Brooklyn Knights 2020 Season Review

With an 89-73 record, the Brooklyn Knights had their least successful season ever. In 20 previous seasons, the Knights failed to win their division only once (2013). However, that 2013 team still managed to win 96 games. What went wrong in 2020? The offseason/preseason gave some reasons for concern before the season began. While other teams were making trades and signing free agents, the Knights were the only NALB team that did not add a new player to its roster. Brooklyn's only trades involved minor leagues players, which were not impactful. The Knights' plans for 2020 involved minimum roster changes. One significant decision was to let third baseman Alberto Pescador leave for free agency. The plan was to move John Ruben from first base back to third base, which is his natural position. The Knights wanted to sign Mabon Beniniger as their new first baseman. After seven years in Dunedin, Beniniger filed for free agency and was the most coveted player on the market. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, the Washington Allies wasted no time offering Beniniger a deal. They quickly came to terms ($133.2 million over 8 years) before the Knights could match or exceed the offer. In response, the Knights called up Ramone Alconer from AAA to play first base.

Preseason predictions had the Brooklyn Knights winning 93 games, which placed them 5 games ahead of the Dayton Grizzlies. In April, however, the Knights did not resemble a top team. After the first month of the season, they were in third place with a disappointing 9-13 record. Many thought the 2020 Knights would struggle offensively with far fewer top hitters and less power. Surprisingly, it was their pitching that looked completely atypical. Their pitching staff was a team strength but they did not play like it early on. As the season progressed, however, the Knights looked better and better. By June, they had climbed to first place in the division. They slipped a bit in July but trailed the Grizzlies by a mere two games at the all-star break. Down the stretch, the Grizzlies kept winning just enough to keep the Knights at bay. Brooklyn was never able to close the gap.

Overall, the Knights offense was mediocre and the weakest in franchise history. Out of 8 League 1 teams, they finished 5th in runs scored with 689. Likewise, their team batting average of .252 was only good enough for 5th place. After a rocky start, Brooklyn's pitching mostly returned to form. A team ERA of 3.53 was tops in League 1. That was largely due to the excellence of the Knights' bullpen. Their starters collectively had a 4.19 ERA, which was only 5th best in League 1. Staff ace Tony Tamayo had a particularly frustrating year. He failed to win 10 games for the first time in his career. His 9-12 record was predominately caused by home runs allowed (28) and a career low in run support (2.4 per game).

The outlook for 2021 is somewhat unclear. Three players are over 35 years in age. Hooks Goetz is 40; Bernard Gastelu and Flavio Marquez will turn 38 next year. Their best days are behind them. The Knights could use a younger player with a big bat to add to their lineup. Unfortunately, there are no upcoming free agents the caliber of a Mabon Beniniger. The Knights committed a lot of money to their "big three" starting pitchers: Tony Tamayo ($13.5m), Marcos Delgadillo ($15.0m), and Aaron Patterson ($10.0m). An upgrade to their fourth or fifth starter could be in order. The bullpen appears solid for the near future, particularly with the six-year extension given to closer Ken Hannah. The biggest challenge going forward will be staying competitive with a significantly improved Dayton Grizzlies team, the current NALB champions.