Baseball Research International Contributor
On to the hot corner we go in our review of UMEBA rosters. All referenced 2046 stats are current as of 6/23.
Michael 'Neighbor' Best (55/55), Tripoli
Without question, Best has enjoyed his stay in the UMEBA. The man called 'Neighbor' spent nearly all of his seven-year BBA career in the Long Beach sun. He entered the Unified via Bulgaria back in 2043, and made quite an impression on the league, tallying a 6.5 WAR that year. League contraction would send him to Manama, but he would never play for the Pearls, who flipped him to Tripoli for a pair of prospects. Best, serviceable with the glove, but swinging a mighty bat, did some damage at the plate in '45, putting up an OPS+ of 138. This season may be even better for Best, who has posted an OPS+ of 146 and 3.4 WAR in 71 games.
Sancho Castillo (55/55), Mumbai
Castillo is a more complete player than Best, combining a solid defense with pretty good offensive production. Also a BBA veteran, Castillo played in that league for six mostly unremarkable seasons. Mumbai signed him to a free agent contract in 2044, and in the past two seasons he's contributed a healthy 9.7 WAR. In '46, Castillo looks to maintain a consistently high level of play. So far, so good, with a 109 OPS+ and 1.9 WAR in 60 appearances.
José 'Silky' Cortés (50/50), Manama
Like Castillo, Cortés had an unremarkable BBA career (cumulative OPS+ of 83 in just over six seasons). In two full seasons with Manama he accumulated a WAR of 8.2. A very good glove man with a cannon for an arm, Silky's defense is indeed smooth. Less smooth has been his base running this year, as he's been caught out on the majority of stolen base attempts (7 of 13). Overall in 2046, he has put up an OPS+ of 116 and WAR of 1.6 thus far.
António Baca (50/50), Cairo
Baca's story is well documented. Baca moved to the UMEBA at a relatively young age, spending his age twenty-seven season in Beirut in 2041. Beirut let Baca go after a very good '45 (119 OPS+, 4.7 WAR). In all, the Cedars got three solid years out of Baca, but didn't seem to have had interest in bringing him back, at least as a player. Cairo stepped up and landed Baca in the eleventh hour back in April on a fairly reasonable two-year deal. Baca's offensive production is down so far in '45 (102 OPS+) but he still provides above-replacement value at his position thanks to good defense.
Bert Cleaver (45/45), Baghdad
Cleaver is the first and only home-grown product to appear on this list. Drafted out of Australia in '41, he made his big league debut for the Kings this year, skipping AAA entirely. In 71 starts, the former fifth round pick has done well (114 OPS+, 2.0 WAR). Combining respectable defense with a power swing, Cleaver looks like he's going to stick, and may climb this list quickly if he keeps it up.
Juan Domínguez (45/45), Riyadh
Evaluators in Riyadh deserve some credit for unearthing Domínguez, a BBA never-was who seemed to have peaked at age twenty-two (0.2 WAR for Twin Cities in '42). With defense perhaps just a tick above average, Domínguez would have to hit and hit well to make a difference for the Crescents. In 2046 he had done so, to the tune of a 117 OPS+ an a 1.0 WAR in fifty-nine appearances. The disappointment of a recent quad injury must sting for Riyadh fans.
Rashardo 'Skull' Menne III (50/50), Beirut
Wisconsin native Rashardo Menne had some good years in the BBA, playing for Vancouver and Charlotte. Beirut signed Menne to a two-year deal last winter. In '45, it looked like Menne was a good candidate for a move to the Unified, posting a 106 OPS+ and 0.4 WAR for Charlotte in limited duty. Other players with that level of production in the BBA, and at his age, have thrived in the UMEBA. So far in 2046, it looks like Beirut got unlucky with this signing, as Menne has put up a 72 OPS+ and -0.1 WAR. Not everybody adjusts to a new setting at the same pace, however, and it may just be a matter of time for Menne.
Vincente Archuleta (45/45), Bucharest
Bucharest may have turned the page on Ernie Schoonmaker at third. Archuleta does not have the same level of defense as the player he's replacing, but Schoonmaker's stomach-churning offensive production may have forced management's hand. Cut lose and discarded by BBA's Rockville at the age of twenty-three, Archuleta has struggled for playing time on a deep Bucharest squad. In '45 he made a statement with a 117 OPS+ and 3.0 WAR in 124 appearances. Had he picked up where he left off, he might have been the starter at third all year, but his own stumbles at the plate in '46 (76 OPS+) must have just added to the frustration for third place Bucharest this year.
Larry Blake (45/45), Athens
At one time, expectations for this former BBA third overall draft pick were sky high. Above-average performance in the bigs would elude him, however. After the BBA was done with him, Blake signed on with the Tripoli organization, but fell on his face in his brief stint at the big league club (53 OPS+). Blake plays the position well, but has unremarkable, bordering on absent, hitting skills. Washed up at twenty-nine, Blake signed on with the centaurs this winter. Expectations likely could not have been lower, but Blake has exceeded them, earning an OPS+ of 76 and a 0.5 WAR in '46 so far. He is not killing his team.
Jaime Deleón (35/35), Jerusalem
The Hammers are struggling to find an every day third baseman. Deleón is a BBA cast-off signed to a free agent deal by Jerusalem in '39 at age twenty-one. Decent defensively with questionable hitting quality, Deleón saw understandably limited action in '45, where he posted an 81 OPS+ and 0.1 WAR. So far in 2046, after 144 at-bats, he has a lackluster 64 OPS+.
