Autumn in San Francisco and Hops territory

San Diego off to a sub .500 start with a number of factors at play over the first third of the season. This is a team attempting to build up to contention, but has had historical flaws. Who are the players performing, who is mundane, and who is miserable?

Performers:
Mike Johnson, LF-see the previous post for his record, but once again, he is hitting a solid mid- .300, getting extra bases, scoring, and playing solid if not spectacular defense.
Miguel Ortiz, 1b-Not his best start, but still a bona-fide middle of the order hitter, showing why this season with a team leading 10 HR, and second in RBI
Elvis Sharp, SP-5-3 record leads the staff
Kaneko and Higashi, SS/2b-The keystone combo has solved one of the key Hops issues who have tried to nurture a SS and 2b since s1. Both are getting on base in the .350 range while hitting around .270
Charlie Jackson, IF-Team leading RBIs says it all
Mata, Chase and Downing, RP-From key setup men to the closer, this trio of late inning arms has helped secure SD its near .500 pace. All three have sub 2.00 ERA while registering a 7-3 record and 14 saves.
Mario Vasquez, 3b-In part-time and pinch-hitting duties, his .423 BA and , 

Mundane:
Kessler, Knight and Rojas, C-Just enough offense and so-so defense
Bryan Caldwell, RF-.286 hitter with some pop, solid RF
Bill Turner/Ryu Nakamura CF- hitting ok, but OBP a just above .300 disappointment

Miserable:
Starting rotation outside Sharp (Bolyard, Lee, Mills and Kanno) combined 10-17 with a 5 + ERA.
Middle Relief (Duenas, Bernard, Bowers, Knight) ERA in the stratosphere

Where can Hops management make moves to improve?
Continue to look for help from the minors?
Not much there, though names like Pueblo and Barrett will appear in the rotation and bullpen soon

Trade bait?
Dwayne Sparks and Juan Quintana are the two heirs to Ortiz, but only one can play the position at a time. Pitching is a mid-level strength, so folks like Bolyard or Bowers might interest some GMS.

Though management wishes for a .500 season, it might be quite a stretch this season.

Johnson

So, it has been a real tumultuous time, dealing with my father dying, when this just came to me today. Thought I would share the process from sketchbook draft to illustration first pass and next draft of poem about Mike Johnson, the under-recognized Hops leftfielder.

Hitter

Thousands of times
stationed rear box
better to see breaks
split
second
extra response

bat at rest between
gentle
left shoulder taps
hands quiet

unlike
catcher fidgeting
process decisions
fingers flashing
location
pitch selection
shifting feet
spikes scraping red dirt

young man on mound
winds up
exaggerated hesitation
all the rage

heat high
no flinch
ball one
repeat sign
on this tune
heat again
strays inside tight
two-oh

slight lip curl
ready

get it in
breaking pitch
mistake

connect
crack back through box
nearly denudes hurler
careening into center
another
base
rap

Hops sign big band for slow Tuesday nights

April 9, 2013; Dateline San Diego:

San Diego Hops owners' consortium announced a move to the retro by signing the Cal Alumni Big Band to play post game dance gigs at the newly opened Bleacher Bistro underneath the right field pavilion. One of the owners, Jeff Brain, can be seen sitting in playing valve trombone (the silver one at the far left of the section)

Big Band 1
Big Band 2
Big Band 3

Longoria and the Little Things

Félix Longoria was one of those players that the Hops were forced to give playing time as injuries mounted and the season headed south. As first Pircalab, then Vasquez were hurt, not to mention Warner, Illharco, Cherry and Higashi who all also spent one or more stints on the DL.

Fortunately for San Diego fans, Longoria came through as a solid utility player compiling some noteworthy statistics:
In near 500 at bats from a position that had a dearth of power for the first six weeks, Longoria popped 15 HRS and knocked in a rewarding 62 with 114 hits. No, not a star, but certainly adequate at a position (2b, SS) that the Hops have had little success. In fact, his team ranking was 6th for runs and hits, and 5th for HRs and RBIs.

