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California Kodiaks (90-72) - Porter Division Champion
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
- Porter Owners - Let me just say what a pleasure it has been to manage against the other Porter owners, Bradz, Elprez and MattG. All three of you guys have been great to play against and I look forward to building strong bonds and even stronger rivalries as the years move on.
- Back to Back Porter Champions - I never thought my organization would get this far. You all know what a mess I took over in 1982, and to this day we still boast the worst winning percentage in league history (only team still under 40%) so for us to win back to back Porter Championships is a dream come true!
- Starters - I won this year based on the strength of my starting pitching, which was the best in the BLB this year. While I love Wilkerson, I love the fact that my staff is made up of mostly unknowns (at least, to the rest of the league) who came together to be the very best staff in the game. Escarcaga, Toapanta, McMurdo, Lopez... and oh yeah, that Wilkerson guy, here's to you!
- Robby Shannon - What more can be said about the guy? He missed out on having becoming the very first ever BLB Triple Crown winner by .0005 batting average points. To be that close and watch him miss out is a huge bummer, but I won't forget what an awesome season he had.
- The Pen - This part of my team is my pride and joy! While we finished around 4th or 5th in Bullpen ERA this year, the innings these guys put in were invaluable to the success of the 1987 Kodiaks. The reason I'm so proud of these guys is due to the fact that I have been crafting this group for years. Of the current six members of the pen, only two were actually drafted by me, Julin Rodrguez and Bing-de She. The rest of the pen has all been carefully selected through trades,
1982 - Jake Fredrick - Los Alamos (A)
1983 - Wayne Smith - Dallas (A)
1984 - Romn Magueu - Davenport (BLB)
1986 - Joe Negron - Virginia (BLB)
These are 'my' guys because I actively went after each player... and I think you always pull for the guys you put your neck on the line to pick up.
- Harry Elliott - Harry was a midseason pickup with Wilmington when I swapped Joe Lavadie and a pick for Harry. Harry offered exactly what I was hoping he would in a steady lead off hitter that got on base and worked the pitcher. In the end, Elliott broke the single season walk record with 138. Congrats.
- Overall Team Health - We were very lucky this year to avoid any major injuries to key players (knock on wood). Outside of Victoro Daz I am having trouble coming up with a injury that lasted longer than a month... like I said, we're very lucky.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
- Victoro Daz - After a promising 1986 campaign where the then 22 year old went 12-7 with a 3.31 ERA, Daz suffered two major injuries this past season and as a result has dropped in his ratings. What once what a mid rotation anchor that I was counting on for years to come will now be a potential 5th starter next year.
- Alberto Grandon - Sad, sad story here. After two great years in California, Grandon fell off the map this year. Much like Nick Arce and Henry Stafford before him, Grandon was hit with a sudden drop in production that he will most likely never recover from. The four time all-star hit under .200 this year and now entering him prime at 29 is nothing more than a wasted spot on the Kodiaks bench.
- Mark Steward - After a fantastic debut as a Kodiak in 1985, Steward has taken a step back each of the last two years. He hit under .250 this year and only had marginal pop. I will say that I was impressed with how well Steward handled himself after shifting over to 3B after Grandon blew up, but in the end, Steward just didn't cut it this year. After suffering a injury to end the year, he also lost a point in contact. He'll probably never be a big time player again.
OUTLOOK FOR 1988
If Opening Day 1988 were tomorrow, the Kodiaks would look a light different than they do now:
Lineup:
1) ? (?) - Most likely Dupuis (CF)
2) Good/Stewart/Bermeo (2B)
3) Austin (C)
4) Shannon (1B)
5) Compres (RF)
6) Good/Stewart/Bermeo (3B)
7) Gilbertson (LF)
8) Mendez (SS)
9) -Pitcher-
Rotation:
- Wilkerson
- Toapanta
- Escarcaga
- Lopez/Snow/Daz
- Daz/Snow/Lopez
Bullpen:
- Fredrick
- Smith
- de She
- Negron
- Rodrguez (S/U)
- Simonds (Closer) - Will be traded for this off-season
So, quite a few changes will be made to this team to try and keep them competitive. I think we can continue to compete... only time will tell.
