North Division First Half Review

The first half is in the books, so I'll make a couple posts reviewing what happened and take some time later to preview the second half.

Bakersfield Blaze
29-41, 5th place, 16 GB
19-16 home, 10-25 away

All Stars
Jose Felix

Key players lost to promotion
Cody Eppley

Turning point- Bakersfield was hanging around the top of the division through early May, but a long losing streak starting in the middle of the month did them in. On May 13th, they were just two games behind division leading Visalia. On May 14th, the Blaze blew a four run lead against San Jose and went on to lose 10 straight, including seven against San Jose and Modesto, who both proved to be among the best teams in the division. Bakersfield never really got back in it, and eventually suffered a similar long losing streak near the end of the half.

Memorable moment- On Memorial Day, Engel Beltre hit an extra innings walkoff home run, but that's not what made news. In what might've been the highest publicized event in the Cal League this season, Beltre instigated a postgame brawl after taunting Visalia while rounding the bases. A number of players received multi game suspensions after the incident.

Batting leaders
BA (min. 100 AB)- Engel Beltre, .326
R- Davis Stoneburner, 44
HR- Mike Bianucci, 8
RBI- Engel Beltre, 32
SB- David Paisano, 9
OPS (min. 100 AB)- Davis Stoneburner, .847

Team batting league ranks (out of 10)
BA- .264, 9th
R- 295, 10th
HR- 41, 9th
SB- 37, 9th
OPS- .703, 10th

Bakersfield's lineup just hasn't been very good. They're not making good contact, hitting for power or stealing bases, and that's obviously not a good combo. Engel Beltre has made huge strides in his second year with the Blaze, but other players returning for a second year in the Cal League haven't fared as well as Beltre. Mike Bianucci, despite leading the team in home runs and hitting a little better as of late, and Erik Morrison have been huge disappointments. Only three current regulars, Beltre, Davis Stoneburner and Bakersfield veteran John Whittleman, have an OPS over the league average. After a hot start with the team, Chris Gradoville has cooled off and is now among a group of five regulars with an OPS under .700.

Pitching leaders
W- Carlos Pimentel, 5
ERA (min. 25 IP)- Tim Murphy, 2.22
IP- Michael Main, 84
K- Michael Main, 65
WHIP (min. 25 IP)- Michael Main, 1.19
S- Mark Hamburger, 8

Team pitching league ranks (out of 10)
ERA- 4.30, 4th
WHIP- 1.46, 5th
K- 487, 8th

Bakersfield has had one of the better pitching staffs in the league, in large part due to a solid bullpen. Five relievers that pitched for the Blaze at some point this year have an ERA under 3, including both pitchers who have been the team's primary closer, Cody Eppley and Mark Hamburger after Eppley's promotion to AA. The rotation hasn't come together like I expected. Michael Main allows way too many home runs, but the former first round pick has been making a lot of good starts lately and is improving greatly on 2009's 14 appearances with the Blaze. The promotion of Wilmer Font added a lot of talent to the rotation, but other young starters like Kennil Gomez and Wilfredo Boscan haven't gotten the results Texas was hoping for.

Modesto Nuts
37-33, T-2nd place, 8 GB
15-20 home, 22-13 away

All Stars
Jimmy Cesario
Ethan Hollingsworth
Jordan Pacheco

Key players lost to promotion
None

Turning point- Modesto had a solid April and first half of May and were hanging around at the top of the division for much of the half. Late in May, the Nuts had a five game series against San Jose which included the completion of a suspended game from April. The Giants were in the process of making their run to their 6th straight first half title, but there was still plenty of time in the half for Modesto to knock them off. Unfortunately for the Nuts, the Giants took four of five, and Modesto never regained their previous consistency and drifted further and further away from first.

Memorable moment- In late April, Modesto fell behind by a few runs early against Stockton. Starter Dan Houston struggled, but the bullpen eventually got the game under control. Using an offensive attack primarily made up of singles, the Nuts turned a 6-1 deficit into a 9-7 lead after the 7th, also taking advantage of eight walks by Stockton pitchers. However, Stockton scored twice in the top of the 9th, and the game went to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Jimmy Cesario hit a fly ball to outfielder Jeremy Barfield that should've been the final out of the inning. However, the ball was dropped, and the winning run scored.

