Hops mid-season review
San Diego needs to go 20-17 to better its 2034 record of
67-95, and that is a tall order. What is clearly a rebuilding effort has been
an injury-marred disaster on many counts. Young players brought up too soon,
veterans in the tank, pitchers unable to find a strike zone, altogether make
for a team that has many fans not even bothering to check box scores.
Positives
The two rule 5 acquisitions, Gohta Yamashiro, 6-9 in 20
starts, 4.56 ERA, and Jimmy Shumaker, 20 appearances and three emergency
starts, 0-3, 5.43, have been thrust into prominent roles due to the plethora of
arm woes besetting the Hops’ pitching staff (Teves, Pedercini, Givens,
Henneberry, Curnew, Uchida, Jurgens, Zuniga, Alejo all with DL time).
Martin Arias, still only 23, is third in the division
hitting, at .328. and in the top five in the ABL in hits, doubles and triples.
He is a steady fixture atop the Hops’ batting order.
An-Yi Bian, though down from his All-Star ’34 season, still
leads the team in HR, and is a great glove at the hot corner. He too is still
part of the future at 25.
Akira Kato, the grizzled elder statesman, still has
something in the tank, hitting .296 with nearly 300 AB. At 36, he is in the
last year of his contract, and will be moving on by all indications.
Jim Phillips, at 31, has finally found the consistency long
awaited, and the southpaw leads the staff with a 9-9, 4.41 ERA over his 25
starts.
Negatives
Landon Carmichael is getting his first long look in the big
leagues, and is overmatched so far, just shy of the .200 mark. The good news,
is his glove is not feeling the effects, as he has only made two errors while
showing extraordinary range at SS.
Amad Kuram is fading at catcher, and his .200 hitting means
more time for Addy De Zeeuw, who is also showing signs of a career on its
backside.
Pitching in general is just plain bad. The rotating cast of
assembled arms is simply not getting the job done.
Outlook
Worse than ever, and the cupboard is looking somewhat bare
in the minors. Of the eleven top pitching prospects, only Joe Starring has an
ERA under four. Hitters are faring not much better, with Sal Marroquin, 1b,
having some success in AAA, and Mario Yescas, showing hitting and pop, and may
be the RF of the future now in AAA. Reynaldo Canseco is also waiting in the
wings in AAA, but he is blocked at the major league level by Bian.
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| Akira Kato turns two, proving that age isn't always everything |
