PLAAY Ball! 2023 Baseball America Preview
On our 01.26.23 PLAAY Space “Baseball America Training Camp Tour” YouTube stream (6pm MST, 8pm EST), we put all twelve Baseball America teams in action, playing a series of six five-inning exhibition games with HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL “Express.” We used the “deluxe” version of the card set, with team identities established for last year’s commemorative 10th Anniversary card set. The matchups were (in this order): New England vs. St. Louis, Chicago vs. Nashville, Vancouver vs. Montreal, Buffalo vs. Charlotte, San Antonio vs. Las Vegas and Milwaukee vs. New York.
If you missed the live stream, you can check out the full archived video above!
Additionally, here’s a "Cliff's Notes" summary for each team as they look ahead to the 2023 season…
Team 1 • New England Minutemen : Once again this established club enters the new season with a relatively stable roster, at least in the field. Expect another MVP-caliber season from 1B Kirby Yong. The starting pitching rotation adds established vet Sonny Haskins. The bullpen's been shaken-up, with only three holdovers from 2022. 2023 Outlook: This will again be a contending club, but maybe not strong enough to win it all.
Team 2 • Milwaukee Barrelmen: Future HOF'er 1B Josh Bell was signed in an effort to put this club over the top. SS Kogi Hirota was also signed as a free agent, he'll play 2B, last year's 2B Rosendo Pantoja moves to the outfield. Other newcomers of note include Justin Antonelli and Frankie Lopes. Newly-acquired SPs Xavier Colon and C. J. Shockey give the starting rotation a nice boost. 2023 Outlook: Going for all the marbles here.
Team 3 • Nashville High Notes: Many holdovers from last year's bottom-division club, this club's hoping to get some early-season momentum that might propel it into the playoff mix. Led by youngsters 1B Mark Abeyta and 3B Pat Mattice and veteran SS Pauli Pauxtis, with Jose Davalos the ace of the pitching staff (as well as one of the club's top power hitters). Top acquisitions are IF Eusebio Felix and RP Truman Kenoyer. 44 year-old UT Roone Ferguson was coaxed out of retirement to serve as player/coach. 2023 Outlook: Middle of the pack, perhaps better.
Team 4 • St. Louis Showboats: A nucleus of solid talent returns, including one of the top power-hitting infields in baseball: 1B Shaun Scalzi, 2B Nick Griffis, and 3B Manny Infante. Those three will generate a lot of runs between them. There's speed and production in the outfield, led by Kris Markert and Horace Runyon. The starting pitching rotation leads off with Cody Brekke and was bolstered with FA pickups SP Wildredo Dzialo and Ramon Vergara. Rookie C Webster Reynolds will compete for game time with journeyman Santos Uraneta. 2023 Outlook: an upper division club, with an outside shot at the pennant.
Team 5 • Charlotte Challengers: The club signed 1B Steve Farone, OFs L. J. Cron and Greg Dhaliwal to add some power and pizazz to the roster. Jonathan Bales goes to C full-time, backing up Waylon Wesolowski. Two hot-shot rookies. This will be a big-hitting club! Pitching suspect: Felix Biancalana brought in with hopes he's got gas left in the tank. Rodrigo Garcia spent last year bouncing between BA and the minors. WHo's heard of Tim Heard? Pitching could hold this club back. 2023 Outlook: Middle of the pack.
Team 6 • Las Vegas Big Shots: Demetrius Farro brought in as free agent, he'll move to the outfield (career 3B). Rocky Oberbeck takes over at 2B, Bruce Entrekin moves to the outfield. Florencia Tijerina picked up from the waiver wire, pencilled in at SS. Career minor-leaguer Nick Hediger re-appears after a five-year absence. Feels like re-arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. Pitching staff is a hodge-podge, once-dominant RP Chick Schramm was signed in hopes of regaining former glory, at age 37. All-Star 3B Shayne Sasser wants out. 2023 Outlook: not good.
Team 7 • Vancouver Voyageurs: A major shake-up of last year's .500 club, now sporting an entirely new infield: 1B Treu Jones, 2B Travis Harvey, 3B Billy Bechtel (moves in from OF). Well-regarded SP Jeff Stillings was the major signing to shore up the pitching staff, SP Felipe Soto has looked fantastic in training camp. Josiah Robinette moves to the bullpen. These moves could pay off, if chemistry develops quickly. 2023 Outlook: Upper division club with contender status.
Team 8 • Montreal Royal Blues: Uh Oh. Aside from up-and-coming power-hitting superstar 1B Luke Howard, this roster is loaded with no-names. The club tried to sign Manny Fassero, but was spurned--he signed with team 9 instead. Rookie OF Daulton Owings could put some fans in the stands. 2023 Outlook: The potential is here for an historically bad season.
Team 9 • San Antonio Six-Guns: Big re-build, with free-agent splash. Signing on the dotted line are all-stars 2B Manny Fassero (Dave Wedge moves to 3B) and C Kory Shorter. OF's Marcel Junior and Sylvester Shade were also acquired, both emerging stars. OF Kyle Drees signed for veteran presence. SP's Trini Pimentel, Greg Goolsby added to the pitching staff, Julio Jose to bullpen. Wow. 2023 Outlook: Should be instant pennant chasing happening here.
Team 10 • New York Skyliners: SS Gavin Fontenot signs with the club after eight seasons with team 6, SP Francisco Torrez joins a capable starting rotation, RP Tracy Ready signed to buttress already-solid bullpen. Highly-touted UT rookie Nick Toussaint could be plugged in anywhere. With holdover youngsters 1B Bobby Brzowski, 2B Glenn McGoldrick and 3B Ronnie Cyr, this club hopes to make another run at the pennant with a mostly stable roster.
Team 11 • Buffalo Bees: An unsettled mix of unproven youngsters (1B Dylan Hutto, OF Seth Ranieri, SP Arturo Galvez, etc.) and past-prime veterans (OF Lamont Clark, SP DeShaun Johnson). Top-tier pitching was purchased in 2022 when Steve Show signed a multi-year deal, but this club has failed to give him with much help. 2023 Outlook: Likely bottom half of the standings...maybe bottom quarter.
Team 12 • Chicago Brawlers: Signed decorated bullpen star Park Sun Yang to big contract, the rest of the holes in the lineup were filled by journeymen/cheaper talent (UTs Antonio Hodo and Cesar Trevino, SP Ross Barragan, etc.). A very YOUNG club, half the roster has three years experience or less and there are three rookies on the pitching staff (SP J.B. Weems, S/RP Jordan Waddell, RP Neftali Cessa). 2023 Outlook: Uncertain. If the youth movement gels, then good things could be on the horizon.
Free Agents: A collection of unknown rookies and unwanted veterans. The latter category includes former stars 1B Tod Sargent, 3B Ricky Roynell, OF Vince Hairston, OF Mike Kettle, SP Paul Fiala, and RP Todd "The Heat Seeker" Hampa. New names include IF's Sybbie Schwendel and Chris Stock, UT players Adrian Rosscup and Ricardo Rivas, and there's intriguing SP potential in Ross de Gaas and Vance Varsho. A key addition from this group can often make a noticeable impact on a team's season.