Marines Headed to Playoffs! 2011 Regular Season Review

The Marines are on their way to the playoffs for the first time! The organization that built itself from the ground up with high potential young players is seeing the fruits of their labor for the first time in the TBA’s 3 year existence. Finishing 2 wins shy of 100 wins at 98-64, the Marines await their postseason matchup with divisional rival Bartonville. In the mean time, let’s look back at what went right (and what didn’t go as well) during the regular season.

Votto celebrates with adoring fans

Pitching MVP: Cliff Lee. All eyes were on King Felix coming into the season, and although Hernandez had a very strong 250 inning season, Lee was the real ace of the staff. He became the first Marine pitcher to win 20 games and had the lowest ERA in the Edgar Martinez league at the type of this writing. He should be competitive with Verlander for the Cy Young award.

Offensive MVP/Team MVP: Joey Votto. 3rd highest batting average, 2nd highest OBP and 3rd highest slugging in the TBA. He lived up to the pre-season hype with his rockstar season, and the team really couldn’t have asked for much more. He will be pivotal to the Marines succeeding in the playoffs. Honorable mention is Evan Longoria, who hit .300/.364 and led the TBA in extra-base hits while playing a strong third base.

Relief MVP: Santiago Casilla. Wait, what? What about Gregerson, your closer with the 1.99 ERA and 27 saves?! Yes, Gregerson was likely the Marines most dominant relief pitcher, but his 13 HRs allowed created way too much stress. Casilla, however, posted a similarly impressive ERA (2.05) while only allowing 4 HRs all year. He was the pitcher the Marines turned to when they needed to prevent the long ball, and he was reliable all season.

Newcomer Award: Albert Pujols. Who else? He had about as quiet a 42 HR season as one could possibly have. His numbers were all around slightly disappointing given the expectations from the perennial star, and he had a knack for poorly timed double plays, but you can’t argue with 76 XBH and 117 RBIs while playing a stellar first base.

And for the Marines razzies…

Better Than Yuniesky Betancourt (I guess) Award: Howie Kendrick. .241/.286/.360. Oof. A couple big home runs don’t hide the fact that his season was an all around disgrace. If not for his defensive advantage over Weeks, he would have lost his job altogether. The good news is he should have a nice card next season, and there are some early rumblings about a possible 1 rating at 2nd base. Redemption in 2012?

Starting Pitching LVP: You know what? I’m not giving this to anyone. Yes, Cueto’s 4.86 ERA and over 1.50 WHIP wasn’t exactly stellar, but he held in there especially late in the year when he had a 2.80 ERA over his last 11 starts. The pitching staff was the all around highlight of the team this year, and shall be spared from this shame.

I Asked for Relief, Not Grief! Award: Daniel Bard. How does a dude with a sub-1.00 WHIP in real life put up a card with a 4.55 ERA? Definitely a disappointing result, but he could be another guy who redeems himself next season with an outstanding card.

Wish I’d Let You Go to Napa Award: Corey Patterson. One of the great draft blunders was the Marines thinking this clown could be a full time center fielder for even a second. Fortunately he didn’t have to play much, since the Marines came to their senses and drafted Jim Edmonds who played amazing while filling in the missing at bats with Rajai Davis. But in his chances (usually with favorable matchups, no less) Patterson hit to the tune of .194/.219/.290. Go home.

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But now the Marines turn their attention to more important matters. Their eyes are on the World Series, but their first test is to get through Bartonville who is not a pushover by any means. It should be a good one.