Crushers’ May in Review
Takanawa Times Volume 7
Thursday, June 7, 2012
I am Tricia Takanawa and this is the Seoul Crushers’ month in review. We will look at the ups and many downs of the season so far, and what the future may hold for the team.
First, we will look at how well the team as a whole is doing. So far, the team has a league-worst 9-17 record. Seoul is also league-worst in most team statistics in the BBG. The fans have yet to sell out a game, with an average of just over 20,000 fans per home game. The team just lowered the tickets from a season start of $10.00 a seat to $9.00 in hopes of bringing in more fans.
During the last offseason, Seoul signed three major PEBA vets to the team. CF Jon Wood, LF Jaime García and SS Cesar Castillo so far have yet to heat up. Wood has been cold as ice, batting .244 with 14 K and just 2 RBI. Wood has a massive goose egg in the home run department. He took a bad pitch to the head. As a precaution, he was sent to the 14-day disabled list. García is doing better than the team expected, batting .271 with 5 HR and 17 RBI. As García heats up, they hope he stays hot. Castillo also hit the DL. He is in the same neck of the forest as Jon Wood. Maybe healing up is what they both need.
The season already looks to be lost. The new GM Mark Kierstead does not expect to win for a few more years. I think the only bright side is that Seoul looks to come out of the red and back into the black this season.
A decent draft can take a team from the brink of disaster to king if the hill. The 2012 draft looks very promising for the Seoul Crushers. After today’s just-announced trade with Fushigi Yugi, Seoul holds four 1st round picks. They have the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 8th overall picks. This will be the defining moment for GM Kierstead. He has moved many pieces to perfect this team. The team may never reach perfection in many eyes, but what the team does have is a GM who cares. When you put so much work into a team, great things are bound to happen. Kierstead may be hard-nosed at times, but the team knows he has a big heart for the organization. Just don’t tell anyone we said that.
Today I was given information regarding the draft. I have in this envelope whom the guaranteed number 1 pick will be. Yes, it is written in stone that this player will be drafted first. So whom do we have as the first pick? None other than P Jun’ichi “Hobo” Yoshino. Going #1 to the Crushers is a no-brainer. Hobo, as he likes to be called, is an impressive 5-1with a 1.73 ERA and 101 strikeouts in just 11 games. That’s 11.7 K per 9 innings pitched. When asked what they planned to do with the next picks in the draft, I was sent here for that information.
No matter how this season goes for the Seoul Crushers, one thing is for sure: They are going to improve, and fast.
I am Tricia Takanawa and this is the Takanawa Times.