With the Whitecaps at the midway point of their 2007 campaign, I would like to take a moment to take a look back at the ball played so far, and to give my opinions on what I see on the field.
I will begin with something which have been sort of troubling to see with the team. That is inconsistent play. The Whitecaps are a very good ballclub. This is evidenced by their great Spring Training record, as well as their clinching of the first half wild card. They also tend to be a team that is very up and down. At times the team will be playing great and crack off five wins in a row, as they've done on four occasions (April 14-18, May 3-7, May 13-19, and June 1-7). However, the team also has had five losing streaks of three or more games. Yes, this is Single A level ball, and results like this are to be expected. And yes, I am being very nitpicky. To avoid trouble in the playoffs, however, the team will need to keep consecutive losses to a minimum, or it could be a quick exit for the Whitecaps.
Thankfully, there are many more positive things to say about this team from the first half of the 2007 season. Pitching has again been a strong point for West Michigan. Chris Cody is second in the league for ERA, with a microscopic average of 1.77, and is leading the league in strikeouts, with 92. Closer Brett Jensen is fourth in the league with 12 saves.
The Whitecap offense has been potent this season too, which is somewhat surprising. Deik Scram is leading the Midwest League in batting average, to a clip of .347. James Skelton leads all Midwest League catchers in batting average, hitting .333 thus far. Outfielder Gorkys Hernandez leads the league in stolen bases, swiping 27 bags in 33 attempts.
With today's personnel changes, it will be very interesting to see how the dynamics of the pitching staff change. All three pitchers played an important role in West Michigan's first half successes, and it might prove difficult to fill the holes created in their departures.
All in all, 2007 has been an exciting season, and it will continue to be that way. With a slot in the postseason secure, Whitecap fans can look forward to cheering on their team as they try to win their second consecutive Midwest League title.
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