The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

Message
Author
User avatar
John
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15566
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:34 am
Location: A changed 19th-century America
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#16 Post by John »

Thanks for the updates, Dan!
John Rodriguez
Hard at work...
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#17 Post by DanD »

Just One More

by Bill Slater, The Baseball Bureaucracy
October 30, 2013: Arlington, VA

The Arlington Bureaucrats are just one more win away from their first PEC victory in franchise history.  Unfortunately, it will probably be the most difficult win they will ever have to earn.  Tempewill be throwing arguably the two best starting pitchers in the league for games 6 and 7.  Conan McCullough was lights out in Game 2, shutting down a Bureaucrats offense that scored 16 runs the night before.  If he’s able to work his magic and the Knights tie the Series at three wins apiece, Arlington will most likely be facingMarkus Hancock for the third and final time.

The two rested arms the Bureaucrats have available to counter are Alberto Semblano and Peter Carter.  Carlos Pérez was originally scheduled to start Game 7, but elbow pain will keep him relegated to emergency bullpen duty.  Darryl Lewismight be able to pitch on short rest, but it’s hard to believe the team would rely on him in such a high-pressure situation given his lack of experience.

If the PEC pattern stays true, the ‘Crats are due to be shut down by Conan in Game 6 but then explode for 8-12 runs in Game 7.  Personally, I’d like them to add McCullough to their list of post-season victims.  He’ll be facing Semblano, who had been dominant earlier in the post-season.  He looked a bit tired during his last two starts but was able to keep the damage to a minimum.  Semblano will keep the game close – the offense just has to supply the run support.

Peter Carter will be facing Hancock if a Game 7 is necessary.  Carter pitched well against Florida in the ILAT but looked a little more hittable pitching in relief of an injured Pérez in Game 3.  He’s only recently back from major shoulder surgery, but his arm might also be the freshest on the entire staff because of it.  Now that the Series is back in Arlington, he’ll have to keep the ball down.  The young righty will be a wild card: he can show flashes of brilliance, but he can also serve up a stinker if his command is off.

Regardless of the outcome of the PEC, the off-season is right around the corner.  I’ll cover what the Bureaucrats face in a later article, but there will definitely be question marks on the pitching staff, as well as the outfield.

Go Bureaucrats!
Last edited by DanD on Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Your 2013 PEC Champions are...

#18 Post by DanD »

Your 2013 PEC Champions are...

by Bill Slater, The Baseball Bureaucracy
November 5th, 2013

The Arlington Bureaucrats!  The streaking Imperial League representatives downed the reigning champions in six games, overcoming the epic pitching duo of Markus Hancock and Conan McCullough.  During the first two rounds of the playoffs, it was the ‘Crats pitching staff that carried them.  During the Planetary Extreme Championship, the pitching stayed strong and overpowered an injury-stricken Knights lineup.  After sleepwalking through the beginning of October, Arlington’s offense came into the PEC ready to party.  Mostly.

In games where the ‘Crats weren’t abusing Tempe’s staff, they were utterly shut down.  They scored one run in Games Two and Four combined, but scored 36 in Games One, Three and Five.  Many predicted that McCullough would help prolong this trend in Game Six.  Through the first seven innings, the pattern appeared to be safe.  However, the pattern would ultimately be denied thanks to late-inning heroics by Jason Guillén and Bud Hoffmann, and the ‘Crats would claim the Championship with a 4-3 victory.

Hoffmann’s game-tying single in the ninth inning was actually poetic redemption.  He’d had a hand in blowing the lead during the top half of the inning by dropping an easy pop fly with two outs.

Regular season goat Aaron Turner also played hero during the series.  After only playing in 41 games following a mid-June trade with the West Virginia Coal Sox, Turner proved that he was completely over his injuries and was ready to give 110% in October.  A ridiculous 1.520 OPS doesn’t even tell the whole story.  He also flew around the base paths and outfield, stealing four bases and making several spectacular catches in left field.  It wouldn’t be a stretch to name him MVP of the PEC.

While the hype was all about “Mark-an Han-Cullough”, 23-year-old Félix Ortega stole the show.  Claiming victory in both his starts, he did so posting a 0.53 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 11/3 K/BB ratio and a .161 batting average against.  Hancock was his normal electric self in Game Four, but his PEC stat line was tainted as a result of him being torched for seven runs in Game One.  Conan was no slouch either, but Ortega was arguably the best starting pitcher in the series.  He, too, would be an appropriate choice for Planetary Extreme Championship MVP.

