We continue our State of the Franchise series with the Honolulu Hammerheads who finished 2023 in 10th Place, completing a frustrating season that saw most of their rotation knocked out by injuries. GM Ross Horiuchi joined the Roger Dorn Baseball League in 2014 with a pair of cash finishes and one Division Title to date in Franchise History.
President of Baseball Operations: Ross Horiuchi
Headquarters: Honolulu, HI
Seasons: 9
Cash Finishes: 2
Division Titles: 1
Lifetime Earnings: $400
Top Hitter: Jean Segura, 396.5 (2016)
Top Pitcher: Chris Sale, 539.0 (2017)
2023 Season
The Honolulu Hammerheads were the first casualty of the earlier Roger Dorn Baseball League Trade Deadline as GM Ross Horiuchi was teetering between buying and selling in mid-July. The club decided to push their chips in and go for it which ultimately proved to be the wrong move as the Heads faded down the stretch, finishing in 10th place with expiring contracts like Austin Riley and Paul Goldschmidt sitting on the roster instead of bringing back a potentially large return.
The Heads used a RDBL Record 73 players on their Active Roster, highlighting a series of injuries to the starting rotation (including Jacob deGrom, Ryne Nelson, Kris Bubic, Chris Sale and Michael Wacha) as well as a revolving door in the bullpen. Despite the turnover, the Heads enter 2024 with a bevy of rotation options that should give GM Ross Horiuchi some tradeable assets this off-season as they look for a return to the Playoffs.
2024 Pending Free Agents
1B Paul Goldschmidt, 3B Austin Riley, OF Dylan Carlson, IF Brendan Donovan
Current Projected Keeper Roster Ranked by Value
1 RHP Tanner Bibee (2R/$3)
2. RHP Sonny Gray (2/$2)
3. OF Jarren Duran (2R/$3)
4. RHP Michael Wacha (2/$1)
5. SS Ezequiel Tovar (2/$8)
6. OF Seiya Suzuki (3/$22)
7. LHP Chris Sale (3/$1)
8. C Tyler Stephenson (3R/$5)
9. C J.T. Realmuto (3/$28)
10. RHP Reese Olson (2FA/$5)
11. OF Leody Tavares (2FA/$5)
12. 1B Alex Kirilloff (3R/$5)
The Heads didn't have a pick until the 3rd Round of the 2023 RDBL Reserve Draft but nailed their selection of Tanner Bibee who enters 2024 as their top asset. Bibee is followed by a number of affordable rotation options with Sonny Gray a lock to return while Michael Wacha, Chris Sale, Reese Olson and Bailey Ober battle for the remaining spots while Brandon Pfaadt
Ezequiel Tovar and Jarren Duran give the Heads a pair of high-upside young assets while Seiya Suzuki's 2nd Half performance likely locked in his return for his final season of control.
Provided the Heads bring back both J.T. Realmuto and Tyler Stephenson, Horiuchi should still have substantial cap space to add some firepower on offense with a reunion between the club and Austin Riley already heavily rumored no matter the cost.
Farm System
1. RHP Brandon Pfaadt, ARI
2. OF Benny Montgomery, COL
3. C Drew Romo, COL
4. RHP Gordon Graceffo, STL
5. RHP Quinn Priester, PIT
6. OF Robert Hassell, WSH
7. RHP Drey Jameson, ARI
The graduation of Tanner Bibee, Jarren Duran and Ryne Nelson left the Hammerheads Farm System quite shallow but help could still be on the way in 2024. Brandon Pfaadt was hardly efficient in 2023, posting 85.0 points in 96.0 innings of work, but five 20+ point starts and the trust of the Diamondbacks to hand him the ball consistently in the Playoffs is a great sign for the future.
Rockies outfielder Benny Montgomery is a toolshed of a prospect and finished the year on a tear at High-A while currently excelling in the Arizona Fall League. Drew Romo will be another name to watch as he likely reaches Colorado in 2024 with a chance to be a solid Opening Day activation behind the plate for 2025.
Outside of Pfaadt, it was a largely forgettable year on the mound for the club's pitching prospects as Gordon Graceffo (4.92 ERA, 1.53 WHIP), Quinn Priester (7.74 ERA, 1.70 WHIP in 10 big league outings) and Drey Jameson (Tommy John) all took hits to their value.
Off-Season Questions
1 Approach to the rotation?
The Hammerheads season has been derailed in back to back seasons by the health of the rotation with Chris Sale and Jacob deGrom manning a third of the group in each season. Horiuchi's approach to the rotation behind Bibee and Gray will be interesting to watch as the club has the cap space available to add an elite arm like Zack Wheeler, Spencer Strider or Kevin Gausman to turn the group from a plus to one of the league's best.
2. Moving on from Alex Kirilloff?
The Heads have been the leaders of the Alex Kirilloff fan club for years, and for good reason given his potential. But injuries continue to derail his career with his latest shoulder injury in the post-season requiring off-season surgery that could effect his availability to start 2024.
3. Approach in the outfield?
Seiya Suzuki finished 2023 on a tear and looks like a strong bet to return at 3/$22. That leaves the potential for the Heads to shop George Springer (2/$31) who is coming off a solid, yet unspectacular 374.0 point season. The emergence of waiver claim Leody Taveras and rise of activation Jarren Duran make this a strong group heading into next season.
4. A return for Realmuto?
The Free Agent catcher market is surprising healthy for the 2024 Draft with Willson Contreras, Cal Raleigh, Sal Perez, Jonah Heim and others available that put up similar production to the $28 Realmuto. Could the Heads look to free up additional cap space by moving Realmuto this off-season or stick with him to pair with Tyler Stephenson (3R/$5) for 2024.
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