The Yellow Springs Nine issued the following press release:
The Yellow Springs Nine are pleased to congratulate pitchers Hannes Schwarzacher and Bill Beals for being named AAA and A Pitchers of the Year in 2058.
Schwarzacher, drafted second overall in 2056, pitched to a 14-4 record as part of the division-winning Indianapolis Indians. He pitched 191.1 innings in 29 games, striking out 200 with a WHIP of 1.00. He had a career-high WAR of 5.8 and an ERA of 2.26. He also won Pitcher of the Year in Short-A ball in 2056, his debut season.
"It's great that I won Pitcher of the Year twice, but those are in the minors. There's great competition here," said Schwarzacher, "but I won't be happy until I win the same award in the Brewster, hopefully more than once."
"I can't wait for Schwarzacher to pitch for the Nine," said GM Rob McMonigal. "He's going to be a key member of the team we use to get back into the playoffs and more."
Beals is a real success story for the Nine's minor league coaches. An 11th round selection in the 2053 draft, he's overcome multiple injuries and a rough start to his A-ball career in 2057 to shine in 2058. He split duty between starting and relief, with a 12-5 record and 8 saves in 33, games, 23 of which were starts. He pitched a career high 182.1 innings, with 170 strikeouts, a WHIP of .99, and 4.7 WAR. His ERA was 2.07, less than half his 2057 ERA of 5.47. Like Schwarzacher, he took his team, the Silver Springs Tarpons, to the playoffs, but they didn't advance, either.
"A lot of people don't believe in me," said Beals, "but I'm out to prove them wrong."
"We consider Bill a great asset," said McMonigal. "He's proof why you scout the draft from start to finish, never stop looking at the details, and always have the best coaches."
