2020CH1: MINERS GO 8-20/ FANS FEAR LONG SEASON

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Neil Walker Chapter 1 MVP
(351/393/544) 
The Joplin Miners went 10-18 in Chapter 1.  Here are the series results:

 Salem 0-4
Darien: 3-1
NCISP:3-1
Los Altos: 1-3
Ravenwood: 1-3
Kansas City: 2-2Las Vegas: 0-4

Joplin fans were frustrated by the 1-5 record in 1 run games.


There were a number of red flags in Chapter 1. 
The pitching staff went 10-18 with a 5.35 ERA.
Chris Sale, the ace of the staff, went 1-3 with a 6.14 ERA.  True, he did strike out 43 batters and only walked 7 in 19 innings but the ERA indicates opposing teams had no trouble scoring runs.
Danny Duffy (2-2-4.85) and Tanner Roark ( 2-1-3.38) provided some respectable starts but the bullpen was simply nonexistent and the lack of cash to acquire additional pitching showed up in the bottom of the rotation.



The team went 230/393/400 at the plate.

The bright spots:
Carlos Santana (282/403/485  22.4 RC)
Charlie Blackmon (298/370/548  21.9 RC)
Neil Walker   (351/393/544 11.4 RC) 

 Mookie Betts  ( 226/300/425  13.9 RC) had a slow start and Neil Walker almost had the same RC numbers even though Walker only played in 19 games compared to Betts 28.  Miner fans will make sure Mookie was given the franchise tag and salary and expect better numbers over the rest of the season.


The front office continues its off season purge of the lineup yet still expects Miner hitters to cover up the pitching weaknesses on the roster.  Time will tell how long the rebuilding project will take and how much pain Miner fans will have to endure in the 2020 season.

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