Sticking Points 2047.10: Introducing The Blue Chips

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Sticking Points 2047.10: Introducing The Blue Chips

Post by aaronweiner » Wed Jun 16, 2021 2:54 pm

For years, Rockville's pitching staff ranked among the higher groups in the BBA. This year, they rank 9th, which is pretty much average. But what's not average is the way Rockville assembled their pitching rotation. There's not a single first round draft pick in the Rockville rotation this year, and the five starters have gotten to calling themselves the "Blue Chips," which is a term that represents a surefire top prospect - which none of them were.

"We were just chatting in the clubhouse, and a couple of the guys were ragging on Danny Leach for being a 10th round pick, and we realized that not one of us was picked in the first round," said Rockville starter Esteban Cruz. "So Dwight Dunn said that 'I guess we're all just a bunch of blue chips,' and we all started laughing and the thing just stuck."

Ray Verhoeve was the highest pick in the draft among the crew, and he wasn't drafted until the second supplemental round, #71 overall - and is the only member of the Rockville staff who wasn't drafted by Rockville. And that's basically the first round compared to where the rest of them were drafted: Cruz in the fourth round at #164; Dunn in the 5th round at #175; Guy Shroyer (the staff WAR leader this year) in the seventh round, #262; and, of course, former Steve Nebraska and three-time ERA champ Leach was famously a 10th rounder, #325 overall.

"It's a testament to the drive and talent of these individuals that they're where they are today," said pitching coach Jose Morin. "Not one of them was guaranteed to make it, and here they are."

It's worth noting that Dunn and Shroyer haven't really improved that much since being drafted, but Cruz and Leach made themselves into the players they are today. Leach, of course, needs no introduction, but Cruz was a completely unsung prospect who first became Rockville's closer, then their fifth starter purely through the power of hard work.

"I was actually inspired by Danny," said Cruz. "He made such big leaps after being drafted that I knew I could do that too."

The Pikemen's rotation might not be good enough to win a title, but they've been competitive this year, and have been in the middle third in production. And with the always-solid Rockville offense scoring 5 runs a game again, the Blue Chips feel pretty confident. Each of them have four wins or more this year for the 26-21 Pikemen.

"We're better than anyone thinks we are," said Shroyer. "The biggest thing was having the organization believe in us, and let us develop our skills. We feel really confident out there."

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Re: Sticking Points 2047.10: Introducing The Blue Chips

Post by CTBrewCrew » Fri Jun 18, 2021 8:45 pm

Good scouting / drafting is what that is!
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