Félix Longoria, San Diego Hops, IF

The veteran, who came over to SD as a free agent from the Berserker organization, started over 100 games at 2b, and a half dozen at 3b and SS. He did well in the field, erring only seven times in just short of a .1000 tries.

Some of the other little things that kept fans in the stands despite an identical 74-88 record in 2014:

• Dwayne Sparks in limited play showing he may be a long-term answer at 1b. In only 27 games, he collected 33 hits, 6 HR, 6 doubles, 21 rbis, and showed a good eye with 13 BB against only 15K.
• Miguel Ortiz raking for 33 HR and 101 RBI, hitting .280 with a OPS north of .800
• Four other batters notching .300 seasons at the plate-Knight, Vasquez, Mike Johnson, and newcomer, Shannon Moore, with Caldwell falling just short at .296.
• The aforementioned Moore, came up from the minors to take over RF when Madison went down to injury. It should be noted, the Hops OF truly needed better gloves.
• Bill Turner showed some dazzle in his September callup, and his fielding for AAA Coronado plus his SD time yielded only one error in over 1000 chances.
• Aurelio Mata holding down the bullpen fort with pitching going awry all around him. A first time All-Star, hopefully not his last, as he will be counted on for years to come.

For the future:
Trading excess OF for either better gloves in the OF, or pitching. Four starters hit double figures in losses to only two on the victory side, and nary a one over .500.

Tail Dragging in SD

Perhaps the owners were more focused on promotion than players, but it has been a tough time of late with the barleys and malts. With a record of 26-25, the Hops are playing decent ball on paper, but a current five game losing skein speaks otherwise. With only one close game in the streak, the forbidding fourteen inning 6-5 loss, SD is getting waxed by both the best and worst teams in its division. With the Sasquatch looming on the horizon sporting the best record in the league, it behooves the Hops to get back on track.

Hopping Mounds of Mad: Ted Mills, the brilliant young pitcher of '13 has been downright Pabstian pedestrian in '14 with his 2-7 record and 7.84 ERA. Dave Lee has been the stalwart of the mound this season, and Sharp just came off the DL, just in time to face the Seattle monstrosities. The bullpen has been quite solid, so if the Hops can get back on track in the rotation, perhaps the month can be salvaged.

Bitter Bats: As usual, Angel Ortiz leads the way with Vasquez, when not hurt, and the corner OF combo of Caldwell and Johnson all hitting .300 or higher. The trick may be in the defense, as Madison's shortcomings in CF are leading to more hits than outs. Scouts are looking at a trio of Coronado outfielders for a huge defensive upgrade.

Poem Fragment with Illustration

I'm imagining this might be my relief pitcher that just announced his retirement, Bob Robinson. At 41, the poem so far, fits. I'm still working on the words, but I like the pitcher/picture. I know the colors are not quite the Hops, but Robinson probably wore these hues at least once in his long career prior to the ABL, and he was no doubt always this mean.

Season in Review

The promise of spring so quickly mired in the hard grind of summer turned the Hops initial season into a slow slog into the lower division where their 74-88 campaign left them over 30 back of the division leaders. Long-term injuries to Vasquez, Pircalab and Ilharco were one of the keys, as the three best gloves in the infield left a poor defense to the left and up the middle with not enough bat to compensate. There were glimmers of hope along the way, and like a good barleywine, age may see this club develop into a contender yet. 2014 is forseen as a building year, and 2015 should be a year of fruition for the malted mavens of the southland.

Overall Perspective: San Diego is very strong at catcher and the infield corners, while middle of the road or slightly worse at all other aspects of the game. The team looks to build up a corps of pitchers that will take advantage of decent glovework and continue to produce dangerous batsmen at current weaker positions.

