The Kraken Release: 2004.01 - Aguilar Special
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:48 pm
The Kraken Release
March 26, 2004
Charlotte, NC
**********************************
There was nothing special about Wednesday, March 24 in terms of the Carolina Kraken's 2004 season. With three games remaining in Spring Training the final cuts had been made, the rotation and lineups penciled in for at least the first part of the regular season, and the players were looking to either find their groove or keep it while avoiding injury. That last goal was surely on the mind of Carolina's sensational LF Manuel Aguilar. After an historic 2003 where he won the Frick League Sawyer Silk Award, became the first offensive Triple Crown winner in MBWBA history, broke 6 single-season MBWBA records, and claimed the two longest consecutive games hitting streak with one of 37 and another of 36 games Aguilar was focused on making sure he was ready for the target he was sure to wear in the minds of opposing pitchers in 2004. With a .413/.471/.717 stat line this Spring that included 3 HRs and 13 RBI, all signs pointed to the 26-year-old being as ready as he could.
So when a flyball off the bat of Des Moines' Sidney Bendel floated into short left-center in the 4th inning of that day's Spring Training contest it had to have been pure instinct that made Aguilar dive for the catch to record the first out of the inning. In this case, it turns out his instinct betrayed him. It was immediately apparent from the visible signs of pain that the injury Aguilar suffered was not minor. That was officially confirmed today when Kraken GM Ben Teague announced that the budding superstar had suffered a torn labrum. "This is the type of injury that almost always costs a player an entire season," said Teague. "The extent of the tear determines if it will cost the player any time beyond that. Unfortunately the doctors made the determination that Manuel will never be healthy enough to return to the diamond. Accordingly, after consulting with his family, Manuel Aguilar has announced his decision to retire from baseball. Manuel has asked for privacy for a time as he and his family adjust to this abrupt development. Meanwhile, on behalf of the entire Carolina Kraken organization and myself personally, I want to express deep gratitude to Manuel for his efforts and his effect on this team, this clubhouse, and our fans."
In a September 28th article last year, The Release summarized the incredible season put in the books by Aguilar. There is little argument around the MBWBA that 2003 was the single most dominant season in the history of the league. When contacted for reaction to the news of Manuel's retirement one elite, veteran Frick League pitcher shared his view on the slugger. "Aguilar was great in 2002. There was no doubt that he was going to be a solid player. I don't remember thinking that he was destined to be one of the elite hitters in baseball, but for a 25-year-old he had not only the physical tools but the baseball IQ that some hitters that have been in the league more than 10 years have never developed. But last year he emerged as something I've never seen before at the plate. As a whole, just from talking to different guys, the pitchers in the league realized first that whatever he had done in the offseason had made him impossible to strike out. Not difficult, impossible. The guys who kept trying were losing baseballs. Then it became a matter of making him put the ball in play on your terms. When he proved to be a step ahead of every adjustment, the goal became to make him put the ball in play on the ground. After a time of watching guys fail to do that the general wisdom around the league was that only rookies and the foolish would put a pitch in the same area code as the plate. But even that didn't work. I watched film of a home run he hit last year and had to run it over and over again because if he hadn't sent the ball 420 feet in the other direction, the pitch would have hit the ground at least a foot in front of the plate. By the end of the season, when he came to the plate I was looking for the sign to intentionally walk him. Just in case you didn't get it a game against Carolina became a matter of limiting the number of runners on base when he came to the plate." When the same pitcher was asked if the league would ever again see a season at the plate like Aguilar's, he replied, "No, man. No way. Maybe we'll see the average again. Surely someone will hit more home runs or drive in more, but the all-around year he had. Not a chance. And if I'm wrong, I really hope I'm retired when it happens."
