2007
After Montreal's run to a national runner-up finish, Trey Skipper's work north of the border was complete. In four years, he had shattered franchise records, ended the longest playoff drought in professional baseball history, and turned an doormat into a dominant force. Furthermore, the Royals would finally be leaving the woefully inadequate "Big Owe," Olympic Stadium, in favor of brand-new, state-of-the-art Parc Labatt.
At 69 years old, Trey elected to hang it up, ending the third generation of the baseball family dynasty with a record of 3,304-2,732 (.547) over 37 seasons with 26 playoff appearances and 15 league/conference championships, with a 2,070-1,696 (.550) mark at the major league level with seven league/conference titles and a pair of National Championships.
And so, Skipper IV took the reins, but as his predecessors did, he would begin his career with a rebuilding job. In this case, he would begin his managerial career with a franchise coming off a 60-102 season, their sixth-straight 100-loss campaign.
Yep, Skipper IV's reign would begin at the helm of the Omaha Golden Spikes, who owned one playoff appearance in the previous 33 seasons and had just five winning seasons in that time frame; four of which came from 1993-96. He would also be hamstrung with Rosenblatt Stadium, the historic College World Series venue that was beloved, but also was nearly 60 years old and too small and outdated for major league baseball.
What a place to start your career.
After a healthy amount of juggernauts ran roughshod in 2006, many teams returned to more normal records this season, though a few clear powerhouses were still out there.
In the Northern Conference, it was once again New York and Philly making the playoffs out of the New England League, though it was the Quakers joining the Gothams in the postseason. New York made their tenth-straight postseason appearance and drew 4,152,805 fans to Shea Stadium. The Quakers, meanwhile made their fourth appearance in five years (their crosstown rivals, the Athletics, made it the other season). The Midwest Association saw Montreal and Chicago make the postseason for the third year in a row, with the Royals in first by a game. The Whales were making their sixth-straight postseason appearance.
Once October hit, the two pennant winners took care of business. New York defeated Philadelphia in six games, while Montreal swept Chicago. The Gothams and Royals, both 98-64 in the regular season, proved to be about as even as could be, with New York finally emerging triumphant in game seven for their second Conference Championship in three years.
In the Southern Conference, Atlanta and Jacksonville ran away to tie for first in the Eastern League at 97-65, both 13 games clear of the competition. For the Peaches it was their fifth-straight playoff berth, while the Suns made the playoffs for the first time in eight years after a pair of close calls the last two years. The Western League was dominated by New Orleans, who won 110 games (after 111 wins the previous year) and finished 23 games ahead of Kansas City, who finished second (and in the playoffs) for the fourth year in a row.
In October, the two League Finals were very indicative of the regular-season races. Atlanta and Jacksonville finished in a dead heat and their playoff series went the distance, with the Suns winning the decisive seventh game. Meanwhile, New Orleans left KC in the dust and the playoffs were no different, as the Pelicans swept the Blues. However, the Southern Championship was a dandy, but in the end, New Orleans repeated as Southern champions, winning game seven at the Shrine on Airline to take home their second-straight conference title.
In the Pacific Coast League it was the familiar subjects at the top of both standings. For the eighth year in a row, the San Francisco Seals won the North, while Oakland finished second for a second-straight year. In the South, San Jose won a franchise-record 133 games and drew a national-record 4,169,698 fans to Los Gatos Ballpark. The Gulls made their seventh-straight playoff trip, while Phoenix finished second, earning their 11th-straight trip to the postseason.
In the postseason, San Francisco dominated their cross-bay rivals, sweeping Oakland in the North Division Finals. In the South, Phoenix dealt an upset to San Jose in six games. In the PCL Finals, the Seals and Firebirds went the distance, with San Francisco winning game seven to earn their first PCL title in nine years.
Normally the most tame of the four major leagues, the Texas League in fact had the most dominant teams, with three 100-win squads. For the second year in a row, both DFW teams won over 100 games, with Dallas winning a franchise-record 109 games and Fort Worth earning a franchise-record 104 wins. In the South, Houston won 101 games and their third-straight division title. Meanwhile, Galveston emerged from the worst malaise in franchise history to post their first winning season in 13 years and earn their first playoff berth since 1993, finishing in second.
