Team Review: Newark Sugar Bears

The four time defending champions entered the season with lofty projections, but fell just short of their fifth straight title. Amidst a lot of adversity from rival teams and an announcement from GM/owner Butch Garretson that he may hang up the reins of the team after the season, the Sugar Bears still won the Hanover Division and the Commissioner's Cup.

What went right: The team steamrolled through the season, winning 114 games and clinching the division early on. Once again the offense was a juggernaut - led by Chipper Jones, Matt Stairs, Jack Cust, and the rest of the usual suspects. The pitching staff was solid once again - Javy Vazquez won 21 games, and James Shields and Randy Johnson also held their own in the league's toughest venue for hurlers.

What went wrong: Hard to say much went wrong for Newark - they were one game away from winning it all again. It was no secret that there was much resentment towards the Sugar Bears, limiting any midseason help that the team would get. In fact, Newark was unable to consummate any trades during the course of the 2008 season. The bullpen, a strength on previous teams, was still solid, but not dominant. The lack of a clear closer may have actually hurt the team this season - their 38 team saves was tied for lowest among all the playoff teams. While Jared Burton and Manny Delcarmen were very good, the rest of the pen was disappointing.

2009 Outlook: Anyone who thinks that the Sugar Bears won't be back next year is fooling themselves. Despite the fact that they may have to play in a more equitable stadium, the team is still built for success. The road to the championship seems to always go through Newark...