Disappointment in San Diego, Hops in the Tank

How expectations can topple from one season to the next. The Hops were expected to improve on their 2018 season based on improved pitching and a sterling core of hitters led by Kyle Reader and Terrence Sepkiechler.

Midway through 2019, the Hops are beyond the collapse stage, mired deeply at the bottom of the standings and the power rankings. What went wrong? What is going right? How can the tailspin be turned around?

What went wrong: Perhaps the assumption that young players would automatically improve, blame that can be clearly placed on management. This level of arrogance is not uncommon, but the result has been disastrous for SD.
• Injuries-Kyle Reader, Terrence Sepkiechler and Ed Downing are all on the disabled list for extended periods of time. That means the top two hitters and closer are down for the count. This exposed the lack of major league depth that has constantly plagued the Hops. In addition, Justin Davis is just back after missing over half the season so far. Dan Savage came up and has hit admirably, but is part of a deeper issue…
• Defense-Savage is one of the worst centerfielders, and Avila one of the worst third basemen in the league. The Hops are compromised defensively by the injuries, leading to…
• Pitching-A team that relies on young pitchers must have good defense, and San Diego is one of the more troubled defensive teams, leading to a return to the 2017 depths of pitching. There is some hope that the second half of the season will show improvement, as management is moving pieces around to get better defense to support the young arms.

What went right: The catching platoon of Antonio Rojas and Chris Morton has done a fantastic job offensively, and considering the challenge of handling a young pitching staff, has done quite well. Savage is hitting, Avila is hitting, Davis, now returned is hitting, and Shannon Chase and Jonathan Barnes are doing an excellent job sharing 1b and DH, all over or near .300, and Joe Frost, obtained in the trade for Kaneko, is showing signs of offense missing prior to his moving to San Diego.

The minor leagues have some prospects, and the Double A Jacksonville team is leading its league, 19 games above .500

Fixes: Patience, as the real team gets off the DL, the Hops will improve. Maybe swinging one more trade, thinking towards the future. There are some excellent prospects making their way through the system, not just outfielders, so there are good times ahead.

Meanwhile, this is a team that is struggling to find an identity for its pitching and defense that can support its hitting. The stadium configuration is aligned with defense, but there has been a lack of same due to injuries, so the prospects for the future are still positive.