Mohicans Season review
Mansfield looked to be in good position to make the playoffs going into the final 8 games, but then they fell apart. Going 1-7 and missing out on the playoffs by 2 games. This one will hurt for a while because this team was built for the playoffs, but unfortunately no one will ever know how good they could have been. In pitching there wasn’t a stat they didn’t rank 1st or 2nd in and while their offense was great, they lacked 1 major thing and that was power. Next season the team will have a big overhaul as many of the players will either be in the PEBA or off the team. Let’s look at guys that played this season. Starting with hitting:
Batters:
Ryosei Ohayashi 1B– Ohayashi has been a professional player for 7 years and this season looks like he finally got it. He was the man source of power for Mansfield and in 495 AB’s he hit 35 homers and gathered in 74 walks. His line was .244/.340/.513, and while overall that is good, the team is hoping that he works on his contact and average this off-season. If he does that he may step into the lineup as a 1b/DH to save some money for WV. (495 AB)
Henry Davis SS – Henry started at SS again this year and didn’t perform as the team had hoped. Henry had a hard time hitting the ball and had a paltry line of .216/.275/.314. He had been penciled in to be a the SS in WV this season before last year began, but now it looks like he needs 1 more year to pick up his hitting again. The problem is he might be getting passed up by Bang-xao You. (459 AB)
Carlos Garza 2b – Well Carlos started the year at WV, but after 1 month of not hitting, the team decided it was wiser if he went to Mansfield. While down at Mansfield he hit .303/.361/.465 and looked like the top prospect he is. While there might not be a lot of room for his position in WV, the team is sure he will be with them all season next year. (389 PA)
Masahide Yamaguchi DH – Yamaguchi did not have a good season by his standards, but honestly neither was the year before. The organization had hoped that he would bounce back this season as he has great peripherals, but they just aren’t translating. He hit .238/.270/.441 and at the age of 28, that isn’t a good sign. The team may keep him 1 more year, but he should expect a lot less playing time if he is kept. (365 AB)
Todd Ayres CF – Todd was signed to help out when Matthew Ferrell got hurt and Mansfield was short a good D CF. When he signed he started out hot as can be hitting .281/.381/.348 this first month, but the following months his averages were: .221, .200, .171, .193. While the team extended his minor league contract, at the age of 32 and the showing he had at the end of the season, he is expected to be cut or sold. (351 AB)
Roman Suarez RF- Suarez had played in the PEBA in 2024 and when the team saw he was a free agent they decided to give him a bonus and let him play 2025 in AAA. While in Mansfield, he hit .311/.369/.385 and picked up 28 stolen bases. He was the best OF the team had in 2025 and next season the team expects to give him a chance to be the 5th OF for WV. (351 AB)
Gilbert York 2b – Former Rule-5 pick York put up some solid numbers for Mansfield and got himself promoted a couple times to WV. York hit .291/.326/.390 in the minors and played pretty good defense. Next season he has a chance to win a spot as the 25th man on the team for WV, due to his ability to play defense at 1B and his speed. (254 AB)
Gerald Avery LF –Gerald is the picture of where hard work gets you. He might not have the best tools, but he works hard every day and in 2025 he did pretty well for Mansfield. In 97 games he hit .273/.348/.407. While nothing he does will break records, he has the ability to be a 4/5th OF in the PEBA, but with the logjam in WV, he is most likely going to be a starting OF for Mansfield next year. (253 AB)
Jorge Martinez C – Jorge started for Mansfield this year and played in 70 games. The problem is he couldn’t hit for the Mohicans and was sent to AA. Jorge has the pedigree to be a starting catcher in the PEBA, but he has never put it together. He hit .194/.266/.284. Next year he is going to be out of options, so unless he passes waivers, he either will be in WV or in another organization. (232 AB)
Rafael Morales 3b – Rafael was claimed off waivers in December and the team had thought maybe they had found a sleeper. Well they still might have, but April thru June, Morales was so bad, he found himself on waivers 3 times and went unclaimed. In the 2nd have of the season he woke up and showed the team what was expected all along, ending up with a .251/.282/.364 average. While there is an outside chance he gets a call-up, he will most likely be in AAA again next year.(231 AB)
