Storylines from a Long-Awaited Victory

[Dembe Kihiga]

The Melbourne faithful have had it tough for the past several decades. Following a championship in 2108, the team went on a run of depressingly bad form, making the playoffs 0 times (!!!) in the 16-year period from 2110 to 2125. Following the team's first playoff appearance in well over a decade in 2126, their luck turned, and they became what they're known as now: perpetually mediocre, good enough to challenge for a playoff spot but not a true contender. Between 2126 and 2138, the Meteors made the playoffs a respectable 8 times, but won over 90 games just once (in 2133, where they won 95 games and then were swept in the first round of the playoffs).

But they say that good things come to those who wait, and baseball is no exception. A Meteors squad seemingly like any other - a scrappy underdog, who won 86 games and didn't clinch a playoff spot until the final week of the season - managed to pull off a feat that some fans thought would never happen, winning the team's first WBA title since 2108. Since then, I've spent some time talking with Meteors fans as the league's labor strike drags into its fourth month. Here are some fun storylines about the series they've mentioned:

Running the Gauntlet
This win, surprising in its own right - how many people expected the second wild-card team to make a run? - is made even more impressive by the opponents the Meteors had to get through. Melbourne defeated the teams with the best (Beijing, 94 wins), second-best (Havana, 93) and fourth-best (Oslo, 90) records in the league, and had to make up a 3-1 series deficit to even get out of the first round.

The Missing Piece
What makes this year's squad different from all the others? Many fans said the answer was simple: Herbert Jebens. Acquired in a massive blockbuster almost exactly a year ago in exchange for five prospects and a full draft, Jebens had an immediate impact, hitting .298 with 27 HRs and a wRC+ of 168. He continued to dominate in the playoffs, hitting .316 with 12 RBIs, and was named MVP of the WBACS. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Melbourne managed to win a title the first year Jebens arrived.

Thank You, Daegu
The Meteors got some important contributions from the Daegu Monks in pursuit of their championship. First baseman Madidu Nathari, who hit .283 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs in the playoffs, and starting pitcher Tim Aldridge, who made 6 playoff starts, going 5-1 with a 3.18 ERA, were both acquired by trade from Daegu, although Nathari was acquired as a prospect, never playing a major-league game for the Monks. And of course, Daegu also sent over Jebens. Granted, these players weren't free, and Daegu has a very well-stocked farm from the Jebens and Aldridge trades, so perhaps they'll be writing the inverse of this article in a few years.

The Old...
José López is one of the greatest pitchers of all time. He has racked up 81.7 career WAR, with a career ERA of 3.16. He has an incredible 3600 career strikeouts and has led the league in strikeouts seven times. But at the age of 37, he had never won a championship, until this year. Given his disappointing regular season, his bullpen role in the playoffs, and the rumors that Melbourne doesn't plan to extend his contract, it's fair to guess he may never win another, and it's nice to know that one of the all-time greats won't retire with zero rings.

Myung-chor Lim may not have as storied a career as López, but he has a special place in the hearts of Meteors fans. Drafted in 2125, Lim's career began just as the Meteors' resurgence did, and he spent many loyal years in Melbourne, playing consistently well for a lot of mediocre teams. Eventually, he decided to pursue a championship elsewhere, and played for some very strong Karachi, Rio, and Rome teams, but never managed to win a title. At the age of 37, he was traded back to Melbourne - more as a curtain call than anything else - but, to the surprise of many, he re-found his game, earning a contract extension in 2140 and posting a 3.84 ERA this season as a starter. He won't have his number retired, and he certainly won't make the Hall of Fame, but many fans have told me it's great to see him win a ring.

... and the New
The Meteors made a particularly unusual decision between the IBLCS and WBACS. All fans know that the trade deadline is several months before the playoffs start, and most think that means that the only way to get new players added to the playoff roster is to call them up from the minors. But GM Bob Weinberg proved that there was another, seldom-used option, claiming 1B Kanakarasa Muthukaruppan off of waivers from Chicago during the IBLCS, then deciding to put him on the playoff squad for the championship series. Muthukaruppan made his Meteors debut in game 2 to a crowd of fans who had mostly never heard of him. It's difficult to say that this bold move paid off, as he went just 1 for 5 during the series, but the fans I spoke to appreciated the unorthodox attempt, especially given that the Meteors had been totally unable to find anyone else to play the first base platoon role.

A Bittersweet Note
The Meteors' outfield was led by Jebens, and featured draft picks Gideon Socha, Juan León, and Ion Pop. It sadly did not feature Dhuninatha Ravandur, the greatest player in Melbourne history, a surefire Hall of Famer with over 74 career WAR. Ravandur is still with the organization, but at the age of 40, has been in AAA for three seasons now, putting up increasingly bad numbers. Weinberg has signaled a total willingness to keep Ravandur around as long as he wants, even paying him close to $1 million per year, but has not promoted him back to the majors, meaning that Ravandur will eventually retire without a championship. There is a fan-made petition to give him an honorary ring, and it remains to be seen where that will go, but the fact remains that he never won a title with Melbourne, missing by just a few years.

The Phone Never Stops Ringing
Weinberg has often had a reputation as a massive trader, with players rarely staying for more than a few seasons before being traded. While that has been less true recently, it is striking how much of the championship roster was acquired by trade. We've already mentioned Jebens, Aldridge, and Nathari, but how about the entire starting infield - Nathari (Daegu), 2B Ya'qub bin Esam (Puerto Rico), SS Efren Vergara (Paris), 3B Bhusakra Venkatraman (Karachi), and C Donkal Vibha (Puerto Rico).

What's interesting about that is how much Melbourne prioritizes trading over free agency. Of the 25 players on the championship series roster, one was acquired by free agent signing - backup shortstop Khalil Qizilbash, who had eight postseason plate appearances and also doesn't count, as he was a former Meteors draft pick who has never played for any other organization. The free agent signings are even outnumbered by waiver claims (two - Muthukaruppan and RP Dharmendra Sarmad).

Building a Bullpen
The Meteors mainly build their team by trades, but the exception to that is the bullpen. Weinberg has consistently prioritized drafting relievers, often in the second round - and sometimes even in the first - and it remains the only part of the team that's almost entirely homegrown. Of the seven relievers who pitched in the playoffs (not counting López and Lim, who were mostly used as starters during the regular season), five of them were Meteors draft picks, including three from the first three rounds. Weinberg's strategy of using draft capital on relievers and filling other positions mostly through trades has been criticized throughout the years, but he has stuck to his guns.

Run It Back
To a fan, almost nothing is more frustrating than a GM coming off a mediocre season, declaring that he believes in his team, and making minimal changes. Fans have often levied that accusation at Weinberg, who is famously not afraid to swing for the fences - the José López and Herbert Jebens trades were among the biggest trades of the past decade - but mainly prefers to tinker around the edges, making several small trades, not chasing any big free agents, and coming into a season with largely the same roster as the previous season. This offseason, it's hard to imagine the plan being much different - but something tells me the fans will be more willing to believe in the team than in the past.

Dembe Kihiga is a long-suffering beat writer who is very excited to not have to write a "What Went Wrong?" piece this season.

[Huckleberry]

Very nice

[Dan Farnell]

Nice bob