A look back at the 2017 Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs returned to the postseason in 2017, a year filled with very noteworthy performances from some very unknown members of the Cardinals’ farm system.

Chiefs infielders Andy Young and Stefan Trosclair dazzled at the plate this season. Young, in his age 23 season, posted a 158 wRC+ in 233 plate appearances with Peoria, the fifth-highest mark in the Midwest League. Young’s .261 ISO and .411 wOBA were team highs among those who garnered at least 200 PA.

Peoria Chiefs 2017 statistics

Trosclair, 22 years old, topped the Chiefs’ leaderboards with 15 home runs and 59 runs batted in in 111 games. Trosclair’s .458 slugging percentage was second to only Young (.545), while his wRAA of 20.2 led Peoria’s bats by plenty.

Aside from Young and Trosclair, the Chiefs saw offensive contributions up and down the batting order. Outfielder Nick Plummer’s .353 on-base percentage ranked in the top five on the team, despite his meager .198 batting mark, and infielder Kramer Robertson slashed .270/.351/.367 with 10 stolen bases in 54 games.

On the mound, starter Ian Oxnevad captained team charts with 24 games (23 starts) and 132 innings of work. It was a rough year for the 20-year-old Oxnevad, who finished the season with a 4.90 FIP.

In a dozen starts for the Chiefs, 22-year-old Mike O’Reilly was superb. O’Reilly maintained an 0.68 WHIP and 94 left on-base percentage over 87 ²⁄₃ frames. O’Reilly’s 89 punchouts trailed only Ronnie Williams (95) for the club lead.

Speaking of Williams, the right-hander worked primarily out of the bullpen this season, starting just seven of his 36 total appearances. And like several relievers nowadays, Williams’ 10.30 K/9 rate led his team’s pitching staff.

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That does it for our Peoria Chiefs review. Next time, we’ll look back on the State College Spikes.

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