New Badger In Town
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:17 pm
New Badger In Town
27 March, 2028
After a lengthy search, the Kalamazoo Badgers have finally announced their new general manager. The news that Frank Esselink is taking over comes just in time for the start of the 2028 season. Esselink is a familiar face to the PEBA, having previously been general manager of the Amsterdam Lions.
He took over the franchise back when it was the Connecticut Nutmeggers in 2013, and presided over 5 losing seasons before taking the team to the postseason for 5 consecutive seasons. That time included the franchise’s only PEC appearance and only division title.
He’s now been away for 5 years, and a lot has changed during that time. Badger fans will be wondering if he can repeat the success of those later years without the lengthy build up to get there. This is a franchise that has only seen the postseason twice, in 2007 and 2021. They’re also coming off a franchise worst season, with just 52 wins in 2027, and no, there is little solace in the fact that Yuma was worse.
First impressions are everything and Esselink, a Wisconsin alumni, certainly made one. “When I heard I’d be the new GM for the Badgers, I thought that was a little strange,” he told reporters. “Still, I was pretty excited to get back to Madison and enjoy all that city has to offer.” Fortunately, he ditched the red for his first press conference.
The Badgers may be a bad baseball team, but they do have some stars for fans to get behind and a few prospects to provide hope. First baseman Claudio Pérez was ranked 4th last year, with starter José Orozco ranking 6th in the OSA Top 100 Prospects list. Esselink, however, didn’t want to talk about either player. “Those guys look great,” he said, “but we’ve got a guy who went from college ball to AAA last year. Straight out of the draft. Throws 98. He threw two no hitters in college. We need to stretch him out a bit, but I think Arlen Badger’ll be the face of the franchise for years to come. I mean, how can’t he be with that name?”
27 March, 2028
After a lengthy search, the Kalamazoo Badgers have finally announced their new general manager. The news that Frank Esselink is taking over comes just in time for the start of the 2028 season. Esselink is a familiar face to the PEBA, having previously been general manager of the Amsterdam Lions.
He took over the franchise back when it was the Connecticut Nutmeggers in 2013, and presided over 5 losing seasons before taking the team to the postseason for 5 consecutive seasons. That time included the franchise’s only PEC appearance and only division title.
He’s now been away for 5 years, and a lot has changed during that time. Badger fans will be wondering if he can repeat the success of those later years without the lengthy build up to get there. This is a franchise that has only seen the postseason twice, in 2007 and 2021. They’re also coming off a franchise worst season, with just 52 wins in 2027, and no, there is little solace in the fact that Yuma was worse.
First impressions are everything and Esselink, a Wisconsin alumni, certainly made one. “When I heard I’d be the new GM for the Badgers, I thought that was a little strange,” he told reporters. “Still, I was pretty excited to get back to Madison and enjoy all that city has to offer.” Fortunately, he ditched the red for his first press conference.
The Badgers may be a bad baseball team, but they do have some stars for fans to get behind and a few prospects to provide hope. First baseman Claudio Pérez was ranked 4th last year, with starter José Orozco ranking 6th in the OSA Top 100 Prospects list. Esselink, however, didn’t want to talk about either player. “Those guys look great,” he said, “but we’ve got a guy who went from college ball to AAA last year. Straight out of the draft. Throws 98. He threw two no hitters in college. We need to stretch him out a bit, but I think Arlen Badger’ll be the face of the franchise for years to come. I mean, how can’t he be with that name?”