We continue our State of the Franchise series with the Burlingame Blue Ducks who hung around the edges of contention this season before pulling the rip cord and finishing in 12th place. Ducks GM Ryan Walsh has already proven to be an exceptional in-season Executive, with four cash finishes and a RDBL Championship on his resume. The Front Office is now looking to establish itself for their player development as well, following two strong Reserve Drafts that could serve as the center of their next Title contender with Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford leading the charge.
President of Baseball Operations: Ryan Walsh
Headquarters: Burlingame, CA
Seasons: 9
Cash Finishes: 4
Division Titles: 1
Lifetime Earnings: $1,915
Top Hitter: Jose Altuve, 510.5 (2016)
Top Pitcher: Justin Verlander, 489.5 (2016)
2023 Season
It doesn't take long to see where the Ducks season went sideways in 2023 as five of the six members of the Opening Day rotation either drastically underperformed or saw their season cut short by injury. No player had a more surprisingly disastrous season than Alek Manoah who was expected to anchor the group after a 630.0 point breakout season that saw him earn Activation of the Year honors in the RDBL. He never got on track this year, producing just 44.0 points in 19 starts with a 5.85 ERA and 1.73 WHIP, leaving his future in Toronto and Burlingame uncertain.
The offense will need to be addressed as well with the Ducks producing their worst offensive performance in Franchise History, finishing the season 14th in hitting with a .243/.312/.409 line. The late season addition of Bryce Harper from the Lake Merced Goutfish is a strong starting point to build that group back up.
2024 Pending Free Agents
IF Brandon Drury, RHP Nick Martinez
Current Projected Keeper Roster Ranked by Value
1. 1B Bryce Harper (2/$41)
2. RHP Paul Skenes (1R/$1)
3. 2B Ketal Marte (2/$20)
4. OF Nick Castellanos (2/$16)
5. OF Kyle Schwarber (2/$30)
6. 2B/OF Jazz Chisholm (3R/$5)
7. RP Devin Williams (3/$5)
8. 1B Kyle Manzardo (1R/$1)
9. LHP Andrew Abbott (2FA/$5)
10. C Patrick Bailey (2FA/$5)
11. RHP Taj Bradley (1R/$1)
12. RHP Alek Manoah (3R/$5)
Spring Training might be as important to the Burlingame Blue Ducks as any RDBL Franchise heading into 2024. All eyes will be on the young trio of Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford who could and should make pushes for their respective Opening Day rosters. While their upside doesn't match the three, Kyle Manzardo and Taj Bradley will face important Spring Trainings as well with the opportunity to give the Ducks as many as five activations and a great deal of cap space flexibility.
With the uncertainty in the rotation, expect Walsh to target some external help this Winter with a chance they dangle at least one of their five selections in the Top 27 of the 2024 Reserve Draft.
Farm System
1. OF Dylan Crews (Nationals)
2. RHP Paul Skenes (Pirates)
3. OF Wyatt Langford (Rangers)
4. RHP Taj Bradley (Rays)
5. 1B Kyle Manzardo (Guardians)
6. RHP Rhett Lowder (Reds)
7. IF Jace Jung (Tigers)
8. C Daniel Susac (Athletics)
9. OF Heliot Ramos (Giants)
10. OF Travis Swaggerty (Pirates)
Next Best: C Ronaldo Hernandez (BOS), IF Jeter Downs (WSH)
This is the best Farm System in Franchise History with the top three of Crews, Skenes and Langford (who is my personal favorite of the group) standing out as the best trio of prospects in the RDBL. The talent hardly stops there with Taj Bradley and Kyle Manzardo eying potential Opening Day big league jobs while Rhett Lowder looks to be on the fasttrack to Cincinnati.
The back half of the Farm System has seen their stars dim with Walsh potentially looking to empty out the group and leave room to leverage their stable of draft selections in 2024.
Off-Season Questions
1. How aggressive will the Ducks be with their prospects?
The Ducks have never been viewed as a Franchise to punt on a season, but if GM Ryan Walsh chose to be extremely patient with their group, an Auction strategy of injured arms like Jacob deGrom, Shane McClanahan, Sandy Alcantara and Brandon Woodruff on cheap deals could turn the team into a powerhouse in 2025, especially with Bryce Harper still under contract.
On the flip side, an aggressive approach to activations in 2024 could make the Ducks one of the most exciting teams to watch next year.
2. How many picks will be dealt?
The Ducks loaded up with Draft selections on the trade market this year, currently sitting with a pair of first round picks and three selections in the second round. With the starting pitcher trade market looking quite healthy this Winter, Walsh should not have a problem adding at least two starters to his current group if they desire.
3. What to make of Alek Manoah?
The Ducks have put their support behind Manoah publicly, but nothing will really matter until the burly right-hander takes the mound in Florida for Spring Training. Manoah was arguably the league's best value in 2022 before sinking to the biggest disappointment in 2023.