The Hackers open the season Monday at Regina's Taylor Field vs. the River Sharks. Skipper Mike Thomas has announced the starting lineup:
Pos/Name/2012 Slash Line
3B Louis May (.287/.405/.486)...4 Career SB's in the leadoff spot?
LF Adrian Figueroa (.305/.391/.536)...Coming off career best OPS+ of 144
1B Julio Ortega (.334/.427/.647)...Won 2012 Grishey Award as league's MVP
C Hyung-jin Park (.294/.378/.485)...Needs to stay healthy this year, no depth at C
CF Sterling LaBrie (.313/.379/.457)....309 OBP in 2011, which LaBrie will show up?
SS Jason Jackson (.315/.374/.435)...2012 All-Star, consistent performer
DH Howard Swain (.260/.335/.421)...Rumored bad work ethic, but coming off solid rookie year
2B Ken Adams (.249/.350/.347) at AAA...Shows flashes of talent, will platoon with Gonzalez
RF Chet Green (.292/.388/.559) at AAA Charlotte...Rookie acquired in the Chen trade. Will start at least until Alberto Perez is back from injury.
SP Guillermo Mendoza (15-9 last season with a 4.04 ERA, 200 K's against 67 BB's) The talented Mendoza is coming off a solid year. A hitter's park and poor defense behind him likely masked a 3.21 FIP.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Ortega Must Fight Off Teammates En Route to Triple Crown
With 35ish games to go here's a look at the TL's Triple Crown Leaderboard:
Ortega seems to have a solid lead in HR and RBI, but teammates Perez and Jackson are nearby in AVG. Not to mention non-teammates Hasegawa and Lopez only 10 and 12 points behind.
| Batting AVG | Home Runs | Runs Batted In | ||||||||
| J. Ortega | HAD | 0.333 | J. Ortega | HAD | 45 | J. Ortega | HAD | 136 | ||
| A. Pérez | HAD | 0.331 | J. Crowe | KCY | 32 | A. Pérez | HAD | 117 | ||
| J. Jackson | HAD | 0.327 | A. Pérez | HAD | 32 | J. Crowe | KCY | 109 | ||
| M. Hasegawa | GRN | 0.323 | C. Delaney | PIT | 30 | C. Delaney | PIT | 106 | ||
| D. López | POC | 0.321 | M. Morris | PIT | 28 | M. Hasegawa | GRN | 104 | ||
Ortega seems to have a solid lead in HR and RBI, but teammates Perez and Jackson are nearby in AVG. Not to mention non-teammates Hasegawa and Lopez only 10 and 12 points behind.
May through August Recap
Ok, so I haven't had the time I hoped to post monthly updates, but here's an update.
Prefect Standings
Standings are right in line with what Pythagoras says they should be. The Hackers have been unable to win the close ones, going 14-19 while the division leaders are 20-11. Despite a run of good form lately, it appears Haddonfield's dug too deep of a hole early in the season.
Record by Month:
The team has stayed mostly the same since the last update, save for trading Harvey Phillips away. Phillips replacement, Manny Rivera, has been 5-1 with a 3.98 ERA. So the trade can't have hurt us too badly.
The rest of the season will be spent admiring this team's exciting offense, and seeing if Julio Ortega can win VBL6's first triple crown.
Prefect Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | XInn | 1Run |
| Regina River Sharks | 77 | 51 | - | 81-47 | -4 | 9-5 | 20-11 |
| Oklahoma Droogies | 70 | 57 | 6.5 | 72-55 | -2 | 3-2 | 17-16 |
| Haddonfield Hackers | 65 | 62 | 11.5 | 68-59 | -3 | 4-3 | 14-19 |
| Kansas City Cougars | 50 | 78 | 27.0 | 53-75 | -3 | 1-8 | 13-25 |
Standings are right in line with what Pythagoras says they should be. The Hackers have been unable to win the close ones, going 14-19 while the division leaders are 20-11. Despite a run of good form lately, it appears Haddonfield's dug too deep of a hole early in the season.
Record by Month:
| W | L | |
| April | 10 | 18 |
| May | 11 | 16 |
| June | 15 | 11 |
| July | 18 | 8 |
| August | 11 | 9 |
The team has stayed mostly the same since the last update, save for trading Harvey Phillips away. Phillips replacement, Manny Rivera, has been 5-1 with a 3.98 ERA. So the trade can't have hurt us too badly.
The rest of the season will be spent admiring this team's exciting offense, and seeing if Julio Ortega can win VBL6's first triple crown.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
April Recap
Let's begin the recap with a look at the standings:
The -8 run differential is bad. The 10-18 record is awful. Especially with 6 of 10 wins coming against Oklahoma. The 1-7 record in 1-run games is a little unlucky. Hackers fans need to be careful when whining about luck though, as if the luck broke even Kansas City would really be running away with this thing.
