by Carl Coffee
The Alex See Yas are one of two new teams in the league this year. Captain Ryan Alexia had the most available money going into the draft and used the majority of it drafting 2014 National Pitcher of the Year Stephen Farkas. As a rookie last year, Farkas took the league by storm. He threw four perfect games in his first six starts and shattered several records throughout the year. We all know that Farkas is the real deal, but is there enough supporting cast to make this team a title contender?
CON: Contact Hitting — POW: Power Hitting — ROT: Pitching Rotation — PEN: Bullpen Depth — DEF: Defense — OA: Overall
Alexia’s other big name draft pick was another pitcher, Kevin Doby. Doby was a reputable #2 as a rookie last year for the Squirrels and looks to improve in his sophomore season. Together, Farkas and Doby form a very formidable rotation with a rating of 94, second-best in the league. However, with no other pitcher on the team with an ERA below 4.00, the See Yas bullpen comes in with a lowly rating of 74, second-worst in the league. With a rotation of Doby and Farkas, the bullpen will probably get minimal innings and is not a big concern.
The big concern for the See Yas is without a doubt run support. With an early season trade, Ryan Alexia brought some terror to his lineup in the form of Commissioner Brandon Corbett. Corbs will bring a solid bat who has been around the league since the beginning. He has plenty of experience against almost every pitcher in the league and will probably exceed his .218 batting average of 2014. The only other quality hitter on the team is Farkas, who hit eight homeruns last year. Other than those two, this team’s hitting is dreadful. Nobody else on the team posted a batting average above .200. A lineup with Alexia (.075), Doby (.154), David Buhr (.149), “Big Fudge” Kenny Witz, and Jon McKinnie isn’t going to scare any pitcher in the league. The only other source of potential production appears to be rookie Damien Rogers. The huge holes in the lineup leave the See Yas with ratings of 72 and 74 in contact and power respectively.
Another weak spot for the See Yas is in their fielding. As a whole, this team isn’t very athletic and will rely heavily on their pitching to allow as few balls in play as possible. Farkas will make plays, but he can’t cover the entire field. Overall, the See Yas defense is tied for league worst with a rating of 78.
There appear to be some pretty big gaps in the See Yas team, but pitching is the ultimate trump card in wiffleball. With some timely hitting and solid defense behind him, Farkas could easily carry this team to the championship, just like he did with the Belgian Wiffles last year. However, I expect this team to struggle to support its’ pitchers and find itself fighting to be in the play-in game.
