Competitive Balance Signee Review
By Khepri Quraishi, Egypt Today Sports
December 17, 2048
In 2048 the BBA and UMEBA powers that be made a series of very well intentioned competitive balance free agent signings for the two UMEBA expansion teams. Each signee, three each for Cairo and Riyadh, received a $1.0 million contract with two additional team options years at $1.5 million with $250k buyouts, How did they end up affecting the two teams?
RIYADH
Riyadh’s competitive balance didn’t improve much as the team struggled to a 55-107 record, exactly one game better than 2047 and fifteen games worse that their inaugural season in 2046. The three signees were:
- Catcher Diesel Dave – power-hitting former Cairo catcher figured to do much better in Riyadh where the home ball park is built for home run hitters unlike the opposite scenario in Cairo. Dave indeed hit a career-high 34 home runs while knocking in only 87. He struck out a league-leading 199 times. (Dave strikes out a lot!) Still, he recorded a 1.9 WAR and certainly was a positive asset for the Red Crescents.
- Center fielder José Leyva – the slick-fielding hard-working Leyva hit .280 and 14 home runs, earning a WAR of 1.8.
- Starting pitcher José Lima – coming off 17-8 and 13-6 season with Mumbai, Lima started 32 times for the hapless Red Crescents, posting a 9-11 mark (4.45 ERA) for a .340 team. He earned a WAR of 1.7. He certainly was an asset for Riyadh.
CAIRO
Cairo did in fact become somewhat competitive in 2048, finishing in a tie for third place in the Bancroft Division with a better-than-.500 record of 82-80. Was it the three new guys that made the difference? The three signees were:
- Outfielder Frank Mahaffey – the power hitter clearly struggled with the anti-home-run aspects of Pyramid Park. He lost his starting job fairly early in the season, providing mainly pinch hitting support for the remainder of the season. He started just 47 games and appeared in 72 games total. His WAR was a seriously disappointing negative 0.2.
- First baseman Nacho Méndez – he started strong as the starting first baseman, hitting five home runs early on, but he leveled off and finished the season appearing only against left handed pitching. His final numbers: .241 with 8 home runs and a WAR of negative 0.7.
- Pitcher Juan Nicto – he had 164 career wins in the BBA/UMEBA. Long a starter, he transitioned to reliever with Mumbai in 2047. The Pharaohs tried him in the rotation with no success in eleven tries. After that he remained in the bullpen albeit with limited success. His final numbers: 5-7 with a 5.37 ERA and a WAR of 0.9.
There’s a wrapper on it for today. Stay tuned as free agency awaits us.
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