BETTER THAN THE STARTERS?
Reviewing the 2051 Long Beach Surfers
Let's start with the good stuff. Luis Manuel Rodriguez was good again. 96 innings, 97 K, 2.81 ERA and 2.2 WAR. Since 2043, Rodriguez has been the Surfers most reliable reliever, appearing in 734 games with an ERA of 2.87. So it should be no surprise that he continued his excellence in his age-30 season.
Now on to lefty Angel Hernandez, who since 2048 had paired with LMR to be the most fierce left handed bullpen duo in the league. He saw a huge drop in K-rate this season, and his ERA ballooned from 2.93 to 4.46. Team sources indicate that the 32 year old would like to test free agency, so it's unlikely that we see him back in Long Beach next year.
Del Willis' second season in the 'pen didn't go as well as his first, but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt, and his ERA+ was still above league average, so there's not much to complain about there. He's 29 years old and the team gave him a vote of confidence with a 4 year $6.8 million dollar contract extension at the beginning of the season.
Swingman Ron Smith was almost all relief this year, starting just twice in 59 games. He provided 118.1 innings of 5.10 ERA, which, given the season, we'll take. He's got two years left on his contract to impress the Surfers faithful.
Twenty-six year old Zhi-xin Fung worked around 51 walks in 52 innings to post a 3.96 ERA. He also struck out 59 batters. He's not likely to pitch meaningful innings on the next good Surfers team but he's worth keeping an eye on if you like extremes (12/8/3).
2051.04 - The Long Beach Independent - Year In Review - Relief Pitching
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2051.04 - The Long Beach Independent - Year In Review - Relief Pitching
Stephen Lane
Vice Commissioner / Historian
General Manager, Long Beach Surfers
Since 2026
Ex-GM, Amsterdam Neptunes, 2025 EBA Champions
Vice Commissioner / Historian
General Manager, Long Beach Surfers
Since 2026
Ex-GM, Amsterdam Neptunes, 2025 EBA Champions
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