From a developmental standpoint, the Chattanooga Lookouts had a productive season.
In terms of the Southern League standings, they weren't much of a factor.
The Lookouts concluded their 2010 season Monday afternoon with an 8-0 loss at West Tenn, which capped a 32-38 second-half showing. Chattanooga went 65-74 overall in its second year of affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but two top prospects had good seasons, as did two pitchers who weren't with the Lookouts on opening day.
"I think it's been a good year as far as player development and guys getting better prepared to compete at the next level," first-year Lookouts manager Carlos Subero said. "Being last or next-to-last in the league all year in ERA has made it tough from a won-loss standpoint, but I think guys here are ready to win and know how to win. They have a winning attitude even though it doesn't show up in wins and losses because of the different variables this game presents sometimes."
Chattanooga's overall record was identical to last season, but this year's Lookouts were No. 1 at something. The average nine-inning game at AT&T Field lasted 2 hours and 59 minutes to lead the minor leagues.
Lookouts shortstop Dee Gordon entered this season as the top Dodgers prospect according to Baseball America. The 22-year-old hit a respectable .277 and led the league with 53 stolen bases, but he also led the league with 37 errors.
"It hasn't gone as well as I wanted it to," Gordon said, "but I feel like I found some things to build on for next year."
Center fielder Trayvon Robinson, the No. 9 prospect, hit .300 in 120 games with 57 RBIs and 38 steals. Third baseman Corey Smith led the league in RBIs most of the season before breaking his hand in late August and finishing second with 86, while outfielder Jerry Sands ranked among the league's top five with 17 home runs despite not arriving in Chattanooga until June 24.
Smith was Chattanooga's only end-of-the-year league all-star, getting tabbed to the 15-member team as a designated hitter.
"I would say Trayvon has to be the MVP," Subero said. "From what he's done since June has been tremendous. He's been able to hit with two strikes, and he has a .450 or so on-base percentage for three straight months."
Arguably the biggest story was left fielder Andrew Lambo, who hit .342 in the first 19 games of the season before getting suspended 50 games after testing positive for a drug of abuse. The former No. 1 organizational prospect was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization July 31.
It was a mostly disappointing season on the mound, but there were exceptions. Reliever Kenley Jansen joined the team May 15 and was gone by July 23, becoming the first Lookouts player to get promoted to the Dodgers and stick with the big-league club.
Jansen made 22 Double-A appearances, going 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA and collecting eight saves.
The most productive starting pitcher arrived the day Jansen left. Rubby De La Rosa made eight starts, posting a 3-1 record and a 1.41 ERA.
"With this kid, the sky could be the limit for him," Lookouts pitching coach Danny Darwin said. "I compare him to Pedro Martinez. He's not a very big guy, but he was blessed with a great arm. He knows he is knocking at the door."
The Lookouts were the best team in the league for almost a 30-game stretch that basically encompassed June. They ended the first half on an 11-4 run and opened the second half on a 9-4 surge.
Then came July.
"We definitely took off and in June had the best batting average and the best ERA in the league," Subero said. "That's usually something you feed from, but we hit a wall and reverted back from north to south right away. All of a sudden in July, the ERA for our starting pitchers was 7.13. When you, for a month, are dealing with a 7.13, that's tough."