South Atlantic League was a Tourist industry in 2014

Asheville slugger Correlle Prime was named the GotC Most Valuable Player in the South Atlantic League. Mandatory credit: Tony Farlow/Asheville Tourists

THERE WERE FOUR teams in this year’s South Atlantic League that won a whopping 85 or more games. The winningest of the bunch, Asheville (89-49), placed a whopping five players on the Grading On The Curve’s All-League team and sweep the most valuable player and pitcher honors.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Correlle Prime, Asheville – This 20-year-old consistently set the SAL on fire this season, leading the league in doubles (47), extra-base hits (71) and tying for the RBI crown (102). He was second in slugging percentage (.520) and third in OPS (.856). In a very offensive league, it was Prime Time all the way. Delmarva’s Mike Yastrzemski could have made a convincing argument here had he not been promoted two levels well before season’s end.

MOST VALUABLE PITCHER

Antonio Senzatela, Asheville – Hagerstown’s Lucas Giolito was putting up video game numbers against the SAL but was promoted too early to qualify in innings pitched. That left the field wide open. Our nod goes to this blue-collar hurler who lurked among the league’s top 10 in many categories but led in the one that counts most – wins. Senzatela was the ultimate competitor on the mound and always did what it took to get the Tourists the victory. As a result, his 15-2 mark far outstrips the rest of the league. By the way – he’s only 19.

GOTC ALL-SOUTH ATLANTIC TEAM

C – Chance Sisco, Delmarva: Speaking of 19-year-olds, this one’s first full season yielded a batting crown (.340). He batted .378 over his final 10 games. The only thing he needs to work on is his arm – basestealers nabbed a whopping 94 bags against him while he threw out just 24.

1B – Correlle Prime, Asheville: His best month was his last. Prime hit .368 with 12 doubles and four home runs in August.

2B – Wilmer Difo, Hagerstown: Frankly, Difo could have qualified at shortstop or at our DH/UT position since he split time between the two middle infield positions this season. He’s still “officially” a shortstop but likely profiles as a second baseman as he moves up the ladder. Difo batted .315 with 31 doubles and 14 homers. Impressive, but when you consider he was coming off a season in which he batted .217 with a .644 OPS while hopscotching all over the lower levels in 2013, it’s downright breathtaking.

3B – Ryan McMahon, Asheville: Finished second to Prime in doubles with 46 and tied Prime with 102 RBI.

SS – JaCoby Jones, West Virginia: This is the reason Difo was a second baseman on this team. Jones’ all-around play was nothing short of sensational this season. In addition to some Web Gemmy defense, Jones churned out 21 doubles and 23 home runs.

OF – Rafael Bautista, Hagerstown: While you were reading this, Bautista stole second and third and came in to score on a wild pitch. His 69 steals (in 84) attempts this season gives the 21-year-old 142 for his three-year career. He knows who he is as well – he’s an extreme groundball hitter.

OF – David Dahl, Asheville: Dahl just barely qualified in plate appearances for this team. As such, he became a no-brainer addition. Dahl terrorized the SAL through the All-Star break, then put on a show at the All-Star game. Just to be completely unfair Rockies’ No. 3 overall prospect was returned from the High-A California League to help the Tourists in the playoffs. His .309/.500/.847 Tourist line indicates he’ll certainly help.

OF – Raimel Tapia, Asheville: This 20-year-old is the classic all-around package. He delivered a .326 batting average with 32 doubles, nine homers and 33 stolen bases.

DH/UT – Carlos Asuaje, Greenville: This 22-year-old established a reputation for being an elite fighter at the plate, seeing many pitches, extending at-bats until the pitcher made a mistake he could crush. He was promoted after 90 games in Greenville in which he .305 with 24 doubles, 10 triples and 11 home runs. At High-A Salem, he kept up the pace with 14 doubles, two triples and four homers in 39 games while batting .323.

P – John Gant, Savannah: Starting with a one-hitter he threw in the first game of a doubleheader against Lexington on July 20, Gant closed out the regular season with 16 hits and five runs allowed in 29 innings pitched. For good measure, he repeated his one-hit performance against Hickory on Aug. 3. In all, he posted a 11-5 mark with a 2.56 ERA.

P – Antonio Senzatela, Asheville: At 19, Senzatela already has three seasons under his belt with a career record of 28-9. Solid.

P – Steven Brault, Delmarva: The Carolina League got a three-start taste of what Brault will bring to Frederick next season. The SAL hitters will tell their High-A brethren he’s for real. He led the league with a 1.04 WHIP, allowing 107 hits and 28 walks in 130 innings, while fanning 115.

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Greensboro (87-53) vs. Hagerstown (87-57) — These two teams were in utter lockstep all season, tying for the first half and second half titles. The only reason they didn’t tie for the season series is because it was 11 games and someone had to win six (that was Hagerstown). Both teams feature monster offensive talents. Hagerstown’s talents appear in the above all-league team, but Greensboro boasted contenders at every position, just missing each time. If it ultimately comes down to pitching, look to Greensboro’s Domingo German (9-3, 2.48 ERA) for an edge.

Savannah (85-51) vs. Asheville (89-49) — Well, you know what Asheville brings to this series if you read that all-league report. And if you’re tempted to point at Asheville’s weird home field as an extreme advantage, be warned the Tourist acutally won more games on the road (46) than at McCormick Field (43). Due to the very quirky SAL schedule, these two didn’t play each other until June. Then Asheville took six of nine.