The following Atlantic City Gamblers hitters were terrible performers during the 2048 season:
Utility infielder Asher Chuang
Chuang, 27, had one of the most abysmal offensive seasons of any BBA player during the 2048 season. Drafted by the Gamblers with the 12th pick in the 1st round of the 2046 Rule 5 Draft from the Jacksonville Hurricanes organization, Chuang finished the 2048 season hitting .083/.170/.122 with 12 runs scored, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 0 home runs, 9 RBIs, 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts (.882 success rate), and a -1.1 WAR in 200 plate appearances (105 games / 50 starts). Chuang finished with the worst batting average and OPS among players with 100+ plate appearances. From the months of July through September, Chuang managed only one base hit in 53 plate appearances. Although Chuang also performed poorly at the plate in 2047, Chuang's OPS dropped over 200 points from 2047, a season where Chuang finished with a 0.3 WAR. Chuang was never in danger of losing his job during the season due to his elite defense at the shortstop position -- in 485 innings at shortstop during the 2048 season, Chuang recorded 0 errors (1.000 fielding percentage), 34 double plays, a +5.9 zone rating, and a 1.103 defensive efficiency. Furthermore, even though Chuang only has shortstop and second base at the BBA level, the organization believes he'd also be elite defensively as a third base. His defensive proficiency may not make him a lock for the Gamblers' roster entering the 2049 season.
Outfielder Marat Harutyunian
Harutyunian, 28, was basically the outfield version of Asher Chuang for the Gamblers in 2048, although he wasn't quite as inept at the plate in comparison. The former minor league signee of the Gamblers from Armenia in March 2037 finished the 2048 season hitting .116/.183/.163 with 8 runs scored, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 0 home runs, 3 RBIs, 5 stolen bases in 7 attempts (.714 success rate), and a -0.7 WAR in 94 plate appearances (76 games / 22 starts). Compared to his 2047 season (.190/.240/.294, 9 HR, 46 RBI), Harutyunian had almost the same negative WAR (-0.8 in 2047 versus -0.7 in 2048) despite starting only 22 games in 2048 compared to 145 in 2047. Harutyunian's OPS dropped nearly 200 points and he wasn't as proficient in center field as he was during the 2047 season (+11.8 zone rating, 1.033 defensive efficiency in 1,270 innings in center field in 2047; +1.5 zone rating, .997 defensive efficiency in 245 innings in center field in 2048). It's unclear at this time if Harutyunian will be with the team moving forward.
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Catcher Greg Alemán
Alemán, 30, paid his dues in the minor leagues for years, joining the Gamblers organization on a minor league contract in May 2043. He posted positive-WAR seasons from 2043 to 2047 at the Class-Short Season A and Class-A levels, which included three seasons with Class-Short Season Bogota from 2043 to 2045 and two seasons with Class-A Long Island from 2046 to 2047. Alemán struggled with Class-AAA Brooklyn in 2047 after promotion from Class-A Long Island (.111/.233/.190) in 20 games, but earned the opportunity as the team wanted a proven leader who can help handle a young pitching staff alongside starting catcher Octávio Moreno. In his rookie BBA season, he certainly brought the leadership skills and ability to handle a young pitching staff that was expected (3.48 catcher's ERA), but his poor offensive performance carried over from his Class-AAA struggles; Alemán finished the 2048 season hitting .163/.204/.252 with 15 runs scored, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 13 RBIs, 1 stolen base in 2 attempts (.500 success rate), and a -0.7 WAR in 143 plate appearances (47 games / 37 starts). It's likely that Alemán will be retained by the Gamblers unless the team can find a cheap alternative, which is not necessarily an easy task in free agency given the Gamblers are expected to be up against the salary cap entering the 2048-2049 offseason.
