With new ownership in place the Illinois Piasi are excited to get into the 2015 season. With several players returning from injury the team is poised to make a run at the division title.
Jim Sackett, Greg Hammond, and Jose Gonzales are psyched to be off the DL and ready to play 140+ games this year, providing power, speed and creating depth to a team that finished the 2014 season with a few 37 year old guys, in the twilight of the careers, getting far too much playing time.
New Faces
Pitcher Greg Teal, fresh off a 16-3 campaign in AAA should compete for a starters role this season and the club is anxious to see what Mike Wood, a 21 year old shortstop, can do. SS is not a position of need, so the club expects Wood to continue to develop in AAA this year, but a strong spring training result may force the club's hand earlier than expected.
Big Questions
1) Can 37 year old 2B Artie White repeat his massive 2014 season, when he hit 28 bombs and drove in 99 runs?
2) Can LF/1B Clarence Thomas stay healthy for more than 125 games and challenge for the HR title?
3) Will P Doug Wallace get some breaks and better his 8-16 record? His metrics were off the charts but for whatever reason he couldn't get wins in 2014.
4) What of the outfield situation? With 5 guys who deserve regular PT how will it play out?
5) Will the Canadian owner be biased towards players from the north?
6) Will the new owners be aggressive in trades and change the look of the team?
Plenty of questions and excitement leading into the 2015 season, let's get it underway and see how the Piasi fare...
