The following Atlantic City Gamblers hitters were offensive standouts for the team:
Left fielder Juan Rivera
Rivera, 26, finished the 2044 season hitting .290/.368/.608 with 98 runs scored, 35 doubles, 2 triples, 43 home runs, 107 RBIs, 20 stolen bases in 28 attempts (.714 success rate), and a 6.5 WAR in 601 plate appearances. The performance with the bat wasn't all Rivera provided, showcasing his glove with excellent performance in left field (1.000 fielding percentage, +6.4 zone rating, 1.059 defensive efficiency), where he has become a mainstay after dabbling in center field during past seasons. Though Rivera has continued to provide critical production in the heart of the Gamblers' batting order, the 2044 season is notably his fourth consecutive season with declines in slugging percentage (.733, .696, .666, .608) and OPS (1.179, 1.107, 1.077, .976). Nonetheless, Rivera continues to contend yearly for the BBA JL Sawyer Silk Silver Slugger Trophy and JL Charles Puckett Golden Bat Award for his outfield position. Nagging injuries that led to 132 games in 2043 and 141 games in 2044 may be to blame some of the aforementioned declines from the past two seasons.
Center fielder Edward Lake
Lake, 25, made significant gains from his rookie season during the 2044 season and was a pleasant surprise in center field following the departure of Millard Younger. Lake finished the 2044 season hitting .297/.360/.553 with 63 runs scored, 25 doubles, 7 triples, 27 home runs, 82 RBIs, 6 stolen bases in 18 attempts (.333 success rate), and a 4.2 WAR in 521 plate appearances. Defensively, he was adequate in center field (1.000 fielding percentage, -0.8 zone rating, .981 defensive efficiency). Compared to his 1.7 WAR 2043 season, Lake's batting average improved 64 points, on-base percentage improved 62 points, slugging percentage improved 84 points, and OPS improved 147 points.
Right fielder José Romero
Romero, 23, made the jump to the BBA in 2044 for his rookie season and delivered a promising campaign. Following his 2043 season with Class-AAA Brooklyn where he hit .323/.409/.573 with 81 runs scored, 38 doubles, 3 triples, 29 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a 6.1 WAR in 611 plate appearances, Romero finished his rookie BBA season hitting .275/.347/.533 with 85 runs scored, 28 doubles, 40 home runs, 106 RBIs, 7 stolen bases in 11 attempts (.636 success rate), and a 3.4 WAR in 646 plate appearances. Projected as the team's designated hitter prior to the fall from grace of corner outfielder Stewart Illingworth, Romero ended up playing significantly in right field, delivering average results (1 error, .995 fielding percentage, +0.1 zone rating, .993 defensive efficiency). The franchise remains high on Romero, believing Romero can continue to develop and further improve his numbers with more experience.
Catcher Randy Bader
Though it's not unreasonable to argue a player with a .210 average should not be considered "good", Randy Bader provided some pop behind the plate and exceeded expectations, especially after a disappointing, injury-riddled 2043 campaign. Bader was limited to only 49 games during the 2043 season, finishing the season hitting .171/.245/.309 with 12 runs scored, 9 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, 7 RBIs, 4 stolen bases in 4 attempts (1.000 success rate), and a -0.1 WAR in 193 plate appearances, prior to suffering a fractured finger in Mid-June. A setback resulted in the need for surgery, ending his season. Bader finished the 2044 season hitting .210/.290/.442 with 49 runs scored, 22 doubles, 2 triples, 21 home runs, 52 RBIs, 4 stolen bases in 6 attempts (.667 success rate), and a 2.0 WAR in 435 plate appearances. Defensively, despite having an arm that raised questions as to his viability as a starting BBA catcher, Bader ranked 4th in the Johnson League with a .412 caught stealing percentage and 4th in zone rating (+2.0).
