Bobby Beat 2003 v4: Bright spots in a "meh" season...

jiminyhopkins · Post by **jiminyhopkins** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:57 am

Washington, DC--

The Bobwhites were 14-12 in April. To all those who said it wouldn't last....well you were right. The wobbling started in May with a 11-16 mark, then the wheels fell off of the team bus in June as the squad staggered to a 8-19 record. July was not much better at 10-16.

Things have picked up a bit in August, as Washington has taken advantage of a weak schedule, winning series against Louisville, Hawaii, and Phoenix this past sim. Although the schedule definitely gets tougher to round out the month, a closer look reveals quite a few success stories for the franchise of late.

The Draft
As referenced in this draft recap, Washington was able to select a great group of prospects in the first 5 rounds. Led by 4th overall pick Morgan 'The Tornado' Ackerman, this group of draftees joins top prospects Chad Jordan and Shawn MacKeamish to fill out a farm system that is now consistently rated among the top five in the MBBA by Baseball America.

Another ROY?
Following in the footsteps of Paco Morales (still raking at .304/.356/.540 in his sophomore campaign), LF Jim Wilson is quickly making a name for himself around the league. At 23 years old, Wilson is among the league leaders in home runs and is on pace to finish near .300-40-120. Wilson was the lone Bobwhite representative at the All Star Game, getting a clutch 9th inning single. After a cup of coffee in 2002, Wilson is a near lock to garner the Bobbies' second straight ROY Award this season.

Mike Clarke, as advertised
The Bobs shelled out some big bucks this past offseason, bringing in a bona fide superstar to fire up the fan base and bolster the club's already prodigious offense. As expected, Clarke has been raking all season long batting third. He not only has a slash line of .340/.403/.532, but his new home park has helped his power numbers, as Clarke looks to approach his career high of 31 homers.

Farm Getting Deeper
In addition to the aforementioned top prospects, Washington also has some decent names among the crucial second tier of farmhands. Players like 3B Derek McCall, C Doug Byrd, SP Robert Bernard, and LF Allen Stephens are all the sort of 2-2.5 star prospects that every club needs to flesh out the system. Its a far cry from a few years ago, when the system featured Jim Wilson, James Endres, and not much else.

Ed Widdicombe
The former failed starter has been in the system since 1995 with a career ERA approaching 6. This past offseason, Widdicombe was converted to a full time reliever and the results are better than anyone had hoped. Serving as the full time setup man to Endres, Widdicombe has shined with a 2.64 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 44 innings. Even more impressive is the 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio. In yet another season of dissapointing pitching, this 31 year old right hander has been a diamond in the rough. He has been so good that the club is looking at making the pitcher an offer that will buy out his two remaining arb years.

So, you see, its not all bad! Still a reason to come out to the ballpark! Please ignore the "Furious" owner in the luxury box! Go Bobbies!

nerfHerder · Post by **nerfHerder** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:36 pm

Nice article. We resemble that "weak" comment.

Al-Hoot · Post by **Al-Hoot** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:47 pm

Please ignore the "Furious" owner in the luxury box!

bschr682 · Post by **bschr682** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:36 pm

nice read

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