2053 Charm City Jimmies Preview

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neugey
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2053 Charm City Jimmies Preview

Post by neugey » Fri Nov 25, 2022 8:52 pm

The Charm City Jimmies (or the Charmies as some fans call them) finished with a 88-74 record and made the playoffs, but lost 3 games to 1 in the Geoghegan round to Las Vegas. This offseason, general manager David Burcicki and his staff made some moves that they hope will help Charm City take the next step and make a deeper playoff run in 2053.

The biggest move was a trade with Sacramento. The Jimmies acquired SS Henri Charriere from the Mad Popes, in exchange for a pitching prospect and 3B Anthony Moretti. "Papillion" Charriere instantly improves Charm City's defense up the middle and can also hit reasonably well. The two-time All-Star is 30 and has two years left on his current contract plus a player option.

As of this writing, Charm City made one significant free agent signing and that is 1B/DH Joe "Sloth" Melucci. His biggest asset is sloth-like baserunning and hitting the ball out of the park, and the Jimmies are hoping that Melucci will help them improve the Jimmies middle-of-the-back HR totals at the expense of clogging the bases.

The Jimmies will have more at-bats available in their outfield now that Al Garrett has departed via free agency and now will suit up for Hawaii. The righty hit .325 and has good defense, but apparently management saw 2052 as a fluke and felt their are better options to strengthen their outfield.

The Jimmies might be very busy in free agency at the tail end here. Their budget isn't the greatest, but the current payroll is one of the lowest in the BBA at about $84 million. Unless ownership is insisting the Jimmies turn a large profit, we may see a few important pieces added prior to opening day. But without many moves made, let's take a look at the major league positional groups for Charm City and see how they stack up:

Rotation: The Jimmies have a young rotation that should only get better. Southpaw Richard Bullock put together a fine sophomore campaign in 2052 and is only 23. 27-year old Ranaal Seldon has great stuff and a nasty array of pitches, but control remains his Achilles heel. He'll need to keep the walks in check or could face a demotion to the bullpen. Mike Griffin, acquired from Mexico City in 2051, has better control but lacks a high ceiling.

Bullpen: The Jimmies have one of the best in Manuel Berrera to close out games. The 3-time All-Star recorded 37 saves with a 3.13 in 2052. Behind him, Charm City has two reliable arms in Gerardo Rea and Manny Zamora. Both men get major work and each went over 100 innings last year. Another reliable arm is Lindsay Barber, who could probably himself close for some other BBA teams. The Jimmies bullpen is almost exclusively right-handed, and perhaps that is a strategic decision more than a limitation. Right-handedness put aside, they are one of the BBA's best.

Catchers:
The Jimmies have an interesting catching duo. Hasbi Yazkizade is Mr. Offense and Hollis O'Hara is Mr. Defense. Both bat left-handed, with Yazkizade seeing the larger share of the at-bats. This is not the greatest catching situation and things may change in the near future. Will a righty be added to the mix to push either of these men?

Infielders: Corner-man Tsuyoshi Kobayashi came over from the GBC and had a very nice 2052 debut, contributing 36 homers with a .281 average. He could be a fringe All-Star in coming years. Veteran infielder Pepe Espinosa had a down year at the plate in 2052 and the Jimmies are hoping he'll rebound as they rely on his defense. Young power-hitter Dave Ackerman plays 2B and could also be used in the outfield. His power and average thus far though have been disappointing, and the Charmies are waiting for Dave to take the next step. Colm Alker is the Jimmies primary first baseman, at least for now, and he contributed 32 homers in 2052.

Outfielders: Tadataka Yoshikawa is one of the most talented hitters on the team, but injuries marred his 2052 debut. He clubbed 40 homers and 135 RBI's in the GBC in 2051, so Charm City is praying for a healty 2053 so that Yoshikawa can belatedly boost their offense. Fellow Japanese teammate Kazunari Chikafuji mans right field and is a solid if not spectacular switch-hitter. 23-year old Mike Cox is the Jimmies top center fielder. His defense and productive contact hitting will keep him on many lineup cards in 2053.

Farm: Looking to the future, the Jimmies currently have the 4th ranked farm system in the BBA. Top prospect 3B Jules Le Gal has reached AAA and he can certainly hit for power, but his defensive range is limited and may have trouble finding a reliable positional home. The rest of Charm City's farm system is decorated with promising pitching prospects. SP Hector Silva was acquired in a trade with Boise and might make the majors in 2055. Groundballer Allen Davidson is further along in his development and could possibly be brought up later this year. 2047 6th round pick Rob Scott received a spring training invite and could flourish sooner rather than later. Those are just the highlights, but the Jimmies do indeed have a solid farm.

Summary: The Jimmies quality young rotation and superb bullpen should assure that they maintain their 2052 success and vie for the playoffs. It's going to take some major offensive contributions, the improved health of Yoshikawa and/or additions though for the team to advance beyond the Geoghegan.
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Re: 2053 Charm City Jimmies Preview

Post by DaveB » Sun Nov 27, 2022 6:09 pm

Thanks for the write up.
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