The Bad
Defense. The Hackers rank in the middle of the pack in walks, strikeouts and homers allowed, yet are 11th in the league at runs allowed. Why? A little bad luck and a LOT of bad defense. Outside of defensive specialist Juan Benitez (whose bat may force him out of the lineup sooner rather than later) Haddonfield marches mediocre to poor defenders out at every position.
As for the pitching, free agent adds Rowdy Phillips and Emilio Archibequi are combining for a 3.62 ERA while the rest of the rotation is putting up a 7.24 figure. That's just not going to cut it. I'm looking at you Guillermo Mendoza.
The Good
Several position players are shining. Julio Ortega, in his first season, is batting .294/.391/.514. Team captain Louis May is at .321/.415/.589. Adrian Figueroa hit for the cycle! The Hackers are setting the TL pace in batting average and hits, while slugging the 3rd best percentage and scoring the 5th most.
What to Look for in May
Louis May is going to miss a week with a sore elbow, and Haddonfield's really lacking in infield depth. Even worse is Hyung-jin Park's ribs need a couple more weeks to heal. Hacker catchers are putting up a sub .245 OBP in his absence. The second half of May looks to be better than the first.
The schedule gives us 8 games against leaders Kansas City, a great chance to climb up the standings a bit. Even though they're missing JT Francoeur, KC is dominating the TL pitching leaderboards. At the end of the month, the Hackers will likely be contending or surrendering, and it could all hinge on those 2 series.
Awards
Player of the Month: Julio Ortega
Pitcher of the Month: Rowdy Phillips
Facial Hair of the Month: Paul Hill
| Team | W | L | GB | Pyt.Rec | Run Differential | 1Run |
| Kansas City Cougars | 16 | 12 | - | 18-10 | 45 | 1-6 |
| Regina River Sharks | 15 | 13 | 1 | 15-13 | 5 | 6-2 |
| Haddonfield Hackers | 10 | 18 | 6 | 13-15 | -8 | 1-7 |
| Oklahoma Droogies | 10 | 18 | 6 | 10-18 | -43 | 4-4 |
The -8 run differential is bad. The 10-18 record is awful. Especially with 6 of 10 wins coming against Oklahoma. The 1-7 record in 1-run games is a little unlucky. Hackers fans need to be careful when whining about luck though, as if the luck broke even Kansas City would really be running away with this thing.
The Bad
Defense. The Hackers rank in the middle of the pack in walks, strikeouts and homers allowed, yet are 11th in the league at runs allowed. Why? A little bad luck and a LOT of bad defense. Outside of defensive specialist Juan Benitez (whose bat may force him out of the lineup sooner rather than later) Haddonfield marches mediocre to poor defenders out at every position.
As for the pitching, free agent adds Rowdy Phillips and Emilio Archibequi are combining for a 3.62 ERA while the rest of the rotation is putting up a 7.24 figure. That's just not going to cut it. I'm looking at you Guillermo Mendoza.
The Good
Several position players are shining. Julio Ortega, in his first season, is batting .294/.391/.514. Team captain Louis May is at .321/.415/.589. Adrian Figueroa hit for the cycle! The Hackers are setting the TL pace in batting average and hits, while slugging the 3rd best percentage and scoring the 5th most.
What to Look for in May
Louis May is going to miss a week with a sore elbow, and Haddonfield's really lacking in infield depth. Even worse is Hyung-jin Park's ribs need a couple more weeks to heal. Hacker catchers are putting up a sub .245 OBP in his absence. The second half of May looks to be better than the first.
The schedule gives us 8 games against leaders Kansas City, a great chance to climb up the standings a bit. Even though they're missing JT Francoeur, KC is dominating the TL pitching leaderboards. At the end of the month, the Hackers will likely be contending or surrendering, and it could all hinge on those 2 series.
Awards
Player of the Month: Julio Ortega
Pitcher of the Month: Rowdy Phillips
Facial Hair of the Month: Paul Hill
Friday, April 1, 2011
Note
Programming note: Hadn't really decided what to do on this team blog. Starting now, it's going to consist of a recap of each virtual month. Virtual April is over in 2 sims, so expect a recap here on the team and the division then.
Every now and then I'll throw in a write up about the stadium, player profiles, draft recaps, etc.
