15 Years in the Books: The 2019 Season Recap
CHARLESTON, W. Va. (September 13, 2019) - The West Virginia Power wrapped up its 15th season under their current moniker with a 69-70 record, posting their first losing season since 2014. Despite the wins and losses, the 2019 season brought a whole new wave of talent to Charleston, including the
CHARLESTON, W. Va. (September 13, 2019) - The West Virginia Power wrapped up its 15th season under their current moniker with a 69-70 record, posting their first losing season since 2014. Despite the wins and losses, the 2019 season brought a whole new wave of talent to Charleston, including the top three prospects in the Seattle Mariners system, as well as an incredible All-Star Week, innovative promotions and of course, a ton of fun.
STARTING OFF HOT
The Power started their 2019 season with arguably the most stacked roster across the Mariners' farm system, boasting top talents in right-handed pitcher
Bound with a tight-knit group of 11 guys making their full-season debut and a their bevy of prospects, West Virginia got off to a rip-roaring start in April, boasting a 17-7 record, their second-best start in team history. There were many reasons for the Power's early success, but one large factor was their fantastic rotation, which included Gilbert, right-handers
In addition to the stellar pitching, Kelenic recovered from a horrendous first seven games (2-for-25 with nine strikeouts) to become one of the most feared hitters in the South Atlantic League. The left-handed slugger put together an 18-game hitting streak (April 11-May 2), tied with
One of the most thrilling moments of the season came at the tail end of April, when the Power were in the midst of a possible perfect homestand against the Columbia Fireflies and Asheville Tourists. After sweeping Columbia, West Virginia won the first game against Asheville, but were trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth on April 26 with Tourists' closer Alexander Martinez on the mound. However, magic was in the air that evening, as
Take a bow, @DeanNevarez. You earned it.
— David Kahn (@SportsKahn4) April 27, 2019
Enjoy the video and the call. What a night! #PowerUp pic.twitter.com/f6xeCgfvyz
The 5-1 over Asheville on April 27 capped off the Power's best home start in team history, as they won 11 of their first 12 games in Charleston. They also put together a 10-game home winning streak, the longest since a 13-gamer from July 17-August 15, 2017.
A CALENDAR TURN LEADS TO SOUR RESULTS
As great as the month of April was for West Virginia, the month of May was equally as awful, and it all started with the beginning of a tumultuous season series with the Greensboro Grasshoppers, who possessed 12 former Power players on their roster during the team's first series meeting in early May. Greensboro tortured West Virginia over their two four-game sets in May, winning all eight games and outscoring the Power by 29 runs. The Grasshopper bats thrived against West Virginia, hitting .323 and raising the Power's ERA against them to 6.75, while West Virginia managed just a paltry .212 clip versus Greensboro in the first half.
Besides the suffocating pair of series with the Grasshoppers in May, two major promotions in the month subdued the Power on both sides of the field. Gilbert was promoted on May 1 to High-A Modesto, and Kelenic joined him in California May 29. West Virginia was swept four times in May (Charleston once, Greensboro twice and Kannapolis once), and posted a 10-20 record overall. The Power's 20 losses were the most by any team in the SAL in May, while the team's 5.44 ERA was the highest on the circuit. West Virginia had not dropped 20 games in a single month since May 2012, while the staff had not slotted in a higher monthly ERA since April 2012.
Despite the record woes, several players started to find their rhythm, none more so than Honeyman, who hit .280 in May after holding an absymal .156 average in April. Meanwhile, catcher
West Virginia did still keep its flare for the dramatic, notching two walk-off wins in one series against the Lexington Legends, where Nevarez worked a walk-off walk May 26 in 10 innings after he smacked a grand slam in the eighth and Kelenic tied it in the ninth with a solo bomb. Two days later, Pena had a walk-off sacrifice fly in game one of a twin bill.
The month of May also saw the emergence of two newcomers to the Power rotation, with RHPs
ENDING THE FIRST HALF ON A HIGH NOTE
Battling back from a rough May stretch, West Virginia faced an uphill battle to make the playoffs in the first half. While they were basically out of contention, they did not play like it in June, as they swept their last seven games of the half, including three against the first-place and eventual first-half champion Delmarva Shorebirds. That run saw Anchia spark some late-inning fireworks, as his eighth-inning grand slam off Tim Naughton June 10 gave the Power a 5-4 lead and an eventual win, while Inman spun the first complete game of his career against Hagerstown in a doubleheader finale on June 15.
