Terrence Sepkiechler
Hops Year in Review
San Diego toasted an improved Hops contingent in 2022, but
still fell far short of playoff contention. Kyle Reader and Terrence
Sepkiechler led an offense that was one of the most potent in Hops history.
Reader led the league in hitting, a San Diego first, with a .378 average, to go
with an unheard of .441 OBP while slugging .497. Sepkiechler’s slash line of
.332/.397/.575 with 28 round-trippers and 49 doubles leading the team. Carlos
Avila chimed in with 105 rbis, while hitting .312 to go with 26 homers.
Additional offense was provided by the rookies, Ricardo Romo, .334, and Gold
Glove catcher, Goldi Lebel, .298.
Pitching, as usual, was the downfall for the Hops. Outside
of Mal Tosewell, returning after missing the entire 2021 season, the pitching
staff was shaky throughout the season. The bullpen ERA of 5.42 was a meager
tenth in the league, offsetting a 4.93 starter ERA that was a deceptive third.
The long ball was the bane of the mound corps, giving up over 200 bombs to rank
eighth.
Player by Player Grade:
C Goldi Lebel: A
Goldi responded to the starting catcher role with aplomb. He
collected the first Gold Glove of his career at catcher, but also showed he
could play a plus SS and CF. He banged out 42 doubles, and knocked in over 60,
while scoring 78 times.
C/DH Antonio Rojas: B+
Rojas gave up his starting role, but still contributed in a
huge way. Relegated to a part time role, he was limited to 241 at bats, but
made the most of those appearances, hitting .290 while hitting 13 bombs and
knocking in 45. He has a team friendly contract, and rumors abound that he is
on the trading block.
C Chris Morton: C
The one-time primary backup spent most of the season at AAA
Coronado. He hit .333 in a September callup.
DH/1b Shannon Chase: B
Veteran first sacker, Chase, at 34, was the primary DH,
socking 22 homers with 86 RBIs. He has one more year on his contract, and is
probably holding down the DH slot in a platoon role in 2023.
1b/RF Kyle Reader: A
Reader continues to impress with the bat, and played a solid
1b with only 6 errors in over 1000 innings at the bag.
2b/IF Joe Frost: C+
Frost started at four different infield positions, but was
the primary second-baseman for the Hops in 2022. His bat was a major
disappointment, hitting only .214, though he did manage to drive in 60.
IF Jorge Castillo: C-
Castillo filled in all over the infield, starting over half
the year at SS. Unfortunately, his bat, and a lack of range afield, made his
spot one that demands improvement for ’23.
IF Ichizo Sato: C+
Unheralded Sato played all three infield spots, and was the
best hitter of the 2b/SS group at .283. A career utility guy, he will probably
be back.
IF Hai Dong Joe: C
30 some odd games with nondescript results, though he was
the best fielding SS in the Hops ’22 season.
SS Gerard Leeder: C-
Leeder is the shortstop of the future but at 20, he was
overmatched in ’22, hitting .193 in 48 games. If his bat matures, he could
right a lot of what is wrong with the Hops.
3b Terrence Sepkiechler: A
Number 54 held down the hot corner, and crushed the ball all
year. He was an All-Star selection for the first time in his career.
LF Badry Makaev: B-
Injuries limited Makaev to only 58 games, but he made the
most of them with a .344/.382/.500 slash line. His injury opened the door for
Ricardo Romo, crowding an already populous OF situation.
LF/RF Tom Cassidy: B+
A sixteen game season translated into a .371/.418/.565 slash
line, meaning he too is a Hops OFer to be reckoned with.
OF Justin Davis: D
2022 was a disappointment for Davis, as injuries and
inconsistent play both afield and at the plate plagued the former starter.
LF Ricardo Romo: B+
In his first chance to break into the Hops OF, Romo seized
the opportunity and raked all season long. He banged out 116 hits with 57 RBIs.
RF Daniel Lopez: A-
Lopez quietly crushed 20 HRs, knocked in over 80 and
contributed 165 hits while starting over 140 games in RF. His season was not
quite as good as ’21, but at 26, he should be good for a number of years.
DH/OF Dan Savage: B
Savage started 32 games at DH when Chase was injured, and
hit well, .345/.428/.453, though with mostly gap power. He is limited defensively,
so he may be the Chase platoon partner in ’23.
