Kentucky Struggles in First Half, Hopes to Rebound After All-Star Break (2052)

The Lions will need a few balls to bounce their way in the second half if they want to extend the current 13 season playoff streak. An aging roster combined with a few key injuries will make it a tough climb through the PL South, or even the wildcard for that matter.

Starter Cris Colon suffered a damaged elbow ligament for the second year in a row which will cost him all of this season and most of next. He was leading the team in wins with 7 and ERA with 3.51.

Hector Davila also missed over 40 games early on in the season, and his bat hasn’t heated up just yet. He’s only getting on base at a 30% rate and he’s never been one to hit for power.

Former Perennial All-Star Roger Peck has held down the hot corner for over a decade in Kentucky, but he’s performing just below the league average level. Team officials are confident he’ll have a strong second half, but it could be the beginning of a steep decline for the 37 year old.

There have been a few bright spots in Lexington, with young designated hitter Ademar Bouvery leading the way. He leads the team with 19 home runs.

Offseason acquisition Mike Hill has been a nice addition to the squad with 13 home runs in 54 games. He’s got a 128 OPS+ and has played a solid defense.

One of Kentucky’s biggest weaknesses has been it’s defense, ranking 10th in BABIP. Manager Zach Larson is planning to address this in the second half by playing shortstop Juan Ortiz more than the 40 year old Jimmy Williams who will move around the diamond while keeping his bat in the lineup.

Here’s some key stats:

Record: 41-40, 4th Place PL South, 9 GB, tied in 4th WC, 2 GB of WC2

Highest average age in the AFBL: 30.90 (Pit 3rd, Bat 1st)

Team Rankings
5th in Runs Scored in PL
9th in Runs Allowed in PL
-10 Run Differential

Standout Batters

Ademar Bouvery
1.5 WAR
14.1 BatR
18 HR
54 RBI
.944 OPS (7th PL)
.578 SLG (7th PL)
Owns 2 of the top 17 batter performances this year
6/7 – 4-5, 3 HR, 7 RBI
5/20 – 4-4 2 HR, 4 RBI

OF Ron Dixon
1.0 WAR
7.2 BatR
9 HR
39 RBI
.302 AVG
.835 OPS

OF Mike Hill
0.6 WAR
6.5 BatR
11 2B
11 HR
21 RBI
.880 OPS

Standout Defenders

OF Mike Jacobs
Leads AFBL CF in RF with 3.43
Leads PL CF in EFF with 1.031
Tied for 3rd among AFBL CF with 13 OF assists

2B Hector Davila
Missed 42 games with injury
Leads AFBL 2B in EFF with 1.108
8th among AFBL 2B with 4.6 ZR in limited time
3rd among AFBL 2B getting to 68.4% of unlikely balls

Standout Starters

RHP Arturo Vega
7-5
3.97 ERA
17 GS
1.6 WAR
93 IP
76 Ks

LHP Lou Best
6-6
4.81 ERA
17 GS
1.1 WAR
95 IP
64 Ks

Standout Relievers

LHP Johnny Riley
1.6 WPA
2.89 ERA
1.30 WHIP
53 IP
42 Ks

RHP Ron Anderson
2.60 ERA
34 IP
39 Ks
17 BB