Pedro Flores CF – Pedro started the year in the majors due to the injury to Ferrell. Once Ferrell healed, Pedro was sent back to AAA. When he got sent back down he destroyed the ball and got another quick call back up thanks to another nagging injury to Ferrell. When Ferrell came back, down went Pedro again and the same thing happened when he was down in the minors. When Ferrell didn’t start hitting, the team brought back Pedro in August for the rest of the year. While in Mansfield, Pedro hit .295/.358/.511. Unless on rehab assignment, he will never see the minors again. (227 AB)
Allen Wells C – Wells was a Rule -5 pick last year and the team knew from the get go, he’d be in AAA this year. Well he had a great spring training and made WV out of camp. When in the majors, he wasn’t hitting again, so the team decided to do what they should have in the first place and send him to AAA. While in Mansfield, Wells played in 60 games and showed that he could hit the ball again .284/.323/.392 and has shown that he might be a useful backup soon in PEBA. He should be starting AAA catcher next year. (204 AB)
Luis Gonzalez OF – Fan favorite was traded. He hit .294/.403/.428 in 65 games. (194 AB)
Claudio Andres SS –Claudio was signed late last year and while he has the ability to hit, the team sees him as a utility guy. He appeared in 67 games and hit .258/.318/.403 from the field. He will be back in AAA in the same capacity. If he improves, the team can see him making the majors someday as the 24/25th man. (159 AB)
Bill Caldwell RF– Bill was signed in June and appeared in 31 games before being cut. He hit .223/.270/.398. Bill’s bat never hit for what the team needed. He is bound to be a minor league filler. (103 AB)
Tsurayuki Ozawa 3B– Ozawa was sent down to find his touch as his year in the majors was a disaster. In the minors he hit .243/.317/.351. His future is not going to be in the West Virginia organization. (74 AB)
Craig Grant 3B– If you are a long time follower of WV, then you know Grant. He was with the team since 2017. While at times it looked like he might be an adequate filler at 3b, his career stalled out in 2023 it seems. Before being released he hit .222/.265/.270 for the team. (63 AB)
Takane Chikafuji 1B – Takane won a spot on WV to start the season and then went on a torrid hitting streak. The team gave him more time at the plate and from May-June he went 8-77 (and 0-1 in Oct). He then was waived and sent to the Mohicans and did very well. He hit .283/.357/.500. The team isn’t sure about his future yet and he might get 1 more chance to prove himself, but he won’t have much leeway. (60 AB)
Domingo Delgado RF– Domingo started out in Maine and did an adequate job, so when Pedro Flores was called up to stay, the team needed a backup OF and Delgado got the call. His roll was that of the 4th/5th OF and he did a decent job at it. While his batting average may not show it, the team was pleased with his performance. Next season he will play a more prominent role for the Mohicans. (58 AB)
Chris Risdale C– The 33 year old veteran started the year in AAA and he got off to a great start hitting .349/.378/.419. The team then called him up and he never came back. Risdale may see some time back in AAA, but he is hoping his bus rides have ended. (43 AB)
Juan Fuentes CF- Juan started the year out in AAA and couldn’t hit the ball and then floated around the minors the rest of the season. This year was a disaster for him, but the team thinks if he works hard in the offseason he can still be a big part of the future. He batted .189/.184/.351 (37 AB)
Ray Huggins LF – Ray was called up when the team was having injury problems and performed well. He hit .258/.343/.387. The team sent him back to AA to get more PA’s after the injured players came back and he broke his leg and missed the rest of the season. The team still has him listed as one of their top 10 prospects and expects great things in the future. (31 AB)
Tom McBratney 3b – Tom was given many chances over the years to shine, but he never quite could. He was cut after 10 games hitting .233/.265/.400. No one picked him up so this might be the end of the road for Tom. (30 AB)
Clifford Green RF– Signed at the end of the year to help with injures and got hurt himself. He no longer finds himself employed by WV. He hit .259/.286/.333. (27AB)
Ned Hopkins C – Ned played from A-AAA this season. He is currently a great depth minor league catcher, with potential to make it to the majors. Why? Well he is only 24 and does a lot of things well. In Mansfield he hit .292/.393/.458 and hit even better in AA. He will most likely be in AAA next year to start. (24 AB)
Juan Mendoza SS- Juan spent most of the year on waivers and he has average skills. The team keeps him around due to his ability to play anywhere defensively decently in the IF. After 2023 the team hasn’t really given him a chance to do much, but they don’t want to cut him either. This season if he improves a little expect to see him on the field a lot more in 2026. He hit .211/.250/.211 (19 AB)
