Kentucky Thoroughbreds 2037 season review

[Thoroughbreds]

For many teams going into a season the goal is to win the championship and the same could be said for the Kentucky Thoroughbreds going into the 2037 season. With both Florida and West Virginia in the same league that is an extremely tough ask so realistically the goal for Kentucky was to make the playoffs and advance out of the wild card series. Not only did they do that, but they pulled of an upset of the Florida Farstriders in the divisional series before bowing out in 6 games to West Virginia who would eventually go on to win the championship.
So in most people's eyes the season was a successful one and the question now becomes, can they repeat that success next season?

2037 player grades

Catcher = B :: Antonio Mesegue (.276 22 74) was the team's starting catcher and he had another nice season. Although he wasn't as productive as he was in his first year with Kentucky he still managed to put up solid numbers and make the all-star team. SInce he was acquired he has become a team leader and an integral part of the Thoroughbred lineup.

First Base = C :: Don't get me wrong Antonio Santos (.224 32 80) had a productive season in his first year with Kentucky, but his 80 RBI and .224 average are somewhat underwhelming. Santos turns 35 next season - will we see some more regression in his game?

Second Base = C :: Dale Spencer (.236 6 36) did all was asked at second base and he looks poised to win his first all leather award at second base. He and Honma gave Kentucky rock solid defence in the middle of the infield. Spencer does not provide much at all offensively so is Kentucky happy to have his glove in the lineup or will they look to upgrade this position in the offseason?

Shortstop = B+ :: Kentucky signed Naomi Honma(.247 16 63) to a huge deal last offseason and he got off to a quick start. He was named to the all-star team for the 6th time in his career and his 4.7 WAR was third best on the team. After a quick start to the season he struggled as summer came - he hit .184 in June, .214 in July and .204 in August before rebounding with a .315 average in September. He will hope to be more consistent next season.

Third Base = B :: Juan Carlos Cruz (.296 2 41) started the season platooning with Kanai Allimalu but due to his excellent play Cruz eventually took over as the full time started. Cruz does not possess much power but he hit 34 doubles and 11 triples - combined with a .296 average, solid defence and 55 stolen bases you could see why he was tough to keep out of the lineup.

Left Field = C+ :: Kentucky got what they pretty much expected from Antonio Canseco (.256 31 90) - You can always pencil in Canseco for around 30 homers and 100 RBI. Sill his last couple of season have fallen short of what he accomplished with his 40 home runs in 2035. The Thoroughbreds signed him to a 4 year deal this offseason so Canseco will be patrolling the outfield for a few more years.

Center Field = A :: This season, Pedro Bermudez , (.276 20 80) became the star Kentucky was hoping he would develop into. Thanks to excellent defence is center field and a productive year at the plate, Bermudez accumulated a 5.4 War which was second best on the team. He hit the 20 home run mark for the second year in a row and he stole 50 bases for the first time in his career. Still only 24 years old, Kentucky is hoping Bermudez will lead their team for years to come.

Right Field = A :: The second A goes to Shu-de Mu(.310 31 95) who was the team's best offensive player this season. He scored 115 runs, had an OBP of .395, hit 31 homers, batted over .300 for the first time ever and had a WAR of 6.8 which was the best in his career. Kentucky fans will be ecstatic if he can keep up this level of productivity next season.

Designated hitter = A :: Rocky Kowalski (.280 25 96) and Dan Gore (.337 9 320) both had good seasons. Kowalski, despite only facing primarily right handed pitching for most of the season, still hit the 25 homer plateau for the 5th straight season. Gore's season was so good that it looks like the Thoroughbreds are not going to re sign Kowalski which should give Gore the full time spot next year.

Starting Pitching

1) Dong-Hak Yi = B :: Yi (5-1 3.05) was the big trade deadline acquisition for Kentucky. He joined the team and immediately pitched like an ace. Unfortunately Yi was the one starter that struggled during their postseason run or else he would have earned an A grade.

2) Ju-Hyung Park = A :: Park (16-5 3.16) continues to produce since he was signed by the Thoroughbreds 3 seasons ago. In that time he has gone 48 -17 with a 3.19 ERA. This season he was Kentucky's best and most consistent starter.

3) Luis Jimenez = C- :: Jimenez (11-11 4.76) struggled all season long and he could never really string any quality starts together. Coming off a season in 2036 where he was one of the premier pitchers in the league, 2037 was a real letdown. JImenez had some great starts in the postseason which saved him from a failing grade.

4) Valke Petiet = B :: Petiet (13-11 3.34) surpassed expectations in his first full season in the PEBA. His WHIP of 1.19 was second on the starting staff. The future looks bright for this 24 year old.

5) Jose Mora = C+ :: Mora (15-8 3.83) did all you could ask from a 5th starter. He struggled against some of the better lineups in the league, but for the most part he kept them in games which allowed him to rack up 15 wins. I am guessing Mora will be pencilled into the rotation next season.

Bullpen = C+ :: The bullpen was above average in 2037. Veteran closer Matt Brown (7-7 2.99) had another solid season with 41 saves. Shigenobi Taguchi was the best of the rest, posting a 2.25 ERA in 84 innings pitched and a team leading 1.06 WHIP. The rest of the bullpen was a mixed bag with plenty of ERA's above 4.
The bullpen is something I would expect the Thoroughbreds will attempt to address in free agency or via the trade route.