Batting leaders
BA (min. 100 AB)- Jimmy Cesario, .341
R- Thomas Field, 50
HR- Thomas Field, 10
RBI- Jimmy Cesario, 44
SB- Scott Robinson, 14
OPS (min. 100 AB)- Thomas Field, .968

Team batting league ranks (out of 10)
BA- .276, 6th
R- 351, 5th
HR- 37, 10th
SB- 87, 3rd
OPS- .760, 5th

Modesto's bats were hotter near the start of the season, but the lineup has still been middle of the pack even after cooling off a bit. Jordan Pacheco began the season as one of the best hitters in the league, and he still earned an All Star selection even though his batting average has dropped around 80 points. Jimmy Cesario will join Pacheco in the All Star Game, but one player that won't be is Thomas Field, even though he's second among active Cal Leaguers in OPS. Ben Paulsen and Brian Rike are also contributing with solid seasons. Unfortunately for Modesto, the news wasn't all good. Late in the first half, Maikol Gonzalez was hit in the head by a line drive while sitting in the dugout. This required serious surgery to repair a skull fracture and remove a blood clot, and although his season is over, it sounds like things are going well for Gonzalez.

Pitching leaders
W- Kenny Durst, 7
ERA (min. 25 IP)- Adam Jorgenson, 2.39
IP- Juan Nicasio, 84
K- Juan Nicasio, 79
WHIP (min. 25 IP)- Rex Brothers, 1.03
S- Adam Jorgenson, 16

Team pitching league ranks (out of 10)
ERA- 4.35, 6th
WHIP- 1.47, 6th
K- 557, 1st

A couple blowouts as the half wound down hurt their team ERA, but overall Modesto has pitched about average so far. Ethan Hollingsworth has been their only consistent starter throughout the half, and his great stats earned him a spot on the All Star team. Juan Nicasio has also had a very good half, but he went through a stretch of a few starts where he could barely record an out. The other three starters, Kenny Durst, Dan Houston and Rob Scahill have generally struggled. The bullpen is led by two very good relievers, closer Adam Jorgenson and former first round pick Rex Brothers. Both occasionally struggle with their command and walk a few too many batters, but they're effective relievers and contribute to Modesto's league leading strikeout total.

San Jose Giants
45-25, 1st place
21-14 home, 24-11 away

All Stars
Brandon Belt
Justin Fitzgerald
Juan Perez
Eric Surkamp
Craig Westcott

Key players lost to promotion
None

Turning point- San Jose got off to another solid start in 2010, and along with Modesto and Visalia, competed for first place in a tightly packed race. In early May, the team started struggling a bit, and it looked like this Giants team just didn't have what it would take to earn another division championship, especially after being swept by High Desert. However, not soon after that, San Jose went on a 10 game winning streak, including a number of wins over Visalia and Modesto. After that, the Giants never really looked back and took command of the division en route to their 6th straight title.

Memorable moment- What else could it be? On 6/15, San Jose defeated High Desert 15-11 to clinch their 6th straight first half title. The previous record was three, and it became clear that the San Jose Giants are on an incredible run and could be one of baseball's best franchises. On that night, starter Eric Stolp struggled, but Brandon Belt and the lineup stepped up and supported the pitching staff in one of the team's biggest offensive outputs of the season.

Batting leaders
BA (min. 100 AB)- Brandon Belt, .392
R- Brandon Belt, 56
HR- Brandon Belt and Charlie Culberson, 9
RBI- Brandon Belt, 58
SB- Francisco Peguero, 23
OPS (min. 100 AB)- Brandon Belt, 1.145

Team batting league ranks (out of 10)
BA- .287, 2nd
R- 382, 3rd
HR- 49, 6th
SB- 120, T-1st
OPS- .787, 3rd

San Jose's offensive stats are very similar to last year. Right now, four regulars have an above average OPS, and of course that's led by 2009 5th rounder Brandon Belt. Belt has been an unstoppable force throughout the half and would definitely be the first half MVP if that existed. He doesn't have tremendous home run power, but he hits the ball into the gaps and gets a lot of doubles. Belt also adds a number of little things to his game in addition to the great batting stats, including a patient plate approach and good athleticism and defense. This isn't all about Brandon Belt though. Juan Perez also made the All Star team, and Charlie Culberson has added some power himself. Team speed has also been a factor, with six players already stealing double digit bases.

