2011 Major League East Wrap-up

New York Cobra 102-60: New York won the division with ease, thanks to offseason acquisitions W. Gehrig Bear and Roscoe Savage. Pedro Lewis had his usual dominant season (15-8 2.38 ERA, 230 IP, 236 K’s), and Papelbrad was awesome in his first full season in New York as the closer (1.59 ERA, 78 K’s in 68 IP, 47 saves). Roscoe Savage was a tremendous free agent signee, going 17-3, 2.64 ERA in 160 IP. Doug Freeman was a nice add for the post-season, going 5-0 1.64 ERA, with 22 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 17 K.

On the hitting side, Bear had an MVP campaign, playing all 162 games (of course), signing a huge contract, and being named the team captain (the first since Joe Thomas retired). Bear hit .325 with 31 HR, 105 RBI, 119 runs, and 45 doubles. Chad White tied for the league lead with 36 HR, and led the league with 121 RBI. He also had 32 SB to again cross the 30-30 threshold. New York may have a future star at 3B in Roger Chillingworth’s son Kal. Kal hit .288 with 16 HR in 257 at bats, with a .370 OBA and .518 SLG.

Philadelphia Grays 92-70: The defending champs made the playoffs again for the 5th straight season. Rudy Baker was the ace, with 209 K’s and a 2.91 ERA. Scott Bedard pulled a Vance Worley impression going 7-1 2.31 ERA and 85 IP, 79 Hits, 23 BB, and 76 K’s. On offense, the best player was catcher Matt Bulger. He hit .314-.368-.517 with 7.4 RC/G with 41 2B. Paul White battled through some injuries but still hit .280-.366-.531. Jimmy Taylor hit 51 2B, 8 3B, and 13 HR in the leadoff spot. Late in the season, they acquired Willie Rivera to help shore up the outfield. Although he had a disappointing season, he is a real power threat from the right-hand side (which they needed), plays a great defensive RF, and is not prone to strike out as much as you would think.

Florida Penguins 72-90: This was another lost season for the flightless birds, as their payroll doesn’t quite give them the flexibility to add to their core. But a good young core is there. On the mound, ace George White had a solid season, going 14-13, 3.24 ERA, 214 IP, 186 H, 53 BB, 177 K. Doug Guzman threw a no-hitter and went 15-11 2.79 ERA, 216 IP, 187 H, 90 BB, 169 K. Bart Riley went 9-11 2.78 ERA, 188 IP, 147 H, 76 BB, 162 K.

On offense, Kenny Jr. struggled to a .270 season and only stole 66 bases. Gerald White Jr. had a great season, going .308-.366 -.500, with 48 2B and 18 HR. Conn the Barbarian hit 47 2B, 7 3B, 24 HR, and 32 SB. The biggest surprise was the play of 24 year old dwarf Mitch Oakenshield. Oaks was on the verge of being trade bait but responded to regular playing time in a big way. He hit .284-.328-.492 with 33 2B, 21 HR, in 461 at bats.

Toronto Seagulls 71-91: Toronto fans didn’t expect too much from the Seagulls this year, and they were not disappointed. John Hafner had the best season amongst the hitters, going .317-.392-424, but hit only 7 HR all year. Drew Ward was acquired for the rights to Gromit Peveto in the offseason (a top lottery pick) and managed to hit only .214 in 383 at bats. On the mound, Stephen Hamburg had a much better 2nd year than his rookie year. Due to poor run support, he finished with a record of 8-12, but did manage a 2.80 ERA, 186 IP, 139 Hits, 47 BB, and 178 K’s.