Boardwalk Empire - 2049.19 - Season in Review

[Joshua Biddle]

Atlantic City Gamblers - Season in Review

The Atlantic City Gamblers finished the 2049 season with a 91-71 (.562) record, finishing in 3rd place of 8 teams in the Johnson League Atlantic Division, 9 games back of the division winning Jacksonville Hurricanes. The Gamblers clinched the third of four wildcard positions, entered the playoffs as the #5 seed, but lost their Geoghegan Round matchup versus division rival Charlotte Cougars 3-1.

The Gamblers' 91-71 record is a drop from last year's 93-win campaign; however, it is hard to be upset about a two win decrease after losing star outfielder Cinema Jones in late June. Free agent acquisition Jorge Rincón (.199/.245/.273, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 191 PA), along with Class-AAA Brooklyn graduates Pedro Trejo (.178/.213/.200, 3 RBI, 94 PA) and Raúl De La Cruz (.180/.241/.383, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 142 PA), failed to produce at an acceptable level in the absence of Jones. Their lackluster performance resulted in the signing of veteran outfielders Luis Costello (.269/.321/.538, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 57 PA) and Millard Younger (.258/.310/.485, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 72 PA), who didn't produce to the level of Jones, but significantly bumped production compared to the Rincón / Trejo / Raúl De La Cruz group.

Offensively, the Gamblers ranked as follows in the Johnson League (out of 16 teams): 6th in batting average (.273), 7th in on-base percentage (.330), 3rd in slugging percentage (.457), 3rd in OPS (.787), 3rd in WAR (31.9), 4th in wOBA (.335), tied for 5th in runs scored (777), 5th in hits (1,525), 2nd in extra-base hits (584), 6th in home runs (202), 13th in walks (459), 10th in strikeouts (1,256), 8th in stolen bases (175), and 1st in baserunning (+12.9). The Gamblers offense was powered by a tremendous year by Juan Rivera, a season that should put him back in the conversation for the JL Sawyer Silk Silver Slugger Trophy. Rivera finished the season hitting .326/.410/.617 with 112 runs scored, 32 doubles, 4 triples, 37 home runs, 105 RBIs, 32 stolen bases in 42 attempts (.762 success rate), and a 7.5 WAR in 602 plate appearances (146 games). Rivera's significant uptick in performance following four years of an OPS decline helped to close the gap in production lost by Cinema's injury. On his season, Rivera said "I was seeing the ball well all year, some minor slumps here and there, but it was nice to help us make the playoffs with a performance like that. We knew Cinema [Jones] going down was going to impact us, but Fernando [Blanco] kept us focused and we all came together to boost our production across the board. We're all very much looking forward to next season."

Jones slashed .322/.374/.538 and recorded a 3.6 WAR in 331 plate appearances prior to his injury, so his production will be welcomed back in 2050 -- the final year of the three-year, $19.1 million contract extension signed in April 2047.Third baseman Ernesto González (.334/.354/.516, 62 2B, 12 3B, 11 HR, 79 RBI, 6.2 WAR, 682 PA), right fielder right fielder José Romero (.260/.329/.521, 35 HR, 103 RBI, 614 PA), and first baseman Carlomaria Donadoni (.271/.328/.489, 32 HR, 102 RBI) all provided value offensively and helped propel the Gamblers to the playoffs.

The Gamblers pitching performance was above average over the course of the season, ranking as follows in the Johnson League: 6th in ERA (3.88), 4th in starters' ERA (3.92), 10th in bullpen ERA (3.78), 5th in runs allowed (667), 7th in WAR (19.1), 5th in hits allowed (1,392), 5th in opponents' average (.254), 5th in BABIP (.298), 7th in home runs allowed (179), 10th in walks (493), and 8th in strikeouts (1,276). Defensively, the Gamblers ranked 6th in defensive efficiency (.689) and 7th in zone rating (+3.4). Ace Carlos Flores had another amazing season that will put him in the conversation for the JL Steve Nebraska Golden Arm Award, finishing the season 18-5 with a 2.40 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, a 2.42 FIP, a .202 opponents' average, a .593 opponents' OPS, 271 strikeouts, and a 6.9 WAR in 194 2/3 innings pitched (32 starts). Starting pitchers Kevin Shepard (16-10, 3.19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 32 starts) and Woody Tyler (13-9, 3.93 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 32 starts) both had good seasons as part of the Gamblers' rotation; and relievers Pat Waites (2-5, 24 SV, 1.74 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 62 appearances) and Roger Koch (3-3, 6 SV, 3.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 62 appearances) were steady out of the Gamblers' bullpen.

The Gamblers have announced their major league staff will return intact after extensions with first base coach Richard Lawson and third base coach John Graves.

[jiminyhopkins]

Welp, time to up to ol' post count to get to the next tier.

[mragland]

Rivera and Flores got my vote.