2009 Year in Review

Not even the legendary pitching coach Midas Touch of Bill Anderson could cure what ails Barry Zito. While he did rebound mightily from the worst season in NASBL pitching history (0-23, 8.46 with NYK in 2008), his 6-10, 5.99 ERA for PCM in 2009 only made him a rotation anchor in the negative sense. Brandon Inge was a prodigious generator of outs not only with the glove (0 errors), but also with the bat (.198/9/30). But perhaps the thing that most hampered Pocono's offense was the unexpected regression of Prince Fielder from his breakout 2008 57hr/140rbi performance to a much more mundane .229/21/99.


In retrospect, the critical decisions were:
1. Selecting SP Ricky Nolasco with the 13^th overall pick in the 2009 draft. When GM Bill Anderson calls a pitcher's name in the draft, it's kind of like when EF Hutton talks – people listen. So even though Nolasco was a re-draft (he spent 62 unmemorable innings on the 2007 Springfield squad, posting a 4-1, 6.24 record), he still conjured up visions of Johan and Haren. But a so-so 9-8, 4.80 start apparently did not do enough to impress Mr Anderson, and led to a rather rare event:

2. A PCM trade! Pocono is traditionally an “evaluate, draft, and hold” franchise. So when the Chin Music traded a 1^st round bonus-baby SP, it made big headlines. The haul for Nolasco? A former 2^nd rounder (2008, 19^th overall), Delmon Young, plus GRK's #3 pick in the 2010 draft. The talented but enigmatic Young, now on his 3^rd NASBL uniform in just his 2^nd year in the league, unfortunately failed to show the power scouts think he is capable of. His .258/.309/.307 line in 264 ab's with the Chin Music may have PCM brass thinking of re-hiring former Pocono Woodsman slugger Dmitri Young as Delmon's personal hitting and nutrition instructor.

3. Filling in the PCM roster with veterans in the draft. While the 11^th round selection of 11-year NASBL veteran Garrett Anderson (.302/16/82) could well be considered the steal of the draft, and 9^th rounder Jose Guillen performed well in limited duty (.295/9/31 in 176 ab's), other vets brought back on draft day did not appear to have quite the same tread on their tires. Besides indiscriminate out machine Brandon Inge (round 7), 6^th rounder Rich Aurilia's return for his 8^th season under Coach Anderson was also his least effective (.224/.274/.365).

Looking ahead to 2010

Three key questions

1. Who is going to step up behind Johan and Haren? For Pocono to return to the top of the mountain, they are likely going to need more than just Batman and Robin. Ever since the retirement of Superman (aka Pedro Martinez), the Music have had one rotating chair in the rotation. The 3^rd fiddle has typically been either John Smoltz or Bronson Arroyo. But with Smoltz nearing retirement, and Arroyo seemingly concentrating on the wrong Music, Pocono now has a void to fill.
   
   2. Who will close for Pocono in 2010? While Bobby Jenks did nail down 28 saves in '09, his 11 blown saves led the NASBL. Meanwhile #3 all-time NASBL saves leader Trevor Hoffman (220 saves), must have been fuming in the shower, having seen yet another hand-delivered lead blown by his young fireballing replacement. Might we once again hear the ominous tones of AC/DC's “Hell's Bells” ripping the night at the Thunderdome in 2010?
   
   3. Will the real Prince Fielder please stand up? In his 2007 rookie season, Prince hit .268/21/76. Then in 2008 Prince had a revolution, breaking out with 57 longballs and an MVP trophy. But in 2009 Fielder was once again the 21-HR hitter formerly known as Prince. GM Bill Anderson honestly doesn't care if his oblate 1b changes his name to an unpronounceable character – as long as he just gets back to cranking out the hits.

4. And a 4^th Bonus Question for PCM – will the surprise offseason trade of PCM #1 (3^rd overall) for 2^nd year utility man Ben Zobrist (.211/3/11 with OJW in 2009) be a move for the ages, or a move regretted for ages? Rumor is that incumbent 2b Kazuo Matsui's 37 rbi in each of his first two seasons with the Chin Music have not exactly re-awakened memories of the slugging Pocono Woodsman of yore. While Zobrist did not show great pop in his NASBL debut, Chin Music scouts believe he is primed for a breakout season.

Projected lineup
c – Bengie Molina

1b – Prince Fielder

2b – Ben Zobrist

3b – Brandon Inge

ss – Orlando Cabrera

lf – Marlon Byrd

cf – Torii Hunter

rf – Jose Guillen

dh – Ben Francisco

Rotation

Johan Santana

Dan Haren

Barry Zito

Bronson Arroyo

?

Closer

Trevor Hoffman