Hammer Time - 30 June 2059

[Jess64]

The Hammers Continue to Hold Onto the Top Spot

The end of June sees the Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers with a record of 52-32 and a 5 game lead in the Eurasia Division of the GBC. The Hammers complied a record of 16-11, an improvement on their 15-14 record in May, but well short of their 21-7 record to start the season in April.
With 84 games, the season is almost half over, and if the second half of the season goes like the first half, the Hammers will secure the Division crown. But as the saying goes, there is still a lot of baseball left to be played.

Players to Watch
I know it is a name that seems to be bounced around quite a bit for the batting crown of the GBC, but Ira Patterson is someone that is known to be a force at the plate. The 31-year old Patterson currently has a batting stat line of .369/.404/.570, which leads the league. He has 30 doubles, 11 home runs, and 54 RBIs. He even has 1 stolen base! The starting 1st baseman bats 3rd in the lineup, hoping to fill the bases up for the cleanup batter to bring them all home. Patterson currently has a salary of $850K a year but his 2-year extension that will see his wages increase to $2.9M per year shows the value to the organization. The former 2nd round selection in the 2046 BBA draft by the San Antonio Outlaws has a long history of bouncing around the GBC, but now seems to have settled down and found a home in Jerusalem.

Another person who has been instrumental in the Hebrew Hammers success so far is right-fielder Rajko Lorve. The 25-year old has been a member of the Hammers organization since being selected with the 9th selection in the 2051 GBC draft. Lorve has slowly moved up the ranks of the minor league teams for the Hammers, being recognized as one of the top 100 prospects in the league since joining that prestigious ranking system in the year of his selection by coming in at #98. He topped out at #18 in 2056 before joining the roster of the Hebrew Hammers. His contribution to the team was recently rewarded by them signing him to a 1-year contract extension that will see the Hammers stalwart making $1.6M next season, a sizable increase of his current $300K.

The Hammers have 2 stalwarts that have taken the mound for them so far this season. The 1st name is 32 year-old Juan Garcia. Yes, this name has been thrown around before, along with Patterson, but the impact he has had on the team cannot be denied. Garcia has a record of 8-2 with 94 innings pitched and 72 batters sat down by strikeouts as he earned an ERA of 2.58. His blistering fastball along with his, almost unhittable, curveball makes him someone who the opposing batters have come to dread to face when he is on the mound. Garcia has shared that he is excited to be a part of the organization and his $1.4M contract will see him stay in Jerusalem through the 2060 season.

The other name that strikes fear in the heart of the opposition batters is 35-year old Bartolo Romero. This reliever has a record of 5-4, but also has earned 25 saves for the team. Through 25 innings, the closer has fanned 45 batters, giving up49 hits, 2 home runs and walking 10. He has an ERA of 2.98 so far this season, which the team hopes he continues to deliver on. Romero currently is on a contract of $1.215M a year through the current season. The team is hoping to sign the bullpen monster to a contract extension before the season ends. GM Stollings shared that negotiations are on-going and the team will do what it takes to get Romero to sign on the dotted line.

The season is not over, but the Hebrew Hammers are making a case that they will be the top of the class in the 2059 GBC and hopefully it will continue to do so.