John Anderson entered Game 7 of the Campeonato de Liga Betances with one objective: make lightning strike twice.

In the previous game, in almost the same exact situation—two on, two out, bottom of the ninth, down 4-3—Rob Feaster had accomplished something very un-Feaster-like. He'd had such a hot bat over the past three games that manager Herminio Salcedo Díaz left him in to bat against a very tired Fernando Gaona, and he responded to that opportunity by rocketing a line drive off the wall in left center field, which brought the tying and go-ahead runs to the plate in a mad dash.

The Grackle's unexpectedly high swing had forced a Game 7.

Today, Feaster was 0-4, and as much clutch as he'd showed in the series, Salcedo Díaz did not trust him to get the job done, especially as Rob's clutch tended to be in seeing-eye singles, fire-drill infield hits, and pissrocket long flies that caught the wind before an outfielder could get to them. That blistered line drive from the previous day, Salcedo Díaz clearly thought, had been a rule-proving exception.

So in went Anderson, whose raw power was the most impressive on the Navegadores, to see if he could blast one over an infielder's head and give them, if not a win and a chance at the national championship, at least a tie game and a chance at extras.

On a 2-1 count, he instead squirreled a soft little groundball to Camuy's pitcher Damián Medina, who had absolutely no trouble lobbing the ball over to Peregrino at first base to extinguish Naguabo's hopes.

That's one way of looking at it, anyway.

In another telling, the 1902 season of the Navegadores de Naguabo—a roster slapped together by a front office that evidently wanted to get a head start on founding the League of Nations—came down to one last at-bat against the most ruthlessly stacked team in the entire Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña, after they had beaten that team to the #1 seed by a single game.

Yes, they had done that mostly because Camuy didn't have Tadeo Ramírez for a few weeks, but also because the Navegadores were one of the most annoying teams to play.

Starters who faced them more than twice usually got their share of trouble in the bottom third of the game. The 1902 season is littered with tales of men who didn't take Etaoin Shrdlu, Wally Balk, Trevor Glover, Spike Stonehand, or Pablo Salmerón seriously and paid for their hubris.

Opposing defenses didn't know whether to rush their throws and risk a shameful error, or simply give up the base and hope for a double play later—which, by the way, rarely happened. They grounded into the third-fewest double plays of any team, and the two teams that grounded into fewer had batting averages 40 ticks lower.

The best baserunners in Liga Betances didn't even check who was behind the plate when they played Naguabo. They simply gave themselves a red light.

That's a team that put fear into the hearts of every opponent, regardless of their relative records or star power.

That's a team that can take some pride in their season.

The Roster

The 1902 Naguabo roster represented 26 countries, three states (Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Texas), and one Canadian province. (Luckwell and McCarthy were both from Ontario.) During the year, they lost representation from Ghana, Latvia, and Mauritius, gaining some in return from Norway and Russia.

Pitchers

🇺🇸 RHP Ted Balloon
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 LHP Ben Downie
🇸🇪 LHP Ricard Gottmo
🇩🇪 RHP Jack Katoll
🇨🇦 ~~RHP Rodney Luckwell~~ (traded to Morovis)
🇵🇷 ~~RHP David Marrero~~ (traded to Río Grande)
🇨🇦 RHP Jeffrey McCarthy (traded from Morovis)
🇸🇰 RHP Jan Pajkos
🇨🇴 RHP Rodrigo Paz
🇮🇪 RHP Padraic Quinlevan
🇸🇷 RHP Joren Roos
🇵🇰 RHP Bashir Royma
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 LHP Graham Underwood
🇨🇷 RHP Héctor Varela

Lineup

🇳🇴 LF John Anderson (traded from Maunabo)
🇦🇺 3B Wally Balk
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ~~2B Iestyn Bell~~ (traded to Río Grande)
🇫🇷 2B Jacques Ceinture
🇲🇽 RF Frank del Castillo
🇺🇸 1B Rob Feaster
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 3B Trevor Glover
🇻🇺 CF Roberto Kalsakau
🇬🇭 ~~3B Kwame Mafole~~ (traded to Maunabo)
🇷🇺 RF Pyotr Orlovsky (traded from Río Grande)
🇨🇺 C Pablo Salmerón
🇵🇷 LF Vidal Santiago
🇲🇺 ~~CF François Sicard~~ (traded to Morovis)
🇺🇸 2B Etaoin Shrdlu
🇦🇷 C Spike Stonehand
🇱🇻 ~~UTL Milans Udris~~ (traded to Maunabo)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 1B Graham Underwood
🇵🇷 SS Benigno Valdez

