Shorebird of the year – a season wrapup

Tonight I’ll close the book on the Shorebirds season by reviewing the numbers and also taking a look at how the players I selected as Shorebird of the Week fared, and, of course, select my pick for Shorebird of the Year.

First of all, the final Standings Report.

The Shorebirds finished the second half on a 5 game losing streak, with four of those coming at the hands of the Hagerstown Suns across the Chesapeake. As a result, Hagerstown passed us and Delmarva brought up the rear in the SAL North with a 27-42 second half record, 19 1/2 back of Lakewood, who won the half with a solid 47-23 record. What I’ve done is laid out the overall season records of each team in the 16 team league in order of finish. The parenthesis afterward indicate their finish in each half. An asterisk indicates the team is with the Shorebirds in the North Division.

1. Augusta 92-47 (2,1)
2. Lakewood* 84-55 (4,1)
3. Charleston 78-62 (3,3)
4. West Virginia* 74-62 (2,2)
5. Lexington* 75-63 (1,6)
6. Asheville 74-63 (5,2)
7. Columbus 72-68 (4,4)
8. Rome 71-68 (1,6)
9. Greensboro* 68-69 (5,5)
10. Hickory* 67-70 (6,4)
11. Greenville 67-73 (6,5)
12. DELMARVA* 64-73 (3,8)
13. Lake County* 64-74 (7,3)
14. Hagerstown* 58-82 (8,7)
15. Savannah 56-83 (7,7)
16. Kannapolis 42-94 (8,8)

Ironically, last season Kannapolis was the league champion (over Hagerstown) and this season both are among the bottom feeders. Had the standings been kept for a full season, Kannapolis would’ve finished a whopping 48 1/2 games out.

As an aggregate we finished 19 games behind Lakewood, who would have won a full-season title by 8 1/2 games over West Virginia, bridesmaid in both halves. But the BlueClaws get to square off against Lexington instead for the North title. The South Division playoff features the Rome Braves against the Augusta Greenjackets. The Greenjackets were runner-up to Rome in the first half but blew away the South in the second half. Despite the fact that the playoffs are set so the first-half winners have home field advantage, the pitching of both Lakewood and Augusta should carry them through to a pretty good matchup for the SAL title. If Augusta plays like they did when I saw them here, though, the Greenjackets should master the BlueClaws and take that colorful matchup.

If you look at the numbers, what most likely killed the Shorebirds this season was ineptitude at the plate. They had an aggregate batting average of .237 which was dead last in the league, and a full 40 points behind West Virginia, the squad with the best average. Some of Delmarva’s other team offensive rankings:

Runs scored: 582 (4.25 per game), 12th
Doubles: 231, 8th
Triples: 27, 11th
Home Runs: 79, tied for 12th
Walks: 534, 2nd (Columbus led with 569)
Strikeouts: 1,068 (3rd)
Stolen Bases: 101 (12th)
On-base percentage: .325 (10th)
Slugging percentage (total bases/at-bats) .355 (14th)
OPS (total of on-base and slugging percentages) .680 (13th)

All in all, they had an anemic and punchless offense this season, which did them in on a number of occasions.

On the other hand, the pitching was great for the first half of the season but faded toward the end. The Shorebirds finished 8th in the league in total ERA with a 3.76 mark. Lakewood paced the circuit with a solid 3.10 ERA, which is the reason they’re in the playoffs. Other pitching rankings among the SAL teams:

With just 4 shutouts, Delmarva outpaced only Hickory (who had 2) in the category.
Saves: 36, 6th
Runs allowed: 623 (4.56 per game), 10th
Home Runs allowed: 76, tied for 3rd
Walks allowed: 471, 9th
Strikeouts: 1015, 10th
WHIP (walks+hits/innings pitched) 1.37, tied for 9th

Aside from the stinginess of our pitchers in giving up the longball (which may be a factor of Perdue Stadium), our pitching faded at the end into mediocrity. Both categories quickly explain why Delmarva wasn’t much of a factor in the SAL this season.

Looking ahead to 2007, we may get some help. While Bluefield (the Orioles Appalachian League rookie team) only finished 31-38 (8th in the 10 team league), Aberdeen (Baltimore’s Class A Short Season club) finished 41-34 and tonight’s loss (along with a comeback win by Brooklyn) cost them the wild-card berth in the NY-Penn League.

During the season, each Thursday I selected a Shorebird of the Week, in total 22 players were honored. Here’s a rundown of how they fared on the season.

April 6: Josh Potter

Potter spent the full season in a Shorebirds uniform as he did in 2005. For the year, the Pennsylvania native made 42 appearances with one start, posting a 4-8 overall record with a solid 3.04 ERA and 2 saves. Most importantly, he walked only 34 in 91 2/3 innings while striking out 70. Potter will turn 24 just before next season, hopefully 2 good Delmarva seasons will get him up the ladder for 2007.

