26 Aug 2056
Boise, Idaho
**********************************
by Fish McWilliams
Most of the Boise minor league affiliates are having successful years as they have clinched or are currently in the playoffs. Let's take a look along with some of the key players:
SALT LAKE CITY ALPINES (AAA) 77 57 .575 4 GB - WGBThe Alpines have had a winning record every month of the season and have a magic number of 7 to clinch the Roundfield League WC leading by 4 games.
3B Mike Galloway
119 G, 32 2B, 30 HR, 88 RBI, .279/.338/.561, 4 SB, +3.9 WAR
The offense has been powered by 3B/DH sluggers Mike Galloway and Bill Scarborough (.287/.384/.894, 24 2B, 28 HR, 76 RBI, +3.2 WAR) with sparkplugs like CF Grady Eaton (46 SB, +2.6 WAR). But the strength of this squad is pitching. So much so that many of the key contributors are plying their trade in MLB now. This includes starters Mark Baker (11 G, 11 GS, 8-3, 73.2 IP, 1.83 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, +2.9 WAR), Bill Keefe (15 G, 15 GS, 9-3, 103.1 IP, 2.61 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, +2.8 WAR), and Geoffrey Greening (4 G, 4 GS, 1-1, 25.1 IP, 2.13 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, +1.0 WAR). But the roster has enough talent set to reload the majors: Dani Colomo (21 G, 10 GS, 10-2, 5 SV, 78.2 IP, 3.32 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, +1.0 WAR), Wilson López (22 G, 3 GS, 1-2, 2 SV, 56.2 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, +0.5 WAR), and Brad Peckford (28 G, 25 GS, 10-6, 165.1 IP, 3.59 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, +3.6 WAR) are examples.
WEYMOUTH IRISH 83 51 .619 - GB - WGBWeymouth has had a fantastic year. They have a magic number of 3 to clinch the Colonial division of the Donaldo League and will wind up 2nd in the league behind Duluth.
P Mal Knapp
19 G, 9 GS, 7-1, 9 SV, 72.1 IP, 2.61 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, +1.1 WAR
The Irish are powered by pitching just like the Alpines, but there are a few potent offensive pieces. 1B Tracy Allison is Boise's best offensive prospect and has had an excellent year slashing .325/.378/.445 in 101 G with 12 2B, 6 3B, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 52 SB, +2.5 WAR. 1B Randy Hargrove (45 G, 11 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 35 RBI, .325/.374/.633, +1.8 WAR), CF Dara bin Sameer (118 G, 13 2B, 3 2B, 0 HR, 15 RBI, .261/.341/.313, 22 SB, +0.0 WAR), and 1B Juan Bejarsno (28 G, .379/.429/.552, 4 SB, +0.7 WAR) have been key contributors.
Knapp is the #2 prospect in the organization and the club is waiting on his MOV to pop. Right behind him in prospect rankings is Tomás Viera who has recently moved up to AAA but gave the Irish 18 G, 13 GS, 5-7, 94.2 IP, 3.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, +1.3 WAR before moving on. P Paul Cherry (23 G, 6-1, 10 SV, 30.2 IP, 0.59 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, +1.2 WAR), SP Kirby Tucker (26 G, 26 GS, 10-8, 186.1 IP, 3.09 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, +3.7 WAR), and SP Fernando Elizondo (25 G, 20 GS, 12-5, 153.2 IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, +2.2 WAR) are other key pieces.
TULSA GINZELS 79 55 .590 - GB - WGBTulsa lead the Gulf Coast division of the Baxter League by 0.5 game over Silver Springs with a magic # of 7. The Ginzels would be 2 games out of the WC spot without the division lead, so this is a race to follow.
SP Ryan Lee
25 G, 15 GS, 9-3, 1 SV, 121.2 IP, 2.74 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, +2.9 WAR
The Ginzels' roster is more balanced than the previous two. RF Masaru Kichikawa (100 G, 29 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 28 RBI, .347/.387/.461, +1.9 WAR), 1B Gene Nichols (79 G, 19 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 51 RBI, .301/.377/.524, +1.9 WAR), and LF Juan Pérez (78 G, 14 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 44 RBI, .295/.357/.455, +1.3 WAR) are the key pieces powering the Tulsa offense that ranks about the middle in the Baxter League.
Pitching has ranked higher than offense in regards to the league. Standing out is CL Diego Álvarez (25 G, 4-1, 12 SV, 25.2 IP, 2.10 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, +1.0 WAR) who has already moved up to AA Weymouth. P Tommy Anderson (20 G, 2-3, 10 SV, 26.2, 2.02 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, +0.8 WAR) has also moved up while Ben Leppert (19 G, 2 GS, 4-0, 1 SV, 2.06 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, +1.1 WAR) and SP Jack McNeil (11 G, 11 GS, 5-4, 65.0 IP, 2.49 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, +2.2 WAR) stick out on the stat sheet.
HOT SPRINGS GATORS 53 23 .697 - GB - WGBHot Springs finished the season with the 2nd best record in the Mainland Division of SL2 and are awaiting the Santo Domingo Sea Turtles in the first round of the Supremacy Series.
MAZATLAN GUARDAFOROS 34 34 .500 11 GB 10 WGB
Even though the Guardaforos played .500 ball this season it was not good enough for a spot in the Spike Nolan League playoffs that are ongoing now.
Players hopped pretty frequently between the two short-season leagues and there were a lot of solid contributors. LF Alika Tai, LF Per-Johan Mikkelsson, 1B Steve Koch, 2B Reed Poulin, 3B Anupama Kedarnath, and CF Jacob Johnson stand out amongst the two squads.
SP/CF Ignacio Lewis is a two-way player that has contributed most on the pitching side with a 1.57 ERA in 6 starts and 34.1 IP with a +1.3 WAR. Other key pitching pieces include: SP Juan Hernández, SP Umar bin Riyad, P Manuel Martínez, and P Ramiro Muñóz.
Boise's is not a deep minor league system, but the pieces fell together across the organization this year. With all but one affiliate in the postseason, that will hopefully yield young talent dividends in the next 2-3 seasons.