The Brewster

Going into the last 10 games of Spring Training, the Las Vegas Hustlers pitching staff is starting to come into focus. Of course, that focus became quite blurry after a major injury rocked the group, but recent performances have the Hustlers feeling cautiously optimistic.

"All In" (these players have already made the team) (9)
Jim Fleming- The Hustlers need Fleming to have another solid season at the top of their rotation.
Afzul Chishti- Chishti's mediocre control is the only thing preventing him from being an elite starter. As it stands, he's pretty good.
Lucas Wood- Something weird happened to Wood this offseason. He "learned" a splitter, but it's graded as a 1/10. He also lost a point in movement and in control versus lefties. All point to bad news. But then, out of nowhere, there sits Lucas Wood on the Too Early Preseason Predictions Page of the JL's Top Pitchers (along with Fleming). So we'll see. Given Bessi's injury, Wood has to be effective this year. Claudio Rodríguez- Will he start? Will he relieve? Bessi's injury seemingly means he'll be in the rotation, but that's still to be decided (see below in the "Chalk" section). At age 28, he probably is what he is and will never reach the ace level the Hustlers once thought he would.
Juan Alonzo- Outstanding first year with the Hustlers last season. He's a big power arm at the back of the pen.
Augusto Domínguez- At age 30, the Hustlers scouting department finally made the adjustments to his absurd potential ratings. He's a solid reliever. If only he had stamina with all those pitches, what a starter he would be. Ricardo Martínez- A nice, consistent, minimum salary middle reliever. Nothing wrong with that.
Pepe Rivera- Despite all the Hustlers' efforts to get rid of him, he's still here, and he's been told he's making the team. As a reliever. At least to start. Rivera has a way of working his way into bigger roles.
Rafael González- He is by far the most talented arm in the Hustlers' bullpen, but he needs to avoid another uneven season like he had in 2064.

"Chalk" (they're a good bet to make the club) (3)
Yasin Numair- Still has a lot of room to grow, though the comparisons to the aforementioned Rodriguez are hard to ignore. That being said, here's how you win a job in Spring. Logan Hill- Has not pitched great in the Spring, but he has earned enough credibility from last seasons outstanding effort to be quite likely to make the team.
Ignacio Lewis- He's a middling left-handed pitcher, sure. But he's also a capable center fielder. That gives him a huge edge on his competition.

"I'll Call" (let's see what happens- this is the competitive set) (5)
Rahman Muslim- For a minute, the Hustlers brass felt inclined to give Muslim a chance after Bessi got hurt. With two options left and development still to be had at age 24, it now seems incredibly likely he goes back to Milwaukee (AAA). Vegas really would like to see him hold his own at that level before committing to bringing him up.
Jesús Piloto- Two option years remaining pretty much makes the decision easy. He's a capable lefty.
Bailey Greenway- This is Greenway's last option year. He's been a disappointment developmentally to this point. He's almost certain to go to the minors and this season is crucial for him.
Gabriel Rodríguez- Every once in a while, a late round pick will turn into something. While Gabriel Rodriguez is really nothing particularly special, he's a legit major league bullpen candidate. That's more than most 17th round picks can say. That being said, with three option years left, it's back to Milwaukee for Gabriel.
Fernando Rodríguez- Vegas' transactional reaction (Note To Self: that sounds like a cool name for a column) was to immediately reach out to and eventually re-sign the 39 year old Fernando Rodriguez. Not just so they might have three hurlers with the Rodriguez surname on their Spring roster, but because he's a wily veteran lefty who could start or relieve. But his 39 year old arm is rumored to be held together with Bondo, bubble gum, twigs and duct tape. His teammates have taken to calling him "McGyver" due to all the odd things he's had to do to his arm just to keep pitching. He is on a MLC with a 30 day out clause.

"Outsider Bet" (Non-Roster Invitees) (2)
Woodrow Cowan- There's not a pitcher in camp who has pitched better than Cowan. And despite that, despite the fact that he's saved an astonishing 136 games in five minor league seasons before age 22, the Hustlers still aren't sure what to make of him. Having conquered the AA level over the last two seasons, he'll now get a chance to close games at the Triple-A level. Let's see what he's made of (and pray for a bump or two).
Nelson Curry- With the exception of one outing in which he allowed four runs to Calgary in a third of an inning, Curry has been almost as good as Cowan. And like Cowan, there's questions. Curry is probably the better arm on paper. But as Billy Beane once said, we're not selling jeans here. He's been riddled by injuries. He missed the entire 2062 and 2063 seasons. Last season was a comeback as he pitched pretty well for Milwaukee. But this was a guy who, after being selected in the second round of the 2061 draft, was expected to make his big league debut as soon as that season. It's 2065 and he still hasn't. And he won't again this year, but he's getting closer.

"Muck" (Injured) (1)
Dirk Bessi



"Fold" (already sent out of big league camp) (3)
Jita Khadri- Khadri is another "jeans" guy. He sure looks like a pitcher, but on the field, not so much.
Adrian Dalen- An interesting young pitcher who will get a chance to start at Milwaukee and establish himself.
Cipriano Menéndez- Time is running out for the slow to develop Menendez.

That's a mess of pitchers.

RonCo wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 21, 2025 11:51 am

That's a mess of pitchers.

Or just a mess. It remains unclear.

this helped with my preview! Thanks Matt!