by: "The Chris" Wilson
MBBA
2000 by the numbers
77-85, .444 (t-9th in Frick League)
Runs Scored
737, 8th in FL
Runs Allowed
764, 7th in FL
Run Differential
-27, 8th in FL
Payroll
$94.3+ million, 2nd in FL
Attendance
3.993+ million, 3rd in FL
3 year record
263-223
2000 in Review
What went right
Amen Mitrani is one of the league's best pitchers. In 2000, Mitrani went 17-10 with a 3.58 earned run average and 303 strikeouts. Many may argue it was a down year for Mitrani, and compared to 1999 it was. But at age 28, Mitrani has plenty of great years ahead of him and he has already tallied more than 100 K's more than innings pitched in his career.
What went wrong
While solid with the glove, Ryan Savaikie just did not get it done with the bat in 2000. In 1999, Savaikie hit .281/.333/.459 with a 20.9 VORP. An outstanding season, but not as great as his 43.9 VORP season of 1997. So how can you explain Savaikie's .239/.290/.343 season of last year and career low -13.0 VORP?
Looking Ahead to 2001
Three Key Questions
1. Will "The Other Chris" Ramsey export this season? In 1999, the Bisons made it all the way to the Landis Memorial Series before losing to the eventual champions in Vancouver. Last season, the Bisons struggled to a 3rd place finish within the division. Obviously the team has the ability to be a contender, but they'll need a General Manager who can make the moves to make the club better. Is Ramsey that guy? HAH Buffalo exported exactly ZERO times this off-season.
2. Is Jeremy "Superman" Hunter ready to take the next step in his big-league progression? Hunter has put up 4 above average seasons. And in all honesty, not many people would complain over his last 3 seasons in which he has posted a 46.8, 57.7, and 45.9 VORP respectively. His numbers have even been extremely consistent, hitting 25-88, 24-88, 24-85, 26-84 homeruns and RBI each of the last 4 seasons. But with the ratings and ability that this guy has, many fans in Buffalo are ready for a break out season in homeruns and RBI. Bisons fans are demanding a 30-110 season for Hunter this year, at age 25.
3. Is this the season Cletus Bullrush, Jr breaks out, or gets labeled a bust? Bullrush was the 1st overall pick in the 1995 draft and many experts in the league had him slated as a can't miss prospect. His 99 mph fastball was nearly impossible to hit, however, Bullrush has developed some small control problems over his years as a pro and is yet to really have the season scouts expected from him. While there is still time for the 25 year old, right hander, the time may be now or never for him to fix his career. At the moment, he is a career 34-33 pitcher with a 4.48 in his 3.5 seasons as a big league pitcher.
Can Expect to Play Better
John Oloughlin. John isn't a superstar or anything, but he is better than his 5-13, 5.11 ERA from last year suggests. He probably isn't a #3 type pitcher, instead more of a bottom of the rotation guy. If Buffalo can find a way to move Oloughlin down to the 4 or 5 slot in the rotation, Bisons fans should expect a better record out of John.
Can Expect to Play Worse
Ken Gladden. Gladden went 14-7 with a 3.52 earned run average. The 14 wins were a career best as was his 3.52 ERA. Gladden is a career 99-105 pitcher with a 4.24 ERA. At age 32, Buffalo can't expect Gladden to do anything at this point in his career but go down.
Projected Lineup
1. John Johnston - LF
2. Dusty Light - CF
3. Jeremy Hunter - C
4. Alistar Sharpe - 3B
5. Samuel Palos - RF
6. Ryan Savaikie - SS
7. Rod Smart - 1B
8. Billy Johanson - 2B
Rotation
Amen Mitrani
Ken Gladdne
John Oloughlin
Cletus Bullrush, Jr
Melvin Ripken
Closer
Richard Wasson
Milestone Watch
Alistar Sharpe - 15 hits shy of 2,000 career hits
Alistar Sharpe - 7 homeruns shy of 300 career homeruns
Alistar Sharpe - 32 runs shy of 1,000 career runs
Melvin Ripken - 14 saves shy of 300 career saves
Richard Wasson - 23 saves shy of 200 career saves
Melvin Ripken - 45 games shy of 800 career games
A Closer Look
Spring Training went ok for Buffalo as they finished with an 11-13 record, 1 game back of the division lead. But you can't gauge a whole lot out of Spring training. This team made absolutely no changes over the offseason and thus we have very little reason to believe this team will be able to return to the Championship series like they did in 1999. In fact, I expect 2001 to be more similar to 2000 in which Buffalo will remain somewhere in the bottom to middle of the FL standings. In fact, I'll predict a slight dropoff from last year and say the Bisons finish the 2001 season at 72-90, 3rd place within their division, slightly ahead of Carolina in the division.