Starting Pitching: Mike Joyce is the ace of a staff that is mature, but still has resilience in its arms. The top three starters, Joyce, Elvis Sharp and Dave Lee, all had ERAs north of 4.90, which is unacceptable, but double digit wins and over 30 starts for all show a tenacity and willingness to challenge the opposition. Newcomer, rookie Ted Mills, only 20, gained valuable experience throwing over 120 innings and picking up five victories in his 18 starts. Jason Bolyard won nine as the fifth man. Tanaka and Heida may have proven that it is a big leap from Japan to the American big leagues, or it could simply be a matter of age getting to these imports. There is not a lot of talent in the pipeline beyond Mills, so this is an area that will need to be addressed very seriously if SD is to contend.

Bullpen: Mike Chase saved 30 to finish in the top ten in the category, and he was ably backed by Nate Downs closing out with 11 saves. The pen had four other pitchers manage games as closers as well, so this is an area where San Diego can count on success. Of particular note is workhorse Steve Johnson who appeared in 77 games and logged nearly 100 innings with a superb 2.75 ERA. Even better, Aurelio Mata, with 90 appearances, and Phil Bernard with 94, showed that the Hops will always have a willing arm to throw into the fray. Names to look for in 2014 are Joe Barrett, Joe Rice, Ed Downing and Aaron Bowers, all with live arms and looking to break into the big leagues with fervor.

Catcher: Definitely the deepest position in the San Diego lineup with veteran Jason Clemens and young phenom, Dorian Knight splitting time handling the Hops staff. Knight hit at a .330 clip, and Clemens was on base nearly 40% of his plate appearances, coupled with Clemens’ superior pitch handling, they made a dangerous duo.

First Base: Miguel Ortiz is one of the true superstar sluggers of the league. He led the league in HRs (49) and total bases (403), while finishing fifth in RBIs while hitting a rakish .313. At 31, his prime years are ahead, and San Diego has him locked in through 2015.

Second Base: Armando Ilharco spent the most time at the keystone, and his defensive strength was offset by a weak offensive side. When he got hurt in August, in came Charlie Jackson who played over 50 games at the position, but though he hits, his defense was akin to a statue. Little shows in the pipeline, unless Evans in A ball develops a bat to go with his flashy leather.

Third Base: Mario Vasquez is the incumbent, but his long injury showed the lack of depth at the position. Steve Cherry proved to be a dangerous bat and a reliable glove at the hot corner. His .824 OPS was fourth best on the team behind Ortiz, Knight and Jackson. Charlie Jackson is also known to backup here.

Shortstop: Cornel Pircalab was far more skilled than the fans and management expected, and it is hoped that he can continue to connect with power as well as show uncommon range at short. When he went down to injury, Steve Cherry attempted to fill the position, but he is better at third.

Left Field: Nobody on the Hops appeared in more than fifty games in left field, so it is clear that the jury is still very far from decided. Bryan Caldwell, great aplate, horrid afield? Eric White, aging bat, still capable in left or Mike Johnson, is perhaps the best combination of all, not to mention the fan darling, Truman Madison. Caldwell and Johnson are good hitters with .725 average OPS.

Center Field: Stan Sanders tried manfully to run down flies in the spacious Brewstade pastures, but alas, a life of hops can lead to a lack of mobility, and Stan has enjoyed his post-pastime practice for far too long to be the first choice in center. Cantering into contention will require one of the young bucks like John Doré (+8.5 ZR) to continue to mature at the plate.

Right Field: Mike Johnson and Bryan Caldwell proved versatile, platooning in RF as well as left. San Diego will definitely go into spring with eyes on outfielders via any route possible.

Designated Hitter: Dorian Knight is best suited to the DH role, but Stan Sanders and a number of others are also capable. The future at this position depends a lot on the ongoing search for bats in the southland.

Prospects: San Diego’s farm system is pitcher heavy at the top end, so balancing that with major league hitters is the goal. In the most recent draft, SD was disappointed that Conner Blackwood decided to attend college rather than pursue a career swinging for the Hops’ fences.