2035/4 The Wheels on the Bus....

[nerfHerder]

....fall right off. After a decent start to the season, the wheels on the bus may have never existed. The same things that plague the Tropics every year began to show up. Inconsistent hitting, lack of pitching, lopsided losses....many fear that they won't ever come out of this downturn. There are a few guys performing, but many are way below where they should be, especially on offense. This is why hitting coach Pedro Alfonso was told to take a hike. New coach Trevor Williamsen was brought up from AA and has fared a little better, but nothing earth shattering. Where do they go from here? Let's see how some of the guys are doing.

Gerbrand de Best got off to a slow start, but has rebounded to a de Best type season. He credits Williamsen for his turn around. As of this writing, he has played in 155 games, and has a line of .250/.358/.434, with 26 HR and 58 RBI. He has really been the only bat that has been good for the Tropics. Dave Tallent has had a tough time in his rookie season. He has struggled in the field, has hit .246/.300/.446. On the bonus side ,he has hit 23 HR and has drove in a surprising 88 runs. He for sure has a bright future, so the panic button isn't out yet. The team's only all-star, Fernando Martinez, has been the final bright spot. He's been good in the field, he's hit well at .280/.310/.413. He has thirty plus steals again, he's still smacking doubles and triples. Just a solid ballplayer.

On the pitching side of things, Matt Mills is pitching for an extension. He won't get one, but he's still trying. The only constant with his 29 starts, he has a 3.55 ERA. Raul Sanchez has been good in his return to Hawaii, even though he missed a few months with a torn labrum. Francisco Mejia has been a nice surprise as a closer, even though he has blown a few saves. Javier Ortiz is the last guy that has been real good. He's a pro's pro. The guy really deserves to be on a contender too.

So as it can obviously be seen, the Tropics are still a few years away. Not much has gone right other than these few guys. The club has a young, unproven manager, a general manager that's in over his head, and a bad financial situation. On the bright side they have the top minor league system according to the BBA press. That's debatable too. We'll see what happens.

[Joshua Biddle]

"This is why hitting coach Pedro Alfonso was told to take a hike."

I laughed out loud for some reason when I read that. Always found that phrase amusing, but seeing it written was even better.

[scottsdale_joe]