Kevin Arnold LF – Kevin started the year out in Mansfield only to be cut in May and then re-signed at the beginning of September. While he didn’t hit well at all, the 31 year old expects to be back in a bigger role in 2026. Kevin has learned to know his role on the team as a veteran and relishes it. He hit .118/.250/.176 (17 AB)
Ron Copeland 1b – Ron got the call for 1 week and did awful and never saw AAA again. He hit .176/.222/.176. This was a major disappointment from the Minor League Hitter of the year in 2024 for WV organization. He will be fighting for a spot in AAA next season. (17 PA)
Brian Green SS – If Brian didn’t play such great defense, he would have long been gone, but he does and the team keeps him around in come capacity. Last year was an awful hitting year for him, but his place on the team is secure. He will be between AA/AAA next year. He hit .231/.333/.231. (13 PA)
Tsughahara Okawa CF- In August got a couple of weeks with Mansfield, but didn’t shine at all. In 10 games and 13 AB he hit .077/.250/.077. Next season there is a very good chance that he will be in AAA and starting in CF as he has done well in AA over the last 2 seasons. (13 PA)
Fred Jones SS – When acquired Fred was in a slump so the team gave him 1 week in AAA to get his swing back. He hit .250/.308/.250. He will be a backup again in WV next year. (12 PA)
Harris Larkin C– See Hopkins. He hit .167/.231/.250. He will be in AA next year as a 25 year old. (12 PA)
César Zamora 2B– 5 games and cut. He is with another team now, so no future with WV. He hit .375/.375/.375 (8 PA)
Román Gonzáles 2B – Called up 1 week, got in 1 game. Hit .333/.333/.333. He will most likely be fighting for the 2b job next year in AAA and if he loses will be back in AA. (3 PA)
Dan Harris C – Dan’s career path hit a wall this season. After his disastrous season at the plate in 2024 the team gave him ZERO chance to play catcher in 2025. He never was known for defense and if he can’t hit no chance he will play C. He hit .333/.500/.667, but in 3 PA’s so nothing to get excited about. His future is DH in the minors. (3 PA)
Pitchers:
Avery Carson – Signed in the offseason to be depth if any injuries, Avery never left AAA until their season was over. While in AAA, he was very dominate. He went 15-8 with a 2.85 ERA and gave up less than 1 runner per inning. He was called up at the end of the season and performed adequately for the Alleghenies. He is a free agent coming up, but the team is looking into re-signing him to a cheap contract. (198.2 IP)
Ed Madison – Ed was kept on the 40 man roster in hopes that his peripherals would improve, but unfortunately they didn’t improve as much as hoped. He did have a great season for the Mohicans even though his record didn’t show it at 10-8. His ERA was 2.57 in 185.2 innings and showed great control. What does his future look like? Well after 3 years in AAA with the Mohicans if he doesn’t make the jump this year to the majors, he may never get the chance to establish himself. (185.2 IP)
Bartolo García – Bartolo is the highest rated pitching prospect in the organization and was expected to start in the majors this last season. The team changed directions with him because, they wanted him to get innings instead of coming out of the pen and it looks like the work paid off. While he only was 9-9 and his ERA went up from last season, the one thing the team wanted him to improve on was control and that he did. In 15 less innings he had 21 less walks and only 4 less strike outs. He was rewarded with 5 starts for WV and did very well in 3 of the starts and was disastrous in the other 2. Next season the team expects him to compete with Herb Martin for the last spot in the rotation if he is re-resigned. (169.2 IP)
Alfredo Zambrano – Alfredo is the 2nd best rated pitching prospect for WV and after a slow start in his 1st 4 years with the organization, he has made a speedy move up the charts since. He was 15-7 in his 1st season in AAA at the young age of 22. His ERA was 3.38 in 162 innings and only 11 walks. Next season he will most likely be back with the Mohicans and the one thing he needs to improve on is missing bats. The team expects him to be in the rotation by 2027. (162.1 IP)
Eddy McBride – After making the majors at the age of 23 and staying in it for the next 3 years, Eddy has been stuck in the minors for the last 3. Eddy had a decent season last year and shows that he can still perform and deserves a spot in the majors, but unfortunately for him there is no room. Eddy will continue to be starting in AAA unless something drastic happens in training camps. (128.3 IP)
