Mid-Season Review: Smooth Sailing
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:02 pm
43-44. To many that's a worrying sign. To me, that's progress. When I picked up this team a month ago (to the day, in fact) they were sitting at a paltry 3rd place and a dismal outlook for the future. Sitting at 12-19 (I think) and several games behind 2nd place and even more outside of a Wildcard slot, I had to do something. I resolved to myself that I'd be damned before I miss the playoffs in the first season (or 2) of my tenure. Plans were made to begin a rebuild if worse came to worse. I projected that we would finish 3rd with a 74-88, and miss the Wildcard entirely.
Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.
[Figure 1. Panic in a visual form]
Suddenly, we hit a 5-game skid, nearly right out the gate. Even though I had a plan to rebuild, I still wanted to avoid it as best I possibly can. Trades were made, and a short fire sale began. I managed to snag MLB-capable pitching and hitters to help my sinking bullpen. In a landmark trade between myself and the Sandgnats, I sent 3 of my own players for 15 MLB-ready players and prospects. It was meant to be the beginning phases of a rebuild, and I knew that the production I gave up for what I got would definitely leave me hurting.
Except, an odd thing happened.
We began to win.
[Big one: My 2028 tenure. Inlet: Before my tenure]
My panicky knee-jerk reaction that I was sure that it was going to bite me in the ass later actually began to pay off. My rotation began to throw pure fire. My offense contributed, and my defensive efficiency remains the best in the Imperial League. May gave way to June, and my first full month as the GM began. Boy howdy it was a good month. As you can tell from that graph, we even sat above .500 at 2 points. June placed us in 2nd place, and at one point we had a lock on the Wildcard. It's since been lost, but it's still enough to instill confidence in me that perhaps my team can have a better second half.
Speaking of June, let's look at just how good the team was in a couple categories.
A team triple slash line of .253/.315/.353 is extremely satisfying to me. It shows there still is a fight among my players and they have a drive to win. Top it off with a .669 (hehe) OPS, that is definitely a contender.
I would be remiss to not mention my pitching staff. They were phenomenal. A June ERA of 3.09 with a WHIP of 1.11 makes for a challenging staff that could definitely carry an offense to the postseason.
The future's looking bright, and I hope y'all have shades.
Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.
[Figure 1. Panic in a visual form]
Suddenly, we hit a 5-game skid, nearly right out the gate. Even though I had a plan to rebuild, I still wanted to avoid it as best I possibly can. Trades were made, and a short fire sale began. I managed to snag MLB-capable pitching and hitters to help my sinking bullpen. In a landmark trade between myself and the Sandgnats, I sent 3 of my own players for 15 MLB-ready players and prospects. It was meant to be the beginning phases of a rebuild, and I knew that the production I gave up for what I got would definitely leave me hurting.
Except, an odd thing happened.
We began to win.
[Big one: My 2028 tenure. Inlet: Before my tenure]
My panicky knee-jerk reaction that I was sure that it was going to bite me in the ass later actually began to pay off. My rotation began to throw pure fire. My offense contributed, and my defensive efficiency remains the best in the Imperial League. May gave way to June, and my first full month as the GM began. Boy howdy it was a good month. As you can tell from that graph, we even sat above .500 at 2 points. June placed us in 2nd place, and at one point we had a lock on the Wildcard. It's since been lost, but it's still enough to instill confidence in me that perhaps my team can have a better second half.
Speaking of June, let's look at just how good the team was in a couple categories.
A team triple slash line of .253/.315/.353 is extremely satisfying to me. It shows there still is a fight among my players and they have a drive to win. Top it off with a .669 (hehe) OPS, that is definitely a contender.
I would be remiss to not mention my pitching staff. They were phenomenal. A June ERA of 3.09 with a WHIP of 1.11 makes for a challenging staff that could definitely carry an offense to the postseason.
The future's looking bright, and I hope y'all have shades.
