Starscreams | Hot Start Sees Stars Atop Pacific (53.04)

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Starscreams | Hot Start Sees Stars Atop Pacific (53.04)

Post by mragland » Sat Jan 28, 2023 1:07 pm

Starscreams: A Valencia Stars Baseball Blog

Hot Start Sees Stars Atop Pacific

05/01/2053
Brianna Robles, Starscreams contributor

A 19-8 record, and a bit of luck, was good enough for the Stars to secure first place in the Pacific division in April, if just barely. The good news is that the Star own the best record in the BBA right now, with a slim half-game lead over second place Sacramento. The bad news is that there is (yet again) reason to be concerned about the Valencia offense early in the season.

While the Stars lead the division in runs scored right now with 122, the Pacific is far and away the least offensively productive division in the association, so this isn't much of a brag. Players that the Stars were counting on to do some damage at the plate this season haven't yet taken off. Last season's most valuable bat, Donald Miller, has a wRC+ of 87, a drop off of 59 points from last season. Usually reliable on-base machine Yodo Sato is currently slashing an abysmal .196/.202/.304. Daniel Pepper, who was brought on to elevate the Valencia offense, currently has a wRC+ of 109, a drop off of 47 points from 2052.

The Stars offense is currently being propped up by some unlikely characters. Designated hitter Mark Kimball is having a blast so far in his second season in the association, slashing .400/.464/.700. Omer Dijkstra's career renaissance continues in '53. He's currently slashing .382/.377/.662. New acquisition Peter Crocker, brought in to play the short side of a left field platoon, is slashing a strong .265/.302/.612.

Run prevention appears to be the more reliable strength of the team, though is perhaps closely related to the fact that offenses in the Pacific aren't very good. Starters Brian King (2.04 ERA) and Ken Arroyo (2.67 ERA) have been quite good. The bullpen has put up a collective ERA of 2.12.

What we've seen from the first month of the season is a team with a slightly below average offense that nonetheless has managed to put up a winning record thanks to pitching and defense. If the lineup can find a way to play up to its potential, this team might just be able to finish the season where it began.
Morris Ragland
President, Baseball Ops, Beirut Cedars (8/25/46 - 10/23/47)
President, Baseball Ops, Valencia Stars (10/24/47 - present)
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"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." - W. Churchill

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