2053 Rockville Pikemen Preview

[taylskid]

The Rockville Pikemen finished their 2052 season in 7th place in the Atlantic - not all that far from expectations - with a 66-96 record. The Pikemen have a lot of players in their prime years (and many who are multi-year contracts), and the team is hoping to continue climbing the standings this year and through to the future with GM Jim Slade at the helm.

The Rotation:

Five of the Six Pikemen staff-members are returning faces from the 2052 season, but there have been some shifts in the organization. The 21-year-old Luis González made his big-league debut and started the most games for the Pikemen in 2052 (32) and proved he could handle the pressure of the Show. He finished the year with a 5-12 record and a 6.10 ERA. He allowed 228 runs - third most in the BBA - even as a groundball pitcher. He'll be moved to a bullpen role this year, hoping to hold opponents down in the closer role.

In the off-season, Rockville picked up free agent Danya Tchekanov, Satan's Whelp, for their staff, hoping he could do some whelping on behalf of the Pikemen. Tchekanov had a storied career in Long Beach, but failed to dazzle in Portland out of the bullpen and was allowed to return to his more-familiar starting territory.

The Bullpen:

The bullpen saw some shakeups from the 2052 season, but like the starting staff, many of the faces are familiar. Sergio Tormes is looking healthy and ready-as-ever to play a long-relief role, having absorbed 119.1 innings for the Pikemen last year, ending the year with a 4.07 ERA. Juan Ruíz is hanging in there at 32, but not showing many signs of slowing down; he pitched well in AAA last year and is hoping to see some more time in the major leagues this year.

The biggest change in the bullpen is the aforementioned Luis González, hoping to make his mark on the league from a closer role.

The Offense:

In the off-season LF Matthew Reilly opted out of his contract, but the Pikemen went out and signed Bronx Kortez to a huge $58m 4-year contract. Kortex slashed .284/.350/.532 last year with San Fernando and is a decent enough defender.

Rockville also picked up another 4-year deal in shortstop Socrates Kazantziakis, the Philosopher (what a nickname!), for $49m. He comes from the GBC where he played for Tokyo and slashed .261/.343/308, but is a rock solid defender.

All in all, I think the Pikemen are looking to begin climbing the ranks, into the middle third of the Atlantic Division. We're looking forward to seeing some of these longer contracts start to pay out dividends for the team!

Good luck to Rockville in 2053!

(P.S. this is my first-ever preview and my first year in the BBA, I hope this was okay!)

[BaseClogger]

Nice job!

Jim drew some heat for his FA signings but I could see this team bouncing back into contention this year.

[JimSlade]

That was excellent and on target, thanks. I look forgot us climbing up the ranks in tandem!