Piranha Bites: 45.04:In Freefall, Piranhas Address Starter Woes with New Pitching Coach, Catcher

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Piranha Bites: 45.04:In Freefall, Piranhas Address Starter Woes with New Pitching Coach, Catcher

Post by tylertoo » Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:04 pm

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Tripoli, June 8, 2045: The surprising freefall of the 22-41 Tripoli Piranhas resulted in a trade and a firing as the front office scrambles to salvage the season.

"Our bats haven't been terrible," said GM Mike Dunn, "Not great -- the team is fifth in the league in runs scored. But our pitching is an abomination. Next to last in ERA and other indicators. I know the staff is mostly young, but that's not acceptable. Neither is our win/loss record. Changes were needed." The team has a 5.44 ERA and opponents are batting .289 against the staff.

So veteran pitching coach Rezal Qasim was shown the door, replaced by the little-known Emilio Rivera. Qasim refused to comment about the sudden firing. One snarky pundit tweeted, "I call that Silence of the (Sacrificial) Lamb."

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Nishikawa will be a calming presence for the young Tripoli starters
Dunn also went out and traded for a new catcher, the well-respected and sturdyTakanobu Nishikawa, from the Baghdad Kings in a straight-up deal for the younger and cheaper Roberto Gil. "Tak has a great reputation for handling the staff, working with younger starting pitchers. He is also respected by the umpires, so that can only help. We may only have him for a year or two, but I think he will be a great influence on the kids."

Rivera, the new pitching coach, is also known for working with youngsters. Both he and Nishikawa have their work cut out for them. The team has called up four young starting pitchers, Mahad Einan, Shea Valance, Jayden Nicholls, and Cedric Bolitho -- average age of roughly 19.

"The team's freefall, in a sense, is a good thing for the kids," said Dunn, trying to make chicken salad out of something else. "With little to no hope of getting a wildcard berth, the pressure is off. I think Emilio and Tak can help them relax and have some fun - to remind them it is just a game."

Privately, though, naysayers abound in the front office and clubhouse. The Piranhas had hope to contend for the Bancroft Division wildcard that they earned in 2044. Instead, they are trying to avoid the ingominy of owning the worst record in UMEBA. "Qasim was the fall guy," says one skeptic who requested anonymity. "Dunn will only find the real answer by looking straight in the mirror."
Mike Dunn
Chicago Black Sox (1995-1996) (2049-2054)
Landis Champion: '95, '96

Edmonton Jackrabbits (2047-2048)
Tripoli Piranhas (2044-2046)

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Re: Piranha Bites: 45.04:In Freefall, Piranhas Address Starter Woes with New Pitching Coach, Catcher

Post by RichY » Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:12 am

With the last two drafts I think all of our starting staffs are going to be 19-20 yr olds. Won't hurt to see what the new guys have.
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Re: Piranha Bites: 45.04:In Freefall, Piranhas Address Starter Woes with New Pitching Coach, Catcher

Post by tylertoo » Tue Dec 22, 2020 6:39 am

RichY wrote:
Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:12 am
With the last two drafts I think all of our starting staffs are going to be 19-20 yr olds. Won't hurt to see what the new guys have.
And in several years they'll all become free agents at roughly the same time.
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Chicago Black Sox (1995-1996) (2049-2054)
Landis Champion: '95, '96

Edmonton Jackrabbits (2047-2048)
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Re: Piranha Bites: 45.04:In Freefall, Piranhas Address Starter Woes with New Pitching Coach, Catcher

Post by allenciox » Tue Dec 22, 2020 10:12 am

Very interesting. No reason why your team ERA should be as low as it is, I think you have hit some bad breaks so far. In addition, your defense is not great (your ZR is -5.1, last in BANC), which is part of the reason that your pitchers are not doing better.

Jayden Nicholls is going to be fantastic. 8 on STU, MOV, and CON --- that is unbelievably good --- not only that, he is a 9 STU against righties. You can see how well he has pitched last season in lower monors and this season in AAA. His four starts so far are a fluke.

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Re: Piranha Bites: 45.04:In Freefall, Piranhas Address Starter Woes with New Pitching Coach, Catcher

Post by tylertoo » Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:05 pm

Yup, I need to focus on D more.
Mike Dunn
Chicago Black Sox (1995-1996) (2049-2054)
Landis Champion: '95, '96

Edmonton Jackrabbits (2047-2048)
Tripoli Piranhas (2044-2046)

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