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New Jersey Jackals 2021 Season Recap

It's been over a month since the New Jersey Jackals wrapped up what was a disappointing 2021 season. Entering their first season in the Frontier League and coming off back-to-back league championships in 2019 and 2020, there was understandably a lot of excitement and optimism. Unfortunately, New Jersey couldn't continue their winning ways in 2021, as they finished the season with a 39-56 record. That's last in the Northeast Division, last in the Can Am Conference, and tied with the Joliet Slammers for second last in the entire Frontier League. The Jackals failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2018, and the second time since 2008.

Obviously, the 2021 New Jersey Jackals fell short in several areas that contributed to them falling short of expectations. However, offense was not one of those areas. At the plate, the Jackals more than held their own this season, scoring 503 runs, fifth out of all 14 teams in the Frontier League. Furthermore, they hit 86 home runs as a team, tied for fourth in the league. They had a team batting average of .280, third in the league, and a team OPS of .791, tied for third in the league. When you consider that the team lost several key players to injury, as well as losing slugger Alfredo Marte to the Mexican League mid-season, putting up that type of offensive production is impressive.

Offensively, catcher Jason Agresti lead the team with a career year at the plate. Agresti lead the team in batting average, hitting .316, to go along with eight home runs and 39 RBIs for a .862 OPS in 81 games.

"It was a great year personally," said Jason Agresti. "Try to stay about as consistent as possible and I think I did a fairly good job at it. You're gonna have a lot of highs and a lot of lows throughout a long season like this. We play 96 games. You've gotta find a way to bring the energy and bring the focus everyday to the field."

Infielder Justin Wylie lead the team when it came to the power, hitting a team leading 15 home runs. He was also second on the team in slugging percentage with .542, and third in OPS with .915 in 80 games. Despite the success, Wylie feels he can still get better as he continues his baseball career.

"Personally I feel like there's a lot of room for improvement," said Justin Wylie. "I'm happy with what I did. This is my first full pro season. There's a lot I've learned. The guys are amazing. Able to talk to. Just going to continue on with my baseball career."

Where the Jackals fell short the most in 2021 was on the mound. New Jersey's pitching staff struggled majorly all season long, allowing 612 runs and posting a team ERA of 5.99 and a team WHIP of 1.68, all three ranked the worst in the entire Frontier League. Their best starter on the season, Jared Milch, started 12 games on the season and posted an ERA of 4.73.

"As a catcher everyday you gotta work as hard as you can for the pitchers and have their back," said Agresti. "Work with the umpires a little bit day in and day out. Obviously as a pitching staff we didn't have the best year. But you also got to look at the reality of the situation. There's a lot of good lineups in the league. With younger pitchers just coming out of college and what not, you gotta do your best. Continue to try and give them good adjustments and like I said, you've gotta work with them."

As a result of the Jackals struggles to find reliable pitching, manager Brooks Carey and New Jersey were forced to think outside the box throughout the course of the season. In his first 19 appearances out of the bullpen, Jackals closer Dylan Brammer had an ERA of 1.98 and a WHIP of 1.02 on the season. It was then when the Jackals moved Brammer into the starting rotation, who has had experience as a starting pitcher in the past, as he started 19 games for the Jackals during the 2018 season. The experiment ultimately didn't work out, as Brammer allowed 21 runs in 13.1 innings of work as a starter for an ERA of 14.17.

"I was a starter earlier in my career," said Dylan Brammer. "So when Brooks and Jared asked me to do so, it wasn't a big problem. I didn't really train for it all that well in the preseason so unfortunately I didn't do great in the starting role. I went back to the bullpen and I think in my last four outings I didn't give up an earned run. But yeah I do like the bullpen a little bit better than starting. It definitely fits my mentality a little better."

Family Never Waivers For Jackals

Despite the disappointing season on the field, the Jackals continued their tradition of being a tight-nit group in the clubhouse and off the field as well. The team enjoyed many memorable moments this season, including two walk-off victories on fireworks night. New Jersey will head into the winter reflecting on the bonds they built while also preparing for a bounce-back 2022 campaign. They will look to address their shortcomings in 2021, but also not overcorrect and forget what got them to becoming back-to-back champions in 2019 and 2020.

Adam Grassani