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Kids In The Corners?
The GM Talks Bikini Baseball
When I first came to Seattle/Bikini, the outfield was essentially a home for geriatrics, and unfortunately a home for not very good geriatrics. I know the BBA has old guys hitting like mad. They just weren’t in this organization. So between finding creative ways to shuffle contracts around, the outfield has been a place of much experimentation. About the only constant has been right-fielder Michael Buckley, but more on him in a moment or two.
Before getting into specifics, I’ll say that the outfield is a big place where the team has been a beneficiary of what I’m calling an Abundance of Better Than Average. This means that, while we had no major prospects in the outfield, we have had (again) a pretty plentiful number of options that were at least interesting, and sometimes downright solid.
Since I already mentioned him, I’ll start with …
There are a few other guys in the organization that I think could be a help at the big league level if we really needed to use them, including last seasons’ first rounder, center fielder Fernando Bushey. I stretched a little to draft him as high as I did because I thought he was developed enough to play soon. If we have a big need at center, and we’re still competing, I could see making a call to him.
I hope not, though. I think he needs another season in the minors.
Regardless, I like the club’s overall situation here. We’re deep and we’re (mostly) young. As the purse strings hopefully expand, that means I should be able to focus cash on other positions.
The GM Talks Bikini Baseball
When I first came to Seattle/Bikini, the outfield was essentially a home for geriatrics, and unfortunately a home for not very good geriatrics. I know the BBA has old guys hitting like mad. They just weren’t in this organization. So between finding creative ways to shuffle contracts around, the outfield has been a place of much experimentation. About the only constant has been right-fielder Michael Buckley, but more on him in a moment or two.
Before getting into specifics, I’ll say that the outfield is a big place where the team has been a beneficiary of what I’m calling an Abundance of Better Than Average. This means that, while we had no major prospects in the outfield, we have had (again) a pretty plentiful number of options that were at least interesting, and sometimes downright solid.
Since I already mentioned him, I’ll start with …
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RF/DH - Michael Buckley (5/4/6/6/8/7) – Buckley is a solid hitter, but has yet to put together as season the fans think justifies his #2 overall selection back in 2054. He’s got 30 home run power, and an arm like a cannon when he’s in the field. There’s a lot to like. But we has a sit-down with him at the end of the year and told him he had to get his glovework in order or else we’d have to DH him, and that this wasn’t what we thought anyone wanted. Luckily, he responded well to that. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’ll do this year, probably mostly in a platoon with Tony.
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RF/LF - Tony Munyiga (7/7/6/6/6/4) – Maybe it’s wrong to say that a team’s #1 pick (2055) is a pleasant find, but the fact is that Tony was down in A-ball when we got here, and while his numbers were interesting, his development wasn’t quite there (as I remember it). When Graham Aubry got hurt, though, we didn’t have a lot of other answers, so I called Tony and told him to go Walk Through That Door. The rest is .328/.357/.538 history.
He worked on his defense, too, this off-season, and his base stealing. All the guys are raving about him. Tough kid. Hard worker. He’s probably better served hitting RHP in left, but Graham is back from his elbow fracture, so we’re hoping we can have them both in the lineup at the same time.
He worked on his defense, too, this off-season, and his base stealing. All the guys are raving about him. Tough kid. Hard worker. He’s probably better served hitting RHP in left, but Graham is back from his elbow fracture, so we’re hoping we can have them both in the lineup at the same time.
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LF - Graham Aubry (6/7/5/5/6/5) – I’m not sure what to say about Graham except that we really hope he can keep himself on the field. He’s only 23, and he can really play. He works as hard as anyone I know, and he can deal with things, you know? But Sweet Baby Jesus, he bruises just stepping onto the field. Someone gave me a report from the latest trainer’s update, and it lists nineteen events in the past three years, culminating in that fracture that cost him most of last season.
So, yeah. The plan is to have Graham Aubry play left field against right-handed pitching. But we’re not without understanding of how tenuous that plan is.
So, yeah. The plan is to have Graham Aubry play left field against right-handed pitching. But we’re not without understanding of how tenuous that plan is.
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LF - Jeffrey Smith (7/6/7/8/7/5) – My staff said I needed a right handed bat to replace Giberto Falchionelli, so I figured why not a Hall of Fame bat? We all know who Jeffrey Smith is, and we all know what he can mean to the team. He’ll play left field against left-handed pitchers, and he’ll play left field against some righthanded pitchers in an attempt to keep Graham Aubry healthy. But when that fails, and when Graham inevitably gets hurt and needs a week off … well … let me introduce you to Plan B.
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CF – Craig Ablett (3/4/3/6/6/7) – To have Craig Ablett appear out of almost nowhere was a gift from the OOTP Gods. Of course, let’s not get too far out there. The man is limited. His .281 OBP last year was close to horrific. But he made up for it with 16 homers in half a year, and a glove that made our pitchers better as soon as he arrived. The better news is that his work to improve that glove in the off-season drew rave reviews. I have no false ideas about the fact that he’s probably not the long term answer in center, but it seems like he’ll be able to plug the gap while we keep searching for who that answer is, and right now I’m oddly all right with that.
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RF - Zorya Maiykov (6/7/5/5/5/4) – Maidykov was pressed into service last year earlier than I wanted, and responded with a resplendent +125 OPS+, He’ll start 2059 in the minors, but I suspect he’ll be up sometime, and with a glove that’s solid, he’ll be a great help. He, Aubry, and Munyiga are kind of the three LHB Muskateers in our organization right now. It’s good to have that kind of young depth.
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LF(CF) – Roberto Pena (5/5/5/7/6/4) – Pena came to the club in the fifth round of the 2057 draft. He’s a toolsy guy, good with the glove, and able to run a bit. His right-handed bat seems like it would be best served to a platoon—which we can provide if need be. He’ll hopefully play AAA all year in hopes that the range bumps and he can actually be the center fielder OOTP pretends he is. But if worst comes to worst we could use his RHB in spots … unless, of course, we were to focus on …
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LF – Marty Barnett (8/6/9/6/4/4) – As a third-rounder, Barnett’s development has been a bit sneaky. He’s kind of an old-school hitter. A guy who hates strikeouts, and lives to put the ball in play. Basically, he hits everywhere he goes, including in camp this spring. At 22, I expect him to hit in AA for at least half the year, but all the baseball guys in our office says he’s ready/
There are a few other guys in the organization that I think could be a help at the big league level if we really needed to use them, including last seasons’ first rounder, center fielder Fernando Bushey. I stretched a little to draft him as high as I did because I thought he was developed enough to play soon. If we have a big need at center, and we’re still competing, I could see making a call to him.
I hope not, though. I think he needs another season in the minors.
Regardless, I like the club’s overall situation here. We’re deep and we’re (mostly) young. As the purse strings hopefully expand, that means I should be able to focus cash on other positions.