Friday, October 29, 2066
SLIGO'S ARNETT AND HIGH MESA'S PENNY BEST ROOKIES IN IPA
The jump from high school baseball to college baseball is not easy, nor is the jump from the college level to the professional level... youngsters debuting in the Islandian Pro Alliance have a difficult task... they are not used to competing against the talent level they have to face day after day... 23 position players and 32 pitchers made the jump this year... 65 rookies made the grade and displayed varying degrees of success -- they won starting postions in the lineup or they got a spot in the starting rotation... the position players hit as low a .232 and as high as .322... they ranged from 102 hits to 183... from 3 homers to 31... from 33 RBIs to 88... from 29 runs scored to 95... the pitchers ranged from 5-13 to 15-5 in wins and losses... from 4.83 ERA to 3.13 ERA... from 155 IP to 246 IP.
The best newcomers in the Islandian Pro Alliance this year were Sligo's gifted left fielder Eddy Arnett and High Mesa's talented center fielder Nolan Penny... the sportswriters and broadcasters voted them the most outstanding rookies this year... in a poll conducted by
The Islandian Times, Arnett was acclaimed the 2066 Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year and Penny was chosen the 2066 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year.
2066 RUTHLANDIAN UNION ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: EDDY ARNETT (SLIGO ROVERS)
Eddy Arnett is a 27-year-old switch hitter with power that led the Sligo Rovers to the Ruthlandian West division title with a .300 BA in 136 games... he belted 31 out of the park and also had 31 doubles and 5 triples with 88 RBIs and 85 runs scored... Arnett also stole 28 bases and played well defensively in the outfield (.985 FA/7 assists)... he was a crucial part of the Rovers' successful season... Arnett also made the RU All-Star team.
Arnett was challenged by Fort Benton's fine 22-year-old center fielder Dolph Gordon, who came in second in the RU Rookie voting... Gordon chalked up a .301 BA in 142 games with 31 doubles, 10 triples, 7 home runs, 62 ribbies, 95 runs and 19 SB... and he was a standout defender with a .990 FA, 465 putouts and 8 assists... the Generals ran a good first half, but faded in the second half of the season, eventually winding up 9 games back of Sligo, tied for the 4th spot overall in the RU West Division.
Valmara's crackerjack chunker, Andre Zajac, was the third-best rookie in the Ruthlandian Union... in 21 starts the 21-year-old compiled an 11-6 mark with a strong 2.93 ERA in 141 innings of work... the Vipers won the Ruthlandian North pennant... Zajac also showed his stuff in the postseason... he was only 1-2 in the playoffs with a 3.77 ERA in 4 starts... he lost 4-2 to Claxton and 4-3 to IPA Pro Cup champion Southport... Zajac beat Sligo 5-2.
2066 TYCOBBIAN UNION ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: NOLAN PENNY (HIGH MESA MUSTANGS)
It took a while for Nolan Penny to earn a spot in the High Mesa batting order, but the 24-year-old center fielder sizzled when given a chance to prove himself... playing in 118 games Penny helped the Mustangs to finish a close third in the Tycobbian East race, 7 games behind pennant-winning Red Bluff... he batted .305 with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 26 roundtrippers, 77 RBIs, 80 runs and 10 stolen bases... Penny covered a lot of ground in center field (388 PO) and has a shotgun arm (14 assists).
Kenwood's 26-year-old hurler Brent Konigsen polled a close second to Penny... the Wildcats were a distant third to juggernaut Rolling Hills in the TU West, but they still posted 89 victories... the Racers won a record-setting 111 games this year... Konigsen went 15-5 with a pretty good 3.56 ERA in a hitter's ballpark in 31 starts.
In the third spot in the TU Rookie voting was Oxford second sacker Nat Kenner... he stood out in the Red Caps' third-place finish in the TU North Division... Kenner hit .310, while playing 131 games... he collected 158 hits with 36 two-baggers, 3 triples, 7 homers, 63 ribbies, 57 runs scored and stole 8 bases... defensively Penny covered a lot of ground with 406 assists, but he was just average overall with a .963 FA.[/QUOTE]