Now we really are Gambling (Down & Out Edition) 2005-9

[Fat Nige]

October 27th, 2005

As the dust settles on the Landis Series and the 2005 series it’s time to reflect on another poor season for Atlantic City, for the first time since 1995 the Gamblers have lost 100 games although to be fair they’ve been in the 90+ losses three times. The best months were the first & last as Gamblers were only four games below .500 in April & September. Where they were really poor this year was in one-run games when they managed to win just 16 of 45 one-run contests, new closer Louwe van der Heyden might have saved 34 games and kept his ERA to 3.02 but he also got tagged for 10 losses as the Gamblers blew the close games.

Fredrick Simon’s contract might have been dwarfed by van der Heydens but for the second year out of his six-year deal he was up at the top of the Gamblers home run and RBI totals. A bright spot this year was the continued emergence of Brian Jennings who in his second year in the MBBA topped the Gamblers batting average, hit his first 20-homer season and tied Simon for the lead in RBI. Atlantic City may well have seen the last though of two of it’s recent heroes. Both Pacorro Butieprez & Jefferey Linquist are out of contract, negotiations are several millions & years apart and although both have been offered arbitration the feeling is that they will both depart for free agency. Both would be a loss but to be honest they are the wrong side of 30 and won’t be around anyway when a rebuilt Gamblers side rises again. September call-ups Hal O’Keefe & Júlio Martinez played well enough to suggest their cheap contracts can replace some of the old creaking bones in the outfield. Jean-Paul Jean-Paul has finally played a season for me after I released him from Baltimore but that is all he gets as the Gamblers will not be extending his contract. The old guard has had it’s chance over the last two years and come up with just 129 wins, now the youth movement must take over. Valentin Lugo managed 70 games in his debut MBBA season and will likely join O’Keefe & Martinez as the regular ATC outfield in 2006.

Pitching? What pitching? That was the cry in 2005. Only 2004 waiver pick-up Herman Mitchell reached double figures for wins (13-11) while six lost 10 or more games including closer van der Heyden. Brightest prospect Carlos Morales didn’t exactly cover himself in glory but he will have to be in the forefront of the pitching rebuild. Ace pitcher David Crocker again flattered to deceive with a 9-16 season that takes his Gamblers’ record in the last two & a half seasons to 46-56. With nothing much on the horizon in the Gamblers farm system and free agents likely to be overpriced as well as over the hill it will probably be a long time until the Atlantic City faithful see their team climb out of the basement dwelling slums.