I have a little time to crank a few team news out before work resumes so let's go ahead and announce our team awards for the 2061 season. Normally I do this after the season is over, and wouldn't dare jinx the season by doing it now, but we're getting swept by Sacramento in the Doubleday anyway so why not go ahead and do it now.
The Lumberjacks had two major contributing rookies during the 2061 season and both are likely deserving of the award in their own right. Mauro Esperanda appeared in 53 games as a pitcher this season with 9 of those being starts. He likely would have started the season in the rotation but the team went with the reliable Bill Beals for much of the season and the move didn't really hurt things. Esperanda was solid out of the pen for most of the season, so much so that he earned a nod to the All-Star game back in July for his efforts. He did start his last 9 outings on the mound which then carried over to starts in games 1 and 5 of the Geoghegan Series versus Long Beach. Esperanda finished the season with a 7-4 record and 6 saves. Over 92.0 innings pitched, he posted a 2.54 earned run average and 1.13 WHIP and 47 strikeouts. He finished with a 1.3 WAR. However, he was not our top rookie.
League GMs agree with the team's decision with O'Leary as well. He's currently in the top 6 in Frick League voting for the league's top rookie. Despite being an all-star, Esperanda has gotten a little love, but won't crack the top 10 in league Gillstrom (top rookie) voting.
