New Bern won 53 games in 2057. In 2058, they ended the year with a record of 72-68. The Bears finished in 3rd place in the Mid-Central division of the Warren Cox League. They were 23 games out of 1st place at the end of the campaign. This year’s 72 wins were a 19 game improvement over their 2057 total.
POSITION PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
3B Sergio Botte
Botte had a strong season, leading the Bears in batting average (.325), home runs (22), and RBI (79). His 3.2 WAR was equal to the combined total of the players who were 2nd and 3rd on the team in that category. It was Botte’s best season of his professional career by far. The highest WAR he had ever put up prior to this season was 0.1 with Charlotte’s Rookie League team in 2054. Scouts don’t seem to see anything dramatically different in Botte’s game and don’t believe that he is likely to repeat that kind of play. However, now that he’s done it, there will be more people paying attention to see if it’s possible he has figured some things out and become an actual prospect.
There were a few players who could have been given this award, but once Stewart arrived after being drafted in the 6th round of the 2057 draft, he was the best player on the team. He slashed .379/.410/.490 in 80 games. Stewart hit 20 doubles, 1 triple, and 3 home runs, while driving in 40 runs. His wRC+ of 143 and WAR of 2.6 were the best on the team. He threw out 43.4% of the runners who attempted steal against him as well.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR:
SP Francisco Rosario
Rosario pitched well after being drafted in 2057, spending time at 3 different minor league levels. This year, he spent the entire campaign in AA with the Bears. Rosario was 9-4 with a 2.03 ERA in 27 starts. He had 18 quality starts for a QS% of 66.7. Rosario was named to the All-Star team and was 3rd in the voting for the league’s pitcher of the year award.