The St. Joseph Jokers were among the first teams to wave the white flag in 2022, shipping off Yu Darvish, Teoscar Hernandez, Yasmani Grandal, Kyle Hendricks, Gary Sanchez, Amed Rosario and Jon Gray in recent weeks.
Despite a rough season on the field, GM Rick Steen has done a great job building up assets for 2023. The club currently holds two first round selections and three selections in both the second and third rounds.
That should give them firepower to either build considerable depth for the Active Roster and Farm System, or trade assets to secure Keepers before the 2023 Draft.
Catching
The strength of the Jokers will certainly be behind the plate as GM Rick Steen looks to have nailed a pair of 2022 Reserve Draft picks in Gabriel Moreno and MJ Melendez who are both cutting their teeth in the big leagues this season. Moreno has the higher ceiling with an advanced approach and despite competition in Toronto from slugging backstop Alejandro Kirk, he has earned the majority of the playing time since his June promotion.
Melendez burst onto the scene after hitting 41 home runs in the Minor Leagues in 2021. He earned an early season promotion to Kansas City and has hit nine home runs entering play Wednesday.
Infield
There has been plenty of interest in Trea Turner (2/$49), but all signs point to Steen having the star shortstop headline the club's roster entering 2023. Jose Abreu (2/$37) is having yet another strong season, but the aging veteran is a trade candidate in the coming weeks and might be better used as a trade candidate to continue to developer a younger Jokers roster with a player that can help in 2023.
Turner could be paired with emerging star prospect Gunnar Henderson (Minors), a savvy pickup from the Mt. Diablo Devils. Henderson is right in the mix for Hitting Prospect of the Year honors as he appears to be bearing down on a starting spot in Baltimore before the end of this season, positioning himself for an Opening Day activation for the Jokers. He owns a .983 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A with 13 home runs and 15 steals.
Eric Hosmer (1/$3) came out of the gates extremely hot but has cooled substantially since April. At $3, he could be worth the investment for next season but is on pace for just 312.0 points as of Wednesday.
The club has been pleased with the returns of Hunter Dozier (1/$6) who currently offers positional flexibility at first, third and in the outfield. He's a strong candidate to return at his $6 value.
Trade acquisition Nick Madrigal (1R/$1) will be given every chance to earn a Keeper spot for 2023, but is in the midst of a .222/.263/.250 line in 108 at-bats that does little to prove he can earn one. He's currently on the IL with a groin injury.
Outfield
A full rebuild of the outfield is likely for Steen with only Michael Brantley (2/$25) deservering a lengthy look, though the veteran is more likely to be traded in the next few weeks to a 2022 contender if he can return from a shoulder injury before the Trade Deadline.
Their top outfield asset is likely Trevor Larnach (Minors), an addition from the Maltese Falcons as part of the deal headlined by Yu Darvish. Larnach has posted a .231/.306/.406 and appeared to be settling into an everyday role for the Twins before a core injury sidelined him.
The club had hoped former 1st Rounder JJ Bleday would be ready by 2023, but a .228 average at Triple-A likely means more work will be needed before an activation.
Pitching Staff
The Jokers are likely to hold a pair of $1 catchers and starting pitchers for 2023 as Nathan Eovaldi (2/$1) will be joined by breakout arm Kyle Wright (Minors) atop the club's rotation. Eovaldi has more than earned his spot thus far in 2022 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while Wright has broken out with a 2.91 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 96.0 innings.
The limited returns from Andrew Heaney (1D/$5) have been strong, but the left-hander has battled shoulder issues and will need to prove healthy before the end of 2022 to be in the mix for next season.
Gregory Soto (1/$4) has emerged as a reliable closing option with a 2.48 ERA and 16 saves for the Tigers, likely pushing his way into Keeper consideration for 2023.
Prospects
There's serious star power in the combination of Moreno and Henderson atop the Jokers Farm System while Melendez and Larnach could provide a boost to the club's salary cap space for 2023.
Outside of those four, the Jokers have seen regression from JJ Bleday, Nick Yorke, Matt McLain and Tyler Freeman on the hitter front, though all still hold value.
With a bevy of early round picks (Two 1sts, Three 2nds, Three 3rds), Steen will likely create some room in their Farm System with the likely releases of Adonis Medina, Kolby Allard and Mags Sierra.
Current 2023 Jokers Projected Keepers
*With 2023 Contract Status, Ranked by Value
1 SS Trea Turner (3/$49)
2. 1B Jose Abreu (3/$37)
3. C Gabriel Moreno (1R/$1)
4. SS Gunnar Henderson (1R/$1)
5. RHP Kyle Wright (1R/$1)
6. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (3/$1)
7. IF/OF Hunter Dozier (2/$6)
8. RHP Gregory Soto (2/$4)
9. LHP Andrew Heaney (2D/$5)
10. I 1B Eric Hosmer (2/$3)
11. C MJ Melendez (1R/$1)
12. OF Trevor Larnach (1R/$1)
Current 2023 Draft Picks
1st Round Pick from Goutfish (Yasmani Grandal)
2nd Round Pick from Falcons (Yu Darvish, Teoscar Hernandez)
2nd Round Pick from Hops (Amed Rosario, Jon Gray)
3rd Round Pick from Falcons (Gary Sanchez)
3rd Round Pick from Devils (Kyle Hendricks)
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