Kentucky Thoroughbreds 2039 Season Review

[Thoroughbreds]

It is time to wrap up a very disappointing year for the Kentucky Thoroughbreds - a year in which most people thought they would be in the playoffs. In the end they missed by one game - a very slow start and an extremely poor record against the top teams in the IL was ultimately their undoing. They finished at 91-71, 2nd in their division but a whopping 39 games back of Florida.
GM Sean Torgerson has to be on the hot seat as he traded away two key players - Santos and Mesegue at the trade deadline. It is not a stretch to say that Kentucky would definitely be in the playoffs had those two remained on the team as they would have been worth at least two more wins.
Where do the Thoroughbreds go from here? But first let's take a look at the year that was and how each player fared.

C- Yoshiyuki Takahashi - Grade = D
Most fans liked the idea of bringing in Takahasi - a 27 year old former all-star on an affordable contract with 3 more years of control beyond this season. However after he came over in the trade he continued his poor season, over 55 games with Kentucky he hit .203 with a .260 OBP and a -0.5 WAR. This has to be extremely concerning for management as they are counting on Takahasi to be the starter for the foreseeable future and they have no other viable options currently in the organization. The dropoff in play at catcher between him and Mesegue was one of the main reasons the Thoroughbreds missed the playoffs.

1b- Sergej Van Den Abel - Grade = C+
After Kentucky traded their starting first baseman (And best offensive player) Alberto Santos at the deadline, Van Den Abel slid into the starting spot at first base. Ultimately the Thoroughbreds would prefer the 22 year Van Den Abel to play in the outfield, but out of necessity he ended up at first for the latter portion of this year. The youngster performed fairly well, hitting .271 with 7 homers and 31 RBI. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod next season at 1b.

2b- Louis Kossan - Grade = B
Another season in which Kossan probably exceeded expectations. I don't think you can expect much more than the .298 average, 44 doubles and the 4.0 WAR that the 32 year old provided this season. He also filled in at shortstop when needed. Due to his productivity and some openings in the lineup, Kossan found himself hitting in the #2 spot a fare amount towards the end of the season. Can Kentucky expect as good a year next season from Kossan?

SS-Naomi Honma - Grade = B
At 34 years old, Honma still remains one of the best defensive shorstops in the PEBA. Another season with a WAR over 4, which now brings him to 63.2 career WAR. It was also his 4th straight season with a defensive zone rating over 20. How much longer can Kentucky rely on him? He did all he was asked to do this season while chipping in with 12 homers and 47 RBI from the bottom of the order. The defensive specialist now has 243 career homers.

3b-Juan Carlos Cruz - Grade = C+
Cruz is what he is and this was exactly the type of season one would expect from him - A .258 average with .282 OPB. These numbers were bolstered a little by his 50 stolen bases, 33 doubles and 7 triples. With a zone rating of 6.4 he did have his best defensive season of his career at 3rd base. This helped boost his overall season WAR to a respectable 3.2. Cruz obviously did enough for the Kentucky management as he recently signed a 5 year extension, so he should be a fixture at 3b for awhile.

LF- Kyle Ferguson - Grade = B+ Left field ended up being a productive position for Kentucky. Rookie Kyle Ferguson got all the playing time vs righties this season and he responded with a .287 average, 34 homers and 71 RBI. Despite being a below average outfielder, Ferguson more than made up for it offensively - more than Kentucky expected. While the team is excited about Ferguson, he does struggle defensively and it is doubtful that he will ever be a viable option against southpaws.

CF- Pedro Bermudez - Grade = A
Bermudez was an all-star for the 2nd straight season and he had the best season of his career, posting a 6.4 WAR. He showed off all of his skills this season - he got on base at a .353 clip, hit 23 homers and 91 RBI. He hit the 50 stolen base plateau for the 3rd straight season and he played very well in centerfield. At 26 years old, he should be a cornerstone for this franchise for the long term, getting him signed may be the only problem.

RF- Shu de Mu - Grade = C+
Mu is one of Kentucky's best hitters in franchise history, but this season his numbers were down across the board. He was still an effective player, sporting a 4.7 WAR and 75 stolen bases, but his average and homers were at a 5 year low and he struck out 163 times this year - 7th highest in the PBA.

Starting Pitching

Ruben Rivera - Grade = B+
Amazingly Rivera stayed healthy all season and gave Kentucky what they hoped for when they signed him to that big contract. The 31 year old went 14--8 with a 3.02 ERA and a career high 208 innings pitched. He was 2nd in the PEBA among starters with a 0.96 WHIP

Dong Hak Yi - Grade = C
A letter grade of C maybe a little harsh for someone who went 14-11 with a 3.82 and let the league with 248 innings pitched. Still it was a far cry from his golden arm season from last year.

Luis Jiminez - Grade = C+
Jiminez really struggled in the last quarter of the season which hurt his grade. An 11-9 record with a 3.94 ERA is relatively respectable for a southpaw who does not have great stuff and spent last season in the bullpen.

Valke Petiet - Grade = B
Mr. Consistency - Petiet's numbers have been almost identical over the past 3 seasons. This year he was 11-8 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He did all he was asked from the #4 spot in the rotation. His 211 innings pitched was the 2nd most in his career

Sa-Yoor Chang = C+
Chang came over in an early season trade to shore up the #5 spot in the rotation. He did a solid job going 10-5 with a 4.01 ERA. For the entire season he struck out 179 batters in 169 innings. Control will always be his Achilles heal - his 90 free passes were among the league leaders and his 1.49 WHIP is definitely nothing to write home about. But if he can keep the ball on the ground and in the park he should be a serviceable #5 starter in the PEBA.


Bullpen - Grade = C
The bullpen was not great this season - Mike Travis and Esteban Benitez were the only 2 with ERA's under 4. Travis was definitely the shining light this season, he took over the closing duties from veteran Matt Brown and ended the season with 8 wins, 24 saves and an ERA of 2.13. Not bad at all for the 2nd year reliever. Benitez was good too, pitching 58 innings and finishing with a 3.02 ERA
Kentucky gave up a 2nd pick to acquire Odmar Bickford at the beginning of the year. He started out in a setup role but lost his spot as he struggled to get outs for most of the season - he ended with a WHIP of 1.39. Also with a high WHIP (1.41) was Matt Brown, who lost his closers role and it does not look like Kentucky will be bringing him back next season. Kentucky used about 4 other pitcher's in relief roles, all of whom were not great. They are going to need someone to step up or they are going to have to find a high leverage arm somewhere for next season