When looking at Manuel Aguilar's career it does no good to project what he might have been. For one, his 2003 season has to be considered a once in a lifetime accomplishment. For another, Aguilar turned 26 in May of last year and 2003 was only his 2nd full season in the majors. So we can only look at what he accomplished in the time he did spend in the MBWBA. A first-round draft choice of the Kraken (as the Hackensack Bulls) in 1999, Aguilar bullied his way into the AA level in 2000. Starting there in 2001, he earned a mid-year promotion to AAA Dodge City where, in 28 games, he hit .375 with a 1.182 OPS, 8 HR, 23 RBI, and only 7 strikeouts. That forced the organization to grant him a September callup and, even with the Kraken determined to start him back in AAA for the 2002 season, he never looked back. His final career numbers: 327 games, .347 AVG, .398 OBP, .609 SLG (for a 1.007 OPS), 74 HR, and 241 RBI. But the number that it seems everyone wants to talk about is 67. That is the total number of times Aguilar struck out in 1,336 plate appearances. That is roughly 20 PAs between strikeouts and a 162-game season average of 33.
While interviewing Carolina manager Rip Torn today for this story the writer asked him what history should remember about Manuel Aguilar. After a long pause, Torn opened a desk drawer, handed over a lineup card, and said, "That." The lineup card was for yesterday's Spring Training game against Seattle (the day after Aguilar suffered the injury). And there it was. In the 3rd slot in the order for the Kraken was Manuel Aguilar's name. It had been scratched through in favor of first Jefferey Stowell and then Bob Grant. "He was going to play," said Torn. "The kid managed to fool every one of our doctors, trainers, and coaches for almost a full day. Knowing the diagnosis now and how much pain he had to have been in, he blocked it out enough to fool everyone so that he could play more baseball."
As Coach Torn took the lineup card back he shrugged, "At least, that's what I'll remember." When this writer went to the official scorer and asked for the boxscore from the Seattle-Carolina game on March 25, sure enough on the day after suffering an injury that would end his career, listed on the books as the starter in left field and batting 3rd for the Kraken: Manuel Aguilar. It's in the books, and it always will be.
March 26, 2004
Charlotte, NC
**********************************
There was nothing special about Wednesday, March 24 in terms of the Carolina Kraken's 2004 season. With three games remaining in Spring Training the final cuts had been made, the rotation and lineups penciled in for at least the first part of the regular season, and the players were looking to either find their groove or keep it while avoiding injury. That last goal was surely on the mind of Carolina's sensational LF Manuel Aguilar. After an historic 2003 where he won the Frick League Sawyer Silk Award, became the first offensive Triple Crown winner in MBWBA history, broke 6 single-season MBWBA records, and claimed the two longest consecutive games hitting streak with one of 37 and another of 36 games Aguilar was focused on making sure he was ready for the target he was sure to wear in the minds of opposing pitchers in 2004. With a .413/.471/.717 stat line this Spring that included 3 HRs and 13 RBI, all signs pointed to the 26-year-old being as ready as he could.
So when a flyball off the bat of Des Moines' Sidney Bendel floated into short left-center in the 4th inning of that day's Spring Training contest it had to have been pure instinct that made Aguilar dive for the catch to record the first out of the inning. In this case, it turns out his instinct betrayed him. It was immediately apparent from the visible signs of pain that the injury Aguilar suffered was not minor. That was officially confirmed today when Kraken GM Ben Teague announced that the budding superstar had suffered a torn labrum. "This is the type of injury that almost always costs a player an entire season," said Teague. "The extent of the tear determines if it will cost the player any time beyond that. Unfortunately the doctors made the determination that Manuel will never be healthy enough to return to the diamond. Accordingly, after consulting with his family, Manuel Aguilar has announced his decision to retire from baseball. Manuel has asked for privacy for a time as he and his family adjust to this abrupt development. Meanwhile, on behalf of the entire Carolina Kraken organization and myself personally, I want to express deep gratitude to Manuel for his efforts and his effect on this team, this clubhouse, and our fans."