Batsman of the Year: RF Frank del Castillo

Batting: 622 AB, .328/.393/.426, 204 H / 26 2B / 16 3B / 1 HR, 122 R / 69 RsBI (nice), 40 K / 63 BB / 8 HsBP, 138 / 192 SB (72%)
Fielding: .965 FPCT, +5.28 ZR, 1.041 EFF
Wins Above Replacement: 7.64. (In other words, the Navegadores would be 113-55 with some other dude there.)

Hardware

Campeón selection as a right fielder for Liga Betances.
Ilustre de Serie for the Serie Interdivisional against Cidra.
Valentísimo for right field in Liga Betances.

There's no two ways around it: Frank del Castillo was the most unfair leadoff hitter in the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña, at least before catchers across the league figured out his tells. There were few runners faster than he was, and they tended to lack his ability to spray hard contact around the entire field; meanwhile, all the players who could get on base better than him were usually batting second through fourth. He made his presence known in almost every game, posting .800+ OPSs in almost any situation that required clutch hitting.

While his struggles against lefty pitching presage a likely future where he moves down in the order against southpaws, Frank still has a chance to develop further plate skills that will make him a cataclysmic nightmare to face. To compete effectively with the other premier baserunners in Betances, however, he'll have to develop better footwork on the basepaths, and perhaps learn a little from Pyotr Orlovsky, who despite being a worse overall fielder, outdid him in the field in far fewer games.

Glovesman of the Year: SS Benigno Valdez

Batting: 597 AB, .315/.375/.417, 188 H / 30 2B / 14 3B / 1 HR, 105 R / 93 RsBI, 41 K / 51 BB / 11 HsBP, 109 / 167 SB (65%)
Fielding: .952 FPCT, +38.5 ZR, 1.123 EFF
Wins Above Replacement: 10.1. (The Navegadores would be 111-57 with some other dude there.)

Hardware

Campeón selection as a shortstop for Liga Betances.
Valentísimo for shortstop in Liga Betances.
Nobilísimo for Liga Betances.
Third-place finisher for Ilustrísimo in Liga Betances.

We predicted Benji would win the Nobilísimo he didn't get in Cuba, and we were dead on. There just aren't that many premier shortstops who can also put up an OPS north of .750, and in doing so Benji proved the kind of field leadership that's extremely necessary on a team that hadn't yet come together. Legend has it that the Navegadores' notorious infieldspeak—a mix of French, English and Spanish that's more or less understood by all involved—was his innovation.

While we don't think Valdez is long for the #4 spot in the lineup as his younger teammates develop into more dangerous bats, he has plenty of places to go, especially since something in his swing made him the Naves' best portsider pooper. Sure, he could probably stand to drop fewer balls, but with Glover and Ceinture ready to take over for him more often in 1903, he should be able to get the rest he needs to reach a new level of field wizardry.

Moundsman of the Year: LHP Ben Downie

Pitching: 335.1 IP, 25-8, 2.50 ERA / 2.86 FIP / 1.10 WHIP, 187 K / 76 BB / 13 HR / 8 HsBP.
Fielding: .926 FPCT, +7.4 ZR, 1.051 EFF.
Wins Above Replacement: 6.9.

Hardware

Lanzador del Mes for May.

The Flying Scotsman may have managed only two shutouts, and they may have been eerily similar—both on 4 hits, both against Cidra, one striking out 6 and one 7 with neither yielding a walk—but he was the Naves' most dependable starter, to the point that he was briefly considered to take over the #1 spot from Balloon going into the 1903 season.

