Tropics Times -- Season-in-Review 2000

[EchoesIE]

Honolulu, HA -- Hawaii took a small step forward in 2000, improving their win/loss record by 8 wins and got their losses under that magical 90 mark. This was a huge transition period for Hawaii, who saw many players come and go in the same season. The offense and pitching saw huge changes, beginning with the lineup being shaken up and a total of 48 different combinations were used before Manager Juan Rubio settled on the one he liked in early-August. The pitching rotation was shaken up, dumped, shaken again before finally coming to a head in late-August. It was an improvement over 1999, not by much, but the Tropics are righting the ship and starting to get right in Paradise.

Team Overview (Numbers indicate standing in JL)
+ 40-41 at Home
+ 34-47 on the Road.
+ .260 Team BA (10th)
+ .327 OBP (6th)
+ .393 Slugging (10th)
+ 732 Runs Scored (8th)
+ 1447 Hits (10th)
+ 436 Extra-Base Hits (9th)

+ 4.14 ERA (7th)
+ 3.98 Starting Pitcher ERA (6th)
+ 4.74 Bullpen ERA (10th)
+ 759 Runs Allowed (7th)
+ 1490 Hits Allowed (7th)

Team Leaders:
AB - 3B Robb Wells (648)
Hits - CF Mark Gosselaar (188)
BA - CF Mark Gosselaar (.301)
RBI - 3B Robb Wells (100)
Runs - CF Mark Gosselaar (110)

Wins - SP Robert Walton (18)
ERA (min 75 IP) - Dave Walter (3.46)
Strikeouts - SP Remington Little (179)
WHIP (More than 40 innings pitched) - Dave Walter (1.11)

~~~

Offensive Player of the Year
CF Mark Gosselaar -- An incredibly tight call between Gosselaar and Wells, and while Wells put up much better numbers, it was Gosselaar who came back from a horrendous 1999 season and provided some pop for 2000. Gosselaar finished with a team-high .301 average, and a fantastic .391 OBP. He tacked on 19 HR and 69 RBI to his stats. Gosselaar started the year playing in a platoon with fellow outfielder Clark Devereaux, yet Gosselaar caught the attention of everyone after he started hitting everything thrown his way. Gosselaar won the starting job in May, and soon rose to the leadoff position. Gosselaar is only 26, which gives everyone in Hawaii hope for the offensive future.

Pitching Player of the Year
SP Robert Walton -- It couldn't be anyone else, as Walton pitched in 253.2 innings to rack up a phenomenal 18-9 record with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Walton came out to Hawaii in a deal in the 1999/2000 off-season and never looked back. Walton was shaky in 1999, with a 12-15 record, but in 2000 showed his true character (reminescent of 1998) and posted a team-high 18 wins. Walton continued his wicked ways, posting a serious .263 OAVG. Walton looks to keep his good fortune going, being the top arm in the Tropics rotation starting next season.

Defensive Player of the Year
2B Tim McGraw -- The Tropic Captain flashed his leather again this year on his way to winning his 2nd Diamond Glove award, and his first at the 4. McGraw saw 1,216 innings on his 33 year-old legs. McGraw committed just 12 errors, which is tied for a career high, but his Zone Rating was a career high 16.2 (nearly doubled his 2nd closest year) and McGraw posted an Effeciancy Rating of 1.055. McGraw turned 89 Double Plays, and was a terrific leader on the Diamon.

Minor League Player of the Year (Offense)
2B Dwight Vazquez (AAA) -- Vazquez might be a surprise given his under-the-radar approach to the season, yet fans in Death Valley know of Vazquez's contributions to the Scorpions and caught the eye of the Tropics organization. Vazquez hit a remarkable .309 in 349 AB (108 Hits). Vazquez tagged 6 homeruns and 47 RBI. His season was unfortunately cut very short by a couple injuries that cost him 2 months playing time, but Vazquez has his eyes on the 2B spot after Tim McGraw hangs up the spikes and if Vazquez keeps performing like he does, he could slide up into the 4 spot for the forseeable future.

Minor League Player of the Year (Pitching)
SP Roy Paul (A) - Who? Roy Paul? With just a half-star rating by certain scouts, Paul managed a terrific 2000 campaign that didn't go unnoticed in the end. Paul pitched in 218 innings, the most for the Single-A Club. Paul put together a 2.35 ERA and struck out 225 batters to finish with a WHIP of 0.97! Wow! With 4 pitches but nothing overpowering, one has to wonder whether or not the season was a fluke with bad batting, or this guy was just on his stuff. Only 2001 will tell, and with Paul only 24 years old, he could see himself advancing through the minors if his numbers keep where they are.

[recte44]

What a fantastic career thus far for McGraw, one of the league's unsung stars. He was a plus shortstop, moving him to second base he's just amazing.