Hold My Log - 55.16 - Here We Go Again!
Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2023 9:11 am
It appears the Portland Lumberjacks are on the verge of what many hoped, and the front office promised, would never happen.... It's a rebuild!
Portland has never gone through a rebuilding process. Sure, the franchise came into existence in 2040 and had to "build" it's way up to relevance. And they did. General Manager Chris Wilson, along with the aid of assistant GM Kate Fiscus, took 8 agonizing seasons to build Portland into a contender. Eight straight losing seasons, compiled with some great draft picks mainly in the form of pitchers, finally led to a winning campaign in 2048 which then turned into 4 post-season spots and 2 Frick League pennants. But that seems so distant now.
Last season, Portland suffered it's first losing season in 7 seasons and 2055 is already in full motion to be another losing run. Today, the club announced it was trading yet another fan favorite piece by sending Pedro Guzman packing to Jacksonville for some spare change and parts. Guzman was last year's top bat and now makes 3 high profile parts gone this season alone.
So what happened in Portland?
Many would say GM Chris Wilson, along with his voluptuous side kick, fell into the same trap that doomed them late during their run with Madison. Wilson hung on to parts too long (in this case his pitching staff) and fell in love with the sparkly, high priced free agent. Over spending on the likes of Guzman and Bustamante, guys who are limited in their provided skill sets, wreaked of the doomed re-signings and overspending on the likes of Jon Mick and Steve Dempsey that Wilson pulled off in Madison. Some would counter "Well it worked when Wilson signed Ernest McBride! Why wouldn't it work with Guzman and Bustamante?" Perhaps that's a valid point. But aging veterans like Guzman and Bustamante typically fair more like Mick than they do McBride. It's not a good move and one that goes strongly against the highly touted "Master Plan" Wilson and his staff pushed for years.
One could also counter that it wasn't Wilson and his staff's fault at all. Wilson built Portland on the foundation of a strong pitching staff. One that he thought could keep the Lumberjacks in contention for a decade. One that, to Wilson's credit, was built and signed on to do just that. But the arms faltered quicker than anyone projected. Ken Sparks, at just age 29, is a shell of his former self. Gone is the guy who many thought would win 20-games in the league and has been replaced by a guy who is pushing a 20-loss season. Vidaca opted out of a highly lucrative deal to pitch elsewhere for less money. Warren faded faster than most assumed he would and Chris Thompson, who was still going strong, was a casualty of last year and the start of this year and was sent off to begin the rebuilding process. That staff should have had 3-4 more years in them. But they didn't.
So here we are. Portland is currently fielding a team that mirrors the one of 2040. A collection of fan favorite veterans that'll get butts in the seats and a few overpriced veterans no one wants. The organization has few marquee prospects (only 2 rank in the top 100) and the future looks about as dim as the present. The roster currently has 8 guys with negative WARs and at 34-52 overall is currently in last place in the Pacific and just 2.5 games ahead of Atlantic City for the BBA's worst record.
Ladies and gentlemen, the dark days are here. And they're here to stay for a while.
But we've seen Wilson (and Fiscus) build this team up once before. Let's see if they can do it again. It'll take a plan. Some might say, it'll take a Master Plan!
Portland has never gone through a rebuilding process. Sure, the franchise came into existence in 2040 and had to "build" it's way up to relevance. And they did. General Manager Chris Wilson, along with the aid of assistant GM Kate Fiscus, took 8 agonizing seasons to build Portland into a contender. Eight straight losing seasons, compiled with some great draft picks mainly in the form of pitchers, finally led to a winning campaign in 2048 which then turned into 4 post-season spots and 2 Frick League pennants. But that seems so distant now.
Last season, Portland suffered it's first losing season in 7 seasons and 2055 is already in full motion to be another losing run. Today, the club announced it was trading yet another fan favorite piece by sending Pedro Guzman packing to Jacksonville for some spare change and parts. Guzman was last year's top bat and now makes 3 high profile parts gone this season alone.
So what happened in Portland?
Many would say GM Chris Wilson, along with his voluptuous side kick, fell into the same trap that doomed them late during their run with Madison. Wilson hung on to parts too long (in this case his pitching staff) and fell in love with the sparkly, high priced free agent. Over spending on the likes of Guzman and Bustamante, guys who are limited in their provided skill sets, wreaked of the doomed re-signings and overspending on the likes of Jon Mick and Steve Dempsey that Wilson pulled off in Madison. Some would counter "Well it worked when Wilson signed Ernest McBride! Why wouldn't it work with Guzman and Bustamante?" Perhaps that's a valid point. But aging veterans like Guzman and Bustamante typically fair more like Mick than they do McBride. It's not a good move and one that goes strongly against the highly touted "Master Plan" Wilson and his staff pushed for years.
One could also counter that it wasn't Wilson and his staff's fault at all. Wilson built Portland on the foundation of a strong pitching staff. One that he thought could keep the Lumberjacks in contention for a decade. One that, to Wilson's credit, was built and signed on to do just that. But the arms faltered quicker than anyone projected. Ken Sparks, at just age 29, is a shell of his former self. Gone is the guy who many thought would win 20-games in the league and has been replaced by a guy who is pushing a 20-loss season. Vidaca opted out of a highly lucrative deal to pitch elsewhere for less money. Warren faded faster than most assumed he would and Chris Thompson, who was still going strong, was a casualty of last year and the start of this year and was sent off to begin the rebuilding process. That staff should have had 3-4 more years in them. But they didn't.
So here we are. Portland is currently fielding a team that mirrors the one of 2040. A collection of fan favorite veterans that'll get butts in the seats and a few overpriced veterans no one wants. The organization has few marquee prospects (only 2 rank in the top 100) and the future looks about as dim as the present. The roster currently has 8 guys with negative WARs and at 34-52 overall is currently in last place in the Pacific and just 2.5 games ahead of Atlantic City for the BBA's worst record.
Ladies and gentlemen, the dark days are here. And they're here to stay for a while.
But we've seen Wilson (and Fiscus) build this team up once before. Let's see if they can do it again. It'll take a plan. Some might say, it'll take a Master Plan!