Starscreams (48.17) Ken Arroyo Has a Posse

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Starscreams: A Valencia Stars Baseball Blog

Ken Arroyo Has a Posse

4/14/2048
Brianna Robles, Starscreams contributor

The young guns on the Stars starting rotation have Frick League hitters in their sights. Through the first two weeks of the season, Valencia starters have collectively posted the best ERA (2.26) not just in the Pacific, or the Frick, but the entire BBA. With an average age of just over 23, this group could potentially stay together for several seasons to come. While Ken Arroyo (0.95 ERA) is the acknowledged ace of the group, you can't really sleep on any of these guys. Mike Dixon (4.86 ERA) has shaken off a rough outing against Sacramento and has looked solid in his last two starts. Ron Smith (2.55 ERA), who on game days famously wakes up in a bad mood that doesn't seem to dissipate until the last out is recorded, is a fierce competitor. Jacob Smiley (2.51 ERA) is starting to exhibit some of that command that coaches have long insisted he had. Greg Jackson (0.00 ERA), the lone lefty and #5 guy, has apparently decided to not walk batters anymore, ever.

As a team, the Stars have become one of the stingiest defenses in the Brewster, allowing 35 runs in 13 games. Calgary has given up fewer (33), and Madison has also given up 35, though they've both played just 12 games. There is some cause for concern, though. The team's strikeout rate is not spectacular, and while the defense looks improved, defensive efficiency (.678) and BABIP (.317) are not anything to get excited about. If the Stars can improve in these areas, and the team seems to believe that it will, the pitching staff will find it easier to sustain their early success.

Detractors would say that Valencia pitching has so far benefited from throwing to Pacific hitting, and it's true that we haven't yet seen the Stars match up against the likes of Omaha, Louisville, or Yellow Springs, though a date with the Nine is coming soon. The most formidable Frick lineups have not yet had their go at the Valenica staff, so our enthusiasm should perhaps be tempered a little bit.

Mid-week, Arroyo had this to say about the Valencia rotation: “We feel like last season was a learning experience. It was rough, no doubt, and I think a lot of people have decided that that is who we are, but we feel differently. When we see stuff like OSA saying we're the 26th best rotation in the Brewster, we take that personally. This isn't a losing team. In the clubhouse and at practice I don't see a bunch of losers, I see guys playing with an edge, determined to prove people wrong. We're up for it. And these guys on the pitching staff know their business. The league isn't going to surprise us this year.”