In another up and down season which Jersey finds themselves out of the playoffs, does it surprise anyone that September was their best month of the year? Including their 11 game streak in the middle of the month, Jersey captured it's 2nd 20 win month in team history by going 21-6, falling just 2 games behind the eventual Wild Card winner, the Regina River Sharks.
Players of the Month:
With a big month like September, there will be several main players in the running for POTM, and this month was no exception.
SP Dan Macias 5-0, 2.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 42 K's. Aces are suppose to show up big in big situations and Macias did that in a month where Jersey needed every game. He pitched 6 quality starts, winning 5 of them and earning a no decision in the other. He ended the season with 16 straight shutout innings picking up his 20th win on the last day of the year. It marks his first 20 win season and the first in Jersey Shore history.
SP Rob Goodship 6-0, 2.51 ERA, 2 CG. Fans are hoping that Goodship has finally come to play. After a trying sophomore year Goodship finally put together a fabulous string of starts for a perfect 6-0 September. Always thought of to have potential to be a legit #2 starter, the soon to be 28 year old might just be a late bloomer.
MR Jose Gomes 2-0, 2 Saves, 2.08 ERA, 21 K in 13 IP. When Dog Pound is on his game, he can be one of the most dominating relievers in the game, and we saw that in September. Gomes is very much a veteran to the POTM column. He finished the season leading all relievers in K/9IP.
2B Mike Bryant 6 HR, 29 RBI, .333/.398/.619. Bryant rebounded from a slumping August to rake again in September. 3rd month of 2014 with at least 28 RBI. 1st round pick to standout rookie to legit MVP candidate. The future is bright for Mr. Bryant. Jersey Shore brass is also lobbying to get an official nickname change from "Coffin" to "The Monster" Mr. Ulery, take note.
RF Peter Larson .333/.436/.444 11 wb, 18 BB, 20 runs scored. Larson got better every month after putting on a Jersey uniform and September was by far his best month. He was on base at a .436 clip and scored in 80% of Jersey's games. Is there a better spot for him in the game than hitting in front of Bryant and Doyle?
C Luis Antonio Duran 4 HR, 17 RBI, .360/.436/.573. Hitting mainly out of the 6 slot Duran showed what a valuable asset he can be with power and and and eye. 2nd straight season with 20+ HR and the front office has hinted about an upcoming extension.
Roster Questions, Changes and Answers
Since up until the last few days of the season Jersey still had slim hopes of a playoff spot we didn't get to see too many young players get AB's. We did see OF Al Ryan get plenty of playing time this year and eclipse the 20 HR plateau. We still have the 1B/3B candidates Adam Morrow and Alberto Perez looking for regular work. Adam Morrow had a 4 hit game on the 2nd to last day of the season. OF Harold Robinson was called up and hit a Grand Slam in his first AB. OF Ken Taylor and OF Sergio Rodriguez both saw time recently and could be regulars in 2015. MR Jose Ruiz who was hurt most of the season got a late season call up but never got to see the mound in a game.
It looks as though the D-Bags will hit the offseason with 3 pending Free Agents. 3B David Paquette, MR Marv Williams and MR Gordon Brown. With the budget the way it is, I would look for none of the 3 to be resigned. Williams pitched poorly then was injured and Paquette is 36 years old. Brown would be an interesting candidate even though he pitched very poorly since coming to Jersey at the deadline. Ruiz is a good candidate to take one of the open MR spots next year, and look for a trade or FA to come in to fill the other.
There will be some interesting decisions in the off season as far as contract extensions go as well. Next year will be the last year on the contracts for CL Daniel Morris, CF Scott Powers, 3B Parker Morrow and SP Kenny Stanford. Also you had to wonder when players who will be hitting arbitration soon such as Duran, Bryant , Manny Romero and Greg Schaefer will receive long term deals or wait out their arbitration hearings. Stay tuned for a season long break down as well naming the Batter and Pitcher of the year as well as minor league players of the year for the Jersey system.
GO D-BAGS
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