2048 Preview - Athens Centaurs

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2048 Preview - Athens Centaurs

Post by scottsdale_joe » Thu Aug 26, 2021 11:52 am

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Cairo GM Reviews Athens
By Khepri Quraishi, Epypt Today Sports
March 8, 2047

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Presented by Guinness Beer

After our disastrously misleading preview of the Riyadh Red Crescents last year, Cairo GM Joe Geoghegan and I decided to live on the edge and try again, this time looking at the Athens Fighting Centaurs. This year we did it over Guinness at Murphy’s Irish Pub in Luxor. Everything is better over Guinness.

Athens finished third in the Bancroft Division last year, eleven games ahead of our Pharaohs and twelve games behind the Bucharest Impalers. They come into this season with a new General Manager, John Heinz. The Impalers seem to want to flirt with .500. Last year they hit it right on the nose.



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First Base
Yunosuke Terada is getting up there in years; he’ll be 35 this year. He can still play defense, but his average slipped 34 points to .222 last year. 23-year-old Vinnie Youngberry isn’t as adept in the field, but he hit a league-leading .324 two years back and .277 last year while oddly appearing in just 90 games. He may, of course, be the designated hitter instead. Then there’s Justin Keppell who hit .287 in AAA last year. He struggled during his cup of coffee with Athens though. Perhaps they’ll also give 21-year-old Sjaak “Wheel of Fortune” de Greef a look see. He hit over .300 in AA ball last year but may need another year of development in AAA. Management isn’t thrilled about his attitude either.

Second Base
30-year-old Luis Dominguez is penciled in here, He signed a minor league deal with Athens after hitting .313 in Portland’s AAA affiliate. He’s good defensively and has prior BBA experience with New Orleans. Patrick Heregger dazzles in the field, but he hit just .114 after being elevated from AAA where he was hitting an anemic .215. He’ll have to do better than that. Last year’s starter Jim Abernathy became a free agent after a .222 season.

Shortstop
Rubem Bordonhos, last year’s most frequent shortstop, was lost in the Rule 5 Draft to Beirut. His negative 12.8 zone rating wasn’t that much to lose and he hit only .227. Bob Allen joins the team as a free agent for this year and a team option next year. The captain with San Antonio in the BBA for two plus seasons hit .248 last year and will be among the top defensive shortstops in the UMEBA. Pepe Gonzáles is the other shortstop on the roster. He hit just .214 last season. While he rates high on defense, he had a negative zone rating. And he’s lazy, greedy, and not loyal. What to do with him?

Third Base
Two Japanese 22-year-olds, Sosa “Sammy” Seki and Tsuyoshi Kobayaski are the roster third basemen. Seki is a defensive liability and mostly DH-ed last year. Kobayashi hit .301 in 40 odd games last year after his promotion from AAA, but he’s adequate at best on D. 33-year-old Larry Blake hit .303 last year before becoming a free agent. A good defender, he’s still available in the FA marketplace.

Left Field
Quinn “OMG” Greene is a mediocre at best fielder, but, gosh, he can hit! He led the league last year as a rookie at .346 and added 31 homers and over 100 RBIs. He was also the league’s top slugger (.673) and tops in WAR (6.7). As backup, there’s no one in sight.

Center Field
Defensive standout José Leyva filed for free agency and is now in Riyadh. 22-year-old Eamon Sherill is listed on the roster as a center fielder, but his experience is in right field. Can he convert to the tougher position? Wherever he plays, he’ll produce 30 plus home runs and knock in a bunch. No apparent backup here either.

Right Field
Sherill played here last year and may well again. But the roster right fielder is 31-year-old Sadaharu Oh III. He can hit the long ball and carries on a proud family name. There are no substitute outfielders at all on the roster. Elton Warr. who hit .329 in AAA in 2047, could help in right field.

Catcher
Tokimasa Yano from Japan, just 22, is already a star. He’s gotten better in each of three years with Athens – last year he hit .328 and slugged 21 homers. His defense needs work. German 22-year-old Adalgiso Bosendorfer is another catcher for the future. He hit .291 last season.

Designated Hitter
Sosa “Sammy” Seki, listed above at third base, is most likely the regular designated hitter.

Rotation
  • Felipe Méndez 11-8, 3.97 as a starter last year after a brilliant year in the bullpen in 2046.
  • Takeo Aoki has struggled to keep a positive WAR with Athens after solid years in the BBA with Brooklyn. He works hard and has great stuff.
  • Douglas Hamlyn became a swing man last year after starting in 2045 and 2046. His ERA ranges around 4.30.
  • Euan Ring, just 22, has mainly been a reliever the past two seasons, but he longs to be back in the rotation. His ERA too averages around 4.30.
  • Shing Ren is only 21. He appeared in 87 games in relief in 2046. Last year he was 7-7 as a starter.
  • Jerrel Beenhakker was 8-3 as a starter in AAA last year. Is he ready for the jump?
Bullpen
  • Steffan Gimsing 2-7, 5.76, 17 saves last year. That’s not the kind of stats you want to see from your presumed closer. 21-year-old needs to and probably will get better.
  • Shigekazu Kikuchi, age 23, was very effective last year in 74 appearances. 6-3 record with 2.64 ERA.
  • Rolf Reinhardt is just 21. He managed a positive WAR last year while swinging between the rotation and the pen.
  • Carlos Rodda is 22 and getting better. Stronmg performance in AA last year and did not embarrass himself in 16 games with Athens.
  • Liam Johnson is another 21-year-old who appeared in 48 games last year, starting eight times. He posted a nice ERA of 3.40.
  • And then there a host of other guys to battling for a bullpen job.
SUMMARY

So-so defense. Geoghegan - "Metza-metz. Need some defensive outfielders at least"
Potentially potent offense. Geoghegan - "Greene and the catchers are almost an offense by themselves."
Pitching is always a question mark. Geoghegan - "It’s a very young staff. I’d like to have it."

Most likely cannot threaten Mumbai going for a fourpeat.
Centaurs have a shot at 2nd and a wild card.
If not, then third place looks likely again.
Last edited by scottsdale_joe on Thu Aug 26, 2021 4:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: 2048 Preview - Athens Centaurs

Post by jeheinz72 » Thu Aug 26, 2021 2:24 pm

Great recap and I appreciate you putting this together - definitely helps as a new guy!
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Re: 2048 Preview - Athens Centaurs

Post by Dington » Thu Aug 26, 2021 3:24 pm

Great job!
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