Off Topic
Journeyman Hurler Grows Into Solid BBA Starter
August 27, 2058: Forever Land – It wasn’t that impressive of an outing, we suppose. Jayden Nicholls threw five innings, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits while striking out only one hitter. But what it was, was good enough to win. His offense got him three runs before he stepped off the mound, and then a pair of bullpen mates shut the door and it was Polly Get the Wagon, it’s Time to Go Home.
Rotation Anchor
in 2059?“That was a real gutty performance,” said manager Richard Lawson afterward. “Jayden didn’t have his best stuff when he first got out there, but he found a way to get guys out when he needed to, and he let his defense help him. Then he settled down and it seemed like no one could hit him. It’s not surprising, really. He’s been a winner all season.”
That “letting the defense help out” included rookie outfielder Zora Maidykov gunning a runner out at home to close the first inning, and a slick double play started by Napoleon Mellott in the fifth to end Nicholls’ night.
At 9-4, 3.29, he leads the team in both wins and ERA.
Not bad for a guy who, at age 33, posted a 41-51 record over six seasons with the Tripoli GBC franchise before grabbing a BBA gig with Brooklyn, and then being expelled back to the GBC year later. Not bad for a guy cut loose by the Jerusalem squad in 2052, picked up by the BBC Gamblers for a year, and then dropped after posting a 5.01 ERA. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t find work for three years after that.
Not bad for a guy who threw 33 innings in relief with Omaha before the Cyclones hit the ejector button (despite an interesting 2.18 ERA).
Not bad for a guy who the Bikini Krill signed to a minor league contract in July of 2057, mostly because they wanted a guy who might win at AAA, only to find himself getting a September call up and going 1-1, 2.53 in four starts. Enough that the team scratched its head and gave him a million bucks to return for one year.
“I don’t know what to say, really,” Nicholls said after the Tropics game was over. “I know I feel really comfortable out there now. Maybe it’s just getting older. I’ve seen enough that it’s hard to get too upset when something goes haywire. I don’t have the big heater, so mostly I just keep trying to locate. I figure if I put the ball where I want it, and not where the other guy wants it, mostly good things will come along.”
Is Nichols Part of the Krill Future?
It’s fair to say that no one in the Bikini Krill front office has ever tried to pretend that Nicholls was a star hurler, but his performance is obviously making them look more closely. Is he a true late bloomer? The answer to that question is a big deal, because projecting forward it seems that the club’s offense of the future is essentially here now (and it’s pretty okay), but the team’s rotation is the place it lags. If Nicholls is a real answer—even at the back end, it eases things a bit. Add in the performance of newly extended lefty Armando Rodriguez (who has been mostly solid) to Samuel Nebraska, then it means at least three pieces of next year’s team would be in the fold.
To make that happen, though, the club would need to extend Nicholls’ contract, something the pitcher has seemed willing to do, though the details would need to be worked out, and though it seems obvious that Nicholls’ risk profile means such a deal would need to be team friendly.
So that’s that question of the day: will the Krill commit to Jayden Nicholls and his 3.39 ERA as a full member of a BBA rotation in 2059, and will Nicholls make that commitment on the cheap again?
That, too, though, is not bad for a journeyman like him.
Baseball: It’s a weird life, ain’t it?
August 27, 2058: Forever Land – It wasn’t that impressive of an outing, we suppose. Jayden Nicholls threw five innings, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits while striking out only one hitter. But what it was, was good enough to win. His offense got him three runs before he stepped off the mound, and then a pair of bullpen mates shut the door and it was Polly Get the Wagon, it’s Time to Go Home.
Rotation Anchor
in 2059?
That “letting the defense help out” included rookie outfielder Zora Maidykov gunning a runner out at home to close the first inning, and a slick double play started by Napoleon Mellott in the fifth to end Nicholls’ night.
At 9-4, 3.29, he leads the team in both wins and ERA.
Not bad for a guy who, at age 33, posted a 41-51 record over six seasons with the Tripoli GBC franchise before grabbing a BBA gig with Brooklyn, and then being expelled back to the GBC year later. Not bad for a guy cut loose by the Jerusalem squad in 2052, picked up by the BBC Gamblers for a year, and then dropped after posting a 5.01 ERA. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t find work for three years after that.
Not bad for a guy who threw 33 innings in relief with Omaha before the Cyclones hit the ejector button (despite an interesting 2.18 ERA).
Not bad for a guy who the Bikini Krill signed to a minor league contract in July of 2057, mostly because they wanted a guy who might win at AAA, only to find himself getting a September call up and going 1-1, 2.53 in four starts. Enough that the team scratched its head and gave him a million bucks to return for one year.
“I don’t know what to say, really,” Nicholls said after the Tropics game was over. “I know I feel really comfortable out there now. Maybe it’s just getting older. I’ve seen enough that it’s hard to get too upset when something goes haywire. I don’t have the big heater, so mostly I just keep trying to locate. I figure if I put the ball where I want it, and not where the other guy wants it, mostly good things will come along.”
Is Nichols Part of the Krill Future?
It’s fair to say that no one in the Bikini Krill front office has ever tried to pretend that Nicholls was a star hurler, but his performance is obviously making them look more closely. Is he a true late bloomer? The answer to that question is a big deal, because projecting forward it seems that the club’s offense of the future is essentially here now (and it’s pretty okay), but the team’s rotation is the place it lags. If Nicholls is a real answer—even at the back end, it eases things a bit. Add in the performance of newly extended lefty Armando Rodriguez (who has been mostly solid) to Samuel Nebraska, then it means at least three pieces of next year’s team would be in the fold.
To make that happen, though, the club would need to extend Nicholls’ contract, something the pitcher has seemed willing to do, though the details would need to be worked out, and though it seems obvious that Nicholls’ risk profile means such a deal would need to be team friendly.
So that’s that question of the day: will the Krill commit to Jayden Nicholls and his 3.39 ERA as a full member of a BBA rotation in 2059, and will Nicholls make that commitment on the cheap again?
That, too, though, is not bad for a journeyman like him.
Baseball: It’s a weird life, ain’t it?