The Bakersfield Blaze went .500 in the first half of the season, but finished 16 games out of first place. In the first half the team was led by a slew of prospects, but quite a few of them were promoted at the mid season mark and the Blaze saw a new crew of players come in for the second half of the year. In the second half of the season the Blaze went 31-39 and finished 10 games back of first and 6 games back of the wildcard spot.
Overall the team went 66 and 74 on the season under Ken Griffey Sr. The team was middle of the pack in runs scored and in ERA. For the first two months of the season the Blaze were near the top of the league in both runs scored and in several pitching stats. The team went into a slump though and was unable to keep up its great numbers to start the season.
Top Position Prospect
Yasmani Grandal was an easy choice here, though he barely made the cut off of 200 at bats. The catcher has good hitting tools, with a strong hit tool and good power for his position. He also has a good understanding of the strikezone even though he did take a step backward at the next level in this department. Defensively, there were some who thought he took a step backwards from where he was in college, but I think it was just growing pains from being a pro.
Top Pitching Prospect
JC Sulbaran, like Grandal, was an easy choice here. His numbers weren’t eye popping, with a 4.60 ERA in 137 innings to go with 50 walks and 155 strikeouts, but the right hander has the stuff to be a good big leaguer and for the league his numbers were solid. He pitched much better in the second half than in the first half, showing better control and a much stronger groundball rate.
Among the League Leaders (must qualify)
- Ryan LaMarre – 3rd in steals: 52
- Andrew Means – 6th in steals: 37
- Brodie Greene – 7th in steals: 36
- Doug Salinas – 5th in saves: 14
- JC Sulbaran – 4th in strikeouts: 155
- JC Sulbaran – 10th in WHIP: 1.39