The Cutters kind of, but not quite, hung around in contention this year again, but ended up on the outside looking in - a 9th place finish that not only left them out of the playoffs, but also keeps them out of the really sexy draft positions. The Cutters have long been known for hovering right around that .500 mark, never too high and yet never too low, though we should note that this year's mark (72-90) is the worst in Cutters franchise history. Overall the Cutters are only 34 games under .500 in their entire history (631-665).What went right: Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez both had their usual superb seasons and Ian Kinsler and Travis Buck had breakout offensive years. Rookie pitcher Jeremy Guthrie was in the mix for the Listach and even got a vote for the McDonald. The Cutters were able to add extra picks in the middle rounds of the 2009 draft.
What went wrong: The rest of the rotation was disappointing, especially hyped youngster Scott Kazmir, who was shipped out after the season. Guthrie was the only starter with an ERA under 5.00 or with a winning record. Chris Duncan and Chad Tracy were major disappointments in the lineup. We won't even talk about Hunter Pence...
2009 Outlook: Finishing dead last in the Mirror League doesn't bode well for the Cutters in '09. The plan for next season is unclear. The team has some good core players, but a weak supporting cast. Most likely it will be a rebuilding year for the Cutters, but you can never count the Cutters out of one of those unlikely "from out of nowhere" seasons.
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