Every Team’s 2031 Underachievers

Every front office has statistical expectations for each player on their team, and there’s no better feeling than a player exceeding them. Unfortunately for everyone, some players miss the mark. This article aims to single out the biggest hitting underachiever on every CBA team during the 2031 season. Written by Addison Del Hoyo, Scouting Director.

 

Methodology

 

        I used our trademarked “MonStar” database to analyze players’ ratings against historical stats to rate them on the typical 20-80 scale, and then compared those values to wRC+ data from the 2031 season. Admittedly, this probably isn’t the most mathematically thorough way to analyze these underachievers, but I think it yielded very solid results. 150 PA to qualify for this article.

 

Premier League

 

Bay Area Pandas- Mike Todoroff (12th most disappointing in PL)

 

        Weird to single out Bay Area’s best player as its’ most disappointing, but Todoroff ranked as the 12th most disappointing in the PL. This is because while over in Great Lakes front office we have Todoroff rated as the 22nd best player, his 104 wRC+ rated only 52nd amongst qualifiers.

 

Cincinnati Royals- Eduardo Molnes (25th most disappointing in PL)

 

        I had to scroll a long way down to find an underwhelming Royals’ hitter. Molnes, who is our 61st best player by hitting ratings, posted an 88 wRC+ which placed 74th in the PL. Wouldn’t worry too much about this kid, as he’s still at a very ripe age.

 

D.C. Eagles- Rich Stone (1st most disappointing in PL)

 

        Don’t have to go into specifics here because our system has him embarrassingly high. Stone flat out sucked, which is a bad sign because he’s relatively polished. This should only hamper long term expectations a tad.

 

Denver Wolves- Greg Pacheco (4th most disappointing in PL)

 

        My PL scouts tell me Pacheco can hit. To which I reply, “If he’s a good hitter why isn’t he hitting good?” For a designated hitter, Pacheco sure couldn’t hit this year.

 

Detroit Motors- Paul Rudin (13th most disappointing in PL)

 

        This shows a clear fault in putting too much stock in this methodology. Rudin is a very good player who had a solid season at the plate. The MonStar system simply loves Rudin and expects elite performance that has yet to arrive.

 

Florida Giants- Abel Kennedy (18th most disappointing in PL)

 

        Much like Rudin, it’s not that Kennedy was very bad, just that he fell short of lofty expectations. He did have a decline in most statistics though. It might be a long contract for the Giants.

 

Indianapolis Hawks- Tom Bridges (5th most disappointing in PL)

 

        Bridges actually hit better in year two of as a Hawk, but still fell short of his capabilities. He’s a former SL platinum stick winner, so that should’ve translated to at least above average in the PL.

 

Miami Warriors- Omar Costa (9th most disappointing in PL)

 

        Again, still a good guy to have in the potent Miami offense, but not Costa’s best year. A sizable drop off in BB% is likely the reason for worse rate based statistics.

 

Sacramento Golden Bears- Mario Gonzalez (3rd most disappointing in PL)

 

        The good news is that Gonzalez is still a young cub at 24, but we think he’s pretty much fully polished at this point. Next season will be very important for his career trajectory.

 

San Diego Skylarks- Manny Quiroz (2nd most disappointing in PL)

 

        The former 1st round pick and coveted prospect has really struggled to establish himself as a major leaguer. He crushed Bronze League pitchers as a rookie but hasn’t been able to adjust as he’s climbed the ladder. Possibly a breakout candidate for 2032.

 

Silver League

 

Arizona Thunderbirds- Jason Akin/Rodolfo Rivera (TIE!!! 4th most disappointing in SL)

 

        Well this is cool, but probably not for Thunderbirds fans. Two key young players for the franchise both couldn’t hit a lick this season for the Birds. They have lots of potential according to our scouts, which is why we were so surprised they were hitting so poorly.

 

Atlanta Swarm- Justin Haddad (21st most disappointing in SL)

 

        We expected more from the former second round pick in his sophomore season, but all things considered not too bad. Swarm hitters mostly exceeded our scouts’ expectations this season.

 

Austin Outlaws- Joe Ferguson (27th most disappointing in SL)

 

        Austin is another team with limited disappointment offensively, so this feels like a bit of a reach. Ferguson has a great glove, but underperformed our expectations a tad bit this season.

