Black Sox Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online
The Chicago Black Sox this week named Amayas Moelling as their Pitcher of the Year for 2042, an inkling that the 24-year-old right-hander is finally starting to produce at the level scouts have been projecting for years.
Moelling, of Namibia, emerged as the ace of the Chicago staff this season, going 16-6 with a 4.07 ERA, a 4.15 FIP, 169 strikeouts, 55 walks, a command ratio (K/BB) of 3.1, and 4.1 WAR.
Amayas Moelling
“The scouts have been touting Moelling as Ace material ever since he broke into the majors back in 2039,” said Malcolm Wilkes, who covers the Heartland Division for BBA Weekly. “But this is the first year he’s produced at anything like that kind of level.
“He’s still got room to grow,” Wilkes added. “There’s no reason to think he won’t get even better in the next few years.”
The BBA Scouting Consortium agrees, rating Moelling at 65/80 in his overall potential, with 8/8 stuff; 8/8 pitch movement; and 8/8 control. They rank his fastball at 11/11; his cutter at 6/7; and his slider at 8/8.
"While Moelling already has the talent to anchor a rotation," his scouting report says, "he has some untapped potential that could put him in the running for a Steve Nebraska Golden Arm Award."
For now, though, Moelling seemed gratified by the recognition from his team.
“After last year, when I had a 9-10 record and struggled all season to get my ERA under 5.00, I wondered whether I was ever going to pitch consistently,” he said. “But (Pitching Coach) Art (Messer) stuck by me and kept working with me, and I felt like things finally started to click this year.
“I think this … um … certificate … uh, is this really all it is? Just a printed-out certificate? Wow … Ok … well, anyway, I think the recognition is a little affirmation that I’ve got things going in the right way.”
“But, hey … will there be any fruit with this?” he asked. “I heard Hao Hang was gonna get pears. I think I should at least get some melon balls …”