Despite their ups and downs and numerous personnel changes, the Sea Dogs had an impressive season.
PORTLAND – During an August visit to Hadlock Field, a scout for a National League team echoed the opinion many of his colleagues had expressed throughout the summer.
“I don’t know how they’re where they are with the guys that they have,” he said.
Indeed, the Portland Sea Dogs surprised many people by staying in the playoff chase in the Eastern League’s Northern Division until the next-to-last day of the season.
A disastrous August, during which the Sea Dogs matched the franchise record for losses while going 12-21, squashed Portland’s hopes of reaching the postseason for the first time in six years.
But at the minor-league level developing players is just as, if not more important than winning, and the Sea Dogs (72-70) can take some solace in the knowledge that they were able to do both.
“From the developmental side, I feel real good about this year,” said Portland manager Ron Johnson. “There are a lot of guys that we can honestly say will have the chance to go to (Triple-A) Pawtucket next year and there are a lot of guys who are already there.”
Sixteen players suited up for both Portland and Pawtucket, with catcher Kelly Shoppach being the latest to join the PawSox.
Shoppach got a late start after off-season shoulder surgery, but quickly showed why he’s projected to be at Fenway Park by 2005.
Rated as the Red Sox’s No. 2 prospect, Shoppach hit .282 with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs in 92 games.
He also showed a strong arm and was rated as the league’s best defensive catcher.
“I think it was a good year,” said Shoppach. “I improved all my numbers, but that’s not really what it’s all about. It’s about playing the game and getting the experience.”
Shoppach will be reunited with Kevin Youkilis, Andy Dominique, Trace Coquillette, Jorge De La Rosa and Anastacio Martinez as Pawtucket opens the International League playoffs tonight in Ottawa.
Youkilis proved to be the on-base machine he was advertised to be, reaching in 92 of 94 games and posting a minor-league best .487 on-base percentage with the Sea Dogs before his July 29 promotion. His .327 average was third bast in the league.
Dominique and Coquillette provided veteran leadership before moving on.
De La Rosa and Martinez both matured and learned to pitch under control.
De La Rosa went 6-3 with a 2.80 earned run average and allowed just one run in his final 22 innings at the Double-A level.
Martinez was 3-1 with 14 saves and a 2.25 ERA when he was traded to Pittsburgh in the Scott Sauerbeck deal. He was eventually reacquired when Freddy Sanchez was dealt for Jeff Suppan.
“We took their best hitter (Youkilis) away,” said Red Sox farm director Ben Cherington. “We took their closer (Martinez) away and we took their most dominating starting pitcher (De La Rosa) away and they were in it until the end. You can’t ask anything more than that.”
Question marks
Forecasts of impending doom began almost immediately after it was announced the Sea Dogs had formed an allegiance with the Boston Red Sox last September.
While the affiliation was a natural fit, the Red Sox’s minor league system was ranked 27th out of 30 by Baseball America and was said to be virtually void of prospects at the upper levels.
The roster, particularly the pitching staff, was littered with free agents.
“When we broke from spring training, we knew this would be a challenging year,” said Sea Dogs pitching coach Bob Kipper.
But what was perceived to be the team’s weakness turned out to be its strength.
The Sea Dogs finished fourth in the 12-team league with a 3.98 earned run average.
Tim Kester (10-10), Josh Stevens (10-9) and Junior Herndon (9-8) each had solid years.
The 31-year-old Kester led the league in innings pitched (164 1/3) and combined with Stevens to give the Sea Dogs two 10-game winners for just the second time in franchise history.
Stevens dominated early on after being converted to a starter in spring training and will get a shot at making the Triple-A roster in spring training.
The bullpen was bolstered by free agents James Johnson (3.74 ERA) and Jake Chapman (6-1, 3.45) along with the versatile Eric Glaser.
While free agents played a big part in the Sea Dogs’ success, it was a Rule V minor league draft selection who stole the show.
Jeremy Owens was billed as a defensive specialist and he didn’t disappoint, making the spectacular seem routine in center field.
But Owens also emerged as one of the Sea Dogs’ best hitters, posting a .263 average with 21 home runs and 68 RBIs. The home run total was third best in the league.
The speedy Owens, who began bunting more early in the season in an effort to cut down his strikeouts, led the team with 21 bunt hits.
Helping hands
Out of necessity, more players were added through signings and trades throughout the year.
The injury bug bit almost immediately when second baseman Carlos Leon (.301 in 75 games) went down with a fractured fibula on Opening Night at Hadlock Field against Binghamton.
At one point in April, the Sea Dogs had lost their entire starting infield.
Trenton holdovers Justin Headley (.258, 9-61) and Justin Sherrod (.259, 15-74) provided much of the offense early on along with Dominique (.361 in 32 games).
Then the replacements from other organizations starting rolling in.
Coquillette was the first to arrive.
He was followed by Kevin Haverbusch, Tony Schrager, Jim Goelz and eventually Sean McGowan.
All made significant contributions at one time or another.
Haverbusch was hitting over .300 when he was derailed by a hamstring injury.
Schrager came through with a number of clutch hits, Goelz played through an ankle injury and McGowan hit .311 with six homers and 39 RBIs in just 79 games.
“We went out and identified some guys who fit our profile and were good guys,” said Cherington. “We’ve had guys come in and establish themselves as guys we want to have in this organization.”
Late-season additions Charlie Zink (3-2, 3.43), Scott Aldred (eight saves, 0.84) and Andy Shibilo (1-2, 1.33) provided a boost from within.
Four players from the Red Sox – Casey Fossum, Chad Fox, Matt White and Gabe Kapler, also played in Portland.
All totaled, the Sea Dogs used a franchise-record 52 players, including 28 pitchers.
The team made 140 roster moves.
“I think our front office did a fantastic job,” said Johnson. “We got quality people throughout the year.”
A nice run
The Sea Dogs spent 108 straight days in a playoff position, including 75 in first place.
They entered August tied for the top spot in the Northern Division with eventual division winner New Haven.
But the nine-game losing streak at the beginning that began on July 31 put first place out of reach.
On Aug. 19, the Sea Dogs began a make-or-break six-game homestand in the second and final playoff spot.
But after winning the first game, they dropped the next five and fell into third place, where they finished the season 11/2 games behind New Britain.
The reason for the slide was simple – a lack of offense.
The Sea Dogs hit just .246 in August, their lowest average for any month, and that total was altered by the 22-hit barrage against New Haven on Aug. 29.
During the nine-game losing streak, Portland scored just 20 runs and was no-hit by Binghamton’s Bob Keppel.
“We didn’t really beat ourselves,” said Johnson. We didn’t make a lot of errors. We didn’t pitch bad. We just struggled in the close games.”
The Sea Dogs did win one close game when the knuckleballer Zink came within one out of a no-hitter last Saturday.
A day later, they were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
“I enjoyed watching the team because it overachieved,” said Sea Dogs general manager Charlie Eshbach. “This team did much better than anyone could have expected.”
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