For a second-straight year, the North Division Series was highly anticipated, but once more, Dallas came out on top, defeating Fort Worth in game seven at the Ballpark in Arlington. The South saw no drama, as Houston swept rival Galveston in four games. The Lone Star Series was similarly non-dramatic, as the Lone Stars breezed past the Buffaloes in five games to win their first Texas League title in seven years.
The national tournament featured no major surprises in terms of participants, nor in results. New Orleans took down San Francisco in six games, while New York handled Dallas in five games. The Finals would feature one team looking for their first title and the other waiting for their first championship since the Great Depression. In an anticlimactic series, the Gothams swept the Pelicans, earning New York their fifth National Championship, but their first since 1935, ending a 72-year title drought that broke a record for longest span between national titles.
In the Northern Conference, a second-year infielder broke out, as 24-year-old Detroit third baseman
Jesus Salazar slashed .305/.368/.601 with 185 hits, 114 runs, 44 doubles, a conference-leading 44 homers, and 141 RBI. For his efforts, he earned his first MVP award.
On the mound, it was another award for the top arm in the league. Chicago's
Adrian Wright missed his third Triple Crown by 0.01 ERA point, going 20-3 with a 2.70 ERA, also leading the North in strikeouts (239), innings (253.1), complete games (7), and shutouts (3). Wright earned his fifth Pitcher of the Year in his six-year career and his second in a row.
In the Southern Conference, New Orleans catcher
Bryan Mitchell provided a glimpse in 2006 by hitting .366 with 7 homers in 175 at-bats as a 21-year-old rookie. In his first full season the following year, Mitchell slashed .363/.417/.589, winning the batting title and also leading the conference with 120 runs, ripping 203 hits, 32 doubles, 30 homers, and driving in 93 runs to earn his first MVP in unanimous fashion.
His batterymate also earned accolades in a unanimous vote, as 33-year-old
Marco Garcia continued his late-career bloom, going 19-4 with a conference-leading 2.75 ERA over 232.1 innings, picking up his second Pitcher of the Year in a row.
Omaha make a splash by finding the cash to sign home run extraordinaire
Joel Boyd, who only played in 96 games in his first year at Rosenblatt, but still managed to lead the conference with 41 homers, earning his seventh home run crown in seven seasons, blasting an even 400 round-trippers in that time frame.
In the Pacific Coast League, San Jose's
Neal Davis had a very hard act to follow after his 62-homer seasons in 2006, but he nearly matched it. The 25-year-old slashed .341/.416/.663 with 245 hits, a league-high 153 runs, 48 doubles, and a league-leading 60 homers and 174 RBI. For his efforts he earned his second-straight MVP award.
On the mound, Phoenix ace
Jordan Radcliffe had been of the PCL's top arms the past few years, but finally broke through for his first PCL Pitcher of the Year trophy. The 26-year-old went 24-12 with a 2.48 ERA, leading the PCL in wins and ERA, while striking out 228 batters and working a league-high 297.0 innings in his award-winning campaign.
In the midst of his third-straight 40-homer season to begin his career, Hawaii first baseman
Steve Dougan made history on June 9, when he bludgeoned San Jose for a quartet of round-trippers, becoming the fourth PCL hitter and the 11th player in major league history ot swt four home runs in a single game.
In the Texas League, Austin second baseman
Matt Thoms was already a two-time MVP in the Northern Conference. Since being traded to Austin midway through the 2003 season, he had struggled to stay on the field, but finally did enough in 2007, slashing .325/.444/.617 with 161 hits, 101 runs, 30 doubles, 37 homers, 99 RBI, and 15 steals, while adding a Great Glove honor. He took home his third MVP, though his selection was controversial, as Tulsa's
Henry Bowen had slashed .347/.428/.613 with 213 hits, 38 homers and 166 RBI, coming just two homers shy of a Triple Crown, though he settled for his second runner-up finish in three years.
There was no such controversy on the mound, where Dallas'
Marco Torres won his fourth Pitcher of the Year and second in a row. The 33-year-old went 21-9 with a 3.13 ERA, leading the TL in both marks and also striking out 164 in a league-high 230.1 innings as he earned his trophy in a unanimous vote.
