Casinotes 55.1- A Vast Wasteland

[chicoruiz]

For an admittedly bad baseball team, there is at least room for hope in most area of the 2055 Gamblers roster. The pitching will be at least C-minus if Robert Wilson bounces back. Similarly, Octavio Moreno was very bad in 2054, but he’s got the track record that at least gives hope. And there are pieces in the infield, if management can figure out a way to deploy them correctly.

But that outfield. Oh my dear Lord, have mercy…

Where once greats like Rivera and Romero patrolled, the Atlantic City outfield is now made up of players that a self-respecting AAA team would turn their noses up at. The Gamblers groundskeeper is even complaining that they radiate some sort of malignant aura that’s causing the outfield grass around their positions to turn brown and wither.

Let’s take a look at the 2055 outfield as it currently stands:

Juan Martinez- He came over in a midseason trade from Sacramento with the idea that he’d at least be an adequate placeholder. Instead, he pooped the bed thoroughly; negative 1.7 WAR in a half-season. He’ll probably be on the roster, because he’s the only right-handed hitter, the only one who can play CF (albeit badly), and he’s under contract.

Adrian Nilsen- A long-time minor league journeyman who has hit well in limited sample size the last two years. He may well get a chance to be part of a platoon arrangement in a corner; that would be about his ceiling.

Jesus Cruz- Would bring some much-needed power to the lineup, but he’s slow, a poor defender, and batted .207 as a bench player last year.

Shane Webb- Coming off a good year in AAA, but like Nilsen he’s strictly a corner OF without much power, and it would be problematic to carry both of them.

And that’s it. The guys on my AAA roster are mostly new arrivals from AA. Needless to say, I need to add some talent to this group. I don’t have much in the way of trade capital, so I’ll be scouring the FA lists, the waiver wire, and even the Rule 5 draft. I need at least three more OF options; four would be better.

Ever hear that Peggy Lee song, “Is That All There Is”? She must have been looking at my outfield roster…

[Trebro]

How do you feel now that we're almost ready to start the season?