Cole Hamels pitched like a number three starter in 2009, finishing with a record under .500 and an ERA north of 4, while Brooks Conrad continued his career as a journeyman minor leaguer in search for a home in The Show.
The two San Diego-area products enjoyed much better seasons this year, however, as Hamels (Rancho Bernardo High) went 12-11, 3.09 for the NL East champion Phillies, reversed 2009's trend to allow far fewer hits than innings pitched and topped 200 strikeouts for the first time; and Conrad (Monte Vista High) became a star utility infielder in Atlanta, playing in more than 100 big league games (tripling his career high), and slugging 8 HR -- seemingly every one of which won a game as the Braves sneaked the NL wildcard spot from the Padres.
True, things changed in the playoffs. Hamels, throwing like a number one despite really being a number three now, tossed a 5-hit shutout of Cincinnati in the first round, while Conrad played out of position at 2B and committed three costly errors in a Game 3 loss to San Francisco, a pivotal point in a series loss. Baseball is a tough game. Two pinch hit grand slams are a high, and you just know there is a low out there waiting to punch you in the gut. It just happened to Conrad at a bad time.
The 2010 season, however, will be a memorable one for both local players, and quite a few others:
-- Conrad's teammate, injury-plagued Troy Glaus of Carlsbad High, rebounded from a 14-game season in 2009 to play in 128 contests, batting .240-16-71.
-- Padres closer Heath Bell (Oceanside native) is starting to receive awards for a season in which he collected 47 saves, a record of 6-1 and a 1.93 ERA.
-- Baltimore 1B Ty Wigginton (Hilltop High) revived his career by slugging 22 home runs, knocking in 76 runs and playing in 154 games, his highest total since 2003.
-- A strong second half propelled Orioles CF Adam Jones (Morse High) to a .284-19-69 season.
-- Another bird, P Brian Matusz (USD), overcame a rocky start to win his final six decisions, finishing 10-12, 4.30. His two starts in that streak that were no-decisions were won by the Orioles after he left the mound.
When considering the three players above, keep in mind that Baltimore was the worst team in baseball the first couple of months of the season, and finished with the second-worst record in the AL.
-- Oakland P Trevor Cahill (Vista High) was solid after returning from a pre-season injury, finishing 18-8, 2.97
-- Tampa Bay C John Jaso (Chula Vista) got into 109 games in his first full season as a major leaguer.
-- Chicago White Sox slugger Carlos Quentin's (the old USDHS) return to health paid off with 26 home runs and 87 RBIs, in a career-high 131 games.
While a number of other local players had rather mediocre seasons, a few ended in disaster.
The most notable was P Stephen Strasburg, (West Hills High, SDSU), whose minor league coddling by Washington kept baseball fans fascinated the first month of the season. He finished 5-3, 2.91 in 12 major league starts before tearing a ligament in August, and it is unlikely he will pitch next season.
The injury-plagued career of Oakland 3B/1B Eric Chavez (Mt Carmel High) might be over after he went on the disabled list in May and never saw action again. He has a multi-million contract option that the A's a unlikely to pick up.
Detroit fireballing reliver Joel Zumaya (Bonita Vista High) made a stirring comeback from injury to throw in 31 games for the Tigers. Just as you start thinking "how can you not root for this guy?" his season ended sadly with a fractured elbow on June 28.
San Francisco passed up the Padres late in the season to win the NL West title on the strength of its starting pitching, but Barry Zito (USDHS) was of little help. Zito finished 9-14, 4.15 while losing 10 of his final 11 decisions, including a horrible performance on the last Saturday of the season against San Diego -- all while sucking up $18.5 million.
The most tragic season was experienced by Padres P Kevin Correia (Grossmont High). Coming off a superb 2009, Correia was sharp in April, but his brother died in a hiking accident and it seemed he was never the same. He made only two appearances in September and finished 10-10, 5.40, and his hometown days could be over.
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I was told at a young age that two wrongs do not make a right, and indeed the adage holds true as an adult. That's how I view the Chargers situation when it comes to LB Shawne Merriman, LT Marcus McNeill and WR Vincent Jackson.
Regarding Merriman, wrong number one was him thinking that he was still the player he once was, and he is not because of his injuries, which is a shame. Wrong number two was the Chargers not originally treating him with the respect he deserved for his past good deeds and then trying to rush him onto the field at the last minute because his successor, Larry English, might be turning into a bust.
On McNeill, you have a team that undervalued their veteran left tackle before the season, and a player who eventually gave in and, according to the newspaper, signed a contract that only gives him guaranteed money this year. He could make $48 million over the life of the contract, but it wouldn't shock me to see him and the team at loggerheads again in a year or two. Very little was solved.
I have no idea if Jackson will show up at the end of the month to accrue another season of NFL service, but this saga has been filled with nothing but wrongs. His agents are a joke, Jackson is close to but not yet an elite receiver, he still should not have been subject to financial hi-jinks and, I believe, the Chargers would have pulled out the Kansas City game if he were in the lineup.
This is heading toward a season in which no one, not the players, not the coaches, nor GM AJ Smith look good.
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