January 1, 2036
After dealing off several veteran starting pitchers in the second half of the 2035 season, the Las Vegas Hustlers were fully prepared to go into the 2036 season with a young, emerging staff. Plans are made to be broken, and that's what happened when Vegas was able to sign veteran right-hander Gerardo Fajardo to a free agent deal.
Fajardo, 32 years old, figures to be a stabalizing presence in the rotation and fits the Hustlers home park as good as a right-handed pitcher can. The big 6'7" Dominican is an extreme groundball pitcher who is effective against lefties as well as righties, a rarity in the league. After suffering through an injury plagued 2034 season which saw him moved from Huntsville to Yellow Springs, he bounced back for Yellow Springs last season to start 28 games. Though his 4.61 ERA looks poor, a deeper look shows a 3.65 FIP and 3.6 WAR, the best he's put up since 2031.
He's also showed no signs of the early to mid 30's pitcher fade, still throwing 97-99 with his fastball and still featuring a sharp curve and changeup that keep hitters off balance against him.
With the signing, the Hustlers starting rotation sets up as follows:
#1: Hyun-sik Chang
#2: Fajardo
#3: Chin Kim
#4: Jesus Lopez
#5: Hao Kun
Backup: Floyd Carter
