Season Preview: Ireland Invaders

2017 Record: 80-80, last in Euro
Key Losses: SP Tadeshi Kawabata, RF Austin Kearns, P Chien-Ming Wang, P Brian Lawrence, RP Julio Mateo
Key Additions: Travis Blackley
2018 Prediction: 77-83

Mediocre on the field, the Invaders were punished severely. Taking a cap hit for .500 ball despite improving by 10 games, the Invaders are sitting at 60M for the 2018 season. That doesn't leave Ireland much room for error. Homegrown talent is going to have to improve last season's disappointing offense (14th in runs scored, 9th in HR) while ace CC Sabathia will be carrying the load once again for the pitching staff. Last season, Sabathia finished with a 3.42 ERA while being a workhorse at 234 IP. Fellow 36 year-old Josh Beckett returns and will have to better his 4.53 ERA. With the departure of Tadeshi Kawabata, will Ireland have the arms to improve the team ERA of 4.65? That puts them right at the middle of the pack again, and mediocrity on either side of the ball is going to get you hurt in the Euro.

So Kawabata leaves, and who does GM Tony Blake spend his dollars (excuse me, pennies) on? Pitchers Travis Blackley and John Lackey (uh oh) and 3B Barry Rosen (who the heck is Barry Rosen? I hear you asking.) When Beckett and Sabathia eat up 30.25M of a possible 60M payroll, your options are limited. Lackey won't even make the team and Blackley will be showing off his career 5.49 ERA in long relief. But the upside is that by 6 straight seasons of finishing last or 3rd, the Invaders have some serious young talent to put on the field. They'll need to step up now or Blake won't be able to afford them in a few years.

Batting Order
CF Andre Howard
SS Whammy May
RF Jerry "Turtle" Ferrara
C Al Murphy
LF Ad Collins
1B Nicholas Weglarz
2B Geoff Orr
3B Sean Burroughs
pitcher

That's against RHP, which means Boog Johnson is sitting most of the time. Is that a good use of your resources? Holy cow! Weglarz can hit too but with GM Blake also training yet another stud, C Jack Berry to play 1B, does this mean Johnson is trade bait? And catcher Earl Hickey doesn't get a sniff of playing time? Ohmigosh. With a boatload of talent at C/1B, some weaker spots on this squad have to be shored up, no? (Outfield, I'm looking at you. Marcus Giles and Geoff Orr, you too. Bullpen, I'd be renting if I were you. Like anyone trusts Orber Moreno's 3.61 ERA last year, as if.) Hickey, Murphy, Johnson, Weglarz, Collins, Howard and Ferrara are all 26 or younger, and Jack Berry looks ready. Ireland seems to have an unbalanced box of talent, something Blake will have to rectify to compete in the Euro.

Pitching Rotation: CC Sabathia, Josh Beckett, Bobby Brownlie, Steve Earle, Al Snodgrass
Closer: Orber Moreno

Rookies Steve Earle (2nd round, 2015) and Al Snodgrass (3rd overall in 2016) will get an opportunity after having great springs. Yoshi Sasaki, a 2nd rounder in 2015, got beat around in spring training and will start for Aussie but is knocking at the door. Brownlie and Beckett have to get those ERA's under 4 to earn their paycheques and keep the dreadful bullpen off the field. Moreno shocked everyone in the league with his 3.61 ERA which is well above his career 5.19 total.

Predicting the season mark for Ireland this season is difficult. It depends on GM Tony Blake pulling the trigger on some trades and shipping out a great young player or two, and if Beckett and Brownlie show that last year was a hiccup and not a sign of old age. If everything goes right, anywhere up to 2nd place is possible. The Euro isn't easy so Blake will have to be on his toes.