SEASON 20-A LUMP OF COAL

A game shy of last season,48 games out,26 games out of third place,highlights for the Helena Hag Hoppers are almost non-existent. Many of last year's heroes became this year's zeroes,foremost among them-pitcher Ivan Blake(expected ace of the staff didn't make the rotation)and utility man Brian Lee lived on the DL. Center fielder Vinny Chen struggled much of the season,losing a lot of playing time in the process. They are on the trading block as are many others. So what do we have to live for? A full season from pitcher Johnny Corino,catcher Ismail Fuentes,shortstop Zachary Day and left fielder Glenallen Looper. We were also encouraged by the emergence of pitchers Doug Pavlik and Desi Flores,after several failed attempts in the bigs. Second baseman Tom Melo
led the entire organization with 42 dingers and over 100 RBIs. He was a steal at $4.2 million. Angel Jose,who moved over to third base,earned his $15 million dollar salary with 30 homers and over 100 ribbies. First baseman Diego Manzanillo,last season's team MVP,continued to bust the fences with 32 round trippers but looked a little lost at the plate with his average dropping to .248
;We hope he rebounds. Off-season acquisitions should fill holes,especially on the pitching staff. Owner hotdog pledges to stay the course,opening up the pocket book when justified and adding talent by whatever means are available. The past two seasons have produced center fielder Herm Stein and pitcher Chili Baker from the amateur draft. They have understandably struggled on the fast track but are progressing nicely. 
Down on the farm,all the minor league teams made the playoffs except the AAA club,which consists of many aging players who aren't major league material. They've had several cups of coffee without results so nothing is expected. They did play well and posted a very respectable record,just not good enough.At this writing,the AA and rookie ball clubs are still in the hunt for 
a ring. There is talent at the mid and lower levels.
We will need 68 wins next season to meet the minimum win requirement and have serious doubts about getting there because it's just too big a jump in one season. We will act in the spirit of the "good Cub" tradition and wait 'til next year.