2058.16: Bears Fire Manager and Two Prospects Debut

[BaseClogger]

7/22/2058


The San Fernando Bears fired manager Neco Starr on 7/15/2058 when they had a record of 45-49. We made this move despite the fact Starr lead the Bears to their first postseason appearance in a decade in 2057. Expectations within the organization are higher now and the Bears were off to a very dissapointing start to this season. Additionally, Starr clashed with the front office over player strategy, an element of the team's management Starr took control over following their 2057 success. In particular, the club was not happy with the workload being assigned to ace Arnold Cantrell. Starr routinely let Cantrell throw more than 120 pitches in his 2058 starts.

In the week since his firing, the Bears went 6-1. The team recently announced Starr's replacement, manager Jim Hogan. Hogan signed a two-year, $1.2M contract.

In other news, two prospects made their big league debuts this month. Relief pitching prospect Joe Hulton has been with the team for a month now. He was recently assigned a C- grade as part of the team's Bears' Cubs series. Hulton was a 2052 third round draft pick who has consistently pitched out of minor league bullpens aside from a brief flirtation with the rotation at the end of the 2057 AAA season. His sinker/splitter repertoire is consistent with the Bears' focus on pitchers who can be effective with hitters who stand on either side of the plate. He's off to a strong beginning to his career with a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched.

Perhaps more significantly, C+ third base prospect Jose Perez got the call following the injury to Roberto Rivera. Perez was the team's first round selection in the 2053 amateur draft. Perez's career seemed to stall until an offensive explosion that began in 2057. His offensive production has been sluggish (.133/.257/.133) in just 10 games but the team is pleased that his defense looks average thus far at the hot corner. He'll likely return to the minors when Rivera gets healthy but we still view him as the future at the position. He won't hit for high batting averages but he should be capable of 20+ home runs and an above-average walk rate.