While we here at The Baseball Bureaucracy will definitely be celebrating the Championship victory all winter, it’s also our duty to look ahead to 2014.  Though many homegrown players impacted the club’s 2013 season, several valuable players’ rental periods are over and will be returning to the free agent pool next month.  As of right now, eight players will be leaving: Roberto Merán, Jeffery Graham, Mel Kennedy, Dave Phelps, Joaquín Hernández, Aaron Turner, Carlos Pérez and Alberto Semblano.  Seven of those players played major roles in the team’s championship run.  The bullpen will be hit the hardest.  Don’t be too worried, though; the team will have a little wiggle room in free agency and the farm system is far from barren.

As our PEC hangovers recede, we’ll be covering the internal and external options for filling up the 2014 roster. But don’t wait around – we fully intend to celebrate as long as humanly possible!
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Rule 5 Draft and The Bullpen

#19 Post by DanD »

Rule 5 Draft and The Bullpen

The PEBA Rule 5 draft went down this week and the Bureaucrats picked up a couple of arms to battle the in-house options for a spot in the 2015 bullpen. They also lost two players to the Draft.
Read more ->
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
John
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15566
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:34 am
Location: A changed 19th-century America
Contact:

Re: Rule 5 Draft and The Bullpen

#20 Post by John »

Bureaucrats wrote:Rule 5 Draft and The Bullpen

The PEBA Rule 5 draft went down this week and the Bureaucrats picked up a couple of arms to battle the in-house options for a spot in the 2015 bullpen. They also lost two players to the Draft.
Read more ->
I'm liking the redirection to the website. A.) It's a well-designed site! B.) It shows you've got a future in marketing. ;-D
John Rodriguez
Hard at work...
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#21 Post by DanD »

Scuffling Bats and the Trade Deadline

The ‘Crats celebrated the relatively quiet Trade Deadline by losing five of the next seven games. The offense carries most of the blame but we’ll cut them some slack since they aren’t exactly at 100% strength.

<-- Read more -->
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#22 Post by DanD »

Avoiding the Slide
by John Castillo, The Baseball Bureaucracy
August 24th, 2014

The Bureaucrats lead in the Pan-Atlantic division is down to two and a half games, and ‘Crats aren’t doing too much to help themselves out. They are currently 8-13 on the month, which currently stands as their worst month all season. Actually, it’s their only month under .500. The scary thing is that there isn’t really any one source of the losing.

<-- Read More -->
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#23 Post by DanD »

Avoiding the Summer Collapse
by Bill Slater, The Baseball Bureaucracy
August 8th, 2015

The Bureaucrats are current eight games back in the Pan-Atlantic and with how they are playing, it doesn’t look like they will be able to catch the Underground. Their only hope for reaching the post season is to secure one of the two wild card slots. For the past few months they have been stuck playing .500 ball, but that won’t be enough to stay in contention for the rest of the regular season. New Jersey is surging and the Dixie has been recovering from their dismal first half.

<-- Read More -->

(I think it's kind of funny/depressing that the last two entries I have posted here are about the 'Crats sucking it up in the second half)
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
John
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15566
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:34 am
Location: A changed 19th-century America
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#24 Post by John »

Bureaucrats wrote:(I think it's kind of funny/depressing that the last two entries I have posted here are about the 'Crats sucking it up in the second half)
That just shows that you need to post blog entries more frequently. The Bureaucrats are a fine organization. If you wait for negative inspiration, you'll be waiting a long time!
John Rodriguez
Hard at work...
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#25 Post by DanD »

It's Over
by Bill Slater, The Baseball Bureaucracy
August 24th, 2015

After playing 24 innings in two days to start the week, the Bureaucrats imploded dropping four in a row and getting swept by Connecticut. Juan Romero joins Fernando García on the DL – it feels like the ‘Crats can field an entire team with their disabled players, and they would have one of the best set-up/closer duos too!

<-- Read More -->
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#26 Post by DanD »

SO… IS THIS TEAM MAKING THE PLAYOFFS?

August 14th, 2023
After an excellent 6 win week, the Bureaucrats are back within a half game of first place in the Seaboard division. They still own the best run differential in the division, and the folks at the StatsLab are giving them around a 71% chance to win the division and an 81% chance overall to make the playoffs.

