As I said before their season started, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers were going to prove this season they were a team not to underestimate, and I was correct. Did they finish in first place? No, actually they finished in fourth just a game below .500 at 37-38, but after a rough start to their season leaving people to assume they’d only win 15 games overall, the pups at Eastwood Field had shown they do have some bite after all.
Short season baseball doesn’t begin until half way through everyone else’s, and early on, the Scrappers struggled. In June they won just a mere three games, putting them in the basement of the New York-Penn League, right where they finished up in 2015. However, as the weather temperature got hotter and hotter through the summer, the Scrappers did the same. They began to play like a team, and all of a sudden, things fell into place as the they found themselves fighting for second by the end of August (17-11). Unfortunately, they ended in fourth place, 12.5 behind first, going 4-6 of their last ten but ending gracefully with a 17-1 win over the West Virginia Black Bears.
MVP
If Gabriel Mejia is still in a Scrapper uniform in 2017, I might be a little miffed about it. This season he worked his tail off and it showed in every aspect of his game. He led the team in average (.322), runs (55) and stolen bases (28), and the speed he used stealing bases and creating base hits, was also apparent in his defense in the outfield. This was his second year with the Scrappers, and possibly the one that proved he is someone worth remembering.
Batting leadoff, Mejia set the tone for the rest of the order, and more times than not gave them the chance to get ahead in the games. He doesn’t have a ton of power and his RBI are a little low (16), but all that is forgiven when seeing what he does bring to the table. At any point in the game, he will give his team the best chance to get him home, whether it’s by stealing bases back to back in the same inning, or dancing just off the bags to distract the pitchers.
I don’t believe the Scrappers would have had the run they did in the middle of their season without him, and that alone makes him the MVP.
Future Stars
Triston McKenzie was drafted by the Indians in 2015, and since then I’ve ached to see him pitch live. This year, in his last home start, I finally got to do that and he completely exceeded my expectations. He had nine starts in Mahoning Valley, posting a mind-blowing 0.55 ERA, before being promoted to the Lake County Captains at the start of August. In that small time frame, McKenzie put up a team leading 55 strikeouts, while only giving up three earned runs.
Before being drafted, McKenzie played short stop and first base, which he credits that added perspective to his success on the mound, “Lots of little things go into being successful when pitching, and fielding your position is one of them.” Another credit to him would be his mental game and keeping his head together on the mound under all situations, “Nothing else makes me as happy as when I’m on the field with my team mates…and the overwhelming feeling that no matter what happens behind me, nothing in that game can happen without me throwing the ball home.”
He’s got the making of an ace both physically and mentally, and looking at just the snippet of his first season, I believe that will only increase as he moves up.
Under Appreciated
Everyone has that one player who makes them think “how is it more people don’t know about him?!” Their numbers quietly creep to impressive heights, but somehow stay under the radar. At the one lowest level of the minor leagues, this happens more than ever, and for this I have two guys who are completely under appreciated. Mine for this season, is right handed reliever Michael Letkewicz. He was drafted this season by the Indians in the 23rd round out of Augustana College in South Dakota and off the bat started his season in Mahoning Valley.
In his first professional season, Letkewicz led the team in saves (4), and finished in second with six wins through 21 games. He ended 2016 with a 1.74 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and only eight earned runs in 41.1 innings pitched. Just the fact that he placed second in wins alone is impressive to me, in that he isn’t even a starter but has a higher total than a number of them. He’s taken off this season, and his confidence has shown greatly throughout this year.
Cause for Concern
Last season the switch pitcher (meaning, he can throw with his left and right arm) Ryan Perez was drafted by the Indians, and I was amazed at the idea of having a two-for-one guy on the mound. He had his struggles and admitted it wasn’t his best season but that he would come back in 2016 a stronger pitcher.
To his credit, Perez did improve from last season, getting his ERA down from a 6.48, to a 5.02 and did the same with his walks, going from giving up 22 in 2015 to just 14 in 2016 in 28.2 innings, but still seemed to struggle with his command. In addition, he gave up 16 earned runs. When he was drafted, he had all the talent needed not to make anyone second guess the choice by the Indians, but I’m left wondering if this “baseball unicorn” might be just a pretty pony with a party hat on.
He’s still young enough where there is plenty of time for adjustments and to build on the progress he’s made thus far, though I fear he could level out and spend his days as a minor league pitcher as a career. On the Brightside though, whether he moves up or stays put, Perez has helped open a door for other switch pitchers in the future.
Most Power: Emmanuel Tapia
Best Bat: Erlin Cerda
Best Wheels: Gabriel Mejia
Best Glove: Erlin Cerda
Worst Glove: Gavin Collins
Best Control: Triston McKenzie
Best Stuff: Shane Bieber
Best Chance to be an MLB Pitcher: Triston McKenzie
Best Chance to be an MLB Hitter: Andrew Calica
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