Boardwalk Empire - 2035.17 - Three Lost in Expansion Draft

[Joshua Biddle]

Gamblers Lose Three in Expansion Draft

With the 2035 Expansion Draft in the books, the BBA’s 29th and 30th BBA franchises - the Boise Spuds and the Wichita Aviators – have officially been born. With the maximum loss exposure for being three players per franchise, the Gamblers ultimately lost three – first baseman José Vázquez, who was drafted by the Wichita Aviators with the 1st pick in the 14th round (27th overall); infielder Carlos Guerrero, who was drafted by the Wichita Aviators with the 2nd pick in the 15th round (30th overall); and left-handed starting pitcher Kazunori Sato, who was drafted by the Wichita Aviators with the 2nd pick in the 23rd round (46th overall).

Vazquez, 20, was drafted with the 26th pick in the 3rd round (96th overall) of the 2031 BBA Amateur Draft by the Atlantic City Gamblers organization. Vazquez spent the 2034 season with Class-AAA Brooklyn, where he spent time playing in left field, at first base, and as the team’s designated hitter. Vazquez finished the 2034 season hitting .280/.340/.613 with 56 runs scored, 20 doubles, 1 triple, 30 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a 0.9 WAR in 336 at-bats, earning a selection to the 2034 Rupert Horn Memorial League All-Star Game. Defensively, in 358 2/3 innings at first base, Vazquez recorded 11 errors (.973 fielding percentage), a 10.09 range factor, a -9.0 zone rating, and a .790 defensive efficiency; and in 267 1/3 innings in left field, Vazquez recorded 3 errors (.948 fielding percentage), a 1.85 range factor, a -10.6 zone rating, and a .777 defensive efficiency. Vazquez also was selected to the Tallahassee Gamblers’ FPL roster, where he finished hitting .339/.392/.651 with 21 runs scored, 7 doubles, 9 home runs, 28 RBIs, and a 1.0 WAR in 109 at-bats, earning the 2034 FPL Platinum Stick Award at DH. Vazquez hasn’t shown any defensive proficiency to date, leaving his primary path to the BBA as a designated hitter or bench bat / pinch hitter, though it’s possible he makes it as a first baseman.

Guerrero, 19, was drafted with the 23rd pick in the 9th round (264th overall) in the 2031 2034 BBA Amateur Draft by the Atlantic City Gamblers. Guerrero spent the 2034 season with Class-AA Trenton and Class-AAA Brooklyn. For Class-AA Trenton, Guerrero finished the season hitting .302/.366/.520 with 65 runs scored, 17 doubles, 21 home runs, 69 RBIs, and a 2.1 WAR in 367 at-bats; for Class-AAA Brooklyn, Guerrero finished the season hitting .290/.346/.491 with 29 runs scored, 13 doubles, 7 home runs, and 24 RBIs, and a 1.0 WAR in 169 at-bats. Defensively, in 777 1/3 innings at second base for Class-AA Trenton, Guerrero recorded 3 errors (.993 fielding percentage), a 4.83 zone rating, a -5.7 zone rating, and a .955 defensive efficiency; in 410 2/3 innings at second base for Class-AAA Brooklyn, Guerrero recorded 3 errors (.987 fielding percentage), a 5.00 range factor, a -2.4 zone rating, and a .968 defensive efficiency. Guerrero will likely need further development at the plate and in the field if he is to have a successful career at the BBA level for Wichita, but he possesses an above average bat and above average raw defensive skills that could result in above average defensive proficiency at second base or third base.

Sato, 26, signed a minor league contract out of Japan with the Atlantic City Gamblers organization on 4/11/2026. Sato spent the 2034 season with the Gamblers, primarily pitching in the starting rotation before a demotion to the bullpen; he finished the 2034 season 9-8 with a 5.39 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, a 5.22 FIP, a .294 OAVG, a .308 BABIP, a .385 QS%, a .000 IRS% (6 IR), 1 hold, 117 strikeouts, and a -1.3 WAR in 168 2/3 innings pitched (34 appearances, 26 starts). For his career at the BBA level across two seasons with Atlantic City, Sato is 13-10 with a 5.11 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, a 5.13 FIP, a .287 OAVG, a .300 BABIP, a .400 QS%, a .308 IRS%, 1 hold, 144 strikeouts, and a -1.4 WAR in 218 1/3 innings pitched (50 appearances, 30 starts).

Regarding the losses, general manager Joshua Biddle spoke at a press conference announcing the departures and stated the following: “obviously, based on the parameters of the expansion draft and the protection process, we knew there would be players with a BBA future that would be left off of our list and would be potential losses. While it’s never fun to lose players that you put effort in drafting and developing, we feel like our minor league system is becoming better equipped with talent, making any losses that occur in an expansion draft, or due to injury, not as detrimental. We have so many options as it is at first base / designated hitter, which makes Vazquez’s loss manageable; Gustavo [Aguilera] will start the season in Brooklyn [Class-AAA] and play first base. With some of the pending promotions from Trenton [Class-AA] to Brooklyn, the void at DH will be filled, probably by Héctor [Hernández], who won the 2034 WCL (AA) DRK Jorge Olivas Batter Award last season. I won’t be surprised to see Vazquez in Wichita at some point this coming season, especially if he produces in Class-AAA as he has. Carlos was still a bit too raw defensively at this point to protect, at least relative to the other options we had and ultimately chose to protect. With patience, I imagine he can become a competent defensive infielder with a decent bat. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Wichita at some point. Sato was a guy that we debated a good bit internally about protecting, but we clearly opted to go in a different direction. Sato is somebody our scouts believe has good abilities, mechanics, and such, but the production just didn’t match it. In 2033, he showed some promise out of the bullpen and as a starter, but he took too much of a step back in 2034 to justify protection. I’ll be interested to see how he does, as well as Jose and Carlos, and I wish them all the best of luck moving forward with the next chapter of their respective careers.”

[RonCo]

I like Vazquez quite a bit as a cheap DH, though he needs a few PPT dropped in his work ethic.

[Joshua Biddle]

I like Vazquez quite a bit as a cheap DH, though he needs a few PPT dropped in his work ethic.

I do too, I think he'll contribute for them. He almost came up last year, but went with Enrique Gomez instead (both were playing well at AAA), and Gomez ended up hitting .315/.392/.603 with 11 HR and 30 RBI in 146 ABs. So just wasn't room to protect him between him, Gomez, Salazar, and Aguilera. Yet, he was still the one I was most disappointed to lose. Probably because he was in my first draft class and was a big producer at AAA.