Kernels finish Midwest League championship with bittersweet ending

Admit that you poked fun at them at times. The 2009 Cedar Rapids Kernels were once again small ball with even smaller players.

The physical comparisons between guys on the other teams in the Midwest League and the majority of these Kernels were striking. Big strapping lads who can hit the ball a ton at Peoria, for instance, and tiny little dudes who bunt, bunt, bunt and run, run, run in Cedar Rapids.

“Everybody doubted us,” said Kernels pitcher Will Smith, after his team's season ended Monday night with a 2-1 loss to Burlington in a deciding Game 3 of the MWL Western Division championship series. “We've got small guys on this team. Nobody thought we could do what we did. But that's the way we played. We played hard, and we played to win.”

If the Kernels continue to prove anything, it's that you can win with small ball in the Midwest League.

It's debatable how fun it is to watch, and, no, Cedar Rapids didn't win either half, finishing second in both. But you can't argue much with an 81-62 overall record.

“It's bittersweet,” Kernels Manager Bill Mosiello said minutes after his team's playoff elimination. “I believed that we could win this thing. My expectations are always super high, wo we fell short of what I thought we could do. But as the days go on and I'm back home, I'll know how proud I am of these guys and the season we had.”

The Kernels haven't won a MWL title since 1994, the last time they were in the league finals. There is one more year on a Player Development Contract with the Los Angeles Angels, but expect negotiations for another extension that would continue the MWL's longest marriage.

The Angels and Kernels have been together since 1993. Speaking of together, expect the field staff of Mosiello, pitching coach Brandon Emanuel and hitting coach Brent Del Chiaro to be back in Cedar Rapids next season.

“Delly and Manny were absolutely incredible,” Mosiello said. “I'm trying to take absolutely zero away from the players, but those two guys might be the best prospects in this organization.”

Speaking of prospects, 5-foot-something second baseman Alexi Amarista became one with a terrific offensive and defensive season that landed him on the MWL's postseason all-star team. He was, by far, the team's best position player.

Amarista and shortstop Darwin Perez made a strong up-the-middle combo for a good defensive team. The Kernels led the league in stolen bases and almost certainly bunts.

On the pitching side, Smith overcame a midseason back injury to win 10 games and pitch strongly in two playoff starts. Others who showed well at times were high draft picks Tyler Chatwood and Ryan Chaffee. A good bullpen was headed by lefty Andrew Taylor, the Kernels' other postseason all-star.

“Good year. A very good year,” Smith said. “We made the playoffs, clinched in the first half. We played our hearts out, played hard, played the game the right way. Individual-wise, I think we all got better.”

“Right now, we're just disappointed. That's obvious,” outfielder Tyson Auer said. “But, personally, I felt like I learned a lot this season. It was my first full season. We had a lot of good coaching. Mose did a good job. So did Manny and Delly. Just a big learning experience, really. Not just me. I saw a lot of guys mature as baseball players.”