Hops post-season review 2031

Addy "Too Many Zooz" de Zeeuw

Hops Season in Review

2031

The second worst record in Hops’ history was not what the organization intended, nor predicted, for 2031. 104 losses was a reversion to the 2028 105 loss season, and was a stark reminder of just how low the San Diego franchise has been, and seems to be wallowing in the present.

Attendance was at an all-time low, not coming close to the three million mark for the first time in franchise history. This resulted in the biggest financial blow of all time, a loss of nearly fifty million dollars. What can be salvaged from this disastrous turn of events is detailed below.

Positives

Catcher Addy de Zeeuw avoided a sophomore slump, and at 26 is moving into the prime of what should be an excellent career. He hit a solid .261 with 23 doubles and 9 homeruns, power numbers that should improve more with maturity. Defensively, he was a very good catch and throw backstop, nailing 36% of basestealers. San Diego is often busy on the Rule 5 front, and “Too Many Zooz” is a prime example of why Hops’ scouts scour the other teams for likely candidates.

Jean-Claude Petit was everything San Diego wanted, appearing in 160 games, thus avoiding the injury jinx that has plagued his career. A slash line of .332/.375/.566, a league-leading 224 hits as well as topping the league in total bases, with 39 dingers, 113 runs and 108 rbis, will get him some MVP votes. He was the subject of trade feelers, but it is unlikely, given his team friendly contract into 2036, that SD will move this popular asset to the team.

Jejomar Butardo keeps landing on the DL, but in his 116 games, he had the best year of his career, slashing at .320/.384/.516, with 29 doubles and 25 home-runs. He has a feared arm in RF, evidenced by his seventeen assists. At 28, he enters the prime years of his tenure in San Diego, and may attract trade or extension considerations.

Salah bin Atif spent two months on the DL, missing most of May and June into July, but when he was healthy, he was the best pitcher on the Hops’ staff. He had a team high twelve wins against only six losses, and a solid, for SD, 4.40 ERA. Like the core group of San Diego’s future, he is only 27, entering his prime.

When Butardo was injured, youngster Jason Donovan stepped into the corner outfield and made only one error in over forty games. He hit a robust .326 with a bit of extra base pop. He topped 100 at bats for the first time in his young career.

Backup catcher and DH, Hae-nim Kim, made 400 plate appearances and hit with alacrity and some gap power. His slash line of .311/.345/.415 was more than adequate, and made a nice complement to de Zeeuw.

Tokuhei Taniguchi played every game for the third straight season, and continues to contribute great power numbers with 69 extra base hits, 33 doubles, just off the league lead, and 32 home runs. He is another prime-time age-wise player at 27. His average dipped, but only to .282, and his glove is very good, only nine errors in over 1500 chances.

Zong-yuan Sang was the anchor in an otherwise shaky bullpen, though his 3.84 ERA rose almost a point and a half since 2030. He was one of the team leaders with over fifty appearances for the second straight season. He still should have some arm left at 28.

Debuts by a number of Hop rookies included number one draft choices and scouting discoveries:

An-yi Bian made his major league entrance with a .265/.320/.412 slash and solid 3b when Abbott went down after 40 games. He did not appear overmatched in his 300 at bats despite being a mere 21 years old.

Martin Arias won’t turn 21 until 2032, but made his rookie splash with over 500 plate appearances. After a rough start, he had a torrid summer to finish with a respectable .257 average. He also stole 19 bases, and showed impressive range in center field. The young Cuban has a very bright future in San Diego.

21 year old Manny Rios was a wizard at SS for 70 games, but was overmatched at the plate in his debut. The young Costa Rican discovery will hopefully be able to hone his bat skills in the minors in ’32.

Motoki Hayakawa also made his rookie season memorable, appearing in 75 games, but hit only .185, though he did get his first five major league home runs.

John Watt, the number one pick for SD in last year’s draft, made his debut as a 21 year old, and hit a solid .286 with his first major league homer. He will still be a rookie officially in 2032, as he had only 68 plate appearances.

Yoshino Nakagawa, the ’28 first rounder, appeared in three games in his debut, and in ten innings did have a sub 2.00 ERA.

Pedro Alejo, yet another 21 year old, this time from the Rule 5 bin, went 6-6 in a swing role on the beleaguered Hops’ staff.

Negatives

Injuries to Tom Cassidy, Jejomar Butardo and Ken Abbott, devastated the offense, while an aging pitching staff coughed up runs at an alarming rate.

Age also was a detriment to the infield, as vets like Akira Kato, though adequate at .256/.309/.385, did not truly star. Donald Cameron at 40 may be done. Sean Witter and Andy Sabean were fairly innocuous, but had to start too many times once Goldi Lebel was traded.

The pitching was awful. Really awful.

Son Mai regressed as the closer, saving only 21 after leading the league in ’30 with 46. He lost 10, and his ERA bloated to 6.56.

Setting him up was a disaster shared by Adjir Kasakya, 35 games 6.61 ERA, Abdul-Fattah Arfan, a rookie, who allowed over 100 hits in 80 plus innings, Ernesto Lopez, 0-6, 6.95 ERA in 100 innings, Vicente Otero, 9.10 ERA, but somehow pitched in 24 games.

The starting rotation was no better, Juan Vasquez, league leader in walks allowed, and a 10-17 record, Dong-soo Bruce, went from 11-7 to 7-17 and a 6.16 ERA, Jim Phillips, 1-8 in 13 starts, Naomi Kobayashi, 4-11, 5.95 ERA in 22 starts, and spot starter, Alberto Rivera, 0-3 with an ERA at a lusty 7.68.

Future

The prospects that were close to the majors were forced to enter ahead of their time, but got valuable big league experience. Most prospects left are deep in the minors, and the minor leagues as a whole are ranked dead last, 24^th of 24 teams.

The five top prospects in the system are all either in Single A, or on the short season Sueño team. In fact, of the top twelve prospects, only one, Bill Ottinger, is a position player. At 19, he should be coming along about the time Petit’s contract is up.

In order to avoid another 100 loss season, a lot has to go right in ’32. If the rookies continue to trend upwards, and folks who take the hill in the rotation and bullpen recover from their disastrous year, there is hope.