Boardwalk Empire - 2045.8 - Gamblers Staff Finalized

[Joshua Biddle]

Gamblers Finalize Major League Staff

Questions have swirled around the Gamblers staff entering the 2045 season, but the team announced manager Bruce Frank will return despite a disappointing 69-93 campaign in 2044. The decision has been received with mixed reviews amongst the Gamblers' fan base, with many hoping the team would make a move to promote popular former Gamblers' first baseman António Sánchez, who was inducted into the BBA Hall of Fame in 2037.

With that said, the Gamblers did indeed promote António Sánchez to the position of bench coach, which was vacated by the retired Mark Kidd. Sánchez, 47, has spent nine seasons as a manager within the Gamblers' minor league system. Sánchez spent four seasons with Rookie Class Albany Atoms from 2036 through 2039, finishing with a 147-109 (.574) record, two playoff appearances, and a Manager of the Year Award win (2038); two seasons with Class-AA Trenton from 2040 through 2041, finishing with a 163-117 (.582) record and two playoff appearances; and the past three seasons with Class-AAA Brooklyn from 2042 through 2044, finishing 226-206 (.523) with two playoff appearances.

The Gamblers announced a two-year contract with free agent hitting coach Jean Michel, who replaces Bartolo Esquivel, whose contract expired at the conclusion of the 2044 season. Michel, 56, spent the past ten seasons with the division rival New Orleans Crawdads, who amassed an 834-713 (.539) record in that span with seven playoff appearances.

After further deliberation, the Gamblers opted to fire pitching coach Lorenzo Sánchez after four years as the Gamblers' pitching coach (2041-2044) and eleven years total with the organization (2034-2044). During Sánchez's tenure, the Gamblers finished with a 320-328 (.493) record with one playoff appearance. The Gamblers finished the season with a 5.45 ERA in 2041, a 5.06 ERA in 2042, a 3.93 ERA in 2043, and a 4.69 ERA in 2044.

Following the dismissal of Sánchez, the Gamblers agreed to terms on a three-year contract with Vincent Boone for the pitching coach position. Boone, 59, has nineteen seasons worth of coaching experience and spent the past eight seasons (2037-2044) as pitching coach of Class-A Long Island, finishing with a 634-461 (.578) record in that span with four playoff appearances. Following the 2044 season, Boone's contract expired and he hit the open market, but the Gamblers organization was able to reel him back in with an offer for his first BBA gig. The hiring represents a full circle move for Boone, who began his coaching career as a pitching coach with Class-AAA Brooklyn back in 2024 and departed following the 2025 season after an unsuccessful stint. After nine seasons working as a pitching coach for other organizations, the Gamblers organization re-hired Boone in 2037, and offered him the big league gig eight seasons later.

Finally, the Gamblers hired Nail Abdul-Nasir as the Team Trainer. Abdul-Nasir, 38, had spent the previous three seasons in the same position with the Athens Fighting Centaurs of the UMEBA.