2007 Team by Team Preview - Rhinos

The Rhinos

Starting Pitching:
Schmidt, Escobar, Sabathia, Burnett, Sheets - all solid, above-average starters. As deep a rotation as any team in the league.

Bullpen:
Billy Wagner - although Wags is outstanding, he's pretty much the only one worthy of mention.

Catcher:
Y.Molina and Olivo - both are good throwing catchers with virtually no offense.

Infield:
Shealy (1b-3) - not bad vs rhp - but not that good either; terrible vs lhp; only 200 AB
Casey (1b-3) - lacks power and onbase; under 400 AB
Ellis (2b-2, 1b-4) - he can hit lefties a little; but that's about it
Polanco (2b-2) - his OPS is around 700 on both sides - not good; and he only plays 2b this year.
M.Young (ss-3) - although he dropped off in batting average, homers, and walks... he's still pretty good; still a 3, but his errors were down; he had dh'd the last couple of years for the Rhinos so ARod could play short, but he should be the guy out there this year.
H.Ramirez (ss-3) - the newest addition to the Rhinos, the guy can hit and run; he'll be a major part of this lineup - but probably at dh as he had a ton of errors at ss (his only position)
A.Rod (3b-3) - not only did ARod stop making guest appearances at ss, but he also apparently stopped caring about third base; he can still hit, though; he is the best Rhino hitter

Outfield:
Monroe (lf-3) - good power, but very low onbase - especially vs rhp
Rios (lf-2, cf-3) - nice balance; apparently will have to play center - depending on what the Rhinos add in the draft.
Abreu (rf-3) - the "Little Donkey Man" stopped taking the steroids, I guess; but his onbase is excellent and he's balanced.
Langerhans is a nice utility outfielder with a decent bat
B.Johnson isn't as good a fielder as Langerhans but can hit lefties
Wilkerson might still make the team, but he had a really bad year

Designated Hitter:
It almost has to be Hanley Ramirez, who will have a significantly higher e-rating than Young.

Uncarded Guys:
Travis Bowyer - still considered the Marlins' closer of the future, but had shoulder surgery and will not contribute in 2007.
Kerry Wood - I'm not positive he is uncarded, but he threw only 19 innings last year

Draft Status:
The Rhinos pick 7th and have all of their own picks with no extras. One of the few teams that won't have to mess around with drafting starting pitching, but he needs a bullpen and has some holes in his lineup.

Outlook:
The Rhinos have a few quality pieces (the rotation, Wags, the top of the order: Ramirez, Rios, Abreu, ARod, Young) but not much else. Unless they have a great draft, they'll finish 4th in the BUD this year and out of the playoffs. The good news for the Rhino faithful, the holes that need filling - 1b, lf (or cf with Rios moved over), and bullpen - are in abundance in the draft.

Next up: the Stanley Sidewinders