Galaxy Gas 2061.50 - This Ain’t Jacksonville
Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2024 10:38 pm
When Valencia owner Sofia Corretti-Dobbs hired Gregg Greathouse as GM, he was hoping that Greathouse could repeat the same magic that he produced in Jacksonville.
When Greathouse arrived in Jacksonville midway through the 2041 season, the then-Hurricanes finished the season 34-43 before following it with a 53-109 outing during the 2042 season. Jacksonville was in full rebuild mode. Hitting .233 as a team while allowing 6.07 earned runs per game and having a run differential of -301 will do that to a team.
In 2043, the rebuild began but the bats were still not producing. The Canes hit a combined .228 but the pitching did improve as new talent was brought in via cheap free agent signees, waiver wire pickups and a couple of trades as the ERA lowered to 4.50 and the record improved 11 games to 64-98.
Fast forward to 2046 and the Canes saw their first .500 season of the decade at 84 wins and 78 losses. In 2047 the team eclipsed 90 wins and made the playoffs. In 2048, the team went 98-64 as the trade capital from the 5 years prior and high first round picks started kicking in from the previous 6 years. The best season occurred in 2049 where Jacksonville went 100-62 only to bow out in disappointing fashion by losing in the Doubleday Series in 6 games. The team averages during those final four years were in the .260/.270 range and the ERA was in the 3.6 range where the run differential was over +100 three years in a row.
The recipe used in Jacksonville was getting people in the lineup with high contact rating, good discipline at the plate, and moderate long ball capability. In the field, 7 of the 9 fielders were above average to elite level. The pitchers were lopsided with groundballers with a lot of control. This recipe allowed Jacksonville to build a new stadium with an extractable roof and had fans coming in droves.
Fast forward to 2059 after a 10 year hiatus and then a return to Valencia. While certain ingredients of the previous recipe were there and a few more were added. As contracts from the previous front office are starting to dwindle there was a push to make a run at the playoffs. Unfortunately a few key ingredients were missing (high contact ratings at the top of the lineup and more elite range ratings in the field).
As the trade deadline is about a month away, the Valencia front office is making a proclamation that a rebuild is needed instead of trying to build on the existing foundation. This includes even putting the face of the franchise, Miller Shed, among the names of those open to being traded.