Piranha Bites: 46.04 - Presenting the 2046 Wild-Card Aspiring Tripoli Pirhanas!

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Piranha Bites: 46.04 - Presenting the 2046 Wild-Card Aspiring Tripoli Pirhanas!

Post by tylertoo » Fri Feb 26, 2021 12:54 pm

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Tripoli, April 7, 2046 -- The 2046 Tripoli Piranhas debuted this past week in a fashion that gave new hope to beleaguered fans: they won four straight games, taking two against the defending UMEBA Champions Mumbai Metro Stars, and then two against the perennial powerhouse Bucharest Impalers. Fans are understandably delirious.

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Iron-Knife was sought for his knuckleball and his leadership

Is this a fluke? Will the team quickly descend back to its 2045 terribleness that saw them end 30 games under .500? Or have the development of youngsters and moves by the front office actually turned the team around?

This prognosticator is skeptical. But GM Mike Dunn, in an earlier press conference, didn't panic after the team tanked in '45. "Blowing this team up was not even considered," he said. "In this off-season, we will be laser-focused on the areas that need fixing. But the core of this team is good, it is solid, and I'm confident that with the right moves, we can contend in '46."

So, with those words in mind, let's take a look at the Piranhas' off-season changes -- FA signings, trades, Rule 5 and promotions -- that could make this season, to say the least, an interesting one:

TRADES:
The biggest off-season trade by Dunn was acquiring veteran knuckleballer Charlie Iron- Knife for a prospect from the Beirut Cedars. Pundits were not thrilled: he's 32, fragile, and has a ton of innings already on his left arm. But Dunn reportedly felt that Iron-Knife, with strong loyalty and adaptability, was the calming presence needed for the rest of the (very young) starting rotation.

The other big pre-season trade was just before opening day: acquiring 29-year old DH Jose Serrano in a trade with the expansion team in Cairo. Young prospect Antonio Roman had been expected to retain the starting DH job that he took on at the end of '45, but Roman struggled mightily in spring training and ended up riding the bus back to AAA.

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Serrano has raked in his first four games with Tripoli

Serrano, meanwhile, responded to the trade in grand fashion: on Opening Day he went 3-for-4 with a HR and a double, to earn Player of the Game honors in the 5-1 win over the Metro Stars. In fact, he hit .438 over his first four games, as if thumbing his nose at the expansion team that didn't want him. Quite a debut!

FREE AGENTS:
Sources indicate Dunn cast a wide net in free agency, trying to upgrade in numerous positions, only to be outbid repeatedly not only by the rich teams of the Brewster, but by free-spending GMs in the UMEBA.

The biggest free agent addition was 31-year old reliever Roberto Lizardo, who toiled last season in Montreal in the BBA. "The Lizard has a nasty sinker and curveball," said one scout, impressed with the signing. "Batters in UMEBA are used to the traditional high heat from closers. This guy could very well flummox them with his crazy shit." Though Lizardo can hit near 100 mph, putting a guy without a traditional fastball in the closer role is some outside-the-box thinking, and it will be fascinating to see how it works.

The other notable free agent addition speaks to the team's biggest Achilles heal: defense. Shoddy play in the field was notable last season, and was a primary factor in the team's wretched showing. Dunn sought to improve the D by signing 29-year old centerfielder Wilson Ford to a two-year deal at $2 million per year. That's a ton for a guy who struggles at the plate, but Dunn told reporters that Ford will make up for it by covering a ton of ground in the outfield. "We can't afford to keep letting flyballs get past us and roll to the wall. It was killing us. It was killing the morale of our pitchers."

RULE 5:
Dunn also sought to improve infield defense with a Rule 5 pick-up, shortstop O-Min Paek, grabbed from the rich farm system of the Manama Pearls. Paek, 27, has outstanding range and a great arm, but has spent nearly a decade bouncing around the minor leagues. Finally, he is getting a shot, and promises to be a huge defensive improvement over last season's shortstop, Sixto Palma, who posted an atrocious -19.6 zone rating in '45. Paek might even be a surprise with his bat: he hit .274 in spring training. Honestly, if he hits above .250 it'll be icing on the defensive cake.

EXTENSIONS:
At the end of last season, Dunn handed out extensions to the two players who form the offensive core of the squad: 3B Michael "Neighbor" Best (3 years, $27 million total) and LF Virgil Shafer (2 years, $15 million). Both deals bought out their arbitration years. While that gives the team some financial certainty, the main reason, according to sources, was to reward the guys who are the true nucleus of the squad.

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Carranza is challenging veteran Hollinger at 1B

THE YOUNGSTERS:
2045 saw a sizable number of youngsters elevated to the big leagues, including three starting pitchers: 19-year old Mahad Einan (3.79 ERA, 2.4 WAR in '45), 20-year old Jayden Nicholls (3.94 ERA, 1.8 WAR in '45), 19-year old Cedric Bolitho (5.09 ERA, 3.6 WAR in '45) and 20-year old Shea Valance (5.64 ERA, -.2 WAR). Valance's hold on the fifth spot in the rotation is not solid, and Dunn has a few guys in AAA who look ready. But as a whole, this group of starters are expected -- at the very least -- to show incremental improvement in '46.

Another youngster worth watching is 1B Alejandro Carranza, who was an undrafted free agent back in '43 and has shown steady improvement since then. Carranza got an invite to spring training and made the most of it: hitting .328 in 72 plate appearances. In the regular season, at least for the moment, veteran 1B Morgan Hollinger is still starting at first. Hollinger showed a tremendous decline in '45 over the previous season -- he hit .291 in '44 with 26 HR and 75 RBI. Last year, he dropped to .225 with just 11 HR and 45 RBI. So now Hollinger is looking over his shoulder at Carranza, who made the big league club out of ST as the back-up.

All of this combines to make a Tripoli club that is similar to the '45 fiasco only on the surface. The changes seem more significant the closer you look. But whether this is enough to contend in the extremely tough Bancroft Division will depend entirely on whether the baseball gods want to reward the club for its slow-but-steady approach. It'll be fun to watch.
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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