Smarter Than a One-Nut Monkey?

Buffalo (AP) - After selling off every marketable piece on the inherited ML roster, many in the land of ice and wings wondered whether the Nickels had enough left to pass Mike's 55 win 'tarded-up-owner threshold. As of right now, the Buffalo Nickels are playing at a .445 clip - good for a projected 70-92 season (despite being in the midst of a four game losing streak). When asked how they managed this, G.M. examinerebb responded "blind-ass luck". We'll dig a little deeper.

Free Agency
In an effort to make the team at least somewhat competitive, the front office went after some free agents who slipped through the normal signing period. They struck gold with first baseman Davey Torres. All he's done through 110 games is hit .327 with 25 homers - in a pitcher's park. Center fielder Davey Reynoso has also been a solid contributor, though he has now been relegated to platoon duty (more to follow on that front). Pitchers Ray Bates and Jim Flores haven't been spectacular, but they've done just enough to keep the Buffalo squad in games.

Trades
Most of the Nickels' trading was done before the season started, but the market heated up for their corner outfielders as the season went on. In each trade, Buffalo acquired an ML-ready replacement as well as a prospect. New left fielder Kennie Ripken has contributed 18 homers, including a team-leading 4 of the walk-off variety. Right fielder Willis Wynn hasn't contributed much with the bat, but helped to upgrade the defense. Starting pitcher Toby Simpson was acquired in one of the aforementioned preseason trades, but was immediately placed on the ML roster. He has responded by posting the best numbers of any member of the big league rotation.

Promotions
The front office identified some youngsters who had stalled in their development a couple of cycles into the season, and decided to bring them up to the majors to contribute in a platoon without improvement there, rather than in the minors. 23 year old catcher Lonnie Magee has cooled off quite a bit since he got the call, but has provided decent pop and pitch calling. 24 year old third baseman Orlando Vidal has struggled mightily at the plate, but finally has his average over .200 while playing excellent defense at the hot corner. Finally, 23 year old center fielder Greg Trachsel has been an absolute beast. He has 14 homers in only 137 at bats, all while playing outstanding defense (no errors, 3 "+" plays, no "-" plays).

The role players seem to be doing their jobs, a couple of players have exceeded expectations, and no one is flat-out terrible. That appears to be the recipe for turning a 120 loss team into a 70 win team. And with all the young talent in the system, the future looks bright for the Nickels in the coming seasons.