A Little Shine, Lots of Simmer in Disappointing Homestand Week
April 28th, 2049
Bucharest, Romania
After a hopeful sweep of the Athens Fighting Centaurs last week, Bucharest's steam evaporated with a brutal sweep from Tripoli (outscored 29-11). They then continued the unfortunate homestand by losing 2 of 3 to Cairo. On Friday, April 23rd, rookie RP Simon "Trey" Hammond gave up five runs in the bottom of the 10th to bring an inglorious end to an otherwise top-tier matchup against Tripoli, with Piranha star Helmut Grun driving in 3 with a massive homerun over center field and opening a field day against an agonized Bucharest bullpen.
Lefty Owen Geddes is off to a cold start this season, posting an ERA of 6.89 and 2.8 HR/9. Word on the wire is that SP Ajanidha Praveen is relegated to Long Relief and that prospect Alfonso Castillo has been called up to assume 3-hole duties. No better off is rookie SP Mario Rodriguez, posting 5.90 ERA in 29 innings. With a team ERA of 5.41, the Impalers are posting the worst pitching numbers in the BANC and will need serious intervention to contend for the offseason.
Jay Gamble is earning his paycheck, 5th in the league in OBP (.436) and leading in walks (18). He is also the only veteran Impaler north of .300 on the roster.
#8 UMEBA Prospect Santiago Durán was called up last week, swinging just .231/.269/.613 but driving in 5 and walking 5 times. Not a bad start for the kid from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Rookie Shorstsop Nobatsu Sanu, meanwhile, is on a rampage, gathering 157 OPS+ in 73 Plate Appearances that included 7 Doubles and 14 RBIs. He's a ++ Shortstop with a solid line-drive swing and and good velocity on the basepaths. Rookie Cameron Patmore is batting .381. Finally, Rookie Nam-Cheoul U (LF) is platooning at .927 OPS, second only to Sanu on the team.
It's worth noting that 10 of the 27 players on the Active Roster (nearly 40%) are Rookies, and another 5 are in their second year. Bucharest has the youngest baseball team in all of professional baseball, and there will be road bumps as rookie GM Drew Visscher establishes his strategy and tactics. All in all, impressive performances from a wide majority of the offensive callup class--but it means little if the rookie hurlers cannot cease their collective slump and diminish the platoon vulnerability in a hard-throwing league.
The Bucharest Front Office announced yesterday that Catcher and Team Captain Pat Alexander (longtime Boise Spud and deviously mustachioed super-defender) was extended for one year to the tune of $2.3M; a $500,000 raise for 2050. Likewise, 2B Harry S. Stamper (AAA), was extended for just above the league minimum for three years. The news signals a long-term plan to retain the Second Baseman for the UMEBA job next year, but GM Drew Visscher did not comment on whether negotiation talks with star 2B Jeremy Owbridge were ongoing.
RF Boris Aplechnev and 3B Santiago Durán made their UMEBA debut; Jeremy Owbridge reached 250 Extra Base Hits.
