Of the nine position players in IronPigs manager Ryne Sandberg's Opening Night starting line-up, six are no longer with the team.
Six players who were on the roster for that first game are now with the Phillies — Erik Kratz, Hector Luna, Jeremy Horst, Brian Sanches, Michael Schwimer and Raul Valdes. Two others who joined the team after the season began — Jake Diekman and Mike Fontenot — are also in the red and white pinstripes.
In addition, two other members of the opening day roster, Rich Thompson and Scott Podsednik, have reached the Major Leagues with other organizations.
Through Saturday, the IronPigs had already made 76 roster moves, already more than they had made through the end of that month in any of their four previous seasons.
Yet despite all the shuffling, they began play Saturday with the International League's second-best record and atop league's Northern Division.
The IronPigs' 56-34 record following Friday's dramatic 6-5, come-from-behind win over Rochester is identical to their mark through 80 games last season. A year ago that was good enough for a 2 1/2-game division lead over Pawtucket (although the lead was five games a few days earlier). This year, that mark gave them a one-game lead over the PawSox, who finish off a quick two-day, three-game weekend visit toCoca-ColaPark with a split doubleheader Sunday.
So you might guess that their mid-season report card features some pretty high marks.
OFFENSE
The IronPigs are seventh in team batting at .258. Only Rochester (279) has scored fewer runs than their 318. Only Indianapolis (42) has fewer home runs than the IronPigs' 44, which is just under half of league-leader Pawtucket's 87. They're third-from-the-bottom with a .312 on-base percentage, thanks to a league-low 207 walks.
Personnel-wise, they have just two players in the top 10 in any offensive category — Kevin Frandsen, who has a league-high 25 doubles and is fourth in hits with 86, and Kyle Hudson, who is tied for seventh with 15 steals. Among those who qualify, Frandsen is their leading hitter, at .289, which is 18th in the league — only Louisville, Rochester and Norfolk, who rank among the bottom four in team batting, don't have a quieted hitter above them.
Dom Brown, who many expected to be a force in the middle of the line-up, has played just 47 games because of assorted injuries and ailments, and might not return until after the all-star break. Erik Kratz, last year's offensive MVP, has been up and down between Coca-Cola Park and Citizens Bank Park five times already, and he's not expected back for several weeks.
At times, Sandberg has used some rather unlikely hitters at clean-up: John Suomi (one previous at-bat at No. 4 in his career), Tuffy Gosewisch (no at-bats at clean-up since 2007 at Lakewood), Joe Thurston and newcomer Jason Pridie, who is usually at the top of the order, to name a few.
However, the IronPigs are the toughest team in the IL to strike out — their 468are 72 fewer than the next-lowest total in the league. And after a slow start in the clutch, they're second in the IL in hitting with runners in scoring position (.283) and second with RISP and two outs (.256).
The numbers could be better, but it's hard to argue with the results. Grade: B-.
STARTING PITCHING
Overall the IronPigs are fourth in the league with a 3.39 ERA. That includes a 3.83 mark compiled by the starting rotation led by Tyler Cloyd's league-low 2.11 ERA. Cloyd has opened eyes throughout the organization and beyond — he'll start the all-star game next week in Buffalo. Dave Bush's departure for the Orient hasn't hurt them that much, since Tom Cochran has returned strong from a stint on the disabled list and independent league refugee Matt Wright was pitching well before being slowed by shoulder tightness. Pat Misch is improving, and although he hasn't won in over a month, Scott Elarton gives the IronPigs a chance almost every time he takes the mound.
Actually, you can pretty much say that about any of the starters so far. Grade: B-.
BULLPEN
Of the members of Opening Day bullpen, four — Michael Schwimer, Raul Valdes, Brian Sanches and Jeremy Horst — are currently with the Phillies. The names change, but the results stay pretty much the same. Michael Cisco became the ninth different reliever with a save the other night, and the team's 29 lead the IL. The bullpen collective ERA is 2.67, one of the best marks in the league.
Along with the clutch hitting, the bullpen is the biggest reason why the IronPigs are where they are and are fighting for a return trip to the Governors' Cup playoffs. Grade: A.
