While most around the league clamor that the pitching staff of the Portland Lumberjacks is what got it done in 2059, the pitching staff will be the first to tell you they were only as good as the defense behind them. And the defense of the 2059 Portland Lumberjacks was one of the best in BBA history. While that might be a slight exaggeration, it is safe to say that the 2059 version of the Lumberjacks defense was easily the best in the history of the franchise.
The Portland Lumberjacks claimed 4 of the 9 Diamond Gloves for the 2059 season. Second year player Allan Uecker one his first Diamond Glove this season. Many speculate it will be the first of many for the young, stud catcher who has a cannon for an arm behind the dish. Third year player Hideaki Ohayashi surprised many in the organization and around the league with his defensive prowess this season. Like Uecker, Hideaki won his first defensive award. Winning his 4th Diamond Glove award at SS this season was Sammy McNeill. Many wondered about the contract Portland threw McNeill's way this off-season. While time will tell what becomes of that in the long run, McNeill's 2059 season makes the current status of the deal a huge win for the Lumberjacks.
And probably the most surprising Diamond Glove recipient was old man river Bill Morley. The 38 year old veteran showed that age is just a number this season by playing the best defense in centerfield than any other CF in the Frick this season. "My bat may be slowing down" said Morley of winning the award, "but my ability to read fly balls and get good jumps is still there." Despite hitting just .236 this season with a sub .600 OPS, Morley's defensive skills still allowed him to post a positive WAR.
As stated, this was the best defensive unit in the franchise's history. All the evidence you need to support that is look at the history of the Diamond Gloves award. Portland, prior to this season, had only won 3 such awards over the previous 19 seasons. Jiao-long Ma was the last player to win a defensive award for the team and that was back in 2051. You have to go back to Portland's infancy stages when the Master Plan stated they needed good defense in 2041 and 2042 to find the other two award winners.
"Yeah, we've not stressed defense much over the years" added Wilson. "We might have said we were going to but it never happened. The saying was 'chicks dig the long ball' so we wanted to score runs. We didn't care as much about preventing them. But I think chicks dig diamonds too so I think it's time to keep the focus on the defense for a while."