Early Season San Diego

San Diego is off to a surprising strong start in its first full season sans Miguel Ortiz. The Hops have some new faces in the 2018 regular lineup, and in the pitching corps, so we take a look at the early additions and how they are faring.

Martinez (SF Bay Area-I had a screen printing business there in the 80's) native, Dwayne Sparks, has been taking most of the 1b presence with Ortiz traded. He is off to a very solid start, hitting .306 with 6 HR, .993 OPS, in his first 20 games.

Rookie Terrence Sepkiechler has already played all four infield positions while hitting close to .300 in his first taste of the big leagues. This is much more than expected from this fifth round draft choice in 2015.

Another first year player, Chris Morton, has logged 17 games at catcher, and three at 1b spelling Sparks. He is contributing both at the plate and afield.

Antonio Rojas, only 23, a defensive catcher, is off to his best offensive start with a .889 OPS.

Mike Land, also a rookie, is finding playing time in the infield and has looked solid afield, and not without a clue at the plate.

The outfield has two first-year players, Kyle Reader and Justin Davis, the latter acquired in the Ortiz deal. Both are smacking the ball at a .300+ clip with able defense.

The pitching staff has four regulars 25 or younger, starters Kanno, Mills and Sandoval, with Joe Barrett in the bullpen. In fact, only relievers Downs and Chase are over 30, while in the regular lineup, Caldwell and Sparks, just turned 31, are the two over 30.

The overall youth of the team is a major factor in their early success, and bodes well for the Hop future.

Angel no more, trades and beyond

As the season slips away from the Hops, they made a trading deadline transaction that will determine the course of the franchise for a long time. First baseman and slugger, Miguel "Angel" Ortiz, and staff ace, Elvis Sharp, were dealt to the Montreal Bandits  for pitchers,  Del Hubble, Jesus Feliciano, Angel Reyes, left fielder Justin Davis, SS Zale Kountouroudas (fit THAT on the back of a jersey), and for salary considerations, 1b/DH, George Sanders.

Fan reaction was tumultuous, as expected, but with a 100 loss season looming, it was clear that the aging and expensive, Ortiz, deserved a better venue for the end of his career. Sharp was going to be very expensive to sign to an extension. Therefore, four excellent prospects plus two aging stars were obtained for the pair.

In addition, Maple became a trading partner, as MR Lou Cove and C Michael Bennett went their way, getting SP Fernando Rodriguez,MR Junichi Toiguchi and C Bob Lockyer in return.

This, plus the signings of a number of international free agents is setting the tone for the future of the San Diego franchise. So, this begs the question, what exactly went so wrong for the Hops this season, especially after a 79-75 season which saw the Hops take Nottinghamshire to the fifth game of a playoff series?

Pitching: Ted Mills, went from 12-11 and a just over 4.00 ERA, to a 4-18, and counting record, with a 7.78 ERA. Ouch! Luis Sandoval, only 22, is perhaps in the bigs too early as his 3-8 6 + ERA indicate. Kaz Kanno is a bright spot, going from 2-13 in '16, to 9-13 this year. All in all, a league worst 5.98 ERA is abysmal, and the new arms, Rodriguez, Feliciano, Toiguchi and Reyes are all potential upgrades. If Mills can get back on track, and prospects Steve Lawrence and Lorenzo Pueblo are as advertised, this could turn into a strength rather than the extreme deficit the fans at the Hopyard have witnessed in '17. For the future; Henry McGowan, Mal Tosewell and Jared Thornton could join Pueblo and Lawrence for a young star rotation. Closers Jorge Roman and Ivan Garcia have electric stuff.

Defense: Confusing, as many of the individual players are improved from seasons past. The big hole is in RF where Caldwell has one of the worst zone ratings in the league.

Hitting: On an upswing, though not good enough to win the close ones with the pitching so bad. They will miss Ortiz, but between Sanders and Sparks, the Hops almost have the same stats. New LF Justin Davis is star calibre, and there are some good players in the pipeline, most noticeably speedster Taylor Thompson who might hit .300 in his first full season while covering extensive OF ground. Bill Turner is still only 26, and if he can stay off the DL, will continue to contribute at a high pace. Kaneko and Higashi are both over .345 OB, and hitting in the high .280s, while deft afield, a huge upgrade from seasons of yore. Young players to watch in 2018: OF Kyle Reader, OF Badry Makaev, and 3b Hai Dong Joe are all good hit, good glove ballplayers with all-star futures.

2018 outlook: 28 million dollars will come off the payroll, as SD is not expected to re-sign Sanders, Mike Johnson (!), Charlie Jackson, Mario Vasquez or David West meaning free agents could be coaxed to the San Diegans. Look for a lot of action on trading front this offseason.

As the last bedraggled Hops fans slouched with a desultory tread from the beer-soaked drinking establishments of the Gaslamp District , there lingered a glimpse of glory that was the San Diego series against World Series contender, Nottingham. (illustration to follow, here)

Holding a three games to one lead over the two-time defending champions seemed too hard to believe, and indeed, the final inning of a game seven, where a brave, but bone weary, Aurelio Mata could not find the strike zone for his life to walk in the game-winner, was exemplary for the season.

