The Hitmen were built to contend in 2008 and had a pretty good year, finishing in the final playoff spot. They lost to the heavily-favored Rat Pack in four games in the first round.What went right: The pitching staff was the second best in terms of team ERA. John Lackey was the ace of a very young staff that should continue to improve and grow. Takashi Saito anchored an excellent bullpen. Ryan Howard was very productive in the lineup, despite a low batting average, slamming 49 homers with an .896 OPS.
What went wrong: Outside of Howard, the offense was mediocre. The power was lacking - outside of Brad Hawpe and Howard, no one else had more than 20 home runs - and the team was 9th in total runs scored and 9th in OPS.
2009 Outlook: Things look good for the Hitmen. The pitching staff should grow into one of the better ones in the league and the team has enough components on offense to build around. A good draft to fill out a supporting cast could make the Hitmen a contender in '09.
1 comment :
The Hitmen have a lot of draft picks -- 10 in the first 7 rounds! -- and tied for the Mirror League crown. I think they're in good shape. Maybe it's time for them to move back to Louisiana and revisit their glory days!
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