April 13: Arturo Rivas

A fan favorite, Rivas batted .257 in 93 games with Delmarva before being called up to Frederick. In 35 games with the Keys he actually hit better, a .275 mark. Arturo ended up among the Delmarva team leaders in RBI despite only being here about 2/3 of the season, collecting 42 RBI’s and 5 home runs. The Venezuela native turns 23 during the off season, so starting 2007 in Frederick would probably be right in line with his development.

April 20: Lorenzo Scott

Scott’s 29 stolen bases paced the team, but one thing he’ll have to work on for a chance in 2007 is making better contact – 140 strikeouts is far too many for a leadoff hitter (although he also walked 60 times, which was second on the team.) Toward the end of the season Scott usually batted in the 9th spot.

Lorenzo finished with a .258 average in 113 games, with 4 home runs and 32 RBI. The onetime Ball State Cardinal will turn 25 about the start of spring training, which means he may or may not get that chance at another Delmarva season. It may come down to one final shot for him to maintain his career come March.

April 27: David Hernandez

One of a crop of young Delmarva starters with good stuff, David was among those pitchers who seemed to tire in the second half of the season as the innings mounted. Hernandez ended up leading the team with 145 1/3 innings pitched in 28 starts. He also was responsible for the most “K”‘s being plastered on the board with 154 (4th in the SAL.) David’s record on the season was a somewhat deceptive 7-8 and he finished with a 4.15 ERA. The only concerns for the Orioles brass would be walks and longballs – David had the second-most on the team in each category, walking 71 and giving up 13 home runs. But he won’t turn 22 until May of next year, so another half-season in Delmarva wouldn’t hurt in getting him valuable experience.

May 4: Chorye Spoone

The second of three young Shorebird starters I selected as SotW, this 20 year old (turns 21 a week from Saturday) also had a team high 7 wins but 9 losses. Similarly to Hernandez, the Maryland native tired after the All-Star break, going from a excellent 2.33 ERA before to a 4.56 ERA afterward (overall his ERA was a respectable 3.56.) Spoone was the pitcher who allowed the most walks on the team (80 in 129 innings) so he needs to work on control for next year. I’m guessing he’ll be a mainstay of Delmarva’s 2007 pitching staff.

May 11: Kyle Dahlberg

The stocky backstop just did hit his weight this season (he’s listed at 6′-3″ and 211) as he managed a .218 average in 71 games. Kyle split catching duties with a number of players this season, mainly Brandon Snyder in the first half of the year and Zach Dillon toward the end. But he ended up leading that group in games and at-bats. While the average may not seem like too much, bear in mind that Dahlberg hit just .174 for Aberdeen in 2005 so maybe another season in Delmarva for the 23 year old (24 just after Opening Day) could start him hitting enough to move up the chain.

May 18: Mark Fleisher

If nothing else, Mark has the most vocal fans (or at least fan) of any player. Even on the radio broadcasts from Hagerstown, I’d hear the yell, “Come on Mark!” But Fleisher put together a pretty good 2006, he was right up among team leaders in most of the offensive categories. For the season he batted .261 with 16 homers and 67 RBI, and showed a good eye at the plate, striking out just 84 times in 421 at-bats. Mark was especially good after the All-Star break with a .275 average, 9 homers and 38 RBI. Since he’ll just turn 23 in a few days, I think he’ll have a pretty good chance of seeing Frederick sometime in 2007 – the question is whether we’ll see much of him in Delmarva. Just work a little bit on that fielding.

May 25: Brandon Snyder

Perhaps it may have been a little bit too much to live up to. Brandon started the season here but after the All-Star break the #1 Oriole pick in the 2005 draft found himself sent down to Aberdeen. To make matters worse, he’s spent time on the disabled list at both stops. Thus, 2006 was sort of a lost season for Brandon.

With the Shorebirds he hit just .194 in 38 games, with 3 home runs and 20 RBI while striking out 55 times in 144 at-bats. He fared better in Aberdeen, hitting .234 in 34 games. While it could have been in the Orioles’ plans to send the 19 year old prospect down once Aberdeen got its season going, I’m sure they would’ve liked to see him with about 350 at-bats or so in maybe 110-120 games.

Hopefully 2007 will finally be a full season for Brandon and I think the Shorebird fans will be reacquainted with him come April.

