41.05 Wasim's Weekly; Chang, Chang, Chang (and Martin)

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41.05 Wasim's Weekly; Chang, Chang, Chang (and Martin)

Post by shoeless.db » Fri Dec 20, 2019 11:45 am

Idiot, Elderly Has-Beens Brought in to Continue
Their Old, Mediocre Ways
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January 25, 2041 -- In a successful effort to raise the average age of an already aging ballclub, General Manager Shoeless signed free-agent BBA veterans, Scott Martin and Chang-hyeok 'Berserker' Chang, to roam the corner outfield spots against southpaw pitching in 2041. Finding viable platoon partners for all-world 'Horrible' Simpson and rookie sensation Luis González was a top off-season priority for the Crusader ball-club, according to GM Shoeless.

"We felt Davey and LuGo were mentally bringing some of their poorer at-bats against lefties into their chances against right-handers," said an unexpectedly pleasant GM Shoeless when reached via phone call from his home in Bismarck, ND. "Both players still dominated against righties, but the general feeling throughout our scouting ranks was they could be so much better without the negativity surrounding those arbitrary at-bats against southpaws."

GM Shoeless didn't want to just throw those at-bats against lefties in the trash, though, so he brought in proven hitters from the right side of the plate in Martin and Chang. "I can't watch another outfielder hit under .200," Shoeless said. "And, that was our only damn option last season."

Over his six-year BBA career, switch-hitting Martin posted a slash-line of .285/.339/.519 against lefties. His ability to drive balls into the gaps for extra bases, which South Pacific Field caters, was an added reason to bring him to California. Defensively, although not tremendous, Martin can track down the balls he should and make the plays necessary to compete.

"Although not a perfect fit for The Right Wind™ philosophical tenet, The Turning of the Screws™, Scotty is a definite improvement over the past several seasons out there," said Shoeless. "Plus, my assistant GM, Anton Vogts, is quite certain there are some tweaks that can be made in Martin's game to help us win more games."

A ballplayer all-to-familiar with tweaks is 'Berserker' Chang. The 11-year veteran, who holds a career slash-line of .315/.366/.459, has battled 26 separate injuries to wildly different parts of his battered body in those 11 years, leaving many top BBA prognosticators to label him as wrecked. The Crusaders were willing to take a chance on Chang in large part due to the proven success of team trainer Virgil Vaughn's conditional approach and Vogts' unconditional methods.

"The dude led the league in hitting just a few short years ago (2037)," said Shoeless. "If we limit most of his at-bats to left-handers, which will limit the abuse on his body, he may just be the guy to help push us into some postseason series victories."
Sacramento Mad Popes (unretired)
-- Vic Caleca Team News Award Winner 2052
-- BBA Champion 2053
-- Pacific Champs 2040, 2042, 2043, 2047, 2048, 2049, 2051, 2053, 2054
Life is a bit more beautiful when time is measured by the half inning rather than the half hour.

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