Spokane Indians look to make fresh start after slumping to end first half
If the Spokane Indians are to defend their 2024 Northwest League championship this season, they will have to come through the back door.
As recently as 10 days ago, the Indians were just one game off the lead for the first-half title – and the home-field advantage in the league championship series that comes with it. But they hadn’t won since entering play on Thursday night.
That’s eight losses in a row, sending them into a last-place tie with Tri-City.
The second half of the season starts on Friday, with a new opportunity for the Indians to rediscover the secret that kept them competitive in the standings for the first 57 games of the season.
The halfway point provides an opportunity for analysis, so let’s take a look at what has gone right – and wrong – in the first half, and what needs to be corrected going forward for the Indians to bounce back in the second half.
The good
Until the past eight games, the Indians had several of the top offensive players in the NWL for the second year in a row.
Entering play on Thursday, three of the top five batters by average were Spokane hitters: Jared Thomas (.310), Braylen Wimmer (.295) and Aidan Longwell (.298). That doesn’t include Charlie Condon at .355, who at 25 games doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify.
Longwell, in particular, has been a revelation. Despite missing 10 days with a leg injury, the 23-year-old first baseman – a 17th-round pick out of Kent State in 2023 – is second in the league with 44 RBIs and is tied with Everett’s Lazaro Montes in slugging at .540.
Condon, the Rockies’ first-round pick and No. 3 overall last year, owns a .491 on-base percentage and is slugging .500 with more walks (22) than strikeouts (20). He missed the first two months recovering from a nondisplaced fracture in his left wrist, but the power is starting to come back – he has three homers and hit a massive one halfway up the batter’s eye in center field in Wednesday’s game.
The Rockies will probably be aggressive with promoting Condon. If a few more balls leave the park, he might need to file a change of address form to Hartford for the rest of the summer.
As for pitching, the Indians’ two best pitchers of the first half – starter McCade Brown and reliever Welinton Herrera – have been promoted.
Lefties Michael Prosecky, Konner Eaton and Alberto Pacheco are first, third and fourth in the league in innings pitched, but to varying degrees of success.
The bad
Despite having three of the top five batting averages in the league at the top of the order, the Indians are just fifth (out of six) in the league in runs, last in walks drawn and fourth in home runs.
Among batters qualified for the batting title, outfielder Caleb Hobson is at the bottom of the list at .156, though when he does reach base he has 19 stolen bases, tied for fourth in the league with teammate Thomas.
Regulars Andy Perez and Jean Perez are hitting .231 and .230, respectively, and right fielder Jesus Bugarin is at .210.
Even though the starters are throwing a lot of innings, it’s not always quality. Prosecky (5-5) has been the best of the bunch with a 3.63 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 69 innings in 14 starts. Eaton (3-4) isn’t too far behind at 4.18.
As a staff, the Indians have given up the most home runs (78) and have the highest batting average against (.249), are fourth in the league in strikeouts and third worst in walks allowed.
The ugly
The Indians had five players in the first half hit below the “Mendoza line” of .200, including backup catcher Darius Perry – who is 1 for 45 (.022) with 20 strikeouts in 15 games.
Starter Jordy Vargas, the Rockies’ No. 12 prospect coming back from elbow ligament replacement surgery, went 0-4 with a 7.84 ERA over 10 starts before he was sent back to the Arizona Complex League to figure things out.
Vargas is one of five pitchers on the roster with an ERA of 6.00.