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
- Porter Owners - Let me just say what a pleasure it has been to manage against the other Porter owners, Bradz, Elprez and MattG. All three of you guys have been great to play against and I look forward to building strong bonds and even stronger rivalries as the years move on.
- Back to Back Porter Champions - I never thought my organization would get this far. You all know what a mess I took over in 1982, and to this day we still boast the worst winning percentage in league history (only team still under 40%) so for us to win back to back Porter Championships is a dream come true!
- Starters - I won this year based on the strength of my starting pitching, which was the best in the BLB this year. While I love Wilkerson, I love the fact that my staff is made up of mostly unknowns (at least, to the rest of the league) who came together to be the very best staff in the game. Escarcaga, Toapanta, McMurdo, Lopez... and oh yeah, that Wilkerson guy, here's to you!
- Robby Shannon - What more can be said about the guy? He missed out on having becoming the very first ever BLB Triple Crown winner by .0005 batting average points. To be that close and watch him miss out is a huge bummer, but I won't forget what an awesome season he had.
- The Pen - This part of my team is my pride and joy! While we finished around 4th or 5th in Bullpen ERA this year, the innings these guys put in were invaluable to the success of the 1987 Kodiaks. The reason I'm so proud of these guys is due to the fact that I have been crafting this group for years. Of the current six members of the pen, only two were actually drafted by me, Julin Rodrguez and Bing-de She. The rest of the pen has all been carefully selected through trades,
1982 - Jake Fredrick - Los Alamos (A)
1983 - Wayne Smith - Dallas (A)
1984 - Romn Magueu - Davenport (BLB)
1986 - Joe Negron - Virginia (BLB)
These are 'my' guys because I actively went after each player... and I think you always pull for the guys you put your neck on the line to pick up.
- Harry Elliott - Harry was a midseason pickup with Wilmington when I swapped Joe Lavadie and a pick for Harry. Harry offered exactly what I was hoping he would in a steady lead off hitter that got on base and worked the pitcher. In the end, Elliott broke the single season walk record with 138. Congrats.
- Overall Team Health - We were very lucky this year to avoid any major injuries to key players (knock on wood). Outside of Victoro Daz I am having trouble coming up with a injury that lasted longer than a month... like I said, we're very lucky.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
- Victoro Daz - After a promising 1986 campaign where the then 22 year old went 12-7 with a 3.31 ERA, Daz suffered two major injuries this past season and as a result has dropped in his ratings. What once what a mid rotation anchor that I was counting on for years to come will now be a potential 5th starter next year.
- Alberto Grandon - Sad, sad story here. After two great years in California, Grandon fell off the map this year. Much like Nick Arce and Henry Stafford before him, Grandon was hit with a sudden drop in production that he will most likely never recover from. The four time all-star hit under .200 this year and now entering him prime at 29 is nothing more than a wasted spot on the Kodiaks bench.
- Mark Steward - After a fantastic debut as a Kodiak in 1985, Steward has taken a step back each of the last two years. He hit under .250 this year and only had marginal pop. I will say that I was impressed with how well Steward handled himself after shifting over to 3B after Grandon blew up, but in the end, Steward just didn't cut it this year. After suffering a injury to end the year, he also lost a point in contact. He'll probably never be a big time player again.
OUTLOOK FOR 1988
If Opening Day 1988 were tomorrow, the Kodiaks would look a light different than they do now:
Lineup:
1) ? (?) - Most likely Dupuis (CF)
2) Good/Stewart/Bermeo (2B)
3) Austin (C)
4) Shannon (1B)
5) Compres (RF)
6) Good/Stewart/Bermeo (3B)
7) Gilbertson (LF)
8) Mendez (SS)
9) -Pitcher-
Rotation:
- Wilkerson
- Toapanta
- Escarcaga
- Lopez/Snow/Daz
- Daz/Snow/Lopez
Bullpen:
- Fredrick
- Smith
- de She
- Negron
- Rodrguez (S/U)
- Simonds (Closer) - Will be traded for this off-season
So, quite a few changes will be made to this team to try and keep them competitive. I think we can continue to compete... only time will tell.
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