Echolocating the Riverbats - 1995.1

[mad0die]

We are now a month and a half into the resurrected, but rapidly advancing MBBA and I feel like I have enough of a grasp of my team to write a bit about the Bats. My young Riverbats still with the MBBA's #4 farm are performing quite well on the field. The offense is ranked 3rd in runs scored and the pitching is ranked 3rd in runs allowed. We also have the 3rd best record in the MBBA and are currently 1 game back of Birmingham in the FLM and 1 game ahead of Montreal in the wild card. Overall, a nice place to be. When crafting my lineups I did pay special attention to defense and benched seemingly superior hitters for defensive prowess. This is why you see 2B Quentin Lazarus and SS Jack McKeon Eoff playing everyday. My team BABIP is 6th plus we have made the fewest errors in the Frick and have the best ZR rating. I love me some defense!

It was weird getting a team after the CPU had run it during the off-season. There are some moves that are paying off and others not so much. The big free agent signings of LF Guam Fantomhorsfli and CF Monty Lynch have been spectacular. I admit that I loved the Lynch one right off the bat giving us nice offense and a needed legitimate centerfielder. He's hitting .338 with 24 RBIs so far. I was not so sure we needed Guam, but he's been spectacular in LF and our hottest hitter also with a .338 average plus 9 bombs and 9 SBs. Great adds there to our up-and-coming team.

On the flip side, I realized as I went to demote in-over-his-head reliever Don Washington last sim that the game wouldn't let me and is giving me the typical Rule 5 message. I don't see it in trans log, but it's clear what happened. Now, we are stuck with Washington in the bigs all season while I try to figure out how to address the weakest area of our team: the bullpen. Compounding matters is that high-talent, but not fully developed SP prospect Reggie Neves is in the bigs and out of options. I don't want to waive 8-8-7 talent, so that leaves me with two guys who are only suited for mopup duty.

Hmmm, it's taken me three sims, but I've decided to demote 1B Mike Senne to AAA and bring up a 7th reliever giving me 12 total arms in the bigs - one more than I typicall prefer. I guess I really don't need 14 bats though either with no DH. Senne wasn't getting many ABs. Lefty Joseph Shippee is getting first crack at the pen opening, but John Hudek is flat-out dealing in AAA (2.04 ERA in 17.2 innnigs) and may get his shot eventually as well.

All in all, we are very pleased with the early returns of our ballclub and the future looks extremely bright.

[ronzonie7]

What does this have to do with environmentally friendly lactation?

[braveheart]

I feel the opposite.

I am more confused with my team now than before.

Having 3 guys I cant move from my MLK roster doesnt help (Rule Vers I guess)

[lynchy34]

Austin's CPU owner really hit the jackpot with those signings. He's probably better than the current owner.

[mad0die]

More sober at least