The book closes on the Salem Avalanche as an Astros affiliate with the end of play yesterday. It was a forgetable season. The Avs finished with the worst record in the Carolina League (56-84) and they ended the year with three players getting arrested at a local eatery.
Clemens and Ori were charged with disorderly conduct and Goethals with assault and battery. All three were taken to the Roanoke County-Salem Jail before being released on bond, according to a news release from the Salem police….The release does not describe any of the events leading to the arrests. It states only that Clemens and Ori were arrested on the scene and that Goethals was charged “after an employee of the restaurant obtained a warrant for his arrest” from the Roanoke County/Salem magistrate’s office.
As for the team’s play this year, Jordan Parraz had this to say to sum it all up.
“We all wish we could be on a winning team,” Parraz said. “But we just didn’t have the players or the talent or the chemistry or whatever.”
This is not to say that there weren’t memorable times in Salem. Here is one of the funniest stories of the Astros’ time in Salem.
Who could forget back in 2003 when Houston Astros’ farmhand Todd Self, frustrated by a bad at-bat, slammed the dugout bathroom door shut so hard that he locked himself in?
“I was hollering [for help] and they were laughing at me,” Self reported at the time.
Self was stuck in that bathroom at Kinston’s Grainger Stadium so long he actually needed a fielder to take over for him at first base and wasn’t freed until after the game ended.
So let’s see how the last Astros farmhands faired in Salem.
The Good
The Hitters
Salem was second in the league in On Base Percentage (.327) and also had the second most hits (1221). They were third in triples (36) and doubles (294).
Mark Ori, who made the post season all star team, was third in the league with a .304 average. His OPS was 9th best (.824). Ori’s OBP was ranked 6th (.374). Ori had the most hits of anyone in the league (151). He also registered tied for third most doubles (32). Ori also was in the top three of RBI with 89. He was #4 in total bases with 224. His slugging percentage was a team best .451 but was only tied for 13th best in the league.
Jordan Parraz, who joined Ori on the All Star team, tied for the third highest On Base Percentage (.399). He finished 4th in runs scored (82). He took 64 walks which placed him 7th in the league. His 21 steals lead the team but placed him tied for 11th in the league.
Jimmy Van Ostrand finished with the 9th highest average (.292)
Koby Clemens reached base enough for his OBP to register at #9 (.369). He tied for 10th most triples with 5. He also took 61 walks for 9th most.
Jhon Florintino had his best year yet, knocking out 131 hits which placed him at #10 in the league. He tied for 7th with six triples.
Tim Torres was also tied for third most doubles (36). He walked 62 times for 8th most.
Greg Buchanan tied for 10th most triples with 5.
The Pitchers
Douglas Arguello finished with 10 wins (T-5th) and an ERA of 3.30 (3rd). His WHIP was 10th best (1.32)
Chris Salamida finished with 11 saves which placed him 5th most.
Erick Abreu struck out 92 batters to lead the team (17th in the league)
The Bad
The Hitters
The power wasn’t in Salem this year. They finished next to last in homers (68), slugging (.377) and OPS (.704). Their plate discipline also left something to be desired. The finished 3rd worst in walks (452) and strike outs (966). They also had the second fewest stolen bases (103)
Ceasar Quintero fanned 105 times which tied him for 7th most.
Jordan Parraz’s 10 caught stealings tied him for 10th most.
Fielding
John Florentino lead the team with 21 errors but he only made one after July 18th according to the local paper.
Koby Clemens allowed 31 passed balls in his first year as a catcher.
The Pitchers
The pitching staff struggled for most of the year save for a few bright spots. Their ERA ranked next to last (4.61). They gave up the second most hits, runs and earned runs. They allowed too many free passes. They finished with the third most hit batters (71) and walks (482). They were dead last in strike outs with only 760 in 1227 1/3 innings pitched. They were 43 K’s behind the nearest team. Their WHIP was next to last.
Cory Bass lead the league with 15 losses in 27 games. He surrendered 166 hits (2nd), 110 runs (1st) and 96 earned runs (1st). He tied for 4th most Hit Batters (10)
David Qualbin had 11 losses (T-5th). He plunked 9 batters tying him for 8th most. He was tied for 10th most walks (48)
Erick Abreu surrendered 141 hits (10th)
Douglas Arguello tied for 4th most Hit Batters (10) and lead the league in most walks (69).
The Crowd
Salem finished 4th in attendance with a total gate of 235,832 for an average attendance of 3417.
The Future
“Realistically, we’re going to have to go through the process of trying to find another affiliate, preferably in that league,” Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said. “We won’t know if one is available until after the season.”…“The only other option is the California League, but our first choice is to stay in the (Carolina) League,” Bennett said.