessey. Hennessey is expected to be used primarily as a starter during the season and then moving to the pen for the playoffs.

Bullpen - The key to most bullpens is the closer and the Oak Ridges Posse have one of the best in Joe Nathan. Nathan has been the closer for the Posse the last two years and goes into 2007 with his best card yet. Historically the Posse have carried a number of average relievers, but in 2007 they seem to have a nice mix of lefties and righties. The primary setup man from the left side will be Mike Gonzalez. Gonzalez typically allows a decent number of runners on base but still produces well due to the fact they are singles and walks. From the right side, the primary setup man will be Jesse Crain. Crain was acquired along with Clemens from the Clowns and brings a very low OB card from the right side. The primary relievers in the sixth and seventh innings this year will be last years setup man Chad Qualls. Qualls brings a card that is comparable to Jesse Crain. The mop up men will be youngster Adam Wainwright and veteran Russ Springer.

Outlook – This may be the best Posse team assembled so far, which is a big statement considering they are the 2005 champions and 2006 runner ups. The team will have a very strong lineup that should average 8+ runs a game, enough starting pitching to last through the regular season and a pretty strong bullpen. With the strength of the team and weakness of the conference is should be an easy walk to the finals. The big question is how the team produces against the pitching strength of whoever comes out of the other conference.