2035 Atlantic City Gamblers

[usnspecialist]

Atlantic City Gamblers

OVERVIEW: Prior to the 2032 season the Gamblers shoved all of their chips into the middle, betting big on the pairing of Antonio Correa (6/5/8 Ratings) and Eduardo Lopez (6/7/4 Ratings) carrying them all the way to a Landis. It was known at the time that the back end of those contracts would severely hamstring the team, and unfortunately for the Gamblers that time has come. They are down to a one-outter at this point, and need a miracle on the river to save them before they need to hit the cage and reload.

ROTATION: The pitching staff is headed by young, talented (and compensated accordingly) Dan Cannon (10/6/8 Ratings). The 26 year old lefty should just be entering the prime of his career, but thanks to making his BBA debut at 19 he already has a solid resume behind him. Backing him up is the only other pitcher on the squad who would be considered a legitimate starter on most teams, and that is Antonio Correa (6/5/8 Ratings). Correa was the beneficiary of one of those massive contracts referenced and unlike Lopez he has done a respectable job of living up to it. He will likely not be worth the $25 million he is making this year, but should be a respectable #2 man. If there is a small gap in talent between 1 and 2, there is a chasm the size of the Grand Canyon between 2 and the rest of the rotation however. The “best of the rest” so to speak are probably Tomas Suarez (6/8/8 Ratings) and Pablo Figueroa (8/6/4 Ratings), but if those guys are your 3-4 starters it could be a loooonnnnnnng season in Atlantic City. The big disappointment has to be Javier Venegas (9/5/8 Ratings), who they paid a pretty penny to extract from New Orleans and has struggled so far. The only other pitchers of note are 22 year old prospect Francisco Barrera (7/6/7 Ratings) (who might be ready to come up now, but given the low expectations of this squad will probably spend most of the year in AAA) and free agent acquisition Juan Jose Eilzando (10/7/1 Ratings). Elizando is the likely front runner for the 5th spot, as his stuff is electric but he absolutely no idea where it is going.

BULLPEN: This unit looks to be a motley collection of failed starters and over-the-hill vets. The biggest name is veteran Eduardo Lopez (6/7/4 Ratings), who at this point has more forks in his body than in a restaurant kitchen (and yet will still make 62 million dollars over the next 3 years). The biggest potential here is young Afalawas Erevu (10/6/5 Ratings), who will likely start the season as the closer and has nice potential for the future.

INFIELD: The clear leader of the infield squad is underrated 3B Bucky Dornster (7/6/6/8/7 Ratings). The 27 year old is the 3-time reigning JL Zimmer award winner is no slouch at the plate either and yet has somehow only made one All-star team (2032 for Halifax). That is the price you pay for being stuck behind the holy trinity of Gillstrom, Winson and Noboru. With Gillstrom now plying his trade in the Frick league, Dornster has a chance to make a well deserved all-star appearance. The second banana is Derrek Kennedy (7/7/7/4/7 Ratings), a promising young second baseman who has yet to put it all together at the Brewster level, but is death against lefthanded pitching. Behind the plate is 23 year old Honorio Queixada (5/5/8/6/4 Ratings), who is blessed with a big power bat and a cannon for an arm, but not much else in the way of useful baseball skills. At 1B there is a platoon of two promising youngsters in Enrique Gomez (7/8/7/6/6 Ratings) and Adrian Salazar (8/7/8/6/7 Ratings), although one gets the impression that the clear future of that position is Gustavo Aguilera (8/8/8/5/7 Ratings) getting some more seasoning in AAA. Rounding out the squad is SS Jose Vela (6/7/4/3/8 Ratings), a slick fielder who might want to try hitting with his glove because the bat is pretty much useless.

OUTFIELD: The future is bright on the outfield corners for Atlantic City, with Stanley R. Perimutter (7/6/8/6/7 Ratings) manning right field coming off of a second place Gillstrom finish and Ricardo Hernandez (5/6/8/8/6 Ratings) holding down left. Both of those guys struggle against lefthanded pitching, but are absolute mashers against righthanders. Manning centerfield will be defensive wizard Ed Brewer (5/5/2/4/6 Ratings), who will be fighting it out with Vela for the 9th spot in the order. The DH will be Glenn Gorman (6/7/9/8/4 Ratings), who had a breakthrough year at 26 from his AAAA caliber days in Long Beach. The question is, was that just a flash in the pan, or is there something to be built on there.

PREDICTION: The Gamblers have been slowly backsliding the last few years, with win totals trending from 91 to 81 to 80 and there is no reason to suspect that will stop this year. Expansion did pull the reigning division champion Jacksonville Hurricanes from the division, but everyone else of consequence remains as Rockville, Montreal and Charm City figure to fight it out for the division. The prediction here is 76-86 and a 4th place finish in the JLA for the Gamblers.

[recte44]

Man that pitching staff is ugly

[usnspecialist]

Man that pitching staff is ugly

ya definitely not great... Venegas I think is the big disappointment there that is kind of flying under the radar a bit.