After loosing in final, the Jokers made a big trade with Seattle to obtain Bob Rudyard. The GM wanted to upgrade the team and starting pitching was the biggest problem. So everyone in Vegas wished, at that time, another trip to the final with the goal of winning in mind. That's not the way the season goes. The Jokers finished last...LAST!!!! in their division. It's clear that fans, players and the owner, mister Angelil, are very upset about the way the team played and the GM will have pressure to put the team back on track quickly! Let's look what went wrong.
Pitching
 |
Will Bob Magee improve
in 2014? |
Starting pitching was supposed to be better but the team finished 9 in ERA in the Thurman Munson League. If you think that the rotation is lead by Maurice Gould, the best pitcher in the game, that let you figure how bad were the others. Bob Magee and Christian Clark are young, but these two saw their performance going down in their sophomore year. Magee had an ERA over 5.50, a climb of one point and was very inconstant all year long. He still manage to win 11 games and realise one of two gems but he was clearly a deception. Clark didn't showed any improvement and with an ERA over 5.5 too, they put a lot of pressure on offense to win games. Ryan Owens was the only other starter with an ERA under 5.00 with 4.98. He got a .500 record and may grab a spot in the rotation at back-end starter. Tom Wagner was lucky to win 11 wins with a skyrocket ERA of 5.72, the worst of all starter in the team. It's clear that the Jokers will need to improve that aspect with a solid number 2 and hope that Magee and Clark show sign of improvement next year. If not, Maurice Gould could be on the trading block and serve as a trade bait to rebuild completely the team.
Relief
 |
Will Rich Barrett will become
a starter? |
The relief wasn't the strenght of the team in 2012 but become a major problem in 2013 when we saw the team finish 11 in the TM league on the ERA. Of course, the fact that Rich Barrett and Nick Fox have been injured didn't help but we clearly saw a group that didn't hold any lead and loose many games. Barrett is still an elite reliever but some say that GM Neveu want to see if he can be a solution in the rotation. The question is not the ability but the durability. Barrett made 2 long stay on injury list and that let all the organisation in jeopardy about his recovery. Nick Fox did a good job and will need help if he want to anchor the bullpen. Ernie Kuhn did a nice job in middle relief and will return in 2014. Ray Brady, a young gun obtain in Bob Rudyard trade, was a big deception. His ERA was over 6 and he allowed runs in most of his presence. Of course, the team will be patient with him but he need to improve... and quickly! After that, a bunch of mopop reliever with Marquez, Garcia and Morris. Morris will not be back and the others will probably return in AAA. So that left one big hole if Barrett return in the bullpen or two if he's not!
Offense
 |
Will Thornton continue
is good work? |
The offense still manage to score 809 runs for the third place in TM league. That was not bad but not as good as last year and clearly not enough to overcome the weakness in pitching. But in that area, many players did very well in 2013. First the catcher Phillip Smith hit .299 with 21HR and 88RBI, that a very good improvement. He's now one of the best at his position at only 25. He's an asset that we can build around. At first base, Vic Jenning was traded to obtain a top prospect so right now, we don't have a regular here. Kevin Carey finished the season at this position but he's clearly near the end. All of his stat are down and defensively, he can't played in infield and need to return DH or elsewhere. So that's an indication that Ray Stevens will not be back. He still have power (15HR in a limited role) but the team can't have 2 DH on the lineup. At 2B, Jose Ortiz is correct. We can count on him to hit near .250 and hit a douzen of HR. Clearly, he's a bottom of the lineup hitter and play well his position. Erik Bennett was a pleasant surprise at SS. He improved his batting average from .262 to .313 and manage to produce 72 HBI, even if he hit number 2 or 8 in the lineup. His fielding is decent so the SS is in good hand. The 3B was givin to Lou Gibson after the horrible defensive start of Kevin Carey. Gibson hit 19HR and produce 69HBI but he's not very good in fielding, so he may be the 3B until Veton Zhugli fully develop. But what will happen in 2014? nobody knows it for sure but it seems reasonable to assume that Zhugli will start in AAA.
On the outfield, Troy Tracy had another very good year. Hitting .332 with 20HR and 82RBI (for a leadoff) was excellent. He field well his position so he's one of the bright spot in Vegas lineup. In centerfield, Gordon Thornton was a very good acquisition, even with his monstruous salary. He hit .332 in his Vegas stay with 15HR and finished the year with more then 110 RBI. So if he produce like this in 2014, the manager will smile again and forget more easily Bob Rudyard. Finally, in right field, Colin St.John. The best hitter for Vegas stayed most of the year off the feld with a concussion. Now he's fully recover and hope to make a big impact in 2014 and he may be the spark Vegas need to be back in playoff in 2014. But if everything turn ugly, will he pack his thing to another city? It would be interesting to see... so it seem that the beginning of 2014 will be crucial for the GM to decide if Vegas can be back as a contender quickly or will start a long rebuilding process.
Prospect
 |
Brent Welch, a dominant
SP in Victoria |
Finally, some young guns develop their skills in minor system. Of course, the team have high hope for Veton Zhugli and Alfredo Villalobos, two players acquired in trade last year. But we need to keep an eye on Brent Welch who did great in A with 16-6 and a ERA of 2.45
