Year In Review: No Sting This Season

The offense let the team down in 2014, with the 7th highest run total in the Thurman Munson League.  That will not cut it for a team with aspirations to be a perennial playoff team.

The good news is that the overall lineup has good youth, headlined by OF/DH Mike Bergeron, who at 24 had his second 40-homer, 120+ RBI season, to go along with a batting average well north of .300. 
Centerfielder Jesus Gonzalez (27 years old) is another source of power for Eureka, increasing his output to 31 homeruns to go along with an .848 OPS and high-quality defense.  Orlando Carranzo (27 years old), another outfielder, smacked 28 homeruns.  Shortstop Clement Milford (22 years old) performed adequately in 2014, leading the league with 57 stolen bases.  However, he will be expected to improve his OBP (.336) and fielding in the future.

The rest of the lineup may be in flux over the next couple of seasons.  Current thirdbaseman Bob Hennessey (23 years old today) was a fast riser, even in the push-em-fast, push-em-high Eureka minor league system.  He started the season in A ball, but advanced to the ML team in time to play in 56 games, hitting .288.  He does not have much power, however, and might be better placed in the future at short, with Milford moving to second base, which would be a better fit for him as well.

Manual Sanchez (22 years old), acquired during the season in a trade, may continue as a starter or he may become a role player.  He played in 90 games with 340 at bats, hitting .259.  He has good speed, stealing 16 bases in 21 attempts.  However, his lack of power as a corner-position infielder may hold him back.

Andrew Padget (25 years old), another outfielder, had an up-and-down season.  He had a 23-game hitting streak.  He hit 19 home runs and had 23 stolen bases.  However, until he becomes more consistently good he may never be the "stud" player ownership had once hoped he would be. 

Michael Brown (30 years old) had a disappointing season.  He followed up a .306/.370/.509 season in 2013 with a .252/.308/.386 2014.  He was moved from first base to second to accommodate Sanchez and Hennessey.  His versatility (he can play all the infield positions) will give him at bats, but unless he improves his performance he will be nothing more than an expensive utility player. 

Dave Carpenter (26 years old), proved to be an expensive platoon catcher, albeit with a team-best 3.43 catcher's ERA.  He is in a platoon with capable veteran Ronnie Wells (34 years old), who is fading but still provides valuable leadership.

There is some potential offensive muscle on the farm.  Jack Watson (22 years old), a corner outfielder, performed well in AAA for Eureka after being acquired in a trade, with a .292/.352/.492 slash line.  He went 1 for 4 in a late-season callup in Eureka.  He probably requires 1-2 seasons more before he will be ready for full-time major league duty.

Dwayne Hatcher (23 years old) is another corner outfielder with power potential.  He was promoted aggressively in his first professional season, moving from A (where he had a .904 OPS in limited action) to AA (.910 OPS) to AAA (.704 OPS).  AAA is where he will be at least for the next season.

Salvador Ramos (19 years old), a recent free agent acquisition, projects to be an average-fielding shortstop with good speed and high-average ability.  Eduardo Otero (23 years old) was injured most of his first season.  If he can stay healthy, he is another corner outfielder with high-average, average power, good speed potential.

The pitching side of the  organization, as planned, is a strength.  The pitching allowed the second-fewest runs in the league, 3rd in starters ERA (4.10) and 4th in bullpen ERA (3.52).  That only figures to improve with the continued maturation of a number of young pitchers.

The current leader of the rotation is Royce Butterfield (23 years old), who has won 26 games the past two seasons.  He may soon be supplanted by Anthony Atkinson (20 years old), who spent his first full season in the majors (10-8, 4.23 ERA in 22 starts), though he ended the season on the DL due to shoulder inflammation, or Jake Nelson (20 years old), who started the season in AAA but turned in solid numbers in the majors (6-9, 3.63 ERA in 26 starts). 

Mike Miller (26 years old, 9-13, 3.93 ERA) and Paul Green (27 years old, 6-4, 5.03 ERA in an injury-ravaged campaign) are consistent performers but not ace material.

There are some more arms on the way.  Bob Smith (23 years old) was taken in the rule 5 draft, but after bombing (1-2, 7.11 ERA in 4 starts) he was returned to the Eureka organization and posted solid numbers at AA (2-4, 2.82 ERA in 10 starts) and less solid at AAA (4-8, 4.89 ERA), where he will start next season. Dave Blake (19 years old) posted passable numbers in AA (7-6, 4.46 ERA), and poor numbers in AAA (2-6, 5.71 ERA).  He may start next season in AA again. 

Further down on the farm, Toshiki Koda (19 years old) pitched well in A ball (5-6, 2.94 ERA in 18 starts), and not so well in AA ball (1-5, 5.40 ERA in 18 starts).  He may need another season in A ball.  Edgardo Felix (19 years old) pitched well in his second season in A ball (6-4, 2.92 ERA in 11 starts) and okay in AA (5-8, 4.12 ERA in 23 starts).  He will start in AA next season.

In the bullpen, Veteran closer Brad Austin (34 years old) turned in a stellar year, with a 1.98 ERA, 39 saves, and a 1.05 WHIP.  Veteran setup man Jim Dorsey (36 years old) appeared in 85 games with a 3.23 ERA.  New acquisitions Cal Henry (23 years old, 2.70 ERA for Eureka following a trade) and Yong-Hong Pao (25 years old, 3.07 ERA) and Claude Howard (22 years old, 3.19 ERA) form a youthful contingent to back them up.

If Eureka can find some more offense, and the pitching can continue to mature, the future in Eureka should be pretty bright!

After Long Season, Will Hornets Sting in the End?

Eureka snuck into the playoffs last season, surging at the end.  Will they do it again?  Halfway through the season the Hornets were 10 games back in the standings and looking listless.  An injury to the reliable #3 starting pitcher Paul Green and injury and ineffectiveness by Nick Hawkins, as well as an inconsistent offense, hurt the team.  However, following trades of veteran stalwart Eduardo Gomez and middle reliever Ambrosio Cuco, and a commitment to a full-fledged youth movement, the team began to turn it around.

Manual Sanchez, acquired in the Gomez trade, is currently playing first base, batting 2nd in the order, and providing some spark near the top of the order.  Reliever Cal Henry, also acquired in the Gomez trade, is 4-0 with 1 save and a 1.08 WHIP with a 2.36 ERA in a setup role.  Bob Hennessey, in his first professional season, has moved all the way from A ball to third base for the Hornets, and is batting .291 as the new thirdbaseman.

It remains to be seen if the Hornets will make the playoffs this year, but the team has not folded despite the early-season troubles.