'Nadoes have a new look; Playoff berth is still the goal.

Byline: Jim Wilson 

WORCESTER - The Worcester Tornadoes are again set to begin a season with plenty of questions and hoping some new faces will provide the answers.

The Tornadoes start their fifth anniversary season at 7 tonight in Quebec, optimistic the new additions to the team will provide the same spark as last year's newcomers did in getting Worcester to the playoffs, thanks to a record-setting offensive season.

Last year's success was mostly due to the performances of newcomers like pitcher Tom Cochran and outfielders Scott Grimes and Francisco Caraballo, who all earned spots alongside Chris Colabello on the Can-Am League All-Star team. Grimes was named league MVP.

As a result of their success, Grimes (Mets) and Cochran (Reds) were signed by major league organizations - as was reliever Eddie Pena (Pirates) - and Caraballo signed with Kochi in Japan. Suddenly, the Tornadoes needed to find a way to replace 44 of the 102 home runs they hit last year.

"Right now, it's a little bit of a different club," Worcester manager Rich Gedman said. "Not built for speed, but it's different - it's more versatile, and it might be built for the long haul. We're going to compete, that's what we do all the time."

The Tornadoes bring in a new outfield to replace Grimes, Caraballo and B.J. Weed - whose .294 average and 23 stolen bases will be missed.

Worcester brought back center fielder Lucas Taylor, who spent the last two seasons with Atlantic City. Taylor hit .280 with 19 stolen bases in 75 games with the Surf last year and will be a great addition to the locker room. Former David Prouty standout Vinny Pennell will play left after impressing with Nashua last year, while Heath Keel and former Red Sox draft pick Luis Soto are expected to contribute.

The infield remains mainly the same for the Tornadoes, with the biggest change being Colabello moving to third base - where he played at Assumption College. Colabello had been one of the league's best defensive first baseman before an uncharacteristic 14 errors last year.

Omar Pena returns and will take over at shortstop for another key departure in Chuck Jeroloman, who is playing in the Atlantic League. The Tornadoes are hoping a healthy Pena will replace some of the lineup's missing pop.

Jeff Lahair and Mike MacMillian also return, while Nick Salotti and Garrett Olson round out the remaining spots. Alex Trezza remains at catcher, and Worcester is impressed with his backup, Matt Leonard.

The pitching staff has a slightly new look as Matt Weagle slides into the role of pitcher and pitching coach. Weagle will be joined in the rotation by Alex Pena and the returning Ryan Mitchell, while hard-throwing Ryan Lobban will move from the bullpen, and newcomer Zach Zuercher could slide into the No. 5 spot.

Anthony Sullivan returns after impressing with the Tornadoes late last year, while newcomers Albert Ayala, Chris Anderson, Nick Conway, Jusef Frias, Santiago Ramirez and P.J. Thomas will contribute in the bullpen.

The league should be interesting this year, as six teams will vie for four playoff spots. There's a fascinating twist to this opening series with Quebec as the Capitales have signed former major league closer Eric Gagne.

"More than anything, I hope for these guys to come together as a group and believe in each other and work hard for each other," Gedman said. "Team has always been very important here. It's going to take 22 guys to do well here, and everyone is going to play a part in it."