San Jose Reds

ield as General Manager and, on the field, as Manager, Medina Jr. oversaw a squad that fired on all cylinders throughout the course of their inaugural season. Lifetime San Jose Red Hector Esparza started off his career in dazzling fashion, as he took home league Most Valuable Player Honors with a staggering .586 average to go along with his 14 home runs and 41rbis. Fellow lifetime Red Steve Goldberg was also a major contributor, earning league All-Star Honors along with Esparza. The Reds got close to perfection in their initial campaign, as they only lost to one team, the Giants, albeit twice during the season. They also battled to a rare 3-3 tie against the Tigers, but other than those small blemishes, everything went as scripted as they blasted their way through the competition en route to a 17-2-1 record. The culmination of everybody's hard work and effort came as they overcame the Indians in the championship game to cap off an exciting finish to a truly memorable season. After reaching the pinnacle in their first season of the MSBL, the San Jose Reds decided to pursue a new challenge and moved over to the San Jose National Adult Baseball Association. It ended up being their only season in the NABA, but the Reds left their mark in a loud way, as they pounded out a stunning 77 home runs as a team. Another member of the Original Six, Rudy DeAnda had one of the best seasons in San Jose Reds history as he produced magnificently both at the plate (.484avg, 8hr, 48rbi) and on the mound (6-0, 3.37era, 47k's) to take NABA Most Valuable Player honors. Power anchor Hector Esparza proved his MVP season from 2004 was no fluke, as he logged another impressive season with a .456 average, while leading the league with 14 home runs. Steve Goldberg was a machine at the plate all season as he took home the Batting Crown with a .500 average and the last two of the Original Six, Brian Pino (.460avg, 8hr, 38rbi) and Jose "Choco" Rodriguez (.472avg, 7hr, 23rbi) also played key roles in the Reds' success. They capped off the regular season with a 20-4 record and were projected to be a major force in the playoffs, and they did not disappoint, as they made it all the way to the Championship before falling short to the Salinas Dodgers. The Reds returned to the MSBL in 2006 and it has been the only low point in the team's short but storied history as they went a respectable 13-6-1 on the season before falling again to the Dodgers (who also made the move from NABA after their championship) in the playoffs. It was the first round exit did not sit well with this group that had created the highest of standards for itself with their performances in the first two seasons. The power that the Reds had become accustomed to unexplicably disappeared, as Steve Goldberg led the lead with only 4 dingers. His all around game did not go unnoticed though, as he and Brian Pino were selected to go to the All-Star game as players, while Medina Jr. Eager to return to their earlier form, the Reds pushed hard in 2007, ending the regular season with a 15-5 record and a lot to prove in the round robin format playoffs. Things did not get off to a good start as they dropped their first game to the Tigers 8-5. Faced with a win or go home scenario, the Reds stared adversity in the eye and started to come together as a group winning three straight nerve racking games. First, they disposed of the A's first with a thrilling 5-3 win followed up with a 7-4 victory over the A's to bring their season to a conclusion, setting up a rematch between the Tigers and Reds for the right to face the Diamondbacks for the title. The Reds did not waste their second chance, as they got revenge and moved onto the Championship with a 10-8 win. Unforunately, they ran out of steam as the Diamondbacks bested them for the 2007 MSBL crown, with a 10-8 win in game 1 and a 10-4 rout in the clincher. With two runner up finishes in their short four year history, the San Jose Reds were determined to equal that number with league titles by winning their second championship after falling just short in 2007. They finished the regular season with a 15-4-1 record, while the leading the league in runs scored with 157. They fell 1 game short of their rivals from the title game the year before, the Santa Cruz Mets (previously the 2007 Diamondbacks) and would have to exact any revenge, if any, in the newly structured MSBL playoffs. Squaring off against the A's in their semi-final, the Reds made an emphatic statement winning the series with two blowouts, 14-3 in game 1 and 14-2 in the finale. The Mets dispatched of the Blue Jays in the other semi-final and the rematch was set for the title. The Mets took one step closer to repeating as champions as they destroyed the Reds 9-1 in the opening game, but Medina Jr.'s squad was going to make sure that was the last step Santa Cruz was taking in 2008. With extraordinary collective efforts by all members of their team, the San Jose Reds won second game 10-7 before claiming their 2nd MSBL title in five years of existence winning the decider in a 14-9 slugfest. Building on the momentum of their championship, the San Jose Reds captured the regular season division crown with a 14-4 record. Hector Esparza powered his way to the MSBL President's Award, while Marcos Siaca's stellar season (.464avg, 3hr, 24rbi, 20sb) and Adam Paredes' continued dominance on the mound (6-0, 3.04era, 34k's) earned them all All-Star honors along with Medina Jr., who returned to the festivities as manager. Aside from the individual accomplishments, the main objective and focus of the team was on repeating as champions. Perhaps a good omen, the 2009 semi-finals were carbon copies of the 2008 matchups and the results were no different. The Reds once again took full advantage of A's pitching, ending the series in 2 with a 20-12 blowout and a 15-9 thrashing. In the same position that the Reds sat in during the 2008 playoffs, the Mets took care of business against the Blue Jays to ensure they would get their chance to redeem themselves and bring the title back to Santa Cruz. The Mets edged the Reds 6-4 in the opener and carried that emotion over as they engineered a 10-6 victory to win the 2009 MSBL title. The 2010 campaign ended with the same two powerhouse squads battling it out again for the title with the Mets coming out on top again for a hard fought back to back championship. With two championships and four runner ups in seven seasons of existence, the San Jose Reds are quickly establishing a reputation around Bay Area circles that they are not a club to be taken lightly and they embrace this rule foremost, as they continue to hold and push themselves to the highest of standards of the diamond.