Pitching leaders
W- Oliver Odle, 8
ERA (min. 25 IP)- Craig Westcott, 1.55
IP- Eric Surkamp, 72
K- Eric Surkamp, 69
WHIP (min. 25 IP)- Edwin Quirarte, .79
S- Jason Stoffel, 12

Team pitching league ranks (out of 10)
ERA- 4.08, 2nd
WHIP- 1.33, 2nd
K- 505, 8th

For at least the second straight year, San Jose is trying to use a six man rotation which is obviously unique compared to just about every other team in pro baseball. With three starters headed to Myrtle Beach for Tuesday's All Star Game, it's clear that the organization knows how to handle and develop pitchers. Eric Surkamp might have the best stuff of the staff and leads the team in strikeouts by a pretty healthy margin. However, it's Craig Westcott that will be the All Star Game starter. He doesn't have incredible stuff, but Westcott simply keeps teams off the scoreboard and started the season with four straight scoreless starts. Justin Fitzgerald has been a revelation, posting a 3.18 ERA despite being a starter for only the first time in his career.

Stockton Ports
31-39, 4th place, 14 GB
14-21 home, 17-18 away

All Stars
Stephen Parker

Key players lost to promotion
Fautino De Los Santos

Turning point- It's hard to define a turning point for this team. They were below .500 for most of the half and never really went on a huge winning streak. One possible moment where it might've became clear that the Ports wouldn't be winning the first half title is a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Bakersfield on 5/9. Stockton only scored two runs in both games combined, and the Blaze ended up winning four out of the five game series. They lost the series before this to San Jose and split two of the four series after that, and this stretch of games just exemplifies the entire subpar first half.

Memorable moment- One of the series Stockton did manage to win in that May stretch was against Lake Elsinore who dominated the South division on their way to a first half title. The Storm may own the league's second best home record, but the Ports managed to take two of three at The Diamond this week. They won the first game 8-7, tacking on just enough runs late to hang onto the lead. In the rubber match, Stockton went down in the game early, but in a game in which All Star closer Brad Brach apparently wasn't available, the Ports scored four runs in the 9th to take a 7-5 lead to take the series. In this series, Stockton received help from big leaguers Coco Crisp and Mark Ellis who were rehabbing from injuries.

Batting leaders
BA (min. 100 AB)- Grant Green, .320
R- Grant Green, 47
HR- Michael Spina, 12
RBI- Michael Spina, 55
SB- Tyler Ladendorf, 10
OPS (min. 100 AB)- Ryan Ortiz, .931

Team batting league ranks (out of 10)
BA- .267, 7th
R- 343, 6th
HR- 58, 3rd
SB- 39, 8th
OPS- .762, 4th

As fans might expect from an Oakland affiliate, Stockton scores their runs by hitting home runs with an extreme patient approach at the plate. They don't hit for a high average, strike out a lot, and speed is not a factor in their lineup. Stephen Parker is the team's lone All Star rep, and he deserves it. He hasn't been hitting home runs lately, but his slugging on the season is still very good, and he has a great OBP. One other very good hitter this season is Ryan Ortiz, but for some reason, he just doesn't get many at bats. The Ports have had some other catchers pass through, but as far as I can tell, he should be playing more. Grant Green struggled a bit at the plate about a month into the season, but he's a hot hitter lately and playing like Oakland expected when they took him in the first round.

