Mission Viejo Monarchs
Christopher Ferraro 1 year 83-79

Personnel History

A perennial contender as the Hana Storm under Mike Moffatt, the Heat have only advanced once in five tries in the playoffs. Neil Leavitt made one last run with veterans in 2006, but the Clemens/Maddux/Smoltz group couldn't make the playoffs and Leavitt was gone.

The Heat won regularly with Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine. Glavine was the first to go, for a draft pick and an equally aged Barry Larkin, then Smoltz for a draft pick during his period of arm troubles. Smoltz did come back but it cost Derrek Lee, and Hudson then joined for a few years, but he left for the even more aged Roger Clemens.

On the offensive side, when the power oriented of Juan Gonzalez and the two Vaughns began to fade, there were few cogent answers on how to replace them. The Steve Finleys, Mark Graces, and Jeromy Burnitzes haven't had the necessary oomph to cover for a pitching staff that was no longer spectacular, and the Heat have been just good enough to contend but not win.

2004 marked a change in strategy, as the Heat traded for marquee players: Todd Helton, Luis Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, and Ray Durham. The core was good enough to win two straight divisions, allowing the Heat to concentrate on peripherals like the bullpen in their 2005 pennant win. However, a third effort was a stretch too far.

2006

With the liberal use of Marcus Thames and Roger Clemens in the early going, the Heat jumped out to a 17-7 April. By Independence Day, however, they were under .500. The rest of the season featured some winning streaks and some losing streaks, but the net result was a 83-79 record, the Heat's worst since 2001. Gary Matthews, the Heat's first round draft pick, and Julio Lugo, who came over in a midseason trade with the Stingrays, performed well. But regressions by Ivan Rodriguez and Todd Helton pushed the team offensively down the ranks. On the pitching side, Greg Maddux won the Cy Young while John Smoltz had a miserable year. Roger Clemens went 9-4 in his half season, while the bullpen was a mixed bag.

2005

The Heat and the Sea Horses were within a game of each other for the first half of the season and tied on July 6. Then the Heat ran off 15 in a row, 22 of 23, and the pennant race was over.  The lead was nearly 10 games for most of the next two months, and the pennant was clinched in mid-September.  Despite the gaudy 107 win season, the Heat only outscored their opponents by 155 runs. A good bullpen spearheaded a team that won a league high 14 extra inning games. It was a good but not great offense, heavily dependent on lefties Cliff Floyd, Todd Helton, Chad Tracy, and Aubrey Huff. Curiously, they managed to steal 139 bases, led by 34 from Floyd. The starting rotation was dependent on the big three of Maddux, Smoltz, and Hudson, which gave way to a very solid bullpen of righties. In the playoffs, the Heat once again blew a 3-1 lead, losing the last two at home.

2004

Hollywood and Mystic went neck and neck for the first two thirds of the season, until Mystic faltered and Hollywood pulled away. The Heat won a franchise record 108 games, though were only 62-40 on August 1. The last two months of the season saw Hollywood go 46-22, securing the home field advantage. It should have helped, but it didn't, as the Heat blew a 3-1 lead, losing the last two games at home.

The Hollywood offense was broad and deep, led by newcomers Todd Helton (.320/32/109) and Ivan Rodriguez (.325/23/86), as well as holdover Aubrey Huff (.302/25/92). Ray Durham chipped in 20 HRs as well, and Mike Cameron hit 35 homers, largely from the #8 spot in the lineup. The pitching was similar. Broad and deep, without any real superstars. The top 4 combined to go 61-30, and the team hoped they could bridge to Salomon Torres and John Smoltz (league leading 36 saves).

2003

The Heat won as many games as the year before, but it wasn't good enough for a playoff spot. The Heat led the hunt for the last wild card spot through the end of July, but over the last two months played sub-.500 ball that quashed any hope of returning to the playoffs. The Heat were well into the second division in batting average and on base percentage, only a league 3rd best 219 homers made the overall run total respectable. Chief among the culprits were Jeromy Burnitz (.237/.295/.488) and Torii Hunter (.224/.294/.408). No complaints could be lodged against the twin pillars of Aubrey Huff and Derrek Lee, as they combined for 82 HRs. Lee also somehow managed to steal 40 bases. The front three of Maddux, Batista, and Thomson were all consistent and each won 15 games, the #4 and 5 starters at least acted like #4 and 5 starters rather than replaceable parts.