“But wait!” you say, “weren’t the ‘Crats sellers at the trade deadline?!” Why yes they were! But they didn’t blow the whole roster up to start from scratch. In fact, they retained many young players that project to be around for several more years. Some of those young players are now getting more playing time in the wake of the deadline trades so it’s not like Angel Cortez‘s spot in the line-up was given to a scrub. Cedric Hunt and Jaime García are now being relied on more and Hunt has definitely capitalized on the opportunity.

The rotation was virtually untouched and the trio of young, high-upside arms have been heating up. Luigi Bright and Manuel Pacheco have both thrown no-hitters; Pacheco’s was actually his second complete-game shutout in a row! Luis Medina is still growing into his electric stuff and his July showed us he can get after it with the best of them.

Now that I’ve gotten everyone excited about Arlington’s inevitable Rodriguez Cup victory, we do have to look at what might keep the post-season out of reach. They still have eight fewer wins than their run differential would predict and losing Shawn Marshall probably isn’t going to help them shrink that deficit. That eight game discrepancy can be explained as luck, or it could mean that Arlington’s bullpen is fond of coughing up leads in tight ballgames. The unit as a whole currently ranks 8th in the IL in ERA (3.68) which isn’t great for a team with play-off aspirations and if you’ve watched any of their games this season you know they have a knack for epic late inning meltdowns (I’m looking at you, Jorge García!). For some reason something named Kyoji Uchiyama is currently listed as the team’s closer – likely a temporary experiment after Marshall’s departure but his 9.51 ERA definitely doesn’t belong anywhere near a late game lead. In fact, the last game Kyoji pitched Javier Moreno had to come in with the bases loaded in the 9th with a one-run lead and bail him out. I’m not a betting man, but if I were my money would be on that situation NOT playing out favorably ever again.

So, TL;DR – The Bureaucrats still have a bunch of young talent (and some wily vets) but probably need a bunch of breaks in their favor in order to make it to the post season.
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
Simon
Triple-A
Triple-A
Posts: 464
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 9:56 am
Location: Poland

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#27 Post by Simon »

You are now 3 games behind Wild Card :wink:
Arlington is -10 in pyt rec, so pretty unlucky, but with your 2 strongest bats shipped away at the deadline, i think there is only low chance luck will turn around :(
Simon Kuliszewski
Proud General Manager of San Antonio Calzones de Laredo
Since mid 2020 (268-293 .477)
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#28 Post by DanD »

Calzones wrote:You are now 3 games behind Wild Card :wink:
Arlington is -10 in pyt rec, so pretty unlucky, but with your 2 strongest bats shipped away at the deadline, i think there is only low chance luck will turn around :(
Negative 10?!?!?! :-#

I do agree that with Cortez and Espinosa gone, the 'Crats are likely cooked in 2023 - though the way things were going I felt they were toast already, which is why I made those trades. Yeah, things could have turned around and we could have limped into the play-offs, but I wasn't confident we'd get far in that case. So I felt it in my best interest to cash in some guys who probably weren't going to be around for more than another year or two while they were performing well.
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
DanD
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2776
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

You Wouldn't Like Them When They're Angry

#29 Post by DanD »

Rumor has it that the Bureaucrats have taken Larry 'Hulk' Taylor in the first round of the contraction draft. With that pick-up, the club has now added an ace starter and and ace reliever this off-season leaving the pitching staff in pretty good shape.

Earlier this month the club signed Fred Benjamin to a large contract - $128,000,000 over 5 years. While his numbers over the past two seasons might make it seem like he's starting to decline, his fielding independent and secondary stats remain solid and within his career norms. He'll likely sit atop Arlington's rotation and will form a solid top-three with Manuel Pacheco and Luigi Bright.

In my opinion, Hulk is the riskier of the two. He's still posting insane numbers season to season, but is coming off of a shoulder injury that cost him the last few months of the 2023 season. While the injury (shoulder impingement) wasn't catastrophic, it could definitely be a precursor to more arm problems down the road. However, the pick-up only costs the team money for two more seasons - and it will be money well spent if he maintains his dominant form.

Several question marks remain regarding the line-up, but the team seems pretty set for pitching at this point.
Dan DiVincenzo
GM of Okinawa Shisa
User avatar
roncollins
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2777
Joined: Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:53 pm

Re: The Baseball Bureaucracy - Arlington's Blog

#30 Post by roncollins »

With Arlington's mini-retool last season, these guys should be solid additions.

I think. :)
Ron Collins
GM - Toyama Wind Dancers
2020 Neo-Tokyo Cup Champions
_______________________________________________________________
Post Reply

Return to “Arlington Bureaucrats”