The Hops, 83-79 in the regular season, have a lot to be proud of, and now have a solid foundation of winning to build on.

Highlights:
Miguel Angel Ortiz, 1B/DH: The all-time games played leader in ABL history was again the stalwart at the center of the Hops' batting order. He crushed opposing pitchers at a .318 clip with 39 round-trippers and 118 rbis.

Bill Turner, CF: The former first round draft choice led the ABL in stolen bases, and has solidified the center-field position (+19.6 zone rating) in San Diego, once a dark blot in the defensive ledger. He still needs to improve his OBP, but by hitting a strong .271 with 17 HR and 73 rbi, hitting everywhere from leadoff to cleanup in the order.

Michael Johnson/Bryan Caldwell, LF/RF: The two understated corner outfielders both had very solid seasons once again, slapping the pellet around at a .325/.289; .381/.340; .444/.488 respective clips.


Ed Downing, Closer: "Crime Spree" got his first chance to be the regular closer, and responded with a 1.61 ERA and 29 saves in 31 chances. Only 26, his plus fastball and devastating changeup will be part of the Hop 9th inning scene for some time to come.

Aurelio Mata, MR: Though his season ended in ignomy, his season featured 14 saves despite his first ever taste of the minors. He threw 70+ innings in relief, and his 2.27 ERA was the lowest of his career.

Hirotsugu Kaneko, IF: In his second full season in the bigs, he set career highs as a batter-.258/.323/.387, but more important anchored with fellow Nippon veteran, SS Takanori Higashi, the center of the Hops' infield, until this season the other up the middle problem along with CF.

Room for Improvement:
Charlie Jackson, IF/OF: Though he handles the bat with aplomb, .298/.362/.414, his glove is a game of chance, and at 32, he has lost a couple of steps. Look for Jackson to be shopped around to make way for Mike Land or Steve Cherry.

Starting Pitching: Dave Lee was the ace at 16-10/4.09, while Elvis Sharp was the second tier at 13-10/4.50, followed by Ted Mills, 12-11/4.00. Bolyard and Kanno combined for a 14-26 huge ERA at the back end of the rotation. Both have a future, but not necessarily in Southern California. With a plus 4 ERA from the top three in the rotation, it is painfully obvious that this team needs better arms.

Catcher: Dorian Knight can hit, but can't handle pitchers (6 passed balls, 25% caught stealing) while Rojas, with a good glove, can't hit (.199). Tom Stott is the best of an average minor league group at the position, so look for the Hops to deal around this weakness.

Top Prospects:
Wiry shortsop, Ichizo Sato, can field at the major league level at all three IF positions, but seemed somewhat overmatched in his brief debut. Badry Makaev, LF, has been tearing up the minors, but might not find room in the Hop outfield, so he might be trade bait. Henry McGowan and Steve Lawrence are getting trade feelers for other teams seeking starting pitching, so they might be part of the back end rotation solution.

2017 Outlook:
A surprise contender in '16, this is a team to watch for playoff contention in a division that has been down of late. With a good draft, and solid prospects at key positions, the Hops will be in the mix.

(this is the REAL brewery that the Hops base part of their story…)

http://blog.stonebrew.com/index.php/operation-homefront-ipa/

Hops brief foray to first

Riding the hot bats of Miguel Ortiz, Michael Johnson and an unexpected boost from Bryan Caldwell plus the strong arms of Elvis Sharp, David Lee and a clutch performing bullpen, San Diego briefly found itself in first place. A speed bump presented by Carolina and South Bend has the Hops a single game back of Washington as the dog days of the last six weeks of the regular season play out.

Season bright spot: Bill Turner, CF
Turner, enjoying his first full season as the Hops CF, has come through with a fine season so far. His average has been steady in the .280 range, with surprising pop (31 xbh-13 HR, 59 rbi); and leads the ABL in stolen bases by a wide margin. Defensively, CF was a problem until this year, as his +15 Zone rating is helping the Hops pitching staff pitch without fear of a fly ball.

Minor Malts:
Coronado AAA is 62-50, but lingers in fourth place. The team has a number of future pitching stars: Pueblo, McGowan, Lortie, Garcia, Lawrence, to name a few. Best hitters are newly arrived: outfielders Taylor Thompson (acquired in the Steve Johnson trade along with Kanno, Sandoval and Lara), and Badry Makaev, who in his first year of pro ball has seen time in both AA and AAA with great results-.363 OBP combined, .277 hitter with 12 extra base knocks at each level. Thompson has appeared already in SD, while Makaev may make his debut in September.

Jacksonvill AA has been a second division team all season, but has a few decent prospects, most noticeably SS Ichizo Sato. SD veterans, Steve Cherry and Armando Ilharco are giving the youngsters mentoring leadership.

Bethesda A is an underpopulated club that has been hurt by injuries. Names to watch are MR Lou Cove and SP Dave Duhamel.

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