Every now and then I'll throw in a write up about the stadium, player profiles, draft recaps, etc.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Hackers Swept at Home
April 7, 2012-- Haddonfield followed up a season opening sweep of Oklahoma with 3 losses to the Vista Panthers. The starting trio of John Young, Francisco Ayala, and Guillermo Mendoza lasted a combined 6.2 innings in the series. Especially concerning was Ayala's poor performance in his first career start.
The Hackers were outscored 29-12, out-walked 16-2, and out-homered 7-3. Box Scores.
The Panthers' DH Tony Warrilow dominated Hacker pitching, going 7 for 10 with 2 HR and 5BB.
After dropping 2 of 3 to Whitewater, Ayala and Mendoza with take their inflated ERA's to Oklahoma to face the Droogies in a four game set.
The Hackers were outscored 29-12, out-walked 16-2, and out-homered 7-3. Box Scores.
The Panthers' DH Tony Warrilow dominated Hacker pitching, going 7 for 10 with 2 HR and 5BB.
After dropping 2 of 3 to Whitewater, Ayala and Mendoza with take their inflated ERA's to Oklahoma to face the Droogies in a four game set.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Hackers Sweep Droogies in Opening Series
Game One: Haddonfield 10, Oklahoma 4
Recap: 39,000 fans packed the Sanitarium to see the Hackers out-slug Oklahoma in the season opener. 1B Julio Ortega opened up the scoring with a 2 run homer in the first. Haddonfield once led 8-0. H'field starter Guillermo Mendoza put together a quality start, recovering from a bleak spring. Player of the Game: Julio Ortega 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI, 3R.
WP: G.Mendoza (1-0 4.26 ERA)
LP: J.Orozko (0-1 27.01 ERA)
Game Two: Haddonfield 6, Oklahoma 1
Recap: Haddonfield scored a run each in the second through fifth and never looked back. Free Agent add Harvey Phillips followed up a strong spring with a strong opening start. Closer Jose Corona saw his first action of the season in a stress free non-save situation. Player of the Game: Harvey Phillips 8 IP, 8K, 3BB, 1ER.
WP: H.Phillips (1-0, 1.13 ERA)
LP: M.Miller (0-1, 7.782 ERA)
Game Three: Haddonfield 8, Oklahoma 6
Recap: 2 home runs by 3B Louis May took the Hackers to a 6-0 lead, but the Droogies never gave up. OKL's Edgar Martinez doubled and scored in the 6th to make it 6-1. He then singled and scored in an 8th inning that made it 6-5. Haddonfield would score 2 insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning, and Mike Cunningham closed the door with a save. Player of the Game: Louis May, 2-3, 2HR, 4RBI.
WP: Archibequi (1-0, 1.35 ERA)
LP: R.Kennedy (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
On Deck: Vista Panthers (3-1)
Probables:
VIS: Castillo vs. HAD: Young
VIS: Lopez (1-0) vs. HAD: Ayala
VIS: Pinella (1-0) vs. HAD: Mendoza (1-0)
Recap: 39,000 fans packed the Sanitarium to see the Hackers out-slug Oklahoma in the season opener. 1B Julio Ortega opened up the scoring with a 2 run homer in the first. Haddonfield once led 8-0. H'field starter Guillermo Mendoza put together a quality start, recovering from a bleak spring. Player of the Game: Julio Ortega 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI, 3R.
WP: G.Mendoza (1-0 4.26 ERA)
LP: J.Orozko (0-1 27.01 ERA)
Game Two: Haddonfield 6, Oklahoma 1
Recap: Haddonfield scored a run each in the second through fifth and never looked back. Free Agent add Harvey Phillips followed up a strong spring with a strong opening start. Closer Jose Corona saw his first action of the season in a stress free non-save situation. Player of the Game: Harvey Phillips 8 IP, 8K, 3BB, 1ER.
WP: H.Phillips (1-0, 1.13 ERA)
LP: M.Miller (0-1, 7.782 ERA)
Game Three: Haddonfield 8, Oklahoma 6
Recap: 2 home runs by 3B Louis May took the Hackers to a 6-0 lead, but the Droogies never gave up. OKL's Edgar Martinez doubled and scored in the 6th to make it 6-1. He then singled and scored in an 8th inning that made it 6-5. Haddonfield would score 2 insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning, and Mike Cunningham closed the door with a save. Player of the Game: Louis May, 2-3, 2HR, 4RBI.
WP: Archibequi (1-0, 1.35 ERA)
LP: R.Kennedy (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
On Deck: Vista Panthers (3-1)
Probables:
VIS: Castillo vs. HAD: Young
VIS: Lopez (1-0) vs. HAD: Ayala
VIS: Pinella (1-0) vs. HAD: Mendoza (1-0)
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