The Patriots have completed two winning regular seasons however with not much success in the post season. In 2004 the Pats were winners of the Aaron Division with a record of 104-58. The Pats had high hopes in the post season only to be dashed quickly by Daniel’s Diamonds.
In the off season, several players had disappointing tv ball seasons and the Pats were not big spenders in free agency. To top it off, most draft picks were traded to compete last season. It seemed that the Pats would not be as competitive in 2005 as in their first two seasons of BW.
Somehow, with a few key trades, the Pats appear to be back in the race and look forward to our third season. In a previous article, we displayed an EXCEL spreadsheet of relative team strengths of the National League, and the Pats were estimated for 3rd place that would put them in the wildcard race of the NL with quite a few other teams.
Here is how we look for 2005:
Once again as in previous seasons, the Pats strength is their starting pitching:
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The Pats bullpen appears to be fair to average and will rely upon sound bullpen management to succeed:
|
Throws |
Age |
IP |
Whip |
|
|
|
|
|
Todd Jones |
R |
36 |
82 |
1.42 |
Jorge Julio |
R |
25 |
69 |
1.42 |
Ron Mahay |
L |
33 |
67 |
1.33 |
Gabe White |
L |
33 |
59 |
1.41 |
Danny
Kolb |
R |
29 |
57 |
1.13 |
John Franco |
L |
44 |
46 |
1.51 |
Brooks Kieschnick |
R |
32 |
43 |
1.33 |
Javier Lopez |
L |
28 |
40 |
1.75 |
Grant Balfour |
R |
26 |
37 |
1.41 |
Al Reyes |
R |
34 |
12 |
0.42 |
The Patriots catchers look very good with Posada playing almost full-time:
Catchers |
Bats |
Age |
Games |
PA |
Jorge
Posada |
S |
33 |
137 |
537 |
Kelly
Stinnett |
R |
35 |
20 |
64 |
Our infield is good offensively but lacks defense ratings all around:
Infielders |
Bats |
Age |
Games |
PA |
Melvin
Mora |
R |
33 |
140 |
610 |
Edgar
Martinez |
R |
41 |
141 |
544 |
Carlos
Delgado |
L |
32 |
128 |
527 |
Jose Valentin |
L |
35 |
125 |
493 |
Alex Cora |
L |
29 |
138 |
452 |
Nomar Garciaparra |
R |
31 |
81 |
345 |
Mark Grudzielanek |
R |
34 |
81 |
272 |
Bobby
Hill |
S |
27 |
126 |
253 |
Willie Bloomquist |
R |
27 |
93 |
198 |
Augie Ojeda |
S |
31 |
30 |
69 |
Wilson Betemit |
S |
23 |
22 |
51 |
The Outfield is not as strong as other teams but has some nice platoon options:
Outfielders |
Bats |
Age |
Games |
PA |
Brian
Giles |
L |
34 |
159 |
698 |
Milton
Bradley |
S |
27 |
141 |
587 |
Jason
Michaels |
R |
28 |
115 |
341 |
Daryle Ward |
L |
30 |
79 |
315 |
Rickey Ledee |
L |
31 |
104 |
203 |
|
R |
28 |
107 |
152 |
Kerry
Robinson |
L |
31 |
80 |
97 |
Brooks Kieshnick |
L |
|
|
68 |
Jason
Conti |
L |
30 |
22 |
60 |
Tony
Alvarez |
R |
25 |
24 |
42 |
Overall, Pats management is hoping for a good season and just maybe with a little luck advancement in the post season.