11/23/2016: Trenton, NJ – The last time the New Jersey Hitmen managed to make it to the Planetary Extreme Championship was nine years ago, during the PEBA’s inaugural season. Making it this far again should be cause for joy in its own right, but who remembers the PEC loser? Usually, no one but the local fan.

Well, the results were not in New Jersey’s favor this time around in the league’s 10-year anniversary PEC. Losing to their Sovereign League competition in just five games made the exit quick and painful. Did the bats just die out, or were Bakersfield’s arms so fearsome that we were cowered just by the sight of them? No Hitmen hitter topped Anthony Hough’s .250 average, but the games were definitely manageable; the Bears only averaged three runs in their four wins. The big black mark, however, is that of those four victories, three were shutouts.

From arguably the hottest hitting team in the league to a bunch of guys carrying flaccid bats… what can we expect next year from these guys? Let’s hope this defeat has lit a fire under their rears and that they will be back again next year ready to take on the world!

Where are they now?

Not one player remains from the 2007-champion Hitmen, and only a few still play in the league today. Second basemen Artie Marsh in Bakersfield picked up his second ring after being traded to the Bears back in the fire sale of ’11, when Michael Czosnyka took over as Hitmen owner.

Pitcher Jerry Jones bounced around after a solid stretch with New Jersey from ’08-’13 and is now with the aging Statesmen. Many believed his career might be done after he missed the entirety of the ’09 season with a fractured elbow, but he returned as a workhorse for the Hitmen during their rebuilding years, only to be shipped out when younger talent was given the nod.

Pitcher Cedric Mosley also picked up a second ring, his with Dixie rival Florida. While in New Jersey, Mosley was the primary closer, raking up a team-high 134 saves in four seasons of work. He still holds the team record with 44 saves in a single season (’07). Upon being traded in ’11 to Florida, Mosley made the transition to starter . He went on to lead the team to their only Rodriguez Cup. In ’13, he picked up his first Golden Arm Award.

Finally, outfielder John Knight, who spent the majority of his career in Aurora, now finds his home in Duluth, still in search of that elusive second ring. A recent ruptured Achilles tendon has many fans worrying that Knight won’t be the base-stealing threat of years past.

The Hitmen have been a team quick to move talent around, especially after a winning season. However, that philosophy has changed in recent years under General Manager Holleb Kasprowicz. Now that the team is back on the right track and a perennial playoff contender, trades are focused on moving youth to bring in that missing star that will push the team over the edge.

This brings to mind the recent deal between New Jersey and Palm Springs, which brought in standout arm Roberto Rodríguez. While shipping out three talented prospects and three early draft picks, the Hitmen picked up a pitcher they felt could be a #1 or #2 in their rotation. However, RR did not impress initially, going only 4-6 in fifteen starts with a bloated ERA of 5.07 and a WHIP of 1.31.

Rodríguez showed his strength when the team needed him the most: the playoffs. In five starts, RR was 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA. His one loss came in the PEC-clinching Game Five. Many fans feared that the bounty given up for RR would be wasted; he was primed to hit the free agent market as one of the top arms available. But New Jersey finally realized Rodríguez’s importance to the rotation and dished out a four-year, $48.2 million deal.

Show me the Money!

Arbitration was busier than usual this season for the Hitmen, with as many as ten up for hearings. Czosnyka has made no friends with his past comments about how money was more important than championships, so many (including the players themselves) feared that paydays may not come! When you have standout studs like Mario Tessier and Francisco Encarn in their primes, it makes you cringe at the thought of potentially losing them or making them so unhappy they would want out of New Jersey. Luckily, all the extra money made during the playoffs helped to sway Czosnyka into okaying the extensions, making the team’s future look very bright.

Tessier burst on the scene back in ’13 after spending a short two-and-a-half seasons in the minors, and he has not slowed down since. He recorded a personal and team-best .342 average this season and posted a .393 OBP. More importantly, he has been that consistent, solid cog in the offensive machine while batting second in the lineup. Typically a third basemen, Tessier made a smooth transition over to second base this season to make room for Carlos Miranda. His consistent play and team-first attitude netted him a healthy seven-year, $66,575,000 contract.

Next on the “must-extend” list was hot pitcher Encarn. Encarn is coming off a breakout third season in the majors. Finally able to stay healthy, the 26-year-old tallied a 17-4 record in 32 starts to tie the team record for most wins in a season while posting a 3.65 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Early in the season, I did not have much faith in Encarn’s talent after a slow start and more time off with elbow troubles. The breakout restored my faith and netted the 26-year-old a five-year, $34,850,000 contract. He should be fighting for the #1 spot in the rotation for years to come!

Miranda finally showed what he could do when given the starting nod at third base by batting .281/.341/.471 while slugging 18 home runs and driving in 69 ribbies while spending the majority of his time in the bottom half of the lineup. Unfortunately, most fans will probably remember Miranda’s season for his no-show in the playoffs. In 12 games, Miranda only managed to bat.154, almost half of his regular season average. Because of this, he found himself being benched in the PEC by manager Luis Rodríguez, who was trying to find a spark for the lineup. In hopes that Miranda continues to improve, management avoided a messy arbitration by offering the slugger a three-year, $11,500,000 deal, which he gladly accepted.

The team decided to play it safe and protect their investments be offering shortstop Lawrence “Man of Steal” Jones and reliever Peter “Fury” Kaminka short two-year deals of $3,750,000 and $1,825,000, respectively. But what kind of messages does this send to the youngsters? Jones, the designated leadoff man for the team for three-and-a-half seasons now, has been a stealing machine when he could get on base, easily passing longtime centerfielder and all-time team SB leader Shou-chien Jung. The problem is that Jones’s batting average and OBP have been on the decline each season since becoming the full-time starter. Fans salivate at the thought of Jones repeating his breakout ’14 season, which saw him steal a career-best 64 bases while hitting .319/.346/.428 and slugging a career-best 12 home runs. Jones showed his talents in the playoffs, however. He was one of the few hot bats throughout, putting up numbers better than his ’14 outing.

Similarly, Kaminka has struggled after a breakout ’14 season which saw the hard-throwing Lithuanian make his debut at only 22. There is plenty of upside, but he will have to put the work in to improve his outings or he might be on a shortlist of players available for trade.

When I look back at 2016, can I really complain as a fan or analyst?  After last year’s struggles, the team righted the ship and retook the Pan-Atlantic crown, beating out Gloucester in the league’s second-ever Game 163 – both of which have been played and won by New Jersey. They posted a team-record .292 average, set a new attendance record at 3,913,463 million, and were back in the black financially after a slip last season. They also made it back to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, and back to the PEC for the first time since winning it all in ‘07.

One would say things are looking good, but can they get that one extra guy to make it all the way? Make the one extra move that matters? Or will they sit on their youth and hope for the best? Guess we will have to wait and see!