Andrew Burns – Andrew was drafted in the 2nd round in 2021 with a lot of fanfare, but had stalled in AA since 2021. Well after dominating in 9 starts for Maine, the team brought him up to AAA. Burns showed some promise in AAA, but also had games that showed that he isn’t close to being in the majors. Andrew will be starting in AAA next year and with some improvement and consistency in his game, he may make the majors in the near future. (62.2 IP)
Fernando De La Cruz – Fernando was used mostly out of the pen this season, but he has the ability to be a good swing man and is young enough to become a decent #3 SP. This season he worked on his control and missing bats and both worked. His WHIP was .81 this year and the only complaint the team had was that he gave up a few more HR’s than they had liked. Next year he will be in AAA and get many more innings. (60.1 IP)
Yvon Valcourt – Yvon started the season with the Alleghenies, but after 4 appearances he did not impress. The problem was he was out of options, so once he cleared waivers, the team just kept him in AAA. While back in AAA he was just unhittable. In 48 appearances he went 54 innings with an ERA of 1.67, 26 hits, 10 walks and 81 strike outs. This is the domination that the team had expected when they traded for him in 2023. He is still only 25 and he is an upcoming free agent, so his future is up in the air. He doesn’t want much money so it is likely he will be re-signed. (54 IP)
Orinosuke Yokoyama – Orinosuke was signed by GM Abcarian with past history in mind. The last time GM Abcarian acquired him, his team won a championship. While this signing was just for AAA, it still was a great signing. He stepped in and became the closer for the Mohicans saving 20 games in 46 games. He had 79 K’s in 50 innings also with a 2.70 ERA. The team expects him to be back minus any major decline. While he won’t likely make it to WV, he is always ready on call. (50 IP)
George Gaines – George did very well last year for the Mohicans, so the team had always expected he would not be back in 2025. Well they were wrong as management decided that he needed a little more seasoning and wasn’t ready for the playoff run pressure to begin the year. Well in 33 games his ERA was 1.08 in 41.2 innings and he improved his control as he walked only 4. The only problem was he wasn’t missing too many bats, but the team still called him up in July and he never looked back. The team expects him to be a major piece of pen in majors from now on. (41.2 IP)
Fernando Varela – Established PEBA pitcher had a disastrous 2024 with Reno and everyone just ignored him in the offseason. So when the beginning of May came around, the team signed him to a AAA contract and like most the rest of the pen, he was incredible. In 40 innings, he had a 1.77 ERA only 22 hits and 8 walks, while striking out 43. He is signed for next season to be in AAA, but if he has a good enough spring training expect him in the majors again.
Toin Kaneko – Signed late last year to help the Mohicans win the championship, he was brought back again. He was expected to have a prominent role with the team, but in May he got injured and didn’t get back until the middle of September. While he pitched he did well, but he only appeared in 22 games. His future depends on what he looks like in the Spring. If he declines any, the team will most likely let him loose. (20 IP)
César López – Cesar didn’t have a good year and was yo-yo’ed all year. While he has had a successful AAA career, he hasn’t been able to do well in the majors. The team is most likely to cut bait with him in the offseason as rumor is he wants actual money and he is easy replaceable. (19.2 IP)
Fred Wilton – Fred did a decent job in AAA in the time he was there. The problem was he wasn’t getting in enough games with meaning so the team sent him back to AA. He will definitely be in AAA next year. His stats were 18 games, 16.1 innings, 3.86 ERA. The team thinks that he will do many bright things in the future. (16.1 IP)
Herman Hinkle– Herman got a promotion at the end of June and didn’t do too poorly. He appeared in 10 games and went 15 innings with a 4.80 ERA. He needs to miss more bats if he wants to continue to progress in his career. He hopes to have a good offseason and come back with a much better season. (10 IP)
Joe Kay – Joe was signed and was on the waiver wire more than the roster and was eventually cut. Before that he went 9.1 innings with a 6.75 ERA. (9.1 IP)
Raleigh Caldwell – Raleigh started the year in AAA and didn’t impress. In 10 games he went 9.1 innings with a 6.75 ERA. He was sent down to AA and only came up 1 more time for .1 innings in September. The team expects him to be in AAA next year and he might have a future as a mop-up RP in the majors. (9.1 IP)
Juan Mercado – Juan was waived and claimed. (7.1 IP)
Katsuhito Hayashi – Katsuhito came up in July and was a lefty specialist. He appeared in 8 games and pitched 3.1 innings. He will be fighting for a role in the pen in AAA and if he fails, back to Maine he goes. (3.1 IP)