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Season Summary
- Second Half: 30-40, .429 (5th place, 12.0 behind)
- First Half: 39-28, .582 (3rd place, 1.5 behind)
- Pitching: 69-68, 3.49, 40 saves, 951 strikeouts
- Hitting: .256, 567 runs, 76 HR, 133 steals (74% success)
- Defense: 175 errors (1.28 per game); .693 defensive efficiency
- April: 13-12 (.520)
- May: 17-11 (.607)
- June: 11-14 (.440)
- July: 14-15 (.483)
- August & September: 14-16 (.467)
Leading Players
- Best Player on the Team: Outfielder John Knott
- Best Starting Pitcher: Cory Stewart (2.39, 6-3, 86 strikeouts)
- Bullpen Stopper: Rusty Tucker (1.01, 5-1, 13 saves, 50 strikeouts)
- Strikeout Pitchers: Cory Stewart, Javier Martinez, Rusty Tucker, Anthony Kozol, Geoffrey Jones
- Control Pitchers: Cory Stewart, Javier Martinez, Justin Germano, Rusty Tucker, Anthony Kozol, Geoffrey Jones, Jack Cassel
- Best Hitter: Jon Benick (.271, 15 HR, 73 RBI)
- Home Run Leader: Jon Benick (15)
- High Batting Average: Josh Barfield (.306), John Knott (.333)
- High On Base Percentage: John Knott (.411)
- High Slugging Percentage: John Knott (.548)
- Notable Baserunners: Josh Barfield, Joe Hastings, Nick Trzesniak, Josh Carter, Pedro de los Santos, Doc Brooks
- Notable Batting Eye: Leonard Biernbaum
July Profile
The Wizards are pretty much an average Midwest League team. Fort Wayne's got a couple star players and a handful of solid contributors; they've little on the bench, though. This team runs well; its defense is below-average. The parent Padres have made a lot of roster changes.
First baseman Jon Benick is a very good hitter, with good power and decent all-around hitting skills. He's supported by outfielder Pedro De los Santos--a good hitter, a terrific baserunner--third baseman Greg Sain, and second baseman Josh Barfield.
Starting pitcher Justin Germano's having a very fine season, and Anthony Kozol's been quite effective and continues the Fort Wayne tradition of fine closing pitchers. The rest of the pitching staff's decent, but no single pitcher stands out.
The Wizards have scored 446 runs; their opponents have scored 459 runs.
June Profile
The Wizards stayed hot through the All-Star break, then completely collapsed after play resumed. This resulted partly because the Padres moved a lot of players around. The offense still has a solid core but no depth; the pitching's been gutted. Unless someone steps up their efforts, Fort Wayne's season promises to be dismal.
Notable Midseason Losses: Outfielder John Knott; Pitchers Blair De Hart, Cory Stewart, & Rusty Tucker.
Worth Watching: Closer Anthony Kozol.
May Profile
The Wizards had a great month, and were in first place for a few days. They did this despite losing their best player, John Knott, to a mid-month callup.
The Wizards don't score many runs, but they're very good at preventing runs. The Fort Wayne offense is probably too weak to maintain this pace, though. This team's defense is a bit better than the MWL average.
The Padres have sent a fine pitching staff. There are no obvious weak links in the rotation or the bullpen. Starter Cory Stewart has given up a lot of hits, but looks like a budding star. Rusty Tucker's the latest in a string of exceptional closers at Fort Wayne.
There's not much to say about the hitters. First baseman Joe Hastings, third baseman Jon Benick, catcher Nick Trzesniak, and outfielder Pedro De los Santos are solid players. No Wizard hitter has shown any power; only De los Santos has proven speed. No one else has contributed much.
April Profile
The Wizards are a good team with a star: Jon Knott's a fine, fine hitter. Manager Tracy Woodson, who goes to his bullpen early and often, is blessed with a very good relief staff.
Pre-Season Profile
Managers
This is Tracy Woodson's fifth season as a minor league manager; they've been at a variety of levels in the player development system. He's a very conventional manager in most respects; he rarely lets starting pitchers finish their games.
First Round Draft Selection
- Nick Trzesniak, 1999; sandwich pick
Team Age Information
- Average Team Age: 21.9
- Pitchers: 21.6
- Hitters: 22.2
- Oldest Player on the Team: Pitcher Mark Percosky (born December 28, 1977)
- Youngest Player on the Team: Infielder Jackson Aquino (born February 8, 1982)
The average player in the Midwest League this season is 21.6 years old. Average ages were calculated from the opening day roster; age as of July 1, 2002.
This website has more information about team ages.
Where they played last season
This is a brief portrait of how the team was put together. These summaries are based on the team's opening day roster and will not be revised to reflect roster changes.
This team's different! Eight players for the new Fort Wayne team were recruited from outside the Padres organization. The rest came, about equally, from all three of San Diego's low-minors farms.
Team League W/L Place Hitters Pitchers
(Teams)
Lake Elsinore California (A+) 91/49 1(10) 0 0
Fort Wayne Midwest (A) 54/83 13(14) 2 5
Eugene Northwest (A-) 32/44 7(8) 6 2
Idaho Falls Pioneer (R+) 21/54 7(8) 4 3
Many of these players appeared for two teams last season and are counted twice on this table. One new Wizard played in another organization last summer, four played in Independent leagues, and three did not play professionally. One 2002 Wizard appeared in a single Triple-A game in 2001.
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