Of course, that didn't happen, and it remains to be seen how a 30-year-old Downie will adapt to a need for more craftiness in how he gets his outs. Nonetheless, it is clear that the Naves, despite letting many of the biggest names on the pitching market pass them by, have a real workhorse in the #2 slot.

Fireman of the Year: RHP Héctor Varela

Pitching: 30.1 IP, 3-1, 19 SV, 19 SD / 5 MD, 0.30 ERA / 2.16 FIP / 0.99 WHIP, 16 K / 6 BB / 0 HR / 0 HsBP.
Wins Above Replacement: 1.1.

Hardware

Campeón selection as a reliever for Liga Betances.

Every baseball fan is acutely aware of the prime utility of having a designated panic button.

For the Navegadores, that was Matafuegos Varela, whose combination of sangfroid and pitching skill gave them a near-unbeatable ninth-inning arm. For a team that almost certainly went to its bullpen more often than any other team with a winning record, it's got to be good to know that they've got someone capable of protecting any lead, no matter how razor-thin.

Tenth Man of the Year: C Pablo Salmerón

Batting: 164 AB, .287/.322/.360, 47 H / 9 2B / 1 HR, 19 R / 29 RsBI, 30 K / 8 BB / 3 HsBP, 1 / 2 SB (50%)
Batting (sub): 40 AB, .300/.364/.425, 12 H / 2 2B / 1 HR, 6 R / 9 RsBI, 8 K / 2 BB / 2 HsBP.
Batting (PH): 23 AB, .348/.375/.565, 8 H / 2 2B / 1 HR, 4 R / 7 RsBI, 5 K / 0 BB / 1 HBP.
Fielding: .991 FPCT, +0.6 ZR, .692 EFF, 28 / 48 RTO (58.3%)
Wins Above Replacement: 0.6.

When the Naves signed Rodillón, they knew they were buying two things: a pair of knees that could stand up to catching duties without much complaint, and a pair of well-marbled arms that could mash mistake pitches and gun down even the fastest base thieves.

That's exactly what Salmerón gave them in 1902, especially when he got brought into a game late. Having a weapon like that on the bench makes the Navegadores much more confident in seeing a starter multiple times.

Swingman of the Year: LHP/1B Graham Underwood

Batting: 162 AB, .222/.260/.253, 36 H / 1 2B / 2 3B, 24 R / 16 RsBI, 28 K / 9 BB, 37 / 54 SB (68.5%)
Fielding (1B): 1.000 FPCT, +3.8 ZR, 1.118 EFF.
Fielding (LF): 1.000 FPCT, -2.9 ZR, .911 EFF.
Pitching: 20.1 IP, 2-1, 4 SD / 1 MD, 3.10 ERA / 4.10 FIP / 0.98 WHIP, 10 K / 3 BB / 3 HR / 0 HsBP.
Fielding (P): 1.000 FPCT, +0.8 ZR, 1.023 EFF.
Wins Above Replacement: -0.2.

Granted, there wasn't a whole lot of competition, since Ted Balloon requested he only be used at second base in case of emergency and most of the other "swingmen" got traded by the deadline, but Ham proved in 1902 that he's more than his absurd sprint speed.

For one, though he eventually developed an allergy to the longball, Ham's slider/forkball combination also made him a surprisingly good power reliever. For another, as you can see, while he's continuing to develop as an outfielder (and looks likely to pick up some CF innings in 1902), his first base defense was so unimpeachable that he might steal Feaster's starting spot in the lineup.

If his contact bat becomes as fearsome as it should, the Naves could use him in a variety of ways, and that's a great position to be in as a 21-year-old prospect.

Most Improved: RHP/2B Ted Balloon

Pitching: 346.2 IP, 25-10, 2.73 ERA / 2.94 FIP / 1.12 WHIP, 183 K / 78 BB / 10 HR / 32 HsBP.
Fielding: .986 FPCT, +10.3 ZR, 1.259 EFF.
Wins Above Replacement: 6.4.

Hardware

Acutísimo for pitcher in Liga Betances.

If there was little competition, there was none for this award, since Loony Balloony was the only member of the 1901 Navegadores to make the crossover—but after a rather lackluster rookie campaign, he proved he had the juice with a respectable sophomore record and big improvements on his run prevention, as he . . . somewhat . . . managed to keep the walks, home runs, and hits-by-pitch from derailing his season.

