The 2018 season has been truly a roller coaster ride for the Chattanooga Lookouts. A year after winning their third Southern League Championship, the Lookouts will not defend their 2017 title. In fact, the Lookouts are just battling to keep from finishing last in the North Division for the first time since the 2013 season.
You cannot say the talent is not there with the Lookouts as on Wednesday, the Southern League announced that three 2018 Lookouts had been named to the SL All-Star team along with the Biloxi Shuckers and Jackson Generals. Those three teams led the way in the All-Star team with three players apiece, but one thing is different. That different thing is that both the Biloxi Shuckers and Jackson Generals will both be playing past next Monday while the Lookouts season comes to a close on Monday in Jackson.
Brent Rooker, Zander Wiel, and Tanner English have very well led to impressive seasons in their statistics department but something is missing from past years and one of those things is victories. Chattanooga was able to pick up a late rally in the first half but came up short finishing third, a half the Lookouts had conquered two out of the last three years they have been affiliated with the Minnesota Twins.
2013, the last year the Lookouts finished last in the North Division, they were 59-80 and were second to last overall in statistics. That season was the second-to-final year being affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers but the following season, the Lookouts battled for the Southern League Championship and lost to the Huntsville Stars in the SLNDCS.
Compared to 2017, Chattanooga has had 72 fewer runs but they have 15 more home runs. The Lookouts have the fourth most runs, home runs, and RBI's in the Southern League. Two of the teams that are better in these stat departments are North Division teams. Birmingham and Tennessee have more home runs with Biloxi, the South Division first-half Champions, at the top of the board.
In runs, SLNDCS contenders Jackson and Montgomery are third and first while Mobile has the second most runs. The same goes for RBI's with Montgomery leading Mobile and Jackson. The fact that Chattanooga is fourth in these three stats just makes you want to scratch your head on why they haven't done more this year in the standings.
The pitching has been one of the downfalls for the Lookouts as they have second least victories of the Southern league with South Division Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp bringing up last with 53 victories. Chattanooga is tied for the second most losses of the league with 70, tied with Birmingham. Jacksonville again takes the cake for most losses with 80.
Chattanooga is tied for eighth in holds with just 28 holds in 2018 while the North Division First Half Champion Jackson Generals have the most at 52. One thing that the Chattanooga Lookouts pitching staff has done is sent batters back to the dugout via strikeout 1,235 times, the second most of the league.
With the continuous roller coaster of great stats and terrible stats, it honestly all came down to losses in 2018. Chattanooga has 70 losses, the most since 2014, and with four games remaining, they will not catch that number of 77.
Despite having a rough season, the Chattanooga Lookouts will be back stronger in 2019 and it's highly likely they will battle for the North Division title at seasons end. When the Lookouts picked up their first championship since 1988 in 2015, 2016 was a less than impressive year with them picking up a third-place finish.
Since becoming an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins in 2015, The Lookouts have bred a list of strong talents who are currently playing in Triple-A including Nick Gordon, Lamonte Wade, and Zack Littel all in the top-30 prospect list for the Minnesota Twins on MLB.com. With discussions beginning to brew on a new stadium for the City of Chattanooga, it seems that baseball will continue to be a big part of the growing Chattanooga landscape and with that Chattanooga will continue earning Minnesota's best as long as the agreement continues. (Koelle,2018)
You cannot say the talent is not there with the Lookouts as on Wednesday, the Southern League announced that three 2018 Lookouts had been named to the SL All-Star team along with the Biloxi Shuckers and Jackson Generals. Those three teams led the way in the All-Star team with three players apiece, but one thing is different. That different thing is that both the Biloxi Shuckers and Jackson Generals will both be playing past next Monday while the Lookouts season comes to a close on Monday in Jackson.
Brent Rooker, Zander Wiel, and Tanner English have very well led to impressive seasons in their statistics department but something is missing from past years and one of those things is victories. Chattanooga was able to pick up a late rally in the first half but came up short finishing third, a half the Lookouts had conquered two out of the last three years they have been affiliated with the Minnesota Twins.
2013, the last year the Lookouts finished last in the North Division, they were 59-80 and were second to last overall in statistics. That season was the second-to-final year being affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers but the following season, the Lookouts battled for the Southern League Championship and lost to the Huntsville Stars in the SLNDCS.
Compared to 2017, Chattanooga has had 72 fewer runs but they have 15 more home runs. The Lookouts have the fourth most runs, home runs, and RBI's in the Southern League. Two of the teams that are better in these stat departments are North Division teams. Birmingham and Tennessee have more home runs with Biloxi, the South Division first-half Champions, at the top of the board.
In runs, SLNDCS contenders Jackson and Montgomery are third and first while Mobile has the second most runs. The same goes for RBI's with Montgomery leading Mobile and Jackson. The fact that Chattanooga is fourth in these three stats just makes you want to scratch your head on why they haven't done more this year in the standings.
The pitching has been one of the downfalls for the Lookouts as they have second least victories of the Southern league with South Division Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp bringing up last with 53 victories. Chattanooga is tied for the second most losses of the league with 70, tied with Birmingham. Jacksonville again takes the cake for most losses with 80.
Chattanooga is tied for eighth in holds with just 28 holds in 2018 while the North Division First Half Champion Jackson Generals have the most at 52. One thing that the Chattanooga Lookouts pitching staff has done is sent batters back to the dugout via strikeout 1,235 times, the second most of the league.
With the continuous roller coaster of great stats and terrible stats, it honestly all came down to losses in 2018. Chattanooga has 70 losses, the most since 2014, and with four games remaining, they will not catch that number of 77.
Despite having a rough season, the Chattanooga Lookouts will be back stronger in 2019 and it's highly likely they will battle for the North Division title at seasons end. When the Lookouts picked up their first championship since 1988 in 2015, 2016 was a less than impressive year with them picking up a third-place finish.
Since becoming an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins in 2015, The Lookouts have bred a list of strong talents who are currently playing in Triple-A including Nick Gordon, Lamonte Wade, and Zack Littel all in the top-30 prospect list for the Minnesota Twins on MLB.com. With discussions beginning to brew on a new stadium for the City of Chattanooga, it seems that baseball will continue to be a big part of the growing Chattanooga landscape and with that Chattanooga will continue earning Minnesota's best as long as the agreement continues. (Koelle,2018)
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