The following Atlantic City Gamblers hitters were offensive standouts:
Center Fielder / Right Fielder Juan Rivera
Rivera, 25, continued to impress with tantalizing statistics, but a severe hip strain suffered on September 1st wiped out any participation in the final month of the season. Still, in 132 games, Rivera finished the season hitting .322/.411/.666 with 103 runs scored, 23 doubles, 2 triples, 48 home runs, 98 RBIs, 31 stolen bases in 43 attempts (.721 success rate), and a 7.8 WAR in 582 plate appearances. Defensively, there was a bit of a dip in defensive metrics, which was not unexpected after Rivera shifted to center field with Millard Younger shifting to right field. Rivera recorded a -4.4 zone rating, .968 defensive efficiency, 5 errors (.986 fielding percentage), and 11 outfield assists in 1,159 2/3 innings in center field.
Rivera finished 1st in the Johnson League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, isolated power, OPS+, win probability added, and weighted OBA. During the 2043 season, Rivera won the JL Player of the Week Award twice; JL Batter of the Month Award twice (June, August); and earned his third consecutive All Star selection.
Rivera also had a solid postseason, although he failed to replicate the level of performance he posts in the regular season. Rivera hit .286/.348/.595 with 7 runs scored, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 5 RBIs, and 2 stolen bases in 2 attempts (1.000 success rate) in 46 plate appearances.
Left Fielder / Designated Hitter Stewart Illingworth
Illingworth, 24, recorded another great season in his third BBA season, down from his 2041 rookie year but up from his 2042 campaign. Illingworth finished the 2043 season hitting .285/.347/.561 with 100 runs scored, 24 doubles, 5 triples, 41 home runs, 108 RBIs, and a 3.9 WAR in 637 plate appearances. Illingworth posted a career-high in home runs and runs scored and increased his WAR from 2.6 over last season. The .352/.425/.610 slash line from his rookie season seems like it won't be eclipsed again by Illingworth, but Stewart has still proven to be a dependable offensive contributor.
Illingworth did, however, struggle a bit in the postseason, finishing the postseason hitting .225/.262/.450 with 4 runs scored, 1 double, 1 triple, 2 home runs, and 5 RBIs in 42 plate appearances.
Split-wise, Illingworth also has proven to be significantly more effective against right-handers versus left-handers. He slashed .295/.371/.596 with 33 home runs and 87 RBIs in 481 plate appearances versus right-handers, compared to .257/.276/.459 with 8 home runs and 21 RBIs in 156 plate appearances versus left-handers.
Illingworth played a solid left field for Atlantic City (-0.3 zone rating, .995 defensive efficiency) with no errors and 3 outfield assists, but moved to designated hitter upon the Gamblers calling up rookie outfielder
Illingworth won the JL Player of the Week Award once during the 2043 season, and earned a JL All-Star Selection for the second time in his career (2041).
First Baseman António Martínez
Martínez, 23, had his third consecutive season of solid contribution, although like Illingworth, his 2043 totals pale in comparison to his 2041 rookie campaign. Martínez finished the 2043 season hitting .275/.330/.543 with 101 runs scored, 36 doubles, 1 triple, 44 home runs, 114 RBIs, 6 stolen bases in 10 attempts (.600 success rate), and a 3.4 WAR in 696 plate appearances, playing in all 162 games. Martínez struggled defensively with 20 errors (.987 fielding percentage), a -5.2 zone rating, and a .966 defensive efficiency, but the offense provided outweighs the poor defense when compared to other roster options.
Martínez does show some red flags -- the season marked his third consecutive season of declines in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. It also marks his third consecutive season of increases in strikeouts. Even so, Martínez represented a significant bat in the middle of the Gamblers lineup.
Martínez had a mixed postseason for Atlantic City, hitting .256/.273/.512 with 6 runs scored, 2 doubles, 3 home runs, and 4 RBIs in 44 plate appearances.
Learning first base was a critical step for Martínez based on the Gamblers' surplus of solid hitting outfielders. This may be even more evident next season as it's expected that prospects 1B/OF Cinema Jones and OF José Romero will see some time in Atlantic City.
Martínez won the JL Player of the Week award once during the 2043 season, and earned his first career JL All-Star selection.
Right Fielder / Center Fielder Millard Younger
Younger, 26, finished the 2034 season hitting .275/.339/.470 with 90 runs scored, 34 doubles, 15 triples (league leader), 19 home runs, 66 RBIs, 16 stolen bases in 22 attempts (.727 success rate), and a 3.7 WAR in 703 plate appearances. Younger recorded his best WAR since the 2040 season, which bodes well for Millard as he enters free agency. He primarily played right field for the Gamblers this season, posting excellent metrics (+8.1 zone rating, 1.049 defensive efficiency) that pared with only 2 errors (.993 field percentage) and 13 outfield assists.
Younger's September was a key cog in helping the Gamblers reach the postseason after Rivera's injury. Younger finished the month of September hitting .288/.339/.519 with 13 runs scored, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 14 RBIs, and 2 stolen bases in 3 attempts (.667 success rate) in 113 plate appearances. The good late season performance, unfortunately, did not translate to the postseason; he finished the postseason hitting .125/.200/.325 with 3 runs scored, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, and 4 RBIs in 47 plate appearances.
Atlantic City has not commented publicly on whether the team will attempt to retain Younger, but the expectation is he will leave Atlantic City given the Gamblers' glut of outfield talent both on the BBA roster and at Class-AAA Brooklyn.
