Possible BURT All Star Game Candidates

[Fat Nige]

All Star Candidates – BURT

With about a month to go before the 2041 UMEBA All Star Game here’s a look at possible candidates for the starting lineup to represent the BURT. Listed are the top players for each position in the BURT so far ranked by WAR gained, let’s see how close this lineup is come June 30th?

C Bungay Martin (Cairo - 1.2 WAR) Bungay Won the 2040 UMEBA BURT Platinum Stick Award at C and came 3rd in the Rookie of the Year award too. An All Star last year, he is the only BURT catcher with 1.0 WAR or more.

1B Sandro Trujillo (Manama – 1.7 WAR) Sandro is a decorated player, last year he won the BURT Rookie of the Year, the Position player of the Year and the Platinum Stick at 1B. add to that an All Star appearance and you can see why he’s the class of the BURT at 1B.

2B Juan Rodriguez (Istanbul- 2.0 WAR) One of only three UMEBA hitters to have posted 2 WAR or over already in 2041. A Great Glove winner at 2B last year, he has a range factor of 4.32 and a ZR of 2 this year. He’s also patient at the plate walking 36 times so far and seeing close to five pitches on average every plate appearance means it’s a walk for him virtually 20% of his PA’s.

3B Felix Arrojo (Cairo – 1.0 WAR) Felix has been to the ASG in 2039 & 2040 as well as collecting the 2040 Great Glove award at 3B last year. Felix was on Cairo’s “to be pensioned off” list at the start of 2041 but good performances have worked him back into a starting role. 7 homers and 27 RBI is among the best at Cairo and he walks in nearly 10% of his plate appearances to help the team get runners on base.

SS Jose Lopez (Istanbul – 0.9 WAR) Jose’s a rookie in the BURT but judged on his first six weeks he’s got a bright future ahead, OK he hasn’t got a lot of competition in the slumping BURT but you have to start somewhere. Stellar defence has led to a range of nearly five and a ZR of 6.4.

LF John Garcia (Istanbul – 2.0 WAR) John is the second of three UMEBA players that have posted 2.0 WAR or more in 2041. Another UMEBA rookie, he has mashed the ball in his first six weeks, hitting 15 homers and driving in 44 runs. He’s also scored 40 times, hit 11 doubles and walked 20 times.

CF Raul Castrejon (Cairo – 2.3 WAR) Raul has the biggest WAR among the entire UMEBA batting crew in his rookie season. His defence needs improvement, only -0.2 ZR and a range of just over three and perhaps his speed isn’t up to being a top class CF. His triple slash of .381/.420/.595 marks him out though as someone who can use his bat and he leads the UMEBA with 18 doubles legged out.

RF Aubrey Anderson (Cairo – 1.2 WAR) A certified star of the UMEBA, Aubrey has a Platinum Stick award at RF and two at CF as well as appearances in the last two ASG. His tally of 11 homers and 29 RBI might be a bit down on what you’d expect, but you could probably attribute that to Cairo’s general malaise. He has still got 12 doubles though, third highest total in the UMEBA.

SP Gonzalo Delgardo (Cairo – 1.5 WAR) Gonzalo has appeared in the last three UMEBA ASGs and has the 2038 Pitcher of the Year & Unsung Hero awards on his mantlepiece. And he still seems to be the best the sorry BURT can put out these days, in 10 starts he’s 3-3 with a shaky 4.52 ERA, a 1.8 K/BB ratio and batters getting on base at a .328 clip against him. Probably shows you where a lot of the BURT’s current woes lie.

RP Jorge Barron (Cairo – 0.7 WAR) Jorge is rookie in the league this year after appearing in the 2040 UMEBA playoffs. In 23 outings he has a 4-2 record but has only converted two of his six save opportunities. Walking 20 batters in 31 IP hasn’t helped him although he has been bailed out by the fact the opposition are only hitting .196 against him.

CL Alistair Grieves (Manama – 0.8) Appeared in the 2040 ASG and finished second in the BURT reliever of the year voting. In 19 outings in 2041 he has a 0-1 record but has closed out all 11 of his save opportunities. He has given up just one homer in 17.1 IP and opponents are hitting only .190 against him.

This is the best of the best of the BURT? They might have something to prove but I wouldn’t be rushing out to lay my money on them winning on June 30th.