OVERVIEW: There isn’t much that you can be certain of seeing in Sin City, but on the short list are overpriced drinks, gorgeous women, and the Las Vegas Hustlers raising a divisional title banner on opening day. With 11 titles in the last 14 years, Vegas is one of the true dynasties in the Brewster Baseball Association, but the fly in the ointment for all of those divisional banners is they have not been accompanied by Landis titles, with only 2027 being a double banner year for the Hustlers. With a powerhouse team coming back again in 2034, GM Matt Rectenwald hopes to hold off the New Orleans Crawdads and the rapidly rising Havana Sugar Kings.
INFIELD: A unit with some superstar names and some role players, the infield unit for Vegas is undergoing a bit of a transition phase but should be a solid grouping for Rectenwald. The longtime anchors of the group are C Hank Brewer (8/7/7/7/7 Talents) and 1B Gervasio Ridder (9/8/8/6/8 Talents), who are projected to hit in the 2-3 spots in the order respectively. Ridder is the reigning Golden Bat winner in a brutal JL first base category, and brewer is head and shoulders above any other catcher in baseball. The other superstar is a new addition, with Lloyd Braun (8/7/5/6/6 Talents) being the key piece coming over in the blockbuster deal this winter to man the SS position. While his previous outerworldly defense has slipped in the last year or so, Braun is still better than most with the glove, and wont embarrass himself with the bat in his hands either. Alfredo Bermudez (7/6/5/5/9 Talents) is known mainly for his glove work at 2B, although he has shown flashes with the bat in the past. 3B is looking like the only platoon on the dirt for the Hustlers, with 2nd year man Tyler Moore (6/8/8/6/6 Talents) playing against righties and the seemingly permanent part-time Barney Everhart (6/7/6/6/9 Talents) getting the call against lefties. Of the two, Moore has the most breakout potential, but the youngster still has some development to do. At the DH position, Jack Gulliver (9/7/7/7/7 Talents) is seemingly entrenched for now, thanks to his age and contract that make him nearly impossible to move. He has bounced back from a disastrous 2032 season nicely, but it is known that the GM would like to move him if he can.
OUTFIELD: The blockbuster deal that sent franchise legend Alfredo Martinez left the entire outfield centered (literally and figuratively) around CF Juan Sweetworld (8/7/6/4/9 Talents). Sweetworld is probably the lynchpin that will determine the success of this Hustler offense, with a speed and power combo that few in the league possess, but some serious holes in his game against lefties. Surrounding Sweetworld are a pair of platoons, with Jerome Pichon (7/7/7/5/8 Talents) and the ageless wonder Leon Sandcastle (8/6/7/9/5 Talents) manning the corners against righthanders, to pair with Travis Lara (6/6/7/6/6 Talents) and Todd Mitchell (6/5/6/4/8 Talents) against lefties. The Hustler lineup is much more stacked against righties, as Pichon/Sandcastle could do some serious damage with the bat.
ROTATION: The 5 men that the Hustlers will roll out to the mound at start of games this season is a wildly talented mixture of proven talent, and exciting young arms that have yet to fully show what they can do at the Brewster level. At the head of the staff is Sam Romero (10/7/8 Talents), who Rectenwald signed to an incredibly sweetheart extension in the offseason who will pair with #4 starter Julio Velasco (9/7/10 Talents) to form a pair of rotation bookends that Vegas can count on to get the job done. The other positions are manned by either hugely talented individuals who haven’t lived up to their potential (Hyun-sik Chang (9/8/8 Talents)), or youngsters with minimal time at the Brewster level (Ken Bates (9/7/7 Talents) and Pierre Legrand (8/7/7 Talents)). If everyone performs to their abilities, this is one of (if not the best) rotations in the league.
BULLPEN: The major news rumbling out of this unit in the offseason was the demotion of former closer Hiroyuki Rin (10/7/8 Talents) in favor of megatalent Shawn Huber (10/7/7 Talents). It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Vegas employ a dual closer role down the line, as Rin is righthanded and Huber a southpaw, but for right now if they have a lead going into the 8th inning the game is effectively over. The rest of the pen is solid, although probably the weakest of the 4 units on the team.
PREDICTION: This is a team that has been on top for a long time, but there are some serious contenders to the throne. That being said, Rectenwald has a message for Havana and New Orleans….
98-64, 1st place in JLS
