72 - 82, .467 pct. 4th in Marvin Miller Division, 12.5 games behind.
Overall
What a disappointing season. There is talent here, they were in the mix at the all-star break, and then just totally collapsed throughout all of July. Much more is expected in Year II.
What Went Right
Reggie Jackson was an elite offensive force, finishing the year with an OPS over 1.000 and while there was a gap between him and the Sea Lions’ next best hitters, Bobby Bonds, Pedro Guerrero, and Rickey Henderson all look like they are set for quite some time.
Similarly, the top end of the rotation–Eddie Plank and Lefty Grove–look quite good, and both Nick Altrock and Bump Hadley impressed in limited starts. Ken Howell, Ron Robinson, and Rod Beck were excellent at the back of the bullpen.
ALL STARS RP Rod Beck; P Lefty Grove; OF Rickey Henderson; RP Ken Howell; OF Reggie Jackson, P Charlie Root
What Went Wrong
The MI was never really settled. Jimmy Bloodworth was fine at 2B, Dick Lundy spent as much time injured as showing flashes of potential, and the SS job was eventually claimed by Roy Hartzell.
Gene Oliver ended up the primary backstop, which speaks to just how much Mickey Cochrane and Brian Downing struggled. John Beckwith couldn’t stick with the big league club, but at 18 he can be forgiven.
Tim Hudson imploded after being acquired from Birmingham, although he recovered a bit towards the end of the season. Nobody else really stepped up on the mound, with Dennis Eckersley and Dave LaRoche being especially disappointing.
Trade Evaluations
March
OF Pete Browning, P Rollie Fingers, SS Bert Campaneris, P Eddie Rommel & IF Mark McGwire to House of David for IF Dick Lundy, OF Bobby Bonds & P Nick Altrock
A true blockbuster with impact on both sides. As San Francisco got 3 players who spent most of the year as WBL contributors, they have to be happy with the deal, even with Browning’s performance.
June
P Rube Melton, OF Derrick May & 3rd Round Pick to Birmingham for P Tim Hudson
Hudson’s struggles make this look bad, but it still feels like a worthwhile gamble to have taken.
IF Steve Hertz & 2nd Round Pick to Homestead for IF Phil Garner
They wish they had the pick now.
OF Wally Moon, OF Dwayne Murphy, 4th Round Pick & 6th Round Pick to Los Angeles for C Brian Downing, IF Kurt Stillwell & P Dave LaRoche
Downing was supposed to solve the issues at C for San Francisco. He didn’t.
P Shawn Estes, P Turk Wendell & 5th Round Pick to Miami for P Tommy Bridges
Meh. I mean at this point the Sea Lions were still in playoff contention, and Bridges looked solid. Still. Meh.
July
P Charlie Root & P Chad Bradford to Detroit for IF Charlie Gehringer, P Red Ehret, IF Bill Sweeney & 4th Round Pick {Charlie Ferguson}
Oof. Root and Bradford helped Detroit to the Whirled Series, Gehringer was eventually released. A clear loss for San Francisco in this one.
Looking Forward
SP
Grove, Plank, and Eckersley are a solid top 3. One of the few teams with a decent amount of mound talent.
RP
Set for now, and this may be where Eckersley ends up, long term.
C
Mickey Cochrane is supposed to be the answer here, but he has to hit over .200. Some good young talent (Dave Duncan, John Mizerock), so there are options.
1B
Jack Clark will play here, but he’s really just waiting on Jimmie Foxx to come into his own. John Beckwith will factor in eventually, and newcomer Sid Bream looks impressive as well.
2B
Who knows. Keith Ginter was great at AAA, Dick Green has shown some talent, and Dick Lundy can play here when healthy.
3B
For now, Pedro Guerrero will see some time here, but it really looks like Sal Bando is the answer for a while.
SS
If Lundy can stay in the lineup, he should be here.
LF
When Rickey Henderson was hitting .230 he had some value; as he raised his average to .270, he locked this position down long-term.
CF
There really aren’t any natural CF’s here, so look for Bobby Bonds to continue to cover best he can.
RF
Everyone ends up here: Reggie Jackson for now, but it’s also the more natural position for both Bonds and Guerrero.
The Rookie Draft
Rounds 1-4
The Sea Lions only have 8 picks in the draft, and in the early rounds only 3 in the first 7 rounds (a 1st, a 4th, and a 7th). So there is a ton of pressure on their initial pick.
They reached deep for it, taking unheralded CF Turkey Stearnes. The pick thrilled many experts, even if it meant bypassing more highly touted CFers (Al Simmons, Earl Averill).
And then the Sea Lions did … nothing … until the 19th pick of the 4th round, where they picked up a project in SP Charlie Ferguson.
Rounds 5-8
And then nothing until the 7th round. The Sea Lions will be focusing on 1B, OF, and pitching, pitching, pitching from here on out, beginning with Pete Harnisch. Franchise pick Jed Lowrie proved too tempting in the 8th, even though IF isn’t an area of need, strictly speaking.
Rounds 9-12
OF Jules Thomas (final exemption); P Steve Ontiveros; P Dave Lemanczyk; and IF Nick Allen.
