Casinotes 55.13- Maybe the Pitching Won't Be Terrible???

[chicoruiz]

Part three of a three-part series…

For someone whose pitching staff was kind of lousy in 2055, I feel remarkably sanguine about the Gamblers’ 2056 staff. I don’t know; maybe it’s the meds…

Actually, what makes me feel that way is a combination of some young arms at or close to the big leagues, and the fact that a number of pitchers performed well below their established talent level in 2055. Surely at least some of them have to bounce back, right?

Exhibit A is Tok Takahashi. His ERAs for the first two years of his career were around 4.10, before suddenly ballooning to 5.33 this year. His ratings are good, and he’s only 28, so I choose to believe the 4.10 ERA guy was the real Tok.

James Robinson was promoted in time to make 12 starts, and his stats (3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) give me cause for hope. Asking him to be a staff ace might be too much to hope for, but I think he could be a solid #2 guy.

Ken Sproul was my #3 starter, but he won’t be back. I offered him an extension, but his agent replied with some words that were, frankly, pretty hurtful.

Troy Torres came up the same time as Robinson, and was… okay. The hope is that there’s further growth here, but the back of a rotation is probably the most that could be hoped for.

Leo Hill was one of the few pleasant surprises of the season. A Rule 5 pick, he was consigned to mop-up duty until circumstances forced him into the rotation, and he at least didn’t embarrass himself.

Beyond them, there was slop-tossing lefty Art Cherry, who began the year in the rotation, but pitched his way into the bullpen, where he was equally bad. He’ll probably start 2056 in AAA, trying to rebuild his street cred as a starter. He’ll be joined in the Wilmington rotation by a few real prospects who aren’t quite ready yet.

The bullpen… Well, by and large they’re just guys. Mostly just good enough to barely keep their jobs in a year when I don’t have a lot of resources available to throw at that area. I’m hoping the results will improve just by not trying to polish turds like Cherry and Matt Schneider and send them out there. I’m sorely tempted to try late season acquisition Marc Vaughn as closer; an experiment that could blow up in my face, I suppose…

So, if I could get a true #1 starter, and follow him in the rotation with Robinson, Takahashi, Torres and Hill, I’d be okay I think. Not great, but not heinous. Of course, there are 31 other teams who would also like a #1 starter, so I will probably have to settle for someone in the “might be okay” bin. I wish I hadn’t traded Felix Vidaca… what was I thinking?

Summing up my needs, more or less in order:
-First Base
-DH
-Starting pitcher
-Center fielder
-Shortstop

I can do that while still paying 45 million to players no longer with the team…right???

[RonCo]

You wer thinking: Felix would be much happier as the Sacramento stopper. And being the kind soul you are, you let him free to fulfill his dream.