Boardwalk Empire - 2048.6 - Five DFA'd

[Joshua Biddle]

Gamblers Designate Five for Assignment

The Atlantic City Gamblers designated for assignment five players following the 2047 season, opting not to have them on the books moving forward with a major league contract. The Gamblers designated for assignment infielder Aaron McDaniel, right fielder José Núñez, infielder Bill Christensen, right-handed pitcher Keith Nash, and left-handed pitcher Matsuo Yamamoto.

McDaniel, 26, received the news at a relatively bad time, two days following his 26th birthday. McDaniel was drafted with the 5th pick in the 2nd round (48th overall) in the 2040 BBA Amateur Draft, spending time at each level and earning quite the cabinet of awards. McDaniel earned the Platinum Stick Award at Second Base in 2041 (Class-Short Season A), 2042 (Class-A), and 2043 (Class-AA); the Platinum Stick Award at Third Base in 2044 (Class-AA); two Winter League championships with the Tallahassee Gamblers (Winter League); and three All Star appearances in 2042 (Class-A), 2043 (Class-AA), and 2044 (Class-AA). McDaniel had a solid 2046 season with Class-AAA Brooklyn, finishing the season hitting .287/.339/.441 with 34 runs scored, 18 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs, 50 RBIs, 17 stolen bases in 23 attempts (.739 success rate), and a 1.0 WAR in 304 plate appearances. McDaniel was promoted to Atlantic City for the final month of the season, hitting .387/.387.710 with 6 runs scored, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, 2 stolen bases in 2 attempts (1.000 success rate), and a 0.3 WAR in 32 plate appearances. His 2047 season with Class-AAA Brooklyn, however, was a disappointment -- McDaniel finished the season hitting .228/.281/.355 with 63 runs scored, 23 doubles, 5 triples, 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, 16 stolen bases in 23 attempts (.696 success rate), and a -0.6 WAR in 562 plate appearances. Though he showed some initial promise with his production with the Gamblers in limited action during the 2046 season, McDaniel has limited defensive skills and is below average at every infield position. As such, and due to the lack of a bat conducive of a designated hitter, the decision was made to designate him for assignment.

Núñez, 27, was drafted by the Gamblers with the 12th pick in the 6th round (192nd overall) in the 2039 BBA Amateur Draft, spending nine years within the Gamblers' minor league system. Núñez thrived with Class-AA Trenton in 2042 and 2043 -- Núñez finished the 2042 season hitting .307/.420/.506 with 105 runs scored, 25 doubles, 1 triple, 26 home runs, 70 RBIs, 5 stolen bases in 9 attempts (.556 success rate), and a 5.2 WAR in 633 plate appearances; and finished the 2043 season hitting .308/.449/.531 with 112 runs scored, 32 doubles, 3 triples, 24 home runs, 77 RBIs, 16 stolen bases in 19 attempts (.842 success rate), and a 6.6 WAR in 626 plate appearances. Núñez earned an All Star appearance in 2042; won the 2042 WCL(AA) DNL Brad Aramathal Glove Award at Right Field; finished 3rd in 2042 WCL(AA) DNL Jorge Olivas Batter Award Voting; and finished 2nd in 2043 WCL(AA) DNL Jorge Olivas Batter Award Voting. After decent 2045 (.252/.347/.379, 14 HR, 42 RBI, 2.2 WAR, 596 PAs) and 2046 (.275/.379/.419, 10 HR, 24 RBI, 1.7 WAR, 340 PAs) seasons with Class-AAA Brooklyn, Núñez disappointed with his offensive output in 2047, finishing the season hitting .237/.326/.372 with 69 runs scored, 24 doubles, 3 triples, 13 home runs, 40 RBIs, 30 stolen bases in 45 attempts (.667 success rate), and a 2.5 WAR in 582 plate appearances. As such, Núñez fell out of favor based on concerns of how he'd produce at the BBA level.

Christensen, 27, was drafted with the 12th pick in the 4th round (132nd overall) by the Gamblers in the 2039 BBA Amateur Draft. After two consecutive seasons in the minor leagues with a 2+ WAR - one with Class-AA Trenton and the other with Class-AAA Brooklyn - Christensen earned a promotion to Atlantic City. Christensen never showed prowess at the plate in the minor leagues, slashing .255/.324/.347 with Class-AA Trenton in 2044 and .257/.301/.344 with Class-AAA Brooklyn in 2045, but brought a very good glove with the ability to play shortstop. As such, he served as a reserve infielder for the Gamblers over the past few seasons. Unfortunately, he finished each of his seasons with the Gamblers with a negative WAR, finishing his Gamblers career hitting .213/.242/.251 with 11 runs scored, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 12 RBIs, 0 stolen bases in 4 attempts (.000 success rate), and a -1.6 WAR in 224 plate appearances.

Nash, 24, actually performed well from 2044 through 2047 within the Gamblers minor league system, but the need to free up a roster spot and salary is what spurred designating Nash for assignment. Nash was drafted with the 4th pick in the 4th round (152nd overall) in the 2041 BBA Amateur Draft, spending time with Rookie Class Albany, Class-Short Season A Bogota, Class-A Long Island, and Class-AA Trenton. Nash's most successful season was his 2045 season with Class-A Long Island, where he finished the season 14-6 with a 3.06 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, a 4.02 FIP, a .237 opponents' average, a .667 opponents' OPS, 122 strikeouts, and a 3.5 WAR in 158 2/3 innings pitched (25 starts). Based on his 2045 performance, Nash finished 2nd place in CPL (A) BL Jack Sellers Pitcher Award voting. Upon promotion to Class-AA Trenton, Nash moved to the bullpen and posted a 1.7 WAR in 2046 and a 1.8 WAR in 2047. Nash finished the 2047 season at Class-AA Trenton 5-3 with 1 save in 4 attempts (.250 success rate), a 2.39 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, a 2.55 FIP, a .190 opponents' average, a .612 opponents' OPS, 114 strikeouts, and a 1.8 WAR in 71 2/3 innings pitched (38 appearances, 1 start). Nash's control had been called into question within the organization despite his success -- his walks per nine innings declined each of his final four seasons with the club (3.5 in 2043, 3.6 in 2044, 4.0 in 2046, and 4.6 in 2047).

Yamamoto, 29, was acquired by Atlantic City off of waivers from Jacksonville on 4/17/2047, delivering mediocre-at-best production out of the Gamblers bullpen. Yamamoto finished the 2047 season 1-4 with 2 saves in 4 attempts (.500 success rate), a 4.32 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, a 5.08 FIP, a .269 opponents' average, a .793 opponents' OPS, 65 strikeouts, and a -0.5 WAR in 83 1/3 innings pitched (67 appearances).