WHIV 2063.2- Musings After A Month

[recte44]

The Hustlers are 18-14. Not great, not bad. Just kind of in the mix. About where they were expected to be. Some things have gone well, some have not.

What's Going Well?
1. Bullpen ERA 2.87 - 1st in JL
Rafael Gonzalez has become "That Dude". Ricardo Martinez has become the Robin to Gonzalez's Batman. Mauro Rojas has been dynamite. Augusto Dominguez has been a workhorse, and has endured his share of bad luck. He's pitched better than the numbers show.

2. Armando Diaz
Honestly, if anyone said they thought Diaz would be the Hustlers' position player WAR leader right now, they would certainly be telling a fib. But here he is, doing great things at the plate all while playing a solid hot corner.

3. Claudio Morgan got his groove back.
Yup, he's hitting again and drawing walks. It's an odd numbered year, so that checks out.

What's Not Going Well?
1. The Outfield
This was supposed to be a strength. But the dominoes started falling in Spring Training when Angel Trejo was lost to injury. He's now back, but has yet to heat up. Roberto Hampton has done south of nothing offensively, all while playing through a long term nagging injury himself. Tankut Saltik has been a black hole offensively. He's a negative WAR player right now. The only one doing anything positive is Roberto Delgado, who got playing time only due to Trejo
s injury and now because of Saltik's ineptitude.

2. Ramon Gonzalez
He was so good last year. So, so good. Right out of the gate this year, he was not good. He's since been moved to the bullpen in favor of Claudio Rodriguez.

3. First Base/DH
The offense isn't going to work if your "hitters" aren't hitting. Until this last week, Tadataka Yoshikawa has not been hitting. Even his poor hitting looks like a mammoth output in comparison to that of Czar Mamatulin, though (.147/.268/.294, 1 HR)

[RonCo]

I look at the Hustlers as the guys hanging in the upper-third of a NASCAR race, basically drafting their way up the field and biding their time until an opening arrives.

[BaseClogger]

Delgado has been pretty decent as a Hustler on his side of the platoon.