Another component in the Wyandotte success has been the performance of the lesser-known players. Gene Locklear is hitting .400 in over 200 at bats, and fellow outfielder Larry Hisle is hitting .321 with 12 HR in roughly the same amount of playing time. Young first baseman Andre Thornton (.307, 14 HR) has done a great job off the bench and against left-handers when Willie McCovey sits. McCovey continues to produce with a .281 average and 11 HR. Ron Cey went into a major mid-season funk, but has rebounded to .279 and 21 HR. His 87 RBI lead the team. Jeff Burroughs' average has gone south, but his 24 HR lead the Camels.
The starting pitching has been solid all year, and Carl Morton, 18-11, looks to become a 20 game winner for the first time in his career. Tom Buskey appears to have solved his early season problems as closer. He now has 16 saves for the Camels.
Satellite Beach Emerges, Ohio, Jamestown Wilt In Summer Heat
It appears the wait is over. After spending 5 years in the NL's second division, Satellite Beach has made it to the NL playoffs. The Saturns were 11 games over .500 at the break, and maintained that position since. At 74-61, a .500 finish would give the Saturns an 88 win season, 20 games better than their previous best in 1972.
The reason the Saturns have improved so much in 1975? Pitching. Bob Forsch has become one of the top starting pitchers in the NL, and his 18-7 record reminds fans of the great season Tom Bradley had in 1972. Randy Jones has a less-impressive record, 14-8, but his ERA sparkles at 1.90. Jones has been a victim of poor run support - 3.3 to Forsch's 4.8.
Run support - that has been a problem at time this year. While most teams get their main production from first base or the outfield, those seem to be the weak spots for the Saturns. Juan Beniquez (.300) and Luis Melendez (.266) have produced, but George Foster and Cesar Geronimo were counted on to offer more than their .230-some averages. One player who has not disappointed is Bobby Grich. His average has risen steadily over the season and is now at .301. He also leads the Saturns in runs, HR and RBI.
While Satellite Beach has survived, Jamestown and Ohio have faded into the background. The Outlaws first-half run was keyed by a trio of all stars - Fred Lynn, Mike Schmidt and Darrell Porter. Lynn continues to sparkle, hitting .373 and on his way to perhaps 90 extra base hits, 100 runs and 100 RBI. He is producing perhaps one of the ten best offensive seasons ever in the NCABL. Schmidt's average has been steadily climbing, now up to .261 with a league-leading 29 HR. He has driven in 92. Unfortunately, Porter's second half of the season is the opposite of his first half performance. Since the all-star break Porter has hit only 3 HR and driven in just 8 runs. His average has fallen 15 points to .216.
The Jamestown collapse can be traced to a mid-August trip to Satellite Beach. The Saturns put an end to the Outlaws' hopes of a wild card when they took 6 of 6, outscoring Jamestown 45-18. This defeat put Jamestown 10 under .500 and 13 out in the wild card hunt.
The Buckeys' strength lies in its pitching staff. Ohio leads the NL in pitching with a stingy 2.53 team ERA. Jerry Reuss is 17-9 as he enjoys 4.1 runs per game of support. The other starters are not so fortunate - Jim Barr, 12-10, 2.25 ERA, 2.9 runs of support; John Montefusco, 10-13, 2.30 ERA, 2.5 runs of support; and Jon Matlack, 6-14, 3.21 ERA, 2.4 runs of support. If any team resembled the New York Mets of this era it is the Buckeyes.
Ohio's troubles are obviously a result of having the NL's most anemic offense. Only two Buckeye regulars are hitting over .250 - Dave Concecion at .291 and Brian Downing at .265. The big hitters in the Ohio lineup - Lee May, Graig Nettles, Oscar Gamble and Dwight Evans - are hitting a combined .222. Nettles does have 16 HR and 65 RBI and May has 15 HR and 60 RBI, but these are not playoff-caliber numbers. Although they had struggled, the Buckeyes were still alive as late as August 22. Then Jamestown came to visit, took 4 of 5 from the Buckeyes, and left town with any hopes of a playoff berth.
I'll Bet You Didn't Know…
There is always a collection of players who post super numbers yet their names don't make the leader boards. The aforementioned Gene Locklear, with his .400 average, is a prime example. Here are some others who are quietly making solid contributions: