2052-0005: Talons Heroes and Zeros - The Pitchers

[jiminyhopkins]

Phoenix, AZ--

When its crunch time for articles, you know its gonna be a bunch of lazy content to fill out the requirements. So here we present the Heroes and Zeros of the Talons pitchers.

Heroes:

SP Jorge Magdalena
Jorge pitched all year without getting hurt, which is enough to be a hero alone. But he walso was largely effective, leading the club in innings with 185 and posting a 10-7 record with a 3.64 ERA. He's a fun loving guy who kept the clubhouse loose during a difficult season.

SP Don Smith
This guy continues to amaze. After rescuing the Talons playoff push in 2051, Smith returns to post an 8-2 record with a 3.91 ERA despite battling injuries all year. His 1.7 WAR gives him 29.4 career WAR for the Talons, second to Bartolo Ortiz for most all time with the franchise. Not bad for a former Uber-Phenom who was pretty much out of full time major league play after 2049, being relegated to minor league deals in 2050 and 2051.

RP Jose Arellano
The veteran reliever was the most consistent arm in a chaotic bullpen, and assumed the role of ace reliever after O'Macken got hurt. in 92 innings, Jose recorded a 2.65 ERA and 1.3 WAR. Not bad for a guy who, last season, was unceremoniously released by a 7th place El Paso team.

ZEROS

SP Albert Krant
Expectations were high for Albert after his 4 WAR campaign in 2051, but the former Talons #1 (12th overall) pick coudn't get it done, ending with a dissapointing 8-12, 5.58 ERA season. But hey, at least he didn't get hurt.

SP Amayas Moelling
Hate to put this guy here, becasue we really like him, but, like Krant, did not perform as expected after his 4.3 WAR season in 2051. Two bouts of elbow tendinitis totalling nearly 3 months on the DL didn't help matters, despite his pitch count never going much above 90.

SP Keijo Reini
Reini didn't get hurt, he just sucked.After signing a 2 year, $8 million contract in February, Keijo stumbled his way to a 5-9 record with a 7.13 ERA by July, whereupon he was released by the team. Too bad, because he's a popular player and a decent guy.

RP Tiernan O'Macken
Again, we really like the guy, hate to put him here. And really only here because of the crazy expectations he has previously set in his amazing career. A 0.8 WAR is allright for a releiver, but for Tiernan it's a travesty. His ERA was approaching 5 by the end of May, and although he did pitch better after that, he joined the gaggle of Talons players on the DL with a season ending injury on July 19th.

What a waste of a season. Oh Well.