He still led the league in both plunks and wild pitches, so there's certainly stuff left to work on, but at least it looks like Ted is now a real starter with a body of work in which he can take pride. With a much better defense behind him, he can look forward to an even better 1903.

Best Trade Acquisition: RHP Jeffrey McCarthy

Pitching (1902): 366.0 IP, 31-9, 2.66 ERA / 2.44 FIP / 1.22 WHIP, 181 K / 75 BB / 2 HR / 10 HsBP.
Pitching (NAG): 190.0 IP, 16-4, 2.94 ERA / 2.31 FIP / 1.21 WHIP, 93 K / 33 BB / 0 HR / 6 HsBP.
Fielding (NAG): .923 FPCT, +3.4 ZR, 1.449 EFF.
Wins Above Replacement: 5.6.

In the kind of trade the Naves are famous for pulling off, they so desired to have a top-flight Canadian pitcher that they sent their own, the hapless Rodney Luckwell, alongside a raft of (even) lesser prospects to Morovis for Jeffrey McCarthy, who had become a byword for reliable, crafty pitching.

He was that and more for the Naguabo squad—as a #3 starter, they did not expect any particular magic out of him, and he responded by giving them the quiet competence that they needed in that spot, going deep into games to rest the armbarn. In 1902, as he also hits 30, the Naves will expect him to work into the 8th and 9th less often: but that's okay. It gives them more innings to play around with, and if there's one thing the Navegadores have, it's a surfeit of arms in need of exercise.

Most Exciting Prospect: RHP Jan Pajkos

Pitching: 10.1 IP, 1-1, 1 SD / 1 MD, 6.97 ERA / 4.17 FIP / 2.13 WHIP, 5 K / 4 BB / 1 HR / 0 HsBP.
Pitching (relief): 5.1 IP, 1-0, 1 SD / 1 MD, 1.69 ERA / 1.85 FIP / 0.94 WHIP, 2 K / 0 BB / 0 HR / 0 HsBP.
Fielding: .500 FPCT, -0.5 ZR, .000 EFF.
Wins Above Replacement: -0.1.

In the one start Pajkos received, he ate five of the worst innings anyone had pitched for the 1902 Navegadores: 13 hits, 11 runs (7 earned), 4 walks, 3 strikeouts. The Naves, of course, lost that game 12-8. 10 of those runs were scored in a nightmarish first inning, and had Valdez and del Castillo paid more attention, the Maurice Bartlett club sandwich home run that put the game out of hand would've been avoided.

In other words, there's a real possibility the Navegadores win that game, and Jan Pajkos is sitting on a 2-1 record and a much lower ERA, if things go just a tiny bit better in that first inning, and then he goes to the ambarn and becomes a fantastic armbarner, as you can see above.

While Pajkos was usually reserved for mop-up duty (in either direction), he's likely to hit starter potential sooner rather than later, especially as he competes with new acquisition Everton Stack. The rest of Liga Betances will rue that day.

As the 1903 Navegadores take their spots for the primaverales, they've got two missions.

The first is to provide all of their prospects with playing time. Pajkos isn't the only prospect with a chance at cracking the rotation this year: right behind him, Jamaican Everton Stack has a sinker-splitter combo from hell and the kind of absurd stamina the Navegadores need. Yann Bourgeois, from Haiti, is a three-fastball power reliever who could replace one of the older armbarners in 1904 or 1905. And then there's Pyongyang's own Min-soo Kim, who is one day going to cause some real umpiring headaches when he hits a ball so hard it disintegrates.

One is to go back to the Campeonato de las Ligas, probably even against the Murciélagos again, and this time, make it unnecessary for John Anderson to come up in a big spot.

The Navegadores, across their entire existence, have been begging for a sure heading, a map that will show them the way to the success they feel has eluded them ever since their first two selections. It's an understandable desire, even if baseball as a sport laughs at it.

Now, for the first time since 1883, they know exactly where they're going, across the choppy and uncertain regular season: the Campeonato Nacional Puertorriqueño.

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