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Troy Haymakers
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2009 Year in
Review
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The Numbers
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Record: 72-90 (13th in the league)
Expected Record: 71-91 (13th in the league)
Runs Scored: 731 (11th
in the league)
Runs Allowed: 834 (11th
in the league)
Run Differential: -103 (13th in the league)
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What went right?
Troy's bullpen was an amazingly effective 26-23, 3.44. The 3.44 team bullpen ERA
was the 5th
lowest in the league, and the 26-23 record showed that the Troy pen was
mightier than their rotation. Troy's 9-6 record in extra frames was also 4th
best in the NASBL. In all, Troy had more good bullpen pitchers (an amazing 8
arms with ERA's of 3.70 or better) than most teams have bullpen pitchers,
period.
What went wrong?
It's as if the Greek siege army made this really excellent plan on how to end
the war. The trained up an elite and lethal special forces bullpen unit, built
this big horse to use as a delivery system, and even got the Trojans to pull the
thing inside. Then they found out their starting rotation (46-67, 5.38) had
accidentally put a padlock on the outside of the secret trap door, and oh yeah,
Mike Pelfrey (6-14, 7.13) also forgot to drill the airholes like he was supposed
to. Even without a way to leverage their excellent bullpen, Troy might still
have been able to make some hay had their offense put a few more rallies
together. But a .258 team BA (2nd
lowest in the league, ahead of only LVI's .250) meant that Troy's offensive
plans often came to naught.
In retrospect, the critical decisions were:
1. A flurry of trades, no, make that a veritable winter nor'easter of
trades, prior to and during the 2009 draft. Troy made no less than 4 significant
roster moves, dramatically reshaping 2008's 103-loss team. Gone were Matt
Holiday, John Maine, Aubrey Huff, a #2 pick, and two #3 picks. In were Brandon
Phillips (.232/18/60, 29 sb), Billy Butler (.309/7/36), Jason Bartlett
(.337/1/14, 16 sb), Mark Reynolds (.277/21/59) and Cody Ross (.263/11/35). The
dramatically reshaped Troy infield proved critical in upgrading the Haymaker
offense by 70 runs (roughly 7 wins worth) over their 2008 unit.
2. Trading for all those players, but then not playing them? While
Brandon Phillips (155g / 512ab) played full time, he was the exception rather
than the rule. Billy Butler and Cody Ross barely reached 200 ab's, while Jason
Bartlett and Mark Reynolds each barely surpassed 250 ab's. In a somewhat
chicken-egg question, did the newly acquired Haymaker hitters perform so well
because they were limited to platoon duty, or should they have been promoted
from platoon duty because they hit so well? In a “killed the goose that layed
the golden egg” answer, at least one of Butler, Ross, or Reynolds will need to
be cut loose this offseason due to underusage.
3. A second flurry of trades, this time in Block 2. Realizing that
perhaps this year wasn't the year for Troy to fully recover to their 2007 87-win
level, GM Ken Anderson made a few canny moves to keep the team's momentum going
in the right direction for 2010: picking up 6'7” sinkerballer Justin Masterson
(1-2, 3.60 as a Haymaker) and hard-throwing Tony Pena Jr (2-2, 2.19 in Troy
gear) for dominant but injury-prone closer Kerry Wood plus a setup man who fit
the same description, Taylor Buchholz. TRY further reduced their exposure to
injury risk by dealing Jesse Litsch to the playoff-bound Vermont Fighting Sioux,
this time receiving a 2009 #3 plus the extremely unpredictable (and this is true
whether you're a sabermetrician or his wife) Brett Myers.
Looking ahead to 2010
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Ethier this, or that? .342 with SPL in 2007, .242 and .257
in two years since with Troy.
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Three key
questions
1.
Are Troy's 2009 acquisitions, particularly the
all-new infield, more than just part-time players? While each of the
Butler/Phillips/Bartlett/Reynolds quartet had flashes, and sometimes extended
moments of brilliance, it was never enough to earn any of them save Phillips an
extended every-day look in the Troy lineup.
2.
How will the Haymaker rotation turn it around? While Troy did pick up 12 games
in the win column last year, it must be noted that the Haymaker's “runs against”
column is currently showing a disturbing, and accelerating trend: 803, 809, 834.
Perhaps a conversion of young swingman Justin Masterson to fulltime rotation
duty is in the cards.
3.
Will Elijah Dukes (.218/4/15) ever fulfill the
promise of his great athleticism? With season batting averages of .178, .195,
and .218 to his credit, Dukes' only breakout thus far has been that one time he
busted out of juvy for the weekend. With Cody Ross the most likely to get voted
off the TRY usage island this offseason, perhaps the future is now for the
troubled young outfielder.
Projected
lineup
c – Geovanny Soto
1b – Mark Reynolds
2b – Brandon Phillips
3b – Adrian Beltre
ss – Jason Bartlett
lf – Elijah Dukes
cf – Rick Ankiel
rf – Andre Ethier
dh – Billy Butler
Rotation
Jered
Weaver
Oliver Perez
Justin
Masterson
Brett
Myers
Mike
Pelfrey
Closer
Huston
Street