The Year: 2050
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W/L Record: 109-53
Run Differential: 1012 RS vs. 664 RA +348 Runs
Awards: NL Home Run Leader: Horacio Aguilar (47), NL Batting Title: Horacio Aguilar (.373), NL RBI Leader: Horacio Aguilar (173), NL Triple Crown: Horacio Aguilar, NL MVP Award: Horacio Aguilar
All Stars: C Wilson Brown, 3B Peter Moxon, CF Enrico Romero, RF Horacio Aguilar, RP Justin Strathbogie, SP Nelson Barroca
League Leading Stat Categories: 52 Away Wins, .303 Team Batting Average, .722 Team Defensive Average, 57 Home Wins, 228 Team Home Runs, .370 Team OBP, .834 Team OPS, 3.11 Team ERA, 1012 Runs Scored
Lineup/Bench Rotation/Bullpen
2B Jeff McCausland Nelson Barroca
CF Enrico Romero Chris Braylovsky
3B Peter Moxon Jim McPheidiran
DH Horacio Aguilar Luis Valarcel
C Wilson Brown Rico Chavez
1B John Golia CL Ivan Cueneca
LF Geraldo Merga SU Justin Strathbogie
RF Gary Bennion SR Lewis Dover
SS Gary Davies SR Jeremiah Deforest
MR Kahei Shunsen
LR Tyler Wonham
3B Shawn Mangan
LF Clement Thomas
C Salvatore Columbie
IF Eli Slater
IF Jason Scholes
The Key Players: The 2050 Reds are about to be celebrated largely because of one man: Horacio "The Dominican Demon" Aguilar. Like many of our top teams, this will be an exercise in celebrating his accomplishments along with the team's. In a career of amazing statistics, 2050 was his crown jewel. Not only were the stats something to marvel at but he won an award that, at least to my memory, had never been accomplished before in FCM: The Triple Crown.
Horacio Aguilar has a spot on the FCM Mt. Rushmore of hitters for a reason. This is a man who is in the top 5 in virtually every statistical category: 9th all time in hits, 5th all time in homeruns, and 3rd all time in RBIs. He had over 2,500 hits, 500 home runs, 1700 RBI, 1000 walks, and a career .993 OPS. Not bad for a 3rd round pick to Texas back in 2035 right? It's amazing to look back at just how many elite players in this league were drafted in the 2-4 rounds.
In his storied career he never managed to be as good as he was in 2050. Aguilar posted a .373/434/663 slash line with a 1.097 OPS. That insane batting average was enough to win him the batting title and he completed the triple crown with 47 home runs and 173 RBI. He also managed to score 139 runs, hit 38 doubles, walk 76 times versus only 74 strikeouts, and rack up 236 total hits. He even managed (in a disappointing losing effort in round one to St. Louis) to go 9 for 16 with 5 runs scored, 5 home runs, 9 RBI, and a 2.151 OPS in the playoffs. He was accountable for 9 of the 14 runs the team scored in their playoff loss - had he had more help they may have gone on an epic run to finish off the season with a championship.
During the season he did have a significant amount of help, including a really impressive top 5 in this lineup. At the top was a man who put up an amazing year in his own right - CF Enrico Romero. Romero was a 2nd overall pick who played excellent defense and was the table setter for this lineup. Romero hit .350 and posted a .417 OBP along with 18 home runs, 27 stolen bases, 137 runs scored, and 75 RBIs. His .900 OPS was absolutely incredible for a player at his position and his line was another one of those fantasy baseball dreams come true.
He had a great running buddy at the top in second baseman Jeff McCausland who hit .293 with 10 home runs, 40 stolen bases, 123 runs scored, 74 RBI, and a .360 OBP. The number 3 hitter in the lineup was the all-hit, no-field Peter Moxon. The switch hitter posted a .305 batting average, 36 home runs, 7 stolen bases, 84 runs scored, and 98 RBI to go with a .383 OBP. When you see how often these three guys were getting on base it is pretty clear out Aguilar managed to put up that RBI total.
He also wasn't the only one to benefit from those in front of him. Aguilar's protection in the lineup was catcher Wilson Brown. Brown was also a switch hitter and he posted one of the greatest offensive seasons by a catcher in FCM history. He hit .356 with 33 home runs, 119 runs scored, 147 RBIs, and a .422 OBP. Brown's 1.004 OPS was absolutely outstanding for his second full season in the big leagues.
Rounding out the lineup was former top pick John Golia at first base. Golia hit .247 with 28 home runs, 70 runs, 80 RBI, and a .376 OBP. Geraldo Merga hit .297 with 23 home runs, 77 runs scored, 93 RBI, and a .330 OBP. On base machine Gary Bennion hit .342 with 1 home run, 9 stolen bases, 74 runs scored, and 51 RBIs to go with his .418 on base percentage. Lastly was defensive specialist Gary Davies whose .569 OPS probably tells you all you need to know about his contributions.
This Reds team was almost entirely dependent on the offense to carry them. There were some excellent young arms in the pipeline but they hadn't yet arrived for the Reds, so they wre forced to rely on a less than impressive group of arms, but they were good enough to help the team win 109 games on the year.
The leader of that group was Nelson Barroca. Barroca had been in the league for four years in 2050 and this was by far his best performance so far. He pitched 232 innings on his way to a 19-3 record with 141 strikeouts and a .214 OBP against him. It was good enough to earn him an all-star nod and made him the ace of the Reds' staff.
Rounding out the rotation was Chris Braylovsky who had his career year in 2050 as well with a 2.69 ERA in 244 innings on his way to a 20-3 record. Lefty Jim McPheidiran pitched 198 innings for the team and went 14-9 with a 3.58 ERA. Veteran Luis Valarcel pitched 221 innings with a 3.50 ERA and a 17-8 record. Lastly was Rico Chavez who pitched 132 innings with a 3.67 ERA and a 10-4 record.
Closing ball games for the Reds was 16 million dollar man Ivan Cuenca. He was brought in as a major offseason investment by the Reds in order to try and hold down their greatest weakness from the year before - the bullpen. Cuenca wasn't terrible but the contract they signed was never going to get much bang for the buck. He posted a 4.38 ERA in 51 innings and saved 37 out of 43 chances. He wasn't spectacular but it was an improvement from previous seasons performances from Reds' closers.
The rest of the bullpen largely struggled. Justin Strathbogie somehow made the all-star team with a 4.50 ERA in 92 innings with a 9-10 record. Lewis Dover was very solid with a 3.35 ERA in 80 innings along with an 11-4 record. Converted started Jeremiah Deforest had an ugly 6.16 ERA in 87 innings and went 3-9 for the team in a hybrid reliever/starter role. Kahei Shunsen pitched 72 innings and posted a 3.86 ERA. Lastly was mop upman Tyler Wonham pitched 65 innings and posted a 5-2 record despite his 6.06 ERA.
Interview with the Owner: jps' thoughts
What Sets Them Apart: The 2050 Reds didn't have the most impressive pitching staff, but they did post the third highest team scoring total with over 1000 runs on the season. They also posted the second best team OPS in FCM history despite giving 400+ at-bats to an inept shortstop. Meaning this was a team with some truly elite talent boosting them up. Horacio Aguilar was absolutely amazing and recorded the incredibly difficult achievement of a Triple Crown. They got a truly special season from their catcher Wilson Brown and their center fielder Enrico Romero. Much like the last Reds team, this was a group that getting through the top half of the lineup was an absolutely nightmare, earning them a spot in the top 10 of FCM's greatest teams.
Coming Next: 9th Best Team in FCM History: Timmay!
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