While the 2040 season was less than memorable for players and fans alike, there were notable performances from Boise down through the minor league levels. As of print, superstar
Dennis French was leading in voting by the narrowest of margins for the Johnson League Sawyer Silk Award. French, who may or may not have won the Frick League Silk Award in 2039, played even better in 2040, leading all of baseball in WAR and leading the league in hits and doubles and claiming the batting title with a .369 average. French was named to the All-Star team for a fourth straight season and won his third-straight Charles Puckett Award as the best CF in his league. It was only a formality that French was named the
Most Valuable Potato of 2040 as the Spuds top player, his fourth straight such honor.
With Boise's pitching struggling all year and finishing near the league's bottom of every category, finding a standout wasn't easy. Off-season acquisition
Celio Marin improved on his down 2039, but his 10-17 record and sub-par ERA wasn't enough to garner any awards. Third-year swingman
Dave Walsh was relatively solid all year, finishing the season with a 4-4 record with 10 saves and a 2.95 ERA. Walsh's WHIP of 0.95 lead the team and had an impressive K to BB ratio over 4.0. Because of his stability in a tumultuous pitching staff, Walsh was rewarded as Boise's
Pitcher of the Year for 2040.
All is not grim for the Spud faithful. The team's two best prospects heading into the year,
Félix Román and
Motonobu Yamashita, both made the starting lineup out of spring and performed with glowing reviews and equal performance. Boise's front office will expect the same from
Ricardo Ruíz, the toolsy 22-year-old left fielder. After a strong Winter League performance in 2039, Ruíz was promoted to Triple-A and spent the entire year in Salt Lake City as the team's clean-up hitter, resulting in a slash line of .327/.364/.587. Additionally, the Venezuelan prospect chipped in with 17 stolen bases and excellent defense. Many are excited to see how soon Ruīz will get the call up to Boise, joining French and Román as one of the more formidable outfields in the entire league. For his efforts, Ruíz is the organization's
Minor League Player of the Year for 2040.
* * * * *
BOISE SPUDS TEAM ALMANAC
YEAR | MOST VALUABLE POTATO | STATS |
2035 | Ken Gerhart III | .259/.326/.522, 41 HR, 2.2 WAR |
2036 | Yunosuke Terada | .274/.378/.646, 31 HR, 3.2 WAR |
2037 | Dennis French | .293/.333/.477, 16 HR, 16 SB, 2.7 WAR |
2038 | Dennis French | .369/.410/.598, 22 HR, 23 SB, 6.4 WAR |
2039 | Dennis French | .352/.397/.596, 33 HR, 49 SB, 8.1 WAR |
2040 | Dennis French | .369/.410/.648, 33 HR, 35 SB, 8.3 WAR | |
YEAR | PITCHER OF THE YEAR | STATS |
2035 | Caleb Benavides | 7-9, 3.34 ERA, 28 SV, 2.0 WAR |
2036 | Maxence Mace | 14-13, 3.95 ERA, 4.7 WAR |
2037 | Maxim Makin | 11-8, 4.06 ERA, 2.2 WAR |
2038 | Dave Walsh | 12-4, 2.67 ERA, 17 SV, 2.8 WAR |
2039 | Pancho German | 17-8, 3.97 ERA, 4.8 WAR | |
2040 | Dave Walsh | 4-4, 2.95 ERA, 10 SV, 1.8 WAR | |
YEAR | MiL PLAYER OF THE YEAR | STATS |
2035 | Yunosuke Terada (AAA) | .306/.414/.663, 46 HR, 91 BB, 7.1 WAR |
2036 | Pedro Diaz (AA) | .277/.381/.603, 43 HR, 113 RBI, 5.4 WAR |
2037 | Matabei Kokawa (S-A) | .285/.401/.623, 19 HR, 3.1 WAR |
2038 | Jim Des Jardien (AA) | .267/.386/.529, 40 HR, 104 BB, 4.8 WAR |
2039 | Felix Roman (AA) | .300/.366/.646, 43 HR, 91 RBI, 7.3 WAR | |
2040 | Ricardo Ruiz (AAA) | .327/.364/.587, 27 HR, 97 RBI, 4.6 WAR |
YEAR | LEAGUE AWARDS |
2035 | - - - |
2036 | - - - | |
2037 | Claudio Perez (Frick Zimmer Diamond Glove, C) |
2038 | Pancho German (Frick Zimmer Diamond Glove, P), Yunosuke Terada (Frick Zimmer Diamond Glove, 1B), Yunosuke Terada (Frick Comeback Player), Yunosuke Terada (Frick Puckett Golden Bat, 1B), Joaquin Torres (Frick Zimmer Diamond Glove, SS), Dennis French (Frick Puckett Golden Bat, CF) |
2039 | Dennis French (Frick Sawyer Silk MVP*), Dennis French (Frick Puckett Golden Bat, CF) | |
2040 | Dennis French (Johnson Sawyer Silk MVP), Dennis French (Johnson Puckett Golden Bat, CF), Felix Roman (Johnson Zimmer Diamond Glove, RF) |