In the Hall of Fame voting, the Eastern Baseball Federation inducted a man with the fifth-most major league homers and the most decorated reliever in history to the Hall, both sailing in on the first ballot:
1B
Mario Zuniga (1983-02), 98.4%
RP
J.R. McCormick (1987-06), 97.5%
The Pacific Coast League, meanwhile, inducted a slugging first baseman with over 2,500 hits and nearly 450 homers:
1B
Brian Fredericks (1982-01), 76.5%
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In the American Baseball League, Raleigh-Durham built off their first ABL to win their first-ever East Division title, with Charlotte and Richmond tied for second six games back and Ottawa filing into fourth. In the West, Anaheim earned their tenth-straight playoff berth and won 100 games for the fifth year in a row. Spokane went from 92 losses to 97 wins, finishing second, with Las Vegas third. Nashville and Memphis each finished 81-81, with the Vols winning a 163rd game to win the battle for Tennessee and with it, the final playoff spot.
Three of the four first-round series went the distance, with Raleigh-Durham surviving an upset bid from Ottawa and Richmond edging Charlotte. Meanwhile, Las Vegas clipped Spokane, while Anaheim had the one easy series, a sweep of Nashville. The semifinals featured upsets on both sides, as Richmond knocked out Raleigh-Durham in six games and Las Vegas annihilated Anaheim in five. The Giants then lived up to their name, gashing the Gamblers in a four-game sweep to lift Richmond to their first American Baseball Cup in their 32 years in the ABL.
In the East, 19-year-old Tampa Bay phenom
Hyun-Woo Kim had a massive sophomore season, slashed .361/.425/.652 with 214 hits, 114 runs, 60 doubles, 36 homers, and 99 RBI, leading the league in batting, hits, and doubles, winning MVP with ease. Richmond righty
Joel Johnston, just 21 years old, went 19-10 with a 3.47 ERA, leading the East in wins and striking out 223 over 254.0 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year.
In the West, Spokane's
Alejandro Zavala won MVP in 2003 and had played at an MVP-caliber level ever since, but the 27-year-old finally won his second trophy in 2007, slashing .293/.405/.528 with 161 hits, a league-high 121 runs, 34 doubles, 7 triples, 27 homers, and 97 RBI. Similarly, Anaheim's
Ed De Soto had pitched at a high level over his first three seasons, but the 24-year-old finally earned the hardware in his fourth campaign, going 17-8 with a 3.25 ERA with 202 strikeouts in 235.1 innings to win Pitcher of the Year.
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Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Savannah Cardinals, 118-36, defeats Chattanooga
Colonial League: Binghamton Big Cats, 87-53, defeats Pittsfield
River Valley League: Toledo Mud Hens, 86-54, defeats Charleston (WV) (2nd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Helena Capitals, 76-44, defeats Grand Junction
Coastal League: Johnson City Smokies, 92-63, defeats Greenville (SC) (2nd straight)
Northern League: Winnipeg Goldeyes, 93-47, defeats La Crosse
Southwest League: Long Beach Earthquakes, 77-63, defeats Stockton (2nd straight)
Southern Association: Springfield Ozarks, 81-59, defeats Little Rock (2nd straight)
Northwest League: Pocatello Gatekeepers, 94-60, defeats Yakima
Can-Am League: Hamilton Steelcats, 69-57, defeats Springfield
Mid-Atlantic League: Lancaster Barnstormers, 84-56, defeats Frederick
Lone Star League: Tyler Roughnecks, 91-49, defeats Rio Grande
Great Plains League: South Bend Silver Hawks, 83-57, defeats Des Moines
Florida Coast League: Fort Lauderdale Flamingos, 82-58, defeat St. Petersburg
Heartland League: Lansing Speedwagons, 79-61, defeats Sioux Falls
Atlantic Coast League: Myrtle Beach Rainbows, 65-55, defeats Lynchburg
North American League: Calgary Cannons, 83-57, defeats Ft. Collins
North Atlantic League: Burlington Lakers, 61-51, defeats Fredericton
Matt Nichols made considerable news in 2006 for terrorizing the Northwest League for a professional baseball-record 76 homers. For whatever reason, he did not stick in the majors again, (despite hitting .324 with 12 homers in 68 games for Oakland), so he went back to Idaho Falls for 112 games in 2007, hitting .393 with 45 homers and 125 RBI to win the NWL Triple Crown (and MVP) for a second straight year.