Former Pioneer League MLBers Look to have an Impact in 2019
The Pioneer League has long given Montana some baseball cred, being the home of the Great Falls Voyagers, Billings Mustangs, and the Missoula Osprey. This will be the League’s first year without the Helena Brewers, who moved south to Colorado Springs after the 2018 season (their new team name and logo are….well….it’s probably best for you to see it for yourself here).
Entering the 2019 Major League Baseball season, several former Pioneer League standouts are well positioned to have major impacts on the MLB season and on their own team’s fortunes. Here’s a rundown of some of the most interesting Pioneer Leaguer storylines to follow once the MLB season gets underway:
Nathan Eovaldi – Boston Red Sox
The Rundown: Fresh off of a run as Boston’s most recent World Series Hero, Eovaldi inked a hefty 4 year 68 million dollar contract with Red Sox in early December. Boston rightly sees themselves as capable of a World Series repeat, and the Sox (and their fans) expect Eovaldi to be a big piece to help them get there.
Pioneer League Bonafides: Eovaldi played for the Ogden Raptors in both 2008 and 2010.
The Verdict: Boston doesn’t need Eovoldi to perform like an in their prime Pedro Martinez or Curt Schilling, despite his October heroics against the Dodgers last year in the World Series. They already have Chris Sale and David Price for those roles. If Eovaldi stays healthy, takes the ball when asked, and provides dependable innings, the Sox will be well positioned for that World Series repeat. His job is simply to keep the score close so that Mookie Betts and JD Martinez can win games.
Paul Goldschmidt – St. Louis Cardinals
The Rundown: Consistently one of the top 10 baseball players on the planet since his rookie campaign in 2011, the Arizona Diamondbacks traded Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals in December, as the D-Backs signaled their intent to rebuild their roster. Arizona’s loss is St. Louis’ gain, and the Redbird faithful were euphoric when the trade was announced, hopeful that Goldy can help them back into the playoffs after missing out on October baseball for the past three seasons.
Pioneer League Bonafides: Goldy had a monster year for the 2009 Missoula Osprey, with 18 home runs in 74 games and an OPS over .1000.
The Verdict: Ask any Cardinals fan, and they’ll tell you their lineup hasn’t been the same since Albert Pujols left after the 2011 season. While it’s unrealistic to expect Pujolsian numbers, if Goldschmidt can produce a “normal Goldschmidt” season, he appears to be just what the Cardinals need. Nonetheless, there’ll be a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and if he has another slow start (his batting average hovered near .200 through April and May last year before rebounding to career norms), well, that won’t be helpful.
Nolan Arenado – Colorado Rockies
The Rundown: Maybe my favorite thing about Nolan Arenado is that his nickname is “the Sandblaster.” Nolan has put up monster numbers since his rookie campaign with the Rockies in 2013, and his finish in National League MVP vote has steadily risen over the last four seasons from 8th to 5th to 4th to 3rd last year. And that’s in addition to his winning Gold Gloves in all six of his Major League seasons. Colorado remains firmly in win now mode entering 2019, after making the 1-game Wild Card Series the last two seasons. The Rockies recently inked Arenado to a record breaking extension in February, worth $255 million dollars over 8 years.
Pioneer League Bonafides: A Casper Ghost in 2009, Arenado showed surprisingly little power in his season in Wyoming, clubbing only 2 home runs while hitting an even .300.
The Verdict: Arenado is entering his age 28 season, and these Rockies are as prepared as ever to put together a deep October run. They have a young, talented and inexpensive rotation that was among the league’s best in 2018. If shortstop Trevor Story builds on his tremendous 2018 campaign and outfielder David Dahl is ready to take the next step in becoming an offensive force, then opposing pitchers won’t be able to avoid Arenado. Look for the Sandblaster to continue to be one of baseball’s best all around players, and to post an MVP caliber season in 2019.
Patrick Corbin – Washington Nationals
The Rundown: Corbin left the hitter friendly Arizona desert as a free agent and signed with the Washington Nationals for 6 years and 140 million, where he is expected to settle in as the Nats’ #3 starter behind Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. As always, big contracts come with big expectations, and the Nationals have to be getting impatient with their perennially talented yet underachieving teams.
Pioneer League Bonafides: Corbin pitched for the Orem Owlz in 2009, going 4-2 with an ERA over 5.00.
The Verdict: Corbin may be playing with house money here. He just signed with a team absolutely stacked with talent, but they have repeatedly lost early in the playoffs (or embarrassingly missed the playoffs entirely, as in 2018). If the Nats can return to the postseason, finally win a playoff series, and if Corbin is a major part of it, well, that’s how legends are born.
Keon Broxton – Milwaukee Brewers
The Rundown: Consider Keon Broxton the dark horse of this list. He’s never really gotten a chance at a starting job in his four years in the major leagues, mostly due to too many strikeouts. His speed and defensive tools have made him an asset as a fourth outfielder for contending teams like the Pirates and Brewers, and he is currently seeking to carve out a role for himself in the crowded New York Met outfield in 2019. Keon is still young, but at 28 he’s at an age where it’s now or never if he is going to be an everyday starter in the MLB.
Pioneer League Bonafides: Broxton played center field for the Missoula Osprey for the entirety of the 2009 season.
The Verdict: A successful season for Keon would be the ability to patrol center field full time for a season and see what he can do with consistent at bats (we know that his glove is up to the task). But with Lorenzo Cain, Ryan Braun, and Christian Yelich entrenched in Milwaukee’s outfield, Broxton was probably fortunate to have been traded to the Mets earlier this offseason. With All-Star Yoenis Cespedes likely on the Disabled List for at least the first half of the 2019 season, the New York centerfielder job is up for grabs. Heading into Spring Training, Met incumbent Juan Lagares seemed most likely to get the nod, but Broxton has outperformed him offensively all spring. Both Lagares and Broxton have similar skillsets, but Lagares has been injury prone too. If Broxton is on the Opening Day roster for the Mets, here’s hoping that Keon gets his shot and runs with it.
Jean Segura – Philadelphia Phillies
The Rundown: It kinda seems like Segura gets traded every offseason. Over the course of 2012-2018, the Brewers dealt him to the D-Backs, who shipped him to the Mariners, who just swapped him to the Phillies. While his well-publicized fistfight vs. Dee Gordon in the Mariner locker room last summer (within earshot of multiple reporters) does nothing to dispel his reputation as a less than adequate clubhouse presence, his performance on the field is indisputably an asset for any MLB team.
Pioneer League Bonafides: Segura played a partial 2009 season with the Orem Owlz, splitting the season with the AAA Salt Lake Bees.
The Verdict: Segura has a no trade clause in his contract, so the fact that the Mariners traded him to the Phillies implies he wanted out of Seattle. The Phillies showed flashes of greatness as a team last season, but they ultimately faded down the stretch. The addition of megastar Bryce Harper will garner the headlines all season, but if Segura maintains his stellar on the field production and can provide a young roster with some stability, both Segura and Phillies fans will be happy. A winning record is the best remedy for clubhouse cohesion.
Cover Image via milb.com
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