September 2035
We wrap up the season 13-14, to finish with 71 wins, one below our predicted finish. Sixth place (and 34 games back) is never fun, but there were some encouraging signs, and I'm generally pleased with how we played over August and September. My mid-season moves paid off with better play to close out the season, but there's still a lot of work to do, and a lot of decisions to be made this off-season.
We end up batting .278, good for first place in the AL. However, we were 8th in OBP and SLG, 15th in HR, and 15th in runs scored. So we're getting guys on base, but not getting them around to score. (FYI, our run diff is -91, 704 for and 795 against.) Plus, we're first in strikeouts (fewest, that is), but last in walks. More patience has to lead to more men on base, and more runs. As for pitching, the only stat we're top ten in is fewest HR (165, tied for 6th best). BABIP and bullpen ERA are 11th, starter's ERA 13th, and 14th in team ERA, runs, and opponent's average. We're also 16th in strikeouts, and 17th (2nd most) in walks. I was really disappointed that we didn't get that walk number down more.
Great season by Dunklee: 36 HR, 8.0 WAR, almonst 1/3 of the team's walks. His defense improved too; he's still below average, but his stats indicate he was not a liability in the field. Wiggins made a mark at LF as well, and produced 3 WAR in 3/4 of a season with us. Likewise, Drayton in CF put up good number in a third of a season. 3B Hebert had a good year, although he doesn't produce a ton of runs at a traditionally power position. The middle infielders, Kim and Castro, likewise produced, but there's not a lot of dynamism in the infield beyond Dunklee.
I had higher hopes for the staff, especially the rotation, than how things worked out. Rivera had the best WAR, but he hardly dominated. I expected more out of Clark and Wunderlich; they were alternately sharp and ineffective all season long. Likewise Anderson, until he got injured. New acquisitions Partida and Brock showed enough to hope they'll make strong runs in spring training. In the pen, Yates and Shewmake held things together. McAdam pitched well. Everyone else was up and down.
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STANDINGS
SEA 105-57 --
LAA 87-75 18
OAK 80-82 25
HOU 75-87 30
TEX 74-88 31
HAW 71-91 34
Toronto, Minnesota, and Seattle win divisions in the AL, Richmond, Pittsburgh, and Portland in the NL. Wild card teams are Cleveland, LA Angels, Atlanta, and Montreal. Seattle won just 75 games last year. Pittsburgh tops the league with 111 wins, Toronto gets 103. New Orleans finishes 49-113, St Louis has 64 wins, Colorado 68, and the Yankees and Tigers 69.
Toronto wins its fourth World Series title, first since 2020. Series MVP is Toronto CF Manny Luna, who hit .464 in the six games. He played in AAA most of the season, and hit only .167 in 36 AB during the regular season. Enjoy your fifteen minutes, Manny. Blue Jay 1B Preston Sorensen is named AL MVP, going .319/.414/.656 with 56 HR, 134 RBI, and a 10.5 WAR. He also wins a Gold Glove. NL MVP is Atlanta's LF Bill Duce (.300/.427/.615, 40 HR, 8.1 WAR). Toronto keeps winning awards, with Dave Henderson nabbing the Cy Young after a good but not spectacular year (2.90 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 6.0 WAR, 19 wins). Montreal's Ruben Villasenor wins the NL Cy Young, going 20-6, 2.78 ERA, 281 K in 230 IP, and a 7.8 WAR. And our own Jay Yates wins the AL Hoyt Wilhelm Award, with Montreal's Vince Bell (2.36, 42 SV, 10.5 K/9, 2.0 WAR) getting the NL honor. No other Islanders won awards.
Next up: Off-season Plan