2036 Charm City Jimmies- What Now?

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2036 Charm City Jimmies- What Now?

Post by recte44 » Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:24 pm

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The 2036 Charm City Jimmies - What Now?
by Matt Rectenwald


The Charm City Jimmies have been one of the most interesting franchises in BBA History despite only coming in as an expansion franchise in 2029. General Manager Brandon Slouck came into the league as a rookie General Manager with the expansion Jimmies and immediately made his mark. After a 71-91 initial season, they improved to 80-82 in 2030 and then became the first of their collection of expansion teams to make the playoffs in 2031 after finishing 83-80. They would win their first division title in 2032 (96-66) and would make the playoffs once again as a wild card in each of the next two seasons, capped by a franchise best 106-57 record in 2034.

Then came 2035. You could say the bottom dropped out but that would be a vast understatement. One year you win 106 games, then the next you finish 64-98.

Let's pause for a second. That's a 42 game swing. In one season. I didn't look it up, but I would bet you a dollar that's probably one of the worst one year swings by a team in the storied history of this league.

And that's exactly why I wanted to preview this squad- because it's interesting. The Jimmies were a great example of how to build a team for the first six years of their existence, and then it was all gone. Their big star (besides the legendary Carlton Winson (6/7/10/9/5 Ratings) who is the BBA's All-Time OPS leader as of now) was Egbert Behner, in 2034 a shining star atop their rotation..whose shine wore off just enough for Slouck to deal him to Jacksonville for a bevy of prospects. Also, Tony Canales and Irving Espinosa weren't the same pitchers they were in 2034.

Let's make it simple. Their average dropped 19 points to .240, and their team ERA increased 0.75 to 4.68. That's all a factor. The injuries were a factor. Lots of things were a factor.

The most interesting thing I noticed was that the Charm City payroll dropped nearly $20 million and for the first time in three years the Jimmies ended the season with a positive balance. It's this that leads me to believe Brandon knows exactly what he's doing.

So let's see where the Jimmies are going into the 2036 season, shall we?

Starting Pitching:
Without Behner this is a weakness.
- Slouck went out and signed Felipe Murillo (10/8/8 Ratings) to help fii the void, he of course suffered a tired arm in spring as if on cue. He should be healthy to start the year, but it is far from a certainty that he'll make it through the season. Many believe he's miscast as a starter. The Jimmies aren't in that camp.
- When your #2 starter spent the entire 2035 season at the AAA level and is 30 years old, you might be in trouble. Maybe Van Willard (8/6/6 Ratings) becomes a genius-level find,
- Arturo Reyes (5/7/10 Ratings) is the last man standing from the 2034 staff. He was 18-9, 4.15 in 2034 but 6-13, 5.75 last year. Charm City hopes for a return to form for Reyes.
- Rookie left-hander Masamune Ueda (9/5/5 Ratings) looks to join the rotation this year, if he can limit walks and the longball he has a chance to stick, as does fellow rookie southpaw Manuel Ramirez (8/6/5 Ratings) who is trying to make the jump from Double-A.

Relief Pitching:
- Norberto Leon (10/7/6 Ratings) should emerge as a high-leverage reliever for the Jimmies this year, joining Juan Cano (9/7/6 Ratings) who pitched well last year for Charm City.
- Orlando Rivera (10/6/7 Ratings) is the "sage veteran" of the pen along with Tim Waller (9/7/6 Ratings) (a CCJ mainstay at this point), and has a real opportunity to re-establish himself as a crucial arm this season.
- 21 year old Jose Salas (10/5/7 Ratings) was a Rule 5 pickup from New Orleans and will be given every opportunity to stick.

Infield:
- The Jimmies re-signed veteran catcher Luis Miguel Carrillo (5/5/9/9/7 Ratings) after he didn't attract much attention in free agency. He can still hit for power, but at age 35 he's on the downside of his career.
- First base is a bit in flux. They wanted to use Byron Hearle (6/6/7/9/7 Ratings) at DH, but he fractured his hand in Spring and will miss time well into May. Earl Jackson (6/7/5/3/8 Ratings) and Paul Backstrom (6/6/8/4/4 Ratings) appear to be a platoon there for now.
- Will Charm City go with Backstrom at second base, where his defense is slipping, or go with a decent glove but inferior bat in Bill Benson (5/6/5/6/5 Ratings) there?
- There is no debate at third base, it's Winson. Duh.
- Likewise, Jay-hoon Ch'oe (6/5/6/6/5 Ratings) has put a lock on the shortstop position for years to come. He was a Zimmer winner last year.
All in all, the Jimmies' infield is in pretty decent shape when healthy.

Outfield:
If you love great outfield defense, you'll love this group. However, if you expect your outfielders to also produce even the tiniest bit of offense, you are in for a huge disappointment.
- Somehow Marcus Lambaria put up decent offensive numbers last year for the Jimmies. Not sure their starting left fielder will be able to put together a sequel.
- Centerfielder Julio Gonzales (5/6/4/4/7 Ratings) is another premium defender who simply can't hit.
- Right-fielder Luis Claudio (7/7/6/4/8 Ratings) has the best bat of the bunch but he's not a middle of the lineup hitter.

Outlook:
Their premium outfield defense may help make their subpar pitching rotation look a bit better, but without any offense to speak of this could be another long season.

I've been wrong on the Jimmies before, and I hope I'm wrong again, but this doesn't look great.

Prediction: 68-94

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Re: 2036 Charm City Jimmies- What Now?

Post by bcslouck » Thu Sep 13, 2018 2:28 pm

No, it doesn't look great. But that's okay. For now.
Brandon Slouck
Rocky Mountain Oysters (2058 - present)
Cairo Pharaohs (2057)
Charm City Jimmies (2029 - 2049)
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Re: 2036 Charm City Jimmies- What Now?

Post by felipe » Thu Sep 13, 2018 8:49 pm

Genius has a capital G

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