Slugger Shavings 2059.6 - What's Nu'man?

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Most BBA fans have no idea who Mu'ayyad bin Nu'man is. Even many in Louisville don't know. I guess they weren't at the 2051 All-Star Game or watching highlights on BBA Tonight in 2054.

Binny (to his friends only), was a solid find out of Lebanon back in 2043. He spent the next six seasons working his way up the Sluggers farm system before enjoying a modest rookie season in Louisville in 2050. The next season he broke out with an all-star performance, hitting .275 with an .816 OPS and 4.0 WAR. He has yet to best that all-star season except for 2054 in which he hit .307 with an .856 OPS and 4.2 WAR. Other seasons have been decent, though last season saw him post his worst career numbers hitting .247 with a 0 WAR.

Since the arrival of Gustavo Canales, bin Nu'man was shifted from the only position he can play (LF) to DH. Many pundits questioned this move since Binny was arguably just a decent offensive force. He had decent pop (usually hitting about 15-16 home runs), decent run production (he could be counted on for about 60 RBI), and could get on base to use his speed (24 stolen bases in 2057). But where was the wow factor?

The truth is that Binny had signed a six-year 47.1M extension in 2055, which meant that GM BP had to find a place for him. Since no other teams had heard of him, he did not get any interest when put on the trade block. He was basically stuck in Louisville as the DH.

Certainly the fans are hoping last season was an anomaly and he will revert to his normal form in 2059. If he could at least get 2 WAR, the organization would be ecstatic. How well he does will determine whether the team chooses to exercise the final two years of that six-year deal. It is no secret that Louisville is suffering from some recent financial mismanagement, so it would not be a surprise if the team chooses to avoid the last 20M of bin Nu'man's contract regardless of how well he performs this season. It's not like the fans would notice.