In a September 28th article last year, The Release summarized the incredible season put in the books by Aguilar. There is little argument around the MBWBA that 2003 was the single most dominant season in the history of the league. When contacted for reaction to the news of Manuel's retirement one elite, veteran Frick League pitcher shared his view on the slugger. "Aguilar was great in 2002. There was no doubt that he was going to be a solid player. I don't remember thinking that he was destined to be one of the elite hitters in baseball, but for a 25-year-old he had not only the physical tools but the baseball IQ that some hitters that have been in the league more than 10 years have never developed. But last year he emerged as something I've never seen before at the plate. As a whole, just from talking to different guys, the pitchers in the league realized first that whatever he had done in the offseason had made him impossible to strike out. Not difficult, impossible. The guys who kept trying were losing baseballs. Then it became a matter of making him put the ball in play on your terms. When he proved to be a step ahead of every adjustment, the goal became to make him put the ball in play on the ground. After a time of watching guys fail to do that the general wisdom around the league was that only rookies and the foolish would put a pitch in the same area code as the plate. But even that didn't work. I watched film of a home run he hit last year and had to run it over and over again because if he hadn't sent the ball 420 feet in the other direction, the pitch would have hit the ground at least a foot in front of the plate. By the end of the season, when he came to the plate I was looking for the sign to intentionally walk him. Just in case you didn't get it a game against Carolina became a matter of limiting the number of runners on base when he came to the plate." When the same pitcher was asked if the league would ever again see a season at the plate like Aguilar's, he replied, "No, man. No way. Maybe we'll see the average again. Surely someone will hit more home runs or drive in more, but the all-around year he had. Not a chance. And if I'm wrong, I really hope I'm retired when it happens."
When looking at Manuel Aguilar's career it does no good to project what he might have been. For one, his 2003 season has to be considered a once in a lifetime accomplishment. For another, Aguilar turned 26 in May of last year and 2003 was only his 2nd full season in the majors. So we can only look at what he accomplished in the time he did spend in the MBWBA. A first-round draft choice of the Kraken (as the Hackensack Bulls) in 1999, Aguilar bullied his way into the AA level in 2000. Starting there in 2001, he earned a mid-year promotion to AAA Dodge City where, in 28 games, he hit .375 with a 1.182 OPS, 8 HR, 23 RBI, and only 7 strikeouts. That forced the organization to grant him a September callup and, even with the Kraken determined to start him back in AAA for the 2002 season, he never looked back. His final career numbers: 327 games, .347 AVG, .398 OBP, .609 SLG (for a 1.007 OPS), 74 HR, and 241 RBI. But the number that it seems everyone wants to talk about is 67. That is the total number of times Aguilar struck out in 1,336 plate appearances. That is roughly 20 PAs between strikeouts and a 162-game season average of 33.
While interviewing Carolina manager Rip Torn today for this story the writer asked him what history should remember about Manuel Aguilar. After a long pause, Torn opened a desk drawer, handed over a lineup card, and said, "That." The lineup card was for yesterday's Spring Training game against Seattle (the day after Aguilar suffered the injury). And there it was. In the 3rd slot in the order for the Kraken was Manuel Aguilar's name. It had been scratched through in favor of first Jefferey Stowell and then Bob Grant. "He was going to play," said Torn. "The kid managed to fool every one of our doctors, trainers, and coaches for almost a full day. Knowing the diagnosis now and how much pain he had to have been in, he blocked it out enough to fool everyone so that he could play more baseball."
As Coach Torn took the lineup card back he shrugged, "At least, that's what I'll remember." When this writer went to the official scorer and asked for the boxscore from the Seattle-Carolina game on March 25, sure enough on the day after suffering an injury that would end his career, listed on the books as the starter in left field and batting 3rd for the Kraken: Manuel Aguilar. It's in the books, and it always will be.
geezus christ!!), and WAR (13.7) - may turn out to be within, say, the top 3% of normal as we near 10 years and beyond of the "modern" era (rather than superhuman as they seem to be now...like 61 HRs was for so long and DiMaggio's 56 is still). I mean, Cy Young had 511 wins, 749 complete games, had roughly 2,000 more innings pitched than Nolan Ryan OR Phil Freakin' Niekro...just numbers that aren't going to ever be touched.
