Rockies' Short Season-A affiliate caps off second consecutive losing season

The 2016 season for the Boise Hawks may not have been very commendable, however there were some key players and performances that can’t go unnoticed. In their second year as an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, the Boise Hawks finished with a record of 33-43, just three more wins than the year prior. Along with the new affiliate came a shift in the coaching staff, with Andy Gonzalez -- the hitting coach in 2015 -- transitioning into the team manager.

"It’s not an easy one," Gonzalez said of the switch. "But definitely the players made it easier to not change anything as far as the way I treat them and to still have that same good relationship with the players and that's really a good thing."

"The coaching staff deserves a lot credit for that easy transition," Gonzalez added.

The Hawks had some key moments and performances throughout the season, including a walk-off homer from OF Willie Abreu, who alongside INF Luis Castro, led the team in home runs. In addition, INF Garrett Hampson tied a Hawks record for stolen bases in a single season with 36 and first baseman Jacob Bosiokovic led the Northwest League with 20 doubles.

The latter two players were named to the league's year-end All-Star team.

"“It’s great to see these two players recognized by the Northwest League,” Hawks general manager Bob Flannery said in a press release. “I got to know Garrett and Jacob away from the diamond and you couldn’t ask for two better young men to represent the Hawks and the Rockies.”

Representing the Hawks were eight out of the top 48 end-of-season batting leaders in the NWL and three out of 10 pitchers.

"I feel good about the way the players played all year, Gonzalez asserted. "The effort was there day in day out. They played hard and they stuck with the process even when things weren't going right."

A team’s record may not show the daily efforts and sacrifices individual players go through. Sometimes success can’t be measured with wins, but rather the internal progress a player makes and the amount of faith a coach has in his future.

"There's really no secret to success," Gonzalez explained. "All you have to do is discipline yourself to get better everyday and a few years down the road, [players] will be amazed at how good they have become."

Notable pitchers

Antonio Santos - 4.16 ERA, 71⅓ IP, 53 SO

Breiling Eusebio - 5.26 ERA, 63⅓ IP, 42 SO

Julian Fernandez - 1.17 ERA, 23 IP, 19 SO

Erick Julio - 4.05 ERA, 73⅓ IP, 47 SO

Javier Medina - 5.72 ERA, 39 ⅓ IP, 35 SO

Notable position players

Garrett Hampson - .301 BA/.404 OBP, 14 2B, 8 3B, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 36 SB

Jacob Bosiokovic - .274 BA/.380 OBP, 20 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 17 SB

Willie Abreu - .235 BA/.318 OBP, 12 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 43 RBI, 8 SB

Luis Castro - .255 BA/.362 OBP, 14 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 11 SB

Steven Linkous - .253 BA/.358 OBP, 5 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 30 SB