2023 Legends Review: Pitchers

Written By: Jacob Siegel

Photos From: Jordann White

 

The Legends pitching staff, led by Pitching Coach Cole Mauter, was very productive this year, throwing 358.1 innings and striking out 1.02 hitters per inning. Some of the advanced stats show the staff in a great light, as 44.16% of balls put in play against the Legends were ground balls and the FIP was a very respectable 4.18. Ultimately, the staff had a 5.48 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP, all while only surrendering a .255 batting average against. The following is a recap of the pitchers (who threw at least 5 innings), listed in descending order by innings pitched.

 

Mickey RadanovichRadanovich was one of the best pitchers for the Legends this year, a true workhorse who threw 10 more innings than the next-highest arm. They were very high-quality innings as well, as he had a 4.17 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He had a great start against the CCL Healdsburg Prune Packers, throwing 5 innings and only allowing 2 earned runs against one of the best teams in California. He also delivered on a big stage in the playoffs with 6 innings of one-run ball. He only allowed a .212 batting average against and had a 2.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Radanovich will play at San Francisco State University this year.

 

Jackson SnitkoSnitko was a very important arm for the Legends this summer, often coming out of the bullpen to stop the bleeding and help give the Legends quality innings. He did so to the tune of a solid 4.40 ERA and 1.57 WHIP, along with a great 3.62 FIP. The highlight of his season on the mound was a great outing on July 19, when he started and threw 3 perfect innings with 4 strikeouts. He had 3 outings after that, not allowing a run in any of them. Snitko was also a hitter for the Legends this summer. To read more about his hitting, check out the hitting article. Snitko will play at Irvine Valley College this year.

 

Danny PetersPeters started on opening day for the Legends and never looked back, throwing 26 quality innings. He had a clean 4.50 ERA with a 1.58 WHIP, along with a 3.25 FIP. Peters recorded more than a strikeout per inning, and his summer was headlined by his start on June 11, when he threw 5 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. Peters also hit for the Legends this summer. To read more about him at the plate, check out the hitting article. Peters will play at the College of San Mateo this year.

 

Ari KligmanKligman spent much of the year starting for the Legends and found his groove down the stretch. After July 4, Kligman threw 9.1 innings, allowing only 1 run and striking out 10. He ended the year with a 4.91 ERA, but had a sub-1 ERA over that stretch at the end of the year. His FIP was strong over the entire season, posting a 3.85 mark. Kligman will play at Fullerton College this year.

 

Malcolm HsuHsu started the year as a reliever for the Legends but worked his way into the rotation as the summer progressed. His first start came on June 27 and was one of the best Legends starts of the year, as Hsu went 6 shutout innings with 8 strikeouts. Overall, he threw 25 innings with a 3.24 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 2.56 FIP. His ERA and FIP were the best on the team for pitchers with at least 15 innings. Hsu thought he “had a pretty successful summer, being the first time pitching in over 4 years … I was able to get many opportunities from starting games to coming out of the bullpen to develop my game and prepare myself for the upcoming spring season!” Hsu will play at Wesleyan University this year.

 

Kevin PencePence was a starter for the Legends this summer, with 7 of his 8 outings being starts. 5 of those starts were against non-league teams, making Pence’s 7.20 ERA and 1.64 WHIP very respectable. He was a good strikeout pitcher, with 23 strikeouts and 2.88 strikeouts per walk. Pence said that “this summer was a big one for me because I had not pitched in a game in 3 years. I really got to feel the feeling of competing again and enjoy playing baseball. When you’re surrounded by a great group of dudes like we had, that also helps you enjoy playing baseball.” Pence will play at Vanguard University this year.

 

Cole DixonDixon was a workhorse for the Legends this summer, throwing 24.2 innings, including 5 outings of more than 2 innings. In those outings, he allowed only 4 earned runs, with 3 of those coming against a CCL team. He had a 6.57 ERA and 1.87 WHIP while earning 2 wins and 2 saves. He also picked off two runners. Dixon will play at Whitworth University this year.

 

Jacob RuizRuiz was a key bullpen arm for the Legends, throwing 24 innings in 15 relief appearances. 10 of his outings he did not surrender an earned run, and he finished the summer with a 5.25 ERA and 1.75 WHIP. He struck out 1.29 batters for every inning he pitched, and hitters only hit .172 against him. Ruiz will play at Mission College this year.

 

Fareed AhmedAhmed was a very productive arm for the Legends coming straight from his senior season in high school. Ahmed struck out 1.74 batters per inning pitched and struck out double as many batters as he walked. He had a 2.70 FIP to back up his 3.92 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, while also only surrendering a .200 batting average against. Ahmed will play at UC Riverside this year.

 

Zak SullivanSullivan was a good strikeout pitcher for the Legends, striking out 1.42 batters per inning. He ended the summer with a 7.58 ERA and 2.05 WHIP, but his .250 batting average against and 4.79 FIP paint a much better picture. He also did a good job holding on runners, as he picked off two runners. Sullivan will play at Cañada College this year.

 

Derek MurphyMurphy worked through an injury at the start of the year to become a productive arm in July. He was another pitcher with more than a strikeout per inning, and he had 2.11 strikeouts per walk. Hitters only hit .197 against him, and his 4.15 ERA and 1.27 WHIP were both solid. His 2.70 FIP was exceptional and one of the best on the team. Murphy will play at Cal State East Bay this year.

 

Grant SeligSelig was a strong arm for the Legends before going down with an injury at the end of June. He had a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 13.1 innings, with a remarkable 1.93 FIP. Hitters only hit .163 against him and he struck out 1.5 hitters per inning. Selig will play at Mission College this year.

 

Ryan JohnsonJohnson became a reliable relief arm for the Legends, throwing 13 innings over the last month and a half of the season. Johnson surrendered only a .224 batting average against and put up a 4.85 ERA with a 2.00 WHIP. His best outing of the year was his last, when he went 3.1 scoreless innings against the Humboldt Crabs. Johnson will play at Cabrillo College this year.

 

Michael SingletonSingleton joined the Legends in late June and was a valuable reliever. He threw 11 innings with a 4.09 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, highlighted by a 3-inning outing on July 19 where he struck out 4 and didn’t allow a run. He also posted an exceptional 2.82 FIP. Singleton will play at George Fox University this year.

 

Jack ten Boschten Bosch struggled a bit to start the year but came on strong as it continued. Some of his first outings were against CCL teams, but by the end of the year, he had more than cut his ERA in half. By the last CCL series against Healdsburg, ten Bosch threw a clean inning. ten Bosch will play at Menlo College this year.

 

Spencer RandRand became increasingly comfortable as the season progressed, as his final 3 innings were his best, allowing only 1 run and striking out 4. He finished the year with a 9.39 ERA and 3.00 WHIP, but his 6.64 FIP was a much better number. Rand’s last outing was his best, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings against the Humboldt Crabs. Rand will play at Menlo College this year.

 

John StephensStephens only saw limited action for the Legends but excelled out of the bullpen, which is especially impressive considering he came straight from high school. He threw 5.2 innings with a 3.18 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. His WHIP was the best on the team. He struck out 1.41 batters per inning pitched and had a fantastic 8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Stephens will play at Ohlone College this year.

 

Andrew SilvaSilva joined the Legends late in the summer and pitched three times, not allowing a run. He struck out 8 in his 5.1 innings of work while only surrendering 3 hits and 1 walk. His best outing came in the playoffs when he threw 3.1 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts. For the year, opponents only hit .150 against him. Silva also hit for the Legends, going 6 for 12 with 3 doubles and a walk, good for a 1.288 OPS. Silva will play at San Francisco State University this year.