Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Iron Pig Call to Arms

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs suffered a tremendous sophomore slump in 2009. Having made the playoffs in the inaugural season, expectations were high for 2009, however, the baseball gods had other ideas.

The 2008 team featured a pitching staff that led the league in team ERA (3.82). The offense was somewhat pedestrian, ranking in the middle/bottom of most statistical categories. The combination proved effective though as the team posted a record of 96-66 which qualified for the playoffs.

The 2009 team was a completely different story. The team ERA skyrocketed to 5.21. The best IronPig starter was Gil Meche who posted a 7-14 record with an ERA of 4.49. Mid season acquisition, Jonathan Papelbon did not have many save opportunities, but made the most of his chances. He was the lone bright spot in a dreary season of pitching. The IronPig offense proved equally dismal. The team was near the bottom of almost every statistical category that matters. The lone bright spot was Jose Reyes, who was the team's lone all star selection.

It is reported that Reyes was complaining that his legs felt "tight" toward the end of the season. Management plans to be very cautious with Reyes in the 2010 season and will probably limit his use.

Management had the following comments following the 2009 season. IronPig management knows that the fans deserve better than we showed in 2009. We appreciate your patience and are doing everything in our power to improve the team for 2010. Management has quite a few pieces that make good trade bait and are interested in upgrading the pitching staff accordingly. Keep the faith.

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