Good news and bad news. Bad news is that I didn't realize that we had 4 sims in 5 nights so this article isn't going to be much of an article. I do want to crank it out though. Participation points be damned. I'm doing this for me. The good news is that I may or may not be recording a unique podcast later on today that pulls back the curtain on the cyclone and other mysterious things that I've been known to do in preparation for a sim/playoff series. No promises though.
Starter
Rick Ward 2nd in wins, 1st in WAR. Team captain and ace on our 2026 winner. Could have been a hall of famer if his changeup was one point higher.
Starter
Francisco Ruíz Our best bump story. Signed as a minor league free agent. Rose to be one of the best pitchers in the game just in time for our short 2035-37 run. Then fell off the face of the earth right after we traded him. 1st in ERA, 3rd in strikeouts.
Starter
José Morales Longevity award here. Never great but was a solid rubber arm pitcher for us for 7 seasons. Has thrown 250 more innings then anyone else has for us and tops a lot of counting stats.
Starter
Mario Méndez Team Captain during 2026 championship season. I never really used Mendez correctly yet he still put up decent numbers for a while. He's now our pitching coach/miracle worker.
Starter
José 'The Scorpion' García Not a broken link. Poor guy lost his image. Garcia was that mid rotation lefty that everyone wants. Solid yet unspectacular.
Reliever
Ryosei 'Liquidator' AkiyamaAcquired for nothing in a salary dump, Akiyama had all the talent in the world. His only downfall was that his arm was made of glass and was rarely health. However he was healthy in our 2035 run and was a key part of the success of the cyclone. He was also one of the pioneers of the stopper role. A position he thrived in.
Reliever
José Castro A rare player who played 10 years with one team and refused to sign with anyone else. In 2033, coming off a 1.3 WAR season with 8/6/6 ratings, Castro did not sign a contract with anyone else. Not even a minor league deal, nor did he come back for the UMEBA. For that loyalty and the fact he is 2nd in saves, 4th in holds. Castro makes our list.
Reliever
Alan Domínguez Famously known as being the player Stu and I would trade back and forth at the deadline. Domingo ranks 3rd in saves.
Reliever
Joey Budding Budding was a low stamina starter turned reliever who threw 100+ innings out of the backend of the pen before it was cool. His 2027 season was a big reason we had the best record in the Johnson.
Reliever
Corey Jackson I couldn't not put Co-Jack on the list. He was a waiver claim starter who I turned into a solid RP for a few years. He actually earns his spot on this list for merit. 3rd in all time games, 4th in saves and 8th in win. That doesn't even include his batting accolades. A .984 lifetime OPS that makes Kidane Ata jealous.
For those whole like to follow along with graphs and charts. Here is the data thanks to the kind folks at statsplus.