Seattle 1999 Season Recap

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1999 Was a year of transition for Seattle. After a mid-season GM change, lot of changes occurred throughout the season in an effort to better position Seattle for long-term success. Several trades were made that moved some big players, but also brought is some good young stars. Morris Pennebaker, a fan favorite, was one of the first to go, but the players that came back in the trade helped build the foundation for the roster going forward...Martorell and Mora became instant starters, and Martorell turned his play up several notches and actually outplayed Pennebaker for much of the season before he lost his starting position due to another large trade. Benjamin Rivero and Ted Dever, both fan favorites were next to leave. This time the return was much greater in that it netted several top prospects. Among them was Lon Hoch (who Martorell lost his position to) who posted a .327 AVG, .388 OBP and a .857 OPS to go along with a VORP of 22.9 in only 103 games. This production made him one of the most cost-effective players in the league, and will make him a starting RF in Seattle for many years. Throughout all of the trades made during the season, something incredible happened, the team gelled together and started showing their potential far earlier than expected. This led to many discussions internally, and after consulting with team owner Gary Busey, it was decided to make a legitimate run at the playoffs. After putting some feelers out, Seattle was able to work out a deal with Omaha for young sensations Armano Santos and Russell Vanness in exchange for Dash Kelly and several of our top prospects. This deal made a lot of sense both financially as well as age-wise. While the end result was not what was hoped for, a lot of the reason for this actually had nothing to do with the players brought in as they both performed at or above expectations. Rather, it was the loss of CL Marvin Lewis for 12+ months due to TJ surgery. This left our bullpen scrambling, and with no clear leader, and the deadline passed, the pen fell apart down the stretch. However, the way the season ended left great hope for the future, and the team is very excited for the 2000 season.

Team MVP
Jacinto Merino

Team Rookie of the Year
Lon Hoch

Top Performers for the Season (Seattle numbers only)
Pitchers
Russell Vanness (7-2, 2.80 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 151 ERA+)
Joshua Noble (7-12, 4.36 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 97 ERA+)

Batters
Jacinto Merino (.345 AVG, 47 HR, 140 RBI, 116 R, .996 OPS, 68.9 VORP)
Lon Hoch (.327 AVG, .388 OBP, 7.21 RC/27, 22.9 VORP)
Tony Carter (.323 AVG, 12 HR, 82 RBI, 77 R, .867 OPS, 28.8 VORP)
Armando Santos (.322 AVG, .424 OBP, 37 SB, 21.3 VORP)
Mack Randall (.270 AVG, 29 HR, 82 RBI, 86 R, 88 BB, 22.1 VORP)

Key Players In
Armando Santos
Russell Vanness
Lon Hoch
Raulo Mora
James Dicus
Bjorn Nepal
Will Simmons
George Madocks
Christian Martorell

Key Players Out (Does not include players acquired and re-traded during the season)
Benjamin Rivero
Morris Pennebaker
Dash Kelly
Tobias Kelly
Dan Winter
Ewan Olsen
Ted Dever

As you can see, this was a major year of change for Seattle, but exciting times are ahead. With a lineup anchored by Merino, Santos, Hoch and Randall, and a rotation that features Vanness and Noble at the top, there are exciting things in store for the Seattle Storm. Onwards towards 2000!