As you may know, this is my first year in the GM seat for this organization, and as the new guy, I'm naturally a bit uninformed about the team's history before I joined. So I'm introducing a new Team News series, The Year That Rocked, which will rectify that.
This is the first retrospective of a series in which I will recap every year in the Swamp Foxes' storied team history, at least spanning the modern era, from 1995-present.
When I get through it all, I'll likely compile my findings into some sort of team almanac/Hall of Fame. As far as I can tell, there is no team Hall of Fame for this organization, which is a travesty for such an esteemed club. So, let's fix that too (and in doing so, earn some sweet participation points).
This will also give me a reason to read all the old Team News articles written by @JimSlade, @aaronweiner, and @cheekimonk, which will be a fun trip through the archives.
For every season in the team's history, even the bad ones, I'll summarize the season as best I can, and answer the following:
- Who was the team's Most Valuable Pikeman (or Kraken/Bull, respectively. This is an award for the top position player of the year.)
- Who was the team's Most Valuable Strikeman (also known as a pitcher. The top pitcher of the year.)
- Who was the organization's Minor League Player of the Year (The single best player from any the team's minor league affiliates. This award is based on performance, though consideration will be given to how over- or under-matched a player was at their respective level, and decided accordingly.)
- The team's Weird Statistic of the Year (Weird, in the sense of something interesting you might not have known about. We all know that Manuel Aguilar hit .413 in 2003. That probably won't be the statistic for that year.)
- The top Transaction of the Year (This could be a trade, free agent signing, or even a waiver claim. This will be evaluated with the hindsight of knowing how the players panned out.)
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So, let's take a walk through history and look back at the:
2061 Rockville Pikemen Record: 69-93, 8th/8 in JL Atlantic
It was a disappointing way to leave Rockville, and sad to note that it was the Pikemen's poor play this season that ultimately led to the team moving to Cape Fear. But there were a few bright spots.
Outfielder Joshua Ackland made his major league debut, belting 21 home runs and showing some nice range in left field. New everyday catcher Çelik Lüfi filled in nicely for the departed John McMuttray. Rookie outfielder Muslih Abdul-Hasib hit out of his mind during his brief call-up, slashing .376/.427/.654 in 41 games. Outfielder Octavio Martínez was the team's lone All-Star selection, and continued to show he's the real deal, achieving a 24-game hitting streak in June-July.
Despite Martínez' impressive performance, July was the low point of the season, as between 7/11 and 8/8, the Pikemen dropped from 42-48 and a near-.500 record, to an abysmal 49-68. This was partly due to them having to scramble for starting pitching after an extended injury to Jorge Ramírez, who was supposed to be one of the bright young arms of the future.
The absolute low point was when frustrations boiled over in a game against Las Vegas on July 17, culminating in a brawl that saw first baseman Cam Whitten take a solid right hook from the Hustlers' Bret Harrell. Both players were ejected, but Whitten got a nice shiner as extra punishment.
The Pikemen were effectively out of the picture by August, coasting to an uninspiring finish.
On the pitching side, Nathaniel Davis was the most dependable starter, and likely was given somewhat of an extra leash, since it was expected to be his final season with the team (spoiler: it wasn't). Alex Payne led the staff in innings, and was even listed on a couple Nebraska Award ballots.
Most Valuable Pikeman:
2B Richard Vernon, .315/.380/.438, 26 SB, 4.4 WAR
Most Valuable Strikeman:
SP Alex Payne, 30 GS, 9-11, 3.61 ERA, 3.2 WAR
Minor League Player of the Year:
SP Kalaila Cobar (A / AA / AAA), 25 GS, 8-7, 2.50 ERA, 4.3 WAR between 3 levels
Weird Statistic of the Year:
5 different players hit 20 home runs on the season: Cesar Rodríguez, Masahiko Harada, Cam Whitten, Joshua Ackland, and Octavio Martínez. Rodriguez led the pack with 27. The Pikemen were one of 3 BBA teams to achieve this feat, and the only one in the JL.
They also came very close to having a sixth, with Çelik Lüfi managing 19.
Transaction of the Year:
Giovanelli may end up being one of the biggest all-time regrets for Cape Fear, as they traded him away as a top prospect the following year to acquire Sam Butler. But at the time, the signing was a big win in international free agency for Rockville, a team which hadn't had a history of going after the top targets.January 31, 2061: Signed international amateur RF Alejandro Giovanelli out of Venezuela to a minor league contract with a $4,750,000 signing bonus.