 

Boston Rogers- Bobby Brown (26th most disappointing in SL)

 

        Very solid season for Brown and most of the Rogers lineup. That being said, Brown should take a big step towards fulfilling elite expectations next season.

 

Carolina Aces- Chris Kason (8th most disappointing in SL)

 

        Yikes. Although he’s a utility guy, a .213/.286/.281 slashline hurts my eyes. He’s old too so don’t expect to see him ever “disappoint” us again.

 

Chicago Gale- Miguel Montano (2nd most disappointing in SL)

 

        We should’ve tempered expectations a bit on this kid’s second season. The highly touted young catcher sucked at the plate this season, striking out 32.4% of his at bats. We like his chances to improve next season.

 

Midwest Plainsmen- Sam Williams (9th most disappointing in SL)

 

        The 2028 first round pick has yet to live up to expectations. Our scouts like him on the eye test, but on the stats sheet he’s a mess.

 

Oklahoma Mammoths- Devon Dombrowski (11th most disappointing in SL)

 

        Look, we’re not saying we wouldn’t like to have Dombrowski. He’s great behind

the plate and in the clubhouse. He just needs to get to the next level as a hitter, which we think he is more than capable of.

 

Seattle Titans- Matt Laferty (1st most disappointing in SL)

 

        Man, do they need Laferty to opt out. He was not only disappointing, the former Plainsmen legend was flat out horrible. The Seattle front office shouldn’t have brought him with them in the move from St. Louis.

 

Wichita Weasels- Curtis Estes (6th most disappointing in SL)

 

        The former 5th overall pick has really struggled in a small sample size. In what should be the prime of his career, Estes slashed .184/.236/.319. Not good at all.

 

Bronze League

 

Brooklyn Bulldogs- Mike Mansfield (3rd most disappointing in BL)

 

        Ah the enigma that is Mike Mansfield. Maybe someday he’ll realize his potential, but he’s a good bet to be on this list again in 2032.

 

Great Lake Monsters- Christian Poss (2nd most disappointing in BL)

 

        no comment 🙁

 

Formerly Hershey Chocolate Kings- Andy Popour (38th most disappointing in BL)

 

        This team was full of overachievers. Popour is simply an achiever, so he gets the title of most underwhelming chocolate king.

 

Houston Moondogs- Alex Marquez (4th most disappointing in BL)

 

        Marquez hasn’t really reached the level we thought he could when we heard Houston selected him in the New Year’s day draft from D.C.

 

Iowa Predators- Ray Nichols (MOST disappointing in BL)

 

I would say this is payback directed at Knox for winning the Bronze League title, but it’s really just our mathematically based system. We thought Nichols could be special coming out of the draft, but he hasn’t done anything to show that he’s capable of holding down a spot in the lineup.

 

Los Angeles Chilis- Andre Smith (31st most disappointing in BL)

 

        Not really that many let downs from the Chilis offense, as we saw in our own stadium in the promotional series. Smith could hit a little bit better according to our scouts.

 

Mexico City Chupacabras- Andy Mobley (5th most disappointing in BL)

 

        An insider in the Mexico City organization said: “I mean, being paid 17.5 mil, coming off of .277/.357/.457 (even if it was just 49 games) and two years ago slashing .286/.375/.434 in a full season the the PL to slashing .223/.301/.360 and being a negative WAR player. I just did the work for you lol”

 

New York Roar- Jason Forrester (15th most disappointing in BL)

 

        We love Forrester’s hit tool and his ability to avoid strikeouts. We thought he’d be more prepared for his rookie season, especially after hitting .346 at the reserves level the year before.

 

Philadelphia Liberty- Bobby Arnold (14th most disappointing in BL)

 

        Only a tick above average doesn’t cut it for someone as talented as Arnold. Our system has him as the 15th best hitter in the Bronze League ratings wise.

 

Salt Lake City Snappers- Tony Lara (23rd most disappointing in BL)

 

The pending free agent has clearly fallen off “the cliff.” He’s been a very solid player for a long time, but this feels like the end of his relevancy. Avoid him in free agency.