The following Atlantic City Gamblers hitters were disappointing performers during the 2048 season:
Designated Hitter José Calderón
Calderón, 29, joined the Gamblers this past offseason on a five-year, $27.6 million contract that was structured in a manner to be cheap the first three years of the deal. The team hopes that Calderón can improve upon what was a disappointing first season as the team's full-time designated hitter. Calderón finished the 2048 season hitting .236/.292/.438 with 48 runs scored, 26 doubles, 1 triple, 24 home runs, 49 RBIs, 1 stolen base in 1 attempt (1.000 success rate), and a -0.1 WAR in 537 plate appearances (139 games / 131 starts). The good news is that his performance was solid versus right-handed pitchers, finishing the season versus righties hitting .259/.314/.492 with 41 runs scored, 23 doubles, 1 triple, 22 home runs, and 45 RBIs. Versus left-handed pitchers, Calderón hit an abysmal .151/.211/.236 with 7 runs scored, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 4 RBIs in 114 plate appearances. Calderón is due $3 million each of the next two seasons, followed by two years of $8 million player options. The team backloaded the contract due to their impending salary crunch to get a three cheap seasons for a player who has 25+ home run power since the team lacked the confidence they had minor leaguers ready to contribute that level of production. The contract was meant to be a bridge to designated hitter Joe 'Sloth' Melucci -- the BBA's #48 prospect -- who was promoted to Class-AAA late last season and should be BBA ready within the next few seasons. It is expected an offseason priority for the Gamblers will be to find a cheap bat that can hit left-handed pitching to platoon the designated hitter position with Calderón.
First Baseman / Designated Hitter Jack Cox
Cox, 28, has continued to underperform during his BBA career with the Gamblers. Coming off of his first positive-WAR performance during the 2047 season, where he hit .254/.360/.439 with 15 runs scored, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 18 RBIs, and a 0.3 WAR in 136 plate appearances (80 games / 15 starts), Cox struggled during the 2048 season. Cox finished the 2048 season hitting .227/.311/.336 with 10 runs scored, 1 double, 4 home runs, 10 RBIs, and a -0.3 WAR in 135 plate appearances (67 games / 24 starts). The former 11th pick in the 5th round (157th overall) of the 2038 BBA Amateur Draft has an unclear future with the organization -- Cox did not hit left-handed pitching particularly well (.225/.323/.350, 3 HR, 6 RBI in 93 plate appearances) this past season. Given José Calderón's poor performance versus left-handed pitching, the team will likely seek a player who can hit lefties and can platoon with him at the designated hitter position, regardless of position. If they acquire somebody that fits this profile and is not an adequate defender, it's unlikely Cox would be retained as he is also a poor defender for his position.
Outfielder Edward Lake
Lake, 29, disappointed during the 2048 season after what has been a very mixed career with the Gamblers. Drafted with the 11th pick in the 3rd round (93rd overall) of the 2038 BBA Amateur Draft, Lake surged through the minors and won several awards along the way. Lake won the SNL (R) FL Platinum Stick Award at Center Field in 2039; was selected to the Sunshine League All-Star Game and finished 2nd in Drake SL1 Outstanding Hitter Award Voting in 2040; was selected to the WCL (AA) DNL Platinum Stick Award at Center Field, finished 2nd in 2041 WCL (AA) DNL Jorge Olivas Batter Award Voting, and won the Elite Cup with the Tallahassee Gamblers in 2041; won the RHML (AAA) GL Platinum Stick Award at Center Field, the 2042 Elite Cup with the Tallahassee Gamblers, the 2042 FPL Platinum Stick Award at Center Field, and the FPL Most Valuable Player Award in 2042. Lake finished the 2048 season hitting .219/.302/.343 with 17 runs scored, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, 4 stolen bases in 9 attempts (.444 success rate), and a -0.3 WAR in 200 plate appearances (97 games / 39 starts). During the 2047 season, Lake performed decently as a starting outfielder while José Romero served as the team's designated hitter due to Lake's superior defense, finishing the season hitting .239/.325/.412 with 63 runs scored, 27 doubles, 5 triples, 16 home runs, 68 RBIs, 17 stolen bases in 28 attempts (.607 success rate), and a 0.7 WAR in 566 plate appearances (151 games / 140 starts). However, his 2047 season would unfortunately being his only positive single-season WAR during the past four seasons (2045-2048). Lake's 2044 season (.297/.360/.553, 27 HR, 82 RBI, 521 plate appearances) -- his second season at the BBA level -- left the Gamblers organization and fans believing they had a potential superstar in their midst; however, the luster wore off very quickly when he followed it up with his worst BBA season to date in 2045 (.189/.266/.389, 15 HR, 43 RBI, 337 plate appearances).
