Boardwalk Empire - 2042.2 - Tallahassee Takes Home the Championship!
Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 3:12 pm
Tallahassee Gamblers Earn First Florida Pacific League (FPL) Championship!
The Tallahassee Gamblers, coming off of last year's 20-8 campaign, matched their 20-8 campaign in 2041. This season, however, they earned a playoff berth and their first championship in the organization's tenth season. The season marks the organization's fourth playoff berth in ten seasons.
Tallahassee capitalized primarily by their offensive output, leading the FPL in on-base percentage (.386), hits (355), home runs (44), and walks (155). The Gamblers were powered by right fielder José Valentín, who won his second consecutive FPL Platinum Stick Award at Right Field and FPL Most Valuable Player Award. Valentín finished the season hitting .426/.477/.838 with 34 runs scored, 9 doubles, 4 triples, 13 home runs, 39 RBIs, 9 stolen bases in 10 attempts (.900 success rate), and a 3.1 WAR in 149 plate appearances. Valentín's performance all but solidifies he will see some BBA action with Atlantic City during the upcoming season, although questions remain whether that will be out of Spring Training or at a point later in the season. Tallahassee manager Chad Cannon said of Valentín, "he was a huge part of this squad for the past two seasons and it's been amazing watching him continue to grow. I think he can contribute at the BBA level and I really hope to have the pleasure of watching him reach his goal." Designated hitter Antonio Rivera also provided significant offensive output for Tallahassee, finishing the campaign hitting .333/.444/.632 with 30 runs scored, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, 29 RBIs, 4 stolen bases in 7 attempts (.571 success rate), and a 1.3 WAR in 144 plate appearances. First baseman 1B Jack Cox also provided plenty of pop, ranking second on the team in RBIs (37).
Tallahassee's pitching outperformed expectations, despite the lack of blue chip starting pitching talent. The team ranked 4th in ERA (3.57), 7th in starters' ERA (3.83), 6th in bullpen ERA (3.15), 1st in WAR (8.3), 3rd in opponents' batting average (.238), and 1st in strikeouts (397). The pitching also benefited from an above average defense, ranking 2nd in zone rating (+12.8). Left-handed reliever Carlos Flores started, as he did for Class Short Season A Bogota in 2040, posting dominant numbers: 4-0, 1.65 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 1.86 FIP, .200 opponents' average, .497 opponents' OPS, .344 BABIP, 69 strikeouts (league leader), and a 2.3 WAR (league leader) in 43 2/3 innings pitched (7 starts). The performance earned Flores the 2041 FPL Rookie of the Year and Pitcher of the Year Awards. Left-handed starting pitcher Félix López had a stellar season with a 5-0 record, a 1.80 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, a 3.83 FIP in 40 innings pitched (6 starts); and right-handed relief pitcher had a stunning season out of the bullpen, finishing 0-0 with 2 saves, a 0.49 ERA, a 0.60 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings pitched (7 appearances).
The Tallahassee Gamblers, coming off of last year's 20-8 campaign, matched their 20-8 campaign in 2041. This season, however, they earned a playoff berth and their first championship in the organization's tenth season. The season marks the organization's fourth playoff berth in ten seasons.
Tallahassee capitalized primarily by their offensive output, leading the FPL in on-base percentage (.386), hits (355), home runs (44), and walks (155). The Gamblers were powered by right fielder José Valentín, who won his second consecutive FPL Platinum Stick Award at Right Field and FPL Most Valuable Player Award. Valentín finished the season hitting .426/.477/.838 with 34 runs scored, 9 doubles, 4 triples, 13 home runs, 39 RBIs, 9 stolen bases in 10 attempts (.900 success rate), and a 3.1 WAR in 149 plate appearances. Valentín's performance all but solidifies he will see some BBA action with Atlantic City during the upcoming season, although questions remain whether that will be out of Spring Training or at a point later in the season. Tallahassee manager Chad Cannon said of Valentín, "he was a huge part of this squad for the past two seasons and it's been amazing watching him continue to grow. I think he can contribute at the BBA level and I really hope to have the pleasure of watching him reach his goal." Designated hitter Antonio Rivera also provided significant offensive output for Tallahassee, finishing the campaign hitting .333/.444/.632 with 30 runs scored, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, 29 RBIs, 4 stolen bases in 7 attempts (.571 success rate), and a 1.3 WAR in 144 plate appearances. First baseman 1B Jack Cox also provided plenty of pop, ranking second on the team in RBIs (37).
Tallahassee's pitching outperformed expectations, despite the lack of blue chip starting pitching talent. The team ranked 4th in ERA (3.57), 7th in starters' ERA (3.83), 6th in bullpen ERA (3.15), 1st in WAR (8.3), 3rd in opponents' batting average (.238), and 1st in strikeouts (397). The pitching also benefited from an above average defense, ranking 2nd in zone rating (+12.8). Left-handed reliever Carlos Flores started, as he did for Class Short Season A Bogota in 2040, posting dominant numbers: 4-0, 1.65 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 1.86 FIP, .200 opponents' average, .497 opponents' OPS, .344 BABIP, 69 strikeouts (league leader), and a 2.3 WAR (league leader) in 43 2/3 innings pitched (7 starts). The performance earned Flores the 2041 FPL Rookie of the Year and Pitcher of the Year Awards. Left-handed starting pitcher Félix López had a stellar season with a 5-0 record, a 1.80 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, a 3.83 FIP in 40 innings pitched (6 starts); and right-handed relief pitcher had a stunning season out of the bullpen, finishing 0-0 with 2 saves, a 0.49 ERA, a 0.60 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings pitched (7 appearances).