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1998 Season in Review
September 14, 1998
by Bob (Burketon) & Josh (Seattle)

As of September 13th, the Crips had locked up a playoff spot by clinching the American League West title. Their 91 wins, to date, are second only to Long Island.

TEAM MVP:
Could be Paul O'Neill, who leads the AL with a .383 batting average, and is second in OBA and SA, but Kevin Mitchell should get consideration for his 54 homers and 148 RBIs, both marks leading the league right now.

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Offense, offense, offense...

O'Neill, Mitchell, Rogers Hornsby and Roy Cullenbine are all on the leader board in terms of BA, OBA and SA. Ed Delahanty leads the league in triples, and overall Compton is AL best in team BA/OBA/SA, home runs and runs scored. Despite a 4-man rotation that boasts 15-7, 11-3, 14-8 and 13-8 records, the Crips team ERA stands 10th in the league, and no individual pitcher shows up on the leader board in terms of ERA, Ks, OppBA, OppOBA or OppSA.

SEASON IN REVIEW:
Compton made it's first trade ever on June 10th, when Bill Terry was shipped to Manvers for Jimmie Foxx. In 87 games as a Crip tho', Foxx could only manage a .226 batting average, although he did manage to hit 25 "dingers". Compton survived two stints on the Disabled List by Rogers Hornsby, totally 32 days, and losing catcher Bill Dickey for 16 days, and they really took advantage of some of the weaker teams in the American League, posting double-digit win totals over Great Lakes and Pennsylvania, as well as Ravenswood. However, against potential playoff opponents, they have only managed a .500 record against Manvers, and they're 6-8 vs Long Island.

WHERE TO NOW:
...the playoffs obviously. But this is a team that's currently slumping...a bad time of year to get into a "funk". Over the last month, Compton is a very sub-par 15-16, and could be ripe for a quick exit from post-season play. Only time will tell whether Compton can overcome the stigma of being labelled the "Buffalo Bills of the Hall of Fame League".

by Bob Wheaton, Owner of the Manvers Marauders


OVERVIEW:
Offense, offense, and more offense.  Compton averages 7.5 runs per game, almost a run better than any other team in the A.L.  They are batting .320 as a team, with an unbelievable 290 home runs.  Where are they playing their home games, Mt. Everest?

CATCHER: GRADE:  A-
Bill Dickey has been doing an admirable job for the Crips this year.  His 30 home runs rank among the leaders for catchers, and his .277 average while playing in 136 of Compton's 150 games shows his durability.

1ST BASE: GRADE:  B
Jimmie Foxx was a mid-season pick-up in a trade with Manvers that sent Bill Terry to the Marauders.  Since the trade, Foxx is only hitting .226, but has 25 HR in 345 ABs.  Both Terry and Foxx are performing worse than their projected stats with their original team, and must step up their play if their teams hope to win in the playoffs. 

2ND BASE: GRADE:  A
Rogers Hornsby continues to be one of the greatest all-around players in the league.  Hornsby was felled by injury for 32 games this season, but has still managed to hit .337 with 14 triples, 28 home runs, 123 RBIs, and 13 steals in 22 attempts.  Randy Ready performed amazingly in Hornsby's absense, hitting .323 with 8 HR in 120 at bats.

3RD BASE: GRADE:  A
Roy Cullenbine and Paul Molitor have shared duties at 3rd base this year. Molitor is hitting .327 with 14 home runs and 12 steals, while Cullenbine is hitting .316 with 39 home runs.  A potent 1-2 punch.

SHORTSTOP: GRADE:  C+
Cecil Travis is hitting over .310 for the Crips, but it's pretty empty; his OPS is under .750.

LEFT FIELD: GRADE:  A+
Rico Carty may be the surprise of the year in the HOFL.  Carty is still over .400 (in only 297 AB, so he doesn't qualify for the batting title) with 20 home runs.  Kevin Mitchell is being Kevin Mitchell, hitting .300 with 54 home runs.

CENTER FIELD: GRADE:  A-
Ed Delahanty is batting .311, has 48 doubles,17 triples, 14 homers, 117 runs scored... and is in the bottom half of offensive players on the team. Did I mention these guys score runs?

RIGHT FIELD: GRADE:  A+
Ho-hum, Paul O'Neill.  Ho-hum, leading the league in hitting.  Ho-hum, 33 home runs.

STARTING PITCHING: GRADE:  D
The Achilles heel of the team.  The best pitcher on the staff has an ERA of 4.46, and the combined ERA is above 5.5.  If you can score early and often, or if the offense gets shut down, you can win a game off this team.

RELIEF PITCHING: GRADE:  B-
Steve Ontiveros is the closer.  He has an ERA below 4 (very good for the park they play in) and has converted 13 of 18 save chances.  The main set-up crew is Mudcat Grant and Doug Henry, who are effective some of the time and mediocre others.

OVERALL:
The Crips are very close to being the best team in the league, and have a good chance to win the 1998 World Series.  Long Island may be the only team that can stand in their way.

by Josh Sinnett, Owner of the Seattle Rainers
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