Blast Off! The Season 94 Astronauts- by Franzes

“33-28...not bad, but could do better”. These were in no doubt similar thoughts to what was going through an Astronauts fans’ heads after a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Bisons in the second round of the wildcard playoff. Sure, it was not a bad season. Sure, they won more games than they lost. Sure, a nice 500,000 gc bonus was going into the Astronauts’ bank account for a wildcard playoff win. But there was work to be done, there were more places to go. As Jacob Hobart sat pondering about how to move forward, one thing was certain: action was needed...

And Action was indeed taken; massive changes occurred in Miami last offseason. High average talent was acquired via bats like Francisco Flores and Kristopher Paradis, and arms were acquired in Quinn Crayton and Jaheim Baskin, to name a few. When all was set and done, Miami was filled with new faces; currently, those new faces make up five of the eight hitters in the starting lineup, two spots in the starting rotation, and the ENTIRE bullpen. To make matters even crazier, Jacob upped and moved his squad from Miami, Florida to Houston Texas, where the Astronauts would blast off their season 94 campaign. Not only was this offseason exciting, but the message was clear: the Houston Astronauts wanted to win, and they were ready to win now…

The Houston Astronauts started off the season going 4-5 in their first nine games. In these games, there were flashes of what they could be both offensively and defensively. There were times where it seemed like they were destined for a playoff run (a statement win against the St. Johns Codfish), and times where it seemed like they couldn’t put both the offense and defense together in the same game. In short, there was clear potential derived from their offseason, but there were times they couldn’t quite put it all together in games.

It was around this time where the Astronauts began to incorporate a more fun environment into their team. They were looking to light a spark amongst the firewood, something to get their fans (the Naut Fleet) and players alike to rally around. Their idea was a simple but astronomical slogan: Blast off! And blast off, they did, winning their next NINE games. Over this span, they scored just shy of 60 runs, which was more than other teams had scored against them that ENTIRE season. They were beginning to combine the powerful potential of their now scorching offense and the shutdown potential of their defense/pitching. To make matters even more exciting, it seemed like their offseason hauls were producing, highlighted by their acquisition Alonzo Bonilla being credited with the win for a third of their wins during their stretch. There was a lot to be excited about in Houston, and if anything was clear: the ship was not stopping...they were just blasting off!

After a tough loss to the Toronto Blues, went on another streak of fourteen wins compared to a mere three losses over their next seventeen games! This included wins over several quality teams and even a revenge win over the team that had broken their initial streak: the Toronto Blues. When observing this streak, one thing is clear: while the offense did hold up their end of the bargain, their pitching was masterful. Averaging a run total of fewer than three runs a game, it was clear that these pitchers were locked in on their mission. Another thing to note on their run is that they were in almost every game they played, losing only one of the three games by more than three runs. This can be essential to having a good plus-minus at the end of the season, which can give you better placement in wildcard and world rankings…

Over the next twenty-two games, the Astronauts have gone approximately five hundred, good enough to have them locked in a battle with the ever ferocious Atlanta THE DUKES for the top wild-card slot in the Epsilon Peak! In addition, less than a week ago, Houston represented incredibly in the power pros game done by the one and only Honolulu Shimakaze (thanks again for hosting!), with Francisco Flores winning MVP with a 3-4 performance. With the playoffs coming up, the team is looking ahead, incorporating a new postseason battle cry: Prepare for liftoff! Things are looking up for this squad, and there is a bright future ahead!

When observing the statistics from this season, things have looked great on the pitching side. With a 3.453 ERA (1st in league), WHIP of 1.050 (3rd in league), and a BAA of 0.232 (tied 2nd in league), this group of pitchers is a tough group to stop. In addition, the Astronauts are top 20 in the Epsilon Peak in batting average and runs offensively, while also being eighth in doubles and fifteenth in triples. This affirms the pop this offense can have in any given game while showing consistency to win playoff games.

In conclusion, the Astronauts have had a great season to date, and are just two wins away from the 40 win mark for the regular season. They have displayed potential in all phases observed, and show potential for the future!

Let me know what you guys think in the comment section. I like writing and am always looking for feedback on strengths as well as what I can get better on!