2051.02 - The Long Beach Independent - Shark Bites ASB Edition

[Lane]

SURFERS STRUGGLE IN LOST SEASON

June something, I think, 2051
Long Beach, CA

I'll be honest, this is a struggle for me right now. Don't get me wrong, I'll stay on this beat for as long as the paychecks keep coming in from The Independent, but this team...yikes.

Ernesto Delgado celebrated his 30th birthday and promptly lost sight of the strike zone. To be fair, he was pretty rough last year too, but this is a new low.

He's being out-pitched by Dayasagara Suryanarayan who throws the ball so straight it might as well be on rails.

Danya Tchekanov is having a respectable year, but the 4.50 ERA is a severe disappointment on the heels of his 2.38 ERA, 6.9 WAR Nebraska Award winning 2050 season.

The bullpen looked pretty good on paper, but Luis Equivel and Angel Hernandez forgot how to pitch, leaving Del Willis and Luis Manuel Rodriguez to pick up the pieces.

On the hitting side, Pedro Gomez has been better after a disastrous April, and one wonders how the team moral may have been affected by the struggles of their star free agent acquisition.

Frustratingly, Todd Rice and Gonzalo Martinez bounced back and Danny Adkins has been as advertised, so I have to wonder what the season would look like with a little more luck and better results from the pitching staff.

Anyway, ASG coming up, Surfers will send one guy, deservingly or not.

Stay tuned here for coverage of the 2052 Amateur Draft, as there's not much else to look forward to right now.