by Evan Bischoff
After a disappointing 8-20 season last year, Captain Chris Paquin is back for round three with the Holy Balls. Paquin's biggest splash of the draft came with the first overall pick, David Castle. A solid two-way player and two-time all-star, Castle has made the playoffs every year he has been in the league and is poised again to be playing in August. The last time Paquin and Castle were on the same team was in 2013 when the Holy Balls posted a solid 18-10 record. The other big pick by Paquin in the draft was 2013 Home Run King, Dennis Pearson. After a dreadful 0-11 record on the mound last year, it’d be a bit of a surprise if Pearson pitches much this year. However, Pearson is still a game-changer at the dish. In his four seasons, he has never hit less than 10 homeruns in a season or batted below .245. Alongside Castle and Pearson, Paquin also drafted Ryan Bullard, Mark Phillips and Beau Yaremko to round out the squad.
CON: Contact Hitting — POW: Power Hitting — ROT: Pitching Rotation — PEN: Bullpen Depth — DEF: Defense — OA: Overall
The Holy >Balls best category is fielding and they top the league with a rating of 92. In fact, this team has three of the best fielders in the league. Bullard is always a solid fielder and has an impressive three diamond digits in his trophy case. Paquin is also has a diamond digit to his name. The third fielder is a bit of an unknown. Beau Yaremko had only a total 25 AB in the regular season last year, but has shown the promise to win a diamond digit if he plays enough games this year.
The Balls also post the second highest power lineup in the league, with a healthy rating of 93. The main sources of power are clearly Pearson and Castle. In the black bat era, both guys have posted at least 10 HR’s, 30 RBI’s and a .550 SLG%. To round out the lineup, 2014 Most Improved Player Mark Phillips added 5 HR’s last year, and Paquin has been a beast in the box so far this preseason. The Balls contact, however, comes in the middle of pack with a rating of 80 and rightfully so. Pearson has always been known for power, but usually only posts a slightly above average batting average. He’s not alone though. While the Balls lineup is no slouch, it is comprised mostly of big swings with little in the form of consistent ballsin play.
In the pitching department, the Balls again find themselves above average. The rotation of Paquin and Castle comes in with a rating of 84, good enough to be tied for third in the league. Paquin was extremely solid on the mound last year. With a 1.01 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP, Paquin again earned himself a spot in the All-Star Game. Castle, however, has been more inconsistent. Castle shutout the Squirrels, Aces, and El Diablos twice last year, but also let up 10 and 12 runs to the Warriors and Wiffles. The two combined make a very formidable rotation. The bullpen, however, is a bit weaker. Only Phillips and Pearson have pitching experience and neither had an ERA below 6.00 last year. However, Phillips pitches to contact and, with the good fielding of this squad, may be good enough to keep them in games if he has to pitch.
Overall, combining exceptional fielding, with good power hitting and a solid pitching arsenal, the Holy Balls have an overall rating of 87, which is tied for second best in the league. I expect the Balls to have a good rebound year from the underwhelming 2014 campaign, which will include another trip to the playoffs.
