2056.1 - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and The Minors #1

[Patrick M]

The Sim: 3-4 (0-3 @ Nashville, 3-1 @ Louisville) Considering it was all on the road, and we got swept in the first three, I'm pleased with the sim. Obviously hoping for better, but we will get plenty of chances to make it up against the Bluebirds.


The Good: Jose Romero picked up right where he left off, blasting six homeruns in six games. Him along with Hasheem Makin, Hector Cano Jr. and a few others, combined for 14 on the week, a tie for the BBA team lead. These guys are all going to have to pick up the slack with Aaron Haney gone. Actually, Romero played most of the week at DH, while Sonny Bigalow (.375/.965) was playing Haney's RF spot. In what is likely a make or break year for the kid, (he hits arbitration and really hasn't peformed), the 24-year-old really put it together, if for only seven games.

Rule 5 draft pick Dan Emerson, while he didn't get a homerun himself, he did hit .375 with a .881 OPS in seven games at 2B. He's being tasked with replacing Larry Barkin, coming off his career best .312/.784 and 4.3 WAR. I doubt he keeps it up but it's nice to see him making the most of the opportunity. Barkin, meanwhile, went 3/22 and has two errors. I'm sure that will balance out, but for one week, the Kernels can exhale.


The Bad: The pitching overall just wasn't that solid. Lots of homers, lots of walks and very little strikeouts. I'll take it in stride considering the matchups and parks.

"Juanny Baseball" continues his decline. The 15-year-veteran really struggling in Spring Training (.137/.376... that's his OPS) and was somehow worse the first week (.125/.327.... again, latter being OPS). He spent some time learning 2B this ST and will likely be relegated to infield utility bench guy if Emerson keeps it up.


The Ugly: Our second noteworthy pitching injury. Last season through a combination of a deep roster, regular rest and lucky dice rolls, I don't recall anyone having a significant injury. Day to days here and there, but I honestly don't remember an active player hitting the Injured List for more than a week. In Spring Training, SP Marshall Taylor hurt his back, was scheduled to miss a month, then had a setback for an additional two. Now this week, 2055 All-Star RP Manuel "Smalls" Camacho sprained his ankle and will miss at least five weeks. Fortunately we are deeper in pitching than hitting, but it's not a great sign.

With last season being my first "full year" and my first year back in OOTP IRL a few years, I felt like the injuries were far less than I remember. Two players hitting the injured list by sim #1 changes my tune a bit. Don't take it as a complaint sim gods, I have seen what you did to the sinners around the league already.


The Minors: All three levels opened with winning records, which is something we aim for around here. Performance of note by 1B Bane McCoy in Single-A. Arguably our top hitting prospect, the 20-year-old switch hitter had a bit of a down 2055. He hit just three homers the entire year and none were in A-ball. This week, he hit .462/1.192 with his first Single-A homer.

Other worthy note on 26-year-old RP Arnold Richmond. He got a surprising bump this off-season. I scooped him up on a minor league deal last March and he did get a taste of the BBA level in Spring Training this year. He was borderline dominant in ST and similar in Triple-A. We don't really have a huge need for more RHRP but if these injuries keep adding up, we will.