When Trendsetter fans look back over the 2019 season they won’t be able to avoid feeling let down and disappointed. Not necessarily because of the record, though certainly it was terrible. And not necessarily because of the production or lack thereof from the pitching staff, which everyone knew was suspect from the get go. No, fingers will be pointed squarely at the batters.

In 2018 the Trendsetters average the 5th best scoring average in the Imperial League. In 2019, despite a few “upgrades” being brought into the mix, their offensive numbers were , forgive the pun, truly offensive. While it was not the worst season had by a Trendsetter offense it wasn’t too far off from that reality. Right field,  to a degree designated hitter/first base, and shortstop were offensive black holes in 2019. The majority of those players who saw time at those position are either slated for the bench or are now no longer with the team. One notable exception is home run hero Tsumemasa Morimoto. Despite only hitting for a .207 average he still clobbered 33 homers and drove in 101 runs (accounting for 18% of 2019 Trendsetter RBIs).

“I think we all realize that Morimoto is not going to be the engine that runs the train anymore. That’s not to take anything away from his great career, it is just the fact that he is getting older and his stats are a reflection of that process. He had a couple of down years back when Florida decided to move on without him, and he came back from that with a vengeance, so maybe Morimoto’s age 33 season will be something to remember,” stated Trendsetter general manager Paul Tanner.

Morimoto is the reigning king of home runs after being the first player to 400 and then five hundred career home runs. Currently his total number is at 532 and each home run he hits over the season pushes that total further and further into untouchable status. He also is the single season home run leader with that mark set at 53. Morimoto is one of the few inaugural players still seeing consistent playing time, and as such, tends to bring people out to the park to watch him play. Tanner indicated that his decline has led to the consideration of dropping him further down in the batting order, possibly even to the 8 spot.

The Trendsetters announced they were going to head into full rebuild mode shortly into the month of June and began to sell off the more valuable pieces of the team if they could get what they felt was fair value. Two names that were put out there that did not receive the type of offers expected, and thus did not get moved were LF Dave Nash and C Jack Collins. Nash has quickly developed and earned notoriety as the best ever draft pick made by the Trendsetter organization. Nash was selected as the fourth overall pick in 2016 and was selected to be an all-star in his second full season with the team. 2019 saw Nash set career best in most offensive categories, and experts agree that the Trendsetters really have something special in their left fielder. However, early on in the off-season Nash’s name was constantly being thrown around the rumor mill as was linked to possible deals with as many as three teams. Collins has come up through the Trendsetter minor league system after coming over in a trade with New Jersey. Collins was also selected to the all-star game in his second full year in the PEBA and improved in most offensive categories as well – jumping from 8 to 22 home runs on the year. Collins was also shopped throughout the season although not many teams were interested in taking the bait.

With the Winter meetings on the doorstep, the scuttlebutt is that the Trendsetters are looking to lock down both players with long term contracts that will buy out arbitration and the first few years of free agency. For Nash this is quite the tailspin, because some people believed he had one foot out the door already. What will really happen? No one knows, but it will surely continue to be an exciting off season.