55.01 New GM duo shakes up Monarchs coaching staff, dabbles in the free agent market

[Bob Breum]

Two newly signed staff members, 3B Coach Miguel Martínez and hitting coach Chris Stephenson, were let go after the new GMs arrived, never having donned their new Monarch gear. In their place, the Monarchs now employ 3B Coach Bartolo Ortega and hitting coach Hung-k'uei Cui. The team spokesperson explained that they view the new staff members as vital to the success of the team. Cui is widely regarded as one of the best teachers of hitting in the GBC, and he’s reputedly excellent at tweaking mechanics to get the best out of his players, both young and old. Ortega’s assignment will be teaching the running game and working with the outfielders; he is considered to be outstanding in these roles, and he, too, is said to be excellent at improving the mechanics of his players. There are some questions, however, about his control of the running game from the 3B coach’s box.

Rumor has it that AAA hitting coach Anatolio Botte was the team’s first choice for the London job, but that he refused to relocate. He said that he needs to stay in Victoria to oversee the operation of his family’s emerald mine. It’s good news for the organization’s hitting prospects in AAA, anyway.

The new management tried to sign Tomás Guillén, only to discover that he was still bitter about having been released at the end of the season by the old regime. His agent said that Guillén would rather return to Venezuela than play for the Monarchs.

The team missed out on several other free agents that they had hoped to sign, but they did land Faical 'El Guapo' Engeitado who will wear number 7 on his Monarchs jersey.
Faical Engeitado
They are hoping for a bounce-back season from Engeitado, who posted a slash line of .343/.389/.728 (192 OPS+) over 190 PAs in his first GBC season, but then regressed to a pedestrian 101 OPS+ last season in 408 PAs. He has plus-plus speed, and the new Monarchs staff plans to give him the green light to run wild on the basepaths. Some say that a 30-30 season is not out of reach. A lanky 6’6”, El Guapo has a cannon arm that plays well in right field.

The Monarchs inked ten free agents to minor league deals with major league options, but then promptly lost four of them in the Rule 5 draft to the Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers. Three of the four are catchers, raising the question of whether the Hammers intend to carry three catchers on their 27-man active roster. If not, at least one of them may be returning to the London organization.

[Dington]

When you two can’t decide on a player/coach to sign, does it come dow to rock, paper, scissors?

[Bob Breum]

When you two can’t decide on a player/coach to sign, does it come down to rock, paper, scissors?

We have a pretty clear division of labor, with Erik in charge of all things pitching-related, and me handling the position player side of things. Thus, he selects pitching coaches, and decides which pitchers we should sign. For decisions that affect both sides of the house, e.g., scouts, trainers, budgets, etc, we consult.

Any large expenditure gets signed off by both of us.

Given the years that we've been doing this sort of thing, we both have a very good feel for what the other wants. We rarely disagree.

[Dington]

When you two can’t decide on a player/coach to sign, does it come down to rock, paper, scissors?

We have a pretty clear division of labor, with Erik in charge of all things pitching-related, and me handling the position player side of things. Thus, he selects pitching coaches, and decides which pitchers we should sign. For decisions that affect both sides of the house, e.g., scouts, trainers, budgets, etc, we consult.

Any large expenditure gets signed off by both of us.

Given the years that we've been doing this sort of thing, we both have a very good feel for what the other wants. We rarely disagree.

Interesting. Do you budget salaries for pitching and hitting separately?

[Bob Breum]

Interesting. Do you budget salaries for pitching and hitting separately?

Not at all. FA signings are dictated, for the most part, by need. If we identify our rotation as needing immediate improvement, we'll allocate money toward a FA SP; if our most glaring weakness is at a specific position, say shortstop, we'll spend the money there. Our drafts are generally targeted toward the best player available, but we may lean one way or the other given the existing talent, or lack thereof, in our farm system.

[ae37jr]

When you two can’t decide on a player/coach to sign, does it come down to rock, paper, scissors?

We have a pretty clear division of labor, with Erik in charge of all things pitching-related, and me handling the position player side of things.

Engeitado is the perfect signing for you guys. In addition to being a solid hitter, he is also a very good left handed specialist.

[Bob Breum]

Engeitado is the perfect signing for you guys. In addition to being a solid hitter, he is also a very good left handed specialist.

I completely overlooked his pitching prowess! Thank you!

[Trebro]

Guillen wouldn't re-sign so as per usual I released early to get a roster spot.