37.1. A Desperately Needed Bat

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37.1. A Desperately Needed Bat

Post by agrudez » Wed Nov 28, 2018 11:16 am

After finishing 2036 with only the 7th most runs scored in the JL, Phantoms management was clearly upset with their production on that side of the ball. Immediately proceeding the end of the season, they spent a good amount of time (note: for good reason) scapegoating the appalling (and blindsiding) seasons that Yelainen (.671 OPS) and Sullivan (.599 OPS) had, but deep down they knew that it wasn't the only reason.

One such additional reason was that the team only had one player above .900 OPS (David Hall at .909 OPS). Heavy bats at the heart of the order were hallmarks of every successful Stever-led Barnstormer/Phantom team. So, looking at Chris Klein at 1B with his respectable, but uninspiring .831 OPS (after some ratings dips from the season prior), that was quickly targeted as a position of potential need entering the offseason.

Enter Norris Rutledge.

While his 1.0+ OPS seasons ('31-'33) are probably behind him (since he dipped a point of CON since then), he still put up .946, .87 and .911 OPS's the past 3 seasons - including 47 HRs last season (a stat that will no doubt see a boon coming to HSV's park). Suddenly, the team can pair Hall with another legitimate masher at the heart of the lineup - behind Guzman and Torres in the 1-2 slots and in front of Barrera at the 5. That's still not one of the best in the league (though Cochrane and Reyes aren't too far away and might have something to add to that conversation), but its definitely better than the middling performance that the team put together last year. And if Yelainen can return to form and be another .800+ OPS bat, it'll suddenly be a deep lineup as well.

Another interesting wrinkle is that it gives the team 3 legitimately elite base stealers at the top of the lineup - a dynamic that Stever teams haven't historically leaned on, but after enjoying a 3rd best SB total in the JL last year with a net positive success rate, it might be one that he continues nurturing with the current roster. Last year, the 3-headed base-running monster of Guzman-Torres-Rutledge posted an aggregate 145 SBs with an astonishing aggregate 85.8% success rate. That SB total, by the way, would've been good for 8th in the JL by themselves.

And, lastly, as with any FA acquisition, the final - and arguably most important - consideration is the contract given out. For a very pleasant surprise, the contract Rutledge agreed to seems pretty darn team friendly. After asking for 6 years, 12M per, the contract he ultimately accepted was 5 years, 10M per (flat). That will make him only the 4th highest paid player on the Phantoms next season behind Guzman, Barrera and Velazquez and will end his contract at age 35. And it still leaves us in a good salary position next year - with a projected 22M cap space next year (assuming Velazquez isn't re-signed).
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Re: 37.1. A Desperately Needed Bat

Post by RonCo » Wed Nov 28, 2018 9:29 pm

That's a nice deal.
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