The Cutters have to be happy with their season this year. Butch's Sims picked Hoboken as the second worst team in the league and the Swami picked them to finish middle of the pack. The Cutters ended up tied for fourth in the league with the Sharks with an 86-76 record, tying their previous franchise best in 2002.What went right: The offense really clicked. Miguel Cabrera led the team with a .363 average, .989 OPS, 50 doubles, and 114 RBIs. Josh Bard and Chris Duncan had breakout seasons. Trades for Greg Norton, Brandon League, and Wes Littleton helped bolster the team. Vicente Padilla had a good year atop the rotation (12-6, 4.35 ERA).
What went wrong: Hoboken had a lot of youngsters in key roles, so it was not a surprise that not all of them panned out. Ian Kinsler, Hanley Ramirez, and Mike Jacobs were just alright at their respective positions and will need to bring their games up to the next level. Scott Kazmir and Boof Bonser are promising, but need a little seasoning. The idea to split Isringhausen's closer role was a good one as Izzy showed signs of losing it (5.69 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, but 11 of 12 in save situations).
Hoboken made a nice run, but they needed just a little bit more to be taken serious as a playoff contender. The youngsters needed to step up, but you really can't fault anyone considering the low expecations of this team early on. Manager Wally Backman earned that new contract extension this year.
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