By Brandon J. Koch
After a long offseason of cold temperatures and snow, baseball is finally back in downtown Buffalo.
There’s excitement in the air at newly named Sahlen Field, some of the top prospects in all of baseball start their 2019 season with the herd.
Here are some storylines:
Bo and Cav
There’s an abundance of youth in the Bison’s infield. Shortstop Bo Bichette and second baseman Cavan Biggio make their triple A debuts.
Bichette is the Blue Jays’ No. 2 prospect and will look to be a centerpiece in Buffalo’s lineup. In 131 games last season with double A New Hampshire, Bichette hit 11 homeruns, 74 RBIs and a .286 batting average.
Biggio is the 10th ranked prospect in the a Jays’ system. The 23 year-old hit 26 homeruns in double A during 2018, can he translate that power to triple A?
How long will Vlad Jr stay?
The top prospect in all of baseball is currently rehabbing an oblique injury that was sustained on March 8th. He’s making his way towards Buffalo, but who knows for how long. Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said last week that if Vlad gets hot in triple A, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be in the big leagues. Guerrero hit 20 home runs, 78 RBIs and a 1.073 OPS in the minors last season.
Starting pitching
The herd start the season with the rotation of Jacob Waguespac, Shawn Morimando, Conor Fisk, Jordan Romano and David Paulino. Can Buffalo get consistent pitching throughout 2019? The herd was in the bottom half of most pitching categories in triple A in 2018.
Bullpen
Danny Barnes and Justin Shafer are the stronghold of Buffalo’s pen. RHP Derek Law comes in with over 100 career games in the majors with the Giants. He has a career ERA of a 2.97 in the minors.
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