This is the eighth LMS championship for the Hustlers, and the fifth in the "new era" of the MBWBA.
As usual, it was the Hustlers dominant pitching that led them to this title:
Christopher "Trooper" Stoller went 21-5, 2.36 ERA in route to winning the Frick League Steve Nebraska Award, the third consecutive year he's done so. He now has 245 career wins and is still just 34 years old.TEAM PITCHING STATS & RANKINGS
Earned Run Average 3.35 - 1st in FL
Starters' ERA 3.14 - 1st in FL
Bullpen ERA 3.95 - 5th in FL
Runs allowed 587 - 1st in FL
Hits allowed 1406 - 1st in FL
Opponents AVG .251 - 1st in FL
BABIP .303 - 3rd in FL
Home Runs allowed 125 - 1st in FL
Bases-On-Balls 376 - 1st in FL
Strikeouts 1246 - 1st in FL
Davey Acheson was 19-8, 2.91; while "#3" starter Kim Rodas was 20-8, 3.40. This was the first time in Rodas' career that he'd won 20 games.
Rookie left-hander Perry Eccles was a revelation this year. He was 15-8, 3.43 ERA and finished 2nd (behind CLG's Terry Cochran) in the voting for Frick League Gillstrom Award (for top newcomer).
Eccles emergence bumped veteran Francisco Lueras (12-11, 4.10) to the #5 spot and bullpen duty in the playoffs. The Hustlers have a decision to make as Lueras is still in arbitration, and his salary is expected to rise by probably another million dollars. The Hustlers will offer him arbitration, but could look to move him in an offseason trade. Davis Gordon, a career minor leaguer who pitched a four hit shutout on the seasons final day in his major league debut, could be a candidate to replace him; as could veteran reliever Dale Harper.
Closer Paul Hogan survived a mid-season slump to post 39 saves. He was named to the All-Star team for the 2nd time in his career, and now has 250 career saves at age 29.
The Hustlers bullpen in general was good, but not great. There will be some changes in the offseason. The Hustlers are not expected to offer arbitration to Dan Bernard (1-5, 4.72) as his salary would eclipse $2M in arbitration.
Offensively, the Hustlers had much less power than usual but in general overcame that to put together an effective offense:
Roman Empire, as expected, was the top offensive performer. He batted .320/.434/.471 with 19 HR and 100 RBI. His 123 walks were by far a career high, and he won a Zimmer Glove Award for his work at 3B.TEAM BATTING STATS & RANKINGS
Batting Average .282 - 4th in FL
On-Base Percentage .352 - 4th in FL
Slugging Percentage .433 - 5th in FL
On-Base + Slugging .785 - 4th in FL
Runs Scored 852 - 3rd in FL
Hits 1606 - 5th in FL
Extra-Base Hits 488 - 9th in FL
Home Runs 163 - 7th in FL
Bases-On-Balls 592 - 3rd in FL
Strikeouts 1011 - 2nd in FL
Stolen Bases 96 - 4th in FL
In his first year as a full time player, left fielder Joe Garland did hit .273 with 25 HR and 106 RBI. Much more is expected from Garland as he now enters the prime years of his career and more and more he'll be looked at to be a consistent performer.
Acquired at the end of Spring Training, Tim Wallace was an afterthought, but he quickly seized most of the playing time in right field and damned near won the Gillstrom Award (he finished third, right behind teammate Eccles). 23 HR and 36 SB make Wallace a very valuable player, if only a platoon player.
Wallace's emergence allowed veteran Ross White to age gracefully mostly as designated hitter. Not the same White at all, he still managed to hit 23 HR and drive in 86. 2009 will be White's last contract year with the Hustlers, at which point he'll have to decide whether to retire gracefully or try to keep playing. White's Hall of Fame credentials seem solid at this point.
Roark Dempsey batted .275 with 6 HR and 63 RBI, but it's not his offense that keeps him in the lineup everyday. He won the Zimmer Award for catcher for the third time in his career (2nd in a row).
While Joshua Carruthers is a fine shortstop (+4.5 ZR), he'll have to improve his offense next season to keep his job (.267, .303 OBP).
Larry Wilkes was acquired to play first base, and he fared well (.297, 17 HR, 77 RBI) as well as starring in the postseason (.360, 3 HR, 8 RBI). He's a free agent, however, and he'll be allowed to explore the market. The Hustlers are interested in taking a look at minor leaguers Greg Sharp and Jacob Brown.
Veteran 2B Donald Noboru had an injury plagued season, and the worst season of his career. He's been mentioned as a possible trade candidate.
Center field is in flux. Veteran Jeff Washington remains a plus defender, though scouts seem to think his already limited offense might be slipping. Rookie Evan Grant got some playing time down the stretch and in the playoffs and impressed with his bat and glove. Can he hit enough to play regularly on a long term basis? We'll find out.
Many questions need to be answered going into the 2009 season for the Hustlers, but again: as long as they have Stoller, Acheson and Rodas (and heck, now throw Eccles into this as well), they're going to be in the mix for a title annually.
