Sticking Points 2054.3: We'll See Season

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Sticking Points 2054.3: We'll See Season

Post by JimSlade » Mon Mar 27, 2023 3:21 pm

Growing up, my dad had an annoying habit of avoiding telling me No, by saying, We'll see. Don't get me wrong: until I was about 8 years old, I thought We'll see held the promise of an eventual Yes. Shortly after I figured out his tactic for avoiding bad news, he left our family and faded out of the lives of me and my brother for good.

The 2054 Brewster Baseball Association season has reached the midpoint in the season, and the Rockville Pikemen tentatively hold onto third place in the Johnson League Atlantic Division with a 40-44 record. Perhaps no division in the BBA better illustrates the armpit of "parity" than the Atlantic, where only Charm City and Montreal are playing above .500 and everyone else is a significant turnaround away from sniffing at true contention. Nevertheless, your Pikemen are 4.5 games out in the early wildcard race.

What does the back half of the season promise for skipper Denny Dooley and his mix-and-match team of gap hitters who don't excel at many particular positions? Can the Pikemen catch the Jimmies and the Blazers? We'll see. Conveniently, they are the next 2 opponents on the schedule. To date, the Rockville have been able to keep pace with both teams in head-to-head play. As always, to beat anyone this season, the Pikemen usually need to slug out 8 or more runs, multiple hits at a time. The team's starting pitching has settled down a little bit of late, but an opponent's crooked number is always waiting to happen.

We'll see what the Pikemen do as the trade deadline approaches. The team has some budget space under the cap, but the Pikemen don't seem like a team that's a blockbuster addition away from getting a stranglehold on the postseason. On the other hand, GM Jim Slade wants to give something back to the Rockville fan base, which has patiently waited out trades of playoff contenders past to open up cap space and bring in some young talent. Perhaps a veteran pitcher on an expiring contract will shake free and give the team the boost it needs to win a few more low-scoring contests.

Perhaps pitchers like Joe MacIndoe, Jon Keys, and Yoshimatsu Miyauchi, who have spent some time with the big league club the last 2 seasons, will return from a little more seasoning at AAA and be ready to contribute. Third baseman Richard Wright, a starter in Rockville last season, was hitting and fielding with authority at Dodge City this season before getting derailed for 2 weeks with a ribcage injury. If space opens on Rockville's corner-heavy roster, Wright might be back in the bigs. Other Gunslingers to watch include the team's 2053 first-round pick infielder Ruben Alvarado, who has rocketed up the organization as an on-base threat at each level, and 2052 third-round pick Paul Strickland, who could challenge for a fourth outfielder spot in Rockville if last season's breakout scrapheap acquisition Joshua Zorn doesn't bounce back from his return to earth.

Slade has said repeatedly that the team won't be conducting a firesale, but he's already shown a willingness to trade veteran talent to contending teams for prospects. Outfielder Julio Barajas is posting a 3.5 WAR, but don't put Slade dealing him, matching corner outfielder Bronx Cortez, or third baseman Brian Dixon if the right offer comes along. And what value might catcher Garm Guldenmond have for a true contender? Who saw the season he's having coming into this year, with a .333/.366/.454 slash line?

Word is that a few teams have even kicked the tires on some of the team's veteran starting pitchers, the one part of the roster that everyone in the organization sees as a stumbling block. Taken as a whole, they're not the prettiest group in the league, but take one of those pitchers out of the bunch and certain qualities may shine.

Yep, it's We'll See Season.
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Re: Sticking Points 2054.3: We'll See Season

Post by trmmilwwi » Tue Mar 28, 2023 7:30 am

Love the we'll see team news! It's a weird year for the wild card hopefuls, that's for sure.
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Re: Sticking Points 2054.3: We'll See Season

Post by Dington » Tue Mar 28, 2023 12:09 pm

Great TN!
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