The BEF finished next to last in the Donaldo League in runs scored despite having Rafael Gutierrez (Wolves #3 Prospect) on their team for most of the season. Granted Gutierrez had a better time in his short span in Triple-A (we didn't mention him there since he spent more time in AA) but he was still a solid hitter. For the BEF, Gutierrez hit .289/.326/.434 with a homerun and 36 runs batted in. Granted that paled in comparison to his .362/.398/.529 stat line for the Proudest Monkeys but still a solid year. Mekbib Maabade (Wolves #29 Prospect), the Zambian Wonder, actually led the team in WAR with a 2.6 clip. Unlike Gutierrez who is destined for the big leagues next season, Maabade is hovering in that uncertainty range. He hit .285/.358/.467 with 13 homeruns and 61 RBI as a AA secondbaseman, but many scouts see Maabade as another lifetime minor league guy. "We see a little bright spot with his hitting ability" said one scout, "but his glove just isn't BBA caliber and we don't think it ever will" added another. 21 year old Jack Melendez is in a similar spot as well. Despite 25 homeruns this season in AA and a 1.9 overall WAR, a lack of an eye popping bat and just a glove too weak to play at the big league level likely have him destined for a career in the minors as well. Don't be surprised to see Maabade and Melendez to become longtime fan favorites for those who have season tickets to South Bend games.
The pitching side was bleak, again. The BEF finished dead last in runs allowed and have no major prospect names to mention. That's unless you consider J.R. Spoonman (Wolves #15 Prospect) a major prospect. No? But he's a big name anyway. The Spoonman went 1-10 this season despite a solid 4.06 ERA and 1.36 WHIP that generated a 1.8 overall WAR. As reported, Spoonman got the call to Madison earlier in the month, making BBA history as the first Spoonman in league history. 21 year old prospect Lorenzo Solis's (Wolves #5 Prospect) flame appears to be fading out. The starting pitching conversion's growth has stalled and many wonder if he'll ever generate enough stuff to make it to the BBA. He went 3-11 this season with the BEF, posting a 4.95 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He was second on the staff in WAR behind Spoonman with a 1.1 mark.