4 June 2063
Boise, Idaho
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by Tony Toney
May was a very disappointing month with Boise going 11-18 (recap) and the culprit was clearly the offense. The Grigg will suppress batting avg but it is a serious issue at this point. Only 3 players are near or over .800 OPS and one of them is a backup. The good news is that nearly all of the struggling hitters have a history that points to them correcting the ship as the summer progresses. The top four pitchers in the rotation were nearly spectacular in May but the 5th spot was a problem. The bullpen was actually spectacular. The Spuds allowed 4.7 runs per game and when you're giving up those runs you want your offense landing at least close to break even. Oh, you summer child. Boise posted just 3.9 r/g. The team delivered enough slugging, even if it was gap oriented rather than HR, but couldn't get on base or deliver hits at a high click.
SPUDS OF THE MONTH - APRIL
Pitcher
SP Josh 'Kid' Clark
12 G, 12 GS, 6-2, 3.25 ERA, 72.0 IP, 3.7 K/BB, 1.28 WHIP, +1.6 WAR
The bullpen got off to a great start to the season and it continued in May. P Samir Qasim is off to a strong 2063. In May he had 10 appearances picking up a win and 2 saves in 2 opps, threw 12 innings, and posted an 0.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts while giving up 5 walks. Máximo Rivera is off to an outstanding start in his rookie campaign making 7 appearances in May tossing 10.2 innings posting a 1.69 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, and 9.28 K/9. He's going to always struggle with giving up walks but he needs to reign in a 5.1 BB/9. CL Mario Santos appeared in 8 games going 12.1 innings converting 2 saves and posting a 1.46 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 8.8 K/9. Changing the focus to the rotation SP 'Furball' Einan made 5 starts going 2-3, throwing 29.2 innings, delivering a 3.03 ERA, allowing only 3 hits. He did have a negative K/BB and that's concerning. But 'Kid' Clark was everything advertised. He made 6 starts in May going 4-1 tossing 39.0 innings booking a 2.31 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 6.7 K/9 with a 1.4 BB/9, and +0.9 WAR in just one month.
Batter
1B William Coleman
46 G, 7 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 24 RBI, .242/.285/.458 (.743 OPS), 1 SB, +0.2 WAR
Did we mention it was a miserable May for the offense? Only 2 players posted a +.800 OPS (with a 3rd having .798). 3B Bill Kuhn was the one with the almost .800 OPS in May posting a slash of .253/.358/.440 with 3 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, and 12 RBI. RF Tsutomu Yamauchi logged 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, and 13 RBI on a .247/.295/.464 slash. But we'll go with the rookie who boosted his stats in the month delivering 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, and 14 RBI (the most on the team) with a slash of .263/.322/.525.
May: SP Josh 'Kid' Clark, 1B William Coleman
Sim #9: SP Thomas Turner, 3B Zhi-fu 'Doctor' Huang
Sim #8: SP Mahad 'Furball' Einan, RF Tsutomu Yamauchi
Sim #7: SP Josh 'Kid' Clark, 1B William Coleman
Sim #6: P Juan Guzmán, C Tadanobu Otani
Sim #5: SP Josh 'Kid' Clark, CF Amphibian 'Toad' Johnson
April: P Samir Qasim, 1B Tracy 'Jigga' Allison
Sim #4: P Tim Stops, 1B Tracy 'Jigga' Allison
Sim #3: SP Thomas Turner, 1B William Coleman
Sim #2: P Samir Qasim, SS Dan Raymond
Sim #1: P Josh 'Kid' Clark, LF Cosmo Pan