The schedule is a river of off days, after the Rockville Pikemen got swept out of the wildcard round of the playoffs by the red-hot Atlantic City Gamblers. Lack of dominant starting pitching put the Pikemen behind the 8-ball, starting with an uncharacteristically poor start in Game 1 by a well-rested Danny Leach. His line for the night should be all the motivation he needs to opt-in for a salary increase from $14M/y to $24M/y over the next 3 years: 1 IP/5 H/6 ER/2 HR.
Which way is up for the Pikemen following a highly respectable, 91-win 2050 season? Will the team be able to rely on another year of quality starts from a 6-man rotation of mostly back-end-of-the-rotation starters, or will promising rookie Nasir al Din bin Sahir be ready to assume his front-end-of-the-rotation potential? Can the team continue to rely on its strong, deep bullpen?
Defense was not one of the team's strong suits. starting with catcher Manuel Moreno, who made 16 errors in the roughly 51 inches he was expected to cover. Moreno is arbitration eligible this offseason. He, third baseman Mike Galloway, and some veterans on team options may be casualties of a team up against the cap over the coming years.
"I'm hopeful we can run the core of this team back," said GM Jim Slade, as players cleared out their lockers. "Balancing our needs for the coming season with our cap situation will be vital to the years ahead."
Centerfield will likely be a hole to fill, as veteran waiver claim Rocky Allen hits free agency past his all-star prime but likely headed toward one more payday. Youngster Heng-zong Guan may be ready to take over second base and allow the team to pass on a $12.5M team option on veteran Rocky Wattson, but the injury-prone Guan is by no means a sure thing.
The Pikemen are heavy on lefthanded bats. Even their top outfield prospect, Qadir bin Gamal, who missed most of his AAA season with an injury, is a lefthanded bat. Offensive diversification may be in order, including a power bat as well.
Along with Gamal, most prospects expected to knock at the Rockville door are relief pitchers. Rob Anthony got himself acquainted with big-league hitters over 16 appearances. David Wade and Augusto Ayala may be next in line, after a little more seasoning at AAA Dodge City.
The Johnson League Atlantic Division promises to be tight again in 2051. The Pikemen should be able to continue wading near the top of the standings, but much could be changing beneath the surface.
Sticking Points 2050.8: Which Way Up?
GM: Jim Slade
Moderator: JimSlade
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