2017 Predicted Order of Finish
4. Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 50-112
Key Losses: SP Masahiro Tanaka, SP Jered Weaver, C Wilson Ramos, LF Josh Hamilton
Key Additions: 3B Brandon Drury, RF Tyler Austin
Prospect to Watch: SP Anthony Molina
Outlook:
With the team moving from Akron and hiring a new GM, the new fan base in Mahoning Valley undoubtedly is excited for the future. Unfortunately, this season looks like it will be a rough one for the Scrappers.
The team wasn’t competitive at all last season, and somehow managed to get worse this off-season. The new front office appears to be building the team through player development, as most of their signings were minor league deals with young prospects. The goal, or at least the resulting outcome of favoring minor league teams over the big league team, very clearly was to be as bad as possible during the rebuild, ensuring a high draft pick to give the core prospects a superstar to build around.
Losing Tanaka and Weaver leaves gaping holes throughout the rotation, and while Ramos and Hamilton weren’t anything special, they were decent players. Hamilton’s production will likely be replaced by free agent signee Tyler Austin, but the team failed to add any starting pitching.
Anthony Molina does bring hope to the franchise, though. The #2 overall pick looks to be a future ace, and scouts expect him to fly through the minors. He’s one of the most advanced high school pitching prospects in years, and he’s a player to keep an eye on as the season goes on. A late September call-up is at least possible.