Kentucky Thoroughbreds 2038 Season Review

[Thoroughbreds]

For the third time in the last 4 seasons the Kentucky Thoroughbreds lost in the Wild Card Round. After last season's playoff run and the third best record in the PEBA this season (108-54), expectations were high going into the playoffs but Kentucky was dismissed relatively easily by the Scottish Claymores, a team that had their number all season long. Besides the playoffs many things went extremely well for Kentucky in 2038 - let's review each position.

Catcher - GRADE = C
Antonio Mesegue (.251 10 50) was an all-star in his first 2 seasons with Kentucky. An incredibly slow start ruined any chances of a 3rd straight appearance. He was down in all offensive categories including homers. He had over 20 in each of the past couple of seasons, but only 10 this year. Mesegue, who is now 32 is going into a contract year with Kentucky - it will be interesting to see if he is offered a contract. He will need to improve as his WAR was only 1.2 this year.
After a fast start rookie Tony Gonzalez ended up hitting .218 with 5 homers in a backup role.

First Base - GRADE = A+
After a lackluster first season with the Thoroughbreds, fans were worried about the high contract and the length of it for Alberto Santos (.261 41 87). He responded with a big year, hitting 41 homers and he had one of the best offensive seasons OPS wise (1.007) in Kentucky history. Santos turns 36 next season - how long can he keep producing. Yataro Takaki played 39 games at 1b and ended up hitting .385 on the year - so first base was a big production spot for the team.

Second Base - GRADE = B
Luke Kossan (.283 12 55) was slowed a little by injury this season, but in his first season with Kentucky he exceeded expectations both offensively and defensively. He made his first all-star appearance and has solidified his starting spot for next year.

Third Base - GRADE = C
27 year-old Juan Carlos Cruz (.267 3 45) had his worst season in the big leagues. His numbers were down in almost every offensive category. Kanai Aliimali (.234 6 19) failed to take advantage and win the spot. This spot may be up for grabs next year.

Shortstop - GRADE = B
Noami Honma's line in 2038 was .247 15 66 -- in 2037 it was .247 16 63. His on base percentage was .301 in each of the past 2 years. But when it comes to Honma, his offense is secondary as he remains an elite defender at shortstop. He had another great year defensively at shortstop - one of the best in the league. Kentucky features many groundball pitchers which has played to his strength.

Left Field - GRADE = C+
After signing a 4 year, 60 million dollar contract, Antonio Canseco (.254 26 79) had a mediocre season - one in which most of his stats were down. He still managed to hit over 24 homers for the 7th consecutive season. He was traded away in the offseason, so there will be a new LF next year.

Centerfield - GRADE = B
Pedro Bermudez (.284 21 86) continues to be one of the team's star players. He is a five tool player and he showed off all of his tools for the most part of the season. His 4.9 WAR was 2nd on the team and he set a career high in stolen bases with 55 and runs scored with 99.

Right Field - GRADE = B
Shu de Mu (.267 21 68) had another productive season in RF for the Thoroughbreds. WIth 69 stolen bases, a 110 runs scored and a .360 OBP he was once again the catalyst in the leadoff role for Kentucky.

Designated Hitter - GRADE = A
In his first full season Dan Gore (.289 40 136) put up some huge numbers and had fans dreaming of what the future looks like with Gore in the middle of the order for years to come. Gore set a Kentucky record with 136 RBI and 348 total bases. He also lead the league with 87 extra base hits.

Starting Pitching - GRADE = A
It was a great year for the starters in Kentucky. For the first time in Kentucky history they had a 20 game winner, in fact they had 2 of them. Dong-hak Yi (21-6 2.93), should be the easy winner of the Golden Arm award for the league's best pitcher. He pitched a league leading 233 innings, with 8 complete games and 3 shutouts. It was a wonderful season for Yi - can he come anywhere close to it next season?
Rory Soutar (21-8 2.74) should also get some serious consideration for the Golden Arm award - some pundits say that Soutar was better than Yi this season. Whatever the case, this was Soutar's best season ever in the PEBA. He was dominant with a WHIP of 0.98 and 223 K's.
Roberto Rivera (11-10 3.71) was the team's shiny new free agent acquisition this year. Big things were expected from him, but he actually had a pretty mediocre year. The fact that he remained healthy for most of the season has to be considered a win for Kentucky. With Soutar almost assuredly leaving this offseason, Kentucky will need Rivera to step up next year.
It was a solid year for Valke Petiet (14-4 3.42). In his second full season in the PEBA, Petiet only had 4 losses and a WHIP of 1.14. He has solidified himself in the middle of this Kentucky rotation.
After Jyu-Hyung Park (3-3 4.48) struggled early on, veteran Nelson Alvarado (12-6 3.10) stepped up and had a solid season. Alvarado had been a reliever most of his career until his 21 starts this season. He will very much be in the mix for the team's number 5 starter next season.

Bullpen - GRADE = B
At 35 years old Matt Brown had a 2.82 ERA and lead the league with 47 saves. He continues to be a calming presence in big moments for this team. The big star of the bullpen this year was rookie Mike Travis.In 45 innings pitched, Travis had a 0.79 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP. Esteban Benitez and Ramiro Perez were both solid in middle relief this year with 3.69 and 3.93 ERA respectively.