Despite the ultimate disappointment, 2036 was a helluva ride. From 71 wins to 105, a 34-game improvement! We were predicted to win 98, and I didn't even believe that. Shows what I know. Leading the way was a pretty stunning offensive performance. We led the league in runs, hits, average, slugging, OPS, and fewest strikeouts. Also, second in doubles (in a poor ballpark for doubles), third in home runs, and third in OBP. We were only 14th in walks, leading to that slightly lower result in OBP. I'd like to see us draw more walks, but if being a free-swinging team leads to all those runs (and few strikeouts, to boot), I'll take what we have. We also had the best defensive efficiency, at .707, and the 2nd best combined ZR, +39.5. Plus, we pulled off one of two triple plays, but since I don't sim the games, I have no idea when it happened.
Looking at the individual statistics, what stands out right away is the lineup stability we maintained. We only used nineteen position players, three of whom were September call ups. Only two regulars had fewer than 500 at bats, and one (Collins) was due to being substituted out in late innings for defensive reasons. Every regular but one had double figure in home runs, and six hit over .300. Dunklee and Drayton had monster seasons, and based on WAR alone, should both be MVP candidates. Dunklee had the stronger numbers, but Drayton earned more WAR in the field (with a +11.3 ZR in center). Drayton was a steal this year at $3.5M; he goes up to 6M next year, and 13M after that. Wiggins and McArthur were no slouches either, at the plate and in the field, giving us a heck of an outfield. The infield was solid as well, although Clarke will get a look in the off-season since he makes 12M and I have to find room for super prospect Adam Groff. And Collins was good at the plate, and a little below average behind it. He slumped badly down the stretch, tho. There wasn't much production from the bench, although Miranda did more work with his glove, and Hullinger looked good in his September appearance.
Our pitching, while greatly improved from 2034, still gave me fits at times this season. Overall numbers looked okay: sixth in runs, seventh in ERA, fifth in walks allowed, 2nd in WHIP, and tied for first in OAVG and BABIP. We did give up buckets of home runs, third overall, which is unsurprising as we play in a high home run ballpark. Our $15M bullpen was the source of most of the discomfort, finishing in the bottom half of most stats, and dead last in HR/IP. In the rotation, Ken Clark became the first Islander starter to register a season ERA under 3. Brock was a good complementary starter, as was Little, if a little less so. Anderson pitched well, but once again couldn't stay healthy. Rivera walked too many to be truly effective, and Wunderlich was terrible. In the pen...so-so team stats devolved into some mediocre to poor-looking individual stats. Closer Yates started off well, but closed (pun!) poorly. Only Shewmake (great) and Key (okay) stood out, although special notice goes to Lopez, who put up good numbers until his arm fell off. His $3M salary probably won't be back, especially as he's 31 and injured until summer. Once again the pitching staff will receive the most attention this off-season.
......
Overall, what's not to like? Well, that bullpen for one. And a stronger bench would be nice. But at least we're entering the off-season needing tweaks rather than overhauling. How much we can do, well that will depend on our budget, whether we can hunt for some quality affordable free agents, or depend on waiting until February to see who's still around and willing to sign for peanuts.
Next up: Get the Off-Season Going