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Season Summary
- First Half: 40-27 (.597), 2nd place, 4.0 behind
- Second Half: 38-32 (.543), 2nd place, 2.0 behind
- Pitching: 78-59, 4.07, 29 saves, 955 strikeouts
- Hitting: .270, 822 runs, 86 HR, 166 steals (71% success)
- Errors: 155 (1.13 per game)
- April: 14-7 (.667)
- May: 17-12 (.586)
- June: 14-10 (.583)
- July: 14-13 (.519)
- August: 14-16 (.467)
- September: 5-1 (.833)
- Best Player on the Team: Third Baseman Jose Santos
- Best Starting Pitcher: Wes Anderson (9-5, 3.21, 134 strikeouts) or Kevin Olsen (5-2, 3.38, 52 strikeouts)
- Bullpen Stopper: Scott Clackum (4-4, 10 saves, 3.30, 53 strikeouts)
- Strikeout Pitchers: Chris Moore
- Control Pitchers: David Noyce, Kevin Olsen, Scott Clackum, Blaine Neal, John Seaman
- Best Hitter: Jose Santos (.270, 19 HR, 93 RBI)
- Home Run Leader: Jose Santos (19)
- High Batting Average: Willy Hill (.303), Matt Padgett (.333)
- High On Base Percentage: Matt Padgett (.409)
- High Slugging Percentage: Jose Santos (.481), Matt Treanor (.458), Jeff Bailey (.462), Matt Padgett (.484), Matt Firck (.450)
- Notable Baserunners: Jose Santos, Jesus Medrano, Willy Hill, Chris Aguila, Derek Wathan
- Notable Batting Eye: none notable
July Profile
The Cougars have scored 568 runs while holding their opponents to 460 tallies. This is a pretty good team, but without an outstanding star; it's best strength, so far, has been an excellent pitching rotation. And the defense is exceptional.
Third baseman Jose Santos is easily the best hitter on this team; his numbers aren't gaudy but he's got both power and speed. The rest of the offense features some solid but unexciting hitters and a couple speedy thieves who don't hit well.
KC's pitching's been very good. New starter Kevin Olsen might be a developing star, but the pitching's like the offense: solid, but not outstanding. The rotation rarely gives games away, and the pen's got some fine arms.
June Profile
The Cougars have no strong stars, but a combination of good hitting, pretty much average pitching, and sterling defense has worked well for them this summer.
Third baseman Jose Santos and outfielder Chris Aguila are solid ballplayers, with some punch and excellent basepath success. Other regular contributors include outfielder Brett Roneberg and catcher Matt Treanor. Willy Hill likes to run, but several other team members are better thieves. The whole team contributes.
The pitching story's similar to the hitting. David Noyce is the best of an acceptable but uninspiring starting rotation, and the relief pitching's been all right.
Notable mid-season losses: None.
Also worth watching: pitchers Blaine Neal, Kevin Olsen, and Chris Moore.
May Profile
The Cougars had the best won/lost record in the MWL as the month ended, though it's a little hard to see why. The pitching and hitting are about average for the league. They play good baseball, though; excellent defense, excellent baserunning, very good on-base skills. These guys are fairly patient at the plate and take advantage of any opportunities they find.
Third baseman Jose Santos is a fine, fine ballplayer with excellent skills at bat and on the basepaths. Catcher Matt Treanor and outfielder Chris Aguila are power centers, and spare catcher Jeff Bailey has excelled in a handful of at bats. Willy Hill and Jesus Medrano are the best of an excellent basepath squad.
David Noyce has been the only truly effective starting pitcher, and Scott Clackum has done well in a short relief/closer role. Geoff Goetz shows some talent, and Wes Anderson's pitched well enough. Beyond those, this staff ranges between weak and dangerous....
April Profile
The Cougars haven't shown a lot of power, but they're very good at getting on base. They're also pretty good at getting their runners around once they're on. The pitching's been good, but no better than good; a remarkable pattern is that they hit lots of batters but rarely throw wild pitches. The defense has been excellent.
Pre-Season Profile
Manager
Rich Renteria managed the Marlins' Brevard County squad last summer. There was nothing particularly remarkable about his managing style with those players.
Where they played last season
These comments and table are based on opening day rosters.
This year's Cougars played throughout the Marlins system last season. Many appeared in Utica, but no team predominates.
Team League W/L Place Hitters Pitchers
(Teams)
Brevard County Florida State (A+) 43-97 14(14) 2 2
Kane County Midwest (A) 69-71 10(14) 3 3
Utica New York-Penn (A-) 35-41 9T(14) 6 5
Marlins Gulf Coast (R) 38-22 1(14) 3 4
The Marlins moved a handful of players during the season; those are counted twice in this table. One of the new Cougars appeared briefly in AA ball in 1998.
First Round Draft Selection
- Geoff Goetz (1997, 6th pick [Mets])
Returning to the Midwest League
Members of last summer's Kane County team.
- Jorge Bautista (84 games)
- Geoff Goetz (P, 9 games)
- Hector Henriquez (P, 10 games)
- Nelson Lara (P, 10 games)
- Brett Roneberg (68 games)
- Jose Santos (32 games)
Oldest & Youngest Cougars
On opening day, the average age of the Cougars was 21.0 years. Follow this link for more information about MWL team ages.
- Oldest player on the team: Scott Clackum (born January 13, 1975)
- Youngest player on the team: Francisco Ferrand (born May 20, 1980)
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