PVBL: Montreal Royals
End Of Season Report
October 11, 1997

Season Recap

Face the facts: the Montreal Royals were never in the race. Between mid-June and mid-July the ballclub may have been playing near-.600 baseball, but all the time they were just choking up dust from Deadwood and Hartford. The team was already 8 games back in July and their morale went down the drain when they realised they would have to play better than they were just to catch up. Every Montreal fan wants to forget the August and September months, and, for obviously reasons, had no reason to follow the team in April and May--they were in Washington, D.C.


MVP: Rusty Greer

If the Royals had gone to the playoffs, Greer would have been the league MVP. Bonilla may have lead in RBIs and home runs, but Greer lead in plate presence, determination and was the biggest offensive instigator on the team this year. Greer kept consistently remarkable stats throughout the season: .323 BA, 28 HRs, 86 RBIs. For most of the year he was leading the league in hits before being eclipsed by Lance Johnson in September. Perhaps most impressive, though, was his impeccable attendance record--he didn't miss one game all season, and despite that only commited 2 errors! As fans, we can only hope he has the willpower to continue his crusade next season.


Pitcher-of-the-Year: Mike Grace

This was a tough selection because there were no standouts for the Royals this season--every pitcher contributed very evenly. Of the five regular starters, only Santo Skinner could be eliminated for his sorry record.
Name                   W   L   Pct   ERA
Torres, Salomon       11  10  .524  4.74
Grace, Mike           12  12  .500  4.83
Harnisch, Pete        16  10  .615  4.16
Rueter, Kirk           7   5  .583  4.31


Finally, we chose Mike Grace because he really stood out when the team was at it's best. Although his record evened out to 12-12 by the end of the season, he provided a mark for the other starters to rival. Although Pete Harnisch surpased Grace in wins, Harnisch only arrived on the Montreal staff midway through July after being traded along with Jose Mesa for Roger Clemens. Grace lead the team in strikeouts (147).


Big Dissapointment-of-the-Year: Terry Mulholland

Without contest, the award went to Terry Mulholland, the 31-year old lefthander who went 1-8 with a 7.05 ERA before being demoted to the minors.


Surprise-of-the-Year: Steve Cooke

Luis Andujar could have been named "late surprise", but relief pitcher Steve Cooke was put to work late in the games when no other pitcher could handle the pressure. Cooke ended with a 4-3 record in 47 games, and additionally lead the team in holds with 10.


Rookie-of-the-Year: Alex Speaker

Closer Alex Speaker was the only rookie to merit the award, although there weren't many rookies playing on the team this year (other rookies were Steve Kline and Eric Beeler). At 29, Speaker is a late bloomer. Until Jose Mesa was traded to Montreal, Speaker was the premiere closer, ending the season with 9 saves in 28 appearances and a 3.27 ERA, best on the team.

--written by Peter Carbonetto