Friday, October 29, 2088
2088 IPA PRO CUP PREVIEW AND PREDICTION -- SUNSETS SLIGHTLY FAVORED
Neither #7 Belle Plaine, nor #8 Summerland were expected to make it to the Pro Cup Series, but here they are, alive and kicking and raring to reap their first Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy. Almost 9 decades of baseball decadence will come to an end for Belle Plaine or Summerland. It will all come down to this. If the Musketeers just hit well and nothing else, they will not win. If the Sunsets just pitch well and nothing else, they will not win. It's the well-balanced team that usually wins the Pro Cup. It is rare for a team just to hit its way to the overall IPA crown and it's rare for a team to just pitch its way to the coveted prize.
Summerland is a slim, slight and slender favorite to capture its first-ever Pro Cup Trophy. The Sunsets are talented with 4 All-Stars on the club. They have the superior pitching and just might be able to put just enough runs on the scoreboard to prevail over the Belle Plaine Musketeers. The Sunsets have a bunch of pesky bats. It won't be easy. It probably will extend to 7 games. The Muskies have the homefield advantage, which in a tight series might be the difference maker. Looking back at the results in the postseason this year, it hasn't been much of an advantage. So far, 5 of the 6 series winners did not have the homefield edge.
Summerland skipper Jayson Hallstrom will have to continue to get the dynamite mound work to win and find a way to muster up enough runs to win a game. All-Star Paul Pegram (20-7/2.64 ERA), Joren Vanderzee (18-11/2.75 ERA) and Cees De Groot (14-12/2.59 ERA) will be the 3 starters. They have been 6-0 in 10 starts with a superb 0.48 ERA in 65 innings. Prime relievers will be long man Daishi Miyamoto (13-10/3.99 ERA), short man Jaime Osorio (4-2/3.03 ERA/3 saves/44 games) and closer Rik Boone (2-8/3.13 ERA/20 saves/62 games). The bullpen has been effective in the playoffs, too.
The best bats are All-Star 3B Guus Lutjens (.303/27 HR/125 RBI/89 R), All-Star RF Norris Chance (.316/14 HR/70 RBI/87 R), All-Star catcher Hennie Hendriks (.289/13 HR/46 RBI/100 R) and LF Bruce Quarterman (.276/19 HR/80 RBI/74 R).
Belle Plaine's strength lies in its high-powered attack, propelled by All-Star shortstop Jean-Paul Lacombe (.318/35 HR/107 RBI/103 R) and a bunch of solid threats like right fielder Dominque Roche (.279 BA/23 HR/96 RBI/72 R), third baseman Claude Mayeux (.261/16 HR/66 RBI/98 R/25 SB), left fielder Callum Hayford (.273/23 HR/92 RBI/89 R), 3B Jace De Grom (.283/21 HR/80 RBI/70 R) and center fielder Anthony Taliaferro (.274/17 HR/68 RBI/98 R/19 SB).
The Musketeers manager Eliot Marcum will just need good performances from its trio of starters Anton Petit (17-10/2.84 ERA), Allie Tuthill (14-13/3.07 ERA) and Marcel Giroud (11-10/3.65 ERA). Only Giroud (3-0/1.71 ERA) has done well in the postseason. He will get the assignment in the opening game. Petit and Tuthill have been inconsistent and shaky in the postseason. Still together they are 3-3 with 5.00 ERAs in 8 playoff starts between them. Half the time they did fairly well and produced a victory.
Both of the IPA Pro Cup finalists are led by successful and talented managers. One was a great pitcher and one was a standout hitter. Summerland's Jayson Hallstrom is a Hall of Fame hurler with a standout 368-274 mark and a very impressive career 2.65 ERA. He was inducted in 2061 after a 20-year career. Hallstrom has been at the helm of the Sunsets since 2061. He retired as player in 2057 at age 40. Hallstrom was a 7-time All-Star and 9-time 20-game winner for just a fair to middling ballclub. Summerland has captured 2 pennants during Hallstrom's managerial regime. At age 39 he won 20 games. In his final year he posted a 16-8 record with a 3.38 ERA with an average 4th-place team.
Belle Plaine's Eliot Marcum also had a fine IPA career from 2058 to 2069. He was a 3-time All-Star outfielder and twice the Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award in 2063 and 2064. Marcum has guided the Muskies since 2076. He has produced 3 pennants in the last 5 seasons. Lifetime Marcum played 11 seasons and retired early at age 32 while still a viable and productive player. He batted .299 with 396 roundtrippers, 1204 RBIs and scored 1167 runs. As a player, Marcum had no help. Belle Plaine only had one winning season in his 12-year career. The Musketeers finished over .500 only in his final season -- and just barely -- 78-76.
2088 IPA Pro Cup Series Prediction:
Really it is just too close to call. I flipped a coin and chose Summerland because of their great pitching and adequate offense. I think the Sunsets staff will slow down the big Belle Plaine bats just enough for them to eke out a win the Pro Cup in 7 games and win their first-ever Pro Cup Trophy after almost 90 years of frustration. Having said that, Belle Plaine could easily win their very first Pro Cup.