OF Carlos Avila: A-
Avila continues to impress as the Hops’ CF, but his power
numbers declined a little in ’22. He is under contract until at least ’24, and
so looks like a solid fixture in the middle of the Hops’ lineup.
MINOR LEAGUERs of note
OF Jejomar Batardo at 19 is the best hitting prospect in the
SD system. Beyond him, most of the position players are already in their
mid-twenties, and yet to show major league potential. One to watch is
infielder, San-pao Chio. The youngster looked good in his rookie season before
it was cut short by an Achilles injury.
SP Bill Baker: C
Baker managed a 9-9 record despite a 5.60 ERA. Baker walked
almost five per nine innings, and opposing hitters battered him for a .350
average.
SP Lee Barker: C-
Barker spent some time in the bullpen after his 5.50 ERA was
too unsightly for the rotation. He finished an unspectacular 8-9.
SP Jin-song Cheung: B
The rookie was called up in September, and showed he may be
a factor in ’23. His 2.35 ERA was the best on the staff, though only
representative of a short tenure.
SP Jesus Feliciano: B-
Feliciano won the AAA Cy Young award, but he has yet to
translate that success to the big league level, as he is 25-37 with a 5.65 ERA
in his big league career. At 29, he needs to step up in the majors now.
SP Tadasuke Kato: C+
Kato logged 195 innings, but an 11-16 record with a 4.79 ERA
was modest at best. There were hopes he would improve on the ’21 record of
12-9, but he slid a little in ’22.
RP Jose Lara: D
Lara wanted to be a starter, but with a 6.83 ERA in 20
games, he didn’t show the type of stuff to break into the rotation.
SP Lorenzo Pueblo: B
Pueblo was the most reliable pitcher after Tosewell, going
11-11 with a 4.83 ERA in 199 innings over 33 starts. His ERA was a full 2.00
points better in ’22, but that level of improvement is unlikely for ’23.
SP Mal Tosewell: A
Tosewell came back from a year off to wow San Diego fans
with a 16-6 record, 3.22 ERA and 153 Ks to only 35 walks in 195 innings. The
ace of the staff looks to continue his stellar ways in seasons to come.
RP Joe Barrett: D
7.03 ERA in 24 games, enough said.
RP Ivan Garcia: B-
Garcia appeared in 67 games, and was the most effective arm
out of the Hops’ pen. His wildness, 45 walks in 72 innings, hurt his
performance.
RP Shiro Hatsutori: C
The rule 5 acquisition had an up and down season, going 2-2
with 2 saves in 39 long relief outings. An ERA of 5.74 was not impressive.
SP/RP Kazuhiko Kanno: C-
Kanno’s ERA went up two full points to 7.55, leading to a
long stint in the bullpen after starting the season in the rotation.
RP Aurelio Mata: C
The veteran meandered between the bullpen in San Deigo and
Coronado, never establishing a rhythm, and finishing with a disappointing 6.21
ERA.
RP Henry McGowan: B-
In 17 games, McGowan only gave up nine hits, and his 2.16
ERA was great. He might contend for a rotation spot in ’23.
RP Luis Sandoval: C+
63 appearances and over 80 innings with a 5.44 ERA was
middle of the road at best.
CL Ed Downing: B
He signed a three year extension in May, and was a good 9th
inning option if the bullpen got the Hops that far, with 31 saves ranking fifth
in the league.
RP Nate Downs: C+
Injured most of the season, he did manage to post a 3.00 ERA
in 19 appearances.
MINOR LEAGUERS of Note
19 year old Francisco Rolon is ostensibly the top mound
prospect, but a 1-6 record with 8.66 ERA in AAA looks like he needs more
seasoning before contributing at the big league level. Alberto Rivera was 17-7
over the season in AA and AAA, but the jury is out on this 21 year old. Salah
bin Atif is an intriguing story, the Iraqi native sports a 99 mph fastball, and
two good secondary pitches. He might be a bullpen option after starting most of
his minor league career.
Future Thoughts
San Diego needs to shore up its staff, find a middle
infielder, and the method may be dealing some of its outfielders, or being more
aggressive in the free agent market.