June 1: Brandon Erbe

The youngest of the SotW starters’ trio, Brandon was treated with kid gloves this year. While he made all but one appearance as part of the regular pitching rotation, I don’t recall him going more than 5 innings in a start and by the end of the season he was going just three or four. But I predicted not much more than 100 innings for the 18 year old, and he finished at 114 2/3 for the season. Quite possibly the talent may be worth the special care for the Orioles though, as he struck out 133, walked only 47, gave up just 2 home runs, and allowed only 88 hits. Outstanding numbers that a 5-9 season record fails to show, but a 3.22 ERA does give a clue to. Like the others, Brandon fell off his terrific first half numbers as the season ground on, going from a 2.34 ERA in the first half to a 4.25 mark in the second. Erbe is probably one of (if not the best) pitching prospects the Orioles have so hopefully you saw him this season.

June 8: Juan Gutierrez

In 2005, Juan put together a nice campaign for the Shorebirds and he was expected to mentor the younger catchers when the Orioles placed him back here for another season. Unfortunately, this season was one of regression for Juan and quite possibly may have been his swan song in the pro ranks. While he did shine in a brief callup to Frederick (.387 in 10 games) Gutierrez had a disastrous offensive season with Delmarva, hitting just .162 in 67 ballgames. Even worse, he managed just a .129 mark after the All-Star break. In the world of pro baseball, a 25 year old player who isn’t hitting low-A pitching is likely looking for work. You have to hope that he stays in the game somehow, but I’m afraid his playing days are done.

June 15: Brad Bergesen

When healthy, Bergesen was as solid as any of the other starting pitchers Delmarva sent out; in fact, of the group he likely had the most pinpoint control – allowing just 10 walks in 86 1/3 innings. But Bergesen lost two large chunks of the season to various maladies and that put a damper on what was otherwise a decent season. Bergesen finished 5-4 with a 4.27 ERA and typical of a pitcher who stays around the plate, gave up 97 hits in that 86 1/3 innings. Fortunately, he also has age on his side, as he’ll only turn 21 this month. Brad is another pitcher who I’m thinking the Shorebirds will be counting on in 2007, at least to begin the season.

June 22: C.J. Smith

C.J. was a player who played here in 2005 and went to extended spring training this season, but upon his return to Delmarva couldn’t find either consistent playing time or his hitting groove. After a forgettable 36 games where he batted just .183 with a homer and 12 RBI’s, the Orioles organization let him go. However, the 24 year old native of Florida did latch on with the St. Louis organization, where he toiled for a team called the Swing of the Quad Cities. There he did a little better, batting .237 in 25 games. More importantly, he improved his OPS from an anemic .550 with the ‘Birds to a more respectable .728 mark. (SAL average is about .700 for that stat.) Whether the signing by the Cardinals organization was just to fill a need or if he’s gained back a little bit of prospect status remains to be seen (C.J. was a 5th round pick by the O’s in 2004.) But it’s unlikely we’ll see him playing in Perdue again.

June 29: Quincy Ascencion

“Q” is another fan favorite who was rewarded by being selected to the league’s All-Star team this past June. What surprised me in looking up his numbers was the fact he stole 14 bases, he’s more fleet of foot than I would’ve guessed. But Quincy had a nice season here, hitting .260 in exactly 400 at-bats. While he hit no home runs on the season, he did show enough line-drive power to finish third among the Shorebirds with 27 doubles. And with the exceptions of the bagel in the home run total and two fewer steals, Quincy managed to improve upon his 2005 numbers so it’s possible he’ll get a shot at playing in Frederick next season. Since he’ll be 24 by then, it may be up to the Orioles to test him at a higher level since he’s played two full seasons at Delmarva.

July 6: Ryan Steinbach

Honestly, I was surprised Ryan didn’t do better this season at either stop. In the times I saw him, he looked like a pretty decent player. But the numbers weren’t there – he hit just .217 in 60 at-bats here and only .156 in 19 games at Frederick. Turns out it’s a real possibility I may have seen his one and only pro home run here back in August as he dropped one just over the M & T Bank sign. He ended the season with the Keys going 5 for his last 17 but striking out 8 times in that period as well. The one thing he did well for the Shorebirds – he walked 17 times in his brief stay, which gave him a .397 on-base percentage despite the .217 batting mark.

July 13: Trevor Caughey

Trevor, we hardly knew ya. He literally made his last appearance for the Shorebirds the day before I picked him as SotW. I believe he’s been let go by the Orioles organization but the Minor League Baseball website still shows him as active. Pitching just 5 1/3 innings for Delmarva, he finished with a 6.75 ERA, most of the damage being done in one terrible outing against Lakewood where he gave up 4 runs and walked 3 in 2/3 of an inning. But he wasn’t doing well at Frederick either, showing a 5.50 ERA in 36 innings spread over 25 appearances. He struck out 37 but gave up 8 gopherballs, which likely was his downfall.

