Future Ghosts Lead Ikari to Top Seed

[Ghosts]

Ikari, Japan - September 6, 2032

While the Rising Sun Division race reaches historic competitive heights, the division's newcomer looks up upon a hill that appears all but insurmountable.

There may not have been much to celebrate in Niihama in 2032, as the Ghosts are well on their way to shattering the franchise record for losses in a season, but at least there are signs of life elsewhere in the organization. The newly established AA Ikari Warriors have clinched the top seed in the Pacific Alliance with a record of 85 wins and 55 losses. Much of that record can be attributed to three young prospects that have become the anchor of the rotation: Hubreicht Ubbens, Yuji Yamashita, and Alonso Hernandez. Ubbens and Yamashita were promoted to the team in early June, while Hernandez joined them only recently in August. Both Hernandez and Ubbens were promoted to AA at age 21. Ubbens has since celebrated a birthday to join Yamashita as the other 22-year-old starter with an apparently bright future in PEBA.

Since joining the Warriors on June 1st, the former #1 overall pick in the 2030 WIL amateur draft, Yuji Yamashita, has posted a 9-3 record behind a 3.23 ERA. That was good for 1.3 WAR: not bad for a 22-year-old but a far cry from his dominance at A-ball, where he posted 2.5 WAR in only 10 starts. Much of the difference has been a stark drop in strikeout rate - 9.7 K/9 in A-ball as opposed to 5.8 in AA. Niihama scouts believe that rate will skyrocket if he can improve his changeup or otherwise add a pitch to offset his plus-plus ceiling fastball/slider combo. Consistency has also been an issue for the youngster, as he seems he can't seem to fight his way off of bad starts. Ten of Yuji's AA starts ended with game scores of 58 or better while another four were 38 or worse. Only three were somewhere between. Yuji's coaches would love to see him be able to battle past a poor start to push some of his lowest scores back to solid performances, but Yuji appears to frustrate rather easily at this stage. This isn't uncommon for a young player making the leap from A to AA - often considered the most challenging progression for young players to make as age caps are lifted and veterans that are borderline PEBA talents can be found in nearly every lineup. Coaches were also quick to praise his ability to put bad outings behind him, noting that he only posted back-to-back poor starts once.

The second of the trio to join the Warriors is Aruban native Huibrecht Ubbens. Ubbens was promoted from A-ball despite not appearing dominant in his time there, posting a misleading 1-6 record behind a 2.77 ERA. Upon arriving to AA, however, Huibrecht blossomed. His 9-3 record matches Yuji's while his 2.58 ERA and 0.98 WHIP best him. He's earned 2.1 WAR in only 101.1 innings, and he's hungry to improve upon that in his first playoff berth. Ubbens accomplished these feats behind the strength of his plus-plus fastball/changeup combo. His slider is also developing into a weapon, but will need to be his focus for improvement alongside command as he approaches PEBA. Ubbens was acquired from the Kure Arsenal in a 2031 WIL blockbuster trade that saw Niihama give up a talented second basemen and the former #2 overall selection in the 2029 amateur draft, Yoshifumi Ohara, among other assets. That trade appears to be working out well for both sides, as Ohara has already claimed a spot in the back end of the Kure bullpen, boasting a 13.5 K/9 strikeout rate behind a plus-plus fastball-slider pairing.

The last of the trio to join Ikari, Alonso Hernandez, started the season as a baby-faced 20-year-old in A-ball. He struggled a bit, posting ERA+ of 89 and 64 in April and May, but found his footing in June with a 141 ERA+. Hernandez was promoted after a dazzling pair of starts in mid-August, where he went a combined 14.2 innings, struck out 16, and put up nothing but zeroes in the run column. His three AA starts featured two quality starts, and an unlucky 4 hit, 4 BB, 5 run start where he still managed to retire 20 batters. Hernandez is the only of the trio to offer a four pitch aresnal. His prime pairing is a plus-plus 98 mph fastball and slider combination, while he also employs a plus forkball and a solid changeup. While he may be a half step behind the others, Niihama scouts think the Dominican may end up being the best of the bunch. For now, Ikari is very pleased to feature Niihama's star prospect as their #3 in the upcoming playoffs against the Edmonton Mall Ratz, who have also earned a bye past the wild card round despite their record falling below both wild card teams.

Any discussion of promising Ikari youth would be remiss without mentioning catcher Nolan McMahon, closer Armando Gomez, and 3B Darius Freeman. McMahon spent most of 2032 in A-ball, where he started 73 games and slashed .255/.302/.432 - good for 3.0 WAR alongside his solid defense. Acquired from Shin Seiki in May as part of the deal for MVP-candidate and breakout star Antonio Figueroa, the 23-year-old McMahon has crushed AA pitching in his short stint to date to the tune of a 228 OPS+. He's earned nearly a point of WAR in just 10 starts, and appears to be fighting for a future in Niihama. Gomez, a 22-year-old lefty, is returning to Ikari for playoff experience after a few scoreless appearances in PEBA. His fastball-sinker combo appears to be effective at both levels, as Armando amassed 16 saves and 1.3 WAR in just 36.1 innings of work behind a 0.99 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and 4.29 K/BB ratio. Also returning for playoff experience is minor leage hitter of the year candidate Darius Freeman, whose outstanding year in Ikari is highlighted by his 28 XBHs and 49 BBs in 72 games, which helped him earn 4.2 WAR.

With loads more talent in the pipeline, Ikari looks to be a feature of the Pacific League for the foreseeable future, even as these young stars looks to move past AA. With their sites set on a championship in their first year of existence, the Ikari Warriors are a bright spot in an organization that could really use one.