Boardwalk Empire - 2047.1 - Staff Not Renewed

[Joshua Biddle]

Atlantic City Gamblers Announce Departure of Asst. GM Preston King, HC Jean Michel Depart

The Atlantic City Gamblers have officially announced the departure of assistant general manager Preston King and hitting coach Jean Michel.

King, 44, served as the Gamblers' assistant general manager for four seasons from 2043 to 2046, with the Gamblers amassing a record of 307-341 (.474) during that span. The job with the Gamblers was his first front office job with a BBA organization in any capacity. Prior to the Gamblers' gig, King was a professional catcher whose career spanned fifteen seasons. Six of those professional seasons included playing for a BBA organization, and three of the six BBA seasons were with the Gamblers. King finished his BBA career hitting .223/.330/.349 with 86 runs scored, 25 doubles, 1 triple, 24 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a 2.9 WAR in 933 plate appearances. King impressed with the Gamblers during the 2029 season, finishing the season hitting .268/.387/.421 with 33 runs scored, 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a 2.5 WAR in 320 plate appearances. It was this connection to the organization that helped land the assistant general manager gig.

Michel, 58, joined the Gamblers with high expectations after a string of successful seasons as hitting coach of division rival New Orleans Crawdads. Michel's two-year stint with the Gamblers as hitting coach resulted in a 151-173 (.466) record, including a 73-89 (.451) record in 2045 with 840 runs scored, and 78-84 (.481) record in 2046 with 763 runs scored. The Crawdads recorded a 834-713 (.539) record over the nine-plus seasons that Michel was employed as the organization's hitting coach. Prior to his tenure with the Crawdads, he had worked as hitting coach for twelve seasons in the minor leagues at the Class-A, Class-AA, and Class-AAA levels. The overall decline in runs scored by the Gamblers from the 2045 season to the 2046 season and disappointing production by some of the Gamblers young hitters are the primary reasons that Michel's contract was not renewed.