Pitching leaders
W- Shawn Haviland and Justin Murray, 6
ERA (min. 25 IP)- Paul Smyth, 1.54
IP- Shawn Haviland, 77.1
K- Shawn Haviland, 81
WHIP (min. 25 IP)- Paul Smyth, .83
S- Paul Smyth, 10

Team pitching league ranks (out of 10)
ERA- 4.80, 9th
WHIP- 1.51, 8th
K- 555, 2nd

Stockton's rotation has been a huge problem so far this season. Shawn Haviland has been solid, but the pitchers being shuffled in and out of the other four spots have given the Ports very little. Justin Murray has a good ERA, but he gives up way too many baserunners to sustain it. Murphy Smith and Anvioris Ramirez started out the season in the rotation, but both had to be demoted. Kenny Smalley was eventually moved to the bullpen but could end up back in the rotation. Cal League veteran Paul Oseguera didn't provide much stability, but Ben Hornbeck, assigned after a rough stint in AA, has been a spark in another stint with Stockton.

Visalia Rawhide
37-33, T-2nd place, 8 GB
17-18 home, 20-15 away

All Stars
Bryan Woodall

Key players lost to promotion
Josh Collmenter

Turning point- Some might say the eight game losing streak at the end of May and beginning of June did Visalia in, but they were struggling even before that. On May 13th, Visalia was sitting in first place. However, in the game that night, San Jose beat Visalia 21-9 to secure a four game series win. The Rawhide then lost the next two games to Modesto by scores of 10-3 and 16-2 for what has to be the three consecutive most lopsided games on the schedule for any team this season. Visalia won the next two, but then they met with San Jose again and got swept. After that, they never regained their first place form and went on that eight game losing streak.

Memorable moment- This one came early in the season and off the field. Near the end of April, the Diamondbacks extended Visalia's PDC through 2012. This was an important moment in Visalia history because the team has had trouble staying affiliated with the same team. For the first time in 20 years, Visalia signed a PDC extension before August, and they're happy to have the security. The team and city have spent a lot of money making renovations to improve the facilities, and the improvements have paid off with the commitment from the Diamondbacks.

Batting leaders
BA (min. 100 AB)- Paul Goldschmidt, .299
R- Paul Goldschmidt, 47
HR- Paul Goldschmidt, 13
RBI- Paul Goldschmidt, 45
SB- Dan Kaczrowski, 8
OPS (min. 100 AB)- Kyle Greene, .890

Team batting league ranks (out of 10)
BA- .262, 10th
R- 335, 7th
HR- 52, 4th
SB- 29, 10th
OPS- .721, 8th

Visalia hasn't scored many runs in recent seasons, and coming into the season it looked like things would be better. It hasn't quite worked out that well, but there are still a few players having solid seasons. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting for power even though he's not walking much. In some ways, they've been hitting a lot like Stockton has this season: not making much contact or stealing bases but clearing the fence a lot. Marc Krauss was off to a torrid start but has been in a slump for awhile. At the other end of the spectrum, Kyle Greene is incredibly hot and now leads the team in OPS. He has five of his nine home runs in the last 10 games, and his OPS has increased in each month. Depth in the lineup has been an issue, and six regulars have an OPS below the league average.

Pitching leaders
W- Taylor Sinclair and Bryan Woodall, 5
ERA (min. 25 IP)- Bryan Woodall, .28
IP- Wade Miley, 80.1
K- Wade Miley and Brett Moorhouse, 50
WHIP (min. 25 IP)- Bryan Woodall, .99
S- T.J. Hose, 7

Team pitching league ranks (out of 10)
ERA- 4.22, 3rd
WHIP- 1.48, 7th
K- 549, 4th

Visalia's WHIP indicates that their ERA might not be that low for much longer, and staff ace Wade Miley is an example of that on an individual level. Only allowing one home run in 80.1 IP is great, but he walks too many batters and hasn't shown strikeout stuff so far. Taylor Sinclair, another rotation mainstay, is also having a solid year. Visalia has had a tough time filling the other spots in the rotation, but Chase Anderson has made quite a few strong starts for them since being added to the roster. A huge key to Visalia's low team ERA is relief ace Bryan Woodall, the Rawhide All-Star rep. He's been recording some saves lately, but Woodall has done a great job getting out of tough jams all season.