July 20: Zack Dillon

One of the few second-half additions that made a positive impact, Zack became a regular at catcher and when he was rested from duties behind the dish, he usually was placed in the DH slot. 2006 marked the pro debut for Zack (who played college ball at Baylor), and he did quite well, hitting .262 with 3 homers and 21 RBI in 54 games here. Especially to his liking was Perdue Stadium, he hit .288 here but .239 elsewhere in the SAL. He can be forgiven for tailing off at the end of the season, as he finished the campaign mired in a 3-for-23 slump that dropped his final average 20 points. I think Zack will begin the 2007 season here sharing time with Brandon Snyder at catcher but getting those extra plate appearances as the DH. It’s sort of unusual for a 20th round pick to start at this level, but Zack did a nice job.

July 27: Blake Davis

Blake is another Shorebird who went from college campus to Perdue Stadium, after finishing at Cal State-Fullerton and getting selected in the 4th round by the O’s he made his pro debut here July 11, a game I attended. I seem to recall he booted his first chance at shortstop (one of 17 errors he committed in 50 games) but at the plate he was among the leaders, hitting .271 with 3 homers and 20 RBI, and swiping 9 bases. With the advanced placement, he may get a shot at jumping to Frederick quickly (if not before) next season based on these numbers and the regard they place him as a 4th round selection.

August 3: Vito Chiaravalotti

Vito was likely the closest thing to an overnight sensation that the Shorebirds had this year. Acquired from the Blue Jays organization in July, Vito wowed the fans with what seemed like nightly moon shots that majestically soared well out of Perdue Stadium. He was here for just 28 games and collected 27 RBI in that span, hitting .262 and 8 longballs during his month or so stay. But the longball magic seems to be limited to Delmarva. When Vito was picked up by the Baltimore organization, he was hitting only .190 in 42 games at AA New Hampshire. Drop him down two levels and he crushes the pitching.

But with Frederick he hit a horrid 3-for-40 (.075) without a home run. For the season as a whole, just a .201 average. While Vito was a great find for the month we had him, it’s not likely that a guy who turns 26 in October will be playing pro ball much longer.

August 10: Jarod Rine

Jarod might be another player on the last stop of his pro career. You know, I always hope that players who are sent down can find that spark that sends them back on their way up the organizational ladder, but even being picked as SotW did nothing to enhance Jarod’s chances. Following up a .213 average in 70 games in Frederick by hitting only .155 here doesn’t do much for career longevity. Compounding that was the .209 mark Jarod posted last season for the Keys. There’s no doubt Jarod is speedy (21 stolen bases each of the last two seasons) but in baseball you rarely can steal first and that’s likely Jarod’s downfall – at 24 (25 in November) it wouldn’t be a surprise to find the Orioles cutting him loose, even though he was a 9th round draftee.

August 17: Jon Tucker

Jon was the batter who had the highest average for Delmarva, hitting .280 in his 261 at-bats with the Shorebirds. He briefly made it up to Frederick and was respectable there, hitting .250 in 60 at-bats. The most important stat to me though was the fact that he struck out and walked an equal 43 times apiece, and that’s why Gary Kendall often placed him in the leadoff spot despite only 9 steals (compared to Lorenzo Scott’s 29.) And you can’t overlook 21 extra base hits among his 73, which is good for a small guy (5′-7″, 170) – heck, several bigger Shorebirds didn’t have that good of a ratio. He turned 23 during the season so I think Jon may be ticketed for Frederick in 2007.

August 24: Stu Musslewhite

I don’t know what it was about Stu, but despite hitting only .237 and just 3 home runs, he found himself third on the team with 53 RBI’s. And he always seemed to find a spot someplace in the lineup, whether playing short, second base, or third base. He even would run out between innings when he wasn’t in the lineup and catch the warmup tosses by the pitcher. Yes, odds are as a 24th round pick, the Orioles chose him simply to fill out the rosters at the low minor league levels, but you gotta root for a guy who may not be the most talented but certainly seems like a gamer who can make a difference. It says something when a guy who doesn’t hit all that well still manages to drive in that many runs, including a walkoff grand slam.

August 31: Ryan Finan

Ryan led the team in the following categories:

131 games played, 427 at-bats, 80 runs scored, 112 hits, 31 doubles, 17 home runs, 78 RBI’s, 198 total bases, and 85 walks. He was the top qualifying batter (370 at-bats to qualify) with a .392 on-base percentage and a .464 slugging percentage.

With that record, two things are certain – number one, if he’s not given a shot in Frederick next year it’s criminal; and number two, I saved the best for last as far as SotW picks go.

I’m picking Ryan Finan as this season’s Shorebird of the Year. Honorable mention as best prospect belongs to Brandon Erbe.

And I’ll start this all up again April 5, 2007. That will be next season’s lidlifter for the Shorebirds as they begin on the road in Lexington. The first home game will be a Friday the 13th affair against the West Virginia Power, just 218 days from now. Boy does that suck, I hate off-seasons.