Saturday, June 29, 2013

A Little O?

The Hornets are having trouble generating much offense.  Though the Starting Rotation has the best ERA in the Thurman Munson League, the offense has produced the 10th most runs in the league.  Centerfielder Jesus Gonzalez has had a career year, leading the team with a .301 batting average,  23 home runs, and 71 RBIs.  As a statement about how poor the offense is, shortstop Bob Hennessey (23-years-old) is one of the team leaders with a .272 batting average, 54 RBIs, and 49 runs scored.  Mike Bergeron (25-years-old) is enjoying his worst season, though it is not poor by most standards.  He has a .289 batting average, 53 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases.

The long-term catching situation has been stabilized by the return-to-health and promotion of Seitaro Uenohara (25-years-old).  In limited time so far (47 plate appearances), Uenohara has batted .298 with 2 home runs.  The catcher position has been an offensive black hole for Eureka for the past year-and-a-half.

Thirdbaseman John Jones (21-years-old) has been promoted for a second time this season after batting .331/.422/.481 in AAA.  Given his AAA success and the season-long struggles of the offense, he will be given a chance to show he belongs.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Back to Earth

After a phenomenal start to the season, Eureka has settled back, and is currently in second place with a 28-23 record, 3 1/2 games behind Las Vegas.

Eureka's offense has been a huge problem so far.   Orlando Carranzo (RF),  Dave Carpenter (C), and Andrew Padgett (LF) all have batting averages under the Mendoza line.  Padgett has been sent to AAA to regain his stroke, while 22-year-old Jack Watson and 24-year-old Alfred Cook  were brought up to provide some spark.  Unfortunately, Watson is batting .190 in 100 at bats, while Cook is batting .100 in 20 at bats.  So much for a spark!

The bright side of things remains the pitching and defense.  Starter Atkinson continues to lead the rotation with a 6-2 record and 1.59 ERA.  The staff as a whole is strong.  The bullpen has not been quite as strong, but closer Austin is on pace for 57 saves, and has been his usual effective self.

Eureka's season rests on the offense, and whether or not it can produce enough to help the team win.