Sticking Points 2047.6: After All the Moves, Is Rockville Better?

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Sticking Points 2047.6: After All the Moves, Is Rockville Better?

Post by aaronweiner » Fri May 21, 2021 6:10 pm

It's not often you can say that a contending team retooled on the fly. But that's exactly what the Rockville Pikemen have done. Last year they were super-fun to watch; you never knew whether they'd lose or win 9-8 against someone. Despite making the playoffs in each of the past four years and winning one pennant (and nearly a title), the team brass believed that they couldn't win a championship with their one-sided offensive carnival show.

"I think the problem wasn't so much that we were too good at hitting and too lousy in the field," said hitting coach Frank Thomas. "I think we have the problem that we're not the same team we used to be. I remember when the wheels came off in Carolina in 2028, when we bottomed out at 53-109 and Billy Chapel got traded and then I got traded. It was a lot like that, but our offense was so good we didn't fall back."

Rockville was overcompensating for their championship pitching staff growing old. That's why Danny Leach remained in the pen and pitched a couple innings every couple days. That's why the Pikemen ended up having to buy out Dave Martin, give away Arthur Dempster, was relieved when Dan Cannon opted out of his massive player option. The theory no doubt went something like this: if your rotation is in decline, grab as many hitters as you can and screw the defense.

"And that was our strategy the last two seasons," said Rockville GM Aaron Weiner, laughing. "It's one of those moments in time where you look at yourself in the mirror and ask, 'will another defender help?' And the answer was definitely no."

However, the team finished 14th in runs allowed last year, and it was obvious why: Rockville's batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was the highest in the BBA, and since many of their other metrics held firm the Pikemen were obviously suffering from poor defense. Several players stand to improve this year from the defense, players like Danny Leach (.343 BABIP), Dwight Dunn (.346), and Ray Verhoeve (.322), and top relievers Luis Equivel (.360) and Raul Lopez (.363), and if the upgrade defensively is as good as the team hopes it should help the entire staff.

"It's not just less hits, but less walks, too," said new pitching coach Jose Morin. "If you give up less hits, the rallies stop, you put less pressure on your pitchers to throw perfect strikes, everything gets a little easier."

An underrated aspect of what Rockville has done acquiring Po-sin Shi and Chip Puckett is that both players, at one time, were among the best in the league at their positions offensively. It seems quaint to bring it up now, with Puckett on the other side of 30, but the last time Puckett was in a Rockville uniform, he was considered one of the top five shortstops in the BBA and hit above .300 regularly. So can the Pikemen be better this year? Thomas thinks so.

"If Chip gets back to league average, he's amazing," said Thomas. "Shi almost hit league average against righties for us, and we'd be thrilled if he had almost no at-bats against lefties. Those guys are real pros. You have to remember that last year, when we led the league in runs by a half a run, that Wilson Alomar was having a tough season for him, and Colin Lee had a nice year but he was just 14% better than league average. If the guys who replace them can hit league average, I bet we lead the league in runs again. Maybe by more this time, and with a defense."

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