Arguably the brightest spot of the Hops' recent season:
Here is the original sketch:
Salah bin Atif went a sterling 11-13 in 33 starts, encompassing 212.1 innings of work while striking out 10.4 every nine innings in his first full-time big league rotation role. He started 16 times in 2029, but was mostly coming out of the pen. His 4.15 ERA led the rotation. He had staunch competition from former Rule V pickup, Dong Soo Bruce, who went 11-7 with a 4.35 ERA, and Juan Vasquez, 15-12, but an ERA near 5. Closer Son Mai led the league in saves with 46, a twelve save improvement over '29.
So why did the Hops manage to win only 74 games in a season they hoped to manage at least .500?
Start with the pitching. Though improved, only Bruce and Vasquez finished over .500, and they were barely over the mark. Middle relief was inconsistent, ranking 19th in the league, as did the rotation.
Now, the offense:
Injuries to some of the players expected to carry the offensive load also played a part. Off-season signee, Jean Petit, missed thirty games and had trouble getting his bat going until the end of the season. His .276 mark was well below his career .329 record. San Diego is hoping for a big bounce back from its keystone player. Right-fielder Jejomar Butardo played a mere 119 games, and also suffered an offensive slump, with only 13 HRs, and an OPS in the .750 range. SS Akira Kato also missed significant time, playing 125 games, leaving the leadoff spot to secondary players at best for 25% of the season. Goldi Lebel came back to SD, but the Hops only got 120 games from him before he too succumbed to injury. Catcher, Addy de Zeeuw, picked up the pace in September, but until then hit below .200. Ken Abbott came back to the warm climes of San Diego after testing the free agent market, but at 36, may be creeping towards retirement. It is hoped that his contract season in '31 will be an attempt to rekindle his stardom of years past.
The brightest offensive star was the likable Tokuhei Taniguchi, who slugged his way to the 1b Silver Slugger award while copping a Gold Glove to show his all around ability. His 39 doubles led the league, and coupled with 36 homers, managed a .874 OPS while finishing one hit away from a .300 average. He is only 26, and like Bruce and "Too Many Zoos", a rule 5 pickup.
Tom Cassidy was consistently great, with a .304/.372/.513 slash line, while playing solid LF for 159 games. He is under contract for another two years, and is not showing any signs of falling off his skill set.
Future hopes:
The youngsters like Taniguchi, bin Atif, Bruce and Mai continue, perhaps joined by the likes of Jason Donovan who is still officially a rookie after his September callup showed he could hit big league pitching (.292/.333/.393).
In AAA, 3b Motoki Hayakawa hit near .300 with some gap pop, and is the heir apparent to Abbott. An-yi Bian is also a 3b, so he may be aiming for DH in the bigs, but at only 20, has some time to spend in AAA still, though he hit very well for a 20 year old. Yoshino Nakagawa, 22, pitched over 100 innings between AA and AAA, and could be in the San Diego pitching scenario as early as next season. Other pitching prospects at the AAA level are fringy at best.
Jacksonville sports three of the brightest future stars for San Diego. The AA club features Martin Alias in CF, a 19 year old prospect who hits a ton, and continues to improve. Nick Henneberry has top of the rotation stuff, and the Havana castoff will likely be in the SD starting corps in '32. 2030 number one pick, John Watt, is the heir apparent at C, and may arrive as soon as '31.
Bethesda has a few prospects, like sleeper 6th round pick SP Ed Benner, Closer Hiroshi Nagasawa, and LF Foster Miller, also a 6th rounder.
Way down on the farm at Sueno's 22U club, watch reliever Jose Rodriguez and SP Jorge Esquibel.
Overall, the year was an improvement, just not as much as management predicted. Hopefully 2031 will see that prediction come to fruition.