The only highlight that matters from tonight's game.
— West Virginia Power (@wv_power) June 11, 2019
Take it away, @SportsKahn4 🎙️: pic.twitter.com/XJdmJTV9Rv
Julio also returned from the injured list on June 10 and hit his first home run with the Power against the Hagerstown Suns in their final first half series.
Four Power players were named to the South Atlantic League Midseason All-Star team in 2019, Anchia was tabbed as the starting catcher for the Northern Division and joined pitchers Arias, Chandler and Pall on the squad. Anchia hit .227 in the first half with nine homers and 25 RBI, while Arias ended the first half on a 20-inning streak of not allowing an earned run (15 appearances) and locked in a 1.33 ERA in 22 games. Meanwhile, Chandler went 7-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 14 games and Pall collected a 3.10 mark in 17 outings with three saves.
AN ALL-STAR WEEK TO REMEMBER
The 2019 South Atlantic League All-Star Game took place at Appalachian Power Park on June 18 in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,237 fans. The game rounded out a tremendous All-Star Experience in Charleston, beginning Monday with a kickball game at Shawnee Sports Complex with the Boys and Girls Club of South Charleston. Monday evening showcased a FanFest at Haddad Riverfront Park that included an autograph signing and a performance by the Davisson Brothers Band. The All-Star Game festivities kicked off on Tuesday, as the All-Star Luncheon was held at the newly-renovated Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, with Andy McKay, the Mariners' Director of Player Development, slated as the Keynote Speaker. The ballpark gates opened at 5 p.m. for the Official Tailgate Party, while the Home Run Derby commenced at 6 p.m. Hickory's Curtis Terry took home the crown for the Northern Division with 30 combined bombs. The contest began at 7:35 p.m. and was scoreless through the first five innings. Charleston's Brandon Lockridge then led off the sixth with a pinch-hit two-run homer to give the Southern Division a 2-0 lead. However, the Northern Division surged back in the eighth, posting a five-run frame highlighted by Delmarva's Doran Turchin drilling a three-run double to put the Northern squad ahead for good. Pall tossed a 1-2-3 second inning, while Anchia went 0-for-1 and Arias recorded the final out on a fly ball to right. Chandler did not pitch in the Northern Division's 6-2 win.
SECOND HALF SEES NEW FACES IN CHARLESTON
The Power stumbled out of the gates in the second half, dropping six of their 11 games in June to quickly fall four games out of first place in the Northern Division. However, the month of July saw wholesale changes made to West Virginia's roster, including the additions of 2019 draft picks infielder
With these new members, the Power's rotation underwent a sizable turnover, as Chandler and Moyers both were promoted to High-A Modesto, along with infielder
MORE HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Even though the overall results on the field were not falling into place, West Virginia pitchers continued to etch themselves into the history books in the later months. RHP
Remember the last time Devin Sweet faced @TheRomeBraves?
— West Virginia Power (@wv_power) August 3, 2019
No? Well, let us remind you what happened....
🎙️: @SportsKahn4 pic.twitter.com/ocjnpQY1qX
Inman, meanwhile, put his own name in the Power record books basically two weeks later, twirling the first-ever nine-inning complete game shutout in team history against the Lakewood BlueClaws August 8. In that outing, Inman also struck out 12 batters, joining Sweet as the only two Power hurlers with multiple double-digit strikeout games in 2019. Inman also became the second pitcher to toss a complete-game shutout in the SAL this year (Colten Schmidt, Asheville). Inman was rewarded for his efforts with a South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week honor, the Power's third and final weekly award of the season.
THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
With the roster in a constant state of flux, West Virginia posted below .500 records in the last two months of the season (July, 13-15 and August, 12-16). More of the Power's key cogs in their system earned promotions to Modesto, including Arias, Anchia, Julio and Sweet. In total, the Power had 101 transactions this season and sent 17 players to Modesto.
Julio put together a banner second half for West Virginia before his elevation, averaging .275 with nine homers and 41 RBI in 51 games. The star-studded outfielder capped his time with the Power with a career-high six-RBI night in his penultimate game in Delmarva, going 3-for-5 with his first career grand slam. He also hit safely in 14 of his final 17 games in the South Atlantic League.
