Cat Island finished with a record of 44-32 (14th best in franchise history) and entered the playoffs as a wild card after finishing second in the Caribbean division behind the Kingston Legends. But in the best of three playoff re-match, the Pirates scuttled the Legends' ship 2-0, moving to a showdown with the San Angelo Missions. But the Missions' prayers weren't heeded, and another 2-0 series win put them up against the Coxen Hole Schooners for the Championship. Despite a regular season record of 51-25, the Scooners were soon sunk by the Pirates in a 3-0 series win, giving Cat Island the overall victory without losing a single game in the playoffs.
"I can't say enough about what this team accomplished," said manager Luis Flores, who has been with the team since 2059 and won the Championship in his second attempt. "We battled hard this year with a scrappy team that many thought didn't have as much talent as previous groups. But we showed them that despite increased competition within the division, the Cat Island Pirates take no prisoners! I can't wait to see how these players do as they grow through the system."
"It's no secret that I pride myself on winning minors," said GM Rob McMonigal. "So I'm like the Cat Island who ate the Canary Islands right now."
Top players on the Pirates included:
SP Jose Morales, 4th round pick 2061. 6-7 record, but 2.61 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 2.60 FIP, 75 FIP- and 2.6 WAR
SP Carlos Turner, 11th round pick 2061. 4-3 record, 2.17 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 2.00 FIP, 58 FIP- and 2.5 WAR
RP Paul Roberts, 9th round pick 2059. 19 saves, 2.61 pli, 13 shut downs.
SP Saud Sabih, acquired from Bikini, 7-3, 2.22 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, rWAR 2.6
OF Ricardo Santos, 2nd round pick 2059. 69 games (61 starts), .323 ave, OPS+ 134, WARv 2.4
OF Alfredo Rodriguez, acquired from Jacksonville, 75 games (71 starts), .286 ave, 11 HR, .907 OPS, OPS+ 158, 2.2 WAR
Util Sancho Garcia, 2nd round pick 2062, 7 positions played, 58 games (48 starts), .323 ave, .840 OPS, 141 OPS+, 2.2 WAR
"What's really striking about this team is that while there are several very good players, this was a group effort," added McMonigal. "Only three batters and only 2 pitchers had negative war and one of those pitchers had a 1.45 ERA! It was an amazing collection of really solid players. Not all of them will make it to the Nine, because there's only so many spots available. But each and every one of these guys can hold their heads up high."
The Nine will celebrate the success of the Pirates by having the roster be around the Yellow Springs area and with the team for the first homestand of the year.
