March 31, 2054
Yellow Springs, OH – The Yellow Springs Nine released their official 27 man roster for the start of the 2054 season. These are the position players going north.
CATCHERS
Jesus Rodriguez. The 34 year old is a lifelong member of the Nine, first joining the big league team in 2041 as a September call up, then moving into the starting catcher role in 2042. He has 1119 hits and a career average of .252, but is best known as a solid defensive backstop.
Mario Rivera. 32 years old and in his first season with the Nine, having signed a minor-league deal in February. Through parts of seven seasons, Rivera has a BBA career average of .232, but he has positive framing work and will only see limited action, with Rodriguez getting the bulk of the starts behind the dish.
INFIELDERS
1B Burhan Tahir. One of the young stars of the Nine at just 27, this is his fifth season with the team. He hits for high average (.301 in his career) and already has 535 hits. Tahir isn't known for his power, with just 50 career home runs.
2B Dong-Po Thum. Thum returns for his 16th season in the Nine uniform, after a spectacular 2053 that found him returning to form after a few off-years, despite an injury that kept him out of the lineup for part of the year. An All-Star season and continued mastery of the glove makes him an anchor at the keystone position. With 2916 hits, he's sure to go over 3,000 for the year, possibly even before the mid-season break.
SS Richard Sharp. Another new addition, this time from the GBC, Sharp's glove was on fire nearly every game, with a 16.1 zone rating in 2053. He'll form the other half of the backbone of what the Nine hope is a significantly improved defense up the middle. Sharp, 35, is on his fifth BBA team in his career, which started in 2041.
3B Jeremy Pickens. Manning third will be Pickens, in his 4th year with the Nine and 13th overall. An injury kept him out of the All Star Game in 2053 (replaced by Thum), but his overall numbers were strong despite missing time, hitting 28 home runs (second best in his career), and producing a WAR of 4.0 across the season. At 239 homers, Pickens should reach the 250 milestone during the season.
UI Rich Moore. Moore, 23, finished the year as the Nine' starting shorstop but is expected to slide into a support role in 2054. He hit a respectable .238 in 2053, with 42 RBIs in 123 games, 106 of them starts. Moore had his first full year in the in the BBA last season and looks to improve on it, while providing key players like Thum and Pickens well-needed rest during the season.
UI Yunus Bin Hadi. At 24 in 2053, Hadi was debating whether to hang up the cleats. Then GM Rob McMonigal signed him to a minor league deal in early April and he ended up getting his first major-league experience, playing in 7 games and starting 5 of them. A defensive wizard, Bin Hadi's role will be to jump in to preserve late leads.
OUTFIELDERS
LF Miguel Cortez. Signed in January to a 1.2 million dollar deal, the 34 year old resurrected his career by going back to Portland in 2053, batting .280 in 84 games and providing strong defense in both left and right fields. Cortez expects to take the majority of starts in left due to his defensive prowess as the team works to help its pitchers by getting more outs and limiting doubles.
CF Frederick Brisset. One of the highest paid players on the team, Brisset is reaching a key time with the Nine, having been on the team since 2052 as one of the last free agents signed by forrmer GM Ron Collins. The contract includes an opt-out after this season, and given the high demand for quality center fielders who can also hit (Brisset has 231 home runs, averaging between 20 and 30 per season), he may decide that he can get even more money in the market, despite being 34 years old this year.
CF Ismael Zumaya. Brought in as a minor-league free agent, Zumaya, 28, was rimarily brought in to play against left-handed pitchers, which Brisset struggles against, and to serve as a defensive replacement late in games. He has almost no BBA experience, his only other time being in 2050 for a cup of coffee with the Tropics. He hit 20 HR in 2052 in AAA, and has outstanding defensive metrics.
RF Nazeeh Ragheb. Recently signed to a 5 year, 29 million dollar deal, the 26 year old is donning the Nine uniform for the seventh straight season and looks to be a potential lifer, albeit one that isn't a superstar in the way that Thum is. He hits consistently, sporting a .298 career average.
OF Eric Grant. Grant, just 24, looks to be the all-around outfielder and DH. He took a step back in 2053, losing 29 points off his batting average, and 48 off his On-base percentage, leading to a mediocre .735 OPS. He's looking for a rebound in 2054.
OF Sean Krajancic is making his major-league debut. A 6th round pick of the Nine in 2047, the utility outfielder is amazingly fast and can be used both as a late-game replacement, pinch hitter, and pinch runner.