Unfortunately, the injury bug also bit West Virginia down the stretch, as
END OF SEASON SUPERLATIVES
The team seesawed through the final two weeks of the season, claiming four wins in a row, including a three-game sweep of Lakewood that saw the Power grab their sixth 1-0 win of the season, from August 22-25. They then dropped five straight to Lexington and Greensboro before snagging the final two games of the year to pull themselves within one game of .500 at 69-70. On the final day of the season, Mariners' No. 16 prospect RHP
Honeyman was tabbed as the team's only SAL Annual All-Star at third base, securing his second consecutive Year-End honor and becoming the third Power player ever to receive the league's postseason honor at third base (Mat Gamel, 2006 and Taylor Green, 2007). Since July 3, Honeyman was the best hitter in the South Atlantic League, averaging .341 (also the third-best mark in all of Class A and A+ baseball) with two homers, 25 RBI, 28 runs and just 24 strikeouts in 182 at-bats. In that stretch, Honeyman worked in an 18-game hitting streak, the longest of his career, and also hit safely in 38 of his final 47 games. The infielder led the Power with 33 multi-hit games as well.
Fellow infielder
The Power pitching staff broke a lot of barriers in 2019, including the 1200-strikeout plateau, as the arms combined to fan 1270 opposing hitters this season, by far the most by a West Virginia club in team history. Meanwhile, the Power's offense was home run-heavy this year, as the team's 103 homers were third-most in team history (128 in 2007 and 105 in 2010).
Overall, the team's 69 wins are tied for eighth-most by a Power squad, while their .496 winning percentage is sixth-worst and their 21.5-game back finish is second-worst all-time (2012, -22.5 GB).
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE NIGHT NAMED PROMO OF THE MONTH FINALIST:
The 2019 season was highlighted by a diversified promotional slate, returning old favorites such as Redneck Night and all of the weekly promotions from 2018, along with inserting new ideas to welcome new communities and organizations to the ballpark. For the 15th season at Appalachian Power Park, the focus was on looking back and honoring those who made baseball in Charleston possible, while also looking forward to the future and getting everyone excited about the continued existence of the Power in The Capital City.
Several giveaways were strewn out throughout the season, including a 15 Years of the Power canvas that recognized 15 of the top Power players in team history, as voted on by the fans. Patrons also had the chance to get a
The promotional schedule received a huge boost in 2019, starting on Opening Weekend with Welcome to Seattle Night, an evening dedicated to educating fans about the city the Power's new Major League affiliate, the Seattle Mariners, calls home. The team's Redneck Night, a fan favorite from a few years back, made its way back to the park in conjunction with the Meadows bobblehead, as the former Power outfielder was crafted donning a camouflage jersey.
The primary focus for the Power's theme nights in 2019 was to bring new communities out to the ballpark and recognize them as a part of the fabric of Charleston. That occurred in droves, as the team hosted their first Pride Night on June 6, African American Heritage Night on August 5 and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Night on August 30, among others. African American Heritage Night was such a large success that it was named a finalist for Minor League Baseball's August/September Promotion of the Month. The evening brought 3,368 fans to the ballpark, the Power's biggest Monday night crowd since July 2013.
GIVING BACK:
The Power players and staff were All-Stars in giving back to the community in 2019, contributing more than 300 combined hours as a team, while Power catchers Anchia and
The Power also honored 43 different organizations as their Community Organization of the Game this season, blowing past the 2018 bar (10). The team also expanded their partnerships with the United Way of Central West Virginia, the Charleston Area Medical Center and the Humane Association.
Finally, the Power was able to raise $14,944 through eight live auctions on the LiveSource app throughout the season. All of the proceeds went to Power Baseball Charities and various other local organizations throughout the Kanawha Valley.
2020 PREVIEW:
Though the Power did not make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, the 2019 season was certainly a winning one on many counts. From the sold-out South Atlantic League All-Star Game to national recognition for several of this year's promotions and the start of a wonderful partnership with the Seattle Mariners, the 2019 campaign set a promising precedent for a new era of the West Virginia Power. The 2020 season will be even better, and we cannot wait to experience it alongside you, our loyal and faithful fans.
See you April 9 at Appalachian Power Park for the 2020 season opener!